The reason for not choosing Zhao Lingyin was simple: her experiences and temperant were not quite suited for such a heavy responsibility.
Previously, she had not even bothered to contend for the status of a core disciple, wishing only to quietly dedicate herself to the Alchemy Path. Given this, Shen Mo would not force his own will upon her.
All he needed to do was cultivate loyal followers within the sect and strengthen his authority and influence, thereby creating a relatively safe and untroubled environnt for Zhao Lingyin and those close to her.
Of course, whether Chen ngze could secure the position of Master of Green Cloud Peak would still depend on her own capabilities.
During the period Shen Mo had specifically set aside, her cultivation and strength had to advance significantly. Otherwise, rely joining the ranks of core disciples would not suffice; she also needed to surpass the other core disciples and beco the foremost among them, succeeding Yang Xuan and Jiang Lingfeng.
Although the ti was exceedingly short, Shen Mo himself had ascended to Peak Master from the position of foremost core disciple after defeating Yang Xuan.
It was only after he officially beca the Master of Green Cloud Peak that Yang Xuan, whom he had overshadowed, reclaid the top disciple position. However, Yang Xuan later accompanied Patriarch Gongsun to the Heavenly Demon Realm in the Outer Zone and all contact was lost after the great upheaval of heaven and earth.
Thus, the title of foremost core disciple fell to Jiang Lingfeng.
Due to significant changes among the core disciples, their positions could only be reassigned after they departed the Mountain River Realm and regrouped with the disciples from the subsidiary courtyard on Chong’a Mountain.
At that ti, if Chen ngze’s strength and contributions were insufficient to win over the others, Shen Mo would have no choice but to support Jiang Lingfeng. After all, she was one of the forr three Bloody Fiends and arguably more suited for this role than other Hall Masters.
In that scenario, the only position remaining for Chen ngze would be that of a Hall Master. For further advancent, she would first have to confirm the life and death status of Zhou Shili and Yuan Jing. Alternatively, if they still had not returned after several years, she could then attempt to contend with other Hall Masters for the positions of Peak Master of Stars Peak and Peak Master of Bright Moon Peak.
The newly established Green Cloud Peak was considerably different from the original three main peaks and held a relatively unique status within the Riverside Sect.
Furthermore, with the precedent of Shen Mo being directly promoted from core disciple to Master of Green Cloud Peak, coupled with various other factors, neither Jiang Lingfeng nor Chen ngze would find it overly difficult to succeed him as Master of Green Cloud Peak. The stance of Shen Mo, the original Master of Green Cloud Peak and newly promoted Supre Elder, would also be pivotal.
However, when it ca to Rising Sun Peak, Bright Moon Peak, and Stars Peak, the involvent of Patriarchs Yuan Heming and Zhou Zhiwei ant Shen Mo could not show favoritism; everything had to be conducted strictly according to sect laws and procedures.
In Shen Mo’s view, the most desirable outco was still to strongly advocate for Chen ngze to beco the Master of Green Cloud Peak. Then, after Jiang Lingfeng had served as Master of the Affairs Hall for so ti, he could promote her to the position of Peak Master of either Bright Moon Peak or Stars Peak.
「...」
Just as Shen Mo was deep in thought, Zhao Lingyin, having completed her toilette, tenderly drew close to him.
Her cherry-like lips parted slightly, holding the cup which moved with her. Her breath carried the faint fragrance of jasmine. Her eyes conveyed unspoken emotions; as they gazed at each other, a torrent of affection flowed between them.
Feeling the sweetness on his lips and the fervent passion that stirred his very soul, Shen Mo gradually felt himself becoming intoxicated...
It was much later when Zhao Lingyin, her face flushed like autumn leaves, gently pushed him away. With a soft smile, she said, "It’s getting late, and you still have to receive your punishnt with the others. Let help you change your clothes so we don’t keep Senior Sister Lingfeng and Sect Master Yuan waiting."
Apart from Yuan Shengcai and Tian Zhiyu, who had been slain on the spot by Shen Mo, other culprits like Tang Lv, Tian Zhaoquan, and a group of offenders were awaiting the final decision from the two patriarchs, Shen Mo and Yuan Heming. They would be punished according to the sect rules, based on the severity of their cris.
"You don’t need to wear the Supre Elder’s ceremonial crown and robes," Zhao Lingyin said softly. "Just a regular robe and your jade tablet will do. The robe armor you wear would be destroyed by the ’Thousand Swords Piercing the Heart’ punishnt anyway..."
His exclusive ceremonial crown, robes, and accessories were all profound level, top-grade magic artifacts. Three sets were always kept ready in the sect’s Treasure Hall.
Once soone successfully condensed a Golden Core and paid respects before the ancestral tablets of past patriarchs, the sect would promptly bestow the related ceremonial robes and accessories upon the newly promoted Supre Elder.
However, considering several factors, Shen Mo chose to voluntarily accept the Enforcent Hall’s punishnt. Naturally, he could not wear this ceremonial set to undergo his penance, nor did he even wear his usual magic robe and inner armor.
Otherwise, these attire-type magic artifacts would inevitably be destroyed by the punishnt.
Initially, Zhao Lingyin, while touched, had also been sowhat critical of his willingness to accept punishnt. She feared that his Dao Body would be injured, affecting his future cultivation path.
After Shen Mo demonstrated to her the formidable effectiveness of the ’Three-Heads Six-Arms True Immortal Technique,’ she finally set her worries aside. Nevertheless, she still requested several Grade V Elixirs from her Master for Shen Mo to have, just in case.
After dressing, Shen Mo took Zhao Lingyin’s hand, and they walked out of the chamber.
A golden escaping light flashed around his body, carrying her towards the execution ground. In a short while, they landed amidst the crowd.
At this ti, the specially demarcated execution area was densely packed with Sect Disciples.
After successively experiencing the demon disaster and the great upheaval of heaven and earth, the number of outer disciples in the Riverside Sect had fallen below one hundred thousand. Even so, their numbers were still vast.
Looking out, the sea of heads seed to stretch endlessly, like mountains and oceans.
Above the execution ground, a floating jade platform had been erected. Supre Elder Yuan Heming, Sect Master Yuan Qingshi, the newly appointed Master of the Affairs Hall Jiang Lingfeng, the newly appointed Master of the Enforcent Hall Guo Xun, and other Hall Masters and core disciples not implicated in the recent turmoil all stood upon it.
Within the execution ground itself, there were three distinct groups.
The first group, including the forr Peak Master of Rising Sun Peak, Tang Lv, and the forr Master of the Affairs Hall, Tian Zhaoquan, consisted of inner disciples, elders, and other disciples holding important positions who were awaiting execution. All were tightly bound and kneeling, regardless of which main peak or wealthy sect they originated from.
Nearby stood another group of disciples awaiting punishnt. Their treatnt was slightly better; they were only restrained in soul and Dao Body by the Immortal Binding Rope and were not forced to kneel.
Although they had committed evil deeds, their cris did not warrant death; they would receive various penalties according to sect regulations.
The remaining individuals were law enforcent cultivators like Jin Chinian, responsible for overseeing the condemned disciples and carrying out the executions.
After Shen Mo’s escaping light descended, he did not ascend the floating jade platform. He first escorted Zhao Lingyin to where Wu Gong, Ming Yu, and other alien ministers and elders stood, then flew into the center of the execution ground alone.
Instantly, an uproar went through the crowd.
With Shen Mo’s keen five senses and spiritual sense, he could easily distinguish the various voices within the din.
"Only a few years ago, Patriarch Shen was promoted to Master of Green Cloud Peak. It’s hard to believe he has condensed a Golden Core so quickly! In the thousand-year history of our sect, there’s likely no second Supre Elder as young as him, right?"
"Not only that, but his ability to withstand the terrifying mutation of the Soaring Serpent and forcibly enter the Dungeon while under siege by Flying Serpents demonstrates that his strength and thods have surpassed those of the other patriarchs!"
"Thank goodness we had Master... Patriarch Shen. Otherwise, we might have died without ever escaping this Dungeon prison! It’s just a pity about my poor mother, who died tragically in the Soaring Serpent’s jaws. If I ever get the chance, I will skin it, tear out its tendons, drink its blood, and devour its flesh to appease the hatred in my heart!"
"Ah, isn’t that the truth? Ask any of the brothers and sisters around you; six or seven out of ten have lost close relatives to that monstrous snake."
"Wait! Isn’t that Tang Lv, the Peak Master of Rising Sun Peak, kneeling in the center? He’s a Peak Master; could it be that he too must face execution?"
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