Transform into ancestral tablets and create a supreme immortal clan.

"Merit is merit, and fault is fault." Ni Xingzhou shook his head. "Merit and fault cannot be offset; this is an ironclad rule of the sect."

"The three of you, please leave."

A flash of anger crossed Gu Yunsong's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and said calmly, "Since that's the case, I won't say any more. I just hope that Hall Master Ni understands that excessive force in enforcing the law can easily lead to failure."

Three days later, at the sect's council meeting, I will definitely formally request a reconsideration of this case.

Everyone present knew that the Seven Star Mountain Sect had many Gu family cultivators, and with Gu Yunsong, a Golden Core cultivator, in charge, his words naturally carried weight.

After speaking, Gu Yunsong turned around and left with Gu Hanshan and Gu Lingfeng.

The palace gates were closed, and the main hall of the punishment chamber was deathly silent.

A middle-aged deacon hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and whispering, "Master, the Gu family is, after all, a Golden Core clan with deeply entrenched influence within the sect. Such a forceful approach might be..."

"What are you afraid of?" the boat asked rhetorically.

"The independent enforcement of the law by the Punishment Hall was established by the founding master. If it can be compromised due to pressure from powerful families, what is the point of its existence?"

He looked around at the assembled deacons: "I know you all have your concerns. But please remember, we are in charge of the law and we are protecting the bottom line of the sect."

Today, the Gu family is being made an exception; tomorrow, the Zhang and Li families will be too.

If this continues, the sect's rules and regulations will collapse, and how can its lineage endure?

The deacons stood solemnly and bowed in unison: "We will obey the bishop's instructions."

The name of Nanshan Jade spread throughout Qixing Mountain at an unprecedented speed, just as the Xingtang and Gu family were locked in a standoff.

Jade Balance Peak, the residence of outer sect disciples.

"Have you heard? That Uncle-Master Nanshan Yu Nan severed Uncle-Master Gu Zongyi's right arm with a single sword strike!"

"More than that! It's said that Uncle-Master Gu Zongyi unleashed the Demonic Bone Banner, accompanied by gusts of eerie wind, yet Uncle-Master Nan remained unfazed, his flying sword flashing like a rainbow, as if a sword immortal had descended to earth!"

"What's most incredible is that Uncle Nan only started practicing ten years ago, right? In just ten years, he not only successfully established his foundation, but his strength has also become so formidable..."

"It is said that he was originally unknown, but he made a name for himself in the outer sect competition and was noticed by an elder of Yuheng Peak, who directly recruited him into the inner sect."

"Uncle-Master Gu is a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator and the personal disciple of the Jade Balance Peak's head monk, yet he suffered such a complete defeat..."

Similar discussions circulated among the disciples of each peak.

The image of Nanshan jade has become increasingly mysterious and powerful through word of mouth.

Yuheng Peak, Yudong Mansion in Nanshan.

Shen Muyi sat on the stone bench, her hands supporting her chin, looking at Nanshan Yu who was meditating with his eyes closed, her eyes filled with reverence.

The strength that Nanshan Yu displayed in the battle in the mountain stream that day completely exceeded his expectations.

Especially the terrifying speed and power of that last flying sword, which was not something a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment could control.

He now spends a lot of time by the side of this incarnation of his ancestor, and runs errands for his ancestor, so he naturally receives many benefits.

His cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds, and he took another step forward just two days ago, already entering the eighth level of Qi Refining.

They also clearly understood that this incarnation of their ancestor, seemingly ordinary, was actually unfathomable.

True combat strength cannot be measured by superficial cultivation level.

Killing enemies of higher ranks is no difficult task.

Now, with the blessing of their ancestors, the Shen family is destined to become famous throughout the cultivation world of Southern Chu.

One day, they might just become as powerful as a Golden Core clan like the Gu family.

"Master..." he asked softly, "Is your injury really healed?"

Now, on Seven Star Mountain, his relationship with Nanshan Yuming is that of a master and disciple who have officially become acquainted.

Nan Shanyu opened her eyes and smiled slightly: "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious. But you, has anyone been giving you a hard time these past few days?"

Shen Muyi shook her head: "No. With Master's name on my side, who would dare to mess with me?"

Even the inner sect senior sisters who were cold to me when I first joined have been very polite to me lately.

He paused, then hesitated, and said, "But... I heard that the Gu family is putting all their pressure on Gu Zongyi to protect him."

Although Senior Uncle Ni Xingzhou's attitude was firm, the Gu family was, after all, a Golden Core family...

Nanshan Yu said calmly, "If he were to bow to the pressure from powerful families, he wouldn't be going against the tide."

Shen Muyi nodded, then suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, a senior brother just came by and asked me to tell you to be very careful."

The Gu family is putting pressure on the surface, but they probably won't let it go easily behind the scenes.

Especially now that you're at the height of your fame, you've become a thorn in the side of many.

A deep light flashed in Nanshan's jade eyes: "I understand."

It seems that there are disagreements among the leaders of the various peaks within Seven Star Mountain.

On the surface, they seem to be of one mind with each other, but who knows what those high-ranking Golden Core cultivators are really thinking?

Back then, Shen Muge, a disciple of the Shen family, faced the same situation, but because the Shen family was weak and no one could vouch for him, he ended up with such a tragic end.

Moreover, Shen Muge was genuinely wronged.

Even now, thinking about it still fills Shen Zhe with immense anger.

Wherever there are people, there is a world of martial arts and intrigue; the so-called world of cultivation is no exception.

The masses of people, the dazzling world!

Three days later, at the council hall on the main peak of Seven Star Mountain.

The chief monks of the seven peaks, the elders of each hall, and the guest masters all gathered together.

Almost 80% of the Golden Core cultivators from the entire Seven Star Mountain have arrived.

In the center of the main hall, Sect Master Lingyun Zhenren sat on the cloud platform, his face blurred in the auspicious clouds and mist, only his eyes were clear as stars, looking down upon all living beings.

Gu Yunsong stepped forward first, bowed, and said, "Sect Master, fellow disciples, I hereby request that the case of Gu Zongyi be retried."

His voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout the hall: "Gu Zongyi was confused for a moment and deserves to be punished. The Gu family will never deny this."

However, I believe that the punishment proposed by the Punishment Hall—"abolishing cultivation and expelling from the sect"—is too harsh.

Shen Mingzi, the head of Tianquan Peak, sneered: "Junior Brother Gu, what punishment do you think would be considered too harsh for harming fellow disciples and cultivating demonic arts?"

Ni Xingzhou, the head of the Punishment Hall, is Shen Mingzi's personal disciple. He is always fair and just and would never wrong anyone.

Gu Yunsong remained calm and composed: "First of all, there are still doubts about whether Gu Zongyi cultivates the demonic path."

The black bone banner was indeed a demonic artifact, but it was obtained by chance and had never been cultivated.

The court's decision to convict based solely on a single object is rather arbitrary.

"Secondly, even if he has made a mistake, his past merits should be taken into account."

Gu Zongyi has been in the sect for twenty-seven years, completing more than one hundred and thirty sect missions and slaying countless evil cultivators and demonic beasts.

Three years ago, when the monsters in the southern border region rioted, he led his team to defend the mine for seven days, saving eleven of his fellow disciples, but he himself was seriously injured and could not recover.

Shouldn't these merits warrant a reduction in sentence?

Liu Ruochen, the head of Yuheng Peak, suddenly spoke up: "What Junior Brother Gu said is not without reason."

Everyone was taken aback.

As Gu Zongyi's former master, Liu Ruochen immediately expelled Gu Zongyi from his sect after the incident, demonstrating a clear stance.

This sudden change of tone is truly unexpected.

Liu Ruochen said calmly, "I watched Zong Yi grow up. He's not a bad person by nature. He might have just made a mistake this time."

If given a chance to reform, he might be able to get back on the right track.

These words immediately sparked discussion within the main hall.