Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Seeing Qi Zhimu's suspicious look, Xueyi offered an explanation.

"...My younger sister basically only sleeps a few days a year, which is why she looks quite haggard."

Qi Zhimu was taken aback.

Even if someone possesses the power of self-manifestation, surely they wouldn't punish someone to this extent?

Since the matter involves Jianmu, to convict them and carry out their punishment, it would inevitably have to go through the Marshal's hands.

Hua is not the kind of person who is completely impartial and shows no mercy.

"You've misunderstood, Lord Zhimu."

Han Ya could tell what Qi Zhimu was thinking, and her tone was a little embarrassed.

"I took on the demanding work voluntarily; I'm sorry to have worried you."

"Why?" Qi Zhimu had a guess in his heart, but he wanted to hear her confirm it herself.

"...Because this is one of the few choices and actions that can atone for Lord Zhimu's sins," said Han Ya.

really.

Qi Zhimu sighed inwardly.

But even if it is a heinous crime, once the person is reduced to ashes, what need is there for atonement?

The reincarnation of the enlightened one erases all sins from the previous life; the same applies to the death of the Celestial Race on the Immortal Ship and the annihilation of the Demonic Yin.

They sacrificed so much for him back then, never imagining that even after his death, they would still be atoning for sins that didn't actually exist.

"Let me tell you about my experiences over the years. Of course, I will."

Qi Zhimu doesn't have a confrontational personality and wouldn't stray from Han Ya's sincere heart.

Xueyi nodded slightly and said slowly, "After the Battle of Shuhu, Marshal Hua gave us two choices."

"One option is to leave the Immortal Ship Alliance forever. As long as we don't commit any heinous acts, they will treat us as if we don't exist."

"Secondly, he could remain on the Immortal Ship and serve as a judge of the Ten Kings for life, in order to atone for the serious crimes of touching taboos and tampering with the Jianmu tree."

"So we stayed, taking the pseudonyms Xueyi and Hanya respectively. Our former names could not and were not suitable to be mentioned again."

At this point, the crow took over the conversation.

"They say it's for atonement, but in reality, we are treated much better than the other judges. I suppose the marshal is just using this as a way to shut some people up."

"The council of elders located in Xuling?" Qi Zhimu narrowed his eyes.

"It should be that 720 years ago, the council of elders was almost slaughtered, and a major incident that could not be reversed occurred."

"Who has the guts to lay a hand on those old geezers?"

"Mirror Flow".

"..." Qi Zhimu was taken aback.

Xueyi explained, "She told us herself that the alliance was in an uproar over how to deal with Lord Zhimu back then."

Qi Zhimu nodded slightly; he had expected this.

Even if his goals and actions are beneficial to the Immortal Boat Alliance, it is an undeniable fact that he violates the rules and will cause controversy.

The Three Tribulations Era was the darkest period in the history of the Immortal Ships, and also the time when the demonic spirits erupted on a large scale after all the Immortal Ships had perished.

The Chronicles of the Immortal Ship:

Since receiving abundant blessings, the elderly and powerful have enjoyed high positions, great power, generous salaries, and control over secrets, thus enjoying exclusive wealth and glory.

The newly born youth were once worse than chickens, dogs, insects, and beasts; they are now possessed by demonic influences, and the world has long suffered from their scourge on the Immortal Ship.

Dissatisfied with those in high positions who were incompetent and idle, rebellions broke out one after another on various immortal ships.

Following the destruction of the Daiyu Immortal Ship in the battle against the bountiful people in the year 1200 of the Star Calendar, Yuanqiao, one of the original nine Immortal Ships, also lost speed due to internal strife and crashed into a red giant star, becoming the second Immortal Ship to be destroyed.

The numerous tragic past events recorded in history are the main reason why the alliance regards the act of seizing Jianmu as an intolerable and heinous crime.

In terms of the weight of crimes, it is assumed to be higher than the ten unforgivable atrocities, which would be strange if there were no uproar.

"The council of elders almost unanimously agreed and submitted a memorial regarding the final disposition of Lord Zhimu—"

"Strip all members of their direct and collateral branches of their past merits, list them as eternal sinners of the Immortal Ship, and make this public to warn future generations."

Upon hearing this outcome, Qi Zhimu remained expressionless, clearly not surprised.

The two sisters were different; both had deeply furrowed brows.

"The marshal never showed any intention of slamming the table, and after a while, the news reached Jing Liu's ears, so she rushed to Xuling as quickly as possible."

"If the Marshal hadn't arrived in time, the entire council of elders would likely have been killed or wounded..."

Qi Zhimu's gaze sharpened; he hadn't expected Jing Liu to have done such a thing, and doubts arose within him.

"Didn't the general of Xuling stop her?"

Xueyi and Hanya exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment, and said uncertainly:

"According to inside information from the Ten Kings Division, General Xu Ling made a move, but failed to stop Jing Liu..."

"We suspect that General Xu Ling did not really intend to stop it, but merely made a symbolic move."

The meaning is clear: General Xu Ling has subtly expressed his attitude—he also disapproves of the elders' decision.

The evidence is that the dignified Imperial Bow General and Hunting Envoy, if he really had such intentions, would he not be able to stop a mere Sword Master?

"And then?" Qi Zhimu pressed.

"The Marshal overruled all objections, silenced all dissent, and rejected all opposition, defining you as a hero of the Immortal Ship and a martyr of the Cloud Riders."

"what?"

Even with Qi Zhimu's composure, he couldn't help but be taken aback upon hearing this result.

He only now remembered one thing: the hero that Su Chang, whom he met when he arrived in Luofu, was actually him in his previous life.

Xueyi: "You heard me right. The heroic deeds of Instant Blood Rainbow have always been passed down among the people, but your name has been concealed."

"As for the official history of the Immortal Ship, which is not made public, it objectively records your and our merits and demerits."

"To lay hands on the Jianmu tree and activate the Free Manifestation Body are both capital offenses, but the purpose of doing all this was to eliminate the Alliance's millennia-old enemy, and we succeeded in doing so."

"And this was also the secondary reason the Marshal used to overcome all opposition."

"Secondary?" Qi Zhimu raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, that's secondary. The main reason is a huge label that leaves any member of the Immortal Ship speechless..."

Xueyi paused, then repeated Hua's original words, which were known to only a very few people.

"--Ding Qizhimu's crime is tantamount to denying the approval given to him by the Emperor Bow Master's glance. As the agent of the Emperor Bow's will, I will faithfully follow His will."

Upon hearing this, Qi Zhimu was speechless.

Not surprising then.

Thousands of years ago, Lan became the undisputed orthodox temple of the Immortal Boat Alliance.

Even if a small number of people still hold onto their beliefs or knowledge, they cannot influence the overall trend.

Even if the truth is revealed, the number of people who regard Instant Blood Ember Rainbow as a hero compared to those who regard him as a sinner would still be overwhelmingly greater.

It's very simple: the common people's faith in Lan is even more extreme, to the point that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it fanaticism.

In addition, because the alliance deliberately downplayed the presence of Jianmu, after many generations, most ordinary people did not know much about Jianmu, and naturally did not understand its importance.

The crime of coveting the Jianmu tree?

Most ordinary people tend to think more simply: So what?

Absorbing the power of the Jianmu tree would allow him to kill Shuhu, the culprit who caused countless families on the Immortal Ship to be torn apart and killed. He would be a hero worthy of being remembered for eternity!

What? You're saying he also received the Emperor's Bow Master's Gaze and Blessing of Power?!

Then what's there to argue about? You're the door god that every household puts up during the Lunar New Year.

Hua Zhen successfully silenced all opposition with just one sentence.

……