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*****
"Does the Heavenly Lord know about these things?"
Upon hearing Shen Gongbao's account, George asked this question.
He held no sympathy for Shen Gongbao, nor did he despise or hate him.
Although there were extenuating circumstances, Shen Gongbao had indeed committed many evil deeds. If not for George's appearance earlier, Shen might truly have annihilated the entire Chentang Pass just to silence witnesses.
Moreover, purely good or purely evil people rarely exist in this world. Many "good" people harbor dark sides, and many "bad" people turn to evil because of unknown, tragic pasts.
None of this was important to George.
What mattered was whether this person was a friend or a foe to him.
If someone held hostility toward him and attempted to kill him, then even if that person was the greatest philanthropist in the world—a Saint among Saints—George would still kill them without hesitation.
Conversely, if a person was beneficial to him, as long as they didn't cross his bottom line, he wouldn't go out of his way to play the hero and administer justice.
"I... I am not clear on that..."
Shen Gongbao replied, his expression complicated.
Everything his Eldest Senior Brother, the Infinite Immortal, did was certainly kept from the Master. Even the other Golden Immortals and disciples like Taiyi Zhenren were unaware.
Only the Deer Boy, the Crane Boy, and Shen Gongbao himself knew the details best. The disciples of the Demon Capture Team also knew the general idea.
However, with the Master's power, would he really fail to notice?
"He most likely knows," George concluded in his heart.
With the power of a Saint—especially one like the Primordial Lord of Heaven (Yuanshi Tianzun), who excelled at divination and calculation—it was impossible for him to be completely unaware, no matter how covertly the Infinite Immortal acted.
The fact that he hadn't intervened likely meant he simply didn't care.
Fundamentally, everything the Infinite Immortal did wasn't entirely for himself; the majority of it was genuinely for the sake of the Chan Sect.
He hunted demons to refine Immortal Elixirs to strengthen the sect's power and prepare for the War of Investiture.
Since the matter wasn't exposed to the public, the Primordial Lord of Heaven simply pretended not to know.
In the Primordial World, a "Saint" referred to a cultivator whose strength had reached a certain supreme realm; it did not necessarily mean their moral character was noble or that they were kind-hearted.
The Saints of the Primordial World plotted against one another; few were truly benevolent.
It was just like the saying from his previous life: " without demons and devils, how can the importance of gods and immortals be demonstrated?"
Furthermore, the closer one got to the Spirit Mountain (Lingshan), the more numerous and powerful the demons became, and the more severely mortals were persecuted.
The Primordial Lord of Heaven was the Saint among the Three Pure Ones who cared most about one's background and pedigree. It was perfectly normal for him to turn a blind eye to the suffering of demons.
The Infinite Immortal had likely gauged the Primordial Lord of Heaven's attitude accurately, which was why he dared to act so boldly.
He also knew the Master's bottom line: messing with the Demon race was acceptable, and harming mortals was fine too, as long as it wasn't exposed and placed in front of the Heavenly Court and the Three Sects to see.
"You are of the Dragon race; in their eyes, you are just another demon. In fact, even if you were human, you wouldn't be valued without a prominent background. Therefore, I do not recommend that you join the Jade Void Palace."
Shen Gongbao spoke with sincere tone:
"If you truly wish to join a sect, I have some friends on Jin'ao Island and Penglai Immortal Island in the East Sea. I can recommend you to join the Biyou Palace. It is no worse than the Jade Void Palace."
In truth, if Shen Gongbao hadn't joined the Jade Void Palace at the start and become a disciple of the Primordial Lord of Heaven—making it impossible to switch sects—he would have truly wanted to join Biyou Palace and become a disciple of the Heavenspan Cult Lord (Tongtian Jiaozhu).
The Heavenspan Cult Lord believed in "teaching without discrimination," and most of his disciples were of the Demon race. If Shen Gongbao had joined Biyou Palace back then, his cultivation level would certainly not be what it was now, nor would he be in such a wretched situation.
It was just a pity that Biyou Palace placed almost no constraints on its disciples. Most disciples cultivated in their own caves and disliked participating in the affairs of the Heavenly Court.
That was why, when the Dragon Clan rebelled against the Heavenly Court in the past, it was the Jade Void Palace that took the lead to help, and it was the Jade Void Palace that sealed the Dragons.
Ao Bing could only help the Dragon Clan turn their fortunes around by making a name for himself in the Jade Void Palace.
Otherwise, with Shen Gongbao's connections in Biyou Palace, finding a high-level senior brother to accept Ao Bing into the sect would have been all too simple.
Additionally, Ao Bing was the reincarnation of the Spirit Pearl, and the Spirit Pearl had been personally separated by the Heavenly Lord. If he were to join Biyou Palace, it would likely cause disputes between the two sects.
So, Ao Bing had to join the Jade Void Palace. Only by becoming an Immortal there could he save the Dragon Clan, establish a foothold, and gain status.
But Daoist Black Dragon was different. He was a rogue demon cultivator with excellent cultivation. With Shen Gongbao's recommendation, there was a high probability he could directly become a disciple of Shen's Junior Uncle, the Heavenspan Cult Lord.
"Since that is the case, then many thanks, Daoist Shen!"
George thought it over carefully and finally decided to choose the Jie Sect (Biyou Palace).
Given the Infinite Immortal's nasty temperament, George would inevitably face suppression if he joined the Chan Sect. Based on the power settings of the Primordial World he was familiar with, he was definitely not the Infinite Immortal's match right now.
It would be better to go to the Jie Sect. Although they were a bit undisciplined, at least the cultivation environment was better, and the disciples tended to look out for one another.
Most importantly, there wasn't as much scheming, which would make many things easier to handle.
As for the future War of Investiture, that was still a few years away.
Perhaps by then, he would have advanced to the Multiverse level, possessing the strength of a Daluo Golden Immortal. As long as he was careful, there shouldn't be too much of a problem.
The most dangerous aspect of the War of Investiture was the various top-tier magical treasures that appeared out of nowhere. If one didn't know their abilities, it was easy to get ambushed.
But he had some knowledge of the top-tier magical treasures of the Primordial World.
If he encountered something he couldn't handle, he would just run. Running away wasn't shameful.
What was shameful was being killed and having one's soul end up on the Investiture of the Gods, becoming a lackey of the Heavenly Court who had to obey every order forever.
Shen Gongbao and George chatted for a while longer before Shen once again entered a state of bitter cultivation. George didn't continue to disturb him and temporarily left the city wall.
However, just as he was preparing to leave, he suddenly sensed a gaze staring at him with unclear intent.
Turning his head to look, he discovered the gaze came from the Dragon King of the West Sea, Ao Run.
A beautiful, massive female dragon.
With a thought, he turned and flew to the entrance of the rift, bowing to Ao Run inside.
"Greetings, Dragon King of the West Sea!"
Although the three Sea Dragon Kings were currently locked in purgatory, according to his knowledge, they would continue to be the demon lords ruling their respective seas in the future.
So, networking a bit now would be beneficial for his future cultivation.
The Four Sea Dragon Palaces were famous for having many treasures. The area of the ocean far exceeded that of the land, so the output of resources was naturally much richer.
"Taoist Black Dragon, you are too polite. This King is nothing more than a prisoner below the stairs," Ao Run said, looking at the Black Dragon Taoist before her, deliberately using a tone filled with sorrow and resentment.
This Taoist Black Dragon's strength was not simple. Furthermore, seeing how he had offered strategies to her elder brother Ao Guang earlier, he was clearly a man with brains.
Perhaps she could use him to help herself escape.
Wasn't the purpose of her suggestion to Big Brother Ao Guang to besiege Chentang Pass simply to find an opportunity to escape purgatory and regain freedom?
"Being a prisoner is only temporary. Once the East Sea Dragon King's plan succeeds and the Dragon Clan is unsealed, you naturally will no longer be a prisoner," George replied with a smile, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He had learned from Shen Gongbao that the siege was Ao Run's suggestion, so he already had some guesses about her intentions.
(End of Chapter)