薛绍元 nodded, "It's good that you have the will!"

"This time I came..."

Before Xue Shaoyuan could finish speaking, Hei Yexiao, standing in the distance, had already understood my signal. He silently activated a witchcraft spell to control him from the shadows.

Xue Shaoyuan stood up and said, "Then let's leave it at that! I'll return tonight to summon the elders. First thing tomorrow, you return to the sect, and I'll arrange the succession matters."

"Hall Master Li, please stay a moment!"

"Please also attend Lin Zhao's inauguration ceremony tomorrow, Hall Master."

I watched Xue Shaoyuan walk out the door from the window before saying, "How long has he been dead?"

Hei Yexiao replied, "Less than a day. Zhu Zining timed it perfectly. When Xue Shaoyuan arrived, it was exactly the limit of the Corpse Manipulation Art."

The limit Hei Yexiao mentioned was the point before a dead person completely turned into a corpse. A master of corpse control could make the person act like they were alive. Once that limit was passed, and the body became stiff, started bleeding, or even developed corpse spots, no matter how skilled the corpse manipulator was, they couldn't hide the fact that Xue Shaoyuan was a corpse.

What we wanted was to secure Lin Zhao's position as the successor to the sect leader first. We didn't want to get involved in the mess with the Coffin Gate.

Hei Yexiao also walked to the window. "Why do you think Zhu Zining didn't directly control Xue Shaoyuan and have him lure Lin Zhao and the others into the ancestral grounds?"

I casually replied, "I'm guessing that if she directly killed Lin Zhao and Lin Xian, the Huangquan Twin Lotuses they obtained wouldn't be complete. Zhu Zining doesn't want that outcome."

Old Liu said, "We've studied Zhu Zining. She's a perfectionist. Perhaps this is her innate flaw, causing her to be overly obsessive with perfection."

"That's her weakness."

As Old Liu was speaking, Xue Shaoyuan had already reached the door, but he unexpectedly shifted to the left, moving out of the camera's view. Without warning, he struck his own chest.

As Xue Shaoyuan turned, his eyes snapped open. "Lin Zhao, I was already going to pass the position to you, why did you still have to kill me?"

As soon as Xue Shaoyuan finished speaking, he fell to the ground, dead.

The wound on his chest, at first glance, looked exactly like Lin Zhao's Thirteen Absolute Strikes.

At the same time, a dozen or so Coffin Gate disciples rushed over from the end of the corridor.

"Let's go!" I called out, retreating back into the room and leaning against the door.

At this point, there was no use in explaining.

We didn't want to kill any Coffin Gate disciples, so we could only retreat.

We simultaneously jumped out of the corridor window to the other side of the hotel. I said, "Scatter and follow our original plan."

Liangjie Tang dissolved into smaller groups in a matter of seconds, leaving the hotel from different directions.

Fortunately, the Coffin Gate disciples didn't pursue, allowing us to retreat smoothly.

In less than an hour, the news that Lin Zhao had conspired with Liangjie Tang to murder the sect leader spread throughout the martial world.

Although Zero mobilized Tianjieshe to argue reasonably, the news in the martial world was still divided into two camps.

Moreover, those who directly accused Lin Zhao of murdering the sect leader gained the upper hand, even attacking those who defended Lin Zhao, claiming they were small accounts hired with money.

In reality, it wasn't that they couldn't see through this flawed scheme. Attacking Liangjie Tang and attacking Lin Zhao was simply about casting themselves as judges, as saviors.

I looked at the message Zero sent and said, "I still miscalculated one step!"

"Zhu Zining's scheme this time is targeting human nature."

"She has such a precise grasp of people's hearts."

"So what if everyone can see that Lin Zhao is innocent?"

"The Coffin Gate will definitely solidify Lin Zhao's crime for the sake of the sect leader position."

"People in the martial world will definitely stand by and watch to weaken Liangjie Tang."

"Those petty people who can't stand to see others succeed will definitely fuel the flames, turning lies into truth, and black into white."

"With everyone pointing fingers at him, it will be difficult for Lin Zhao to clear his name!"

I turned to look at Lin Zhao and said, "Lin Zhao, the most important thing now is your attitude."

"The Coffin Gate is where you were born. Now, some of them want to kill you. How will you treat the Coffin Gate? Will you talk, will you fight, or will you choose to avoid them altogether?"

"Only after you make a decision can we move forward!"

"Let me think!" Lin Zhao couldn't help but fall into silence.

After a long while, Lin Zhao finally said, "However the Coffin Gate treats me, I will treat them the same!"

"Those fellow disciples and elders who believe in me and help me, I will respect them."

"Those who frame me, I will fight back. Those who want to kill me, I will kill them!"

I looked at Lin Zhao and softly asked, "Have you thought it through? Don't make a decision on impulse and regret it later."

Lin Zhao said, "I was born in the Coffin Gate and have lived here for over twenty years."

"Let's not even talk about how they view a human coffin!"

"A place where I've lived for over twenty years, a group of people who have spent every day with me for over twenty years, yet they want to unite to kill me for the sake of the sect leader position."

"Doesn't that make one's heart grow cold?"

"On the other hand, a group of people I've only known for a little over two years are desperately trying to help me."

"Even when we're about to face each other with weapons, they're still asking about my attitude."

"Can I betray the people who want to save me for the sake of the people who want to kill me?"