Chapter 00204: A Slap on the Wrist
# A Slap on the Wrist
Chapter 204
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 204: A Slap on the Wrist
"Evidence? That's easy," Ding Huan said with a smirk as he tossed out a crystal ball.
The crystal ball activated, and a scene began to play.
In the scene, Gao Ou, a mere disciple, was seen acting arrogantly toward Liu Yinzhu, a senior elder.
Not only did he demand that Liu Yinzhu beg for mercy, but he also declared that even if the sect leader stood before him, he would only listen to Elder Gong.
"Hmph! Do you think you can do whatever you want by fabricating a fake crystal ball?" Elder Gong Hua roared, slapping the crystal ball into pieces with a single strike.
Ding Huan didn’t seem bothered.
Everyone had seen the contents of the crystal ball, and unless they were fools, they knew whether it was real or fake.
"Since Elder Gong thinks my crystal ball is fake, I’d like to ask if anyone else here believes it’s fake?" Ding Huan’s gaze swept across the room.
His question wasn’t for himself but for Sect Leader Gu Mo.
Liu Yinzhu couldn’t help but admire Ding Huan.
Why hadn’t she thought of recording a crystal ball earlier? Ding Huan had even asked her for an image crystal ball before.
Even though the crystal ball had been destroyed by Elder Gong, everyone present knew the truth.
They weren’t blind.
"Elder Gong is right. Your crystal ball is obviously fake," a yellow-robed elder stepped forward, siding with Gong Hua.
Following this elder, nine others also voiced their support for Gong Hua.
Sitting in the sect leader’s seat, Dong Lishang shouted angrily, "Guards! Arrest this scoundrel and execute him outside the sect. Elder Liu, you are to confine yourself to the Abyss Cliff."
Liu Yinzhu glanced at Elder Po Xun, disappointed that he hadn’t spoken up despite knowing the crystal ball was genuine.
She then looked at Ding Huan, who remained calm and composed, as if nothing had happened.
"Is there no fair elder left in this sect?" Liu Yinzhu asked sorrowfully.
Finally, Elder Po Xun stepped forward.
"Elder Enforcer, Elder Gong’s destruction of the crystal ball was excessive. Moreover, we haven’t thoroughly examined whether the crystal ball is genuine or fake. It’s inappropriate to send Elder Liu to confinement without proper investigation."
Dong Lishang sighed, as if he had expected Elder Po Xun to speak up.
"Elder Gong, while you may have been in the right, your temper is too volatile. Elder Po Xun is correct. You shouldn’t have destroyed the crystal ball prematurely."
Gong Hua clasped his fists.
"I admit I acted rashly. I was overcome with righteous anger and couldn’t control myself."
Ding Huan scanned the other elders.
Aside from Elder Po Xun, none of them spoke up.
They neither supported Gong Hua nor Liu Yinzhu.
Ding Huan was certain now.
Gu Mo was using him as a pawn.
The old man was truly shameless.
Gu Mo had achieved all his goals here, yet he still hadn’t shown himself.
If Gu Mo didn’t appear soon, Ding Huan would pull out his backup crystal ball.
As long as he could leave, he would destroy it publicly.
"I believe Elder Liu is innocent," two elders suddenly spoke up, both declaring Liu Yinzhu’s innocence.
Ding Huan recognized one of them—the elder who had brought him here with Jia Sha.
The other, he didn’t know.
"Since that’s the case, let’s go with the majority," Dong Lishang said indifferently, though he mentally noted these two elders.
Ding Huan chuckled.
"Sect Leader Dong, you’re quite the leader. This is the first time I’ve heard of such a method. Impressive. You handle things quickly and efficiently."
Dong Lishang was infuriated by Ding Huan’s sarcastic tone.
He slammed his hand on the table beside him.
"Even if I’m just the acting sect leader, I hereby strip you of your status as a disciple of Purple Mist Valley!"
Ding Huan laughed heartily.
"Old man, I’m not even a disciple of Purple Mist Valley. You have no authority to strip me of anything."
As he spoke, Ding Huan knew the crystal ball wouldn’t save him now.
Even if he begged for mercy, they wouldn’t spare him.
So why bother humiliating himself? If Gu Mo didn’t show up soon, he’d just call him out directly.
Elder Po Xun looked at Ding Huan in disbelief.
Why was this junior disciple so stubborn? Wouldn’t it be better to yield and save his life? If this continued, Dong Lishang would kill him, and no one could plead for him.
"What? You’re not even a disciple of Purple Mist Valley?" Dong Lishang was stunned.
If Ding Huan wasn’t a disciple, why had he been causing such a fuss here?
"Guards!" Dong Lishang called out.
The guards had already arrived earlier, but they hadn’t acted due to the ongoing debate.
Now that Dong Lishang had spoken again, two enforcers rushed toward Ding Huan without waiting for further orders.
"Step back!" a stern voice rang out.
A gaunt man walked out from the back of the hall.
"Sect Leader?" Everyone was stunned.
The man who had emerged was none other than Gu Mo, the sect leader of Purple Mist Valley.
Was this a hallucination?
"Sect Leader, you’ve recovered?" Dong Lishang’s expression turned uneasy.
He had a backer—Elder He—but unfortunately, his backer was still in seclusion.
He knew he could send resources to his backer, but getting him to come out and help was difficult.
His backer was more of a deterrent.
The two enforcers who had been about to take Ding Huan away quickly bowed and retreated upon seeing the sect leader.
Gu Mo coldly stared at Dong Lishang.
"I’m not dead yet, and you’re already trying to take my position as sect leader. Who appointed you as acting sect leader? I, Gu Mo, know nothing about this."
"Sect Leader, I was only acting temporarily to prevent the sect from falling into chaos," Dong Lishang said, bowing respectfully.
But inwardly, he was screaming.
Wasn’t Gu Mo supposed to be on the verge of death? How was he alive and well? He had personally checked, and Gu Mo was indeed supposed to die.
If he had known Gu Mo would recover, he would have killed him long ago.
"Majority rules? Is this how you handle matters as acting sect leader?" Gu Mo’s voice was icy.
Ding Huan thought to himself, *Why all the talk? If it were me, I’d have killed them already.* Was Gu Mo unwilling to kill these people? If he couldn’t even kill under such circumstances, Ding Huan wanted nothing to do with Purple Mist Valley.
A sect with such a leader was a ticking time bomb, destined to be destroyed sooner or later.
"Guards, Enforcer Elder Dong Lishang has disrespected the sect leader and failed in his duties. Confine him to the Abyss Cliff for three years," Gu Mo declared, lifting Dong Lishang and throwing him to the ground, simultaneously sealing his cultivation.
"Sect Leader, this isn’t entirely my fault!" Dong Lishang cried out urgently.
Ding Huan was dumbfounded. *This is the punishment?* A slap on the wrist, and Dong Lishang still thought it was too harsh? What kind of sect was this?
Was Gu Mo out of his mind? He had seemed decisive before.
If he wasn’t decisive, why had he asked Liu Yinzhu to bring Ding Huan to Purple Mist Valley to take over as sect leader?
Ding Huan cursed inwardly.
It seemed he had been used as a sacrificial lamb.
Or perhaps Gu Mo was using him as a last-ditch effort to save the sect.
If Ding Huan could help Purple Mist Valley overcome this crisis, great.
If not, they’d all go down together.
On top of that, Ding Huan had worked hard to expose the opposition for Gu Mo.
He wasn’t just a pawn—he had been thoroughly exploited.
Ding Huan sighed.
He had been too naive.
He vaguely understood now.
With his mediocre talent, why would Gu Mo care about him? Gu Mo had truly been out of options.
When Liu Yinzhu introduced Ding Huan, Gu Mo had decided to see if this weakling could somehow turn the tide and stabilize Purple Mist Valley.
After all, Ding Huan’s talent was poor, so he wouldn’t affect the sect’s affairs.
Forget it.
Ding Huan was only here for the cultivation resources on Morning Mist Peak.
It was a mutual need.
As Gu Mo handled the situation, Liu Yinzhu kept observing Ding Huan.
Seeing his expression, she sighed inwardly.
Clearly, the sect leader’s methods were far from what Ding Huan had hoped for.
Ding Huan had dared to kill Gao Ou the moment he arrived at the sect, which was the complete opposite of Gu Mo’s approach.
But she could understand the sect leader’s predicament.
Both Gong Hua and Dong Lishang were at the peak of the True Core Realm.
If Purple Mist Valley were to clash with the Nine Tones Sect, these two True Core experts could shift the balance of power.
That was why Gu Mo hadn’t killed Dong Lishang.
Given that, Gong Hua would also be spared.
Sure enough, after dealing with Dong Lishang, Gu Mo turned to Gong Hua and said coldly, "Elder Gong, you allowed your disciple to disrespect his superiors and destroyed genuine evidence. What is your punishment?"
Gong Hua quickly stepped forward and bowed.
"I was blinded by my own desires. I beg the sect leader to punish me."
"Three years of confinement at the Abyss Cliff. Do you accept this punishment?" Gu Mo demanded.
Unlike Dong Lishang, Gong Hua accepted his punishment without complaint.
Ding Huan didn’t even bother speaking.
No wonder these elders were so arrogant.
No wonder the sect, despite occupying such a prime location, had remained stagnant for so many years.
"Everyone, Fellow Daoist Ding Huan is my guest. He is the one who cured my illness. In my eyes, Ding Huan is the future of Purple Mist Valley. I hereby appoint him as the Young Sect Leader," Gu Mo announced loudly after dealing with Dong Lishang and Gong Hua.
*Young Sect Leader?*
Everyone was stunned.
No wonder Ding Huan had been allowed to stay on Morning Mist Peak.
Ding Huan clasped his fists.
"Thank you for your kindness, Sect Leader. However, my talent is mediocre, and I have no intention of joining Purple Mist Valley. Please forgive me."
Gu Mo was taken aback.
Wasn’t Ding Huan a rogue cultivator? Why would a rogue cultivator refuse the position of Young Sect Leader?
Liu Yinzhu, who understood Ding Huan better, quickly stepped forward.
"Sect Leader, Ding Huan is a rather lazy individual. The position of Young Sect Leader isn’t suitable for him. My suggestion is to let him continue cultivating on Morning Mist Peak and grant him some sect contribution points."
Ding Huan thought to himself, *Liu Yinzhu really gets me.* If Gu Mo kept pushing, he might even give up staying on Morning Mist Peak.
The other elders, seeing Liu Yinzhu oppose Ding Huan becoming the Young Sect Leader, quickly chimed in.
They didn’t want an outsider like Ding Huan to take such a high position.
It was absurd.
However, since many of them had supported Gong Hua and Dong Lishang earlier, they didn’t dare openly oppose the sect leader.
Gu Mo trusted Liu Yinzhu deeply.
Hearing her suggestion and seeing the opposition from the elders, he immediately said, "Very well. In that case, Fellow Daoist Ding Huan shall remain on Morning Mist Peak. Additionally, I award him 100,000 sect contribution points."
Ding Huan thought to himself, *Looks like the old man knows I’m unhappy.
At least he’s giving me 100,000 contribution points.* That was the most useful thing, and he planned to use it immediately.
(End of Chapter)