Yang Hong fell silent. Zhu Yuyan handed the girl Jiujiu to Song Yuzhi and walked over to embrace Yang Hong, speaking softly.
"Husband, there is a distinction between immortals and mortals. This is not just the difference between immortals in the upper realms and us cultivators in the lower realms, but also the difference between cultivators and mortals. It has been this way since ancient times.
Husband, you must have deep feelings about this, as we both walked this path from mortals.
While some disciples deserve to die, the demonic invasion is imminent. We need a large number of disciples, a large fighting force to prepare for this immense calamity.
So, I implore you, husband, to reconsider."
Zhu Yuyan's gentle voice slightly lessened the anger and killing intent in Yang Hong's heart.
At this moment, Wanwan also said, "Husband, when we were still mortals, weren't there cases of the martial world and imperial courts oppressing the common people? This has been the case since ancient times and is unavoidable.
We all know that husband has a heart of benevolence for all people, but there is no need to be too harsh on yourself or demand perfection.
There has never been perfection in this world.
Song Yuzhi, holding girl Jiujiu, only said, "Husband, your concubine believes in you. Whether you kill or not, I believe in you."
"Mm~"
Yang Hong nodded, falling into silence again, his mind rapidly weighing the pros and cons.
"..."
Qiu Kun's eyes lit up with a flicker of hope as he looked at Yang Hong expectantly.
"..."
The disciples of Qingfeng Mountain Villa, who were suspended in mid-air, also fell silent, not daring to disturb their sect leader's thoughts, fearing that if they accidentally angered him, he would order their execution.
The air instantly became stagnant!
Recalling the past, Yang Hong helplessly understood a fact: where there are people, there is a martial world.
And human nature is inherently greedy. Even without cultivators oppressing mortals, those with power, wealth, and authority would still oppress mortals.
However, this oppression and the subsequent counter-oppression are also one of the driving forces behind human progress.
He wanted to protect mortals, but excessive protection might turn into harm, causing mortals to lose their drive for progress and their motivation for development.
But then again, when he formulated this sect rule, he wasn't thinking about protecting mortals, but about restraining disciples, instilling reverence in them, and fostering kindness towards all living beings.
If disciples were allowed to freely oppress and harm mortals, the disciples of Qingfeng Mountain Villa would eventually fall into the demonic path and treat human lives as mere dust.
Therefore, let them kill!
They must kill! There can be no softness, or else it will be even more difficult to manage the disciples of Qingfeng Mountain Villa in the future.
Today, Xiang Lexin attacked him without rhyme or reason. Moreover, if it were any other cultivator at the ninth stage of the Mahayana realm, they would have died on the spot.
Even if they didn't kill their own people, casually killing strangers could easily provoke unknown enemies and bring more disaster to Qingfeng Mountain Villa.
Therefore, the emphasis of the sect rule 'Those who arbitrarily kill mortals shall be killed!' is not on killing mortals, but on the fact that disciples who violate the sect rule are courting death.
Having understood this, Yang Hong looked up at Qiu Kun, who was full of expectation, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.
"Qiu Kun, those who deserve to die must die!
Whether inner or outer disciples, anyone who violates the Five Killing Edict shall be executed without mercy!"
"Sect Leader, why must they still be killed?"
"The sect rules are as firm as a mountain. Those who dare to violate them should be prepared for this.
For disciples who are mere laborers, and for the laborers themselves, there can be some leniency. Those with grudges may be spared death, but they will be banished to guard the outpost oases for at least a hundred years."
"Thank you, Sect Leader, for your mercy."
Hearing that Yang Hong had shown some leniency, Qiu Kun quickly expressed his gratitude.
But it was not over. Yang Hong continued to add:
"The demons on Zexia Peak and Goose Yellow Mountain must also be investigated. All those who have killed mortals and eaten people shall be exterminated. Let Jin Jialin and Yu Kewei handle their executions.
You oversee them. If they conceal anything, report it to me."
"Yes!"
Hearing that Yang Hong did not spare the demons within Qingfeng Mountain Villa, Qiu Kun no longer dared to plead.
The Sect Leader was truly enraged, this was no joke.
If he didn't want to die, he could only carry out the orders.
As for anyone who resisted? That would depend on how hard their heads were.
He didn't even need to investigate. With a flip of his hand, he produced more than ten jade slips and arranged them before Yang Hong.
"Sect Leader, these are the records of inner and outer disciples violating sect rules. These are for the disciples who are mere laborers, and these are for the laborers themselves."
"Heh heh~ Good! Qiu Kun, are you harboring them? Since there are already records, why didn't you have these people killed for me?"
Seeing these jade slips, Yang Hong was enraged. His killing intent surged towards Qiu Kun.
With a "bang~," Qiu Kun, who had just stood up, was pressed into the ground, three feet deep, leaving only half of his head exposed outside the crater. He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
"Sect~ Sect Leader, their crimes are not punishable by death."
Even now, after accepting Yang Hong's orders, Qiu Kun still believed that the disciples who killed mortals did not deserve death.
He had already killed other disciples who harmed fellow sect members or practiced demonic arts.
As for the disciples who betrayed Qingfeng Mountain Villa, none had appeared so far!
However, in the eyes of cultivators, mortals were truly no different from ants. Killing one was not a grave offense.
"Qiu Kun, the sect rules I have established may not be perfect, but they must be obeyed!
If you are not satisfied, challenge me. If you kill me, you can then arbitrarily amend the sect rules you deem incorrect or unreasonable."
"This~ This disciple understands.
Indeed, this disciple was mistaken."
Hearing Yang Hong say that the sect rules could be wrong but must be obeyed, Qiu Kun finally realized the crux of the issue and bowed his head in the crater, admitting his mistake.
Yes, the purpose of sect rules was to restrain and establish order, not to reason.
Seeing Qiu Kun's enlightened expression, Yang Hong nodded and began to examine the nine jade slips, personally identifying the disciples who deserved to be killed.
"Hoo~ Ke Huan, as an inner disciple, has killed quite a few mortals.
Shao Ya, this new general manager of outer disciples, is truly audacious.
Bao Zuihui..."
After reading the jade slips, Yang Hong's resolve to kill became even firmer.
He personally took out the sect communication jade slip and notified the four giants of Qingfeng Mountain Villa: Ke Jimei, Zhong Chengfeng, Ye Yudong, and Gu Boji. With them present to relay the message, a total of 1603 cultivators at the Tribulation Passing and Integration stages on the list were to gather at Jiuyan Plain.
Fortunately, out of over nine thousand high-level cultivators, less than one-fifth had issues, and they were the ones who deserved to die.
The remaining cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage would be dealt with by the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall.
For cultivators at or below the Soul Transformation stage, after his revisions and reductions, there were still over a hundred thousand who had to die.
Looking at the long list, Yang Hong felt exhausted.
"Sect Leader, what are your instructions for summoning us? And what about these disciples suspended in the air, what is the plan?"
After waiting for a long time, Ye Yudong finally saw the Sect Leader look up and quickly inquired.
"Mm~ You have arrived. I summoned you here to kill!"
"Kill! Killing is good? Sect Leader, who are we killing? Is it the Buddhist sect?"
Upon hearing the word "kill," Ye Yudong became excited, and the over 1600 people behind him also began to clench their fists, eager to fight.
"Heh heh~ You will know soon."
Yang Hong chuckled and began to form hand seals. A powerful pressure descended, forcing the 1603 Tribulation Passing stage disciples to their knees.
"Here, it's them we are killing.
Qiu Kun, you be the one to pronounce the sentence. You are the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall."
"This~ This disciple obeys!"
Qiu Kun, who had wanted to stay out of it, gritted his teeth and stepped forward, flying into the air.