After Grandmaster Jiudian departed with Chu Feng and Wang Qiang.
Jimo Qianzhou seemed to have noticed something as well.
He stopped directing his words toward Chu Feng and Grandmaster Jiudian.
Instead, he had his men take Baili Zilin away first, then turned his gaze to the crowd.
"Everyone, regardless of who stands behind Chu Feng, it has little bearing on today's battle."
"Earlier, I deliberately pointed out that Grandmaster Jiudian was protecting Chu Feng simply because I dislike that sort of behavior."
"After all, as the master of the Nine Heavens Peak, one should conduct oneself with openness and integrity. Yet he was skulking about — truly unbecoming."
"As for today's battle, our Hell Sect did indeed lose, and we acknowledge that."
"I must admit, Chu Feng is formidable. Though his own cultivation remains restricted, he was able to obtain such a powerful World Spirit. Regardless of how he managed it, that is his own ability."
There was more to Jimo Qianzhou's words than met the eye.
On the surface, he appeared to be praising Chu Feng.
In truth, he was subtly implying that Chu Feng had only won thanks to his World Spirit.
As for how he had obtained that World Spirit — that remained a mystery.
"As for Young Master Zilin, his cultivation method is indeed rather unusual. I'm sure you have all heard of our Hell Sect's Hell Infants."
"The cultivation method for Hell Infants is certainly different from the norm, and Young Master Zilin's method is an even more advanced variation."
"But it only looks frightening — it is not some heretical art. I can guarantee that Zilin's technique is merely a method, not the refinement of living geniuses."
"Of course, many of you may not believe that."
"Just like with our Hell Sect implanting Hell Infants in martial geniuses — it is done for the benefit of those geniuses' futures, yet many people fail to understand and call us heretical."
"The truth is, those geniuses who have been implanted with Hell Infants are all taken under the Hell Sect's banner once they reach the proper age, and their families are well taken care of."
"I know that even after my explanation today, many will still not believe me. But I felt it was necessary to make this clear to everyone."
"Whether you believe it or not is up to you."
"But I will explain what needs to be explained."
"All along, everything the Hell Sect has done has been for the benefit of the world. Our methods are simply extreme, and thus unrecognized by the masses."
"But soon, a matter will be made public, and when that time comes, you will believe that the Hell Sect is the true guardian of this vast martial cultivation world."
For the next while, Jimo Qianzhou spent considerable effort trying to wash away the negative perception of Baili Zilin and the Hell Sect.
A Divine Realm powerhouse — even among martial cultivators, such an existence was nearly indistinguishable from a god.
When someone of Jimo Qianzhou's stature spoke so politely and patiently to the crowd, explaining all of this — Some people actually began to believe his words.
After all, in their understanding, such an existence had no need to explain himself — especially if he were truly a villain.
The very fact that Jimo Qianzhou was willing to explain led them to believe that he was perhaps not a bad person after all. Perhaps they had indeed misunderstood the Hell Sect.
Afterward, Jimo Qianzhou had his men distribute large quantities of cultivation resources as thanks for everyone's attendance.
Though the resources were of limited practical use, they were rarely seen on the open market and were genuinely scarce.
Even if they were not all that valuable, the sheer number of people present made this an impressive gesture no matter how one looked at it.
This further bolstered his reputation.
While the Hell Sect's people were distributing the resources, Jimo Qianzhou left the area and headed toward the great hall hidden deep underground.
On the way, however, he was intercepted by a group from the Ancient Sect.
Leading them was the Ancient Sect's Yun Ao, with Chen Hui standing behind him.
"Lord Yun Ao, is something the matter?" Jimo Qianzhou asked.
"Jimo Qianzhou, those little speeches just now — it's fine to fool outsiders."
"But did you really think you could fool us as well?"
"() Baili Zilin's technique is no Hell Sect method — it is a genuine heretical art."
"Baili Zilin's talent is not weak. Under normal cultivation, his future would have been boundless. Why rush to cultivate such a deplorable technique?" Yun Ao pressed, his voice stern.
"Lord Yun Ao, have you come to hold me accountable?"
"When Young Master Zilin's father emerges from seclusion, he will naturally give everyone a satisfactory explanation."