Chapter 343: Saving Master Jie
The image of Jie in the minds of the Church of Balance is probably similar to that of his fellow rebellious ninja, Uchiha Itachi.
As soon as everyone saw him, they hated him with gnashing teeth.
Although no one knows why Jie appears here, his appearance is definitely not a good thing for the Order of the Balance.
This is everyone's first thought.
Everyone instinctively tightened their weapons, showing anger and vigilance towards him.
"Damn it!" Akali instantly recalled her father who died in the civil war.
If she had the ability, she would have wanted to rush up to the sky right now and kill this shameless villain who killed his master and betrayed his religion with one blow!
Um, wait…
Akali, who wanted to fight Jie for three hundred rounds, suddenly realized something was wrong.
"How...can he fly?!"
Looking up at the disaster that was falling with the wind, the members of the Church of Balance were all shocked.
The arch enemy before them seemed a little different from what they had imagined.
Now Zed can not only fly, but also ride the storm.
The air swirled rapidly around him, lifting him up and floating above the scorching heat wave.
For a moment, the wind was howling and the air was surging, and the wind direction in all directions changed under his control, forcing the raging fire to slow down its expansion.
The Lord of Shadows seemed to have turned into the Lord of Storms.
"Wait..." Akali and the others were even more shocked and confused: "He... is helping us put out the fire?"
"Don't just stand there!" Master Yi didn't have time to explain, so he just shouted towards the ground, "Keep putting out the fire!"
"I..." Akali looked at the sky, the figure that she hated so much but was protecting this land, and her expression wavered.
She clenched the cross hook in her hand...
But facing the blazing flames, she gritted her teeth and resolutely turned her gaze back to the ground, toward the burning fire.
"Ignore him and keep putting out the fire!" Akali turned around and said bitterly, "Protecting the balance is the most important thing!"
…
A moment later.
Shen, Kennen, and several masters of the Order of the Balance finally completed their battle in the spiritual realm.
They successfully eliminated the evil spirit's body hiding in the spiritual realm, and also caused the giant "tree spirit" beast struggling in the material realm to completely lose its source of , so that it could never be resurrected again.
This was a strong enemy and victory was hard won.
But none of them were happy about it.
Because now is not the time to pop champagne at halftime. Everyone knows that on the other side of the material world, there is a more important "battle" that has yet to be resolved.
The forest fire that is about to devour billions of lives is the truly desperate and powerful enemy.
"I hope Master Yi and the others can stop this disaster." Shen prayed silently in his heart.
With an uneasy mood, he used his soul blade to split the channel between the two worlds and returned to the material world with Kenan and others.
When they came back, they looked up and saw:
Fire, a huge fire all over the mountain.
The fire is not out yet.
Shen and Kennen's hearts sank at first, but they soon realized something was wrong:
There was not only fire at the scene, but also fierce winds that were suppressing the flames.
Although the wildfires have not been completely extinguished as they had hoped, they have not spread indefinitely as they had feared.
The strong wind held back the fire waves, and a wide isolation zone was gradually taking shape outside the fire scene.
"Feng...is that Master Yi?" Shen and Kennen subconsciously looked up at the sky.
As a result, they saw:
"Robbery?!" Shen subconsciously drew out his steel sword.
But he was soon shocked to discover that the one riding the strong wind was not Master Yi, but Jie, the enemy who killed his father and betrayed his friendship and kindness.
Yes, Zed is helping them, helping the Cult of the Kinkou to stop the wildfires and save this land.
At this moment, Jie was just like Master Yi before. He had almost reached his limit because of the huge mental burden brought by controlling the strong wind.
Sweat had soaked his cheeks, and the overloaded blood vessels bulged out on his forehead in a hideous posture.
But he still kept trying.
"He will help us? No, that's impossible!"
"This bastard suddenly showed up here, he must have some ulterior motive!" A handsome young Master of Balance, dressed in an elegant silk robe, drew his weapon in anger.
She is the current Shadow Fist, Akali's mother, and Master Meimu, one of the three leaders of the Balance along with Shen and Kennen.
Her husband died in the civil strife that Jie started, so she was naturally angry and wary of Jie's unexpected appearance.
But Shen stopped her.
“Meime, wait.” Shen’s expression was very complicated: “Although I don’t know why, it seems now… Jie is indeed helping us.”
He motioned for May to look at the still busy Kinkou Cultists, and at her daughter Akali.
Akali was still concentrating on digging the isolation belt on the ground, while Zed was still suspended in the air.
The two sides kept to themselves and even cooperated perfectly in silence.
"This..." Master Meimu was shocked and hesitated.
But she still instinctively felt that there must be something fishy going on.
The robber appears here as a helper, and there must be another conspiracy behind it.
However……
Just as Master Meimu was observing his surroundings vigilantly, wondering if Jie had ambushed 500 swordsmen nearby...
The isolation zone is completed.
The fire was brought under control.
The strong wind also stopped.
The villain Jie, who was suspected by everyone of having ulterior motives, actually became exhausted due to mental overload due to persisting for too long, and fell from the sky.
And it fell into the fire which had not yet been extinguished.
It was unknown whether Jie was alive or dead, and his figure was completely submerged in the flames.
Although I don't know if he's dead or not, if he's really exhausted and can't move, and falls in this raging fire...
Then this old acquaintance of everyone will really become an old acquaintance.
"Be careful!" Master Meimu also instinctively reminded everyone: "Don't save him! This is definitely a trap."
"I..." Somehow, Shen was a little hesitant.
But this was clearly the enemy who murdered his father.
Why would he hesitate after watching an enemy being burned to death?
"I... still have something to ask him." Shen struggled to find an excuse, eager to go forward and save people.
"Be careful!" But Master Meimu glared at him angrily: "Have you forgotten how insidious and shameless this bastard is?"
"Master Ku Shuo was killed by him because he trusted him too much—"
"We, the Order of the Kinkou, cannot afford to lose another Eye of Twilight!"
Shen: “…”
When he mentioned his deceased father, he couldn't help but feel a surge of hatred in his heart.
But for some reason, looking at the raging fire in front of him, he was still extremely conflicted.
Finally, Master Yi, who had also lost his fighting power due to overuse of spells, dragged his exhausted body and limped over:
"What are you all standing there for?!"
"Help! Help!" Master Yi used all his strength and shouted anxiously, "Go and save them!"
Master Yi's shout was like a starting gun.
Shen was like a spring that had been gathering its strength for a long time. Without waiting for Master Meimu's reminder or obstruction, he immediately rushed towards the raging fire like an arrow.
His figure flashed quickly in the fire, and he soon carried a person out.
That is the robbery.
He had no strength left in his body, and his flesh and blood had been charred black by the flames. Shen Gang put him on the ground, and he collapsed like a corpse.
"This..." It's obvious that the dish, which is only 50% rare enough to be served, doesn't have the energy to plot anything.
Everyone could see that if Shen had not come to the rescue, Zed would have really died in the fire.
"How, how could this happen..." Master Meimu couldn't believe it.
The same is true for the followers of the Kinkou.
They couldn't believe that their archenemy Jie actually almost died here while helping them put out the fire.
No, not almost.
Now Jie is completely unable to move and has fallen into their hands again... It is equivalent to Jie taking the initiative to hand his life over to the hands of the Order of the Balance in order to put out the fire.
"Why?" Master Meimu was confused.
Could it be that Jie, like the villains in the legends, laid down his butcher knife and became a Buddha instantly, atoneing his sins with his life?
Hmm... forget it, I don’t want to think about it anymore.
"No matter what he thinks, this guy deserves to die. And if he really wants to atone his sins, then... I will help him do so!" Master Meimu pulled out a kunai and was about to help Jie end his life.
"Wait!" Someone shouted to spare his life.
Moreover, this shout was made by Master Shen and Master Yi in unison.
“Ahem…” Shen came back to his senses and immediately found an excuse to explain: “Zed’s appearance this time is very suspicious, isn’t it? Let’s just let him live for now, Master Meimu.”
"Suspicious?" Meimu narrowed her eyes suspiciously: "Indeed..."
She immediately came to her senses and looked at Master Yi unkindly:
"Master Yi, you just... seemed very concerned about Jie's safety."
"Could it be that as the heir of the Wuji Sword Sect and the messenger of the Goddess Gana, you are acquainted with this disloyal and unfilial demon who murdered his master and betrayed his sect?"
"Uh..." Master Yi looked a little embarrassed.
Zed's reputation in Ionia is a pure negative asset, and even more so among the Order of the Kinkou.
The Leader had just reached an agreement on cooperation with the Order of the Balance, and the two sides had yet to get to know each other better. If the other party knew that Zed was the Leader, they might turn against him and withdraw their investment.
So Master Yi had no choice but to answer, "No, I don't know him."
"But he just helped us, didn't he? I just don't want to see someone who helped us die."
“Really?” Master Meimu’s eyes were filled with suspicion. “Come to think of it, Jie only knew the art of balance and shadow magic before. When did he become a wind elementalist?”
"And Master Yi, you are a swordsman from the Wuji Sword School, how come you can also control the wind?"
"I..." Master Yi's forehead was covered with cold sweat. "As a genius, it is reasonable for me to master one more spell, right?"
There was a delicate silence.
Master Yi's statement was theoretically possible, but now when compared with Jie, who had inexplicably become the "Lord of the Storm", his ability to practice both magic and martial arts seemed very suspicious.
"Okay, I'll just believe it for now." Master Meimu retracted his gaze, but picked up his weapon again: "Since Master Yi, you don't know this guy, then we want to eliminate the traitor in the Balance Sect, you shouldn't stop us, right?"
"I..." Yi was choked.
And Master Meimu's kunai was once again aimed at Jie who was lying on the ground.
Master Yi couldn't help but shout out: "Wait, don't kill him!"
"Asshole!" Master Meimu immediately turned hostile, and the surrounding members of the Hengjian Sect also glared at him: "You are really in the same group!"
"No, that's right..." At this time, Jie, who had his breath, finally spoke.
He sighed helplessly and slowly stated the truth: "Like Yi, I am a leader."
"What?!" These words caused an uproar at the scene.
The eyes that everyone looked at Master Yi suddenly changed from suspicion and shock to anger and hatred.
"Easy." Akali, who had the best impression of the Wind Leader, widened her watery eyes in disbelief and asked angrily and puzzledly: "Everything you said to me before was a lie, right?!"
What is the reputation of the Order of the Shadow in Ionia?
The leaders are all mixed up with Jie, so can those high-sounding slogans they shout and the beautiful and flawless future they promise still be true?
"I still trust you." Master Yi's handsome and tall image instantly collapsed in Akali's young mind: "Bad guy!"
“I…” Master Yi’s head was as big as a bucket.
He could only look at Jie for help and let Jie explain.
Shen Ye looked over with a complicated look. He also wanted to know why Jie appeared here, and why he was willing to sacrifice himself to save others. And he, the dignified Shadow Master, now called himself the Wind Leader, what was going on?
"I am indeed the Leader now." Jie sighed, "The things that the Leader promised you are also true."
"The leader is not a bad person. I am the only one who has done bad things."
"Bad things?" Akali cursed angrily: "How dare you say that - you killed my father, Master Kushuo, and so many people in the sect!"
"If the Wind Leader wants a demon like you, how can they be good people?!"
“No—Zed is not the demon you imagine!” Master Yi gritted his teeth, stared at Akali’s hateful eyes, and helped to explain:
"When Noxus launched a massacre in the Ipu River Basin, it was Zed and the Shadow Cult who helped us. The tens of thousands of lives saved in that battle should be thanked for his efforts!"
"This..." Akali was speechless.
Because Zed is a bad guy to the Kinkou, but a good guy to Ionia, which has suffered a lot in the war.
This was a fact she could not refute.
It seems that the Shadow Cult really helped the Leader and saved tens of thousands of civilians. This achievement should not be false.
"But even if that's the case, you can't accept people like this into your organization!" Akali couldn't understand: "Does anyone who fights Noxus mean they are good people in your eyes?"
"No, that's not the case." Yi looked at Jie, signaling him to explain quickly.
Zed sighed deeply, and finally said helplessly: "Akali, I'm sorry about your father's death."
"But I didn't want to see the riot that broke out that day. I thought I could take my followers away in a peaceful way, but the chaos of the situation was beyond my expectations... Everyone was killing each other in a frenzy, and I was powerless to control it."
"Shameless!" Master Meimu interrupted him excitedly: "Jie, it was you who killed Master Kushuo, which led to the riot and chaos later!"
" How dare you say that this riot was not your intention?!"
The members of the Church of Balance were deeply stimulated by Jie's shamelessness and gave him angry and murderous looks.
Shen Ye looked over with a complicated look. He also didn't believe what Jie said. But he really wanted to hear Jie's explanation.
"Because..." Zed took a deep breath.
Finally, he spoke out his endurance of humiliation: "Because, I didn't kill Master Kushuo at all. Master Kushuo didn't die at all."
"What?!" Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief.
"No, it's impossible!" Even Shen retorted subconsciously.
But Jie immediately asked, "Have any of you seen the body of Master Ku Shuo? Or have any of you witnessed the process of me killing Master Ku Shuo?"
Unconsciously, he had changed the way he addressed Ku Shuo back to Master.
"This..." Everyone was shocked.
No, none at all.
They only knew that Tianjie took the opponents in the sect to find Master Kushuo, and then the master and disciple went into the hall alone to discuss.
Then, there were Master Kushuo's screams, and everyone watched as Zed walked out of the hall with the blood-stained sword, coldly announcing that Kinki was dead and Shadow should take over.
Eventually, the members of the Order of the Balance fell into madness in anger, and started a brutal fight with the members of the Shadow Cult... As a result, the members of the Order of the Balance fled in panic, never returning to the Temple of the Balance, and never had the chance to see Master Kushuo's body from beginning to end.
“Zhe, you mean…” Shen’s voice trembled, “My father was only injured at the time, and you didn’t kill him at all? He has been imprisoned in the Shadow Sect by you this whole time?”
"No." Zed shook his head.
Shen's imagination is still not rich enough.
Or perhaps he thought too naively of his respected father.
"My 'killing' of Master Ku Shuo was planned by Master Ku Shuo and me from the very beginning." Jie told the whole shocking truth.
Everyone widened their eyes in shock and were about to refute.
However, Jie told the whole truth behind it without reservation:
"At that time, the internal division of the sect could no longer be prevented, and Master Ku Shuo actually approved of my active participation in the fight against it, so..."
“…”
He told the truth in a leisurely manner, and everyone present was stunned.
In this version of the story, Jie is not a villain who killed his teacher, but rather a filial son who endures humiliation and takes the blame for his teacher.
It turns out that Master Kushuo was also the planner of the split of the Balance Sect.
It turns out that Master Ku Shuo, who has always adhered to tradition all his life, is actually a radical escapist .
It turns out that the Navoli Brotherhood, which has been ambitious and evil in the past two years and has caused damage to the Path of Balance second only to the Noxian invaders, is led by the former Master Ku Shuo of the Twilight Eye!
…
In this story, Jie was completely whitewashed and turned into a good guy, and he even suffered a lot of injustice for his master.
However, the former victim, Master Ku Shuo, has become a villain who gradually degenerates in the shadows.
Even the purpose of Jie and Master Kushuo staging this drama was to prevent the birth of Master Kushuo from destroying the traditions of the Order of the Balance and preventing the Order of the Balance from going astray with him.
Ultimately, he did this to maintain balance.
"This..." Shen was stunned for a long time.
Isn't this bullshit?!
To maintain the balance, he betrayed it... "saving the party in a roundabout way", right?!
"Nonsense!" Even Shen was furious. "Jie, how could you slander my father and tarnish his posthumous reputation?"
"My father, the most respected master in Ionia, the guardian of the Balance, the former Eye of Twilight, is the leader of the Navoli Brotherhood..."
"Asshole! It's not enough for you to split up the Order of the Balance, you also want to destroy the reputation of your master before you're satisfied, right?
Shen didn't believe what Jie said. No one believed it either.
In fact, if Jie had not told the truth to the Line of Faith, the Leader might not have believed his words.
Because this truth is just too ridiculous.
"But it is the truth." Zed sighed.
"How do you prove it?!" Shen, Meimu, Akali, and the other members of the Kinkou all glared at him.
"It's very simple." Jie said, "The Leader now needs help from all parties. Yi and I's mission is far from over."
"And the next force we are going to visit is the Navoli Brotherhood."
"Shen..." Jie extended an invitation to his former best friend: "I can take you there, to meet your father."
