Lian Buyao hastily interjected, "The Beast Taming Sect, one of the five chiefs of the Immortal Alliance, has always upheld the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty.' It's better to wrongly release three thousand demon cultivators than to wrongly kill a single Disciple. This is the foundation of the righteous path. If we were to act like the demonic sects, preferring to kill indiscriminately, wouldn't we be destroying our own Sect?"
"That's why this Dao Lord is giving you a chance to prove yourselves." Qin Heng's eyes shimmered with cold stars, and his Spirit Transformation pressure crashed down like a raging tide, making Lian Buyao's throat taste of blood, unable to utter another word.
Ever since Han Shan's demise, Chen Ming Peak had kept a low profile for many years, causing these petty individuals to forget this Dao Lord's temper. Ma Bingyun's sword scabbard hummed, unsheathing three inches, forming a pincer movement with Lian Buyao.
Seeing this, Zi Yun immediately shifted her position, aligning her aura with Qin Heng, and the combined might of the two Spirit Transformation cultivators caused the candles in the hall to flicker wildly.
"Noisy." Dao Lord Zisu's brow furrowed slightly, and the sword intent around her body surged. The air in the entire hall seemed to be sucked out.
Everyone present felt their limbs heavy as lead, and those with weaker cultivation even bled from their seven orifices.
This Chief of the Beast Taming Sect lightly tapped her foot, and the void actually condensed into spiderweb-like cracks.
"This Dao Lord is here to pass judgment, not to listen to your negotiations." Before her words finished, the Six-Winged Gu Cicada transformed into a golden streak, heading straight for Ma Bingyun's throat.
Seeing that the Gu King, secretly nurtured by forbidden arts, was about to expose the truth, Ma Bingyun gritted her silver teeth, and a blue light surged from her Dantian. The Gu Cicada exploded into dust before it could even touch her, but from the ashes, the runes of the Seven Emotions Devouring Heart Curse manifested.
"Presumptuous!" The spiritual energy of heaven and earth instantly transformed into countless sword shadows. As Dao Lord Zisu's robes fluttered, sword qi poured down like a silver river.
Ma Bingyun's protective aura shattered layer by layer. When the sword rain ceased, she was already slumped like mud, her robes soaked in crimson.
"A Gu King's backlash, and you still want to quibble?" Behind Dao Lord Zisu, a nine-layered sword wheel faintly appeared, and thunderclouds surged over the entire Sect mountain gate. "Feeding Gu with a cultivator's vital blood, according to the law, is punishable by the 'Ten Thousand Swords Piercing Heart' torture."
"How do you know it wasn't someone else's scheme?" Ma Bingyun shrieked, her hair disheveled. "Are you going to condemn a Chief to death based on such a trick? Wouldn't that make all the peaks feel disheartened if word got out!"
"Those who are disheartened have a path to death." Dao Lord Zisu sealed her major acupoints with her fingers, and nine Soul-Suppressing Nails flew out from her sleeve. "The blood pool in the southwest corner of the cave, does this Dao Lord need to bring out the Shadow Reflecting Cold Pond?" At these words, Lian Buyao and the others' expressions drastically changed.
After the Disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall escorted everyone away, Dao Lord Zisu looked at Qin Heng, who stood dumbfounded: "Continue discussing your Sect Grand Competition." As she turned, she added, "Pretend this Dao Lord was never here."
Gazing at the sword marks all over the floor, Zi Yun gave a wry smile and massaged her forehead. A three-zhang square hole had been torn in the roof of the deliberation hall, and moonlight streamed through the opening onto the overturned bronze tripod, whose incense ash still emitted lingering warmth.
Among the swaying bamboo shadows of Chen Ming Peak, a secret message suddenly boomed in Qing Feng's ear:
"The human heart is like an abyss; today I impart to you the first lesson."
"Even if you don't offend others, how do you know others won't offend you?"
"Wielding the sword to protect the Dao, cleansing the injustices of the world."
Dao Lord Zisu, with her robes fluttering, had already drifted far away. Qing Feng lowered his head, staring at the swaying bamboo shadows on the bluestone slab, his knuckles white from clenching his fists.
What he had witnessed firsthand by the Cold Pond last night—Ma Bingyun's face, pale as paper from soaking in the thousand-year profound ice pool—reappeared before his eyes.
"Although there were no Gu worms in Senior Sister Ma's cave, many sinister talismans were found instead." Qin Yue flipped through the jade slip records. "These forbidden items alone are enough for her to be in secluded cultivation at Thought-Correction Cliff for ten years."
Dao Lord Zisu's voice suddenly sounded from beneath the thatched eaves: "The 'Cold Ice Corroding Bone Technique' has been active for three days; tonight at midnight, Gu patterns will surely appear on her shoulder." Everyone turned to see the Dao Lord entering the threshold, bringing wind and snow with her, the hem of her dark Daoist robe still encrusted with ice crystals.
Inside the dilapidated thatched hut, four people sat opposite each other. Dao Lord Zisu appeared to be explaining the case to Qin Yue, but in reality, every word was a subtle hint to Qing Feng: "If the victim is willing to sign a letter of understanding, the sentence might be reduced by thirty percent."
"So, will a bunch of shameless guys come to plead for her now?" Qing Feng sneered, unconsciously stroking the sword tassel at his waist. Qin Heng suddenly flicked his sleeve, and the ripples in the tea cup on the table instantly stilled: "Seven people submitted petitions three days ago, but I burned them all."
Dao Lord Zisu lightly tapped the table with her fingertips, her cold pond-like eyes sweeping over everyone present: "Do you think burning a few letters will resolve this?" Before her words finished, the communication jade token at Qin Heng's waist suddenly glowed with a bloody light, and everyone present's expressions drastically changed.
Inside the rear mountain villa, Dao Lord Zisu suddenly grabbed Qin Heng's wrist: "You come with me." Without waiting for a response, she walked towards the back hall. Just before turning the corner, she glanced back at Qing Feng, her gaze like an ice-tempered sword edge, "This farce has certainly allowed you to see the treachery of the human heart."
The shadows behind the corridor pillars had not yet dissipated when two streaks of green light streaked across the sky. Seventh Elder Hu Wei and Eighth Elder Lu Qiao landed on their swords, their dark robes flapping loudly from the True Qi.
Qing Feng lowered his gaze to hide a cold smile. These two had always been in cahoots with Lian Buyao, forming their own faction on Chen Ming Peak; their arrival now was certainly timely.
"It's good that Martial Nephew is unharmed." Hu Wei stroked his beard, feigning concern, his dark green ring glinting coldly in the sunlight. "I heard the Six-Winged Gu Cicada is extremely dangerous..."
"Thank you for your concern, Shibo." Qing Feng cut him off, the profound iron sword tassel clinking crisply as he raised his hand. "You two didn't come all this way just to reminisce, did you?"
A fleeting look of annoyance crossed Lu Qiao's face, then he smiled obsequiously: "Martial Nephew is direct. We came, firstly, to visit, and secondly..." He deliberately drew out the last syllable, "Senior Sister Ma has suffered seven days of extreme torture in the Cold Pond, and Senior Brother Lian and Martial Nephew Dong were truly innocently implicated."
"Are Shibo joking?" Qing Feng tapped his knuckles on the stone table, startling the jackdaws perched on the ancient locust tree. "If Aunt-Master Zisu hadn't been here, it would be you all coming to pay your respects right now."
"Presumptuous!" The talismans in Hu Wei's sleeve moved without wind. "While infighting among fellow Sect Disciples is indeed punishable by death, Senior Sister Ma has already acknowledged her mistake."
Before he finished speaking, Qin Heng suddenly turned out from the corridor, her plain white skirt stained with a few withered leaves, "'Acknowledged her mistake,' you say? If my Martial Brother were lying dead on the ground right now, would you all still say 'her original intention was good'?"
A glint of shrewdness flashed in Lu Qiao's eyes: "Martial Nephew Qin, your words are mistaken. Now that Martial Nephew Xu is perfectly fine, excessive punishment would instead harm Chen Ming Peak's foundation. Furthermore..."
He lightly tapped the void with his fingertips, condensing several sound transmission talismans: "The Disciples under Senior Brother Lian are willing to give up half of their spirit stone quota to help Martial Nephew Qin break through the Golden Core bottleneck."
Qing Feng suddenly clapped his hands and chuckled softly: "I heard that Shibo Hu's legitimate granddaughter just tested positive for a Heavenly Spirit Root last month? And Senior Brother Lu's son seems to be almost of age?"
He brushed off the fallen petals from his shoulder, his tone suddenly turning cold, "Why not make their cultivation resources public as well? After all, the big picture is important, isn't it?"
"You brat, how dare you!" Hu Wei roared, and the jade pendant at his waist shattered in response.
Dao Lord Zisu's cold laugh came from the clouds at this moment, startling the two Elders, causing their True Qi to reverse and making them stagger back three steps before regaining their balance.
"Shibo Hu, those words are wrong!" Qing Feng toyed with the jade pendant at his waist. "How can there be selfishness when the big picture is at stake? Even a junior like me understands this principle, do the two Shibo not? If we transfer all the cultivation resources meant for the Martial Brothers to the Senior Sister, wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"
The teacup in Hu Wei's hand shattered in response, and Lyu Le slammed the table, standing up: "You brat, spouting such absurd, self-serving fallacies."
