The First Immortal of Destiny-Chapter 552 - Bloodbath of the Demonic Aura (Part 1)_1
"Tian Zhiyu, do not slander others with malicious accusations!"
"Patriarch, Sect Master, I implore your clear judgment! Would I have entertained such improper thoughts if not for this traitor constantly fanning the flames beside me?"
"I deserve ten thousand deaths, but what happened today was indeed orchestrated entirely by this villain..." Sensing the aura of death, Yuan Shengcai, a sect Elder and a Spirit Sea Realm cultivator, had tears and mucus streaming down his face, mixed with blood and grime, presenting a picture of utter desolation and terror.
Tian Zhiyu, knowing escape from culpability was impossible, appeared considerably more composed, his eyes filled with boundless hatred—hatred for Shen Mo, hatred for the sect, hatred for his ill fortune.
"This wasn’t my doing alone. If not for Peak Master Tang’s tacit approval, if not for my Tian Family’s patriarch..."
"Enough! Baseless accusations and attempts to implicate others won’t absolve you of your sins!" Sect Master Yuan Qingshi roared, cutting Tian Zhiyu off.
Then, with a flicker of his sense, he sent a mental transmission to Shen Mo, "It has been several years, and you have already achieved the august status of a Golden Core Venerable. This is truly a cause for celebration."
"Why don’t you first return with us to the Conference Hall, pay respects to the ancestral tablets, and formalize your position as Supreme Elder? We can deal with their punishment afterward, lest we become a laughingstock among the disciples!"
Shen Mo glanced at Yuan Qingshi, his expression unreadable, and replied flatly, "A poisonous boil on the body, if not lanced to draw blood, will only fester and worsen until it becomes incurable."
"For reasons both public and private, I must see this through to the end today. Otherwise, I’d have no face to meet the esteemed ancestors!"
"Tian Zhiyu, say whatever you have to say. There’s no need for any reservations."
"Even if Patriarch Yuan himself were here, he could not shield those who deserve death..."
His words were spoken calmly, yet everyone present felt their hearts pound, sensing the imminent arrival of a bloody storm.
"Good! A true man should indeed act this way!"
Tian Zhiyu laughed loudly a few times. Then, filled with Resentment Qi and hatred that pierced his very bones, he began to curse incessantly while narrating the full account of today’s events, intermingling it with numerous sordid details of overt and covert power struggles.
The more freely he spoke, the more inexplicably terrified Yuan Shengcai, who was prostrating on the ground, became, his face ashen.
Those who were continually implicated, such as Peak Master Tang Lv of Rising Sun Peak; Tian Zhaoquan, the Hall Master of the Affairs Hall; influential members of the Yuan Family; and elders from various immortal sects, all wore fascinating expressions—a mixture of shock and anger, hesitation, terror, anxiety, or somberness!
Even Sect Master Yuan Qingshi’s expression became extremely complex; he seemed to have trouble meeting Shen Mo’s questioning gaze, almost unable to lift his head!
Tian Zhiyu’s testimony was like an iron hook, lancing the poisonous boil on the Riverside Sect.
On a smaller scale, it was about the two of them showing up today to bully Zhao Lingyin, intending to commit heinous acts.
On a larger scale, it was a disastrous omen of the collapse of the Riverside Sect’s laws and the rampant chaos within!
Zhao Lingyin, having regained her composure, also used her Divine Sense to describe to Shen Mo what she had seen and heard over the past three years: the injustices and bullying she had suffered, the various conflicts she had been embroiled in, the crumbling rules and discipline of the sect, and the despair and suppression felt by the Sect Disciples...
At this time, Chen An, Ming Yu, Qian Xiaofeng, Jiang Lingfeng, Lu Ming, Shentu Gui, Huang Changqing, Lu Taorui, and others—all Sect Disciples whom he trusted—also arrived one after another.
Shen Mo also conversed with them using his Divine Sense.
He listened intently to every word they said, taking it all to heart, and quickly pieced together the full picture of the situation.
The more he understood, the more the fury in his chest blazed, like a volcano that had lain dormant for ten thousand years, on the verge of eruption!
At some point, Tian Zhiyu’s curses ceased. The atmosphere became deathly silent, making it difficult for people to breathe.
...
"Where is Jin Chinian of the Enforcement Hall?" Shen Mo suddenly asked.
Immediately, Jin Chinian stepped out from the crowd, his face ashen, and bowed. "Peak Master Shen... Patriarch."
Shen Mo nodded to him. "Mm. As the Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall, you bear the responsibility for dereliction of duty concerning both the past disputes within the sect and the wickedness committed today!"
"However, considering you have devoted yourself tirelessly these past few years and have not meddled in the internal factional struggles, I will permit you to atone for your failings through meritorious service for the time being."
Jin Chinian maintained his ashen expression, but his tone lightened slightly. "Thank you, Patriarch, for your mercy!"
"Did you hear everything Tian Zhiyu said? Are you aware of their crimes?"
"I heard everything clearly, and I am fully aware of them," Jin Chinian replied, his tone measured and precise.
"Good! Then tell me, according to sect law, how should they be punished?"
As Shen Mo spoke, a cultivator from the Yuan Family had already sneaked away, obviously intending to report to Yuan Heming, who was in seclusion. Shen Mo, however, did not stop him, allowing him to go and summon Patriarch Yuan.
"Unauthorized mobilization of war resources; injuring a sect alien minister; furthermore, using Gu Cancer Magic to harm fellow sect members, showing no intention of ceasing or repenting throughout..."
"For these multiple offenses, according to sect rules, the punishment is execution!"
"After their Dao Bodies are destroyed, their souls shall be extracted and refined, tormented for twenty years."
The moment Jin Chinian’s bloodthirsty words landed, two horrifying streams of sword Qi erupted from Shen Mo’s hand.
SLICE!
SLICE!
Accompanied by gushing fountains of blood, two heads flew into the air before rolling onto the ground.
Yuan Shengcai’s severed head still bore an expression of abject terror, overlaid with the fresh shock from hearing Jin Chinian announce his punishment. Shen Mo had struck before his features could change further, leaving them twisted and grotesque.
Tian Zhiyu, however, having known from the moment he saw Shen Mo that death was inescapable, displayed no such panic. Instead, there was even a hint of perverse satisfaction on his face, as if pleased to have dragged others down with him.
No one dared to block Shen Mo’s sword Qi, nor could anyone have succeeded.
After slaying the two, his soul power, as vast as an abyss, swept out in a peculiar manner. Instantly, he extracted two souls from the corpses, each appearing as vivid as a living person.
If their bodies were simply ignored, it wouldn’t be long before the souls of Yuan Shengcai and Tian Zhiyu gradually dissipated into the Nether...
But that would be letting them off far too easily!
Committing evil deeds and then simply dying was hardly a deterrent to petty villainy. That was why the Riverside Sect’s rules included the cruel punishment of soul refinement.
Afterward, Shen Mo once again cast the Soul Searching Spell, extracting the relevant memory images and imprinting them into a jade slip. He then handed this, along with the two souls, to Jin Chinian, the Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall.
"Arrest all those connected to today’s events for investigation. If any resist, execute them on the spot!"
Once spoken, his words carried the weight of an imperial decree.
Instantly, Jin Chinian ordered the Elders and cultivators of the Enforcement Hall to begin apprehending all individuals involved.
The Yuan Family member who provided Yuan Shengcai with the Love Gu Insect; the Deputy Hall Master of the Deacon Hall who had abused his position to lend out the Chessboard Array; Tian Zhaoquan, the Hall Master of the Affairs Hall, who had used his authority to suppress Zhao Lingyin and her disciples, reassigning Ming Yu, Jiang Lingfeng, and others to guard the sect entrance...
From Gas Gathering Disciples all the way up to Hall Masters, everyone implicated was bound by Immortal Binding Ropes, awaiting their fate.
No one dared to resist, terrified that Shen Mo, the newly advanced Golden Core cultivator, would execute them on the spot in a fit of rage.
However, when it came to Peak Master Tang Lv of Rising Sun Peak, Jin Chinian hesitated.
Firstly, Tang Lv’s status and position were considerably high. Secondly, within the soul memories of Yuan Shengcai and Tian Zhiyu, there was no conclusive evidence to prove that he had intentionally condoned the matter.
