The shameless act of the True Lord Hengling directly stunned the True Lord Honghua.
Who was it back then who insisted on showing favoritism and drove such a promising young talent away? Now he's coming back with a cheeky face, trying to get her to return.
Shen Qing wasn't his pet dog that would come when thrown a bone and leave when waved away.
"Enough. Don't make a fool of yourself here," the True Lord Honghua waved his hand, casually shooing the True Lord Hengling aside.
He stepped down from the dais and stood in front of Yu Xuzi, bowing respectfully with an apologetic look on his face. "Senior, we're really grateful for your presence today. If it weren't for you, this matter might not have ended well."
"Those from the Main Shrine..."
Yu Xuzi let out a soft laugh, showing no particular concern. "Why should we care about those from the Main Shrine?"
"I came here for another matter, but it's not the right time to discuss it today. You should handle your sect's internal affairs first. Ask Elder Zhushi to show me the way. My disciple and I will stay at the Qingyun Sword Sect for a day."
The True Lord Honghua quickly summoned Elder Zhushi and gave him instructions. Then Yu Xuzi pulled Li Xian away.
As Li Xian left, she gave Shen Qing a reassuring look.
After Yu Xuzi left, the True Lord Honghua sat back on his seat and looked down at Lin Yibai, who was now barely recognizable.
"Traitor Lin Yibai has committed numerous heinous crimes, going against the teachings of our sect. Every single one of her misdeeds is well - documented, and she cannot escape justice!"
"According to the sect's rules, her cultivation will be abolished, and her sect registration will be revoked. To appease the spirits of our disciples who died in the Sea Coral City, you shall be the sacrifice, paying for their lives with your own."
"Does anyone... have any objections to this decision?"
As the True Lord Honghua spoke, his eyes lingered on Pei Xuanjing and the others.
If anyone was most likely to plead for Lin Yibai, it would be those from Worry - Free Peak.
However, after hearing the True Lord Honghua's decision, the people from Worry - Free Peak didn't even lift their eyelids. They just stood there numbly, as if the person about to die to atone for her sins wasn't their beloved junior sister they had cared for for so many years.
Lin Yibai lay on the ground, covering her chest, her face contorted in pain.
She tremblingly stretched out her withered hand. Tears mixed with blood streamed down her face, making her look like a fierce ghost climbing out of hell.
"You... all deserve to die..."
"I'm the female lead, after all!"
Lin Yibai squeezed out these two sentences from the depths of her throat, but apart from Shen Qing, no one else could hear them clearly.
The True Lord Honghua glanced at Elder Feiyun, who immediately understood and stood up.
The look in his eyes as he looked at Lin Yibai was filled with coldness.
"Where are the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall?"
"Present!"
Elder Feiyun shouted towards the outside of the hall. The disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall immediately rushed in and surrounded Lin Yibai.
They all glared at Lin Yibai, gnashing their teeth. Their expressions were as if they wished they could tear Lin Yibai into pieces.
The disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall had suffered the most casualties. Those dead junior brothers and sisters were their beloved and carefully - taught fellow disciples.
Two junior brothers, who had originally lacked talent, had struggled hard to reach the Golden Core realm but had forever remained in the Sea Coral City.
And the root cause of all this was Lin Yibai!
They just couldn't understand why Lin Yibai had done this.
She was already a disciple of a major sect and the direct disciple of the True Lord Hengling. If she had adhered to the right path, ascending to a higher realm would have been just a matter of time. Why did she have to take the wrong path and end up like this?
It was simply self - destructive and harmful to others!
The True Lord Honghua turned around and walked back onto the high platform. As he turned around, his robe fluttered, and his aura was imposing.
He raised his hand and gave an order to the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall. "Execute the punishment!"
Pei Xuanjing and the others' hearts tightened suddenly at the True Lord Honghua's order.
They now both hoped that Lin Yibai would pay for her crimes with her life and didn't want her to die just like that.
Especially He Yu and Nan Zhijin. They had invested so much emotion in Lin Yibai that it was hard for them to accept the sudden change.
The disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall took out the God - Binding Whip and tied up Lin Yibai's hands and feet, then pulled them forcefully.
Lin Yibai was suspended in the air, in a large - character shape.
To abolish her cultivation, her spiritual roots and meridians had to be severed. After Lin Yibai transmigrated into the book, the body the system had chosen for her had mixed spiritual roots and wasn't supposed to be suitable for cultivation. However, the True Lord Hengling had taken half of Shen Qing's spiritual bones, and her spiritual roots had become water - type spiritual roots.
Shen Qing could sense that half of her spiritual bones were growing in Lin Yibai's body but also rejecting it.
Her eyes darkened. Maybe she could get her spiritual bones back after the punishment.
The process of abolishing cultivation was just a fraction of what Shen Qing had experienced before her death in her previous life.
Lin Yibai's expression didn't show much pain. There was only emptiness and numbness left.
If Shen Qing hadn't known how painful it was to sever the spiritual meridians and roots, she would almost have thought that Lin Yibai had died during the punishment.
Elder Feiyun dug out Lin Yibai's spiritual roots, but before they even reached his hand, as soon as they left Lin Yibai's body, they shattered into light spots and disappeared.
The observing elders immediately sensed something was wrong.
Lin Yibai had reached the Golden Core realm and had a relatively rare single - type spiritual root. How could her spiritual roots be so fragile that they shattered as soon as they left her body?
Elder Feiyun looked at the True Lord Honghua in surprise. The True Lord Honghua shook his head, and Elder Feiyun didn't say anything more but continued with the punishment.
When Elder Feiyun dug out Lin Yibai's Golden Core, an expression finally appeared on Lin Yibai's face.
She opened her mouth and let out a desperate scream. Half of her teeth fell out due to her agitation.
"Aaaaah!!"
"I'm in so much pain... Xiaobai is in so much pain... Master, save me!"
When the True Lord Hengling heard Lin Yibai's cries, a glimmer of light appeared in his otherwise empty eyes. But when he looked up and saw Lin Yibai's old and ugly face, he lowered his head again, as if he couldn't hear.
Pei Xuanjing couldn't bear to watch and lowered his head.
He Yu squatted down, covering his head and ears, trying to block out the sound that made him feel a twinge of guilt, while Nan Zhijin stood there numbly, with a look of不忍 in his eyes.
As for Shen Chuyun, he seemed to be frightened out of his wits. He had never been a brave person and had only bullied others under the name of the True Lord Hengling.
The drastic change in Lin Yibai had left a deep mark on his heart.
Shen Qing stared intently at the process of the punishment, as if she was avenging her tragic death in her previous life.
Under her wide sleeves, she clenched her fists tightly. The pain in her palms couldn't cover up the sense of pleasure that welled up from the bottom of her heart.
At the moment when Elder Feiyun crushed Lin Yibai's Golden Core, her eyes widened in horror, and she let out a shrill scream.
Her limbs began to struggle violently. Even the four disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall almost couldn't control her.
But after the struggle, she quickly stopped moving. With all her strength, she bent her head 180 degrees.
Lin Yibai stared at Shen Qing with hatred in her eyes, but there was a strange smile on her lips. The next second, she slowly closed her eyes, as if she was gradually dying.
A sudden sense of uneasiness welled up in Shen Qing's heart.
Was Lin Yibai really dead like this?
Suddenly, outside the hall, the wind howled, thunder roared, and even the space inside the hall began to distort.
However, it seemed that only Shen Qing noticed these changes. Everyone else was staring intently at Lin Yibai and was completely unaware of all these changes.