Chapter Eighty-Nine: Guilty

"Th...this..." The woman in violet was briefly at a loss for words, and inwardly seethed: Was Senior Brother Sima truly losing his wits? This matter was too grave to be brushed aside with some trifling declaration of innocence.

She cleared her throat and said slowly, "Liang Yan has betrayed his master and ancestors, and slaughtered his fellow disciples. His crimes merit heaven's punishment. Those present who believe the charge to be proven, stand to the left; those who believe it unproven, stand to the right."

At her words, Yang Dansheng, Wu Jiuzhi, and Yan Xinyu immediately moved to her left, while Xu Kuan and the bare-chested brute stood on her right.

As for the old man with the bald brush hanging at his waist, he remained where he was, eyes closed, snoring away. Yet his position happened to be squarely on the woman's right-hand side.

"Three to three?"

The woman in violet murmured to herself. "This is troublesome indeed... A pity the master of the formation lineage is not in the sect at the moment. We are short of his deciding vote."

While she hesitated, the bare-chested giant suddenly spoke. "Whether this man is guilty or not is beside the point for now. Do you all remember that outside the patriarch's forbidden ground there was the Great Heaven-Reversing Array guarding it? Though no one was overseeing the formation at the time, how could such an array be broken by a mere qi-refining disciple?"

At this, all present frowned. The giant glanced over the others and continued:

"If this formation was truly broken by Liang Yan, then calling him a once-in-a-millennium genius of the path of formations would not be an exaggeration. Such a jade in the rough—if Senior Brother Li of the formation lineage were here, he would surely protect him, and the remaining vote need not even be asked. Since the matter is still unclear, in my view it would be better to first sentence him to a hundred years of meditation in seclusion, so he may focus on studying formations for our sect. Once we have investigated the full truth, it will not be too late to render judgment."

The giant's words were reasonable and measured, and even the woman in violet gave a slight nod. But at that moment, a man's voice boomed from outside the hall:

"That boy Liang Yan coveted the patriarch's relic and damaged the fortune of our sect first, then murdered his fellow disciples and violated our laws afterward. The evidence is conclusive; he deserves death! What is this talk of innocence?"

As the words fell, the doors of the council hall were kicked open with a crash, and a tall middle-aged man strode in.

He wore a brocade robe of fine silk, and looked extravagantly noble. With his square face, thick brows, and wide eyes, he had a stern and imposing air even without anger.

His hands clasped behind his back, he entered the hall with long strides, his formidable aura no longer concealed. It was astonishingly no weaker than that of the woman in violet, and seemed even to edge above it.

All those present, save for the woman in violet and the old man with the bald brush at his waist, hurried forward to salute him. "Greetings, Uncle-Master Zhuo!"

The woman in violet frowned slightly, then forced out a smile. "Senior Brother Zhuo, when did you come out of seclusion? I had not yet found the chance to visit and offer congratulations. Your powers must have advanced greatly, and your cultivation risen yet another step!"

"Humph!"

The middle-aged man did not seem inclined to buy her courtesy. His face remained cold as he said, "If I had not come out of seclusion, I would not even know that my own nephew had been killed by someone."

He then turned and glared at the bare-chested giant, barking, "Ge Qingyun, have you spent so many years cultivating that you cultivated your brain away as well? That Liang Yan has wolfish ambition. The greater his abilities become, the greater the harm he poses to our sect. Betrayal of master and ancestors, slaughter of fellow disciples—each of these merits death. How could you think such things can be dismissed with the excuse that he is merely a genius of the formation path?"

Ge Qingyun, having been scolded head-on, looked awkward and fell silent.

The middle-aged man surnamed Zhuo swept his gaze across the room, his expression dark. "You useless lot have accomplished nothing after all these years. Fine, your cultivation has stagnated at the peak of Qi Gathering and you cannot form a core; that much I can endure. But you have not even cared for the sect's affairs, large or small, and allowed such a wolf-hearted man to slip into our midst. My poor nephew, in defending the interests of the sect and the dignity of our founder, was instead plotted against by this villain and sent to an early death. And yet you not only refuse to uphold justice for him, you stand here arguing so confidently, even wanting to let the murderer go?"

At his words, everyone present, aside from the bald old man who still dozed soundly, wore ugly expressions.

What was more, he spoke with fierce vehemence, lashing out at the various lineage masters for their incompetence, showing no regard whatever for the purple-clad woman seated in the chief position.

As the master of the Pavilion of Star Divination, the woman in violet could not help but feel humiliated to have her subordinates publicly berated in such a way.

Yet the anger on her face flashed only briefly before she returned to her usual cold composure. After a short pause, she asked slowly, "If that is so, then in Senior Brother Zhuo's opinion, how should this boy be dealt with?"

"Humph! Tomorrow at noon, drag him to Punishment Peak and offer him to the Heavenly Thunder!" the middle-aged man surnamed Zhuo said with a cold snort.

At these words, both Ge Qingyun and Xu Kuan furrowed their brows. They exchanged a look, and each saw a trace of bitter helplessness on the other's face.

The punishment of Heavenly Thunder was the cruelest method used by the Pavilion of Star Divination to deal with the gravest criminals. Those who suffered it had both body and soul utterly destroyed. Not only would their present life end there and then, their souls would be completely scattered, leaving them no chance at reincarnation. It was, in truth, a fate beyond redemption.

The woman in violet stared at the man surnamed Zhuo for a long while. In the end, she could only slowly nod.

"Very well. We shall proceed as Senior Brother Zhuo says."

...

Inside the prison of the punishment chamber in the Pavilion of Star Divination.

Liang Yan sat upright, circulating his spiritual power endlessly by the method of the Bluewater Heart-Mind Art, barely managing to calm the violently raging tide of power within him.

After running it through several great cycles, Liang Yan withdrew the art and thought to himself:

"Although the Bluewater Heart-Mind Art can temporarily suppress the backlash from spiritual power, it only redirects it for the time being. This surge of spiritual power is too swift and too violent; it will take at least a month before it can be fully absorbed."

Thinking of this, Liang Yan could not help but sigh. With a bitter smile, he murmured, "And now I am trapped in a cell, my life or death uncertain. Of what use is a higher cultivation base now?"

As soon as he said this, a cold voice suddenly rang out from the shadows.

"Humph! Since you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?"

Liang Yan was startled by the sound and looked up toward the prison bars, only to see pitch-black darkness outside, with not a single human figure in sight.

"Who is here playing ghost? Are you here to make a fool of me?" Liang Yan said in a low voice.

Yet the outside of the cell remained empty and silent, with no reply.

"Strange..."

Just as Liang Yan was baffled, his heart gave a sudden leap. He turned around, and behind him there was now an extra person.

The newcomer wore a long blue robe and cloth shoes. His face was lean and refined, his hair and beard both white, and at his waist hung a treasured sword of azure radiance. Though he was already past sixty, he still possessed an indescribable elegance and ease.

"Senior Xiumu Sheng!" Liang Yan cried in surprise.

"Humph! You little brat have the gall to betray master and ancestors, and slaughter your fellow disciples. Now the evidence is conclusive, and Zhuo Yuntian, one of the three grand elders of the inner pavilion, has personally sentenced you. Tomorrow you will be taken to Punishment Peak to be offered to the Heavenly Thunder, and suffer the punishment of never again entering the cycle of reincarnation! What more have you to say?" Xiumu Sheng said coldly, giving him a sidelong glance.