Xiuxian: Start with the medicine boy

As time goes by...

On the long bluestone street of Tingtao Immortal City, the crowd parted to both sides like a tide.

More than ten cultivators from the Enforcement Division, dressed in dark uniforms, walked slowly forward, their expressions solemn.

The detainee was disheveled, his robes were torn, and his face was covered in dust and bloodstains; he looked utterly wretched.
—It was Zeng Guanhai, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who was once quite prestigious in this immortal city.

The windows, eaves, and corridors of the buildings on both sides of the long street were already crowded with monks who had come after hearing the news.

Countless gazes, almost tangible, were fixed on that group of people.

Pointing gestures and hushed whispers.
At first, there were only scattered ripples, but they quickly coalesced into an overwhelming wave of sound.

"Look... isn't that Zeng Guanhai?"

A tall, thin monk was the first to exclaim in surprise, forgetting to wave his folding fan.

His companion squinted and gasped.
"Huh!

With his hair all over the place, he was almost unrecognizable at first glance... What did he do wrong?

A murmur of discussion immediately erupted.

"It's not just about committing a crime; didn't you see who was at the very front of the escort team?"

A middle-aged female cultivator lowered her voice and pointed to the blue-robed cultivator at the front of the line, who had a refined appearance and a steady gait.

"That's Senior Wang, Director Wang of the Enforcement Division!"
"A Golden Core cultivator personally escorting them, what a grand display..."

"That's right!" someone suddenly remembered.
"Just now, there was a surge of spiritual pressure in the east of the city, and several beams of light from the Enforcement Division crossed the void and went there. Could it be that they were going to capture Zeng Guanhai?"

"That must be it!"
Otherwise, who would bother Director Wang to come all this way?
Since the Cultivator Association established its new charter and set up the Enforcement Division, Director Wang has kept a low profile, personally apprehending suspects only a handful of times.

"Senior Zeng has always had a good reputation."
How did things come to this?

"You can know a person's face but not their heart."

Judging by this, the crime committed is definitely serious...

It might involve important provisions of the alliance rules; otherwise, why would a Golden Core cultivator need to take action personally?

"Could it be... that he has cultivated a forbidden technique?"

"Hush - be careful!

How dare we presume to speculate on the law enforcement department's handling of cases?

but……"

Although the speaker fell silent, his gaze remained fixed on the receding figures, his eyes filled with astonishment and regret.

At the end of the long street, the black iron gate of the Law Enforcement Bureau came into view.

Director Wang continued walking, his expression as calm as a still well.

Zeng Guanhai kept his head down, his disheveled hair obscuring his face. Only his hands, bound by specially made shackles, were visible as he walked past a familiar street corner.

It trembled almost imperceptibly for a moment.

···
at the same time.

In the distant Immortal City of Chongyi, a similar storm was brewing at a branch of the Cultivator Association.

A palace surrounded by the spiritual light of the five elements, with its flying eaves and bracket sets, stood quietly.

It was the location of the cave dwelling of Luo Changkong, a key member of the patrol branch.

The palace was originally protected by a protective array, and the surrounding area was serene and tranquil.

As if they were detached from worldly affairs.

however,
This peace was shattered at a certain moment.

In the far distance on the horizon, several streaks of light suddenly lit up, initially like stars.
In the next instant, it tore through the sky, carrying a chilling shriek, and descended fiercely outside the palace!
The light faded, revealing the leader.

This person was not dressed in fine clothes, but only in a simple black robe for law enforcement, yet the pressure emanating from him was as heavy as an abyss and as vast as the sea.

He simply stood there quietly, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze, even the flow of spiritual energy slowed down.

Even a Golden Core Realm cultivator would have to exert all their magical power to maintain their balance under this oppressive aura.
Not to mention maintaining composure.

This person was none other than the Minister of Enforcement of the Cultivator Association of Chongyi Immortal City.
—Cheng Mo
A supreme expert whose cultivation has reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm!
Behind him, flashes of light appeared one after another, and six figures emerged one by one.

Although most of them were in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and a few were in the middle stage, each of them had a calm and composed demeanor and sharp eyes like those of a hawk.

They came from diverse backgrounds, some being elders of renowned immortal sects, others fierce warriors transformed from demonic sects, all having experienced countless battles.
His combat strength is far beyond that of ordinary cultivators of the same level.

Cheng Mo's gaze swept across the palace, which was filled with shimmering light, without uttering a single word, and he simply nodded slightly.

The six Nascent Soul stage monsters behind him immediately understood, their figures flashing as they took up positions in different directions.

As everyone flipped their hands in unison, array flags, inscribed with intricate runes and imbued with spiritual light, shot out with a whoosh.

As one profound incantation after another was cast into the array flags, a buzzing sound immediately arose.

Countless fine golden runes emerged from the void.

They move and connect like living things.

in a blink,
A transparent light curtain, covering an area of ​​a thousand feet in radius and with runes moving around it, rapidly expanded and closed, completely enveloping the entire palace and its surroundings.

The light screen trembled slightly...

Immediately, it vanished into the void along with the wandering runes, as if it had never existed.

But an invisible force of confinement has quietly permeated this world.

So far,

Cheng Mo's icy gaze then refocused on the palace in front of him.

He slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers clenched tightly, and he uttered a single, resolute word:
"Do it!"

The moment the order was given, the world changed color!
With a flick of their wrists, the six Nascent Soul cultivators unleashed a burst of multicolored light that shot into the sky.

An ancient and heavy bronze cauldron, a blood-red longsword exuding a chilling aura, a jade ruyi scepter with melodious sounds, and a ghostly hundred-soul banner...

One by one, powerful magical treasures at least at the Nascent Soul level revealed their true forms, their auras intertwined, unleashing terrifying power that could shake mountains.

next moment,
These magical artifacts transformed into streaks of destructive divine rainbows that pierced the heavens and earth, tearing through the air and crashing down upon the protective array outside the palace!

Almost at the same moment, Cheng Mo himself moved.

He pointed his fingers like a sword and pointed towards the sky, instantly forming an extremely complex lightning seal.

"Boom--!"

The once clear sky was suddenly covered with dark clouds, and the surrounding area was plunged into darkness in an instant.

Countless thick, silvery-white lightning bolts surged and converged wildly in the clouds, and the deafening thunder seemed like the wrath of the heavens.

Then,

Several hundred-foot-long lightning dragons, entirely formed from raging thunder and with ferocious scales and claws, emerged from the dark clouds, carrying an aura of destruction akin to divine punishment.

Together with the six magical rainbows, they slashed fiercely at the palace below!

Boom! Boom boom boom——!!!
The combined attack of seven Nascent Soul experts, including a late-stage Grand Cultivator, was powerful enough to flatten a mountain range in an instant!
That fourth-tier protective array, which could originally withstand an attack from three Nascent Soul cultivators...
At this moment, it was like thin ice under the scorching sun, unable to even hold on for a full breath, before it exploded with a teeth-grinding cracking sound.

Fragments of spiritual light scattered everywhere!

Destructive energy poured onto the palace without any obstruction!
A blinding burst of light suddenly erupted, illuminating the thousand-foot area covered by the array in a blazing white light.
It was as if a small sun had exploded here!

Even with the array blocking their view, the cultivators who managed to catch a glimpse from afar only felt a stinging pain in their eyes and their souls trembled.

At the core of the light...

Several roars, filled with shock, anger, and pain, followed:
"Who?! Who dares to ambush me!"

"I will surely tear your souls apart and refine them, so that you may never be reborn!"

"Crack——!"

"Damn it! My Nine Dragon Cauldron!"

"···"

"Click! Click!!"

"My natal magic weapon... Ah!!"

Those were the screams and roars of magic weapons shattering and cultivators being injured.

A moment later!

The blinding light and the raging storm of spiritual energy gradually subsided.

The once magnificent and solemn palace has vanished.
All that remained was a shocking crater and dust and debris flying everywhere.

Above the giant crater, a figure stood staggering.

His robes were tattered and charred in many places, and his exposed skin bore burn marks and bloodstains from the lightning strike.

Her once neatly combed hair was now disheveled, with a few strands stuck to her pale cheeks by bloodstains.

It is none other than the master of this place, Luo Changkong, the true lord of the patrol branch!
At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot and swollen, with unbelievable rage and resentment burning deep within his pupils, fixed intently on Cheng Mo and the other seven.

Their gazes seemed to want to devour them alive.

Cheng Mo and the others were not too surprised that Luo Changkong could survive such a thunderous attack.

Nascent Soul cultivators have a plethora of ways to protect themselves.

What's more!

Luo Changkong himself is also in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm and has considerable combat strength.

It would be strange if they were killed so easily.

Cheng Mo ignored the fiery gaze, his expression as cold and stern as ice.

With a flick of his finger, a pearl the size of a pigeon egg, shrouded in a faint, dark blue light, appeared out of thin air.

The precious pearl slowly rotated, emitting a strange fluctuation that swept over Luo Changkong.

next moment.

The pearl's light flickered rapidly a few times, then stabilized, pointing at Luo Changkong without any further change.

Cheng Mo glanced at the pearl, waved his hand to put it away, and then his gaze returned to the disheveled Luo Changkong. His voice was devoid of any warmth:

"His identity has been verified and is beyond doubt."

He took a step forward, and an invisible pressure spread with him; each word he spoke was clear, cold, and unyielding.

"Luo Changkong, your affair has been exposed."

Now, should we surrender or put up a stubborn resistance?

Upon hearing this...

Luo Changkong, who had just been furious and looked like he was about to devour someone, suddenly changed his expression!
A hint of panic and fear flashed deep in his eyes, and his gaze involuntarily began to dart away.

He seemed to be thinking of some extremely terrible consequences.

But then, he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain calm, and shouted with a fierce but weak voice:
"Something happened? What a joke!"
I am an important member of the association's patrol team. You law enforcement officers, without asking any questions, brazenly attacked my cave dwelling, destroyed my magical treasures, and injured my physical body!

Is there no rule anymore?!
I will definitely report this to the General Association and impeach you for abusing your power and harming your colleagues!
This Cultivator's Association isn't a place where your Enforcement Department can call the shots!

Cheng Mo remained expressionless, as if he had expected Cheng Mo to make such a sophistry.

He reached out and a scroll, radiating a pale golden, majestic light and bearing the dual seals of the Cultivator Association and the Enforcement Department, appeared in his hand.

He did not unfold it, but simply held the decree in his hand, his voice like the clash of metal and stone, echoing above the ruins:

"After a joint investigation by the General Association's Enforcement Hall and the Patrol Headquarters, it was found that Luo Changkong, the former deacon of the 'Chongyi Immortal City Patrol Branch of the Cultivator Association,' was suspected of abusing his position to sell spiritual vein exploration information to external forces."
They shielded, condoned, and assisted Qi Tian and others, remnants of the Wan Gu Sect, in deliberately planting Corrosive Gu at the spiritual vein node of Mingsha Mountain, causing damage to the spiritual vein's origin and a drop in its grade.

The aforementioned actions have seriously violated Articles 3, 7, and 9 of the Fundamental Law of the Cultivator Association and the Law on the Protection of Spiritual Veins. The evidence is conclusive and irrefutable!

"Based on Article 37 'Severe Punishment for Dereliction of Duty' and Article 65 'Disciplinary Action for Betrayal' of the 'Monks' Association Disciplinary Regulations', and Article 2 'Accomplices Are Punished' of the 'Spiritual Vein Protection Order' Implementation Rules, the General Association and the Enforcement Department jointly rule as follows:"

Effective immediately, Luo Changkong is stripped of all positions, titles, and membership in the Cultivator Association, and all related privileges and benefits are revoked. He is immediately detained by the Chongyi Immortal City Enforcement Department and escorted to headquarters for further investigation and interrogation!

Every word is like a hammer blow, every sentence like a knife!

With each sentence of the verdict, Luo Changkong's face paled even more.

When hearing terms like "spiritual vein protection law," "accomplices are punished the same," and "deprivation of everything"...
The last glimmer of hope in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by an unfathomable despair.

He knows it too well!
In today's cultivation world, violating the "Spiritual Vein Protection Law" is an absolutely inviolable red line.

In particular, intentionally damaging spiritual veins is a grave crime that shakes the foundation of cultivation and brings disaster to future generations!

The principal offender deserves to die a thousand deaths, but even an accomplice like him, who did not personally set up the Gu worms but only provided information and cover, is still a criminal.
Once verified, there will be absolutely no leniency!
It is already an act of mercy that they were not implicated in their sect or blood relatives!
He originally thought that, based on his past merits, intricate network of relationships, and the excuse that he "did not directly take action," this time he would be treated like some past incidents, receiving a high accusation and a light reprieve, at most being fined or confined to his home.

But to everyone's surprise, the association was serious this time.
This strike was swift and ruthless, slashing down without leaving any room for error!
After Cheng Mo finished reading the decree, he put it away, took another step forward, and his cold gaze, like a tangible shackle, firmly locked onto Luo Changkong:

"Luo Changkong, the evidence is conclusive and the legal principles are clear."

Do you plead guilty?

As he spoke, the six Nascent Soul experts around him unleashed their power, their magical artifacts shimmering with light, their auras locking onto Luo Changkong from afar, forming an impenetrable encirclement.

Despite having a significant advantage and being sealed off by a powerful formation, no one dared to be careless in the face of a mid-stage Nascent Soul expert in dire straits.

Even a cornered beast will fight back desperately, and its final counterattack can be enough to drag others down with it!

Luo Changkong's body trembled slightly, and his crimson eyes flashed rapidly, a mixture of anger, resentment, fear, and despair.

He glanced around at the cold, wary gazes around him, then looked at the ruins beneath his feet...

Finally, the straight spine seemed to have all its strength drained away in an instant, and it gradually hunched over.

He gave a bitter smile, his voice dry and hoarse:

"...Never mind, never mind."

With the imperial decree issued and the evidence irrefutable… I… confess my guilt.

He raised his head, his eyes no longer filled with violence, only despair:
"The crimes I committed were all done by me alone and have nothing to do with my sect or family."

I urge all fellow Daoists to act in accordance with the law and not implicate the innocent.

Say it,
The surging, violent spiritual energy around him gradually subsided, and he slowly descended from the sky, landing at the edge of the ruins that once belonged to his cave.
He lowered his head, looking as if he were offering his neck for execution and giving up resistance.

...(End of this chapter)