Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The Panlong Hall was once the meeting place of the five branches of the Jiaolong clan. At this moment, dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators gathered in the hall. Looking at the Jiaolong reliefs carved on the vermilion pillars inside the hall, a hint of contempt flashed in their eyes.

What about the dragon clan? They too vanished into thin air, becoming nothing but a thing of the past. Even Fulong Island, which they had painstakingly cultivated for tens of thousands of years, was occupied by the human race.

Inside the vast Panlong Hall, dozens of tables and desks were set up, with spiritual fruits and teas on them, and dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators were seated in an orderly fashion.

At the forefront were two great human cultivators, Cui Yuheng and Shen Jibai, as well as the leaders and great cultivators of the six major demon sects.

Following them were arranged in order of cultivation level, age, and merit, with human cultivators in front and demon sect elders behind.

Everyone was somewhat flattered, especially the elders of the demon sect.

In the cultivation world, strength reigns supreme, and the strong prey on the weak. There is no place for low-level cultivators in front of high-level cultivators.

However, Chen Yuan arranged seating for everyone and served spiritual tea and fruit, making it seem like a victory celebration banquet in the mortal world, which was truly surprising.

As expected of the renownedly kind and generous Senior Chen...

The elder of the demon sect sighed inwardly once more, feeling grateful and even more determined to sever ties with the past and vigorously eliminate the demon generals, so as not to betray Senior Chen's benevolent heart.

The hall was silent. After about half an hour, Chen Yuan's figure slowly appeared on the main seat in front.

Everyone immediately stood up, and the sound of rustling clothes filled the silent hall. Cui Yuheng was the first to clasp his hands in greeting: "Welcome, Senior Chen!"

Everyone clasped their hands in greeting and said, "Welcome, Senior Chen!"

The voices of dozens of people converged, echoing in the empty hall, leaving a buzzing sound.

Chen Yuan scanned the crowd, spotting Cui Yuheng, Shen Jibai, the leaders of the six major demon sects and those great cultivators, Zhang Xuancang and Zuiyun Zhenren sitting next to him, and the wealthy cultivator who had once secretly sided with the Frost Bear Clan…

The echo faded away. Chen Yuan did not speak, and no one dared to look up, maintaining their bowed posture with respectful and solemn expressions.

After a while, Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Young friends, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit down and let's talk."

Everyone then carefully sat on the prayer cushions, no one touching the spiritual fruits and tea on the table, their bodies upright.

Chen Yuan also sat down and got straight to the point: "Over the past three years, you young friends have fought tirelessly to eliminate the demon generals and eradicate the demonic atmosphere, making many contributions."

"Today, I, Chen, have invited you all here to reward you according to your merits, and to bestow treasures upon you in accordance with your rank..."

He paused for a moment, then his voice suddenly turned low: "But there are still some people who have made serious mistakes, and they will be severely punished today as a warning to others."

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. Chen Yuan then looked at Cui Yuheng and instructed, "Please have my young friend Cui announce the list of those who have made meritorious contributions and those who have made mistakes."

Cui Yuheng stood up again, clasped his hands in a bow to Chen Yuan, then turned around and looked at everyone with sharp eyes.

He said loudly, "I, Cui, have been ordered by Senior Chen to record the results achieved by all of you fellow Daoists in the past three years in the process of eliminating demon generals, and to secretly investigate the mistakes made by you fellow Daoists. I have made some progress."

"I dare not claim to be completely selfless, but I would never conceal the merits of any fellow Daoist or unjustly add to the guilt of any fellow Daoist."

"If any fellow Daoist has any objections, they may raise them on the spot after I finish speaking."

Having said that, he took out a jade slip, probed it with his divine sense, and said:

"Shen Jibai, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, killed one high-level demon general and three mid-level demon generals..." "Fellow Daoist Ye Qinglan, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, killed one mid-level demon general and two low-level demon generals."

"Master Mingxin, with mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, has slain two low-level demon generals..."

Cui Yuheng's clear voice echoed in the hall, and the crowd, who were caught off guard, gradually calmed down and listened attentively.

What Senior Chen just said contradicts the previously issued edict. In addition to rewarding those who have made mistakes, it also requires punishing those who have made mistakes, which makes everyone somewhat uneasy.

In the process of eliminating the demon generals, they hid quite a few treasures.

Many elders of the demon sect, relying on their past familiarity with the royal family behind them, ostensibly purged demon generals, but secretly plundered the royal family's cultivation resources. Although they didn't kill a single demon general, they made a fortune.

There were also some who valued their lives and did not want to fight the demon generals. Although they dared not shirk their missions, they secretly left room for maneuver and even deliberately let many demon generals escape.

Did Cui Yuheng secretly discover everything all along, just waiting to make an example of him today?
Those who made mistakes dared not show it on their faces, but were filled with anxiety in their hearts.

What puzzled everyone was that Cui Yuheng named most of the cultivators, but only their merits, not a single one of their crimes or mistakes.

Among them were several well-known cultivators who were defeated by the demon general, or even let the demon general escape.

Even after Cui Yuheng stopped, he still didn't name any of the cultivators responsible, leaving everyone even more puzzled.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Cui Yuheng calmly put away the jade slip, took out another jade slip, and probed it with his divine sense.

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines, realizing that merit and guilt were separate, and immediately listened intently.

But the first words that came out of Cui Yuheng's mouth caused everyone's expressions to change drastically.

"Shen Jibai, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, although he has made some achievements, once secretly defected to the Howling Moon Silver Wolf clan when the demon race was powerful, providing them with secret information, which led to the fall of two human cities... He will be executed without mercy!"

Shen Jibai was sitting next to Cui Yuheng. He had been sitting calmly on the futon when he heard this. He suddenly turned his head and stared at Cui Yuheng with disbelief on his face.

"Fang Shirong, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, although he has made some contributions, secretly defected to the Frost Bear clan when the demon race was powerful, providing them with secret information, which led to the deaths of two human Nascent Soul cultivators... He will be executed without mercy!"

"Lu Qiao, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, was forced to defect and served the demon race. He was the leader of the Wolf Demon Sect under the Howling Moon Silver Wolf Clan, suppressing human cultivators... He will be executed without mercy!"

A deathly silence fell over the hall. The expressions on everyone's faces froze—shock, astonishment, panic, bewilderment, and even a flicker of pleasure…

Whether they were city lords who once ruled over a city, elders of a demon sect who stood above thousands of cultivators, or leaders of a demon sect, none of them had any cunning or scheming at this moment.

Those who heard their names from Cui Yuheng were even more panicked than mortals facing a low-level level demon beast. Some even collapsed to the ground, their faces ashen and their spirits broken.

Half an hour later, Cui Yuheng finally stopped.

He recited the names of all the elders and leaders of the demonic sect without missing a single one, encompassing eighty percent of the cultivators in the hall.

Cui Yuheng put down the jade slip, raised his head, and said loudly, "I have truthfully stated your merits and demerits. Do you have any objections?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Shen Jibai stood up and shouted, "I have an objection!" (End of Chapter)