Chapter 373: The Wail!
Aside from Jiang Chen and Zhu Fuxian, two Enforcement Elders stood in the hall—one man, one woman.
The man, Huang Yue, appeared middle-aged with features sharp enough to have been chiseled from granite. An earth-attributed Spirit Stone sat embedded directly into his temple. Tall and heavily muscled, he wore yellow armor with plates overlapping like tectonic strata, his pauldrons etched with dense sealing formations.
The woman, Su Wan, looked to be in her early thirties. Peach-colored robes clung to her voluptuous figure, and a simple green bamboo hairpin held up her hair. When she smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkled with warmth; when her smile faded, her gaze turned as cold and unfathomable as a deep abyss.
On the public trial platform, Rong Long knelt with a hunched back. His once-immaculate hair was now plastered to his forehead like greasy weeds.
He possessed none of the dignity of a Formation Master.
He held none of the majesty of a Human-Grade Golden Core cultivator.
Right now, he was nothing more than a broken prisoner.
Standing quietly behind Zhu Fuxian, Jiang Chen scrutinized the captive. Rong Long’s aura flickered weakly, suppressed by creeping, vine-like green patterns tattooed across his flesh. It was a masterful application of elemental suppression—Wood conquering Earth.
Huang Yue broke the silence. “Rong Long,” he barked, his expression glacial. “To satisfy your own selfish greed, you secretly cultivated a Meridian-Reversing Worm Mother and sabotaged a Spirit Vein on the verge of transforming into a dragon. Do you plead guilty?!”
Rong Long slowly raised his heavy eyelids. “A Human-Grade Golden Core is the absolute lowest tier,” he rasped, his voice like grinding stones. “Even if I exhaust my entire lifespan, the Nascent Soul realm is my absolute limit. Rather than sitting around waiting to rot, I chose to gamble.”Su Wan offered a bright, understanding smile. “We can sympathize with that desperation. However, would you care to explain the Spirit-Eroding Fungus King?”
Rong Long’s expression twitched. A strange, guarded light flickered in his eyes. His lips parted, trembling slightly, but no sound emerged. Whether he was bound by a silencing oath or simply refused to speak, he kept his secrets swallowed.
Huang Yue and Su Wan exchanged a knowing look. “The Spirit Vein collapsed under the weight of the Yellow Earth Essence,” Huang Yue sneered. “That caused the Spirit Qi to leak, which ultimately starved your Meridian-Reversing Worm Mother and prevented its breakthrough. You didn’t actually think we were that easy to fool, did you?”
The question about the fungus had been a calculated bluff to force a slip of the tongue. It clearly hadn’t worked, so they moved on to the main issue.
Jiang Chen glanced at Zhu Fuxian, who showed no surprise. It seemed he had already guessed or investigated something.
Seeing this, Rong Long chose silence, refusing to utter another word. But the more he stayed quiet, the more suspicious he became. While the Meridian-Reversing Worm Mother could be linked to the Spirit Vein, the Spirit-Eroding Fungus King was a different matter. The simultaneous occurrence of both events was far too coincidental.
If Jiang Chen hadn’t detected it early and nipped the disaster in the bud, it wouldn’t have just affected the Zhao Clan’s Spirit Farms and spirit plants. It could have impacted not just the core of the Spirit Farms, but the entire Cloud Sea Sect. How could a mere Rong Long have the audacity to commit such a heinous act?
Huang Yue said fiercely, “Rong Long, if you still refuse to cooperate, we will apply to use the Soul Searching technique. You won’t be able to hide anything then.”
Su Wan quickly interjected, “Brother Rong, you’ve been in the sect for over a hundred years, and you’re a respected Formation Master. Even if you don’t consider yourself, think about the Zhao Clan.”
Rong Long frowned, appearing conflicted and hesitant.
Jiang Chen thought to himself, “One plays the bad cop, the other the good cop. On the surface, Huang Yue’s words are the most intimidating. But in reality, Su Wan’s soft knife is more insidious.”
Just as everyone thought Rong Long would consider the Zhao Clan even if not himself, he chuckled.
“Heh…”
“Hehe…”
“Hehehe…”
Rong Long laughed, his laughter eerie and unsettling, filled with a mix of triumph and madness.
Huang Yue frowned and asked, “What are you laughing at?”
Rong Long looked up, his eyes complex. “When I chose to do this, I already stopped caring about whether it would harm the Zhao Clan. As for Soul Searching, go ahead and try!”
Provocation! A blatant provocation! He completely disregarded Huang Yue, Su Wan, and even the entire Cloud Sea Sect!
Jiang Chen was shocked. “What could cause such a drastic change in a person, making him disregard even his own family?”
Soul Searching was one of the most vicious techniques in the entire Azure Realm, or the Cultivation world. Once used, the caster could access the target’s memories, especially recent ones. The target would only end up with a shattered soul, becoming an idiot. Generally, the Punishment Hall rarely used Soul Searching, as it went against ethics. Each use required an application to higher-ups, performed by a specialist.
Anyone else would be terrified at the mention of Soul Searching. Yet, Rong Long didn’t care and even laughed.
Jiang Chen looked at Zhu Fuxian, and sure enough, even he frowned.
Huang Yue flew into a rage. “You’re courting death!”
Su Wan’s smile grew brighter, but her eyes turned colder. Even she couldn’t stand this old man anymore.
Rong Long ignored them both, lowering his head and muttering to himself, “Soon, it should be soon…”
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Thick Earth Peak violently shook.
No, not just Thick Earth Peak.
But the entire Cloud Sea Sect!
No, not just the Cloud Sea Sect.
But the entire Azure Realm!
Space trembled violently, making even cultivators unsteady, swaying uncontrollably.
Then, a sound rang out—”Aang.”
This sound wasn’t sharp like a beast’s roar, nor thunderous like thunder. It was more like a resonance that pierced heaven and earth. At first listen, it was so oppressive it made one’s chest tight, eardrums squeezed by an invisible hand, and even breathing trembled. Upon closer listening, one could discern a wailing tone, sometimes high-pitched, sometimes low, filled with pain and despair.
Most eerily, this sound didn’t travel through the air but drilled directly into the mind.
Jiang Chen felt as if struck by a heavy hammer, his consciousness turning hazy, the Spirit Qi in his dantian wildly oscillating with the rhythm of the wail. Even powerful Golden Core cultivators like Zhu Fuxian, Huang Yue, and Su Wan were greatly affected, their blood and Qi churning violently.
This sound affected everyone in the entire Azure Realm.
Everyone instinctively looked in the same direction, seeing an extremely distant golden band of light twisting in the sky. It was visibly breaking, collapsing, and dissipating inch by inch. Dense red lightning crisscrossed the sky, resembling a doomsday scene.
Such a terrifying sight left countless people stunned and speechless.
“Hahahaha!”
Rong Long was still laughing, growing more and more insane. His laughter, combined with the mind-piercing wail, sent chills down one’s spine.
A cold shiver ran through Jiang Chen’s entire body. He felt his Five-Element Spirit Roots were affected, becoming chaotic and difficult to balance.
“What’s happening?”
“What’s going on?”
“That direction seems to be… the Canglan Sea!”