Court Is Now in Session

Numinous Ascent Peak, Enforcement Hall.

"Second Elder, I've brought them to you."

Wang Tai bowed respectfully.

"Bring him up."

Ding Mingcang waved impatiently.

The sect had been unsettled these past few days.

Inner and Outer Disciples were obsessed with Illusion Realm Trials, and some expert had achieved a breakthrough yet stubbornly refused to reveal himself...

All of this left him feeling deeply uneasy and irritated.

He always felt there was some connection between the two.

"Step forward!"

With a gesture from Wang Tai, Lu Ze appeared in the center of the Enforcement Hall.

The floor in the main hall of the Enforcement Hall was sunken, with rows upon rows of seats arranged around it.

Standing in the center at that moment, he looked just like a criminal awaiting interrogation.

"You're the one who created 'Demonic Path Escape'?"

Ding Mingcang stared at Lu Ze with a face full of suspicion.

At a glance, he could see that Lu Ze was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage.

This was far from what he had expected.

He had thought the culprit would at least be a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.

"It was me."

Lu Ze did not deny it and nodded directly.

Ding Mingcang's expression darkened as he turned to look at Wang Tai.

The meaning was obvious:

You brat, don't tell me you just grabbed some random person to fob me off?

Wang Tai was shrewd in such matters and hurriedly explained, "Elder Ding, this really was Lu Ze's doing... Even if he didn't do it himself, he definitely can't be separated from it! I handed the matter of making Illusion Realm Trials for the outer sect directly to him. This disciple never interfered!"

As he spoke, he also summoned a Recording Orb and played the footage of Lu Ze admitting his guilt for Ding Mingcang.

After watching the recording, Ding Mingcang reached a conclusion. He pointed at Lu Ze and slammed the table as he rose to his feet. "Lu Ze, do you know your crime?!"

Ding Mingcang's voice was not loud, but it was immensely penetrating, carrying a pressure that nearly made one want to submit.

This was one of his methods for interrogating criminals.

Wang Tai, who was also standing in the center, instantly dropped to his knees, lowering his head and trembling beside him.

Protected by his Immortal Body, Lu Ze did not feel as much pressure, though he still frowned. "This disciple does not know. What crime have I committed?"

"Impudent!"

Ding Mingcang was enraged.

After all these years in the Spirit Cloud Sect, he had never seen such an unruly disciple.

"Creating such a trinket that disrupts one's Dao Heart and throwing the entire sect into chaos—what are your intentions?!"

"In reply to Elder Ding, this disciple made the Illusion Realm entirely according to Senior Brother Wang's requests. I had no selfish motives."

Lu Ze answered without so much as a change in expression.

"No, no, no!"

Wang Tai's face turned green upon hearing this.

"E-Elder Ding! This has nothing to do with me, nothing to do with me!"

"Good, good, very good!"

Ding Mingcang laughed in fury and clapped his hands.

Then he slapped the table before him.

A vast surge of spiritual energy poured through the table and flooded the entire Enforcement Hall.

"Court is now in session!"

Ding Mingcang shouted.

His voice pierced through all of Numinous Ascent Peak.

"Rumble—!!"

The ground shook.

The entire main hall of the Enforcement Hall rose dozens of meters into the air.

The surrounding walls immediately turned transparent, revealing the scenery outside the windows with perfect clarity.

Lu Ze frowned.

So-called "raising the hall" meant exactly what it sounded like—the entire Enforcement Hall was lifted into the air.

At that moment, every sound within the Enforcement Hall could be heard by those outside, allowing others to learn the outcome of the trial.

This was a measure the Enforcement Hall only used when handling major incidents or Extremely Evil Persons.

He had not expected the Second Elder to make such a grand spectacle over this matter.

Lu Ze raised his head.

Ding Mingcang stared at him fiercely, the pressure in his voice growing even stronger.

"I'll ask you again."

"You created 'Demonic Path Escape,' harmed the Dao Hearts of the sect's disciples, and disrupted the atmosphere of cultivation..."

"Do you know your crime!?"

Outside the Enforcement Hall.

The Outer Disciples and Inner Disciples who had come to see their idol collectively stopped in their tracks at the sight of the Enforcement Hall suddenly rising before them.

Hearing Ding Mingcang's questioning voice, the disciples exchanged bewildered looks.

The crowd instantly fell into chaos.

"What's going on? Elder Ding arrested our senior?"

"And he's going to punish him???"

"If senior gets punished, does that mean we won't be able to play 'Demonic Path Escape' anymore?"

"Absolutely not!"

The walls of the Enforcement Hall hanging in the sky held hidden mysteries.

Those inside could see outside clearly.

But those outside could not see through the walls to the interior.

Unable to learn what was happening inside, everyone was extremely anxious.

Then a youthful voice came from within.

"The Illusion Realm this disciple created was meant to help the outer sect brothers cultivate the Cloud Shattering Art."

"Within the Illusion Realm, no Cultivation Method other than the Cloud Shattering Art could be used."

"As for the various stage designs, on one hand, they were meant to help users become proficient in the Cloud Shattering Art. On the other, they were meant to draw everyone into spending more time cultivating."

"This disciple does not know what crime he has committed."

The Outer Disciples and Inner Disciples were even more astonished upon hearing this.

"No way... The person who created 'Demonic Path Escape' is actually one of our fellow disciples?"

"He sounds pretty young."

"His voice feels a little familiar..."

"Since when did the sect produce such a monster?"

"An expert broke through at the Back Mountain of Glazed Fire Peak last night. Could it be the same person?"

Inside the Enforcement Hall.

Seeing Lu Ze speak so confidently, Ding Mingcang felt even greater contempt.

"For the Outer Disciples' cultivation?"

"Hehe, what a fine excuse—'for cultivation'!"

"Tell me, then. Other than making the disciples obsessed with entertainment, does 'Demonic Path Escape' have any other effect?"

Ding Mingcang demanded.

Before Lu Ze could answer, a chorus of shouts rose from below the Enforcement Hall.

"This outer sect disciple, Zhang Ming, cultivated through 'Demonic Path Escape' and has brought the Cloud Shattering Art to perfection!"

"This outer sect disciple, Wang Haozhi, has brought the Cloud Shattering Art to major mastery!"

"This outer sect disciple, Li Tianyi, is dull in talent, but fortunately encountered 'Demonic Path Escape' and cultivated the Cloud Shattering Art to major mastery!"

The hoarse cries of the Outer Disciples passed through layer upon layer of obstacles, echoing through the Enforcement Hall's main chamber.

Lu Ze smiled faintly.

His announcement had not been posted in vain after all.

Ding Mingcang frowned and looked at the Steward beside him. "Why is it so noisy outside?"

The Steward replied, "The Outer Disciples and Inner Disciples seem to have gathered below."

"How did they know?"

Though puzzled, Ding Mingcang remained unmoved.

He was interrogating Lu Ze for more than just disrupting the sect's atmosphere.

More importantly, such a massive volume of Illusion Crystal Stone sales was no small sum!

And such a large amount of Spirit Stones had bypassed his hands?

That was equivalent to taking a huge share of profits right out of his grasp!

One had to know that aside from the sect's official transactions, every other trading channel had to give him a cut.

Yet whoever had created these illusions clearly knew nothing of the rules.

Naturally, he did not believe Lu Ze was the one creating the illusions.

So he had to use some methods on Lu Ze and make him reveal the person behind him!

What did it matter if the Outer Disciples came forward to testify and plead for him?

They were merely the lowest-ranking people in the sect!

"Other illusion Trials can achieve the same effect. That does not prove you possess any exceptional talent."

Ignoring the cries of the Outer Disciples below, Ding Mingcang continued.

"On the contrary, the 'Demonic Path Escape' you made for the Outer Disciples has caused Inner Disciples to become obsessed with it and neglect their cultivation... How do you explain that?"

Lu Ze was speechless.

At that moment, he finally understood what it meant to accuse someone when one was determined to find fault.

This kind of thing...

Go ask the Inner Disciples!!

At that moment, the Inner Disciples outside looked at one another, each wanting to speak but hesitating.

They had dealt with Ding Mingcang far more often than the Outer Disciples had.

Naturally, they knew how frightening he was.

Once he set his sights on someone, their future days would be difficult.

No one dared to be the first to step forward.

Just then, Xiao Hongzhi gritted his teeth and stepped out.

"This disciple is Xiao Hongzhi of Thunder Peak. Becoming obsessed is due to this disciple's lack of mental fortitude and has nothing to do with the illusion itself..."

"Moreover, 'Demonic Path Escape' is not only beneficial to the Cloud Shattering Art, but also to other movement techniques. This disciple gained insight from watching 'Demonic Path Escape' and has made considerable breakthroughs in his movement technique. I hope Elder will see clearly!"

"Becoming obsessed with an illusion is because our Dao Hearts are not firm enough. This disciple is willing to face the wall in reflection to strengthen his Dao Heart. I beg Elder to spare Senior Brother!"

The other Inner Disciples looked at one another.

After a moment, they all clasped their fists and stepped forward.

"This disciple is from Danxin Peak..."

"This disciple is from Ten Thousand Beasts Peak..."

They were not speaking without basis.

Though they did not know why, quite a few of them had indeed made considerable progress in their movement techniques.

At first, everyone had only credited "Demonic Path Escape" to find an excuse for their game addiction.

But once more and more people experienced the same thing, the disciples began to believe it themselves.

Recently, there had even been some low-grade talk claiming that the excessive rat race of the past did not seem all that meaningful.

Everyone's daily cultivation was already more than enough, so cultivating a little less was no great issue...

When Lu Ze heard that the Inner Disciples were also defending him, he immediately found it amusing.

He had made "Demonic Path Escape" purely for fun.

He had used the mature gaming systems from his previous life to earn Demonic Value for himself.

Other than the Cloud Shattering Art, it had absolutely nothing to do with cultivation.

Lu Ze assumed the Inner Disciples were only saying this so they could continue playing the game in the future.

He raised his eyes to Ding Mingcang.

The latter's expression had clearly turned much uglier.

The status of an Inner Disciple carried far more weight than that of an Outer Disciple.

But if he did not give the person who had created this Illusion Realm a show of force, it would greatly affect his business in the future.

After hesitating for a moment, Ding Mingcang still refused to let it go. "Movement techniques, movement techniques... So what if your movement technique has improved? Could it be that the path of cultivation consists of nothing but movement techniques?"

That single sentence silenced everyone outside.

Ding Mingcang revealed a smug expression and continued looking at Lu Ze.

"Or perhaps..."

"Can you create every aspect of cultivation in this manner?"

He had thought it was a killing blow.

Yet unexpectedly, the latter merely nodded.

"Of course I can."