Brothers stabbed in the back

The following day at noon.

A bustling area within Heaven Dou City was filled with the sounds of people.

Killing someone in a high-profile event like the Spirit Master Competition is unprecedented.

Public opinion quickly took hold, and countless people were waiting for the outcome.

This morning, when the officials set up the courtroom, it attracted a large crowd. Based on yesterday's rumors, it's not hard to guess the purpose of setting up this courtroom.

Soon, the entire street was packed with onlookers. Those who arrived later didn't even have a place to stand, let alone see what was happening.

As luck would have it, the judgment seat was located right behind the Hotel where the Seven Treasures Team was staying.

Wu Qi and others could see what was happening on the trial bench without leaving their house.

Today, after finishing their match early this morning, they waited by the window for the courtroom to open.

Just as noon arrived, the sound of horseshoes clattering on the bluestone pavement echoed through the streets.

Turning around, I saw soldiers transporting prison carts towards the judge's bench.

The officers and soldiers scanned the nearby crowd warily to prevent anyone from attempting to storm the execution ground.

Inside the prison van, Ma Hongjun was on the verge of death, yet he was bound hand and foot.

In contrast, Tang San was completely unrestrained, with only two officials following behind him.

Upon arriving at the trial platform, officers and soldiers escorted Ma Hongjun to his knees before the courtroom. Executioners, wielding Great Saber, stood behind him, poised to strike.

Tang San stood in front of the courtroom, showing no sign of tension, as if he were just going through the motions.

The members of this trial court are all heavyweight figures— the Platinum Bishop Salas of the Spirit Hall, Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Xue Xing, the representative of the Heaven Dou Royal Family.

Among the onlookers, Flender's eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched, and his chest heaving rapidly.

The executioner has already appeared; is there any need to watch the ending?

He was powerless to stop Qin Ming's death back then, and was even completely unaware of it; now, his disciple is about to suffer the same fate, yet he is still powerless to do anything about it.

Frustration and anger intertwined, gradually distorting his facial features.

He wanted to storm the execution ground, but Gu Rong, who was sitting in the courtroom, could easily suppress him.

For the sake of the Shrek Academy's future, he dared not and could not do that.

Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong followed behind him.

After Yu Xiaogang applied extreme pressure, Salas relented in the morning and betrayed the interests of the Spirit Hall.

As long as Ma Hongjun dies, Shrek Academy will be able to regain its chance to participate in the competition.

Now that things have come to this, if Flender is unwilling to accept it, they have no choice but to put aside their own family ties for the greater good, and absolutely cannot let it affect the academy!

An official briefly recounted what had happened, and then the trial began.

The interrogation confessions had already been verified. This trial was more about showing the outside world the evidence that had been investigated, as well as Ma Hongjun's confession, so that they could sit back and watch the matter unfold.

As evidence was presented one by one, the onlookers became completely convinced that Ma Hongjun, harboring resentment after an argument with Wang Teng at Spring Garden, murdered Wang Teng on the Arena by mistake to vent his personal anger.

The moment Tang San's testimony was revealed, Flender's eyes widened in shock!

He couldn't believe that Tang San was among those who betrayed Ma Hongjun!

This isn't hard to imagine, after all, they were like brothers.

For a moment, Flender was completely distraught. His past brotherhood with Yu Xiaogang vanished in an instant.

He hated himself for failing to properly teach Ma Hongjun, and he also hated Yu Xiaogang and his apprentice for betraying Ma Hongjun at a crucial moment.

Flender was more confused than ever before. How could he still consider himself a student at the Shrek Academy in the future?

If he can't even protect his own apprentice, who will still trust him as the Dean?

After all that effort, he ended up with nothing, and even Ma Hongjun.

Flender looked up at the sky and completely lost faith in the future.

It seems he really is getting old. If he had accepted his fate earlier, he would have closed the academy before Tang San others enrolled.

Perhaps neither Qin Ming nor Ma Hongjun would have died, but because of his obsession, he destroyed the people closest to him.

At that moment, he began to consider retiring.

He no longer cared about the Shrek Academy's performance, nor did he want to pay attention to it anymore.

At least a few of my old comrades are still alive. Taking them to live in seclusion in the mountains might be a good ending for us.

In the courtroom.

After Salas finished recounting Tang San's testimony, he made their investigation results public.

"After extensive investigation, we have confirmed that there is no grudge between Tang San and Wang Teng. Furthermore, his intention on the Arena was merely to injure Wang Teng and eliminate him."

"The law will not let any bad person go unpunished, nor will it wrong any innocent person."

"I declare Tang San innocent. However, out of humanitarian considerations, Shrek Academy must issue a public apology to the victim's academy and compensate for the corresponding losses."

Tang San feigned gratitude to the other party and all members of the Tribunal, and apologized to the Flame Radiance Academy and Wang Teng's family on behalf of the Shrek Academy.

As for compensation, he couldn't make the decision; they could only discuss it when they got back.

Immediately afterwards, escorted by officers and soldiers, Tang San left the trial platform.

Next came the trial of Ma Hongjun.

After last night's ordeal, Ma Hongjun had already lost consciousness and was now a living dead.

Faced with Prince Xue Xing's questioning, he could only nod mechanically, taking all the blame upon himself.

Flender knew perfectly well that this was a confession obtained through torture.

Seeing Ma Hongjun's miserable state, his heart ached, and he staggered, barely managing to stay upright in the crowded environment.

The trial concluded quickly.

Ma Hongjun "confessed" to all his crimes.

Murder in full view of the public is a capital offense, let alone a serious violation of the rules of the Spirit Master Competition.

As Prince Xue Xing tossed aside the token in his hand, the executioner picked up the wine jar and took a large gulp.

He then raised his Great Saber and spat the wine into it.

Ning Fengzhi covered his eyes with a handkerchief in the courtroom.

The executioner used a blunt knife; what followed was bound to be incredibly bloody.

Unlike Qin Ming, who was sentenced to Death by a Thousand Cuts, Ma Hongjun was first dismembered and then immersed in strong liquor.

The piercing screams echoed throughout the street; the cruel punishment sent chills down the spines of many who witnessed it.

Wu Qi drew the curtains, preventing anyone from seeing the scene below.

"Alright, watching too much will give you nightmares tonight," he cautioned.

Qiangu Changkong cursed, "That Tang San is truly a scoundrel. Anyone who becomes his brother is incredibly unlucky."

In the chain of evidence presented by the court just now, Tang San's testimony occupied an extremely important position, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was the final word.

Former comrades-in-arms betray you without hesitation; who would dare befriend such a person?

Huo Wushuang said jokingly, "I wonder what Yu Tianheng and the others will think."

This incident will likely lead to a crisis of trust within the Shrek Seven Devils.

How much fighting power can a team that distrusts each other unleash?