Shi Tian's Heinous Crimes

The next day, early in the morning.

A gentle ray of sunlight slowly illuminated the earth. Pleasant floral fragrances drifted in through the window. The flowers were nourished by the sunlight, countless diligent bees and butterflies danced among them, and the birds on the branches had already begun catching insects and singing.

Outside the residences of the leaders of the various sects, large and small, a Lion Underworld Sect disciple knocked on each door to deliver the summons, notifying them to attend the sect grand ceremony that was about to begin.

Ye Qianqian had slept poorly all night. Her limpid eyes were dull and lifeless, and dark circles hung beneath them like a pair of panda eyes, making her look somewhat haggard.

After leaving their residences, all the sect leaders seemed intent on showing off their sect's unique skills.

Some Dou Ling experts displayed graceful movement techniques, leaving afterimages across the ground.

Some Dou Wang and Dou Emperor experts unfurled their Dou Qi wings and flew into the sky.

There were even Dou Zong experts who leaped into the sky and walked through the air, looking relaxed and carefree.

These people were like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their abilities as they headed straight toward the Lion Underworld Sect.

The grand ceremony inside the Lion Underworld Sect was being held in a square. The square was surrounded by the sect's many talented disciples. The male disciples were impressive and dignified, while the female disciples were beautiful and alluring, and all of them possessed considerable strength.

On the northern side of the square stood over a thousand jade tables and chairs for the leaders of the various sects to take their seats.

Each table held fine ancient tea, pastries, spiritual medicines, medicinal pills, and treasured wine. Each item was a treasure capable of improving one's cultivation, displaying the Lion Underworld Sect's generosity and wealth and drawing praise from everyone.

A burly middle-aged man dressed in an ornate robe strode from one side of the square toward the high platform.

Behind the burly man followed a group of beautiful female disciples. Each carried a flower basket, resembling fairies from the heavens. They stayed close behind him, scattering fragrant petals into the air. It was a breathtaking sight.

"Is that guy Shi Tian?" Ye Qianqian sat in her chair and turned to ask She Qingqing.

"That's right. He's the sect master of the Lion Underworld Sect, Shi Tian." She Qingqing nodded in reply.

Shi Tian walked step by step onto the high platform in the square. His face held a warm smile as he said loudly, "I am Shi Tian, the sect master of the Lion Underworld Sect. First, I would like to thank all of you sect masters for coming to my Lion Underworld Sect to attend this dull sect grand ceremony. I hereby express my gratitude."

Shi Tian spoke with exceptional refinement and courtesy, completely unlike the arrogant man described in the rumors. Many of the sect masters secretly praised him.

But at that moment, an old man's voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

"Hmph, Sect Master, since you know this ceremony is dull, why say so out loud? Aren't you afraid of making a fool of yourself?"

Shi Tian's brows furrowed as he looked toward the speaker. It turned out to be the Great Elder, Shi Yutian. The old man appeared before everyone with a look of utter disdain.

Shi Yutian had always feared Shi Tian. But today, he had learned that Shi Tian's cultivation had fallen to the level of a One-Star Dou Venerate. What was there left to fear?

If he had known that Shi Tian's cultivation was now lower than his own, he would have seized power long ago. Why would he have waited until now?

After his brief burst of anger, Shi Tian hurriedly maintained his earlier composure and said to everyone, "I forgot to introduce him. This is the Great Elder of my Lion Underworld Sect, Shi Yutian."

Shi Yutian snorted again. "Do I need you to introduce me? Everyone in the Northwest knows me."

"Pfft."

"Hahahahahaha!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

"This Great Elder of the Lion Underworld Sect is hilarious."

Shi Tian and Shi Yutian stood on the high platform, one setting up the act and the other tearing it down. They were practically performing crosstalk, with one playing the straight man and the other the comic. Their back-and-forth remarks made the thousand-plus sect masters present clutch their stomachs with laughter.

After today, surely the entire Northwest would be talking about the Lion Underworld Sect's joke!

Shi Tian could not take it anymore. His originally gentle and courteous attitude vanished completely as he shouted, "Shi Yutian, I respect you as an elder of the sect. Don't push your luck! Do you even have me, the sect master, in your eyes?"

Shi Yutian was no less aggressive. "Naturally... no."

"You..." Shi Tian trembled with rage and was momentarily unable to speak.

Having gained the upper hand, Shi Yutian refused to let up. He took a sheet of evidence that he had written by lamplight the previous night from his Storage Ring and shouted, "Shi Tian, you think you're worthy of being the sect master of my Lion Underworld Sect? Today, I have twenty charges against you to make public, so that everyone will know you are completely unfit for the position of sect master!"

This was what it meant to have a legitimate cause. To destroy Shi Tian's prestige within the sect, Shi Yutian had gone to great lengths to gather all sorts of material. He had also fabricated quite a bit, intending to ruin Shi Tian's reputation completely.

The many disciples of the Lion Underworld Sect stared at one another in bewilderment. Their sect master actually had twenty shameful secrets?

What could those secrets be? For Shi Yutian to reveal them at such an important occasion, they had to involve something extraordinary!

Shi Yutian picked up the paper and began reading aloud with great fervor.

"First charge: when Shi Tian was three years old, he secretly watched a senior female disciple bathe. His depraved heart deserves death!"

At this, everyone present was dumbfounded. They all turned to look at Shi Tian. They had not expected him to be a little pervert from such a young age!

The female disciples of the Lion Underworld Sect all blushed and secretly thought, Sect Master Shi Tian really is a lecher.

Shi Tian looked confused. This counted as a charge?

Who had not been naughty as a child?

Shi Yutian continued reading. "Second charge: when Shi Tian was five years old, he stole a pair of undergarments from a senior female disciple, put them over his head when he returned, and played with them. His depraved heart deserves death!"

"Third charge: when Shi Tian was six years old, he pushed a junior male disciple into a latrine. His depraved heart deserves death!"

"Fourth charge: Shi Tian took a fancy to his fellow senior brother's wife, so he attacked him and seized his senior brother's wife, even shamelessly declaring, 'Your wife is now under my care.' His depraved heart deserves death!"

"Fifth charge..."

"Holy crap!" Everyone was stunned. They had never expected Sect Master Shi Tian to be so outrageous. He had harmed his fellow senior brother and seized his wife—what a man!

Many of the Northwest's orthodox sects snorted angrily. Shi Tian's conduct truly made him unfit to serve as sect master. He was utterly shameless and vile.

Of course, some sect masters from unorthodox sects thought Shi Tian had done nothing wrong. After all, his actions had pioneered a new way for men and women in the unorthodox path to interact. They wanted to go back and try it themselves.

"Enough!" Shi Tian's face had turned livid. He could not bear to hear another word from Shi Yutian, but Shi Yutian continued spouting nonsense.

"You won't let this old man speak because you have a guilty conscience. I insist on speaking, so everyone can learn of your disgraceful conduct, Shi Tian!" Shi Yutian laughed loudly and began reading again.

"Eleventh charge: Shi Tian is unambitious, incompetent, and muddleheaded, turning the sect into a complete mess."

"Twelfth charge: Shi Tian is insatiably greedy, jealous of the capable, and miserly to the point of being a demon. He refuses to reward outstanding sect disciples and instead takes all the cultivation resources for himself."

The moment these two charges were announced, all the sect disciples became dissatisfied. Under the heavens, which Dou Qi cultivator did not wish to obtain abundant cultivation resources? Yet Shi Tian was so miserly that he refused to provide resources to the sect disciples. He was simply unworthy of being sect master.

"So that's why the sect didn't reward me when I advanced half a level in Dou Qi last month. It turns out the sect master is stingy and jealous of my talent!" a Seven-Stage Dou Qi cultivator sighed from a distance.

"Ha! What does that count for? I cultivated Dou Qi for an entire day yesterday and increased my Five-Stage Dou Qi cultivation by one-tenth. A genius like me is obviously being envied by the sect master too!" a disciple beside him grumbled.

"I joined the Lion Underworld Sect last month, and the sect master didn't even reward me with a Ninth-Grade medicinal pill or anything. He's obviously jealous of my talent—reaching Three-Stage Dou Qi at the age of thirty!"

The disciples clamored noisily, throwing the scene into utter chaos for a time.

Shi Yutian took a breath and read out the remaining two charges.

"Nineteenth charge: Shi Tian has a violent temper and is always beating the sect elders, bullying the elderly. His depraved heart deserves death!"

"Twentieth charge: Shi Tian has a twisted mind and filthy thoughts. He harms small animals, claiming that his thoughts have transcended the boundaries of species. He then ordered his subordinates to bring him a dog, a pig, a chicken, and... uh... a goose. Every day, he behaved improperly with these cute and innocent little animals, only to eventually eat them. His depraved heart deserves death!"

The twentieth charge was the most important of all. The sect masters from over a thousand sects were completely dumbfounded. Shi Tian had actually carried on with animals?

Even if he had developed some kind of bizarre relationship with animals, he still could not eat them afterward, could he? How twisted was his mind?

"Ahhh! Shut up!" Shi Tian howled in rage like an enraged male lion, wishing he could kill Shi Yutian, that old bastard who had fabricated those stories.

Who had never eaten chicken, duck, goose, or dog? He had merely happened to crave some and ordered his subordinates to obtain them and send them to the kitchen. He had never expected Shi Yutian to make such a huge issue of it, much less add that line about behaving improperly. Improper with your sister!

If Shi Yutian had not become a tabloid reporter, it would have been a true waste of his talent. Shi Tian was unable to defend himself no matter what he said. His face swelled red with rage, and the dignity of a sect master vanished completely, leaving him utterly humiliated.

For a moment, all the men and women around Shi Tian retreated warily, leaving a vacuum around him.

What a joke! Shi Tian's mind was truly twisted. He had even done such things with pitiful little animals. Who would dare stand beside him?

All the disciples of the Lion Underworld Sect began reacting violently. The women vomited openly, while the men were so frightened that their legs went weak and their whole bodies trembled nonstop.

Shi Yutian was brimming with satisfaction. He raised the charges high in his hand as though announcing a righteous and holy judgment. He held his head high and delivered his speech passionately, pointing toward the heavens with one hand and at Shi Tian with the other as he shouted:

"Shi Tian, the evidence of all these evil deeds is conclusive. You are guilty of heinous crimes and your offenses are innumerable and unforgivable! With these charges alone, do you still deserve to remain sect master? Today, I, Shi Yutian, represent the authority of the Lion Underworld Sect and its disciples in stripping you of your position as sect master. Confess your crimes!"