With Ye Fei setting an example, more and more spies stepped forward of their own accord to confess. In the end, there were more than ten of them. They were all people Ling Tian had expected, but he was still gratified that they had come forward voluntarily. After Lian Yue sensed their original reasons for joining the sect, Ling Tian dealt with them separately. Those who had only joined to secretly learn Lingxiao Pavilion's cultivation techniques were sent back to the crowd, while those with more sinister aims were told they would be investigated and were temporarily kept in Little Squeak's inner world.
Feeling guilty, none of them objected. They were saddened that Ling Tian had imprisoned them, but when he promised to provide them with cultivation techniques, they were overjoyed.
After dealing with them, Ling Tian looked at the crowd and said, "Is anyone else going to step forward? If we have to drag you out ourselves, I'm afraid we won't be so merciful."
No one in the crowd spoke. Seeing this, Ling Tian's aura sharpened as he declared, "I've given you your chance, but you didn't know how to cherish it. Don't blame me for being ruthless now. Little Squeak, lock up anyone still clinging to wishful thinking inside your inner world. Don't kill them, but don't let them out, either."
"Don't worry, Ling Tian." Little Squeak's deep voice reverberated through the small world. As he spoke, several cultivators in the crowd felt a vast force of restraint descend upon them. Their faces changed drastically; they knew their secret had been exposed.
"Pavilion Master, we're not spies! We've been framed!"
"Why are you imprisoning me? You call me a spy, but do you have any proof? Fellow cultivators, don't fall for their tricks! They're trying to—"
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