Sect Punishment

Pei Ling was naturally unaware of what was happening in the Inner Sect.

He traveled with a heavy heart, descended from the Yin Corpse Cloud, quickly stuffed a Spirit Stone to a passing Senior Brother, and asked him for a ride to General Affairs Peak.

After a while, the disciple from the General Affairs Hall understood Pei Ling's intentions, his eyes held a hint of amusement, but he said nothing. He quickly processed the paperwork for Pei Ling, accepted the two demonic beasts, and promptly issued the rewards.

Delivering the message was a simple task, the main reward was for the travel back and forth, earning him twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones. Eradicating the Flower Demon brought in forty-seven Low-grade Spirit Stones. Finally, the Purple-Eyed Sable, being at the sixth level of Enlightenment, offered a substantial reward of one hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, totaling one hundred and sixty-seven Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Pei Ling carefully counted the stones and sighed inwardly. If not for the sect's punishment hanging over his head, he would have considered himself quite fortunate to have gained three tasks' worth of rewards, making a small fortune.

However, compared to the five-figure fine, over a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones was merely a drop in the bucket.

Just as he was thinking this, as he exited the General Affairs Hall, he was met by several cultivators in tight-fitting robes and boots.

The person leading them had a silver stripe embroidered on his sleeve. He walked with a powerful stride, had a dark complexion, a light mustache, and a pair of narrow, sharp eyes that gleamed with intensity. A sword case was slung across his back. He stopped Pei Ling in his tracks, "New disciple of Huaiyin Peak, Pei Ling? Come with us."

Pei Ling's heart sank. "Who are you? Why do you want me to go with you?"

"Huaiyin Peak's Deacon Hall," the person replied calmly. "You're in trouble. Either come with us obediently, or we'll 'invite' you."

He made a "please" gesture as he spoke.

Pei Ling's expression shifted several times. Finally, he slowly exhaled and said in a deep voice, "Alright, I'll go with you!"

This was the Outer Sect's territory; he couldn't possibly escape.

Furthermore, although the other party's attitude seemed peaceful, their aura remained restrained, and any hint of resistance from him would undoubtedly be met with a thunderous response.

"New disciple Pei Ling." Half a day later, Pei Ling was brought back to Huaiyin Peak. The Deacon Hall was located in a mountain hollow on the northern side of the peak, a three-story building constructed entirely of black stone. The surroundings appeared to have been cleared, with little vegetation. Instead, a large plaza paved with bluestone had been laid out, eerily empty and devoid of life.

The person who brought Pei Ling back introduced himself as Jiang Liang, one of Huaiyin Peak's three Silver-Sleeved Deacons. He was in charge of the incident involving the deaths of Li Siguan and the other two.

In the interrogation room in the northeast corner of the first floor, Jiang Liang sat at the head of the table, nonchalantly flipping through the case file before him. "On the fourteenth day, three hours and two incense sticks ago, you descended from the Xuan Gu Ling Yin Boat at Zhan Chen Platform and entered the Sacred Sect! Afterward, you were led by your cousin, Pei Hong Nian, to..."

Pei Ling, who had been racking his brain for excuses, found himself breaking out in a cold sweat as Jiang Liang spoke!

Jiang Liang recounted the entire process from the moment Pei Ling stepped onto Zhan Chen Platform until he left the sect with Chen Huan's group, with meticulous detail, down to the exact times! What chilled him most was the description of his conflict with Li Siguan and the other two. Jiang Liang's account made it seem as if he had witnessed it firsthand: who made the first move, when each person used which technique, who moved where, how they counterattacked...

Even the dense forest where Pei Ling had gone to practice was illuminated by a spell cast by Jiang Liang, projecting a clear image onto the wall.

Jiang Liang even took the time to comment, "Judging by the damage to the vegetation, this set of saber techniques is fierce and brutal, truly impressive."

Finally, he concluded with another precise and detailed description. The only inaccuracy was that Pei Ling had not attacked and killed Li Siguan and the other two out of resentment and a desire for revenge after returning from the forest, nor had he cultivated any particularly advanced escape techniques. It was purely the System's doing!

"...Based on the aforementioned evidence, the facts are conclusive," Jiang Liang said, finishing his account. He asked with a pleasant expression, "New disciple Pei Ling, do you have anything to refute?"

Pei Ling gave a wry smile and replied, "No."

Jiang Liang nodded and picked up another stack of documents. "Then let's discuss the penalty."

Another lengthy, outrageously detailed analysis and evaluation followed, covering everything from when Li Siguan, Miao Chengan, and Zhou Yi joined the sect, their cultivation levels, temperaments, contributions to the sect, their spending power within the sect, the sect's investment in them, their respective backgrounds, and the series of consequences resulting from their deaths, and so on...

Finally, he concluded, "A total of seventy-four thousand eight hundred and forty-one Low-grade Spirit Stones, payable within three months starting today. If you are even a day late, you will be at the sect's disposal. Do you have any issues?"

What?

It wasn't ninety thousand Spirit Stones, but just over seventy thousand?!

And they weren't even deducting the time he spent fleeing in fear— no, on a mission?

Perhaps because he had been expecting to pay ninety thousand Spirit Stones, calculated from the moment he killed Li Siguan and the other two, Pei Ling felt a flicker of gratitude.

But he quickly calmed down and tried to negotiate, "Miao Chengan and Zhou Yi were both at the fifth level of Qi Cultivation, and they attacked me alongside Li Siguan. It's clear they are beyond redemption and wasted the sect's painstaking efforts to cultivate them. In that case, isn't over seventy thousand Spirit Stones a bit unreasonable? I think thirty thousand Spirit Stones would be more fair."

"Seventy-four thousand eight hundred and forty-one Low-grade Spirit Stones is the result of the Deacon Hall's precise calculations," Jiang Liang smiled, pushed the document aside, interlaced his fingers, and looked at Pei Ling with great interest, speaking slowly. "In fact, Li Siguan, Miao Chengan, and Zhou Yi's friends and family are not entirely satisfied. They believe it should be ninety thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Especially the Outer Sect Elder Li Ping. Just yesterday, he personally hosted a banquet for our Deacon Hall Master. He casually mentioned you during the meal!"

"However, our Hall Master has always been fair and refused outright, thus maintaining the amount of seventy-four thousand eight hundred and forty-one Low-grade Spirit Stones."

He smiled. "Do you still feel that the Deacon Hall's judgment is unfair now?"

"...I understand," Pei Ling took a deep breath, cupped his fists, and said, "Thank you to the Deacon Hall for upholding justice."

Jiang Liang nodded and said dismissively, "You may leave! When the three-month period is up, if you cannot pay the fine, we will find you again. You are free to do as you please for these three months. If you wish to run, you can try."

"You jest, Deacon," Pei Ling said in a deep voice. "There are laws for the nation and rules for the family. Since I have joined the Sacred Sect, I will naturally defend the Sacred Sect's rules with my life!"

Damn it, he actually wanted to run.

But seeing Jiang Liang's confident demeanor, how could a mere fourth-level Qi Cultivator escape?

After leaving the Deacon Hall, Pei Ling pondered for a moment and decisively headed towards the mountainside.

A moment later, the old disciple, who had received three Low-grade Spirit Stones, happily summoned a Yin Corpse Cloud for him. "Don't worry. If you were looking for other Inner Sect Senior Brothers or Sisters, it might be uncertain. But we know the residences of the Inner Sect Pulse Masters very well. The Yin Corpse Cloud will take you directly to the entrance of Kulan Courtyard. If Master Zheng isn't there, there will definitely be disciples from his Jiusang lineage! You can ask them then. Since Master Zheng brought you in, they certainly won't refuse to tell you."

To Pei Ling's surprise, he had assumed that since many Outer Sect disciples lived on the peaks above the sea of clouds, the Inner Sect disciples' residences must be on even grander and more majestic peaks. However, after the Yin Corpse Cloud entered the Inner Sect's territory, its altitude actually lowered.

What unfolded before him was a landscape of plains interwoven with valleys.

The vegetation was lush, and birds and beasts were abundant.

Occasionally, colorful mists rose from within, creating a dazzling spectacle.

As Pei Ling gazed in wonder, the Yin Corpse Cloud suddenly turned into a valley and sank into the ground before a small courtyard by a waterfall, disappearing from sight.

Seeing that no one was outside the courtyard, Pei Ling solemnly adjusted his robes and appearance before stepping forward and cautiously knocking on the door.

PS: To all my brothers and sisters, please give me a collection, thank you! Brothers and sisters reading this, don't forget to vote, thank you!

PS: Thanks to Bijiang Yingyue for the reward.