Live Trial Across the Federation

At this moment, Yun Ming sat in the seat of honor, his face so gloomy it seemed ready to drip water.

He listened to those words and watched those elders who had once treated him with utmost respect and obeyed his every command...

Now, one after another, they pointed at Ya Li and at him, venting their dissatisfaction and resentment without restraint.

His chest heaved violently.

At last, Yun Ming erupted.

"Enough!"

Yun Ming roared.

His voice exploded like thunder.

It boomed through the Sea God Pavilion.

At the same time...

He abruptly unleashed his pressure.

The pressure of a Peak Quasi-God.

The power of one standing at the pinnacle of the continent.

A terrifying oppression sufficient to make even Title Douluo suffocate.

An invisible aura burst forth from his body, like a mountain flood breaking loose, like a tsunami sweeping across the land.

A dull boom rang through the air, and the entire Sea God Pavilion trembled slightly beneath his pressure.

In an instant, the entire room fell silent.

That pressure was like an invisible giant hand, pinning every elder firmly to their chairs.

Their mouths hung open, yet they could not make a sound.

A flash of terror immediately appeared in their eyes.

It was genuine terror—not because of Yun Ming's anger, but because, in that instant, they realized...

Even if Yun Ming was no match for Chen Yu.

Even if Yun Ming did not even have the courage to fight Chen Yu.

Yun Ming was still a Peak Quasi-God.

Still the Sky-Propping Douluo.

He still possessed the strength to crush every one of them.

Yun Ming then looked coldly at everyone.

His voice was low and hoarse, carrying fury suppressed to its very limit.

"Look at yourselves!"

"As elders of the Sea God Pavilion, renowned experts of the continent, what have every one of you become?"

"Where is your dignity?"

His voice was not loud, but every word was like a slap, viciously striking everyone across the face.

Everyone lowered their heads, their faces flushed red.

Under Yun Ming's Peak Quasi-God pressure, and beneath his question of "Where is your dignity?", no one dared retort.

But then Ya Li suddenly began to cry.

She covered her face, her shoulders trembling violently.

Then she abruptly rose to her feet and gave all the elders present a deep bow.

Ninety degrees—bent so low, as if she wished to use that posture to convey all her apology and guilt.

Then she turned and ran out of the Sea God Pavilion.

Her footsteps were hurried and disordered.

They quickly vanished into the night beyond the doors.

Yun Ming hurried after her as well.

He did not even have time to say a word to the elders before striding out after her.

Before long, his figure vanished through the doorway.

Within the Sea God Pavilion...

A deathly silence descended.

After a long while.

Cai Yue'er was the first to raise her head.

She looked toward the entrance, in the direction Yun Ming had disappeared, and a complicated smile curled across her lips.

She slowly stood, straightened her collar, snorted coldly, and walked out without looking back.

Then...

Everyone rose one after another and left without saying a word.

Some lowered their heads, some sighed, some wore iron-gray expressions, and some were utterly blank-faced.

Their footsteps were heavy and slow, as though every step dragged an invisible mountain behind them.

The Sea God Pavilion remained brightly lit.

Yet the candlelight and lamps illuminated only rows of empty chairs and a mess-covered table.

By now, these elders...

Had completely become estranged from Yun Ming.

Once...

They had been Shrek's most loyal guardians, its staunchest supporters, and Yun Ming's most reliable comrades.

But now, beneath Yun Ming's pressure...

The rift between them...

Had become too deep to mend.

They still sat within the Sea God Pavilion, still bore the title of elder, still wore those long robes that represented their status.

But their hearts...

Were no longer with Yun Ming.

Outside the Sea God Pavilion, the night breeze drifted past, sweeping up several fallen leaves that spun beneath the moonlight and floated into the distance.

Sunlight spilled down, and morning arrived.

The skies above Ming Capital were crystal clear and cloudless for thousands of miles, while the dawn cast a faint golden sheen over the entire city.

In the central square before the Parliament Building.

A temporary raised platform stood solemn and imposing in the sunlight, with two towering flagpoles at its center.

One flew the Federation's flag, while the other flew the Federation Council's flag.

At this moment, both snapped loudly in the morning breeze.

A nationwide livestream began.

At the same time, every soul-guided screen within the Federation lit up.

From the busiest commercial streets of Ming Capital to taverns in remote towns.

From outposts on the northern snowfields to fishing villages along the southern coast.

The same image appeared on every screen.

That judgment platform.

And the figure kneeling atop it.

The public poured into the livestream.

Some sat before their televisions with breakfast in hand.

Some stopped in their tracks and looked up at the enormous street screens.

Some crowded around display windows outside appliance stores.

Some took out their Soul Communication Devices and connected to the broadcast.

Everyone held their breath as they watched this unprecedented trial.

At this moment, tens of millions, perhaps even hundreds of millions, of viewers fixed their eyes upon the same place.

And those being judged...

Were Chen Xinjie and Long Yeyue.

One was the master of the War God Temple, a Peak Quasi-God, the Vast Sea Douluo, an existence standing at the pinnacle of the continent.

The other was Shrek Academy's supreme elder, the Light and Dark Douluo, the possessor of twin Holy Dragon martial souls.

To ordinary citizens, the identities of both...

Were utterly beyond reach.

In years past, people like them had been legendary figures—names that existed in the news, in books, and in idle conversations after meals.

Ordinary people could never see them in person in their entire lives, much less watch them stand trial.

Of course, Long Yeyue had already died.

That night, a spear thrown by Chen Yu from tens of thousands of miles away had pierced directly through her chest.

Her corpse had been dug out from the ruins of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and, after some basic handling...

Had been stored at the Federation's Forensic Center ever since.

Chen Yu had not originally intended to waste much thought on it.

It was merely a corpse. Whether it was returned to Shrek or disposed of casually made no difference.

But because Shrek had never sent anyone to claim Long Yeyue's body...

Who knew whether they did not dare come, did not wish to come, or simply found it too humiliating.

So Chen Yu decided to put waste to use.

He would drag her out for trial today as well, so the public could see what this so-called Light and Dark Douluo truly looked like.

So they could see that these so-called important figures became nothing more than cold corpses after death.

Once the trial was over.

She would be thrown into the furnace, lest she pollute the environment.

At this moment, on the judgment platform.

Chen Xinjie knelt at the very center, cold stone slabs beneath his knees.

His hands were bound behind his back with specially made chains, and a restraining device encircled his neck.

He wore a gray-white prison uniform devoid of any markings, wrinkled and rumpled, in stark contrast to the splendid robes he had once worn.