Prisoner in the Dock

Su Huayue looked terrified and wanted to retreat and escape from the Alchemy room, but a sharp blade hovered between her eyebrows, making her dare not make the slightest move.

"I'm worried that you're spreading news of Qi Xiong's disappearance everywhere, causing unnecessary trouble."

"Where did you take Qi Xiong?" Song Wen asked.

"I don't know. I was just following orders. Under the pretext of teaching him the new Pill Formula, I got him to the Alchemy Chamber early. He was taken away by a Foundation Establishment elder from the clan."

"Why are you the only one who came to kill me?" Song Wen asked.

"Your cultivation level was only at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. I thought I could easily handle this on my own, so I didn't notify anyone else."

Su Huayue's face was bitter. She really hadn't expected that Yuan Cheng, who was usually so meek and obedient, was actually a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. He had been hiding his true abilities far too well.

"Please don't kill me. I Soul Oath that I will never reveal a single word about your infiltration of the Su Clan."

"No need, the dead are better at keeping secrets."

With a slight tremor, the Cold Moon Blade unleashed a dazzling blade of light, instantly piercing Su Huayue's brow.

Su Huayue instantly stopped breathing and collapsed to the ground.

Song Wen flashed to his side and began searching his soul.

A moment later, the soul search ended.

Song Wen discovered that, just as Su Huayue had said, she didn't know much. Song Wen was unable to obtain any further information.

The Soul-Devouring Blood Extraction burned Su Huayue's corpse to ashes and threw it into the deep hole beneath the Pill Furnace.

After doing all this, Song Wen opened the stone door of the Alchemy room and walked out as if nothing had happened.

This Alchemy Chamber is no longer a place to stay, nor can the Su Clan remain here.

Su Huayue's death will be discovered sooner or later, and given that she died in the heavily guarded Alchemy Chamber, it will surely trigger a thorough investigation by the Su Clan.

Song Wen swaggered out of the Alchemy Chamber. People came and went in the main hall of the Alchemy Chamber, but no one paid any attention to him.

We walked all the way to the foot of the mountain and arrived at the mountain gate.

Song Wen discovered that a group of people were escorting Su Shan towards Su Clan Town.

He couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. Just two days ago, when he came down the mountain, he had greeted Su Shan, who was guarding the mountain gate.

How did Su Shan become a prisoner after only two days?

Song Wen glanced back towards the mountainside of Clearpeace Mountain, but saw nothing unusual. It seemed that Su Huayue's death had not yet been discovered.

Taking a few strides, Song Wen walked quickly to the front of the escorting team.

He bowed to the leader and asked, "May I ask, senior, what crime has Su Shan committed? Where is he being taken?"

The leader was a middle-aged male cultivator in the Late Qi Refinement. He glanced at Song Wen's Alchemist robes and said somewhat impatiently.

"He practiced the Evil Method of corpse cultivation, turning his wife, unborn child, and thirty-two neighbors without any cultivation into walking corpses."

"Su Shan's crimes are heinous and inhuman. Take him to the entrance of the town and behead him as a warning to the public, to uphold the Su Lineage rules!"

Upon hearing this, Song Wen couldn't help but glance at Su Shan, who was being held captive.

Ruthless and cruel!

He truly is a promising candidate for cultivating the demonic path.

Song Wen had to admit that he had misjudged the situation before.

To everyone's surprise, Su Shan, who seemed quite honest and upright, would actually harm his own wife and children.

However, his methods were a bit lacking! He had only just begun practicing Devil Cultivation Method when he was discovered and was about to be beheaded as a warning to others.

With a flick of his wrist, two jade bottles appeared in Song Wen's hand, each containing twenty Qi-Gathering Pill.

Without making a sound, Song Wen slipped two jade bottles into the hands of the leader, and said in a low voice.

"I have some acquaintance with Su Shan; may I see him off on his final journey?"

The leader swept his mental energy over the jade bottle in his hand, then flipped his hand and put the bottle into his Storage Bag, a smile appearing on his face.

"Considering that Su Shan and I are from the same clan, I'll let you say goodbye to him. It would be quite pitiful if no one saw him off on his final journey."

The leader waved to the guards behind him, who then dispersed, giving Song Wen and Su Shan some space to talk.

Su Shan was under a restriction, unable to use his spiritual power, and his hands and feet were chained, making escape impossible.

Su Shan's face was ashen, his eyes glazed over. The impending execution and death filled him with deep fear.

Upon seeing Song Wen approach, a flicker of emotion flashed in Su Shan's eyes.

"Master Alchemist, I never thought I'd see you again before I die."

"Sigh!" Song Wen let out a deep sigh.

"Su Shan, are you confused? How could you have gone astray and started practicing Devil Cultivation Method?"

A bitter smile appeared on Su Shan's ashen face.

"I was born with poor aptitude, and my mother was just an ordinary person. We were not valued by our Lineage. My mother was ill after giving birth to me and was not good at working. I was often hungry or full from a young age."

"When I was five, my mother died of grief. I had to beg for food from one house and soup from another to support myself, enduring all kinds of humiliation and contempt."

"But I believe that human will can overcome fate, and that diligent cultivation can make up for innate deficiencies. Ever since I turned ten and was allowed to start cultivating, I have been working hard day and night, but the result is that after more than ten years of hard work, I have only Qi Refining Fifth Layer of Qi Refining."

"Only then did I realize the reality: with poor talent and no Cultivation Resources, how could I possibly cultivate to a powerful level?"

"I was unwilling to live an ordinary life, so I decided to cultivate Devil Cultivation Method. Last time, when you were at my house, you mentioned the mysteries of Devil Cultivation Method, which completely made me determined."

As if making his final arrangements, Su Shan revealed all the secrets he had kept buried deep in his heart.

"Then why did you kill your wife and children?" Song Wen asked.

Su Shan suddenly became agitated and shouted.

"I didn't kill them. I didn't kill them. Even if I were the most depraved person in the world, I could never do that to my own wife and children."

"They suddenly disappeared. I searched everywhere, but I couldn't find them."

"I reported it to my Lineage, but Lineage don't believe me. They found the zombies that my neighbors had created in my yard, so they concluded that I had also created zombies for my wife and children, but I really didn't."

When talking about his wife and children, Su Shan was filled with deep worry.

"Then why did you turn your mortal neighbor into a walking corpse?" Song Wen asked.

A deep-seated hatred appeared on Su Shan's ashen face.

"I suffered a lot of bullying from them since I was a child. My mother died in her early twenties, which was definitely related to them."

"Just because my mother was the head of the family's concubine, but Su Anping never cared about her, and she lived a life of poverty worse than even ordinary clansmen, anyone would want to bully us orphans and widows."

"My mother is beautiful, and she has been harassed by many rough men. Some have even broken into our house in the middle of the night and bullied her."

"I only hate that I am too weak to kill all my enemies, and I cannot kill that beast Su Anping to comfort my mother's spirit in heaven."

When he said the last two sentences, Su Shan practically roared them through gritted teeth.

His voice was loud, immediately attracting the attention of several guards.

The leader hurriedly stepped forward, pushed Song Wen aside, and slapped Su Shan across the face.

Su Shan collapsed to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with several teeth.

The leader dragged Su Shan up from the ground and said viciously.

"If you want to die, don't drag us down with you."

To openly criticize the head of the family is a grave crime, practically courting death, and they don't want to be implicated.