Chapter 23: Soul-Seeking Technique (Fifth Update, Please Bookmark and Recommend)
Wang Linshu had long since been frightened out of his wits by this display—no matter how capable he was, he was only a Late Qi Refining Realm disciple. Though he had some decent equipment on him, most of it had been earned by doing "dirty work" for higher-level cultivators. And the dirty work he did was much like when he had sought an opportunity to kill Hu Donghan at Lonely Soul Ridge last time.
This time, the reason he had targeted Hu Donghan was, to put it bluntly, that Mu Zhengfeng had found Mu Ming. Mu Ming had then heard about such a person and hired him for two hundred Spirit Stones, merely taking care of it along the way.
The moment he heard Hu Meier's question, Wang Linshu instinctively felt his legs begin to shake. He first cast pleading looks toward the three Enforcement Hall disciples on the ground. Knowing the Enforcement Hall's methods, the three disciples immediately shouted sternly, "What are you looking at us for?! Whatever happened, tell it all, from beginning to end!"
Wang Linshu jumped in fright and turned to look at Mu Ming again.
Mu Ming's legs had also gone weak with fear, but he saw things differently from Wang Linshu. In this situation, if everything were laid out plainly, even he would be dragged in too deeply. By then, it would not be something that could be settled with a whipping! Only by refusing to admit it to the death and insisting that this was Hu Donghan's fault could there be a sliver of hope!
"Nephew Wang, why are you looking at me? Say whatever needs to be said, and naturally everything will be fine." There was another layer of meaning in Mu Ming's words, and everyone else naturally heard it.
The Enforcement Hall disciples all glared at him with furious eyes—Mu Ming was courting death! He was provoking the Enforcement Hall!
As for Hu Meier, she still wore a calm smile, as though none of this concerned her at all.
After Mu Ming's pointed remark, Wang Linshu finally understood. If he spoke now, the Enforcement Hall would definitely punish him harshly. Framing a fellow sect disciple meant being punished in return. According to the Sect Law Code, every punishment previously inflicted upon Hu Donghan would be visited upon him instead! And under the current circumstances, if they truly whipped him, they would surely whip him to death. If a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator used a low-grade spirit artifact with full force, a single lash could kill him!
If he spoke, death was certain; if he did not, there was still a sliver of life!
If I can survive this, then at worst, I'll find an opportunity to flee the Yin Soul Sect...
Wang Linshu sighed inwardly before slowly opening his mouth. "What Junior Brother Hu Donghan said is untrue. At the time... at the time, I passed in front of Junior Brother Hu Donghan, but Junior Brother Hu Donghan suddenly attacked me with the Spirit Bolt Technique..."
"Phew..." Hearing Wang Linshu say this, Mu Ming finally let out a breath of relief. Even Mu Zhengfeng, the source of this entire affair, felt considerably more at ease—as long as they denied it to the death, there would always be a sliver of hope. At this most critical juncture, this idiot had finally become a little smarter and had not spouted nonsense.
"Do you dare guarantee that every word you have said is true, without a single falsehood?" Hu Meier asked again with a smile.
Since he had already said this much, Wang Linshu naturally had no intention of leaving himself a way out. He nodded fiercely and said, "Yes. Every word I said is true!"
Hu Meier chuckled again. "How interesting! The same matter has produced two different accounts! It seems that if we do not get to the bottom of this today, it truly will damage the dignity of my Enforcement Hall!" After saying this, Hu Meier paused, then suddenly bowed toward the space behind her. "Elder Niu, I must ask you to act."
As Hu Meier's voice fell, the air at her side churned, and a figure abruptly appeared beside her.
When the Enforcement Hall disciples saw this person, their expressions changed drastically. They bowed in unison. "Enforcement Hall disciples greet Elder Niu."
The Enforcement Hall's basic structure placed the Hall Master at the very top: the Spirit Transformation Soul-Devouring Ancestor. Beneath the Hall Master were five great elders, all Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, each commanding one of the Enforcement Hall's five squads of law-enforcement disciples. Below the five great elders were thirty Golden Core Realm peak-stage ancestors, who commanded the law-enforcement teams.
This Elder Niu was named Niu Jinzhong and possessed Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivation. From the time Soul-Devouring Ancestor had first joined the Yin Soul Sect, Niu Jinzhong had been Soul-Devouring Ancestor's confidant, a figure much like Soul-Devouring Ancestor's shadow. Within the entire Enforcement Hall, Soul-Devouring Ancestor generally did not involve himself much in affairs; most matters were handled by Niu Jinzhong. It could be said that the Enforcement Hall disciples feared Niu Jinzhong even more than Soul-Devouring Ancestor!
The moment Niu Jinzhong appeared, he strode straight up to Wang Linshu and casually extended a hand. At once, a huge phantom image suddenly appeared over his palm, like a giant hand seal that blotted out the sky, completely enveloping Wang Linshu.
Before Wang Linshu could even react, he felt as though his divine soul were being torn to pieces. Waves of pain from the depths of his soul spread throughout his entire body.
"Ah... Awooo! Awooo! Awooo! Ah..."
Wang Linshu howled in agony, blood flowing from his seven orifices and his face twisted in pain. After only a few seconds of screaming, the crown of his skull suddenly flew off and shattered in midair. Only then did Niu Jinzhong withdraw his hand and say coldly, "This man deserves death! His trip to Lonely Soul Ridge was intended to kill Hu Donghan. His heart was impure; in the past, he used all manner of methods to murder twenty-six fellow sect disciples, and he had already harbored thoughts of betraying the sect. According to the Sect Law Code, his soul should be extracted and his spirit stripped, and Enforcement Hall disciples shall whip his soul for fifty years!"
After speaking, Niu Jinzhong waved his hand again, directly smashing Wang Linshu into a pile of flesh. He then seized his soul and stored it within a Soul Ring.
Those few moves were as swift as thunder and fierce as lightning. Before the surrounding people could even react, it was already over. But one thing was certain: even in death, Wang Linshu would find no peace. His soul would still suffer at least fifty years of torment!
"Soul-Seeking Technique!"
The Enforcement Hall disciples' faces turned even paler at the sight.
The Soul-Seeking Technique was one of the techniques that only Enforcement Hall cultivators could master.
However, because this technique was simply too vicious, once used, it would snatch away a person's faculties eight or nine times out of ten, with a great chance of turning them into an idiot; moreover, the target of the technique would be left with not a single secret concealed. Therefore, even within the Enforcement Hall, only eleven people had mastered this spell. Techniques like this were generally only used on sect traitors guilty of heinous crimes. Who could have imagined that they would be fortunate enough to witness it today?
When Mu Ming heard the words "Soul-Seeking Technique," his face turned deathly pale.
How could he not have heard of this infamous technique? Since Wang Linshu had been subjected to the Soul-Seeking Technique, every interaction between him and Wang Linshu would naturally become crystal clear to others. What fate awaited him next was plain enough to imagine!
All of this was that idiot's fault!
Mu Ming glared at Mu Zhengfeng with hatred—by now, he did not even dare harbor the thought of hating Hu Donghan.
(End of Chapter)
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