The Holy Spirit Cult, Council Hall.
Zhongli Wu, Cult Master of the Holy Spirit Cult, sat high in the seat of honor in the Council Hall, with Vice Cult Master Feng Ling beside him. Behind him, twelve thrones loomed faintly, several of them occupied. Zhang Peng and a few Black-Robed Consecrated were conspicuously among them.
The Twelve Consecration Elders.
Apart from those in seclusion or away, seven of the Twelve Consecration Elders were present.
Along both sides of the hall stood the seats of the elders.
As always, the Great Elder was like a divine dragon whose head could be glimpsed but whose tail remained unseen. Of the eight elders, Jiang Hai, the Fourth Elder, and the Seventh Elder, Demon Maggot, were in the center of the hall. Demon Maggot lay on a stretcher, his wounds hastily bandaged.
The other four elders were seated, and Tang Ya occupied the Fifth Elder's seat.
"That is what happened. I ask the Cult Master to make a judgment!" The Fourth Elder recounted everything he knew in full, then stepped aside.
Seated high in the Cult Master's chair, Zhongli Wu said nothing, his gaze calmly scrutinizing the two men in the center of the hall.
Under Zhongli Wu's gaze, Demon Maggot lowered his head fearfully, while Jiang Hai's expression remained unchanged.
"Do either of you have anything to add?" Zhongli Wu asked evenly.
A trace of venom flashed in Demon Maggot's eyes. Kneeling on the floor, tears streaming down his aged face, he said, "Cult Master, please see the truth! I, Demon Maggot, have been unwaveringly loyal to the Holy Cult. Yet this vicious, ruthless scoundrel Jiang Hai suddenly appeared after vanishing for four months. I merely intended to bring him before you so he could prove his innocence. Who could have imagined he