Chapter 638 Curse

As the words fell, the doors of Tribunal Number One were pushed open. Accompanied by the clatter of chains, Yuanshi Tianzun was escorted into the hall by two guards.

His legs were shackled, a black wooden ring encircled his neck, a yellow paper talisman was pasted on his chest, and his hands were bound by roots.

Everyone in the hall looked at this young man entering the "execution ground"—once a proud figure, the most promising genius of the official faction.

Like most criminals, he was expressionless, his demeanor numb and empty, no longer possessing his former brilliance.

The cameraman turned the lens, focusing on Yuanshi Tianzun, capturing his expression and gait, and synchronizing it to the forum.

After escorting Yuanshi Tianzun to the defendant's seat, one of the guards loudly announced:

"Reporting, the defendant Yuanshi Tianzun has been brought in, spirit body sealed, spiritual power sealed, physical body sealed. Tribunal Number One sealed!"

From the beginning of its construction, Tribunal Number One had considered the various means by which criminals might attempt to escape, such as teleportation, stealth techniques, entering instances, and so on.

Therefore, powerful sealing arrays were arranged within the walls, ceilings, and floors, capable of even isolating the Lingjing Xingzhe from the call of the Lingjing (Spirit Realm).

After the report was completed, the two guards retreated a few steps, standing like javelins on either side of the defendant's seat.

Elder Cai's expression was calm, and his voice was loud and clear:

"The court is now in session. First, let the prosecutor explain the situation."

Secretary Zhou, on the prosecutor's bench, rose smoothly and said in a clear voice:

"Presiding Judge, on behalf of the Investigation Department, I will explain the circumstances of this case. On October 1st, Elders Nu Tao Wu Qing, Jiu Qu Zhi He, and Biologist were ordered to go to Jinshan City to exterminate a group of evil professionals. During the process, they were attacked by Yuanshi Tianzun, and Elder Nu Tao Wu Qing died in the line of duty."

While speaking, the cameraman gave Zhang Yuanqing another close-up, deliberately showing it to the official Xingzhe watching the live broadcast.

The comments in the live broadcast post surged, and Yuanshi Tianzun was verbally criticized.

Elder Cai nodded slightly and looked at Yuanshi Tianzun again, saying calmly, "The defendant!"

Elder Huang Sha Bai Zhan from Songhai stood up and said forcefully, "Presiding Judge, I represent the Patrol Department to defend the defendant Yuanshi Tianzun."

Yuanshi Tianzun was a member of the Songhai Patrol Department and also belonged to the White Tiger Legion, so he naturally had a "defense lawyer."

Originally, this task was most suitable for Fu Qingyang, but since he was in the Lingjing, Elder "Huang Sha Bai Zhan" had to act on his behalf. This elder was both a high-level member of Songhai and a member of the White Tiger Legion.

After completing the procedure, Elder Cai said, "Please provide evidence, Prosecutor."

Secretary Zhou was prepared and said while opening his briefcase:

"We have ample evidence to indict Yuanshi Tianzun. These are the photos and audio recordings taken by the drone at the time."

He took out several photocopies of photos and a USB drive, handing them to the guard.

At Elder Cai's instruction, the guard turned on the projector and played the audio in the USB drive, while the photos were circulated among the Ten Elders and the elders.

Secretary Zhou continued:

"In addition, Jiu Qu Zhi He, Biologist, Luo Shen, and Old Man and Dog were present at the time and witnessed Yuanshi Tianzun committing the crime... Furthermore, Xie Su, the head of the Xie family, was an accomplice of Yuanshi Tianzun. On the day of the incident, he stopped Elders Jiu Qu Zhi He and Biologist from providing rescue, causing Elder Nu Tao Wu Qing to die at the hands of Yuanshi Tianzun."

"The witnesses' confessions and Xie Su's confession are all here. Please examine them, Presiding Judge." He handed a stack of confessions to the guard.

After the Ten Elders finished reading, the photographer holding the audio recording equipment immediately gave the photos and confessions a long close-up.

Secretary Zhou said loudly:

"Since the birth of the Lingjing, the orderly Xingzhe of the five major gangs have been at the forefront of fighting against evil professions in order to maintain social harmony and for the safety of the country and the people.

"After the establishment of the Five Elements Alliance, we have become more organized and disciplined, and our confrontation with evil professions has become more frequent. For more than twenty years, our comrades, relatives, and superiors have constantly fallen on the front lines."

Secretary Zhou's voice grew increasingly louder:

"It is because of their sacrifices that we have today's stability. Yuanshi Tianzun's collusion with evil professions and the murder of an elder is a matter of principle. According to the Five Elements Alliance law, he should be sentenced to death! Please give Elder 'Nu Tao Wu Qing' justice, Headquarters, Presiding Judge.

"Give the deceased predecessors and the entire orderly camp an explanation."

These words were impassioned and inspiring.

Whispers came from the audience, and many people showed expressions of heartache and anger.

The comments in the live broadcast room surged again, and comments such as "death penalty," "unforgivable," and "inexcusable" that demanded severe punishment for Yuanshi Tianzun flooded the live broadcast room.

Elder Cai collected the evidence and struck the gavel: "Silence!"

He then looked at Huang Sha Bai Zhan and said:

"Now, let the defendant rebut."

Huang Sha Bai Zhan was prepared and said loudly:

"First of all, I question the actions of the three elders, including Nu Tao Wu Qing. Jinshan City is not within their jurisdiction. Cross-provincial arrests of evil professions are the job of the Patrol Department. Why did they appear in Jinshan City?

"Secondly, to my knowledge, the evil profession that Nu Tao Wu Qing was besieging was the staff of the Wuhen (Traceless) Hotel in Jinshan City. Everyone may not know what the Wuhen Hotel is. Let me briefly explain. The leader of the Wuhen Hotel, whose Lingjing ID is 'Wang Shi Wu Hen' (Traces of the Past), is a law-abiding Nihilist who is trying to redeem himself.

"In the mission to capture Demon Eye, Yuanshi Tianzun was ordered to infiltrate the hotel and get to know that group of special evil professions. In the previous trial against Yuanshi Tianzun, a psychic was mentioned. Her deeds of opposing the evil camp and assisting the orderly camp should be known to everyone. That psychic is a member of the Wuhen Hotel.

"Finally, according to my post-event investigation, there were a total of four hotel members hiding in the 'Chonghua Community' where the incident occurred, all of whom were at the Saint stage. May I ask, does a group of this size require the dispatch of three elders?"

After a pause, Elder Huang Sha Bai Zhan said loudly:

"In summary, I have reason to suspect that the true purpose of this operation was to lure out Yuanshi Tianzun. This was a hunt targeting Yuanshi Tianzun.

"Presiding Judge, I have finished speaking."

Obviously, Elder Huang Sha Bai Zhan had done his homework. As a Dominator-level scout, he had even discerned the truth behind the incident.

However, Huang Sha Bai Zhan did not believe that Yuanshi Tianzun could escape punishment. Killing an elder was a fact, and orderly hunting of evil was a matter of course, so no one could find fault with it. Pointing this out was just to try to get a life sentence.

As long as he didn't die, there was always hope.

In the live broadcast room, the speed of the grassroots Xingzhe's speech suddenly slowed down, and some people began to think.

Whispers also rang out in the audience.

Secretary Zhou immediately said, "Elder Huang Sha Bai Zhan means that as long as evil professions are used as bait, Yuanshi Tianzun can be lured out. Then am I to understand that Yuanshi Tianzun's collusion with evil professions is conclusive evidence?"

"I object!" Huang Sha Bai Zhan said loudly, "My meaning is..."

The key point he wanted to highlight was that the female psychic had saved Yuanshi Tianzun, and Yuanshi Tianzun's rescue was based on gratitude.

"Objection overruled!" Elder Cai interrupted coldly, not letting him speak, "Prosecutor, continue."

Secretary Zhou sneered inwardly, but appeared outwardly righteous and said:

"Please Elder Huang Sha Bai Zhan stop using the capture of Demon Eye to muddle the waters. How long has Demon Eye Heavenly King been captured? Yuanshi Tianzun's mission to contact evil professions has long been completed. However, not only has he not drawn a clear line with evil professions, but he has also been ambiguous with the female psychic. The female psychic's selfless rescue in the Five Elements Chaos instance is evidence, and his furious killing of Elder Nu Tao Wu Qing to save the evil profession is also evidence. Presiding Judge, I believe that Yuanshi Tianzun's collusion with evil professions is clear, the evidence is sufficient, and there is no need for further debate."

These words were reasonable and well-founded, and the facts were as such, instantly pulling back the "approval rating."

The discussions in the live broadcast room became active again.

Secretary Zhou continued:

"Let me explain the so-called 'fishing law enforcement' operation by Elder Huang Sha Bai Zhan. We are not targeting the group of people in Jinshan City. The target of our operation is to kill the entire criminal gang of Wuhen Hotel, because Wang Shi Wu Hen obtained an item to impact Demi-God and is in the critical moment of seclusion."

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

Not to mention the live broadcast room, even the scene was slightly boiling.

Many people did not know the details of this case at all, and when they heard this, they felt their scalps tingle.

The birth of a Demi-God is a major event worldwide. As the known limit of the Lingjing Xingzhe, Demi-Gods are beings who can influence the world格局 (geju - structure; pattern).

What is the concept of adding a Demi-God to the evil camp?

For the orderly camp, it is no less than a disaster.

The colleagues responsible for the cleanup operation are undoubtedly heroes, and Yuanshi Tianzun deserves to die even more.

Secretary Zhou spoke eloquently:

"In order to prevent the emergence of a Demi-God in the evil profession, after receiving intelligence, Elder Cai immediately reported it to the Alliance Leader and implemented the operation to capture the Wuhen Hotel gang overnight. Now, the two Alliance Leaders have personally taken action to quell the disaster, but there is still no result, and there is no news."

Saying that, he took out another USB drive and handed it to the guard. After the guard inserted it into the computer, the projector projected the information in the USB drive onto the screen.

The cameraman immediately switched the lens to the screen.

The Saints in the audience and the elders of the jury all turned their eyes.

On the screen was Lin Zichong's personal information.

Secretary Zhou held the remote control and said loudly:

"After clearing out this group of evil professions, we used DNA sampling and facial recognition to find out their true identities. The kind people in Elder Huang Sha Bai Zhan's mouth are full of blood debts."

"This person's name is Lin Zichong, Lingjing ID is Chief Instructor Lin Chong, Level 6 Mist Master, from the countryside. He colluded with his father to obstruct development, and when he failed to extort compensation, he killed the number 12 construction worker and has been fleeing ever since."

"Yang Xuehai, Lingjing ID is Teacher, former middle school teacher, imprisoned for repeated sexual assaults on female students. After being released from prison, he retaliated against the female students he had defiled, cruelly killing them, worse than a beast."

"Niu Tianfang, Lingjing ID Fangfang, murdered her husband while he was sleeping due to a dispute with her husband, and has been fleeing ever since."

"Xiao Zhishan, Lingjing ID Sweetheart Red Devil, engaged in flesh trade in high school. In order to obtain higher profits, she extorted four male classmates, falsely accusing them of rape. After losing the lawsuit, she cruelly killed the four men and has been on the run ever since."

"Zhao Xintong, Lingjing ID Zhao Xintong, played with fire at home when she was young, and locked the door, burning her biological mother and stepfather to death. At a young age, she had a vicious heart. Recently, she pushed a classmate down the stairs, causing serious injuries."

"Zhu Mingzhong, Lingjing ID A Good Minister Chooses His Master to Kill, a gangster in his student days, a bad student in the eyes of teachers and classmates, mixed with idlers in society who did not do their jobs properly for many years, and had been to juvenile detention centers for repeated extortion, blackmail, and theft."

"Kou Beiyue, raped and murdered his sister, fled, and after hooking up with Yuanshi Tianzun, Yuanshi Tianzun used his position to forcibly erase his criminal record and whitewash him as a good person."

Secretary Zhou held the remote control and clicked through them one by one. Behind each person's information was the local court's verdict.

At this time, the live broadcast room had already boiled over.

"Can these guys redeem themselves? Even dogs can become Buddhas."

"These cases, one by one, make me gnash my teeth. Fortunately, they are dead. Good riddance."

"Everyone is evil, and they deserve to die."

"Yuanshi Tianzun actually whitewashed that Kou Beiyue? This, this, this... he has fallen, alas!"

"I was really blind at the beginning to admire this kind of scum, die."

"Severely punish Yuanshi Tianzun, he has touched the bottom line of the official, resolutely sentence him to death."

On the bench, Elder Cai turned his head to look at Huang Sha Bai Zhan and said calmly, "Please the defendant rebut."

Elder Huang Sha Bai Zhan looked at the audience and saw angry faces, discerning repressed anger and heartbreaking pain.

These elite Saints thought so, let alone the grassroots Xingzhe watching the live broadcast.

He knew that the situation was over, sighed softly, and said, "The defendant gives up."

Elder Cai nodded and picked up the gavel.

"I have something to say!"

A calm voice echoed in the hall.

The Saints and elders present, and the Ten Elders sitting in the chief seats, looked at the young man who had not spoken from beginning to end.

The cameraman quickly turned the lens and gave Yuanshi Tianzun a close-up.

Surprisingly, Elder Cai did not interrupt, but nodded in permission: "Speak!"

Secretary Zhou hooked the corners of his mouth.

Yuanshi Tianzun, you better continue to be rebellious and let the entire official faction see your rebellious bone.

He had just enumerated the crimes of those stinking rats in order to stimulate Yuanshi Tianzun.

"Regarding those heinous evil professions, I have another version here, would you like to hear it?" Zhang Yuanqing said softly:

"Yang Xuehai, a middle school teacher, was framed by a female student for sexual assault and was wrongly imprisoned for ten years. After regaining his freedom, he wrote letters every year, wanting to restore his innocence, but was rejected time and time again."

"Lin Zichong, his father was beaten to death by gangsters, he was beaten and broke his leg and was bedridden, and then his mother was forced to death. There was no way to appeal, so he had to pay the blood debt."

"Xiao Zhishan was violated by four boys in high school. Those criminals relied on their family backgrounds and covered the sky with one hand. She had no power to resist and had to endure being played with for a year. When she could no longer bear it, she killed those four animals."

"Kou Beiyue's sister died in the Bronze Sparrow Tower controlled by Chi Yue An. Not only did he watch his sister being killed, but he was also burdened with the crime of killing his sister, wandering around like a dog, unable to return home."

"Niu Tianfang was subjected to domestic violence by her husband for many years, and no one cared. She had no way out and killed her husband."

"Zhu Mingzhong, encountered violence in his student days, no one stood up for him, no one maintained order, he was traumatized and went astray."

"A wanderer in the world, his mother was abducted to a remote area for more than ten years and imprisoned for more than ten years. He was abused by his father and hated by his mother since childhood. He was adopted by the captain of the Nanming City Public Security Bureau. After his adoptive father died, he still stood guard on the border and fought against criminal groups and the Lingneng Society. An evil profession diligently did the work of an orderly profession."

"A poison tracker, he has made many contributions to the official faction and could have been transferred away from the border long ago. He didn't leave, blocking floods for a lifetime. No matter how powerful the enemy was, it didn't make him lose his fighting spirit, but he was forced to despair by the people he was protecting."

Zhang Yuanqing slowly stood up, getting up very slowly, his shoulders seemed to be carrying something.

He looked at the Ten Elders, and then looked around the audience, issuing a hoarse shout for those insignificant "sinners":

"Who caused all of this, why did they become evil professions, why did they encounter these things, who cared about them, never...

"Who forced them to a dead end, it's you who claim to be orderly! From beginning to end, all they wanted was justice, but even such a trivial wish was not fulfilled until death, because you are high above, you can't see their grievances and shame, they are just stinking rats in the gutter, their lives are not as good as grass.

"You are all partners of justice, you are so aloof."

The scene was silent.

Suddenly, a cry came from the audience, from someone unknown.

Guan Ya, Xie Lingxi, and Sun Miaomiao all covered their faces, their shoulders shaking.

Miao Teng'er buried her face in Ling Jun's arms, and Yin Ji looked at him blankly.

Ling Jun, Xiahou Aotian, Zhao Chenghuang, Xia Shu Zhi Lian (Summer Tree Love)... and some of the "classmates" who followed Zhang Yuanqing to advance to Saints in the killing instance, these people who have always trusted him, suddenly understood the reason why he killed the elder in anger.

They were struck by lightning and felt pain like a knife.

But more passers-by were more willing to believe the evidence and believe the court's verdict.

After a brief silence, the speech in the live broadcast room exploded:

"It's starting again, it was like this at the last trial, is he a bewitching demon, so good at bewitching people's hearts."

"A good speech, but I believe in evidence more than his empty words."

"Everyone, don't be fooled by him, killing an elder is an ironclad fact, and colluding with evil professions is also, will evil professions redeem themselves? What nonsense, are you trying to fool a three-year-old child."

"Quickly sentence him to death, it's annoying to look at him."

Elder Cai picked up the gavel and tapped the table lightly, announcing:

"Yuanshi Tianzun colluded with evil professions and harmed an elder, the basic facts are clear, and the basic evidence is sufficient. According to Article 1 and Article 2 of the Five Elements Alliance Law, this court decides to sentence him to death, confiscate all props and property, and execute him immediately!"

None of the nine elders behind him objected.

A round of applause rang out in the audience.

The live broadcast room was flooded with "applause" emoticons.

Zhang Yuanqing slowly swept across the hall. At this moment, the curse of Demon Eye Heavenly King echoed in his ears:

"Yuanshi Tianzun, I curse you, one day, when you see the darkness of human nature, when your grievances cannot be redressed, when justice is forced by power, when the weak become lambs, I curse you to become like me."

Zhang Yuanqing laughed loudly, laughing forward and backward, laughing with tears streaming down his face.

In the midst of the wild laughter, his hands, which were entangled in roots, opened the item bar and grabbed a stamp with exquisite patterns painted with deep blue ink.

As soon as the stamp left the item bar, a dialog box popped up:

[Exchange item: Lunar Source Fragment.]

[Exchange?]

"Exchange!"

The wildfire in his heart erupted.

.......

ps: I will update the wrong words first and then revise them later.