"A sharp tongue," sneered Gong Li, toying with the token in his hand as he looked at Yun Ze. "Speak. Are you going to accompany me to the Immortal Prison, or shall I execute you right here?"
Yun Ze had initially thought the Immortal Mansion would be different from the secular yamen, but it seemed the world was the same everywhere.
The Immortal Prison? He would never go there. If he truly ended up in the Immortal Prison, he might never get out.
Yun Ze looked at Gong Li, a flicker of killing intent in his eyes. At worst, he could try a desperate fight to the death! After all, Gong Li had only appeared an hour ago at most. In such a short time, even if he could set a trap for Gong Xiao, he might not have had time to cover his tracks. As long as he could find evidence that this scoundrel had framed him, killing him would be no issue!
"It seems you've chosen the latter," Gong Li chuckled, re-hanging the token at his waist. He casually drew a chain from his Sumeru Ring. "Then I shall fulfill..."
"Fellow Daoist, wait a moment."
Before Gong Li could finish speaking, a light shout came from outside the door, accompanied by the sound of hooves. Gong Li froze instantly, his hand holding the chain unable to move.
Yun Ze's heart leaped with joy at the sight. This voice... it was Yu Xian!
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound. A donkey slowly ambled into the golden hall, carrying a lazy figure lying on its back. Although most people present didn't recognize him, they all watched him now. With a single word, he could freeze a Core Formation cultivator solid! What kind of cultivation was this!
"Brother Yu," Yun Ze felt a surge of reassurance upon Yu Xian's arrival. After all, he wasn't Yun Ze right now, but Tu Sheng. If he truly killed Gong Li, it would leave some trace. If it were discovered by someone with ulterior motives, it would be a great loss.
"Mm," Brother Donkey arrived beside the two, and Yu Xian pushed himself up, glanced at the immobilized Gong Li, and then turned to Yun Ze. "How did this fellow get out?"
"I don't know," Yun Ze shook his head. "When I came out of the Ye Huan Tower today, I happened to see him with two Golden Core powerhouses. One of them seemed to be from the Gong family."
"Gong family Golden Core?" Yu Xian frowned slightly.
"Hahahaha! Yu Xian, are you scared?" Gong Li saw Yu Xian frown and then laughed wildly. "Let me tell you the truth. Senior Gong Yushan and Senior Shangguan have investigated and confirmed! This was all a conspiracy set by that servant. The mastermind behind it has been investigated and apprehended. That servant deserved to die! I am no longer a criminal and have been reinstated. What's wrong with me witnessing the Dao discussion here!"
Yu Xian reached up and scratched his ear, then casually wiped Gong Li's body.
"You!" Gong Li's eyes widened instantly.
"What 'you'? Has no one told you that you're very noisy?" Yu Xian retorted, then looked at Yun Ze. "So, what's the situation now?"
"This villain attacked and killed someone during the Dao discussion right in front of me!" Gong Li roared again, his voice even louder than before. "I am enforcing the law! Yu Xian, can you bear the responsibility for delaying the enforcement of the law!"
"That's not what happened!" Ji Xiu's voice followed closely. He rushed to Yun Ze's side, looking up at Yu Xian sitting on Brother Donkey's back. "Esteemed Immortal! My master and the others were discussing the Dao normally just now, but after this fellow appeared, the other immortal suddenly exploded and died for some unknown reason."
"Exploded and died?" Yu Xian's eyes narrowed. He glanced at the densest area of flesh and blood, then raised his hand! A suction force emanated from his palm. The flesh and blood that covered almost the entire golden hall began to converge towards his palm. In a few short breaths, it condensed into a mass of flesh and blood about half the size of a person. He examined it closely, then a smile appeared on his lips. "Gong Li, you say Tu Sheng killed this person?"
A hint of panic flashed in Gong Li's eyes, but he still forced himself to utter two words: "Naturally!"
"Then by what method did he kill him?"
"How would I know?" Gong Li tilted his head. "I was busy stopping this villain from committing murder at the time and hadn't even reacted when fellow Daoist Gong Xiao lost his life."
"Is that so?" Yu Xian pushed the mass of flesh and blood in his hand forward. "Then why do I feel the aura of your Gong family's blood seal within this fellow Daoist's flesh and blood?"
As soon as the words fell, a dark red rune seal slowly emerged from the flesh and blood. It was the character 'Gong'! Gong Li's face instantly changed! This was indeed the method he had used to kill Gong Xiao, but the man had been reduced to dust, so it shouldn't have been possible to extract the blood seal!
"What? Do you have anything else to say?" Yu Xian asked, then took out the Supervisory Token again. "If you have nothing to say, I will pass judgment."
"Judgment? You, a junior, are not qualified!" A hoary voice descended, exploding like thunder in the golden hall!
"Clan brother!" Gong Li's eyes lit up, and he quickly looked up and shouted, "Clan brother, save me!"
"Hmph, useless!" The voice sounded again, then continued, "Yu Xian, although you hold the Supervisory Token, you are merely an Inspector, with power equivalent to a Chief Inspector. According to the rules, this matter should be handled by the Chief Inspector of this region. Since this Chief Inspector has arrived, this person shall be dealt with by me. Do you have any objections?"
"Since Chief Inspector Gong has spoken, what can I say?" Yu Xian put away the Supervisory Token, but he didn't forget to remind him, "However, Chief Inspector Gong, this matter of the Gong family's blood seal can be big or small. I hope you... handle it with caution." The blood seal belonged to the Gong family, not Gong Li. On a small scale, it was Gong Li's own mistake. But on a larger scale, there was still another family named Gong in the Chengtian Dynasty!
"Heh," Gong Yushan sneered. "Bold Gong Li, why don't you hurry and come to receive your punishment!"
"Yes, yes!" Gong Li quickly responded. "Your subordinate will roll over immediately! Immediately!" In the time it took to speak, Gong Li had already flown into the sky towards the southeast, his figure quickly disappearing into the horizon. Yun Ze still frowned, gazing at the horizon. A thousand meters apart, he could only hear the voice but not see the person! Was this the method of a Golden Core cultivator? No, to be precise, was this the spiritual sense of a Golden Core cultivator? Judging by what he said, before Yu Xian arrived, this person's spiritual sense was likely covering the golden hall. If he had truly made a move just now, he wouldn't even need Gong Li to act; this Golden Core cultivator's divine sense would have been enough to suppress him!
"Ha~" Yu Xian stretched lazily, then lay back on Brother Donkey's back, crossed his legs, and said to Yun Ze, "Little Tu, I'm going to sleep a bit more. Wake me up when you're done here."
"Alright," Yun Ze replied, walked to the side of the golden hall, picked up the Sumeru Ring left by Gong Xiao, and then looked at the remaining three people. "Three, regarding the outcome of this Dao discussion, do you have any other opinions?"
The three seemed to wake up, exchanged glances, and slowly shook their heads. When the formation shattered earlier, they had already collapsed to the ground. Coupled with the series of shocks just now, their eyes were already glazed over. This was originally a Dao discussion for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Who would have thought it would escalate to this point, even involving a Golden Core existence. Now that the situation was settled, struggling further was meaningless. The three consecutively handed over the second-grade spirit artifacts they had taken out to Yun Ze, and then scurried out of the hall. In the current situation, they naturally couldn't stay any longer. With half a month left until the Ascension Assembly, if they reported to their sect in time, they might even find someone else to participate for them.
"Hahahaha! Excellent, excellent!" Ji Lanshan also rose from his throne. He took the jade cup from the eunuch, as if he couldn't see the shattered golden table before him, and raised his cup again. "Let us congratulate Mr. Tu on winning first place!"
"Congratulations to Mr. Tu!" Cheers erupted in the golden hall.
Yun Ze cupped his hands in thanks to everyone. Then he slowly walked to Ji Shan's side and handed him a second-grade spirit sword he had prepared earlier. "Here, fellow Daoist Ji, this is for you. I have other uses for the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, so I'll trouble you to accept this spirit sword." He seemed to remember that Sister Fu Yue used a sword.
"This... absolutely not!" Ji Shan quickly declined. "Fellow Daoist Tu, this is your spoils of war, how could I possibly..."
"What's there to be embarrassed about?" Yun Ze directly stuffed the spirit sword into his embrace. "If I had lost, wouldn't you have had to give up a second-grade spirit artifact? Since you took the risk, you should naturally reap the rewards. If you don't take it, you're looking down on me, Tu."
"This... alright, then I respectfully accept." Ji Shan accepted the spirit sword and cupped his hands towards Yun Ze. "Thank you, fellow Daoist Tu."
"It's a small matter!" Yun Ze waved his hand and turned to look at Ji Xiu. To be honest, the boy's performance today was truly astonishing. A mere Qi Refining cultivator dared to provoke Golden Core cultivators repeatedly. One for his country, and one for his master. With such a disposition, if his talent wasn't lacking, he would surely achieve great things in the future! Yun Ze did have the thought of taking him as a disciple. But since he had said he would wait until the Ascension Assembly, there was no rush for this matter. However, a small reward was certainly possible.
"Little Xiu, come here."
"Yes, Mr. Tu." Ji Xiu approached Yun Ze, looking at him expectantly, as if waiting for something.
"Don't look at me like that. I said when I would take you as a disciple, and that's when it will be." Ji Xiu's head drooped, and he said in a low voice, "Little Xiu understands."
"However..." Yun Ze handed another second-grade spirit sword to Ji Xiu. "You remained calm in the face of danger and dared to provoke a Golden Core for your country. You deserve a reward! This spirit sword is your reward."
"Hooray!" Ji Xiu took the spirit sword, and he couldn't have been happier. Yun Ze smiled slightly. It was good. He was born into royalty, yet he still retained a pure heart. Excellent, excellent.