Xiuxian: Start with the medicine boy

Chapter 1979 Killing the chicken to scare the monkey, a chilling experience!

Above the void...

The Celestial Pivot Half-Venerable took in every subtle change in the expressions of the people below. Under his obscure gaze, every little movement was laid bare.

He didn't immediately point it out, his expression indifferent, and he still spoke slowly and deliberately, his cold voice carrying far and wide.

"At this moment, I give you all a chance to confess and repent."

"A quarter of an hour is all that is allowed; anyone who privately conceals or exchanges military supplies will be punished."

Voluntarily hand over your privately hoarded spiritual materials

He could be exempted from this crime and have his past transgressions forgiven by voluntarily having 5,000 merit points deducted.

As soon as he finished speaking,

The Celestial Pivot Half-Venerable moved slightly, sat cross-legged in mid-air, spiritual light flowing over his knees, slowly closed his eyes, and calmed his aura, quietly awaiting everyone's decision.

The semi-saint level expert sat quietly in the void, yet the invisible pressure remained undiminished, heavily enveloping the entire plaza.

Although none of the hundreds of cultivators below dared to openly whisper to each other, secret exchanges were already quietly spreading beneath their sleeves and within their divine senses.

Subtle fluctuations of divine consciousness quietly flowed through the gaps in the crowd.

"Fellow Daoist, did you secretly hoard any spiritual materials for this formation?"

A white-haired weapon refiner lowered his spiritual sense and quietly asked his companion beside him.

Absolutely not!

I have always adhered to the rules; how could I dare to cross the association's bottom line?

The other party quickly replied with their divine sense, then asked in return,

"And you? Have you made any unusual moves?"

The white-haired weapon refiner's eyes flickered, a hint of struggle in them, and his telepathic communication carried a touch of helplessness:

"You know, my lifelong wish is to replicate the ancient formation left by my master."

The spiritual materials required for that formation are extremely rare and difficult to find in ordinary markets.

Even the association's war reserve warehouses are chronically short of many rare spiritual materials.

"Fellow Daoist, you wouldn't..."

"Not bad." The white-haired weapon refiner readily admitted, his tone carrying a hint of self-consolation.

"In this formation, I replaced the rare [Purple Gold Iron] with the third-tier spiritual material [Purple Pattern Refined Iron]."

Although the purple-veined refined iron is of slightly inferior quality, its array enhancement effect is almost the same.

There is absolutely no risk of collapse within a hundred years, and its appearance is flawless.

Furthermore, I've heard that Senior Tian Shu isn't proficient in formations, so he shouldn't be able to see the subtle differences, and there shouldn't be any unexpected problems.

Upon hearing this, the cultivator beside him tensed up and quickly sent a telepathic message to dissuade him:

"My old friend, take my advice and confess immediately!"

Since the senior has given the opportunity in public, he must have solid evidence and it was not a random test.

The human race is currently facing a critical battle on the front lines, and manpower is in high demand. That's why the elders showed leniency and gave him a chance to make amends.

If they insist on going their own way and wait for the deadline to expire, they will surely be made an example of, and their lives will be in danger!

Do not jeopardize your cultivation path for a single spiritual material!

"..."

On the other side of the crowd, a pair of fellow disciples were also secretly communicating with each other using their spiritual senses.

"Junior brother, did you secretly replace any spiritual materials during this formation setup?"

The senior brother spoke in a serious tone, his expression stern.

"What kind of person do you think I am, senior brother?"

I have always disdained such despicable acts of embezzlement.

The younger junior brother feigned composure, speaking in a frank tone.

The senior brother's gaze turned slightly cold, striking straight to the heart of the matter:

"is it?

Why did I hear that someone was causing a ruckus at your shop after I came out of seclusion last time?

If the celestial city's law enforcement officers hadn't arrived in time, the other party would never have let the matter rest.

In the end, the matter was barely settled only because of the compensation of rare spiritual materials.

Is this story also fake?

The junior brother's face stiffened, his tone tinged with resentment:

That was malicious extortion by someone else!

I merely replaced one of the auxiliary spiritual materials, but instead of weakening the formation's power, it produced some mysterious and wondrous effects.

That person doesn't understand the intricacies of formations; he's just being unreasonable!

"Exquisite?"

The senior brother gave a cold laugh, his tone full of helplessness.

"I think you're after someone else's [Millennial Mysterious Yin Crystal Jade]!"

You altered the ratio of spiritual materials in the array plate without authorization, generating intense Yin energy. When the array was activated, the Yin energy went out of control, and the employer almost perished in the array!

If we weren't in the territory governed by the laws of the Immortal City, they would have already fought you to the death!

The senior apprentice took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and his tone became increasingly serious:

"I won't say anything more, but I'll ask you one last time: did you replace any spiritual materials for this frontline deployment?"

Tell the truth, and do not lie!

Otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding our camaraderie!

The young junior brother's expression changed several times, but in the end, he couldn't withstand his senior brother's authority and whispered:

"...Yes, I changed it."

"Only one type was changed?" The senior brother frowned.

"I remember the array node you were in charge of used three kinds of rare spiritual materials. Did you really only use one?"

The junior brother lowered his head, his tone tinged with guilt:

"I couldn't hide it from my senior brother. I replaced all three rare spiritual materials with ordinary substitutes."

"You...you have such audacity!" The senior brother was both angry and anxious, utterly helpless.

"How dare you act so recklessly under the nose of a half-saint level expert? Do you know how dangerous this is?"

"Senior brother, I was just momentarily tempted by the rare spiritual material, and my greed got the better of me..."

"No need for further explanation," his senior brother interrupted his explanation firmly.

"Immediately step forward and confess your crimes; do not harbor any illusions!"

After a long silence, the junior apprentice finally gritted his teeth and answered:

"……All right."

"..."

Silent exchanges rose and fell among the crowd, and emotions of entanglement, hope, fear, and regret spread among the cultivators.

Time passed slowly, and the oppressive atmosphere made everyone feel suffocated.

Finally, someone stepped out of the line, breaking the silence.

A middle-aged cultivator with a kind face stepped forward, knelt on both knees, presented a dull spiritual material with both hands, and bowed his head respectfully, saying:

"Senior, this is a spiritual material that I have secretly kept. I know I am guilty and am willing to accept punishment!"

Please punish me, senior!

Then,

Another figure stepped forward and knelt, his voice trembling slightly:

"Senior, this is a piece of [Purple Gold Iron] that I kept without permission."

"I know I was wrong, and I humbly beg you, senior, to give me a chance to atone for my mistakes!"

"..."

One after another, figures stepped out of the queue and knelt on the cold stone square.

Everyone held the spiritual materials they had secretly exchanged with both hands, their heads bowed, their posture respectful yet fearful.

In mid-air, the Celestial Pivot Half-Saint kept his eyes closed, his expression unchanging, and never opened them to look at the crowd below.

He seemed completely indifferent to these monks who voluntarily confessed their crimes.

The sea breeze still howled, and time flowed slowly in the oppressive silence.

On the square, the number of people kneeling in worship increased, and the cultivators who had not yet moved became increasingly anxious, with every second of waiting feeling like torture.

Until the fifteen-minute time limit was about to expire...

The half-saint of Tian Shu in mid-air slowly opened his eyelids.

His dark eyes were indifferent and unwavering, his cold gaze sweeping over the group of cultivators kneeling below, their hands supporting spiritual materials. His calm voice rang out once more:

“Those who confess this time will have five thousand battle merits deducted from each of them. Are you all satisfied with that?”

"We are completely convinced! Thank you for your mercy, senior!"

"Thank you for showing mercy, senior!"

"..."

The unified responses rose and fell, the kneeling monks spoke respectfully, their voices filled with the relief of surviving a calamity.

"This is a one-off case; it will not be repeated."

If you violate this rule again, don't blame me for being ruthless and showing no mercy.

Tian Shu Ban Zun's tone was cold, devoid of any warmth.

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his wide sleeves in the air, and a gentle yet irresistible spiritual force swept down.

hum-

A series of deep humming sounds rang out, and the identity tokens hanging from the waists of the kneeling cultivators all broke free from their restraints and soared into the air.

One after another, uniformly styled tokens shimmered with silvery-white spiritual light, lined up in a neat row, and slowly floated in front of the Celestial Pivot Half-Venerable.

The cultivators held their privately treasured spiritual materials firmly in their hands, unaffected by the spiritual energy.

A faint golden light condensed at the fingertip of the Celestial Pivot Half-Venerable, and he gently tapped it in mid-air.

laugh!

A subtle, ethereal light seeped into each identity token, causing the token's surface to shimmer with an ever-changing halo of light.

Meanwhile, the battle merits recorded inside the token fluctuated rapidly and decreased sharply.

Some people originally had seven or eight thousand battle merits, but after the glory faded, the number was reduced to only two or three thousand.

Some people already had meager military achievements, and after deductions, their total was only a few hundred.

The most tragic cases involved cultivators whose battle merits were directly reduced to negative numbers.

One of them had a token flashing red light, and the negative value was over three thousand, indicating that he owed the association a huge amount of battle merits.

After dealing with the matter of deducting battle merits...

The indifferent gaze of the Celestial Pivot Half-Venerable once again fell upon the ranks of cultivators behind him who had not moved.

this moment,

His gaze suddenly sharpened like a knife, and a chilling killing intent emanated from his body. His icy voice, carrying a bone-chilling coldness, resounded throughout the heavens and earth:

"The deadline has arrived."

"Don't blame me for not giving you a chance to repent; it's your own fault for taking chances and not knowing how to cherish what you have!"

"Do you really think you can fool my investigation with some clumsy tricks?"

The cold words fell,

Among the ranks, several cultivators who had remained silent with their heads bowed, believing themselves to be perfectly concealing their identities, suddenly showed a hint of surprise and uncertainty in their eyes.

Next second,

A sudden wave of panic, originating from the depths of their souls, swept over them. A chilling coldness shot up their spines and straight to the top of their heads, making them stiff and their scalps tingle.

call out!

Whoosh!

A sudden, deafening sound rang out as dozens of exquisitely condensed golden blades of light shot out from the void rift high in the sky.

It moved at extreme speed, tearing through the vast sky.

boom!

Boom! !

A series of dull thuds of penetration rang out.

Suddenly, bright red blood blossoms bloomed among the crowd, staining the gray-white stone ground red.

The crowd turned their heads in shock, only to see that more than a dozen cultivators in the ranks had small blood holes between their eyebrows, from which blood was gushing out.

These cultivators didn't even have time to let out a scream.

They had absolutely no power to resist.

His body went straight down stiffly, crashing heavily onto the cold stone slab.

Among those who perished, the one with the highest cultivation level reached the late Golden Core stage, making him a powerful figure in his own right.

The lowest level of cultivation is only a beginner cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Regardless of their cultivation level, all are as vulnerable as ants before the methods of a half-saint level expert.

Witnessing this bloody and brutal scene...

The group of cultivators who had just knelt down to confess their sins turned deathly pale, their bodies trembled slightly, and their backs were already soaked with cold sweat.

An overwhelming sense of relief spread through everyone's hearts, and all sorts of thoughts flashed through their minds.

'Fortunately, I acted cautiously and confessed in time, thus escaping death.'

Fortunately, I listened to my senior's advice.

If I persist in my ways, I will surely be another guest on the road to the underworld.

'The methods of a half-saint are unfathomable; they may appear gentle and probing, but in reality, they are ruthless and decisive.'

Never again should one be greedy...

'...'

The deathly silent square was filled with the stench of blood mingled with the sea breeze, and a sense of oppression and awe enveloped everyone's hearts.

Just as everyone's hearts were trembling...

In mid-air, the Celestial Pivot Half-Venerable slowly straightened his body, his dark robes fluttering in the invisible gale, and his aura grew increasingly heavy.

He lowered his gaze to the group of cultivators still kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority:

"Although you have voluntarily confessed your crimes, you have been spared death!"

but!

Unauthorized replacement of spiritual materials has already created a long-term hidden danger for the formation.

"I hereby order you all to set off immediately and re-refine all the spiritual materials you have secretly hidden into the corresponding array nodes to repair the flaws in the array."

"I'm only giving you half a day. Can you finish?"

The cultivators immediately bowed and kowtowed, their tone firm:

"Don't worry, senior!"

We will definitely do our utmost to complete the repairs within half a day and make amends!

"Go." Half-Venerable Tian Shu waved his hand indifferently.

"As ordered!"

"..."

The group of cultivators who had confessed their sins rose and bowed respectfully before transforming into streaks of light and flying off in all directions of the island to various array nodes to begin repairs and modifications.

……

Time flies, and three hours pass in the blink of an eye.

Streaks of light rose from various parts of the island and gradually converged back into the central plaza, marking the return of all the array masters responsible for the repairs.

Everyone looked slightly tired, but their expressions were exceptionally respectful.

"Greetings, senior!"

"I have refined the hidden spiritual materials and added them to the formation, eliminating all hidden dangers!"

"Senior, I have completed my mission, and the formation is functioning normally!"

"..."

The reports rang out in unison, and only after the last cultivator finished reporting did the Celestial Pivot Half-Venerable in mid-air slowly open his eyes.

His gaze was indifferent, his emotions completely unmoved, and his cold voice slowly descended:

"The human race is currently facing a tense situation on the front lines and is in dire need of manpower."

Otherwise...

"For the single crime of embezzling war preparation materials and delaying the association's strategic fortifications, you are guilty enough to be sentenced to death with no chance of survival."

His gaze swept across the entire room, his voice suddenly becoming more serious, carrying a solemn warning:

"This island was created by the association president himself, using his supreme supernatural powers to move mountains and rocks and condense the seabed foundation."

To revitalize the island's spiritual energy, they forcibly extracted spiritual veins from deep underground and integrated them into the island's structure.

"The association has spared no expense in using a vast amount of rare and precious materials, manpower and resources to build the front-line island chain position. You should all be well aware of the profound meaning behind this."

"You are all carefully selected formation masters and weapon refiners by the association..."

Exceptionally talented and mentally mature.

We must clearly understand what is permissible and what is impermissible.

"From the previous spiritual vein survey and the opening of the earth fire, to the current construction of the immortal city and the arrangement of the formation, and the future defense of the position, you must devote your full efforts to every task and not be perfunctory or negligent in the slightest."

"Once the immortal city on the island is fully completed, regardless of the defensive formations you have set up..."

It's still a standard fortification module forged by a weapon refiner...

The association will send dedicated personnel to conduct unified review and verification.

Anyone found to have flaws, omissions, substandard materials, or shoddy workmanship will not be given another chance to correct their mistakes.

"I hope you all will act wisely and think carefully."

"..." (End of this chapter)