The Prison Hall

"That is for the best, truly for the best."

Guo Tao's frayed nerves finally eased slightly, though he still harbored a lingering dread that Song Wen might change his mind at the last moment. He leaned in, reassuring him.

"Junior Brother, rest assured, I will absolutely deliver the remaining Spirit Stones to you once this matter is settled."

"Of course, of course. How could I ever distrust you, Senior Brother Guo? I must rely on your kind guidance in the days to come. After all, I have only recently entered the sect, my cultivation is low, and I have no background to speak of. My path of cultivation is fraught with hardships, so I truly need the wisdom of an experienced senior like yourself."

"Junior Brother, say no more. From this day forth, you are my own blood brother. Should you encounter any trouble in the future, simply come to me."

"Then Ji Yin offers his deepest thanks to Senior Brother."

"Why do you still call me Senior Brother? If you do not look down on me, just call me 'Big Brother.' The moment I laid eyes on you, I felt as though we were destined to be brothers, meeting far too late in life!"

"Big Brother Guo!"

"Second Brother!"

Like two long-lost siblings reunited, the two men stood together, faces tight with suppressed emotion, almost moved to tears-yet beneath the surface, both harbored dark, scheming designs and deep mutual suspicion.

"Guo Tao, Ji Yin. You have completed your sect assignment, so why did you not report to my courtyard? What business brings you to sneak into the Alchemy Hall instead?"

Elder Shen's icy voice suddenly echoed from the depths of the refinement room.

As a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, Elder Shen was far less restricted by the arrays within the Alchemy Hall than the two disciples. The oppressive, suffocating spiritual pressure of a Foundation Establishment master still rolled off him in waves.

Seeing Elder Shen finally appear, Song Wen did not give Guo Tao a chance to speak. He threw himself to the ground in a deep bow.

"Disciple Ji Yin greets Elder Shen!"

"Reporting to the Elder: the Yan clan has betrayed the sect! They have colluded with the Nine Palaces Sect to steal the Seven-Color Grass. Furthermore, Guo Tao has been working hand in glove with them, covering up their crimes and attempting to deceive both me and the sect!"

"Ji Yin, you..." Guo Tao's face drained of color, his expression one of utter shock and disbelief.

He pointed a trembling hand at Song Wen, his jaw working silently, completely struck dumb.

Was this the very same Ji Yin who had just called him 'Big Brother'? The same one who had nearly sworn a blood oath with him moments ago?

This youth was barely an adult, yet his mind was an abyss of calculation. He had accepted the bribe without blinking, only to sell out his partner the next second.

He had done it cleanly, thoroughly, and without a shred of hesitation.

Guo Tao had always prided himself on his silver tongue and his ability to navigate the treacherous waters of the Corpse Demon Sect, pleasing all sides and surviving for years as a hidden agent. He had never expected to be played like a fiddle by a mere boy today.

Yet, the root of the issue remained: the Yan clan's treasonous secret was in Song Wen's hands. Song Wen held all the cards, free to advance or retreat, whereas Guo Tao had been backed into a corner with no choice but to trust him.

Left with no other option, Guo Tao had gambled everything on the slim hope that Song Wen was purely driven by greed.

He had never anticipated that Song Wen would abandon the remaining eight thousand Spirit Stones so easily. That was a fortune large enough to tempt even a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Ji Yin, is what you say true?!"

Elder Shen's aura shifted instantly, growing sharp and filled with a cold, murderous intent.

The suffocating pressure made it difficult for Song Wen to breathe, feeling as though thousands of invisible blades were hovering inches from his skin, ready to hack him into pieces at any moment.

"Every word this disciple speaks is the absolute truth, Elder. You may investigate it yourself. The Yan clan stole from their own post, secretly harvesting high-year Seven-Color Grass and replacing it with low-year spirit grass to mask their theft and deceive the sect."

"Guo Tao conspired with them, helping to conceal the facts."

"Once I discovered their treason, the Yan clan dispatched cultivators to hunt me down. It was only through immense hardship and pure luck that I managed to escape with my life and return to the sect."

Elder Shen's eyes narrowed. Corrosive corpse Qi erupted around him, causing his robes to flutter and whip violently without any wind.

"Guo Tao, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Even with the restrictions of the Alchemy Hall suppressing his power, the elder's spiritual pressure was not something a Qi Condensation disciple could withstand.

As the murderous aura bore down on him like a collapsing mountain, Guo Tao felt his chest tighten, his breath catching in his throat. His knees buckled, and he collapsed heavily to the floor.

Cowering beneath Elder Shen's terrifying might, Guo Tao trembled violently, his voice cracking with panic.

"Elder Shen! Please do not believe Ji Yin's baseless slander! He has no proof, no evidence at all! He is falsely accusing me and the Yan clan!"

Elder Shen turned a frigid gaze back to the youth. "Ji Yin, are you fabricating these accusations?"

Song Wen replied firmly, "Every word I say is true, and the Elder will know the moment an investigation is launched. However, the Yan clan knows that their treachery has been exposed. I fear they may try to flee under the cover of night. I implore Elder Shen to act swiftly!"

Elder Shen let out a cold, sharp snort.

"Hmph! This Elder does not need a disciple to teach him how to handle sect affairs."

In truth, Elder Shen already believed eighty to ninety percent of Song Wen's account.

Song Wen was merely a low-ranking outer sect disciple. Falsely accusing a prominent inner sect senior and an established Foundation Establishment clan brought him absolutely no benefit.

Furthermore, from the moment he arrived, Song Wen had remained perfectly composed and confident, while Guo Tao was a frantic, trembling mess.

The contrast made it glaringly obvious who was lying.

"Guards! Drag Guo Tao away and throw him into the Prison Hall."

The Prison Hall was located deep underground beneath the base of Corpse Demon Mountain, where the Corpse Demon Sect locked away traitors, enemies, and other serious criminals.

Once a cultivator entered its gates, there was no hope of ever walking out alive; only endless, subhuman torment awaited them. Those who were fortunate might beg for a swift death and a chance at reincarnation after enduring countless tortures. The unfortunate ones would have their souls extracted and refined into malicious spirits, denied the right to ever enter the wheel of reincarnation again.

The moment Elder Shen's command left his lips, several guard cultivators stepped forward. Without a word, they ruthlessly shattered Guo Tao's Dantian, crippling his cultivation before dragging his limp body away.

"No! Elder Shen, mercy! I beg of you, do not send me to the Prison Hall!"

"Ji Yin, you treacherous beast! You broke your word! You will die a thousand miserable deaths!"

Guo Tao's desperate screams faded down the corridor until they were completely swallowed by the silence.

Once the traitor was gone, Elder Shen turned to the remaining guards.

"Escort Ji Yin back to his cave dwelling. Until this entire matter is thoroughly verified, he is forbidden from taking a single step outside."

With those final orders, Elder Shen vanished from the Alchemy Hall, hurrying toward the sect's main hall.

The Yan clan was the first family in recent years that dared to betray the Corpse Demon Sect. Elder Shen knew he had to strike hard and make a bloody example of them to serve as a warning to all the other subordinate clans.

Song Wen was escorted back to his residence under guard. He felt no resentment about being placed under house arrest; in fact, he welcomed it. The Yan clan had not yet been wiped out, which meant he was still a prime target. If there were other Yan clan spies hidden within the sect, these guards would serve as an excellent, free source of protection.

Sitting cross-legged in his cave dwelling, Song Wen began to tally the gains and losses of his recent journey.

His stockpile of talismans was practically depleted, but with the two thousand Spirit Stones extorted from Guo Tao, he could easily replenish his supply.

The corpse puppet he had painstakingly refined had met with terrible misfortune on its first outing and was severely damaged, but with enough Spirit Stones, he could purchase the necessary materials to repair it in no time.

The flying vessel was an unexpected, massive windfall. He needed to refine and claim ownership of it as soon as possible; it would make his future travels significantly faster and more convenient.

Finally, checking the storage bags harvested from Yan Feng and the other five slain cultivators, he found a combined total of over two thousand Spirit Stones. There were also nearly a hundred common talismans, including Swift Movement Talismans, Flight Talismans, and Fireball Talismans-though the majority were cheap, low-value Fireball Talismans.

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