Court in Session

Linxian Peak, Hall of Judgment.

"Second Elder, I've brought the person as requested."

Wang Tai bowed respectfully.

"Bring him forward."

Ding Mingcang waved his hand impatiently.

These days, unrest had plagued the Lingxiao Sect.

Disciples from both the inner and outer sects were obsessed with the illusion trials, while a powerful expert who had broken through remained elusive...

All of this left him uneasy and deeply agitated.

He couldn't shake the feeling that the two were somehow connected.

"Step forward!"

At Wang Tai's signal, Lu Ze appeared at the center of the Hall of Judgment.

The main chamber of the hall had a sunken floor, lined with rows of seating.

Standing in the middle now, Lu Ze looked every bit like a criminal under interrogation.

"So, you're the one who created Demon Sect Escape?"

Ding Mingcang eyed Lu Ze with suspicion.

At a glance, he could tell Lu Ze was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage—far weaker than he had expected.

He had assumed the culprit would at least be a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"It was me."

Lu Ze didn’t evade the question and nodded in confirmation.

Ding Mingcang’s expression darkened as he turned to Wang Tai.

His meaning was clear:

Did you just grab some random person to cover your own incompetence?

Wang Tai, ever sharp in such matters, hurriedly explained:

"Elder Ding, Lu Ze is indeed responsible for this... Even if he isn’t the mastermind, he’s certainly involved! The task of creating illusion trials for the outer sect was delegated directly to him—I had no hand in it!"

To prove his point, he summoned a memory sphere, projecting Lu Ze’s confession for Ding Mingcang to see.

After reviewing the recording, Ding Mingcang made up his mind. He slammed the table and pointed at Lu Ze.

"Lu Ze, do you admit your guilt?"

Ding Mingcang’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an overwhelming pressure, one that could force submission.

This was his interrogation tactic.

Even Wang Tai, standing beside Lu Ze, immediately dropped to his knees, trembling with his head bowed.

Thanks to his innate immortal physique, Lu Ze withstood the pressure better, though he still frowned.

"I don’t understand. What crime have I committed?"

"Audacious!"

Ding Mingcang’s anger flared.

In all his years at the Lingxiao Sect, he had never encountered such defiance.

"Creating such a mind-corrupting diversion, throwing the entire sect into chaos—what is your purpose?"

"Elder Ding, the illusion trials were made strictly according to Senior Brother Wang’s instructions. I had no ulterior motives."

Lu Ze answered without a trace of guilt.

"No, no, no!"

Wang Tai’s face turned ashen.

"E-Elder Ding! This has nothing to do with me, nothing at all!"

"Fine, very well!"

Ding Mingcang laughed in frustration, clapping his hands before slamming them onto the table.

A surge of spiritual energy poured through the table, flooding the entire Hall of Judgment.

"Raise the Hall!"

Ding Mingcang bellowed.

His voice echoed across Linxian Peak.

BOOM—!!

The ground trembled.

The entire Hall of Judgment rose dozens of meters into the air, hovering mid-sky.

The walls turned transparent, revealing the scenery outside with perfect clarity.

Lu Ze frowned.

"Raise the Hall" was exactly what it sounded like—the entire judgment chamber ascended.

Now, every word spoken inside would be heard by those outside, ensuring public awareness of the verdict.

This measure was reserved for major incidents or the most heinous offenders.

He hadn’t expected the Second Elder to go this far over something like this.

Lu Ze looked up.

Ding Mingcang glared at him, the pressure in his voice intensifying:

"I ask you again."

"Creating Demon Sect Escape, poisoning the minds of our disciples, corrupting the cultivation ethos..."

"Do you admit your guilt?"

......

Outside the Hall of Judgment.

A crowd of outer and inner sect disciples, who had come to support their idol, froze as the hall suddenly rose into the air.

Hearing Ding Mingcang’s accusations, they exchanged bewildered glances.

The crowd erupted into chaos.

"What’s happening? Did the elder just arrest our senior?"

"And now he’s being put on trial???"

"If he’s punished, does that mean we won’t get to play Demon Sect Escape anymore?"

"This can’t happen!"

......

The elevated Hall of Judgment had a peculiar design.

From the inside, the outside was clearly visible.

But from the outside, the interior remained obscured.

Unable to see what was happening, the disciples grew frantic.

Then, a youthful voice rang out from within:

"The illusion trials I created were meant to help our outer sect brothers cultivate the Cloud-Shattering Art."

"Within the trials, the Cloud-Shattering Art is the only technique available."

"As for the level designs, they serve two purposes—to help users master the art and to encourage them to spend more time practicing."

"I fail to see what crime I’ve committed."

The moment these words were spoken, the outer and inner sect disciples grew even more astonished.

"No way... The creator of Demon Sect Escape is actually one of us?"

"His voice sounds so young."

"Feels familiar, somehow..."

"Since when did our sect have such a prodigy?"

"Last night, an expert broke through at the back of Lihuo Peak—could it be the same person?"

......

Inside the Hall of Judgment.

Ding Mingcang sneered at Lu Ze’s confident rebuttal.

"For the sake of the outer sect disciples’ cultivation?"

"Hah! What a noble excuse!"

"Tell me, aside from addicting disciples to mindless entertainment, what other benefits does Demon Sect Escape provide?"

Before Lu Ze could answer, a chorus of voices rose from below the hall.

"Disciple Zhang Ming of the outer sect—thanks to Demon Sect Escape, my Cloud-Shattering Art has reached perfection!"

"Disciple Wang Haozhi of the outer sect—my Cloud-Shattering Art has reached mastery!"

"Disciple Li Tianyi of the outer sect—though my talent is lacking, Demon Sect Escape helped me achieve mastery in the Cloud-Shattering Art!"

......

The outer sect disciples’ impassioned shouts pierced through the barriers, reverberating inside the hall.

Lu Ze smiled faintly.

His announcement had clearly reached them.

Ding Mingcang frowned and turned to an attendant.

"Why is there so much noise outside?"

The attendant replied, "A crowd of outer and inner sect disciples has gathered below."

"How did they find out?"

Though puzzled, Ding Mingcang remained unmoved.

His interrogation of Lu Ze wasn’t just about disrupting discipline.

More importantly, the sheer volume of illusion crystals being circulated represented a massive sum of spirit stones—none of which had passed through his hands!

This meant a significant portion of profits had been siphoned away from him.

After all, aside from official sect transactions, all other dealings were supposed to line his pockets.

He refused to believe Lu Ze was the true mastermind behind the illusions.

Thus, he had to force a confession—to uncover the real culprit pulling the strings.

What did it matter if outer sect disciples vouched for him?

They were the lowest in the sect hierarchy!

"Any other illusion trial could achieve the same effect. This proves nothing exceptional about your work."

Ignoring the pleas from below, Ding Mingcang pressed on.

"Yet it is precisely because of the 'Demon Sect Escape' you created for the outer disciples that the inner disciples have become addicted to it, neglecting their cultivation... How do you explain this?"

Lu Ze was speechless.

At this moment, he finally understood the saying, "If you want to condemn someone, don't worry about the lack of a charge."

This kind of thing...

Why don't you ask the inner disciples themselves?!

At that very moment, the inner disciples outside exchanged glances, each hesitating to speak.

Compared to the outer disciples, they had interacted with Ding Mingcang more frequently.

They knew all too well how terrifying he could be.

Once he set his sights on someone, life would become difficult.

No one dared to be the first to speak up.

Just then, Xiao Hongzhi gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

"This disciple, Xiao Hongzhi of Thunder Peak, admits that the addiction stems from our own lack of discipline and has nothing to do with the illusion itself..."

"Moreover, 'Demon Sect Escape' is not only beneficial to the Cloud-Shattering Technique but also aids other movement techniques. After experiencing 'Demon Sect Escape,' this disciple has made significant breakthroughs in movement techniques. I beg the elder to reconsider!"

"Our obsession with the illusion is due to our weak Dao hearts. This disciple is willing to reflect in seclusion to strengthen my resolve. I implore the elder to spare Senior Brother Lu!"

The other inner disciples glanced at one another.

After a brief silence, they clasped their fists and stepped forward one after another.

"This disciple of Danxin Peak..."

"This disciple of Beast Taming Peak..."

...

Their words were not baseless.

Though the reason was unclear, many of them had indeed made notable progress in movement techniques.

At first, they had merely used 'Demon Sect Escape' as an excuse for their gaming addiction.

But as more and more disciples echoed the same sentiment, they began to believe it themselves.

Recently, even some unconventional opinions had emerged, suggesting that the excessive competition of the past might be meaningless.

Their daily cultivation was already sufficient, so cutting back a little wouldn’t hurt...

...

Hearing the inner disciples defend him, Lu Ze couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

He had created 'Demon Sect Escape' purely for fun.

Using the mature gaming systems from his past life, he had designed it to earn demonic points.

Aside from the Cloud-Shattering Technique, it had nothing to do with cultivation.

Lu Ze assumed the inner disciples were just making excuses to keep playing.

He raised his eyes to look at Ding Mingcang.

The latter’s expression had darkened considerably.

The weight of the inner disciples' words far exceeded that of the outer disciples.

But if he didn’t make an example of the creator of this illusion, it would greatly harm his future business.

After a moment of hesitation, Ding Mingcang pressed on stubbornly: "Movement techniques, movement techniques... So what if they’ve improved? Is the path of immortal cultivation solely about movement techniques?"

His words silenced the crowd outside.

Ding Mingcang smirked in satisfaction and continued staring at Lu Ze.

"Or perhaps..."

"Can you create illusions like this for every aspect of cultivation?"

He thought it was a checkmate.

But to his surprise,

Lu Ze nodded calmly.

"Of course I can."