Gasps of shock drowned out the martial field as the crowd listened to Shen Fei bellow out all the names listed on the paper. After reciting each name, Shen Fei would kowtow and smash his head against the arena floor, afraid that the judgment lightning would strike him to death if he failed to do it correctly. Thanks to his Silver-rank physique, Shen Fei's skin was far tougher than that of an ordinary person, allowing him to withstand the repeated blows to his head.
Not far from him, Shen Hong watched from the corner of his eye as his son obediently followed everything that Xue Hui told him to do.
Unlike before, Shen Hong was devoid of any emotions and instead sat silently to the side with a stoic expression on his face. It was unknown what Shen Hong was thinking at the moment.
Name after name, the people listened intently as Shen Fei revealed all those women who had fallen victim to his lecherous hands. Some were daughters of commoners, others came from the aristocracy. Their ages varied from young to slightly older. All had once been remembered for their beauty.
The noises in the martial field were dampened by the sheer shock and disbelief of everything they were hearing.
As more names came out on the list, the grimmer the atmosphere in the martial field became.
Out of nowhere, a married couple shot to their feet. They had looks of heartbreak on their faces. Her chest heaving, the woman began to wail. The sound of her cries was enough to make everyone around her feel the pain she was currently in. Beside her stood her husband. Instead of crying like his wife, he remained still, staring into the distance with a pained look in his eyes.
"Shen Fei, that's my daughter! You animal, what did my daughter ever do to you!? We've been looking for her, we looked everywhere, but we couldn't find her. She just disappeared. You took my daughter away from us! Shen Fei, my daughter!"
The mother's cries could be heard throughout the martial field. Hearing her painful wails, everyone finally realized just how far Shen Fei would go to satisfy his desires. Not only had he forced women to sleep with him, but he had also gone as far as kidnapping them.
As Shen Fei continued, many more people rose from their seats once they heard the names of their missing loved ones.
Furious roars filled the audience stands as they vented their frustration upon learning the real reason behind their disappearances.
Many of those girls had reportedly been abducted and killed by the Dark Guild. Some had even been found with the Dark Guild's insignia carved into their remains. So it came as a great shock when their names appeared on the list. Many began pondering the connection between Shen Fei and the Dark Guild.
Heartbroken, one of the mothers of the missing girls called out to Xue Hui and asked if he was telling the truth that Shen Fei was behind her daughter's disappearance. This prompted everyone to quiet down, as they themselves wanted confirmation regarding Shen Fei's crimes.
"Yes." Xue Hui looked up and pointed to the cluster of dark clouds floating above him. "The conditions of the Blood Oath Duel of Dao Judgment clearly state that Shen Fei must kowtow for his crimes while reciting the names of all his victims. If he reads even one name on that list that has nothing to do with him, it would break the conditions. If that were to happen, I, the one who made the list, would be punished for violating the conditions and struck by judgment lightning."
What Shen Fei didn't know was that during the year-end examination, Xue Hui had used Shen Fei's blood to peek into his memories through the powers of the Origin of Past and the Origin of Life, allowing him to compile the list.
Xue Hui's words were more than enough to send the crowd into an even greater uproar. Enraged, pained, and grief-stricken, they hurled curses and hateful words at the frightened Shen Fei. Hearing the enraged mob, the members of the Sacred Family could only tremble in fear, especially those standing in the arena with Shen Fei, as they remained frozen in place, unable to channel even a tiny strand of soul force.
Chen Zhenlong and Ye Zong exchanged looks. They now understood why Xue Hui had started all of this and why he had challenged Shen Fei to a Blood Oath Duel of Dao Judgment. In one move, Xue Hui had made the people aware of the possible connection between the Sacred Family and the Dark Guild.
No matter what happened today, this incident would forever tarnish the Sacred Family's reputation. Not only that, but there was no way Shen Fei would be able to walk free after this, not after confessing all his crimes in front of everyone.
In one section of the audience stood Nie Li. He wore a serious expression as he watched the events unfold before him.
Just like everybody else, Nie Li had never expected things to head in such a direction.
Originally, Nie Li had come to the tournament with his own plan to make the Sacred Family suffer a defeat. That, and to watch Xue Hui in action, hoping to catch a glimpse of his fighting prowess.
"What a cunning guy. Just like that, he put the Sacred Family in a difficult position. Even with Shen Hong's status, he wouldn't be able to save his son from this mess."
Truth be told, the outcome of this event would definitely shake the foundations of Glory City in the coming days. The Sacred Family had always been one of the three major families. Only when these three powerhouses maintained a harmonious relationship could peace be preserved in Glory City.
Nie Li turned and looked toward the Divine Family and Snow Wind Family seating areas. Seeing the cold expressions on the two patriarchs' faces, Nie Li had a feeling that the two were planning something.
His eyes gleamed with realization. Nie Li turned his gaze back to the arena, more specifically toward Xue Hui. Hair dancing in the wind, Xue Hui stood in the middle of the arena like a lone hero. His eyes were cold, and a faint murderous intent could be seen within them.
'I see. You're finally making a move against the Sacred Family, meaning you're confident enough to fight them.'
Thinking about it, a complicated feeling crept into Nie Li's heart. In terms of strength, Nie Li was still far from powerful. His current cultivation had yet to reach a level where he could contend against experts above Gold rank. Thus, he would prefer that a large-scale conflict not break out anytime soon.
What Nie Li was unaware of was that Xue Hui's latest trip had earned him more confidence to make a move against the Sacred Family. Not only had Xue Hui's strength achieved a breakthrough, but he had also obtained several powerful trump cards he could use.
Both the Garden and the Myriad Soul Puppet Army were more than enough to ensure everyone's safety.
The real reason Xue Hui had made his move against the Sacred Family was to drive them into a corner and force them to retaliate. If that happened, Shen Hong and the Sacred Family would be forced to seek help from the Dark Guild.
Once they did, it would become much easier to lure them into a trap and expose their collusion.
The Sacred Family was the cancer of Glory City. Only when they were gone would Glory City truly be united.
Time passed. Despite the uproar of the enraged mob and the waves of killing intent crashing down upon him, Shen Fei managed to finish reading every name on the list and kowtow for each of them, fulfilling the conditions.
Shen Fei looked up, and relief washed over his bloodied, terrified face as he noticed the cluster of dark clouds gradually dissipating.
While Shen Fei was busy relishing his escape from death, Xue Hui's gaze shifted toward the cloaked figure above him. Exchanging a meaningful glance, the cloaked figure withdrew their spiritual pressure, allowing Shen Hong and his family to move freely once again.
Looking at Shen Hong's calm, stoic expression, Xue Hui could already tell that the Sacred Family Patriarch was seething with anger.
Noticing that his father was able to move again, Shen Fei hurried over to him, afraid that the angry mob would lose control and attack him.
"Father! You have to get me out of here! Let's hurry up, those people are crazy!"
Shen Fei continued begging Shen Hong to take him home, unaware that his father wasn't listening to a word he said.
Scanning the surroundings and seeing the rage on everyone's faces, Shen Hong could already tell that if he didn't do something to address the situation, it would only worsen as the day went on.
Shen Hong's eyes flashed with coldness when his gaze landed on the two figures above the audience area.
'Chen Zhenlong, Ye Zong. If the two of you think that my Sacred Family is so easy to destroy, then you're underestimating me.'
Averting his gaze from the two patriarchs, Shen Hong's eyes landed on the boy who had started all of this. Killing intent flashed through them, but he quickly suppressed it, afraid that Xue Hui's master would spring into action and kill him.
That, however, didn't stop Shen Hong from cursing Xue Hui in his heart.
"Father! Are you listening to me? Let's head home, these people are crazy."
Instead of responding, Shen Hong turned and faced his son. His expression remained blank, but a glint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.
It didn't take long for Shen Fei to notice his father's unusual expression. His father's eyes seemed colder than usual. Shen Fei didn't know why, but those eyes had always made him uneasy.
Gulping, Shen Fei tried to say something, but the words became lodged in his throat.
Pain shot through Shen Fei's body the moment Shen Hong's hand landed on his shoulder. The weight behind that grip was enough to make him grimace.
Shen Hong leaned close to Shen Fei's ear, an action that made Shen Fei flinch. Trembling, Shen Fei cleared his throat and tried to ask his father what was going on, but before he could speak, he heard words that would seal his fate.
"You can only blame yourself for being useless."
Shen Fei's eyes widened. His lips quivered as all color drained from his face.
Boom!
Vomiting a mouthful of blood, Shen Fei's chest caved in as a brutal palm strike slammed into his upper body, sending him flying across the arena. He landed on the ground, unmoving.
The audience, who had been engrossed in hurling curses, suddenly fell silent after witnessing Shen Hong attack his own son in such a brutal manner.
Ye Zong, Chen Zhenlong, and every expert present wore looks of shock.
That attack had not been intended to kill.
It had been intended to cripple both body and cultivation.
They couldn't believe their eyes. Shen Hong had actually crippled his own son right in front of everyone.
Shen Hong's expression remained unfazed. He looked at his son's broken body before shifting his gaze toward Xue Hui.
His eyes were blank, but Xue Hui could tell that beneath that stare lay boundless hatred and murderous intent.
"Young Master Xue Hui, thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. I never knew that my son was such a vile person. I, Shen Hong, am truly heartbroken to learn of what he has done."
Shen Hong sounded pained as he faced the crowd. His expression was that of a heartbroken father. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
Xue Hui's eyebrow twitched slightly. A cold glint flashed through his eyes.
Shen Hong's actions were essentially telling everyone that he was innocent of all his son's crimes.
Grinning to himself, Xue Hui watched with great interest as the trap he had laid out was so easily thwarted by Shen Hong.
'What a cunning person,' Xue Hui mused.
End of Chapter 71
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