“Guards! Bring forth Yao Liuli, the sinner of our clan!”
The command echoed, and in the next instant, the crowd parted like the Red Sea, as several black-robed figures brutally seized Yao Liuli. Thick, oppressive Dao Pattern chains bound her, making her writhe in agony. Raw, bleeding gashes marred her delicate, fair skin, and her slender, jade-like legs were bruised and swollen.
At the sight of this, Ye Chen’s eyes instantly flared with a terrifying, blood-red hue. Rage consumed him!
But Yao Liuli met his gaze, her delicate lips parting slightly. Ye Chen understood the silent plea on his mother’s lips: Go back! Don’t come out!
She had indeed violated the Yao Family Ancestral Teachings! A transgression demanded punishment! As a Saint Daughter, she had to set an example and bear the full brunt of the consequences! Rules were rules! And she was willing to accept her guilt.
Ye Chen clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ground together, his hands clenching into fists so tight his fingernails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood. His entire body trembled violently. His mother was suffering! The agony in his heart was unbearable!
A soft gasp escaped Ji Fuyao's lips. Her elegant brows furrowed slightly. She sensed an unsettling discord in the air. When Yao Liuli had been confined in Sin Valley, she had never been subjected to such brutal treatment.
Moments later, Yao Liuli was dragged onto a towering platform. Thick black chains bound her, yet they could not conceal her exquisite beauty or her graceful, alluring figure. The chains, rather than diminishing her, accentuated her curves, lending her a mature, captivating allure.
The powerful cultivators from other factions across the Southern Wilds were transfixed by the sight. Whispers rippled through the crowd. “That’s the former Saint Daughter of the Yao Family!”
Another exclaimed, “Her beauty is truly legendary! To see it in person… she lives up to every rumor!”
Some elders sighed wistfully. “I once encouraged my son to pursue the Yao Family Saint Daughter, but who could have foreseen her violating the Yao Family Ancestral Teachings and being confined? What a tragic turn of events!”
Meanwhile, atop the grand platform, Yao Feng Old Ancestor gazed down at Yao Liuli, his expression cold and devoid of warmth. To him, at his advanced age, even the most exquisite beauty was merely a skeletal frame beneath the flesh. He harbored no shred of pity for Yao Liuli. Furthermore, Yao Liuli represented the Saint Daughter’s Lineage. Her humiliation was a symbolic subjugation of the entire Saint Daughter’s Lineage. And with the Saint Daughter’s Lineage brought to heel, all other lineages would follow suit! Thus, his grand scheme to integrate all factions within the Yao Family would be complete!
With this thought, Yao Feng Old Ancestor’s Spirit Art shifted. He chanted an ancient incantation, and incomparably complex and obscure Dao patterns surged forth, twisting and weaving in the air, to coalesce into the ancient phantom of Ancestor Yao Chen, hovering majestically in the void. Then, on the other side of Ancestor Yao Chen’s phantom, endless divine radiance flowed, illuminating the space, as Ancient Characters, shimmering with profound power, began to manifest.
“Yao Family Ancestral Teachings!”
Each Ancient Character glowed with brilliant, ethereal light, continuously solidifying in the air.
“All members of the Yao Family shall be loyal to the Yao Family!”
“All members of the Yao Family shall hold the Yao Family above all else!”
“All members of the Yao Family…”
The solemn pronouncements, spanning tens of thousands of characters, flowed like a river of ancient wisdom. Once all the Ancient Characters of the Yao Family Ancestral Teachings had fully manifested, Saint Son Yao Ziyan, resplendent in brocade robes, strode forward with an arrogant, imposing air. He stopped before Yao Liuli, his voice sharp and cold. “Kneel!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yao Liuli knelt before the Ancestor’s phantom. A heavy thud echoed. Beneath her, a pool of thick, crimson medicinal liquid had mysteriously appeared. The moment her knees touched the ground, they immediately swelled and turned a vivid red. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as the crimson liquid inflicted excruciating pain upon her skin. Her delicate body trembled, her chest heaving with suppressed agony.
His teeth ground together, his eyes blazing with fury. Ye Chen was on the verge of erupting, ready to charge forward. But Yao Liuli’s gaze, sharp and commanding, fixed on him, silently ordering him to retreat. She was guilty! She accepted her guilt! She was willing to bear the punishment!
Just then, Saint Son Yao Ziyan produced the Yao Family Sin Whip, an Ancient Iron Whip, its surface bristling with sharp, cruel thorns. A collective gasp rose from the other Yao Family lineages. “The Yao Family Sin Whip!” A single strike from that whip would undoubtedly leave Yao Liuli severely wounded!
Even some from the Saint Son’s Lineage, like Yao Baili, blanched. “Old Ancestor Yao Feng,” he ventured, “isn’t this going too far?”
Yao Feng Old Ancestor merely scoffed. “Ask Yao Liuli if she is willing to bear it herself!”
Yao Liuli bit her lip, cold sweat tracing paths down her face. “I am willing,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. Without rules, there is no order! She was guilty, and she would bear the consequences!
Seeing her resolve, Saint Son Yao Ziyan sneered. “Yao Liuli, repeat after me, the Book of Sins!”
Yao Liuli nodded, her eyes downcast.
Saint Son Yao Ziyan began, “I am a sinner. I have endangered the lineages. I have failed the Yao Family!”
Two clear streams of tears flowed down Yao Liuli’s face as she repeated, her voice trembling, “I am guilty. I have endangered the lineages. I have failed the Yao Family!”
Yao Ziyan continued, “I am a sinner, willing to accept punishment!”
Yao Liuli’s delicate body trembled as she echoed, “I am a sinner, willing to accept punishment!”
The words hung in the air, and in the next instant, Saint Son Yao Ziyan’s Yao Family Sin Whip lashed out, whistling through the air towards Yao Liuli’s delicate form. CRACK! Like a white lightning bolt, it tore across the void, twisting space in its wake. A series of sharp, cracking sounds erupted.
Suddenly, Ye Chen burst forward, his face a mask of savage fury, roaring, “I refuse to allow this!”
Beside him, Ji Fuyao’s elegant steps carried her forward, emerging with him. She did not approve of Yao Liuli’s self-sacrificing actions! Accepting guilt was one thing! True sincerity lay in the heart, not in physical torment! Why endure such brutal, physical suffering? Moreover, Yao Feng Old Ancestor was clearly exploiting Yao Liuli’s unwavering loyalty to the Yao Family, using her as a tool to suppress all other lineages! She was being shamelessly exploited! But Yao Liuli was unyielding in her convictions. Otherwise, she would not have willingly confined herself in Sin Valley for seventeen long years! She had countless opportunities to escape in the past!
“I refuse to allow this!” Ye Chen’s voice, a thunderous roar, reverberated through the void. Saint Son Yao Ziyan’s Yao Family Sin Whip froze mid-air! Everyone present was utterly stunned. They stared at Ye Chen, utterly bewildered. What in the heavens? The Yao Family was merely disciplining their own Saint Daughter. Why was this outsider interfering with such fervor?
High above, Yao Feng Old Ancestor’s eyes narrowed to slits. His mind raced, and then a sudden, shocking realization struck him like lightning. He scrutinized Yao Liuli’s features, then Ye Chen’s. A striking resemblance, undeniable even to his aged eyes! It couldn’t be, could it?
At that very moment, BOOM! Ye Chen shot into the sky, the Heaven-Devouring Cauldron hovering in one palm. A terrifying, peerless aura erupted from him, while in his other hand, the Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame blazed fiercely, casting an icy chill across the void. “Desolate Heaven Art!” In an instant, the phantom of his Martial Dao Furnace materialized behind him, and a towering Martial Dao Will erupted from his very being. His aura became incomparably violent, vast as an abyss and boundless as the sea. His long, dark hair whipped around him, his white robes billowed with unleashed power, and a monstrous battle intent, almost tangible, radiated from him. He strode purposefully towards Yao Ziyan. With every step, his Martial Dao Will surged, growing more formidable.
Yao Ziyan stared, his face a mask of utter bewilderment. The crowd gasped in collective shock.
Ye Chen’s gaze, cold and predatory, locked onto Saint Son Yao Ziyan. His face was a contorted mask of fury as he snarled through gritted teeth, “Who dares harm my mother!”