Chapter 44 Casting the Punishment Tripod: "Punishment originates from Heaven, and sages are punished because of Heaven's authority..."

The dark clouds, like a raging tide pouring down from the heavens, surged up like splashed ink, carrying a hidden rumble of thunder, hovering above the ruins of the ghost government office.

Li Liuyun lifted a soul-summoning banner and thrust it into the earth formation like a spear, his robe and the banner fluttering wildly in the raging wind.

His swordplay, imbued with Daoist energy, practically plowed through the entire battlefield before finally landing with pinpoint accuracy in the sword formation.

Bai Yuan, who was connected to the energy of the great formation, felt as if several long cones had been driven into his bones, and his body and spirit were shaken.

As the Dao Qi swept across, a massive array totem appeared on the ruins. Its complexity was dizzying to look at. It was painstakingly drawn by Li Liuyun and his fellow disciples, stroke by stroke. It resembled a blood altar laid on the foundation, meant to slaughter demons as a sacrifice to the heavens.

Therefore, the wind rose and the clouds surged, strange phenomena appeared in the sky, and the clear night changed in an instant, making the scene solemn and grand, as if God was waiting to reap the harvest of this sacrifice.

Unorthodox and heretical practices have never been tolerated by heaven, earth, or humanity. Slaying demons and upholding righteousness is their duty, so the disciples of the Taihang Sect do not have much psychological burden when doing these things.

"Flowing Clouds..."

The voice of his fellow disciple came from behind, and Li Liuyun quickly interrupted, "Don't come any closer! Everyone, retreat outside the foundation array! Do not step inside!"

Bai Yuan was startled back to her senses by these words. Her unfocused eyes gradually settled and fixed on Li Liuyun. Then, she rose up like a god of death, leaving behind countless ghostly phantoms, exuding an aura of evil.

At the same time, Li Liuyun's last sword strike aimed at the array's core, but it was suddenly met with a gust of wind that blocked its path—Tingfengzhi.

Li Liuyun unleashed his full power with this sword strike, thwarting the attempt to disrupt him. Although his sword energy was slightly deflected by the gale, it still managed to barely match the folds of the foundation array, thus saving him from a wasted effort.

The array on the ruins seemed to come alive and began to operate, the crimson cinnabar blood flowing like veins, and it would boil and sizzle as soon as it touched the evil energy.

Bai Yuan's figure suddenly stopped in mid-air, his limbs and bones feeling as if they had been filled with boiling magma. The feeling was indescribable. Bai Yuan wished he could smash his skull with a palm and commit suicide.

But she wouldn't die easily, and she wasn't so desperate. The countless shackles sealing her body instantly turned into chains, binding her tightly as she plunged into the array base. This scene was truly—long missed.

This long-lost memory was buried deep within Bai Yuan's bones and blood. She didn't easily dredge it up to look at it. Why bother thinking about those unlucky and upsetting things? It only made her feel worse. But this little brat made her relive those memories by repeating the same mistakes.

I really want to kill him right now!

But she couldn't kill him right now. Just as she was about to kill the little brat, she was dragged back, bound hand and foot in shackles.

Li Liuyun was only swept by the evil wind and resentment. He neither dodged nor flinched, remaining unmoved. Of course, he knew that the evil wind and malevolent energy no longer posed a threat, so he regained his composure as before.

He heard hurried footsteps behind him and knew who it was, so he spoke without turning around: "She is bound by the great formation, pressured by the government, and trapped by the law..."

Li Liuyun paused, not continuing, because he felt that the laws and regulations of the Northern Qu Ghost Government were somewhat absurd.

The howling wind drowned out Li Liuyun's words. Tingfengzhi, who arrived a step too late, had no time to stop it. The lightning in the cloud surge crashed down.

Zhou Yaren's expression changed drastically, and she took a step with a heart-stopping gait, as if she had stepped on a rolling thunderbolt: "Innocent!"

In a state of panic, he unleashed a gust of wind into the formation.

Li Liuyun grabbed him tightly: "Tingfengzhi!"

"Let go." He shoved Li Liuyun away.

"The Taihang Road is exorcising demons and eliminating evil; you shouldn't be obstructing us." Li Liuyun quickly subdued him, sternly reminding him, "Tingfengzhi, do what you should do. What kind of logic is it to obstruct us?!"

"I know the Taihang Sect is dedicated to eliminating evil and demons, but have you ever considered whether she is innocent or not?!"

The bombardment, like lightning cannonballs, pounded into the ruins, sending dust and rubble flying, which were then churned into dust by the wind and waves.

Zhou Yaren witnessed Bai Yuan being bound in shackles, yet he fought desperately against the lightning that struck him.

How could she not fight for her life? She knew better than anyone what this tribulation lightning was about to strike...

The great formation was shaken by the lightning, activating the array buried beneath the foundation. A colossal object rose from the ruins, accompanied by the incessant buzzing of bronze.

A magnificent square cauldron gradually emerged from the dust and smoke, its surging air waves reaching the sky, stirring up layers of wind and clouds, forming huge cyclones above the cauldron, brewing a thunderstorm.

Someone exclaimed in surprise, "My God, a bronze cauldron!"

Lightning struck the cauldron from the sky, falling like a heavenly decree, carving an ancient inscription into the bronze cauldron!

All the Taihang Dao disciples gathered around Li Liuyun and Zhou Yaren, staring in disbelief at the magnificent and bizarre spectacle before them: "What are those characters?"

“The penal code.” Li Liuyun tilted his head back, struggling to suppress his emotions and maintain a calm demeanor. “Inscriptions.”

Lightning bolts streaked across the sky like raging arrows, as if divine punishment descended from the heavens. In an instant, the bronze cauldron was covered with inscriptions of punishment, majestic and awe-inspiring.

The sound of bronze boomed deafeningly, stirring up a gust of wind.

The Taihang Dao disciples were horrified: "This is..."

"Cast the Tripod of Punishment." Li Liuyun repeated, "This is the Tripod of Punishment."

Beneath the cauldron of punishment, Bai Yuan and the others were as insignificant as ants.

The strong wind tousled Zhou Yaren's long hair and robes, and her legs could barely support her weight. Only then did she finally understand why Li Liuyun had said that she was bound by the great formation, pressured by the government office, and trapped by the law.

It turns out that the government office that was pressing down on Bai Yuan was a legal system, a cauldron of punishment forged with laws and penal codes.

boom……

Lightning struck the cauldron.

It was as if the heavens had struck a sacred bell in the third heaven, the sound reverberating for over a hundred miles. The inscriptions of the penal code spread out amidst the bell-like sound waves, casting their light upon the vast and boundless sky.

It appeared as if the countless inscriptions of punishment were hanging down from the sky, floating in the clouds, suspended in the void, as if the heavens had bestowed their punishment upon a corner of the human world.

At the same time, a golden divine beast burst forth from between the lines of the penal inscription, majestically soaring atop the penal cauldron, roaring to the sky with a voice that shook the heavens.

Zhou Yaren felt as if a piece of cold iron was stuck in her throat: "Bi'an..."

The mythical beast Bi'an, guarding the prison, leaped down, lowered its head, and grabbed Bai Yuan's shoulder in its mouth, using its fangs to lift her onto the torture cauldron.

Bai Yuan, beneath the beast's jaws, was as light as a sheet of paper, his limbs hanging limply and boneless, looking completely like someone handcuffed to a gallows, powerless to fight back.

She knew all too well that she had never broken free of her shackles; the grievances of those who died unjustly were always with her, forming a torment that had plagued her for a thousand years.

Li Liuyun, who was greatly shocked, finally came to his senses, maintained his composure, and found his voice: "Do you understand now? This formation built by Luo Jian in Bei Qu."

Zhou Yaren stared blankly at the white inscription on the cauldron of punishment. The inscriptions of punishment around him swayed in the wind like weeping willows, and the light and shadow illuminated almost half the sky, much like a wildfire burning in the dark clouds. His throat was so dry that he couldn't utter a single word.

The Taihang Dao disciple beside him, however, thought Li Liuyun was asking him a question and gave a somewhat uncertain reply: "Is this divine punishment?"

“Punishment originated from Heaven, and the sages created the Five Punishments because of Heaven’s punishment,” Li Liuyun said. “This means that someone is acting on behalf of Heaven… well, punishing on behalf of Heaven.”

The phrase "The sage, acting on divine retribution, created the five punishments" immediately reminded Zhou Yaren of the statue of the prison god imprisoned in the death row. Gao Yao created prisons, drawing lines on the ground to form cells and establishing the five punishments. Therefore, placing Gao Yao, revered as the prison god, under the influence of Taiyin/Dao means subjecting the innocent to Gao Yao's punishments, acting on behalf of Heaven.

Zhou Yaren found four words particularly jarring: "Countless innocent souls have died under the laws of the government offices. What kind of justice is this?!"

“What I meant by acting on behalf of Heaven to punish,” Li Liuyun corrected, “is actually imitating divine punishment.”

"Since Your Highness sees things so clearly, you should know that she is carrying a heavy injustice. Why don't you distinguish right from wrong?"

Li Liuyun's gaze remained calm, unmoved by the questioning. Instead of answering, he asked, "And why are you so protective of her?"

Zhou Yaren was taken aback by the question.

"Tingfengzhi, what's your stance?" Li Liuyun didn't argue with anyone about right and wrong, but in terms of stance, dealing with the changes at the Northern Qu Gui Yamen was the purpose of his and his fellow disciples' trip down the mountain.

Since the Taiyin/Daoist body has encountered a problem, they should naturally do their utmost to eliminate evil spirits, dispel filth, and ensure the peace of Beiqu City.

“The resentment is hard to dispel, and the evil aura can harm people. Moreover, she cannot be compared with ordinary evil spirits. Don’t sympathize with everything you encounter. You are different.”

What's the difference? He just hasn't become a wronged soul yet. But he can't talk about these things with a prince. Li Liuyun has never suffered or endured any hardship, let alone experienced what it's like to be unjustly imprisoned. Does he think that telling the other person would make them feel the same way?

Since it hasn't happened to them, no one can truly empathize with anyone else.

Moreover, he had always felt that this prince was rather cold and indifferent, and probably couldn't easily empathize with the joys and sorrows of human life. Therefore, Li Liuyun disregarded right and wrong and only considered his position; whatever his position, he would do what was appropriate for that position.

Zhou Yaren was never one to act impulsively. Now that she had calmed down, she spoke clearly and logically: "Liuyun, this cauldron of punishment was cast according to the laws and regulations of the government office. However, under each of its inscriptions lies a wrongful conviction, the purpose of which is to suppress the innocent and imprison her forever in the Daoist Prison of Punishment. This Daoist Prison of Punishment is the Taiyin/Daoist Body. I arrived in Beiqu before you and stumbled into the Taiyin/Daoist Body. Inside, I saw her trapped in a lingering vengeful spirit and learned more about her. I also deliberately concealed some things from you. But I am certain that this Taiyin/Daoist Body—is very likely related to the Yin Sui I am looking for."

"What?!"

"Where do you think such a realm of Daoist magic, this illusory universe, came to be?"

Li Liuyun was exceptionally intelligent and understood immediately: "You mean, this Taiyin/Dao Body is constructed from Yin Sui?"

Zhou Yaren spoke rapidly: "Then the countless wronged souls who died under the law will be pressed onto her, becoming shackles that imprison her. You want to get rid of her, but the resentment on her body is hard to dispel. If you don't remove it in time, even the Celestial Master of the Taihang Sect might not be able to deliver her. In the end, only sealing is left. But the Taiyin Dao Body that can seal her is already broken. Unless you and I have the Yin Sui and can rebuild a Taiyin Dao Body for her, and then follow the same method to build a government office on it, establish laws and regulations, and create the next Daoist prison, and then keep creating wronged souls to become shackles that imprison her, and continue like this forever, can you do it?!"

These words greatly shocked Li Liuyun.

Zhou Yaren remained calm and composed, saying, "If you can't do it and don't have a better solution, then hand her over to me. Compared to your reckless actions that could lead to an uncontrollable situation, I think my approach is far more appropriate."

"But……"

"There's one more thing you misspoke earlier. I don't share the same plight with everyone. I also have my own principles to uphold. Your Highness should really consider my words carefully."

Before Li Liuyun could speak, Zhou Yaren seized the opportunity to act. Disregarding martial ethics, she used her fan to push back Li Liuyun and the Taihang Dao group, then turned and plunged into the turbulent formation.