"Foul old man..." Laohe practically spat. "Who do you think you are, barging in like this? Since the prestige of your promotion seems to have burrowed into that dusty skull of yours, allow me to remind you of something."

Laohe stood up with venomous eyes and marched towards the Enforcer, his suppressed Nascent Soul aura flowing out with killing intent.

"An Enforcer is far beneath that of a Clan Master. I could have you executed for such disrespect."

This old man... Baiyun narrowed his eyes at the "sight". To the side, Qinghe took a deep breath and Shanhe quietly lowered his head behind her, as if trying not to attract any attention.

But Laohe's threat did not shake the arrogance of the Enforcer, whose eyes only welled with more disdain.

"My authority and rank are irrelevant. During a court case, even Clan Masters must obey the rules." the Enforcer said coldly.

His eyes turned mocking as he marched forward as well.

"And to proclaim yourself as Clan Master so boldly, it seems you fail to realise the hypocrisy of your words. Have you usurped the old man so thoroughly during his imprisonment, that you dare proclaim yourself more than temporary leader?"

Laohe's eyes grew furious, but he continued to speak calmly.

"It does not change the fact that I have the full authority of the Myriad Herbs Clan."

"The fate of the previous Master should remind you. Even the head of a clan is not beyond the laws of WanLing."

The two of them glared at each other as they continued to spit venomous words.

Baiyun was taken aback by the immature exchange between the two old men. This was nothing more than two children screaming at each other, draped by the pretence of civility.

His mind caught on one specific detail however. Laohe was a temporary leader, and the true Myriad Herbs Clan Leader was imprisoned?

For whatever reason, that greatly bothered him. It seemed oddly familiar somehow.

The face of a certain someone he met in prison came to mind briefly, and his eyes twitched. But just a quickly, he dismissed the thought. It simply felt like too much of a coincidence to be true.

As the two old men glared daggers at each other, Laohe's expression turned to that of a puzzled frown as suddenly as something struck him.

"Wait. Why is the kid implicated in the case as well?" he said. "Qinghe, was there something you neglected to tell me?"

"Um..." Qinghe started, looking to the side.

It seemed she had been too lazy to share certain details on her communication jade.

The Enforcer seemed to grow irritated as Laohe's focus shifted away.

"Enough! You have wasted too much time." he boomed. "I will have to take further measures if you continue to play truant."

"You'll find yourself dead in a ditch once day if you keep up that attitude." Laohe scowled.

"The empty threats of a mongrel hold no weight."

Baiyun began to feel a slight headache as the two elders bickered. He turned to Qinghe, then passed the mole cauldron to her.

"Qinghe, take care of the mole for me, please." he whispered.

He doubted the court would take kindly to him lugging a cauldron around the entire time, even if the thought was slightly amusing.

Qinghe looked mildly annoyed, but she nodded with a silent sigh.

Meanwhile, Laohe finally seemed to have grown tired of arguing. It was a futile endeavour to begin with, as it wasn't as if he could defy an order from the court.

"Get it over with." he spat, as he grabbed Baiyun by the shoulder.

The Enforcer gave a final glance before marching out, with strange confidence the two would follow.

Laohe seemed troubled as he followed with Baiyun in tow, still lacking an explanation as to why the potential golden goose was implicated in such a mess. But he did not think to simply ask Baiyun himself.

Baiyun let out a short sign as he retracted his divine thread. With the spirits watching again outside the private room, he was once again blind.

The Enforcer marched ahead with swift footsteps. There was no need for him to turn around to see if Laohe and Baiyun were following, as he did not restrict his use of qi sense. With every step he took, the butlers and maids trembled under his oppressive aura.

Laohe's eyes burned with rage at the unrestrained behaviour of the intruder and harrumphed. Glancing at Baiyun, he waved a hand and summoned a sphere of qi around them, shielding the oppressive aura away. His butlers and maid stared at him pleadingly, and he sighed as he conjured shields for them as well.

Baiyun's expression grew strange. Did Laohe forget servants were naturally resistant to aura suppression, due to their physiques? Aura too was a form of qi, and a servant's curse was one that hindered all qi from entering or leaving the body.

Unless the aura was truly oppressive enough to directly rip flesh apart, the worst a servant would feel would be an unpleasant tingling on their skin. It was strange for an alchemy sect's leader to be unaware of that.

Still, it seemed the old man still had a shred of compassion left, though it did not justify his unrestrained behaviour. There was even a chance the imprisonment of the Myriad Herbs Clan's true leader was his doing somehow. He wouldn't be surprised after seeing how casually his tea had been drugged.

That unreasonable behaviour brought back unpleasant memories of unsavoury figures from his past life, and he shook his head. It truly was a shame. With all the knowledge the Myriad Herbs Clan held, he truly hoped it would be the place for him. But he would never willingly join a clan with a leader so callous.

The footsteps of the Enforcer continued to echo as Baiyun mused to himself. But as he took a strange turn, Laohe frowned.

"Oi. That's not the way out," Laohe said.

The Enforcer did not respond and marched towards a balcony draped by curtains.

Laohe frowned as he realised the man wasn't planning to leave from the front gates, a discourtesy, though comparatively minor.

But the Enforcer suddenly turned around, reaching out a hand and smashing it through Laohe's makeshift qi barrier! Before anyone could respond, the same hand grasped Baiyun and snatched him away from Laohe.

Baiyun could only stare blankly into space as he was slotted under the Enforcer's arm like a toy.

"What do you think you're doing?" Laohe shouted.

But the Enforcer ignored him and leapt onto the railing of the balcony, squatting as the winds swirled around him. His legs bulged with muscle and veins that showed through his robe, building up an absurd amount of pressure.

And in one swift motion blurred to the eye, he released the pressure and shot into the skies like a cannonball! A deafening screech echoed as the railing was crushed into a red-hot horseshoe shape, the tiles of the balcony floor cracked like spiderwebs.

"BASTARD!" Laohe yelled.

He took off into the air as well, waving a fist in anger as he gave chase.

The wind roared as the elders shot though the air with immense speed. It was at such speeds that a frail mortal would have ruptured eardrums, but thankfully, the Enforcer had enough sense to summon a qi barrier for the servant.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Baiyun's eyes twitched as he dangled helplessly. Angering Laohe to bring him to the court quicker... this Enforcer was out of his mind! Such unprofessional enactment of the law was something he hoped the rest of WanLing didn't share.

But it was ultimately effective, as they arrived at their destination in mere minutes.

A castle of black-grey brick stood imposingly, surrounded by spiked metal fences. A long stone road led to the gaping doorway that parted the metal fences, without a gate to defend it. There was little resemblance to a courthouse; its appearance was far closer to a prison, perhaps to intimidate the prosecuted, Baiyun mused.

The Enforcer released his flight and entered free fall, slamming into the ground diagonally and using the momentum to hasten his march into the stone castle. It made for quite the strange sight, as he moved faster than a galloping horse despite having a walking gait.

Laohe harrumphed as he descended after, walking into the castle with clenched fists. He knew the Enforcer angered him so they would arrive faster, but he still played along.

It was all for the sake of trying to land a punch on that insufferable bastard's face! Knowing the arrogance of the Enforcer, he would not report the matter in order to save face.

But the bastard flew ever so slightly faster, making Laohe feel like he was just on the verge of catching up. The veins bulged on his head as he realised the Enforcer knew what he was thinking, and had been toying with him the entire time.

Inside the castle, the Enforcer marched through a dark hallway and arrived before a closed metal door. He finally released Baiyun and placed him back on his feet.

"Before you is the courtroom." the Enforcer said coldly. "It would be best if you acted with prudence."

Baiyun could only nod helplessly. He took out his makeshift walking stick and prodded the ground to sense his surroundings with divine touch.

Thoughts rushed through his mind of what his ultimate fate might be... there was no good outcome for a servant dragged into a courtroom. But he took a deep breath and sealed his anxieties away. There was no benefit to panicking no matter the situation.

He stared at the metal door in silence.

Despite all the danger he had been through, this simple door felt more dangerous than the underground caverns, the overpopulated forest and the centipede den combined. He could not help but feel it was ironic, for a human structure to bring so much more dread than the untamed wilds.

Behind, footsteps echoed as Laohe finally caught up. He gave the Enforcer one final glare as he walked past, making sure to slam as hard into his shoulder as possible.

The shoulders collided with such force, the thud echoed through the hallway. Baiyun was rendered speechless by the sheer pettiness and childishness.

"Hah." the Enforcer harrumphed as Laohe opened the door.

As the door creaked open, it was as if a beast had been unsealed. The very air shook as a mighty surge of auras erupted from the courtroom! With the sheer amount of differing elements, Baiyun could sense at least 10 separate Nascent Soul auras! Nascent Soul might be unremarkable in higher worlds, but it was the absolute pinnacle in a mortal world.

No... Nascent Soul was perhaps no longer the mortal pinnacle. He thought gravely about the updated Heavenly Classic, and wondered how many of the elders had begun to cultivate Gold Core or True Soul paths as well.

He realised the WanLing sect might be far more powerful than he ever imagined.

But a voice suddenly interrupted his musing.

"Baiyun, you're here!" Yue called out with soulsense.

She rushed over and began to fuss over him, before attaching to his eyes and allowing him to briefly regain vision once more.

"Be careful here and don't talk unless the judge lets you! I'll try to help defend you, but I don't know if I'll be able to do much."

Baiyun nodded in gratitude as he looked around the room.

The court was a massive circular room that resembled a colosseum, with rows and rows of elevated seats lined against the wall, enough to fit several hundred people. Stairs divided the rows of seats like slices through a cake; at the front of each "slice", the 4-metre walls beneath the seats each held a large banner. Each had large clan symbols drawn on them and the names of the clans behind them, depicted with elegant calligraphy.

Baiyun began to wonder if this was a repurposed arena, as no sane person would design a courtroom like this.

The only indication that this was a courtroom was the podium in the centre of the room, an old wizened man standing behind it, with two youths kneeling beside him. No, now that he looked closer, they were faces he recognised. They were Ying Shi and Yingtao!

Baiyun already knew the Ying siblings would be implicated in the matter, as they were the ones who had the gall to host such a dangerous hunt. Despite that, the sight of that still made his heart sink slightly.

The Enforcer tapped his shoulder suddenly, a silent reminder for him to get moving already. Yue hurriedly let up a silent apology as Baiyun followed him, descending the steps in the direction of the podium.

Baiyun glanced around and tried to take a look at each of the attending clans. Within the brief window he could see again, he ought memorise the face of every important figure. It was important information, and he would not be able to rely on Yue's vision all that often.

The first clan he looked towards the Thousand Wind Clan, their banner depicting three slender tornadoes entwined like vines. 8 attendants sat there, with an old man and woman draped in regal robes sitting in front. Fei An sat between them with reddened eyes, the old couple comforting her with inaudible words.

So that was Fei An's clan... They had the most elders present out of every clan, which made sense as they had lost a precious descendant.

Next was the Ironheart Eagle (Ying) Clan. Bold and confident strokes on their banner drew an iron eagle with a ferocious gaze, a golden-rimmed tower shield grasped firmly in its talons. There was only a single muscular man sitting there, his expression stern and unyielding. He bore a striking resemblance to Ying Shi, and his eyes would have resembled Yingtao's if his face relaxed for a moment. He was unmistakably their ancestor or perhaps even their father.

"Baiyun! Baiyun!!"

Mohei's familiar voice called out in the distance, and Baiyun turned his head towards the Inferno Clan as he slowly trudged down the stairs. Their banner was that of a volcano split in half, a humanoid fire spirit with glowing white eyes sitting in-between in lotus pose.

The Inferno Clan only two attendants, Mohei and an older middle-aged man with tinges of red in his void-black hair. Mohei's calling out and frantic waving was beginning to attract attention, and the man hurriedly shushed him.

Baiyun decided not to wave back just in case Mohei made a bigger commotion and got into trouble. It wasn't as if Mohei knew he was borrowing Yue's sight anyway.

He looked around the court for any other familiar faces, and spotted Sanguang seated above the banner of the Stormseeker Clan. It depicted a silhouette of an androgynous figure sitting beneath black clouds with an orb of lighting clutched in its hands defiantly, even as countless arcs of lightning rained from above.

A man and woman sat to the left and right of Sanguang, both youthful enough to look in their twenties.

In the distance, Laohe hurried to his seat above the banner of the Myriad Herbs Clan. Its banner was simple, merely that of an elixir vial sprouting with herbs of myriad colours. So Laohe was the only attendant for his clan... Baiyun found it amusing that none of the clan's other specialities were reflected on the banner.

The last clan with anyone he recognised was the Golden Body Clan, with a banner of a muscular golden man holding up a palace with a single hand. Only Martial Elder Guan Qiang was present, frowning with his arms crossed.

Four clans remained.

The Tranquil Oceans Clan had one attendant, a regal woman with dark blue hair. Her cold eyes glared at the podium with distaste; she did not seem pleased about what was presumably a mandatory participation.

"Is that lady Ren Hai you previously mentioned?" Baiyun whispered.

"Huh? Yes... she is..." Yue mused. "I didn't expect you to pay attention to that detail..."

From what Yue said of Ren Hai previously, it seemed that woman was in charge of the sect's spirits. That was definitely someone he had to pay attention to, as it was precisely the spirits of the sect that restricted him to this extent. At least it seemed she and Yue were on good terms, though he doubted she would be on his side merely because of that, especially with her eyes that seemed to disdain those beneath her.

He returned to eyeing the last 3 clans.

The Meteor Forge Clan's only attendant was a muscular man with messy hair; he leaned back in his seat and yawned as he rubbed his eyes.

The Infinite Formations Clan continued the trend. Its sole attendant was a thin woman with a slightly haggard face, deep eyebags and overly long black hair that overflowed past her shoulders. Even despite all that, there was a slight beauty to that gaunt appearance. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, her uncut bangs rolling forward and hiding her face from view. She mumbled something to herself as she held a formation plate, scratching away at it with her long fingernails.

If those two were the masters of their clans... Baiyun silently disapproved of their poor conduct, shaking his head internally. What leader could not do the bare minimum of showing dignity? He felt somewhat disturbed by how the woman seemed to be carving formations with just fingernails. What sane person would do that instead of using proper stone carvers?

The last of them was the Trade and Treasury Association. There sat two men carrying notebooks, one a youth and the other middle-aged. They were dressed in scholarly robes and looked intently towards the podium.

From the sound of their name, perhaps this was not a clan but a faction with enough prestige to step into court. He remembered a guard from Ying Shi's hunting party mentioning a "Beast Association", which seemed to prove the theory.

So the structure of WanLing had both Clans and Associations, the latter having much less power, with the exception of the Trade and Treasury Association. Baiyun felt it was a shame he couldn't note down the figures of Associations that lacked the authority to be present.

Baiyun's gaze seemed to attract the attention of the young man, who smiled as they made eye contact briefly, even through the blindfold. The young man turned to the middle-aged man and said something, before the two of them jotted something in their notes eagerly.

That exchange made Baiyun extremely uncomfortable. What did exactly did those two glean from that brief exchange?

He thought to himself from their perspective. It was possible they immediately recognised the sight-sharing art Yue used, as well as noting how Mohei called out to him. Just from that alone... so many details could be deducted. At the thought of that, he began to feel a headache. Greedy black-hearted merchants were not to be underestimated.

Baiyun finally reached the bottom of the steps and stepped gingerly to the podium.

The Enforcer nodded in satisfaction, before leaping high into the air and landing two seats away from Martial Elder Guan Qiang with a thump. The two of them glanced at each other with narrowed eyes.

Baiyun didn't know why he was surprised the two muscleheads were part of the same clan.

It was then when the judge's voice boom from the podium, echoing through the massive courtroom.

"Elder Qian Laohe and the servant have arrived. All participants are present. The trial will begin now!"

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.