Chapter 643: Divine Punishment Descends (1)!

Their voices merged, strong enough to shake the heavens, carrying far and wide.

"The celebration is underway!"

Millions of Immortals from the Thunder Department, though not qualified to re-enter the Nine Thunders Arena, were exhilarated even from a distance.

On the streets and atop the high buildings surrounding the Divine Heaven Jade Purity Office, crowds filled the spaces, all watching eagerly.

Nine Kites was dead, but her passing did not dampen the spirits of the Immortals of the Thunder Department!

The process by which Yun Xiao became the champion of the Immortal Tournament was explosive!

Those of the Thunder Department who witnessed it were bursting with pride; their veins throbbed with excitement. Their standing in the Celestial Court had risen, and each Thunder Emissary now walked tall, looking down upon others through their nostrils.

This was glory!

Now, every one of the millions in the Thunder Department was wildly enthusiastic about Yun Xiao.

While the 10,000 Rank 6 or above Heavenly Officers of the Thunder Department celebrated in the Nine Thunders Arena, others joined from their homes.

In this overwhelming joy, the only discord was the public shaming that drew the ire of the masses.

"Have you heard? Thunder Emissary Cao committed a Dao Heaven grade crime, verified personally by the Crown Prince and was marked as a high criminal. She's about to be brought to the celebration to face the Thunder Immortal Execution."

"You're out of the loop. I just saw Thunder Emissary Cao being paraded through the streets, a spectacle of disgrace!"

"Guys, I'm unsure about this. Thunder Emissary Cao and Lu Yao..."

"Don't overthink it. Their past affair was all Thunder Emissary Cao's doing. She preyed on the young Champion's inexperience. He was unable to resist such temptation. She even tried to pull him into rebellion!"

"Now they say Lu Yao has seen her true face and cut ties completely! I heard that during her parade, Thunder Emissary Cao was sobbing, barely able to speak, but it sounded like she was cursing Lu Yao for not saving her."

"Has she lost her mind? She commits a crime against heaven, and our Champion, with a limitless future, should risk his life for her? No way!"

“Thunder Emissary Cao, foolish and foul,” murmured the multitudes of the Thunder Department.

As the whispers grew, a procession made its way into the Divine Heaven Jade Purity Office.

“Look sharp! Her parade is ending, and she’s being taken back to the Nine Thunders Arena for execution!”

“Word has it that three Supreme Generals will commence the celebration with Thunder Emissary Cao’s execution!”

“The spectacle is unparalleled.”

“Lu Yao has made us in the Thunder Department stand tall; he’s earned it!”

“To spare our Champion the heartache, I suggest the Supreme Generals send a bevy of beauties his way during the feast.”

“Ha! The young man has a taste for the finer things. Let’s indulge him. A few more beauties by his side, and he’ll soon forget the seductress of the Thunder Department completely!”

The entire Thunder Department buzzed with discussions, everyone merry and in high spirits, reveling in the joy of the day.

Perhaps it was the most exhilarating day in thousands of years for the Thunder Department!

Everyone was overjoyed!

The festivities were everywhere!

At the Nine Thunders Arena, a historic celebration was brewing among the ranks of the 10,000 officials.

“Bring forth the criminal!”

A roar like thunder tore through the air, drawing the attention of all present.

Amidst the swirling thunderclouds and lightning, the imposing General Cao, dragging a disheveled woman with violet hair, approached the heart of the Nine Thunders Arena with a cold expression.

The seductive allure of the violet-haired woman was gone. Bound by the Thunder Duke Chains, her delicate body was covered in bloodstains. The hour-long derision from the masses had dimmed her eyes.

She had accepted her fate. She knew better than anyone that her sins were etched deep into her spine. In this universe, no one could save her now. Death was her only refuge.

Yet, more cruel than death was the despair in dying. To die without seeing a future!

BANG!

General Cao pushed her forward, making her kneel amidst the thunderclouds and lightning.

Before her was Yun Xiao, surrounded by the thunderclouds, flanked by the three Supreme Generals.

The Nine Heavens Supreme Thunder General, Eight Paths Cloud and Thunder General, and Five Directions Barbaric Supreme Thunder General… Each were towering figures, resembling gods of thunder.

This was the inner circle, surrounded by Heavenly Officers of Rank 6 and above.

Gu Zhenxiao stood and boomed like thunder, "Cao Shuo, before your execution, you are granted a chance to admit your wrongs and serve as a warning to future generations. Should you show some realization of your faults before death, the Thunder Department, in recognition of your past services, will grant you a dignified end."

As he spoke, many among the gathered 10,000 officials recorded the moment with Projection Orbs—a demand of the Crown Prince.

These recordings were meant to shake the entire Celestial Court, striking at the hearts of those harboring improper thoughts, not just for private records but also captured by massive devices around the Nine Thunders Arena, documenting every detail of the event to serve as a warning.

The activation of the Thunder Immortal Execution over the issue of incense offerings was unprecedented.

The Thunder Immortal Execution was not instant pulverization but a cruelly slow execution process. Once targeted and encircled, the condemned would be slowly erased, reportedly as torturous as death by a thousand cuts.

The condemned would remain conscious, witnessing their body's gradual obliteration, enduring pain throughout the ordeal.

And this ordeal was to unfold during the Thunder Department's celebration feast.

Why would the Nine Thunders Sovereign and the Crown Prince intertwine celebration with execution? Plainly, through the stark juxtaposition of joy and agony, they intended to show all dissenters the dire consequences of opposing the will of the Celestial Court.

"Cao Shuo, confess your guilt!" Cao Sheng stood aloof, watching his sister from a high position with chilling detachment.

"Confess!"

The chant rose from 10,000 officials, a collective demonstration.

Any lack of pressure was seen as a sign of flawed thinking.

For a moment, Cao Shuo felt the full weight of standing against the whole world.

In that instant, she felt sorrow and fear, but as she lifted her head to see the indifferent faces around her, a surge of rage welled up within her!

She had no desire to argue with these people.

In that nightmarish moment, she fixed her gaze on the young man seated straight ahead. He was attended closely by two older beauties, his calm eyes observing her with an indifference that mirrored the Thunder Immortal Formation above—utterly merciless and fiercely violent.

"Lu Yao."

Summoning all her strength, Cao Shuo scrutinized this young man, her parched lips trembling as she asked, "Your talents surpass those of ancient and modern times. You don’t need incense offerings for an extraordinary path. So, I ask you, as beings of life and kin of humanity, when even animals do not consume their own kind, why do humans, the most enlightened of creatures, feast on human flesh and blood and dress up such acts as divine will…"

From his elevated stance, Yun Xiao looked down calmly and said, "You are mistaken. The path to becoming an Immortal is about transcending the mundane to achieve rebirth, a path of ascensions. Humans may hunt monkeys, and Immortals may govern mortal lives. If you cannot grasp such a simple truth, harboring only a bleeding heart, why pursue the path of immortality? Better you were a monkey, living in ignorance—it suits you."

"Well said!"

Yun Xiao's words resonated instantly among the 10,000 officials of the Thunder Department.

A wave of vigorous applause erupted!

This deafening sound was, to Cao Shuo, the ultimate irony.

She had thought perhaps the young man had some hidden plight, but with his words, her heart truly shattered.

Life, ideals, destiny, her steadfastness—crumbled to dust in that instant.

She couldn’t hold back her tears, crying before the assembled crowd.

"Anything else you wish to say?" Yun Xiao asked, gazing at her sorrow.

"Nothing more, nothing left." Cao Shuo felt utterly defeated, as if already dead.

"Then be on your way. In your next life, be born a monkey; you’ll have no troubles then," Yun Xiao said, and then, unexpectedly, he chuckled.

"Hahaha!"

The 10,000 Immortals caught the joke in Yun Xiao's words, and laughter spread among them.

"Our Champion really pushes ruthlessness to the limit!"

"A true hardliner!"

"Without being ruthless, how could one achieve so much?"

At that moment, those 10,000 officials looked at Yun Xiao with fervent admiration, seeing in him a future leader of the Celestial Court, a paragon among Immortals.

As Yun Xiao said his piece, and Cao Shuo had given up on life, the three Supreme Generals exchanged glances, sensing the time was right.

"Is it time?" Gu Zhenxiao asked Yun Yin.

"Hey, don't you think Lu Yao has changed too drastically?" Yun Yin was still pondering the information Gu Sutao had reported about Yun Xiao.

Allegedly, Lu Yao was the husband of the Seventh Princess!

Now that Gu Sutao was dead, dispatched by Yun Yin's own orders, no further verification was possible.

"I think this is just human nature," Gu Zhenxiao responded.

"Agreed!" Yun Yin said little more. But before this, he had discreetly sent a flying talisman to the Nine Thunders Sovereign about the relationship between Lu Yao and the Seventh Princess.

"Begin the execution!" Gu Zhenxiao roared.

A hush fell over the masses as they stood and looked up at the Thunder Immortal Formation.

Apart from the Nine Thunders Sovereign, the three Supreme Generals could also activate this celestial formation!

"Thunder Department's divine formation! Banish evil and purge the wicked!"

The three Rank 2 Supreme Generals shouted in unison. Instantly, massive torrents of gold, silver, and black lightning serpents erupted from them.

"The show starts now!"

Inside and outside the Divine Heaven Jade Purity Office, whether it was the 10,000 officials or the ordinary citizens of the Thunder Department, all were exhilarated, their eyes wide with anticipation and hearts pounding.

"Banish! Banish! Banish!"

Deafening cries echoed from every corner of the Thunder Department. These Immortals did not know the true reasons for Cao Shuo's punishment. But as lower-tier members of the Thunder Department witnessing the downfall of a high-ranking official, they vented their resentment towards the powerful without a second thought.

At that moment, Cao Shuo was the center of the storm!

Yun Xiao's indifference, the dignity of the three Supreme Generals, the laughter of the 10,000 officials, and the disdain of millions of citizens... all converged on her alone.

Cao Shuo had given up, too weary to continue.

"Forget it, life is but a dream; in the next life, I might as well be a monkey."

Muttering to herself, tears fell like rain as she found the entire ordeal absurd, ridiculous, and sorrowful.

She could change nothing! Merely by refusing to partake in the incense offerings, she had been cast to the opposite side of the world, flayed by the hearts of millions!

What more was there to do? All she could do was die! She just wanted it to be quick! Then, her misery would finally be over!

And so, Cao Shuo knelt softly among the thunderclouds, raising her head to the sky.