A Plea for Favor

The Second Elder's voice echoed throughout the hall, causing the spiritual fire on the bronze pillar to flicker.

Chen Baichuan lay on the bluestone slab, panting heavily, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Speak!" The Second Elder slammed his hand on the table. "You forcibly promoted this old, incompetent servant, wasn't it to make it easier for you to move the stolen goods?!"

Chen Baichuan struggled to lift his head, his face covered in blood.

"I told you, I promoted him because I liked him!"

Chen Baichuan gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse.

"I, Chen Baichuan, don't need anyone to teach me how to do things! If you want to condemn someone, come at me!"

The Second Elder was so angry that he laughed instead.

"Well said, 'I'm coming for you!'"

The Second Elder stood up and released his Nascent Soul stage aura without reservation.

"Chen Baichuan, you've really gotten too cocky lately! Do you really think that just because you've forged a few Fire-Stabilizing Nails, the Heavenly Sword Pavilion can't contain you anymore?"

"You even dare to allocate the Enforcement Hall's quota without permission! What do you take the sect's laws for? Your backyard?!"

The Second Elder's voice grew louder and louder, making everyone in the hall's eardrums ache.

"You'll suffer greatly for what happened today!"

The hall was completely silent.

Everyone could see that the Second Elder was truly enraged this time. Chen Baichuan had indeed been far too arrogant lately, incurring the wrath of both heaven and man.

The Fourth Elder sat in his armchair, his brow furrowed. He glanced at Chen Baichuan on the ground, then at the enraged Second Elder, and finally sighed before standing up.

"Second Elder, please calm down."

The Fourth Elder cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Elder Chen was indeed confused this time and committed a major taboo of the sect. But the Weaponry Hall... still has several batches of military supplies for the front lines that haven't been delivered. If he is severely punished, the Weaponry Hall will be leaderless, and the supply of flying swords and magical artifacts to the front lines may be cut off."

The Fifth Elder also stood up.

"Yes, Second Elder. After all, Chen Baichuan is the number one weapon refiner in our Heavenly Sword Pavilion, and he also made great contributions in quelling the earth fire."

The Fifth Elder spoke sincerely.

"He may escape the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment. It would be better to strip him of his position as elder and let him remain in the Weaponry Hall to atone for his sins, specifically in charge of refining magical artifacts."

Although these two old guys had previously been dissatisfied with Chen Baichuan, they knew exactly what was going on.

If Chen Baichuan really dies, the Artifact Hall will be paralyzed, and everyone's interests will be harmed.

Their pleas were merely for them to spare their lives.

Liu Quan sat to the side, holding a teacup, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Make amends for your crimes through meritorious service? Fifth Elder makes it sound so easy."

Liu Quan put down his teacup and spoke slowly.

"He embezzled a huge amount of top-grade spirit ore and also formed cliques for personal gain. If we let this go so easily, other elders will follow suit, and how will the sect manage things then?"

"Besides, the Artifact Hall doesn't become unusable without Chen Baichuan."

Liu Quan glanced at Li Yuan, who was kneeling on the ground.

"Vice Hall Master Li has been in the Weapon Hall for so many years, and his skills are quite good. He can definitely take over."

Li Yuan quickly kowtowed to the ground, loudly declaring his loyalty: "Your disciple is willing to give his life for the sect!"

As Chen Baichuan listened to the haggling and looked at Li Yuan's fawning face, he suddenly laughed.

The laughter grew louder and louder, carrying a strong smell of blood, which sounded particularly jarring in the hall.

"I, Chen Baichuan, don't need your hypocrisy!"

Chen Baichuan suddenly broke free from the suppression of the two disciples of the Enforcement Hall, and withstood the pressure of the Nascent Soul stage, he knelt on the ground.

His hair was disheveled, his eyes were bloodshot, and he stared intently at the Second Elder above.

"I was blind to have raised such a treacherous and disloyal beast! I admit defeat!"

Chen Baichuan roared, his voice booming throughout the hall.

"All you want is an explanation, right? I'll give you one!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Baichuan suddenly raised his right hand, and the remaining true energy in his body surged wildly, directly slamming it down on his dantian.

He actually intended to cripple his cultivation on the spot!

If this is confirmed, Chen Baichuan will be completely useless for the rest of his life, even worse than an ordinary person.

"You're insane!"

The Fifth Elder's expression changed drastically, and his figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

The next moment, the Fifth Elder appeared in front of Chen Baichuan and struck Chen Baichuan's wrist with a palm, forcibly dispersing the true energy he had gathered.

"Bang!"

Chen Baichuan was thrown to the ground by the force of the recoil and coughed up blood.

"Are you out of your mind?!" the Fifth Elder roared in exasperation. "If you've made a mistake, accept the punishment! Who are you trying to fool with your death spree?!"

Chen Baichuan lay on the ground, laughing bitterly.

"Accept punishment? I, Chen Baichuan, will take full responsibility for my actions! I'll return my cultivation to the sect, and I'll give up my life! I don't need your charity!"

The Second Elder stood on high ground, watching Chen Baichuan's behavior, and his beard trembled with anger.

"Fine! Very well!" The Second Elder laughed in fury, pointing at Chen Baichuan and cursing, "Chen Baichuan, are you trying to play dumb with me? Do you think the sect really wouldn't dare kill you!"

"You think you can wash away the crime of embezzling military supplies by crippling your cultivation? Dream on!"

The atmosphere inside the hall instantly became tense and extremely oppressive.

The situation has completely reached a stalemate.

Kill Chen Baichuan? He is the number one weapon refiner; killing him would be a huge loss to the sect.

A lenient punishment? He has angered the public, the evidence is conclusive, and the rules cannot be disregarded.

This has become a dead end where "you can't kill them, and you can't treat them lightly."

At this anxious moment, the Third Elder Liu Quan slowly stood up and straightened his cuffs.

"Second Elder, everyone knows that Elder Chen has a fiery temper."

Liu Quan put on a righteous and awe-inspiring appearance.

"Since killing is not an option, and lenient punishment would not satisfy the public, I have a suggestion."

All eyes were on Liu Quan.

Liu Quan looked at Chen Baichuan on the ground, a sinister smile curving his lips.

"How about we strip Chen Baichuan of his position as elder and imprison him in the cold pool behind the mountain for a hundred years?"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze instantly.

A frozen pool!

What kind of place is that? That's the forbidden ground where the Heavenly Sword Pavilion punishes the most heinous criminals!

The extreme cold inside was so intense that even a Golden Core cultivator couldn't withstand it.

Chen Baichuan is currently severely injured, his Dao foundation damaged. If he is thrown into the icy pool and imprisoned for a hundred years...

In less than ten years, he will be frozen into a cripple, his meridians will break inch by inch, and he will be living a life worse than death!

That's a really vicious move!

This is not about sparing Chen Baichuan's life at all; it's about completely eliminating him and making him suffer endless torment until he dies!

The Fourth Elder and the Fifth Elder exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes, but neither of them spoke up to refute.

Liu Quan is currently riding high, and this proposal is indeed flawless; it spares Chen Baichuan's life while also delivering a sufficient punishment.

Li Yuan knelt on the ground, his head bowed low, his shoulders trembling slightly, clearly trying his best to suppress his ecstasy.

Chen Baichuan lay on the ground, staring blankly at the dome of the main hall.

He was tired, utterly exhausted.

Betrayed by his apprentice and schemed against by his colleagues, his proud weapon-forging skills seemed utterly laughable in the face of such power struggles and intrigues.

So be it, this cold pond is better than having to watch these people's ugly faces here.

The Second Elder remained silent for a moment before slowly sitting back down in his rosewood chair.

He looked at Liu Quan, then at Chen Baichuan on the ground, clearly weighing the pros and cons.

The hall was eerily quiet, with only the crackling of the spirit fire on the bronze pillars.

Everyone knew that with just a nod from the Second Elder, Chen Baichuan's fate would be sealed.

In this suffocating silence.

Zhou Lingxuan, who had been standing in the corner with his head down and no presence, suddenly moved.

He took a step forward and walked to the very center of the hall.

Zhou Lingxuan turned his head and looked directly at the Second Elder, who was high above him. His calm voice resounded throughout the hall.

"Although I am not very talented, I would like to plead for Elder Chen."