Sage of Humanity

Old One-eye was ready, holding the Reversed Dragon Spike, he walked to the side and looked at Zhou Kui: "Do you want me to tie you up, or will you hold on yourself?"

The ends of the punishment rack are equipped with Magic Artifact ropes to bind the punished, mainly because they might faint and fall during the flogging. Tied up, even if fainted, they can remain standing.

Of course, it's not necessary to be tied, you can hold on by yourself.

Zhou Kui, being a gutsy spirit, knew this tribulation was unavoidable, so he gritted his teeth: "No need to tie!"

He is a physique cultivator, with a strong body, and although he had long heard of the Reversed Dragon Spike's reputation, he assured himself he could withstand this punishment.

Saying this, he stepped forward, took off his shirt, exposing his strong physique, grasped the Magic Artifact ropes on the sides of the punishment rack, and gritted his teeth: "Come on!"

Seeing him like this, members of Team A-5 encouraged him: "Captain, hang in there."

"No problem!" Zhou Kui snorted coldly.

"Then you better hold on!" Old One-eye walked behind Zhou Kui, took a sip from the wine gourd, sprayed it onto the Reversed Dragon Spike, and raised his hand to lash it down.

With a loud 'snap', it was clearly seen, blood splattered from Zhou Kui's back, even bringing out a piece of skin and flesh.

Zhou Kui's entire body was struck as if hit by thunder, suddenly rigid, head thrown back, eyes widened, almost popping out, his eyeballs instantly filled with blood veins, his expression becoming extremely ferocious and terrifying.

Maintaining this posture for a full three breaths, a heaven-shattering scream burst from Zhou Kui's mouth.

He realized he had underestimated the power of the Reversed Dragon Spike. If it merely caused physical harm, he could still endure it, but crucially, this spirit treasure not only struck the flesh but also targeted the psyche, and with one lash, he felt as if his psyche was about to be torn apart.

Watching this scene, all the cultivators from the Law Enforcement Hall wore somber expressions.

Seeing someone like Zhou Kui's reaction after being flogged made them further realize the terror of the Reversed Dragon Spike. Imagining such a thing striking their own bodies...

They trembled!

"Snap..." Another lash fell.

Old One-eye, having exercised punishment for many years, naturally knew how to hit where it hurts the most, and how to extend this pain to the extreme.

For someone like Zhou Kui who was confident in his physique, a lash every 5 breaths was the best rhythm.

Zhou Kui's scream abruptly stopped, only inhaling without exhaling, holding on for quite a while before screaming again.

Pa, pa, pa...

Old One-eye was indifferent, continuing his rhythm, a few lashes later, Zhou Kui suddenly fell to the ground.

He had fainted, though unconscious, his body kept twitching.

"Captain!" Members of Team A-5 shouted in alarm, everyone else's hearts were also heavy with fear.

Even a physique cultivator like Zhou Kui couldn't take a few lashes without fainting, and there were few present with a physique comparable to Zhou Kui's. Who could endure this?

"Still needs to be tied eh." Old One-eye stepped forward, lifted Zhou Kui, deftly tied his hands to the punishment rack, suspending his entire body up.

But he did not hurry to continue the whipping, instead, he approached Zhou Kui, took a sip of wine, and sprayed it all over his face.

Since it's punishment, it needs to be done while the punished is conscious, otherwise, the effect is greatly reduced.

"All of you, open your eyes wide and take a good look." Qian Wudang suddenly shouted sternly, as some couldn't bear to watch Zhou Kui's misery and averted their eyes, likely fearing a psychological shadow, since none could escape the Reversed Dragon Spike's flogging afterwards.

Under the stimulus, the unconscious Zhou Kui gradually regained consciousness.

"Can you still endure?" Old One-eye kindly asked.

Zhou Kui gritted his teeth: "Come... Ah!"

Almost as soon as Zhou Kui's words fell, another lash struck, his shout turning into a cry of pain.

After a moment, the ten lashes were finally done, and everyone was relieved, as if they had been the ones punished.

Only then did they understand the brutality within the prison, even merely watching others be punished, the bloody scene was enough to be etched into their memories forever, making them hesitant to easily violate guard discipline in the future.

"Five more lashes!" Zhou Kui was almost drenched in sweat, his back a bloody mess, yet he still gritted his teeth.

Qian Wudang laughed sardonically: "What, are you becoming addicted to punishment?"

"Xiaoling is a girl, and it's inconvenient for her to be punished in public, so I'll take it for her. I beg you, my lord!" Zhou Kui spoke.

Xiaoling was the female cultivator in his team.

At these words, Zhang Cheng's face instantly turned pale.

No wonder, there was only one female cultivator in Zhou Kui's team, but in his team, there were two. In other words, if he wanted to help others take the punishment, he'd have to endure twenty lashes, which could be deadly.

"Permitted!" Qian Wudang said, giving Old One-eye a signal.

Another five lashes later, Zhou Kui was finally untied. The female cultivator called Xiaoling quickly rushed over to support him back, even though Zhou Kui was a physique cultivator, he seemed barely breathing at this moment.

Zhang Cheng was still contemplating the issue of twenty lashes, but before he could react, Lu Ye and Warlord Geng reached out from either side, hoisting him by his arms, slight pressure, throwing him below the punishment rack.

Qian Wudang chuckled coldly: "I didn't see it earlier, but my boys under the law are quite keen on being punished. If so, Old One-eye, fulfill his wish."

Old One-eye nodded seriously: "Since Lord Department Chief has spoken, there's surely no issue."

"No, I..." Zhang Cheng was speechless with anger, turning to glare at Lu Ye and Warlord Geng: "I won't let you off!"

Warlord Geng looked up at the sky, while Lu Ye stared down at his feet, both wearing expressions as if it had nothing to do with them.

Zhang Cheng's cultivation was lower than Zhou Kui's, and his physique was even weaker. After the punishment, he fainted three times altogether, and by the fifteenth whip, Zhang Cheng ceased to respond, not even waking up with Old One-eye's wine spray.

"Department Chief, if we keep going, someone might die." Old One-eye looked towards Qian Wudang.

Qian Wudang didn't actually intend to kill; he just wanted to use this punishment to teach these unruly people a lesson. He then spoke: "Record the remaining five whips and let him receive double once he's healed!"

The members of Team D-7 felt as though they were granted amnesty and hurried forward to carry their captain away.

"Let me do it." Warlord Geng stepped forward; Lu Ye didn't contest him. There was nothing worth competing over, as sooner or later they'd have to experience this themselves.

He stepped up, took off his shirt, grabbed the Magic Artifact ropes on the punishment rack, steadied himself, and spoke calmly: "I'll take Muk Zheng's five whips for her."

Moments later, Warlord Geng's ordeal ended.

Among the three who were punished, he handled it the best. Though he screamed miserably, he didn't faint, and even walked back on his own. However, seeing the blood-soaked horror on his back, with bone almost visible, Muk Zheng couldn't help but shed tears.

Four captains had been dealt with, leaving only Lu Ye.

Lu Ye took off the Crimson Dragon Battle Suit, revealing his upper body, and quietly approached the punishment rack, with a resigned posture.

Qian Wudang coughed lightly: "Lu Yiye, is there anything you want to say before your punishment?"

Lu Ye thought for a moment and said: "Today's incident, we were wrong. Lord Department Chief upheld the law impartially, which we should emulate and engrave upon our hearts."

That's it?

Qian Wudang stared at him, while Lu Ye faced him calmly.

Slowly, a hint of plea appeared in Qian Wudang's eyes, prompting Lu Ye's sudden realization: "Oh, right, I'll take Lin Yinxiu's five whips for her!"

Qian Wudang let out a long breath, his heart relieved, knowing that this kid was deliberately teasing him, yet powerless to do anything about it.

"Carry out the punishment," Qian Wudang ordered.

Old One-eye immediately swung down a whip.

Lu Ye felt a blazing pain on his back, as if Thunderbolt rolled over him. Yet compared to the last time's psyche pain, he barely noticed this time.

Sensing under the impact of Reversed Dragon Spike on the Divine Pool, it was blocked by Twin Dragons Guarding the Sea.

Within the Divine Pool, a tranquil scene.

After a brief moment of stupefaction, he immediately screamed miserably, and louder than the previous three.

Pa-pa-pa...

The rhythmic slashes continued, each of Lu Ye's screams getting louder and louder.

Yet what surprised everyone was that despite Lu Ye's dreadful cries, he showed no signs of fainting.

Lu Ye had no desire to faint; Old One-eye's method of reviving the punished was to spray wine in people's faces, which he wanted to avoid.

After a full fifteen whips, Lu Ye grimaced, his back seriously injured, yet his condition was far better than the other three.

Qian Wudang slightly frowned, looking inquisitively at Old One-eye, implying that even if he showed leniency for Yinxiu's sake, it didn't need to be so obvious.

Old One-eye felt quite innocent.

Compared to the previous punishments, he indeed went a bit easy, but he maintained proper control. In his view, Lu Ye should have fainted two or three times minimum after fifteen whips.

Curiously, Lu Ye remained conscious.

Recalling the scenes from Lu Ye's last punishment further convinced Old One-eye that this Lu Yiye had a psyche far more resilient than average, otherwise there's no reason he could withstand the Reversed Dragon Spike's might.

All four captains had been punished, and each sat aside swallowing elixir pills, silently tending their wounds, yet still distinct from one another.

Lu Ye and Warlord Geng naturally formed one group, while Zhou Kui and Zhang Cheng paired together.

The remaining were their respective team members.

Regarding the team members' punishment, Old One-eye sped up considerably, whipping one after another, leaving them all wishing for death, with many fainting on the spot.

Until more than half an hour later, this round of punishment finally concluded.

Among the numerous cultivators entering the prison, aside from a few unscathed female cultivators, all others were left with mangled backs.

Zhang Cheng suffered the most, with the five recorded whips doubled against him... whenever his thoughts surged, he was consumed by pain.

Qian Wudang gazed at his subordinates, inhaling sharply, suppressing their pain, lamenting their lack of improvement: "As members of the Law Enforcement Hall, you should set an example. This is merely a first offense; I offer minor punishment as a deterrent. Are you convinced?"

Who dares not be convinced?

"If there's a next time, I'll personally execute the punishment!" Qian Wudang declared, waving his hand: "Get the hell out!"