85: Slipped away again

The crisp sound of the bells drew nearer, and the taut nerves of the crowd were close to snapping.

However, the one who emerged from the shadows was not the terrifying Dou Zun Expert, but a figure incredibly familiar to everyone present.

“Iron Punishment?!”

Li Tianxiong of the Crimson Fiend Gate cried out in surprise, his voice trembling with disbelief.

This Chief Elder of the Law Enforcement Department of Jia Nan Academy was meticulously wiping a cold, gleaming executioner’s blade. The nine copper rings on the back of the blade clinked crisply with his steps.

“Gentlemen, you’ve waited a long time.”

Iron Punishment’s voice was terrifyingly calm, as if he were discussing the weather. He slowly walked beneath the ancient tree and reached out to pat the rough trunk. This simple action caused Li Feng, who was hanging on the tree, to let out a frightened whimper.

“I presume everyone is quite curious as to why this tree is so special?”

Iron Punishment suddenly turned around, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone present.

His fingers lightly traced the strange patterns on the trunk. It was then that everyone noticed the entire tree’s bark displayed an unnatural dark red color, shining with an eerie luster under the sunlight.

“This is top-grade ‘Blood-Pattern Wood.’ It usually requires repeated irrigation with human blood for a hundred years to form, but we used a special method.”

Iron Punishment suddenly grinned, revealing his stark white teeth.

He stomped his foot violently on the ground, and the entire large tree suddenly trembled fiercely.

A dark red liquid seeped out from beneath the bark, slowly trickling down the trunk.

A heavy smell of blood instantly permeated the air, causing several experts with weaker constitutions to bend over and dry heave on the spot.

“Three hundred and seventy-five people from the Blood Demon Sect, high and low.”

Iron Punishment’s voice suddenly rose.

“From the Sect Master, Old Ghost Blood Demon, down to the lowest ranked direct disciple, not a single one was spared!”

This sentence was like a heavy hammer, fiercely striking everyone’s hearts.

Three hundred and seventy-five lives!

And all of them were successful cultivators!

One must know that even during the most brutal feuds between factions in the Black-Corner Region, it was rare to wipe out an opponent to such an extent.

Iron Punishment slowly paced around the large tree.

“The weakest among those who participated that day were at the Dou Ling Level. Gentlemen, why don’t you guess how large a blood pool is needed to drain the blood of so many experts?”

He suddenly stopped and pointed toward the crown of the tree.

From the treetop, several dark red leaves drifted down, tracing strange paths in the air.

Someone realized in horror that those “leaves” were actually flakes of solidified blood scabs!

“Ugh—”

An Elder of the Mysterious Yin Cult finally couldn't hold on, collapsing to the ground and vomiting violently.

These Black-Corner Region overlords, who usually prided themselves on their ruthlessness, now looked like terrified children. Some had trembling legs, some were pale-faced, and others were secretly wiping the cold sweat from their brows.

Iron Punishment watched the crowd’s reactions with satisfaction, then suddenly pulled a ledger from his robe.

“Three hundred and seventy-five people from the Blood Demon Sect, including one Dou Zong, nine Dou Huangs, twenty-three Dou Kings...”

The entire scene was utterly silent.

The unruly experts of the Black-Corner Region, usually so arrogant, dared not even breathe loudly now.

Chu Kuang of the Mad Blade Alliance kept his head strictly lowered, terrified of being noticed by Iron Punishment, while Li Tianxiong of the Crimson Fiend Gate quietly moved his hand away from his saber hilt, afraid of causing a misunderstanding.

Most ironically, Li Feng, hanging on the tree, now wore an expression of relief. Compared to his sect members who had been turned into “fertilizer,” being allowed to keep a whole corpse had become an immense stroke of luck!

Inside the main assembly hall of the Inner Academy, Mang Tianchi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the leaves falling outside the window, and spoke indifferently.

“For certain reasons, it is inconvenient for this old man to completely wipe out those factions in the Black-Corner Region.”

Great Elder, who was standing behind him, heard this and couldn’t help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, giving a wry smile.

“Dean, you certainly make a very carefree hands-off boss. For the better half of a year, this old man sent you urgent letter after urgent letter, and you didn’t even reply once.”

Mang Tianchi turned around, a playful smile on his face.

“Didn’t I return?”

“Return?”

Great Elder was so angry that his beard bristled.

“You old man were clearly staying in the Academy ages ago, yet you didn’t even show your face! Do you know what this old man went through these past six months? If that young man Iron Punishment hadn’t stopped me, I would have nearly committed suicide to prove my point!”

Mang Tianchi coughed lightly, covering the awkwardness on his face.

“Well, this old man wanted to see how far the Academy could persevere without me.”

Hearing this, Great Elder nearly fainted.

“Dean! Do you know how many resources we lost during the Blood Demon Sect’s attack? If you hadn’t intervened at the last moment, the entire Outer Academy would have been massacred!”

Mang Tianchi waved his hand, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

“Don’t worry. After this incident, those clowns in the Black-Corner Region should behave for a while. However...”

He changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of regret.

“What a pity, those two Soul Hall Heavenly Venerables actually managed to escape. If I could have kept one, that would have been truly satisfying.”

Hearing this, cold sweat broke out on Great Elder’s forehead again.

“Dean, please don’t! If those lunatics from the Hall of Souls are truly provoked!”

Mang Tianchi laughed heartily and patted Great Elder’s shoulder.

“What is there to fear? With this old man here, if they dare to come, I will ensure they never return!”

Great Elder shook his head helplessly and muttered softly.

“It’s easy for you, old man, to say that, but when the time comes, it’s still us old fogeys who have to clean up the mess...”

Mang Tianchi pretended not to hear, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the distance.

The few Elders present did not notice that the Dean’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

“The Hall of Souls’ operation this time was merely their usual trick.”

Mang Tianchi murmured to himself, his voice so quiet only he could hear it.

He turned around, looking at Elder Wu, Elder Qian, and the current Great Elder of the Inner Academy, Great Elder, before him, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.

These old colleagues probably still didn’t know that the conflicts the Hall of Souls incited across the Fighting Qi Continent were all for the purpose of collecting spiritual bodies as quickly as possible.

“What exactly do these lunatics need so many spiritual bodies for?”

Mang Tianchi sighed inwardly.

He gently shook his head, temporarily suppressing that thought.

He figured that after this deterrence, the Hall of Souls should not come to Jia Nan Academy looking for trouble again.

“Alright.”

Mang Tianchi suddenly broke into a smile, dusting off non-existent dirt from his sleeves.

“Since everything has been dealt with, it is time for this old man to leave.”

Hearing this, Great Elder’s eyes instantly widened.

“Wait! Dean, you’re just going to...”

Before he could finish, Mang Tianchi added with a beaming smile.

“If anything happens, remember to write a letter~”

“But!”

Great Elder opened his mouth, wanting to list all the difficulties the Academy had faced over the years, wanting to complain about how unreliable this Dean—who was like a dragon that showed its tail but not its head—was.

However~

“Whoosh!”

Mang Tianchi’s figure had already turned into an afterimage, merging into the void in the blink of an eye, vanishing without a trace.

Only the few Elders in the assembly hall were left, looking at each other.

Great Elder’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and only after a long moment did he helplessly lower it.

“This Dean, he really is...”

Elder Wu and Elder Qian exchanged wry smiles, clearly accustomed to such scenes.

Meanwhile, in the void, Mang Tianchi’s figure was rapidly traversing space.

His expression gradually darkened, and his eyes flickered with the light of contemplation.

“The Hall of Souls is collecting spiritual bodies. It seems I must make a trip to the Central Plains.”

He murmured softly.

Before his voice faded, his figure had completely disappeared into the spatial rift, leaving behind only a faint wisp of spatial fluctuation, which quickly dissipated into nothingness.