124: Chapter 124 Trying to escape using magic? No way!

The interrogation room's walls were made of the most advanced soundproofing and sound-absorbing Materials, with the only cold light source shining onto the stainless steel restraint chair known as the "Chair of Regret."

Xiao Aotian's hands and feet were locked by special alloy shackles—the anti-spirit implements developed by the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs specifically for "supernatural criminals."

However, he did not show the awareness expected of a prisoner.

"Mortal, this Seat advises you to best unlock this nonsense." Xiao Aotian kept his eyes closed; even with uncleaned eye boogers still clinging to the corners of his eyes, his chin remained held high. "I am the Sect Master of the Aotian Sect, ordained by Heaven. Your current actions are Heaven-Defying, and you will face heavenly retribution."

Gu Changan sat opposite the iron table, spinning a ballpoint pen in his hand, with a half-meter-high stack of case files in front of him. Hearing this, he didn't even look up, simply pushing the newly printed "Detention Notice" across the table.

"Sign it."

"Sign your grandfather!" Xiao Aotian suddenly opened his eyes, his previously unfocused pupils instantly contracting into pinpricks.

Although his spiritual power was locked and the System had run off, that accursed System had left a "Divine Soul Spike" in his Sea of Consciousness before it left. This was a move for evil cultivators to perish together with their enemies; although it was a one-time-use technique, it was more than enough to deal with ordinary people.

"Get down!"

A shriek that did not sound human erupted from Xiao Aotian's mouth. The sound carried a certain high-frequency vibration, aimed straight at Gu Changan's brain. The interrogation room's one-way glass instantly cracked, and the indicator light on the surveillance camera sputtered and flickered.

Chen Xiaobei, who was responsible for taking notes, felt as if his brain had been pricked by a needle, and he clutched his head, preparing to dive under the table.

However, Gu Changan remained sitting there, not even blinking an eyelid.

He leisurely lifted a police riot shield from beside his feet. This shield was different from ordinary polycarbonate shields; its surface was plated with a special dark gold coating, and in the very center was painted a large, bright red national emblem.

Bang!

Gu Changan grabbed the shield with one hand and slammed it heavily onto the iron table.

There were no flashy special effects, nor any exaggerated energy waves. But the moment that national emblem faced Xiao Aotian, a grand, solemn, and inviolable pressure instantly filled the entire room.

That was the will of 1.4 billion people; it was the embodiment of a sovereign state's legal principles.

In the face of this majestic national fortune, Xiao Aotian's so-called "Divine Soul Spike" was like an egg hitting granite, shattering instantly.

"Pfft—"

Xiao Aotian looked as if he had been struck in the face by a hammer; he tipped backward with his chair, two pillars of blood sprayed from his nostrils, and his face turned the color of pig liver.

"You... what kind of Magic Treasure is this?!" Xiao Aotian stared at the shield in terror. He felt as if, in that instant, a great mountain had crushed his spine.

Gu Changan stood the shield against the edge of the table and looked at him coldly: "This is not a Magic Treasure; this is the State. After the founding of the nation, no spirits are allowed to become sentient, and no feudal superstitions are permitted in law enforcement agencies."

He opened the case file, his tone as cold as a soulless reading machine.

"Xiao Aotian, stop struggling. Just now, in view of your assault on a police officer, your sentence has been extended by another three years."

"That was self-defense!" Xiao Aotian was still stubborn. "I am a Sect Master; I have immunity!"

"Immunity?" Gu Changan scoffed and pulled an A4 sheet of paper from the file. "Do you think that because you enclosed land and built structures deep in the mountains, it at most counts as an illegal structure? That you can just pay a fine and leave?"

Xiao Aotian's eyes flickered; he had indeed thought exactly that. As long as he didn't die, there would always be a chance for a comeback.

"Naive."

Gu Changan slapped the paper onto the table, his finger pointing heavily at the first line of text.

"Look at this charge: Organizing and utilizing superstitious Sects or secret societies to undermine the implementation of the law. According to Article 300 of the Criminal Law, if the circumstances are particularly serious, the penalty is fixed-term imprisonment of not less than seven years or life imprisonment."

Xiao Aotian was stunned: "Evil... evil cult? That was a cultivation Sect! It is the Righteous Path!"

"Righteous Path?" Gu Changan turned on the projector on the wall.

On the screen were dozens of children who had already changed into clean school uniforms and were receiving psychological counseling. Facing the camera, they cried as they accused him.

"The Old Ancestor said if we didn't listen, we would be turned into 'human pills'..."

"He made us kowtow one thousand times every day; if we didn't finish, we weren't allowed to eat..."

"A Junior Brother got sick with a fever, and he wouldn't let him take medicine, saying it was the body detoxifying itself. He forced that Junior Brother to drink incense ash water, and he almost died..."

Each video clip and each accusation felt like a slap in the face to Xiao Aotian.

Gu Changan pointed at the screen: "This is your Righteous Path? Through mental control, fabricating evil doctrines, deifying the ringleader, and implementing criminal activities such as gathering wealth, rape, and intentional injury. If this isn't an evil cult, what is it? An after-school tutoring class?"

"I... I did that to temper them!" Xiao Aotian was still quibbling, but his voice was noticeably weaker. "Cultivation is inherently Heaven-Defying and changing one's fate; if they can't even endure this little bit of hardship..."

"Slap!"

Gu Changan slammed the table violently, the loud noise making Xiao Aotian shudder.

"There is no problem with cultivation; you can cultivate at home by yourself, and no one will care even if you cultivate until you're a lunatic. But you cannot do it at the cost of harming public interests and trampling on national laws!" Gu Changan stood up and looked down at him from above. "Your so-called 'Heaven-Defying' does not defy Heaven; it defies the peaceful lives of ordinary people! Your so-called 'changing fate' is using others' lives to fill your own pit!"

"I didn't! I was framed!" Xiao Aotian roared in despair. "I really wanted to lead them to Ascension!"

"Save that talk for the judge."

Gu Changan turned off the projector, removed the body camera from his chest, and placed it on the table.

"All of your words and actions just now, including the attempt to use Demonic Technique to assault a police officer and your continued, unrepentant quibbling, have all been recorded. This will be evidence in court, and it will be the final nail that pins you to the pillar of shame."

"From today on, there will be no more 'Old Ancestor Aotian' in this world, only evil cult leader Xiao Aotian, prisoner number 9527."

Xiao Aotian slumped in his chair, his eyes devoid of spirit.

It was over.

This time, it was truly over. The image of a "secluded master" he had cultivated on the internet was completely ruined. What awaited him was a long prison life, and that three-hundred-million debt he would never be able to pay off.

At this moment, the interrogation room door was pushed open, and Chen Xiaobei poked his head in: "Team Leader, the transfer procedures are complete. The high-security prison in Yanjing has already prepared a single cell, specially for detaining this kind of 'special talent'."

Gu Changan closed the case file and waved his hand: "Take him away. Be careful on the way; this guy's brain isn't normal, don't let him bite his tongue."