Chapter 198: Betrayed Brother

Noon the following day.

In a bustling commercial district within Tiandou City, the voices of the crowd were deafening.

To commit murder during a high-profile event like the Spirit Master Tournament—this was a first, like a maiden boarding a bridal sedan.

Public opinion fermented rapidly, and countless people were waiting for the outcome.

Early this morning, as the bailiffs constructed the tribunal platform, it attracted many onlookers; combined with yesterday's rumors, it was not hard to guess the purpose of this platform.

Soon, the entire street was packed with onlookers; those who arrived later could not even find a place to stand, let alone see the situation clearly.

As luck would have it, the tribunal platform was located right behind the hotel where the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect team was staying.

Wu Qi and the others could see the situation on the platform without even stepping outside.

Today, after finishing their match early, they had been guarding the window, waiting for the tribunal to begin.

As soon as noon arrived, the sound of horseshoes striking the bluestone pavement echoed through the street.

Turning to look, officials were escorting a prisoner transport cart, rushing toward the tribunal platform.

The officials scanned the nearby crowd with vigilant eyes, preventing anyone from attempting to rescue the prisoner.

Inside the cart, Ma Hongjun was on the verge of death, yet he was bound tightly with ropes.

In contrast, Tang San, who was beside him, had no restraints on his body, with only two officials following behind him.

Upon reaching the tribunal platform, the officials escorted Ma Hongjun to kneel before the court, and the Executioner, holding a large blade, came up behind him, ready to strike.

Tang San, however, stood before the court without any sense of nervousness, as if he were merely going through the motions.

The members of this tribunal were all heavyweight figures—Platinum Bishop Salas of the Spirit Hall, Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Prince Xue Xing, representing the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

Among the onlookers, Flender's eyes were splitting with rage, his fists clenched tight, his chest heaving rapidly.

The Executioner had already appeared; was there any need to look at the outcome?

Back then, when Qin Ming died, he was powerless and even completely unaware; now, his disciple was about to receive the same treatment, yet he remained powerless.

The intertwining feelings of frustration and anger caused his facial features to gradually twist.

He wanted to rescue the prisoner, but Gu Rong, who was presiding over the tribunal, could easily suppress him.

For the sake of Shrek Academy's future, he dared not, and could not, do so.

Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong stood behind him.

After Yu Xiaogang's extreme pressure, Salas had already relented that morning and betrayed the interests of the Spirit Hall.

As long as Ma Hongjun died, Shrek Academy would be able to regain its eligibility to compete.

Things had reached this point; if Flender could not let go, they would have to sacrifice their own for the greater good—they absolutely could not let this affect the academy!

……

An official briefly narrated the sequence of events, and the trial immediately commenced.

The necessary testimonies had long been finalized; this court session was more about displaying the investigated evidence and Ma Hongjun's confession to the outside world, so as to settle the matter.

As piece after piece of evidence was presented, the onlookers became thoroughly convinced that Ma Hongjun, having had a verbal altercation with Wang Teng at Chunyuan, had harbored a grudge and subsequently murdered Wang Teng on the arena floor under the guise of a mistake to vent his private anger.

The moment Tang San's testimony was made public, Flender's eyes widened!

He could not believe that among those who betrayed Ma Hongjun, there was actually Tang San!

This was not hard to imagine, after all, the master and disciple were thick as thieves.

For a moment, Flender completely lost his spirit. The brotherly bond he once had with Yu Xiaogang vanished into thin air at this moment.

He hated himself for failing to teach Ma Hongjun well, and he also hated Yu Xiaogang and his disciple for betraying Ma Hongjun at a critical moment.

Flender felt unprecedented confusion; in the future, how could he continue to hold his position at Shrek Academy?

If he could not even protect his own disciple, who would still respect him as Dean?

After struggling for so long, he ended up with nothing, and even Ma Hongjun had been sacrificed.

Flender looked up at the sky, having completely lost faith in the future.

It seemed he was truly old; if he had accepted his fate early on and closed the academy before Tang San and the others enrolled.

Perhaps neither Qin Ming nor Ma Hongjun would have died; it was all because of the obsession in his heart that he had sent those closest to him to their graves.

At this moment, he harbored thoughts of retiring.

Whether Shrek Academy achieved results or not, he no longer cared and did not want to pay attention to it anymore.

At least his old brothers were still alive; taking them to live in seclusion in the mountains might be a good destination.

On the tribunal.

Salas finished stating Tang San's testimony and made their investigation results public.

"After our extensive inquiries, it can be confirmed that there was no enmity between Tang San and Wang Teng. Furthermore, while on the arena, his original intention was merely to injure Wang Teng and eliminate him from the match."

"The law will not let any bad person go, nor will it wrong any innocent person."

"I announce that Tang San is not guilty. However, out of humanitarianism, Shrek Academy must publicly apologize to the victim's academy and compensate for the corresponding losses."

Tang San hypocritically thanked the other party and all the members of the tribunal, and in the name of Shrek Academy, apologized to the Blazing Radiance Academy and Wang Teng's family.

As for the compensation, he could not make the decision and would have to wait until he returned to discuss it.

Immediately after, under the escort of the officials, Tang San left the tribunal platform.

Next was the trial regarding Ma Hongjun.

After the torment of last night, Ma Hongjun had long since lost consciousness and had become a living corpse.

Facing the questioning of Prince Xue Xing, he could only nod mechanically, taking all the blame upon himself.

How could Flender not know that this was a confession extracted through torture?

Watching Ma Hongjun's miserable state, his heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife, his body staggered, and it was only due to the crowded environment that he did not collapse to the ground.

……

The trial ended quickly.

Ma Hongjun "confessed" to all his crimes.

Killing in full view of everyone is a capital offense, not to mention it severely violated the rules of the Spirit Master Tournament.

As Prince Xue Xing threw down the Token in his hand, the Executioner picked up a wine jar and took a deep gulp.

He then raised the broadsword in his hand and sprayed the wine onto it.

Ning Fengzhi, on the tribunal, covered his eyes with a handkerchief.

The Executioner was using a blunt blade, so the scene that followed would surely be incredibly bloody.

Unlike the death by a thousand cuts sentenced to Qin Ming, Ma Hongjun first had his limbs severed, then was immediately submerged in strong liquor.

Piercing screams echoed through the entire street; the cruel punishment made many people's scalps tingle.

Wu Qi pulled down the curtains, no longer letting anyone see the scene below.

"Alright, if you watch too much, you'll have nightmares tonight," he reminded them.

Qiangu Changkong cursed: "This Tang San is really no good; whoever became brothers with him has truly had eight lifetimes of bad luck."

In the chain of evidence provided by the tribunal just now, Tang San's testimony occupied an extremely important position; it would be no exaggeration to say it was the final word.

To betray former comrades just like that—who would dare to be friends with such a person?

Huo Wushuang said mockingly: "I just don't know what Yu Tianheng and the others will think."

I fear that after this incident, a crisis of trust will arise within the Shrek Seven Devils.

How much combat power can a team that suspects one another possibly unleash?

(End of chapter)