Chapter 181: The Shameful Punishment

The Demon Emperor hesitated for a moment, though he did not believe it in his heart.

But Zhang Yi's words had also shaken him somewhat.

To dispel his doubts, he still sent several guards to search the Dongfu of Gui Chengxiang.

After the guards left, the Demon Emperor paced back and forth in the hall, feeling uneasy and restless.

He recalled that he had indeed lost quite a few spiritual treasures over these years.

Every time he had the old turtle investigate, yet no clues were ever found.

Thinking about it now, he was truly foolish to the extreme, having kept a thief by his side for so many years!

"Your Majesty, do not be anxious; you will know in a moment."

Zhang Yi sat leisurely to the side, crossing his legs, looking as if he were watching a good show.

After a period of time.

The guards ran back, panting, each of them wearing an expression of shock on their faces.

"Reporting... Your Majesty..."

One guard said, out of breath, "We... discovered a massive amount of spiritual treasures in the Dongfu of Gui Chengxiang!"

The Demon Emperor's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding surged into his mind.

"What?! How... how many are there?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, they are countless! There are many spiritual treasures, exactly those that Your Majesty lost before!"

The guard's answer was like a bolt from the blue.

It stunned the Demon Emperor so much that he could not speak for a long time.

The Demon Emperor only felt his vision go dark, and he nearly failed to stand steady.

He staggered to the dragon throne and sat down, his hands trembling as he gripped the armrests.

He remembered the heartache he felt when he lost his spiritual treasures in the past.

Thinking about it now, he had truly been blinded by the old turtle's honest appearance!

"This old thing... actually dared to deceive me!"

The Demon Emperor said through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with rage.

Seeing this, Zhang Yi felt secretly smug.

He had long seen that the old turtle was no good, and this time he had finally let him show his true colors.

"Your Majesty, do you believe it now?"

Zhang Yi said with a smile, "This old fellow is loyal and devoted on the surface, but behind the scenes, he engages in petty thievery; he is truly a hypocrite through and through!"

The Demon Emperor's face was ashen, and he did not say a word.

He never imagined that the minister he trusted most would betray him; it was simply infuriating!

"Your Majesty, besides spiritual treasures, there were some other things in the old turtle's Dongfu..."

One guard said cautiously.

"What else?"

The Demon Emperor asked irritably.

"There were also some... female demon garments and... some unsightly pictures..."

The guard said stammeringly, not daring to look the Demon Emperor in the eye.

Upon hearing this, the Demon Emperor was suddenly furious.

"What?! This old thing actually dared to..."

He stood up abruptly, slammed his palm onto the armrest of the dragon throne, and roared: "Men! Drag the old turtle's corpse out and grind his bones to dust!"

The guards looked at each other, not daring to step forward.

Although the old turtle was dead, he was, after all, an old minister of the Yao Di Fu; would grinding his bones to dust be going a bit too far?

Seeing this, Zhang Yi quickly advised: "Your Majesty, calm your anger. Although the old turtle committed heinous crimes, once a person dies, the lamp goes out; let him be buried and find peace."

The Demon Emperor's anger had not yet subsided, but he also knew that what Zhang Yi said made sense.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions, and ultimately gave up the idea of grinding the bones to dust.

"Forget it, just throw him into Luanzang Gang to feed the wild dogs!"

The Demon Emperor said coldly.

The guards received the order and left, dragging the old turtle's corpse out.

Watching this scene, Zhang Yi could not help but feel a bit emotional.

This old turtle calculated everything, but in the end, he met such an end; he truly brought it upon himself.

At this moment, the Demon Emperor suddenly remembered something, and he turned to look at Zhang Yi.

He asked: "Daoist, you said earlier that there was a very strong scent of spiritual treasures on the old turtle; how did you smell it?"

Zhang Yi smiled mysteriously and said: "Your Majesty, this is my unique secret technique; please forgive me for not disclosing it."

Seeing that Zhang Yi was unwilling to say more, the Demon Emperor did not press the matter.

He became even more curious about Zhang Yi; this seemingly irreverent fellow seemed to hide many secrets.

Above the main hall of the Yao Di Fu.

The atmosphere was so heavy it felt as if it could drip water.

The Demon Emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, his face terrifyingly gloomy, his gaze sweeping over the Demon Ministers below the hall.

"You have all seen the old turtle's end!"

His voice was low, yet carried an unquestionable majesty, "I will ask one more time: in the future, who else dares to betray me?!"

The Demon Ministers were silent as cicadas in winter, one after another kneeling and kowtowing.

"Long live the Emperor, long live, long live! We subjects swear to be loyal to Your Majesty unto death; we would never dare to have two hearts!"

The Demon Emperor gave a cold snort, his gaze turning toward Heilong and the Flood Dragon cowering in the corner.

These two fellows were already scared out of their wits at this moment.

Their dragon scales had lost their luster, and their entire bodies were trembling.

In the great hall, whispers rose and fell one after another.

"These two idiots are dead for sure this time!"

A Demon Minister said in a low voice, gloating over their misfortune.

"Isn't that so? Hanging out with that old turtle bastard, what kind of good end could they possibly have?"

Another fat-headed, big-eared Demon Minister chimed in, his eyes full of mockery.

"Your Majesty, the crimes of Heilong and the Flood Dragon are unforgivable; please grant them death, Your Majesty!"

A Demon General stepped out and said, cupping his hands.

He had long found Heilong and the Flood Dragon unpleasant to look at, and now that he had caught an opportunity, he naturally wanted to kick them while they were down.

"Your Majesty, calm your anger!"

An old Demon Minister with white eyebrows and a white beard stepped out and tremblingly advised, "Although Heilong and the Flood Dragon have committed errors, they have also rendered great service to Your Majesty in the past. I beg Your Majesty to remember their past merits and spare their lives!"

"That's right, Your Majesty, the two of them were just confused for a moment and were bewitched by that old thing, the old turtle!"

Another Demon Minister who was on good terms with Heilong and the Flood Dragon also hurriedly chimed in to help.

Heilong and the Flood Dragon were streaming with tears and snot, desperately kowtowing to beg for mercy: "Spare our lives, Your Majesty! We know we were wrong, we will never dare to do it again!"

The Demon Emperor remained silent throughout, only coldly watching their performance.

After a long while, he suddenly turned his head to look at Zhang Yi and asked, "Brother Zhang, in your opinion, how should these two fellows be dealt with?"

Zhang Yi fanned himself with a feather fan and walked out unhurriedly.

He swept a glance at Heilong and the Flood Dragon, who were trembling as they knelt on the ground.

He then looked at the arguing Demon Ministers before speaking in a leisurely manner.

"In my view, killing them would be letting them off too easily; why not..."

He paused deliberately, whetting everyone's appetite.

He then continued: "Why not let them atone for their crimes through service and make up for their faults."

"Oh? What brilliant plan does the Daoist have?"

The Demon Emperor asked with interest.

Zhang Yi smiled mysteriously, leaned into the Demon Emperor's ear, and whispered a few words.

After listening, the Demon Emperor was stunned for a moment, then immediately burst into loud laughter: "Good! We shall do as Brother Zhang says!"

He turned his head to look at Heilong and the Flood Dragon and said, "Considering that you have also rendered some insignificant service to Us in the past, We will give you a chance to atone for your crimes. From today on, you shall go to..."

The Demon Emperor paused deliberately, then slowly said: "Go to Our Yuhua Yuan... and spread fertilizer!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire court was in an uproar.

Spreading fertilizer in the Yuhua Yuan?