Chapter 186: A New Crisis

Castration?

The crowd below the stage was in an immediate uproar.

This type of punishment was generally only used on sycophantic officials and eunuchs.

As the head of an academy, what virtue or ability did he possess to deserve not only facial tattooing, but also castration? A needle tip slightly thicker than an embroidery needle, dipped in a specially prepared dark green medicinal liquid, mercilessly pierced Zhao Zhibing's cheek again and again. His skin was fair, which only made the tattooed characters on his face look even more terrifying and ghastly.

The medicinal liquid mixed with blood flowed out, smearing his entire face, only to be wiped away a moment later by a petty official with a dirty rag, lest it affect the regularity of the character strokes.

Zhao Zhibing wanted to struggle, but his hands and feet were tied tightly to the execution rack, and an iron ring was clamped around his neck; every time he turned his head, he would be unable to breathe, so he could only grunt and groan in pain.

"We've barely started, and you already feel pain, my lord?" the petty official advised: "The Emperor's heavenly grace has spared your life and retained your official position; you should be kowtowing in gratitude to the heavens and feeling deep, heartfelt appreciation."

Zhao Zhibing could only remain speechless.

Beyond the stinging pain on his face, having his entire body exposed to the sunlight while being pointed at and loudly discussed by the people below the stage made him feel even more ashamed and desperate.

He was a top scholar who had studied poetry and books for twenty years to pass the examinations, and he had been granted an official position by the Emperor—why, why should he suffer such punishment and misery because of a lowly woman!

A flash of resentment flickered in his bloodshot eyes.

Before he could curse a few more times in his heart, the petty official who had done the facial tattooing signaled to the eunuch nearby that it was over.

That eunuch was an old hand in the palace. Castration was not like a palace physical examination; it was handled more casually. He took a sip of wine, sprayed it onto a semi-circular small blade in his hand, and with one swift motion, he finished the act, his other hand immediately picking up a branding iron from the charcoal brazier nearby and pressing it directly onto the wound.

His technique was smooth and practiced. Zhao Zhibing was stunned for half a second before letting out a miserable scream, his entire body convulsing uncontrollably until he rolled his eyes and fainted.

The red-hot branding iron made a sizzling sound against the flesh, emitting a wisp of white steam and the stench of burnt, foul-smelling matter.

After waiting a few seconds for the bleeding to subside, the branding iron was removed.

Several servants carried the man away, while the remaining people began splashing water to scrub the ground; the eunuch and the petty official also prepared to return to report the completion of their task.

Seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, the audience below the stage dispersed.

This little incident was enough to provide them with conversation topics for three days.

Some servants who had been ordered by their masters to observe the scene also hurried back to report the news.

"It seems the Emperor truly values this Three Lives Fairy. There has never been a female National Preceptor since the National Teacher Palace began keeping records. Could it be that the heavens are about to change..."

The officials who received the news thought as much.

However, the aristocratic officials who were still alive were basically all from the Conservative Faction, unwilling to openly oppose the Emperor.

Since the Emperor was determined to do this, they could only hurry to educate their own daughters well and see if they could find a way into the Inner Court.

Furthermore, there was another strange point: because the Xumi Realm valued literature over martial arts, its armed forces had always been very weak. Apart from the Capital, the other five cities were jointly governed by the Government and local gangs. The imperial court turned a blind eye to this; as long as the gangs did not go too far, they left them alone.

Therefore, it was very difficult for government decrees from the Capital to be executed quickly in the various regions.

Yet this time, both the Righteousness Manor and the Women's School were completed within three months.

This left the aristocratic families feeling quite incredulous.

This point... the credit belonged entirely to Hu San, Wang Dongxing, and Liu Shouye.

In order to protect Ruan Xing's assets and find a place for his younger brother to cultivate, Hu San had been constantly expanding outward. Even before there was any cultivation, the Red Head Gang under Hu San's leadership already covered three cities.

As for Wang Dongxing, he would open as many storefronts as there was territory. He cooperated with the gangs in other towns to dismantle them; since they were already weaker than the Red Head Gang and had to bow their heads before others, now that someone wanted to bring them along to make money, why wouldn't they hurry to kneel and acknowledge a big brother?

The most important point was that Liu Shouye, as a backer, opened wide the doors of convenience for the Red Head Gang. Unlike in other towns where the Patrol Division treated gangs as money bags to shake down whenever they pleased, the Patrol Division under his command was instead like family with the Red Head Gang.

Therefore, among the five cities, the execution of government decrees was actually more proactive than in the Capital.

Moreover, those who mixed in gangs did not care about status or background; they were all from the bottom of society themselves, and who knew if they might end up lying in a mass grave if the gang collapsed one day, so what was there to oppose?

This public execution also intimidated a group of people, who from then on dared not openly and wantonly bully women.

The three old men from the National Teacher Palace were sent to the Three Lives Academy. The first old man to eat the Beauty-Restoring Pill was glowing with health, and every day he was envied and hated by the other two. Although the three of them did not think women could accomplish anything in their hearts, for the sake of the Beauty-Restoring Pill, they still taught diligently and earnestly.

Zhengfuci was also lucky; she tested positive for a Spirit Bone and remained at the National Teacher Palace. The Fairy stayed there directly, selecting new disciples while teaching Zhengfuci to cultivate.

The Law Enforcement Hall had nothing to do, so Cui Yurong stayed at the Righteousness Manor in the suburbs, intending to cultivate there while keeping an eye out for any evildoers in the Capital; if there were any, she would drag them out and send them to Xu Can for him to deal with.

As for Ruan Xing, after finishing her affairs, she went to the underground water pool of the National Teacher Palace to see the little seed.

The little seed was working hard to absorb the life and power of the Boundary Tree and already showed signs of sprouting.

The Boundary Tree had also become somewhat weak, spending most of its time in a deep sleep.

After being awakened by Ruan Xing, its voice was somewhat dazed, "What is it?"

Ruan Xing just treated it as a casual chat and said offhandedly, "Let me show you the Xumi Realm as it is now, how about that?"

The entire Xumi Realm was almost entirely the eyes and ears of the Boundary Tree; it naturally could clearly see the current state of the Xumi Realm.

After a pause, it said with gratification, "Very good. This way, after the boundary disappears, they will not be reduced to fodder for Monster Beasts."

It could tell that Ruan Xing had already stirred up the people's desire for the Dao.

Seedlings with Spirit Bones would flow toward the National Teacher Palace in an endless stream.

When the number of disciples in the National Teacher Palace increased day by day in the future, with the story of the Three Lives Fairy spreading, their thinking would have been changed, and the one teaching them to cultivate would also be a Fairy.

I fear that in a few years, the status of women will be able to trend toward equality and no longer be so humble.

And these disciples will then be the backbone force guarding the Xumi Realm.

"When will the boundary disappear?" Ruan Xing asked.

She needed to master this timing.

"Three years from now, I will die completely. The seed will sprout and take over the boundary I have laid down. Afterward, you can transplant the seed to Tianxin Island at any time, letting it slowly grow the Ascension to Heaven Staircase."

Ruan Xing asked, "In other words, if I don't transplant the seed, the boundary will exist forever?"

"Of course, but keeping the seed with you will only serve as a boundary. Do you not want to ascend? Transplant the seed, grow the Ascension to Heaven Staircase, and you can transcend the continent and ascend to the Spirit Realm."

The Boundary Tree's voice carried a hint of relaxed, liberated laughter.

Ruan Xing naturally wanted to ascend.

It was just that...

"I have been to Tianxin Island before," Ruan Xing said. "It has now become a Land of No Spirit. If the seed is transplanted there, can it still survive?"

The Boundary Tree was somewhat uncomposed, "How is that possible?!"

"How could it have become a Juelin Zhidi? Did someone take away the Clear and Turbid Qi in the Heavenly Pool?"

Clear and Turbid Qi? Ruan Xing suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

She knew why that name in the Forest of Steles sounded familiar! Han Qianjun, the name of Hanshan Xianjun, was indeed Han Qianjun!

Xie Huai had mentioned this name when he introduced things to her! After the Xian Tai Tree fell, the Tianxin Island and the Floating Island did not become a Juelin Zhidi; it was Hanshan Xianjun who went to the Heavenly Pool intending to take that wisp of Dao Rhyme, but upon discovering the Dao Rhyme had long since dissipated, he took away the Clear and Turbid Qi instead, using the Turbid Qi to suppress the Yin Ghosts and vengeful spirits born from that great battle, and not long after, he himself returned to the void.

The more Ruan Xing thought about it, the more she felt this was the case! It all connected, it all connected!

However, she was the one who had to clean up this mess from thousands of years ago! The Clear and Turbid Qi had now become the Snow Marrow and Ink Marrow; one was Sword, and the other was Cai Jiao. She could not possibly sacrifice the two of them to exchange for the Clear and Turbid Qi.

Ruan Xing rubbed her brow in headache and let out a long sigh, "In any case, it is a Juelin Zhidi now. Is transplanting still useful?"

Although the Boundary Tree seemed somewhat grave, it remained unhurried, "It is useful. As long as the transplant is successful and the Ascension to Heaven Staircase is opened, the Spirit Qi will slowly return. There is a Heavenly Antenna on that island, linking the Spirit Realm and Xian Tai; the Ascension to Heaven Staircase is born precisely from this."

And after hearing this, Ruan Xing's vision went black.

It's over, it's all over!

That silver thread she had broken back then was ninety-nine percent likely the Heavenly Antenna the Boundary Tree spoke of! But it was already broken! She asked with little hope, "What if the Heavenly Antenna is also broken..."

"Once the Heavenly Antenna breaks, Tianxin Island and the Floating Island will fall, and there will be no possibility of ascension in this realm, because the power of the seed is insufficient to support such a long Ascension to Heaven Staircase... This is the fundamental reason why Xian Tai floats in the sky." The Boundary Tree said with a sense of vicissitudes, "I have been trapped for thousands of years and did not know the outside world had become so tragic. Since there is no hope for ascension, after the seed sprouts, whether you transplant it or not is up to you..."

It sighed imperceptibly.

The Boundary Tree's words, however, gave Ruan Xing new hope.

"Although the Heavenly Antenna is broken, Tianxin Island has not yet fallen." Ruan Xing said, "Before it completely crashes, is there any hope of repairing the Ascension to Heaven Staircase?"

"It is possible. After the Heavenly Antenna breaks, it will likely take another hundred years or so to fall completely. However, the longer it is dragged out, the longer the Ascension to Heaven Staircase will be. I cannot guarantee how long of an Ascension to Heaven Staircase the seed will be able to produce."

A hundred years or so.

With her experiences inside the Simulator, Ruan Xing could estimate that from the breaking of the Heavenly Antenna to the complete crash, it was about one hundred and ninety years.

There were now one hundred and eighty-eight years left.

And for every year it was dragged out, the distance of the sinking would become a little more.

The best method was to transplant it immediately after three years.

But at that time, how would she go to the Juelin Zhidi? What level of strength would she be able to reach? Would other Sects, especially the Xuanbing Sect located under Tianxin Island, be happy to see her do this?

That was hard to say. If they were happy, they wouldn't have buried the history thousands of years ago to create the illusion that people were still ascending to this day.

She said calmly, "Alright, I understand. You focus on nurturing the seed."

The Boundary Tree fell back into a deep slumber.

Ruan Xing emerged from the underground water bubble and returned to the Fengling Yueying Sect.

There was no use in being anxious now; everything had to wait until three years later.

She could only lie low for the time being, improving herself while waiting.

Walking into the main hall with a heavy heart, the Demon Lord, who had rarely been seen during this period, sidled over with a cheeky grin.

"Yo, busy Sect Master, you're back. Are you tired?" the Demon Lord teased.

Ruan Xing, who had just received heavy news within the Xumi Realm, was in no mood to deal with him and said perfunctorily, "Something up?"

"There is, very much so." The Demon Lord said, "The Underground Palace has been built for the Sect Master. Would you care to grace it with a look?"

Ruan Xing's initial intention in building the Underground Palace was just to tear down that forest that had killed her; she felt it wouldn't look good if she didn't build something.

It didn't really matter what it was built into; she lived in the main hall, and the Underground Palace might be used as other functional buildings in the future.

"Look at it next time." Ruan Xing replied, "Anything else?"

"I heard that the mysterious big guy in the Xumi Realm has been subdued by you. Can I go take a look?" The Demon Lord's eyes brightened as he asked for her opinion in a soft voice.

The Boundary Tree was still sleeping, busy nurturing the seed, and Ruan Xing did not want anyone to disturb it, so she said, "No."

Immediately, she frowned, "How do you know? Did you enter the Xumi Realm?"

The barrier could not stop a Puppet, but the fairy was relatively well-mannered and would not enter without Ruan Xing's permission.

The Demon Lord was different; he had no manners.

The Demon Lord did not lie either, admitting it openly. He grinned, "I went, I reached the National Teacher Palace, but I couldn't get down."

Even Ruan Xing had to wake the Boundary Tree before she could enter the underground water bubble.

It was no surprise that the Demon Lord was blocked by the water bubble.

However, the water bubble was milky white and translucent.

Could he be... wanting to eat at a buffet!? The Demon Lord licked his lips; he hadn't eaten for a long time.

Ruan Xing hadn't brought him when she struck the Six Suns Study, and most of the Golden Core cultivators had been blown into fragments or burned to powder by Cui Yurong.

The fish that slipped through the net had also been made into Puppets in Ruan Xing's Storage Bag.

Not a single scrap of leftovers had been left for him.

Thinking of this, the Demon Lord was somewhat dissatisfied, "Demon Cultivators value profit above all else. A leader like you won't be obeyed by anyone in the Northern Territory. Even if they obey with their mouths, they won't in their hearts."

"I am not a Demon Cultivator." Ruan Xing glanced at him indifferently, "And don't you go instilling this idea into the disciples within my Sect."

"You aren't a Demon Cultivator, yet you are more cruel than one." The Demon Lord clicked his tongue resentfully, "You want to watch me starve to death."

He now had a Puppet Body and had condensed Yin Qi, so naturally, he wouldn't starve to death.

But in the Secret Realm Cave Abode, he had been on the verge of starving to death many times.

This caused his teeth to itch from not eating for several years, and his stomach felt empty.

"I will not let you go to that underground water bubble in the Xumi Realm." Ruan Xing decisively cut off the Demon Lord's thoughts, then appeased him, "If you want to eat, there will be opportunities, but not now."

"Then how long do I have to wait?"

Ruan Xing smiled slightly.

That Demon Cultivator who collaborated with the Six Suns Study would likely send people within these few years.

Once they came, she would not let these people go back.

Given that she had died miserably at the hands of Demon Cultivators many times at the age of twenty-three, this meeting would be treated as a bit of interest.

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