Daily life of a cultivation judge

After getting his response, maybe to try and shake the nervousness that was within him, Chen Lai found himself straightening his robes, and taking a few breaths. Even though he had already steeled himself for what he was about to say, the convicting pressure the court had on him, he felt like he was facing the inviolable presence and weight of the heavens itself, judging his guilt.

Forcefully pushing back his nervousness, Chen Lai spoke.

"I admit my guilt in the harboring and nurturing of pill slaves and human cauldrons and I admit my guilt to everything the court has presented as evidence of my crime. I did those things with willful thought, no one tricked me, blackmailed me, or threatened me into doing them. I chose to do them, and I accept whatever punishment the court deems fit for those crimes.." Chen Lai said as his voice though low, reverberated around the courtroom.

"The court acknowledges and commends your admission of guilt, Chen Lai, and while it may have no immediate impact on the sentence handed to you, at a later time it may.." said Yang Qing as he motioned for Chen Lai to step back.

With Chen Lai having taken the lead, and Yang Qing's statement, the elders no longer seemed hesitant, as one after another took to the podium, directly admitting their guilt whilst also making a plea to Chen Zian to not pin the blame of any of their actions on their family members who were uninvolved in the matter.

With not one of them choosing to confess rather than make excuses, everything progressed fast. However, even though all of them, confessed, for some it wasn't what they truly wanted to do as Yang Qing noticed the reluctance in their eyes.

Those figures only did so due to cowering under the mounting pressure that was on them when one elder after the other chose to confess and own up rather than defend themselves. But it wasn't just that, the insurmountable and damning evidence against them was also a huge factor for their admission, that and the unveiled threat Yang Qing had repetitively made on what awaited them if they dared lied to the court.

Whether out of a renewed sense of decency and responsibility or out of fear, Yang Qing was all too pleased with the rapid and smooth progress, that those admissions brought.

With all the admissions finally in place, he could finally give his verdict.

"I, having found all evidence sufficient enough to pass a fair verdict, hereby present my sentence as the judge in charge of this case.

Chen Lai, Chen Lin, Chen Shanyuan, Chen Hou, Chen Gong, Chen Yufen, Chen Huang, Chen Mo, Chen Jiang, Chen Qiao, Chen Longwei, Chen Zedong, Chen Liwei, and lastly, Chen Han,

I find you all guilty of violating the Cultivator Baseline Conduct Charter for harboring and nurturing pill slaves and human cauldrons and as such for the violation the penalty is execution by cleansing from the chaos yang fire of redemption for the next 247 years which matches the number of victims you have converted into pill slaves and human cauldrons, both the living and the dead.

As per the rules, those who survive the entirety of that cleansing, if you survive to the last day, you will be released.."

When Yang Qing said that, the eyes of almost every person charged lit up, whether it was the Chen elders being sentenced, or Song Ba or Shen Mu.

When Yang Qing announced that only death awaited them even though they had accepted it, it was still a hard pill to swallow, and now hearing that there was a chance at freedom, it was like a severely dehydrated person coming across a single dew drop on a blade of grass. Even if it wasn't enough to satiate their thirst, the dehydrated person, that drop was no different than coming across a big oasis.

That sentiment was the same to those in the courtroom about to be sentenced. They didn't know how it felt to be cleansed by the chaos yang river or redemption, but no matter how difficult it was, each and every one of them thought to themselves, that surely they would be able to survive as long as they grit their teeth and steeled themselves through the cleansing.

They all increasingly felt they had sufficient willpower and desperation to weather through it, and no matter how torturous the process was likely to be, they only needed to survive 247 years. As late-stage core formation experts, 247 years was as long as a nap to them. A blink of an eye and it was done.

"Is this true? If we survive those years, will we be let go?" eagerly asked one of the elders whose excitement had gave him the courage to speak up.

"It is. As long as you survive till the last day of the 247 years your debt to those you harmed will be considered repaid. I can swear a grand dao oath to attest to it if you want?"

"No, no, there's no need for that, I believe you.." ecstatically said the elder with a wide smile on his face that was mirrored with by the rest.

Yang Qing paused as he gave them time to internalize the news while taking in their reactions while sighing on the inside when he saw those elders' eyes shining with hope. Even Shen Mu at the side seemed hesitant.

As per the terms of his deal, for his testimony, he was spared the treatment of the chaos yang river of redemption, but the substitute for being spared was he would be imprisoned indefinitely until his lifespan ran out.

He would not be tortured and would get to live out his days as a regular at the Requiem. It was a good deal on all accounts the treatment of the chaos yang river of redemption, but the substitute for being spared was he would be imprisoned since, even though the environment was harsh, Shen Mu had been informed that he would still be able to cultivate and there have been records of prisoners having major breakthroughs because of the richness of the environment there.

But even with all that, some part of him was tempted to ask for a switch of his deal. Even if he kept his life, life imprisonment no matter the conditions was still life imprisonment, and the Requiem despite having records of cultivators breaking through, who knew the real reason why they broke through.

Most cultivators broke through under the pressure of death or being tempered by extremely difficult situations. Requiem being a prison was definitely not short of life-threatening and extremely difficult obstacles.

The deal only said they would not torture him, but it didn't entail guaranteeing his protection in there and if he was being perfectly honest, a huge part of him, no matter how deserving he felt of the punishment handed to him, if he was given a shot at freedom, he would take it in a heartbeat.

And now, with what Yang Qing just announced, there was a way he could get an early release. If he asked for his sentence to be switched to the cleansing , he was sure he would get less years than the elders as he wasn't directly involved nor had knowledge of the business they were doing. He was just the supplier of those kids, some he kidnapped yes, but some came willingly. Add that and all the other crimes he was guilty of he felt he would get maybe 100 years and even less maybe on account of his mother and her identity.

"Maybe.." he'd only just thought of this as he turned to face his mother, only to freeze when he saw her shake her head as if she had read through his thoughts.

"Why?" he looked questioningly. Yes, his willpower may have not been his strongest suit considering the path he ended up taking after suffering a major loss, but he was different now, right? His mother was alive, he was repentant,and he had asaber intent which wasn't only a powerful combat tool, but strengthened the user's spirit too.

Surely he could survive it, right? His odds were surely better than those elders, and at less the time However, his thoughts were cut short when he saw the other person who had made a deal close to his, remain unshaken by the news. He was about the only person to remain the same. That person was Song Ba. Shen Mu didn't believe it, he had expected a similar reaction from ther merchant when a shot at freedom was presented to him, but it was like he hadn't even registered what Yang Qing had said.

On sensing his gaze, Song Ba turned to him and smiled.