Chapter 978, Getting Punished

Translator: Jon

Translation Checker: Silavin

 

One-Eyed Man was ready. With the Reverse Dragon Spine in his hand, he walked towards Zhou Kui and glanced at him. “Do you want me to tie you up? Or do you want to hold onto the ropes tightly on your own?”

 

On both sides of the instrument, some ropes were used to restrain the person getting punished, for he might pass out. While restrained, the person wouldn’t collapse to the ground at the very least.

 

Certainly, if one refused to be tied up, he could grab the ropes instead.

 

Zhou Kui was gutsy. Knowing that the punishment was unavoidable, he gritted his teeth and said, “There’s no need for that.”

 

He was a Body-tempering Cultivator with a robust body. Although he had heard how powerful the Reverse Dragon Spine was, he reckoned he could withstand the punishment.

 

With that, he stepped forward and took off his top, revealing his firm body. Then, he held onto the ropes and growled, “Come on!”

 

Seeing that, the members of Team A5 gave him some encouragement. “Hang in there, Team Leader!”

 

“Sure!” Zhou Kui snorted.

 

“You have to hold on, then.” One-Eyed Man stood behind Zhou Kui and took in a mouthful of wine before spraying it on the Reverse Dragon Spine. Following that, he struck Zhou Kui with the whip.

 

The sound of Zhou Kui getting whipped was loud. Blood spurted from his back as a piece of his flesh was gone.

 

As if struck by lightning, he stiffened at once and tipped his head back. His eyes, which instantly turned bloodshot, almost popped out. His expression also became hideous.

 

He remained in the same position for three breaths of time before a shriek escaped him.

 

He realised he had underestimated the Reverse Dragon Spine’s power. He could’ve endured it if the item only harmed his body. However, the item didn’t only strike his body but also his Divine Soul. Following the whip, he felt as if his Divine Soul had been torn apart.

 

When the members of the Law Enforcement Hall saw that, they donned solemn expressions.

 

After witnessing Zhou Kui’s reaction, they realised how horrifying the Reverse Dragon Spine truly was. When they thought about the fact that they had to be whipped later, they trembled uncontrollably.

 

Zhou Kui was whipped once again.

 

One-Eyed Man had been in charge of the prison for years, so he knew how to make someone suffer the most and how to extend the pain.

 

To deal with a confident Body-tempering Cultivator like Zhou Kui, a whip every five breaths of time would be a good interval.

 

Zhou Kui suddenly stopped screaming as he took a deep breath without releasing it. It wasn’t until a moment later that he shrieked again.

 

Ignoring his suffering, One-Eyed Man punished him at his own pace. Following several whips, Zhou Kui collapsed to the ground.

 

Although he had blacked out, his body was convulsing.

 

“Team Leader!” exclaimed the members of Team A5. The others were terrified as well.

 

Even a Body-tempering Cultivator like Zhou Kui passed out after several whips. Who else could endure the punishments when most of them at the scene were weaker than Zhou Kui?

 

“Well, I’ll have to tie him up, then.” One-Eyed Man stepped forward and hoisted Zhou Kui before tying his hands to the instrument.

 

He wasn’t in a hurry to resume the punishment, though. Instead, he walked up to Zhou Kui and took in a mouthful of wine before spraying it on his face.

 

Since it was a punishment, the one getting punished must be conscious during the process. Otherwise, the punishment would be meaningless.

 

“Widen your eyes and take a good look at it!” Qian Wudang suddenly bellowed. Some people were traumatised and couldn’t bear to look at Zhou Kui getting tortured. After all, none of them would be spared from the punishment of getting whipped.

 

Feeling some liquid on his face, Zhou Kui regained his senses.

 

“Can you still hold on?” asked One-Eyed Man caringly.

 

Zhou Kui said through clenched teeth. “Go… on!”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, he was whipped once again. A shriek escaped him.

 

A moment later, the punishment of ten whips was over. All of them were relieved as though they were the ones getting punished.

 

Only then did they know how tortuous it was in the prison. In such a situation, even if they were only watching someone else getting tortured, they would never forget it for the rest of their lives. Regardless of what they might come across in the future, they would never dare to break the rules again.

 

“Another… five whips!” Zhou Kui was soaked in sweat, and his back was covered in blood. Still, he gritted his teeth and held on.

 

Qian Wudang was so exasperated that he laughed. “What’s wrong? Are you addicted to getting punished?”

 

“Xiao Ling is a woman, so it’s not appropriate for her to be punished in front of so many people. I’ll be punished in her stead. Please agree to it, Sir,” Zhou Kui said.

 

Xiao Ling was the female cultivator in his team.

 

Upon hearing that, Zhang Cheng turned pale at once.

 

That was because Zhou Kui only had one female cultivator in his team, whereas Zhang Cheng had two in his team. In other words, if he had to get punished in their stead, he would be whipped 20 times in total, which might kill him.

 

“It’s granted,” Qian Wudang said and sent a signal to One-Eyed Man.

 

After another five whips, Zhou Kui was released. The female cultivator named Xiao Ling hurriedly went over and helped him up. Even though Zhou Kui was a Body-tempering Cultivator, he still seemed to be on his last legs.

 

While Zhang Cheng was thinking about the punishment of 20 whips, Lu Ye and Geng Wuwang took his arms on each side and pushed him towards the instrument.

 

Qian Wudang sneered. “I didn’t expect my subordinates to be pretty enthusiastic about getting punished. In that case, you shall grant his wish, One-Eyed Man.”

 

One-Eyed Man nodded solemnly. “Commander, since you’ve said so, I’ll oblige.”

 

“No, I…” Zhang Cheng was unable to refute them. He turned to glower at Lu Ye and Geng Wuwang. “It’s not over between us!”

 

Geng Wuwang looked up at the ceiling while Lu Ye glanced down at the ground. It was as though it had nothing to do with them.

 

Zhang Cheng was weaker than Zhou Kui when it came to his cultivation and physique. During the process, he passed out three times. When he was on the 15th whip, he became motionless. One-Eyed Man could no longer wake him up by spraying wine on him.

 

“Commander, he’ll lose his life if the punishment goes on.” One-Eyed Man glanced at Qian Wudang.

 

Certainly, Qian Wudang had no intention of killing anyone. He just wanted to take this opportunity to teach these reckless people a lesson. As such, he said, “He still owes you five whips. When he recovers, make him come over and receive two times the punishment.”

 

The members of Team D7 were relieved as they went over and took their team leader away.

 

“I’ll get punished first.” Geng Wuwang stepped forward. Lu Ye didn’t offer to be punished first, for he would experience it at a later time anyway.

 

Geng Wuwang took off his top and grabbed the ropes on the instrument. As he stood still, he said calmly, “I’ll take on five more whips in Mu Zheng’s stead.”

 

A moment later, his punishment was over.

 

Of these three people, he had shown the best resilience. Although he had shrieked, he didn’t pass out. He even managed to walk away from the instrument. However, his back was soaked in blood. The wounds were so severe that even his bones were faintly seen. When Mu Zheng saw that, she couldn’t help sobbing.

 

Since three out of four team leaders had been punished, only Lu Ye was left.

 

He took off his Red Dragon Warsuit and exposed his upper body before walking towards the instrument. Then, he hung his head low, ready to accept the punishment.

 

Qian Wudang coughed. “Lu Yi Ye, before the punishment starts, do you have anything to say?”

 

After giving it some thought, Lu Ye replied, “We’re in the wrong today. You’ve been impartial, Commander. We should learn from you and keep this lesson in mind.”

 

[That’s it?] Qian Wudang glowered at Lu Ye, who looked back at him calmly.

 

Gradually, Qian Wudang seemed to be pleading with the other man with his eyes. Only then did Lu Ye realise his intention. “Oh, by the way, I’ll take on another five whips in Lin Yinxiu’s stead as well.”

 

Qian Wudang let out a sigh of relief. Naturally, he understood that Lu Ye was teasing him, but there was nothing he could do about it.

 

“Let’s start,” he ordered.

 

The next instant, One-Eyed Man struck Lu Ye with the whip.

 

Lu Ye instantly felt a sharp pain in his back as if he had been whipped by lightning. However, he almost didn’t feel any pain in his Divine Soul, unlike the previous time.

 

He could feel that the moment the Reverse Dragon Spine struck, an invisible force came right at his Divine Pool, but it was stopped by the two illusory Dragons.

 

The Divine Pool remained unaffected.

 

After he was startled for a moment, he screamed louder than the three people before him.

 

The whipping sounds were rhythmic as Lu Ye shrieked louder each time.

 

What surprised everyone was that even though Lu Ye seemed to be enduring excruciating pain, he showed no signs of passing out.

 

Naturally, Lu Ye didn’t want to black out. Otherwise, One-Eyed Man would rouse him by spraying a mouthful of wine on his face. Lu Ye didn’t want to experience that.

 

The punishment of 15 whips was soon over. Although Lu Ye gasped in pain as his back was badly injured, he was in a much better state than the other three people.

 

Qian Wudang frowned and looked inquisitively at One-Eyed Man. He felt that even if One-Eyed Man had held back his power for Lin Yinxiu’s sake, it didn’t have to be so conspicuous.

 

One-Eyed Man was innocent, though.

 

Although he had indeed slightly held back his power this time compared with the previous three punishments, he wouldn’t go easy on Lu Ye. He reckoned that Lu Ye would pass out two to three times during the punishment of 15 whips.

 

Much to his surprise, Lu Ye remained conscious throughout the entire process.

 

As he recalled the previous time Lu Ye was punished, he could finally confirm that Lu Ye had a much stronger Divine Soul than other people. That was why he was able to withstand the power of the Reverse Dragon Spine.

 

All four team leaders had been punished. They were consuming Spirit Pills and recuperating in silence. Still, they were hostile towards each other.

 

Lu Ye and Geng Wuwang gathered in one place, whereas Zhou Kui and Zhang Cheng were on the other side.

 

It was the other team members’ turn.

 

There was no doubt One-Eyed Man had hastened his pace when punishing these team members. During the punishments, they felt that life was like a living Hell. Many of them blacked out.

 

It wasn’t until an hour later that all the punishments were over.

 

Apart from the female cultivators, all these people who had entered the prison left the place with blood-soaked backs.

 

Zhang Cheng suffered the most among these people. He had to receive two times the punishment of five whips at a later time. At the thought of this, he felt like ending his life.

 

As Qian Wudang looked at these cultivators, who were gasping and suppressing their pain, he snapped. “As members of the Law Enforcement Hall, you’re supposed to be the role models for everyone else. Since it’s your first time making a mistake, the punishments only serve as a warning to you. Is anyone not happy with it?”

 

Certainly, no one would dare to express their true feelings.

 

“If this happens again, I’ll personally punish you!” As Qian Wudang spoke, he waved his hand. “Now, get lost!”