Chapter 189: CH. 189 | Punishment and Chance
Han Zhou froze, his mouth clamped shut, unsure what to say.
He and everyone else in his sect had been cultivating for decades, some for centuries.
Their experience in the cultivation world far outstripped the lives of every mortal in the Qin Kingdom.
Still, that didn’t change how Lin Tian saw them. To him, they were simply a group of traitors, ones who had killed countless mortals and cultivators to help the Yuanmo Sect.
Lin Tian worried that if they kept cultivating, they’d betray someone again eventually, and cause even worse damage than what had already happened.
"W-We’ll tear down our own cultivation base and become mortals. But I have one request," Han Zhou said.
"Go ahead."
"The decision to side with the Yuanmo Sect was mine and the other elders’ alone. The other disciples had nothing to do with it."
Han Zhou immediately dropped to the ground, pressing his face down, begging for Lin Tian’s mercy, "Please... let my disciples keep cultivating."
Zhu Xian and Si Lingxi were taken aback by Han Zhou’s display. Both women turned to look at Lin Tian right away. They clearly wanted to know what he was thinking after witnessing this.
Lin Tian let out a quiet breath, then walked over to Han Zhou and helped him back to his feet.
He said he would go along with what the man wanted, but there would be conditions.
"I’ll let the disciples below Core Formation keep cultivating. They’ll join the Lingxian Sect."
"As for disciples at the Core Formation stage, I’ll allow it too, but with a condition. They’ll each be marked with a restraining seal on their hearts, one that will detonate if they ever betray anyone."
Han Zhou lifted his head and nodded eagerly, a wide smile spreading across his face now that his disciples had a real chance to keep cultivating.
"Thank you."
"Thank you for your generosity, Master Lin Tian."
They walked forward, leaving that place behind, until they reached a wide open stretch of ground where many members of the Yanzhou Sect were waiting alongside the survivors of the Yuanmo Sect’s scheme.
The moment Lin Tian arrived, everyone dropped to their knees and bowed low toward him. Not a single one of them tried to object or resist.
The survivors thanked Lin Tian, Zhu Xian, and Si Lingxi for saving them. The members of the Yanzhou Sect stayed silent, waiting to hear what punishment awaited them.
Han Zhou stepped forward, standing right in front of his entire sect. He began explaining the agreement he’d reached with Lin Tian, speaking clearly enough for everyone to hear.
The sect members were stunned, shocked to learn that Lin Tian’s punishment meant stripping the cultivation base from the Yanzhou Sect Leader and all the sect elders.
Once Han Zhou finished speaking, his eyes stayed fixed on Lin Tian.
"We’re ready!"
Lin Tian gave his approval. Han Zhou and the remaining sect elders sat down on the ground right there, cross legged, and began to meditate.
They formed the seal for a simple technique meant to destroy their own cultivation base.
Their Nascent Soul spirits were shattered, their golden cores melted down, the very foundation of their cultivation torn apart.
Bursts of spiritual energy rippled out several times, startling everyone nearby.
The survivors watched with satisfaction, while the rest of the Yanzhou Sect looked on with grief.
In under half an hour, Han Zhou and the elders had completely destroyed their cultivation bases.
Lin Tian stepped forward, raising his hand to trace an ancient script in the air.
He released the ancient script forward, and it sank into the bodies of the eight people before him.
That script carried a seal forbidding cultivation, one that rooted itself directly into their spiritual core.
A burst of white qi rippled outward, spreading across the entire area. Han Zhou felt a sharp jolt of qi and briefly coughed up blood.
"You’re mortals now."
"Live well, and make up for what you’ve done."
Han Zhou and the other former elders nodded in agreement. They shed their sect robes, changed into simple clothes, and said their goodbyes to Lin Tian and the rest of the Yanzhou Sect.
They walked away from that place on foot, leaving behind the Yanzhou disciples still standing before Lin Tian.
"Those of you who’ve reached Core Formation... come forward."
Twelve disciples in total stepped toward Lin Tian. He did the same thing to them that he’d done to Han Zhou and the others.
He planted a cultivation restraining seal in their dantians, one that would hold for a hundred years.
They accepted the seal, and their bodies jolted as a surge of qi rippled through their dantian sea, though not enough to destroy their cultivation base.
"What did you just do to us?"
"I planted a restraining seal on your hearts. You can still cultivate and break through to higher stages, but if you ever intend to betray anyone, your body will be destroyed and you’ll die."
"That seal is there to stop you from ever turning traitor."
The twelve Core Formation disciples had no other choice. They nodded in agreement, fully accepting whatever Lin Tian decided. They clearly had no strength left to resist.
That left the remaining Yanzhou Sect members, those still at the Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment stages. Along with them, the other survivors were still gathered there as well.
By Lin Tian’s rough count, there were about 300 people gathered in that place altogether, survivors and sect disciples combined.
"There’s no safe place left in the Qin Kingdom right now. I can’t possibly bring all of you to the Lingxian Sect."
"But I can create a safe place for you."
They exchanged glances with each other, confused by what Lin Tian had just said. Lin Tian raised his hand, forming the seal for his technique, and aimed the black orb toward another direction.
A dimensional crack appeared, and a portal opened. Zhu Xian and Si Lingxi recognized the portal at once, the same kind Lin Tian had summoned on the rocky mountain in the northern plains.
"Go through that portal. On the other side, there’s an ideal place for you to stay for the time being."
"I-Is it safe?" one of the sect’s disciples asked.
"If I meant to kill you, I would have done it a long time ago."
They fell silent, exchanging looks with the people around them, then responded with nods. Confidence grew in their hearts, and they began stepping through the portal.
One by one they walked in, followed by the survivors, until only Zhu Xian and Si Lingxi remained, entering last alongside Lin Tian.
Elsewhere, Zhou Ru watched as a crowd of people arrived at the peak of the rocky mountain.
Since the place couldn’t hold them all, he asked any cultivator above Qi Condensation to fly instead.
The solution worked.
He looked ahead and saw that the last three people to emerge from the portal were Zhu Xian, Si Lingxi, and Lin Tian.
All three of them looked exhausted, especially Lin Tian. Once he reached the mountain peak, Lin Tian clenched his fist to shut down the array and close the portal.
"Senior," Zhou Ru greeted him.
"They’ll be staying here. This place is well suited to keep them protected," Lin Tian answered, walking toward the edge of the peak, his eyes settling on a village down in the mountain valley.
Lin Tian turned to look at Zhu Xian and Si Lingxi, "You two will handle getting that village ready and make sure it’s fit to live in. I need to cultivate for a while to recover my spiritual energy."