Chapter 408 - 407-
She was a graceful middle-aged woman with long black hair that flowed behind her like silk. Her robes fluttered gently beneath the spiritual winds high above the city, giving her an elegant yet imposing appearance.
Her beautiful face was devoid of emotion.
"Shin Riku..."
Her calm voice echoed across the sky.
"What exactly is the meaning of this?"
For a brief moment, silence descended upon the heavens.
Shin Riku sighed once more before slowly cupping his fists toward everyone present.
"Fellow Daoists..."
He paused before continuing in an even voice.
"This man’s disciple has been investigated thoroughly and found guilty of crimes committed not only against Sky Mist Sect, but against the cultivation world itself."
The expressions of several Sect Masters changed slightly.
Shin Riku continued without hesitation.
"He secretly abducted both humans and members of the non-human races before selling them to the Secret Order."
"The Secret Order is infamous throughout the world for trafficking sentient beings and conducting countless inhumane transactions involving living cultivators."
"The evidence against him is conclusive."
"Such actions are not merely crimes against Sky Mist Sect."
"They are crimes against humanity."
"They are crimes against every intelligent race inhabiting this world."
"As such..."
"He must be punished."
Throughout his explanation, Shin Riku’s expression remained perfectly composed, as though he were merely stating an undeniable fact.
He never once looked toward the livid Sect Master of the Bizarre Broken Sect.
Instead, his attention remained fixed upon the other Sect Masters, allowing them to judge the matter for themselves.
The surrounding cultivators fell into silence.
Even the Sect Masters frowned.
Within the Pangu World, there existed certain crimes that every major force unanimously despised.
Regardless of whether one belonged to a righteous sect, a demonic sect, or even an isolated clan, there were invisible lines that almost no one dared to cross.
The activities of the Secret Order were among those forbidden taboos.
Human trafficking.
The capture and sale of intelligent races.
Experimentation upon living beings.
To most cultivators, these acts were unforgivable.
However...
That was only one reason why the Secret Order had become the common enemy of countless sects.
The deeper reason lay hidden within the history of the world itself.
Long ago, after the event later known as God’s Descent, the entire world had changed forever.
A strange and terrifying corrosive substance spread across the land like an unstoppable plague.
Mountains rotted. orests withered.
Ancient rivers became tainted and polluted after God arrived.
Even the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was tainted.
Everything that had once been pure gradually decayed.
Some living creatures mutated into horrifying monsters.
Others underwent strange evolutions, becoming entirely different races from their ancestors.
Even lifeless materials failed to escape this corruption.
Rare ores, ancient weapons, and heavenly treasures absorbed the corrosive substance over countless years, eventually transforming into objects possessing terrifying supernatural characteristics.
These objects became known throughout the world as...
Forbidden Artifacts.
Unlike ordinary magical treasures, Forbidden Artifacts did not rely solely upon spiritual energy.
Each possessed its own bizarre law.
Each contained an ability that defied common sense.
Some could twist reality while others could devour souls.
Others spread corruption merely through their presence.
Many of them demanded horrific prices from their wielders.
Yet despite these dangers, every super sect desperately desired them.
The reason was simple.
The power of a single Forbidden Artifact could completely alter the balance between factions.
One artifact alone could elevate a small, unknown sect into one capable of standing alongside ancient powers.
Some possessed enough destructive force to erase an entire race from existence within moments.
Others permanently transformed the surrounding land, creating regions where ordinary cultivators could never survive.
Every Forbidden Artifact was unique.
No two were exactly alike.
Their characteristics, abilities, weaknesses, and methods of activation differed entirely from one another.
Precisely because of this uniqueness, they were treasures beyond value.
Unfortunately...
There existed individuals who refused to wait for nature to create such artifacts.
Instead...
They sought to manufacture them.
This was the true purpose behind many hidden organizations, including the Secret Order.
Through countless cruel experiments, they attempted to force the corrosive substance sleeping within every living being into evolving unnaturally.
Their goal was horrifying.
To use a living person’s body as the womb from which an entirely new Forbidden Artifact would be born.
Naturally...
The process was unimaginably cruel.
The victim’s flesh would begin to rot while they were still alive.
Their bones would slowly collapse.
Every organ within their body would gradually dissolve as the growing artifact greedily absorbed their vitality, spiritual energy, blood essence, and the corrosive substance hidden deep within their body.
The pain they experienced surpassed ordinary torture by countless times.
Most victims died long before the ritual reached its halfway point. There was no salvation. No medicine.
No technique capable of reversing the process once it had begun.
Only endless agony remained until death finally claimed them.
Even after sacrificing so many innocent lives, the success rate remained laughably low.
Perhaps one successful birth would occur out of every thousand sacrifices.
Even then...
Success was only relative.
Every person who had successfully given birth to a Forbidden Artifact died shortly afterward, their bodies completely consumed during the process.
As for the newly born artifact...
Its existence was equally unstable. Unable to sustain itself, it would often crumble into dust only hours after its creation.
Yet despite this abysmal success rate, hidden organizations continued their experiments in secret.
Because all it would take...
Was a single successful Forbidden Artifact to change the fate of an entire sect, or plunge the whole region into another age of catastrophe.
Tacitly, the hidden factions and the super sects had all reached the same conclusion: the threat posed by a Forbidden Artifact was far too great to be ignored.
Although every major power desired to possess another Forbidden Artifact to strengthen their own foundations and increase their influence, the horrifying process required to create one, and the unimaginable agony, despair, and countless innocent lives sacrificed along the way, was something even they found difficult to accept.
Ever since the descent of God, humanity had changed.
The darkness hidden within people’s hearts had been amplified countless times over. Greed had become insatiable, ambition knew no limits, and emotions had grown increasingly distorted with every passing generation. Cruelty was no longer uncommon, and betrayal had become an everyday occurrence.
Yet, despite all of that...
There still existed a line that almost everyone in the cultivation world refused to cross.
The creation of a Forbidden Artifact was one such taboo.
The entire world, whether righteous or demonic, openly condemned such treasures. Every hidden faction, every super sect, and every force with enough influence unanimously despised those who attempted to create them. It was not because they possessed great compassion, nor because they believed themselves to be righteous.
Rather...
No one wished for the world to become even crueler than it already was.
The heart of man had long since twisted beyond repair, but even so, there remained horrors that no sane person wished to witness. No one wanted to lose themselves in a manner more grotesque than the nightmare they were already forced to endure.
Therefore, after hearing the complete explanation and understanding the true purpose behind the verdict, every representative of the Sects Alliance fell silent.
None of them found a single reason to object.
Instead, many secretly approved.
Not only would this punishment prevent further atrocities from being committed, but it would also serve as a warning to those who secretly entertained similar ambitions. The fate awaiting anyone who attempted to forge a Forbidden Artifact would forever be engraved into the minds of countless cultivators.
They simply could not object.
"Dammit! My disciple!"
The old man from the Bizarre Broken Sect roared, his furious voice shaking the heavens.
Boom!
An overwhelming cultivation aura erupted from his body as boundless spiritual energy surged in every direction. The surrounding void trembled violently beneath his pressure as he stepped forward and directed his killing intent toward Shin Riku.
Seeing this, Shin Riku’s eyes narrowed slightly.
His expression remained calm, but the spiritual energy within his body silently circulated as he prepared himself for battle. If the old man truly intended to attack, he would not hesitate to defend himself.
However...
Before either of them could make another move, several powerful auras descended simultaneously.
The Sect Masters of the Sects Alliance stepped forward as one, standing directly between the enraged old man and Shin Riku.
"Bizarre Broken Sect Master," the middle-aged woman said coldly, her voice carrying unquestionable authority, "know your place."
Her icy gaze pierced into the old man’s eyes.
"Your disciple committed an unforgivable crime, yet his life was still spared. Rather than questioning the verdict, you should be grateful that the Sky Mist Sect showed mercy."
The old man’s expression turned ashen.
His fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged across the back of his hands, and his entire body trembled with barely restrained fury.
He wanted nothing more than to kill Shin Riku where he stood.
Yet, when he looked around and saw the other Sect Masters standing shoulder to shoulder beside the woman, their expressions equally cold and unwavering, he knew there was nothing he could do.
Even if he fought with everything he had...
He would never be able to defeat all of them.
The anger in his heart had nowhere to vent.
Suppressing the urge to erupt, he swallowed his indignation and slowly turned away.
Just before leaving, however, he cast one final venomous glance at Shin Riku.
His gaze then shifted toward the distant Sky Mist Mountain before finally settling upon the members of the Detective Agency.
Grey and Violet stood among them in complete silence.
The old man’s eyes lingered on Grey for only a brief moment before his expression darkened further. Clenching his teeth so hard that cracking sounds echoed from his jaw, he turned around without another word.
Boom!
The surrounding void exploded repeatedly as he forcefully tore through space.
Each step he took caused violent spatial ripples to spread in every direction, producing thunderous explosions that echoed across the heavens.
Within moments, his figure disappeared beyond the horizon.
Only after confirming that the Bizarre Broken Sect Master had truly left did the tense atmosphere finally begin to ease.
Shin Riku slowly exhaled.
He turned toward the Sect Masters of the Sects Alliance, cupped his fists respectfully, and bent into a deep bow.
"My thanks, Fellow Daoists, for upholding justice today."