With that, Hall Master Li struck the great bell of the Law Enforcement Hall.
The moment this bell rang, all the higher-ups of the sect would arrive immediately.
The only reason Lu Feng did this was to have his master and the Sect Master intercede on his behalf.
Although he had never done anything to harm his fellow disciples, right now he could not clear his name no matter how he tried to explain.
The person framing him had already arranged everything thoroughly, and trying to break the situation on his own was simply impossible.
While waiting, Lu Feng looked at Sun Hao beside him with a very complicated gaze.
"Senior Brother Sun, have I, your junior brother, ever offended you in the past?" Lu Feng asked, looking directly into the other man's eyes.
Sun Hao sneered coldly, "Not at all!"
"Then is there any enmity between us?"
"None either!"
Lu Feng took a deep breath and continued, "That being the case, why is Senior Brother targeting me like this?"
Disdain flashed in Sun Hao's eyes. "Targeting you? I am merely bringing your crimes to light so that everyone in the sect can see what kind of person you really are."
"Hahaha! Very well! Splendid!~" Lu Feng shook his head and burst out laughing.
At that moment, rays of divine light descended into the main hall of the Law Enforcement Hall.
These rays of divine light naturally belonged to the nine great elders of the sect, among whom was Lu Feng's master, Luo Qing.
At the same time, a number of disciples who had come to watch the commotion rushed outside the Law Enforcement Hall.
When all nine great elders had arrived, a final streak of seven-colored divine light descended into the main hall.
Seeing this, the crowd cupped their fists toward the spot where the divine light had landed and bowed in unison, "We pay our respects to the Sect Master!"
The seven-colored divine light dissipated, revealing a cultured middle-aged man. This man was none of other than Zhang Daoran, the Sect Master of the Tianling Sect.
"Very well, everyone need not stand on ceremony!" the Sect Master said with a nod, before turning to Hall Master Li. "I wonder why Hall Master Li suddenly sounded the Law Enforcement Bell?"
"Reporting to the Sect Master, Lu Feng, a inner disciple of our sect, has harmed his fellow disciples. The sequence of events has now been verified, and I ask the Sect Master and the elders to jointly adjudicate this matter," Hall Master Li said respectfully.
"Oh?! Such a thing has happened?" Zhang Daoran wore an expression of astonishment. He looked at Lu Feng in the middle of the hall, then turned back to Hall Master Li and said, "Then I ask Hall Master Li to recount the details of this affair from the beginning so that everyone present may bear witness."
"Understood, Sect Master!"
Hearing this, Lu Feng frowned once again. He looked at Sect Master Zhang Daoran with a complex expression.
The Sect Master's words just now clearly intended to ruin his reputation completely, especially if Hall Master Li projected the recording stone in front of the nine great elders and the assembled disciples.
Then even if he jumped into the Yellow River, he would never wash himself clean.
At that moment, Lu Feng could only turn to his master, Luo Qing, for help, and so he looked over at her.
Yet Luo Qing deliberately avoided his gaze and refused to look at him at all.
"This is bad!" Lu Feng thought to himself.
It seemed his master had known about this trap all along, and even the Sect Master was involved.
Yet his master had always treated him with great care, helping him step onto the path of immortality and bestowing upon him elixirs and magical treasures. Right now, she was his only hope.
The next moment, Hall Master Li activated the recording stone. Upon viewing the images, the crowd glared at Lu Feng with fury.
Some of the more outspoken disciples cursed him outright, "Good grief, Lu Feng! As an inner disciple, not only do you refuse to help your fellow sect members, but you actually commit such heinous acts. I truly misjudged you."
"Alas, I never expected such scum to infiltrate the inner disciples of our Tianling Sect. Lu Feng must be severely punished!"
"Right! Lu Feng must be severely punished! We ask the Sect Master and the elders to punish him severely!"
......
For a time, the disciples outside the hall were filled with righteous indignation, as if they wanted to tear him to pieces with their words.
A moment later, Sect Master Zhang Daoran raised his right hand, and the disciples immediately fell silent.
Zhang Daoran looked at Lu Feng and asked, "Lu Feng, do you have anything to say?"
The Sect Master's tone sounded calm, yet his words were like hidden blades.
Lu Feng clenched his teeth and looked at his master, Luo Qing. "Sect Master, Master, this disciple has never done anything to harm his fellow disciples. Someone must be framing me!"
Before Zhang Daoran and Luo Qing could speak, Sun Hao chimed in first, "Hmph, I witnessed this matter with my own eyes, Lu Feng. You might as well confess and submit to the punishment."
Lu Feng shot a cold glare at Sun Hao, then looked back at Luo Qing. "Master, could it be that even you do not believe me?"
Luo Qing's eyelids twitched, and she glared at him with fury. "Good for you, Lu Feng! To think I spent six years teaching you, only to find out you are such scum! From this day onward, our master-disciple relationship is severed, and we shall have nothing more to do with each other."
Hearing this, Lu Feng froze. He stared at Luo Qing in disbelief.
The master he respected most in his heart had actually severed ties with him in public. This blow was even greater than the false accusations against him.
Originally, he had intended to tell her that he had broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, but now there was no need.
Seated above, Sect Master Zhang Daoran looked at Lu Feng, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Oh?! You have broken through to Foundation Establishment?"
Before Lu Feng could reply, Luo Qing spoke up first, "Even if he has broken through to Foundation Establishment, it cannot change the fact that he harmed his fellow disciples. Sect Master, Senior Brother, I beg you to severely punish this wretch to uphold justice and set an example."
Zhang Daoran sighed. "Alas, I wonder how the other elders view this matter?"
At this point, the Second Elder spoke up. "Since both human witnesses and physical evidence are present, I believe we should handle this in accordance with sect rules."
"Indeed, I agree with the Second Elder's proposal."
More than half of the nine great elders agreed with the Second Elder's suggestion, and Luo Qing was among them.
As for the remaining half of the elders, they looked at Lu Feng and shook their heads in disappointment.
The Great Elder sighed, "Alas, Lu Feng is an inner disciple of our Tianling Sect. He has served diligently for six years since entering the sect, and his cultivation has grown day by day. Reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm at the age of twenty makes him a genius among geniuses. It would truly be a pity to kill him outright. Heaven is inherently merciful and cherishes all life; I propose that we cripple his cultivation and expel him from the sect instead."
With that, two other elders nodded in agreement.
Seeing that the elders had nothing more to say, Zhang Daoran spoke in a booming voice, "Since that is the case, we shall follow the Great Elder's proposal."
He then looked at Luo Qing. "Junior Sister, as Lu Feng's guide into the sect, you shall carry out this punishment."
Luo Qing's expression shifted repeatedly before she finally gritted her teeth and said, "Understood, Senior Brother!"
With that, Luo Qing reached out toward Lu Feng and made a grasping motion. Instantly, a powerful suction force pulled him straight toward her.
"Master, you..." Lu Feng wore a look of utter disbelief.
"Remember, I am no longer your master. Right now, I am going to cripple your cultivation and expel you from the sect."
"No!..."
Despair filled Lu Feng's eyes. He had transmigrated to the world of cultivation and finally managed to step onto the immortal path, only to have his cultivation destroyed by his own master's hands.
He was unwilling to be reduced to a cripple like this.
The next moment, Luo Qing struck his dantian with a palm strike. A terrifying surge of energy instantly shattered his dantian, and then that energy surged directly into his Spiritual Root and exploded.
His top-grade Wood Spiritual Root was shattered for the most part on the spot, leaving behind only a tiny fragment at the base.
This single palm strike not only crippled his cultivation, but completely destroyed the foundation of his lifelong cultivation.
Luo Qing withdrew her hand and tossed Lu Feng straight onto the ground.
"Sect Master, Senior Brother, this wretch's cultivation has been crippled; he will never be able to cultivate again."
Zhang Daoran nodded, a look of regret on his face. "Since Junior Sister carried out the deed, of course I trust the result. It is merely a pity."
With that, Zhang Daoran transformed into a streak of divine light and flew away. The various elders also departed the Law Enforcement Hall one after another in flashes of divine light.
Only Luo Qing, Hall Master Li, and Sun Hao remained behind.
Lying on the ground, Lu Feng felt his cultivation plummeting rapidly; within the span of a few breaths, he dropped from the Foundation Establishment Realm all the way down to Qi Condensation Layer 1.
"Pfft!~"
Lu Feng spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his cold, piercing gaze fixed on the three people present.
A wave of vengeful fury surged from the depths of his heart. This method of giving someone hope only to extinguish it once again made Lu Feng see the cultivation world for what it truly was.
Luo Qing looked at his icy glare, merely sighed helplessly, and then said to Hall Master Li, "Hall Master Li, I will have to trouble you with the rest."
"Heh heh, Elder Luo is too polite. This is only my duty."
With that, Luo Qing transformed into a streak of divine light and flew away. Sun Hao took a few steps over to Lu Feng's side, squatted down, and whispered softly, "Junior Brother, don't blame me. I had no choice either. Just live properly as a mortal from now on."
"You..."
Before Lu Feng could finish what he wanted to say, another mouthful of blood spewed from his mouth.
Sun Hao gave a faint smile, then strode out of the Law Enforcement Hall.