The Hall of Divine Justice is full today. After all, it’s not every time you can see the trial against someone that’s compared to the First Heretic in wickedness. Zhe Hong Yeren has been accused of seducing Yu Meiren, crippling Zhao Dong by sorcery, desecration of a sacred temple, and theft of the infamous First Heretic’s manual. Truly, a villain with no peers.

The process in court was crystal clear: they had numerous witnesses, evidence, and even a written confession from Yeren. Despite this, he was also bound and gagged—to stop him from polluting minds with lies, surely. Former comrades of his confessed to a magistrate about the vile intrigues and machinations he conducted. Hei Bao Tu prostrated himself before the judge, begging for mercy upon him for neglecting to instill proper values in this “lost child." Yu Meiren, Jade Beauty herself, cried and spoke about things that were forced upon her by “that brute”. Zhao Dong’s caretaker declared it may take a whole millenia for a young master to heal wounds from Yeren’s evil magic. It is clear that Zhe Hong Yeren deserves only eternal damnation in the eyes of Immortal’s Heaven. However…

Zhe Hong Yeren didn’t know he had committed all of this. He never possessed any sort of magic. He never saw Yu Meiren before, despite being a regular at Pearls of Wisdom back in the day, before his ban. And Zhe Hong for sure never heard of "The First Heretic’s Manual” until today. The last thing he remembers is that he was suddenly invited to Yu Meiren’s adobe for something. They had a nice chat, drank some tea, and then Yeren was at his house, covered in blood, with a strange scroll in his hand. When he opened it out of sheer curiosity, stone guardians busted his door, beat him into a pulp, and dragged him into the Hall of Divine Justice.

Zhe Hong knows that everyone knows that this court is a farce and that these accusations are false. But despite these facts, they are all so set on condemning him, which enraged Yeren. This rage made him think about escaping his confinement. He noticed that his shackles are not properly sealed and can break with ease. He concentrated a bit of Qi on his hands and broke them with a loud crack. Glancing upon the Magistrate's face, Zhe Hong Yeren saw a hint of a smile on his face.

It was at this moment Zhe Hong Yeren knew... He screwed up.

Suddenly, he was swarmed by the lawmen’s stone guardians from all sides. Fighting instincts kicked in, and Zhe Hong Yeren’s body began moving on its own. He blocked a few blows with his upper hands, dodged punches aimed at his head, and used the elbows of his lower hands to crack a guardian that was attacking from behind. Again, using purely instincts and reflexes, he glanced over the hall. It was fully seated, with up to a hundred or more Immortals of various calibers of power, about a dozen or so stone guardians pouring from adjacent halls, and, worst of all, with no clear opening or a window to escape.

If he tries to escape, he will be caught in a mere minute. If he tried to fight, he would be dead even faster. Stupid gag were still firmly attached to his mouth, and trying to remove them would cost him precious moments.

By any logic, Yeren knows he’s going to die one way or another, but at least he will try to drag someone along to the Hell Pits. So, as he tried to grab another stone guardian, he noticed how Xian Ling graciously leaped into the air, hovered above the ground, waved his fan at Yeren, and whispered:

- [TEN DIVINE ABOMINATIONS: UNRIGHTEOUSNESS]—smirked Xian Ling as if he won.

By pure strength alone, Zhe Hong hoisted a stone statue as an impromptu shield, and no moment too soon: that dummy exploded into the millions of tiny shrapnel, showering everyone in this room and obscuring the view of everyone with a thick smoke. By using smoke as cover, Yeren hopped towards Xian Ling, grabbed him by his coat, and headbutted that young face of his. He felt pretty good seeing the disbelief in Ling's bloodied face and broken nose. As they both plummeted to the ground, Yeren tore up that stupid gag and had no choice but to use Karma Sage techniques at his downed opponent, just to escape.

- [FOUR HANDS, ONE POINT]—uttered Yeren as his hands began to glow in a bright azure light. His punches moved at such speed that they were a blur, but most of them were blocked by Ling, who then blocked most of them with ease. Out of hundreds of punches, only one of them connected to Xian's chest, but it felt as effective as cutting stone with a knife made out of tofu.

This enraged Zhe Hong even more, and his upper right hand glowed so brightly that it was blinding. His white eyes were covered in pure darkness, and his pupils glowed like gold. Zhe Hong was about to unleash his trump card.

- [ONE HAND, FORCE OF…] - But before he could finish, Zhe Hong felt a tiny prick at the base of his neck and fell limp. As he was losing his consciousness, he noticed Yu Meiren standing upon him with needles in her hands and a blank expression on her perfect face. His last thought was nothing more than childish resentment toward this beautiful woman before falling into oblivion.

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Xian Ling stood up and dusted off, seemingly unharmed. He actually FELT pain from that punch, but he couldn't afford to look hurt. His whole reputation was dependent on that fight; Yu Meiren knew that, so she “conveniently” intervened. The authority of the Justice League has been contested by the Pearls of Wisdom Parlor; both Ling and Yu Meiren knew that. Due to this power move, everyone present is now aware that his Faction owes her. It’s only a matter of time for someone to figure out what other "favors" the Justice League’s Magistrate might owe to Jade Beauty.

Ling courtly bowed to Yu Meiren, but underneath his polite smile, he was furious. Not only did his heart hurt like hell, but his martial pride was shattered, and worst of all, that savage broke his nose! He underestimated that brat, and now his pristine face is forever ugly! But he reassured himself: Zhe Hong Yeren’s going to pay for this transgression with torture. After that, he can heal his nose in peace and plot a proper revenge against Wisdom Pearls Parlor. He has all the time in the world. Such is life in a peaceful Immortal’s Heaven…

After this hiccup, the court came to a swift conclusion: Zhe Hong Yeren was found guilty of his crimes and was sentenced to the most severe punishment: exile from Immortal’s Heaven. Yeren was wide awake when they began the procedure, just so he could feel all the pain. His name was stripped from him, most of his Extraordinary Meridians were blocked as painfully as possible, but worst of all, his Golden Core was shattered, and his Qi was drained just enough to survive the exile.

As Core shattered inside of him, former Zhe Hong Yeren felt how something precious was stripped from him: the formerly radiant golden light of Heavens is now dim and dull, the everpresent music of the spheres is replaced by noise, and he felt alone in this cold and empty world. Even the faces of his former comrades began to look different. The Cultivator began to perceive them as puppets, perfectly crafted but soulless and devoid of any emotions.

- Former Immortal Zhe Hong Yeren, - puppet with a cracked toddler face said, - for your crimes against heaven, you are sentenced to exile in the Hell Pits for ten thousand years. However, the Justice League is going to give you a second chance. You are allowed to return to a Middle Kingdom to live as mortal once more, for a reduced sentence of nine thousand years. After that, Immortal’s Heaven will gladly accept you back. Rejoice at our mercy, villain.

Cultivator gave the official-looking puppet an empty stare. He felt nothing but cold emptiness. Puppet continued:

- However, you allowed this on one condition: you will take this accursed scroll and destroy it, so it won't bother Heavens once more. Do you understand that?

Cultivator just continued to stare at the unmoving face of a puppet. Nothing has mattered to him anymore. Another puppet, with a wild-looking beard made out of brushes and impractical armor, shoved a scroll inside the Cultivator’s clothes.

- You are no longer Luo Shu An, nor Zhe Hong Yeren. These personas are dead now to the world. - Puppet made a pondering gesture and continued in a mocking tone - Ho ho! Your new mortal name is going to be Lao Qing Tao. This is our last gift to you, insect. Wear it with humility and gratitude.

Lao Qing Tao averted his stare from a puppet towards the countless stars. They shined upon him with cold indifference. It left Lao Qing Tao feeling alone.

- Off you go, then, Lao Qing Tao. - Babyface Puppet waved to Lao Qing Tao as Wild Beard Puppet kicked Lao into the void - Have a nice day living in muck and dirt!

Later, in the Justice League’s garden, Ling Xian and Agent Zuo had another chat:

- Exquisitely done as always, Your Honor - Agent Zuo, bowed in deep respect to his superior. - But if I may ask, was it wise to send him back to a mortal’s realm? What will stop him from returning, your Honor?

- Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, Agent Zuo. With his blocked Meridians and broken Golden Core, he won't be able to practice cultivation ever again. Ling Xian felt pretty satisfied with this outcome overall. First Heretic’s manual is gone, the threat of ruining peace is removed, and Ling can still scheme to his heart’s content. - Besides, Mortals always lived in squalor and poverty, being stupid and pathetic. They are dependent on us, Immortal Cultivators, for everything. It was like that for thousands of years, and it will be the same for thousands more. They never learn outside of their place. While we, Immortals, are true masters of Heavens. We are always perfect and will always be on top. It's how the universe is built!

- As profound as always, your Honor, - Agent Zuo, bowed even lower while calculating in his mind how to overthrow that arrogant slug and take his place. It won’t be easy, but, with a broken nose and wounded pride, Xi Zuo now has a chance.

Yu Meiren returned to her quarters, never to be seen in public for a century or more. Now that Zhao Dong is broken and Yeren is gone, she has to find new toys to amuse herself. What a bother. Boredom has creeped in once more. Yu Meiren would pout if it weren't made into a wrinkle. Unlike that Xing idiot, she doesn't need Youth Pellets to stay perfect all the time; she just needs a lot of self-control. But it doesn't matter; Meiren decided she would find another toy to amuse herself with. There is always a new toy around the corner.

Hei Bao Tu has been disgraced but was given a second chance of restoring his honor as a master; all he had to do was serve as a stableboy and street cleaner. After a few thousand years of hard work, he might petition to restore his status. Hei Bao Tu was glad to have this instead of being in exile. Living among mortals? Fearing death and hunger again? “No thank you,“ thought Bao Tu, “better clean stables in Heaven than a king in the Middle Kingdom."

Lao Qing cried, looking at the star's light. As he was falling towards the darkness, he promised himself to find a way back. He swore vengeance upon Immortal’s Heaven, no matter the cost. They are going to pay, all of them! They branded him as a man worthy of the First Heretic’s fame, well, he is going to embrace it! HE WILL SHOW THEM! SHOW THEM ALL!!!

And then, Tao noticed that he was not falling into darkness; quite the contrary, he was falling into the light, far brighter than Heaven’s stars… and far colder and lifeless than them.