Then let him say it himself."
Ye Yunfei's gaze shifted to Elder Lu.
"Ye Yunfei, this is slander! Let me down and we can talk."
Confronted by Ye Yunfei's dangerous gaze, Elder Lu felt a chill run down his spine.
"Sorry, but in this lifetime, what I despise most are traitors. I have no patience for them."
Ye Yunfei let out a cold laugh.
As soon as his words faded, Ye Yunfei executed a Mental Force martial skill called 'Heart Needle'. The technique's specialty was transforming Mental Force energy into countless, hair-fine needles that pierced deep into the target's Soul Body.
The original purpose of this Mental Force skill was to launch an attack silently, inserting countless subtle, near-imperceptible needles deep into the opponent's Soul Body. At first, they were difficult to detect. But when a large number of needles suddenly activated together deep within the Soul Body, it served as a sneak attack.
Moreover, the sudden, simultaneous activation of numerous Heart Needles deep within the Soul Body inflicted unimaginable agony on the target.
Ye Yunfei had actually mastered the Heart Needle technique long ago. However, since the Heart Sword possessed stronger and faster offensive power, Ye Yunfei typically favored using Heart Sword in combat, rarely resorting to Heart Needle.
At this moment, Ye Yunfei had already inserted numerous Heart Needles deep into Elder Lu's Soul Body. Then, these needles suddenly activated. Dense clusters of Heart Needles pierced Elder Lu's Soul Body inside and out. Elder Lu's Soul Body instantly endured unbearable, extreme torment.
"Ah…"
Elder Lu screamed on the spot, his body arching like a boiled prawn into a taut bow, writhing desperately. His face was contorted. Under the unbearable pain, he instantly bit through his own tongue and completely shredded his lips.
"Spare me! I admit it! I'll tell you whatever you want to know!"
Only moments later, Elder Lu could no longer bear it. The agony of having his Soul Body pierced through inside and out was truly terrifying. He even wished he could die on the spot to escape it.
"Are you truly willing to confess?"
Ye Yunfei stared coldly at Elder Lu.
"What kind of technique is this?"
The other three presiding elders, witnessing Elder Lu's suffering, all turned pale. They couldn't help but take a step back simultaneously.
Elder Lu was a Seventh Level Sovereign God, stronger than all three of them. Yet now, before Ye Yunfei, he seemed as weak as a chick, allowing himself to be seized and tortured without any power to resist.
"Stop! Ye Yunfei, Young Master Ye, please stop! I'll tell you everything you want to know! I dare not hide a single thing!"
Elder Lu was enduring endless terror and pain, desperately wishing for it to end. He screamed and nodded frantically.
With a thought from Ye Yunfei, all the Heart Needles within Elder Lu's Soul Body grew quiet. The horrific agony in his Soul Body vanished instantly. Elder Lu's entire body slackened at once. He gasped for air there, utterly exhausted.
"Speak. When did you betray the Sword Realm? And what harmful acts have you committed against the Sword Realm during this time? Remember, you'd best tell the truth. Otherwise, face the consequences yourself."
Ye Yunfei's icy words rang out, his dangerous gaze fixed on Elder Lu.
Elder Lu shuddered upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words.
"In truth, I betrayed the Sword Realm long ago. Back then, I was a regular elder at the Yuehua Sect in Third Void. In fact, Yuehua Sect was secretly established by an ancient ancestor of the Sword Realm as an external outpost for the realm's covert development.
After the Blade Realm investigated and uncovered Yuehua Sect's origins, they began quietly planning, persuading and corrupting many of the sect's elders. I was one of them.
The Blade Realm, employing various methods—coercion or temptation—continuously encroached upon Yuehua Sect. Later, they finally took complete control. From top to bottom, the entire sect had effectively betrayed the Sword Realm and joined the Blade Realm.
From that time onward, everything we at Yuehua Sect did was aimed at targeting and undermining the forces secretly nurtured and developed by the Sword Realm in the outside world.
Not long ago, a Blade Realm elder summoned me back to their realm and gave me a mission: to use my identity as a Sword Realm successor to return to the Sword Realm. Then, I was to find ways to contact and summon other Sword Realm successors back, with the goal of drawing out more of the Sword Realm's inheritors and discovering more of the forces it had secretly nurtured over the years.
During this recent period after returning to the Sword Realm, I used various methods to contact more Sword Realm successors and learned more about the secret forces the Sword Realm had developed externally.
Because I was right within the Sword Realm myself, and flying the banner of rebuilding it, my rallying power was particularly strong. Some Sword Realm inheritors even took the initiative to contact me."
Elder Lu revealed this tale.
"What? Elder Lu, so it's true you're a traitor to our Sword Realm? You've already… already defected to the Blade Realm?"
The three presiding elders grew pale upon hearing Elder Lu's words.
"Then, during this period within the Sword Realm, how many Sword Realm successors have you harmed?"
Ye Yunfei asked coldly.
"Nearly a third of the Sword Realm inheritors who returned during this time have been quietly killed by me using various methods. Moreover, most of those killed were particularly talented individuals with great potential for development.
I found excuses to send them out on missions, then had people secretly follow and eliminate them."
Elder Lu didn't dare hide anything, promptly answering Ye Yunfei.
"What?! Lu An! You are so vicious! No wonder some Sword Realm successors you sent out on missions haven't returned to this day. So you've already had them killed!"
The three presiding elders were even more shocked and furious upon hearing Elder Lu's words.
Only now were the three presiding elders beginning to believe what Ye Yunfei had claimed all along.
Within the council hall, the scent of blood and the lingering ripples of Sword Dao energy had yet to dissipate. Lu An and Yan Jie were held in Ye Yunfei's palms, one in each hand. The dignified authority of presiding elders they once wielded was utterly gone. All that remained was bone-deep terror and wretchedness.
"Young Master Ye! Spare me! I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have betrayed the Sword Realm, shouldn't have harmed my fellow disciples! Please, considering that I am also a successor of the Sword Realm, spare my life! I am willing to atone for my crimes by helping you purge other traitors! From now on, I will devote myself to rebuilding the Sword Realm!"
Yan Jie had gone completely limp. His once upright swordsman's body was now like mud. Dried blood still stained the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were full of entreaty, his voice trembling incessantly.
The earlier agony of the Puppet Soul Threads invading his Soul Body had shattered all his pride. Now, he only wanted to preserve his life.
Lu An, held in Ye Yunfei's other hand, was no better off. Most of his tongue was bitten off, making his speech slurred and unclear, yet he still desperately twisted his body, conveying pleas for mercy with his eyes. Tears mingled with blood, a truly pathetic sight.
He deeply regretted it. Had he known Ye Yunfei's power was so terrifying, had he known his plot would be exposed, he would never have come to the Sword Realm, let alone dare to act so presumptuously before Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei coldly observed these two traitors in his palms. There wasn't the slightest ripple in the depths of his eyes, only an absolute, bone-chilling coldness. It was as if he wasn't holding two sword cultivators at the Sovereign God level, but two lifeless lumps of stone.
"The identity of Sword Realm inheritor exists to protect the Sword Realm and protect fellow disciples. It is not a fig leaf for you to use to betray and align with external enemies, nor to harm your own brethren." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried immense authority, ringing like thunder in both their ears.
"You two traitors have harmed so many innocent Sword Realm successors, destroyed the forces the Sword Realm painstakingly developed in the outside world. That debt cannot be offset with mere words about atoning for crimes."
"Three presiding elders, according to the Sword Realm's sect rules, how should traitors be dealt with?"
Ye Yunfei no longer looked at their pleading faces. He turned to the three presiding elders.
"According to Sword Realm sect rules: traitors have their Sword Dao cultivation abolished, all meridians within their bodies severed, and their status as Sword Realm successors stripped. For grievous crimes, they may be executed on the spot.
Young Master Ye, these two secretly joined the Blade Realm many years ago, causing countless harm. Why not first abolish their cultivation, imprison them, wait until all traitors have been purged, then summon all returned Sword Realm successors for a public trial? This can serve as a warning, letting all Sword Realm successors witness the fate of traitors and cautioning the world."
One of the presiding elders spoke.
"Fine. Let it be so."
Ye Yunfei gave a slight nod. Suddenly, intense golden Sword Dao energy erupted from his palms, like two sharp sword blades, slowly pouring into the bodies of Lu An and Yan Jie.
Ye Yunfei had cultivated many Sword Realm Sword Dao legacies. This was one of the sword techniques specifically designed to target a being's Dantian and meridians.
"No! Don't abolish my cultivation!"
Yan Jie let out a shrill scream, desperately attempting to circulate the divine energy within his body to resist. But he was already completely suppressed by Ye Yunfei and couldn't mobilize the slightest bit of power. The golden Sword Dao energy, like maggots clinging to bone, spread along his meridians to his Dantian, shattering it ruthlessly. Then, it swept along the meridians, completely erasing every last one before penetrating his Soul Body and vanishing.
Though Sovereign Gods could easily reform their physical bodies, the sword technique Ye Yunfei executed was extremely tyrannical. The destructive Sword Dao energy and laws lay dormant deep within their Soul Bodies. Even if they reformed their meridians and Dantians, they would continue to be destroyed and could never recover.
Yan Jie, of course, knew the Sword Realm possessed such a terrifying sword technique specifically for crippling cultivation. Thus, his face now showed utter despair.
Lu An also endured ultimate agony. He wanted to roar, but could only emit indistinct whimpers. The excruciating pain of his Dantian shattering and the despair of his meridians being severed caused his entire body to convulse. His eyes gradually lost focus.
In mere moments, two once lofty presiding elders—a Seventh Level Sovereign God and a Sixth-Level Sovereign God—were completely reduced to cripples without any cultivation whatsoever. Their Sovereign God auras vanished without a trace, replaced only by thick deathly auras and despair.
Ye Yunfei's fingertips moved slightly. Countless faint black Puppet Soul Threads were slowly extracted from their Soul Bodies. With each extraction, their Soul Bodies trembled violently, their faces twisting in unbearable agony. After the last thread was withdrawn, Lu An and Yan Jie could no longer hold on. Their bodies went limp, collapsing onto the ground like puddles of mud, without even the strength to lift their heads.
"Elders Wu, Zheng, and Qin. I leave these two to your custody. Watch them strictly, ensure they have no opportunity to escape, and do not let them make any contact with other Sword Realm successors. In the future, use them as examples for all to see."
Ye Yunfei's gaze fell upon the three presiding elders standing nearby, and he spoke.
"After the investigation is complete, summon all Sword Realm successors and conduct a public trial. Let all fellow disciples understand the consequences of betraying the Sword Realm."
Elders Wu, Zheng, and Qin promptly stepped forward, bowing respectfully to Ye Yunfei, their faces full of shame.
"Rest assured, Young Master Ye. We will watch them strictly, never allowing them any chance to exploit!" Elder Wu spoke first, his tone heavy. With a wave of his hand, two reliable Heavenly God sword cultivators approached, dragging Lu An and Yan Jie away. They were confined in a nearby underground chamber, while multiple layers of seals and formations were deployed to prevent any accidents.