From Joy of Life, the Tian Gang is reversed

Chapter 537 Severe Punishment for Disregard for Rules and Regulations
Immortal Ascension Sect, Heavenly Punishment Palace
The lighting was dim, and the atmosphere was somber.

The enormous palace seemed to be a space of its own, with cold, hard, lifeless black stone floors and walls that swallowed all sound. Only the towering Heavenly Execution Platform in the center, a symbol of the sect's authority over punishment, exuded a chilling aura.

Jin Rilie, Jin Shitai and his son, along with the three seriously injured disciples, collapsed to the ground, bound by an invisible force. Li Chengqian and Fang Qingxue stood on the other side, also bound by an invisible force, but both remained calm.

Elder Tianxing's figure appeared vaguely on the highest seat. His piercing gaze swept across the area below, and his icy voice, like unyielding ice, echoed in the empty hall: "Jin Rilie, Li Chengqian. Private fighting on Zidian Peak, killing fellow disciples, disturbing the peace of the immortal sect. What explanation do you two have?"

Although Jin Rilie was suppressed, his eyes were filled with resentment and anxiety that were about to burst forth. Upon hearing this, he immediately struggled to raise his head and hissed, "Elder, please understand! This is not a private fight between disciples, but this Li Chengqian. He possesses a demonic weapon, and his demonic energy is overwhelming! He is clearly a spy planted by the demonic path into our Yuhua Sect! As an elder of the sect, I had no choice but to intervene when I saw him using the demonic weapon to commit atrocities and seriously injure my son and fellow disciples. I wanted to capture him and hand him over to the Heavenly Execution Platform for punishment! This scoundrel is vicious and resists stubbornly by relying on the power of the demonic weapon. I beg you, Elder, to quickly suppress him, search his soul and refine his spirit to uphold the sect's rules!"

He roared furiously, slapping a huge accusation on Li Chengqian's head.

All eyes were on Li Chengqian.

"A demonic artifact, a demonic undercover agent?" Li Chengqian just grinned, looking at Jin Rilie and his son as if they were mentally challenged.

He first bowed respectfully in the direction of Elder Tianxing, his posture calm and composed, "Greetings, Elder."

Li Chengqian's voice was clear and steady, echoing in the hall, "The Feathered Immortal Sect is a giant in the immortal path and a model of the Xuanhuang righteous path. Its rules are strict and its rewards and punishments are clear. As a disciple of the Feathered Immortal Sect, I believe that we should always keep the rules of the sect in mind, because they represent the majesty of the immortal sect. No matter what happens, we must always abide by the rules, because the rules represent the face of our Feathered Immortal Sect."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Jin Rilie's grim face, and continued, "Where did this incident take place today?"

Before anyone could answer, he answered his own question, his words ringing out powerfully: "At Purple Lightning Peak! What is Purple Lightning Peak? It is the Daoist temple of my true disciple, Junior Sister Fang Qingxue, bestowed by the sect and protected by its rules! True Disciple Peak represents not only the face of a true disciple, but also the prestige of my Feathered Immortal Sect!"

"According to the third rule of the sect, no disciple may trespass into the sect's sacred grounds or peaks without the permission of the true disciple. Anyone who forcibly breaks the rule and enters is considered to have challenged the true disciple and the sect's prestige. At best, their cultivation will be abolished; at worst... they will be killed on the spot!"

At this point, Li Chengqian's gaze sharpened, piercing Jin Rilie like a knife: "Jin Rilie, Jin Shitai, and these three good-for-nothings, without Junior Sister Fang Qingxue's permission, brazenly attacked the protective formation of Zidian Peak, forcibly broke in, and openly besieged a true disciple on the peak! Where do they place the sect's rules? Where do they place the dignity of the Yuhua Sect?!"

"In this situation, what do you expect Junior Sister Qingxue to do? Of course, she should step in and defend the sect's dignity! I happened to be there and witnessed my fellow disciples being humiliated and the sect's prestige being trampled on. What's wrong with me stepping in to help and uphold the sect rules? Are we just going to stand by and watch Elder Jin and his son use their cultivation and power to do whatever they want on True Inheritance Peak and trample the sect rules under their feet?!"

Jin Rilie trembled with rage, his face turning purplish-blue. He pointed at Li Chengqian and said, "You...you're just making excuses! Even if my son is wrong, he doesn't deserve to die! Using a demonic weapon is a grave crime! Don't try to change the subject!"

"A demonic artifact?" Li Chengqian chuckled, as if he had heard a joke. "This is not some kind of demonic energy. This is a treasure artifact, a top-grade treasure artifact. It was just taken away by the Heavenly Demon and became tainted with some demonic energy."

He turned to Elder Tianxing, cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to Elder, this cauldron is called the Five Prisons King Cauldron. It is a top-grade treasure. It was obtained by me when I accidentally stumbled into a spatial rift on my way back to my hometown to visit my family. I entered the Heavenly Demon Battlefield, encountered a ferocious Heavenly Demon King, and after a fierce battle, finally killed him. It is the spoil of war I obtained!"

"This disciple wishes to use the sect's supernatural powers to refine its demonic energy and transform it for righteous alchemy and weapon crafting, thereby adding a precious artifact to our Feathered Ascension Sect and refining more pills and magical treasures, thus making a small contribution to the sect!"

"My thought is that treasures are not divided into immortals and demons; only people are divided into immortals and demons. I killed the Heavenly Demon King and seized his treasures, which did not violate any sect rules. Because the spoils of war were demonic artifacts, they accused me of being a demonic spy. By that logic, does that mean that all the demonic treasures obtained by our ancestors in the Feathered Ascension Sect who killed demons were spies? Such logic is utterly absurd. I beg Elder Tianxing to make a judgment." Li Chengqian spoke frankly, explaining the process of obtaining the Five Prisons King Cauldron in a reasonable manner, which was completely in line with the usual operation of encountering a celestial opportunity. He also elevated the subsequent handling of the matter to the level of considering the interests of the sect.

He looked at Kim Il-yeol again.

"Jin Rilie and his son disregard the sect rules, trespassing on the True Inheritance Peak and attacking the True Inheritance disciples first; then, they slandered their fellow disciples without distinguishing right from wrong. Furthermore, they attempted to use their Celestial Realm cultivation to forcibly suppress the disciples who upheld the sect rules. Do they really think that just because they're elders, they can act with impunity in the immortal sect? Those who know them understand they're merely a lowly Celestial Realm elder; those who don't might think they're the Heavenly Punishment Elder! They have no sense of rules or discipline whatsoever!!"

No rules! No regulations!
The four words struck Jin Rilie's heart like a heavy hammer.
Jin Rilie's face turned deathly pale, and he stammered, unable to find a rebuttal for a moment, only muttering to himself, "Clever words and a flattering face... sophistry..."

Elder Tianxing sat high above, taking in all the words spoken by both sides. His unchanging, cold face revealed no emotion, but the chilling aura of punishment emanating from him grew ever stronger.

After a moment of silence, Elder Tianxing's icy voice finally rang out again, delivering the final verdict:
“What Li Chengqian said is in accordance with the sect rules. The True Transmission Peak cannot be insulted lightly; this is an ironclad rule of the sect. Jin Rilie, as a father, you have neglected to discipline your son; as an elder, you have failed to distinguish right from wrong, allowing your son to commit violence and even resorting to force to disrupt the True Transmission Dojo. Your crimes are compounded.”

"Jin Shitai is arrogant and domineering, disregards sect rules, trespasses on the True Inheritance Peak, and provokes and attacks fellow disciples. His crimes are unforgivable."

"Considering that your cultivation was hard-won, I will temporarily preserve your bodies to observe your future performance."

"Elder Jin Rilie is hereby deprived of his century-long sect contribution and confined to Blazing Fire Peak to reflect on his mistakes. He is not to leave the peak without the sect's decree!"

"Jin Shitai, strip him of his status as a true disciple, demote him to an inner disciple, confiscate all sect rewards, give him three hundred lashes, and imprison him in the Black Wind Cave to suffer the bone-corroding torment of the Earthly Fiend for ten years!"

"The other three, who aided and abetted the wicked, shall each be flogged one hundred times, have their ten years' worth of official salary confiscated, and be confined to their quarters for ten years to reflect on their mistakes!"

"Half of the resources confiscated will be used to compensate Fang Qingxue for the repair of Zidian Peak, and the other half will be added to the sect's treasury."

"The Five Prison King Cauldrons that Li Chengqian obtained were acquired through a stroke of good fortune and should rightfully belong to him. This matter ends here. Any further unreasonable entanglements will be severely punished!"

As soon as the words fell, an invisible force swept up the ashen-faced Jin Rilie, the desperately screaming Jin Shitai, and the three pale-faced disciples, and they instantly disappeared from the Heavenly Punishment Palace.

Elder Tianxing's figure also quietly faded away, leaving only a final, cold sentence echoing in Li Chengqian and Fang Qingxue's ears:

"The rules of the sect must not be disrespected. You should behave accordingly."

Silence returned to the Heavenly Punishment Palace.

(End of this chapter)