Fairy, don't be afraid, I, Wang Daqi, am truly an honest man.

"This...this..." Zhou Yongli was sweating profusely, frantically weighing the options in his mind.

"If you utter even half a lie, I will consider you an accomplice and throw you directly into the forbidden icy pool to suffer a hundred years of torment in the cold and gloomy atmosphere!"

Zhou Yongli was so terrified by this "century-old cold yin" that half of his soul had flown away; how could he dare to hide it now?

He blurted it all out in one gulp: "It was Zhao Feng! He gave me some benefits to do this... Peak Master, spare my life! I'm so old, I just made a fool of myself for a moment..."

At this moment, Zhou Yongli was incredibly ruthless in betraying his teammates.

Nangong Ling snorted coldly, and with a flick of her jade hand, the beast-taming pouch fell into her palm.

With a slight movement of her fingertips, the seal was broken, and a crystal worm, its entire body shimmering, flew out instantly, circling frantically in the air above the hall.

"That's it, the one that caused the destruction last night." Nangong Ling looked at the insect, his voice as cold as ice. "Zhao Feng, this Spirit-Devouring Insect still contains the spiritual essence of materials from my Cold Jade Palace. What else do you have to say?"

Zhao Feng collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.

He originally thought his plan was foolproof. The Soul-Devouring Insect was colorless and odorless, and even divine sense could hardly detect it. However, he did not expect that from beginning to end, he would be like a clown jumping around right under Nangong Ling's nose.

Seeing this, Wang Daqi seized the opportunity to kick Zhao Feng while he was down. He walked up to Zhao Feng and chuckled, "Zhao Feng, you're speechless now, aren't you? Tsk tsk, not only you, but your good brother Zhao Dong seems to be in cahoots too. In my opinion, we should all be thrown into the Ten Thousand Snake Cave together..."

"I...I don't know! It was all my older brother who did it!"

At this point, Zhao Dong had no time to think about brotherhood.

He trembled with fear at the reputation of the Ten Thousand Serpent Cave, and hurriedly pointed at Zhao Feng, shouting, "It was him! He said Wang Daqi has an opportunity!!! Peak Master, I was forced into this!"

"You bastard! Zhao Dong, you..." Zhao Feng was so angry he felt like his lungs were about to explode. He never expected that the person who would betray him the most would be his own younger brother.

"See, they've all admitted it, haven't they?"

Wang Daqi turned to Xu Huaiyan and suggested with a smile, "Elder Xu, these two senior brothers seem to like the Ten Thousand Serpent Cave so much, why don't we let them go in and interrogate them properly?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dong nearly fainted.

It's true what they say, what goes around comes around. The tricks they originally intended to use against Wang Daqi have now backfired on them.

"I...I confess! I did it!!"

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Zhao Feng had no choice but to grit his teeth and admit defeat in order to avoid further torment.

"I'll find a way to compensate for those cold jade pieces, but could you please spare our lives? My master is, after all, Elder Yang Zhen..."

"So what??"

Nangong Ling seemed to have heard a joke. "You destroyed the foundation of my Cold Jade Palace's formation and delayed the sect's grand plan. Do you think Elder Yang Zhen can protect you??"

She turned to Xu Huaiyan, her eyes sharp: "Elder Xu, immediately imprison the Zhao brothers, Zhao Feng and Zhao Dong, and thoroughly investigate whether they have any other illicit dealings behind them. After the interrogation, abolish their cultivation, erase their sect mark, and send them to the desolate wilderness to cultivate the land, never to set foot in the Misty Sect again!!"

"As for Zhou Yongli..." Nangong Ling paused.

Zhou Yongli's heart leaped into his throat.

"He was accused of embezzlement and bribery, and of falsely accusing his disciples. Considering his past merits, he is hereby dismissed from his post!"

With the order issued, Zhou Yongli breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it was just a job loss.

As for the Zhao brothers, their faces were ashen, and they collapsed to the ground in despair.

To strip them of their cultivation and throw them into the wilderness is even more painful than killing them!

"Take him away!!"

Xu Huaiyan wiped the sweat from his brow, waved his hand, and a group of law enforcement disciples pounced on his former senior brother like tigers and wolves.

Wang Daqi stood there, watching the farce come to an end, feeling incredibly satisfied.

However, when he secretly glanced at Nangong Ling's back, that feeling of déjà vu surged into his heart again.

Seeing Nangong Ling turn his head, Wang Daqi felt a pang of guilt and quickly turned his head away, pretending to be carefully studying the cracks in the floor.

"She probably didn't notice me spying on her..." Wang Daqi felt like he was being scratched by a cat.

Nangong Ling, oblivious to anything amiss, simply said, "Wang Daqi, Shen Ruyan praised you to me before, saying that although your talent is mediocre, you have a keen mind and are extremely reliable in your work. Go ahead and handle the repairs; I will give you the authority, understand?"

"Yes, Peak Master! This disciple will serve you with utmost devotion, even unto death!"

Wang Daqi quickly expressed his opinion loudly, while thinking to himself: I wonder how Senior Sister Shen praised me in front of Nangong Ling?

However, why didn't Junior Sister Liu Qingqing appear this time?

Nangong Ling nodded slightly, said nothing more, and gracefully left the Hall of Law Enforcement with an aura of cold majesty that made people dare not look directly at him.

Only after that pale golden figure completely disappeared from sight did Wang Daqi straighten up and let out a long sigh of relief.

On the other hand, the Zhao brothers, Feng and Dong, were not so lucky.

They were dragged out by several law enforcement disciples like dead dogs.

All the way there, Zhao Dong's mouth never stopped, his wailing echoing through the sky: "Big brother, I told you not to do it, not to do it! What kind of spirit-devouring insects are you putting up on that construction site! You just wouldn't listen, insisting that it would be done secretly, and now look what happened??? We're going to have our cultivation abolished! My spirit stones, my path to immortality, all gone! All gone!!!!"

Zhao Dong cried with snot and tears streaming down his face. He even tried to hug the legs of the escorting disciple to beg for mercy, but was ruthlessly kicked away.

Surprisingly, Zhao Feng, who was walking in front, was very calm, and even had a ruthless calmness in his eyes.

"Abolish cultivation? Do you really think I, Zhao Feng, have no other choice??"

He sneered inwardly.

Nangong Ling is indeed strong, but Zhao Feng's rise to the position of elite disciple of the Enforcement Hall is not solely due to talent.

He has other trump cards up his sleeve!

"Zhao Feng!!"

Just then, as they passed through a quiet mountain forest, a clear and melodious voice rang out.

A beautiful woman in flowing white robes walked slowly towards them from under the shadows of the trees ahead.

A deep sorrow hung between her brows, and she was holding a small, jet-black dog with bright, piercing eyes in her arms.

This person was none other than Zhao Feng's fiancée, Jiang Xuerou, an inner disciple.

"Hey, Zhao Feng, you're really lucky."

One of the disciples escorting Zhao Feng stopped, his eyes lingering on Jiang Xuerou's slender waist. He licked his lips and teased, "Even in this state, your little girlfriend is still waiting here so devotedly. How deeply affectionate."

Zhao Feng took a deep breath, revealing a dejected yet affectionate expression. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to the escorting disciple and said, "Senior brother, this journey to the desolate wilderness may be the last time we meet in this life. Could... I speak with Xue Rou alone for a few moments? To give my final words?"

The two disciples exchanged a glance. Out of respect for Jiang Xuerou, an inner disciple, and considering that Zhao Feng was currently wearing the Spirit-Binding Shackles and couldn't cause any trouble, they nodded and stepped aside.

Zhao Feng and Jiang Xuerou walked behind an old locust tree.

Jiang Xuerou's eyes instantly reddened when she saw Zhao Feng's miserable appearance.

She lowered her voice, her tone trembling, "The moment you messaged me, I brought the black dog over. Brother Feng... are you really going to use that move? It's a forbidden technique; if it fails..."

"I can't worry about that now!!"

Zhao Feng's eyes turned crazed as he stared intently at the black dog in her arms. "Xue Rou, only you can help me now! If my cultivation is destroyed, I'm less than an ant in this cruel world of cultivation. As long as I hold onto this sliver of hope, I'll come back sooner or later and make Wang Daqi and Nangong Ling pay me back a hundredfold!"

Jiang Xuerou's face was full of hesitation.

If what she's doing is discovered, she'll be held accountable!

But seeing her partner's desperate and ferocious eyes, the tenderness in her heart ultimately overcame her reason.

"Okay, I'll help you." Jiang Xuerou gritted her teeth, gently stroking the black dog's back. "Even if it kills me, I will save you."

"Yes, Xue Rou, don't worry, this way we can still be together."

Zhao Feng grasped her hand, a cold smile playing on his lips: Wang Daqi, Nangong Ling, you just wait! Once I emerge from this deadly predicament, your nightmare will begin!