Spirit Bead City was located on the west coast of the Ghost Prison Sea, and the entire Spirit Bead City was built on a mountain. Although it was built near the sea, it was not afraid of tsunamis.
In fact, the coastline for thousands of miles was a shallow sea. Especially in the shallow sea within a few hundred miles of Spiritual Pearl City, there were a large number of human-faced mussels.
Some of these human-faced mussels were as big as a wheel, and some were as small as a palm. The patterns on the clam were like human faces, and they looked quite scary.
However, the spiritual beads inside the clams were very valuable. Therefore, more than half of the people in Spiritual Bead City relied on spiritual beads to survive.
At the bottom of the hierarchy were, of course, the pearl divers.
There was a tradition here that women could only fish out spiritual pearls if they were capable. Men with strong Yang energy would destroy their spiritual pearls. Therefore, most of the people fishing for pearls were women.
There were tens of thousands of pearl divers, and they needed to go deep into the sea to catch the human-faced mussels.
No matter how shallow the sea was, it was still hundreds of feet deep. Especially after many years of fishing, the human-faced mussels on the upper layer had all been fished out. If he wanted to get the human-faced mussel, he had to dive deeper.
The Ghost Prison's seawater was ice-cold and thick with demonic energy. Not to mention mortals, even cultivators would not be able to withstand being soaked in the sea for a long time.
The pearl divers were, of course, mortals. Even if they knew some breathing techniques, they couldn't withstand the corrosion of the Ghost Prison's seawater.
A pearl diver usually went to sea at the age of fourteen and could work for at most three to five years. His body would age beyond recognition. There were many demonic beasts at the bottom of the sea, and the pearl divers often encountered all kinds of accidents.
This line of work was very dangerous, but because the profits were high enough, there would always be people willing to risk their lives.
Of course, high profits also gave rise to many dark crimes. Various gangs were quickly established and took control of the pearl diving industry.
When the Heartsword Sect settled in, they naturally could not allow gangs to run amok under their rule. As a sect, the Heartsword Sect had to consider the general order.
However, the Heartsword Sect did not like to deal with mundane affairs. The method of the Heartsword Sect was to gather all the gangs together and let them pay a proportion of their income.
As for the ratio, it was divided according to the proportion of territory.
This kind of rough management method was what the sect liked the most.
From then on, the pearl fishing industry was also managed by the Heart Sword Sect. However, the fate of the pearl divers at the bottom was even more miserable.
Because of the Heart Sword Sect, the gang had to pay a certain amount of income. This gap in income had to be filled by plundering pearl divers.
The pearl diver risked her life, but the money she received was very little. Without money for retirement, even if he could leave the shallow sea alive, it would be difficult for him to live past the age of forty.
Xuan Shi's personality was old-fashioned and upright. He believed that xiuzhe should not interfere with the lives of mortals. A gang was a power system established by mortals. Since it existed, it had its own value.
The profound stone would only faithfully execute the sect's rules. As long as the gang obeyed the sect, he would not care much. As for the pearl diver, she was nothing in Xuan Shi's eyes.
This was how the world was. In any place, the people of any place lived a hard life. The pearl diver was just one of them.
Xiuzhe were responsible for protecting the clan, but could not interfere with the fates of those at the bottom. That wasn't something that cultivators should do, and cultivators couldn't do that either.
From the perspective of traditional cultivation, the Profound Stone was not wrong. Moreover, he was inflexible and inflexible. He rigidly followed the rules, but he didn't feel that it was wrong.
More importantly, the cultivators of the Heart Sword Sect had managed it this way. The management methods of other sects were more or less the same.
After becoming a xiuzhe, they were no longer mortals. They no longer had that kind of recognition for mortals. At most, they would sigh a few times about the tragic fate of mortals.
The major gangs did not care that the abbot of Ling Zhu Dao College had changed. According to custom, the leaders of the major gangs would personally visit the new abbot.
However, things had been too rushed. Everyone needed time to prepare expensive gifts, so they did not have time to visit Gao Zhengyang.
Of course, the leaders of the various gangs did not care much about the new abbot.
To be able to establish themselves in Ling Zhu City, these leaders of the gangs had countless connections with Ling Zhu Dao College.
The abbot of Ling Zhu Dao College would change in turn. However, other than the abbot, everyone else was a local.
These elders and hall masters would naturally form families and establish their own factions. Because of this complex relationship, no matter who became the abbot, it would be difficult to change the current situation of Ling Zhu City.
That was because the first resistance came from within. Although the abbot had great power, without the support of his subordinates, he could not do anything.
To the abbot from outside, the small Ling Zhu City was nothing in their eyes. As long as the Dao College operated normally, and the Ling Zhu business had enough profits, they did not need to care about anything else.
Some of the lazy abbot did not even care about anything.
It was also because this situation had been going on for too long that the local factions had already formed a dense network of collusion. The abbot from outside was a mere figurehead.
The local gangs also knew their own limits and would not take the initiative to provoke the abbot. At least on the surface, they would put on a respectful appearance.
However, this time, something suddenly happened. It was a conflict between the trial disciples and the local gangs.
The trial disciples were either inner sect disciples or personal disciples. All of them were arrogant and would not care about the matters of the gangs. The gangs would not provoke them either.
However, among the trial disciples this time, there was one person who was filled with resentment and could not find a place to vent it.
That person was Zhen Ming. He knew that Zhen Fang had slept with Gao Zhengyang and went to question him. However, he was defeated by Zhen Fang, whose cultivation had improved greatly. He was so angry that he vomited blood and fainted.
After that, Zhen Ming's cultivation had regressed. Every time he realized that others were sizing him up, he suspected that they were secretly laughing at him.
Zhen Ming hid in the cabin and did not dare to go out. Now that he had arrived at Ling Zhu City, he had no choice but to come out.
However, he was still not willing to go with the group. He found an opportunity to sneak out alone.
It was also because of this that Zhen Ming saw a group of people ordering the pearl divers to work.
On the vast shallow sea, tens of green fishing boats were spread out. On each boat, there were tens of young girls dressed in leather clothes with faces as white as paper. A few burly men held whips, knives, and swords, coldly and mercilessly scolded them as they ordered the young girls to go into the sea.
Two young girls were so cold that their lips had turned purple. Their bodies were trembling as they hugged the burly man's legs and begged, "Sir, we can't go any further. Let us rest for a while. If we go any further, we will die …"
The burly man did not hold back and kicked the girl's face, causing her delicate face to swell up. "Motherf * cker, you are so troublesome. If I tell you to go, then go. Don't talk nonsense."
The young girl lay on the deck and shivered. She wanted to speak but could not because of the intense pain on her face.
The burly man was even more dissatisfied. He went up and whipped her twice. The young girl screamed as she was whipped. Her voice was mournful and shrill, causing one's heart to tighten.
The younger girl saw her sister being hit and hurriedly leapt to protect her sister.
This infuriated the big man even more, and he lashed out with his whip without thinking. After a few lashes, the younger sister fainted.
The other pearl divers had numb expressions. Many of them turned their faces away and did not dare to look.
The burly man was even more smug. He pointed at the pearl divers and shouted, "Turn around and take a good look. This is the result of disobedience."
The burly man's smug and arrogant manner was abnormally disgusting.
Normally, Zhen Ming would not interfere in this kind of business. He was not a child and knew that it was normal for people to bully others. For example, he had also been bullied by Gao Zhengyang.
But Zhen Ming was in a bad mood and wanted to find a chance to vent. Seeing the burly man holding the whip and shouting, Zhen Ming could not resist.
As a rank seven cultivator, it was naturally not difficult for Zhen Ming to deal with this kind of burly man. He did not speak and threw out a Lightning Palm.
The lightning descended. While the burly man's body was strong, he was just a small rank two. His body turned into a piece of charcoal under the lightning.
The sudden change caused the other burly men to pale. The pearl divers were so frightened that they ran in all directions.
Zhen Ming saw their panicked expressions and felt even more smug. He laughed coldly, "Evil people like you deserve to die."
Saying this, he did not allow the other to react and continued to throw Lightning Palms. While he was not skilled in lightning arts, it was easy for him to deal with these small fries.
More than ten Lightning Palms turned all of the burly men into ash.
Zhen Ming was in a good mood after easily killing so many people. He said to the pearl divers, "You are free, you can leave."
The pearl divers looked at Zhen Ming with fear. No one dared to make a sound.
Zhen Ming was extremely dissatisfied. These stupid women didn't even know how to kowtow and thank him for saving them. However, killing a bunch of evildoers really made him feel good.
The women were not sensible, but they were not a big deal.
Zhen Ming waved his sleeves and was about to leave when the young girl lying on the deck suddenly struggled to get up. She knelt down and said loudly, "Dao Master, please wait, please wait."
"What do you want?" Zhen Ming was slightly impatient. Although the young girl was beautiful, she was far from his Zhen Fang.
The young girl said agitatedly, "Dao Master, they are from the Flying Feather Gang. If you leave just like that, all of us will die. Dao Master, please show mercy and save us. "
Zhen Ming said nonchalantly, "If there's anything, just say my name: Zhen Ming. No one will dare to touch you. "
The young girl kowtowed and begged, "Dao Master Zhen Ming, the Flying Feather Gang is very powerful. They will not let us go. Please stay and help us."
The other pearl divers also came to their senses. Dozens of them knelt down and begged, "Dao Master, please save us, save us …"
Zhen Ming was annoyed. These women were too troublesome. He had already killed all of them, but they still wanted his help. Was there no end to this?
Just as he was about to wave his sleeves and leave, someone flew up from a fishing boat in the distance toward him.
Zhen Ming glanced over and saw that it was a young man in his thirties. He was wearing a large robe, and his chest was completely exposed. His hair was loose, and he was barefooted.
This young man was tall and had thick shoulders. Although he was dressed casually, he looked very fierce. He had thick eyebrows and a black beard. Together with his attire, he looked very heroic.
"Dao Master, please wait."
The young man smiled and stopped in front of Zhen Ming. He cupped his fists and said, "How should I address you?"
"And who are you?" Zhen Ming glanced at him. A mere rank seven martial artist was showing off in front of him.
The young man was angry as well. He introduced himself. "My name is Chen Changzai. I am also a member of the Flying Feather Gang."
He asked with a puzzled expression, "I wonder how these people offended you, Dao Master, for you to personally punish them."
"These people force women to do things. Their methods are vicious and inhumane. I will do justice on behalf of the heavens and destroy these scourges. "
Zhen Ming became excited as he spoke. He pointed at the fishing boats around them and said, "I don't think your Flying Feather Gang is good. You should disband immediately so that I don't have to personally destroy you. "
"I'm joking."
Chen Changzai's face revealed a hint of anger. He smiled apologetically and said, "My father, Chen Ting, is the Dao College's Technique Impartation Hall Master. We are family.
The Dao College actually has scum like you! "
Zhen Ming did not care about a mere Technique Impartation Hall Master. He said disdainfully, "As cultivators, you organized a gang to do such dirty things. You deserve to die …"
Zhen Ming looked at Chen Changzai's ugly expression and felt even more pleased. It felt good to bully others. Of course, he was only feeling good with his words.
The Spirit Pearl Dao College's Technique Impartation Hall Master was nothing. He did not even have an official Dharma name, but he was still an outer sect member. There was no need for him to mess with him for no reason.
However, Chen Changzai did not know that Zhen Ming was just scaring him with his mouth. He could only see that Zhen Ming was a personal disciple and that there was an obvious mark on his Daoist robe. If such a person went back to complain, the father and son would not be able to take it.
Chen Changzai could not help but feel murderous. This sea was secluded, and there were no outsiders. If he killed this guy, as long as he did it cleanly, no one would know that he was the one who did it.
Zhen Ming did not expect Chen Changzai to have the guts to do so. He had always looked down on outer sect disciples, so the son of an outer sect disciple was nothing to him.
He sneered and said, "Do you have the right to stand in front of me? Kneel down and accept your death."
Chen Changzai had been hesitating. Personal disciples had a noble status, and he did not know what the consequences would be if he killed one. However, after being scolded by Zhen Ming, he felt extremely vicious.
Chen Changzai was used to doing whatever he wanted in the Spirit Pearl City. To be honest, this was the first time he had met such an arrogant and hateful guy. More importantly, this person wanted to kill him.
Chen Changzai smiled apologetically and cupped his hands. "Dao Grandpa, I'm young and ignorant. Please spare me."
"Cut the crap …"
Just as Zhen Ming was scolding him, he saw Chen Changzai flip his hand, and a cold and sharp sword light pierced toward his face.
"You're courting death!"
This time, Zhen Ming was truly enraged. He yelled and activated the Lightning Palm, sending a bolt of lightning toward Chen Changzai.
This time, he did not dare to be careless. He used the Heavenly Spirit True Lightning, the most powerful lightning spell he knew. The dazzling lightning turned into an incandescent electric dragon, its momentum extremely mighty.
Chen Changzai was not afraid. He flicked his finger, and a three-colored Spirit Pearl flew out.
Spirit Beads were divided into different grades by color. The more mixed the color, the higher the grade of the Spirit Pearl. Spirit Pearls of a single color were the lowest grade.
Spirit Pearls of different colors also had different elemental energy transformations. After mining Spirit Pearls for hundreds of years, the identification of Spirit Pearls had become a field of study, but no one could tell all the transformations of Spirit Pearls.
Chen Changzai's three-colored Spirit Pearl was already a very high grade Spirit Pearl. It was worth at least a few hundred taels of gold.
This tri-colored spiritual pearl contained a strange spell: Spiritual Mirror Reflection.
Simply put, as long as the attack did not exceed the limit of the Spirit Pearl, the Spirit Pearl could turn into a Spirit Mirror and reflect the attack back.
The three-colored Spirit Pearl was activated by the Heavenly Spirit Lightning Spell, turning into a three-colored mirror.
The Heavenly Spirit Lightning Spell that was like a lightning dragon was reflected back when it met the three-colored mirror, landing on Zhen Ming's body.
Zhen Ming was only at the seventh rank, and he had been cultivating since he was young. He did not have much battle experience. He was also not good at close combat. He did not expect that the lightning spell he released would be reflected back at him.
In a hurry, he wanted to form a seal to block it. But the lightning spell was extremely fast, and the distance between them was very close. Before Zhen Ming's seal was formed, he was hit by the Heavenly Spirit Lightning Spell.
Luckily, he had a protective spell given to him by his teacher. When he was in danger, it would automatically activate a protective barrier.
But Zhen Ming's Heavenly Spirit Lightning Spell was very powerful, and he had also activated a powerful Dharma artifact. The protective spell was also shaken by the lightning spell, and it looked like it was about to be destroyed.
Zhen Ming heaved a sigh of relief. No matter what, he had finally blocked his lightning spell. But before he could catch his breath, the three-colored mirror suddenly shattered, and a cold and sharp sword light pierced through the protective barrier, directly into Zhen Ming's forehead.
Zhen Ming's Yang Spirit shook, and before he could react, he was corroded by the venomous aura of the sword, and his soul was quickly destroyed.
Chen Changzai did not show any mercy, and with a twist of his sword, sword Qi exploded, and Zhen Ming's head was smashed to pieces.
He hesitated for a moment, and then removed the two Dharma artifacts from Zhen Ming's body.
The battle between the two was very short, and before the pearl divers could react, Zhen Ming was already dead.
Seeing Zhen Ming's headless body fall into the sea, the pearl divers were all scared out of their wits.
Chen Changzai looked at the pearl divers and laughed coldly, "A bunch of scourges, I cannot let you live."
He was afraid of leaving traces, so he took out a red Spirit Pearl from his waist and threw it on the boat.
After the Spirit Pearl exploded, thousands of flames shot out, turning the boat into a giant furnace. The pearl divers were also covered in flames, and they cried as they jumped into the sea.
But the flames did not go out when they came into contact with water, and instead burned even more vigorously.
In just a short while, all the pearl divers had turned into charred corpses.
Chen Changzai looked around, and the nearest boat was a few miles away. With the eyesight of these people, they could not see what had happened. Even if they wanted to tell, they could not say anything.
Chen Changzai flew back to his boat, and ordered everyone to stay put. He returned to Spirit Pearl City alone.
Once he got home, Chen Changzai found his father, Chen Ting, and told him the whole story.
Chen Ting was also shocked and furious after hearing the story. This son of his was not shrewd at all. It was clearly a simple matter, but it turned out to be like this.
But now that things had come to this, there was no turning back.
"We can't hide this matter, so we'll just insist that a foreign cultivator had a conflict with that personal disciple, and that he even killed a whole boat of people …"
Chen Ting said, "The Heavenly Ghost Sect's Daoist Ghost Flame is always wandering around, and he likes to act in the dark, so we'll just say that he did it. He has no choice but to take the blame, and there's no way to explain it! "
In the afternoon, Gao Zhengyang saw Zhen Ming's headless corpse.
A personal disciple being killed was not a small matter!
According to others, it was the Heavenly Ghost Sect's Daoist Ghost Flame who did it. Since the Heavenly Ghost Sect was involved, the matter was even more troublesome.
Even Xuan Guo frowned, feeling that the matter was a little troublesome.
(End of this chapter)
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