The shriek reverberated across the place for quite a while. The stocky man was no longer haughty and resolute.
Lu Ye felt his eyelids twitching as he looked at the sight.
The old man, who had led him to this place, explained, “This Reverse Dragon Spine is a Spirit Treasure. It doesn’t only strike a person’s body but also his soul. Many cultivators who have no idea what this is have suffered miserably. You have to hold on later, Little Friend.”
Following Qian Wudang’s order, they wouldn’t kill Lu Ye, but they wouldn’t let him have an easy time either. The punishment had to be executed.
As the shrieks continued to be heard, the cultivators in nearby cages broke into an uproar.
“Strike him harder, One-Eyed Man. He still has the strength to scream. Are you holding back your power?”
“One-Eyed Man, is he your Son or your Grandson? Why are you going easy on him? Are you giving him a scratch or something?”
“That’s right. Whip him harder!”
These boisterous prisoners seemed to be enjoying a good show.
Lu Ye stood there and looked icily at the sight. The long whip with barbs repeatedly struck the stocky man. The back of his clothes was tattered, and his body was soaked in blood.
The whip was named Reverse Dragon Spine, and the cultivator who executed the punishment was an unkempt old man with white hair and beard. He was a Peak Real Lake Realm Master. It seemed that he was the One-Eyed Man that the nearby prisoners were talking about.
Just as his nickname suggested, the old man only had one eye, and his other eye socket was hollow. It was a mystery as to what had happened to him. Even with only one eye, his gaze radiated a ghostly glow, which gave off a terrifying feeling.
He was the punisher in this prison. All the prisoners who were punished by him would end up in a horrible state.
As such, he was a notorious figure among the sentries of Bing Zhou Watch. The cultivators who had been to the prison would feel terrified whenever his name was brought up.
No one knew what mistake the stocky man had made. Although he was a Real Lake Realm Master with a robust body, he could hardly bear the punishment. The Reserve Dragon Spine didn’t only strike his body but also his soul. He passed out after five whips.
The proud man was now unconscious as he was hung there. Lu Ye felt his chest tightening.
They had made a wise decision by hanging him in mid-air. If he collapsed to the ground, it would be hard for the punisher to continue with the punishment.
The stocky man was whipped another four times while he was unconscious. Only then did the cultivators in the prison untie the stocky man and take him away.
One-Eyed Man went away and took a seat on a blood-stained chair. Then, he picked up a wine jar and chugged down the liquid.
“It’s your turn, Little Friend,” said the old man.
Lu Ye took a deep breath and put down Amber from his shoulder. Then, he made the tiger bite the Inviolable Saber before striding forward.
When a cultivator in a nearby cage saw Lu Ye, he said with a smile, “Here comes a young man. What’s more, he’s a Cloud River Realm Master.”
“Brat, what have you done that you’re sent to this place?”
“Did you run away from your duty?”
“Brat, let me give you a tip. Don’t activate your Spiritual Power to resist it. Relax so that you’ll pass out after one whip, and then you won’t feel anything.”
“Brother Zhuang speaks from experience, so you’d better heed his advice.”
…
Amid the uproar, Lu Ye headed to the spot where he would be punished, and several cultivators came to tie him up.
The ropes were naturally no ordinary items. Since even a Real Lake Realm Master was unable to struggle out of the ropes, they must be Spirit Treasures as well.
Lu Ye didn’t resist them, nor was there a need for him to do so. He let them tie him up and hang him in mid-air. From a distance, Amber bit the Inviolable Saber and looked at him with teary eyes.
The old man approached the punisher and whispered to him.
One-Eyed Man didn’t even look at him. “You know my rules.”
The old man said, “It’s the Commander’s order. He’d personally sent this person here.”
One-Eyed Man stopped drinking his wine and studied the old man, who nodded to show that he wasn’t lying. Only then did One-Eyed Man turn to look at Lu Ye, who was hung in mid-air.
“Don’t ask me. I know nothing.” Before One-Eyed Man could say anything, the old man decided to make it clear to him that he was unable to clear his doubts.
“I got it.” One-Eyed Man put down his wine jar and rose to his feet. Then, he picked up the Reverse Dragon Spine and approached Lu Ye from behind.
As he activated his Spiritual Power, the sound of breaking through the air was heard.
Lu Ye felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His Spiritual Power Shield shattered in an instant, and an excruciating pain spread across his body. Compared with the pain in his body, his mind suffered even more horribly.
He had experienced pain in his mind countless times.
When his soul still wasn’t powerful, he would enter the Rift of Illusions and get some training. Every time he was killed and sent out of that place, he would feel a temporary pain. Whenever he looked at the information carried on the leaves of the Tree of Glyphs, he had to bear a lot of pain as well.
In comparison, those experiences were like breezes while what he was going through was like a storm.
He finally understood why even a Real Lake Realm Master couldn’t bear the punishment. No ordinary person could ever withstand such pain.
A scream escaped his mouth. The veins on his forehead bobbed as he trembled violently.
“Hmm?” One-Eyed Man frowned.
There were many rules to follow when it came to punishing a prisoner. Since it was a punishment, it had to be made sure that the prisoner learned his lesson and wouldn’t make a mistake again.
To learn his lesson, the prisoner had to endure some pain, and it had to be ensured that he wouldn’t pass out. As such, the punisher needed to have precise control over his strength.
One-Eyed Man had been carrying out punishments for decades. It could be said that he could make a person pass out whenever he wanted.
The Commander had personally taken Lu Ye to this place and given an order. Naturally, One-Eyed Man would go easy on him. He had no regard for anyone else, but he wouldn’t dismiss the Commander’s order.
His plan was to make Lu Ye pass out with only one whip. To deal with a Cloud River Realm Master, he only needed to activate a fraction of Reverse Dragon Spine’s power.
That way, Lu Ye wouldn’t feel any pain for the following two whips. One-Eyed Man would cleverly hold back his power, and others wouldn’t find out what was wrong.