MTLNOVEL Chapter 487 Self-harm
Over there, Monk Kongwu reluctantly put the ring on his hand and asked the Great Elder, "Please, noble lady, tell this humble monk, where is Shang Yu?"
The Great Elder said, "Earlier, this old woman told a lie to the Great Elder—I also do not know where Shang Yu is."
Monk Kongwu was greatly shocked upon hearing this and said, "Ah? How can you deceive people?"
The Great Elder laughed, saying, "This old woman is not a monk; what does it matter if I lie?"
Kongwu was furious, couldn't help but point at the Great Elder and said, "You, by lying like this, after death you will be sent to the hell of tongue extraction."
The Great Elder's face turned solemn and said, "This old woman knows not your Buddha, but being an elder of the Goddess Sect, I cannot but act according to the sect's rules.
Today, having deceived the Great Elder, this old woman is willing to accept the punishment of the Five Elements!"
Monk Kongwu no longer believed what the Great Elder said; he was simply stomping his feet in annoyance, saying: "Too much bullying of monks, how can you casually tease a humble monk?"
The Great Elder laughed upon hearing this and said, "Consider this the first lesson this old woman imparts to the Great Elder, which is to distinguish right from wrong.
Below the mountain is not like above, with many who are smooth-tongued and floweryfaced; if one cannot discern true from false, one often gets used by bad people, doing bad things with good intentions.
Fortunately, this old woman is not a bad person."
Having said this, she said to the other elder beside her, "Go fetch the Five Elements Soul Nails!"
The second elder over there frowned and said, "Elder sister, why take it so seriously?"
The Great Elder frowned and said, "I am just about to tell the sect disciples, today is not the same as the past. Henceforth, within the sect, anyone below the Great Elder who does not show respect to the Great Elder shall find no favor whatsoever."
She took the five steel nails handed over by the second elder; the five steel nails were similar in shape, all adorned with skulls at the end and gleaming with a cold light at the tip. The only difference was that the five steel nails were of various colors.
The Great Elder took the red one from the five steel nails in her left hand and immediately placed it upon her left shoulder.
With Nascent Soul Realm cultivation, ordinary magical treasures should not be able to harm her.
But since it was the Great Elder herself making the move, the soul nail pierced her skin with no obstruction. The skull at the end of the soul nail began to glare red, and red veins emerged on the surface, as the soul nail absorbed the Great Elder's blood.
The Great Elder groaned in pain, and flames spurted from her pores. Luckily, her clothes were not ordinary; otherwise, the scourge of stark naked flames would surely have occurred.
"There is no need for such measures; I never intended to blame you!"
Originally resentful of the Great Elder's deception, Monk Kongwu now became worried for the Great Elder.
He did not know the function of the soul nails, but he knew for sure the Great Elder was in immense pain now.
Seeing the Great Elder smile, she said, "Is the Master calm now, willing to become the Great Elder of my Goddess Sect?"
Of course, Kongwu was unwilling—yet he had already made a heavy vow in front of Buddha, leaving no room for retreat.
He anxiously wanted the Great Elder to stop, so he quickly nodded, "This humble monk is very willing, very willing, please do not harm yourself anymore."
The Great Elder did not remove the red soul nail; instead, she took the yellow soul nail, "I thank the Great Elder for his compassion—but with the sect's rules, how can this old woman not lead by example?"
The second yellow soul nail was inserted into her knee, yellow veins emerging instantaneously from the skull at the end of the yellow soul nail.
The Great Elder's whole body fire made a 'poof' sound as much of it extinguished, as a large amount of ash spewed from her pores.
"With all Five Elements Soul Nails in place, even a Nascent Soul powerhouse might risk a fall in realm."
Elder Mei, silent until now, whispered to Tian Lin and Mei Xianfu, "The Great Elder seems determined to bind Kong Wu onto the Goddess Sect."
Tian Lin nodded, saying, "After this incident, how can Master Kong Wu have the face to suggest leaving the Goddess Sect? Master Kong Wu came to Southern State to save us; speaking of today's plight, it is entirely because of me."
However, Elder Mei said, "Without you, there would be others—Kongwu's character is not suited to mingle in this mundane world! Looking closely, him being bound by the Great Elder is not entirely a bad thing. With the Great Elder helping him, he would not be easily deceived by others."
Tian Lin nodded, acknowledging Elder Mei's point.
Only Wang Yanyu behind the three wanted to curse her fate.
She had already planned to keep Monk Kongwu for another year, ideally binding him by her side for a lifetime. This way, she would have a free bodyguard!
But before the plan could fully unfold, the Goddess Sect's Great Elder intervened halfway.
Unfortunately, her strength was lacking, and she couldn't contend with others, so she had to put on a gracious appearance.
Over there, the Great Elder was taking her punishment, while Mei Xianfu was disinclined to look.
Her eyes were already looking towards the crowd below—
The several Nascent Soul Elders of the New Heaven Sect were either dead or had fled, and the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators had scattered like birds and beasts.
Only a group of mortals remained, not because they dared not fear retribution from the Goddess Sect, but because they were too weak to run.
For many days, these people were already gaunt from starvation. Some had already begun to practice cannibalism—
In fact, death, to them, seemed more like a release, better than continuously fleeing and enduring hardship.
"This group of people has no substantial power, only ambition, didn't they think those cultivators would spend resources on them without any gain?"
Tian Lin saw the killing intent in Mei Xianfu's eyes, so he said, "Now that Master Kong Wu is in charge of the Goddess Sect, these people's life and death should be left to Master Kong Wu to decide."
"Precisely because it's Monk Kongwu in charge, I am somewhat displeased. I estimate that these people will not only live but also be treated well by Monk Kongwu."
Almost as if her words came true, after the Great Elder fainted from punishment, the Second Elder asked Kongwu, "The leaders of the New Heaven Sect have fled; how should the remnants here be dealt with? Please, Great Elder, make a decision!"
Kongwu was not good at making decisive choices, so he asked her, "What does the noble lady think should be done?"
A cold glint flashed in the Second Elder's eyes, "Since the founding of our Goddess Sect, no one has ever dared to offend this sect. If these people don't die, where is the sect's dignity?"
Upon hearing that the ordinary people were to be killed, Kongwu quickly said, "Heaven above holds the virtue of life; how can one easily create a killing karma?"
The Second Elder frowned, asking Monk Kongwu, "Then, Master, what do you think?"
Monk Kongwu glanced around below, thought for a moment, then said, "I see they are yellow-faced and have hollow eyes; I suppose they have been hungry for too long." Having said this, he turned to ask the Second Elder, "Does the sect have food? Let's make some porridge and give these people a full meal first."
The Second Elder looked at Monk Kongwu in disbelief, saying, "These people invaded our sect, and now you, the Great Elder, not only refrain from killing them but also want us to feed them? Do you know how precious food is nowadays?"
Master Kongwu replied, "Saving these many lives, once the Buddha knows, will surely bring down blessings, Elder needn't worry."
The Second Elder laughed in exasperation, for the Goddess Sect did not believe in any Buddha.