Chapter 135: Pei Hong’s Choice

By the time Ye Feng and the others reacted, the palm-sized Yuan Ying figure had already darted into the woods and disappeared.
“He got away!” Ye Feng sighed deeply. “Now that he exists in Yuan Ying form, it will be difficult for us to find him.”
“Let him go! In this state, he can’t leave Earth anyway. Only those with physical strength at the Yuan Ying level can withstand the pressure of the teleportation array. A mere Yuan Ying form would be torn to pieces!” Kong Xu didn’t seem too concerned about this. “By choosing to escape like this, his cultivation is ruined. Without meridians in his body to channel spiritual energy, nor a dantian suitable for Yuan Ying cultivation, his Yuan Ying form can’t absorb external spiritual energy, let alone perform self-destruction. Unless he switches to practicing as a scattered immortal, he can only wait for his death, after which his Yuan Ying will dissipate and his consciousness will vanish into nothingness.”
“But I clearly sealed his Yuan Ying—why could he still self-destruct and even escape?” Wu Dao raised his doubts.
Ye Feng, who was checking Yu Wen Zhuo’s body, suddenly felt a soft object in the wound on Yu Wen Zhuo’s abdomen. He took it out of Yu Wen Zhuo’s dantian. “I think I know why your seal failed.”
“Where did this Yuan Ying come from?” The others looked curiously over. Ye Feng held another palm-sized Yuan Ying in his hand. This unconscious Yuan Ying had its eyes closed, and its body was entwined with golden vines—clearly the physical manifestation of Wu Dao’s seal.
“He has two Yuan Ying!” Ye Feng concluded correctly. “This is the one you sealed. The one who escaped is the one that wasn’t sealed!”
“I never expected my momentary carelessness to nearly cost everyone their lives!” Wu Dao apologized earnestly.
“Master, there’s no need to blame yourself. No one expected him to have two Yuan Ying. So, no matter who tried to seal him, the result would have been the same!” Ye Feng comforted him. “Besides, the crisis is now resolved, and everyone is safe.”
“Ye Feng is right!” Kong Xu nodded at Wu Dao as well, then turned to look at Nikola and Pei Hong. “Moreover, today’s trial isn’t over yet. What we should focus on now is finishing it.”
In the valley, everyone gathered again to continue the trial.

“First, let’s talk about Pei Hong. As Yuwen Zhuo’s earliest accomplice, he knew about all of Yuwen Zhuo’s schemes from the beginning. Instead of stopping them, he even participated in some of the actions.” After everyone had settled in, the Empty Taoist Priest looked at Pei Hong and said, “But he was able to repent in time and assist us in capturing the other two, which is also a merit. Let’s discuss how to deal with him!”
“Taoist Priest, let me share my opinion first!” Ye Feng was the first to speak. “Pei Hong isn’t inherently bad. He is the oldest cultivator on Earth by far—the one without a rival. Among those present, he has the longest standing. And most of us here should know that he only has 28 years left before his 3,000-year deadline. What happened this time can be seen as merely a momentary lapse caused by selfish desires. We must remember that in 3,000 years, he has only made one mistake. No one is perfect; no one can avoid making a mistake their entire life! Of course, his mistake did cause serious harm—the massacre at the Ghost Market in City H left many people losing their loved ones, and they may suffer greatly for a long time to come. But I hope everyone will give him a chance to reform. Killing him or destroying him is far less meaningful than allowing him to change.”
After hearing Ye Feng’s statement, everyone present fell silent, while Pei Hong looked at him with gratitude.
“He has already put down his butcher’s knife and shown his stance through actions, which proves he feels remorse,” Wu Dao said, agreeing with Ye Feng’s view. “Ye Feng, what do you think should be done to him? Please offer a suggestion so we can see if it’s feasible. I think some light punishment as a warning is necessary.”
“I believe punishment isn’t the goal; it’s merely a preventive measure. Since he has already repented, the significance of punishment isn’t very great. I originally planned to send him away using a teleportation array under our supervision before we leave Earth. That way, whatever he does in the future won’t harm anyone else on Earth,” Ye Feng explained his plan.
“Young brother Ye Feng, that can’t be considered punishment. Leaving Earth isn’t exactly what he wanted? That’s more like rewarding him!” Someone immediately objected.

“How about this? Punish him by forcing him to follow Ye Feng for a hundred years. During those hundred years, he must obey Ye Feng’s orders. This way, Ye Feng can monitor his behavior, and he can make amends through action while constantly reflecting on his mistakes,” suggested Empty Void, offering a somewhat strange proposal.

“That sounds pretty good. A hundred years isn’t long nor short, but it’s enough time for him to reflect. It could even be seen as a process of self-cultivation!” Wu Dao nodded in agreement.

Hearing Wu Dao’s words, no one else raised any objections.

“Pei Hong, I’m not proposing this to insult you. By age, you could even be considered an elder to both me and Wu Dao,” said Empty Void to Pei Hong, whose expression was unpredictable. “As Wu Dao just said, this is a process of self-cultivation. If you survive these hundred years, your mental state and cultivation level will improve significantly—something you surely understand yourself. For nearly three thousand years, you’ve remained at the peak. Though you’re not the strongest, even other Yuan Ying-stage warriors on Earth address you as ‘elder brother.’ It’s because of this that you lost your direction, were distracted by external things, and made mistakes. These hundred years might be tough, but without such trials, you’ll likely make the same mistakes due to other temptations in the future!”

“Are you willing to accept our proposal? I’m sure you know Ye Feng well—he’s definitely not the kind to take advantage of others or deliberately embarrass you. Besides, among everyone here, though he’s the youngest, he has great potential. Following him will undoubtedly benefit you,” said Empty Void. Everyone turned to look at Pei Hong, waiting for his reply.

“I’m willing!” Pei Hong took a deep breath and nodded at Empty Void.