Chapter Ninety-Six: The Tribunal

He had left with several guards for unknown purposes.

Two guards pressed down on his shoulders, glaring viciously at Zhou Tian, for this man had just desecrated the supreme lord in their hearts. If not for the pontiff’s command, they would have gladly plunged their spears into his skull and stirred until nothing remained.

Zhou Tian was forced down, his body bent forward. Four more silver-armored guards walked at his sides, their expressions unfriendly.

He felt the strength pressing on his shoulders and narrowed his eyes. Nevertheless, his main objective now was to rescue Zhang Yi, so he refrained from acting.

Though the tribunal was rumored to be beneath the central cathedral, it was not entered through the church. Instead, after winding through the sharp-spired buildings behind the cathedral, turning left and right, they arrived before a hidden structure.

Like its neighbors, the building was a white house with a pointed roof. A silver-armored guard stepped forward, placed his hand upon the wooden door, and a milky glow appeared. A magical array surfaced on the door, which then split open, swinging wide of its own accord.

They entered. At first glance, it seemed no different from any ordinary house. Yet the guards escorting Zhou Tian opened a concealed passage in a secret spot, and after walking for some time, they came to another area nearly identical to the previous house—still not the tribunal.

Zhou Tian was speechless. The security measures were so primitive; all this complexity just to protect an entrance.

After much wandering, they passed through a corridor, and suddenly the scenery opened up. No longer the monotonous rooms, they found themselves in a bright space.

Zhou Tian had expected to be led into yet another chamber with a hidden tunnel, but unexpectedly, they had arrived.

He glanced up at the silver-armored guards escorting him and saw surprise on their faces as well, as if they hadn’t expected to arrive so abruptly.

The place was about several dozen square meters, the floor paved with white tiles, sacred aura flowing throughout. At the far end stood four figures in white robes, bathed in light, their faces obscured. Behind them towered a statue of the Holy Arbiter, gripping a sacred sword with magnificent presence.

Six guards pushed Zhou Tian forward. One silver-armored guard stepped up and said,

“Honorable Arbiter, this is the follower of the Voodoo Cult sent by the pontiff.”

“A follower of the Voodoo Cult?”

The white-robed figure to the left spoke, his voice ancient.

“Have you not hidden like rats for many years? When did you dare to crawl out again?”

He was speaking to Zhou Tian.

Zhou Tian was momentarily bewildered. Me? I don’t even know. After a moment’s silence, he shouted,

“Long live the Voodoo Cult!”

No matter what others said, he just had to shout the slogan.

“Another soul twisted by the evil god. May the Lord forgive you.”

The white-robed man sighed and nodded to the other three. The four turned and bowed, murmuring in low voices before the Holy Arbiter’s statue. Zhou Tian could not make out their words; they sounded like some sort of incantation.

As they chanted, the sacred sword in the statue’s grasp shone brightly. White runes emerged, peeling away from the sword and weaving together in midair. Soon, a portal formed entirely from white runes.

Zhou Tian frowned. Not a physical passage?

“Step inside!”

A silver-armored guard barked. He shoved Zhou Tian, who stumbled through the portal. The door sealed behind him, and the guards saluted and withdrew, leaving only the four white-robed figures standing silently.

On Zhou Tian’s side, after passing through the portal, he felt the world spin, and when he regained his senses, he was in a shadowy place.

Before he could properly examine his surroundings, he was hauled up from the ground—not by a person, for although the figure before him wore silver armor, Zhou Tian glimpsed through the gaps and saw nothing but light within.

“An energy construct. How did the technology level suddenly jump so high here?” Zhou Tian was dragged along by the entity, muttering inwardly as he glanced around.

It was a very dark space, with little light. He could barely make out his surroundings, anything farther was obscured.

He passed by instruments of torture, each with a different design—stone rhinoceros horses with spiked backs, iron brushes studded with dozens of metal barbs, some still stained with blood, not only red but green and blue, evidence that their victims were not merely human.

Just seeing these devices made Zhou Tian’s scalp tingle. Thankfully, it seemed they hadn’t been used in a long time. Even those forged from extraordinary materials were rusted and many were broken.

As they moved past the torture implements, they drew closer to the cells. The Holy Church no longer enjoyed its ancient glory; most of these cells stood empty.

Suddenly, a disheveled humanoid figure lunged from one cage, slamming against the black metal bars. White patterns flared across the metal, flames ignited out of nowhere, burning the figure as it screamed in agony—yet it did not die, its mouth moving as if shouting, but no sound emerged. The cages were spacious, but the pain was immense.

The energy construct was unmoved, dragging Zhou Tian forward.

A flash of light caught Zhou Tian’s eye. In one cell, Zhang Yi stood behind the bars, gripping them as white flames engulfed him. He endured the pain, the fire’s glow illuminating his pale face. Seeing Zhou Tian, he let go, forcing a weak smile. Zhou Tian gestured for him to stay calm, locking the cell’s location in memory.

Other figures appeared in nearby cells, bald and gaunt-faced. Upon seeing Zhou Tian, their eyes lit up with malicious delight, as if pleased he had sunk to their level.

Zhou Tian secretly curled his lip. Serves you right, abandoned monks.

After more walking, Zhou Tian was thrown into an empty cell by the energy construct, which locked the door. A wisp of light drifted into the bars, white runes flashed briefly, activating the barrier.

Zhou Tian wasn't in a hurry. He sat casually on the floor. Now that he was inside, he might as well observe the situation.

There was nothing here to mark the passage of time. He had no idea how long had passed until he checked his Undying System—his revival count had reset, meaning a day had gone by.

During this day, nothing had passed by, not even the energy construct appeared, as if it had forgotten them, certain none of the prisoners could possibly escape.

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