Back on the thirteenth heaven, the matters of the mortal realm had been cleanly resolved.
Qi Yu had not taken more than a few steps when she saw the fox spirit and the bear spirit kneeling in the grand hall of the thirteenth heaven.
These two fiends were pinned in the center, their hands bound by shackles, utterly unable to stand.
On the surface, they appeared rather defiant, but in reality, they had already begun to tremble slightly.
"Have these two fiends confessed everything they should have?" Yan Hua asked casually as he walked behind.
The heavenly soldiers and generals, upon hearing Yan Hua's question, immediately replied, "Replying to your excellency, these two demons have shown no signs of confessing. Since none of you were present, we dared not resort to torture and could only wait for your return to pass judgment."
Jin Yan also stood by, having watched for a while, "These two fiends were merely trying to increase their cultivation by using human life force. However, they became increasingly excessive, and I believe it's no different from other cases where demons have killed humans. They can be directly stripped of their cultivation and sent to the underworld."
Yu Yuan, for once, nodded in agreement, sharing the same sentiment.
"I believe that although it sounds similar, the specific details are different," Si Qing held a different opinion. "Ordinary demon races do not harm human lives. Most of them choose to reside in their own territories. They only attack if humans trespass and disturb them, and even then, such situations are rare. Most of the time, when encountering such situations, these demons merely scare the humans away."
"Of course, there are a small number of demons and other races who consume human lives to increase their cultivation. However, there is a distinction in how they consume human lives. Some demons consume one human life. While such demons should also have their cultivation abolished, they can be banished to the underworld for punishment, reincarnated in their next life as the livestock of the person they harmed, considered as compensation."
"But this fox spirit and bear spirit have gone too far. They occupied Luo Family Village and continuously demanded that the village sacrifice young boys and girls. This behavior is even more heinous than consuming human lives. They have harmed more than just one life. Even if they were to reincarnate endlessly to atone for the people they harmed, they would still not be able to compensate."
Si Qing looked at Qi Yu, "Therefore, Sister, I strongly propose severe punishment for this fox spirit and bear spirit, not for any other reason, but purely for deterrence. Otherwise, if others follow suit and imitate them, what then? Won't the world fall into chaos?"
Especially when most villagers, in their desperation, often place their hopes on them.
If this situation is not severely punished, demons or other races will immediately take advantage of the chaos, misleading humans with claims that sacrificing young boys and girls can grant eternal life.
Qi Yu felt this was indeed a good idea, but then again.
"Then what good method do you suggest that can serve as a deterrent without being overly bloody? After all, I never intended to target demon races or other races," Qi Yu spread her hands helplessly. "Especially over-protecting humans can cause resentment among other races, leading them to target humans even more. Therefore, this punishment must be carefully considered."
Yan Hua pondered for a moment, "If that's the case, why not simply exile them?"
"Exile them to a place of bitter cold to suffer for 800 years. After 800 years, their cultivation will be abolished, and they will be released back to the demon race, forever imprisoned. This means they will have no chance to start anew."
Qi Yu considered it carefully and finally had to admit that Yan Hua's suggestion struck a chord with the pain points of various cultivators.
Especially for those demon races or other races, they did not fear death.
After all, a straightforward death or reincarnation was not something they feared. The only thing that terrified them was the destruction of their years of cultivation.
And to drag this broken body around, living in pain.
"If that's the case, then so be it," Si Qing decisively declared, "Drag these two fiends away and deal with them according to the rules."
The heavenly soldiers and generals received the order and immediately dragged the fox spirit and the bear spirit, preparing to leave the thirteenth heaven.
The fox spirit had initially thought that their clan leader, Qi Nian, was still present and that its punishment might be lessened. It never expected to be dragged away so soon, and Qi Nian had not uttered a single word.
The fox spirit immediately panicked and cried out, "No! Where are you dragging me? Clan leader, clan leader, why aren't you saying anything? I was just momentarily deluded! Give me another chance!"
Qi Nian's face remained cold throughout.
Give them another chance? She wished she could skin these two scoundrels alive.
Thinking of this, Qi Nian looked at Qi Yu, "I have something to say."
Everyone stopped.
Qi Nian looked at Qi Yu, "These two are my masters. Although none of you intended to target me, I believe that to prevent similar incidents from happening again, their punishment should be carried out directly within the demon race."
This would serve as a warning to others.
Qi Yu had initially thought her senior sister was going to plead for them and was struggling with how to respond. To her surprise, Qi Nian meant this. Her heart eased considerably, and she nodded in agreement, instructing people to make arrangements.
The fox spirit and the bear spirit were now completely dumbfounded.
After receiving permission, Qi Nian stopped speaking. With a blank expression, she turned around and decided to stay on the thirteenth heaven for the next few days, to meditate and pray, to calm her mind.
Otherwise, if she returned directly to her territory like this, she was sure to launch a thorough investigation.
She would search the demon race from top to bottom.
At that time, the elders of the demon race would start their usual nagging and complaining.
Sui You had been watching from the side the entire time without speaking. Only after the two fiends were dragged away did he reach up to wipe the sweat from his forehead and sigh, "I always thought my little phoenixes in my clan were mischievous, with none of them being well-behaved. Now, compared to your clan members, I suddenly feel that the little phoenixes in my clan are not so bad."
Although those little phoenixes were idle and enjoyed playing with fire, burning down several phoenix trees in their territory, no matter what, these little phoenixes didn't go out and harm people.
This alone saved him a lot of trouble.
Qi Nian glared at him.
Sui You turned back, gave Qi Nian a provocative look, then hummed a tune and walked away.
Qi Nian felt he was being too arrogant. She initially wanted to tolerate it, but the more she thought about it, the more displeased she became. Unable to bear it any longer, she chased after him, "Sui You! What did you mean by those words just now? Are you showing off? You are definitely showing off! Come here! If you dare, let's have a one-on-one fight!"