"How could he… have perished?" The young man's face grew even grimmer. As he looked off into the distance, lightning seemed to dance within his eyes, as if his body was filled with roaring thunder and electricity.

"The Primordial Demon Immortal Plane isn't very dangerous," thought the young man. "There may be disputes in the First Plane when it comes to selecting a host body, but who is there that would dare to provoke the Ji Clan?" Based on the look in his eyes, it was clear that he truly didn't understand. Also visible in his eyes were deep pain and fury.

Ji Mingfeng was the best of the best in the younger generation. Many hopes had been placed in him. Who could ever have possibly imagined that he would die in the Demon Immortal Sect!?

"The Second Plane is an illusory realm. It might seem dangerous, but the chances of truly life-threatening situations are extremely small, and could only come about by chance or coincidence. Hmmm, if my calculations are correct, the Second Plane should have just opened. Considering Mingfeng's latent talent, he should have been one of the first ones to awaken. How could he have perished?

"Throughout the tens of thousands of years in which the Ji Clan has sent our Cultivators into the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane… no one has ever died!

"Mingfeng… how could you have perished?" The young man sat there silently, his eyes radiating such icy coldness that snowflakes began to fall upon the entirety of South Heaven.

Without speaking a word, he stretched out his right hand, within which appeared a Feng Shui compass. In the center of the Feng Shui compass was black-colored sun, which caused the compass itself to emanate a black glow.

He stared down at the compass as he used his left hand to make various adjustments. The glow of augury appeared in his eyes. Within the space of a few breaths, his expression changed. A cracking sound could be heard from the Feng Shui compass as a huge fissure appeared on its surface.

The young man gasped, and a look of disbelief appeared in his eyes.

"An anomaly! The only thing I can determine is that in this particular instance of the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane… an anomaly has appeared which has never before existed within the last 90,000 years!

"This anomaly could possibly influence the passage of time! It might even affect events that have already occurred, and have flowed past in the great river of time!

"What could be the cause of this?!"

Meanwhile, back in the Demon Immortal Sect, in the Second Plane, on the First Peak….

Because of the death of Ji Mingfeng's host body, everything was absolutely quiet. All of the First Peak's Conclave disciples looked on silently, an icy glow rising up in their eyes. The people who had come with Meng Hao, but had not taken action just now, also looked on with expressions of shock, their minds spinning. Everything had happened far too quickly, such that they didn't even have time to think about what consequences might result because of what happened.

Then, their minds began to reel as they realized that the death of a First Peak Conclave disciple… was nothing other than… a complete disaster.

Meng Hao hovered there in mid-air, looking around at the dozen or so others who had joined him in the attack. They were all silkpants from the various other peaks, and were about the same age as Meng Hao. They were his gang of scoundrels, and after all their ridiculous antics throughout the years, a strong friendship had developed between them.

Meng Hao looked at them, and they looked back. Then they started laughing.

An hour later, bells tolled throughout the Demon Immortal Sect. At the same time, an enormous screen appeared in mid-air upon within which could be seen a cage. In that cage were Meng Hao and the dozen or so of his friends who had joined him, all of them bound up tightly.

All of the disciples in the Sect were watching the proceedings. Floating there in mid-air, his eyes closed, was a burly, bare-chested man. After the bells tolled a fifth time, the burly man's eyes snapped open. They shone with an oppressive glow as he lifted his right hand up into the air and made a grasping motion. A black whip suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was fully three thousand meters long, and as it undulated, the air itself was shattered. Lightning danced on its surface, and it emitted astonishing crackling sounds throughout the entirety of the Sect.

"According to Sect rules, the punishment for murdering a fellow disciple is death," said the burly man, his voice cool. "However, considering the services rendered to the Sect by your various ancestors… you will be spared death, but not punishment!

"According to the orders of the seven great Paragons, Ke Jiusi will be stripped of his title of Elite Apprentice. Xu Tianhai, Chen Mingyun… all the rest of you sub-Elite Apprentices will be demoted to the Inner Sect. Your positions will not be restored for ten thousand years!

"You will also receive three lashes from the Purgatory Whip. Each lash could be fatal. This is your punishment! As for Ke Jiusi, he will receive four lashes!

"If such a crime should be committed again in the future, you will compensate with your lives!" As his words echoed out through the Sect, those who heard were shocked. Such a punishment was incredibly severe. Their titles were stripped for ten thousand years, although that could be considered secondary. Most severe of all was the Purgatory Whip; few people withstand more than two lashes from it!

In the memories of everyone present, a punishment of three lashes had not been doled out for a thousand years. As for Ke Jiusi's special punishment of four lashes, that type of punishment had not been seen… for at least three thousand years.

As of this moment, all of the disciples within the Sect were completely quiet. They looked up at the scene playing out in mid-air, especially those from the First Peak, within whose eyes hatred flickered.

When Meng Hao and the dozen or so others heard the burly man's words, their faces immediately fell.

"What the fudge! This is messed up. Three lashes…."

"Hah! I was the one who struck the first blow. Three lashes? Who cares!?!?"

"Sub-Elite Apprentice? Psshhh. If I want some techniques or legacies or even treasures, all I have to do is ask. I don't give a crap about what level of disciple I am!"

"Jiusi, we're brothers, so we'll accept the punishment together! Those old fogies can only hurt our flesh, they can't really kill us. Although, you still need to tell me, why exactly did we have to kill that First Peak Conclave disciple?"

Meng Hao looked around at his dozen or so friends. He knew that this world was illusory, but he was still moved nonetheless. He could tell that these were the kind of people who would stick with him through thick and thin. It almost made him want to forget that this place wasn't real, and that he wasn't really Ke Jiusi.

Except… he wasn't sure exactly how to respond to the question. After a moment's thought, he gritted his teeth.

"That punk seduced one of my Junior Sisters!"

Strange looks filled the faces of the others. After a moment passed, they all started laughing.

As their laughter rang out, the burly man coldly said, "First lash."

With that, he raised his hand, and the whip flew out, causing distortions to ripple out in the air. A piercing crack rang out.

The sound of it was crisp and clear, and echoed back and forth at least ten times, accompanied by shocking rumbling like that of thunder.

One whip blow slashed across Meng Hao and the others.

Meng Hao's entire body shook, and it felt as if his soul were about to explode out of his body. Indescribable pain surged through him, stabbing into his mind, causing his vision to swim. At the same time, miserable cries could be heard around him.

Meanwhile, off in the distance, seven figures could be seen standing on the Seventh Peak. They looked like seven blazing suns. One of their number was Ke Yunhai. His face was somber, and his fury burned to the Heavens. His gaze was fixed on Meng Hao, who was being whipped to the point that it seemed as if he wanted to die.

Standing near Ke Yunhai was a middle-aged woman. Her body emanated a beautiful glow, and as she stood there, it seemed as if she were fused with Heaven and Earth. She was the Paragon of the Sixth Peak. Her expression cool, she turned to Ke Yunhai and said, "Lord Li is sleeping now, but we are all still subject to his Heavenly will. The Dao Realm is sealed, and cut off from us. However, momentous events will soon occur. If you are too kind, Elder Brother Ke, then in the future, your son will definitely fall into great calamity."

The Paragon of the Third Peak was an old man with a long face. His entire person radiated ancientness as he shook his head and said, "Elder Brother Ke, your son really is… well, if he wants to break Sect rules, that is his concern, but why does he have to get others in trouble too? I guess that's just his character…."

The Paragon of the First Peak was a handsome young man with long, narrow eyes. His body emanated a golden light that made it seem as if he were surrounded by countless swords that in turn transformed into a bright sun. His voice itself sounded like sharp, stabbing swords as he calmly said, "This kid is clearly a deviant at heart. For years now he's bullied his way around. There have been at least ten or more disciples who have died by his hand. The only reason we didn't go after him for those deaths was for your sake, Elder Brother Ke. For him to brazenly kill someone in the open, though, that is far too excessive!"

After the three other Paragons spoke, Ke Yunhai's enraged voice could be heard.

"Rebel!! REBEL!!

"The instant I let him go, he goes and does something completely devoid of conscience! I don't care if he gets whipped to death! At least I wouldn't have to deal with this only son of mine!

"If he doesn't die, then he'll drive me to my death eventually! Because of Lord Li's Heavenly decree, living creatures all have lifespan limitations. The Dao Realm cannot be tread. My longevity is withering away, and the time of my death approaches. Fellow Daoists, your patience regarding my deviant son has not been forgotten.

"Let him die. Because of the endless slaughtering which occurred in the nine wars of the Mountains and Seas, of my fifteen sons, only he is left. His entire life, he was spoiled, so it's no wonder he turned out to be a disaster.

"Forget it. Just forget it. Let him die!" Ke Yunhai turned away, and as he did, his entire body seemed to age. The death aura which spread out all around him grew even stronger.

The other six Paragons stood by silently. The Paragon of the Seventh Peak was an ancient, white-haired man with the bearing of a transcendent being. He sighed softly as he looked off into the distance at the burly man with the whip.

The burly raised the whip up into the air and then paused for a moment. Then, he delivered the second lash.

The sound that rang out was intense and shocking to the extreme. However, it was clear that the blow had not been delivered with as much force as the previous one.

By the time the third lash fell, the skin of Meng Hao and the dozen or so others was completely torn and lacerated. Their expressions were haggard, and they could barely lift their heads. They bitterly looked over at Meng Hao, knowing that he was about to receive a fourth lash.

Meng Hao chuckled bitterly as the fourth blow descended. It slammed onto his body and his alone. At the same time, the furious words spoken by Ke Yunhai suddenly echoed into his ears.

"Still won't cry out?!"

Meng Hao gaped for a moment before letting out a scream that was tragic beyond description. When his companions heard the sound, they were astonished….

The punishment was over, and people came from the various peaks to support Meng Hao and the others as they left. They were quickly taken away to have their wounds treated. Soon, Meng Hao was back at the Fourth Peak, where he heard Ke Yunhai's voice echoing throughout the mountain.

"Don't help him. Screw off, you rebel!"

The Fourth Peak disciples who were helping him hesitated for a moment. However, Meng Hao indicated to them that they should release him. He smiled bitterly, but inwardly, felt warm at heart. Sighing, he began walking up toward Ke Yunhai's Immortal's cave.