Soaring Hawk Monarch was tied up above the city gate just like Li Qiye’s order.

“A warrior chooses death before dishonor! Just kill me!” The humiliated cultivator bellowed.

He was a famous big shot yet now, the crowd was staring at his humiliating state. This was unbearable.

“You’re no warrior.” Jian Sanqiang laughed and sealed the monarch’s veins.

The monarch could no longer scream nor commit suicide.

“Is the message sent?” Li Qiye smiled.

“Yes, Young Noble. They have received your message.” Xu Yiyun replied.

“Alright, let’s get started.” Li Qiye nodded then told Sanqiang: “Strip him, let the public take a look.”

“Very well.” Sanqiang accepted the command then turned towards the monarch: “Monarch, don’t blame me for this. Blame your own stupidity for trying to kidnap someone in broad daylight. You brought this upon yourself.”

Having said that, Sanqiang easily stripped the monarch.

“Ah!” Some female cultivators shouted and hurriedly turned around. Of course, some were just enjoying the show.

The monarch struggled but couldn’t move. Only whimpers could be heard. His eyes opened wide, on the verge of tearing. They were completely bloodshot - a testament to his indescribable rage. This humiliation was worse than death for a sect master like him.

“This is too much.” One youth became unhappy: “He’s right, a warrior chooses death before dishonor. How can they do this to him?”

“He’s no warrior, just a despicable ambusher.” An older expert snorted.

“He brought this upon himself by overestimating his ability. If Li Qiye had gotten captured, the guy would be suffering as well.” An ancestor shook his head.

The youths, in particular, thought that Li Qiye was out of line for this act against the monarch. On the other hand, the experienced cultivators were no stranger to events like this.

They knew that if Li Qiye had gotten captured, the monarch would employ the cruelest means possible. Li Qiye would wish for death at that moment. The torture would be a thousand times crueler than this.

Thus, few actually sympathized with the monarch. They thought that he was an idiot for attempting this.

Now, he threw his reputation away on top of offending Archaic Style. Therefore, no one from Hallowed City dared to stop Li Qiye from causing disorder.

After an entire day, no disciples from Soaring Hawk appeared with the ransom or tried to save him. The monarch’s lifelong reputation was ruined just like that.

“We’ll continue tomorrow, there’s plenty of time left.” Li Qiye remained patient.

On the second day, many spectators still came to see the monarch hanging above the gate.

“Start the lashing.” Li Qiye ordered: “Let Soaring Hawk see what will happen to their sect master.”

“Sure thing.” Jian Sanqiang took out a whip and swung it forward for a test.

He then coiled it around his arm and laughed at the monarch: “Once again, you can't blame me for being cruel. I have parents and kids to take care of and they’re crying for food, so I need money. Blame your greed and stupidity instead.”

The monarch’s eyes were filled with hatred, wanting nothing more than to eat Li Qiye’s flesh and drink Jian Sanqiang’s blood. The last wish was to commit suicide but it wasn’t possible.

“Whoosh!” Sanqiang ignored his gaze and started lashing.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!” The whip left behind bloody welts on the monarch.

This wasn’t enough to kill him and only served as psychological torture. Remember, a man of his high status couldn’t possibly handle the public humiliation. His face twisted in agony as a result.

The spectators shook their head after seeing this.

“He brought this upon himself.” One of them said.

“Just end it instead of torturing him.” One youth couldn’t help but say.

“If the monarch isn’t tortured, the rest of the world won’t see the consequences of messing with Li Qiye.” An older expert knew exactly what was going on.

The young ones nearby finally understood. Li Qiye became the richest overnight. Thus, numerous cultivators harbored the same greed as Soaring Hawk Monarch.

Some of them certainly came up with plans in order to capture Li Qiye for his wealth. The temptation was too great and justified the cruelest methods.

Thus, Li Qiye was making an example out of the monarch in order to deter future problems.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!” Countless welts appeared on the monarch’s body. Alas, the psychological damage from the loss of face was far worse.

“Will Soaring Hawk try to save him?” One youth joined the gossip.

Under these circumstances, no one could try to stop this from happening or they would be considered accomplices.

The only exception was his own sect. They had two choices - using force or by paying the ransom.

“If they don’t do it, they’ll never be able to keep their head up again.” A big shot said: “Just watching their sect master being humiliated like this is unacceptable.”

Others nodded in agreement. The monarch’s conduct didn’t actually matter. They had to do something in order to keep their sect together.

“Using force?” One cultivator scouted the area, hoping to see members of Soaring Hawk.

“They have to go all out. Otherwise, more experts from their sect will join their master on top of the gate.” The big shot replied.