After two consecutive lashes, the searing pain and crushing humiliation finally forced Yu Xiaogang to confront reality.
The arrogance he had clung to for decades—his so-called dignity as the "Grandmaster"—was smashed to fragments by the raw, undeniable torment of the whip.
He became obedient.
He shut his mouth.
The head that had once been held so high finally drooped, hanging limply as his entire body trembled uncontrollably. He no longer dared utter a single word.
To him, silence now felt like the only way to survive.
However—
Just as he believed the beating would finally pause—
"Bang—!!!"
A sharp, explosive crack tore through the air!
The third lash came without the slightest warning.
Heavy.
Brutal.
Merciless.
It slammed into his body with terrifying force, tearing open already-bloody flesh!
"AAAH—!!!"
Yu Xiaogang let out an inhuman shriek, his body convulsing violently against the cross as if struck by lightning.
He abruptly raised his head, bloodshot eyes filled with disbelief, rage, and utter confusion.
"I—I've already shut up!"
"Why are you still hitting me?!" he roared hoarsely.
The Cardinal holding the whip looked down at him, lips curling into a cold, cruel sneer.
He stepped forward slowly, each footstep echoing ominously in the suddenly silent square.
His voice was not loud—
Yet every word carried clearly to all corners.
"Still daring to protest… silently?"
The moment those words fell—
The entire venue went deathly quiet.
On the viewing platform, Emperor Xue Ye had just lifted his teacup, intending to sip leisurely while enjoying the spectacle.
His hand trembled.
Tea spilled across his dragon robe.
Beside him, Dai Tianfeng—who had been smirking moments ago—froze completely, his expression stiff as if carved from stone.
The two emperors slowly raised their heads at the same time, staring at the Cardinal with identical looks of disbelief.
Their eyes conveyed the same thought.
This bastard… is truly a rare talent.
Genuinely shameless.
Instinctively, they turned their gazes toward the other Spirit Hall elders.
Gold Crocodile Douluo nodded with satisfaction, as if approving a promising junior.
Devil Bear Douluo laughed loudly and even gave the Cardinal a thumbs-up.
"This kid's good!" he boomed.
"He's got a future!"
Ghost Leopard Douluo and the others also wore expressions of quiet approval, as though thinking:
This one understands the rules. He's teachable.
Seeing this, Emperor Xue Ye and Dai Tianfeng exchanged a glance.
Without saying a word, they both swallowed the phrase "utterly shameless" back down their throats.
Forget it.
Arguing morality with the Spirit Hall was clearly an intellectual self-harm exercise.
At this point, even the hundreds of thousands of spectators in the square finally understood.
"So that's how it is…"
"Whether Yu Xiaogang speaks or not, he's getting beaten anyway!"
"Hah! Serves him right! Who told him to be so bold as to try assassinating the Supreme Pontiff!"
"In my opinion, beating him to death would still be too light!"
"Exactly! A person like that deserves to die!"
The curses and contempt poured down like a tidal wave.
Every word pierced Yu Xiaogang's heart like a blade.
A surge of hot blood rushed to his head.
He wanted to scream.
He wanted to shout that he was innocent.
He wanted to roar that this was all wrong.
But—
His gaze drifted to the whip in the Cardinal's hand.
The barbs were still stained with his blood.
They gleamed coldly, as if eager for another taste.
All the words jammed in his throat.
Fear—pure, bone-deep fear—finally crushed everything else.
His face collapsed, swollen and bloodied.
His voice trembled, taking on a broken, pleading tone.
"I was wrong…"
"Can't I… can't I just be wrong already?"
Seeing Yu Xiaogang completely submit, the Cardinal let out a satisfied snort.
He withdrew the whip and turned around, bowing respectfully toward the viewing platform.
"Your Supreme Pontiff," he said solemnly,
"the criminal has been restrained. Everything is prepared. We may proceed at any time."
On the platform, Bibi Dong did not even spare Yu Xiaogang a glance.
To her, he was nothing more than a repulsive insect.
She waved her hand indifferently.
"Begin."
The Cardinal straightened, took a deep breath, and accepted a golden scroll from a nearby guard.
He unrolled it.
Spirit power surged.
His voice boomed, echoing throughout the entire square!
"Silence!"
"The public proclamation of Yu Xiaogang's crimes now begins!"
"First!"
The Cardinal's tone turned ice-cold, brimming with killing intent.
"Criminal Yu Xiaogang, disregarding the Supreme Pontiff's past kindness and patronage, harbored resentment, became deranged, and openly attempted to assassinate Her Holiness within Feng Ran Pavilion!"
"His crime is unforgivable!"
The square erupted into chaos.
Though rumors had circulated before, hearing it officially proclaimed still sent shockwaves through the masses.
Gasps.
Shouts.
Fury.
Meanwhile—
Yu Xiaogang was utterly dumbfounded.
For the first time since being dragged here, genuine confusion appeared in his bloodshot eyes.
Assassination?
Me?
His mind buzzed violently, turning blank.
He subconsciously recalled that day.
In the restaurant…
Seeing Bibi Dong being intimate with that young man, jealousy had overwhelmed him.
He remembered cursing her.
He remembered shouting.
Then—he remembered being kicked flying.
Then… darkness.
From beginning to end, he hadn't even laid a finger on her!
Let alone assassination!
"How… how did this become an assassination?!"
In that instant, realization struck him like a thunderbolt.
I've been set up.
Spirit Hall.
Bibi Dong.
They had nailed him to the pillar of shame with an utterly absurd charge!
Yu Xiaogang looked around wildly.
Hundreds of thousands of gazes bore into him—full of contempt, rage, and murderous intent.
He panicked completely.
He couldn't admit this.
He absolutely couldn't!
Once he admitted it, he would become a mad clown who overestimated himself—a laughingstock for all eternity!
"Slander!"
"This is slander!!!"
Yu Xiaogang didn't know where the strength came from, but he suddenly raised his head and roared with all his might.
His voice was hoarse, cracked, yet filled with desperate defiance.
"When did I, Yu Xiaogang, ever assassinate Bibi Dong?!"
"Where is the evidence?!"
"I didn't even touch her—how can you call this assassination?!"
"This is a frame-up!"
"A conspiracy!"
What answered him was the howl of a whip slicing through the air.
"Bang—!!!"
"Still daring to talk back?!"
The Cardinal's expression turned ferocious.
The whip lashed again and again, precisely striking Yu Xiaogang's wounds as if alive.
"AAAH—!!!"
The pain was so intense that Yu Xiaogang screamed until his voice nearly broke.
His body convulsed violently, veins bulging, sweat and blood mixing together.
Yet this time—
He endured.
Barely.
"I didn't!" he roared hoarsely, staring at Bibi Dong with bloodshot eyes.
"I didn't do it!"
"You, Spirit Hall, are abusing your power—twisting right and wrong!"
"I, Yu Xiaogang…"
"I will never admit this charge!"
His defiant roar echoed across the square—
Yet to the watching crowd, it sounded no different from the final, desperate howl of a condemned man.