The Years I Served as My Master's Cauldron - Chapter 2

Shen Yunjin was jolted awake by a splash of cold water poured over his head.

He trembled, his dark lashes fluttering as a curtain of water dripped down his face. When his vision finally cleared, he found himself staring into the wrinkled face of an old man.

The Elder of the Discipline Pavilion? He identified the man’s figure as his consciousness finally returned.

Seeing that Shen Yunjin was awake, the old man stroked his beard and snorted, signaling the disciples to hoist him onto the high platform. Soaked through, Shen Yunjin’s damp hair clung to his face. A gust of cold wind made him shiver, and as he glanced around, he realized he was on the Execution Platform.

The Execution Platform was used by the Nine Nether Sect to punish disciples who had committed grave sins. It hung high above the training grounds, anchored deep into the surrounding mountains by nine black basalt iron chains. It loomed like a sharp sword, meant to strike fear into the hearts of the sect members.

The Elder of the Discipline Pavilion read the disciplinary code in his high-pitched, piercing voice. Most of the charges against Shen Yunjin were clichéd accusations, tedious and annoying to hear.

“The wicked disciple, Shen Yunjin, has shown no respect for his elders since joining the sect, repeatedly violating the rules. Now, he has fallen into evil ways and slaughtered his fellow disciples. His crimes are unforgivable. By the Sect Master’s order, he is to be executed to comfort the spirits of the disciples who died in vain.”

“Do you confess your crimes?”

Forced to kneel on the ground, bound by black iron, Shen Yunjin’s dark hair concealed his gloomy expression. He couldn’t be bothered to respond to the old man and instead looked coldly at Xie Weiyuan, who stood behind him.

The Elder was so angry his beard trembled. “I asked you a question! Do you confess?”

He kicked Shen Yunjin hard in the knee. Shen Yunjin stifled a cry of pain and gritted his teeth, saying, “I do not.”

The Elder bristled with rage and shouted, “You dare deny slaughtering your fellow disciples? Guards, bring out the Soul-Devouring Nails!”

A disciple stepped onto the platform carrying the Soul-Devouring Nails. The Elder put his hands behind his back and sneered, “Stubborn to the end. Proceed with the execution immediately.”

Several disciples brutally pinned his arms and dragged him toward the iron chains. As he turned his head, he caught sight of the Master he hated with every fiber of his being, sitting on the opposite side.

Xie Weiyuan was dressed in white robes with gold trim, wearing the purple hairpiece unique to the Sect Master. He sat upright on his magnificent throne, projecting that usual aura of cold, aloof detachment. His thin, pale lips were tightly pressed, and his sword-like brows were slightly furrowed in an expression of fierce solemnity.

This man is always so heartless.

As he faced his impending death, Shen Yunjin couldn’t help but wish ill upon Xie Weiyuan. He wanted this cruel, vicious man to be humiliated by thousands, to have his pride broken, and to be trampled into the mud only then would his hatred be satiated.

But alas, I no longer have that chance.

The black iron chains suddenly tightened, lifting Shen Yunjin into the air. A tearing, suffocating pain radiated from his abdomen, causing fine beads of sweat to form on his forehead. He nearly cried out; the tightening chains threatened to crush his organs and displace his lungs, making it almost impossible to breathe.

He had thought he would be strangled to death before the actual punishment began. But just as he was on the verge of losing consciousness, the chains seemed to catch on something and stopped in their tracks.

He opened his eyes abruptly.

The Elder of the Discipline Pavilion frowned. “What is this? Are the chains broken?”

Before he could investigate, Xie Weiyuan interrupted, “It is fine. Continue the punishment.”

Without further hesitation, the Elder took out the two hundred and twenty Soul-Devouring Nails and murmured an incantation to imbue them with spiritual power.

Once the Soul-Devouring Nails were cast with a specific technique, they could only be retrieved once they drew blood. Upon entering the bone marrow, they would gnaw at the surrounding bone like tiny ants. This sensation would slowly spread throughout the entire body until the victim’s soul was completely devoured.

There was no shortage of powerful cultivators in the cultivation world, but even those above the Mahayana stage could not withstand the torture of these nails.

Xie Weiyuan is so eager for me to die.

Shen Yunjin cursed inwardly, but before he could dwell on it, ten Soul-Devouring Nails appeared before him. The Elder aimed the sharp ends at Shen Yunjin and plunged them in.

But the pain he expected did not come. Instead, a surge of cohesive water-element spiritual energy flowed through his body, protecting his heart.

Shen Yunjin was shocked; blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, and his eyes shifted with complex emotions. Who is helping me?

Although the Soul-Devouring Nails struggled to break free, they were repeatedly blocked by that powerful water energy and could not spread through his body. He looked at Xie Weiyuan, a seed of doubt sprouting in his mind.

There were few disciples in the sect whose natural foundation was the water element, and it would take at least the cultivation of the Spirit Transformation stage to have enough power to resist the Soul-Devouring Nails.

Could it be Xie Weiyuan who is helping me?

He quickly dismissed the thought as Xie Weiyuan stood up, smoothed his long robes, and said, “Wait.”

The Elder of the Discipline Pavilion was puzzled. “Lord Linghua, is something wrong?”

Xie Weiyuan stood up, took the Soul-Devouring Nails, and paused for a moment. “I will perform the execution myself.”

The faint glow of the original nails extinguished. Xie Weiyuan’s long, pale fingers picked up a nail, flicked it lightly, and drove it into Shen Yunjin’s body.

Shen Yunjin instantly broke into a cold sweat. Xie Weiyuan showed no mercy; he raised his hand again and drove a second nail into Shen Yunjin’s chest.

Another muffled grunt.

Then the third, the fourth, the fifth…

The frequent torture was more than he could bear. His black clothes were soaked in blood, mirroring the scene on the Beast-Taming Platform, and he was on the verge of fainting. Shen Yunjin moved his lips, but could only mumble a few words he was too weak, and those nearby couldn’t understand him.

Due to extreme blood loss, his consciousness slipped away, and he passed out from the excruciating pain.

Seeing him unconscious, the Elder was about to order someone to splash water on him to wake him, but Xie Weiyuan stopped him.

“There is no need to wake him.”

The Elder hesitated. “Lord Linghua, the punishment is not yet over. How can we just…” He trailed off, suspicious that Xie Weiyuan intended to shield the “wicked disciple.” “Is Lord Linghua feeling soft-hearted, intending to let this monster go?”

Xie Weiyuan shook his head.

“Continue the punishment.”

His fingertips paused. A flash of golden light turned the tip of the Soul-Devouring Nail toward himself.

He was actually going to take the remaining nails for Shen Yunjin!

The Elder widened his eyes in shock. “Lord Linghua, what are you doing?”

A fierce wind howled. The disciples below turned pale, a clamor of whispers erupting among them.

There were over two hundred Soul-Devouring Nails remaining how could an ordinary person endure this? Furthermore, Lord Linghua despised Shen Yunjin; how could he possibly be willing to take this torture for him?

Xie Weiyuan looked down indifferently, saying nothing more. With his long, pale fingers, he lifted the nail with a faint golden light.

Then, with a violent thrust, he plunged it into his own white robes.

Pfft.

His white clothes were stained with vast swathes of blood. Even with Xie Weiyuan’s profound cultivation, he could not remain unscathed by the torture of the Soul-Devouring Nails.

Shen Yunjin had only lasted for ten nails before passing out; there were still over two hundred left.

Has the Sect Master gone mad? To take on the Soul-Devouring Nails for someone completely unrelated…

The Elder was speechless. Seeing his stubborn demeanor, he sighed, “Why must you do this?”

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. Xie Weiyuan realized that despite how dignified he had tried to look, he was currently in a pathetic state. He hadn’t expected it to hurt this much, so he desperately began pounding on the System within his sea of consciousness.

He roared in rage, “What kind of broken mission is this? It’s pure torture! Is this really the only way to redeem a villain, self-mutilation?”

The System chirped cutely, “According to the big data calculation on complex human emotions, a ‘bitter meat scheme’ has an 86.7% success rate in redeeming a villain. The villain will surely be moved by your great sacrifice…”

“Moved my foot! I’m dying of pain right now. Think of something!”

The System finally showed a bit of conscience. “Chirp! Since this is your first mission, I have considered the circumstances and helped you reduce the pain threshold by 50%!”

“It still hurts this much even after a 50% reduction?” Xie Weiyuan swallowed, looking at the unconscious Shen Yunjin, feeling a twinge of pity.

A child of his age in modern society would be living carefree under his parents’ protection—how could he endure such pain?

Yet, Shen Yunjin had lived such a miserable life.

The nails continued to strike him according to the incantation. Xie Weiyuan was in so much pain he couldn’t speak, so he tapped the System again. “How many are left?”

“One hundred and eighty nails left, Host!”

Xie Weiyuan gritted his teeth. “…Is there no other way?”

“Once a mission is accepted, it cannot be rejected.”

Blood filled Xie Weiyuan’s mouth. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, but he had to hold on. Even if the pain were blocked, he could not stop the loss of blood.

By the time all two hundred-plus Soul-Devouring Nails had entered his bones, Xie Weiyuan had no strength left to support himself. He collapsed onto his knees and lost consciousness completely.