"Today, I have summoned the Immortals here to once again rectify the military order of the Eternal Ice Castle and the Celestial Law!"
"The Eternal Ice Castle is one of the vital strongholds of the Central Celestial Realm; naturally it must possess its own complete set of operating Laws. If something goes awry here, none of us within the Eternal Ice Castle, from top to bottom, can escape responsibility!"
Seeing how weighty Zhang Jian’s words were, the Immortals present also realized the unusual nature of this assembly.
"Yet before that, I must first purge a black sheep of the Eternal Ice Castle!"
As his voice fell, Zhang Jian directly fixed his gaze upon the Icefield Divine Monarch, and spoke coldly.
"Ice Plain Prison King Gods, I ask you: what crime should you be charged with?"
With Yuan Jiang making his move, the Icefield Divine Monarch heard Zhang Jian’s words and was momentarily stunned, his heart slightly jolted. Seeing the Immortals’ gazes fall upon him, he instantly understood: he had likely become the chicken to be slaughtered as a warning by this newly appointed Ice Castle Celestial Monarch.
His thoughts turned like lightning, yet he felt no fear; he prided himself that he held no handle that could fall into this new Ice Castle Celestial Monarch’s grasp.
At once he rose directly, clasped his hands, and said:
"This Little Immortal does not know!"
"Celestial Monarch, this subordinate does not know how he has offended the Celestial Monarch. I beg the Celestial Monarch to make it clear?"
His expression was calm; facing Zhang Jian’s gaze, he wore an air of aggrieved innocence.
"Could it be that a few days ago, when the Celestial Monarch inspected the Eternal Ice Prison, this subordinate was remiss in attending upon the Celestial Monarch?"
Seeing him act, Zhang Jian’s face remained cold as he said:
"The one you have offended is not me, but the Celestial Law. You, as the guarding Prison God of the Eternal Ice Prison, have colluded with other Immortal Gods, privately taken bribes, turned the Eternal Ice Prison into your private estate, and disregarded the Celestial Rules and decrees of the Celestial Court. How many lives do you have, that you dare act so wantonly?!"
"Do you dare deny this matter?"
Zhang Jian casually tossed down from the case-table a portion of the written records left behind by prisoners in the cells of the Eternal Ice Prison.
These past few days, he had not merely stayed in the Eternal Ice Crystal Divine Hall refining those three Supreme Treasures.
At the same time, he had also contrived to gather testimonies from a portion of the Ice Castle’s Prison Guards and a portion of the prisoners.
Upon seeing this scene, the Icefield Divine Monarch instead burst out laughing, and forthrightly admitted it.
He straightened his chest and spoke directly:
"I was wondering what could cause our Celestial Monarch to stir up such a commotion—so it is only this!"
His gaze met Zhang Xian’s directly, utterly devoid of fear.
"Celestial Monarch, this is a rule that has existed in the Eternal Ice Prison since the previous generation Celestial Monarch; it is something everyone silently acknowledges. The Eternal Ice Castle is beset by hardship; the conditions for cultivation within the Ice Castle for the Immortal Cultivators are extremely limited. This God has only been thinking of our fellow Immortal Friends, opening up new sources for everyone. The Celestial Monarch may ask: have the Immortals these tens of thousands of years not lived far better? Without this God, would everyone simply cling to the ice and snow of this Eternal Ice Castle to cultivate?
Celestial Monarch, why must you tear this open and make life hard for everyone?"
As he finished, a trace of disdain surfaced in his eyes.
On the main seat above, Zhang Jian’s expression still showed no change; he merely took in the Immortals’ expressions, then coldly rebuked:
"For the sake of your own private gain, you trample upon the Celestial Law, and here you spread seductive lies to confuse the masses and bewitch hearts!"
"Celestial Monarch, this is the sated not knowing the hunger of the starving. I have heard that the Celestial Monarch bears a Divine Body, and has served as a de facto Emperor in the Celestial Realm; under your command, you surely have never lacked resources for cultivation. But why must you cut off your brothers’ livelihood?"
As Zhang Jian cast his gaze across them, he clearly saw that some Immortals bore obvious hostility toward him in their eyes.
At this moment, he instead allowed a faint smile to appear.
This trace of a smile made the Icefield Divine Monarch feel a subtle unease.
Sure enough, Zhang Jian lightly laughed and said:
"Your tongue truly blooms like a lotus. If you say that your bribery was for everyone’s sake, then I must ask you: secretly using the essence, qi, and spirit of death-row prisoners to cultivate Demon Techniques—was that also for the Immortals’ sake?"
Hearing this, the Icefield Divine Monarch’s face changed.
In the hall, the other Immortal Gods who had yet to speak could not help their expressions shifting as well.
The Icefield Divine Monarch immediately shouted:
"The Celestial Monarch is slandering with bloody accusations. This God is an Immortal God of the Celestial Realm, and moreover the direct heir of the Prison King—how could I possibly cultivate Demon Techniques?
If the Celestial Monarch has no iron evidence, then I ask that you immediately clear this God’s name, and give my Prison King faction an explanation. Otherwise, my Prison King lineage is not so easily slandered and oppressed at will!"
"Slandered?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian laughed aloud.
"Then look and see whether this is not one of your fine deeds!"
With a sweep of Zhang Jian’s hand, a grand force unfurled directly from within the Eternal Hall. Three-Colored Divine Light suddenly pierced through boundless space-time and fate, striking straight into the depths of the Icefield Divine Monarch’s brow.
That was the power of the Three Lives Stone.
"Celestial Monarch, what are you doing?"
At the side, Wu Chun Immortal Monarch’s face changed; around his body, a similarly vast Immortal Light rose, surging forth to block the Three-Colored Divine Light.
Clearly, between Zhang Jian and the Icefield Divine Monarch, his allegiance leaned directly toward the Icefield Divine Monarch.