Venerated Venomous Consort

With unwavering spirit, it still refused to admit to the crimes that it never committed, no matter how they tried to combine the threats with punishments. The mussel hid in its shells and said nothing. They would come and interrogate it once every two hours. At first, the mussel exploded with rage due to the accusations. But gradually, it grew numb.

The Great Guardians were not expecting the mussel to be so stubborn. Hesitantly, they tried to persuade it, “You are only a majestic being. There is no need for you to take the blame for others. You only have to name the man behind this vicious plot. If you do so, I will release you immediately and feed you with good food. The air is refreshing out here. I am sure that the outside is more comfortable than where you are right now.”

The mussel remained silent.

It should take the blame for its own fault. Impulsively, it made the mistake of swallowing the three Senior Immortals, so the incident had nothing to do with its master. The Great Guardian in red, however, kept coercing the mussel into saying that it only acted on its master’s instigation.

“Humph! It appears that you will not shed a tear until you see the coffin. It is time for you to experience the real pain then!” The mussel could tell that the man was enraged.

All of a sudden, the man started casting some spells on the bottle gourd, causing the interior of the bottle to fill with burning hot steel needles. These steel needles started to aim and fall on its shell like a raging storm.

The mussel’s shells were capable of resisting against any weapon. Normal weapons would not cause any damage to it. However, it had been tortured for two days straight in the fire and cold. It grew weaker, so it barely had the strength to close its shells completely. The fine and stinging steel needles then slipped through the openings and stabbed its flesh.

A brief moment later, the mussel’s soft, smooth flesh was stabbed with many needles, making it look as if a hedgehog. The steel needles were able to induce more pain than normal ones. It was unbearable.

The mussel started crying and howling in pain. Its long, mournful cry of pain was spread even to the outside of the bottle, like the continuous whistle of a train. The ground started to shake as a result of its loud cry.

“Damn it!” One of the men cursed. He quickly shut the opening of the bottle to stop the sounds from the mussel from being heard. The bottle then became a confined space, magnifying the volume of its wailing sound and reaching a deafening crescendo.

In a daze, the mussel could hear someone complaining. “My third brother, what are you doing? You have kept it in the bottle long enough for the torments to take place. It should have admitted its crimes, but it still refuses to. Perhaps our direction is wrong. Maybe it is not the evil beast that we are looking for. Maybe it was all a coincidence.”

“My eldest brother, nothing is ever a coincidence. We have seen how it swallowed the majestic beings alive. It has also swallowed the three Senior Immortals. It is a crime that goes against all the heavenly laws. It deserves to die. All the majestic beings have been taught not to swallow humans or majestic beings of level six and above, but it disregarded the rules and committed the crime anyway. Obviously, it is a seasoned criminal. It is a level nine beast, so I bet that it will not be able to act so wildly without the support of its master. Its master must be the main conspirator behind the plot.”

“It is not like that! My master… has never allowed me… to eat humans! It is… It is all my fault!” The mussel continued to howl its displeasure. Its voice cracked with emotion. The pain was obviously too much for it to bear.

“Who is your master?” Tie Liu took the chance to ask the mussel.

“I am its master!” A voice could be heard coming from the top of a tree, way above the four Great Guardians.

In pain, the mussel was starting to grow dizzy; its vision blurred. Upon hearing the voice, it could not believe it at first. Then, it jumped abruptly, disregarding the steel needles on its body, and cried out loud, “Master!” Its tears started to fall like a stream of a waterfall.