“What is the chance?” Shen Shi the brother in the blue robes hesitantly asked with other brothers mirroring his show of concern. What Yang Qing just mentioned was like a dehydrated person seeing a clear single drop of liquid that they are not sure is even water but if it was it would save them from their current situation.

“Well, it is a simple thing really. I will give you two options. In option one I am willing to drop all the charges against you and the Order will still pay the 15,000 middle-grade spirit stones and you won’t have to pay us a dime. In exchange, all you have to do is to survive for 10 seconds. If you fall unconscious or die then it’s your loss but if you survive and maintain your consciousness it’s your win and I’ll even heal any injuries you incur in those ten seconds.

As for option two, it’s an even simpler choice that is to do what you should have done earlier and just accept the results of the ruling and take the punishment that you have incurred as a result of your actions and make the most of it. If you keep your noses clean, be diligent and attentive in your work with a few recommendations your ten-year sentence may be reduced or you may harvest something even more beneficial from doing every work that is asked of you. But all this is predicated on your attitudes going in.

However, you should know should you decide to go with option one and fail, two more years will be added to your sentence. So your sentence will be 12 years instead of 10 for hard labor.

I’ll give you five minutes to decide,” Yang Qing said as he leaned back comfortably on his chair.

If it was any other day the three brothers would have gladly chosen option one but they remember being paralyzed in just microseconds. That display of power couldn’t help but worry them. They felt they were given poison in one hand and flammable liquid in the other to quench their thirst.

The three brothers huddled together as they argued back and forth in low voices. Before the five-minute deadline was up it seemed like they had come to a consensus however their faces did not show the relief one should have from making a major decision. It was pale, filled with beads of sweat, and fraught with worry.

Shen Ding and Shen Tian nodded to their brother Shen Shi who nodded back in acknowledgment as he moved forward to face Yang Qing.

“Judge Yang Qing if it doesn’t offend could we please clarify a few things before we give you our decision,” Shen Shi humbly said.

“Sure you can seeing that your lives are on the line here, gathering as much information as one can is par for the course whenever one is making such life-altering decisions. So what is it you want to ask Shen Shi, like I said I’m feeling magnanimous today so I will accommodate you as much as I can TO A POINT,” Yang Qing cheerily said as he narrowed his eyes when towards the end of his statement.

The brothers flinched a bit when they heard Yang Qing mention their lives were on the line. When this day started they had no idea it would go this way.

“Thank you for the favor Judge Yang Qing,” Shen Shi said as he bowed in gratitude. 𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗹．𝐨𝗿𝗴

“The thing we wanted to know is what do we need to survive against if it’s a person who would it be against, and the power level of the attack and can we use any means available to us to defend against the attack,” asked Shen Shi

“The attacker would be me since I’m the one passing the sentence,” Yang Qing smiled gently as he said this which sent shivers down the spines of the Shen brothers. Shen Shi couldn’t help but look back at his two brothers with deeply worried and questioning eyes. The eyes seemed they were asking the question “Do we still go through with this.”

In their eyes facing Yang Qing was the worst possible choice. Before the paralysis incident, they didn’t give Yang Qing much thought or fear in any regard. In fact to them in the whole courtroom, the one who had the scariest vibe was Yi Jie and the one with the least presence was Yang Qing. He just seemed like a young man sitting comfy in his chair lapping in luxury. But after the paralyzing effect, they had to reevaluate the danger factor of the green-haired youth before them. During their discussion, Shen Tian repeatedly warned them how his intuition kept repeatedly warning him of impending doom and all of it was centered on Yang Qing.

Yang Qing ignoring the looks they were giving in each other went on,

“As for the power level it will be just this much,” he said as he raised his right index finger which drew confused looks about what he meant.

“What I mean by that is I’ll just be using this finger to attack and the strength of what you’ll be facing will be the amount of power stored in just this one finger. I don’t think it will be more than a full-blown attack of a 1st stage core formation expert,” Yang Qing said as he wriggled his index finger like a harmless worm.

“As for your last question, you are free to use whatever means you have available to defend yourselves. You won’t be facing the attack separately but together. So use whatever you can, whatever you have I have no objections against,” Yang Qing put the most generous and magnanimous look he could give.

“Can we choose to face a different person’s attack?” Shen Shi asked with a pleading expression.

“Like I said I’m the one passing the judgment so it will have to be me. Besides I can tell you for a fact I’m the better choice compared to the rest. Your odds of surviving my attack are higher as compared to the rest. Yi Jie will likely dismember your arm and legs and leave you crippled for life, Mao Yunru will break your minds and you’re guaranteed to live as idiots the rest of your lives as for Zheng Hu he is young and rambunctious he may torch you alive and cripple your foundations or leave you in a state you wish you were dead,” Yang Qing patiently explained like a caring elder.

The three brothers couldn’t help but eye the rest once they what Yang Qing said. Yi Jie was still aloof, Mao Yunru had a cold indifferent look which was unlike her as she was always the gentle-looking one as for Zheng Hu he was smiling but he had a malevolent look on his face as he licked his lips. The brothers stared once more at each other before they nodded firmly.

“We choose option one,” Shen Shi said with some resolution in his voice.

“You’re sure?” asked Yang Qing.

“Yes, we are. We are rogue cultivators, our whole lives have been built on taking risks. If there’s a chance we can get out of this we will fight for it. We will take this moment as a tempering experience to experience the might of the Order. We may be a lot of things but cowards isn’t one of them,” Shen Shi said with a valiant expression. His general-like aura burst out of his body which helped his other brothers calm themselves. It took only a few seconds for the three brothers to shed their earlier worried looks and wear looks of brevity and calm indifference.

Yang Qing couldn’t help but admire their current looks whatever their deficiencies and rudeness they were atleast true to themselves to the very end.

“Good, I’ll give you a few seconds to prepare yourselves,” Yang Qing said as he leaned forward and supported his head on his left palm as his right hand was laid on the table with his index finger pointed downwards. He looked more like someone who was getting in the best position to daydream than someone about to attack.

Shen Ding removed something from a round white gem-like amulet he wore that looked like a worn-out round marble. A pavise shield appeared in front of him. The shield was 10 meters tall and 3 meters wide it was enough to shield the three brothers completely. It was made of dark grey wood and covered in blue-white fur and the head of a white wolf which had a completely black sclera was attached at the center of the shield.

Yang Qing at a glance could tell the shield was an upper mid-grade sky-rank weapon. It would be able to defend against the blow of a normal 7th-stage core formation expert. The fur and the head was from a dark cinder white wolf which was famous for the balance it had in offense and defense. It produces a dark flame that corrodes the qi of an opponent’s attack while its white fur toughened every time it absorbed qi from its surrounding. The grey wood in the shield was from a tenfold cedar. It would magnify the effects of whatever was attached to it tenfold and had a natural ability to draw in qi. This shield was another one of the reasons the Shen brothers survived this long as rogue cultivators.

The Shen brothers decided to go the full defensive route. Their weapons had been confiscated but they were left with the shield. Even if they were allowed to have their weapons back they would still choose to go with the shield rather than disperse their strength in different attacks they’d rather consolidate it in a solid defense. Their goal was only to survive which narrowed down their choices.

They hurdled up behind the shield as they started to madly circulate their qi as they transmitted it into the shield.

“WE ARE READY JUDGE YANG QING,” they all roared as they tried their spirits. Shen Tian’s skin transformed into a rock rhino’s hide, meanwhile, Shen Ding had a metallic golden glow in his skin as for Shen Shi there were fissures on his skin spewing lightning.

“Okay then,” Yang Qing’s soft voice traveled over.