Wang Yulou could not determine how many Purple Palace cultivators the Wang Clan could produce; only Mang Xiang could decide that. Therefore, he had to act as Mang Xiang's most loyal vanguard, helping him cleanse the West Sea of Shen Guang's lingering toxic influence to prove his loyalty through action.
Cultivating immortality, cultivating immortality... the cruelest truths were never told to those who had just crossed the threshold.
This system was akin to tricking cultivators into entering, only to slowly kill them off.
Those in the Qi Induction and Qi Refining realms could often only see Foundation Establishnt cultivators eating their fill; they couldn't see how those sa Foundation Establishnt cultivators had their hands and feet bound by the Immortal Alliance, imprisoned as if serving ti in a cage.
The thods to open the Purple Palace—no matter where one searched across the world—simply weren't available. The Myriad Dao Origin Hub had them, but after reaching the Purple Palace, one had to repay that debt of gratitude to Shen Guang.
The Immortal Alliance had no contract protection laws, and Dao oaths couldn't bind a Golden Core Immortal Venerable. This debt would likely have to be paid until Shen Guang was finally satisfied.
Shen Guang was like this, Mang Xiang was about the sa, and Qingrui was likely no different. Even a seasoned Purple Palace cultivator like Qiu Mile, who dared to point at Shen Guang's nose and humiliate him, could only bitterly endure being worked like a beast of burden under Immortal Venerable Qingrui's tutelage.
Although Xihai Zhongcheng was sitting in a cell, what he said was actually correct. The ancestor attaining Golden Core and plotting against Shen Guang to disrupt the established power structures of Wunan and the West Sea was truly an opportunity.
But opportunities and crises always went hand in hand. Wang Yulou's opportunity, when it fell upon people like Xihai Zhongcheng, beca an absolute crisis.
Because Shen Guang had lost.
"Lord Seal-bearer, the personnel have mostly gathered."
Yang Duilie, clad in a full set of Dragon Tiger Guard battle armor, led twenty-three Dragon Tiger Guards in a bow toward Wang Yulou. Wang Yulou's cultivation base was only at the newly entered Foundation Establishnt realm, while Yang Duilie was at Peak Foundation Establishnt.
Therefore, the person he respected was not Wang Yulou, but Immortal Venerable Mangxiang—the Immortal Venerable Mangxiang who had defeated Shen Guang.
Within the dilapidated Punishnt Court, Wang Yulou stood on a high platform deep inside the courtyard, looking down at the nearly one hundred Immortal Alliance cultivators below.
Aside from the twenty-four Dragon Tiger Guards with seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivation bases, there were six seasoned Foundation Establishnt Vice Seal-bearers, over thirty Foundation Establishnt stage Punishnt Court stewards, and over forty late Qi Condensation Punishnt Court executioners.
As expected of the strongest among the thirteen courts directly subordinate to the Immortal Alliance in Western Sea Immortal City, the Punishnt Court possessed a great number of experts.
It could be said that Wang Yulou had the lowest cultivation base among all the Foundation Establishnt cultivators in the Punishnt Court, yet he was the one serving as the Seal-bearer. This was exactly the charm of the Immortal Alliance.
If there were beneficiaries of vested interests within the Immortal Alliance, then Wang Yulou was the most conspicuous of them all, perhaps without equal.
"Everyone, Zhang Heng's cris are imnse. Fellow Daoist Yongzhong of the Dragon Tiger Guards has already led a team to intercept him. Your tasks will be assigned by Mingdu."
Immortal Maiden Mingdu took a step forward, standing beside Wang Yulou. However, this was a public occasion, so she did not act overly affectionate with him.
Instead, she nodded to the crowd below with a strictly professional deanor. The gazes of the crowd, however, converged entirely on Wang Yulou.
Zhou Bojiao died, and Jin Shan arrived. This dog Wang Yuque had absolutely no skills and was no different from trash.
He only relied on his wives to throw his weight around. The Immortal Alliance truly had far too many parasites!
And Wang Yuque was the biggest parasite of them all!
"For our operation this ti, we must ensure full procedural compliance throughout the entire process. There absolutely cannot be any errors. If anyone dares to cause trouble for regarding the eradication of Immortal Venerable Shen Guang's toxic influence, you know the consequences!"
With those words, Wang Yulou completely cut off his own path of retreat. Now, even without Xuanzhuan and ngbai forcing his hand, this was his own choice.
Wang Yulou chose to live. Ultimately, the essence of this matter was a choice between life and death, and Wang Yulou did not want to die.
After thirty years of searching high and low, enduring nurous twists of fate, and finally reaching this day with great difficulty, how could Wang Yulou possibly give up? Mingdu distributed the tasks.
Those who received their assignnts silently cursed Wang Yulou as a massive idiot before obediently going off to work. Ultimately, no matter how disgusted they were by Wang Yulou marrying Zhou Yingxi first and Jin Mingdu later, they could only keep their dissatisfaction buried in their hearts.
If they had the chance to marry Jin Mingdu, they would probably be even more eager than Wang Yulou. Under Yang Duilie's leadership, the twenty-three Dragon Tiger Guards charged straight toward Zhang Heng's estate like starving tigers pouncing on prey.
Half a li beneath the estate, Chen Yongzhong had already led his n to intercept Zhang Heng, who was attempting to flee using an earth escape art.
"Old Zhang, running away is aningless. You're a man; if you did sothing wrong, own up to it!"
Chen Yongzhong joined forces with three other Foundation Establishnt cultivators. Utilizing a Four-Symbols Formation stance, they cast an underground net that restricted earth escape arts, directly trapping Zhang Heng inside.
Zhang Heng did not panic; panicking was useless anyway. He summoned his excellent high-grade spirit weapon, the Mountain Equalizer Hamr, and unleashed its attached divine ability,
"Limitless Mountains and Seas."
Thick earth-attribute spiritual energy flared. Under the effects of the divine ability, Zhang Heng, wielding the Mountain Equalizer Hamr, resembled a giant pangolin.
Instantly, the earth shook. Chen Yongzhong and the others were jolted dizzy and disoriented within the rock layers.
Even seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators couldn't forcibly tank a divine ability head-on. Thus, bolstered by the majestic power of heaven and earth, Zhang Heng forcefully tore through the Four-Symbols Formation net as easily as tearing a thin cloth.
Stop ? Why do you think I, a rogue cultivator by origin, managed to beco Shen Guang's core lapdog among so many competitors?
Because I am strong enough! Zhang Heng was indeed very strong.
Chen Yongzhong had realized this as well.
"Stop him! We absolutely cannot let him escape!" Chen Yongzhong shouted fiercely.
Chen Yongzhong also understood the situation clearly. In the purge of Shen Guang's toxic influence, Zhang Heng was actually the least venomous target.
If Zhang Heng escaped and they had no one to present to their superiors, they would have to follow Wang Yulou to purge Xihai Longhu and Xihai Qingfeng! When that ti ca, that bastard Wang Yulou might have offended Shen Guang, but he had a bunch of Purple Palace backers to protect him.
But who would protect them? In truth, if Zhang Heng really managed to escape, even Wang Yulou would be trembling in fear.
Without a soft target to squeeze, he would have to go after Shen Guang's three beloved disciples. Fortunately, although Zhang Heng was strong, Chen Yongzhong had cautiously brought three others along for the pursuit.
Among those three seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators, one raised a special spirit beast—a Golden-Legged Centipede. A Great Demon-level Golden-Legged Centipede, if utilized well, was comparable to a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator itself.
Boosted by its innate bloodline, its earth escape art was no slower than Zhang Heng's. After consuming a special spirit pill, the Golden-Legged Centipede exploded with power and, carrying its master, forcibly caught up to the desperately fleeing Zhang Heng.
Besides its incredible escape art, the Golden-Legged Centipede's most formidable asset was its pair of gleaming, serrated fangs. At this life-and-death juncture—and it truly was a life-and-death mont for the seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator tailing Zhang Heng—the beast's master dared not be stingy.
He slapped a pile of rare enhancent talismans onto the centipede as if they cost nothing. Its pair of gleaming, serrated fangs began to radiate a burning spiritual resonance visible to the naked eye.
Moreover, it was the extrely rare Water Fiend Dharma-Destroying Resonance. Among the nurous Five-Fiend spiritual resonances, the Water Fiend variant was the hardest to control.
But precisely because it was so volatile and rarely used, the Water Fiend Dharma-Destroying Resonance was incredibly difficult to block—many cultivators simply lacked the preparation and experience to counter it. Facing this ferocious pursuit, Zhang Heng dared not slack off in the slightest.
He activated the Mountain Equalizer Hamr with all his might, swinging it to deflect the crashing, serrated fangs of the Golden-Legged Centipede.
"Hiss!"
Taking the heavy blow, the Golden-Legged Centipede writhed frantically. Right then and there, it started gasping for air, inhaling more than it exhaled.
However, what was the price of severely wounding his pursuer? Zhang Heng's full-strength swing seed to have succeeded, but it allowed Chen Yongzhong and the other two who arrived right behind to tangle him up!
In magical combat between seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators, even underground, life and death were decided in an instant. In a split second, superiority was determined, and survival was decided.
Zhang Heng was still doing everything he could to fight off Chen Yongzhong and the other three, but he already understood that escape was impossible. The rare Water Fiend Dharma-Destroying Resonance on the Golden-Legged Centipede's serrated fangs had heavily damaged his Mountain Equalizer Hamr in that previous clash.
Of the hamr's original eighty-seven layers of restrictions, two had been completely shattered. It seed like only two layers were broken, but the restrictions on a spiritual artifact interacted with each other as an interconnected system.
With its restrictions damaged, the might of the Mountain Equalizer Hamr was instantly halved! Zhang Heng certainly possessed other spiritual artifacts and other escape divine abilities.
Yet, his quick thinking in using an earth escape to survive just monts ago had now turned this very earth into a cage. Most escape divine abilities were not easy to execute deep underground.
"You've already captured Xihai Zhongcheng, and now you want to capture . Do you want to turn the West Sea into a battlefield?!" Zhang Heng tried to make one final struggle, yet no one answered him.
Magical combat left no room for trash talk. A black wind rose within the earth.
This was the wind of the earth veins, a special secret technique of another Foundation Establishnt cultivator. The black earth vein wind didn't directly attack Zhang Heng; it simply churned the earth veins surrounding the combatants.
With the earth veins thrown into chaos, Zhang Heng lost any chance of using an earth escape to leave. This stretch of earth finally beca an inescapable prison.
"Good!" Chen Yongzhong shouted his approval.
Holding back no longer, his entire body transford into a rushing blue torrent. This torrent had absolutely nothing to do with the ordinary Torrent Spell.
The Torrent Spell was just scraps among the five-elent arts, but the torrent Chen Yongzhong transford into was a divine ability—the torrent of
"Water Surging Like a Dragon."
The blue torrent resembled a water dragon, smashing toward Zhang Heng with crushing montum. In a flash, thick earth-elent spiritual vitality surged.
Zhang Heng, utilizing Limitless Spiritual Opportunity, summoned his Vajra Glazed Cube, blocking the path of the advancing water dragon. This cube was also an exceptionally good high-grade spirit weapon.
Its substance was incredibly tough, and the mont it was deployed, it transford into a massive stone wall. However, the blue water dragon did not stop at all.
It forcibly smashed through the Vajra Glazed Cube. Behind the shattered glaze and the scattered spiritual resonance stood the inescapable Zhang Heng.
Zhang Heng didn't dodge. He was a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator practicing earth thods; how could he fear Chen Yongzhong, who practiced water thods?
The leader of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance simply waved his hand, and over a dozen black stone pillars shimring with a dark light rose up, pinning themselves directly in the water dragon's inevitable path. Want to kill ?
Crash into them! Crash yourself to death!
Yet, Chen Yongzhong still did not back down. The three seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators who had accompanied him all attacked, helping clear the black stone pillars blocking the way.
Zhang Heng knew he couldn't drag this out any longer. If he didn't use his trump cards now, he might never get the chance.
He activated a special treasure talisman, and a colorless light rippled through the underground cavity created by the seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators. This was Shen Guang's famous divine ability—Colorless Killing Intent.
Colorless Killing Intent was fundantally a special light thod. It was completely colorless and invisible to the naked eye.
In the past, whenever Shen Guang used this divine ability, it looked to outsiders as though he rely shifted his gaze, and his opponents would be heavily struck or even die instantly, their dao erased. Hence, this thod was nad Colorless Killing Intent.
But Colorless Killing Intent had a weakness, too. Being colorless, it had to borrow the light of the sky to be cast.
It belonged to the heaven-human resonance school of divine abilities. How could Zhang Heng possibly understand the intricacies of heaven-human resonance thods?
The Immortal Alliance only taught techniques, not the Dao. The sects were exactly the sa.
Zhang Heng, having risen from the grassroots as a rogue cultivator to reach Shen Guang's tutelage, had his fate seemingly sealed the mont he ignorantly activated the Colorless Killing Intent treasure talisman given by Shen Guang underground, far from the light of the sky.
The Divine Ability Treasure Talisman he had placed massive expectations upon had zero effect. Amidst Zhang Heng's confusion, the blue water dragon pierced through his chest.
Behind him, Chen Yongzhong shifted back into human form and imdiately coughed up a large mouthful of blood. Smashing through the Vajra Glazed Cube ca with a price.
But despite that, Chen Yongzhong still managed to force a kill while inverting the five elents! Earth thods were clearly superior to water thods, but Zhang Heng's Protector Treasure was first damaged by the Golden-Legged Centipede's serrated fangs, which carried the Water Fiend Dharma-Destroying Resonance.
Then, his Vajra Glazed Cube was forcibly broken by Chen Yongzhong's "Water Surging Like a Dragon" divine ability, and ultimately, his chest was pierced. A four-versus-one fight, even against an elental disadvantage, was just that unreasonable.
Perhaps, much like that ineffective Colorless Killing Intent treasure talisman, when Shen Guang's protection faded, Zhang Heng's fate—and the fate of Shen Guang's disciples—had already been set in stone.
"What are you standing there for? Save him!"
Chen Yongzhong roared at the other three, then promptly passed out. Before fainting, he casually activated his battle armor—fearing Zhang Heng might suddenly experience a near-death burst of power.
By the ti Wang Yulou arrived at the entrance of the Zhang estate, he was t with the sight of a half-dead Zhang Heng and an unconscious Chen Yongzhong. Seeing Chen Yongzhong passed out from severe injuries, Wang Yulou's expression darkened.
"Fellow Daoist Yuque, Fellow Daoist Yongzhong has sustained heavy injuries. We already fed him a spirit pill, but he still shows no signs of waking up..."
A Foundation Establishnt cultivator who had just participated in the battle gathered his courage and stepped forward, speaking with a noticeable tremble.
He assud Wang Yulou was worried about Chen Yongzhong's injuries, terrified that Wang Yulou would hold them accountable for failing to coordinate properly and protect him during the fight. However...
"It's fine. You can never wake a person who is pretending to sleep," Wang Yulou said coldly. "Fellow Daoist Yongzhong is remarkable. He was willing to risk his life and cast aside all fear of death just to cleanse Shen Guang Immortal Venerable's toxic influence. Truly remarkable!"
Hearing Wang Yulou's words, Chen Yongzhong's Adam's apple bobbed, but he ultimately didn't dare open his eyes. By purging Shen Guang in the West Sea, he had already secured his rit.
Naturally, his next step would be to slowly nurse his injuries while cheering on the other fellow Daoists participating in the great purge. No matter how ruthless the Immortal Alliance was, they couldn't possibly mistreat a ritorious contributor, right?
The highest realm of slacking off was exactly what Chen Yongzhong was doing: going all out the mont the task dropped, securing the rit, and then cleanly bowing out. But with him bowing out, Wang Yulou was left with one less capable operative.
If things went south later, the punishnt wouldn't fall on Chen Yongzhong—who had claid the first rit—it would land squarely on Wang Yulou's head. Fuck!
"This..."
Faced with Wang Yulou's frosty expression, everyone was too afraid to speak. The three Foundation Establishnt cultivators who had ambushed Zhang Heng alongside Chen Yongzhong were especially torn on whether they should wake him up.
"Right, Fellow Daoist Yongzhong has poured his heart and soul out for the Immortal Alliance and suffered severe injuries. We cannot mistreat a ritorious contributor. Fellow Daoist Duilie, arrange so n. Take everyone in Fellow Daoist Yongzhong's clan with a spirit root and draft them all into the 'Annex City Enforcent Team and Rogue Cultivator Alliance Toxic Influence Cleansing Squad'!"
Wang Yulou issued the order to Yang Duilie right in front of everyone. The sheer implication of it made everyone pale in shock.
'Chen Yongzhong, you're amazing. You played the eager vanguard perfectly. You can lie down, but I'll make everyone in your family co lie down right next to you!'
'Playing mind gas with , Wang Yulou? Chen Yongzhong, did you think you were fooling ? No, you were undermining my authority! You're trying to get fucking killed!'
This stunt was no different from Cui Dingyi privately escalating matters behind Wang Yulou's back. The mission to cleanse Shen Guang's toxic influence had only just begun, yet Chen Yongzhong was already taking the lead in playing politics. If Wang Yulou didn't nip it in the bud, how could he continue purging Shen Guang's influence? What if the others followed Chen Yongzhong's example?
Wang Yulou couldn't gamble on these people's spirit of dedication. If he won the bet, fine, but if he lost, Wang Yulou would be the one left holding the bla.
"Yes, I will arrange it right away!" Though Yang Duilie verbally agreed to Wang Yulou's order, he still sent a voice transmission.
'Fellow Daoist Yuque, Old Chen was being foolish. Please let him off this once. After all, he did capture Zhang Heng this ti.'
With that, Old Yang delivered a fierce kick right into Chen Yongzhong, who was pretending to be unconscious on a stretcher. Right as Yang Duilie's foot approached him, Old Chen flipped up and instantly bounded off the ground.
"Ah, wouldn't you say it's strange? The mont Fellow Daoist Yuque arrived, I suddenly felt much better! Hahaha!"
No one dared to speak. Yang Duilie just looked at Chen Yongzhong as if staring at a moron and shook his head.
Old Chen, oh Old Chen. You aren't stupid, and you know how to flatter, so why did you try to play mind gas with Wang Yulou just now?
Wang Yulou didn't even glance at Chen Yongzhong. He rely emphasized to the crowd, "Listen up. Cleansing Shen Guang's toxic influence is the joint decision of Mangxiang Immortal Venerable and Qingrui Xianzun.
"If anyone dares to feign compliance while secretly opposing us, thinks about putting in minimal effort, tries to play mind gas with , or helps Shen Guang's remnants resist the Immortal Alliance... there will be only one consequence.
"Fellow Daoist Yongzhong, tell us, what is the consequence?"
With his head forced down and his loyalty questioned, Chen Yongzhong didn't hesitate in the slightest. "Kill the whole family, leaving neither chickens nor dogs!"
Wang Yulou smiled—so this old man knew fear after all. Good.
"Go then. Search Zhang Heng's estate and see what violations of the Immortal Alliance's laws can be found. Fellow Daoist Yongzhong, you and Fellow Daoist Duilie will each lead a team. Arrest the remaining mbers of the Annex City Enforcent Team and escort them to the Punishnt Court."
Chen Yongzhong hesitated, but eventually asked, "Fellow Daoist Yuque, word of this has gradually spread. I'm afraid so people might flee."
The mission to cleanse Shen Guang's toxic influence wasn't exactly a secret. Among the cultivators, there were certainly massive idiots like Yuan Wu and Lian Chengxian, but smart people made up the majority in the end.
A man thrives by moving; a tree dies by moving. Under the blades of Mang Xiang and Qingrui, running away was nothing to be ashad of.
Didn't Shen Guang tuck his tail between his legs and act like a turtle grandson?
"Issue a wanted edict and launch a joint manhunt across the Six States of the Immortal Alliance. Go. Don't delay. If we delay further, even more people will run."
Wang Yulou's earlier reprimand was extrely effective. Hearing the word "delay," Chen Yongzhong felt a fire lit under him, not daring to hesitate for a single second. If he dawdled any longer and too many people fled, he would be labeled as soone 'helping Shen Guang's remnants resist the Immortal Alliance'!
anwhile, the new Jade Palace Estate had been completed. Although it lacked spiritual scenery, its grandeur was inferior to no other estate in the West Sea.
To point out just one thing—it covered an area of fifty mu. With Xihai Longhu having fallen into ngbai's hands and the South Annex City Developnt Office's functions snatched away by Dragon Tiger Platform, Wang Yulou—as Jin Mingdu's husband and True Person Jinshan's junior—could now acquire land truly for free.
Fifty mu of land cost Wang Yulou a re five thousand spirit stones; one hundred per mu. This price was practically a steal.
The reason he still paid spirit stones was for the sake of 'compliance.' Though it was debatable whether five thousand spirit stones matched the true value of fifty mu of land in Western Sea Immortal City, as long as Wang Yulou paid this sum, no one in the future would be able to find a flaw in the transaction.
This move was known as "the Immortal City retreats, Jade Palace advances," and it was part of the grand chess ga to "revitalize South Annex City."
However, Wang Yulou's sudden return to his estate wasn't just to deliberately drag out the toxic cleansing progress; it was also because an unexpected guest had arrived at Jade Palace Estate today.
"Fellow Daoist Yuque, I..."
In the side hall, Gu Qilang hurriedly stood up to greet Wang Yulou as he walked in, his posture indicating he was about to bow. Wang Yulou instantly sidestepped, using an escape art to quickly pull Gu Qilang upright.
"Uncle Qilang, you are too polite. In my heart, as a close friend of Ancestor Jingyi, you are my elder. No matter my cultivation base, you should simply call Yulou."
Old Gu secretly raised his evaluation of Wang Yulou by another level, reaching the highest tier among Foundation Establishnt fellow Daoists, before finally explaining the true purpose of his visit today.
"Yulou, Shen Guang Immortal Venerable smashed our Gu Family's Gu Family Tea House. I accept it. He is an Immortal Venerable, and I dare not voice any complaints. But I want to know, will Western Sea Immortal City still be repaired? Why is there no intention of repairing directly subordinate courts like Dragon Tiger Platform and the Spirit Treasure Platform? Could it be that in the future, Western Sea Immortal City will simply expand into South Annex City?"
Old Gu was truly struggling. Shen Guang had summoned the demons to smash the West Sea, and Gu Family Tea House was completely flattened in the process.
He wanted to rebuild it now, but seeing that the Immortal Alliance's direct courts weren't being repaired, he didn't dare to invest recklessly. When he learned that Wang Yulou had built a fifty-mu Jade Palace Estate in South Annex City, he instantly couldn't sit still.
Wang Yulou was previously the son-in-law of Zhou Bojiao's family and was now the son-in-law of True Person Jinshan's family. Wang Yulou's actions held massive significance for observation and reference.
Therefore, Gu Qilang made a special trip to visit Jade Palace Estate, hoping to leverage their past good relations to glean so inside information.
"Yes, Western Sea Immortal City is definitely not going to be repaired," Wang Yulou confird.
"Uncle Qilang, the Immortal Alliance has its difficulties too. The repairs would cost a massive sum of spirit stones, yet they wouldn't yield any returns.
"The land sales in South Annex City could naturally cover those repair costs, but if South Annex City isn't developed, the land won't sell. Thus, the Immortal Alliance's direct courts must be relocated to South Annex City to boost its popularity and land values. This way, the dilemma resolves itself."
Rebuilding in place wouldn't work; it was a pure investnt and too heavy a loss in spirit stones, especially with a spirit stone shortage already erging. Building sowhere else would work, because they could still turn a profit along the way.
"So that's how it is. So that's how it is," Gu Qilang murmured. "Yulou, you've done a huge favor."
Saying that, Gu Qilang pulled out a piece of seventh-grade spiritual material, Eternal Spirit White Jade, and pressed it into Yulou's hands. Eternal Spirit White Jade was a good item.
This stuff was the most suitable seventh-grade spiritual material for making treasure talisman foundations, making it an exquisite piece among spiritual materials, roughly equivalent to Water Jade among ninth-grade items.
"Uncle, you..."
Seventh-grade Eternal Spirit White Jade was naturally a good item, but Wang Yulou truly wanted to treat Gu Qilang as half an elder—the Gu Family behind him was worth pulling into his camp. If it beca too much of a transactional exchange, how could they remain 'family friends'?
Gu Qilang pressed down on Yulou's hand, firmly shoving the fist-sized Eternal Spirit White Jade into Yulou's grasp, and then said, "Ah, Yulou, I have one more question. Do you think I should sell our land in Western Sea Immortal City, or wait and deal with it later?"
The plot of land Gu Family Tea House occupied in Western Sea Immortal City was quite large. How to handle it was a major matter.
Weighing the Eternal Spirit White Jade in his hand, Wang Yulou thought for a mont and said, "Uncle, you absolutely must not tell anyone the news I've shared with you—and you definitely cannot sell."
Imdiately, Gu Qilang brought out a Dao deed. The implication was self-evident, but Wang Yulou tactfully declined again.
"I trust your character, Uncle," Wang Yulou said. "How about this: don't touch the Gu Family's land in Western Sea Immortal City for now. Right now, South Annex City is waiting to be rebuilt. In order to make South Annex City prosper as quickly as possible, Dragon Tiger Platform has issued a special decree.
"As long as cultivators buy between ten and fifty mu of land at once, they can apply for a land purchase rebate. This rebate proportion varies by rank, depending on the type of business industry and the buyer's contributions to the Immortal Alliance. I can arrange a rank for you, Uncle, that is one tier below the highest, giving a sixty percent rebate on the land purchase. How does that sound?"
Subsidies, but targeted ones. Specifically, they were targeted toward the people around Jin Shan and Li Haikuo. This move was Wang Yulou leveraging his special position with the Behemoth Lineage and Jin Shan to grant this targeted subsidy to Gu Qilang.
"A sixty percent rebate?" Gu Qilang mumbled slightly, leaving Wang Yulou sowhat puzzled.
"Uncle thinks it's too little?"
The old man didn't speak. He rely pulled out three more pieces of Eternal Spirit White Jade and shoved them to Wang Yulou.
Although the spirit stone shortage had already begun to show signs, these four pieces of Eternal Spirit White Jade combined were still worth at least fifty thousand spirit stones. Fifty thousand spirit stones were already enough for Wang Yulou to push the millstone.
Deliberating, he spoke, pausing after every sentence, "Uncle, South Annex City needs those with the perseverance to develop in the West Sea. If Gu Family Tea House's new building in South Annex City can be completed as soon as possible, I can help negotiate your land purchase rebate up to eighty percent. Any more than that truly wouldn't be appropriate."
In reality, it was a fifty percent discount. The original price, reduced to forty percent, was the base rate set by True Person Jinshan.
It was Wang Yulou's suggestion that South Annex City should take the path of "raising prices to promote land sales," thereby luring in naive investors to enter the market and willingly make contributions for Jin Shan, Mang Xiang, Qing Rui, and the Immortal Alliance. A sixty percent rebate ant selling at the original price, naly twenty thousand spirit stones per mu.
An eighty percent rebate, which ca to ten thousand per mu, equated to a fifty percent discount off the original price of twenty thousand. A fifty percent discount represented massive profits.
In principle, Wang Yulou, as the Seal-bearer of the Punishnt Court, had no right to interfere. However, the current situation in the West Sea was rather unique.
Jin Shan was naturally the leader of the West Sea; he was, after all, the Dragon Tiger True Person appointed by the Immortal Alliance. Old Li—Li Haikuo—ranked second.
This raised a question. With Zhou Bojiao dead, who was the third-in-command of the Immortal Alliance's system in the West Sea?
Wang Yulou felt that this question was rather difficult to answer.
"Excellent. Yulou, I knew I had to make a trip to your Jade Palace Estate. But regarding this land purchase, from whom should I buy?"
"Fellow Daoist Jiuqu. Uncle, this is my command token. You only need to present it to find Jiuqu." Wang Yulou took out a small mirrored-silver plaque, branded it with his own seal using Gui Water spiritual energy, and handed it to Gu Qilang.
Taking the command token, Gu Qilang left with brisk steps. Wang Yulou stood at the door, lost in thought for a long ti.
Construction sites were everywhere in South Annex City. The West Sea was radiating new vitality.
Even without Shen Guang, the West Sea was still the West Sea. And Wang Yulou had truly grown into a prominent figure here.
However, no matter how prominent a figure he was, he still had to faithfully execute his duties. Most importantly, he had to thoroughly carry out the Sacred Decree assigned by Mang Xiang.
In the great prison of the Punishnt Court, the toxic-cleansing vanguard, Wang Yulou, heard Xihai Hu's angry roar from afar.
"Damn it! I want to see Wang Yulou! I am Wang Yulou's big brother! Hiss! You can't treat like this!"
As Wang Yulou approached, he found Xihai Hu bound to an iron rack, his four limbs tied down. A jailer was repeatedly stabbing his internal organs with a long, heated iron spike.
As a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator, Xihai Hu's vitality was exceptionally vigorous. Even if the spike pierced his heart, it wouldn't inflict any fatal injuries.
The jailer's continuous stabbing was purely for the sake of humiliating interrogation.
"Enough!" It wasn't Wang Yulou who spoke, but the perceptive Jin Mingdu calling out on his behalf.
This was exactly why she was so clever. She knew Wang Yulou was in a difficult position, and realized that his status made it hard for him to speak up if he wanted to save Xihai Hu. Thus, she took the initiative to speak for him.
"Yulou! Yulou! Sob, you're finally here!"
The dark and chubby Xihai Hu actually burst into tears upon seeing Wang Yulou. n did not shed tears lightly unless they were pushed to their limits.
In such a desperate situation, even a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator like Xihai Hu would cry.
"Alright, take him down," Jin Mingdu ordered.
As soon as the ropes were loosened, Xihai Hu tumbled off the iron rack. His four joints had been pierced by knuckle-thick Spirit-Locking Nails.
Free from his bindings, he couldn't even stand. Unaccountably, Wang Yulou felt a pang of empathy.
The progression of destiny in the cultivation world was truly unimaginable. If one didn't follow a grand cultivator or enter the ga, there was no chance to ascend.
But if one followed a grand cultivator and entered the ga, and that backer lost halfway through, everyone under them would suffer a terrible fate. A grand cultivator was a shackle, but when Xihai Hu lost Shen Guang's shackles, he also lost Shen Guang's protection.
In the face of the Immortal Alliance's violent machine, no matter how strong he was, he was reduced to a toy, ravaged by a spike like a slab of dead at.
"Yulou, I'm innocent! I was just following orders. I had no other way. I had no choice. You know that, Yulou. You know I had no choice."
Xihai Hu lay on the damp floor of the cell. He lifted his head, his battered face filled with despair and indignation.
Wang Yulou remained silent. Seeing this, Jin Mingdu told the jailer, "Lock Xihai Hu in solitary confinent and stop the torture. We must handle this case with full procedural compliance. Have you forgotten?"
The jailer hurriedly helped Xihai Hu up and carried out Jin Mingdu's orders. This was another benefit of having a smart Dao Companion.
From start to finish, Wang Yulou didn't need to say a single word; Jin Mingdu understood exactly what to do. Walking further in, they arrived at Zhang Heng's cell.
Once again, Wang Yulou heard sounds from afar that shouldn't have been there.
"The evidence is as solid as a mountain, yet you still quibble? Beat him! If we don't jog his mory, he won't confess!"
Zhang Heng was surrounded and being subjected to a collective reckoning by a group of jailers. This ti, Wang Yulou spoke up.
"Go. Tell them to decide amongst themselves who beat him the hardest, then drag that person out and execute them."
Two fierce, seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators imdiately stepped forward, suppressing the jailers to find the unlucky scapegoat. Wang Yulou was entirely serious.
Very quickly, after one unlucky jailer was sacrificed, Wang Yulou looked at the other terrified jailers and said, "I will emphasize this once more. Full procedural compliance is the basic requirent and must be achieved. Yet what are you doing? Extorting confessions via torture? Jogging his mory? You think this is handling a case? No, this is helping Zhang Heng evade guilt!"
Listening to Wang Yulou's initial words, Zhang Heng thought he had misheard. But upon hearing the latter half, he realized exactly what Wang Yulou intended. He wanted to forge this case into ironclad evidence that could never be overturned.
"Alright, tell the results of the investigation," Wang Yulou said.
At his prompt, Jin Mingdu hastily picked up the list of investigated cris committed by Zhang Heng. As the Annex City Enforcent Team Captain, Zhang Heng, though not a disciple of Shen Guang Immortal Venerable, was part of the toxic influence surrounding and deceiving him.
"His main cris are as follows," she read. "First, illegally embezzling eighty tons of earth from Western Sea Immortal City's city walls. Second, utilizing his status as the enforcent team captain to wantonly extort spirit stones and spiritual materials from cultivators. Third, freeloading als, drinks, and goods. Few shops in the Annex City have escaped his grasp. Fourth, nepotism. Violating the Immortal Alliance's appointnt disciplines to illegally arrange positions for relatives and trusted aides. Fifth..."
She concluded, "In summary, the cris committed by Zhang Heng are backed by ironclad evidence. This should be reported to True Person Jinshan so this criminal can face the ultimate penalty!"
For the first cri, Zhang Heng stole the Immortal Alliance's resources; Wang Yulou stole the Immortal Alliance's authority and system. For the second cri, Zhang Heng only extorted money; Wang Yulou utilized his position to serve as a butcher's knife for Mang Xiang's grand cleansing. For the third cri, Zhang Heng only freeloaded a few bites; Wang Yulou directly snatched thousands of mu of land without spending a single spirit stone, plundering millions of spirit stones' worth of profits. As for the fourth cri...
Patting the town guard spirit beast of Riverbend Port in his hands, Wang Yulou realized more and more that cultivating immortality was like sailing against the current. He couldn't afford to lose, much less take the wrong path. He who steals a hook is executed; he who steals a country becos a marquis. Only by killing a million immortals could one attain Golden Core.
Yet, even soone like Shen Guang could be thoroughly sched into a corner. Shen Guang's true vulnerabilities had been seized by Mang Xiang and Qing Rui. He hadn't fought back even now, likely because he was genuinely terrified. Since Shen Guang had lost, he could no longer protect his subordinates. Now, he was even being humiliated by lowly underlings like Wang Yulou. And those who had taken the wrong path, like Zhang Heng, were already dood for eternity.
Once, Zhang Heng oversaw the Annex City Enforcent Team and Rogue Cultivator Alliance. He had been an incredibly famous figure in the West Sea, yet now...
"Alright. As for the ultimate penalty or not, I will naturally report to True Person Jinshan," Wang Yulou said. "Furthermore, Fellow Daoist Zhang Heng, if you are willing to confess your cris in front of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, I can make the call to let you..."
Wang Yulou originally wanted to use Zhang Heng's voluntary confession before the Rogue Cultivator Alliance as a way to completely shatter their rosy perception of Shen Guang, thereby sheltering those rogue cultivators as much as possible. However, Zhang Heng suddenly laughed.
Zhang Heng curled up in a shallow pool of his own blood. His ten fingers dug into the ground, but the depth of those scratches was far shallower than the depth of his fury.
What kind of laugh was that? It sounded like rusty gears grinding against glass.
As he laughed, thick, sap-like hatred flowed from his face, which was swollen like a rotten peach from the interrogation. Suddenly, Zhang Heng began to cough.
The laughter mixed with the whimpers of a dog choking on water. Finally, it turned into soft, repetitive wails.
He stopped laughing. He said nothing, yet seed to have said everything.
"Leniency cos to those who confess, Zhang Heng. Even if you don't want leniency for yourself, won't you seek it for those rogue cultivators implicated by you? Those people followed you—didn't you doom them?"
Jin Mingdu stepped forward and guided him patiently. She understood Wang Yulou's concerns perfectly.
"You are the ones harming people, not ! You ruined like this, and now you claim I'm the one screwing them over. Jin Mingdu, you're just a bitch!"
With his head bowed, Zhang Heng squeezed the air from his lungs to vent his rage.
Wang Yulou grabbed Mingdu's hand and shouted coldly, "The one harming people is Shen Guang. n, cut out his tongue and seal his divine sense!"
Several Punishnt Court stewards who had followed by Yulou's side hurried forward and severed Zhang Heng's tongue. But the mont Zhang Heng's mouth was freed, he fiercely gritted his teeth and spat out a mouthful of bloody foam.
The bloody foam sprayed onto the case summary in Jin Mingdu's hands. The blood perfectly obscured the words 'ironclad evidence.'
If Zhang Heng's case counted as ironclad evidence, then how many others would also qualify? In truth, there weren't that many sinful cultivators with 'ironclad evidence' against them; it was nothing more than internal strife within the Immortal Alliance.
Wrapping his arm around the 'frightened' Mingdu, Wang Yulou left the cell and instructed several stewards, "Contact those rogue cultivators from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance and have them gather in front of the immortal city's Punishnt Court in three days.
"Tell them that the Alliance collected massive entry fees from them, but the vast majority were embezzled by Zhang Heng. Since we have investigated and dealt with Zhang Heng, those embezzled spirit stones will be returned to them. At the sa ti, we'll use this opportunity to educate them so they aren't deceived by treacherous villains again. Go. These reasons should be enough to draw them out."
The stewards accepted their orders and left. Jin Mingdu then asked in confusion, "Yulou, we didn't confiscate many spirit stones. Zhang Heng spent a lot of wealth cultivating his Dao foundation. The spirit stones we did find were all divided up among our people. Where are we going to get spirit stones to return to the Rogue Cultivator Alliance?"
Jin Mingdu was truly a lady from a great noble family.
Her performance today had been that of a perfect wife. But the Jin family had never taught her the aning of "luring them to the drill grounds to collect their pay." Still, Wang Yulou didn't actually plan on completely purging all those unlucky rogue cultivators.
Forging too many enmities was bad; he already had enough enemies.
"Hahaha, we're just finding an excuse to gather them so we can properly warn them," Wang Yulou said. "My wife has had a tiring day today as well. Co, let's return to the estate."
Late at night, after an hour of passionate exertion, Wang Yulou finally left Jin Mingdu utterly spent and defeated. His wife fell into a deep sleep in his embrace. Not wanting to wake the beauty, Wang Yulou went to sleep as well, forgoing his usual routine of cultivating through the night.
However, in the depths of his dreams, Wang Yulou's consciousness was summoned by a colorless light, unknowingly departing from the Great Heaven. All four directions were a void of gray. To his horror, Wang Yulou found that he could not make a sound. He seed to be trapped in a special space where even the concept of ti had vanished.
Looking at the massive, multicolored sphere in the center of the space, Wang Yulou suddenly guessed who it was. It was him! It really was him!
"Co!"
An androgynous voice exploded within Wang Yulou's mind, just like many years ago in Clear Stream Market, when the figure had transmitted his voice, declaring that Wang Yulou possessed the aptitude for the Purple Palace.
A path paved with light extended outward from the multicolored sphere, stopping right at the feet of Wang Yulou, who stood at the edge of the grotto-heaven. Uneasily, Wang Yulou stepped onto the path of light, walking forward step by step to approach the giant sphere.
He noticed that the sphere was faintly rotating. With its rotation, diffuse colored light continuously shot outward toward the edge of the grotto-heaven.
Whenever the colored light collided with the edge of the grotto-heaven, the gray, hazy boundary would expand just a little bit. Finally, Yulou walked up to the edge of the sphere.
The outer shell of the multicolored sphere looked peculiar. To Wang Yulou's eyes, it lacked any visible texture, yet it commanded an undeniable sense of presence.
But when he reached out to touch it, the sphere felt like a void, its outer shell offering no resistance whatsoever. Realizing that this would be the first true Golden Core cultivator he had ever seen in his life, Wang Yulou felt bewildered and helpless, yet faintly expectant all at once.
Gritting his teeth, Wang Yulou closed his eyes and stepped into the sphere.
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