...
「anwhile.」
Wang Xiu, who had transford into a spectral evil lord, had just left his residence when his Communication Token began to ring. The display showed an alert from the "Big Family of Virtuous and ritorious"—the group chat for all high-ranking mbers!
He opened it to see.
The administrator, Sect Master of Yin Eclipse, posted an announcent: "All mbers at the Protector rank and above, gather at the Sky Evil Hall imdiately! I have sothing to say!"
Great Elder: Received!
Third Elder: Received!
Sixth Elder: Received!
Protector A: Received!
Protector B: Received!
...
HISS!
Suddenly summoning all the high-ranking mbers of the sect... Is this a pre-battle pep talk? Wang Xiu’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.
The Sect Master of Yin Eclipse was one of the Deputy Sect Masters of the Ghost King Sect, a Great Ability at the Ergence Stage.
Frankly, I don’t want to deal with soone like that, Wang Xiu thought. The risk is too great. One careless move and I could get slapped to death. But... it has co to this. There’s no other choice.
...
"Has... everyone arrived?"
In the frigid, gloomy, pitch-black hall, a burly figure stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from the crowd. Black mist, saturated with a dense spectral aura, swirled beneath his wide cloak, as if countless resentful souls were endlessly wailing and shrieking, making one’s scalp tingle. His entire being seed to be enveloped in an Infinite Hell, inspiring awe and terror in all who beheld him.
This was Yinshi Evil King, an Ergence Stage powerhouse.
The hall was utterly silent.
Red Enchanting Snake Princess cupped her fists and said in a sweet voice, "Reporting to the Sect Master of Yin Eclipse, my subordinate, Protector Qianmian, has not yet returned!"
Yinshi Evil King’s eyebrows lifted slightly. "Hmm?"
Red Enchanting Snake Princess said, "He’s currently on his way back. If nothing goes wrong, he should arrive today!"
Yinshi Evil King turned his head slightly, frowning at her. "Snake Ji, your managent of your subordinates grows more and more indulgent!"
Red Enchanting Snake Princess replied softly, "This servant admits her mistake. I will certainly discipline them properly in the future!"
Avoiding Red Enchanting Snake Princess’s srizing gaze, Yinshi Evil King kept his back to the crowd as his raspy, sandpaper-like voice slowly rose. "The Seventh Elder is dead. You should all be aware of this, right?"
Below the platform, everyone exchanged glances but remained silent.
"If there is anyone who doesn’t know, take a look at this intelligence report!"
As he spoke, several scrolls flew from a nearby shelf and unfurled on their own, the writing upon them appearing before everyone’s eyes.
From the crowd, Wang Xiu snuck a glance and saw that the report described the events in Limitless City, though the details were rather vague.
Yinshi Evil King continued, "Before the operation, the Seventh Elder reported the situation to . I reviewed the plan; it was ticulous and designed for surprise, so I approved it. But the outco... you’ve all seen it."
He turned around, his cold gaze sweeping over the many elders and protectors present. "It’s obvious. There was a traitor in their ranks!
"Granted, our Ghost King Sect wasn’t the only one involved in this operation; other factions were present as well, so it’s hard to say which group the traitor ca from. However, after such a major incident, we must learn our lesson. This is especially true for you elders! Instead of spending your days scheming and fighting for power, you should be properly managing the people under your command!"
As he spoke, he observed the elders’ reactions. He saw that while they appeared to be listening intently, their eyes were unfocused—a clear sign they were communicating privately with their Divine Sense.
He had seen this sort of thing all too often.
He snorted coldly and said, "Grudge Bell!"
A protector with a resolute gaze stepped forward. "Present, Deputy Sect Master!"
In the crowd, Wang Xiu, still disguised as the spectral evil lord, inwardly shook his head.
Just one sentence, and it’s clear this protector has the emotional intelligence of a rock. No chance of promotion for him. Even if he is a ’deputy,’ you don’t just shout the ’deputy’ part out loud! Who wants to hear that? If this Deputy Sect Master is ambitious, that idiot will be stuck as a protector for the rest of his life.
Yinshi Evil King’s brow twitched, seemingly suppressing his displeasure. "Punch ."
Grudge Bell hesitated for a mont before nodding. "Yes!"
Without another word, he balled his fist and charged the platform.
Yinshi Evil King narrowed his eyes and, with a flip of his hand, brought down a suppressive force.
BOOM!
Before Protector Grudge Bell could even react, his physical body exploded, his form and Divine Soul utterly annihilated.
Yinshi Evil King shook out his hand and calmly stated, "This... is the fate of traitors! Have you all seen it clearly?"
The crowd was silent. Countless people swallowed hard and nodded stiffly, their bodies ice-cold.
Yinshi Evil King nodded slightly and addressed his confidant, "Protector Grudge Bell sacrificed himself to demonstrate the ironclad laws of our Sect. His rit is great. Give his family triple the standard compensation for death in service. You draft the report, and I will approve it."
The confidant trembled, bowing his head as he answered in a dry voice, "Yes!"
Watching from the crowd, Wang Xiu felt a chill run down his spine.
Good grief! As expected of the Demonic Path. They really just kill at the drop of a hat, don’t they? And to do it so brazenly, so ticulously, that no one can find fault... it’s terrifying.
Yinshi Evil King turned back to face them, looking down from his high position. "Since you all understand the rules now, you will keep those under your command in check from this day forward! Do not let hear any similar news again!"
This ti, no one dared to remain silent. They all nodded repeatedly in agreent.
"The Sect Master of Yin Eclipse is right. That’s how traitors should be treated!" Third Elder sneered. "That fellow, the Seventh Elder, he had his thods and was cunning, but his only flaw was being too kind and too trusting. That Idol Practice thod of his attracted a motley crew—a mix of dragons and snakes, all sorts of riff-raff! It’s obvious soone exploited that weakness and a mole got in. Unlike ! My subordinates are scared to death of . Forget being a traitor, they wouldn’t even dare to look in the eye!"
[Ding!]
[Detected soone boasting. Congratulations to the Host for gaining 166 Mana.]
"Heh, Sect Master of Yin Eclipse, I’m not just bragging! When it cos to the art of managing people, no more than four in the entire Ghost King Sect can surpass ! My subordinates are not only completely loyal but also brave warriors, each one capable of fighting ten opponents!"
[Ding!]
[Detected soone boasting. Congratulations to the Host for gaining 222 Mana.]
...
Sixth Elder stroked his beard and said regretfully, "I warned the Seventh Elder long ago that he needed to focus on the ideological developnt of his subordinates.
"What era are we living in? The old ways of attracting people with benefits are obsolete. You can offer money, but so can others! The only reason soone chooses not to betray you is because the price of betrayal isn’t high enough!
"You have to make your subordinates believe that only you truly have their best interests at heart. That assigning them missions and taking a cut of their earnings is all for their own good, to temper them. Tell them their future is limitless and they must think long-term! That one day, everything you have will be theirs! Only then will they not be blinded by petty profits and choose betrayal. That’s why the n under my command all have such unshakeable faith!"
[Ding!]
[Detected soone boasting. Congratulations to the Host for gaining 333 Mana.]
...
Red Enchanting Snake Princess stretched lazily, her stunning curves sparking the imagination as she giggled. "All of you, you say it like it’s true!
"Sect Master of Yin Eclipse, don’t look at ! You should know, while I may not have many underlings... if he’s a man, he would never have the heart to betray ! Teeheehee... Wouldn’t you agree, Ghost?"
[Ding!]
[Detected soone boasting. Congratulations to the Host for gaining 666 Mana.]
Wang Xiu stood silently in the crowd, inwardly delighted as the System’s notifications echoed in his mind.
Nice! I have to give Yinshi Evil King a huge thumbs-up. If it weren’t for the pressure he applied, how else would this bunch of old schers have been so eager to profess their loyalty?
Suddenly, he was called out by Red Enchanting Snake Princess.
Wang Xiu was montarily startled, then a look of fanatical devotion appeared on his face. "Of course! This subordinate swears to follow Her Majesty the Queen to the death!"
Hearing this, Red Enchanting Snake Princess let out another delighted laugh, her ample chest quivering. The sight made countless Demon Cultivators with weak resolve gulp audibly.
The other elders’ mouths twitched.
Your thods are certainly effective, but we can’t exactly learn them, can we?
...
"Ahem, we’re in a eting. Maintain so decorum!"
On the high platform, Yinshi Evil King coughed twice, giving Red Enchanting Snake Princess a pointed look before addressing the assembly. "Excellent! This puts my mind at ease. If every mber of our Ghost King Sect possessed the awareness you’ve all shown today, how could we fail to prosper?
"But enough with the pleasantries! This year’s Great Demonic Sacrifice will be presided over by ! The grand formation will be activated early tomorrow morning. Tonight, everyone will burn incense, bathe, and gather your strength to sincerely offer rites to the Heavenly Demon! Once the hour arrives, we move out!
"Everyone, prepare yourselves to receive the boon of the Soul Seizer Demon Lord! I have a premonition that after tomorrow, our Ghost King Sect, thanks to all of you present, will achieve unprecedented glory and return to the apex of the Demonic Path!
"And when that day cos, those sanctimonious Righteous Path Immortal Sects that hound us relentlessly... will all be crushed beneath our feet!"
[Ding!]
[Detected soone boasting. Congratulations to the Host for gaining 666 Mana.]
As Yinshi Evil King’s demonic voice resounded, Wang Xiu clearly noticed that many of the Demon Cultivators present now had flushed faces, their breathing ragged and their eyes gleaming with a bloody light. It seed the Sect Master’s seemingly ordinary words had subtly influenced everyone’s minds.
Yinshi Evil King was very pleased with their reaction, nodding repeatedly as his gaze swept across the hall.
"Down with the Righteous Path Immortal Sects!"
Noticing Yinshi Evil King’s gaze was about to fall upon him, Wang Xiu suddenly took the lead, shouting from the crowd. His voice was shrill and more agitated than anyone else’s, startling the Sixth Elder standing in front of him.
The others were stunned for a second before the blood began to boil in their veins, and they imdiately joined the chant.
"Down with the Righteous Path Immortal Sects!"
"Down with the Righteous Path Immortal Sects!"
"Down with the Righteous Path Immortal Sects!"
Wang Xiu shouted, "Crush them beneath our feet!"
"Crush them beneath our feet!"
"Crush them beneath our feet!"
Wang Xiu bellowed, "Long live the Sect Master of Yin Eclipse!"
"Long live the Sect Master of Yin Eclipse!"
"Long live the Sect Master of Yin Eclipse!"
"Long live the Sect Master of Yin Eclipse!"
"..."
For a mont, the roars were so deafening they seed ready to tear the roof off the great hall.
Sect Master of Yin Eclipse watched Wang Xiu with a satisfied gaze. Whose subordinate is that? He has potential.
...
Much later, the demon cultivators in the great hall slowly dispersed, leaving Yinshi Evil King alone.
His gaze shifted, and he made a grasping motion with his hand. The Communication Token that had fallen from Protector Grudge Bell’s body flew into his palm. With a flick of his finger, he ford a seal in the void. A mont later, a single drop of Essence Blood congealed from the pile of gore and mangled flesh on the floor. In the empty air, a faint remnant of the protector’s already shattered Divine Soul still lingered.
Using Protector Grudge Bell’s Essence Blood and soul remnant as a catalyst, he activated a secret technique of the Ghost King Sect. A blood-red seal ford and sank into the Communication Token, instantly bypassing its restrictions.
His eyes glead darkly as he found the chat log between Protector Grudge Bell and another person.
He replied with a single line: "All is as usual. The target has shown no unusual movents."
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