193: Am I really going to become the villain?

The speed at which Wang Ba and that crowd of lackeys signed the indentured servitude contracts was even faster than the speed at which they had been running for their lives.

There was no other way; not signing meant 'death,' and signing meant 'a fate worse than death.' In front of this group of Female Demon Lords, it was better to live miserably than to die well.

Gu Qiuyue satisfiedly put away the stack of contracts stained with bloody handprints, and in high spirits, she fiddled with her abacus.

"With this batch of free labor, the mining of spirit minerals in the back mountain can finally be put on the schedule.

Besides, these people have good physiques and are durable; there's no need to worry about them working themselves to death, and it can save a huge amount of expenses."

She turned her head to look at Wang Ba, who had been tortured until he was barely recognizable as human, and revealed a standard, commercial smile.

"Steward Wang, from today on, you are the captain of the Daochu Sect's First Mining Brigade.

Remember, the daily quota is three thousand Spirit Stones; if you come up short, I'll have Third Senior Sister make you drink medicine."

Hearing the words 'drink medicine,' Wang Ba shuddered all over; the burly man actually cried snot bubbles on the spot.

"Yes... yes! Don't worry, Shopkeeper! This little one will go dig right now! I'll dig with my life!"

He scrambled away, leading his group of equally terrified underlings, and sprinted toward the back mountain, fearing that if they were a step too slow, they would be dragged back by Chu Weiwei to continue being test subjects.

Watching the energetic backs of this group of new employees, Su Lin held his teacup and fell into deep thought.

"Am I... really becoming a villain?"

Look at this lineup.

Mahayana Stage Body Cultivator, Director of the Demolition Office.

Yandere poison healer, whose hands have claimed more lives than she has saved.

Empress of the Demonic Path, with an extremely unstable mental state.

Black-hearted capitalist, using people like livestock.

Iceberg with a poker face, always wanting to freeze the whole world.

And adding on myself, a Revered Master who 'stole' his disciples' Origin and drags them around 'raiding homes.'

This Daochu Sect, no matter how you look at it, doesn't seem like a proper Sect at all.

"Revered Master, what are you thinking about?"

Mu Qingxue walked over, holding a plate of sliced spirit fruits (although they were frozen as hard as stones).

"I was thinking..."

Su Lin sighed and pointed to the 'Ice and Fire Demon Mountain' that was still emitting black smoke and cold air, as well as the sea of man-eating flowers next to it that was still squirming and occasionally letting out a 'hiccup' sound.

"Are we really opening our doors to guests like this? Wouldn't it be a bit... too unique?"

"Unique?"

Luo Ximei poked her head out from the side, looking proud.

"This is called deterrence! Those so-called Righteous Path Cultivators are all bullies who fear the strong and pick on the weak.

If we don't show them some color, they'll think the Daochu Sect is a charity!"

"Exactly!"

Su Hongling carried her great sword on her shoulder, a wild fruit she'd found somewhere dangling from her mouth, and said indistinctly.

"Whoever dares to say it doesn't look good, I'll shove their head into the wall and let them look at it to their heart's content!"

Su Lin: "..."

Fine.

Anyway, his reputation was already ruined; it didn't matter if it got a little worse.

...

Three days later.

News of the Daochu Sect's reopening ceremony spread throughout the Cultivation World as if it had grown wings.

It was not only because it was the Sect of the former 'Number One Person in the World,' Su Lin.

But more so because the methods used to deliver the invitations were simply too... explosively peaceful.

Because the ways these four disciples delivered the invitations were truly worthy of their current fierce reputations.

Central Province, Tianyuan Sword Sect.

As the leader of the Righteous Path, the Tianyuan Sect's mountain gate was always known for its majesty, and its Mountain Protecting Grand Array was claimed to be unbreakable by anyone below the Tribulation Transcendence Stage.

However, at noon today, when the sun was shining brightly.

"Boom——!!!"

With a loud bang, the Tianyuan Sect's pride and joy, the Mountain Protecting Grand Array, didn't even have time to issue a warning before it was smashed through by a massive black object descending from the sky.

It was a black door panel the size of a city gate... no, it was an unsharpened great sword.

The great sword, carrying a terrifying Law of Gravity, plunged straight into the center of the square in front of the Tianyuan Sect's main hall, embedding itself ten zhang deep, and the flying debris sent the circle of surrounding Disciples tumbling.

As the smoke and dust cleared, one could see a crumpled piece of red paper hanging from the hilt of the great sword.

On it, written in extremely wild cursive, as if written by a fist dipped in ink, was a line of large characters:

【The Old Man is holding a banquet! Bring money! If you don't come, I'll smash your mountain Peak! ——Su Hongling】

The Sect Master of the Tianyuan Sect looked at the great sword, which was still radiating the terrifying pressure of the Mahayana Stage, his beard shaking as if playing a lute, and finally, he could only tremblingly squeeze out one word: "...Go!"

At the same time, Southern Border, Myriad Poison Valley.

It was filled with toxic miasma all year round, and no living person dared to approach. The Valley Revered Master, Myriad Poison Ancestor, was lying on a recliner, enjoying the service of his Disciples.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by.

The originally colorful and highly toxic miasma, after this breeze blew through, actually all turned into fresh air!

Immediately after, the countless poisonous insects and beasts kept in the valley, as if they had encountered a natural predator, all flipped over, foaming at the mouth and twitching uncontrollably.

Myriad Poison Ancestor was shocked and was about to get up, only to find that he couldn't move a muscle, and the poison arts within his body were being tightly suppressed by an even more overbearing and strange medicinal power.

An invitation exuding a faint fragrance landed lightly on his face.

【I want to borrow the Myriad Poison Pearl from your valley for Revered Master to use as a night-luminescent pearl. On the day of the ceremony, I hope the Valley Revered Master will deliver it personally. Otherwise... I will refine all the bugs in this valley into a Ten-Completion Great Tonic Soup. ——Chu Weiwei】

Myriad Poison Ancestor looked at his precious poisonous insects twitching all over the ground and shed tears of humiliation: "I'll deliver it... won't I deliver it!"

Extreme North, Ice Soul Palace.

This was already a bitterly cold place, but today, it was so cold that even the Palace Revered Master of the Ice Soul Palace had to wear a cotton-padded jacket.

Because the entire Ice Soul Palace, along with the snow-capped mountains within a radius of five hundred li, had been sealed inside a huge, crystal-clear block of Mystic Ice.

Looking from the outside, it was like a giant piece of amber.

On the ice surface, there was only a line of cold characters carved by Sword Qi:

【Daochu Sect reopens. Those who are late, die. ——Mu Qingxue】

As for those Demonic Path Sects, their encounters were even more miserable.

Luo Ximei did not send invitations.

She simply projected a massive countdown in the sky above those Sects in the middle of the night using her Demon God Manifestation.

That white-gold demonic eye, which covered the sky and blocked the sun, stared fixedly downward, as if saying: "Let's see who dares not to come."

Thus, on this sunny day.

Sect Masters and Elders from all the major Sects in the Cultivation World, whether from the Righteous Path or the Demonic Path, whether they were recluses or notorious figures, all clutched their storage rings, dragged their families along, and sprinted toward the Daochu Sect, sweating profusely.

Were they going to attend the ceremony?

They were going to pay their life-protection fees!

In front of the Daochu Sect mountain gate.

Wang Ba was wearing a brand-new, but clearly one-size-too-small, welcoming uniform, a smile on his face that was uglier than crying, standing next to the 'Ice and Fire Demon Mountain' that was still emitting black smoke and cold air.

"Welcome, welcome! A warm welcome!"

While shouting, he had to carefully dodge the man-eating flowers reaching out from the side, trying to take a bite out of him.

Behind him, a group of miner underlings who used to be fierce bandits were beating drums and gongs in unison, but the rhythm sounded exactly like a funeral procession.

The first batch to arrive were the few small and medium-sized Sects that were closest.

As soon as they landed, they were so shocked by the scene before them that their legs trembled.

On the left, a world of ice and fire, where terrifying high temperatures and extreme cold intertwined, distorting the air.

On the right, a sea of colorful poisonous flowers, each one baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, spraying green toxic mist from their pistils.

In the middle, a path paved with white jade led straight to the mountaintop, but the white jade faintly showed a blood-red color, as if it had been soaked in blood.

"Is... is this the Daochu Sect?"

A Sect Master of a small Sect swallowed his saliva, feeling as if he had walked into the Palace of the King of Hell.

"This is a dragon's den and a tiger's lair!"

"Stop talking nonsense! Pay up!"

Gu Qiuyue popped out from who knows where, a golden abacus hanging from her waist, holding an account book in her hand, and blocked everyone with a smile.

"Entrance fee, one thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones per person."

"What?! One thousand? Why don't you just go rob someone?!" the Sect Master exclaimed.

"Rob?"

Gu Qiuyue pointed to Wang Ba on the side.

"This gentleman once thought the same. Now he is our Mining Brigade Captain, and he signed a one-thousand-year indentured servitude contract."

Wang Ba cooperated extremely well, revealing a miserable smile, and pointed to the purple spot on his neck left by Chu Weiwei's medicine testing.

"Fellow Daoists... just pay. Paying money ensures safety."

The Sect Master shuddered, and without another word, took out his Storage Pouch: "Pay! I'll pay! I'll pay for everyone in my entire Sect!"

As time passed, more and more big shots arrived.

The Sect Master of Tianyuan Sword Sect, Myriad Poison Ancestor, Palace Revered Master of Ice Soul Palace...

These figures who could make the entire Cultivation World tremble just by stomping their feet were now as obedient as quails, lining up to pay Gu Qiuyue.

Because they felt it.

Inside the main hall on the mountaintop, there were four terrifyingly powerful auras that were unreservedly covering the entire mountain Peak.

That was the pressure of the Mahayana Stage!

A full four Mahayana Stage experts!

And every aura exuded a kind of violence that said, 'I am very annoyed, I want to kill someone.'

Mountaintop, main hall square.

This place had already been set up as a banquet venue.

Although the surrounding decoration style was extremely disjointed, it had at least used top-tier Materials.

Su Lin sat in the main seat on the high platform.

Today, he was wearing the Starlight Dharma Robe transformed from the 【Myriad Heavens Star Chart】, his ink-black hair like a waterfall, his temperament refined and extraordinary, like an immortal descended to the world.

However, the current situation seemed not very good.

Because his four disciples were guarding him tightly, like the Four Heavenly Kings.

Su Hongling stood on the left carrying her great sword, glaring fiercely at every guest who dared to look up at Su Lin.

"What are you looking at! Keep looking and I'll dig your eyeballs out as a snack with my wine!"

Luo Ximei leaned lazily against the back of the chair on the right, demonic light swirling in her different-colored eyes, playing with a dragon tendon she had extracted from some unknown demonic dragon.

"Revered Master, that female Cultivator in pink looked at you three times.

How about... I go and peel off her face?"

Chu Weiwei was crouching at Su Lin's feet, peeling grapes for him.

But her way of peeling grapes was very special—first, she used a silver needle to test for poison, then she used spirit fire to roast it for sterilization, and finally, she had to taste it herself to make sure it was sweet.

"Revered Master, open wide~ ah~"

Mu Qingxue stood behind Su Lin, her hands gently pressing on his temples, channeling cool spiritual energy.

"Revered Master, there are too many people here, and the air is too murky.

How about... I freeze them all? That way it will be quiet."

Su Lin: "..."

He looked at the guests below who were trembling and didn't even dare to raise their heads, and felt that this was not a reopening ceremony at all, but clearly a public execution.

"Everyone, restrain yourselves."

Su Lin said in a low voice, "Don't make it look like a funeral."

Just at that moment.

A long roar suddenly came from outside the mountain gate.

"Hahahaha! Su Lin! I heard you haven't died yet? This Old Man has come specifically to seek pointers!"

A purple bolt of lightning tore through the sky and crashed into the center of the square.

The lightning dissipated, revealing a burly man wearing a purple robe with a full beard. Thunder surrounded his body, and he exuded the violent aura of the Peak Body Integration Stage.

He was the Grand Elder of the Thunder Sect, Lei Lie.

A hundred years ago, he had been defeated by Su Lin's sword and had always considered it a shame.

Now hearing that Su Lin's cultivation had fallen, he had come out of seclusion specifically to settle the score.

"Su Lin! Come out and accept your death!"

Lei Lie held a thunder hammer, pointing at Su Lin on the high platform, his arrogance soaring.

"Back then you humiliated this Old Man, today I will tear you into ten thousand pieces!"

The whole place was deathly silent.

All the guests looked at Lei Lie with the eyes of someone looking at a dead man.

This guy... has he gone stupid from seclusion?

Didn't he feel that the Killing Intent of those four Female Demon Lords on the stage was almost becoming tangible?

Sure enough.

Just as Lei Lie's voice fell.

"You want to die?!"

Four voices, in unison, exploded like four claps of thunder.

"Boom!"

Su Hongling was the first to jump out.

"Dare to shout at the Old Man? I'll hammer you into a meat patty!"

The great sword 【no edge】 in her hand swung in a full circle, carrying a gravity that could crush the Void Realm, and smashed down fiercely.

"Tricks of a minor skill!"

Lei Lie sneered and raised his thunder hammer to block.

"Clang!!!"

A loud bang.

Lei Lie's thunder hammer... shattered.

Not only did the hammer shatter, his arms also broke instantly, and his whole body was smashed halfway into the ground.

"What?!" Lei Lie spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes full of horror.

What kind of monster strength is this?!

Before he could react.

"Ice Seal."

Mu Qingxue's voice sounded coldly.

Crack crack crack!

Lei Lie's lower body was instantly frozen into a block of ice, cold air surging along his Meridians straight to his Purple Mansion, even his Nascent Soul was shivering from the cold.

"Ten Thousand Demons Devouring the Heart!"

A black light shot out from Luo Ximei's different-colored eye and drilled straight into Lei Lie's glabella.

"Ahhh!!"

Lei Lie let out a shrill scream, rolling on the ground clutching his head, as if countless evil ghosts were tearing at his Soul.

"My turn, my turn!"

Chu Weiwei ran over excitedly, holding a green bottle in her hand.

She sprinkled the medicinal powder onto Lei Lie.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle..."

Lei Lie's skin began to smoke, his muscles began to dissolve, and his whole body turned into a pool of foul-smelling bloody water at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"No... spare me... Sect Master Su, spare me!!"

Lei Lie begged Su Lin for help in despair.

He regretted it.

Why did he have to come and provoke this group of lunatics?!

Su Lin sat on the high platform, holding his teacup, and blew on it gently.

"My disciples."

He said indifferently.

"Seeing blood at the ceremony is inauspicious."

"Oh..."

Although the four were reluctant, they still stopped.

At this moment, Lei Lie was no longer recognizable as human.

His bones were shattered, his Soul was damaged, half his body was rotten, and he was still frozen.

"Drag him away."

Su Lin waved his hand, "Give him to Wang Ba and let him take him to mine.

The Physical Body of a Peak Body Integration Stage expert should be able to dig for a few more years."

"Yes!"

Wang Ba ran over eagerly, skillfully dragging the dog-like Lei Lie, a smile of shared misery and schadenfreude on his face.

"Brother, don't cry anymore; from now on, we are coworkers. Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

After this episode.

The atmosphere at the scene became even more 'harmonious'.

All the guests sat upright, looking straight ahead, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Some even crushed their teacups because they were too nervous, and then hurriedly swallowed the shards, fearing that making a sound would attract the attention of those four Female Demon Lords.