267: Chapter 264 I'll give you half an hour to wipe them out.

As Venerable Lei Yan was dragged away ruthlessly by the chamber's secret guards like a dead dog.

Leaving a glaring trail of blood on the hard white jade plaza, the psychological defenses of the two brothers, Long Zhantian and Long Aotian, finally collapsed completely at this moment.

The air was filled with an indescribable, pungent stench; it was the damp patch seeping from beneath Long Aotian, who had been scared out of his wits.

He opened his mouth, unable to even piece together a complete sentence to beg for mercy.

"No... it's not like this... this is impossible..."

Long Zhantian's situation was no better than his brother's.

This Body Integration Stage Early Stage Cultivator, who usually ran rampant in Tianzhou City and prided himself on being a Prodigy of the younger generation, was currently trembling violently like a Parkinson's patient.

His brain was racing, trying to find even a glimmer of life in this certain death trap.

Fight back? Venerable Lei Yan was suppressed without even touching a single finger of the opponent; what did that make him?

Escape? The surrounding space had long been locked down like an iron barrel by the aura of those four Female Demon Lords, and not even a fly could fly out!

Money? With just one sentence, they had just waived a debt of fifty million Top-Grade Spirit Stones for the Zixiao Holy Land. Even if his Aotian Sect went bankrupt, it would be nothing more than a drop in the bucket in their eyes!

Despair, like a maggot in the bone, bit tightly into Long Zhantian's heart.

But driven by a strong desire to survive, like a drowning person grabbing the last seemingly ethereal straw, he suddenly raised his head. On that swollen, pig-head-like Face, he squeezed out an extremely twisted, fawning smile that was a hundred times uglier than crying.

"Great... Great Proprietor! Senior Su! Fairies!"

Long Zhantian kowtowed frantically while shouting hoarsely with a lisping mouth, his voice filled with extreme panic and a trace of near-insane gambler's mentality:

"We... we know we were wrong! It was us who were blind! We were worse than pigs and dogs!"

"But... but I beg you Seniors, for the sake of my father, spare our dog lives!"

"My father is the Aotian Sect Master, Dragon Overlord! Not only is he an Integration Stage Great Power at the Peak of the Late Stage, but... but in his early years, he once accidentally saved the remnant soul of a Loose Immortal in an ancient ruin and was granted a supreme secret technique! My Aotian Sect has a profound foundation, and our treasure vault is filled with countless rare treasures!"

The more Long Zhantian spoke, the more anxious he became, his speech as fast as spilling beans, fearing that if he were a second too slow, his head would roll.

"As long as... as long as you Seniors are willing to spare my brother and me, I swear, I will immediately send a message to my father!"

"Let him bring all the foundation of the Aotian Sect's treasure vault, all the Top-Grade Spirit Stones, and all the ancient secret treasures to personally come and apologize to Senior Su!"

"All of us in the Aotian Sect are willing to be your beasts of burden for generations to come!"

He brought up his father, trying to use the tactic of "I have great value" to exchange for a glimmer of life.

In Long Zhantian's view, the cultivation world was bustling with people chasing profit.

Even if the opponent was strong and rich, faced with a major Sect with thousands of years of Legacy willing to offer everything in apology, wouldn't they be a little tempted?

As long as they could return alive today, even if they had to be beasts of burden, it was better than being destroyed body and soul right now!

After Long Zhantian finished speaking, he even gasped for breath twice.

Gu Qiuyue, upon hearing these words, not only did not show any sign of being moved, but instead laughed softly, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Hehe... giggle..."

At first, she just covered her mouth and chuckled, but then her laughter grew louder, her body trembling, and her golden eyes were filled with undisguised mockery and pity.

"Great... Great Proprietor..." Long Zhantian's heart sank to the bottom. That feeling of despair, as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into the snow and ice, made his whole body go cold.

Gu Qiuyue finished laughing, then slowly straightened her body.

She looked down at Long Zhantian, who was lying on the ground like a maggot, her eyes filled with the coldness peculiar to a capital oligarch, high above in the clouds, looking down at ants.

"Long Zhantian, have you been the young master in that so-called Aotian Sect for so long that your brain has atrophied?"

Gu Qiuyue used a finger that looked like it was carved from white jade to gently flick a bead on the golden abacus at her waist.

"Click."

The crisp sound of the abacus beads colliding was exceptionally clear in the deathly silent plaza.

"Your Aotian Sect's so-called foundation? Your father's supreme secret technique? The rare treasures in your Sect's vault?"

Gu Qiuyue's voice was not loud, but every word pierced the heart.

"Your entire Aotian Sect, along with the three nearly exhausted Spiritual Veins behind your mountain, and even the clothes you are wearing and the Magic Treasures in your hands, half of them are assets mortgaged to my Nine Provinces Bank."

"The money you owe me, including principal and interest, can no longer be repaid. And now, you are using things that already belong to me to negotiate with me? To buy your lives?"

"Do you think I look like a sucker doing charity?"

Long Zhantian was struck by lightning, his whole body completely collapsing to the ground.

He opened his mouth, his mind blank.

Yes... how could he have forgotten that the Aotian Sect had long been tied to the chariot of the Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce's loans? The Sect they were so proud of was, in the eyes of this female God of Wealth before him, nothing more than a bad debt that could be liquidated at any time!

Gu Qiuyue no longer looked at these two pieces of trash who had completely lost their value. She turned her head, her gaze falling on Money Abundant, the Chief Manager of the Luoxian Pavilion, who was still kneeling to the side, drenched in cold sweat.

The corners of her mouth curled into an indifferent and cruel smile, her tone light and casual, as if she were just ordering a small matter like going to the market to buy vegetables:

"Money Abundant."

"Sub... subordinate is here!" Money Abundant gave a violent start, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground.

"I'll give you half an hour."

Gu Qiuyue's voice had no fluctuation, but it carried an unquestionable, absolute dominance.

"Bring enough men, and the Spirit Stones will be sufficient."

"Go and wipe out the Aotian Sect, and drag that so-called Sect Master of theirs to me."

"Can you do it?"

Wipe out a major Sect with thousands of years of Legacy? Half an hour?!

The surrounding onlookers were all so frightened that their Faces were drained of color and their legs went weak.

Although the Aotian Sect was not a top-tier Holy Land, it was still a regional hegemon with an Integration Stage Great Power at the Peak of the Late Stage and tens of thousands of Disciples!

Wipe out the Sect in half an hour? How is that possible?!

However, after hearing this, Money Abundant's trembling miraculously stopped.

He suddenly raised his head, and on that fat Face, which had been full of fear and cold sweat, a kind of extremely professional cruelty and fanaticism, belonging to a top chamber of commerce executive, instantly surged!

"Rest assured, Great Proprietor!"

Money Abundant roared, his voice as loud as a bell.

"To deal with such inferior assets that don't repay their debts and dare to offend you, why would it take half an hour?!"

"One stick of incense!"

Money Abundant held up a finger as thick as a carrot, his eyes filled with the madness peculiar to a merchant.

"Within one stick of incense, this subordinate will definitely raze the Aotian Sect to the ground, and bring that deadbeat Dragon Overlord's head, along with the last Low-Grade Spirit Stone in his Sect's floor tiles, and place them completely before the Great Proprietor!"

"Go." Gu Qiuyue waved her hand.

"Subordinate obeys!"

Money Abundant rose abruptly. He didn't even look at the two Long brothers on the ground who had been scared into incontinence, and directly took out a crimson-gold tiger talisman from his bosom and crushed it violently!

"Boom!" A brilliant golden light shot straight into the sky.

The next second, Money Abundant's figure instantly disappeared from the Luoxian Pavilion plaza amidst a distortion of space.

Meanwhile. Aotian Mountain Range.

Here, the mountains stretched continuously, and the Spiritual Qi was dense. The Aotian Sect's main Peak, "Mad Dragon Peak," towered into the clouds, the mountain gate was grand and extraordinary, and the Mountain Protecting Grand Array was running at all times, emitting a pale golden halo, highlighting the extraordinary strength of this Sect.

At the top of Mad Dragon Peak, in the secret room behind the Sect Master's main hall.

The Aotian Sect Master, Dragon Overlord, was sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat made of ten-thousand-year warm jade.

He looked resolute, dignified without anger. A few strands of gold were mixed into his black hair, and his whole body radiated the terrifying pressure of a Body Integration Stage Late Stage Peak Cultivator.

At this moment, he was holding a broken Jade Slip in his hand, and from the Jade Slip radiated a faint, lingering trace of ancient Immortal Qi.

This was the "Loose Immortal Remnant Soul Secret Technique" that Dragon Overlord had accidentally obtained in his early years, as mentioned by Long Zhantian.

"Soon... it will be soon..."

Dragon Overlord opened his eyes, and a light of extreme fanaticism flashed in those bloodshot eyes.

"As long as I comprehend the last bit of mystery in this Jade Slip, this Sect Master will be able to break through this damn Body Integration Stage barrier and step into the Mahayana realm!"

"By then, my Aotian Sect will truly be able to rank among the top Holy Lands!"

He put down the Jade Slip, stood up, walked to the window of the secret room, and overlooked the vast Sect foundation below, a surge of heroic spirit rising in his heart.

"The two children, Zhantian and Aotian, are quite promising."

Dragon Overlord stroked his beard, a satisfied smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

"Today they are hosting Elder Lei Yan from the Zixiao Holy Land in Tianzhou City; presumably, the matter has already been settled."

Thinking of the sky-high loan of fifty million Top-Grade Spirit Stones from the Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce, Dragon Overlord snorted coldly.

"Hmph, just a bunch of merchants reeking of copper. Do they really think that by lending a few Spirit Stones, they can ride on the head of my Aotian Sect and shit? Once this Sect Master's divine art is perfected, the first thing I will do is welch on this debt! If they dare to come and collect, this Sect Master will make sure they never return!"

Just when Dragon Overlord was immersed in the dream of dominating the cultivation world and getting billions in assets for free.

"Sect Master! Bad news! Big trouble!"

A shrill, miserable howl suddenly came from outside the secret room, shattering Dragon Overlord's fantasy.

"Bang!" The heavy door of the secret room was stumbled open by someone. The Aotian Sect's Grand Elder rushed in, rolling and crawling, the expression on his Face twisted as if he had seen the end of the world, and the jade crown on his head had even fallen off.

"Presumptuous!" Dragon Overlord's Face darkened, and the pressure of the Body Integration Stage Late Stage erupted instantly, pressing the Grand Elder until he couldn't breathe. "As the Grand Elder, how can you be so flustered when encountering matters? What is the meaning of this! Has the sky fallen?!"

"The... the sky has really fallen, Sect Master!!"

The Grand Elder didn't care about the internal injuries caused by the pressure and fell to his knees with a thud, his finger pointing outside the door trembling crazily.

"The... the Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce! The debt collection team of the Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce has come to our door!!"

"What? The Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce?"

Dragon Overlord was stunned for a moment, then laughed in extreme anger.

"Hahaha! What a huge joke! A mere group of merchants dares to come to my Aotian Sect's mountain gate and act presumptuously? How many people did they bring? Is the leader in the Body Integration Stage?"

"They... they have come..." The Grand Elder swallowed a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood, his voice already carrying a sob.

"Sect Master, you should go out and see for yourself... this is not debt collection at all... this is here to wipe out the Sect!!!"

Dragon Overlord frowned, a trace of displeasure rising in his heart. He flicked his large sleeves and snorted coldly: "Useless trash, follow this Sect Master out! I want to see what kind of waves a bunch of accountants can make!"

After speaking, his figure flashed, and he instantly appeared in mid-air in front of the Aotian Sect's main hall.

"Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce rats! How dare you offend my Aotian..."

Dragon Overlord's roar was only half-shouted before it was stuck in his throat.

His dignified eyes were now wider than copper bells, and his pupils instantly contracted to the extreme.

What appeared before him was not some accountants holding abacuses to collect debts.

But a terrifying combat force armed to the teeth, capable of launching a war to destroy a nation!

The sky above the Aotian Mountain Range, which had originally been clear, had been completely obscured.

A full one hundred [Mysterious Gold Giant Ships], each ten thousand zhang long, like black clouds, were densely hovering outside the Aotian Sect's Mountain Protecting Grand Array!

The bow of every giant ship was flashing with blinding red light; these were cannon ships fueled by Top-Grade Spirit Stones, capable of blasting an Integration Stage Great Power to pieces with a single shot! One hundred giant ships meant a full thousand divine light cannons, and at this moment, all the muzzles were locked onto the Aotian Sect below!

That was not all.

In the center of the fleet, a floating fortress made of pure Spirit Stones and Formation patterns was suspended.

Above the fortress, Money Abundant was dressed in a brocade robe with money patterns, holding a cup of Spirit Tea in his hand, looking down at Dragon Overlord from high above.

Beside Money Abundant stood thirty Cultivators dressed in black, wearing faceless masks.

These thirty people did not speak, nor did they make any unnecessary movements, but the aura they emitted made Dragon Overlord, a powerhouse at the Peak of the Late Stage Body Integration Stage, feel a chill run down his spine.

"Thirty... Body Integration Stage Perfection dead soldiers?!"

Dragon Overlord gasped, his scalp tingling.

How rich is the Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce?! They could actually use massive resources to forcibly smash out thirty Body Integration Stage Perfection dead soldiers who only know how to kill?!

This kind of foundation, let alone his Aotian Sect, even the Zixiao Holy Land would be terrified to see it!

"Dragon Overlord."

Money Abundant's voice echoed over the entire Aotian Mountain Range like rolling thunder through the amplification Formation on the fortress.

In this voice, there was no longer the humility he showed before Gu Qiuyue, only a cold and ruthless commercial ruling.

"Your Aotian Sect owes my Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce a total of fifty-eight million Top-Grade Spirit Stones in principal and interest. As judged by our Chamber's Supreme Ruling Committee, your Sect has been classified as an extremely inferior asset."

"According to the Great Proprietor's highest directive, we are now conducting... a forced liquidation of the Aotian Sect!"