124: We are professionals at collecting rent.

Mu Changqing felt as if his breathing had stopped.

He had lived for tens of thousands of years, rising from an obscure little Cultivator to the Realm of a Late Stage Profound Immortal, becoming one of the top overlords in these Hundred Thousand Barren Mountains.

He had seen countless grand scenes and experienced countless life-and-death battles.

But he had never felt a cold fear originating from the depths of his Soul like he did today.

The opponent was merely a Clone.

He could tell that much.

But it was precisely because he could tell that it was even more terrifying!

A Clone, with a casual strike, had broken the Qingmu Sect's pride—its mountain-protecting Formation!

Then just how terrifying must the original body be?

A Golden Immortal?

No!

An ordinary Golden Immortal would never possess such an Aura!

“Your Excellency... just who are you!”

Mu Changqing's voice was dry and raspy, every word sounding as if it were being squeezed out of his throat.

“Didn't I already say?”

Chu Xuanjin's Clone spread his hands, an innocent expression on his face.

“My name is Chu Xuanjin, a passing Ascender.”

“I saw that your land has good feng shui and wanted to take it over to open a branch store.”

“I originally wanted to follow the standard procedure, but unfortunately, your salesman's service attitude wasn't very good and he insisted on fighting.”

“I'm a good-tempered person, but I just can't stand seeing my subordinates being mistreated.”

“So, I could only switch to a slightly more direct method to have a heart-to-heart with you, Sect Master Mu.”

He spoke these words nonchalantly, as if chatting about domestic affairs.

But in the ears of everyone in the Qingmu Sect, it was more chilling than the whispers of a demon god from the Nine Nethers!

“This is too much!”

The hot-tempered Elder Sun finally couldn't hold back anymore.

His eyes were blood-red, his Immortal essence surged, and he pointed at Chu Xuanjin's Clone, roaring in anger.

“Sect Master! Stop talking nonsense with him!”

“No matter how strong he is, he's just a Clone! With all several thousand of us in the Qingmu Sect forming the ‘Ten Thousand Trees Dragon Transformation Formation,’ we might just be able to suppress and kill him here!”

“That's right! In our Qingmu Sect, there are only Immortals who die in battle, no slaves who live on their knees!”

“Kill! Fight him to the end!”

Elder Sun's roar ignited the last trace of bloodlust and hope in the hearts of the other Elders.

They were the overlords of this region, accustomed to being overbearing; when had they ever suffered such a humiliating insult!

“Form the array!”

A flash of decisive ruthlessness also appeared in Mu Changqing's eyes.

Things had reached a point where there was no way back!

The opponent had made it clear he was here to cause trouble!

Begging for mercy would only lead to a faster death!

The only way was to fight to the death!

“Roar—!”

Following Mu Changqing's command.

He and the other seven Profound Immortal and True Immortal Elders instantly flickered into motion, standing in mysterious positions.

At the same time, within the entire Qingmu Sect, several thousand Earth Immortal Disciples also flew into the air, their Immortal essence pouring unreservedly toward the eight Elders!

“Buzz—!”

The heavens and earth changed color!

An unimaginably massive amount of wood-attribute spiritual energy soared into the sky!

Countless green runes appeared out of thin air, weaving into a giant array diagram.

Within the diagram, a ten-thousand-zhang-long green giant Dragon, condensed from the purest Yimu Immortal Essence, slowly took shape!

The Dragon was lifelike, its scales shimmering with a metallic luster, and its eyes burned with raging fire.

The pressure it emitted was infinitely close to the Golden Immortal Realm!

This was the Qingmu Sect's strongest trump card, the sect-protecting Formation that allowed them to stand for ten thousand years in the Hundred Thousand Barren Mountains—the [Ten Thousand Trees Dragon Transformation Formation]!

“Vile creature! Die!”

Elder Sun was positioned at the dragon's head; with the power of the Formation, his Aura had temporarily climbed to the Great Perfection Profound Immortal Realm!

He let out a violent roar, controlling that ten-thousand-zhang dragon body to crash fiercely toward Chu Xuanjin's Clone!

This collision seemed as if it would punch a hole through the sky!

Space was as fragile as thin paper before the giant Dragon, shattering inch by inch!

Facing this world-destroying blow that would make even an Early Stage Golden Immortal change color.

Chu Xuanjin's Clone finally made a second move.

He looked up at the roaring green giant Dragon and curled his lips in slight disdain.

“Flashy and useless.”

He commented.

Then, he slowly raised his right hand.

Facing the giant Dragon, he opened his five fingers and gently made a grasping motion in the air.

“Freeze.”

One word.

Heaven and earth stood still once more.

That imposing, ten-thousand-zhang Azure Dragon that seemed ready to devour everything stopped abruptly in mid-air.

Its body was less than a hundred zhang away from Chu Xuanjin's Clone.

But those hundred zhang became a chasm it could never cross.

Time seemed to have been paused at this moment.

“Wha... what's going on!”

Elder Sun, at the dragon's head, saw his face turn the color of pig liver instantly.

He discovered in horror that he, along with the power of the entire Formation, was being held in a death grip by an invisible giant hand!

He could feel that the hand wasn't using much strength.

It was like an adult casually pinching a grasshopper that was struggling desperately.

No matter how frantically he channeled his Immortal essence, no matter how the thousands of Disciples behind him poured in their power at the cost of their lives.

That ten-thousand-zhang giant Dragon didn't budge an inch!

“You... what did you... do to us!” Mu Changqing's voice carried an irrepressible tremble for the first time.

“Nothing much.”

Chu Xuanjin's Clone still had that lazy appearance.

“I just thought your pose looked good, quite suitable to be a specimen.”

“While I'm at it, I'll give you some pointers.”

“A so-called Formation isn't powerful just because you have many people, loud voices, and cool designs.”

As he spoke, he extended his other hand and gestured casually at the imprisoned giant Dragon.

“Look here, the energy nodes are cluttered and the circulation is sluggish; it's practically a constipated toilet.”

“And here, the array core is unstable, strong on the outside but hollow on the inside, it breaks with a single poke.”

“The most laughable part is here; you think twisting everyone's power into a single rope makes it strong?”

“Wrong!”

“A flock of sheep tied together is still just a flock of sheep.”

“Before true power, quantity has no meaning.”

With every sentence he spoke, he tapped lightly on a certain part of the giant Dragon.

Wherever he tapped, the dragon body formed from pure Immortal essence would silently cave in.

“Pfft!”

“Pfft!”

“Pfft!”

Within the Formation, the Elders presiding over the various nodes all spat out blood, their faces as white as paper.

They felt as if their Immortal essence and their Divine Souls were being pierced through by invisible needles!

“You... you know nothing... about power.”

Chu Xuanjin's Clone shook his head, imitating Ye Chenfeng's previous phrasing, with a look that said 'you're beyond teaching' on his face.

“Forget it, explaining to you is too much effort.”

“Let's just be direct.”

His hand, which was making a grasping motion in the air, slowly tightened.

“Shatter.”

“Crack—!”

A crisp sound, like glass breaking, echoed through the heavens and earth.

The ten-thousand-zhang Azure Dragon imprisoned in mid-air was instantly covered in web-like black cracks!

“No—!”

Mu Changqing let out a desperate roar.

But his voice was instantly swallowed by the earth-shattering explosion.

“Boom—!”

The ten-thousand-zhang Azure Dragon exploded violently!

That terrifying energy, gathered from several thousand Immortals who had exhausted all their strength and was comparable to a Golden Immortal's strike, completely lost control at this moment!

It turned into a destructive storm that swept through the entire Qingmu Sect!

Countless buildings were instantly turned to dust under this energy storm like sandcastles.

Countless spiritual fields and medicine gardens were leveled to the ground.

Several thousand Earth Immortal Disciples with lower cultivation didn't even have time to scream before they were crushed into ashes by the very power they had contributed!

The entire Qingmu Sect became a living hell in an instant!

And the instigator of it all,

Chu Xuanjin's Clone, just stood quietly at the center of the storm.

The energy turbulence capable of tearing apart a Profound Immortal would automatically dissipate three feet away from his body as if it had never existed.

He looked at the mess before him and scratched his head in some distress.

“Sigh, I failed to control my strength again.”

“Now look, so many things are broken.”

“When I record the entry later, I'll have to count it as depreciation.”

“What a loss, what a loss.”

The storm gradually subsided.

In its place, only Mu Changqing and the other seven Elders remained, slumped on the ground like piles of mud.

They weren't dead.

It wasn't because they were lucky.

But because Chu Xuanjin had deliberately spared their lives.

At this moment, they lay scattered in the ruins, their Meridians all snapped, their Immortal Infants shattered, and their cultivation completely gone.

There wasn't a trace of color left on their faces.

Only endless, hollow despair remained.

It was over.

Everything was over.

The Qingmu Sect's foundation of tens of thousands of years was destroyed in a single day.

“Sect... Sect Master...”

Elder Sun struggled to reach out, wanting to grab Mu Changqing's hem, blood-tears of regret flowing from his eyes.

“I... I was wrong...”

Mu Changqing ignored him.

He just stared blankly at the figure in green drifting down from the sky.

Looking at that young face that still carried a hint of laziness and kindness.

He opened his mouth, and from his raspy throat came a few meaningless syllables.

“De... vil...”

“No, no, no.”

Chu Xuanjin's Clone walked up to him, squatted down, and corrected him.

“Please call me the creditor.”

He patted Mu Changqing's face, smiling brightly.

“Now, can we talk about the specific details of the asset transfer?”

...Half a day later.

When Chu Xuanjin's Clone returned to the valley in the Qingming Mountain Range with an “Asset Transfer Agreement” signed and stamped with Mu Changqing's Divine Soul blood seal,

Chu Xuanjin's main body was lying on a rocking chair, leisurely watching Zhao Wuyou and Ye Wushang help him roast an Earth Immortal Realm Seven-Colored Immortal Pheasant they had just caught in the forest.

“You're back?”

The main body didn't even lift an eyelid.

“Mm.” The Clone nodded.

“The matter is settled.”

“From today, the Qingmu Sect is officially renamed the Myriad Dao Divine Sect Immortal Realm Qingmu Branch.”

“Mu Changqing will serve as the first branch leader, responsible for post-war reconstruction and... repaying the debt.”

“Here is the list.”

The Clone handed over the agreement.

The main body took it, glanced at it, and nodded in satisfaction.

“Not bad, quite efficient.”

“The commotion was a bit loud, though; you broke a lot of their furniture.”

“Be careful next time.”

“Understood.” The Clone responded, then turned into a streak of light and merged into the main body.

The main body stretched and casually tossed the agreement to the recently returned Wang Tianlong.

The current Wang Tianlong had long since lost any trace of his former arrogance.

He had changed into a plain servant's outfit and was standing respectfully to the side, waiting for orders at any time.

His cultivation had not been crippled.

Chu Xuanjin felt that keeping a Profound Immortal around to run errands was better than killing him.

“Here, take this.”

Chu Xuanjin pointed to the agreement.

“From today on, you are the Asset Supervisor for our Myriad Dao Divine Sect stationed at the Qingmu... oh no, the Qingmu Branch.”

“Keep a close eye on everything listed in the agreement, every blade of grass, every tree, every needle and thread.”

“Deliver the dividends to me on time every month.”

“If even one piece of immortal jade is missing...”

The corners of Chu Xuanjin's mouth curled up slightly.

“You know the consequences.”

“Yes! Yes! This Junior understands! This Junior will definitely do my utmost to... look after the family property for you, Sect Master!”

Wang Tianlong took the agreement, his hands trembling as he bowed and scraped like the most loyal lackey.

“Mm, go on then.”

Chu Xuanjin waved his hand as if shooing a fly.

Wang Tianlong, as if granted a great amnesty, scrambled away and turned into a streak of light, flying toward the Qingmu Sect.

He now had only one thought.

That was, after returning, he must squeeze that old bastard Mu Changqing to death!

Only then could he survive!

Watching Wang Tianlong's receding back, Chu Xuanjin lay back in the rocking chair.

He closed his eyes, and with a thought,

The entire Myriad Dao Divine Mountain instantly appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.

He directly tossed the list of the Qingmu Sect's assets he had just obtained into Wang Duojin's mind... at Myriad Dao Divine Mountain.

Wang Duojin, who was currently in the Sect Master's treasury scratching his head in frustration over a mountain of account books, suddenly jolted.

In his mind, a massive list appeared out of thin air, making his breathing quicken.

“Three Low Grade Immortal Veins... one Medium Grade Immortal Vein...”

“Three million immortal jade...”

“Nineteen volumes of Immortal-rank Cultivation Techniques... seventy-two Immortal Artifacts...”

Wang Duojin's eyes grew wider and wider.

His breathing became heavier and heavier.

“Ho... holy crap!”

An earth-shattering scream full of wild joy and excitement echoed throughout the Sect Master's treasury.

“We... we're rich!”

“Revered Master is awesome—!”

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I'm only 30 words short today, so I won't write anything flashy.

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