130: Chapter 130 Rewards

A surging crowd filled the wide square, and the air was thick with a Killing Intent that had yet to dissipate.

The Cultivators who had just returned from life-and-death struggles each had eyes as sharp as knives, their bodies surrounded by a heart-palpitating aura of slaughter.

Especially the Foundation Establishment Cultivators; their gazes toward the Great Wei Immortal Officials were exceptionally cold.

The jade tokens had no teleportation function; it must have been the work of these Great Wei Immortal Officials. The Foundation Establishment Cultivators returning from the Secret Realm wished they could slaughter this group on the spot.

Everyone's gaze turned toward them simultaneously.

Su Yang's family communicated via voice transmission, preparing to flee at any moment. Once the Foundation Establishment Cultivators started fighting, staying put would be extremely dangerous.

The Immortal Officials on the banquet platform smiled without speaking, and both sides fell into a strange silence.

However, after waiting for a long while, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators still hadn't made a move, leaving many feeling disappointed.

The prestige of the Great Wei Dynasty was still too strong, suppressing the Foundation Establishment Factions so much they couldn't lift their heads.

To suppress Foundation Establishment Factions, the Dynasty could deploy Golden Core Cultivators, as well as military flying boats, ten-thousand-man Formations, Guardian Spirit Beasts, Imperial Luck, and many other means.

Cheng Yue saw the atmosphere freeze and knew that these Foundation Establishment Factions did not intend to speak up first.

So he took the initiative and reported, "My Lords, I wish to report the Shi Family of Wanbao County for practicing Demonic Techniques!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Cultivators on the banquet platform erupted in a collective uproar.

"The Shi Family practices Demonic Techniques?"

"No wonder the Shi Family was in such a hurry to leave; they were fleeing!"

"Those Immortal Officials just let the Shi Family go. Do you think..."

"Shh! Do you want to die?"

Someone quickly covered their companion's mouth to prevent trouble from coming out of it.

City Lord's gaze narrowed, and his Foundation Establishment pressure suddenly erupted, making the Qi Refining Cultivators present gasp for breath.

"Is this true?"

"Absolutely true!" Cheng Yue nodded solemnly. "The Lingxi Sect is willing to guarantee this with our lives. Multiple factions were slaughtered by the Shi Family in the Secret Realm, and the Lingxi Sect was no exception, only managing to counter-kill them by a stroke of Luck."

He didn't say that Su Yang alone had slaughtered all the demonic Cultivators, fearing it would bring trouble to the Su Family.

After all, according to his guess, there were spies from Great Qi within the Great Wei imperial court, and these Demonic Techniques were likely given to the Shi Family by a mole.

He brought this up to warn Great Wei and to share the risk with the Su Family. After all, the Shi Family had been wiped out in the Secret Realm; if they remained silent, the Su Family would have to bear the demonic Cultivators' revenge alone.

Only by diverting the demonic Cultivators' attention and prompting the Great Wei court to purge the moles and demonic forces could the safety of the Lingxi Sect and the Su Family be guaranteed.

"Damned Shi Family, how dare they practice Demonic Techniques!"

City Lord's beard and hair stood on end as he roared in fury, "Men! Immediately arrest everyone in the Shi Family and bring them to justice. I want them found, dead or alive!"

He then put away his angry expression and turned to Cheng Yue with a grave look. "This is a serious matter. I will certainly report it in detail to the Great Wei imperial court. You all need not worry too much."

"Did any of you also encounter demonic Cultivators?"

City Lord turned his gaze toward the various Foundation Establishment Factions.

Everyone looked at each other for a moment and then shook their heads in denial.

"In that case..."

City Lord's voice suddenly rose, cutting through the heavy atmosphere. "Then let us proceed to the rewards! Representatives of the factions that ranked in the top ten of this Secret Realm competition, come to the stage immediately."

This abrupt turn of events left everyone present stunned.

No one expected that the accusation regarding demonic Cultivators would be set aside so lightly, ending with just a few words before moving directly to the rewards for the point rankings.

Cheng Yue's face darkened slightly; it seemed there would be no follow-up to the actions against the Shi Family.

Su Yang sneered inwardly.

It wasn't that the Foundation Establishment Factions hadn't encountered demonic Cultivators, but rather that the demonic Cultivators hadn't been discovered. If the Shi Family had slaughtered all the Lingxi Sect Cultivators, they wouldn't have been exposed either.

Among these Great Wei Immortal Officials, just how many were colluding with the demonic Cultivators?

"Head of the Su Family, when you leave Luoxuan City, you must be careful of the Foundation Establishment demonic Cultivators hiding in the shadows!" Cheng Yue warned via voice transmission.

Su Yang didn't stop his pace as he walked toward the white jade banquet platform, responding via voice transmission as well, "The Su Family has its own ways to cope. As for your Lingxi Sect..."

"We old fellows plan to achieve a Foundation Establishment Breakthrough in Luoxuan City before setting out," Cheng Yue transmitted. "If the Su Family isn't in a hurry to leave, why not wait and travel with us?"

Hearing this, Su Yang instinctively wanted to agree.

But then his thoughts shifted, and he immediately realized it was inappropriate.

Both the Su Family and the Lingxi Sect were targets of the demonic Cultivators. While traveling together would be more imposing, they would also be a larger target, which would only increase the risk of being wiped out together.

Parting ways after leaving the city together would make it difficult for the lurking demonic Cultivators to handle both, and drawing away part of the risk separately was the better strategy.

"Congratulations to those who made it into the top ten. These are the rewards given to you by Great Wei. Please take them."

City Lord waved his sleeve, and ten Jade Slips and ten foundation establishment pills floated in front of Su Yang and the others.

The Foundation Establishment Factions that entered the top five this time were all within everyone's expectations.

On the other hand, the Qi Refining Factions side saw great variables.

Aside from the Ye Family and the Canghai Society meeting expectations, the other three seats were all unexpected.

The Lingxi Sect had been slaughtered by the Shi Family, and their points were insufficient to enter the top five; they were currently ranked sixth.

While the Iron Hoof Society was hunting down Su Xuanxiao, they stumbled upon the Shi Family's slaughter scene and were treated like dogs on the side of the road, their entire army directly sacrificed.

And the massive amount of points the Shi Family had obtained ultimately all went to the Su Family.

As for the Qingyuan Yuan Family, their failure to make the list was truly due to poor Luck.

They neither encountered opponents with high points nor found enough Yao Beasts and spirit plants, making them the most frustrated party, ranked eighth.

Thus, the top five rankings for the Qi Refining Factions were: the Luoxuan City Ye Family, the Canghai Society, the Qingyuan Su Family, and two other Grade Seven Qi Refining Factions that had also hidden themselves deeply.

The Su Family's points were originally ranked fourth, but Qin Jiangmei and the others outside the bamboo forest had been collecting points, finally landing them in third place.

City Lord then awarded a foundation establishment pill to each of the top one hundred factions in the overall rankings and continued, "The point treasures on the scroll can be exchanged later at the City Lord's Manor, but the treasures are still in the Great Wei treasury and will take a few days to arrive."

"Your performance has made Great Wei quite satisfied. The factions that were able to emerge from the Secret Realm are all pillars of our Great Wei. However, there is one more thing regarding this grand event."

City Lord's words invigorated everyone present.

Here it comes!

The real purpose of Great Wei holding this grand event was not for the spectacle, but to conscript the various factions.

Did they really think Great Wei's treasures were so easy to obtain?

Giving away Heaven And Earth Treasures for free without gaining any benefit did not align with Great Wei's usual way of doing things.

City Lord's beard and hair stood on end, and his voice was like a resonant bell. "Great Wei is at a critical moment of survival. We hereby conscript you talented pillars. From this moment on, you must unconditionally obey the imperial court's deployment! You must serve bravely on the battlefield. For those who perform meritorious deeds, the court will reward you with multiple times the merit, and it is even possible to use this to exchange for the treasures just awarded!"

Unconditional obedience!

These words completely cut off the retreat for the various factions. Although the consequences of disobedience were not explicitly stated, the Great Wei Dynasty, deeply embroiled in war, clearly would not tolerate any dissent.

The expressions of all the Cultivators present varied, with most looking extremely grim.

Only the Cultivators from factions located at the borders of the State of Wei were relatively calm. After all, fighting also depended on the location; they couldn't just move southern troops to the north, which would only increase casualties.