26: Establish authority and subdue the entire city.

That golden Glazed flame danced silently at Shen Yuanmo's fingertip.

It was small, only the size of a bean, and looked almost beautiful.

But everyone in the assembly hall felt a shudder from the depths of their Soul the moment they saw this flame.

The air seemed to be ignited.

An indescribable scorching heat enveloped the entire hall; this was not physical temperature, but a terrifying pressure capable of directly scorching Divine Sense.

In particular, Wang Teng, the head of the Wang Family who bore the brunt of it, felt it most clearly.

He seemed to see a blazing sun hanging above his head, and that extremely Yang and pure Qi made the mana circulating within his body become sluggish, causing even his Divine Soul to sting slightly.

He did not doubt for a moment that if the young man before him wished...

that tiny flame could incinerate him and his Soul completely in an instant!

It was no longer a secret about the scrap metal at the gate of the Shen Family, which had been transformed from the City Lord Zhao Wuji's natal Spiritual Artifact.

Wang Teng had originally harbored a sliver of hope, thinking that those rumors were exaggerated.

But at this moment, when he faced this legendary flame in person, he realized that the rumors were not only not exaggerated, but were actually too conservative!

How could this be mere Peak Mid-stage Foundation Establishment?

This power, this pressure, perhaps even a Golden Core True Person would be no more than this!

The sliver of hope in his heart, and his little scheme to unite everyone to pressure Shen Yuanmo, were instantly crushed to pieces.

What remained was only endless fear.

Thump!

Wang Teng could no longer hold on; his legs went soft, and he slid directly from his chair, kneeling on the ground, his body trembling like a sieve.

Shen... Senior Shen, spare me! It... it is this old man who failed to recognize Mount Tai! It is this old man who was blinded by greed! This old man... this old man agrees! Fully agrees! From now on, my Wang Family is willing to follow the Shen Family's lead, with absolutely no disloyalty!

As he spoke, he frantically kowtowed to Shen Yuanmo, his forehead colliding with the hard ground with dull thudding sounds.

With the first person taking the lead, how could anyone else dare to hesitate even a little?

My Liu Family also agrees! Everything is up to Senior Shen!

Qian agrees! Senior Shen is wise and martial; it is our blessing for you to lead Linjiang City!

Agree! We all agree!

For a time, voices of agreement rose one after another in the assembly hall, never ceasing.

Those Family heads and stewards who had previously harbored ulterior motives and wanted to bargain were now vying with each other, fearing that if they spoke too slowly, they would be targeted by that terrifying golden flame.

The entire hall was covered in a sea of kneeling people.

Watching this scene before them, Shen Qiming and Shen Zongdao were filled with emotion.

This was the deterrence brought by absolute strength!

No need for conspiracies or tedious persuasion.

You only need to show your fist, and those so-called rules, human hearts, and laws will all make way for you.

Shen Yuanmo nodded with satisfaction, and the flame at his fingertip quietly extinguished.

The terrifying pressure in the hall also dissipated accordingly.

Everyone felt as if they had been granted amnesty, gasping for breath, their backs already soaked with cold sweat.

All of you, rise, Shen Yuanmo said indifferently.

I, Shen Yuanmo, am not a bloodthirsty person. As I said just now, all I want is a stable environment where my Family can Cultivate in peace.

As long as everyone behaves themselves and follows the rules I have set, not only will the Shen Family not make things difficult for you, but we will also bring you unexpected benefits.

He paused, his voice rising a few degrees.

First, starting from today, the taxes paid to the City Lord's Mansion by all families and shops in Linjiang City will be reduced by 30% from the original basis!

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd below was in an uproar, with expressions of disbelief on everyone's faces.

Tax reduction? And by 30%?

This... did the sun rise from the west?

One must know that in the past, when Zhao Wuji was here, all sorts of exorbitant taxes and levies were as numerous as ox hair, pressing them so hard they couldn't breathe.

This New Master not only didn't make things worse, but actually took the initiative to reduce taxes?

Second, Shen Yuanmo continued, ignoring their shock.

The three second-tier mines under the name of the City Lord's Mansion will be opened to all families. You may apply to the Shen Family for mining qualifications based on your Family's contribution. You only need to hand over 40% of the Ore obtained.

Boom!

This news was even more explosive than the tax reduction just now!

Those three mines were the richest resource points in Linjiang City, always tightly controlled by Zhao Wuji; no one else could even touch the edges.

Now, they were actually going to be opened up?

The eyes of the crowd looking at Shen Yuanmo now held a trace of fervor, in addition to pure fear.

If the previous display of authority was to make them fear...

then these two rules were nakedly buying people's hearts.

A big stick and a sweet date.

This young Senior Shen played with people's hearts in the palm of his hand.

Of course, Shen Yuanmo changed his tone.

Where there are rewards, there are naturally punishments.

His cold gaze swept across the hall.

If anyone acts in defiance of orders while pretending to comply, or engages in underhanded schemes, do not blame me, Shen, for not warning you beforehand.

The fate of the Lin Family and Zhao Wuji is a warning.

The crowd felt a chill in their hearts, and the fervor that had just risen was instantly extinguished by a basin of cold water.

They hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to meet Shen Yuanmo's eyes.

Alright, that is all for today's matters. Specific regulations will be announced to everyone by my father, the Shen Family head, later on.

Shen Yuanmo stood up, finished his last sentence, and turned to leave, accompanied by Shen Qiming and Shen Zongdao, leaving the aftermath to those Family heads with their varied thoughts.

His goal had been achieved.

From today on, Linjiang City belongs to the Shen Family.

...

In the following days, the entire Shen Family operated with unprecedented efficiency.

Under Shen Yuanmo's personal planning, the vast resources obtained from the Lin Family and the City Lord's Mansion treasury were rapidly converted into the Family's strength.

Large quantities of Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills were distributed to core clansmen.

The Jade Slip of the Crimson Sun Glazed Scripture Cultivation Technique was also opened to all clansmen of the Qi and Yuan generations who had passed the Heart-Nature test.

The entire Shen Family set off a wave of Cultivation craze.

And Shen Yuanmo devoted most of his energy to the transformation of the Family Formation.

With his understanding of the Dao of Formations, combined with the ability of Perfect Deduction, he carried out a thorough upgrade of the original Crimson Sun Profound Water Formation.

He not only repaired all the defects of the Formation but also incorporated the defensive essence of the Mysterious Turtle Suppressing Sea Formation into it.

As well as his own understanding of the Glazed True Yang power, creating a brand new, second-tier top-grade Formation that combined offense and defense: the Glazed Profound Light Formation.

To set up this Formation, the Shen Family exhausted almost all the High Grade Materials obtained from Zhao Wuji's treasury.

On this day, just as the Formation was about to be completed, the clansman who had gone to the prefecture city to report the news finally returned.

However, his face did not bring back good news; instead, it was filled with anxiety and panic.

Grand Elder! Family Head! It's bad!

The clansman crawled and stumbled to the front of Shen Yuanmo and Shen Qiming, who were supervising the Formation setup.

The prefecture city... people from the prefecture city have come!