184: Chapter 184: Signing of the Merger and Acquisition Agreement

The air in the Great Hall was as heavy as lead.

As the dust settled on the voting results, the previous tension faded, replaced by a more solemn, almost murderous legal formality.

Shen Xingzhou stood in the center of the Great Hall, his gaze fixed forward, the System running at high speed.

Accompanied by a buzzing sound of electricity only he could hear, a thick, faint blue virtual scroll slowly unfurled in mid-air. It was not just a piece of paper; it was the "Lingjian Peak merger and Reorganization Agreement," woven from countless rules, clauses, and chains of Karma.

[System Generation: merger Agreement Template V1.0]

merger Entities: Hengchuan Peak and the "Poor Peak Alliance" consortium.

merger Targets: Lingjian Peak (overall merger), Lie-Flat Peak (asset restructuring).

Core Structural Clauses:

Brand Retention: Lingjian Peak is renamed to "Lingjian Combat Division," retaining the "Lingjian" name and independent combat designation to maintain the dignity of Sword Cultivators.

Management Handover: Personnel appointments, financial dispatch rights, and logistics supply chains are consolidated under the Hengchuan Peak War Debt Bureau.

Debt Succession: Lingjian Peak's original war debts are to be jointly borne by the newly formed consortium, but must be executed according to Hengchuan Peak's "actual reimbursement" standard.

Risk Warning (Highlighted):

Signatory Personal Risk: War Debt joint liability coefficient x1.8.

*Warning: If insolvency occurs after reorganization, the signatory will bear the Karma liquidation with priority.*

These clauses were like stones used to build a dam, each one heavy and significant.

"This is not cannibalism," Shen Xingzhou thought, staring at the "Brand Retention" clause. "This is giving a group of dying beasts a new way to live."

Above the Great Hall, the phantom of the War Debt Bureau's Nine Provinces Imperial Seal rotated slowly, casting beams of golden light that illuminated the rosewood long table in the center. This was not just an internal affair of the Qingheng Sect; this was a contract signed under the witness of the Heavenly Dao and the War Debt Bureau.

Around them, the Elders wore various expressions. Some felt pity, some mockery, and others were cold, waiting to see a good show. Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou sat on the high seat of the Sect Head, looking down with heavy eyes.

"Please sign."

Lord Bai Heng stood before the table, his voice still as indifferent as an outsider's.

Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou was the first to rise. He walked to the table, picked up the brush, signed his name at the very top of the agreement, and pressed his palm print as Sect Head.

"The Qingheng Sect acknowledges the legitimacy of this reorganization." Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou's voice was not loud, but it set the tone.

Next were the Elder representatives from each peak. On the Lingjian Peak side, Peak Master Zhao Lie had already been carried away by Disciples. The one coming up to sign now was the Senior Brother who had chosen "merger" during the vote. His hand was trembling, but his gaze was exceptionally firm as he wrote his name stroke by stroke.

Finally, the brush was passed to Shen Xingzhou.

At this moment, the System interface popped up to the very front without warning, blocking everyone else's view and leaving it for him alone to see.

[Final Confirmation]

Operation: Sign the merger agreement, confirm the status of "Primary Responsible Person."

Guarantee Content:

Your personal credit (life)

The right to survival of the thousands of Disciples behind you

Question:

Confirm using "Personal Credit + Right to Survival" as a guarantee?

[Confirm] [Cancel]

Shen Xingzhou stared at the "Confirm" button. He knew very well that once he pressed it, his little plan to "lurk" behind the scenes would be completely shattered. He would no longer be the accountant who could run away at any time, but someone standing on the edge of a cliff, holding up a thousands-pound boulder with his back.

If he failed, when the War Debt Bureau came for liquidation, he would be the first to die.

"I have no choice." Shen Xingzhou gave a bitter smile and tapped his fingertip.

"Confirm."

Hum—!

The moment he finished signing his name, a sharp, stinging pain pierced deep into his Soul. It was as if an invisible, red-hot wire had branded a mark onto his Soul. It was the chains of the Heavenly Dao contract, binding directly to his original Soul.

[System Update: Host Identity]

Old Tag: Scheme Consultant / Accountant

New Tag: [Sect-Level Reorganization Person-in-Charge]

Risk Status:

Failure Penalty: War Debt Priority Liquidation Target = You (Personal Priority: Highest)

Shen Xingzhou's hand trembled slightly, and a drop of ink dragged a small tail at the end of his name, looking somewhat disheveled.

As soon as he put down the brush, a slight sound came from his side. Peak Master Luo Qingyi stood in the shadows, clutching that flat wine flask, her knuckles turning white from the force. She looked at Shen Xingzhou's slightly pale complexion, and a flash of extreme cold murderous intent passed through the depths of her eyes—not directed at Shen Xingzhou, but at the invisible "rules" surrounding them.

"Let's see who dares to touch my Disciple."

Her voice was extremely low, as if speaking to herself, or perhaps declaring war on some existence in the Void Realm. "Break my sword first."

Lord Bai Heng seemed to sense something and swept a faint glance at Peak Master Luo Qingyi, but said nothing. He picked up the agreement that had just been signed and was still emitting the scent of ink, and turned to Face the crowd.

"Since the names are signed, the rules must be established."

Lord Bai Heng's voice echoed in the Great Hall, clear and cold.

"According to the terms of the agreement, the reading is as follows:"

"First, effective immediately, Lingjian Peak is changed to 'Lingjian Combat Division,' retaining its original Sword Cultivator Legacy and combat designation, but no longer enjoying independent financial rights."

"Second, all funds, Medicinal Pills, and healing resources of the original Lingjian Peak will be uniformly dispatched by Hengchuan Peak starting now. Every single Spirit Stone's usage must be calculated by the War Debt Bureau."

"Third, and this is the most critical point."

Lord Bai Heng paused, his gaze sweeping over the Lingjian Peak Disciples with complex expressions.

"All battle losses must be registered in full, truthfully, and immediately. Any behavior attempting to conceal or alter battle loss data will no longer be regarded as 'maintaining Face,' but will be directly characterized as—murdering fellow Sect members."

"Once discovered, they will be directly handed over to the War Debt Bureau's execution team, with absolutely no leniency."

The Great Hall was silent. These clauses were all cutting into the old rules of Lingjian Peak. Especially the last one, which turned the behavior of hiding deaths for the sake of Face into a capital offense.

"This can be considered... a shackle you have placed upon yourselves."

Lord Bai Heng closed the agreement, his lips curling into a smile that was not quite a smile. "Shen Xingzhou, I hope you can bear it."

As Lord Bai Heng's voice fell, the huge phantom of the War Debt Bureau's seal above the Great Hall slammed down.

Boom!

A golden ripple centered on the Great Hall swept across the entire Qingheng Sect instantly.

On Shen Xingzhou's main interface, the War Debt risk data that had been making people anxious began to jump violently.

[System Settlement: merger Agreement Effective]

Overall Sect War Debt Risk:

51% —＞ 44%

Status Update:

Qingheng Sect Bankruptcy Risk: Medium Level (Temporarily out of red alert)

merger Plan: Effective (S-Rank Execution)

Note:

You have successfully bound the life and death of thousands of people together with a piece of paper.

From now on, their pain is your pain, and their death... is your debt.

Looking at the number that had dropped to 44%, Shen Xingzhou let out a long breath. Although a huge price had been paid, at least the broken ship that was the Qingheng Sect would not sink for now. Those young Disciples who were originally destined to die in the "sacrifice" mode had survived.

However, just as the green light of the risk value decreasing had lit up, another panel on the very edge of the System interface, which had been in sleep mode, suddenly lit up without warning.

It was an interface Shen Xingzhou had never seen before, completely pitch black, with an unsettling red light glowing on the edges.

[Nine Provinces Sect Credit Rating Bureau: Remote Monitoring Log]

Rating Object: Qingheng Sect

Original Rating: B+

Current Status Change:

Detected atypical War Debt structural adjustment (suspected Demon Race logic intervention)

Detected abnormal fluctuation in "Bottom-level Self-determination Sample"

Re-evaluating Sect Credit Rating...

The line of text flickered a few times, as if an invisible hand had struck a heavy mark on a thick ledger in the clouds.

Finally, a line of blood-red warning text slowly emerged, like the eyes of the Grim Reaper.

[Audit Conclusion: Abnormal]

Trigger Judgment:

Suspected "Demon Race power interfering with War Debt structure"

Execution Action:

→ Initiate Sect Credit Downgrade Process

Shen Xingzhou's heart skipped a beat.

The risk had come down, but the credit had collapsed.

If War Debt risk was "whether one can survive," then credit rating was "whether one can borrow money, whether one can stand in this Immortal Realm." Once the credit was downgraded, the Qingheng Sect would Face isolation from the entire Immortal Realm, and might even be stripped of its Sect status due to "credit bankruptcy."

This was the true pulling of the rug from under them.

Shen Xingzhou looked at the red "Downgrade Process" and felt a chill much stronger than when he signed the document earlier, rushing straight from his feet to his crown.

Lord Bai Heng's "prejudice" was indeed just the beginning. There was never just one way for the Heavenly Dao to liquidate.