296: Chapter 296 Tyrannical Ruler's Tyranny and the People's Misery

The situation was gradually spiraling out of control, and the psychological defenses of those people began to waver.

Lin Gaojie's gaze was cold and stern, his voice sharp as a blade: "Want to survive? Then join our academy! Staying here? Hmph, there is no road to heaven, and no door to enter the earth!"

"That's right!" His tone suddenly rose, "If you want to build an academy here, you must accept the challenge—the loser gets out, and will never be allowed to gain a foothold! If you flee without a fight, it is equivalent to declaring war on all the powers in the world, and you will be hunted to death from then on! We will follow the rules today and wait for you for three days."

"Three days later, if you still don't appear, it will be considered a concession. By then, let alone building an academy, you won't even be able to stand your ground! Getting out of here is the only outcome! Weigh it clearly for yourselves!"

With things put this way, who wouldn't understand? Everyone's hearts were already churning, and terror surged like a tide. They knew all too well—offending an existence of this level had only one outcome: death.

And to establish an academy here, not fighting meant forfeiting, and the price of forfeiting was to be completely wiped off this continent!

At the thought of this, many people felt their minds tremble violently, cold sweat dripping down. No one dared to linger any longer; they quietly turned and left.

Over the next three days, Xiao Pangzi witnessed firsthand what it meant for "people's hearts to scatter." It wasn't thousands or tens of thousands, but a full ten million people who crumbled and left completely in a short period of time.

In the end, only a dozen or so people remained, refusing to leave—not out of loyalty, but because they were making exorbitant demands: "We have endured the pressure from the academy! You have to pay for our mental distress, right? Otherwise, how can we swallow this anger!"

Xiao Pangzi was so angry his teeth itched, but Jiang Chen remained indifferent, directly tossing out a large sum of compensation. As a result, the news spread, and those who had just left turned back, scrambling to demand the compensation.

Even more absurdly, some people later brazenly seized territory and snatched property. Jiang Chen saw it all, but turned a blind eye and walked away.

Xiao Pangzi followed behind, his head full of question marks—what was this? Spending twenty or thirty million to buy a Little White Dragon? On the surface, it wasn't a loss, but this operation... it looked wrong no matter how he saw it...

But he didn't leave. Because he understood that, in this round, Jiang Chen had actually tacitly conceded. And the academy was equivalent to picking up a huge bargain for free!

However, the admission standards remained immovable: only elites would be accepted, nothing else to discuss.

Just like that, Jiang Chen and his party were thoroughly "invited" out of the territory. Those who originally wanted to win over Xiao Pangzi were instead hit by his verbal assault, scared out of their wits, and fled in panic.

At this moment, Jiang Chen was lying lazily on the back of the Little White Dragon, while Xiao Pangzi skillfully steered the flying mount and grinned: "Master, let's not go anywhere else, let's go to my home? This place is too boring."

Jiang Chen squinted his eyes and thought about it. This period of time had indeed been suffocating—fighting and brawling every day, physically and mentally exhausted, so he simply nodded in agreement.

With a slight nod, the wind changed direction.

After this incident, the prestige of Yu Ling Academy skyrocketed, reaching the pinnacle. An academy with ten million people cobbled together in just one month was actually forced to disband by a representative who showed up and said a few words—this deterrent power could no longer be measured by ordinary standards.

Now, Yu Ling Academy was the undisputed number one academy. Its position was as stable as Mount Tai, and its foundation was unshakable. Those organizations that had once dreamed of rising to become the "second academy" all extinguished their ambitions and completely gave up.

They finally understood—being an enemy of the academy meant only one path: death.

As for Jiang Chen, he followed Wan Jinqian on the road home, which could be considered an unexpected journey. Along the way, Xiao Pangzi talked endlessly about the various benefits of his hometown: food everywhere, picturesque scenery, simple folk customs... He spoke so eloquently that it sounded like a fairyland on earth.

Jiang Chen initially just responded perfunctorily; after all, he had seen all sorts of wonders in the world, so how could he be easily moved?

But when they actually arrived at their destination, he was stunned.

Where was the paradise before his eyes? It was clearly a desolate ruin!

Looking from afar, the city was dilapidated and desolate beyond words. There were sporadic figures moving about, but each one was sallow and thin, with numb expressions, and the whole town was filled with a suffocating sorrow.

Jiang Chen's heart jolted, and he couldn't help but ask: "Is this... your hometown?"

"Impossible!" Xiao Pangzi shouted out, "When I left a month ago, this place was still bustling and prosperous! How long has it been, how could it become like this?"

Xiao Pangzi didn't believe it at all; instead, he suddenly increased his speed and rushed forward with all his might!

In the blink of an eye, the Little White Dragon swooped down and landed in the city. When the surrounding commoners saw this behemoth descend from the sky, they were terrified, fleeing in all directions, as if the King of Hell himself had arrived to claim their lives!

But there was an old man with sharp eyes who tremblingly approached, his voice shaking: "You... are you Wan Jinqian?"

Seeing the situation, Xiao Pangzi immediately withdrew the Little White Dragon and waved his hands quickly: "It's me, the same old Xiao Pangzi! What's wrong with you all? Why are you all scared as if you've seen a ghost? This Golden City... the once prosperous era, how did it become like this?"

"Sigh—" an old man sighed heavily, "Although Golden City is a top-tier major city, it is ultimately just a commercial hub, without heavy troops, and under the jurisdiction of the Martial Emperor... It is fate that it has fallen into such a state now."

Xiao Pangzi's heart jolted, and he blurted out: "The Martial Emperor? That is one of the top experts in our Southern Region! Why would he destroy my homeland? What good does it do him?"

The old man smiled bitterly and shook his head: "The old Martial Emperor suddenly became critically ill, and the new emperor succeeded to the throne, but he is extremely foolish! This person is greedy for beauty, and not even a month after ascending the throne, he ordered the collection of beauties from all over the world for his pleasure! He is simply a ruler who will destroy the country! Our Golden City was ransacked into this state by his army!"

Xiao Pangzi listened with burning anger, his fists clenching until they cracked, wishing he could charge to the imperial city on the spot and behead that tyrant with one blade! But then he thought, impulse would only spoil things and instead hurt his own foundation, so he could only suppress his anger and turn to look at Jiang Chen.

He firmly believed—Master must have a way!

But when he looked at his master, he was stunned.

He saw Jiang Chen looking like an ordinary passerby, curiously observing his surroundings, looking left and right as if strolling through a market, completely unmoved by the dilapidated and miserable scene before him.

Xiao Pangzi's heart tightened, and he hurriedly stepped forward and whispered: "Master... you... did you see something?"

Jiang Chen slowly opened his mouth: "More than just a problem, it's a big problem!"

His gaze narrowed slightly: "Look carefully at the aura in this city, have you noticed anything unusual?"

Xiao Pangzi was initially confused, until his forehead was slapped by Jiang Chen, instantly clearing his mind—the whole city was filled with a crimson evil energy, foul-smelling and nauseating!

"Master! What is this?" He asked in shock.

Jiang Chen's eyes sank: "Demon!"

"Demon?!" Xiao Pangzi was full of confusion, "Demon... what is that? I have never heard of it!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the old men instantly turned ashen, trembling all over, as if they had heard a prophecy of the end of the world: "You said... Demon?! Heavens... humanity's hope... is completely finished!"