573: Chapter 573 The extortion letter and the Shadow Stone are ready; let them see the current situation of their own people.

When the Grand Elder presented the drafted ransom letter to Xu Ruyu for review, the expression on his face was quite complex.

The letter was written on fine Spirit Paper, with neat handwriting, appropriate wording, and a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant, even using humble phrases like "humbly" and "earnestly request."

The Grand Elder was, after all, an old-school man; he even wrote a ransom note as dignified as a state document.

Xu Ruyu sat at the table in Ningyin Hall, picked up the letter, read it from beginning to end, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.

He put down the letter, looked at the Grand Elder with a helpless expression, and shook his head with a smile.

"Grand Elder, it's a real pity that with your literary talent, you didn't go to the secular Dynasty to take the imperial examination to become a top scholar."

The Grand Elder pretended to stroke his beard, but actually used it to cover his face; it was impossible to tell from his expression if he was proud or embarrassed.

"I have lived for so many years, and this is the first time I have written something like this. Sect Master, please see if there is anything that needs changing?"

"Yes, yes, yes, there absolutely is. This is a ransom letter; there is no need to make it look like we are begging them."

Xu Ruyu picked up a pen and changed a few words on the original draft.

He changed "Humbly request your Sect to consider" to "Spirit Stone arrives, people released; Spirit Stone does not arrive, people kept."

He changed "Earnestly request your Sect to show compassion" to "No credit accepted, no installments supported."

The Grand Elder looked at the changed words, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he wanted to say something, but swallowed it back.

"Sect Master, writing it this way... won't it be too blunt?"

"Blunt is good. Those Disciples from the big Sects have read more books than me, and I can't outmaneuver them in wordplay. Being blunt, they won't know how to respond."

Xu Ruyu returned the corrected letter to him, thought for a moment, and added one sentence.

"Right, write my name on it too. Hmm, Xu Ruyu—those three words must be written larger, so they can see clearly who is talking to them."

The Grand Elder nodded, put the letter away, and then fished a stack of yingxi stones from his sleeve, carefully placing them on the table.

Every yingxi stone had imprinted scenes of Hehuan Sect Disciples "practicing" on the Martial Arts Arena—thirty in total, with different angles, different times, and different content.

The Grand Elder placed them one by one, very neatly, as if arranging precious exhibits.

"Sect Master, please take a look at which ones can be used."

Xu Ruyu picked up the first one and input Spirit energy.

The image appeared in the air; it was exactly the scene of Zhou Daniu holding a qi-breaking gun, firing at a Tianxuan Sect Disciple in the light screen.

That Disciple was squatting on the ground tying his shoelaces when he was hit in the buttocks by a shot. The whole person seemed to be launched by a spring, jumping three feet high while clutching his buttocks, howling in pain, falling to the ground, and then scrambling to hide behind a stone pillar.

Zhou Daniu laughed out loud outside the frame, laughing until his waist bent, and several Disciples nearby followed suit, the laughter buzzing throughout the entire Martial Arts Arena.

"The things recorded in this one are good; this one must be sent. Let them see how 'fulfilled' their people are living here."

Xu Ruyu's eyes squinted with laughter.

The Grand Elder also smiled and put this yingxi stone in the "Must Send" pile.

Xu Ruyu picked up the second one.

In the image, Li Ergou was lying on a high platform, mounting a Chuanyang Gun, while four hundred zhang away, a North Pole Ice Soul Palace Disciple was relieving himself.

That Disciple had his back to the light screen, unaware that someone was aiming at him.

Li Ergou aimed at the stone wall one foot away from him and pulled the trigger. The beam flew past the Disciple's ear, singeing a lock of hair and nearly setting his collar on fire.

That Disciple was so frightened that he shivered and ran forward without even tying his pants. Only after running a few steps did he realize his robe was caught outside his belt, revealing a large section of his undergarments—extremely wretched.

"Send this one too. The scene recorded in this one has the most artistic sense. The light, the composition, the character's expression—all are just right."

Xu Ruyu commented professionally.

The Grand Elder nodded again.

The third yingxi stone was opened. Zhao Tiezhu was carrying a Thunder Roar Cannon and fired a shot at a stone pillar on the edge of the Martial Arts Arena.

The stone pillar shattered upon impact, and gravel splattered, splashing the faces and heads of several Righteous Path Alliance Cultivators hiding behind the pillar.

Those people were scared out of their wits, lying on the ground not daring to move. One was directly knocked unconscious by the gravel, foaming at the mouth, and unresponsive.

Zhao Tiezhu scratched his head, muttering "Missed again," and carried the cannon to find the next pillar.

"Send this one too, let them know we still have heavy firepower. Those few people didn't die, just fainted. Let them count for themselves; they'll know how powerful our cannon is once they see which pillar is missing."

The Grand Elder silently put the yingxi stone into the "Must Send" pile.

Xu Ruyu watched them one by one. When he saw the twelfth one, the image showed Sun Xiaohua wearing Source Energy Armor, chasing a Tianquan Sect Disciple all over the field.

That Disciple ran until his shoes fell off, running barefoot on the bluestone slabs, grinding his soles until they bled.

Sun Xiaohua just wouldn't catch up, nor would she hit him; she just followed behind, keeping a distance that was neither far nor near, occasionally speeding up to give him a fright.

The Disciple ran until he was out of breath and finally collapsed on the ground, raising his hands in surrender.

Sun Xiaohua then stopped, arms akimbo, looking at him with a bright smile, the Array Pattern on her battle armor still shining.

"This one is to be sent to the Tianquan Sect alone. Let them see how well their people are exercising here—running faster and becoming stronger. When they redeem them back, they won't even need to practice body tempering anymore."

The Grand Elder stifled a laugh and put the yingxi stone away.

Xu Ruyu picked up another one. In the image, Qingyan was squatting in front of the crowd, chin in her hands, head tilted as she looked at the Righteous Path Alliance Cultivators in the Martial Arts Arena.

She had no weapon, nor did she take action; she was just squatting there watching.

But those Cultivators were so uncomfortable under her gaze that some even turned their backs, not daring to face her eyes.

That kind of gaze was not fierce, not cruel; it was something soft and indescribable, yet carrying a certain sense of oppression.

Her Butterfly Short Blades were still tucked at her waist, bright and gleaming, but she had no intention of using them at all.

"Don't send this one; I'll keep this one myself. Qingyan's face cannot be shown to them casually. If anyone dares to have designs on her in the future, I'll take this out to scare them."

Xu Ruyu put this yingxi stone into his own sleeve.

The Grand Elder glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

The last yingxi stone was opened; it was a panoramic view.

Within the light screen, thousands of Righteous Path Alliance Cultivators were crowded on the Martial Arts Arena.

Some were squatting in the corners with their heads in their arms, some were lying on the ground not daring to move, some were hiding behind stone pillars trembling, and some were sprawled at the foot of the wall, their eyes dull, like emptied skins.

Ancestor Xuan Yin stood in the center of the crowd, his white hair disheveled, his robes stained with dust and his own blood, his face pale and blue, like a pricked balloon.

His fists were clenched tight, his nails digging into his flesh, but he didn't know where to strike. Occasionally, a few Cultivators tried to stand up to organize a defense, only to be roared back down by him.

"Send this one out too; this one counts as a family portrait for their Righteous Path Alliance. Let those so-called righteous Sects see that their people are all intact, not a single one missing. It's just that their mental state might not be very good, but that doesn't matter, as long as they are alive."

Xu Ruyu also put this yingxi stone into the "Must Send" pile.

Xu Ruyu sorted all the yingxi stones into categories and picked up a pen to write a price list.