111: Chapter 111 Since you're not respectable, then I'll help you tear down your house respectably.

Deep in the Qinling Mountains, in the heart of Taibai Mountain.

The edge of the primeval forest, usually devoid of human presence, was now as bustling as a busy market.

A massive golden light barrier, like an inverted golden bowl, was clamped tightly over the flattened mountaintop. Inside the barrier, Xiao Aotian sat cross-legged on the plaza in front of the Lingxiao Hall, eyes closed in meditation. Behind him floated the System panel that hadn't been withdrawn yet, his entire being radiating an aura of "Even though I'm surrounded, I'm still awesome."

Outside the barrier, Gu Changan had someone set up an olive-drab sunshade tent.

A folding table and two camping chairs.

On the table sat a set of pour-over coffee equipment, hot water swirling in the spout, extracting a dark brown liquid; the aroma was completely out of place with the tense atmosphere of the standoff.

"Boss, sugar." Chen Xiaobei tore open a packet of brown sugar and handed it over.

Gu Changan took the sugar packet, poured it into the cup slowly and deliberately, and stirred it gently with a silver spoon, making a crisp clinking sound. He lifted his wrist to check his watch; the hands of that unpretentious Shanghai-brand mechanical watch had just ticked past the hour.

"The forty-eight-hour deadline for rectification notice expires in ten minutes." Gu Changan blew on the steam on the surface of his coffee, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "It seems this 'Immortal Venerable' inside has no intention of moving."

Chen Xiaobei glanced at the golden light in the distance, which was as thick as a city wall: "Boss, this turtle shell is really something. The Special Police team just tried firing a burst of armor-piercing rounds at it, and it didn't even leave a white mark. This kid is still clamoring inside, saying things like 'Mortal iron cannot harm an Immortal body'."

"That's because he hasn't seen true industrial violence." Gu Changan took a sip of coffee and set the cup down. "Is the drone ready?"

"Ready."

"Deploy."

Bzz—! A modified heavy-duty multi-rotor drone took off, carrying a red cylinder mounted on its belly. It flew over the treetops and hovered directly above the golden light barrier.

"Drop!"

With a click, the hook released. The cylinder fell straight down, slammed into the golden light barrier, bounced twice, and didn't break. However, the cylinder's lid popped open upon impact, and an A4 printed document fluttered down, landing perfectly stuck to the surface of the barrier.

Although separated by a layer of light, the large red-headed characters on it were still clearly visible—《Administrative Compulsory Demolition Decision》.

Inside the Formation, Xiao Aotian, who had been closing his eyes to act cool, opened them.

He looked up at the paper stuck to the "ceiling" above his head, his brow furrowing into the shape of the character "river".

"What kind of gibberish is this?" Xiao Aotian stood up and reached out through the Formation.

Although he couldn't touch physical objects, he used a vibration of spiritual power to shatter the paper into powder.

"My dojo is a blessed land recognized by the Heavenly Dao! Forget about you being from the Bureau of Anomalies, even if the Jade Emperor came, he wouldn't have the qualifications to demolish my home!"

Xiao Aotian pointed at Gu Changan at the foot of the mountain, his voice amplified by the Formation, making the valley hum: "Gu Changan! Don't waste your efforts! This Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Golden Light Glazed Array is a top-tier defensive Formation produced by the System! Its energy core is connected to the Earth Veins, endless and inexhaustible! Unless you can blow up the Earth Veins of this hundred-mile Qinling range, don't even think about moving a single brick or tile of mine!"

Gu Changan put down his coffee cup, picked up the megaphone at his side, and stood up.

"Xiao Aotian."

His voice was not loud, but with the amplification of the loudspeaker, it clearly spread to every corner.

"You have violated Article 39 of the Forest Law of the Peoples Republic of China by illegally logging; Article 77 of the Land Administration Law by illegally occupying land; and Article 41 of the Environmental Protection Law by damaging ecological red lines."

"This is my last warning to you: voluntarily withdraw the Formation and come down the mountain to surrender. Given that you are a first-time offender and possess special abilities, the state may consider subjecting you to labor reform, sending you to the Northwest to plant trees to atone for your crimes."

"Plant trees?" Xiao Aotian acted as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "I am a cultivation prodigy, a figure destined to shatter the Void Realm and ascend to the Immortal Realm in the future, and you want me to plant trees?"

"Stubborn fool." Xiao Aotian snorted coldly. "Since you insist on fighting to the death, don't blame me for being impolite."

He suddenly pulled a selfie stick from his bosom.

Yes, a selfie stick.

This was something he had bought when he was a food delivery rider before his Transmigration, and the System had preserved his personal belongings.

Xiao Aotian skillfully clamped his phone—which had been magically modified by the System and claimed to be the "Signal Connection for All Heavens and Myriad Worlds"—onto it and opened the Douyin live streaming platform.

"Old friends! Family! Come and watch!"

Xiao Aotian faced the camera and immediately changed his expression to one of indignation. "I am Xiao Aotian! I am currently cultivating in the Qinling Mountains, inheriting the ancient Chinese martial arts culture! Yet, this bunch of people in uniforms not only refuse to protect intangible cultural heritage, they even want to forcibly demolish my dojo! Is there any justice left? Is there any law left?"

"Today, I am live-streaming this to the entire internet! I want the whole world to see how they bully an honest person!"

"Sign up now to join the Aotian Sect; not only is tuition free, but you also get a free Marrow Cleansing Pill! Spots are limited, first come, first served!"

In just a few seconds, the number of viewers in the live stream began to skyrocket. After all, "Cultivation," "Forced Demolition," and "Qinling Mountains" combined were the absolute password to traffic.

The chat exploded instantly.

"Holy crap? Real cultivation? That golden light special effect is pretty good!"

"Is this the tough guy who flattened the Qinling Mountains? Awesome plus!"

"Don't back down, streamer! We support you! I want to learn sword flight!"

Xiao Aotian looked at the skyrocketing popularity and the constantly rising Sect reputation in his System backend, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

Mortals were just so easy to fool.

As long as he utilized public opinion pressure, these public officials wouldn't dare to act rashly. Once he displayed a few more miracles and harvested a wave of believers, he could instantly become a saint!

At the foot of the mountain.

Chen Xiaobei handed the tablet to Gu Changan: "Boss, he's live-streaming. The number of viewers has already exceeded one hundred thousand and is still rising. The public opinion is getting a bit out of control; many people are steering the narrative to accuse us of violent law enforcement."

Gu Changan looked at Xiao Aotian on the screen, who was spitting as he spoke and performing as a victim with all his might, his expression as indifferent as if he were watching a clown.

"Although the traffic is high, the evidence he delivered to our doorstep is also more sufficient."

Gu Changan pointed at the screen: "Illegal operation of a school, suspected fraud, inciting the masses to resist law enforcement, and using the internet to spread false information to disrupt social order. Each one of these is enough for him to spend an extra ten years sewing sewing machines inside."

"Then what should we do now? Ban the live stream?" Chen Xiaobei asked.

"Banning the live stream is too slow, and it's easy to provide them with an excuse." Gu Changan took out a black device that looked like a brick from his briefcase. "Cut off the internet physically."

"This is a deep mountain forest; the signal is bad to begin with. As long as we cut off the power to those two nearby base stations and turn on the full-frequency signal jammer, not even the sound of a fly will be able to get out."

Chen Xiaobei's eyes lit up: "Understood! Boss is still the ruthless one!"

One minute later.

Xiao Aotian, who was passionately speaking in the live stream and preparing to demonstrate "shattering a boulder from a distance," suddenly realized the screen had frozen.

"What's going on? It lagged?"

He tapped his phone.

The despair-inducing little white circle began to spin on the screen. Immediately after, a line of gray text popped up: [Network connection lost, please check your network settings].

"No internet?" Xiao Aotian was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. "System! What's going on! Didn't you claim to be the connection for all heavens and myriad worlds? Why can't I even connect to a 4G signal?"

The System's cold, mechanical voice rang in his mind: [Warning! Full-frequency strong magnetic interference detected! The opponent is using military-grade electronic warfare equipment! Unless the host transmits signals with their Physical Body, it is impossible to connect to the internet!]

"Damn it!" Xiao Aotian was so angry that he smashed the selfie stick hard onto the ground. The phone, magically modified by the System, bounced twice on the white jade floor tiles, and the screen shattered.

"This is unfair! Why can't a Cultivator have internet! Without the internet, how can I take on disciples? How can I farm reputation?"

Without the audience, without the tips, and without that feeling of being the center of attention, Xiao Aotian felt his "acting cool" energy drop by more than half instantly.

Just then, the ground began to shake.

It wasn't an earthquake, but a heavy, oppressive, and powerful vibration.

Rumble—rumble—

From the direction of the valley entrance, a sky full of yellow dust rose.

Xiao Aotian lifted his head abruptly.

He saw over a dozen giant trucks painted in construction yellow, towing heavy flatbed trailers, slowly driving along the makeshift road that the engineering troops had just urgently cleared.

What they were carrying wasn't Special Police, nor was it missiles.

It was one steel behemoth after another.

Huge tracks, thick hydraulic arms, and rock breakers flashing with cold light.

Especially the leading vehicle, which was carrying a cylindrical device over ten meters long, its front end covered in dense alloy cutter heads, looking like a steel earthworm ready to devour everything.

Gu Changan stood under the sunshade, straightened his uniform cuffs, and picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Attention all units."

"The China Railway Third Bureau Special Support Detachment is in position."

"Prepare to enter the site, physical demolition."