Chapter 990 The Great Oath of the Inner Demon
Jiang Bai's words startled Elder Liu, who instinctively stiffened and took two steps back, looking at Jiang Bai with suspicion and uncertainty. He asked in fear, "You... what do you want to do?"
Jiang Bai didn't speak, but his narrowed eyes no longer concealed his killing intent.
Anyone with eyes could see that he intended to kill them to silence them.
"No, don't do it... I'm telling you... that's not what I meant. There are other solutions to this!" Jiang Bai's reaction startled Elder Liu.
Before he came, he had heard that this kid was ruthless, but he didn't believe it. How could a young man be so ruthless? Now he believed it. This guy actually wanted to take care of him as well.
"Then tell me, how do you plan to resolve this?" Jiang Bai asked, squinting his eyes.
If Elder Liu says anything unreliable or tries to fool him, Jiang Bai will kill the old man to eliminate any future trouble.
While this approach couldn't hide the news forever, it at least bought Jiang Bai some time.
Of course, there wouldn't be too many. Two great cultivators, equivalent to the Heavenly Realm, suddenly disappeared, one of whom was a sect leader. Such a thing couldn't be hidden for long.
However, from receiving the information from them to finding out the results and then taking action against themselves, it will probably take at least one or two months.
By then, Jiang Bai would have already entered the Lishan Mausoleum. He could then find a way to accumulate some prestige points, which might allow him to improve his cultivation and reach the Middle Heaven Realm, thus securing his own safety.
Although this is very risky, it's not entirely out of the question if there's no other option.
"Make him swear a great oath against his own heart!"
Elder Liu offered this method, which left Jiang Bai somewhat confused.
However, no sooner had he finished speaking than Sect Leader Zhao exclaimed in shock, "You bastard surnamed Liu, I have no grudge against you, how could you do this to me!"
It sounds like this so-called "Great Oath of the Heart Demon" must be something very powerful, otherwise this Sect Leader Zhao wouldn't have reacted like this. You know, even when facing death just now, although this Sect Leader Zhao was afraid, his reaction wasn't this agitated.
Now, after hearing just one sentence, it's already shouting out. Anyone who isn't an idiot can tell that this thing is probably not simple.
Jiang Bai also understood the situation, and kicked the sect leader in the chest, causing him to vomit blood again. He coldly said, "Shut up, or I'll cut your tongue out!"
Then he turned to Elder Liu and said, "I don't understand the things among you cultivators, but what is this so-called Great Oath of the Heart Demon? You're not going to make him swear an oath in front of me, are you? Do you think I can believe that?"
Does Jiang Bai believe any oaths or promises?
Of course, no one would believe it. Nowadays, people's mouths are no different from their butts; they just open their mouths and say whatever comes to mind, making up a few random things and then believing it themselves.
I thought they were filming a TV series!
Jiang Bai isn't stupid. Even a fool wouldn't believe something like this, let alone him.
"No, of course not! If it were that simple, I wouldn't have brought it up. The Great Oath of the Heart Demon is extremely important to us cultivators!"
"As you know, our cultivation system is different from yours. Your ancient martial arts practitioners only cultivate the physical body, not the spirit. They rely on the ultimate physical body and powerful martial arts to compress the physical body to the extreme, producing a qualitative change to become a Heavenly Master and generate martial arts supernatural powers, also known as physical supernatural powers."
"And we, who comprehend the heavens and earth, cultivate our spirit, embrace all things, and wield magical treasures, ultimately focus on the spirit!"
"While this allows us to have long lifespans, and powerful experts can even condense a nascent soul and remain indestructible for thousands of years, it also makes it very easy to go astray and fall into demonic possession."
"As for going astray in cultivation, inner demons are the most terrifying. One careless move can lead to our utter ruin, loss of self, or even becoming a tool of the demons."
"I don't need to explain these things too much. You should be able to understand them if you watch a little TV series or something."
"We cannot have inner demons, otherwise all our cultivation will turn into nothing but fleeting smoke, and our practice will become worse than death."
"Someone discovered this in ancient times, which led to the creation of the Great Oath of the Heart Demon. It requires the user to swear an oath to the ancient primordial heart demon, using a drop of blood to swear an oath to some mysterious power in the dark. It has a very strong binding power and can even turn the other party into a slave-like existence, making the other party dare not rebel. Because if he does this, he will go into a demonic state as soon as he has the thought, without even having to take any actual action."
"So I recommend that you make him swear a solemn oath to you, promising that he will never pursue this matter against you, will not retaliate against you, and will not tell anyone about it."
"If that's the case, then you're safe!"
"Naturally, there's no need to kill anyone!"
Elder Liu glanced at Jiang Bai, and then offered this solution.
Actually, he didn't want to tell Jiang Bai these things, but he had no other choice, so he made this suggestion to Jiang Bai.
"System, is what he said true?" Jiang Bai didn't believe him easily. This old guy was at least several hundred years old. Who knew what kind of old fox he was? Jiang Bai wouldn't easily believe him just because of a few ambiguous words.
He knew nothing about cultivators; his foundation was too shallow, and he had no access to many things, so naturally he wouldn't know.
However, just because he didn't know doesn't mean the system didn't know. Some prestige points are enough to investigate the other party's strengths and weaknesses; there's no better deal than that.
"One thousand," the system coldly quoted.
Jiang Bai immediately agreed. A thousand prestige points for a piece of information seemed like a worthwhile exchange.
"What he said is true. The Great Oath of the Inner Demon is indeed terrifying, and it does have this effect. If you can get the other party to make a Great Oath of the Inner Demon, to be loyal to you for all eternity, then he will never betray you!"
"However, this thing is not so easy to swear an oath to succeed. If it were as simple as he said, then the cultivators would have been in complete chaos long ago, either fighting fiercely or becoming someone's slaves."
"The Great Oath of the Heart Demon is indeed terrifying, but you also need to communicate with the primordial heart demon in the dark. That thing is not so easy to communicate with. A drop of blood is not enough. You also need a wisp of soul. Otherwise, why do you think the Great Oath of the Heart Demon is so powerful?"
"This guy isn't lying, but he's not telling the truth either. Luckily, I have this great system here, otherwise, you might have been fooled by this old man!"
Chapter 991 Turns out I was really afraid of death
Upon hearing this, Jiang Bai flew into a rage and immediately became enraged, preparing to go up and kill Elder Liu.
This old bastard actually fooled me?
Luckily, I had the system at my disposal. Otherwise, a clueless newbie like me would have been easily fooled in this already perplexing situation.
If someone makes a casual vow and thinks it's a solemn oath to their inner demons, and then happily lets them go, wouldn't that be like letting a tiger return to the mountains?
When they come back to fight back, who can you reason with?
In an instant, in Jiang Bai's eyes, this Elder Liu was far more detestable than the Sect Leader Zhao standing beneath his feet.
"Is there any way to resolve this? Is it possible to subtly and secretly make him make a vow against his inner demons?"
Suppressing his anger, Jiang Bai asked in a deep voice.
"Sure, but for such a powerful expert, the price to make him swear an oath to his inner demons would be too high. If he doesn't willingly offer his soul and communicate with the primordial inner demons, I can naturally help him do it without anyone noticing, but... it will require one million prestige points! Not even a little less!"
"Damn it! Are you robbing me?" Jiang Bai was furious.
One million? Go ahead and rob me! Add a little more and I'll improve my cultivation myself. When that happens, I'll kill gods and Buddhas if they can't stand in my way. Why would I need him to swear an oath to me here?
"One million isn't expensive at all; this is a discounted price. After all, I facilitated this without anyone knowing, which is equivalent to giving you a slave who's practically a Heavenly Realm expert! And a sect leader at that. No matter how you look at it, you've got a good deal!"
If that's the case, then a million prestige points can't really be called a scam, because it's genuinely worth that much money—a slave of the Heavenly Rank! Just thinking about it is exciting.
Unfortunately, Jiang Bai doesn't have that much prestige; he only has a few hundred thousand, which isn't enough!
It's true that even a skilled cook can't cook without rice.
Jiang Bai felt a pang of bitterness.
"You're lying to me? The Great Oath of the Inner Demon requires a wisp of soul to actively communicate with the Primordial Inner Demon, and the Primordial Inner Demon isn't so easy to communicate with! You're not telling me the truth?"
"You think I'm really a fool? I was just testing you, but I didn't expect you to see through me. You old bastard, it seems I have no choice but to kill you!"
Jiang Bai said this fiercely to Elder Liu, and made a move to kill the old man immediately.
This terrified Elder Liu. A large seal appeared out of thin air, standing above his head and swirling around. However, he did not make a move. Instead, he shouted to Jiang Bai, "Don't, don't do it. I didn't mean it. I just didn't finish what I was saying. The Great Oath of the Heart Demon has not been used for a long time, and the ritual is very complicated and difficult. I forgot about it for a moment."
It's not that no one uses it. When this thing first appeared, quite a few people used it, but most of them were unorthodox practitioners, with the Primordial Heart Demon Sect being the worst.
At that time, the Primordial Heart Demon Sect commanded the world, and none dared to disobey, dominating an era.
However, with the destruction of the Primordial Heart Demon Sect, this method has been spread and many people have mastered it, but fewer and fewer people can be controlled, because everyone knows that it will make you a complete slave, and your life will be worse than death.
Unless someone is truly in dire straits and doesn't want to die, no one would willingly do such a thing. As for a wisp of soul and communicating with the primordial inner demon, no one can force the person to do it if they don't want to.
In addition, the process is actually quite complicated, and over time, no one really uses it anymore.
Of course, Jiang Bai was unaware of these things, but Elder Liu was, which is why he explained it this way, thinking that Jiang Bai would understand.
After all, since Jiang Bai knew about the Great Oath of the Heart Demon, he should have known about these basic historical facts.
"Why waste time on this nonsense! I'll handle the setup and the specific procedures. You just need to follow my instructions and cooperate wholeheartedly. Sect Leader Zhao, when the time comes, show me your sincerity, and I'll even take a wisp of your soul. You have to cooperate, and I can tell whether this thing will succeed or not."
"You only get one chance. If you dare to play tricks on me, I won't waste any words; I'll just kill you!"
With a cold snort, Jiang Bai uttered these words, seemingly addressed to both Sect Leader Zhao and Elder Liu, causing both of them to change color upon hearing them.
There's no need to execute it secretly; it's just a matter of setting up the process to increase the success rate. This way, the price will be much cheaper—only 50,000 prestige points, which Jiang Bai can afford.
Soon, a series of props appeared, including an altar that materialized out of thin air. This caused the expressions of the two people present to change drastically, with Elder Liu exclaiming in alarm, "The Heart Demon Altar! Are you from the Primordial Heart Demon Sect?"
However, he soon overturned this conclusion himself, because it was impossible. The Primordial Heart Demon Sect were also cultivators, not martial artists. If they were ancient martial artists, they would not have been so easily defeated at that time.
Their sect is weak even among cultivators, let alone martial arts practitioners. That's a joke.
"Who cares who I am, get to work!"
Jiang Bai snorted coldly, then threw Sect Leader Zhao up there, and then had Elder Liu make the arrangements while he watched from the side, pointing out any mistakes the other party made.
The altar was quickly set up, and Jiang Bai placed a knife against Sect Leader Zhao's neck, coldly saying, "Everything is ready now. Begin. You can communicate simply by closing your eyes and silently reciting the words. I'll make you swear that I am your master from now on! You must obey my every command. If you show any disloyalty, your inner demons will flare up and you will die a horrible death!"
"Remember, you only get one chance. I have a way to find out the result. If you don't believe me, you can take a gamble and see if I kill you!"
"Jiang Bai, I will not compromise. Kill me! I will not become your lackey!" Sect Leader Zhao roared angrily, showing some backbone.
This made Jiang Bai look at him with new eyes. He raised his knife to kill the bastard, but Jiang Bai was too lazy to waste words with him. He didn't try to persuade him to surrender or anything like that. If he wanted to die, he would grant his wish.
"Don't!"
Just as the blade was about to fall, Sect Leader Zhao, who had his eyes closed, suddenly shouted something with all his might at the last second. Jiang Bai's longsword stopped immediately, leaving a cut on the other's neck. Fortunately, it was stopped in time, otherwise the other would have been decapitated.
"No, don't kill me. I'll do it! I'll do whatever you ask! I don't want to die, I really don't want to die..."
With a mournful face, Sect Leader Zhao shouted with all his might in a hoarse voice. He thought he was not afraid of death, but at the last moment when Jiang Bai made his move, he realized that he really did not want to die, and was really afraid of dying.
So, at the last second, he compromised and completely surrendered to Jiang Bai.
Chapter 992 Two Slaves
Finally, the oath of the inner demon was successfully carried out. Only after Jiang Bai confirmed with the system that the other party had completed the entire process did he finally smile.
"call!"
At the same time, Elder Liu, who had been watching closely the whole time, breathed a sigh of relief. He was truly afraid that Sect Leader Zhao would rather die than submit, and he was also afraid that Jiang Bai would ultimately kill him to silence him.
Fortunately, it now seems that none of this has any basis for existence, which gradually puts his mind at ease.
"Nothing else, I'll be going now, I have some things to take care of at home."
After twitching twice, Elder Liu said noncommittally.
After saying this, he didn't wait for Jiang Bai's agreement at all, turned around and prepared to run away. Now, he felt uncomfortable staying here any longer. Jiang Bai was just too threatening.
This feeling was very unpleasant; he was afraid that if he stayed here any longer, he would eventually become Jiang Bai's prey.
That's why he decided to leave first.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Elder Liu. Since you're here, stay a little longer. Why are you in such a rush to leave?" Unexpectedly, just as he was about to leave, Jiang Bai blocked his way, smiling at him.
But such a smile is really not something to be happy about.
Because there was not a trace of goodwill in it.
If Elder Liu still couldn't sense something was wrong at this point, then he would be a complete idiot.
In fact, he now feels like a complete idiot.
Why bother making some grand vow to Jiang Bai about inner demons?
What does it matter to him whether Sect Leader Zhao lives or dies?
Even if I die, at most it will just be a bit troublesome and embarrassing.
At worst, I'll become a rat that everyone hates in the cultivation world, but so what?
At worst, I can just go into seclusion for a hundred or so years. If I don't go out, what can they do to me if they rush into the Kongtong Immortal Sect?
How can we say that the Kongtong Immortal Sect is one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects?
Those people from the Five Elements Sect don't have that kind of guts.
But I keep overthinking things, I want to distance myself from this, I don't want anything to happen. This is clearly a dead end, so why don't I want anything to happen?
Now that's settled, this kid has clearly tasted the sweetness of success. With Sect Leader Zhao's inner demon oath now in effect, making him his slave, he's set his sights on himself.
If I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to have joined forces with Sect Leader Zhao from the beginning. The two of us working together, even though this kid is powerful, might not be a match for the two of us.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.
"What...what do you want to do?"
Elder Liu looked at Jiang Bai with some nervousness. A large seal above his head kept spinning, and before he knew it, a green gourd appeared in his hand. He didn't know what kind of supernatural power it had, but judging from its appearance, it shouldn't be a simple magic weapon.
Elder Liu looked at Jiang Bai with a wary expression.
"I advise you not to make a move. I don't know how strong you are, but I imagine you're about the same as this Sect Leader Zhao. You've seen what happened to him."
"He is seriously injured right now. If you and I make a move, this Sect Leader Zhao will definitely not have time to run away. It is possible that one of us will kill him!"
"I'm fine, but if it were you, hehe, you'd be in big trouble later!"
"Of course, that's not the point. The point is, if he can't escape and you still try to kill him here, I'll be very angry, and the consequences of my anger will be severe. I won't give you a chance to live, not even the chance to swear an oath to the demons!"
"The choice is yours!"
"What...what do you want to do..." Elder Liu said again with a mournful face.
He is now truly filled with regret.
"The Great Oath of the Inner Demon, why don't you do one too? You'll go back safely, and not a single hair on your head will be missing." Jiang Bai chuckled, revealing a row of white teeth, and gave Elder Liu a devilish smile.
"I...I..." Elder Liu said, indicating that he was about to cry.
However, faced with this situation, the resourceful Elder Liu said he was completely helpless.
In the end, Elder Liu compromised. Yes, he compromised. He didn't even lift a finger. With a mournful face, under Jiang Bai's threat, he gave up resisting and obediently followed Jiang Bai's instructions, standing on the altar to complete the Great Oath of the Heart Demon and becoming Jiang Bai's slave.
From beginning to end, he didn't even put up a single resistance, which shows that Elder Liu was far more afraid of death than Sect Leader Zhao.
"That's better! Alright, you can go back now. Well, since Sect Leader Zhao is injured, please take care of him. I think it's better not to rush back, but to recuperate in Tiandu first."
"Here, take this! You two can spend this money here, and buy some local specialties when you go back."
As he spoke, Jiang Bai took out two stacks of money and handed them to Elder Liu, who had a long face. Elder Liu smiled bitterly and then accepted the money from Jiang Bai.
Jiang Bai ignored him and waved his hand. The two drivers on the other side immediately took out their phones to call for help.
Ten minutes later, several new cars appeared in front of Jiang Bai. As for the previous two cars, they were no longer drivable.
So, with a smile on his face, Jiang Bai led the two slaves, Sect Leader Zhao and Elder Liu, back to Tiandu.
It was only then that Jiang Bai learned the two men's full names. The Sect Leader Zhao was named Zhao Tianguang, and he was... well, 291 years old. As for Elder Liu, he was Liu Songren, and he was 280 years old...
They were truly two incredibly old men.
Having been in the business for hundreds of years, they actually fell into Jiang Bai's hands and became Jiang Bai's two strongest combat forces.
Of course, these two combatants cannot be used lightly, otherwise they might cause big trouble.
The system had previously told me that the Great Oath of the Inner Demon was a completely forbidden spell.
Whoever uses this technique is an enemy of the people. The Primordial Heart Demon Sect was incredibly powerful before, but it was wiped out because it abused this technique.
Since then, anyone who dares to misuse this substance will be attacked by the crowd; it is an absolute taboo.
Jiang Bai has these two people under his control, and they have a grudge against him. If they suddenly turn against him and help him, then this matter... becomes complicated. People might start to think that way and try to find some fault with him, which would put Jiang Bai in big trouble.
Fortunately, Jiang Bai doesn't really need these two people now. They are just spies that Jiang Bai has planted inside the enemy to help him understand the situation, not to actually do anything.
So there's no need to worry too much.
Chapter 993 Taiyi Sect
After thinking it over, Jiang Bai didn't actually give them 20,000 yuan. Instead, he released the two old men, letting them wander freely in Tiandu until they recovered from their injuries.
In a place like Tiandu, 20,000 yuan is really not enough to live on.
So they took the two old men back to the hotel and settled them in.
His home was extremely luxurious, but Jiang Bai had caused a lot of trouble. Now he had developed a habit of not returning to his home unless he was sure that things would be peaceful, so in order to avoid his home being smashed to pieces every few days.
They usually book a presidential suite at a top-tier hotel on a long-term basis. Although the price is quite expensive, it's incredibly cheap compared to having their home, worth hundreds of millions, destroyed.
As for the possibility of attacks on the hotel, that was never within Jiang Bai's considerations.
Just kidding, do whatever you want, it's not like it's Jiang Bai's own property anyway.
He now stays in other people's hotels.
It's better if it's smashed up; the Imperial Hotel will immediately have one less competitor.
It seemed like a perfect deal no matter how you looked at it. He didn't even try to hide his residence from outsiders; he was practically announcing to everyone, "I'm staying in a hotel now. If you want trouble, just come over."
I originally thought that after taking these two old guys back to the hotel and waiting for them to recover, I could get rid of them and then wait here in peace for the Lishan Mausoleum to open so I could enter.
Jiang Bai underestimated the importance of the Lishan Mausoleum and the importance of the spot he held.
Not long after Ye Qingguo left, having resolved these two troubles, Jiang Bai's peaceful days were over.
Just as he returned to the hotel, the young and beautiful lobby manager walked over to Jiang Bai, swaying her hips as she approached him. In a sickeningly sweet voice, she whispered to Jiang Bai, "Mr. Jiang, you just left today, and a guest came looking for you. He looked strange and was very arrogant."
"They said they wanted to see you and even wanted to wait in your room, but I made up an excuse to turn them away. They're still sitting in the hotel's conference room now. Should I help you kick them out?"
The young and beautiful manager had long admired this young, wealthy, and seemingly powerful man, and would often deliberately flaunt her charm in front of him, and this time was no exception.
"Oh? Interesting. There's no need to send them away. After all, they've come all this way. Here's what we'll do: tell them I'll wait for them in my room and ask them to come up. But don't rush them. Let them wait a bit, and talk to them again in half an hour."
With a chuckle, Jiang Bai took out a few red banknotes and placed them in the other person's palm, tracing them across the other person's cool skin, which elicited frequent winks and glances from the other person. Jiang Bai then left with a light laugh.
Although he knew that if he revealed his intentions, this young and beautiful manager, who was rumored to be married, would be in his bed tonight, Jiang Bai still couldn't bring himself to do something like raping another man's wife and daughter.
Half an hour later, a group of young people entered Jiang Bai's room. They were dressed in a fairly conventional manner, neither too flamboyant nor too reserved, but their expressions were somewhat arrogant.
As soon as they entered, one of them said in an extremely arrogant manner, "You're Jiang Bai? You've got some nerve, daring to make us wait this long?"
With a "whoosh," the men standing next to Jiang Bai drew their guns.
Jiang Bai had some people around him who had been protecting him for a long time. Of course, these people were generally not very strong. At most, they could deal with ordinary people, but they were not good enough to deal with real experts.
Jiang Bai is not without experts around him, but the real experts are all useful now. For example, Akara, who is on good terms with Yao Lan, is still in Nice Water City.
Jiang Bai sent the ninjas given by Koga, as well as the gurus and Dharma Kings of the Lingjiu Palace in the Great Snow Mountain, to Yamato to suppress the world. The situation there was unstable, and newly acquired places always need some experts to suppress them to ensure stability.
However, although these people were not particularly strong, they were extremely loyal. When they saw someone speaking to Jiang Bai like that, they immediately became indignant and took action.
If Jiang Bai hadn't yet given the order, they probably would have already charged forward!
"Hmph! I've heard you've been throwing your weight around in Tiandu, and it turns out it's true. Your men have some nerve, daring to draw their guns on us? Do you know who we are?"
One of the young men said fiercely to Jiang Bai.
There were four or five people in their group, led by a tall, thin young man in the center. The young man remained silent, but he did not stop his companions from speaking either. It seemed that what these people were saying was what he was thinking, but he kept quiet out of respect for his status.
"I don't know," Jiang Bai chuckled, offering neither an answer nor a statement.
He waved his hand, signaling his men to pack up their weapons and leave. He sat there alone, holding a glass of wine, but showed no intention of getting up.
"We are from the Taiyi Sect!" one of the young men said arrogantly upon seeing Jiang Bai's appearance.
He tilted his head slightly as he said this, which made him very proud, as if he came from this place.
Taiyi Sect?
He didn't know the name and naturally didn't react much. Jiang Bai was completely unfamiliar with these cultivators in the cultivation world and had no understanding of them whatsoever.
The only thing he knew was the sect of those four guys who had acted arrogantly in front of him and ended up getting killed. As for the Taiyi Sect or something, he had no idea. But judging from this guy's arrogant demeanor, it must be a pretty big sect.
Otherwise, this guy wouldn't be so arrogant.
"I don't know." Jiang Bai chuckled and told the truth; he really didn't know.
But these words caused the person who had spoken to suddenly turn red in the face, looking furious and embarrassed.
"Hmph, ignorant!" That was the final assessment the other party gave Jiang Bai, as if Jiang Bai's ignorance of the Taiyi Sect was the reason for his lack of knowledge.
That's all we can do. What else can we say?
Ignoring him, Jiang Bai blinked, looked at the group of young men in front of him, thought for a moment, and said, "I don't know anything about the Taiyi Sect, and I don't want to know. Gentlemen... what brings you here?"
"I'm not going to waste my breath on you. I heard you have a spot to go to the Lishan Mausoleum. That's not a place you're qualified to go. Be quick to give up your spot to our senior brother, and he'll take care of you in the future. Otherwise, hmph!"
He didn't say what would happen otherwise, but the meaning was clear: if Jiang Bai didn't agree, they might do something that Jiang Bai couldn't handle.
Chapter 994 Everyone Run!
Jiang Bai burst out laughing at these words, his expression one of utter disdain.
What are these things?
They didn't even know them, yet when they came to me, they made me hand over my spot after just a few words?
That thing was something I got with real weapons. They made it sound so simple, showing off in front of me and expecting me to give up my spot.
Why should I?!
Ye Qingguo believed that even Xu Changsheng would give way to the people behind her, and they had all offered Jiang Bai equivalent terms. Where did these kids from who-knows-where got the courage to say this to her?
"Are you guys out of your minds?"
"Who do you think you are? You come here and ask me to give up my spot after just a few words. Why should I? Just because of that bullshit Taiyi Sect you mentioned?"
Jiang Bai crossed his legs and said disdainfully to the people in front of him.
Jiang Bai had already categorized these people in front of him into the same group as Zhao Hong, who was reckless and didn't know what was good for him.
It's another bunch of arrogant guys who think they're above everyone else, as if just because they've revealed their sect's name they'll immediately become subservient and offer up everything.
What gives them the right?
He, Jiang Bailian, had suppressed even the Five Elements Sect leader and the elders of the Kongtong Immortal Sect. What were a few young people who appeared out of nowhere?
If they can't get a spot, it just means they're incompetent. Why should I respect such people?
Unable to secure a spot with the Heavenly Group, they resorted to underhanded tactics, coming here to swagger and bully him? Do they think Jiang Bai is easy to bully?
"How dare you! Our Taiyi Sect is one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects. How dare you speak to us like that and insult the Taiyi Sect? Jiang Bai, you're courting death!"
As soon as he said this, the expressions of several people not far away changed instantly. One of them roared fiercely at Jiang Bai, while the others drew their weapons and pointed them at Jiang Bai, as if they were about to attack him at any moment.
However, their actions were stopped by the young man in charge. He stepped forward, blocked the people behind him, and then squinted at Jiang Bai in front of him, coldly saying, "I'll only ask you once, will you hand it over or not?"
"You're their senior brother, aren't you? You've got quite the entourage."
"Do you know how long it's been since anyone dared to speak to me like that?" Jiang Bai said with a sneer, standing up without backing down.
Then he said menacingly to the group of people in front of him, "Are you all tired of living? How dare you yell at me like that!"
"What do you want to do?" His words immediately made the people in front of him tense.
They dared to come to Jiang Bai not because their strength was outstanding and had reached a point where Jiang Bai could not resist them. In fact, their strength was really average. Even their senior brother was only a cultivator equivalent to a mid-star level cultivator.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been unable to secure even a single spot to enter the Lishan Mausoleum.
The Lishan Mausoleum is of paramount importance, containing many benefits, but also fraught with danger. There are too many people vying for it this time, making the competition extremely fierce. In order to take into account the feelings of all parties, ten leading figures from various sects in the cultivation world from the Heavenly Group spoke up.
This trip to Lishan Mausoleum will be led by the younger generation, whose age cannot exceed two hundred years and whose cultivation level cannot be weaker than that of a Great Star Rank. This senior brother of the Taiyi Sect is currently... somewhat lacking in cultivation.
Otherwise, there would be no need to come all the way to find Jiang Bai and ask him to give up this spot, because Jiang Bai's spot does not require any strength restrictions.
If Jiang Bai is willing to give it up voluntarily, even those great figures can't say anything, because Jiang Bai has made a significant contribution after all.
They originally thought that once they revealed their Taiyi Sect identity to Jiang Bai, Jiang Bai, a nobody who had popped out of nowhere, would definitely not dare to utter a word.
I dare not disobey, so I will give up my spot. Everyone will be happy. At worst, if there are any benefits to be had in the future, I will just take care of him.
To my utter surprise, Jiang Bai was so arrogant. He tried to attack me after only a few words.
This guy is said to be a genuine Grand Star Rank martial artist, and recently there have been rumors that he has already advanced to the Heaven Rank, becoming a top martial artist among the ancient martial artists.
Whether the news was true or false, the mere fact that a martial artist at the Great Star level was enough to make their scalps tingle. Even if they all joined together, they wouldn't be a match for Jiang Bai.
So when Jiang Bai said this, they were stunned on the spot, their faces changed drastically, fearing that Jiang Bai would really make a move.
One of them immediately shouted at Jiang Bai, "Jiang Bai, we are from the Taiyi Sect! What do you want? If you dare to harm us, the Taiyi Sect will not let you off!"
This is a case of bluster and cowardice, clearly a sign of weakness; otherwise, he wouldn't have said such things to Jiang Bai at this moment.
Warning Jingbai not to act recklessly.
Even the young man who was leading the group changed his expression, narrowed his eyes, and looked coldly at Jiang Bai, but did not say anything.
The way it looked seemed to be telling Jiang Bai, "Don't be courting death. If you dare to act recklessly, our Taiyi Sect will not let you off the hook."
"Do you think there are a lot of people eyeing my spot right now?" Jiang Bai asked, squinting his eyes noncommittally.
"What do you mean?" one of the youths snapped.
"I'm wondering, you bunch of who-knows-what, just because you have some damned Taiyi Sect backing you, dare to run up to me like mad dogs and yell at me. Do you think anyone else would dare to do that?"
"Originally, I was too lazy to bother with you bunch of trash, but now that I think about it, I really can't let you go. Otherwise, won't those idiots take advantage of my kindness and dare to come and yell at me like any Tom, Dick, or Harry?"
These words caused the young people's expressions to change, as they sensed the ill intent behind Jiang Bai's words.
"You should think this through. Our Taiyi Sect ranks fourth among the ten great immortal sects. There are countless experts in the sect. Our eldest brother is the sect leader's personal disciple. If you dare to mess with us, you will offend the Taiyi Sect. In that case, you will surely die without a burial place."
"Not only you, but all your subordinates, relatives, and friends will not live!"
"Smack!"
Jiang Bai acted without hesitation, too lazy to waste words with this piece of trash, and directly slapped the other person across the face.
He used too much force and broke the other person's neck with a sudden blow. The person's head spun like a top for several rounds before stopping, and the person died on the spot.
"This guy's gone mad! Everyone run!"
The other young men were dumbfounded. None of them expected Jiang Bai to dare to make a move, and to do so so decisively, showing no mercy whatsoever.
"Run? Do you think you can escape?"
Jiang Bai sneered. If he let such a bunch of good-for-nothings escape from his grasp, he would have no face left to show his face in the future.
Chapter 995 Lawlessness
In an instant, Jiang Bai transformed into a streak of light and rushed out. Screams echoed from inside the house. This time, he didn't kill anyone, but he didn't hold back either. The sound of bones breaking continued to ring out inside the house.
In an instant, everyone fell to the ground, their limbs broken by Jiang Bai. Not a single person was intact. Of course, Jiang Bai didn't hold back either, directly striking their acupoints and meridians, completely crippling their cultivation.
Amidst the curses of the group, he called in his men from outside and gave them only one order: "Knock out all their teeth, not a single one!"
Jiang Bai's subordinates would probably be unable to fight against experts one-on-one, but they could easily defeat these guys whose cultivation and limbs had been crippled.
Everyone here is ruthless, and they were already holding back their anger. Now that Jiang Bai has given the order, they won't hold back.
They immediately started fighting. Some threw punches, some kicked, and some guys who were too lazy to put in any effort took out hammers and smashed them right into their mouths.
This caused another round of screams inside the room, with teeth and blood all over the floor, making Jiang Bai frown repeatedly.
Fortunately, these subordinates were efficient and quick in their work. Following Jiang Bai's instructions, they knocked out all the men's teeth and then cleaned up the ground.
"Give them some medicine, but please don't let them die."
Jiang Bai gave instructions to his subordinates.
"Uh, what should we do then?" Several subordinates looked bewildered, not knowing what their boss was up to. If they weren't allowed to die, how should they arrange things?
These guys seemed pretty arrogant just now, and they offended the boss, but the boss wouldn't let them be killed?
They really didn't know how to handle it properly.
"Go tell the hotel manager... um, tell their boss to hang these people on the flagpole at the entrance. No one is allowed to approach them, and they are not allowed to eat or drink anything. Don't let them down without my permission!"
Jiang Bai squinted and said this.
"This..." The subordinates hesitated. It wasn't that this couldn't be done, but it would have some negative consequences.
To be honest, the boss is practically all-powerful in Tiandu. But with the internet so developed now, and this being the most bustling downtown area in Tiandu, with hundreds of thousands of people coming and going every day, it's a different story.
This kind of thing will definitely cause a sensation, and it will be difficult to explain to the police and the media.
"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'? I gave the order. I'll make a special contact with the police. As for the media, tell them to have the police issue a certificate stating that these people voluntarily participated in the human body art activity."
"Of course, body art can't be done with clothes on."
Jiang Bai made that noncommittal remark and then fell silent.
This surprised Jiang Bai's men for a moment, but they quickly carried it out. However, when they lifted the boys up, their faces were full of pity. They didn't know what these guys had done to offend their boss, that he would treat them like this.
Now they're truly infamous, they'll never have the face to stay in this world again, and these people will definitely be crippled from now on, their lives will be worse than death.
"Wait a minute." Jiang Bai suddenly called out to his men after they had finished cleaning up and left the room.
"Boss, is there anything else you need?" the subordinate asked, looking bewildered.
"Ask them their names, write them all down, and then hang them around your neck, otherwise how will others recognize them?"
"Oh, right, since it's art, we also need to make a sign, the kind with neon lights that light up, at least four or five meters tall, to stand next to them. As for the content, just write their names on it. Remember, add the words 'Taiyi Sect Disciple' in front of it."
Having received this instruction, the men walked out in a daze.
An hour later, the matter was settled. It must be said that Jiang Bai's subordinates were very efficient. During this time, a local policeman came over to inquire about the matter. Upon hearing that it was arranged by Master Jiang, he wisely left.
These poor fellows were just left hanging there, unattended.
This approach clearly had an effect; among the onlookers, the two young men's expressions immediately changed, and they hurriedly left.
They had only taken a few steps when they encountered another group of people. After exchanging glances, one of them said to the young man opposite them, "Gentlemen, are we still going up to look for Jiang Bai?"
"Looking for him? What do you want with him? Didn't you see that this guy is obviously not giving us any face? I knew he was arrogant, but I didn't expect him to be this arrogant. Xuanxuanzi of the Taiyi Sect has been crippled by him just like that."
"That's not all, they even stripped people naked and hung them up. Our sect is not as good as the Taiyi Sect. I don't want to go up there and experience that."
"Your Wuji Demon Sect is the best in magic, so you can go up and give it a try. Maybe this guy will give you face."
The young man who asked the question immediately flew into a rage, saying angrily, "Do you think I'm a fool? You won't give face to the Taiyi Sect, but you'll give face to our Wuji Demon Sect? You're sending me to my death!"
"You go if you want, I'm not going to mess with this jinx!"
After saying that, he left in a hurry.
Such incidents continued to occur throughout Tiandu City over the next few hours.
To be honest, Jiang Bai's spot this time is really enviable. Everyone knows that Qin Shi Huang once shook the world and had boundless power, and everyone also knows that Qin Shi Huang has already fallen.
When Qin Shi Huang destroyed Wu, he collected countless treasures, all of which were brought to the Lishan Mausoleum. Besides some precious magical artifacts and elixirs, there were also many minerals and secret techniques.
These are all very tempting.
I thought this trip to Lishan Mausoleum would be a grand event, but I never expected that the final decision made by those prominent figures would be to give out only thirty spots.
What can you do with thirty spots?
It should be known that there are thousands of cultivation sects, large and small. These sects are either hidden in the city, hidden in the mountains, or they call themselves "spaces". They are numerous and have a large number of members.
Leaving aside those lowly rogue cultivators and some evil heretics, there are millions of righteous masters, both big and small.
These people are all very envious of this place.
With only thirty spots available, who can go?
Moreover, the standards are so outrageous that many people have turned their attention to Jiang Bai.
Of course, those who dare to approach Jiang Bai and set their sights on him are all people with powerful connections; ordinary people wouldn't dare to mess with Jiang Bai.
However, after Ye Qingguo, the Taiyi Sect was the first to come knocking on their door.
Unexpectedly, this is how it ended up. In such a situation, who would dare to act recklessly?
Everyone can see that Jiang Bai is completely lawless.
Chapter 996 Ten Million
Yes, it's lawless!
His treatment of Xuanxuanzi and the others was more than just disrespectful; it was a public slap in the face to the Taiyi Sect and the Fourth Immortal Sect!
Such behavior is tantamount to provoking the Taiyi Sect, and it is completely defying the world's will!
If he dares to do something like that, who would dare to go after him? Wouldn't that be courting death?
They were all smart people and didn't want to end up like Xuanxuanzi.
Because Jiang Bai dared to do that to Xuan Xuanzi, he would dare to do the same to them.
We're all still living our lives to the fullest!
However, Jiang Bai was destined not to know any of this. Even if he had some guesses, he wouldn't care, because he was now sitting at a table with his two great slaves, Sect Leader Zhao and Elder Liu, inviting the two old guys who had long since abstained from grains to drink heartily.
He then asked the two people, "This disciple of the Taiyi Sect came to me today, and I crippled him. Now I've stripped him naked and hung him on the flagpole at the gate. What is this Taiyi Sect? I don't know much about cultivators!"
This scene caused the two people who had resigned themselves to their fate and were enjoying their meal to change their expressions on the spot. They stared at Jiang Bai with their mouths wide open, as if they were quite surprised that Jiang Bai had done such a thing.
Then they gave a bitter smile, exchanged a dry glance, as if to say that they hadn't lost anything by ending up in this situation, and that the man in front of them was truly capable of anything and could be described as lawless.
After coughing, Sect Leader Zhao said in a low voice, "Taiyi Sect is the fourth-ranked sect among the Ten Great Immortal Sects. How should I put it? The sect is full of experts and strong people. As far as I know, there are at least a dozen elders above the Heavenly Rank."
"This is just what's on the surface. We don't know how much is going on behind the scenes. As you know, cultivators have very long lifespans. Some old guys live for a thousand years or so, it's like child's play for them. At our age, we're actually considered young in comparison. There are some things we don't understand."
"Brother Liu and his Kongtong Immortal Sect are also among the Ten Great Immortal Sects, so I believe they should know more than I do."
"In terms of sect strength, our Five Elements Sect is somewhat inferior."
At this point, he didn't need to hide anything from Jiang Bai. He had already made the oath of inner demons, so what was there to hide?
Naturally, I'll say whatever comes to mind.
"Taiyi Sect, how should I put it, is extremely powerful. Their heritage is too ancient, it can be traced back to the ancient times. It can be called a behemoth sect. As for how much foundation they have, I really don't know. To be honest, the foundations of the ten immortal sects are all very profound."
"Take our Kongtong Immortal Sect for example. We only have nine elders in name, including myself. They are all great cultivators equivalent to Heavenly Realm Martial Artists."
"But behind the scenes, we have plenty of experts. In addition to our nine elders, there are at least twenty or thirty Heavenly Realm experts from the previous generation and the generation before that."
"Some of them have already surpassed all of us, advancing to the Nascent Soul realm and becoming Nascent Soul cultivators who can rival martial artists at the Middle Heaven level."
"In fact, we still have an ancestor who has achieved the Primordial Spirit realm, lived for thousands of years, roamed the world, and was virtually invincible. He was equivalent to a Great Celestial Realm cultivator in martial arts, and was truly terrifyingly powerful."
"The Taiyi Sect is ranked higher than us, so their strength is definitely above ours, there's no doubt about that. But we don't know exactly what kind of strength they're hiding."
"All I know is that the Taiyi Sect's supreme treasure, the Eastern Emperor Bell, is incredibly powerful and is said to suppress everything. It is no less powerful than our Kongtong Immortal Sect's supreme treasure, the Kongtong Seal, and in some aspects, it is even stronger."
Jiang Bai was stunned by these words, staring at Elder Liu in astonishment, and asked, "Are you telling the truth? How can you have so many experts? Admittedly, you have longer lifespans, but you have far too many experts! How can you have so many experts when there are only so many cultivators in total?"
To be honest, it wasn't until I reached Jiang Bai's level of cultivation that I understood what the concept of the Heavenly Rank truly meant.
In fact, in the secular world, let alone the highest rank, even a minor master who can become a king or tyrant is one in a million.
A master of the Heavenly Rank is one in a billion.
How could a small sect like the Kongtong Immortal Sect have twenty or thirty sects?
They are only ranked last among the top ten immortal sects. How many other immortal sects are there?
This isn't normal!
"Uh, you don't know?" Elder Liu looked at Jiang Bai with a strange expression, completely astonished by these words.
"Know what?" Jiang Bai retorted.
"There are at least tens of millions of cultivators in this world, and that's just the number that can be counted. There are countless others who haven't been counted!"
Elder Liu gave a wry smile and said this.
"Tens of millions? Do you think I'm stupid?" Jiang Bai immediately got angry. Did this guy think he was stupid?
What does it mean to have tens of millions of cultivators?
You should know that cultivators only exist in China, and the total population of China is only a little over a billion. This Elder Liu told me that they have tens of millions of cultivators.
Wouldn't that mean one in a hundred people is a cultivator?
How is that possible!
If that's the case, then the number of cultivators under my command is already countless. If there are really that many people, it's impossible for this level to be completely hidden. To this day, only a very few people know of their existence.
Moreover, these guys don't do any production. It's not a problem for some experts to be able to abstain from grains, but what about the others? Most people need to eat. With tens of millions of them, where are they going to find so much food?
This is clearly nonsense!
In Jiang Bai's opinion, this was a complete idiot's joke!
"Um, well... you may not know this, but most of the cultivation sects, although they are said to be hidden in China, were once extremely glorious. Those experts were able to open up space and form their own world."
"Moreover, in ancient times, this world was connected with countless smaller worlds. These places also had people living and farming, only they were smaller. The larger smaller worlds were about the size of a province, while the smaller ones covered an area of several kilometers."
"They seem to be children of this planet, intimately connected to it, yet also independent. Most of these places were occupied by various cultivation sects back then!"
"Hidden in the world, most of the disciples of the cultivators and sects are also native people from these places. In fact, there are not many native Chinese, especially after the Wansheng Sect supported the Manchu Qing Dynasty and established its rule over the country."
"In order to preserve the bloodline of China, many elites were recruited to increase the population. As far as I know, in the past hundred years, fewer than a hundred cultivators have actually been recruited on Chinese soil..."
Chapter 997 Must Be Severely Punished
These words left Jiang Bai speechless for a long time. He hadn't expected things to turn out this way; the cultivation world was indeed incredibly powerful.
However, such a powerful cultivation world was actually utterly defeated back then and forced to sign a century-long alliance, so those outsiders don't seem so weak either.
Even more remarkable is the Wansheng Sect. No one knows what secrets are hidden in the Tianchi Lake of Changbai Mountain, but the Wansheng Sect is able to fight against the cultivation world, which shows its strength.
Just think, those ancient martial arts practitioners were able to defeat and suppress them like that; one can only imagine how powerful they once were.
However, none of these people are the most terrifying. That emperor of all time was truly invincible. The Qin Emperor's conquest of Wu was a magnificent and awe-inspiring feat. To achieve such a level was truly remarkable.
"So, the Taiyi Sect is really not to be trifled with?"
Jiang Bai said noncommittally.
The deed is done, and there's no going back. So, we can only look forward.
Since we've already done it, now we just need to figure out how to deal with it.
"They're not easy to deal with!" Elder Liu said with a wry smile.
To be honest, he really didn't expect Jiang Bai to be so audacious and reckless, daring to do anything.
But thinking about it, if Jiang Bai weren't that kind of person, how could the two of them have ended up like this?
Meanwhile, the discussion about this matter began far away, in a mountain range thousands of miles away, where strange light flickered, revealing a hidden paradise.
Passing through layers of clouds and mist, a brand new world appeared before people's eyes, a vast land stretching for thousands of miles.
In the center stands a towering mountain, its peaks layered upon each other, with ancient pines and cypresses rising in endless rows, strange rocks scattered about, and birds singing in unison. Magnificent palaces are nestled among them, and the very central peak has been leveled to reveal a massive palace standing there.
In the very center of the main hall stands a golden plaque that reads "Taiyi Gate!"
At this very moment, deep within a room of the palace, several elderly men dressed in ancient robes sat upright in the center, listening to a rather fashionable young man reporting his questions.
After listening to the report, one of them suddenly slammed his hand on his chair and stood up, roaring fiercely, "Damn it, this Jiang Bai is simply audacious! Does he really think that just because he has experts from the Innate Limitless Sect who can predict that he might play a role in the Lishan Mausoleum, and he has the support of the Myriad Saints Sect, he can act with impunity? How dare he treat our disciples like this? Does he even respect our Taiyi Sect? He's simply courting death!"
"Yes, we knew this kid was arrogant and domineering, but we never expected him to be so lawless. He deserves to die. If we don't teach him a lesson this time, who will respect our Taiyi Sect in the future?"
"The glory of being the fourth-ranked of the Ten Great Immortal Sects must not be tarnished!"
"Sect Leader, let me capture him and tie him up on the summit of Mount Taiyi, so that the world will know that our Taiyi Sect is not to be trifled with!"
One of the black-robed elders stood up immediately after the sect leader spoke, and roared angrily.
It seems that he is extremely dissatisfied with Jiang Bai's actions.
"But, if we do this, won't the Myriad Saints Sect...?"
Upon hearing this, an elder looked worried and said that he was still very wary of the Myriad Saints Sect, otherwise he wouldn't have raised such an opinion after hearing this.
"What will happen? Elder Wu, you need to understand, our disciple only asked Jiang Bai to give up a spot. What merit does he have to dare to steal that spot?"
"Lishan Mausoleum is a place of great treasures. It is the tomb of the Qin Emperor. When the Qin Emperor destroyed the Wu Kingdom, he wiped out countless sects and powerful clans. Countless treasures are hidden there. Anyone who can enter it and survives will be able to obtain great benefits."
"Jiang Bai is some kind of martial arts cultivator who popped up out of nowhere, with no background whatsoever? How did he get into this group?"
"Making him hand over the spot is giving him face, but this guy is being incredibly shameless! How dare he treat our disciples like this?"
"This is simply courting death! This is a provocation against our entire Taiyi Sect, and we absolutely cannot forgive it easily. Otherwise, who will take our Wansheng Sect seriously in the future?"
"Why should we be so wary of the Myriad Saints Sect? They may be formidable, but our Taiyi Sect is no pushover either. Others may fear the Myriad Saints Sect and their Myriad Saints Emperor, but I'm not! Our Taiyi Sect is not afraid!"
The black-robed elder roared indignantly.
His agitation stemmed from the fact that one of the dead men was a close relative of his wife's, a descendant of her family, and someone he had always been extremely respectful to. Naturally, he couldn't tolerate the fact that one of the dead men had been murdered.
"Yes, this matter concerns the dignity of our Taiyi Sect. We absolutely cannot let it go easily, otherwise, our Taiyi Sect will become a laughing stock in the eyes of others!"
"Yes, he should be severely punished! We absolutely cannot let this audacious brat get away with it."
The black-robed elder's words stirred up the emotions of those around him. One by one, they stood up, waving their fists and roaring angrily, as if they had some irreconcilable hatred for Jiang Bai.
"But… Jiang Bai is an ancient martial arts cultivator after all! I heard that yesterday, the Five Elements Sect's Sect Leader Zhao and the Kongtong Immortal Sect's Elder Liu came to our door for some reason."
"Unfortunately, there's still no news. They must have returned empty-handed! Both of them are great cultivators equivalent to Heavenly Realm Martial Artists, and neither of them could do it."
"Who should we send from here?"
Elder Wu gave a wry smile and responded dryly.
With just one sentence, he silenced everyone around him. They looked at each other, but no one spoke.
Are you kidding me? That's an ancient martial arts cultivator at the Heavenly Rank. These muscular men are not to be trifled with; they're all incredibly difficult to deal with, and among their peers, they can almost completely crush them.
Moreover, Jiang Bai is the best among them, and even two Heavenly Realm Grand Cultivators are no match for him. Who among them would dare to go?
What are you going there for? Are you looking for death?
Indeed, there are many experts in the Taiyi Sect. Among the previous generations of reclusive elders, there are quite a few who have cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage. But are these people of any use?
Using them would be a huge problem, showing them how incompetent this generation is, having to wake them from their seclusion to deal with a newly rising young man.
This... would be incredibly embarrassing.
If things go wrong, before they even deal with Jiang Bai, these Supreme Elders might start causing a bloodbath within the sect. You know, there are quite a few among them who are not content with being out in the limelight.
Chapter 998 Tolerance
But if we don't invite these people, who will go?
Sending too few won't work, and might even put them in danger. Judging from Jiang Bai's style, they don't believe they'll just bow down and surrender the moment they arrive. A fight is inevitable.
But... if a real fight breaks out, they're not confident they can win.
But if I go too often... there's really no way to explain this.
Putting aside the issue of overwhelming the weak, the key point is that mobilizing so many people inevitably makes people think that the Taiyi Sect is weak, needing so many people to deal with Jiang Bai.
Moreover, it could easily provoke a backlash from forces that are close to Jiang Bai, such as the Wansheng Sect and the Southern Border Witch God Sect.
So, while the elders spoke eloquently, when it came to actually doing something, no one was willing to take the lead.
"Um, Elder Sun, since you proposed this, why don't you go?" An elder suddenly thought of something, looked at the indignant black-robed elder from the beginning, and said this noncommittally.
His words immediately made the people around him feel as if they had found a lifeline. Their eyes lit up and they started arguing, "Yes, yes, Elder Sun should go. Elder Sun is the most suitable person to go."
"Damn it, are they trying to scam me? These bastards!"
Elder Sun was furious. He was just saying it, but he didn't say he wanted to go himself. You bunch of bastards, do you think Jiang Bai is someone to be trifled with?
Send me? Send me to my death alone?
What if this kid goes berserk?
"Well... I'd like to go, but I have some things to take care of here..."
Before he could finish speaking, Elder Wu, who had spoken earlier, retorted with a cold laugh: "It's alright. I know what Elder Sun is busy with. Isn't it just about reorganizing the disciples within the sect? I've done this before, so I'm quite familiar with it. I'll help you take care of it."
"We'll hand it over to you when you get back. It's not far, and with the current mode of transportation, it'll only take a few days. It won't delay anything important."
"With Elder Sun going, it will be a piece of cake."
One sentence made Elder Sun's face turn as red as a pig's liver. He really didn't want to go, but what could he do if he didn't go in this situation?
He started the conversation, and he was the one who shouted the loudest just now. Now he's saying he won't go?
How can you say that?
"Well, since everyone has nominated Elder Sun, let him go." In the end, the sect leader made the decision with a single word, leaving Elder Sun filled with despair. He wished he could slap himself twice. Why did you have to bring up Jiang Bai in the first place!
Now things are really messed up, this is troublesome.
Left with no other choice, Elder Sun had to leave Taiyi Sect and come to Tiandu City, but this was two days later.
"Elder, what do we do now? Should we go straight to Jiang Bai, or rescue our disciples first?" A trusted disciple of Elder Sun of the Taiyi Sect asked his master in a low voice.
The reason he was brought out this time is because he is one of the few people from the Taiyi Sect who have traveled in the world. He left the Taiyi Sect a few years ago for some reason and stayed outside for a full year.
To avoid falling behind the world, each major sect has people who travel abroad every year to gain experience and observe, so that the sect can keep up with the world's pace. This is also a way of keeping up with the times.
Since the signing of the century-old alliance, there have been people like this every year.
"Charge them? Idiot! What makes you think you can charge them? Just the two of us? Do you know how ruthless Jiang Bai is? What would we do if we charged them? Go to our deaths?"
"This kid is a lawless scoundrel. If we storm his door and start shouting and killing, he might just turn on us on the spot. If he really fights to the death, who can we complain to?" Elder Sun's expression changed immediately upon hearing this, and he reprimanded his trusted disciple.
This left Elder Sun's trusted disciple stunned, clearly not expecting his master to say such a thing.
He knew perfectly well that his master didn't say that within the sect!
I heard he was the one who shouted the most hateful, demanding severe punishment for Jiang Bai, that ferocious beast, and even said he would tear Jiang Bai to pieces. How come he has suddenly changed his tune now?
This made him feel like his brain wasn't working properly.
He had no idea what his master was up to.
"Then what do we do now? Didn't we say we would severely punish Jiang Bai? Didn't you also say we would arrest him and hang him..."
Before he could finish speaking, Elder Sun stopped him.
With a wave of his hand, he said in a deep voice, "Times have changed. If it were someone else, they would naturally arrest Jiang Bai and punish him severely. If they couldn't do that, it would be difficult to explain this matter. However, now that I'm here, I feel that something is not right."
"After discussing it with Jiang Bai, it's true that our disciple was wrong. Although he went too far, his apology was sincere. He said he would follow the lead of our Taiyi Sect from now on. Since that's the case, our Taiyi Sect should also show some magnanimity."
"Taiyi Sect is one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, so we should still have this much tolerance."
"Although Jiang Bai is a bit arrogant and domineering, he is still a young man. It's normal for young people to have a temper, especially since it was our disciples who did something wrong. To be honest, Jiang Bai's value is actually far greater than that of these disciples."
"He's gotten this far at such a young age. If he's willing to pledge allegiance to our Taiyi Sect, I think it's possible to forgive him."
His words left his disciple dumbfounded, staring at his master with a strange expression, thinking to himself, "What are you up to? Do you know Jiang Bai?"
"You've only just arrived and haven't even met him yet, how do you know he's going to admit his mistakes? How do you know he's going to follow the Taiyi Sect's lead?"
"You're lying through your teeth!"
"But if we go back and say this without seeing Jiang Bai, wouldn't that be..." The disciple smiled bitterly and asked his master cautiously.
He knew that his master was truly capable of turning the world upside down with a flick of his wrist, but there had to be some basis for such changes, otherwise, pursuing this matter in the future would be a huge problem.
"I can't refuse to see Jiang Bai! What about your fellow disciples? How can I explain this to the sect leader? Therefore, I absolutely must see Jiang Bai!"
"However, we can't be too arrogant when we meet Jiang Bai. Young people are hot-tempered, and we need to be tolerant. Hmm, how about this, you go see him first and tell him that I want to meet with him to discuss how to get along amicably in the future."
Elder Sun glanced at his disciple, stood there and said a couple of noncommittal words, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
Chapter 999 Departure
Ultimately, this trusted disciple was speechless at the sight of his master, who could turn the world upside down at will.
However, he also knew that his master had no choice but to do this, so he could only agree and bite the bullet to go find Jiang Bai.
What followed was quite simple. Jiang Bai received Elder Sun at his hotel, highly praising the friendly relationship between the two sides and pointing out that "Taiyi Sect and I have a long-standing friendly and neighborly relationship, and we should strengthen comprehensive cooperation in all aspects in the future."
Elder Sun also warmly expressed, "The Taiyi Sect will cherish its relationship with Jiang Bai and will strive to be even more friendly in the future."
As a friendly witness, Jiang Bai handed over several disciples of the Taiyi Sect to Elder Sun.
As for what Elder Sun will say when he goes back, Jiang Bai doesn't know. He doesn't care. When he first met Elder Sun, Jiang Bai already understood what he meant.
Not wanting to have any conflict with himself, he naturally had to say some nice things. He would just give him a few people to go back and report, and he figured they wouldn't say anything good about him when they got back, but Jiang Bai didn't mind.
He doesn't want to clash with the behemoth that is Taiyi Sect right now; it's clearly not the right time.
After Elder Sun left, Jiang Bai's life returned to normal.
Since this person arrived, Jiang Bai has faced significantly less harassment, and even a behemoth like the Taiyi Sect has yielded.
At this point, who wouldn't see that Jiang Bai was a troublesome troublemaker?
Anyone who provokes him at this time is a fool.
So, Jiang Bai looked back on his peaceful days. He spent most of his time playing games, watching TV, and occasionally going on dates with a few women from Tiandu. He couldn't have lived a more comfortable life.
But his comfortable days didn't last long. Cheng Tiangang called: "Jiang Bai, the final choice has been made. Pack your things, I'll send someone to pick you up, and we'll head to Lishan Mausoleum."
One sentence made Jiang Bai, who was lying in Su Mei's arms, enjoying the warmth and fragrance of her body, jump up and get out of bed.
"What's wrong?" Su Mei asked, looking completely bewildered.
"I have some important business to attend to, so I have to leave immediately. I probably won't be back for long," Jiang Bai said with a smile, giving the other person a kiss before saying goodbye.
Before leaving, he gave some instructions to his confidants. When he went downstairs, he met the person arranged by Cheng Tiangang, who turned out to be Liu Ruonan, a beautiful policewoman he hadn't seen in a long time.
I heard that she is now highly regarded by Cheng Tiangang and entrusted with important responsibilities. Her official rank is constantly rising, and she is regarded as Cheng Tiangang's confidante. I never expected that she would be the one to greet me.
"You're going too?" Jiang Bai asked in surprise.
"No, I was only specifically responsible for receiving you and also for the hospitality of everyone in Chang'an. I am currently the criminal investigation officer in that area, and Minister Cheng assigned this matter to me."
"Because this matter is classified, Minister Cheng did not want people to know too much. Therefore, we worked with the local military to receive all visitors and to handle security and follow-up work."
Security? That's obviously a lie. Anyone who gets to go to the Lishan Mausoleum is no ordinary person.
They are all at least high-ranking figures. These people are not only capable of destroying the world, but they are also capable of causing great upheavals. Each of them is incredibly powerful, so why would they need others to take care of their security?
If Cheng Tiangang had someone capable of completing this task, would he need to call on others for things like the Lishan Mausoleum?
Keep dreaming.
So all that talk about security is nonsense; the real issue is the cleanup.
After all, with so many experts gathered at Lishan Mausoleum, it was inevitable that something shocking would happen, causing great panic. Keeping it a secret and handling the aftermath was a heavy responsibility, but unexpectedly, it was entrusted to Liu Ruonan.
With a chuckle, Jiang Bai didn't point it out and got into the car. Liu Ruonan drove, and the two of them didn't chat much. They quickly arrived at the airport, boarded the plane, and headed to Chang'an.
The two remained silent the entire way, as they simply didn't know what to say.
Jiang Bai and this person were a classic case of not being able to see eye to eye. Saying anything more would only make things awkward for both of them, so it was better to keep quiet.
Soon, Jiang Bai arrived in Chang'an and was placed in a hotel by Liu Ruonan. The hotel had been secretly taken over by the police and staffed entirely with their own people.
Upon entering, he found the place rather empty, completely deserted. Jiang Bai was astonished to discover that he was the first guest there.
"Jiang Bai, you've arrived! You're the first one here, hehe, welcome, welcome!" Just as he was about to ask a question, he noticed two familiar faces walking out of the hotel lobby: Yang Wudi and Cheng Tiangang.
I just don't know where Li Qingdi went, he didn't show up here.
For over a year, the three-person conspiracy team had been working tirelessly on the matter of the Lishan Mausoleum, with Li Qingdi being the main force. Now, at this crucial moment, just as they were about to enter the Lishan Mausoleum, Li Qingdi was nowhere to be seen, which was clearly abnormal.
"Where is the others? They haven't arrived yet, just the two of you? Where's Li Qingdi? This isn't like him at a time like this, he's not even here?"
"Him? Hehe, how could Li Qingdi be missing from this kind of thing? He's already on his way. The three of us were supposed to arrive together, but he obviously had something to do, so he changed course. I heard he went to greet a few cultivators who are obviously close to him."
"We haven't arrived at our destination yet."
Cheng Tiangang chuckled and said noncommittally.
Although the trip to Lishan Mausoleum was somewhat dangerous, the danger was not very great, and many people remained optimistic about entering the mausoleum.
After all, according to records, only a few top-tier experts are needed to enter.
The people who came this time were clearly overqualified; each one was extremely powerful, with the Great Star Rank being the starting point. Therefore, many people believed that entering the Lishan Mausoleum would not pose any danger and would simply be a feast to divide up the spoils.
Otherwise, so many people wouldn't want to enter the Lishan Mausoleum.
With a chuckle, Jiang Bai didn't dwell on Li Qingdi's matter. It wasn't a secret that he was close to the people of the Heavenly Group, so welcoming him was perfectly reasonable.
"Jiang Bai, I heard that you had another conflict with the Taiyi Sect a couple of days ago. An elder from the Taiyi Sect personally came to find you. But how exactly did you handle this matter? The Taiyi Sect has always been extremely domineering, yet this time there was no trouble at all. They took away their disciples and didn't pursue the matter any further?"
"This matter is rather strange."