Chapter 165 Fire Dragon Burns the Granary

These assets that were reneges on and embezzled were actually beyond Wang Yu's ability to recover even if he tried to forcibly take them back, so he simply treated them as a reward and acted generously.

They maintained a facade of respectability.

"Next, I, the city lord, need to examine the lost spirit fields, the account books of various shops in the five major districts, and the taxes that the three major families need to pay, one by one."

"I wonder if you, the outstanding individuals of Guiling, are confident in making this possible? If successful, I, the city lord, can recommend your exceptional descendants to the Holy Sect for direct entry into the inner sect."

The people in the room looked at each other.

The reward offered by Wang Yu was tempting, but compared to the difficulty of accomplishing this task, it was utterly insignificant.

Some things are simply impossible to do.

Even Chao Yunniang smiled wryly and said, "Lord City Lord, you have underestimated the difficulty of this matter. Even in the heyday of the City Lord's Mansion, it was not certain that they could collect them all, let alone now."

As she spoke, she glanced at the people from the Ink Painting Sect and the Fragrance Scent Sect, her veiled intentions quite clear.

It was simply a warning to Wang Yu.

These Core Formation sects knew the terrifying power of Nascent Soul cultivators, so when it came to matters of principle, they were willing to lend people to help this new city lord through the awkward period when he had no one to rely on.

However, once their own interests are involved, these people become untrustworthy. Trying to collect the tax revenue from the past five years is tantamount to Wang Yu fighting a city by himself.

However, if he fails to collect the funds, the large organization will continue its operational inertia for the next five-year cycle, with various delays in paying spirit stones and taxes.

There was a long silence in the room, and no one responded.

Wang Yu sneered inwardly.

How could a bunch of insects possibly govern Guiling City to make it thrive?

If no one is willing, then don't do it. If he doesn't get any food, he'll overturn the pot.

There's no time for destruction, no time for construction. Anyway, the city lord's treasury has a million spirit stones left to cover this tribute, and there's still time before the next five years, so there's no rush.

Just as Wang Yu was pondering whether to use the formation to keep them all here, or to let them out and use other methods...

The eldest elder of the Bai family finally spoke.

“Lord of the city, my Bai family is willing to set an example and make up for the taxes that have been missed over the past five years in full.”

"oh--"

He was genuinely shocked by this turn of events. In his eyes, the Bai family was a typical troublemaker, and he had assumed that the Jiang family would be the first to back down.

The Jiang family has a weak foundation; if pushed too far, they'll only have to admit defeat.

The Bai family has a deep foundation and many powerful individuals. Could it be that he has aroused their fear of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect?!

Both the Guan and Jiang family heads were somewhat shocked. They wanted to say something to dissuade him, but after noticing Wang Yu's cold gaze, they swallowed their words back.

The eldest elder of the Bai family offered kind advice.

"Patriarch Guan, Patriarch Jiang, the City Lord is magnanimous and has not held our crimes against us. You should stop trying to resolve this matter and avoid being punished by the Holy Sect in the future!"

"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish." Wang Yu, who knew the nature of the demonic path well, did not insist on being exactly the same, but the general number had to be correct.

The eldest elder of the Bai family served as a good mouthpiece.

Therefore, the only option is to minimize the problem and resolve it altogether.

"Let's leave it at that for today."

"Elder Bai, I, the city lord, will give you one month to pay all the taxes you have failed to pay. If you fail to do so, you will be severely punished, and everyone will be punished the same way."

"Let's call it a day."

"yes."

"yes."

"Yes, ma'am."

Some were delighted, while others were unwilling. After everyone left the city lord's mansion, the head of the Guan family grabbed the Bai family's eldest elder and questioned him sternly, "What are you doing!"

The eldest elder of the Bai family shrugged innocently, his lips moving slightly.

He quietly used the technique of transmitting sound into a secret.

The next moment.

The head of the Guan family loosened his grip, his eyes filled with shock.

"Won't this completely enrage that kid?"

"So what? He's just a brat who relies on formations to act recklessly. He has no soldiers or generals under his command. What can he do to me?"

After their secret conversation ended, the Jiang family head also came over.

"Brother Guan, what did Elder Bai say to you?"

"You really want to know?"

"nature."

"hehe--"

The head of the Guan family leaned closer, and the four words he uttered shocked the head of the Jiang family as well, even making him feel uneasy. He had a feeling that this was not a good idea.

"A fire dragon burns down the warehouse!"

…………

…………

On the other end.

After seeing everyone off, Wang Yu no longer worried about these petty matters. Since the Bai family had taken the initiative to submit in order to clear up the misunderstanding about the death of the Bai family head, he was naturally willing to give them a chance.

Having been in Guiling City for some time now, it's time to focus on cultivation. No matter how many schemes you have, no matter how clever you are, they are no match for a single punch from my Nascent Soul Ancestor!

In the world of cultivation, realm of attainment is the highest power.

If he had the cultivation level of Core Formation, he wouldn't need to worry about these things; he could easily subdue everyone and make them act according to his rules.

Cultivation is what he should devote the most energy to, and governing Guiling City is essentially to assist his cultivation. This order of priority cannot be changed.

With a good start, all that's left is to wait.

That day.

Wang Yu went into seclusion in the Essence Qi Chamber, the most spiritually rich chamber in the City Lord's Mansion. This chamber was built on a mid-grade third-tier spiritual vein, and there were many similar Essence Qi Chambers.

Those with second, third, or fourth spiritual roots benefit the most from these types of cultivation facilities, and they are also the most likely to be positively affected by environmental changes.

Back then, when he was in the Ice and Snow Pavilion, he regarded the Essence Chamber as a useless thing, but now it is a great tool to accelerate his cultivation. Over time, he can cultivate a lot of true essence.

After lighting a stick of calming incense, Wang Yu sat cross-legged on the futon.

Without the support of the Heavenly Enlightenment Futon beneath him, he was a little unaccustomed for a while, but as he circulated his cultivation technique, he gradually got into the zone.

He came here this time for the sake of the divine sense realm.

He took a deep breath, and a dense black ghostly aura emanated from his limbs and bones. The black aura armor talisman that the Soul Devouring Evil Armor Technique condensed at his navel was also shining brightly.

A chilling wind howled through the quiet room, making it extremely cold.

All the creatures whose souls were devoured by Wang Yu seemed to come alive at this moment. Their eyes were bloodshot, and their mouths were full of fangs and sharp teeth. There were both humans and demons among them.

Looking at Wang Yu's seated position, his physical body seemed to have disappeared, leaving only a layer of illusory soul body sitting there with a frown, surrounded by white flames, which was the divine sense secret technique [Heavenly Soul Qi].

The hundreds of ferocious spirits that existed attached to the evil armor rushed forward impatiently. This was their enemy; if they didn't attack now, when would they?!

outside world.

Wang Yu remained seated on the futon, unchanged except for the fact that his entire body was covered in black armor.

The demonic face carvings on the surface of the armor seemed to come alive, constantly shifting, and even with his eyes closed, Wang Yu was trapped in some kind of ghoul illusion.

His fingers continued to tap on his body.

It was the "Soul-Shattering Finger" at the minor completion stage. He was using the evil spirits to devour his body and hone his divine sense. Naturally, he had to control the upper limit. The evil spirits that he shattered would return to their respective ghost face carvings.

It enters a state of complete dormancy, waiting to absorb enough power from new members before reviving and turning against its enemies.

These are the secrets of the demonic art [Soul Devouring Evil Armor Technique]. If they are completely destroyed, the power of the Black Fiend Armor will also be reduced, which would be a loss.

Maintaining a proper balance is extremely important.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but when Wang Yu woke up, he was covered in cold sweat, the marks left by the pain.

His body was somewhat weak, but his eyes were extremely bright.

"As expected, the possession by the evil spirit was an excellent opportunity for tempering, and my spiritual consciousness level has advanced to the late stage of Foundation Establishment..."

With the Ancient Soul Technique and the Taiyin Moon Essence, his cultivation level soared.

After finishing his practice, Wang Yu rested for a while before actively activating the effect of the evil spirits devouring his body. He wanted to put them all to sleep at once to avoid interference during the battle.

He seems to have avoided the side effects of this magical technique.

at the same time.

Guiling City, Bai Family.

When the eldest elder of the Bai family told the Bai family patriarch about his brilliant plan, "Fire Dragon Burning the Granary," which he had devised on his own initiative.

This Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator, who was nearly three hundred years old and had suffered many hidden injuries in his youth, and had also used longevity-extending spiritual items, was so angry that he slapped him and sent him flying.

"—You bastard!"

The Bai family patriarch's blood surged, and his body, already nearing its limit, became dizzy. His finger trembled as he pointed at the culprit.

"Bai Zhiyang, I told you to apologize, and this is what you did?! Do you know that you're going to ruin the entire Bai family?!"

The elder climbed up from the building debris, his face swollen and red, and gritted his teeth.

“Ancestor, that kid is only a second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator. If it weren’t for the City Lord’s Mansion’s formation, the Patriarch wouldn’t have died there. He’s determined to kill our Bai family.”

"You...you—"

At this moment, more Bai family elders rushed out from the surrounding area, anxiously supporting their ancestor and carefully saying...

"Ancestor, please don't upset yourself."

"Whoosh!"

After a long while, the Bai family patriarch punched himself in the chest, spitting out the blood that had surged from his anger. His face immediately regained some color, and he said breathlessly.

"You keep calling him 'kid' and looking down on his Foundation Establishment Level 2 cultivation. You should be able to sense how young his life force is, right?"

The elder was speechless for a moment, and stammered.

"I feel... he won't be older than fifty."

"Ah? Such a genius! No wonder he was able to take charge of such a fertile place as Guiling City at such a young age. This is the Holy Sect's reward and cultivation for him."

Among the elders, some expressed shock and concern, showing signs of softening, while others expressed disdain and greed.

"So what? Now that Guiling has come, a dragon must coil up and a tiger must lie low. If they want to squeeze spirit stones out of the Bai family, then burn them all and see how they collect them. Do they even dare to show their faces?!"

"That's right, he's just a coward. As long as we don't go into the city lord's mansion, what can he do to us?"

Faced with the remarks of these younger generation members, the Bai family patriarch felt a deep sense of despair and struggled to his feet without saying a word.

"Foolish, foolish!"

“Guiling City belongs to the Holy Sect. You cannot disobey the Holy Sect, no matter who you are against. Even if you have cooperated with the Yellow Spring Temple, you still have to pay taxes on the profits you are entitled to!”

"—Ancestor!"

The Grand Elder, whose cultivation had reached the ninth level of Foundation Establishment and who still had fifty years of lifespan remaining, completely changed his expression.

"Guards, take the patriarch back to the ancestral home outside the city, and send all the direct descendants of the third branch there."

"I'm determined to burn down the warehouse!"

(End of this chapter)