Chapter 8 - Compensation
Tie Niu's "careless" kick was like the wrath of a god, completely crushing the courage of the coalition forces of the four major sects.
Before the mountain gate, a vast, deep pit lay like a hideous scar. At the bottom, the twisted, deformed bodies of dozens of Black Wind Valley Foundation Establishment cultivators mingled with the shattered rock, emitting a strong stench of blood. Around the pit walls, cultivators from the Poison Scorpion Sect, Rock Fort, and Scarlet Flame Sect lay scattered like straw swept by a hurricane. Groans, the subtle crackling of bones, and the sticky thud of venomous insects being crushed blended together, playing a mournful elegy of the defeated. Most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators were shattered and nearly dead. The Jindan cultivators' faces were as pale as paper, blood streaked at the corners of their mouths, their protective auras dimmed. As they gazed at the dilapidated gate of the Guixu Sect, their eyes were filled with deep-seated fear.
Deathly silence enveloped the battlefield.
Behind the coalition forces, Chi Lieyang, the Lord of the Black Wind Valley, the Lord of the Poison Scorpion Sect, and the Lord of the Rock Fort stood stiffly in mid-air like clay sculptures or wooden carvings.
The crimson flames that had swirled around Chi Lieyang had long since died down. His crimson face was now a pale hue, and the hand gripping the knife trembled uncontrollably. His prideful mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, however, paled in comparison to the overwhelming, earth-shaking force that had just erupted. He could even clearly feel his Nascent Soul trembling in the aftermath of that power!
The Black Wind Valley Master's face was as pale as a ghost, his back drenched in cold sweat. His speed, so proud of itself? Faced with the spatial tremors unleashed by that force, even escaping became a luxury!
The poisonous mist surrounding the Scorpion Sect's leader surged violently, revealing his inner turmoil. Who on earth had that damned Chi Lieyang offended? Oh my God... even the most precious thing can't kill us!
Veins throbbed across the bald head of the Rock Castle's master. He prided himself on his unrivaled physical defense, but the mere aftershock of that shockwave had already cracked his proud rock skin! His internal organs felt like they had been hammered by a massive hammer, his blood churning!
What kind of dragon pond and tiger blood is this Guixu Sect?! How could a farmer carrying a basket have such devastating power?!
"Cough..." A deliberate cough broke the silence.
Xie Zhao had unknowingly strolled to the temple entrance and stood beside Tie Niu, a bright, harmless smile plastered on his face, as if the Shura field before him had nothing to do with him. He cleared his throat, the sound not loud, but clearly heard by every living person:
"My fellow Daoists, we are guests from afar, why do we need such great courtesy? Look at how badly he fell, wow, it hurts so much! It seems like no one wants to come in anymore." His face was filled with grief, his eyes sweeping over the corpses at the bottom of the pit and the wailing wounded. "We in the Guixu Sect have always valued peace and harmony, and we hate fighting and killing the most. Now, shouldn't we talk about... compensation?"
Chi Lieyang and his three companions were practically vomiting blood! We suffered heavy casualties, and you're still asking for compensation?!
"Compensation? You..." Chi Lieyang's eyes were bloodshot and he was about to roar, but was interrupted by Xie Zhao with a smile.
"Don't be impatient, Sect Master Chi." Xie Zhao slowly pulled out a brand new, weakly spiritual yellow paper talisman from his sleeve. It was covered with small characters densely written in cinnabar. He cleared his throat and began to read aloud:
"The list of losses of Guixu Sect is as follows—"
"First, compensation for emotional distress: Your coalition's murderous intent severely frightened our delicate junior sister, Su Tang, who was coaxing tears into her eyes; the timid fifth junior sister and her equally timid little rabbit; Little White Deer, trembling in fear while holding her rabbit... and all of our peace-loving disciples. Tie Niu nodded magnanimously, and Luo Hongyi weighed the soup spoon. Total compensation: 100,000 low-grade spirit stones!"
"Second, site damage compensation: You trampled on our sect's mountain gate, causing severe ground collapse and cracks. Xie Zhao pointed at the huge deep pit, damaged vegetation, crushed several stubborn weeds, and contaminated the air with the smell of blood and poisonous insects. Total compensation: 50,000 low-grade spirit stones!"
"Third, lost wages: Due to your unwarranted harassment, our sect's chief stove ash cleaner, Su Tang, has had his daily work delayed; our chief poison chef, Luo Hongyi, has had his research and development progress delayed; our chief farmer, Tie Niu, has had his land cleared and his vegetable planting progress delayed; and our sect leader, Senior Brother Chu Linyuan, has lost precious sword practice time and sleep time! Total compensation: 100,000 low-grade spirit stones!"
"Fourth, the subsequent cleanup costs: The... uh... various unspeakable items you left at the scene have seriously affected the sanitation of our sect. Cleaning them up is extremely difficult and requires hiring professionals... uh, a lot of manpower and resources. Total compensation: 50,000 low-grade spirit stones!"
"The above four items total: 300,000 low-grade spirit stones! I'll round it up to 300,000! Fellow Daoists, please pay as soon as possible. Various methods are accepted, including cash payment, pledge of magical weapons and elixirs, and pledge of spirit vein land deeds!"
Three hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones!!!
Chi Lieyang and the other three felt a sudden rush of fear, nearly falling off their flying swords! This was simply robbery! Even more brutal than robbery!
"You...you are going too far!" The Lord of Rock Castle roared, his voice like thunder.
"Oh?" Xie Zhao's smile vanished instantly, his peach-shaped eyes narrowing slightly, a cold, sharp glint flashing across them. Behind him, Tie Niu maintained his simple expression, though his right foot, which had just "accidentally" crushed the ground, seemed to unconsciously grind the gravel beneath it.
A hard black rock as big as a millstone was silently turned into powder under his feet!
The Lord of Rock Castle's next words instantly caught in his throat, his face flushed crimson, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead. The other three were even more terrified.
"What's the matter? Does the Lord of Rock Castle have any objections?" Xie Zhao asked slowly, and at some point, his fingertips had picked up a new yellow talisman with twisted runes on it.
"No...no!" The Lord of Rock Castle squeezed out two words from between his teeth, and his huge body hunched slightly.
"Very good." Xie Zhao's smile bloomed again, and his expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book, "Then please sign and seal it! Don't worry, we in Guixu Sect are honest and trustworthy, and our reputation is excellent! This is the 'Installment Payment Contract Talisman'. The down payment is 100,000, and the remaining 200,000 will be paid in ten installments of 20,000 each. As for the interest... no need to worry! We are generous!" He raised his hand, and several yellow talismans flashing with faint light floated towards Chi Lieyang and the other three.
Chi Lieyang and the other three turned pale, as if they had eaten a dead fly. However, under the silent threat of Tie Niu's foot, they could only humiliatingly accept the talisman and imprint their souls on it with their own blood and essence. The moment the imprint was completed, an invisible force of contract wrapped around their souls.
"It's a pleasure to work with you!" Xie Zhao put away the talisman with satisfaction. "Please pay the down payment of 100,000 immediately! We're waiting to repair the mountain gate!"
Chi Lieyang and his three companions resisted the urge to vomit blood, looked at each other, and finally emptied their storage bags with great pain. They also scraped together money from the surviving disciples of their respective sects, and finally managed to gather together 100,000 low-grade spirit stones. They put them in a specially made, bulging storage bag, and humiliatingly sent it to Xie Zhao using their magic power.
Xie Zhao weighed the heavy bag and smiled brightly, "Thank you for your patronage! Welcome to visit us next time... Oh no, I'm welcoming all of you fellow Taoists to come and do business outside the Burial God Abyss! Harmony brings wealth!"
Chi Lieyang and his three companions could no longer stay, not even bothering to exchange polite words. With their remaining troops and defeated generals, they hurriedly set up their escape lights like dogs that had lost their homes, and without looking back, they fled this demonic den that had left a lifelong shadow on them. They had come in with great momentum, and left in a state of disgrace.
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