Chapter 431: Killing a Few Won't Change Anything! You Have to Wipe Out the Whole Lot of Them!
Chapter 431: Killing a Few Won't Change Anything! You Have to Wipe Out the Whole Lot of Them!
In one such dark room, a group of people in black robes and black hats were gathered.
The leader, a middle-aged man, took off his hat, revealing a rough and cold face—it was Yuan Zhantian from the Great Yuan Residence.
"Dad, they've gone in," a youth with silver eyes approached to report, while in a corner, a young man with golden eyes and a missing arm was present. They were Yuan Wu and Yuan Fu, the two brothers who had visited the Nine Hells.
"Mhm." Yuan Zhantian glanced at his eldest son in the corner and said, "Are you sure that in the Nine Hells, he wasn't hiding his strength, but instead, in just two or three days, he soared through three realms?"
"I'm sure of it! Tian Zhixiu is stronger than me. If he had that kind of strength back then, he wouldn't have been restricted by me," Yuan Wu said with a gloomy look. He had hoped to see Yun Xiao die but instead witnessed the terrifying rise of this genius from the Nine Hells.
"Is it possible that he always had that strength but dared not show it?" Yuan Fu pondered with his silver eyes. "I can't believe someone could improve like that. It's too exaggerated. It's not something a human can achieve."
"It doesn't matter," Yuan Zhantian sneered. "Anyway, I've reported it. If the higher-ups think it's necessary, it might even be passed on to the Three Immortals."
"Hmm..." Yuan Wu's golden eyes stared out the window at the Jade Immortal Tower, his face gradually distorting into a cold laugh. "To be tarnished like this, and he still dares to kill our people in the streets, has he gone mad?"
After speaking, he looked at Yuan Zhantian and said, "Dad, this man is vicious and brutal. Should we exploit his weakness and strike him again?"
"Of course, we should," Yuan Zhantian's eyes gleamed coldly. "I just met with Tian Yulan, and she said if this kid dares leave the Primordial Academy, we must fuel the fire, making him the symbol of sin for the Primordial Ruins."
"A mere brute, only good at showing off his ferocity, he must be somewhat deranged," Yuan Fu mocked.
"Dad, what's your plan?" Yuan Wu asked.
"In this world, who can most easily arouse people's sympathy?" Yuan Zhantian smirked.
"Women, children, the disabled," Yuan Fu replied.
Yuan Zhantian waved his hand grandly, "Go, find some disabled girls."
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Inside the Jade Immortal Tower…
"Yin grade metals and ores?" A richly dressed elder stepped forward to greet Yun Xiao and Lian Xi.
"Please, Manager Tang, lead the way," Lian Xi said politely.
"This way, then," Manager Tang nodded. His attitude towards Lian Xi was decent.
In fact, most descendants of the Three Immortals on the Primordial Ruins were rather courteous to Lian Xi. Rumors about her being a child of disaster were unconfirmed and only whispered among some.
Of course, with the rumors becoming more rampant these days, anyone with a bit of sense could guess who was behind it.
The ones who appeared the most polite on the surface might very well be the cruelest behind the scenes.
Lian Xi mentioned that although the Jade Immortal Tower was not a descendant of the Three Immortals, it was closely associated with the Three Great Ruins. If it weren't for Yun Xiao's need for high quality metals and ores, there would have been no need to come here today.
In a blink, Manager Tang led them to the 29th floor.
Next to the staircase leading to the 30th floor stood a plaque with the words No Entry engraved on it.
"Can't go up?" Yun Xiao asked casually.
"The floors above thirty are reserved for VIPs," Manager Tang said with a smile.
"Am I not a VIP?" Yun Xiao asked.
"..." Manager Tang continued to smile, not saying anything.
"And she isn't?" Yun Xiao pointed at Lian Xi. He asked out of curiosity because Blue Star had mentioned that there were many good things above.
Manager Tang glanced at Lian Xi and kept smiling.
"So, you can't become a VIP with just Immortal Jade, huh?" Yun Xiao inquired.
"Yes." Manager Tang nodded with a smile.
"Opening for business and classifying customers into ranks, disgusting," Yun Xiao commented.
"Young Master Yun is cynical. It's just industry rules," Manager Tang said with a smile.
With no access allowed, Yun Xiao had no choice but to make his selection on the 29th floor. It wasn't too crowded here. So before long, he found a type of ore called Gold Diamond Crystal.
This ore was in the form of fragmented crystals, containing the power of gold flames, and was classified as a Lower Yin grade.
Blue Star rated it as barely usable. There were better items available, but Yun Xiao chose the Gold Diamond Crystal because he couldn't afford anything better.
"For a total of 99 nuggets, each priced at 100,000 Mid Immortal Jades, that comes to 9,900,000 Mid Immortal Jades."
Even at this price, Yun Xiao had to borrow some money from Lian Xi.
"Young Master Yun is quite the spender!" Manager Tang chuckled softly. "Did this money come from killing people and looting treasures?"
"Do you have a problem with that?" Yun Xiao glanced at him. The old man had been all smiles but not genuinely so, quite irritating throughout.
"Not at all, I fear death," Manager Tang quickly laughed. "I'll wrap these up for you right away."
Yun Xiao didn't want to cause trouble; getting the transaction done was his aim. The outing hadn't been very pleasant. He tried not to care, but seeing Lian Xi's frustrated look made his heart ache.
"Wait." Just as Manager Tang was halfway through packing, a cold female voice suddenly came from behind.
Yun Xiao turned to see two women standing behind him!
One of them, a girl in a blue dress with white skin surrounded by an aura of cold, was Tian Yuxue.
The woman beside her, in her early twenties, wore a long dark red tight-fitting dress that accentuated her voluptuous figure. Her low-cut dress and curled hair cascading over her chest gave her a mature, peach-like allure, much more so than the young girls around.
"Miss," Manager Tang stopped and respectfully addressed her. Clearly, this was the young mistress of the Jade Immortal Tower, a woman of high standing!
Yun Xiao glanced behind them, noticing a dozen or so youthful and beautiful girls, all familiar-looking, probably disciples of the doctrinal association.
Without looking, he knew they all stared at him with cold, murderous eyes.
This young mistress of the Jade Immortal Tower, like the other descendants of the Three Immortals, was in the same circle. Being older than Tian Zhixiu, her strength was extraordinary, with her cultivation in the Five Decays Realm surpassing that of Tian Zhixiu.
"Let's go," Lian Xi said, pulling Yun Xiao away as the young mistress appeared. "We were set up. She won't sell it to us."
"Who said I won't sell?" the young mistress of the Jade Immortal Tower opened her red lips to speak.
"Then complete the transaction," Yun Xiao didn't want to argue with these women; it was pointless.
"What's the rush?" The young mistress glanced at the Gold Diamond Crystal. "The price has changed, 100 billion Mid Immortal Jades... per nugget."
"..." Yun Xiao stared at her coldly.
"Can't afford it? If you know you're poor, don't climb such high towers," the young mistress smiled.
"Let's go," Lian Xi felt guilty. "Sorry, I didn't expect this to happen..."
"It's okay," Yun Xiao said. It was just a transaction; if it couldn't be completed, it wasn't meant to be. They turned to leave.
The young mistress sneered, "Leaving so soon? Aren't you the one who made a fortune by killing? Kill me then, and just rob the Jade Immortal Tower directly. After all, your little sugar momma can cover for you."
Yun Xiao turned back to look at her. "Alright, I'll remember that."
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As they approached the staircase, a white-robed elder appeared beside Lian Xi. His expression was grim as he spoke, "Young miss, please don't leave through the main entrance."
"Why?" Lian Xi paused, surprised.
"Several young girls have been found dead at the entrance, each with a sword through their throat. Their bodies are now covered with white pieces of cloth, piled at the entrance of the Jade Immortal Tower. The scene has already attracted tens of thousands of spectators," the white-robed elder explained.
"Who could be so heartless..." Lian Xi's eyes reddened slightly.
"I don't know..." The elder glanced at Yun Xiao and sighed, "But, it's being blamed on Young Master Yun."
Yun Xiao opened the window and looked down, only to see the street below packed with dense crowds, numbering over a hundred thousand.
In the center of the crowd, several small bodies covered in white cloth lay on the ground, likely only a few years old.
The white cloth was stained with blood. Little arms sticking out from under the cloth were covered in mud and blood. Nearby, their parents
were rolling on the ground, wailing and crying heart-wrenchingly.Such tragic cries sent chills down the spine and ignited fury in the heart.
"Murder requires reparation! Reparation..."
"Yun Xiao! Murderous demon, come out!!"
Over a hundred thousand people, with bloodshot eyes, screamed into the sky, creating a shocking scene.
"How heartbroken these parents must feel..."
"Such young children, too cruel! Utterly heartless!"
"The world is unjust, with devils in power, blood debts must be repaid with blood!"
"Dean Yu, you have raised the most brutal murderer in history! You are the eternal sinner of the Primordial Ruins! The ancestors of the Primordial Academy will be rolling over in their graves because of you!"
The thunderous roars made the Jade Immortal Tower tremble.
"What's going on? Why don't these people seek the truth before concluding it was you..." Lian Xi was even more bewildered, turning to Yun Xiao.
"Because... although their brains seem to be theirs, they are actually being manipulated by others." Bloodshot eyes began to appear in Yun Xiao's gaze as he stared at the white cloth.
"I'm sorry." At this moment, he realized that if he lost his rationality in anger, those who orchestrated this would only be more pleased.
"Creator, being a savior is not so simple," Blue Star said meaningfully.
Yun Xiao looked at the myriad of lives, silently pondering.
"Standing on the side of humanity, you and the Primordial Immortal Ancestor have different beliefs and attitudes. Who truly embodies the way?" Blue Star chuckled. He didn't care about these matters; he only wished to reforge the Creator Immortal. So, he could not sympathize with the anger in Yun Xiao's heart at this moment.
Yun Xiao didn't need them to feel all this. At a high enough level, what the world lacked the least were living beings. Who truly cared about the dignity and life of an ordinary person?
"What do you think?" Blue Star asked.
"The lineage of the Three Immortals is like a vast net covering the skies, locking down the Primordial Ruins. Everything here affects the beings of countless worlds. I aim to challenge this net. Each step I take affects everything. I admit, it's hard to find a situation in this vast cosmos where one can have the best of both worlds without any harm. So, I only hope that with each step forward, no more innocents will have to be sacrificed for this."
The Primordial Ruins was like a log infested with borers. Driving a sharp sword into it would kill the borers, but how could one ensure not to harm the log? Do nothing? Then, the log would never have a chance for new life and would be consumed entirely.
Often, a perfect savior only existed in fairy tales. Unless the enemy was too weak. But the fact was, the Three Immortals who ruled over the Primordial Ruins were the most terrifying opponents Yun Xiao had ever faced.
Because they controlled not just the physical bodies but also the hearts, minds, and souls of people...
The poison of the latter, like a nightmare, was even harder to dispel!
"I want to go down, to prove your innocence, to find the real culprit, and to avenge those children!" Lian Xi said with intense eyes.
"Seek revenge, kill a few people, and continue to solidify the identity of a murderous fiend?" Yun Xiao asked.
"Then tell me, how can we uphold justice?" Lian Xi countered.
"To uphold justice, to change the Primordial Ruins, to bring true peace and fairness to the world, killing a few people won't change anything. You have to wipe out the whole lot of them," Yun Xiao said profoundly.
"Which lot of people?" Lian Xi looked up, meeting his gaze.
"They are not really people, but parasites that suck the blood and brains from people's heads."
Sucking blood wasn't the worst part. Sucking the brain was the cruelest. Because those victims, even if one were to try and save them, would still turn on their saviors.
Yun Xiao stood atop the Jade Immortal Tower, a volcano of rage churning within him.
"Under the All Life Devouring Gu, there is no world for the common folk." He harbored a deep anger for this world.
And below, the myriad of lives knelt and cried out, "We beseech the Three Immortals, to slay the murderous fiend, to uphold justice, to protect the way of the world."