Is It Wrong to Bully the Novice Village for System Rewards?

Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes, looking the legendary “Number One Rogue Cultivator” up and down with piqued curiosity.

In the cultivation world, the vast majority of resources were hoarded by the major sects and clans. This made survival for Rogue Cultivators incredibly harsh; those who managed to ascend to high realms were rarer than phoenix feathers or unicorn horns.

For this guy to reach the peak of the Tribulation Crossing realm as a Rogue Cultivator… he definitely had a few tricks up his sleeve.

If Qi Yuan could recruit him, the value might rival the System’s mission rewards.

However, men like Han Lie were born ambitious and untameable. His talk of submission was merely a desperate stall tactic. If Qi Yuan let him live, it was only a matter of time before the snake bit the hand that fed it.

Seeing Qi Yuan’s silence, Qin Lingxue furrowed her delicate brows. “Fellow Daoist Qi, do not let your guard down. This person is extremely dangerous. He is a titan of the Unorthodox Path from tens of thousands of years ago, notorious for his cruelty and bloodlust. The Seven Great Sacred Grounds once united just to hunt him down.”

She gripped her sword tighter. “The Slaughtering Daoist possesses profound cultivation and treacherous methods. Even a Heavenly Dao Oath might not bind him; he likely knows a way to break it. Leaving him alive will only invite endless calamity.”

Qi Yuan chuckled and shook his head.

“Fairy Qin, you are mistaken. As the saying goes, ‘Put down the butcher’s knife and instantly become a Buddha.’ Since this brother realizes his mistakes, shouldn’t we give him a chance?”

He gestured to the Abyssal Condensation Sword, which was currently playing dead nearby. “Look, hasn’t this demonic sword been rehabilitated quite nicely?”

The sword immediately bobbed its tip up and down like a pestle pounding garlic. “Yes, yes! Master Qi is wise! This humble sword has turned over a new leaf, abandoned evil for good, and is now a proud member of the Righteous Path!”

Han Lie, seeing an opening, hastily chimed in.

“Exactly, exactly! Actually, I, Han Lie, have always yearned for the Righteous Path. I even took the entrance exam for the Boundless Sacred Ground back in the day! I only went solo because I failed the test.”

“As long as you two spare my life, I am willing to serve the righteous cause like an ox or a horse! I will work without complaint!”

Qi Yuan’s mouth twitched.

A rejected art student, are we?

Qin Lingxue stared at the mass-murdering demon lord who was currently pledging to be a beast of burden for justice. Her expression turned strange; she didn’t know whether to laugh or strike him.

Finally, she sighed and looked at Qi Yuan. “Fellow Daoist Qi, according to our agreement, he is yours to deal with.”

Qi Yuan nodded slightly to her, then turned his gaze back to Han Lie, a playful glint in his eyes.

“Rest assured, Fairy Qin. These evil heretics look fierce, but they just lack discipline. A few rounds of ‘education’ and they become obedient little lambs.”

Han Lie felt humiliated to his core, but remembering the knife at his throat, he forced himself to nod. “Yes, yes. From now on, this humble one will follow Master Qi’s commands. If you tell me to go east, I wouldn’t dare go west.”

Qi Yuan chuckled warmly. “Good. To show your sincerity… why don’t you start by performing a backflip for Fairy Qin?”

A… backflip?!

Han Lie froze. He stared at Qi Yuan, waiting for the punchline. When he realized the man was serious, he felt his lungs might explode from sheer rage.

This Seat rampaged from the Eastern Divine Region to the Far West with a demon sword in hand! I have killed more people than you’ve ever met! I didn’t blink when facing armies!

And you want This Seat to perform a backflip like a circus monkey?!

Seeing his hesitation, Qi Yuan snorted coldly. “It seems your demonic nature is not yet cleansed. In that case, there is no need to keep you alive.”

He rolled up his sleeves, raising his hand to strike.

“Wait! I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”

Han Lie screamed in panic. Enduring the searing pain in his pierced thigh, he planted his hands on the bloody floor and executed a perfect, graceful backflip.

Complete and utter humiliation!

As he landed, Han Lie’s internal world was a storm of fury.

Sooner or later, I will use the cruelest torture imaginable on this brat! I will skin him, dismantle his bones, and tear his corpse into ten thousand pieces!

No… that’s too easy. I will make him do backflips until he dies of exhaustion! Then I’ll rip out his soul and stuff it into a Soul Refining Furnace for a million years!

And everyone he knows—everyone related to him—they all must die!

While Han Lie wallowed in his impotent rage, Qi Yuan smiled gently.

“It seems you truly have a repentant heart. However, for cultivators like us, while Heavenly Dao Oaths are binding, they aren’t foolproof. There are loopholes and secret techniques to avoid the backlash.”

Qi Yuan’s tone remained pleasant, like a merchant haggling over a vegetable. “Let’s add another layer of insurance. In addition to the oath, hand over a portion of your Lifebound Soul to me. Only then will I believe your sincerity.”

“You…”

Han Lie’s pupils constricted.

If he agreed to this, he would truly become meat on the chopping block.

With just an oath, he might find a loophole. But if he handed over his Lifebound Soul and swore an oath? That blocked every possible escape route. He would be a slave for eternity.

To a man of his pride, death was preferable to eternal servitude.

But then he remembered the backflip.

I already did the backflip. If I die now, didn’t I just play the clown for nothing?

Han Lie’s face turned pale, and he felt the urge to vomit blood.

As he wavered, Qi Yuan’s expression darkened.

“I will count to three. If you haven’t decided by then, I’ll send you on your way.”

Before Han Lie could even brace himself, Qi Yuan’s eyes narrowed, and he spoke.

“Three!”

BOOM!

Killing intent exploded from Qi Yuan’s body as he raised his hand to strike.

“Huh?!”

Han Lie was dumbfounded. Why aren’t you playing by the rules?! What happened to one and two?!

“Wait—wait! I agree! I agree! I’ll give you the soul!”

Faced with imminent death, Han Lie’s psychological defenses collapsed. He screamed desperately.

Moments later.

“Heavenly Dao above, I, Han Lie, hereby swear…”

After the oath was sworn, Han Lie gritted his teeth. With a pained grimace, he forcibly separated a wisp of his Lifebound Soul and floated it over to Qi Yuan.

His aura instantly withered. Losing even a wisp of Lifebound Soul was a heavy blow.

Han Lie looked gray and defeated. “Now… can you let me go?”

The corner of Qi Yuan’s mouth hooked into a meaningful smile.

“You were a mighty Tribulation Crossing expert, full of treacherous tricks. For safety’s sake, this tiny wisp is far from enough.”

Qi Yuan looked at the wisp disdainfully. “You need to hand over at least ten times this amount. Only then will I have the confidence to control you.”

“What?!”

Han Lie’s face turned green.

Damn it! I’ve seen bullies, but I’ve never seen anyone this unreasonable!

If he split off ten times that amount, his soul strength would plummet below that of an ordinary Foundation Building cultivator. He would be crippled.

But Qi Yuan had him cornered. He had already paid a deposit; if he refused now, the “backflip” and the “first wisp” would be wasted investments.

Forget it!

Where there is life, there is hope. If I die, I lose everything!

Weighing the pros and cons, Han Lie took a deep, shuddering breath. With a heart full of resentment, he ripped away a massive chunk of his Lifebound Soul and handed it to Qi Yuan.

He swayed on his feet, his face as white as paper, barely able to stand.

However.

In the next instant.

Whoosh!

Qi Yuan didn’t hesitate. He pointed a finger, firing a sharp beam of dark energy that slammed directly into the massive cluster of Lifebound Soul Han Lie had just offered.

Shatter!

The soul energy dissipated into nothingness.

“You… Pfft—!”

Han Lie’s eyes bulged in horror. before his brain could process the betrayal, the backlash hit him. He sprayed a massive fountain of blood and collapsed, unconscious.

Qin Lingxue stared, her beautiful face filled with confusion.

“Fellow Daoist Qi… didn’t you want him to submit? Why did you destroy his Lifebound Soul?”

Qi Yuan rubbed his nose nonchalantly and smiled.

“The Slaughtering Daoist’s hands are stained with rivers of blood. He is a heinous criminal, beyond redemption. I, a proper gentleman of the Righteous Path, could never harbor such a conscienceless scoundrel.”

He stepped forward, grabbed the unconscious Han Lie by the collar, and prepared his technique.

“Don’t let his current weakness fool you. His soul still retains the resilience of a Tribulation Crossing cultivator. If I didn’t trick him into weakening himself first, Soul Searching him would be difficult and dangerous. He might have self-destructed.”

“Now that he’s crippled his own soul… it’s harvest time.”

As Qi Yuan casually began the Soul Searching process, Qin Lingxue watched in silence.

Despite hating evil with a passion, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the legendary villain.

Why does this Holy Scion of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary seem more like a villain than the Slaughtering Daoist?