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

Chapter 233: Big Qi is Also a Spy of the Demonic Sect!

“That is the Yang Fire Lightning Tribulation. I wonder which Fellow Daoist is undergoing their Soul Formation Tribulation here?”

Tu Ruoxu gazed at the crimson lightning coiling like dragons within the thunderclouds. His eyes narrowed, not with fear, but with the burning curiosity of a scholar presented with a puzzle.

The path of cultivation was paved with trials, and the heavenly tribulations one faced were as varied as the stars. There was the Heavenly Gang Lightning Tribulation, the Taiyi Lightning Tribulation, the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning Tribulation, and the terrifying Ascension Immeasurable Tribulation.

However, when a Nascent Soul cultivator sought to break through to Soul Formation, the lightning would often be infused with True Fire of the Sun. This was the Yang Fire Lightning Tribulation—distinctive, violent, and unmistakable.

Beside him stood Piao Genshuo. The Celestial Zenith Holy Scion looked like he had swallowed a fly, his face etched with the sullen misery of a man who had bet his house on a losing horse.

Only upon hearing Tu Ruoxu’s analysis did Piao Genshuo perk up slightly. He craned his neck, peering toward the distant convergence of thunder.

Unfortunately, the epicenter was shrouded in layers of chaotic tribulation aura. The heavenly secrets within were a muddled mess; not even a shadow of the cultivator beneath the storm was visible.

“To think someone chose such a god-forsaken wilderness to undergo their Soul Formation Tribulation,” Piao Genshuo clicked his tongue, his mood shifting from depression to interest. “Could it be a Rogue Cultivator?”

He immediately decided to stay. He was currently in the Nascent Soul realm; sooner or later, he would have to face this very trial. Being able to watch someone else get struck by lightning was a prime opportunity to ‘eat melon’—to enjoy the drama while gaining valuable experience. It was killing two birds with one stone.

Tu Ruoxu evidently shared this sentiment. He stroked his chin, pondering aloud.

“Typically, disciples of major Sects choose to undergo tribulation within the safety of their own grounds. It guarantees no outside interference and allows Sect Elders to stand guard, drastically increasing the survival rate.”

“Yet this person deliberately chose this remote wasteland, with no Dharma Protectors in sight. It implies they are likely a Rogue Cultivator. Or…” Tu Ruoxu’s eyes flashed with a sharp, disdainful light. “They could be a Demonic Cultivator.”

“A Demonic Cultivator?” Piao Genshuo blinked.

“Precisely,” Tu Ruoxu explained with the confidence of an academic discussing the mating habits of insects. “The Demonic Sects are cesspools of corruption and selfishness. Scheming and deceit are their bread and butter. Even among fellow disciples, trust is non-existent.”

“Many Demonic Cultivators would rather face the heavens alone in a desolate grave than risk being stabbed in the back by their ‘brothers’ during their most vulnerable moment.”

Hearing this, Piao Genshuo’s face darkened. He ground his teeth, a fresh wave of anger washing over him.

“Those demonic scumbags are truly bottomless pits of depravity. Shameless! Conscienceless!”

He turned to his companion with a look of reverence. “Speaking of which, it is fortunate that Senior Brother Tu has eyes like torches, piercing through the fog to reveal the truth. Otherwise, I’d still be in the dark.”

Piao Genshuo clenched his fists. “That damned Big Qi is truly hateful. Not only did he swindle three Celestial Zenith Body Tempering Pills from me, but he also sweet-talked me out of my personal defensive Dharma Treasure, the Nine Luminaries Liluo Pendant! It’s… it’s just too detestable!”

Piao Genshuo’s presence here was a matter of pure coincidence.

Three months ago, he had made an appointment with a certain disciple of Falling Cloud Valley. When the deadline arrived, Piao Genshuo had rushed over, eager to find “Big Qi” and demand the return of his precious pendant.

Instead, the disciples of Falling Cloud Valley had informed him that “Big Qi” was gone.

Piao Genshuo had been dumbfounded. Even as a Holy Scion of a wealthy sect, losing a top-tier Dharma Treasure was enough to make his heart bleed.

What was worse was the attitude of the Falling Cloud Valley disciples. Relying on their new, powerful backer, they didn’t show a shred of fear toward the Celestial Zenith Holy Scion. They simply walled him off with the ‘Three Denials’ combo, delivered with the practiced apathy of a bureaucratic receptionist:

I don’t know. I’m not sure. Never heard of him.

Piao Genshuo had been so angry that smoke nearly poured from his seven orifices. He had raged, stomped his feet, and finally shouted his parting threat:

“You dare provoke this Celestial Zenith Holy Scion? You guys have… you have kicked cotton!”

After leaving behind this devastatingly “ruthless” remark—which essentially admitted he was too soft to do anything about it—he had fled Falling Cloud Valley with his tail between his legs.

He had no choice. Falling Cloud Valley was now under the protection of the Tai Xuan Holy Scion, Qi Yuan. The Headmaster’s daughter was Qi Yuan’s Dao Companion. Was he supposed to ruin the brotherhood between him and Qi Yuan over a mere Nine Luminaries Liluo Pendant?

Of course, Piao Genshuo would never admit—even if beaten to death—that he was actually terrified of Qi Yuan.

He wasn’t an idiot. He knew exactly who could be bullied and who was a walking calamity.

Qi Yuan looked gentle, refined, and polite on the surface. But underneath? The man was a brutal, vindictive nightmare.

Rumor had it that when Qi Yuan took revenge, he would summon the souls of his dead enemies just to kill them a second time. The mere thought made Piao Genshuo shudder.

Having clarified his priorities, Piao Genshuo had wisely chosen ‘harmony’ over ‘suicide.’ He had been on his way to the Drunken Joy Brothel in Reed River City to soothe his wounded soul with wine and women when he bumped into Tu Ruoxu, the Holy Scion of the Eternal Sacred Ground.

After Piao Genshuo poured out his grievances, Tu Ruoxu had listened intently and immediately delivered a shocking verdict:

Big Qi is also a spy of the Demonic Sect!

Piao Genshuo had been stunned. But as he thought about it, Tu Ruoxu’s reasoning seemed flawless. It explained every absurdity.

Falling Cloud Valley claimed that the Tai Xuan Holy Scion, Qi Yuan, had visited for an inspection and personally guided the operation to root out demonic spies. They had even hung a giant portrait of Qi Yuan on the main gate to celebrate.

But when Piao Genshuo arrived, Qi Yuan was nowhere to be seen. If Qi Yuan had been there, his presence would have been the talk of the valley.

This meant Qi Yuan had arrived after the incident.

But here was the problem: by the time Qi Yuan arrived, the demonic cultivator impersonating the Celestial Zenith Holy Scion had already been driven away, and the internal spy had supposedly been caught.

So why did Qi Yuan still need to guide a “spy clearing” operation?

Unless… there was still a spy hiding in the valley.

Combine this with Big Qi’s high-profile behavior, his suspicious movements, and his convenient disappearance right before the crackdown, and Tu Ruoxu had reconstructed the “truth”:

The mole exposed by Qi Yuan was none other than Big Qi!

As for why Big Qi would help take down his own comrade? Simple.

Demonic Cultivators had no loyalty. It was a dog-eat-dog world.

By staging a textbook case of “thieves robbing thieves,” Big Qi had not only solidified his cover but also made a fortune. The pills and the Nine Luminaries Liluo Pendant he had scammed from Piao Genshuo were just the tip of the iceberg.

If Big Qi had managed to hunt down and kill the injured fake Holy Scion later, his profits would have been astronomical.

“Incredible,” Piao Genshuo muttered, finally waking from his daze as he replayed Tu Ruoxu’s logic.

I didn’t expect the Demonic Sect to be this cunning. No wonder the Demonic Path is running rampant. We of the Righteous Path are simply too pure-hearted; we let our guard down and get eaten alive.

Thank goodness for people like Fellow Daoist Ruoxu and Fellow Daoist Qi Yuan. If the Righteous Path had a few more strategists like them, we’d be unstoppable.

Thinking of this, Piao Genshuo’s expression turned solemn.

“Senior Brother Tu, what should we do now?” he asked earnestly. “Should we go over and investigate? If this person really is a Demonic Cultivator, we can’t just stand by and watch them successfully undergo their tribulation, can we?”

Tu Ruoxu shook his head calmly, his gaze fixed on the storm.

“No. The tribulation cloud has fully formed. Approaching rashly now might trigger the heavenly tribulation to target us, risking our lives for nothing.”

“Moreover, we haven’t confirmed the identity of the person inside. Disturbing a tribulation is a taboo of the highest order; the slightest misstep creates an undying grudge. If it turns out to be an innocent Rogue Cultivator, wouldn’t we be the villains?”

He looked up at the roaring, apocalyptic sky, his eyes gleaming with calculation.

“In my opinion, it is best to wait and watch. Even if the person inside survives the lightning, they will need time to stabilize their realm. Their combat power will be at its lowest point immediately after ascension.”

Tu Ruoxu smiled, a confident, predatory curve of his lips.

“You and I are the prodigies of this era, the pride of our Sects. Are we afraid of someone who has merely just stepped into the Soul Formation realm?”