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

What do I do?

Han Lie’s composure shattered. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird, and panic clawed at his throat. He frantically cycled through potential countermeasures, but his mind came up blank.

He couldn’t fight. Neither the man nor the woman before him was someone his current Foundation Building body could handle. A head-on collision would mean instant death.

Worse, he had been caught red-handed. The hall was filled with fresh corpses and blood arrays. The evidence was as solid as a mountain; there was no room to lie his way out of this.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but on the surface, he forced himself to appear resigned, stalling for precious seconds.

“I admit it. My sins are grave, and this tribulation is deserved. However…” Han Lie sighed deeply, his expression one of tragic acceptance. “There is one thing I do not understand. If I don’t hear the answer, I won’t be able to close my eyes even in death.”

Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. “Let’s hear it.”

Han Lie took a deep breath, his voice trembling with genuine confusion.

“I was extremely cautious. I erased every trace, masked every aura. After all the twists and turns, I am hundreds of thousands of miles away from the Abyssal Sanctuary. How did you find me so easily?”

This was the one thing he couldn’t reconcile. In his previous life, he was either killing or fleeing; his stealth techniques were master-class. Even when hunted by the Seven Great Sanctuaries, he had always slipped away.

But since his rebirth, it was as if he had offended the Heavens themselves. He had fallen into two inexplicable, desperate situations back-to-back.

First, he retrieved his bonded weapon, only to have it snatched by a demonic enchantress who tortured him without rhyme or reason.

He had barely survived that, and before he could even begin his grand plan to dominate the world, he was facing certain death again.

Did the Heavens give me a chance to borrow a corpse and return to life just to speedrun my death?

Just thinking about it made Han Lie want to vomit blood.

“Excellent question.”

Qi Yuan smiled, his expression radiating righteousness. With a casual wave of his hand, he pulled an indigo-blue longsword from his storage space.

“The answer is simple. After receiving a thorough ‘education’ from this Holy Scion, this demonic sword has seen the light. It deeply regrets its past atrocities and wishes to turn over a new leaf.”

Qi Yuan patted the blade. “Therefore, it decided to step forward and atone for its crimes. It volunteered to assist me in capturing you—its accomplice and former master—so that you may face the judgment of justice!”

As he spoke, the Abyssal Condensation Sword hovered obediently at his side, its tip pointed steadily at the dumbfounded Han Lie. It looked like a model citizen of the weapon world.

Qin Lingxue, standing nearby, stared at the sword in shock. “Fellow Daoist Qi… where did you get that sword?”

Qi Yuan rubbed his nose nonchalantly. “Found it on the road.”

“Found it?”

Qin Lingxue’s lips parted slightly. She clearly didn’t believe him, but since he was actively eliminating evil, she held her tongue. Besides, the sword no longer had ties to the Abyssal Sanctuary; it wasn’t her place to pry.

Han Lie, however, looked as if his world view had collapsed.

What… what is this?

The Abyssal Condensation Sword? The peerless demon weapon that drank the blood of millions? It wants to ‘reform’ and become a righteous sword?

“Old friend…” Han Lie swallowed hard, trying to keep his voice steady. “Did you really betray me?”

The sword trembled slightly, then issued a sullen, muffled voice.

“Bah! Who are you calling ‘old friend’? Master Qi said—I mean, I said—this isn’t betrayal. It’s called ‘Making Amends through Meritorious Service.’ Do you understand?”

Qin Lingxue jumped. “The sword can speak?!”

Her own Abyssal Frost Sword was spiritual, but it could only communicate via vague emotions in her mind. She had never heard a weapon articulate clear sentences like a human.

Can swords become spirits?

Qi Yuan chuckled dryly. He glanced at the floating blade. “It seems he still hasn’t accepted reality. Go give him a stab to sober him up.”

“You got it, Boss!”

Whoosh!

The Abyssal Condensation Sword shot forward with blinding speed. It pierced straight through Han Lie’s thigh, exiting the other side.

“Hiss—!”

Han Lie sucked in a cold breath, clutching his leg as he stumbled back. Fresh blood gushed from the wound, but his face held more shock than pain.

“Abyssal Condensation! Have you gone mad?!”

Then, his eyes widened further. He stared at the blade, then at his wound.

“You… why aren’t you drinking the blood?”

Han Lie knew this sword better than anyone. It was a gluttonous monster. It was never happy without blood. Even as its master, he had to feed it his own essence blood regularly to keep it from devouring him.

But just now, it had tasted his blood and… spat it out? It was like it had become a different sword entirely.

The sword hovered in the air, silent for a moment, before speaking slowly and piously.

“I told you. I am now a Sword of Justice. Unless Master Qi gives the order, I will absolutely not drink blood without permission.”

As it spoke, the sword seemed to weep invisible tears.

If you knew what I’ve been through these past few days, you’d cry too.

That human… that thing… he called himself righteous, but he was a hundred times more evil than any demon.

Using “scientific experiments” as an excuse, he had used a peerless demon sword to chop earthworms and mosquitoes. That was humiliating, but bearable.

Forcing a sword to eat “Blood Replenishing Pills” meant for humans? That was weird.

But the breaking point—the absolute nadir of its existence—was when that lunatic heard the saying, “One drop of male essence is worth ten drops of blood.”

He had dragged the sword to a brothel, threatening to test that theory with “physical materials” if the sword didn’t behave.

If the sword hadn’t threatened to snap itself in half to commit suicide, it might have actually been dipped in… something unspeakable.

Please, the sword thought desperately, eyeing Qin Lingxue. Please take me back to the Abyssal Sanctuary. Put me in the Sword Pool. It’s cold and lonely, but at least my integrity won’t be at risk…

On the other side of the room, Han Lie felt a chill shoot from his heels to his skull.

He looked at the trembling sword, then at the smiling young man.

What kind of torture did he inflict to break a demon sword like this?

Han Lie’s gaze toward Qi Yuan shifted. The arrogance vanished, replaced by a deep, terrified respect.

What ‘Righteous Holy Scion’? This kid is clearly a devil more terrifying than the sword itself.

Han Lie took a deep breath. He realized he couldn’t trick this man. He had to offer real value.

“Brother,” Han Lie said, his voice solemn. “To tame the Abyssal Condensation Sword to this extent… Han is truly impressed.”

He straightened his posture, ignoring the bleeding leg.

“Since we are both… unconventional practitioners, I won’t hide it anymore. If you can spare my life, I am willing to swear a Heavenly Dao Oath to serve you as my Master for the rest of my life.”

Han Lie paused for effect, dropping the bombshell.

“To be honest, in my previous life, I was a cultivator at the Tribulation Crossing Realm. My Daoist title was the Slaughtering Daoist. I was somewhat famous in the cultivation world.”

“As long as you give me time, I will return to my peak. I can be your greatest weapon in dominating the world!”

“Furthermore, I possess a top-tier inheritance that leads directly to the Immortal Dao—the Blood Asura Scripture. Combined with the Abyssal Condensation Sword, its power is unrivaled. Killing enemies across cultivation realms is child’s play…”

What?!

Qin Lingxue’s face went pale.

Even Qi Yuan blinked in surprise.

He knew the guy’s name was Han Lie. He didn’t know Han Lie was that guy.

Years ago, the Slaughtering Daoist had rampaged through the world. But because he was paranoid and had too many enemies, almost no one knew his real name. Tens of thousands of years later, that information was lost to history.

But Qi Yuan remembered something.

Just recently, the Holy Scions of the Boundless and Eternal Sanctuaries had invited him to explore a secret realm… the Cave Dwelling of the Slaughtering Daoist.

Isn’t this a little too coincidental?