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

Chapter 192: Damn, This Is Aimed at Me!

The moment Qi Yuan stepped into the inner hall, a thick, coppery stench of blood assaulted his senses.

Startled, he looked up and froze.

The floor was littered with corpses. Or rather, pieces of corpses. The bodies had been evenly diced into uniform chunks and scattered across the room in a grotesque mosaic of gore.

Based on the tattered remains of their clothing, most were servants, but one figure stood out. The robes, now reduced to bloody ribbons, belonged to a sect elder.

It was Elder Geng.

What the hell happened? How did everyone die?

Qi Yuan stood dumbfounded amidst the freshly minted slaughterhouse.

Before teleporting here, he had imagined countless scenarios—an interrogation, a battle, a trap. But this? This was explosive.

Elder Geng had summoned him mere minutes ago. Now, the man was dead, and Qi Yuan was the first person at the scene. No matter how you looked at it, the timing was terrifyingly convenient.

Is this… a trap set specifically for me?

A cold chill ran down his spine. Qi Yuan immediately summoned the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls from his storage bracelet, his fingers flying through hand seals to cast the Soul-Snatching Art.

Whoosh.

A gust of Yin wind swept through the hall, but… nothing happened. Not a single wisp of soul essence rose from the gore. The hall was spiritually sterile, as if no one had died here at all.

The souls were extracted.

Qi Yuan took a deep breath, his gaze turning grave. He stepped toward the remains, hoping to find a clue about the real killer before the situation spiraled out of control.

“AAAAHHH! ELDER GENG HAS BEEN MURDERED!”

A terrified scream erupted from behind him.

Qi Yuan stiffened. He turned slowly to see several guards in Outer Sect Disciple uniforms staring at him with eyes wide with horror. They scrambled backward, tripping over their own feet, and fled toward the courtyard, screaming their lungs out.

“This…”

Qi Yuan looked down at the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls in his hand—a demonic artifact radiating evil energy.

Crap.

They definitely think I did it.

His reputation in the Outer Sect was already trash—a murderous, clan-exterminating psychopath. If he added “killing a Nascent Soul Elder” to his rap sheet, he was finished.

Qi Yuan didn’t dare hesitate. He shoved the banner back into his storage space and vanished in a streak of light, flying straight toward the Enforcement Hall.

Since he wasn’t the murderer, he had nothing to be guilty about. The best move was to report the crime himself before the rumors solidified.

I just hope the Demon Sect’s police force is proficient enough to clear my name. Otherwise, my career in the Outer Sect is over.

…

Arriving at the Outer Sect Enforcement Hall, Qi Yuan grabbed the first disciple he saw.

“Senior Brother, excuse me. Who should I speak to if I want to report a murder?”

The disciple frowned, scanning Qi Yuan with impatience. “Who are you? Why do you want to report a case?”

“Uh… I am ‘Big Qi’ (Qi Da), a newly promoted Outer Sect Disciple.”

“WHAT?!”

The disciple’s face froze. His eyes bulged, and he shuddered violently as if he were staring at a ghost.

“You… you are Big Qi?!”

“Hm? Senior Brother knows me?” Qi Yuan looked puzzled, then smiled. “That’s excellent. Makes things easier. Not long ago, Elder Geng of Blood Refining Peak was killed. As a law-abiding disciple of the Saint Sect, it is my duty to report this tragedy. Please, point me to the person in charge.”

Elder Geng is dead?

The disciple’s face turned deathly pale. His lips trembled uncontrollably.

“Ah? So… so Big… Lord Qi… you want to turn yourself in…”

“I want to REPORT a case, not TURN MYSELF IN!” Qi Yuan interrupted, his patience snapping.

Are you deaf? Turn myself in? I think your whole family wants to turn themselves in!

Seeing Qi Yuan’s irritation, the disciple looked ready to faint. His face flushed red as he pointed a trembling finger toward the inner sanctum.

“Lord… Lord Qi… over there… that is Elder Zhao’s office. If you want to turn… uh, report a case, you should find him.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

Qi Yuan replied indifferently and strode toward the depths of the hall, too annoyed to argue.

Only after Qi Yuan disappeared did the disciple collapse against a pillar. He gasped for air, then ran to his colleagues, eyes shining with gossip.

“Big news! Huge news! The Fiend of Blood Refining Peak has struck again!”

“What?” His companion stared. “You mean… Big Qi? Who did he butcher this time?”

The disciple lowered his voice, trembling with a mix of fear and excitement.

“You’re underestimating the Demon King. He didn’t kill a disciple. He killed a Deacon Elder! Elder Geng of Blood Refining Peak is dead!”

“Holy sh*t!”

The surrounding disciples gasped, sucking in cold air.

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

“Big Qi is strong, but he’s only at the Foundation Building stage! Elder Geng just broke through to Nascent Soul! How can a Foundation Building cultivator kill a Nascent Soul expert? That’s a gap of two major realms!”

“If this is true… he’s a monster. A heaven-defying monster!”

One disciple raised a logical question. “If he killed the Elder, why did he come to the Enforcement Hall?”

The witness swallowed hard, his voice solemn.

“He said he wanted to turn himself in!”

The crowd erupted.

“Too arrogant! This is too arrogant! He kills an Elder and then marches into the Enforcement Hall to provoke us? He is trampling on our dignity!”

“He must be executed! If we let this slide, who will respect the law?!”

“Don’t worry. He went to see Elder Zhao. Elder Zhao has the worst temper in the sect. He hates provocation. That kid is dead meat!”

…

Within minutes, the rumor mill spun out of control. The story mutated from “Qi Yuan reporting a crime” to “Qi Yuan presenting the head of an Elder as a trophy.”

Meanwhile.

In the private chambers of Elder Zhao, Head of the Outer Sect Enforcement Hall.

Qi Yuan stood in the center of the room, his face a kaleidoscope of emotions.

Damn.

This is definitely aimed at me.

Before him lay another scene of carnage. Blood, gore, silence. Elder Zhao was dead.

Two times in a row. Everywhere he went, people died before he could even say hello. This wasn’t a coincidence; it was a frame-up of epic proportions.

Who is doing this? Who is orchestrating this shadow play?

Just as he was lost in thought, Qi Yuan sensed a disturbance. His expression sharpened, and he turned his gaze toward a dark corner of the room.

“Who’s there?”

Ripple.

The shadows in the corner distorted like water, revealing a graceful, slender figure hiding within the darkness.

Qi Yuan’s eyes widened as the figure stepped into the light.

Wow.

A blonde.