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

Chapter 219: No Room for Negotiation?

As Ji Chan’er reeled from the sudden, catastrophic news, Ji Yuntian’s expression turned incredibly grim.

“In his youth, the Ancestor practiced an extremely unorthodox and violent Cultivation technique—a forbidden method that permanently sacrificed lifespan in exchange for explosive bursts of power.”

“Although he abandoned that sinister art centuries ago, the massive lifespan deficit he incurred has haunted him ever since.”

Ji Yuntian’s face twisted with deep, lingering pain. “Originally, if he had just rested and recuperated naturally, the Ancestor could have lived for at least another five or six hundred years. But you know his pride. He is unyielding. He refused to sit back and watch his vitality wither away like a dying mortal. So, he chose to enter Secluded Cultivation, determined to forcefully break through to the peak of the Great Ascension realm before his physical state deteriorated any further.”

“He was so close… but he still fell short. Faced with total failure, the Ancestor made a desperate gamble. He burned his lifespan once again, forcefully dragging his Cultivation to the peak of Great Ascension.”

“But the cost was absolute. Instead of increasing his longevity, breaking through to the peak of Great Ascension actually reduced the pitiful amount of lifespan he had left.”

“For years, our Ji Clan has scoured the realm in secret, desperately searching for anything that could buy the Ancestor more time. Unfortunately, his Cultivation is simply too profound. Blood sacrifices, high-tier lifespan-extending Pills—their effects are microscopic on a body like his. Worse, his body has developed massive drug resistance. Almost all standard life-extending methods are completely useless now.”

Ji Yuntian let out a long, exhausted sigh. The weight of the clan’s impending doom was etched into every line of his face.

Recovering slightly from the shock, Ji Chan’er bit her lip. Her brow furrowed in deep anxiety. “Grandfather… what do we do now?”

The Saint Sect was a viper’s nest. The moment the other factions realized the Ji Clan had lost its Great Ascension Ancestor, the towering, unshakeable tree of the Ji Clan would instantly become a bleeding carcass thrown to a pack of starving wolves. One misstep, and the entire family would be slaughtered to the last child.

Yes, the clan had several elders at the Tribulation Crossing realm. But the power gap between Tribulation Crossing and Great Ascension was a chasm ten times wider than the gap between a mortal and a Foundation Building cultivator.

If the Great Ascension Ancestors of the Situ and Shen clans attacked, the Ji Clan wouldn’t even have the power to scream.

“What else can we do?” Ji Yuntian offered a bitter, hollow smile.

“We exhaust every resource, every favor, and every drop of blood we have to find a way to extend his life. We delay the inevitable for as long as humanly possible.”

“Simultaneously, we prepare for the apocalypse. We must ensure the Ji Clan’s core legacy survives when the Ancestor falls. That is why the Ancestor personally mandated this grand birthday banquet. The closer we are to the edge of the cliff, the louder we must roar. We have to project an image of absolute, terrifying strength to deter the vultures. If we show even a flicker of weakness, they will tear us apart.”

A bone-deep chill swept through Ji Chan’er. Her eyes stung with unshed tears.

She had never imagined that her clan, which appeared so invincible and prosperous on the surface, was actually a rotting house of cards. The sudden plunge from absolute security to the brink of annihilation made her chest ache with suffocating pressure.

Seeing her silence, Ji Yuntian shook his head. His gaze hardened.

“The Ancestor has confirmed that the Primordial Ruins are the legacy of a true Immortal. The Fated Chances hidden within are heaven-defying. By surrendering one-third of our key to the Sect Leader, you officially bought the Ji Clan a seat at the table.”

“Listen to me, Chan’er. I don’t care about supreme artifacts or ancient scriptures. The only thing that matters in those ruins is finding a supreme treasure capable of extending the Ancestor’s life.”

“Our hourglass is almost empty. The only way the Ji Clan survives this crisis is if Big Qi cracks the third puzzle within the year.”

Ji Chan’er took a deep, trembling breath. She looked her grandfather in the eye. “I will ask him to help us with everything he has. But if even he cannot solve it… then it is the will of Heaven. We will have to find another way.”

She stepped forward, her voice hardening. “But I need your absolute guarantee. Whether he succeeds or fails, you will not harbor any resentment toward Big Qi, and you will not touch a single hair on his head! If it weren’t for him, the first two puzzles would still be sealed, and we wouldn’t even have this tiny sliver of hope!”

Ji Yuntian blinked in surprise, staring at his fiercely protective granddaughter. A moment later, his expression smoothed into an unreadable mask, and he nodded. “Fine. I give you my word.”

Honestly, he was baffled by her intense devotion to a random Outer Sect Disciple, but he didn’t care enough to pry. His mind was entirely consumed by the clan’s survival. To him, Big Qi’s life or death was a trivial footnote. He only cared about the results.

His face darkened as he delivered one final, grave warning. “Chan’er, the Ancestor’s condition is an absolute, top-tier clan secret. Until today, only he and I knew. For the sake of operational security, even your father and your second uncle are completely in the dark.”

“The moment you step out of this pavilion, you will bury this truth in your soul. You will not breathe a single syllable of this to anyone—not even your own parents. If this leaks, the Ji Clan dies.”

“I understand,” Ji Chan’er nodded heavily. With a heart weighed down by an invisible mountain, she turned and left the pavilion.

……

Meanwhile.

The Nether Fiend Sect’s Outer Sect, Blood Refining Peak.

Cave Mansion Number One, Block A.

A flash of white light illuminated the dark room, and Qi Yuan materialized out of thin air.

He immediately swept his gaze across the cavern, checking his hidden wards. Confirming that his sanctuary hadn’t been breached, he let out a breath and relaxed his tense shoulders.

Having a terrifying, blood-soaked reputation definitely had its perks. At the very least, random idiots didn’t dare test his perimeter defenses, saving him a massive headache.

After a moment’s thought, he unclipped the Qiankun Bag from his belt and unceremoniously dumped its contents.

Thump!

A voluptuous, incredibly curvaceous body tumbled out and landed heavily on the soft beast-skin couch.

Suppressed by the spatial magic of the Qiankun Bag, Situ Yan was still deeply unconscious. Her long, thick eyelashes fluttered softly against her pale cheeks. With her luxurious silk robes thoroughly rumpled and disheveled from the kidnapping, she looked both incredibly pitiable and dangerously alluring.

Staring down at her, Qi Yuan’s expression turned deeply complicated.

Not that long ago, Shen Xingxuan, the noble daughter of the Shen Clan, had been tied up on this exact same couch. And now, through a series of completely absurd accidents, the eldest daughter of the Situ Clan was occupying the same spot…

Good lord.

In the span of a few days, he had managed to violently abduct two of the Demonic Sect’s four great beauties and dump them onto his bed.

And that wasn’t even counting the terrifying Ji Chan’er, who practically lived on this couch to “discuss the Dao” with him. If word of this got out, the collective jealousy of the Demonic Sect’s male population would instantly elevate him to public enemy number one.

Shaking his head to clear the ridiculous thoughts, Qi Yuan casually dispelled the binding ropes around Situ Yan’s wrists and erected a heavy, soundproof barrier around the room.

He pointed a finger at her forehead. A sharp streak of spiritual light shot out, sinking directly into her Sea of Consciousness and forcefully shattering her magical slumber.

A second later, Situ Yan let out a soft groan. She groggily fluttered her eyes open. Instinctively trying to stretch her stiff limbs, a sudden, bizarre wave of numbness washed over her body, forcing a soft gasp from her lips. “Mmm~”

“Good morning, True Disciple Situ.”

The calm, utterly deadpan male voice right next to her ear acted like a bucket of ice water. Situ Yan’s blood ran cold. The color instantly drained from her captivating face, leaving her as pale as a ghost.

As the memories of her disastrous banquet violently crashed back into her mind, she scrambled backward against the wall, staring at Qi Yuan with pure, unadulterated horror.

“Y-You!” she stammered, her voice shaking uncontrollably. “Big Qi! You aren’t at the Foundation Building realm at all! Who… who the hell are you?!”

Qi Yuan crossed his arms and leaned back, offering a lazy, highly cynical smirk. “True Disciple Situ, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t I the victim here?”

“You invite me to a ‘friendly’ banquet, only to secretly spike my food and wine with a paralyzing narcotic. If I didn’t have a few hidden trump cards, I’d be dead in a ditch right now thanks to your little scheme.”

He scoffed. “And now you have the nerve to play the victim and interrogate me? What kind of twisted logic is that?”

“You filthy lecher! Shut your mouth!”

The memory of how easily he had casually overpowered and handled her flooded her mind, turning her pale cheeks a furious, humiliated crimson. She glared at him, her eyes practically shooting daggers as she spat out a vicious threat.

“I was merely careless for a split second, allowing a despicable, shameless rat like you to get the drop on me! You had better release me this exact second and obediently surrender! If you kneel and beg, this seat might consider granting you a quick, dignified death!”

She bared her teeth, her voice dripping with thick, venomous killing intent. “But if you refuse, not only will I make you die screaming, but I will make that bitch Ji Chan’er pay a horrifying price for your stupidity!”

Qi Yuan’s smirk slowly widened. He let his gaze lazily drag over her perfectly proportioned, heaving curves before casually tossing a thin fur blanket over her lap.

“So,” Qi Yuan drawled, his voice utterly flat. “What True Disciple Situ is saying is… there’s no room for negotiation between us?”