Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

Chapter 1293: Chapter 978: How Can Anyone Be So Awesome?

"Protector, ever since I, Ma Yue, have followed you, I’ve carried out my tasks diligently and without hesitation.

You ordered the massacre of a city, and I didn’t spare even the infants in their swaddling clothes; you ordered silencing, and I killed even my comrades who went through life and death with me, and yet you’re still not satisfied? What does this mean? What exactly do you want to do?"

"Damn! Silencing? So, Ma Yue, my little brother died without a clear explanation because you did the dirty work for Qi Baijun and killed him?"

"Bah! We’ve all fallen into the path of evil, and the crow calls the pig black? We’re all the same; who hasn’t done dirty work for the Protector? If we brothers weren’t ruthless, we wouldn’t have been chosen to become Black Riders!"

"Qi Baijun has risen to power today because the Black Riders helped eliminate dissent? We should’ve seen through the act of crossing the river and dismantling the bridge long ago..."

.....

Initially, no one thought much of that net, fearing it was a test from the Protector, expecting a reversal later, so although they were angry, they didn’t dare show it.

But when someone attempted to free themselves from the net, only to fail, and found their own Spiritual Power restrained and powerless to escape, the sense of crisis erupted, and no one could maintain their composure.

From flattery to all sorts of favors, then to "heartfelt" pleading, questioning, and even furious cursing, it all ended in chaos, revealing numerous insider grudges within the Leisure Sect.

The change in everyone’s attitudes played out like a grand drama, Jiang Yuan watched coldly, observing the myriad behaviors.

"Ma Yue, you’ve made quite an impression on me." He strolled to the leader of the Black Riders, grabbed him, and began extracting his Lifespan, not forgetting to kill him with words, "When you see Qi Baijun later, make sure to ask him properly.

Three hundred years ago, who slaughtered your family, leaving you as a child, losing your parents, reduced to begging on the streets to survive.

From an exalted, beloved young master to a beggar, humiliated and scorned, leading to your psychological distortion, falling into the path of evil, finding joy in slaying the innocent."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yue even forgot his Spiritual Power and vitality were being taken away.

He stared wide-eyed at the stranger before him, squeezing out broken words from his throat, "You’re not... Qi Baijun! The one who slaughtered my clan all those years ago... it was, it was him!"

"Your background truly is pitiful." Jiang Yuan released him only after draining him to the brink, sighing, "But you shouldn’t fail to distinguish right from wrong.

Who harmed you, you go avenge against them.

Why turn your blade on innocent civilians? Just because they looked at you as they passed by, you felt disrespected; not looking at you, you felt they looked down on you.

Bah! It’s simply bullying the weak and fearing the strong!

You know the cultivator who slaughtered your entire clan was strong, from the core of your being you were afraid.

So even though your talent in cultivation is excellent, reaching achievements within a mere century, you dared not seek the killer. Instead, you used your misfortune as a reason for wantonly slaughtering innocents.

But what wrong did the innocents you slaughtered do? They didn’t even know you, why should they pay for your misfortunes?"

Jiang Yuan bent over to look at the trembling Ma Yue after being exposed, coldly saying, "I’ll give you a chance to avenge yourself, when you meet Qi Baijun, you can settle the grudges between you both."

With a click, he tossed the other into the Flame Sea instance, then turned to look at the next prey.

Witnessing Ma Yue’s fate, the Evil Cultivator swallowed hard, his voice hoarse, "I, I know I was wrong, I shouldn’t have been seduced into the path of evil..."

"No, you don’t know you were wrong, you just know you’re going to die." Jiang Yuan couldn’t be bothered with more words, he dragged him over and began absorbing.

[Special Task: Black Tortoise]

[Task 16: Demon Beast Yan Xuan clearing the Extreme North Secret Realm 6/10 completed. Reward: Divinity +70; Divine Bones +70 issued]

[Task 17: Demon Beast Yan Xuan clearing the Extreme North Secret Realm 7/10. Reward: Divinity +80; Divine Bones +80]

[Side Task: Qing Niao]

[Task 5: Help Qing Niao advance to the Golden Core Realm, completed. Reward: Building Upgrade Card +1 issued]

[Task 6: Help Qing Niao advance to the Nascent Soul Realm. Reward: Skill Upgrade Card +1]

While busy harvesting, new messages flashed continuously through his view.

Jiang Yuan saw Yan Xuan moving another step closer to Ascension, feeling pleased and just about to smile, but his smile vanished immediately seeing the following line—there was still an unused Upgrade Card for his sister!

This was a blunder, who knew the little girl wouldn’t rely on Elixirs, just battling and slaying on her own, Cultivating so rapidly!

[Expired Sister-exclusive Upgrade Card: For bonded contract sister Qing Niao, an Upgrade Card tool for Heartbeat Realm. Expired and invalid]

[Based on the current expired Upgrade Card corresponding realm, you can choose to consume ten million Spirit Stones to repair the Upgrade Card. Repair?]

[Note: An expired Upgrade Card may only be repaired once and can only be used under specific conditions for the target.

Condition one: Expiry time within twelve hours, already met; Condition two: Target realm below Soul Emergence Realm, already met

If choosing to repair, please use within twelve hours; if not repaired, the expired card can be canceled from storage space as a keepsake]

Jiang Yuan: ...

Good news: It can be remedied; bad news: It costs money.

Current account balance is sixty-four million Spirit Stones, it’s affordable but still feels like a waste.

"Forget it, consider it as spending money to avoid disaster." He snatched the Evil Cultivator’s Storage Bag, reassuring himself while thinking good items with "shelf-life" can’t be hoarded anymore!

Now with more pets, apprentices, guests and other relationships bound to the system, there are too many things to manage, limited energy, can’t always watch who’s leveling up or not.

If another Upgrade Card expires, spending money is painful; not spending money seems like a waste, better to just use it immediately when they arrive in hand.