Chapter 264: Chong Zhen, Right?
From the beginning, Li Muyang held a skeptical attitude toward the so-called doctrines of the Blood Lotus Cult.
In a world filled with cultivators, the claim to kill all cultivators and use such doctrines to brainwash the commoners into desperate struggles... such doctrines in a world where cultivators exist are almost no different from heresies.
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And after this group of Blood Lotus Cult followers gained power, the various phenomena within the sect were also not much different from those of ancient peasant uprisings in his previous life.
There was no core program, no clear objectives or planning, their slogans were shouted loudly, but their actual performance was merely for the sake of monetary gain and power.
Now that they had just gotten a firm footing, they had already started infighting and scrambling for power and profit.
Li Muyang shook his head and said to his two subordinates, "You guys keep watch; just let me know if there's any new information."
Having said that, Li Muyang walked straight into the back hall and closed his eyes to start playing the game.
As always, he no longer bothered with matters of punishment.
Li Muyang's reaction caused Bu Hongsheng and Liu Fu to fall into a slight silence.
The two exchanged glances and whispered, "Could our Flag Master have become disillusioned..."
"He hasn't attended to sect affairs for several days now..."
The two subordinates whispered among themselves, but Li Muyang didn't care about these things.
He closed his eyes and entered the game.
Shen Miao, dressed in white, saw the Emerald Blade Mantis stir and immediately flew over from a distance, exclaiming with enthusiasm, "I've already figured out how to deal with that Azure Dragon!"
"As long as we cooperate well this time, we can definitely succeed in slaying the Azure Dragon!"
Shen Miao was brimming with excitement.
Last night, the two had failed three times, but through their consecutive failures, their cooperation had gradually developed some tacit understanding.
This time, as the two stepped into the Azure Dragon's secret realm again, facing the Azure Dragon that controlled the heavenly lightning, the Emerald Blade Mantis and Shen Miao worked together, one in close combat and the other at range. They actually managed to reduce the Azure Dragon's health by half.
However, as soon as the Azure Dragon's health bar was depleted by half and it entered the Second Phase, Li Muyang and his partner were once again defeated by the Azure Dragon, whose power had surged, and were ejected from the Azure Dragon's secret realm.
In the ghost city shrouded in mist, Shen Miao sat atop the Mantis's head, disheartened and covered in dust, lamenting, "Why did we still fail..."
Li Muyang said, "You take a rest first; I'll come back later."
After each failure, it was necessary to purge the heavenly lightning from his body before beginning the next challenge.
Li Muyang took this opportunity to go to "Fatal Wild Grass" and do his daily routine in the Fourth Phase.
This endlessly long Fourth Phase, it was uncertain how long it would take to clear it.
Until now, the timeline within the Fourth Phase had already advanced twenty years.
Li Muyang had been accompanying Little Wild Grass on her adventures across the world but had yet to see an opportunity to clear the Fourth Phase.
Little Wild Grass was almost becoming a celestial being, surely they couldn't wait until the moment she ascended to immortality to clear the Fourth Phase?
Li Muyang switched games, entered "Fatal Wild Grass," and began his daily routine.
In the bamboo forest drenched by a torrential downpour, Little Wild Grass and Li Muyang sat under a tree to avoid the rain, laughing as they lit a charcoal fire, roasting two unfortunate bamboo rats they had caught.
"Speaking of bamboo rats, I suddenly remember someone I used to know..."
Li Muyang, watching the pitiful skinned bamboo rats on the fire, suddenly laughed out loud, finding the scene strangely familiar.
In his previous life, he had seen a similar scene in a video.
The downpour mixed with the cold wind blew in, the bamboo leaves in the forest fell and shook, making a rustling sound.
It was at this moment that Bu Hongsheng's anxious voice rang out in reality.
"Flag Master! It's terrible! Something awful has happened!"
Bu Hongsheng's call left Li Muyang quite surprised.
He exited the game and opened his eyes on the rattan chair.
"What happened?" Li Muyang asked curiously, "What now?"
Could it be that the group of insects had gone to lodge a complaint and it actually had an effect?
Impossible...
Although Li Muyang didn't think highly of the Sect Hierarch Fang Yingtian, in his view, this ambitious and unscrupulous character wouldn't be the fool who, when pressured by public opinion, would shift the blame onto his subordinates.
After all, Li Muyang had been doing Fang Yingtian's dirty work, and he had been working hard at it.
If Fang Yingtian couldn't withstand this kind of pressure from public opinion and easily disposed of Li Muyang, who would dare to work hard for him, the Sect Hierarch, in the future?
Li Muyang didn't trust Fang Yingtian's character, but he believed in the man's ambition and ability.
Bu Hongsheng then anxiously said, "The Sect Hierarch has sent someone to temporarily take back your official seal..."
After listening to Bu Hongsheng's narration, Li Muyang was slightly surprised.
Fang Yingtian was planning to send someone to retrieve Li Muyang's seal, seal the documents in the office, and have Li Muyang take a few days off.
The idea was to wait until they had checked the recent judicial documents for any cases of injustice, falsity, or errors before allowing Li Muyang to return.
"A very moderate means of dealing with the situation," Li Muyang shook his head, "It's just taking a break for a while, no big deal."
Li Muyang took an open-minded view of it.
Such a punishment was nothing more than a response to the loud clamor outside, the fierce public sentiment, so it was about having Li Muyang take a few days off to avoid the limelight.
It was a very standard way to handle things.
Although, in Li Muyang's opinion, at such times, they should severely deal with those hundreds of idiots clamoring for justice. Any punishment should start with settling scores with that group pushing for his resignation. Otherwise, what dignity is left if the leader of such a sect could be challenged so easily?
However, Fang Yingtian opted for a moderate response, and Li Muyang obediently left his post and went home.
He was actually rather pleased to have the downtime.
The Sect Hierarch's trusted followers who came to take back his seal were friendly towards Li Muyang, who also obediently handed over his seal and then went home to rest.
After returning to the courtyard of the City Lord's mansion, he instructed the maids to prepare a medicinal bath.
These Spiritual Medicines were provided by the Blood Lotus Sect, meant to unleash the potential of the Martial God Domineering Body, though their effects were becoming increasingly weaker.
But even a mosquito is still flesh.
Li Muyang contentedly stayed in the courtyard. He didn't even leave the house, settling into playing games and soaking in baths.
Finally, on the third day since he had been relieved of his duties, Li Muyang successfully killed the Azure Dragon, and together with an elated Shen Miao, they pulled down the Azure Dragon flag.
At that moment, the sound of something shattering seemed to echo through the foggy ghost city.
The now Second Phase Shen Miao was overjoyed.
"Brother-in-law! I knew we could do it!"
The girl ecstatically flung herself at him, hugging the massive mantis head and biting into it hard.
Li Muyang had a face full of black lines, feeling his head being nibbled on with a grating sound.
You little... Are you trying to kiss me, or are you trying to eat me? Gnawing so hard with your teeth, have you gone mad with hunger?
Li Muyang, with the girl still on his head, walked towards the next strategic point.
But just then, a group of people barged into his small courtyard, rudely bursting through the door and into Li Muyang's bathhouse.
Li Muyang, soaking in the Medicine Pool, opened his eyes and looked in surprise at the group of fully armed Cultivators in front of him.
The leader, with an indifferent face, held out a verdict personally signed by Fang Yingtian, and said.
"Li Muyang, the charges of abuse of punishment and persecution of sect members have been conclusively proven!"
"Please come with us! Should you resist, we shall show no mercy!"
Li Muyang, soaking in the Medicine Pool, was stunned by this news.
"Conclusive evidence?"
Staring at the group of the Sect Hierarch's confidants, Li Muyang remained dazed for a good while, then suddenly let out a carefree laugh.
Damn... I've truly met a Chong Zhen.