Chapter 840 Big Appetite
"I can handle this for Mr. Jiang. All my personal assets can be transferred to Mr. Jiang. I can go with Mr. Jiang to see a lawyer now and have him complete all the formalities. All the assets under my name will be transferred to Mr. Jiang."
"Of course, there are also my savings, the total of which definitely exceeds two hundred billion US dollars!"
Yamaguchi Hiroichi immediately understood Jiang Bai's words, gritted his teeth, and said this.
He has lost his son, his wife died young, and he doesn't care about having lovers or anything like that.
In his eyes, the most important thing now is his own life.
What does it matter if you lose some property to save your life?
These things are things you can't take with you when you die; giving them to Jiang Bai in exchange for his life is definitely a worthwhile deal.
He can earn the money back, even though he's getting old and can't return to his former peak. But with his abilities, he's confident that getting some money isn't a problem.
"Two hundred billion? That's a bit low, isn't it? I heard you know there's much more than that, Mr. Yamaguchi. That's not very honest of you."
"I thought you were a smart person, but I didn't expect you to be someone who would risk your life for money?"
Standing there, looking around at the ruins, Jiang Bai lit a cigarette, then squatted down. After thinking for a moment, he tossed one to Yamaguchi, lit it for him, and told him to take a couple of puffs and think it over.
"Um, it's not that I'm risking my life for money, it's just... it's just..."
Upon hearing this, Yamaguchi became somewhat conflicted, gave a wry smile, and uttered this dry remark.
"Just what?"
Jiang Bai actually knew what the other party meant, but he still asked the question anyway.
"This money is not mine. As you know, the assets under my name are not small at all. The total assets, both overt and covert, may not be less than your Empire Enterprise, and may even be slightly stronger."
"But this money isn't mine!"
"I am just an agent, a manager. I am the representative manager of the entire Yamato and all secular factions."
"These assets are too numerous to count. They include dozens of sects and families such as Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, Koga Ninja Village, Iga Ninja Village, Kaze-nin, Ma-nin, Itto-ryu, Shuang-tō-ryu, Miyamoto family, Musashi family, etc., encompassing all the powerful sects of the secular faction. These are all assets that I manage on their behalf."
"Although I manage this money and it's in my name, if it's touched..."
Yamaguchi Hiroichi didn't say much more after that, but his meaning was clear: he couldn't touch the money, nor did he dare to touch it.
If he makes a move, Jiang Bai might spare his life, but... what will the others think? What will they do? The outcome is self-evident.
If Yamaguchi Hiroichi dared to hand over all that wealth to Jiang Bai, he would still be doomed.
"Is that so? I don't want your fixed assets in Yamato, so what's the rush? I just want all your cash. How much cash can you prepare right now? Give it all to me. Of course, you also need to give me all the assets under your name."
Jiang Bai made this noncommittal remark.
He only wants cash. As for fixed assets and company shares, Jiang Bai isn't stupid; why would he need those?
Even if we get our hands on it, what good will it do?
These things are all in Yamato, belonging to those secular sects and aristocratic families. If you forcibly seize them, they will definitely retaliate.
I am too far away to help.
"Wait, what I said just now was a bit thoughtless. I want all of these things, I want to swallow them whole. As for those people you mentioned, don't worry, I'm not leaving. I'll just visit them one by one."
"I'd love to see which of these people would refuse my terms!"
Before Yamaguchi Hiroichi could answer his question, Jiang Bai changed his mind. His expression shifted, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, he uttered these words.
There are some people in China who don't want Jiang Bai to go back during the event. It's not because they dislike Jiang Bai, but because they're afraid that Jiang Bai, this troublemaker, will cause some trouble there.
Because during the event, many foreign guests will be present, including some important figures, and of course, some lousy guys as well.
If these people were to have any conflict with Jiang Bai, the outcome would be obvious: Jiang Bai would absolutely not let them get away with it, and at that point, some international conflict would be inevitable.
This was a scene that no one wanted to see, which is why someone spoke up and told Jiang Bai to stay outside for the time being.
Since he couldn't go back, Jiang Bai decided not to leave.
After such a huge incident in Yamato, with so many people attacking him, he only killed a few of the ringleaders and didn't bother their foundations. This is not Jiang Bai's style.
Jiang Bai is going to visit the Miyamoto family, the Yagyu family, the Koga family, the Iga family, and the Satokono family, one by one.
Since we've already visited them all, it would be reasonable to also pay a visit to some secular masters along the way.
As for why we visited them, that's simple.
If they know what's good for them and go to visit him after he swallowed Yamaguchi Hiroichi, they'll give him some face. Jiang Bai will tolerate this and won't make things difficult for them.
If they don't give him face, Jiang Bai won't mind if one or two sects disappear from the Great Kingdom.
As for whether there would be any follow-up troubles, Jiang Bai wasn't too worried.
Experts aren't as common as cabbages; those at the mid-level are already few and far between.
Of all the ice burial coffins in the Nangong family, there are probably only a handful of them at the mid-star level.
However, after this battle, fewer than four or five mid-level stars would probably not dare to fight me.
There are indeed more powerful experts on the Yamato side, but it's estimated that they can't act easily. As long as Jiang Bai doesn't uproot several major forces while causing trouble, the other side shouldn't act recklessly.
Moreover, Jiang Bai is now a nouveau riche. He previously had over 100,000 prestige points, and today he plundered over 300,000 more. He also has 200,000 more from the mission rewards, bringing his total prestige to nearly 700,000. There are just too many things he can do.
With these prestige points as a foundation, Jiang Bai was full of confidence. Moreover, after the Yamaguchi Hiroichi incident was over, Jiang Bai would also gain some prestige.
With these safeguards in place, Jiang Bai gained confidence and assurance.
He's no longer satisfied with just getting a tiny bit of meat, like a mosquito; he wants to swallow Yamaguchi Hiroichi whole. If swallowing him can help him complete his main quest, that would be perfect.
Chapter 841 Going Down a Path to Darkness
It was because Jiang Bai had thought of all this that he changed his words and said something that left Yamaguchi Hiroichi somewhat bewildered.
After staring blankly at Jiang Bai for a long while, Yamaguchi Hiroichi nodded blankly: "Don't worry, sir. If you can visit these people one by one, I will help you with all your assets and guarantee that they will be transferred to your name in the shortest possible time."
In fact, he has no other choice now.
Now that his life is in Jiang Bai's hands, what room does Yamaguchi Hiroichi have to struggle?
"That's more like it. You should contact your lawyer and CFO. Hmm, it would be best to find some notaries or something. I'll also send someone from Imperial Enterprises to help us complete this acquisition. Of course, let's make this acquisition based on Mr. Yamaguchi's gratuitous donation."
Jiang Bai chuckled and said this.
Ignoring the bitter-faced Hiroichi Yamaguchi, she then took him away from his home and settled him in a nearby hotel.
They booked an entire floor and had Hisumura and her people move in, while sealing off Yamaguchi's cultivation and having Hisumura and her people guard him.
These alluring ninjas weren't all experts in bedroom arts; they also possessed considerable strength, otherwise they could be considered ninjas.
Although the remaining number of people is small, it is not a problem to handle these small matters.
More importantly, after this battle, people outside are now terrified of Jiang Bai, and many people are fleeing today.
Jiang Bai's actions will surely spread through their mouths, and it's estimated that no one will dare to lay a hand on Jiang Bai for a short time.
In fact, Jiang Bai's thoughts were entirely correct.
Those experts who scattered and fled, those who had narrowly escaped his clutches, immediately transformed into birds and beasts and left Xijing.
Not only them, but even the experts from other forces who were not involved in this matter instantly mobilized all of Xijing's resources upon receiving the news.
Four legendary masters, several peerless masters, and a bunch of top-tier masters were all killed by Jiang Bai single-handedly within a few hours, without him sustaining any injuries.
This shocked numerous sects and forces, causing tremors throughout Japan, China, and the underworld.
Some people who had been secretly plotting against Jiang Bai suddenly backed down, and some local sects in Dahe were now terrified of him.
Xijing, the most prosperous city in Yamato, suddenly found itself without a single expert because of Jiang Bai.
With him in charge, it won't be a problem for Himura and her group of alluring ninjas to keep an eye on one person.
Besides Himura and the others, Erika and her daughter are also here.
Jiang Bai arranged for them all to stay by his side, and now there was no safer place in the entire Dahe than by his side.
After completing all these arrangements, Jiang Bai called back home and asked Yao Lan to organize personnel to come and take over several conglomerates under Yamaguchi Hiroaki.
Yao Lan was stunned for a long time after hearing this, before she made the arrangements. However, she couldn't help but ask Jiang Bai what he had done.
Because those conglomerates are extremely famous in Japan and have an excellent reputation and great strength in the world. Jiang Bai didn't bring a penny with him and had only been gone for a little over a week. Now he's asking her to send people over to take over those conglomerates.
If Yao Lan could remain calm, that would be truly bizarre.
It was only because she had been with Jiang Bai for a long time and had seen so many surprising things that she was able to hold back until the very end to ask; otherwise, she probably would have lost her temper immediately.
With Jiang Bai's arrangement, the finance officer of the Empire Corporation arrived that afternoon with a large group of people, including personnel from several of the world's most famous law firms and notary offices, totaling over a hundred people.
Meanwhile, Hiroichi Yamaguchi had also organized a team of no less than a hundred people, all of whom stayed at the hotel where Jiang Bai was staying, to begin the handover work of several conglomerate companies.
These conglomerates are all under Yamaguchi's name. Although they belong to several or even dozens of owners, they are nominally all under Yamaguchi's name. With him here, the handover is naturally simple and easy.
As for how to handle the aftermath and how to resolve the matter, that's not a problem for Yamaguchi Hiroichi to consider, but rather for Jiang Bai.
Jiang Bai had already clearly promised Yamaguchi Hiroichi to spare his life. After all the contributions Yamaguchi had made, Jiang Bai couldn't just let him die. Going back on his word wasn't Jiang Bai's style.
He's a man of his word; once he's promised something, he'll definitely do it.
Moreover, most of these industries are located within the territory of Yamato. Jiang Bai could not enjoy them in peace unless he had dealt with all these secular sects.
Therefore, he will definitely handle this matter.
Jiang Bai knew this, and Yamaguchi knew it too, which is why the transaction went so smoothly.
During this time, the Yamato government also sent personnel to meet with Yamaguchi. The implication was clear: they were asking Yamaguchi if he had been threatened.
After all, these are several major corporate conglomerates, and suddenly they've been transferred to the hands of Jiang Bai, a Chinese man. It would be strange if the government didn't intervene.
It's like if Jiang Bai's Empire Enterprise, Zhao Wuji's Wuji Enterprise, etc., were suddenly transferred to the hands of a Japanese person, and even given away for free, then the local government... no, the Chinese government, would definitely send someone to inquire.
It would be strange if there weren't any ghosts in there.
However, Hirokazu Yamaguchi vehemently denied the matter, not only refusing the other party's kind inquiry but also verbally abusing them.
Tell them that their son died unexpectedly, that they have no hope left, and that they admire Jiang Bai's character and ability, so they feel that transferring everything under their name to Jiang Bai is the best choice, and tell them not to meddle.
The government was speechless and contacted Yamaguchi twice more, but Yamaguchi scolded them both times.
Unfortunately, they are a typical small government and have no right to interfere in this matter. In the end, although they were not entirely willing to accept it, they could only watch helplessly from the sidelines, unable to do anything about it.
During this process, many people who received the information also subtly hinted at things to Yamaguchi through hotel staff, such as the consequences of his actions or how Jiang Bai would deal with him if he obtained these things.
However, Yamaguchi completely ignored these things, as if he was determined to do things for Jiang Bai, which surprised Jiang Bai quite a bit.
Then he realized that things had come to this point and Yamaguchi didn't have many options left. If he backed down now, Jiang Bai wouldn't let him go, and neither would anyone else. Rather than that, he might as well follow Jiang Bai to the bitter end and perhaps he could survive.
Chapter 842 The Ultimate Lottery
While they were dealing with these matters at the mountain pass, Jiang Bai was not idle either.
As the incident at Yamaguchi escalated, Jiang Bai naturally gained prestige as well, not a lot, just a full 80,000.
Although Yamaguchi is skilled in many areas, he is far inferior to a true master.
However, his influence and status were extraordinary, and even if Jiang Bai didn't kill him, he still gained considerable prestige.
With so much prestige, Jiang Bai was bound to do something.
You have to understand that he currently has a whopping 750,000 idle prestige points, and Jiang Bai would be unwilling to give them up if he didn't use them.
Just like bank deposits, the more you save, the less you have. So when you have money, you should naturally invest it to make money work for you. That's the wisest choice.
But just as he gained these prestige and rewards, things suddenly changed a little.
Because the system's voice sounded prematurely, just as Jiang Bai was about to communicate with it.
"Young man, you've accumulated a million prestige points! Are you trembling with happiness? Congratulations, you've won a grand prize draw!"
"Do you wish to use this ultimate grand prize draw?"
After a moment of stunned silence, Jiang Bai realized that he had unknowingly accumulated a million points of prestige.
I vaguely remember how I forced myself to act cool for the sake of a little bit of prestige, and now it seems a bit ridiculous.
Unbeknownst to me, how long has it been since I first noticed this much?
Jiang Bai used to think that accumulating a thousand or so points was a huge sum of money, but now... he doesn't care about it at all.
Indeed, initial accumulation is the most difficult. Look at it now, if Jiang Bai wanted a thousand or two thousand points of prestige, it would be as simple as one plus one.
It's truly a past I'd rather not recall.
"The ultimate grand prize draw? What's that?" Jiang Bai couldn't help but ask, then felt like slapping himself.
Isn't this just stating the obvious?
The ultimate grand prize draw, and it's still a prize draw!
It's just that the stuff they extract is of better quality.
Asking those questions was utterly pointless.
"That's simple. The ultimate lottery is still a lottery, but it will provide the host with some very, very, very good things. Of course, whether they suit your taste depends on your own wishes."
"But trust me, young man, this is a grand lottery event that costs one million reputation points to participate in!"
"You need to accumulate one million reputation points to get one chance to win a prize."
"Hmm, I should have reminded you when you exceeded the time limit, but I was busy with the system and forgot. Fortunately, it wasn't by much. I just remembered now. You can choose your lottery now, young man!"
The system's voice rang out, and as Jiang Bai had expected, it spoke fluently and incessantly, rendering his previous questions meaningless.
"Okay, let's draw a prize!"
Jiang Bai's strength comes from the system, or more accurately, from the system's lottery system; very little of it was actually obtained through exchanging prestige points.
Jiang Bai discovered that everything was ridiculously expensive when he used prestige points to buy things; the system was simply an unacceptable profiteer.
It's still more cost-effective to use a lottery.
Although lotteries are risky and should be used with caution, Jiang Bai still chooses to participate in lotteries most of the time when he has prestige.
This time is no exception.
Even if it weren't a gift, and Jiang Bai were given a solid million prestige points, he would probably still choose to participate in the lottery rather than use those prestige points to buy something.
"Your wish will be granted, young man!"
As soon as Jiang Bai finished speaking, the system's voice rang out, and the next second, the familiar roulette wheel in front of Jiang Bai reappeared. It was still the same huge roulette wheel, appearing in front of Jiang Bai.
The roulette wheel has six colorful squares arranged in an orderly fashion.
Jiang Bai then observed it carefully.
If it were a high-level lottery, Jiang Bai probably wouldn't take it this seriously now, because he's gotten used to these kinds of lotteries and feels that everything is predetermined, so whether he cares or not doesn't really matter.
More importantly, the high-level lottery only costs 100,000 prestige points. With Jiang Bai's current collection speed, even if he does nothing, his fixed income alone is enough for him to participate in a high-level lottery once or twice.
Regardless of the outcome, it won't have a significant impact on him.
However, this was Jiang Bai's first time experiencing the ultimate grand lottery, which cost one million prestige points to participate in.
Jiang Bai had no choice but to take it seriously.
Upon closer inspection, the first square depicts a martial arts technique, inscribed with "True Tathagata Palm".
Below is a more detailed introduction, which is roughly about the true methods of ancient martial arts practitioners, the legendary martial arts of Buddha, and the immense power that comes with cultivation.
Jiang Bai immediately rejected it. He was joking; he didn't lack such things. His current martial arts skills were sufficient, and there was no need to bite off more than he could chew.
Jiang Bai was planning to exchange for the "Demon Dragon Suppressing Prison Technique". According to what he learned from the system, the complete "Demon Dragon Suppressing Prison Technique" is all-encompassing, including leg techniques, palm techniques, fist techniques, claw techniques, and knife techniques, etc.
Each and every one of them is incredibly powerful and all-encompassing. What use would Jiang Bai have for a "True Tathagata Palm" now?
Jiang Bai felt it was a waste to use a high-level lottery on something like this.
The second grand prize draw surprised Jiang Bai.
The fact that it said "one alien civilization mothership" really stunned Jiang Bai.
This document contains a detailed description. This object belongs to an interstellar mothership of an advanced civilization in the vast universe. It not only possesses technological means that surpass our current capabilities but also extremely powerful attack methods.
Leaving aside the terrifying attack power to destroy a planet, Jiang Bai felt that sweeping across the world was a piece of cake, after all, it far surpassed current technological means.
This made Jiang Bai's heart flutter.
If he had this, wouldn't prestige and wealth flow into Jiang Bai's hands like a torrent?
Seeing this, Jiang Bai realized that the ultimate grand prize draw truly lived up to its reputation.
Jiang Bai was extremely envious of this.
I just don't know if I'll be lucky enough to get my hands on this.
After staring at it for a long time, Jiang Bai finally gave up his envious look and continued reading.
The third prize draw was quite interesting; it involved a superpower: spatial teleportation.
This ability is somewhat similar to Gu Tengkong's, but it is much more powerful than the ability of the Four Heavenly Kings of the God Group. It allows one to travel to various spaces, and the distance range is calculated in light-years.
However, Jiang Bai felt that... this was still completely useless.
What use is it if it can fly out of the universe?
Jiang Bai's spatial layout is only so big. In this world, his "Imperial Fortress" can fly freely. Why would he use a chance to win the ultimate lottery to choose this piece of junk?
Chapter 843 Still a bye?
Fighting can certainly be somewhat helpful; with a thought, one can traverse space. While it might have limited effect in beating people, it's absolutely world-class when it comes to escaping.
In the blink of an eye, everyone will be gone to outer space, what are you still fighting for?
However, Jiang Bai didn't want to get this thing from the bottom of his heart because he thought it was useless.
Ignoring this, Jiang Bai continued reading, then paused for a moment.
Because this lottery is so amazing, it grants immortality!
Yes, immortality. According to the description, this ability can be described as an enhanced version of his "super regeneration".
The so-called immortality does not mean that no one can kill you, but rather that you are very difficult to kill.
According to the introduction, this is much more powerful than "super recovery". With this ability, Jiang Bai can withstand any attack. Super recovery is useless if his head is cut off. Jiang Bai will still die without a doubt.
However, this "immortality" is quite powerful. Once you obtain this ability, even if you are cut into ten or eight pieces, as long as you are not reduced to ashes, you can recover.
The prerequisite is that you must retain at least 30% of your body.
Jiang Bai believed that while there were certainly people in this world who could kill him, the possibility of someone being able to reduce him to dust and leave not even a part of his body intact was extremely low.
Besides, even if someone could do it, they wouldn't think of doing it.
Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them; who would kill him and then grind his bones to dust, leaving no trace of his remains?
Jiang Bai felt that no one had such a deep grudge against him.
Therefore, this "immortal body" truly means immortality.
What's even more enviable is that this thing comes with a lifespan of 500 years.
If Jiang Bai could obtain this item, his survivability and lifespan would undergo a qualitative change.
"I wonder if I'll be lucky enough to get my hands on this thing," Jiang Bai couldn't help but think, his eyes reddening as he looked at the object before him.
He then took a deep breath to calm his excited emotions and continued reading.
Jiang Bai was curious about what the next item would be, since he hadn't finished looking at it yet, just so he could have a better idea of what was going on.
Although he knew that whatever he saw wouldn't really have much to do with the upcoming lottery.
That thing is all about luck; it depends on the people, it's about connections, it's not about getting what you want.
If that were the case, Jiang Bai's current strength would at least double.
We no longer need to be as constrained as we are now when doing things.
The fourth one is the simplest and clearest, requiring no introduction, and it's also the one that Jiang Bai is most dissatisfied with, because it's a one-level improvement in his current cultivation.
Its value is around one million reputation points.
He had checked his own level and found that to improve his cultivation, each upgrade required spending a million prestige points to directly exchange for it. As for cultivation itself...
Well, with Jiang Bai's talent, it would probably take him eight to ten years to have any hope of advancing to the next level.
If Jiang Bai had received such a reward before, he might have been very happy, but compared to other rewards, this was really insignificant, not even as good as the first one, the so-called "True Tathagata Palm".
This is exactly what Jiang Bai least wants.
The exchange only yields a little over a million prestige points. If you use that for a lottery, you might as well just buy it directly.
Although, this grand prize draw seems to be a freebie.
Ignoring that, Jiang Bai glanced at the fifth reward in astonishment, then couldn't help but ask the system, "Damn it, were you spying on me? You changed things without my noticing?"
"Young man, how can you say that? The great system wouldn't do such a thing! I didn't make any changes; it was all just luck!"
"I'd be a fool to believe you!" Jiang Bai couldn't help but mutter.
No wonder he reacted so strongly. He had just realized that with his talent, it would take him at least ten or eight years to raise his cultivation level by one level.
The fifth reward from this system is actually for changing one's natural talent.
The specific name should be changed to "Sage-like Qualities".
The so-called sage-like qualities refer to the innate qualities of a sage. According to the description, it means that whatever one learns, one can master it in no time, whatever one practices, one can do it smoothly after just one time, and there are almost no obstacles to cultivating anything.
The road ahead is smooth and the future is limitless.
There was even an introduction, written entirely in the tone of a system: "Young man, with such talent, you will be able to advance one level in just a few months, and your future will be limitless."
Although Jiang Bai couldn't help but complain, he still had to admit that this thing was really amazing, completely changing a person's aptitude.
You should know that cultivation naturally becomes more and more difficult; the higher your cultivation level, the more difficult it is to advance.
In fact, Jiang Bai's aptitude is already quite good; he can advance one level in eight to ten years of cultivation.
Logically speaking, for someone of his level to cultivate from the middle star level to the great star level, it would take him at least ten years.
This is why the most skilled masters are often older and rarer.
Because it requires not only extraordinary talent and opportunity, but also a lot of time.
For an average expert of average talent, it would typically take between thirty and fifty years to cultivate from the middle star level to the great star level, even with sufficient time.
Only extremely talented geniuses can shorten the time.
The idea of only a few months is complete nonsense and a joke; Xu Changsheng probably doesn't even have that ability.
After all, cultivation becomes increasingly difficult; no matter how fast you progress in the early stages, it will slow down as you go on.
Honestly, this reward is truly outrageous.
It may not bring Jiang Bai any immediate benefits, but upon closer examination, it is likely to be more attractive and valuable than the previous items.
Jiang Bai gestured with his lips, hoping to read on.
He was stunned on the spot...
It wasn't because the reward was too good, or because the items were too amazing, but because... damn it, there was nothing there, just pitch black, absolutely nothing!
This left Jiang Bai somewhat bewildered.
This is a very rare occurrence. Even in the advanced lottery, there's no such thing as a bye. How come the so-called ultimate lottery has a bye?
How could Jiang Bai not be dumbfounded?
"System! Are you kidding me? This is the ultimate grand prize draw, a million-dollar draw! What is this dark, blank page? Not a single word? Don't tell me it's a bye!"
"Didn't you already find out? You idiot, do you even need to ask?"
"As for why there are byes, isn't that simple? Since it's a lottery, there will always be times when there are byes. The reason why there are no byes in the high-level lottery is because the items are not good, but how can there be no byes in the ultimate lottery?"
"These are all heaven-defying items, how could I let you obtain them so easily?"
Chapter 844 Uh, never mind.
Jiang Bai couldn't help but curse the system's ancestors for eighteen generations.
Unfortunately, the system ignored this and did not impose any punishment on Jiang Bai.
Instead of getting angry, she kept laughing, which left Jiang Bai feeling quite helpless.
In the end, he gave up the futile struggle, knowing that no matter how venomous he was, it wouldn't change the outcome in the slightest.
Since that's the case, why bother being a petty person!
"Let's start the lottery." With a helpless sigh, Jiang Bai began the lottery event.
This time, however, he couldn't face everything calmly as before. His eyes were wide open, staring intently at the rapidly spinning wheel in front of him, waiting for the result.
I kept repeating to myself, "Don't let me miss out, don't let me miss out..."
At this point, he was willing to accept whatever he drew, since as long as he didn't get a bye, there was no losing proposition in the ultimate grand prize draw.
A million reputation points can be earned back no matter what.
The roulette wheel spun rapidly, and as each option swept across the pointer, Jiang Bai's heart rose and fell with it.
Finally, the pointer slowly stopped, making Jiang Bai want to curse immediately, because the pointer had almost stopped rotating, but his position was on the black circle!
"Damn it, is this some kind of rip-off? This is how you treat me on my first grand prize draw?"
Jiang Bai couldn't help but curse inwardly, holding his breath.
Fortunately, although the pointer moved as slowly as a tortoise, it showed no signs of stopping. While Jiang Bai was on tenterhooks, it actually passed through the black circle.
This made Jiang Bai breathe a sigh of relief; the first option wasn't bad either.
Just when everyone thought victory was assured, the pointer didn't stop and swept past the first one again.
Then came the second, the third, and so on, until the fourth.
In the middle of it all, Jiang Bai's mood was like a roller coaster, going up and down unpredictably.
Ultimately, this matter fell to the fourth option!
"Damn it, I got the worst one!" Jiang Bai said angrily as he looked at the option. Increasing his cultivation level by one level was something Jiang Bai would have dreamed of in the past.
He wiped out the entire Assassin Alliance, but the only benefit he received was a one-level increase in cultivation. Now that he has received this reward, he is not satisfied, because everything is relative.
To be promoted one level out of nowhere is certainly something to celebrate.
But if this improvement is compared to the other options, Jiang Bai feels like he might as well die.
That's incredibly bad luck.
"Young man, don't be greedy and try to swallow an elephant. How can this be the worst? You didn't get a bye!"
"If you want to choose the worst option, the great system can help you change the result for free."
The system's mocking voice rang out.
"Change it? Change your mother's change it!" Jiang Bai rolled his eyes immediately upon hearing this. He wasn't out of his mind; why would he change this option?
Isn't this just asking for trouble?
"Redeem the reward!" Jiang Bai hurriedly said.
The next second he experienced the thrill of leveling up again, his whole body enveloped in warm energy, and he felt so comfortable that he wanted to groan out loud.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Bai's entire body was covered in oil, and his strength and cultivation level increased out of thin air, officially entering the realm of the Great Star Rank. This made Jiang Bai feel like his whole body was bursting with energy.
He felt that his strength had increased at least tenfold compared to before. If he was invincible before, now he could move mountains and overturn seas. He felt that he could shatter a mountain with a single punch!
That feeling was indescribably wonderful.
Ignoring the system, Jiang Bai took a shower, feeling refreshed and familiar with his powers. Then he remembered something important he hadn't done and immediately called the system back: "System, help me exchange for the complete version of 'Demon Dragon Suppressing Prison Technique'."
"Alright, young man."
The next second, countless things appeared in Jiang Bai's mind. The all-encompassing "Dragon Suppressing Prison Technique" finally revealed its true nature, and the "Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill" was swept into the trash heap.
It's just a crippled product, after all.
However, the "Dragon Suppressing Prison Technique" contains too much knowledge. Jiang Bai was infused with all of it by the system and mastered it all at once, but it would take a long time to use it proficiently.
Unfortunately, Jiang Bai used up the remaining prestige points, leaving him with only 20,000 prestige points out of 750,000 before he could fully master the skill and use it as if it were his own arm.
"This feeling is really great!" After completing these tasks, Jiang Bai's combat power soared to a new level, making him unable to resist letting out a long roar.
If swallowing Yamaguchi Hiroichi here before made him feel slightly uneasy, that unease has long since vanished.
Let alone a mid-level star, even a master at the high-level star, Jiang Bai was confident that, as a fellow high-level star, his opponent would not last more than thirty moves against him unless they had extraordinary skills.
He is now confident that he can fight against three experts of the same level without using the Tiger Soul weapon, which is the system's estimate.
The cost is the loss of two thousand prestige points.
As for using Tiger Soul, well... that number would probably double.
That's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that the system estimated that he could use the "Tiger Soul" with the Seven Limits without any problems. There is no time limit, and he can suppress the backlash.
However, this is because his "tiger soul" is a sealed version, or to put it bluntly, it has been castrated, and its abilities are limited.
The natural backlash isn't too severe and is easy to manage.
"System, how much prestige do I need to unseal Tiger Soul now?" Jiang Bai couldn't help but ask. He naturally didn't want to unseal Tiger Soul; he could use it now and could withstand the side effects.
It's absolutely a perfect match for a divine weapon. Jiang Bai has no problems, so why would he lift the ban now? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?
"Not much, young man, just three million."
"Uh, never mind if I didn't ask."
Jiang Bai wisely shut up and used three million prestige points to unseal Tiger Soul.
Go play with your eggs!
Grandpa doesn't need it anymore, is that alright?
After saying this, Jiang Bai stopped paying attention to the system. The system had already figured out its purpose, so there was no need to waste any more words on it. The system cursed Jiang Bai for a long time, but Jiang Bai simply ignored the talkative thing and turned his attention to the matter at hand.
This hotel isn't just for Yamaguchi Hiroichi and the people from the Imperial Enterprises; there's also Himura and the others—a whole bunch of beauties here, the kind you can choose from, plus Erika, who's not fully recovered and has some side effects. Jiang Bai is quite busy.
Who has the time and energy to deal with a broken system?
Chapter 845 A Bit of a Mess
Jiang Bai decisively abandoned the system and threw himself into his own enjoyable little life, fooling around with Himura and the others, and was even seduced by Erika, and then something happened. Anyway, he was living a good life.
However, while he was doing well, Yamaguchi Hiroichi's integration work was not going smoothly.
They were in a business that was essentially snatching food from the jaws of death.
Jiang Bai's actions can be described as blatant robbery, seizing assets from various secular factions.
This matter is naturally fraught with difficulties.
While Yamaguchi was secretly plotting with Jiang Bai, things were already in turmoil on the other side.
The signing and transfer of documents is a very simple process, and taking stock of assets is not complicated for professionals.
However, numerous problems arose during the actual handover.
There are people in many places causing trouble for Jiang Bai.
Yamaguchi is the agent of the secular faction, representing various sects and families in their businesses. Some of these businesses were expanded and managed by Yamaguchi, with the families contributing their capital to establish them.
Some of them were simply the inherent properties of certain families or clans, which were simply transferred to the Yamaguchi family for easier allocation and management.
Now, with just a piece of paper, you expect someone to hand over their hard-earned work to Jiang Bai? It's not that simple.
Naturally, this action met with resistance.
And it was extremely intense.
"Boss, four of the properties we took over today were attacked, and two others explicitly refused to be handed over. We're in big trouble. We've lost some manpower; several employees in charge of those areas were injured, and one even lost his life."
Yao Lan's men were busy and confused, while Jiang Bai was having a wild time with a group of Yamato women in the hotel. During this time, Sakura Meiren and her group even claimed to be his masters.
Jiang Bai was living a very comfortable life, but his comfort lasted only two days before trouble came. A senior executive sent by the company found Jiang Bai and said the following words.
This person was recruited by Yao Lan from elsewhere. He is in charge of the company's finances and his name is Xie Ming. He is a very capable guy who used to be a senior executive at a foreign bank and had achieved considerable success.
This person once caused quite a stir in the investment banking industry, and was rumored to be the youngest Chinese senior executive. Unfortunately, he was arrogant and overconfident, and suffered a major setback.
Later, at Yao Lan's invitation, he became the Chief Financial Officer of Empire Enterprises.
"I see. You don't need to worry about this. I'll handle it." Jiang Bai paused for a moment after hearing the report, then said in a deep voice.
Xie Tian remained silent. Before joining Empire Enterprises, he had done some basic research on this suddenly rising giant and knew what kind of powerful and influential person his boss was.
I also know that the boss's businesses are, to put it bluntly, somewhat illegitimate.
Leaving aside distant examples, the takeover of Flying Eagle Enterprise is still somewhat reasonable, after all, it is a takeover, a debt-ridden takeover, the boss has the ability to borrow hundreds of billions to swallow Flying Eagle Enterprise.
It's nothing.
But more recently, like this time... they managed to get all the owners of these large conglomerates to voluntarily give away all their assets to the boss.
He would never believe that the boss hadn't used any underhanded tactics.
It was to be expected that there would be resistance. He told his boss, Jiang Bai, about it, and since Jiang Bai said he didn't need to worry about it, Xie Tian naturally didn't say anything more.
After bowing to Jiang Bai, Xie Tian tactfully left.
Jiang Bai stretched and muttered to himself, "Looks like it's time to get moving, make a trip, and deal with these bastards."
I wonder what other people would think if they heard this.
Jiang Bai was clearly plundering and seizing the property of many secular sects and families, but in his mouth, they became bastards.
This is absolutely a case of the thief crying "stop thief!"
"Knock knock knock!"
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Norika Fujiwara, dressed in a sailor uniform, walked in from outside the door, her head down and her face flushed, as she slowly entered.
"Fujiwara, what's wrong? What happened?" Jiang Bai looked at the girl who walked in with surprise and asked with some confusion.
What is this little brat doing running in here so late at night?
Shouldn't it be her mother, Erika, who was trained by someone and hasn't recovered yet, and who is still somewhat alluring?
How could it be her?
"Master, I... my mother sent me to keep you company!" Upon hearing Jiang Bai's question, Fujiwara held his breath, gritted his teeth, and blushed before finally managing to utter these words.
To be honest, she was somewhat resistant and shy about this matter, not because she disliked Jiang Bai. In fact, she had this idea when Jiang Bai helped her pay off her debts.
He wanted to repay Jiang Bai.
When Jiang Bai saved her mother, she felt the same way, because in Fujiwara's eyes, apart from her relatively clean body, she had nothing to express her gratitude to Jiang Bai.
It is not in Fujiwara's style to receive a favor and not repay it.
However, in the past few days, she has also realized some problems here, such as the relationship between her mother and Jiang Bai. On the second day after she moved in, her mother sneaked into Jiang Bai's room in the middle of the night.
She realized something.
This is precisely the root of her resistance. Although Yamato is relatively open-minded in this regard, she still finds it somewhat unacceptable.
However, her mother had a long talk with her today, explaining the pros and cons and telling her about the current situation.
Erika believed that a woman who saw herself as a slave could not possibly hold Jiang Bai's heart.
The situation is so dangerous and urgent now. Without Jiang Bai's protection, the mother and daughter would be living a life worse than death.
That's why Erika had the idea of getting Fujiwara to offer himself to Ebisu, and even persuaded her daughter to do so.
Unable to refuse his mother, Fujiwara had no choice but to come on his own initiative.
As for this title, it was taught to her by her mother.
In Erika's words, Jiang Bai helped her and her daughter. She herself was someone who couldn't live without a master, and Fujiwara was, in fact, her master when Jiang Bai helped her pay off her debts.
What's wrong with using a name that makes people feel comfortable?
Didn't you see that bitch named Himura and her companion yelling so enthusiastically? Jiang Bai seems to enjoy being called that too, so why doesn't he? Why suffer for nothing?
"Uh..." Fujiwara's words startled Jiang Bai, who was momentarily at a loss for words.
He could be completely uninhibited with Erika, but Fujiwara... was an honest kid after all, and he couldn't just do whatever he wanted with her like he did with Erika. For a moment, Jiang Bai's mind was a bit confused.
Chapter 846 It's a big fuss
"Well, you should go back now. Why did you have to imitate your mother of all people? You..."
Jiang Bai ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it, even though Fujiwara was definitely old enough, and a girl of that age in Yamato was absolutely a rare gem.
If we don't use it, it will be a serious waste in Yamato. I wonder how many weird uncles would want to fight Jiang Bai to the death if they heard about this.
But Jiang Bai still spoke up, only to realize as soon as the words left his mouth that something was wrong and quickly shut up.
Seeing Fujiwara's face turn completely red, he gave an awkward smile.
Since we've already done it, why bring it up, especially in front of that young girl? It's really embarrassing.
"Ahem, that's not what I meant. I just think you don't need to do that."
Jiang Bai coughed twice and quickly tried to salvage the situation.
"Master, please accept me. I... I am willing to do anything for you."
Unfortunately, Fujiwara didn't listen to Jiang Bai's words. The people of Yamato are a bit stubborn. To put it nicely, they are honest and disciplined; to put it bluntly, they are inflexible and a bit silly.
Fujiwara was undoubtedly that kind of person; once he set his mind on something, he was determined to do it.
No matter how hesitant or shy she was before, when the time came, she didn't back down; this is determined by her national character.
This is true for most of their ethnic group.
"Forehead..."
After much refusal and back and forth, Jiang Bai finally succumbed to the temptation of her beauty and accepted her offer.
Although he had some ideas, Jiang Bai ultimately did not make the shameless decision to call Erika over.
The next morning, Jiang Bai woke up early, glanced at the sleeping Fujiwara, stretched, changed his clothes, and went out.
Before leaving, he met with Yamaguchi Hiroichi and Xie Tian, and told them that he would deal with the obstacles hindering the merger, and that they could continue without worry.
I also met with Himura and told her to be careful. I also asked her to call over her junior sister, who is said to have become a Jonin at a young age and is the only one who didn't come immediately this time. She is said to be in seclusion for training. She is to keep an eye on things here, just in case.
Although the possibility of this happening is slim, after Jiang Bai caused such a commotion here, there are no more experts left in Xijing, and all the people who are respectable have left.
Jiang Bai is openly wielding his power in Dahe. A few days ago, he killed four legendary experts, which shocked Dahe. Now, no one wants to cause him any trouble.
It's unlikely that anyone would attack this place.
However, there are bound to be some unscrupulous individuals, and Jiang Bai has to be wary of them.
I doubt any experts will come; I'm here myself.
There are sects with truly skilled members who can easily annihilate Jonin; in fact, there are quite a few.
However, there are probably not many people who dare to make a move now. If anyone does, they will definitely be discovered. They would not do this unless they are stupid, because the number of such experts is limited and they are too easy to find.
On the contrary, it is difficult to find experts below the level of Jonin. Jiang Bai is also afraid that people of this level might take action while he is away.
Ultimately, nothing could be turned upside down, but to avoid trouble, Jiang Bai still made this explanation.
Himura readily agreed and then went to call her junior sister to come out of seclusion as soon as possible.
In Himura's words, that junior sister was the most beautiful and strongest among the Sakura Ninja. She was originally meant to serve her master and was assigned to be his bodyguard, but she hadn't come out because she was in seclusion.
Since her master needs her now, there's nothing wrong with her coming out. As for going into seclusion, that can be dealt with later.
Jiang Bai chuckled lightly, did not respond, and turned to leave the hotel.
Jiang Bai, dressed casually, strolled out of the door, then found a street stall, bought a pack of cigarettes, and also bought a Japanese map of the whole country. He sat on the street, smoking and studying it carefully.
This attracted frequent stares from passersby.
Because this guy... he's just so rude! Not only does he smoke in public, but he also flicks his cigarette ash everywhere!
This is a very rare occurrence in Yamato.
However, Jiang Bai didn't mind the stares from passersby, because he was busy right now!
As for what I'm busy with, is that even a question?
Busy looking for maps and figuring out where to go.
There are too many secular people and too many sectarian families. Jiang Bai has offended almost all of them this time.
This time, someone made a move against Yamaguchi Hiroichi, no... I should say the assets that were handed over to Jiang Bai. It must have been their doing.
The first wave was just a test. If Jiang Bai doesn't react in any particular way, what follows will definitely be a fierce and relentless attack.
Jiang Bai wanted to teach them a lesson and make them behave themselves, but he was a little worried about who to target.
After searching for a long time, Jiang Bai selected three restaurants that were relatively close to each other.
However, these three families are of average strength. Even if we destroy them, it will only have a temporary effect. After a while, they will probably come back with a vengeance.
A few of the larger ones, to be honest, taking them down would certainly have a huge impact, but these are not simple cases, and who knows what kind of experts they might be hiding.
Jiang Bai has offended quite a few people this time and is unwilling to act recklessly again. After all, that so-called century-old alliance doesn't sound like a simple thing.
Jiang Bai's actions at the mid-star level were already somewhat excessive. If he, at the high-star level, continued to act recklessly, it might cause trouble. If the other party had a high-star level expert in charge, and he accidentally killed someone, things would become very serious.
Besides, they had no grudges against each other, and Jiang Bai wasn't a family-wipe maniac, so there was no need for him to wipe them out.
For a moment, Jiang Bai was worried about his destination.
After thinking it over, Jiang Bai decided to call Yang Wudi and ask him which family in Yamato had a grudge against him. He would deal with whoever had a grudge against him!
As for the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school and the Miyamoto family, who have a grudge against Jiang Bai, Jiang Bai will naturally go find them himself.
"Boss Yang, who do you have a grudge against in Dahe? Tell me, I'm planning to go out and practice my skills. Can you recommend two places for me to help you get revenge?"
Jiang Bai sat on a park bench, a cigarette dangling from his lips, legs crossed, and asked casually, "Just call Yang Wudi."
"Jiang Bai, are you going out to cause trouble again? Good heavens, I was just looking for you! You've made a huge fuss about this, it's causing quite a stir outside. Someone even came to me specifically to warn you not to mess around again!"
"You have violated the century-old covenant, do you know that? The consequences of this are actually very serious."
Yang Wudi was taken aback by these words, then quickly turned to Jiang Bai and warned him not to act recklessly. This surprised Jiang Bai: "What? What do you mean? Did I cause a big fuss? Are you talking about wiping out those bastards a couple of days ago?"
Chapter 847 The Myriad Saints Sect is very powerful
"That is indeed the case, Jiang Bai. Do you know how serious the consequences of this matter are? Do you know what you mean by violating the century-old alliance?"
After thinking for a moment, Yang Wudi said this to Jiang Bai.
Jiang Bai only learned about this so-called century-old alliance a few days ago from the contemporary Miyamoto Musashi and the Supreme Elder of the Ise Grand Shrine.
The other party acted arrogantly, as if Jiang Bai had violated something of paramount importance and had no other choice but to kneel down and beg for mercy.
Jiang Bai knew right away that this thing might not be simple.
However, someone with his personality would never care about alliances or anything like that, so what does it have to do with him?
At that point, the die was cast and Jiang Bai had no choice but to act.
After killing those people and wiping out almost all the experts present, all the experts like Yamato in Xijing fled one by one. The underworld experts in Xijing were almost emptied out, and no one dared to challenge Jiang Bai.
This made Jiang Bai feel that the matter was over.
However, he did not expect that the news had already reached the country. Judging from Yang Wudi's words, some people in the country were already dissatisfied with him, and even Yang Wudi had begun to warn him.
Tell yourself something serious has happened? Try to calm yourself down?
"I don't know, what's going on? I've never heard of this before." After thinking for a moment, Jiang Bai replied, he had never heard of this century-old alliance or anything like that.
Jiang Bai felt that even if he violated the rules, it wouldn't be a big deal.
"The century-old covenant, to be honest, is a shameful covenant. In the end, it was a covenant that I signed a hundred years ago when I was going through a period of turmoil and was under pressure from external forces. It was a covenant that was limited to the real world."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Bai remained silent. He knew that Yang Wudi was explaining some kind of secret to him. This secret might be something Yang Wudi had just learned, or it might be something he had known for a long time but had not said.
In short, at this point, Yang Wudi told Jiang Bai about it.
Jiang Bai listened attentively.
"As you know, in our history, we have experienced several major upheavals that have led to a sharp decline in the number of experts and a weakening of our strength. The Investiture of the Gods, Qin Shi Huang's destruction of Wu, and the Five Barbarian Invasions are all examples of such upheavals."
"The most recent upheaval was in the late Qing Dynasty, when the whole country resisted the Qing. That was a great rebellion by the descendants of Yan and Huang against the Wansheng Sect."
"The result was obvious: the Republic of China was born and the Qing Dynasty collapsed. It seemed like a great victory, but in fact, it was not so."
"The reality of this long-lasting upheaval was not as rosy as it appeared on the surface, and there were reasons why it was called a great upheaval."
"During the late Qing Dynasty, the number of experts in China decreased and the country's strength weakened. However, there were still many peerless masters emerging at that time. The last batch of experts sealed in ice coffins by various families and forces today also came from that era."
"After that, no more peerless masters were born. Even people like the head of the Nangong family could only rely on secret techniques to reach the level of a top-grade master. In the past hundred years, you and I are the only two people in the ancient martial arts world who have broken through to the level of a peerless master by relying on their own strength."
Do you know why?
Yang Wudi mumbled on and on, and Jiang Bai, knowing the whole story, didn't interrupt him. But when he reached this point, he couldn't help but interject, "You and me? That sounds a bit off, doesn't it? What about Xu Changsheng…?"
"Uh, he's different… I don't consider him a human being." After an awkward pause, Yang Wudi added this sentence, completely excluding Xu Changsheng and not treating him as a human being.
Jiang Bai was speechless and didn't say much, just listened attentively.
"The reason for all of this is that final upheaval! Not only us, but the overall strength of the underworld has begun to decline severely."
"You know, since ancient times, our Chinese nation has been known as the Central Plains, the Celestial Empire of All Nations, and we have referred to all outsiders as barbarians from all directions. Why is that?"
"Because our strength has always been the strongest, enough to suppress all foreign nations, including Yamato, Europe, various forces, and various complex cultivation sects. These people... have always lived in the shadow of China."
"The major upheavals in history were actually clashes between us. Regardless of the outcome, we have never been defeated and have always stood proudly in the world."
"This was true even during the late Qing Dynasty."
"However, with the decades-long resistance movement in the late Qing Dynasty, our strength declined drastically."
"For decades, China has been constantly resisting, and the experts in the underworld have almost united as one to fight against the Ten Thousand Saints Sect and the alliance behind them."
"This led to decades of disasters and widespread suffering in our country. Although we eventually achieved victory, it was not as glorious as people imagined, but rather a bloody and mutually destructive defeat."
"The Wansheng Sect withdrew from the pass and vowed never to enter it again. Meanwhile, many sects and families were badly wounded, alliances broke down, and experts suffered heavy losses. China's strength has almost plummeted to rock bottom."
"In the most intense period of the conflict between the two sides, in the year of Gengzi, an old witch declared war on all nations and eventually encountered the Eight-Nation Alliance that you are familiar with. But you know, this thing... is not as simple as it seems on the surface."
Yang Wudi's words made Jiang Bai imagine the scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood from back then, and also made Jiang Bai feel shocked by the strength of the Ten Thousand Saints Sect.
The power of a single family to contend against the entire dark world of China... is simply too overwhelming. This Emperor of Ten Thousand Saints is indeed extraordinary; no wonder people say he has been dominating for a thousand years.
The Wansheng Sect was indeed a behemoth that could not be provoked. Unconsciously, Jiang Bai felt fortunate that the old Nalan senior brother, Changchun Tongzi, had shown him some respect and given him face.
If he hadn't shown them any respect then, they might not have acted out of consideration for their agreement with Xu Changsheng. But once the time was up, they would have immediately attacked Jiang Bai. Whether he could withstand that was another matter entirely.
It should be noted that the Wansheng Sect was able to fight against numerous sects and families, and even the Heaven and Earth Groups, including ancient martial artists and cultivators, all by itself.
At that time, everyone must have used all their trump cards. Under such circumstances, the Wansheng Sect was able to fight against others for decades without being at a disadvantage, and in the end, it managed to retreat unscathed, leave the pass, and preserve its sect. The strength of the Wansheng Sect is self-evident.
These people are definitely not to be trifled with!
Chapter 848 The So-Called Alliance
Jiang Bai didn't believe he could contend with a behemoth like the Myriad Saints Sect. Even now that his strength had grown again, he still lacked confidence. After all, the Myriad Saints Sect had used all their trump cards in that era and fought for decades, demonstrating their formidable power.
You have to understand that by then, they probably had all sorts of methods, like ice burial coffins and relics, and they used every trick in the book, yet they still fought for decades and ended up with both sides suffering heavy losses.
Jiang Bai was certain that a Heavenly Realm expert must have appeared at that time.
It's even possible that the last Heavenly Realm expert in China perished at that time. In such a war, Jiang Bai admitted that he was no match for either side.
He's not someone like Xu Changsheng who can take on the Ten Thousand Saints Sect single-handedly.
Jiang Bai felt extremely fortunate, thinking back to the time when Changchunzi had given him face.
After a moment of silence, Jiang Bai focused on the issue itself: this so-called alliance.
Jiang Bai knew about the events of the Gengzi year. That year, the Qing Dynasty declared war on all nations, and the capital fell. However, Jiang Bai was not clear about what happened behind the scenes. Yang Wudi needed to explain it in detail.
"You know, we've suppressed them for so long that we've made enemies on all sides. If we don't have the chance to go to foreign barbarians, they naturally won't dare to act recklessly. But when the opportunity comes, they won't let it go."
"So you already know what's going on in the open. The other side hasn't been idle either. Many forces and sects have come to attack, and countless experts from the real world have come."
"Country A has some of its trump cards. Yamato and the European countries have all sent their best players. Parliaments and the Vatican have all contributed. As far as I know, twelve cardinals from the Holy See came to China back then, and the Holy Knights were all sent out."
"Two vice judges from the religious inquisition also came."
"Even the parliament, which is at odds with them, has six members."
"Besides these, there are many other powerful figures. The heroic spirits in the Hall of Heroes all came from the far north to fight against China, and there are countless holy warriors in the desert."
"It can be said that China was surrounded by enemies all over the world. As a result, the biggest upheaval in the dark world in modern times broke out in the year of Gengzi."
At this point, Jiang Bai understood. We've always been too powerful, putting others under immense pressure and constantly putting them on the defensive, calling them barbarians from all sides. They're not happy about that.
You're the big brother, we can't beat you, so we can only put up with it.
But you yourself caused turmoil, fought a bloody battle with the Ten Thousand Saints Sect, and both sides suffered heavy losses. Naturally, these guys couldn't stand it anymore. They put aside their grudges and united to fight against China.
Thus, even God in the open fell, while a great war broke out in the shadows.
"What was the result?" Jiang Bai was very curious about this.
I don't know whether they won or lost.
However, I already suspected that the outcome might not be good.
"We lost." After a moment of silence, Yang Wudi gave this answer.
After saying this, he continued, "This great upheaval lasted for more than ten years, until the Qing Dynasty collapsed and the Wansheng Sect withdrew from beyond the Great Wall."
"You know, our greatest strength is that we never stop fighting among ourselves. Even back then, we still couldn't unite as one. The struggle between the Myriad Saints Sect and other major forces did not stop at that time."
"The turmoil only ended when the Wansheng Sect withdrew from the pass."
"At that time, both sides were exhausted from fighting. The other side suffered heavy losses, while we were in even worse shape. You know, of the seven major sects, only three remain. Of the more than one hundred families, only twenty-seven have survived to this day. Even the demonic sects have disappeared. Why is that?"
"Isn't it all because of this?"
"Not only that, but many of the constituent forces of the Heaven and Earth Groups have also perished. These are sects that have been passed down since ancient times, and several of them have disappeared into the long river of history."
"Of course, the other side is not doing well either. Our strength has plummeted, and they have also suffered heavy losses. The last vestige of the Holy See's glory has been shattered, and the Council has also fallen silent."
"Even Yamato had to lie low for decades and dare not make any rash moves."
"The only country that probably benefited was Country A, as they suffered the least loss because they were the weakest at the time."
"In the end, everyone was exhausted and the enemy failed to achieve their goal of destroying China. However, they took this opportunity to force us to sign a humiliating treaty!"
Yang Wudi stopped there, because he had already made his point very clear.
"Is this humiliating treaty the so-called century-old alliance?"
After hearing this, Jiang Bai had already guessed the origin of this century-old alliance, and he couldn't help but feel indignant.
Jiang Bai found the actions of these scoundrels, who took advantage of our internal turmoil to plunder and loot, utterly despicable.
He was born a hundred years too late; otherwise, he would have definitely taught these people a painful lesson.
"Yes, it's this humiliating treaty!"
Yang Wudi responded to Jiang Bai, who then asked, "What are the specific details?"
Jiang Bai knew that this humiliating treaty was definitely not good, but he was very curious about the specifics of it and wanted to know exactly what he had violated.
"The alliance stipulates that within China, any expert who surpasses the level of the real world cannot leave China, let alone attack anyone outside of China."
"Those who have transcended the real world can fight to the death even within China, but they cannot attack any expert who sets foot in China."
"In other words... it means that the experts who are forbidden from entering the real world in China, that is, the peerless experts like us, are forbidden from attacking any foreigners, regardless of whether they are in China or not."
"If anyone violates this rule, we must deal with that person personally and kill them."
"And if we do not do this, we will be besieged from all over the world! This covenant lasts for a hundred years."
"This is the essence of the century-old alliance."
Yang Wudi explained in a deep voice, and Jiang Bai understood.
"So, you're saying that all our actions that surpass those of real-world experts are sealed off, meaning they can only attack us, not fight back? Is that what you mean?"
"Uh, more or less," Yang Wudi said in a deep voice. He was also indignant about this century-old alliance.
"Heh, no wonder they're so arrogant, saying that violating the century-old alliance means certain death. So I'm now the enemy of the world? According to the treaty, shouldn't our own people be taking action against me now? Clean house, satisfy everyone, and prevent another war from starting because of me?"
Jiang Bai chuckled. Yang Wudi didn't continue speaking, but Jiang Bai spoke up, stating the consequences of his violation of the century-old alliance. However, when he said this, he clearly showed some disdain.
Chapter 849 When did they get together?
According to him, this century-old alliance should have been abolished long ago.
Regardless of their original purpose, they ended up with this humiliating treaty.
But China is no longer what it used to be, so why bother with any alliances? If the other side is not satisfied, we can just have a fight.
In this world, might makes right!
It's not decided because of a contract.
Besides, it wasn't Jiang Bai who signed this humiliating treaty back then, so why should he abide by it?
"It's not that serious. In fact, many people are currently opposed to this contract. You know I haven't been at this level for long, so I don't know much about it."
"I only recently learned about many things, and it's all because of you that I learned these secrets that are only passed down among experts who have seen through the real world."
Yang Wudi chuckled and said this.
He understood Jiang Bai's feelings; in fact, he wholeheartedly supported Jiang Bai.
"I'm calling you right now, and you give me this response. It's obvious someone's been talking to you. Is some old fogey who doesn't like my behavior and wants me to bow down and wait to be chopped off? So as not to violate this damned alliance?"
Jiang Bai was very perceptive. After Yang Wudi told him so much, he already had a general idea in his mind. Yang Wudi couldn't have told him so many secrets for no reason. There must be a reason.
Given Jiang Bai's understanding of the nature of the Chinese people, it must have been some old fogey who spoke up, fearing that Jiang Bai would violate the alliance and trigger another war.
The content was probably pretty much what he had guessed, making Jiang Bai stretch out his neck to be chopped off – this is the typical inferiority complex of the Chinese people.
If they had been able to set aside their prejudices and conflicts with the Wansheng Sect when this happened, and instead unite against the common enemy, the outcome would likely have been very different. It's hard to say who would have ultimately benefited from the century-old alliance.
The defeat was naturally related to his inherent weaknesses.
"Hehe, that's true. Someone from Yamato has contacted us to condemn you for violating the century-old alliance, entering their territory without authorization, and attacking their experts. They are demanding that we make a judgment on you."
"They would even kill you to be considered to be keeping the alliance, and they even clamored that if the alliance was not kept, they would unite with many forces from that year to stage another Boxer Rebellion."
"This matter has reached the higher-ups of the Heavenly Group, and is being decided by several of the most powerful figures."
Upon hearing this, Yang Wudi chuckled, as if he had discovered something interesting.
"Heh, it seems some people are scared, but others are also supporting me?"
Jiang Bai chuckled. Yang Wudi smiled and guessed the reason for the matter. There must be someone who felt that Jiang Bai had violated the alliance and wanted Jiang Bai to surrender, while others were against it and even supported him.
So these past few days have passed, and he hasn't received any news, nor has any hidden expert in the country attacked him, nor has anyone relayed any messages to him, allowing him to happily spend his days here with a group of beautiful women.
These past few days have undoubtedly been filled with struggle, and the outcome... is clearly leaning towards our side, otherwise Yang Wudi wouldn't be able to smile.
Jiang Bai knew this person's temperament all too well. He was an upright and unyielding man. Although he had many thoughts, he would not hesitate when it came to matters of principle. Even if he wouldn't do what Jiang Bai did, he would definitely support him in his heart.
If he were punishing himself, he wouldn't be laughing so heartily.
"Speaking of which, I was quite surprised too. Jiang Bai, tell me, how did you get involved with those guys from the Ten Thousand Saints Sect?"
Yang Wudi chuckled, not answering Jiang Bai's question, but instead asking a question that left Jiang Bai completely baffled.
To be honest, Jiang Bai was taken aback when he heard this.
What do you mean he's colluding with the Ten Thousand Saints Sect? What does this have to do with the Ten Thousand Saints Sect?
He had no connection with the Wansheng Sect, and they were even on bad terms. He had previously taught Old Nalan a lesson, causing them to suffer losses.
In the end, Changchun Tongzi stepped forward, giving the other party face and allowing him to take away Old Nalan, but also extorting a large sum of money from him.
This money, rather than belonging to Old Nalan, actually belonged to the Wansheng Sect. Upon closer examination, it's already a good outcome that Jiang Bai and the other party didn't even turn against each other, let alone collude.
What did Yang Wudi mean by that?
"The Ten Thousand Saints Sect? I haven't colluded with them. What do you mean by that?" Jiang Bai was very puzzled by Yang Wudi's words.
What does this mean, all of a sudden and incoherent?
"No? How is that possible? Then why would they speak up for you?" Jiang Bai's answer clearly startled Yang Wudi, who asked incredulously.
It seems quite unexpected.
"Explain what's going on."
Jiang Bai was also bewildered, completely baffled. He felt utterly confused. What was Yang Wudi talking about out of the blue? Was the Wansheng Sect speaking up for him? What did that mean?
"You don't know? This time you violated the century-old alliance, and it's caused quite a stir."
"Someone from Yamato informed us that they are making threats and clamoring. Several old-timers who make up the sect on the Heavenly Group side are afraid of another war, so they are willing to compromise with the other side and sacrifice you."
"Of course, there are also people who oppose this. Several of us reclusive ancient martial arts practitioners are absolutely opposed to this, and even some cultivators and sects within the Heavenly Group oppose the punishment of you."
"The century-old alliance was a humiliating treaty, a promise made under duress at the time. Many people are indignant about it, and the alliance expires next year."
"At this time, as the hope of our younger generation and a very promising expert, many people are wary of you. Some want to kill you, while others want to protect you."
"Some radicals have even suggested that they should have gone to war for this, and that this damned treaty should have been torn up long ago."
"The two sides held their own views and argued endlessly for several days without any concrete results. Last night, Changchun Tongzi of the Wansheng Sect suddenly left Changbai Mountain and went to the capital, where he met with several of the most powerful sect elders of the Tianzu."
"He said he came on behalf of the Emperor of Ten Thousand Saints, and that the Ten Thousand Saints Sect will support you to the end. If anyone dares to harm you, the Ten Thousand Saints Sect will fight without hesitation!"
"He also said that Emperor Wansheng declared that the alliance is outdated and can be torn up at any time. This time, Wansheng Sect will not start a civil war again and will unite against external forces. With such a promise and such a threat, who can touch you in the slightest?"
"They're all going on stage shirtless like this, and you're telling me you haven't hooked up with them? You're kidding me!"