Having been given a second chance at life, I choose to join the Demonic Sect!

Gu Qingfeng felt that since the poison was so potent, even if he reported it to the Void Refinement stage elder, it might not be able to save him.

Moreover, what if I report to those elders and they can't save me, but instead want to kill me for the sake of the sect's reputation?
You should know that you were captured by the Hehuan Sect for the sake of your sect, and that you were poisoned with this evil poison.

Moreover, he has now killed more than a hundred inner disciples of the Xuantian Sect. If this is exposed, the Xuantian Sect will definitely want to protect their reputation and kill him.

Therefore, if you want to survive, you have no choice but to save yourself.

Gu Qing estimated that the poison he had been poisoned into turning him into a bloodthirsty monster was definitely related to the Hehuan Sect, but the Corpse Yin Sect or the Blood Demon Sect were also involved.

The easiest way to save yourself is to obtain the antidote.

It's unrealistic to expect the Hehuan Sect, their mortal enemy, to provide the antidote.

The only way is to find the Corpse Yin Sect and the Blood Demon Sect and test the waters.

After much hesitation, Gu Qingfeng decided to go to the Corpse Yin Sect to ask if he could get the antidote.

If we can't get it from the Corpse Yin Sect, we'll go to the Blood Demon Sect.

As for the deal with the demonic sects, Gu Qingfeng couldn't care less, since he had now become a bloodthirsty monster and was on the verge of losing his life.

The only thing that Gu Qingfeng was fortunate about was that after he had consumed enough human blood each time, he could suppress his demonic nature for a few days so that the people of Xuantian Sect would not notice anything unusual.

In the following days, Gu Qingfeng left the Xuantian Sect under a pretext and secretly went to the Corpse Yin Sect.

Now that the position of sect leader of the Xuantian Sect has been decided, many high-ranking members of the Xuantian Sect are eyeing this position, so no one pays much attention to Gu Qingfeng.

……

As for Liu Ruyan, I wonder what kind of opportunity she obtained.

After returning to her ancestral home, the Liuyun Dynasty, she successfully broke through her cultivation level during seclusion and advanced to the Nascent Soul stage!
Although Liu Ruyan has now advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, her troubles are still unresolved.

Liu Ruyan originally wanted to break off the engagement that her father, Liu Mingsu, had arranged for her to marry Ji Boda, but an unexpected event occurred.

Liu Ruyan originally thought that Ji Boda was just an ordinary third-rate noble family scion, but she never expected that Ji Boda had actually been cultivating in the top power Po Jun Mansion all these years.

Moreover, her fiancé, Ji Boda, did not seem to be an ordinary disciple of the Po Jun Mansion; he was suspected to be a direct disciple of the Po Jun Mansion!
It should be noted that Po Jun Mansion and Xuan Tian Sect are both top-tier righteous sects.

If Liu Ruyan still held her status as a direct disciple of the Xuantian Sect, she could disregard everything and forcefully annul her engagement with Ji Boda.

However, she has now lost her status as a direct disciple of the Xuantian Sect and has been demoted to a true disciple, so she cannot easily break off the engagement!
Even though Ji Boda was suspected to be a direct disciple of the Po Jun Mansion, Liu Ruyan still looked down on him.

It's disgusting that someone would sacrifice their own father's life to morally blackmail someone into a marriage with them.

He was fortunate to have his two younger brothers, Makoto Ito and Makoto Masaru, who knew he was now all alone and had returned from the sect to help him seize power.

Moreover, his two younger brothers are also quite talented and are direct disciples of top-tier righteous sects.

Liu Ruyan's only worry was that her two good younger brothers, Ito Makoto and Ma Zouri, didn't get along well and were always at odds with each other.

……

Meanwhile, Cao Meng was being tried in the council hall of the Hehuan Sect.

"Cao Meng, do you know your crime?"

Nie Xuan's aunt, Nie Mingci, was the first to make a move; she was furious.

Cao Meng bullied his niece Nie Xuan last time, and now he's bullying her again? Cao Meng really doesn't give this Void Refinement stage ancestor any face.

At the same time, Nie Mingci also felt a bit disappointed in Nie Xuan.

It's only been a short time since my niece was beaten, why doesn't she learn her lesson?
Knowing full well that he was no match for Cao Meng, he still didn't know to take a detour and insisted on causing trouble for him. Wasn't he just asking for trouble?

Cao Meng was speechless. The other party hadn't even pinned any charges on him, yet they wanted him to confess. Wasn't that just too perfunctory?

Want to confess without being asked? Dream on!
“Grandmaster Mingci, I, Cao Meng, have always put the sect's interests first. What crime have I committed?”

Because of what happened last time, Cao Meng remembered Nie Mingci.

Last time, my grand plan almost failed because of the other party.

Before I could even cause trouble for them, they came looking for trouble for me again. They really want to force me to be a jockey and destroy my family!

Han Sijing gave Song Yafei a look, and the other immediately understood.

Immediately, Song Yafei stood up and sternly rebuked Cao Meng:

"Cao Meng, after you became the city lord, you acted recklessly. First, you maliciously raised salaries, increasing the monthly wages of the city guards disciples to five times the normal amount!"
As a result, the disciples guarding the four cities of Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon lost their will to defend their cities and demanded a raise.

And you even came up with a rule that the city-guarding disciples work four hours a day, five days on, two days off.

This is not conducive to the disciples of the sect practicing diligently, and it makes them less motivated.

Cao Meng proposed a malicious pay increase, requiring a four-hour workday with two days off – this is a crime!

The first crime that Song Yafei accused Cao Meng of was widely accepted by the four city lords: Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon.

Cao Meng's malicious salary increase back then caused panic among their subordinates, forcing them to give their employees a slight raise each month.

Even if Han Sijing and her group don't target Cao Meng, the four city lords will still try to make Cao Meng stop getting a raise.

Secondly, ~

"Stop!"

Just as Song Yafei was about to announce Cao Meng's second crime, Cao Meng interrupted her.

"Uncle-Master Song, I object to this first crime; I do not admit to it!"

Cao Mengdu seriously doubted whether it was his surname Cao or Song Yafei's.
"Uncle Song, tell me what constitutes a malicious pay raise?"

While questioning Song Yafei, Cao Meng didn't give her time, and continued:

"I'm just feeling sorry for those disciples guarding the city. What's wrong with giving them a higher monthly salary?"

"With four hours a day, five days on and two days off, how is that not conducive to the cultivation and progress of the disciples guarding the city?"

"If we make those city-guarding disciples guard the city around the clock for a month straight, they'll have time to cultivate."

"I'm afraid their cultivation will stagnate at that point; they won't have time to cultivate, and will spend their lives simply guarding the city!"

"My daily schedule, with five days on and two days off, and the system of adjusting rest days, is a policy of combining work and rest."

This ensures that the disciples guarding the city have their own time to cultivate, allowing them a better future in their cultivation journey!

When Cao Meng questioned Song Yafei, he also pointed out the drawbacks of other cities' defensive systems and the advantages of the Four Symbols City's defensive system.

The city defense system of the four cities of Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon is similar to that of many other places.

The biggest drawback of this system is that it limits the future of the disciples guarding the city.

Many people spend their entire lives guarding the city, and even when their lifespan ends, they never have the chance to go out and see it!

"Uncle Song, as the saying goes, when you are poor, you should cultivate your own virtue; when you are successful, you should benefit the world."

"As the city lord, I should naturally give more help to those who guard the city if I have the ability!" Cao Meng's words were so righteous and awe-inspiring that he did not give Song Yafei any chance to refute him.

The saying, "When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven," is a deadly statement!

While Song Yafei was thinking about how to refute Cao Meng, Cao Meng was already preparing to counterattack.

Do you really think that just because a tiger isn't roaring, it's a sick cat?
Cao Meng pointed at Song Yafei, shook his head, and feigned disappointment:

“Uncle-Master Song, there are some things I shouldn’t have said as a junior, but you have disappointed me greatly today.”

“Uncle-Master Song, although you have been the peak master for hundreds of years, don’t forget that demons also started from the bottom as disciples.”

When Cao Meng got to this point, Han Sijing had already sensed something was wrong, and Song Yafei also had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

At that moment, Song Yafei really wanted to run over and shut Cao Meng up to stop him from barking like a dog.

“Uncle Song, those disciples guarding the city can be said to be the first line of defense for the Hehuan Sect. If the enemy attacks, they will be the first to sacrifice themselves for the sect.”

"These women who guard the city only have that much money for a month."

I, Cao Meng, have not asked the sect, or you personally, to raise the salaries of those disciples.

But Uncle Song, you're targeting me, trying to make me take back their monthly allowances.

"Uncle-Master Song, whatever grudges we have, come at me directly. Don't target the disciples who are guarding the front line of the sect!"

Cao Meng's every word was like a sword, his offensive not only pressing forward relentlessly but also fiercely sharp!
"Cao Meng, stop!"

Before Song Yafei could retort, Cao Meng took out the Inquiry Machine, waved it, and said:

"Uncle-Master Song, I'm sorry, I asked the Immortal Messenger, which was open, and opened the group chat. Many disciples from various sects were watching."

You'd better not say anything carelessly when you're speaking!

Wasn't Song Yafei trying to play dirty tricks on me? Then don't blame me for using underhanded tactics too.

As Cao Meng's self-disclosure triggered a public trial, the high-ranking members of the Huan Sect, including Youwenxianji, quickly opened the sect's group chat.

Anonymous disciples in the group were protesting, accusing Song Yafei of being unworthy of being the leader of a peak, and some even started cursing her, calling her a cold-blooded venomous scorpion!
Of course, the people who criticized Song Yafei were arranged by Cao Meng.

In the Four Symbols City, Xue Nai and the other Snow Maidens, each with a Divine Inquiry Machine, sent messages to curse Song Yafei under Cao Meng's arrangement!
When Song Yafei saw the barrage of curses in her sect's group chat, she knew she was doomed.

He won't be able to shake off the infamy of being a "poisonous scorpion" anytime soon.

That traitor Cao is truly ruthless!

Even Song Yafei was scolded so badly, so who among the four city lords of Feng, Hua, Xue, and Yue dared to speak up at this moment!

The Fifth Ancestor, Wanling, seated in the main seat, toyed with the Immortal Inquiry Machine, glancing at the content of the sect's group chat. After a moment's hesitation, she said:
"I hereby declare that Song Yafei's accusation that Cao Meng maliciously raised his salary is inappropriate!"

"In addition, I hereby announce that the monthly allowances for all disciples guarding the four guardian cities of Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon will be doubled!"
Cao Meng's system of four hours a day, five days on and two days off, will also be implemented!

As soon as the Fifth Patriarch Wanling issued his decree, the high-ranking members of the Hehuan Sect in the council hall, and even everyone in the sect's chat group, shouted that it was a wise and sagacious decree!

The disciples guarding the four protective cities of Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon were the most vocal, finally it was their turn to get a raise.

While they were thanking the Fifth Ancestor Wanling, they were also thanking Cao Meng. They weren't stupid; they knew that without Cao Meng, they would never have received a raise.

They felt that if their monthly salary could be raised to the same level as that of the city guards of the Four Symbols City, that would be ideal.

"Cao Meng, do you admit to the crime of using treacherous schemes to maliciously raise taxes and impose fines, forcibly take away our property, and seize the land that we owned?"

Song Yafei felt that Cao Meng had ruined her reputation, so she decided to fight Cao Meng to the death and make him suffer too.

"Uncle-Master Song, I need to correct you. There was absolutely no malice or attempt to seize it!"

Cao Meng was speechless. How could such a kind person be associated with malice and domination?

"Uncle-Master Song, you accuse me, Cao Meng, of maliciously raising taxes, so what about your tax evasion? Is it goodwill?"

"You say I forced you to leave your businesses and seized the foundations of your businesses!"
How did I drive you away? Wasn't it because I wanted to audit your accounts and investigate the taxes you evaded?
"Isn't my job to monitor your business accounts so you have no opportunity to falsify records and evade taxes?"

"You moved your businesses out of Sixiang City because you have something to hide."

"And when you moved your property, I reminded you that the land on which the property was located would be confiscated for anyone who moved!"

"If they still want to move out, aren't they voluntarily giving up their property?"

"Since no one wants the land, why can't I, Cao Meng, take it back? So how can I be accused of seizing someone else's land?"

Cao Meng showed no mercy to Song Yafei and her group, directly exposing their tax evasion and falsification practices.

“Uncle-Master Song, there’s one more thing I need to remind you. As the lord of a city, raising taxes is my prerogative.”

Cao Meng felt that if Song Yafei was dissatisfied, he could also make Nie Xuan and the other four city lords raise taxes as well!
Cao Meng went on a killing spree, bringing all those dark secrets to the forefront.

To be honest, even those Void Refinement stage elders know that many high-ranking members of sects are evading taxes.

Previously, it wasn't made public, so everyone could pretend they didn't know.

Now that Cao Meng has brought these matters to light, can they still pretend not to know?
"a shame!"

Wu Zu Wanling coldly rebuked. She now suspected that Song Yafei was in cahoots with Cao Meng, or that she was just asking for trouble.

The current situation is not about suing Cao Meng at all; it's clearly about suing oneself.

Upon hearing Wu Zu Wanling's rebuke, Song Yafei knew that her complaint had failed once again.

This time, I really shot myself in the foot. I didn't get the fish, and I got myself all tangled up in the mess!

Seeing that Song Yafei's tactic was ineffective, Han Sijing gave a wink to the Nascent Soul stage hall masters who had been beaten by Cao Meng.
"Cao Meng, you have no respect for your elders and have attacked us, your seniors. That's an indisputable fact, isn't it?"

The Nascent Soul stage hall masters unanimously accused Cao Meng, accusing him of insubordination and bullying them, the sect's senior uncles!
As for Nie Xuan and Yuwen Jing, although they wished they could tear Cao Meng apart, they were filmed by Cao Meng and had something on him.

Now they are controlled by Cao Meng and dare not speak out!

Cao Meng looked at his uncles, who had previously been squatting in the corner like chicks, now starting to bite him.

Cao Meng regretted it. If time hadn't been so tight, he would have stripped all these guys naked and recorded the beautiful scenery.

"My fellow martial uncles, don't you have any idea why I beat you up?"

"You were the ones who attacked first, trying to seize my Four Symbols City's land. As the city lord of Four Symbols City, I, Cao Meng, will not allow you to act recklessly!"

Cao Meng felt that people nowadays were really bad; they always liked to bite the hand that feeds them.

Being the city lord of the Four Symbols City is truly exhausting and heartbreaking!

"Cao Meng, don't talk nonsense! The reason we attacked first is because you seized our land and refused to return it!"

"If you had returned the foundation to us, none of this would have happened!"

"..."

Those Nascent Soul stage hall masters, now backed by someone, are no longer afraid of Cao Meng and have begun to confront him! (End of Chapter)