Misery: There is a pawn shop here

Chapter 188 The Four Demons Undergo a Change
Seeing that Gui Liang Tianxia's very first transaction at the pawnshop was with his own men, even Li Xuanxiao couldn't help but applaud in admiration. Making these people stronger through pawning, and then having them work for Gui Liang Tianxia while Gui Liang Tianxia also profited from the pawnshop business, was undoubtedly a win-win situation.

Of course, the win-win situation here refers to Gui Liang Tianxia winning twice.

"The shopkeeper seems to think highly of this person," Yan Qingcheng whispered to Li Xuanxiao.

“The existence of Youjian Pawnshop naturally depends on the support of people’s desires, and it naturally likes people like Gui Liang Tianxia who have no pretense about their own desires,” Li Xuanxiao said slowly. “On the contrary, if the world were full of noble and desireless sages, what would Youjian Pawnshop rely on to survive?”

"Ah, what the shopkeeper said is true..."

Just as the two were talking, the copper bell at the corner of a pawnshop rang out once again, and a pawn tag guided a still-shaken young man to this completely unfamiliar foreign land.

"This is... Youjian Pawnshop?" Hengdao Yuanbie looked down at the pawn token in his hand, his eyes filled with confusion as he faced the scene before him. Guided only by the pawn token and the dim blue lights along the way, he slowly walked to the door of Youjian Pawnshop. Looking inside, he saw a chaotic figure in black robes, with a woman standing upright beside him, looking at him with curiosity.

“We meet again.” Li Xuanxiao nodded slightly to Hengdao Yuanbie.

A considerable amount of time has passed since his last trip to the Four Realms. During this time, many things have happened in the Bitter Realm, and the Four Realms are far from peaceful either. Just as Hengdao Yuanbie was still pondering the existence of Youjian Pawnshop, the army of the Fire House Buddhist Prison marched in a mighty force towards the Brahma Pass, announcing their invasion and slaughter of Shattered Island.

The Lord of Shattered Island, King Jiwu Huaishengqi, led his generals and ministers to fight against the Fire House Buddhist Prison at the Brahma Ravine. However, no one knew what kind of evil magic the Fire House Buddhist Prison used. In just one encounter, the Lord of Curses controlled King Jiwu's entire army. In a single day, the entire Shattered Island fell, and the king, his ministers, and the people all submitted to the Lord of Curses. Only Hengdao Yuanbie was spared when facing the Lord of Curses because of the red light emitted by his card. However, he had to pretend to submit to save himself.

It was precisely for this reason that Hengdao Yuanbie realized that the changes in the Fire House Buddhist Prison, or rather, the Cursed Lord, must be related to Youjian Pawnshop. That encounter was not entirely a joke.

“You…” Hengdao Yuanbie strode forward, his eyes fixed on Li Xuanxiao, “What exactly did you give the Lord of Curses?”

Li Xuanxiao shook his head. "Naturally, it is something that can fulfill his ideal. I have given you the same opportunity before, but you did not cherish it. Now you regret it, don't you think it's too late?"

"I..." Hengdao Yuanbie was slightly speechless after being choked by Li Xuanxiao's words, then gritted his teeth and said coldly, "I, I have never regretted it. What exactly is your purpose in using evil objects to overturn the Four Realms?"

"The purpose?" Li Xuanxiao shook his head. "It's just half of the Four Heavenly Origins."

"The Four Heavenly Sources!" Hengdao Yuanbie certainly knew what the Four Heavenly Sources were. They were the core that truly governed the survival of the Four Heavenly Sources. It could be said that, apart from the Poetic Heavenly City, the other three kingdoms could not do without their dependence on the Heavenly Sources, but only half of them...

Since it can be quantified, it means that it has an upper limit. In an instant, Hengdao Yuan thought of a terrible possibility.

"What will happen if the Four Heavenly Sources lose half of their strength?"

"The four 'qi' form a tree. If a tree loses its life force, it will naturally die."

"What will happen to the people in the Four Realms?" Hengdao Yuanbie pressed.

"Heh." Li Xuanxiao simply smiled. "Your Excellency is asking a question you already know the answer to."

"you!"

Faced with the demon before him, Hengdao Yuanbie felt a surge of unease. Even knowing that his enemies were all in the Four Realms of Demons, and that the destruction of the Four Realms of Demons would be avenging the entire Hengdao, he still felt uneasy. "You must have something to ask for when you enter Youjian Pawnshop," Li Xuanxiao said leisurely. "Why not state your purpose and desires first, and then we can discuss other matters?"

"I will break the evil spell of the Cursed Lord!"

Hengdao Yuanbie couldn't explain it either. Clearly, most of the people in the Four Realms were enemies, or just some unrelated people. Whether it was the Slaughtering Shattered Island, the Tower of Compassionate Light, or the Poetic Heavenly City, their life and death were none of his business. Why did he have to get involved?

However, considering that the success of the Cursed World Lord might lead to the destruction of the entire Four Realms, Hengdao Yuanbie knew in his heart that he could not sit idly by.

"The method to break the spell manipulated by the Lord of Curses does indeed exist." Faced with Hengdao Yuanbie's words, Li Xuanxiao simply nodded. "But what can you offer as a bargaining chip? Your life? The price the Lord of Curses pays for using this spell is his life. How can your life be of greater value than his?"

"What do you want?" Hengdao Yuanbie asked.

"In that case, how about we make a bet?"

How does the betting work?

"You have thirteen days. I will give you four extra pawn tokens. These tokens can resist the power of the Curse Lord and also break free from control. However, those who accept the tokens must be prepared to sacrifice everything to end the Curse Lord. Once you have gathered the four people, I will bring you back to the pawnshop and give you a chance to turn things around. But if you haven't gathered the four people after thirteen days, or if you die on the way, everything you have will belong to Youjian Pawnshop. What do you say?"

"You...you are a demon!"

"A demon?" Li Xuanxiao smiled noncommittally. "Think what you want. Just consider whether or not to agree to this pawn transaction."

"I...I promise you." Even knowing that what he was doing was a deal with the devil, Hengdao Yuanbie knew that at this moment, he had no better choice. He couldn't explain why he didn't want to see the Four Realms perish, but once he made up his mind, Hengdao Yuanbie's heart would not waver.

"In that case, let's sign the contract."

Li Xuanxiao raised his hand and waved, and a contract landed in front of Hengdao Yuanbie.

"This high-stakes gamble, which concerns your life and the survival of the Four Realms, begins with this contract."

Sign, I have no choice but to sign...

Hengdao Yuanbie gritted his teeth and signed his name on the contract. The next moment, the ink characters turned into blood characters, suddenly transforming into a red butterfly that flew up and disappeared into his body.

"The contract is complete." Li Xuanxiao raised his hand and waved, and four pawn tokens flew out again and landed in Hengdao Yuanbie's hand.

"Go on your journey to save the world, but first, remember what I said: you need to be as prepared as you are to sacrifice everything."

(End of this chapter)