Academy

In the midst of this subtle silence, Hong Yuan's voice rang out again, shattering the stillness.

"How was your deliberation?"

His tone remained calm, yet the meaning behind his words sent a chill through the hearts of the nine.

"I came personally to invite you and gave you all such a long time to consider it. That should be respect enough." Hong Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, sweeping his gaze across them with a half-smile. "If you insist on refusing to join my Primordial Wilderness..."

He paused, and his tone gained a hint of amusement. "Then I can only invite you fellow Daoists to die."

Indeed, given the cultivation of Hao Shi and the others, completely wiping them out would take quite some time.

But if Hao Shi and the others remained unwilling to agree,

then Hong Yuan had no other choice.

So what if he had to spend some time? He could kill them eventually.

Hao Shi suddenly sighed, his voice hoarse. "Why must Fellow Daoist Hong Yuan put things so absolutely?"

"I am merely giving you two choices." Hong Yuan said indifferently. "Either join the Primordial Wilderness with dignity and prove the Great Dao alongside me, or remain stubborn to the end and ultimately perish, body and soul. This choice is not difficult."

As he spoke, Hong Yuan suddenly frowned.

Why did he feel a little like a villain?

Especially when he looked at the expressions on Hao Shi and the others' faces.

It felt like he was forcing decent people into prostitution, dragging them into the underworld.

Still, it did not matter. So what if he was a villain? In this world, strength was what mattered.

So was background.

Who said a villain could not become one of the righteous?!

Hao Shi and the