Ao Ba Pa

It had to be said that Yun Shenwei had brought them far too many shocks this time. The young men and women below who had just broken through stepped forward to claim their rewards. They were all overjoyed; at their age, emotions were especially prone to fluctuation.

Everyone hoped to become a genius, but in a world where the strong reigned supreme, there would inevitably be distinctions between strength and weakness. Where there were strong people, there were bound to be weak ones. That was the law of heaven and earth.

These young men and women had no way of becoming strong, and they were deeply saddened by it. Yet they all possessed hearts unwilling to remain ordinary. Are kings and generals born to their stations?

But reality was cruel in the end. Many of them could not fulfill their dreams through hard work alone.

But things were different now. Yun Shenwei had brought them hope! "You don't need to thank me. I came here today to hand out rewards for free. To tell you the truth, I plan to do business here in the future, and I hope you will all support me. If you perform well, I will choose some of you to become my agents here, or work as shop assistants.

"I was once just like all of you. A very, very long time ago, I was only an ordinary youth with no real ability. But I understood that hard work alone was not enough if one wanted to become stronger. Sometimes, one also needed the help of others. And at this moment, I am the benefactor fate has sent you."

At that moment, Yun Shenwei could not help thinking of many things. Under the laws of survival in this world, the weak had never been welcome. They lived at the very bottom, bearing the greatest pressure. But that did not mean those at the bottom did not work hard. In fact, they worked harder than anyone else. They merely lacked a little luck, and their inborn talent was poor.

What Yun Shenwei was doing now was really just winning people over. He understood very clearly that he was only offering a few minor favors today, yet the results would be entirely different. What these people at the bottom needed most was often the kind of help that the strong considered worthless.

"You swindler! How dare you deceive people here? Get the hell out! This is Wutan City's territory. How can we allow some wandering Taoist like you to run wild here?"

At that moment, an extremely discordant voice suddenly came from outside. Then a burly young man could be seen barging in arrogantly with a large group of people, shoving all the surrounding spectators aside.

"Ao Ba Pa?"

Jia Lie Ao voiced his confusion upon seeing who had arrived. He did not understand why this guy had come at this time. By all rights, he should have been out drinking and chasing women.

"Jia Lie Ao, what are you doing here? This guy is a swindler, understand? Don't be fooled by how powerful he looks. He's only using an Illusion Array. Let me tell you clearly: he is definitely not from the Misty Cloud Sect!"

Ao Ba Pa could not be bothered with more nonsense. He fixed his gaze directly on Yun Shenwei. Clearly, he had come here intending to make a move.

"Oh? You say I'm a swindler. I wonder where you got that information. Do you have any proof?"

Yun Shenwei stared coldly at him, a trace of anger in his voice.

He was the Chief Disciple of the younger generation, yet he was being mocked like this by people from some backwater town. What was even more infuriating was that this kind of person actually felt justified in thinking he was right?

"Does that even need saying? The Misty Cloud Sect is such an incredible place. How could they casually let their Chief Disciple leave?

"Besides, my cousin-in-law is an Outer City Warden there. A few days ago, he told me that the Misty Cloud Sect's Chief Disciple had never left. He's currently in seclusion cultivating within the sect."

Ao Ba Pa sneered coldly. He dared speak so boldly because he had some basis for it.

"So, based on a single sentence from your cousin-in-law, you've decided that I'm not really the Misty Cloud Sect's Chief Disciple?"

Yun Shenwei found the man rather laughable. Was there something wrong with this idiot's head? He had come straight here to cause trouble. He clearly meant no good. Perhaps he had some other motive.

"Why are you talking so much nonsense? I don't care whether you are or not. In any case, you're impersonating someone, and that alone is enough for me to arrest you. Besides, this is Wutan City, territory jointly governed by our great families. It isn't a place for an outsider like you to throw your weight around. And stop using your so-called low-grade Illusion Array to fool everyone."

Ao Ba Pa waved his hand, and his guards immediately raised their weapons, fully on alert.

"If I were a swindler, why would I go to such lengths to organize this event?"

Yun Shenwei spoke again.

"Arrogant! Do you think there's any use in arguing now? Everyone, listen to me! What this guy gave you is actually a highly poisonous kind of food. Think about it carefully—if even the legendary alchemists cannot accomplish such a thing, why can he?

"That alone is highly suspicious. I even suspect that what he used has squeezed out all of your future potential. In other words, while you may have broken through now, you will never be able to advance another step in cultivation again. You might even be stuck at the Dou Zhe stage forever! We received news some time ago that a terrifying Demonic Taoist from the Chuyun Empire had come to this area. He is skilled at changing his appearance and often puts on mysterious airs to deceive common folk. Therefore, I suspect this guy is that demonic monk in disguise."

The more Ao Ba Pa spoke, the more worked up he became. In the end, he shouted, "That Demonic Taoist is roughly at the Dou Shi level! Therefore, this guy is definitely the Demonic Taoist! No one should be fooled by him! Come with me and capture him!"

The moment those words were spoken, everyone around them was stunned. Even the young men and women who had been so happy earlier turned pale. Some of them even stuck their fingers down their throats, trying to vomit up what they had eaten.

"A Demonic Taoist! I never imagined this guy would dare come to Wutan City and cause trouble."

"That's terrifying! No wonder the things he brought out were so strange—none of us had ever eaten them before. It seems we've all been deceived. Hurry and spit out what you ate, or we'll be finished in the future."

"Those below the Dou Zhe realm, fall back! Everyone at the Dou Zhe level, step forward! All Dou Shi, follow!"

Many people realized that something was wrong, so they raised their weapons and prepared to fight. The situation had become complicated.