Chapter 221
Chapter 221: Such a Thief Shall Be Executed Without Mercy
At the thought, Liu Shun stood up excitedly.
His underling wanted to open his mouth and say something.
But seeing how highly spirited his big brother seemed, he did not dare remind him.
What did it mean for greed to cloud one’s judgment? Now he had finally seen it for himself.
This old brother of his really knew how to dream.
He even wanted to stir things up.
The underling had only told him to fish in troubled waters. If they refused to give him anything, he could simply slink away in embarrassment.
Yet he actually wanted to morally coerce Tiger Marquis Li?
At this moment, the plaza was filled with Linyuan City’s experts.
Profound Rank experts kept flying in through the air.
Under ordinary circumstances, many experts would not have acted so ostentatiously.
But now, beneath the Fortress Plaza, where the Abyss Entrance had originally been, there was an incomparably vast open space.
Countless citizens had gathered below to watch the excitement.
Including those in the surrounding area, there were tens of thousands of people.
Who did not have at least a little vanity?
Every time a Profound Rank expert flew past, the people below erupted into earth-shaking cheers.
The emotional value was simply overflowing.
And the people’s cheers were entirely spontaneous.
The more the world changed and the closer life and death pressed in, the more the role of powerful martial artists became evident.
They were the heroes of Humanity.
They deserved such treatment.
In the plaza, Li Mu was almost finished distributing the pills.
An Xing had been secretly responsible for checking these people’s information.
Up to this point, no one attempting to claim a reward falsely had appeared.
In the front of the plaza, several hundred Profound Rank experts sat cross-legged.
Spiritual Energy gathered above their heads like clouds and mist, so dense it was almost tangible!
And every one of these Profound Rank experts had joy on their face.
The higher a martial artist climbed, the more he began to focus on his own trump cards.
Some people leaned toward body cultivation and emphasized breaking through the limits of the physical body.
Others started from cultivation arts, relying on vast True Qi to operate their cultivation arts to the extreme, bringing them close to spell arts.
They could roughly be divided into the body cultivation school and the cultivation-art school.
Someone like Old Shui belonged to the ultimate representative of the cultivation-art school.
When Li Mu distributed the pills, he would tell them what to take.
Those from the body cultivation school should pair one Qi-Gathering Pill with one High-Grade Body-Solidifying Pill.
Those from the cultivation-art school should pair one Qi-Gathering Pill with one Spirit Blossom Pill.
The reason so many people had broken through was twofold.
First, all three kinds of pills had extraordinary medicinal effects. Taking two kinds together gave them tremendous lingering force.
Second, many of these Profound Rank experts had already been stuck at a bottleneck.
For advancement within the Profound Rank, one only needed to cultivate steadily to rise through the early and middle stages of each grade.
But once one reached the peak, one generally needed some kind of trigger, such as sudden enlightenment or a desperate battle, to break through.
Moreover, one could not deliberately find a monster of similar strength and stage a fake “desperate battle.”
Once there was psychological expectation, it could no longer be called a trigger.
Without either of those, one could only keep cultivating until the node on the Life Meridian burst open.
That was the clumsiest method.
Today, Li Mu’s pills had practically forced them through their shackles.
That was why such a grand scene had appeared.
And regardless of whether they followed body cultivation or the cultivation-art school, not only had their strength improved, their foundations had also been thoroughly reinforced by the Body-Solidifying Pills and Spirit Blossom Pills. Every person had gained a great deal!
Just then...
A short-haired young man flew up from the edge of the plaza.
He walked straight toward Li Mu and the others.
Perhaps he felt that the area was too open and that going over alone would make him too conspicuous.
He happened to see another Profound Rank flying over from afar, heading straight toward the reward-distribution area.
So he deliberately slowed down a little and followed behind that person.
One in front and one behind, the two of them arrived before Li Mu.
The person in front cupped his hands toward Li Mu with a smile.
“Tiger Marquis Li, my apologies. I’ve finished handling my family matters. Tonight, I can stand by at any time!”
Li Mu smiled faintly.
“It’s fine. Hurry and receive your pills, then discuss the Dao with everyone.”
“An opportunity like today is truly rare.”
The man nodded repeatedly and looked back.
“Indeed it is!”
Many Profound Rank experts who had already awakened from meditation had gathered together and were speaking freely.
This was an extremely rare cultivation exchange gathering.
On ordinary days, who would have the ability to organize such a thing?
After that, he explained his own situation and received one Qi-Gathering Pill and one Spirit Blossom Pill.
Liu Shun, who was behind him, secretly rejoiced.
Li Mu had not even asked for his name!
Clearly, his underling had been right.
The situation had simply been too chaotic at the time. They had no idea who had gone and who had not.
Thus, he also walked forward cheerfully and cupped his hands toward Li Mu.
“Tiger Marquis Li, I’m truly sorry. I’ve finished handling matters at home.”
“I also plan to remain here tonight and stand by at any time!”
After Liu Shun finished speaking, he prepared to wait for Li Mu to ask him what pills he wanted.
At that moment, An Xing lightly touched Li Mu.
Li Mu stared at Liu Shun calmly and asked, “What is your name?”
Liu Shun’s heart lurched hard!
Why did you not ask the one before me?
Damn it, why are you asking for my name?
Just give me the pills!
He forced down the panic in his heart and squeezed out a smile.
“Ah, haha, my name is Liu Shun. I came earlier. There was something going on at home, and when I saw there was nothing happening here, I went back for a while first.”
Li Mu continued asking, “You... came earlier?”
Liu Shun’s expression had already changed.
The flesh at the corner of his mouth twitched a few times.
“I did. Although my face is relatively ordinary, Tiger Marquis Li, you can’t have forgotten me this quickly, can you?”
At this moment, An Xing said, “Everyone who came earlier registered inside that fortress.”
“Are you certain you came?”
Liu Shun forced a smile.
“Of course I’m certain. At the time, I was lining up inside that fortress. There were so many people. Could it be that you missed my registration?”
He deliberately acted surprised.
But An Xing laughed coldly.
“I lied to you. I registered everyone here in the plaza.”
Liu Shun’s expression changed completely!
He had been played!
But very quickly, his extreme shame turned into anger.
He deliberately raised his voice and said, “Tiger Marquis Li! What do you mean by this?”
“We martial artists risk our lives to protect Linyuan City!”
“And this is how you treat us?”
“Do not even mention that I really did come! The problem lies with your registration. I truly was here at the time!”
“Even if I really had been delayed by something!”
“I never said I would not protect Linyuan City. I simply did not obey your order and rush here at that moment!”
He believed his words were absolutely skillful.
Saying that he had been delayed by something at the time was giving those who had not come earlier a way out.
He did not believe those people would not be tempted.
As long as a few people or a few family clans stepped forward to support his argument...
For the sake of unity, Li Mu would not dare refuse to give the pills.
However, the underling who had followed him here now quietly retreated into the crowd.
Li Mu only laughed coldly.
“Well said!”
“Since you are so righteous and noble, then sacrifice yourself for the unity between Linyuan City’s army and people!”
After Li Mu finished speaking, he suddenly erupted.
He seized Liu Shun by the throat and leaped more than ten meters into the air.
Suspended in midair, Liu Shun struggled madly. His protective cultivation art lit up again and again, only to be suppressed each time, unable to shake Li Mu in the slightest.
And the reason Li Mu had not called every Profound Rank expert who had come earlier one by one...
Was because he had been waiting for this kind of person, for this moment!
He needed someone like this.
With this, he would establish the Abyss-Suppression Army’s absolute authority in Linyuan City in a single stroke.
He would deter those family clans that still harbored disloyal thoughts and kill one to warn a hundred!
Li Mu’s voice spread across the entire plaza.
“The great enemy of Humanity stands before us, and the Abyss-Suppression Army risks its life for the people!”
“Its dignity must never be violated!”
“If anyone else attempts to incite conflict between the army and the people!”
“Such a thief shall be executed without mercy!”
The moment his words fell...
Li Mu violently hurled Liu Shun in his hand toward the ground!
Liu Shun fell like a meteor and crashed into the plaza floor made of special materials.
He exploded and died on the spot!