Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

Chapter 1305: Chapter 983: It’s New Year! We’ve Struck It Rich! (Part 2)

"I heard rumors about a suspected Ghost Realm, and wished to avoid it by tens of thousands of miles, afraid of bumping into the strange and bizarre things within. I’ll only breathe easy once the Lord has sealed and dealt with it."

It paused for a moment, gazing up at those toiling amidst the sea of flames, an aching, pitiful lament: "Now I’ve become a monster too, yet can’t show even a shred of bravado. Just to have a bite to eat and drink, we must suffer endless hardships here!

Why am I so unlucky? As a Righteous Cultivator, we were constantly restrained; as an Evil Cultivator, like a rat in the streets; now, even as a monster, I’m forced to labor! Where’s the dignity?!"

The Elder Scholar listened and understood, laughing: "Do you feel that by becoming a monster, at least you could leave the Ghost Realm, wander around, scaring ordinary cultivators, burning, killing, and looting wantonly? Perhaps even spreading pollution and ruining the whole world?"

"Exactly!" Qi Baijun sat up, eyes glowing green, voice eerie and enticing: "Don’t you want to be a ruler with power above all? We are monsters! How can we waste our existence and be trapped here doing hard labor?"

"Haha, all monsters think that way." The Elder Scholar stroked his beard, cheerfully gesturing: "See? So many monsters, all transformed by me. Do you think they truly fear me, respect me, and treat me as their leader?

Ha! Don’t be naive! Without Jiang’s supplies holding them, who would listen to me?

Qi Baijun, you are no different! As a monster, you cannot absorb or refine Spiritual Power. Your previous abilities are almost useless. We all stand on the same starting line, without external assistance, who can overpower whom? Who would genuinely follow anyone?"

Looking at the cunning smile in the Elder’s eyes, Qi Baijun suddenly understood.

Monsters are indeed powerful, but that’s only against cultivators, and there’s no cultivator here!

All monsters are the same, unable to control food and water resources, how can anyone persuade the monster army to obey commands?

"That Daoist You has quite the skill!" He stayed silent for a while, realizing the current situation is like mortals in the human world.

Without seeking protection from cultivators under the guise of gods, they can’t even preserve their lives, so eloquence is pointless—without providing tangible protection, unable to fend off Demon Beasts, no one wants to follow.

Even in the mortal world’s court, they must rely on powerful cultivators or sects.

For the monster army, the Elder Scholar is their "Priest", and Jiang Daoist, who provides continuous fresh food and water, is their "god"!

To overthrow his rule and gain the monster army’s trust, one must offer more food and water and a better environment than the current one.

"Even if we really escaped from here, have you thought about it? If all monsters recklessly pollute the world, once the entire small world turns into a Ghost Realm, with every living being a monster, what happens then?" The Elder Scholar saw him pondering, continued to guide: "What means do you have to control billions of monsters?"

Indeed, if everything gets polluted, food and water to fill the belly and quench thirst would be gone, and so many monsters starving together...

Qi Baijun merely thought about it, already feeling chills down his spine.

The most crucial point—even as a monster, not really invincible, facing High Realm cultivators skilled in the Purification Technique, still get wiped out!

With the pollution speed of monsters, perhaps before completely polluting the small world, countless Purification cultivators would arrive, bringing catastrophic disaster. After living so many years, he knows monsters are terrifying, yet never seen a small world saved by the spread of monsters.

Which means, even if they escaped, there’s still High Tier cultivators like the Lords to deal, either sealing or purifying them.

"Sigh!" With a heavy sigh, Qi Baijun suddenly felt tired.

The Elder Scholar seized the moment: "Fortunately, Jiang is reasonable, and has abundant resources for us to enjoy. Once the Flame Sea finishes being exploited and moves to another Ghost Realm, life will be better.

The past is but a distant past, look ahead, plan more for yourself living in the present.

As the Three Protectors for the Leisure Sect, you had plenty of intelligence to trade for Merit Token, whatever you want to eat is available without starving or thirst, with Jiang providing daily support, enjoying each day, isn’t it good?"

Saying this, it deliberately picked up a cluster of translucent grapes, tilted its head, and ate them one by one.

After showing off the grapes, it took out a big watermelon from the Storage Bag, sliced it with a finger, causing the watermelon to crack open with a "pop", releasing a sand-like, juicy, uniquely fragrant watermelon aroma.

Qi Baijun never dreamed, the humble mortal world’s watermelon, without Spiritual Energy, could be so tempting!

"Gulp!" Swallowing dry saliva, its eyes were fixed on it.

The Elder Scholar devoured the watermelon, finishing the fragrant, juicy flesh with gusto, casually tossed aside, caught steadily by a waiting maid monster, thanking then starting to gnaw on the green flesh and rind.

Even leftovers, they devoured them eagerly, making her crave to taste the sweet watermelon rind.

"I know, imposters are anxiously waiting for intelligence..." Qi Baijun cooled down, wanting to negotiate terms properly.

Otherwise, once the intelligence sold out, he’d have to join Ugly Slave, Black Riders, and other disciples doing labor.

Who knows, before he could finish, the Elder Scholar laughed and interrupted with a wave, "You’re both right and wrong, Jiang does wait for intelligence, as he has his grand plans.

But if he doesn’t get your intelligence, he loses nothing.

Just leveraging your identity and finding someone suitable to use instead. If I’m not mistaken, you could meet the Sixth Elder using your Merit Token, right? You think that old ghost can resist Jiang?

Besides, you haven’t seen his many methods. The mere Leisure Sect is just a hunting game he enjoys as prey, wait until he’s bored, you’ll see all the sect’s disciples here."

Qi Baijun’s face turned pale with realization, that kid is truly sinister!

Especially able to drive Leisure Sect members’ Merit Tokens at will, making defense nigh impossible.

If opponents set a trap for the Sixth Elder now, that old one’s information could leak more, making him totally worthless.

But, he ought to attempt negotiation, else he’d incur loss!

"Alright, given our connection, I’ll secure a good position for you." The Elder Scholar, adept in philosophical discourse and understanding monster minds, smiled: "Tell Jiang the intelligence he needs truthfully, cooperate well to make you the Commander."

Speaking he waved his sleeve, proudly: "Don’t underestimate the current small monster army, in the future, there’ll be thousands of monsters under my control, manageable by Commanders and Commanders-in-Chief.

The Commander is beneath me, no need for labor, daily allocated food and water are plentiful.

Your only necessity is loyalty, loyal to both me and Jiang!

Consider, you actually just changed places to continue wielding power, previously as Protector you heeded the Sixth Elder, above him was the Sect Leader; here, just listen to me, surely one under many above."

Qi Baijun can’t deny the temptation, the reality was clear, being irreversibly polluted into a monster.

Otherwise live forever not as a man nor ghost; or purified and soul scattered. The latter is rare, as the former, he must seek ways for comfortable living.

"Alright, I suppose he’s facing many unanswerable problems, like Essence storage location, Holy Land activation or use, I’ll inform him one by one." Fearing the Sixth Elder’s potential tricks, hungry and thirsty Qi Baijun chose to compromise.

The Elder Scholar immediately took out pen and paper to start recording.

Jiang Yuan idly waited for a while, suddenly surfing through a series of exploitation records, seeing the Elder Scholar’s "message".

"Essence requires special storage, thus specially developed a small space, accessible via teleportation from the Immortal Ship’s secret chamber..." He quickly scanned excitedly to verify the intelligence’s accuracy.

If opponenet dared lie, make them pay!

Fortunately, Qi Baijun figured it out, didn’t talk nonsense, Jiang Yuan cautiously checked the system’s appraisal details before choosing to enter the small space, in the next moment, his view brightened—before him immense arrays supported "bubbles", filled with countless gleaming specks of Essence.

At first glance, endless!

"It’s New Year! Struck it rich!" Jiang Yuan’s eyes gleamed green, but immediately mixed feelings, how many deaths for this! Damn Leisure Sect, must be swiftly eradicated to prevent future troubles!