Chapter 164: The Thunder of Repaying a Debt with One's Life

“This storage ring contains ten million spirit stones. Please accept it as a deposit, Mr. Tao.”

Vice-Cult Master Shi winced. He had originally planned to use these ten million to purchase the publicity rights, but unexpectedly, after some back and forth, it had been reduced to a mere deposit.

“I’ll need to return and mobilize funds to gather the remaining forty million. I kindly ask for Mr. Tao’s patience for half a month.”

“Our one-minute promotional illusion hasn't been fully filmed yet. In half a month, it will be delivered to Mr. Tao along with the forty million spirit stones.”

“This wooden token is for communication.” Vice-Cult Master Shi handed Tao Yaoye a palm-sized wooden token. He had also given one to Lu Yang previously.

“Once the spirit stones are collected, we will contact Mr. Tao using this token.”

Shi Huagu's demeanor was exceedingly considerate.

As Lu Yang had mentioned earlier, the Nine Nether Cult was seeking Tao Yaoye's assistance in this matter, making Tao Yaoye the party in control.

“Alright, I have other matters to attend to, so I won't delay the three of you any further.” Shi Huagu slowly rose, giving Huo Huashen a look, signaling him to escort Lu Yang and his companions out.

Huo Huashen understood, taking out eye drops from his storage ring and handing them to Shi Huagu.

Shi Huagu was speechless.

“I told you to see them off!”

If Huo Huashen hadn't been so highly talented, with the potential to become a Vice-Cult Master or even Cult Master given enough time, Shi Huagu would have long since struck down that imbecile!

Huo Huashen thought to himself, 'Can you blame me? Your look had multiple meanings; who could possibly decipher it?'

Huo Huashen saw the three off. After they had walked about a kilometer, they heard a startling clap of thunder behind them, making them shiver.

The three turned their heads to see sudden changes in the weather where Shi Huagu was, with dark clouds gathering, lightning flashing, and thunder rumbling, resembling a scene of the apocalypse.

This was a lightning tribulation that posed a life-threatening danger even to those at the Body Integration stage. Even from such a distance, they could feel the pressure emanating from the lightning...

“That's strange, why don't I feel any pressure?” Lu Yang wondered. Judging by the expressions of his two junior sisters and Huo Huashen, the lingering power of the lightning should have reached them here.

Why did he feel nothing at all?

“Naturally, it's because I, the immortal, am here,” the Immortal Fairy declared, patting her chest to take credit, her chin slightly raised in triumph.

“You're that powerful, Fairy?” Lu Yang was utterly surprised, not expecting the Immortal Fairy to have such immense sway.

“Of course. Most lightning tribulations originate from Ying Tianxian's Tribulation Dao Fruit. Wouldn't those lightning tribulations have to show me some respect?”

Lightning tribulations were not created by Ying Tianxian; her contribution was to expand upon and popularize their methods and types.

It was the first time Lu Yang realized the Immortal Fairy held such immense sway that even lightning tribulations had to show her respect.

It seemed the Immortal Fairy had left Ying Tianxian with quite a significant psychological scar.

“Judging by the situation, this lightning tribulation must be the ‘Debt Repayment Lightning’ created by Ying Tianxian, specifically designed to strike down those who don't pay their debts.”

Lu Yang recalled that Huo Huashen had seemingly taken a portion of Qin Haoran's inheritance from him, and that inheritance involved promissory notes...

Lu Yang confirmed that Huo Huashen, standing beside them, was still alive, and secretly marveled. It seemed Vice-Cult Master Shi truly valued Huo Huashen, as he was still alive even after this.

“By the way, isn't the name of this lightning tribulation a bit too plain?” Lu Yang thought. In his impression, lightning tribulations usually had names like 'Supreme Purity,' 'Purple Firmament,' 'Return to Silence,' or 'Six Ding Six Jia.'

Calling it 'Debt Repayment Lightning' – why not just 'Promissory Note Lightning'?

Ying Tianxian, do you even know how to name things?

“I think the name I came up with is pretty good,” the Immortal Fairy retorted.

Lu Yang had an epiphany, his expression clearing like clouds parting: “Ah, so it was you who named it, Fairy! No wonder it felt so refreshingly simple. Upon closer consideration, there’s a profound truth to it. As the saying goes, ‘A debt must be repaid.’ If debtors always repaid their debts, why would they face lightning tribulations? Therefore, those who default on their debts must pay with their lives. The name you chose, Fairy, is truly evocative, with multiple layers of deep meaning packed into just a few words. It’s thought-provoking!”

The Immortal Fairy displayed a smile appropriate for her age: “Hehe, I didn’t actually think that deeply into it.”

A Body Integration stage tribulation was a rare sight, so all four stopped to watch for a while.

Huo Huashen had actually witnessed it several times before; he was mainly just watching alongside Lu Yang and the two junior sisters.

In essence, they were just observing the spectacle. This was a lightning tribulation capable of threatening even Body Integration stage cultivators, its level far too high. At Lu Yang and his two junior sisters' cultivation realms, they couldn't discern the secret to Shi Huagu's successful tribulation.

As for the Immortal Fairy, she had personally witnessed Ying Tianxian creating this specific lightning tribulation, so there was nothing new for her to see.

Leaving Shi Huagu to undergo his tribulation alone, Huo Huashen escorted the three to their flying boat.

Before they left, Huo Huashen felt compelled to speak his mind, lest he keep it bottled up.

“If the three of you ever have the chance, please visit our barbecue restaurant. While it may not compare to the delicacies of the immortal sects, our grilled skewers are quite delicious.”

“Alright.”

Inside the flying boat's cabin, Lan Ting still hadn't fully recovered from her astonishment.

How was it that they had simply gone out to complete an ordinary mission, only to be ambushed by the Nine Nether Cult's Vice-Cult Master, then asked to collaborate, ultimately receiving ten million spirit stones, and then politely sent off?

Lan Ting herself was not short on money, but she had never encountered such a method of earning it.

She hailed from the Lan family, which had no regional prefix. While most aristocratic families included a regional prefix, such as the Yan family of Qingzhou, the Wenren family of Liangzhou, or the Ye family of Liangzhou, only a select few had no such prefix. This signified that when one spoke of the Lan surname, only *the* Lan family came to mind—a privilege reserved for top-tier prestigious families, a testament to their combined strength and accumulated heritage.

The Meng family was the only other family to enjoy the same distinction as the Lan family.

While the Lan family was not considered the foremost family like the Meng family, it was undoubtedly a top-tier aristocratic family.

Lu Yang also let out a sigh of relief. This outing had been relatively smooth; there was no need to kill a Body Integration stage cultivator, nor to confront a Tribulation Transcending stage cultivator.

“Senior Brother Lu, these ten million spirit stones…” Tao Yaoye said, holding the storage ring and looking at Lu Yang with eager eyes. She also felt the spirit stones had come too easily, making her uneasy.

She hadn't done anything, yet she had received ten million spirit stones, with another forty million pending payment.

Lu Yang waved his hand: “You earned it with your own abilities. Keep it.”

“Oh.”

“There's something else I need to remind you about.”

“What is it?”

Lu Yang narrowed his eyes, noticing several burly men rising nearby and walking toward them. He calmly warned, “When you're out and about, don't flaunt your wealth; it will attract trouble.”

Tao Yaoye suddenly realized that she hadn't used sound transmission when speaking with Senior Brother Lu Yang just now. Any cultivator paying slight attention to their movements would have heard what she was saying.

Now, in others' eyes, she was a cultivator possessing ten million spirit stones—a fortune that a Soul Transformation stage cultivator might accumulate over an entire lifetime, yet she was only at the Golden Core stage!

An imbalance between wealth and power was bound to attract trouble!

Several burly men with grim expressions approached. Their cultivation levels were indiscernible, but they were at least at the Golden Core stage, possibly even Nascent Soul.

Long-distance flight consumed too much spiritual power for cultivators, so many who could fly still chose to travel by flying boat.

The burly men encircled Lu Yang's group of three. Ignoring Lu Yang and Lan Ting, they focused on Tao Yaoye, a hint of almost imperceptible greed in their expressions.

“Fellow Daoist, you seem to possess quite a few spirit stones?”

“It's not safe to carry so many spirit stones, is it? Perhaps we could keep them for you?”

“What do you want?” Tao Yaoye asked warily, secretly touching her identity jade token, ready to activate her magic treasure at any moment.

What if the opponents were at the Nascent Soul stage? She truly wasn't afraid.

The burly man at the front sneered twice, no longer concealing his intentions.

“Fellow Daoist, have you considered depositing your spirit stones with our 'Money Landing Merchant Association'? We offer five percent annual interest.”