Chapter 300: The Unlucky Deputy Leader

On the way back to Daozong, Meng Jingzhou suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, the wooden box contains Qin Haoran's belongings. Shouldn't Junior Brother Li keep it?"

Lu Yang was silent for a moment, then sincerely replied, "Believe me, Junior Brother Li definitely wouldn't want that thing."

After the seal on the wooden box was opened, Lu Yang was about to open it and see what was inside, but Immortal Fairy quickly stopped him.

"Inside the box is an IOU involving the power of karma," she explained. "Qin Haoran used the box to isolate the IOU from his own karma."

"If the person who opens the wooden box is related to Qin Haoran," she continued, "then that person will establish a karmic connection with the IOU, and you will have to repay the debt on Qin Haoran's behalf!"

"This IOU cannot be destroyed," she warned. "Otherwise, anyone karmically linked to it will suffer an attack equivalent to a full-force blow from a Tribulation Stage cultivator!"

"Presumably, Qin Haoran, unable to repay the debt, hid the IOU," Immortal Fairy admonished with rare seriousness. "Whoever dug up the wooden box as a treasure would be unlucky!"

Lu Yang gasped. Qin Haoran truly lived up to his reputation as the Demonic Sect Master; his methods were indeed ruthless.

He wondered which poor soul would establish a karmic connection with the IOU.

At the same time, Lu Yang realized something: no wonder the seal on the box was a blood essence seal.

Qin Haoran never intended for his reincarnation to open the seal.

He wasn't foolish; why would he let his next life bear a huge debt?

At the headquarters of the Nine Nether Sect, dark clouds hung low as a rare century-level lightning tribulation brewed in the sky.

Suddenly, a thick purple lightning bolt instantly illuminated the entire sky, like a giant electrical sphere bursting and spreading outwards.

Under its light, everything appeared exceptionally clear, as if time had been paused.

Then, another thick lightning bolt streaked across the sky, followed by a second, then a third...

As time passed, Shi Huagu, under the repeated bombardment of lightning bolts, had become a horrific sight, reduced to a charred lump.

After the lightning and thunder subsided, Shi Huagu opened his eyes.

"Cough, cough—"

He spat out a plume of black smoke, mixed with the smell of cooked meat.

"Damn it, I almost thought I was going to die just now," Shi Huagu grumbled, filled with lingering fear.

Cultivators of his Yin attribute were most afraid of Yang lightning. If his foundation hadn't been solid, he would have surely died just now.

Strangely, under such a dense, almost liquefied lightning assault, though the surroundings were a mess and Shi Huagu's clothes were charred, the IOU remained intact, as if it hadn't undergone the lightning's baptism.

Shi Huagu grew angry at the sight of the IOU, wishing he could slap it into dust.

But he knew the power of this IOU; if he dared to destroy it, even stronger lightning would descend.

That would be a situation of certain death.

If he didn't repay the debt, the IOU would summon a Five-Lightning Tribulation once a month.

Who could withstand that?

Now there were two options: either break through to the Tribulation Stage, or repay the debt.

One billion spirit stones! His entire fortune wasn't even close to that much.

"Debt transfer, truly worthy of Sect Master Qin, who can always find a way to make ends meet!" Shi Huagu's eyes were terrifyingly cold.

He had considered transferring the IOU again, but unfortunately, a karmic connection had already formed with him. The IOU would not be transferred until that connection disappeared.

"Heavenly Court Sect, is that it? Good, very good, this is a warning shot for me!" Shi Huagu gritted his teeth, realizing the other party was truly cunning.

Lord Mi and the Soul Transformation cultivator returned, seeing Shi Huagu, who resembled a charred lump, and cautiously asked, "Vice Sect Master, are you alright?"

Shi Huagu's face darkened. "Do I look alright to you?"

The Soul Transformation cultivator understood Shi Huagu's meaning and cautiously asked:

"Vice Sect Master, are you in trouble?"

Shi Huagu struggled to suppress his murderous intent.

"Find the Sect Master!" Shi Huagu said, using a spell to clean his body, changing his clothes, and putting on a wig—his hair had been singed off by the Five-Lightning Tribulation and wouldn't grow back anytime soon.

Lord Mi and the Soul Transformation cultivator tacitly agreed not to mention what happened before they arrived at the sect.

Lord Mi was in a neutral position; he had originally intended to hand the wooden box directly to the Sect Master, but the Soul Transformation cultivator was Shi Huagu's confidant and wouldn't allow Lord Mi to do so.

Under the Soul Transformation cultivator's strong insistence, the wooden box was successfully opened by Shi Huagu.

If Shi Huagu ever learned of this, he would surely kill the Soul Transformation cultivator with a single palm strike and wouldn't be satisfied until his bones were ground to dust.

Lord Mi had seized this as leverage against the Soul Transformation cultivator.

The current Sect Master of the Nine Nether Sect was a handsome young man, who seemed somewhat out of place with the sect's gloomy atmosphere.

"Heavenly Court?"

The Sect Master pondered, deep in thought. After a long while, he slowly asked, "Tell me, is this Heavenly Court Sect rich? Can they lend us money?"

"What?" Shi Huagu thought his brain had been scrambled by the lightning.

"Oh, no, nothing," the Sect Master quickly corrected himself. "I meant, so it's the Heavenly Court."

After he became Sect Master and saw the monthly deficit reports, he realized how difficult it had been for the previous Sect Master.

He worked diligently for the faith, starting from scratch to study finance, conduct market research, and on-site investigations. He meticulously sought out business opportunities, developed various new industries, and worked hard to earn money and maintain the Nine Nether Sect's existence.

Unfortunately, with the construction of Fengdu, a bottomless pit, no amount of spirit stones earned was ever enough.

This sort of thing couldn't be told to others, as it would easily cause panic.

They already faced pressure from suppression by the righteous sects. If the disciples now learned of the Nine Nether Sect's predicament, they might even consider surrendering.

So he greatly admired Qin Haoran, who could incur such a deficit and still maintain the Nine Nether Sect's daily operations.

If he knew Qin Haoran could even start a family and career under such circumstances, he would probably admire him even more.

"Qin Haoran's reincarnation..."

Previously, he had always thought that Qin Haoran's reincarnation was a fabrication by the three Vice Sect Masters to compete for Qin Haoran's legacy. Although reincarnation was mentioned in the Nine Nether Sect's doctrines and theoretically achievable,

in the long history of the Nine Nether Sect, no one had ever been known to achieve reincarnation.

Now, an ancient Heavenly Court Sect had emerged, and had even found Qin Haoran's reincarnation, who was a woman.

Although it sounded strange, it was reasonable upon closer inspection.

"Are you sure it's Qin Haoran's item?"

Shi Huagu silently pulled out the IOU.

Shi Huagu didn't know the sect was losing money. He still thought this IOU was left by Qin Haoran to deliberately trick people.

The moment he saw the IOU, the Sect Master understood: this must be something Qin Haoran left behind; it couldn't be faked.

Moreover, he remembered Qin Haoran was proficient in karma and formations, capable of blocking and transferring karma.

"Given this," the Sect Master mused, "this Heavenly Court Sect and Qin Haoran's reincarnation seem highly credible."

"Summon the other two Vice Sect Masters for a meeting."

"Can these one billion spirit stones be paid from the treasury?" Shi Huagu asked, as he certainly didn't want to be struck by lightning every month.

The Sect Master said sternly, "Your acceptance of Qin Haoran's legacy is a private matter and cannot involve public funds. Public and private matters must be kept separate!"

"However, I have a small suggestion."

"Please speak, Sect Master."

"Next time you get struck by lightning, please be a bit further from the headquarters. Repairing the headquarters costs money."