Chapter 8: The Creditor Comes to the Door, Bargaining Over the Debt

Under Illusion Colored Clothes’ command, the Demon Cavern joined forces with the three demonic factions, became unstoppable, successfully seized the spirit stone mine, and robbed a huge amount of spirit stones.

But the demonic cultivators had not been happy for long when, on their way back, they were intercepted by the authorities, caught red-handed with people and loot.

All of them were sentenced and thrown into the dungeons.

Inside the Demon Cavern, the calm surface of the water rippled, reflecting the appearances of everyone within the trial.

“They still didn’t pass?” Ping Wuqi was stunned and very surprised. Illusion Colored Clothes could be said to have performed extremely well—brave and resourceful, almost flawless.

Yet unexpectedly, she still failed.

“No, she succeeded,” the senior brother said calmly.

“Hm?” Ping Wuqi looked up.

“This was an impossible task. I simulated it many times in my mind and never succeeded,” the senior brother said. “So the question was only for them to obtain enough spirit stones. It never said they had to pay off the debt.”

“Huh?” Ping Wuqi replied.

“They all did very well, almost approaching the best plan I could simulate.”

Han Changsheng watched as the heavenly spiritual root disciples passed the trial one after another, the corners of his mouth lifting in satisfaction.

Their methods of clearing the trial were roughly the same: all of them subdued the three demonic factions and then robbed the spirit stone mine. They only differed in the details of how they subdued the three factions and how they carried out the robbery.

Illusion Colored Clothes used illusions to scheme the three demonic factions into joining.

The Confucian cultivator Kong Haoran used his eloquence to talk the three demonic factions into cooperating.

The monk Mi Suhui used his Buddhist salvation technique to convert the leaders of the three demonic factions.

The sword cultivator Li Shaobai and the body cultivator Zhao Jingang were the simplest and most direct. They stormed straight in and forced the three demonic factions to submit.

If these were ordinary Combined Body cultivators, reaching this point would have been impossible. But with their aptitudes—the weakest still being a heavenly spiritual root—it was easy.

“They’re all demonic prodigies. It’s hard to imagine how glorious our demonic path will be once they grow up,” Senior Brother Han Changsheng smiled until his eyes narrowed.

Ping Wuqi, however, was baffled. “Senior brother, why did you bother simulating how to pay off the debt?”

Senior brother’s face stiffened, his expression turning slightly unnatural before he quickly changed the subject. “That natural-born demonic seed you recommended—why is he still stuck on the first trial?”

Everyone’s attention shifted to Xu Gu.

By reason, at this point, the creditors should already be at their door, yet Xu Gu still hadn’t made a move!

Xu Gu listened to the anxious urging of the demonic cultivators at his side, but his expression remained grave as he stared at the garrison map before him, lost in thought.

“Demon Lord, if you don’t act soon, the creditor will be at our gates,” his trusted subordinate said, sweating profusely, terrified.

It was truly getting late.

Any more delay and there would be only one road left—death.

Some demonic cultivators were already planning to flee.

“What are you panicking for? Look at you useless lot, really losing face for demonic cultivators.” Xu Gu’s tone carried natural authority. He remained calm and filled with demonic majesty as he said coldly, “Everyone, disperse.”

“Huh? What about robbing the spirit stone mine?” The demonic cultivators gathered around him were stunned. Was he planning to give up and let everything crumble?

“If your bunch of trash was enough to rely on, the Great Cool Demon Cavern would’ve been wiped out long ago,” Xu Gu said arrogantly, wickedly unrestrained, his aura domineering, like a peerless Demon Emperor overlooking all beings. “As long as I’m here, the sky won’t fall!”

As he spoke, the sky became shrouded in dark clouds, muffled thunder rolled, gloomy winds howled as if heaven and earth were changing. A chilling pressure swept across the nine heavens, making it hard to breathe.

Everyone was stunned by Xu Gu’s aura, their hearts full of awe and admiration.

As expected of their Demon Lord!

So demonic, unrivaled across the Eight Desolations!

Just then, a figure descended from the heavens, demonic might surging like a heavenly demon descending.

“Great Cool Demon Lord, pay back the money!”

As his words fell, all the pressure between heaven and earth gathered on Xu Gu and the other demonic cultivators.

Only then did the demonic cultivators realize that this heaven-shaking demonic might did not come from their own Demon Lord, but from this creditor!

“What is he doing?”

“Is he planning to default on the debt?”

Ping Wuqi and the other elders were all confused when they saw this, unable to understand.

After a while, Ping Wuqi hesitated and asked, “Does this mean he’s failed the trial?”

Anyone willing to lend money to the Demon Cavern naturally had absolute strength to flatten it. Defaulting was impossible.

“Wait a bit longer,” Senior Brother Han Changsheng said, his expression tense, breathing quickening, his heart pounding.

He had never simulated the possibility of defaulting.

Looking at the senior brother’s serious face, Ping Wuqi’s lips twitched. For some reason, he had a bad feeling.

However—

The changes in the illusion went beyond everyone’s expectations.

The creditor and Xu Gu, who had seemed ready to fight at any moment, suddenly shook hands.

Everyone’s jaws nearly dropped.

“I’ll pay back the money, but you have to cooperate with me on some things. Don’t you dare try to haggle with me.

“I’m the one who owes money!

“According to the Great Shang laws, usury is not protected. At worst, I’ll turn myself in and report you for charging usury while I’m at it,” Xu Gu said via voice transmission as he faced the powerful creditor.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of fear in him.

A Demon Lord had to act like a Demon Lord.

“You… you’re ruthless!”

The creditor, whose rage had been almost solid and who had planned to severely punish Xu Gu, had his pupils contract. His expression shifted many times before he finally chose to compromise.

“How do you want me to cooperate?”

If Xu Gu truly decided to burn everything down with him, that money would really be gone for good.

Xu Gu was not surprised.

If you owe a million, then you’re the one with the headache. But if you manage to owe ten billion, then the one with the real headache should be the creditor.

Given the scale of the Demon Cavern, the sum they owed was astronomical.

Otherwise, the entire Demon Cavern wouldn’t have been so desperate as to rob a spirit stone mine right next to the government.

“I’m warning you, don’t push your luck! At worst, we’ll really burn together!” The creditor hurriedly said when he saw Xu Gu remain silent, thinking he was about to be taken advantage of.

“Relax, it’s simple. Just eat a few meals with me,” Xu Gu said blandly.

“That’s it?” The creditor felt there had to be a catch.

“Of course not. Give us a discount on the debt. Thirty percent of the original—how about that for a friendly price?” Xu Gu said. “It’s usury anyway. At thirty percent you’re still making a profit.”

Even now, he was speechless.

How could the previous Demon Lord of this Cavern be so stupid? As the lord of the demonic path, not only did he not lend money at high interest, he actually went and borrowed high-interest loans.

“No way! Eighty percent at the lowest! I still have a lot of mouths to feed,” the creditor said, feeling that this was the right way to bargain.

“Twenty percent,” Xu Gu said in a deep voice.

“Sixty percent! That’s the most! Any less and I really lose money!” the creditor gritted out, making his greatest concession.

“Thirty percent. Or I turn myself in,” Xu Gu said. “Pitiful as I am, an infamous great demon, if I turn myself in, I’ll probably be locked up for life. Unlike you—you’re just a financier, occasionally lending at high interest. Your sentence would probably be quite light.”

“Deal! Thirty percent it is—but you must pay me back, or we’ll really burn together!” The creditor’s face turned black as he took several deep breaths, nearly wanting to devour Xu Gu alive.

He had only wanted a bit of negligible interest, but the other party had actually gone after his principal!

Infuriating!

Of course, even at thirty percent, he was still making a profit, just not much.

(End of this chapter)