Chapter 993
Where is my head?
"you!"
Shen Xingyi and the others turned red in the face. They were Golden Core cultivators, and even in the border regions, they were still respectable figures. Now, Song Changsheng actually wanted them to kneel down and beg for mercy, rubbing their faces on the ground and stomping them into the mud. Didn't he know that Golden Core cultivators could not be humiliated?
"What, do you feel humiliated?"
In truth, you are not only pillars of the Chamber of Commerce, but also the elders of the young lady. The president is in seclusion, and instead of serving and assisting the young lady, you want to harm the president and the young lady. What face do you have to feel ashamed?
Kneel down and repent, and that will be your chance to live. I don't want to repeat myself. If you don't comply, it will just be a matter of taking a few more heads.
They are bold and responsible, and they have already cultivated to the Golden Core stage. Don't they understand this principle?
"If you can't bring yourself to do it, then come out and fight me. If you win, you can leave. But I need to remind you, if you lose, you'll lose more than just your lives."
At this point, Song Changsheng turned his sharp gaze toward the direction where Xuan Chen and Yuan Fang were located. Behind them stood the Ancient God Pavilion and the Xuanling Sect, respectively.
These two people are different from the others present. Simply put, they have concerns, and these concerns are out in the open.
Every move a Golden Core cultivator makes represents the sect behind him. If they choose to resist to the end, then he will have no choice but to eliminate both the Ancient God Pavilion and the Profound Spirit Sect.
Once blood is stained, the concept changes.
The saying "a Golden Core cultivator cannot be humiliated" doesn't depend on status, but on a person's stance. People are driven by self-interest. Xuan Chen and his group came to benefit their respective sects, and their surrender is also to prevent their sects from suffering calamity.
Therefore, he believes that the two will make a reasonable choice, sacrificing their dignity and face for the time being in exchange for understanding, which is actually a very worthwhile deal.
The Xuanling Sect and the Ancient God Pavilion are quite powerful. He will need to integrate the power of the Southwest in the future, and he cannot avoid these two families no matter what. If he can subdue them first, it will save him some trouble later.
Of course, if the two of them insist on being stubborn, he wouldn't mind making an example of them.
Since Yi Tianzheng entrusted him with the important task of guarding the southwest, he tacitly approved all his actions on this land, and he was fearless.
Xuan Chen and Yuan Fang exchanged a glance, both seeing the struggle and entanglement in each other's hearts. They were both patriarchs of their respective sects, revered by thousands, and it was indeed difficult for them to kneel down and beg for mercy.
After a long pause, Yuan Fang said bitterly, "Kneel down. It's not shameful to kneel before a True Lord."
Now that things have come to this, this is the only way he can console himself.
If he were a rogue cultivator, he could have fought Song Changsheng to the last to protect his Dao heart. Unfortunately, he was not. He was the Supreme Elder of the Xuanling Sect, and he needed to be responsible for all his actions. He could not act impulsively.
"puff"
The sound of his knees hitting the ground was somewhat dull, yet it felt like a heavy drumbeat striking the hearts of the others.
The Supreme Elder of the Xuanling Sect yielded to the power.
Then came another muffled thud, and Xuan Chen, too, lowered his proud head as a Golden Core cultivator.
Although the two knelt down, their shadows stretched long and straight on the ground.
They knelt not out of a desire to save their own lives, but for the continuation of their sects. They all knew very well what the consequences would be for offending a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
This was indeed humiliating them, but it also indirectly gave them an opportunity. This kneeling was worthwhile.
Song Changsheng looked at the two without any contempt, but with a hint of admiration. The Song family had also grown from weak to strong, and had made countless compromises. As the head of the family, he knew very well what the two were feeling at this moment.
However, just as he said, those who dare to act must take responsibility and pay the price for their stupidity and mistakes.
You'll never learn your lesson if you don't pay the price.
"These two have already made their choices, what about you?"
To confess and admit guilt, or to resist to the bitter end?
Looking at the other elders of the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce, Song Changsheng issued them an ultimatum.
The elders of the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce looked at each other in bewilderment. Mao Dongxing and Peng Huaming had been crushed, and Xuan Chen and Yuan Fang, who were their external aids, were also kneeling and bowing their heads. How could they fight back? Did they even have the right to fight?
Even the most fortified fortress will eventually be breached once the first crack appears.
With Xuan Chen and Yuan Fang taking the lead, the other elders also gave up resistance, knelt down, confessed their crimes, and accepted the punishment.
Even Shen Xingyi, after a fierce internal struggle, gave up resisting.
"Why don't you kneel?" Song Changsheng's gaze shifted slightly, looking at the only upright figure in front of him.
"Is the True Lord asking me?" Li Qinghe revealed a cryptic smile and tossed a bottle of secret medicine to Song Changsheng, saying, "Let's see what this is first. One-third of the elders in the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce have been taking this secret medicine for a long time."
Over the years, they have long been eroded by my secret medicine, and now the toxins in their bodies are maintained at a fragile critical point.
Once my antidote is cut off, the toxins in their bodies will quickly erupt, causing their strength to drop by half and spread to their core and even their soul over time, until they are completely devoured.
"My lord, I have leverage. I won't fawn over you like these people. How about we make a deal?"
"Are you planning to use this to threaten me?" Song Changsheng looked at the medicine bottle in his hand, his expression as calm as ever.
After learning that Li Qinghe was a fourth-tier top-grade alchemist, he had already anticipated this situation, since it was not surprising at all.
As elixirs are an indispensable part of a cultivator's daily practice, it is extremely easy for an alchemist to tamper with them.
This is also the main reason why every faction is committed to cultivating its own alchemists—to reduce risk.
Even so, there will still be scoundrels like Li Qinghe; it's just that they are impossible to guard against.
Song Changsheng had a general understanding of pharmacology but lacked expertise, and he didn't really have a good solution for the secret medicine made by Li Qinghe using his unique formula.
However, he was very skilled in soul-searching techniques, which even the Spirit Eyes couldn't resist, let alone him. As long as there was an antidote for this secret medicine, he wasn't afraid of not getting it.
Seeing that Song Changsheng had not made a move, Li Qinghe assumed that he had the victory in the bag and laughed heartily, "It seems that even a Nascent Soul True Monarch is not omnipotent."
"How to do?"
A sense of worry welled up in Peng Siying's heart. As one of the few top-grade fourth-level alchemists in the Chamber of Commerce, too many people in the Chamber of Commerce had taken the pills he refined. If everything was really as he said, the consequences would be unimaginable.
She couldn't help but glance at the figure blocking her way. He always seemed to have a knack for creating miracles in dire situations; perhaps this time...
Looking at Li Qinghe, who seemed confident and composed, Song Changsheng couldn't help but let out a soft sigh: "I gave you a chance."
Before Li Qinghe could even process what the words meant, he felt a cold breeze brush against his neck, making him shiver. Then, the world spun around him, and the scorched earth below, scarred by thunder, seemed to rush toward him.
Only then did he realize that he was falling rapidly.
"boom"
A dull thud followed, and he saw a headless corpse, gushing blood, fall a short distance away, creating a small crater in the ground. "That's..."
Li Qinghe's previously unfocused eyes refocused, and he was horrified to discover that the headless corpse that had fallen was none other than himself.
Where is my head?
The moment the thought crossed his mind, everything went black, and he lost consciousness.
Song Changsheng shattered his golden core with a flick of his finger, then beckoned to the head that was about to fall to the ground. An invisible force immediately lifted it up and brought it to his front.
"Considering that you are a top-tier fourth-level alchemist, I originally intended to leave you with a complete corpse so that you could depart with some dignity, but alas, you are stubborn and unyielding."
With a sigh, Song Changsheng tossed the head, which had sealed his sea of consciousness, to Quan Chong behind him and strode toward the kneeling elders, saying, "You all heard what this person just said."
There must be quite a few cultivators among you who have taken his pills, right?
To try and negotiate with a tiger for its skin is utterly foolish. All your years of hard work have been in vain, only to end up as mere pawns. How utterly ridiculous!
The young lady is merciful and unwilling to take your lives, but you may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment.
I'll spare your lives now. Serve the Chamber of Commerce well and assist the young lady. Don't overstep your bounds again.
"Take what the chairman gives you, and don't even think about what he doesn't want. This is your last chance."
"We know our guilt and thank Miss and True Lord for sparing our lives."
Looking at these people, Peng Siying wanted to tear their heads off, but reason told her she couldn't do that. These people were the important foundation supporting the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce. Without them, Wanlong would fall apart instantly.
At this moment, Shen Xingyi, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up: "Since you are the chief guest, then I dare to ask, is Wanlong the Wanlong of the masses or the Wanlong of the Peng family?"
Are you the chief guest of Bandung or the chief guest of Peng's?
We did indeed rebel, but isn't the root of all this the Peng family?
The public outrage arose because Peng Zhengxiong attempted to turn the Chamber of Commerce into the private property of the Peng family.
The Chamber of Commerce is where it is today because of the joint efforts of all like-minded people. The Peng family is just one of them. Why should we be treated as vassals?
It was Peng Zhengxiong who betrayed his original intentions first; he is the traitor.
We accept failure, but we will never accept so-called judgment.
If that's the only way, then Peng Zhengxiong should be the first to face trial!
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng paused for a moment before saying, "Wanlong is a joint chamber of commerce. Its development to this day is inseparable from the dedication and contributions of everyone. This achievement naturally belongs to everyone."
The president is wrong, but he is not wrong either.
Bandung is now too large and too bloated, like a sluggish, obese man, slow to move, hampered by various constraints, and on the verge of collapse at any moment.
To change all this, sweeping reforms are necessary, so centralization is essential, and as the chairman, he is the only one who can wield this knife.
His mistake was that he rushed into reforms without the strength to suppress everything, and that he failed to cultivate a core team that was united in purpose. He could only place his hopes on the family behind him.
Catastrophe is imminent; those who do not change will perish. A scattered group will ultimately turn to ashes.
The president is seeking change, so he's not wrong.
What you see is only the power before your eyes; you cannot see the hidden dangers lurking in the future.
The reason the chairman designated Miss as his successor was because he believed that even if he failed to break through this time, Miss would still follow his path steadfastly.
If any of you had the same foresight as the chairman, why would he have entrusted this immense responsibility to the young lady?
Ultimately, it's because you've been living in comfort for too long, and have long since lost your fighting spirit and sense of crisis.
The council of elders has the power to oversee and elect the president, a power established from the very beginning of the chamber of commerce, precisely to prevent the current situation from occurring.
When you were saying these things to me, did you ever consider that everything the chairman did today was the result of your tacit approval?
You are all members of the Elders Council. Even if only half of you unite, the Chairman cannot control everything.
I know this is the result of his attempts to divide and suppress us, but if you were all wholeheartedly devoted to the Chamber of Commerce, how could you possibly be divided?
Ultimately, it comes down to self-interest outweighing public interest.
In this situation, the Presbyterian Council completely loses its proper function.
Without destruction, there can be no construction. The chamber of commerce needs a top-down purge, and centralization is the optimal solution at present. It is the fastest way to enhance cohesion.
If you disagree, then go and do it, go and prove you're right.
Of course, you did take action, and the results speak for themselves.
Even if you unite, you all have your own agendas. Even if I hadn't intervened today, none of you would have been the ultimate winner.
Because your hearts are filled with selfish desires.
You only see the president consolidating power, but you don't see that he has been constantly bringing in fresh blood for the chamber of commerce, improving promotion channels, and looking for a way out for the future of the chamber of commerce.
Otherwise, all of you in these positions should belong to the Peng family.
Your desperate cries are simply because the reforms have touched upon your interests.
You are guilty, but not guilty of death, which is why I am willing to tell you these things.
Selfish desires are human nature, but if they cannot be controlled, they can lead to disaster.
The president is not wielding power, but rather your selfish desires.
Power is actually the least important thing. Once you understand this, you'll naturally understand the chairman.
Song Changsheng had a lot to say about power. He had served as the clan leader for nearly two hundred years, and now almost all the power had been delegated to the council of elders.
Because the elders of the Song family were far more selfless than public-spirited, and everyone worked towards the same goal, the effect of decentralization far exceeded that of centralization.
When he first became the clan chief, he also took measures to centralize power, because at that time he could not yet win the support of the people, and decentralization would become a hindrance and affect the efficiency of operation.
Adapting to changing times is the key to lasting prosperity!
After giving them a lesson, Song Changsheng slowly walked up to the bound Zhang Chuqiu and said with a half-smile, "You come from the Gu Immortal Sect?"
...(End of this chapter)