Chapter 212: My Rules Are The Rules!
"When you made these rules, such a major matter, did you notify me?" Shi Jian retorted to the man with the holy sword.
The man was choked by his retort. How could the rules established by their major forces require notifying a criminal?
"What are you, that you deserve us to notify you?" A woman with a charming and beautiful face spoke with disdain. "A descendant of the criminal blood, with dirty blood flowing through your veins... and such a high concentration of it!"
Shi Jian glanced at her, recognizing her from the Dragon Dao Sect. He sighed, a familiar feeling washing over him. "Alas..."
"You made rules but didn't notify me, so how was I supposed to know they existed?" he continued. "Be careful, if I break a rule, you'll sanction me? Is there still any truth in this world?"
"Isn't this just bullying honest people!" A bright light emanated from Shi Jian's eyes, and he chuckled. "Luckily, I'm not an honest person..."
The Angel Wings behind Shi Jian flapped gently, causing a fierce wind and swirling mist. Countless people were swept away, coughing up blood, with broken bones and snapped tendons.
Five-colored clouds appeared behind him, rapidly expanding into the sky. A rumble of lightning and thunder echoed as Five Elements Divine Thunder began to brew in the Void Realm.
"Since you can make rules here, then I will also make rules here!" Shi Jian declared. "Now, here, no movement is allowed... whoever moves, dies!"
"What kind of thing are your rules..." A First-generation cultivator, whose body was pitch black, immediately scoffed at Shi Jian's words.
As soon as he spoke, countless five-colored bolts of Divine Thunder instantly poured down from the sky. "Boom!" "Boom!" The First-generation cultivator, who had ignited his Divine Fire, was blasted into dust in an instant.
Nearly a hundred other Divine Fire experts from the Dragon Dao Sect and Fire Cloud Cave were also killed by the lightning. The entire area fell silent. Everyone felt the terrifying divine power and dared not move a muscle. A single bolt of Divine Thunder had killed a First-generation cultivator—what kind of joke was this?
Refining the essence of those who were killed by the Five Elements Divine Thunder, Shi Jian showed a regretful expression. "Why did you have to violate my rules? Wouldn't it have been fine if you just didn't move?" he said.
"I don't want to kill people either... But who told you to violate my rules!" he said. "As you all said—rules are supreme!" His voice sent shivers down everyone's spines.
This one move of Five Elements Divine Thunder made everyone realize they were no match for Shi Jian. And rules, such things, have always been set by the strong for the weak.
"Let's set another rule... No women from the Dragon Dao Sect are allowed here!" Shi Jian suddenly looked at the charming-faced female First-generation from the Dragon Dao Sect who had just been spouting nonsense.
That woman instantly felt a great sense of dread and unleashed a precious technique, her body flickering with runes. She used a life-burning method and charged towards Shi Jian.
He watched her calmly, making no move. As soon as the woman moved, a Five Elements Divine Thunder descended from the sky, instantly blasting her into dust. None of her precious artifacts or defensive divine abilities had any effect.
The Five Elements Divine Thunder annihilated her and all the other women from the Dragon Dao Sect. "Let's set another rule... No men from the Dragon Dao Sect are allowed here!"
As soon as the words fell, Divine Thunder surged in the sky. Several bolts descended, completely wiping out the remaining people of the Dragon Dao Sect. Shi Jian had adhered to the concept of gender equality, and the entire sect was removed from this place.
The prohibition of fighting within the city was a rule jointly established by the major forces. Now, Shi Jian had turned the rules into a rule-based horror story. Countless people who witnessed this felt chilled to the bone, fearing he would blurt out other rules.
What if he didn't add a qualifier and just said no men were allowed here? They would all be blown up. The prodigies from other worlds experienced the fear of being dominated by rule-based horror for the first time.
Even the two Underworld Generals who had submitted to Shi Jian were terrified. They were so scared they didn't dare to move, fearing he might casually eliminate them too. The observers from outside saw the silent, unmoving crowd and had strange expressions.
"You can set rules like this? What an eye-opener..." Everyone was dumbfounded, thinking this was purely force suppression.
"Very good... It seems that the rules I set are also very authoritative," Shi Jian said, nodding in satisfaction. "I am very satisfied that you can honestly abide by the rules I set!"
He then added, "It seems a bit asymmetrical to only have prohibitive rules... How about this, let's add a new rule: anyone who offers me a Spirit Medicine is allowed to speak."
Everyone knew he was robbing them, and they hesitated, unwilling to hand over their Spirit Medicine. Shi Jian's gaze suddenly turned cold. "Add another new rule: those who cannot speak, die!"
Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, and everyone shivered in fear. Damn it! Moving meant death, and not speaking also meant death. These two death rules contradicted each other. The only way to live was to offer a Spirit Medicine.
Using rules to counter rules. But what's the difference between this and robbery? Countless people grumbled inwardly, then quickly offered a Spirit Medicine using their Divine Thought. The Void Realm was instantly filled with a dense collection of Spirit Medicine. Shi Jian waved his hand and collected it all.
He then had another idea. "Add a new rule: those who offer Spirit Medicine are allowed small-scale movement, but not allowed to move around, otherwise die!" Then he announced, "Add a death rule: those who remain still, die!"
Everyone was speechless. Although the people of the Perfect World were encountering this for the first time, they quickly grasped how to play the rule-based horror game. There were rules to counter rules, but the cost was high, and their wallets were now empty.
They would have preferred it if Shi Jian had just robbed them directly. It would have been less tormenting. Everyone obediently offered Spirit Medicine again, gaining the right to briefly move their bodies. Shi Jian waved his hand and put all the Spirit Medicine into his bag.
He had only been out of seclusion for a few days. If he had to search for resources himself, he might not have found a single sacred medicine. But robbing others was much faster. In just one day, he had plundered two major forces and so many people here.
"Announce another rule..." Shi Jian was like an emotionless robot, announcing one rule-based horror after another. That day, countless prodigies of the Perfect World were enveloped in fear.
By the time everyone gained full movement permissions, their storage spaces were almost completely empty. Even the First-generation Divine Fire cultivators who had become gods were no exception. They each offered at least two sacred medicines or items of corresponding value.
Those watching from outside fell silent once again. "He could have just robbed them..." someone spoke with emotion. The person next to him gave him a strange look. "What do you think he was doing?"
After tidying up the spoils, Shi Jian finally withdrew the Five Elements Divine Thunder with great satisfaction. Among the many First-generation cultivators who had ignited their Divine Fire, he selected a few who were particularly afraid of death and planted soul imprints in their bodies. He then ordered them to collect various Heaven and Earth Treasures.
Shi Jian then left the city. After this wave of "farming," he was barely considered "fattened up." He could support himself in going further on the path of Immortal Qi. However, he was not satisfied; the more Heaven and Earth Treasures, the better. He headed to the next "farming" location.
While Shi Jian was "farming" everywhere, Shi Hao also completed his initial cultivation. He drew in 1,300 streaks of firelight, ignited himself, and his strength underwent a world-shaking transformation. Just like Shi Jian, he attracted something strange: an entity that looked exactly like him, like an older version of himself.
The strange entity could imitate all of Shi Hao's precious techniques, including the Kunpeng Method. Fortunately, it could not imitate the Great Five Elements Technique or the laws of other worlds.
Therefore, Shi Hao easily killed it. After doing so, his strength increased significantly, and his path to godhood became even more stable. 1,500 flames burned his body, illuminating the heavens and the earth. To achieve this, he had consumed countless precious medicines and was now running out of resources.
He also planned to visit the Immortal Ancient Realm to "farm" some resources and test his skills. The vast and boundless Immortal Ancient Realm was a collection of countless Minor Thousand Worlds. Shi Hao entered one and saw many beings from the outside.
He searched for treasures while gathering information and finally entered a peaceful Minor Thousand World that happened to contain a city. Shi Hao, whose body was like withered bones, walked in.
Seeing his appearance, countless cultivators were instantly terrified. Not long ago, a person with a similar withered body had walked into the city and left behind a rule-based horror.
Someone had connected the events and summarized a new horror story: [Never provoke anyone whose entire body is withered, and whose physical body appears almost on the verge of collapse.]
Those who knew this horror story looked at Shi Hao in terror. He was confused. His skin was stretched over his bones, and he pulled a smile he thought was friendly. "Friend, which way is the Dark Divine Palace?"