141: Chapter 141: War Debt Settlement Agreement

The morning at Qingheng Sect was shrouded in a suffocating silence.

There was no birdsong, no morning bell. There was only a thick, impenetrable layer of clouds, like a massive lead plate, pressing heavily down upon the nine continuous mountain peaks.

These were no ordinary clouds, but "War Clouds" mixed with Karma and coercion.

Shen Xingzhou stood before the mountain gate of Hengchuan Peak, looking up at the firmament.

In the eyes of the Mortal Disciples, today might just be an overcast day.

But in Shen Xingzhou's System view, the Spiritual Qi field above the entire Qingheng Sect was undergoing violent deformation.

The map of the Sect's Luck, which could usually only be vaguely perceived, was now like something that had been viciously torn apart, its curves fractured and flashing with red light.

"Boom—!!"

A clap of thunder did not explode, but instead rolled directly across the zenith, leaving behind a vibration that refused to dissipate.

Immediately after, countless golden runes descended from the firmament like a torrential downpour.

They possessed no aggression, yet carried an irresistible power of Law, passing through the Sect-protecting array, through the eaves of the palaces, and finally blanketing every inch of land in a dense layer.

That was the [War Debt Liquidation Order].

The Disciples of Hengchuan Peak walked out of their Immortal Caves one after another, looking at the golden characters flowing across the sky. Some looked excited, thinking the Sect was about to take some major action; others turned pale, instinctively feeling a sense of unease.

Shen Xingzhou did not speak; in his field of vision, the System interface was refreshing frantically.

[System Environmental Monitoring]

Detected intervention of high-dimensional Laws: Nine Provinces War Debt Liquidation Center

Status: Sect Lockdown Settlement

Progress: War Debt Concentrated Liquidation 0% → 5% → 12%

Beneath those layers of golden characters, at the entrance of the mountain gate, the System automatically generated a huge, blood-red countdown progress bar.

That garish red color was like a noose tightened around the neck of the Qingheng Sect.

[War Debt Concentrated Liquidation: Not Started]

Inside the main peak's great hall, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.

Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou sat upright in the high seat, with a golden command tube that had just been opened floating before him.

The flowing light surging from the command tube spread out in mid-air to form a huge light screen, displaying the detailed terms of this liquidation to all the Elders and Peak Masters present.

"Everyone."

Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou's voice carried a deep exhaustion, but even more so, a helplessness at being forced to face reality. "The war merit settlement and resource loan accounts from the last Monster Realm war have just arrived. This is the final Liquidation Order issued by the Heavenly Dao Center."

The Elders looked up, their gazes falling upon the light screen.

At first, it was a peaceful list of Karma, but as they read further down, the expressions of the group became increasingly ugly. By the end, the numbers on it had turned into shocking deficits.

[System Real-time Capture: Liquidation Order Content Conversion]

Total War Debt (Karma to be repaid): 8,500,000 points (approximately 1.5 times the Sect's total revenue for three years)

Grace period for submission: 30 days (one month)

Current solvency assessment: Severely insufficient (deficit rate 65%)

At the very bottom of the light screen, a line of bold, red text that seemed to carry the scent of blood popped up:

If full repayment cannot be made on schedule, mandatory enforcement procedures will be initiated:

Credit Downgrade: Sect rating lowered to "Waste-grade", loss of Spiritual Vein mining rights.

Asset Seizure: Freeze all Spiritual Veins and storehouses.

Peak Dissolution: According to the liquidation priority, management rights of certain mountain peaks will be abandoned sequentially until the debt is cleared.

Beside this series of desperate terms, the System keenly captured a line of inconspicuous small text, and quickly highlighted it with a red box in Shen Xingzhou's field of vision, accompanied by a harsh alarm sound.

[System Mark: High-Risk Clause]

Special Appendix:

In view of the fact that Hengchuan Peak recently obtained special resource rewards from The Grand Exam, and this peak belongs to non-core fixed assets...

Proposed Liquidation Plan: Prioritize disposal of assets — Hengchuan Peak.

*(Including all its Grand Exam rewards, Spiritual Vein quotas, and ownership of Disciples)*

"Prioritize disposal..."

Shen Xingzhou stood in the corner of the great hall, looking at the words locked by the System's red box, feeling a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to his forehead.

So that was it.

So this was what was meant by "separate handling."

Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou was speaking in the front, his voice low: "This debt is an astronomical figure. If we do not want the Sect to be abolished, we have no choice but to..."

"We have no choice but to use Hengchuan Peak to fill it!"

A sharp voice suddenly interrupted Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou. It was Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai. He stood up abruptly, pointing at Shen Xingzhou in the corner, his eyes flashing with greed and malice.

"Sect Head Senior Brother, anyone with eyes can see it! Hengchuan Peak just got so many rewards, those are all Spirit Stones! Sell Hengchuan Peak, confiscate those rewards, and we can at least fill one-third of the debt! Anyway, that's a peak run by the Demon Race; keeping it is a disaster. It's better to use it to pay off the debt; it just so happens to comply with the Heavenly Dao!"

As soon as Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai finished speaking, a buzzing sound of discussion arose in the great hall.

Many Elders who were originally wavering now had their eyes light up. Sacrifice Hengchuan Peak? To them, this was killing two birds with one stone — they could pay off the debt and remove a thorn in their side at the same time.

Shen Xingzhou did not speak; he just quietly watched these people, as if watching a pack of hungry hyenas.

On his main System interface, as the War Debt Liquidation Order took effect, a brand new, massive panel unfolded with a boom.

[System Function Upgrade: Sect-level Risk Control]

Detected that the Sect is facing a risk of systemic collapse; forced access to the V2.0 Sect Asset Overview module.

Core Data:

Qingheng Sect overall bankruptcy risk: 72% (Recent trend: Continuously rising ♦)

Cash flow rupture countdown: 25 days

Default liquidation priority simulation:

Peripheral Peaks (e.g., Luopo Peak): No value, abandon.

Loss-making Peaks (e.g., Danxia Peak): Heavily indebted, insolvent, cannot offset debt.

High battle-damage/Newly rich peaks (Hengchuan Peak): Possesses large amounts of liquid funds (Grand Exam rewards), and the Foundation is still shallow, without a strong backer.

System Judgment:

In the current asset structure of the Qingheng Sect, Hengchuan Peak is the only "piece of fat meat."

Host position: Located on the chopping block.

Shen Xingzhou looked at that bright red "72%" and the liquidation priority that placed him on the "chopping block," and suddenly laughed.

This laugh was very light, but in the quiet great hall, it sounded exceptionally harsh.

"Shen Xingzhou, what are you laughing at?" Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai barked harshly, "Do you intend to resist the debt?"

Shen Xingzhou raised his head, his gaze sweeping over every face in the great hall, finally landing on Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou.

"I am not laughing at resisting the debt," Shen Xingzhou said calmly. "I am just laughing because, in the eyes of you Elders, the rewards that my Hengchuan Peak risked our lives to exchange for are not merits, but a 'coffin fund' prepared for all of you."

"Insolent!"

"I am not being insolent, I am doing the accounting." Shen Xingzhou interrupted the Elder's angry rebuke, reaching out and tapping lightly in the Void Realm.

That was him testing the gray button that had just lit up.

[System Prompt]

Conditions met: War Debt Order in effect + Affiliated peak marked as "Priority Liquidation Target."

Activating: Sect Asset Overview (V2.0 prerequisite module)...

As his mind touched it, the interface that only he could see underwent a heaven-turning, earth-shattering change instantly.

The field of vision that could originally only see a corner of Hengchuan Peak suddenly elevated.

He saw the blood vessels of the entire Qingheng Sect.

That was the flow of Spiritual Veins, the circulation of Spirit Stones, the secret treasure troves inside every mountain peak, and even the secret accounts of some Elders embezzling public funds.

This was not just a Liquidation Order.

To him, this was a key.

The Heavenly Dao wanted to force the Qingheng Sect to death; the Elders wanted to force Hengchuan Peak to death. But the System gave him a perspective to use the crisis as a springboard. If he didn't stand up, Hengchuan Peak would be the piece of meat that got eaten. But if he stood up... this might be his only chance to take over the financial power of the entire Sect.

"Sect Head." Shen Xingzhou suddenly spoke, his voice no longer as respectful as before, but carrying the coldness of a professional, "Selling Hengchuan Peak can indeed offset part of the debt. But have you calculated whether the remaining Qingheng Sect can survive the next three years after selling Hengchuan Peak?"

Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou's eyelid twitched: "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Shen Xingzhou pointed to the thickening War Clouds in the sky, "the bankruptcy risk is 72%. If you sell my Hengchuan Peak and lose the most efficient resource utilization System, this number will become 100%."

He pointed to his own head: "Want to pay off the debt? Just selling assets is useless. You need restructuring, you need to generate blood. And this, I understand better than anyone sitting here."

The great hall was dead silent.

Only above the firmament, the golden War Debt Liquidation Order swirled faster and faster, as if mocking the struggle of this group of ants.

In Shen Xingzhou's field of vision, that huge bankruptcy risk progress bar twitched slightly.

[Qingheng Sect overall bankruptcy risk]

72% → 73% (Rising)

System Warning:

The time left for you is not much.