Chapter 249: The Defiant Gaming Guild Comes to Smash the Shop!

While they conversed, Fang Qi remained far from idle.

"I swear, it feels exactly like watching a movie." Fang Qi casually retrieved a carton of Häagen-Dazs from the refrigerator, casting a brief glance over toward Ruan Ning and her companions. "Care for a carton? Häagen-Dazs, five spirit crystals apiece! Autumn is nearly upon us."

Fang Qi pried open a carton, scooped a spoonful of the ice cream into his mouth, and glanced at the time. "Available for one week only! Miss this chance, and you miss it for good!"

After all, it was a summer exclusive.

Ruan Ning and the other maidens stared in utter bewilderment.

Tao Kun and his cohorts were equally mystified.

What on earth was this proprietor doing?

The enemy was practically at the gates, yet he was occupied with selling confections.

Standing behind him, Zou Mo felt his facial muscles twitch in vexation.

"Do you have any conception of the cultivation realm those men possess?" Ruan Ning pressed in immense desperation. "The Divine Ocean Realm! The Divine Ocean Realm itself!"

Beyond the threshold, the aura of blood and malevolence surged violently. Qin Honglin stood with his hands clasped behind his back; the deeper his fury burned, the more serene his countenance became. His aged visage contorted into a rigid, simulated smile. "Young man, to remain so composed and self-assured in the presence of my Honglin Medicine Workshop is a feat I have never before witnessed in all my days."

He sneered coldly. "Yet I wonder if you shall maintain this tranquility when the time comes for me to extract your bones and drain your marrow."

"Hold on a moment!" Fang Qi fixed his gaze upon the computer monitor and retrieved his virtual reality headset. "Xiaoyue, your method of luring the monsters is flawed. Do not lead us both to our doom shortly; come, let me demonstrate the proper technique..."

One minute later...

Fang Qi rotated his chair back around, swallowed another spoonful of Häagen-Dazs, and raised his head. "Very well, what were you saying just now?"

The entire assembly gaped at Fang Qi in stunned silence.

Qin Honglin’s expression instantly twisted in rage. "...I see you harbor a death wish! Kill him!"

Every individual present instantly brandished their dharma treasures. A torrential surge of spiritual energy erupted within the establishment, and an incredibly oppressive, murderous intent permeated the air.

Countless sinister, contorted wraiths crawled forth from their respective dharma treasures.

In a single breath, the entire interior of the shop transformed into a demonic domain, alive with the frenzied dance of fiends.

Xi Yue hastily pulled the other maidens back, her countenance turning pale. "Retreat! Retreat at once!"

"It is over!" Ruan Ning’s heart sank to the absolute depths. How could this youth possess such an extraordinary talent for seeking his own demise?

Right at that moment, amid the howling of countless wretched phantoms, a calm and slightly impatient voice resonated through the din. "Bloody hell, someone is causing a disturbance!"

Immediately following that, everyone witnessed a spectacle they would never forget for the rest of their days.

In that flash of an instant, innumerable arcs of lightning erupted among the crowd. These electrical discharges materialized with such suddenness that there had been absolutely no prior indication.

Yet the moment this nameless lightning flared, even a Divine Ocean Realm cultivator of Qin Honglin's caliber could not muster the slightest semblance of resistance.

A chaotic, crackling storm of electricity flashed wildly.

Within the arcs of lightning, every single soul—irrespective of age or gender—began to convulse and dance with immense fervor, as if possessed by the rhythm of a discotheque.

Then, they collapsed to the floor en masse.

Fang Qi expressed a degree of vexation. "Breaking the legs and crippling the cultivation of so many individuals is rather troublesome... Is there no one available to lend assistance?"

A profound silence enveloped the entire shop.

Save for the pounding of hearts, not even the sound of respiration could be detected.

Only after a considerable duration did the sound of someone swallowing hard break the quietude.

"It is finished," Tao Kun murmured. "Henceforth, within the Half-City, the faction known as the Honglin Medicine Workshop ceases to exist."

Huang Shan’s back was thoroughly drenched in cold sweat. What had he been contemplating previously? Thankfully, he had only harbored a few stray malicious thoughts and had not translated them into action; otherwise...

Meanwhile, Ruan Ning, Xi Yue, and the other two maidens simply could not bring themselves to believe their own eyes. "This cannot be real..."

"What do you think, young ladies?"

"Without some profound backing, would this proprietor dare to venture into such a territory to establish such an enterprise?" Fang Qi remarked as he looked down at the unconscious bodies of the Honglin Medicine Workshop faction littering the floor. He complained, "Little Mo, later this proprietor shall instruct you in something akin to the Holy Spirit Sword Technique. In the future, these tasks of breaking legs and dismantling cultivations shall fall to you. Confound it... the past was far more peaceful."

Fang Qi dismissed the crowd with a wave of his hand. "The matter is resolved. It is over."

A single bead of cold sweat rolled down the side of his brow. Tao Kun thought, *This establishment must absolutely never be crossed in the future.*

...

Once all the bodies had been cast out, Fang Qi said, "Little Mo, assist in cleansing the premises; they have soiled the floor."

"Ah... Oh!" Zou Mo felt as though his senses had not entirely returned to him.

Fang Qi then posed another inquiry. "Miss Ruan, do you happen to know the location of the Honglin Medicine Workshop?"

"...What do you intend to do?" Ruan Ning stared at him with profound vigilance, looking at Fang Qi as if he were a complete stranger.

"To demolish their shop, of course," Fang Qi replied as though it were the most natural conclusion in the world. "These factions invariably delight in demolishing the establishments of others. If I refrain from doing the same, would it not appear terribly outdated? How then shall we attract members to our guild when the time comes?"

"I shall join...! Is it not enough if I join...!" Ruan Ning wept tears of despair.

"Join... a guild...?" Huang Shan was also left dazed.

"Brother Huang, if you harbor any inclination, you might give it a trial," Tao Kun whispered.

Huang Shan replied, "...This Huang still possesses patrimony and estate exposed outside; this... is rather inappropriate."

"We shall join as well!" Su Zhi declared. "Does this mean you can escort us to that Skeleton Cave to acquire equipment? Furthermore, if we join your guild today, proprietor, may we enjoy an additional two hours of playtime?"

Remarkable; three maidens had enlisted in the guild all at once.

"What are the prerequisites for entry? Are there penalties for secession? What are the guild regulations?" Xi Yue appeared considerably more circumspect.

"Uh..." Fang Qi blinked in temporary confusion. "We shall discuss that in due course."

With a gesture of his fingers forming a sword incantation, a flying sword descended beneath his feet and split into four distinct blades. Fang Qi stepped onto one of them. "Now, this Guild Master declares the departure of the Defying-Heaven Online Gaming Guild! The veteran helmsman takes flight; ascend the vessel with all haste!"

"Proprietor, can this truly fly?!" Ruan Ning trod upon it with extreme caution.

The two Su sisters also stepped aboard with trepidation.

Xi Yue pointed a slender finger at herself, then toward the others, her face filled with astonishment.

"Those who have not joined the guild shall not be conveyed through the skies. Either fly by your own means, or remain stationed here."

Zou Mo asked, "Proprietor, what of me..."

"Guard the shop!" Fang Qi commanded. "This proprietor shall return shortly!"

He casually hoisted Qin Honglin and his associates. "In which direction lies the Honglin Medicine Workshop?"

Ruan Ning hastily indicated a heading.

"Ah—!"

Amid a chorus of startled cries, the flying sword instantly accelerated to immense velocity.

Before the Honglin Medicine Workshop.

A human figure plunged from the sky, striking the earth face-first.

"Who is it?!" Many patrons entering the establishment expressed bewilderment and suspicion, hastily veering away.

Several shop attendants emerged from the entrance in astonishment. Upon rolling over the fallen figure, their countenances instantly drained of color from sheer terror. "The... the Grand Proprietor?!"

At that precise moment, the hearts of everyone present plummeted to the absolute depths.

Fang Qi pulled the infinite rocket launcher out of his storage artifact.

He pinched his fingers into a sword-seal, channeling spiritual energy into the weapon: "Go!"

Swoosh!

The rocket shot forth like a blade too swift for the eye to follow, instantly shattering the spiritual light shield outside the shop!

Boom!

A violent explosion roared through the air!

Fang Qi yelled at the top of his lungs: "The Against-the-Heaven Online Gaming Guild is here to wreck this shop! Bystanders, clear out!"

Every single customer stood utterly dumbfounded!

They wanted to laugh, but looking at Qin Honglin lying right before the entrance, no one could bring themselves to smile!

Fang Qi shrugged and turned to the others who had come along: "Ladies, how about a little help? Otherwise, it is going to take this guild leader ages to smash this place down!"

The three women felt lines of dark exasperation wash over their faces.

"Smash it!"

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Rocket after rocket slammed into the building!

......

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The chapter originally scheduled for daytime is being released now, since it is already finished anyway...

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