Chapter 178: Ten Million Temptations

Chapter 178: Ten‑Million Temptation

In Huo Shan’s eyes, Song Xu was a devotee who, to him… was overly diligent.

Studying hard, cultivating hard, earning hard—each was commendable.

But the relentless expansion of disciples, the meticulous management of them, the ceaseless bolstering of Huo Shan’s own power… left him feeling uneasy.

Song Xu’s murmurs resurfaced in his mind.

It was an afternoon not long after he had transformed Song Xu into a follower of the Dark God.

The other party, with a sincere expression, said, “Master, we cannot continue down this path! The times are changing, the righteous deities are advancing, and the oversight and competition in Kunxu are only growing fiercer.”

“If we are not to be swept away by this world, internal reform is imperative!”

“First, we must accelerate talent recruitment. We can no longer rely on chance as we once did; we must proactively gather candidate dossiers, step onto campuses, actively poach talent, conduct face‑to‑face assessments, and speed up the entire hiring process.”

“I also recommend that you, as an observer, take part in every stage of disciple recruitment, including the preliminary trials of key candidates…”

To cultivate more disciples, one must invest far more time in seeking suitable candidates—from gathering information, to covert observation, to bold solicitation.

The time and mental effort this consumes far exceed the tedium of sitting in an office, sifting through piles of résumés, and summoning interviewees with a single phone call for a rapid Q&A.

After all, followers of a Dark God demand an exceptionally high level of secrecy; one cannot recruit lightly.

Take the eight disciples currently under Huo Shan’s command—each investigation and recruitment has cost him hundreds of hours of labor.

From that alone, Huo Shan feels that being a corporate boss is far preferable to being a Dark God; a simple job posting can attract hundreds, even thousands of résumés, and the hires work diligently without the specter of leaks.

While expanding the disciple corps is already a hassle, managing them, in Huo Shan’s view, is an even greater ordeal.

At this very moment, Song Xu’s murmurs resurfaced in Huo Shan’s thoughts.

Song Xu: “After three months of observation, here is my analysis of our current team.”

“The primary cause of declining efficiency lies in information gaps.”

“For instance, courier disciples fail to submit work logs and bank statements; the wear on their running shoes doesn’t match the mileage recorded on delivery platforms, and there is no accountant to audit—profits are self‑declared.”

“Construction‑site disciples are even less supervised; we have no clue about their daily hours, earnings, or expenses.”

“I propose that starting next week, before 9 p.m. each night, every disciple submit a 300‑word structured daily report, focusing on today’s achievements, tomorrow’s plans, and bank flows.”

“Furthermore, every Sunday at 1 a.m. we shall hold a half‑hour briefing, forbidding slides and discussing only bottlenecks and resource allocation.”

“We must also establish an escalation channel: any issue unresolved within twelve hours goes straight to me…”

Even merely hearing his words gave Huo Shan a headache.

Yet Song Xu’s actions truly brought Huo Shan more money, moving him from a basement to his current shabby apartment, enabling online shopping, and even affording him extra funds to top‑up game draws.

Thus, with a nudge from Song Xu and a stir from Huo Shan, he gradually arrived at the present.

But when it came to hunting the Dark God, Huo Shan still felt reluctant.

“Why must we resort to endless fighting? Isn’t it enough to eat, drink, and play games each day?”

At that moment, Huo Shan no longer wished to continue the hunt; he longed instead to return to the unfinished game he had left behind.

Meanwhile, disciple Li Quan cried out, “Master, there’s ten million!”

The moment those three words—‘ten million’—reached his ears, Huo Shan snapped to attention, leapt to the screen, and scanned the intel transmitted by the Shadow Parasite.

He read at a glance, and in an instant gleaned the opponent’s general situation from the parasite’s report.

“It turns out the Dark God fled from Tiantai City.”

“Tomorrow, the followers he left behind in Tiantai will bring him over a stash of more than ten million cash hidden outside the city?”

“Let me check the rendezvous point…”

The news of over ten million in cash made Huo Shan’s eyes glitter.

Although he disliked being drawn into a scramble, as a Kunxu Dark God, claiming he didn’t love money was impossible.

He simply didn’t want to earn it through his own toil.

If an opportunity arose to snatch the whole sum in one go, his interest would not only be piqued—he would vigorously spur his disciples onward.

“Relay the intel to Song Xu.”

“Have him lead a team to the meeting place tomorrow; if the chance presents itself, seize that ten million.”

……

Inside the apartment.

After two hours of cultivation in the Spirit Realm, Zhang Yu returned to reality.

But once he removed the Spirit Realm visor, his expression bore a faint oddity.

He recalled his training within the Spirit Realm.

In the illusion, he served as a security guard for a high‑end club, rebelling against the owner’s oppression, battling thugs while tirelessly hunting for evidence of the club’s crimes, fighting, fighting, fighting in a desperate crucible!

The club’s proprietor, Yu Xinghan, likewise squeezed Zhang Yu, the guard, and night after night pressed the club’s attractive staff, perpetually waging battles within the establishment!

Emerging from the illusion, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but ask in the Hall of Inquiry, “Does this have any cultivation benefit?”

Yu Xinghan smiled and shook his head, “Zhang Yu, you, neutered as you are, cannot fathom the realm I now occupy.”

Clearly, although Zhang Yu had introduced Yu Xinghan to Xiong Haohan’s side, he had not disclosed his own physical condition to Yu Xinghan.

Having undergone two days of growth, Yu Xinghan felt his spirit and will markedly strengthened.

In his eyes, Zhang Yu’s strength was formidable, yet his spiritual state was merely that of a neutered child—unlike himself, who had weathered puppets and illusions, emerging as a battle‑hardened veteran.

“One may wander through a sea of blossoms without a single petal clinging.”

“Only when hobbies and preferences become one’s work can desire be cut away, and the true self reclaimed.”

“That, then, is the insight I have attained… the true way to conquer lust.”

“Heh, remember my words; they shall serve you well in the future.”

At that very moment, within the apartment.

Bai Zhenzhen paused her training, looked at the awakened Zhang Yu, and asked, “How’s it, Yu‑zi? Did it work?”

Zhang Yu nodded, “Let’s go discuss it outside.”

Thus Zhang Yu led Bai Zhenzhen to the familiar bridge arch by the stream.

Bai Zhenzhen, impatient, asked, “What’s the situation now?”

Fu Ji replied, “The intel has been sent, three puppet machines have been switched, and we’ve traced my colleague’s location.”

Bai Zhenzhen said, “Shall we storm his door now, catch him off guard?”

Fu Ji answered, “Although we’ve pinpointed his position, to avoid alerting the enemy I haven’t taken the chance to probe them.”

“Thus I have no idea how many disciples or how much strength my colleague’s subordinates possess.”

“But there’s no need to rush; I’ve already dispatched false intel, which should draw away their main force tomorrow.”

“Then we’ll follow the plan and gather more information…”

Zhang Yu, a little nervous, asked, “They won’t discover us, will they?”

Fu Ji chuckled and said, “Your sister once said it well: in this world, information is paramount.”

“Sometimes the gap in information outweighs even a disparity in strength.”

“Take, for example, our use of shadow parasites to trace the enemy backward—while they shine, we remain hidden. By exploiting such an informational edge, we can stand invincible.”

……

The following night.

A massive container truck rumbled toward the outskirts.

Inside the truck, besides Song Xu, there were five other apex cultivators of the Evil God, each as fierce as a dragon and tiger, exuding a rugged aura drawn from the realms of food delivery, construction sites, and courier services.

A gaunt, almost ethereal disciple remarked, “When we encounter a target, we’ll simply ram it with the truck—see if we can crush one outright.”

Another hulking man, his skin dark and his face a map of muscle, said, “Even though the outskirts lack cameras, don’t forget to perform the shielding rite first, lest the righteous god’s hounds spot us.”

Yet another added, “Our foes are also Evil God worshippers; they likely won’t call the authorities, but we must act swiftly, lest they panic and leap over the wall.”

Meanwhile, Song Xu sat in the passenger seat, eyes closed, meditating, listening to the others’ chatter without uttering a word.

In his mind, he replayed the intelligence about the Evil God he had received yesterday.

“Ten million, you say?”

Upon first hearing that sum, Song Xu’s heart hammered, and a fierce greed surged within him.

After all, in the world of Kunxu, money is potential, destiny, the very wings on the path to immortality, empowering one to stride boldly and transcend ranks.

For that ten million, a thought flickered in Song Xu’s mind: “Should I enlist Mo Tianyi and his crew to assist?”

Yet in the end he restrained that impulse.

The Poor Man’s Alliance, after all, is not an Evil God cult but a force he forged himself—people truly his own—so the earnings belong to his private coffers, and he is loath to expose them to the Evil God.

Moreover, that ten million…

“Even if we snatch that ten million, Huo Shan will surely claim the lion’s share.”

“With such wealth, that lazy scoundrel will surely lose any desire to strive.”

Song Xu could already envision him stashing the cash, living off interest, and sinking into a life of idle pleasure.

From what he knows of Huo Shan, the man is certainly capable of such a course.

“When that moment arrives, he’ll be even less inclined to aid my hunt for the Evil God.”

“Besides, we still have no clue where his Evil God resides.”

“If we touch that ten million, it will surely raise his guard, and the hunt for the Evil God will become far more difficult.”

Though the news of the ten million inflamed his greed, after careful contemplation Song Xu swiftly reined it in.

After all, seizing ten million would not be his rightful gain, and doing so would jeopardize his plan to hunt the Evil God and boost his potential.

It was like the time he endured suffering, bided his chance, and only then sold his grandfather’s grave.

Song Xu concluded that now was not the moment to snatch that ten million; compared to that sum, he craved the hunt for the Evil God to ignite his potential.

He flicked his fingertips, caressing the palm‑sized civilian‑grade flying sword in his hand, thinking, “First, I’ll use the sword to scout the situation; if there’s no opening, I’ll let it be.”

(End of Chapter)