This Villain Ch.217

Chapter 217: “From now on, I’m the boss”

At the foot of Shenxiang Mountain stood the majestic and expansive headquarters of the Exorcism Bureau.

On this day, the six elders of the Zhuzhou Exorcism Bureau, each responsible for different matters, were all present. They sat alongside the elders of various prominent families.

The cultivators who formed the backbone of the Exorcism Bureau, along with the younger disciples of these families, stood dutifully behind their elders, silent and respectful.

“Wasn’t it said that Yu Guang would be brought here for trial today? Why hasn’t he arrived yet?”

“Why are you in such a rush? The esteemed officials are all here. Do you think Yu Guang could escape? This show is bound to happen today.”

“Just a few days ago, I heard that the Divine Academy produced a genius who was blessed by the spirits of the four ancestors. Who would’ve thought that such a talent would fall so quickly?”

“What a pity. If only he had conducted himself with humility, his future would’ve been boundless. But no, he had to be arrogant and reckless, thinking himself unique. Now, he has ruined his own prospects and brought about his own downfall.”

Several young disciples from the Zhen family whispered among themselves. Pei Wenjue, who was standing behind the head of the Pei family, suddenly turned and glared at them fiercely.

“A bunch of incompetent fools with lofty ambitions but no real skill! Ignorant and shallow, all you can do is gossip behind others’ backs!”

The group flushed red with anger at his scolding and retorted, “What are you so proud of? If it weren’t for your privileged background and the people protecting you, you’d be standing down there with Yu Guang today, awaiting punishment.”

“Exactly! If you ask me, all of you who were incited by Yu Guang should be punished together. That would teach you to understand the situation and stop spouting nonsense!”

Pei Wenjue, who had never been mocked by such nobodies before, was so enraged that he rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight. His father, sitting at the front, suddenly coughed loudly.

Grabbing his son by the sleeve, Father Pei muttered under his breath, “You brat, don’t cause trouble for me. Behave yourself and stay put!”

He had been such a well-behaved son before, with a measure of restraint. But now, after just a few months away, he was ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

Pei Wenjue held back his temper and turned to his father. “You promised me you’d speak up for Big Brother. Don’t forget.”

Father Pei waved him off, muttering dismissively, “I’ll do my best, I’ll do my best.”

Pei Wenjue raised his eyes and glanced around. He noticed that most of his classmates from the Tianchong Class were present. Like him, they all wore expressions of anxious concern, their gazes fixed on the direction of the mountain gate.

The Ban family was seated near the Pei family, but Pei Wenjue didn’t see Ban Ying among them, which only added to his unease.

“He’s here!” someone suddenly exclaimed.

Pei Wenjue’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately looked up.

From the sky, over a dozen dark figures flew toward them. With a series of heavy thuds, they landed at the feet of the gathered elders and family heads.

It was the group of cultivators who had been dispatched to escort Yu Guang. Each of them clutched their arms in pain, their faces contorted as they writhed silently on the ground, too terrified to cry out.

Pei Wenjue caught sight of a familiar figure he hadn’t seen in days, and his eyes stung with emotion.

Big Brother had really come. Big Brother was so smart—how could he not know to lay low for a while?

“Big Brother!” the students of the Tianchong Class, standing behind several teachers from the Divine Academy, called out excitedly.

“Silence!” an elder from the Exorcism Bureau shouted at the same time.

This elder, Elder Hong, was a towering man with bulging muscles and piercing eyes. He suddenly stood from his chair, pointing at Yu Guang. “You insolent boy! Here in this place, there’s no room for your arrogance. Kneel and confess your crimes at once!”

Beside him, Elder Hua, who had a gentle face and a seemingly kind demeanor, spoke in a leisurely tone. “Elder Hong, don’t be so hasty. Young people are always rebellious by nature. Let’s first list his crimes and make him bow in both heart and speech. Only then should we discipline him, so no one can accuse the Exorcism Bureau of being unreasonable.”

As Elder Hua spoke, his gaze subtly swept over Elder Wang Rongqing, whose face had darkened considerably.

“Yu Guang,” Elder Hua declared in a pompous tone, “today, we are here to hold you accountable for five major crimes.”

“First,” he continued, “you broke the rules by seizing the Exorcism Bureau’s task books…”

But Yu Guang didn’t stand quietly and listen as they expected. Instead, he stepped forward, meeting the eyes of everyone present, and questioned, “You want to talk to me about rules?”

He looked around at the gathered elders and family heads before speaking again, his voice loud and clear: “Let me ask you all—when the Exorcism Bureau, under the guise of fighting evil spirits, extorts large sums of money from commoners and refuses to help if they cannot pay, what kind of rules are those?”

Bathed in the gazes of the crowd, Yu Guang took another step forward, onto the white jade stairs leading up to the platform. His hurried journey had left mud on his shoes, and a dirty footprint marred the pristine surface.

“When the officials of the Exorcism Bureau delay handling evil spirits deliberately, basing their actions on how much they’re paid—what sort of rules are those?”

He continued ascending, step by step.

“When the cultivators of the Exorcism Bureau prioritize hoarding wealth over eliminating evil spirits, what rules are they following?”

“When corruption festers within the bureau, with factions vying for power and profit, what rules govern that?”

“When the Exorcism Bureau uses its name as a pretext to commit evil itself, what rules are left?”

“An Exorcism Bureau like this might as well not exist. And yet, you dare to speak to me of rules.”

“Today, if there are to be rules, then let me lay them down for you.”

Yu Guang’s powerful words rang out, leaving the elders of the Exorcism Bureau pale with fury and the younger spectators wide-eyed in shock.

Everyone had heard of Yu Guang’s audacity, but they never imagined he would defy the elders so openly under these circumstances.

The Exorcism Bureau had been established by the four founding ancestors, originally taking no payment for its services, treating the elimination of evil spirits as part of the disciples’ training.

But over the years, eliminating spirits had become a lucrative business.

Some even wished for evil spirits to grow in number so their profits could flourish.

Those who benefited from the power and profits protected the chain of interests in tacit agreement, self-organized and self-sustained.

Even those like Elder Wang Rongqing, who felt something was wrong with this system, could do no more than avoid participating in its corruption.

But today, Yu Guang seemed determined to unearth centuries of accumulated filth, exposing it all under the harsh light of the sun.

The elders, who had initially planned to demonstrate their principles, were now enraged by Yu Guang’s defiance. Losing all pretense of composure, one of them slammed his hand on the armrest and shouted furiously:

“Outrageous! Outrageous! Seize him immediately, gag him, and drag him down for punishment!”

Elder Wang Rongqing, isolated in her dissent, quickly tried to intervene. “Wait—”

But before his words could have any effect, a group of cultivators standing behind the elders had already sprung into action.

This group was not like the young cultivators sent earlier. These were battle-hardened, highly trained individuals who formed the core strength nurtured by the elders themselves.

They surged toward Yu Guang like wolves, their ferocity unmistakable. Almost everyone assumed Yu Guang would be subdued on the spot.

Pei Wenjue and his companions had barely begun to show expressions of grief and anger when the unexpected happened: Yu Guang launched a single punch, sending the lead cultivator—a renowned and formidable figure—flying.

Most onlookers only managed to catch his first strike. What followed was a blur of motion, too fast for the majority to follow.

Like a sleek and powerful leopard, Yu Guang weaved through the group of cultivators with ease. With each step, two or three opponents fell.

More than twenty seasoned and skilled cultivators couldn’t last beyond a second move against him.

Elder Hong, still pointing at Yu Guang and mid-command, didn’t even have time to change his expression before Yu Guang stood before him.

Effortlessly, Yu Guang twisted the elder’s arm.

A crisp crack echoed through the air, followed by Elder Hong’s agonized scream.

The scene was almost comical in its contrast. Against the bronze-skinned, muscular Elder Hong, Yu Guang appeared like a spirited youth, yet the results of their clash left no doubt about who held the upper hand.

But no one dared to laugh, for Yu Guang held Elder Hong, who was screaming in pain, by the arm with his left hand and gripped Elder Hua’s throat with his right.

Pei Wenjue and his companions, who knew Yu Guang, slowly widened their eyes and gaped.

They had always known Big Brother was strong, but this—this! Was he truly this powerful? Did that mean all the times he’d sparred with them, he hadn’t been serious at all?

The situation had taken such an unexpected turn that nearly everyone froze in place, too stunned to react.

The rapid shift in events left Elder Wang Rongqing momentarily dumbfounded. Initially, she had tried to stop the other two elders, but now, fearing Yu Guang might actually finish them off, she quickly tried to intervene. “Wait—”

Yu Guang, however, didn’t hesitate. He flung the two elders down the stone steps with a casual motion. Then, flashing a cheerful smile at Wang Rongqing, he said, “One moment, almost done.”

Without pausing, he reached for another elder, Elder Feng, who was trying to retreat after sensing the danger. Yu Guang grabbed him and tossed him down the steps as well.

Like the others, Elder Feng crashed into the base of the four ancestral statues, landing in an undignified heap among the other disheveled elders and cultivators.

The last remaining elder, Elder Zhang, was the oldest of them all. His frail figure and white hair gave him the appearance of a trembling old goat. “This is outrageous! How dare you—” he stammered, his voice shaking.

Seeing the elder’s feeble state, Yu Guang adjusted his approach. Instead of throwing him, he pulled the elder’s pearl-studded belt to tie him up.

Unfortunately, the belt wasn’t sturdy. It snapped with a simple tug, and the beautiful, valuable pearls scattered down the steps, smearing with dirt and blood as they rolled.

Yu Guang glanced at the broken belt, then casually removed Elder Zhang’s ethereal-looking robe. He used the garment to tie the elder up before tossing him gently to the ground at his feet.

Having dealt with the most senior figures present, Yu Guang turned his gaze toward the remaining crowd, his arms stretching slightly as if to loosen up. His expression was calm but carried an undeniable edge of menace.

“Is there anyone else who wants to teach me the rules?”

The crowd was frozen in terror. The elders were no match for him, and the most powerful cultivators of the Exorcism Bureau still lay sprawled behind him, incapacitated.

At that moment, the way everyone looked at Yu Guang had undergone a seismic shift.

Most of the crowd remained frozen in place, too afraid to move. Those closest to him didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

Suddenly, someone among the family representatives shouted, “Elder Wang Rongqing! Yu Guang is a student of your Divine Academy, and you’re just going to stand there and let him betray his teachers and ancestors?”

The speaker immediately ducked back into the crowd, but Yu Guang’s sharp eyes caught the distinct markings on his robes, revealing which family he belonged to.

“The Zhen family,” Yu Guang said, his tone calm but with a sharp edge.

He turned his gaze to the Zhen family head, whose expression was already stiff with unease, and said, “Before I came here, I made a stop in Tiantai Village. Your pearl harvesting site—I dismantled it. And the evil spirits and demon you were raising? I killed them.”

With a single sentence, Yu Guang ended a century-old business empire.

The Zhen family head shot to his feet, his facade of composure shattering completely. “You—you—you! What did you say? That’s impossible! How dare you!”

Yu Guang’s voice remained steady. “Your sins will be dealt with. I’ll come to settle the rest in a few days. Some things still need to be handled.”

The Zhen family head let out a cry, unable to accept the devastating news. Clutching his chest, he collapsed onto the ground.

With their once-dominant family head fallen, the Zhen family descended into chaos.

“Family head! Father!”

“You scoundrel, Yu Guang! We’ll fight you to the death!” Several young men from the Zhen family drew their blades in rage and sorrow.

“Big Brother, we’re here to help!” Pei Wenjue and Wu Jin shouted as they and a few others pushed through the crowd to join Yu Guang.

The moment Yu Guang had started dealing blows to the elders and seasoned cultivators earlier, they had already been itching to help. If not for their families holding them back, they would have charged in long ago.

Now, seeing the Zhen family’s younger generation preparing to attack, they couldn’t hold back any longer. Bursting with excitement, they rushed forward to fight alongside Yu Guang.

Strangely, their elders didn’t stop them this time. Perhaps they were too stunned by the unfolding chaos, or perhaps they had other intentions.

Regardless, Pei Wenjue and the others surged forward like a pack of wild boars breaking free of their pen, and the scene descended into utter mayhem in an instant.

The air was filled with shouts and curses.

Those who once prided themselves on nobility and decorum—esteemed elders and so-called paragons of virtue—were reduced to battered, undignified figures under Yu Guang’s flurry of wild punches, their faces bruised and swollen. They had been brought down to the level of ordinary people, stripped of their airs.

The three elders who had rolled down the stone steps scrambled to their feet, clutching the wounds on their foreheads as they shouted, “Quick! Summon all cultivators of the Exorcism Bureau! Surround and attack Yu Guang! This boy must not be allowed to live!”

Even after witnessing Yu Guang’s overwhelming strength, they refused to believe that so many of them couldn’t handle a single youth.

Newly arrived cultivators, armed with swords and blades, unleashed formations and artifacts typically reserved for dealing with the most fearsome demons. Golden light filled the sky, descending with an earth-shaking intensity.

Yu Guang leaped onto the statue of the ancestor and drew the long spear of the legendary Chihuo Celestial Lord to use as his weapon.

As he swung the spear, it was enveloped in an even brighter spiritual radiance, cutting through the formations with ease.

The spear, forged from meteoric iron and weighing thousands of pounds—an object no one had ever been able to lift—moved effortlessly in Yu Guang’s hands, as if it were a mere wooden staff.

Yu Guang wielded the massive spear with sweeping, grand movements. Anyone caught in its path, even unintentionally, was sent flying far into the distance, coughing up blood and unable to rise. Those who suffered heavier blows fell unconscious on the spot.

The only ones left standing were those who had refrained from attacking, mainly the small faction from the Divine Academy led by Elder Wang Rongqing, who had advocated for sparing Yu Guang.

“Should we… help out?” someone asked hesitantly.

“Help who? If we help the other elders, we’ll just get sent flying by Yu Guang like the rest. If we help Yu Guang… he clearly doesn’t need our help.”

“We’d better stay on the sidelines. If Yu Guang can wield the Chihuo Celestial Lord’s spear and summon its divine resonance, it means even the ancestor supports him. We’d be fools to go against him.”

“Exactly. Follow the ancestor’s lead—that’s the safest bet.” They chuckled nervously, shrinking back further.

As for those lying on the ground coughing up blood, who could say if they regretted their actions? What was certain was that those who hadn’t opposed Yu Guang were deeply relieved to have stayed out of his way.

What began as a formal public trial devolved into chaos, ending as a farcical spectacle.

Yu Guang single-handedly fought his way through the Exorcism Bureau, from the highest-ranking elders and overseers down to every last cultivator.

The ten or twenty prominent families involved in the proceedings fared no better—anyone who joined the fray was dealt with just the same.

The group of young students from the Tianchong Class that Yu Guang had brought with him seemed to lose all restraint. Like a pack of rabid dogs, they attacked anyone within reach, their inexplicable excitement adding to the sheer pandemonium.

By the time it was all over, the only people left relatively unscathed were those who had prudently hidden in a corner mid-battle. Yet even among them, the one in the best shape was none other than the instigator of it all, Yu Guang himself.

Far from being exhausted, he seemed more energized than ever. Stepping over the countless bodies sprawled across the ground, he walked up to the statue of Chihuo Celestial Lord and returned the long spear to its rightful place, even taking the time to adjust it until it was perfectly aligned.

Turning back to the battered cultivators of the Exorcism Bureau, he declared, “From today onward, the old Exorcism Bureau is disbanded. The new bureau will be under my command.”

Then, with a confident smirk, he asked, “From now on, I’m the boss. Any objections?”

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