Chapter 1447: Contribution Tax

At dusk, Ling Feng and his group returned from the Land of War and headed back toward their residence.

Because of their operation in the Dead Soul Devil Abyss, they had eliminated the barbarian Great Emperor Aluyin, who could control snakes, insects, and rats to gather intelligence. With that advantage gone, the barbarians could no longer anticipate every move on the battlefield. Their earlier dominance had finally begun to slip.

On top of that, Saint Lady Hui Yue used the Moon Spirit Dream Descent technique to infiltrate deep into barbarian territory and killed more than ten barbarian Great Emperors in succession, dealing a heavy blow to them.

The barbarians had originally allied with the demon race and advanced with great momentum. Now, however, signs of decline were beginning to show again.

After all, those who are not of the same kind rarely share the same heart. The alliance between the barbarians and the demon race had never been stable. At best, it was a partnership built on mutual benefit.

Once the barbarian leadership suffered heavy losses, the demon race began to delay sending reinforcements, even causing occasional friction along their shared borders.

Although the demon race had shed their beast forms, their nature remained that of demonic beasts. They were difficult to control, and as the battlefield situation worsened, their trust in the barbarians gradually fell apart. What once looked like a powerful alliance was already starting to crumble.

Of course, none of this had much to do with small teams like Ling Feng's.

Even though they had successfully completed the Dead Soul Devil Abyss mission and gained recognition from the higher-ups, their overall strength was still considered lacking. As an inner sect elite team, they were mostly assigned to what was known as battlefield cleanup.

This meant entering the battlefield after the main clash to eliminate wounded barbarian soldiers who had not yet died, or to intercept small enemy scout teams and wipe them out.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

In short, these were all small-scale engagements that made it difficult to accumulate meaningful merit.

At that moment, Ling Feng and his group had just finished such a cleanup task and were on their way back.

"

Sigh,

too many wolves and too little meat," Chu Tiange muttered with a quiet complaint.

"It is not just us inner sect teams. Those veteran elite teams are also fighting for the same scraps. It is really hard to earn any contribution points. I wish we could get another mission like the Dead Soul Devil Abyss!"

"My god..."

Xu Xinghe rolled his eyes. Thinking back to how he nearly died there, he shuddered.

"Old Chu, was that not thrilling enough for you already?"

He laughed lightly.

Beside them, Princess Qian Ling covered her mouth and smiled.

"Senior Brother Xu, that is what they call once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of ropes!"

Xu Xinghe shook his head with a wry smile. Princess Qian Ling had never entered the Dead Soul Devil Abyss, so she had no idea how dangerous it truly was.

Li Fei frowned slightly, her tone carrying a hint of concern.

"Junior Brother Ling, when we exchanged items at the War Treasury two days ago, that veteran disciple left in anger. Will that cause trouble?"

"Why worry about him?"

Lin Mu curled his lips in disdain before Ling Feng could answer.

"We picked that treasure first. Why should we give it to him? If he really had the ability, he would have acted on the spot. He ran off after making a fuss. All bark and no bite."

Ling Feng touched the bridge of his nose and replied calmly.

"We will deal with whatever comes."

Li Fei nodded.

"This is still the Hall of War. They would not dare go too far."

The person they were talking about was naturally Yuwen Liang, the one who had gone to complain to Donghuang Xuanyi.

At the War Treasury, both sides had taken interest in the same treasure. Relying on his seniority, Yuwen Liang tried to force Ling Feng's group to give it up.

If it had been other disciples, they might have given in.

Unfortunately for him, the one he faced was Ling Feng.

Ling Feng had no intention of yielding, and the conflict was set.

That led to Yuwen Liang seeking out Donghuang Xuanyi.

What Ling Feng did not know was that he had already caught the attention of a Great Emperor-level expert within the Hall of War.

The group continued toward their residence.

Before they even reached their cave, a loud commotion came from ahead.

"What? A contribution tax? This is absurd! I have never even heard of such a thing. Do not push us too far!"

Ling Feng and the others exchanged glances. They immediately recognized the voice.

With that loud, bragging tone, who else could it be but Bai Qi, ranked thirteenth on the Creation Star Ranking?

Their group of inner sect elites lived close to each other, with their cave dwellings nearby. When they were not on missions, they often gathered at a small training ground outside to spar and cultivate.

At that moment, that already cramped space was packed with disciples.

Standing opposite Bai Qi was a thin, sharp-faced man with a cold smile.

It was Yuwen Liang.

"So what if we collect a contribution tax?" he said coldly.

"The only reason you rookies can even take missions is because we seniors are generous enough to leave them to you. Otherwise, do you think you would earn even a single contribution point? Taking a share is only natural."

"Exactly! Senior Brother Yuwen is right!"

Several lackeys who came with Yuwen Liang immediately chimed in, their voices rising together like a tide.

The inner sect disciples turned pale, their fists clenched tightly.

They already earned very little, and now these people wanted to take a portion of it!

Bai Qi trembled with anger.

"That is twisted logic! Pure nonsense!"

"Nonsense?"

Yuwen Liang released his aura, pressing down on Bai Qi until he could barely breathe. Only then did he sneer.

"Do you not understand? Strength is the only truth. Hand over the contribution tax obediently. Otherwise, do not expect to receive any missions from the Mission Hall in the future. Even if you make it onto the battlefield, blades have no eyes. If you lose an arm or a leg, you can only blame your own weakness."

"You!"

Bai Qi clenched his fists so tightly they trembled.

That last sentence was an open threat!

"

Hehe,

from now on, you hand over half of the contribution points you earn from every mission. Treat it as your respect for us seniors. Do that, and you can rest easy. In the Hall of War, as long as you mention Senior Brother Donghuang's name, no one will stand in your way."

The disciples' faces turned ashen.

Half of everything they earned would go to these "parasites"!

"Why do you not just rob us outright!"

Bai Qi's entire body shook with fury. He had always considered himself arrogant, yet compared to these so-called seniors, he felt almost restrained.

These people were the real tyrants.

"That is exactly what we are doing. What can you do about it?"

Yuwen Liang pressed a hand onto Bai Qi's shoulder and narrowed his eyes with a cold smile.

"A wise man knows when to submit. Think carefully about your choice!"