Chapter 52: Touring the Group, Collapse of Faith!

“Clever words and a deceitful tongue! Utter nonsense!”

When Murong Xue heard Chu Feng’s shocking and heretical “declaration of a demonic path,” her delicate body trembled with anger.

Since the day she began her cultivation, she had seen countless demons and heretics, but she had never seen anyone like Chu Feng — someone who could describe his own greed and selfish desires with such righteous grandeur, even with a trace of tragic “pleading for the common people” in his tone!

“You think that by using a few petty profits to buy off those weak-willed disciples, you can conceal your wild ambition to divide the Sect and destroy its order?”

Murong Xue’s voice grew even colder.

“Your so-called ‘transactions’ are nothing more than concealed exploitation!

Your so-called ‘path to survival’ is nothing more than a trap leading them into the abyss!”

“You say I have a deceitful tongue — I say you are stuck in your rigid ways.”

Chu Feng refused to yield, the smile on his face unchanged.

“Saintess, between us exists a severe ‘information gap’ and ‘cognitive barrier.’ Continuing to argue like this will yield no result.”

“How about this—”

Chu Feng made a ‘please’ gesture.

“Since you came to investigate me, merely listening to me, or merely listening to others, is one-sided. As the saying goes, practice is the only standard to test truth.”

“I sincerely invite you, as the ‘Special Observer’ of our ‘Research Association’, to personally visit our ‘production frontlines’ and conduct an on-site investigation.”

“You may look wherever you wish, ask whatever you like. See for yourself whether we are truly exploiting others, and whether the ‘family members’ of our Group truly live in misery.”

“After you have seen everything, then come to judge me — how about that?”

Chu Feng’s words were open and magnanimous, spoken with complete composure.

On the side, the Sect Master and Wang Xuanfu secretly broke into a sweat.

This kid… his guts were enormous!

He actually dared to let the Saintess of Heavenheart Holy Land visit that filthy ‘den’ of his?

Wasn’t this equivalent to delivering evidence of his crimes straight to her?

Murong Xue was stunned.

She had not expected Chu Feng to make such a request.

In her eyes, someone like Chu Feng — a ‘demonic leader’ — should be doing everything possible to cover up his crimes.

For him to act so “frankly” meant one of two things: either he was foolish to the extreme, or he was utterly confident.

“Fine.”

Murong Xue’s Dao heart would not allow her to refuse such a proposal that “sought the truth.”

She wanted to see just what kind of scheme this demon was brewing in his gourd!

“I shall see for myself what filth hides within your demonic lair!”

——

Half an hour later.

The ‘Production Base’ of the ‘Qingyun Sect Strategic Development and Model Innovation Research Association’.

This place was once an abandoned mine cave behind the mountain.

Now, after a complete renovation by the Ascension Group, it was brightly lit and bustling with noise and activity — a vast underground factory.

The moment Murong Xue stepped inside, she was utterly stunned.

Thousands of disciples dressed in identical grey uniforms were working in perfect order along rows of stone-platform ‘assembly lines.’

Some of these lines processed medicinal ingredients.

Masses of low-grade herbs were sent in, then, through washing, grinding, proportioning, and dozens of other steps, were precisely packed into standardized ‘material kits.’

Other assembly lines were engaged in ‘alchemy.’

Disciples placed those ‘material kits’ into the ‘Qi Nourishing Pill · Beggar Edition Production Kits’ designed by Leng Yanran, then mechanically infused spiritual power to activate the formation arrays.

A stick of incense later, one by one, pellets that, while ugly in appearance, were indeed pills, rolled out of the line.

The entire process was efficient, precise, and filled with an industrialized beauty that Murong Xue had never witnessed before.

There were no cries of misery or signs of oppression as she had imagined.

Instead, every face radiated with a kind of… passionate joy.

“Let’s work hard, brothers! If we exceed this month’s KPI, President Chu said our Production Department will receive double bonuses!”

A disciple who looked like a foreman shouted encouragement.

“Alright! For the bonus! For President Chu!”

Everyone shouted in unison, working with even greater vigor.

Murong Xue stood there, dumbfounded.

This… this was a demonic lair?

This scene of bustling labor, this vigorous and optimistic spirit — it was far more lively than those lifeless disciples of Heavenheart Holy Land who only knew how to meditate in seclusion!

“Saintess, this way please.”

Chu Feng’s voice sounded beside her.

“This is our ‘First Alchemy Production Division.’ Currently, there are three thousand employees working here on a three-shift rotation system, producing over one hundred thousand ‘Qi Nourishing Pill · Beggar Edition’ per day.”

“One… one hundred thousand?”

Murong Xue felt her understanding of the world shatter once again.

A normal alchemist who could refine ten Qi Nourishing Pills a day was already considered diligent.

But this place produced one hundred thousand a day? Even if they were ‘Beggar Editions,’ that number was terrifying!

“This area is our ‘Mission Processing Center.’”

Chu Feng then led her to another section.

Here, hundreds of disciples faced a giant light screen displaying all low-level missions ‘synchronized’ from the Sect’s Mission Hall.

“Report to Director Wu! The ‘Beast Pen Cleaning’ task group has completed today’s quota!”

“Report! The ‘Fire Sun Grass Harvesting’ group encountered a Rank-2 beast and requests ‘Security Department’ support!”

Wu Hao stood at the center holding something like a ledger, constantly coordinating manpower and directing various ‘project teams’ to complete their tasks.

The entire scene resembled the command center of a mortal army — busy, but orderly.

Murong Xue was completely speechless.

What had she just seen?

She had seen a terrifying war machine that pushed efficiency to the absolute limit!

Chu Feng had not oppressed anyone.

He had merely created a set of ‘rules’ — a system that made everyone willingly operate at full speed for profit.

At that moment, a skinny chores disciple, exhausted, tripped and spilled a basket of freshly made ‘Beggar Edition Pills’ all over the ground.

Murong Xue’s eyes grew cold.

Here it comes!

She thought to herself — now the true face of exploitation would be revealed! Surely that foreman would start beating or scolding him!

However, the expected violence never came.

The one called ‘Director Wu’ — Wu Hao — immediately rushed forward, helped the disciple up, and asked with concern,

“Xiao Liu, are you alright? Are you hurt? How many times have I told you — the body is the capital of revolution! If you’re tired, go rest a while. Dropping pills doesn’t matter; your safety is the most important!”

The chores disciple named Xiao Liu was moved to tears.

“Thank you, Director, for your concern! I’m fine! I can keep working! For the Group, I’m willing to die!”

Murong Xue stood there blankly, watching the scene.

She felt that the black-and-white worldview of good and evil she had built since childhood was slowly… collapsing.

Was this truly… the Demonic Path?