The People's God: Sacrificing Trillions to Ascend-Chapter 675 - Official Sha Xin

It was midnight when the clash of cymbals and drums shattered the silence.

A man in white robes descended into the region, followed by a group of lackeys dressed in black. He was Sha Xin, the official in charge of this territory. He loved collecting various powerful techniques, Skills, and abilities. If something met his standards, he coveted it.

The moment he stepped into the region, he caught the scent of a new soul. “This scent... It smells good. A high-quality soul. In that case, this new arrival must pay higher taxes.”

At the sound of the cymbals, the souls filed out of their rooms and lined up to pay. Over time, everyone here had learned that if they failed to pay, Sha Xin would invent a pretext to kill them. The punishment was severe. Anyone who wished to live peacefully had to follow his orders.

Sha Xin’s gaze fell on Qin Shuang and Jing Jing at the back, and his expression darkened. “All souls here must pay an additional 10 soul points.”

Under normal circumstances, the other souls would grumble to show their dissatisfaction, but it was different today. Jing Jing and Qin Shuang had brought back a certain someone, and everyone had seen Hei Qi’s swollen face. They understood the price of careless words.

Sha Xin was somewhat confused at their behavior. He didn’t understand why the geniuses from the same civilization had grown so quiet today.

Sha Xin approached Qin Shuang and Jing Jing. “Have you two made your decision? If you give me your powers, I will compensate you with extra soul points. I will also reduce the taxes for everyone here. Why resist?”

Jing Jing scoffed but said nothing. Qin Shuang turned her head and ignored him.

As an official, Sha Xin enjoyed Huangquan’s protection and could adjust tax rates at will. At the same time, however, he remained bound by one rule. He couldn't directly harm any soul that had paid its taxes. That constraint forced him to rely on deception and pressure rather than brute force to obtain their powers.

The two remained still, and Sha Xin scoffed. “Let me see how long you can last.”

He then turned his attention to Han Wu. The scent confirmed that he was the newcomer. “You must be the new soul. You have to pay yesterday's tax too. Cough up 40 soul points.”

An ordinary soul usually possessed 30 to 40 soul points. The powerful ones, like the boss of the Venomous Snake Sect, had 120 soul points.

For most souls, a demand for 40 soul points amounted to a death sentence. As their soul points diminished, their forms turned translucent and their power waned. Without power, they couldn’t seize soul points from others.

This process created a vicious cycle that weakened them further until their soul points reached the single digits. At that point, the official would drag the weakened soul away and force it into manual labor to recover their soul points.

Han Wu could afford the payment. He had encountered numerous battles and had collected 550 soul points. That amount meant little to him, but he hated Sha Xin’s attempt to strong-arm him.

Qin Shuang signalled with her eyes for him not to do anything rash. Han Wu was only a Divine Soul right now and likely couldn’t be a match for Sha Xin.

In the end, Han Wu paid the soul points.

Sha Xin immediately stepped closer. “I caught the scent of something delicious. What did you do to make your soul so solid? If you tell me, I am willing to give you a large sum of soul points.”

Han Wu shook his head. He knew why his soul was so strong. He was already a Major God and a World life form, so his soul was naturally superior to others. In addition, he had used 50,000 Divine Essence to form this Divine Soul. That level of energy was enough to turn carbon into adamantine, much less a tenth of his soul.

When Han Wu declined, Sha Xin changed the subject. “I can sense some powerful techniques within your soul. If you are willing to sell them, I will pay you as well.”

That caught Han Wu’s interest. “Which technique are you referring to?”

Sha Xin recognized the change in his tone. “I smell a powerful jutsu on you. You can sell it to me. I think I caught the scent of a power that you cannot use here too. Its quality seems high. I am willing to collect both.”

“I can’t sell you the power, but I can sell you some techniques.” Han Wu would never part with his own power. It was one of the reasons that his soul was tethered there.

Sha Xin sighed in slight disappointment. At least, he wouldn’t return empty-handed. In the end, he paid 80 soul points for Vortex Collapse Fist and Slashing Steel Palm. Even though these two were Taijutsu and difficult to use in the Soul Kingdom, that did not diminish their value to him. The two jutsu turned into luminous orbs, which Sha Xin extracted from Han Wu.

Once the extraction was complete, Han Wu completely forgot how to use them. Sha Xin looked pleased once he received the two orbs.

Meanwhile, Han Wu had discovered a way to get rich and secure his survival.

“I wonder if you would be interested in other powerful techniques,” Han Wu said. “I have many. I can also upgrade them to their more powerful forms for you.”

“Are you sure?” Sha Xin asked, intrigued.

“What would I gain from lying to you?” Han Wu shot back.

Sha Xin nodded, persuaded. However, for the sake of safety, he didn’t reveal his final trump card. Instead, he used another. “I already know that you were the one who killed the deputy and the boss of the Venomous Snake Sect.

“I actually intended to punish you for disrupting the Soul Kingdom’s peace and sentence you all to mining in its heart. But, if you can pay me 200 soul points, I will consider that this never happened before. You may substitute techniques or other Skills in place of soul points.”

This was a disgusting ploy to get what he wanted for free.

Han Wu burned with anger, but he knew he shouldn’t attack now. I will let you preen a little longer. Once my true self arrives, I will reclaim what’s mine and more. Ten times more.

Naturally, Han Wu kept the thought to himself and said evenly, “Sure. When you return to collect taxes next time, I will offer some techniques that satisfy you.”

“Hahaha! You brat, not bad. Not bad at all. You know how to play along.” Sha Xin patted Han Wu’s shoulder, then left with his lackeys as the clash of cymbals and drums receded into the distance.

The others had never seen Sha Xin in such high spirits and looked at Han Wu in confusion. As long as Sha Xin stayed pleased and stopped raising taxes on a whim, it wouldn’t be an issue for them to survive.

Jealous of their attention, Jing Jing stepped forward and declared her claim. “What are you guys looking at? My God belongs to me alone.”

At her words, the gathered souls dispersed.

Qin Shuang turned to Han Wu. “Do you have a way to deal with the officials?”

Han Wu smiled. “Of course.”