The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 253. End of Woodcutter Association

"That’s impossible!" Qiao Fu roared, his grip tightening on his axe. He stormed toward the door, his fury uncontrollable, but Tyler’s voice cut through the air, sharp and commanding, halting him in his tracks.

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you," Tyler warned, his words laced with an unsettling calm. "Unless you want to lose your life in the hands of your so-called loyal subordinates in one fell swoop."

Qiao Fu hesitated, his knuckles white as he gripped his weapon. He turned back to face Tyler, his eyes blazing with fury. "What have you done to them?"

"Nothing much," Tyler replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Just a little... persuasion. You see, loyalty is a fragile thing, especially when greed are involved. I simply offered them more money."

Tyler’s smirk widened. "In simpler terms, I bought them."

The words hit Qiao Fu like a thunderclap. His mind raced, trying to process the sheer audacity of Tyler’s actions. During the previous battle, He understood that Tyler is rich. But it seems like he underestimated his wealth. Those grandmasters—his prized assets, whom he’d paid generously. They are group of pirates who gave up on pirate buisness and worked for him.

Qiao Fu’s voice trembled with disbelief. "You think you can just buy loyalty like that?"

"Of course I can," Tyler said with a chuckle. "Loyalty to someone like you is as shallow as a puddle. When faced with a better offer, they didn’t even hesitate."

Qiao Fu’s jaw tightened, his rage boiling over. Yet, despite his fury, a sliver of doubt began to creep into his mind. He had always ruled with fear and wealth, but now he realized how tenuous that grip truly was. Facing with someone who is wealthier, he felt like an ant.

As the tension between the two men reached a boiling point, far from the villa, another storm was brewing.

---

At the headquarters of the Woodcutter Association, a different kind of battle was taking place.

Isha, For now, she represented herself as a high-ranking representative of the White Merchant Group, strode confidently into the association’s grand hall, her steps firm and deliberate. Behind her walked her ’entourage’ : Reva, Gru, and Hart, their grandmaster presence imposing enough to make any onlooker think twice about causing trouble.

The association’s main shareholders had gathered, their faces a mix of concern and curiosity. The once-thriving Woodcutter Association, founded and led by Qiao Fu, had been struggling for the past year. Losses had mounted, and many shareholders had grown desperate, selling their stakes to the highest bidder.

What Qiao Fu didn’t know, as he faced Tyler in his villa, was that his greatest rival had been quietly orchestrating his downfall from the shadows. Through various aliases and intermediaries, Mana had acquired a controlling interest in the Woodcutter Association, consolidating those shares under the banner of the White Merchant Group.

Now the highest shareholder of Woodcutter Association is White Merchant Group.

Isha, now seated at the head of the table, represented the majority shareholder. Her calm demeanor exuded authority, and the shareholders quickly realized the tide had shifted.

Clearing her throat, Isha addressed the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am here on behalf of the White Merchant Group, the majority stakeholder in this association. After thorough deliberation, we have decided on a course of action that will ensure the survival and prosperity of the Woodcutter Association."

Her words sparked a murmur of uncertainty. Some shareholders nodded, seeing the writing on the wall, while others bristled with resistance.

"What are you proposing?" one of the senior shareholders asked, his tone cautious.

"A merger," Isha said, her gaze sweeping across the room. "The Woodcutter Association will merge with the Redwood Company. This merger will stabilize operations, eliminate redundancies, and bring in new resources to revitalize the business."

"Merge? With Redwood?" another shareholder scoffed. "Do you think we’ll just hand over everything we’ve built to you?"

Redwood company is the name of the company registered under mana, Which is also subsidiary company of White Merchant Group.

Isha met his defiance with a calm smile. "I understand your concerns, but the reality is simple. Without this merger, the association will collapse. The losses from the past year are unsustainable, and the leadership—" she paused, letting the implication hang in the air, "—has failed to address the root causes. Under the White Merchant Group’s guidance, we can restore profitability."

Her words carried the weight of inevitability. For the dissenting shareholders, there was little room for argument. They could resist, but they knew the outcome would be the same. Slowly, one by one, their objections began to fade.

---

Back at the villa, Qiao Fu remained oblivious to the silent dismantling of his empire, his focus entirely on the man standing before him.

"Your schemes won’t work!" Qiao Fu growled, his voice echoing with fury. His knuckles tightened around his axe as he prepared to unleash his ultimate power. He only needed one move to end this once and for all. As long as I activate my domain, he thought, not even the Grandmasters outside can save him.

The air around them grew heavy. A metallic sheen began spreading across the room like a wave, consuming the floor, the walls, and even the furniture. Within moments, the entire villa had transformed into a cold, unyielding expanse of shimmering metal.

"This is my domain!" Qiao Fu roared, his voice reverberating through the metallic chamber. "World of Metal!"

Tyler felt an oppressive force clamp down on him like a vice. His body refused to move, as though the air itself had solidified around him. He tried to channel his aura, then his prana, but both were suppressed by the domain’s overwhelming power. It was as if he had been sealed inside an unbreakable prison.

"Struggling is pointless," Qiao Fu sneered, his confidence surging. "In my domain, I am the ultimate authority. You are not even Grandmaster Level, You can’t use your aura. You’re nothing more than a worm waiting to be crushed."

Tyler remained silent, his expression unreadable as Qiao Fu’s axe began to glow. A brilliant light enveloped the weapon, its edge humming with raw energy. Qiao Fu’s aura locked onto Tyler, ensuring there would be no escape.

---

Outside the villa, the Grandmasters stood in tense silence, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. None of them moved to intervene, as per Tyler’s explicit instructions. He had paid them handsomely, with one simple condition: stay out of it, no matter what happens.

"That brat’s finished," one of them muttered, his arms crossed. "There’s no escaping Qiao Fu’s domain."

Another Grandmaster, an older man with a long beard, stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps, He must have something up his sleeve."

The Grandmasters exchanged glances but kept their attention fixed on the villa. They were eager to see how, or if, he could escape Qiao Fu’s devastating attack.

Suddenly, the metallic domain shattered like glass. A shockwave rippled through the area, leaving Qiao Fu momentarily stunned. He swung his axe behind him. But his blow met only air.

Lady Qiao, holding her towel tightly, had nimbly backflipped away from the attack, her movements as swift as they were unexpected. Qiao Fu’s eyes widened further as he spotted the knife now plunged into his back. The blade shimmered faintly, its surface glowing with a malevolent energy.

"Soul-devouring poison laced on a volcanic mica blade," Tyler said calmly, echoing his earlier words. "Strong enough to pierce a grandmaster’s defenses."

Qiao Fu staggered, his strength rapidly draining. "W-why?" he stammered, his voice thick with betrayal.

His gaze darted toward his wife, disbelief etched across his features. "No... You’re not her?"

Lady Qiao’s presence feels different, her aura seems more like nether energy. She smirked and pointed toward the letter sitting on the table—the one Tyler sneaked in the Lady Qiao’s hand "Mana was hiding in that letter. But when you activated your domain Mana had no choice but to hide in her body."

Qiao Fu’s jaw clenched as the realization dawned, but before he could react, her voice changed again, and a familiar face emerged from within hers. Mana.

"It’s you," Qiao Fu growled, fury and panic mixing in his voice. He tried to lift his axe, but his body betrayed him. His aura, vitality, and strength drained at an alarming rate.

Mana Ghost face went back into Lady Qiao.

"S-Save me!" he pleaded, his knees buckling as he collapsed. "If you don’t save me, you’ll never know what happened to the Redwood Family."

Mana’s expression didn’t waver. " Mana already know," she said coldly, brushing a lock of hair from her face. "When Mana possessed her, Mana gained access to her memories. You’re no longer needed."

With that, the infamous woodcutter and founder of the Woodcutter Association, Qiao Fu, crumpled to the floor. His lifeless body lay in the ground with unwillingly eyes.

Mana stepped out of Lady Qiao’s body, her form shimmering as she separated herself from the trembling woman. Lady Qiao regained control of herself, staring at her fallen husband with wide eyes.

There was more Panic than grief.

She turned to Tyler, her lips quivering as she forced a smile. It was an awkward, desperate expression, more pitiful than endearing in Tyler’s eyes.

Lady Qiao let her towel fell in the ground. She walked near Tyler.

"I really don’t wanna kill you.... But..." Tyler said with regret expression.

Mana spat in the ground, "Say that after you remove your fiendish claws from her breast."

Tyler hands were groping her breast with regretful expression.