Chapter 167: Ancient Plains Mutation, Demonic Beast Riot (II)

At the same time elsewhere, a dust-covered Liu Han stared lifelessly at the storage pouch in his hands.

"A Perfected Mastery Qi-Refining cultivator... this poor?"

He had expected that there wouldn’t be any spirit stones inside.

After all, when Qiu Bai had bid for the supreme-grade enchanted artifact at the Precious Dragon Black Market, he didn’t have enough spirit stones and had to make up the difference with a few equivalent spirit materials.

However, what he didn’t expect was that aside from one high-grade enchanted artifact and a mid-grade defensive enchanted artifact, there was nothing else inside.

Yes, absolutely nothing!

No talismans! No pills! No spell manuals, no mechanical puppets, no precious herbs or materials... nothing at all.

This guy’s wealth was even cleaner than his own face.

No wonder Qiu Bai had been so eager to commit murder and robbery outside.

How could a cultivator be this broke? I really have terrible luck!

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Liu Han was on the verge of tears, yet no tears would come. For this worthless haul, he had sacrificed a top-grade peculiar enchanted artifact.

***

At noon, after finishing his alchemy session, Luo Chen took a few of his bodyguards and wandered around the outer district.

As he strolled through the inner city, Luo Chen casually inquired about the state of different districts in the outer city—where most out-of-town cultivators gathered, how many shops were owned by local cultivators, and the distribution of Poshan Gang’s businesses.

He had to admit, the five bodyguards were all long members of the gang and could answer his questions with ease.

It was only then that Luo Chen realized Poshan Gang was far more complex than it appeared on the surface.

Shops in the inner city, brothels and taverns in the outer city, and even a newly built clothing store from last winter—all were thriving businesses.

Unfortunately, with the current turmoil, profits across these industries had plummeted.

"If the Gang Leader obtains enough treasures from the Golden Core ruins and successfully forms his core in the future, Poshan Gang could ascend to become a Golden Core power. Maybe we could even establish a sect of our own!"

At the thought of founding a sect, Dongfang Liang’s enthusiasm surged.

By then, they would be sect disciples, carrying status wherever they went!

Luo Chen smirked.

Forming a Golden Core? Easier said than done.

Foundation Establishment was one thing—given sufficient external resources, decent talent, and a little luck, it was entirely possible to succeed.

But forming a Golden Core? That required a suitable third-tier spirit vein!

Without a proper third-tier spirit vein, an average rogue cultivator had no hope of reaching the Golden Core Realm.

Breaking through realms and regular cultivation were two entirely different matters.

Besides, Luo Chen didn’t actually want Mi Shuhua to succeed in forming his Golden Core. If that happened, he would be reduced to nothing more than a disposable tool under Mi Shuhua’s command.

***

During their conversation, Luo Chen casually brought up the topic of black markets, pretending to ask offhandedly.

This time, he asked about the more common, low-tier black markets. He hadn’t expected these to be so widespread.

With each of the five bodyguards chiming in, Luo Chen quickly pieced together the full picture.

"There’s a small black market in each of the east, south, west, and north!"

This truly caught Luo Chen by surprise. One of them, in particular, was even run by Poshan Gang itself, regularly auctioning resources useful to mid stage Qi-Refining cultivators. For a while, even Luo Chen’s mid grade Jade Essence pills had been one of the most sought-after items there.

"Seriously? That stuff was actually in demand?"

"We sold them in small batches!"

Before becoming Luo Chen’s bodyguard, Dongfang Liang had worked as a gatekeeper for one of these black markets.

Mhm, same kind of role as that fellow daoist Wang from the Precious Dragon Black Market who had given Luo Chen some advice. His imposing physique made him a perfect fit for the job!

"Plus, we bundled them with other resources during auctions.

"Hall Leader, you might not know this, but for a while, we regularly auctioned off your Jade Essence pills. The price wasn’t sky-high, but it drew in a lot of traffic. The Poshan black market even became one of the most popular black markets in the entire outer district!"

Luo Chen’s brow twitched.

So this was why his alias, Dan Chenzi, was becoming so well-known. So the gang had been secretly promoting him this whole time?!

That actually made sense—if a black market consistently offered high-quality pills from an alchemist, it was bound to attract a crowd.

As they continued chatting, they wandered around. Soon, Luo Chen found himself at the foot of Qinghe Mountain.

From a distance, he spotted a young man with jade-like features and a cold, sharp temperament. His upper body was bare, revealing well-defined muscles as he swung a heavy iron hammer, striking the ingot repeatedly.

Tsk tsk, what a picturesque scene!

"Xiao Duan, busy?"

Duan Feng lifted his head, his mouth twitching.

Isn’t that obvious?

Luo Chen waved his hand. "Alright, you five, line up in the back. Stand straight!"

The bodyguards were momentarily stunned but instinctively moved to stand beneath the flagpole.

"Now, I’ll say a line, and you’ll repeat it loudly after me."

As Duan Feng’s pupils trembled in disbelief, Luo Chen grinned. "The wind blows, the rain falls, but broken enchanted artifacts are no cause for alarm!"

Zhou Yuanli opened his mouth hesitantly and mumbled the line. The others followed suit, their voices barely above a whisper.

Luo Chen suddenly roared, "Did you all skip breakfast?! Louder!"

Zhou Yuanli’s face turned beet red. He swore that in all his years, even at his lowest, he had never been subjected to such humiliation.

As he hesitated, Dongfang Liang beside him suddenly shouted at full volume. "The wind blows, the rain falls, but broken enchanted artifacts are no cause for alarm!"

Hmm?

Luo Chen locked eyes on Zhou Yuanli.

This old guy had been slacking just now.

"One more time! Don’t think I won’t notice if you hold back. Otherwise, go back to Gang Leader Mi! I have no use for a deadweight who can’t even open his mouth properly.

"Listen up! A few spirit stones ain’t a bad deal—Fenghai Forging Workshop gives the best steal!"

Gritting his teeth, Zhou Yuanli stiffened his neck, shut his eyes, and braced himself. "A few spirit stones ain’t a bad deal—Fenghai Forging Workshop gives the best steal!"

Five late stage Qi-Refining cultivators shouted in unison, their voices imbued with spirit power. Their booming voices soared into the sky, startling the distant clouds and cranes.

Nearby rogue cultivators turned their heads, unable to ignore the commotion.

This is beyond embarrassing, folks!

—Zhou Yuanli.

He had no choice but to shout. Luo Chen was watching him closely, and if he got sent back to Mi Shuhua, the humiliation would be even worse than this.

Luo Chen, came up with a few more catchy slogans and continued promoting the artifact shop. It wasn’t until Duan Feng looked at him with a pleading expression that he finally stopped, albeit reluctantly.

He waved dismissively. "Go on, get out of here! Look at you lot—can’t even chant slogans properly. How am I supposed to count on you if we run into raiding cultivators?"

Zhou Yuanli, Liu Qiang, and the others bolted like frightened birds, vanishing in the blink of an eye. They simply couldn’t afford to lose face like this. Especially since they weren’t nobodies—many rogue cultivators in Dahe Market knew them.

***

Once they were gone, Luo Chen’s expression turned serious and asked, "How’s business been lately?"

Duan Feng let out a sigh.

Oh, don’t do that,

Luo Chen thought, a chill running down his spine at the sight of Duan Feng’s reaction.

However, Duan Feng’s next words quickly put him at ease. "I used to be too stubborn, never really listened to your advice.

"This artifact forging business... honestly, it makes way more than fighting for a living ever did."

Under Luo Chen’s gaze, he held up a number with his fingers.

Two thousand!

Luo Chen's eyes widened.

Hadn’t Fenghai Forging Workshop only been open for less than half a month? It had already made this much profit?

It was only after Duan Feng explained via voice transmission that Luo Chen came to a realization.

The spirit stones earned from repairing artifacts were only a few hundred. The main issue was that repairs were time-consuming.

The real profit came from acquiring second-hand enchanted artifacts at low prices and reselling them at a markup. Many second-hand enchanted artifacts appeared to be severely damaged, but in reality, the cultivators who discarded them simply lacked the expertise to assess their true condition.

After Duan Feng purchased them at low prices, a bit of repair work was enough to restore eighty to ninety percent of their original power.

He would then sell them at a high price.

The Ancient Plains Mountains had always been the most artifact-consuming area in Dahe Market.

Now, with battles becoming more frequent, the demand has only increased.

In just a short time, Duan Feng capitalized on the situation—buying low, selling high, and profiting off the price gaps. The sheer margin was enough to make people take notice.

"I still have several mid-grade artifacts that are badly damaged." Duan Feng said. "I bought them for only two or three hundred spirit stones each.

"Give me some time to repair them, and I could sell every single one for seven or eight hundred. The only thing holding me back is manpower."

He gestured toward the iron ingots in front of him. "Take refining iron, for example. It’s basic work, but it eats up time and labor. Even a mid stage Qi-Refining cultivator—or an early stage one—could handle it just fine.

"If I could free up enough time, I could focus on studying the formation techniques I have. Who knows? Maybe one day, I’ll be able to repair top-grade enchanted artifacts."

Luo Chen had never seen Duan Feng speak this much at once. But he listened attentively—this was Duan Feng’s area of expertise.

Halfway through, Luo Chen already understood the problem Duan Feng was facing.

To put it simply, it was just like his own alchemy struggles in the past.

Some tasks were so basic that they required no real skill. Without help, they became incredibly time-consuming. This problem was actually easy to solve!

Manpower? That was always the easiest resource to come by.

Even in the cultivation world, there were plenty of low-tier rogue cultivators available for hire!

"This is an easy fix, I—" Just as Luo Chen was about to offer his help, he suddenly stopped speaking.

He and Duan Feng both turned toward Qinghe Mountain.

On the massive dirt road winding along the mountainside, concealed beneath ancient trees, a flood of cultivators was desperately fleeing. Hundreds of them—spilling out like a tidal wave of panic.

At first glance, it looked as though they were being pursued by a horde of ferocious demonic beasts. The cultivators outside the mountain stopped what they were doing, staring in bewilderment at the flood of fleeing rogue cultivators.

Their robes were covered in blood and claw marks. It was as if they had just fought for their lives.

They were getting closer!

Before long, the vanguard reached the outer perimeter.

Luo Chen didn’t hesitate. He signaled Liu Qiang, instructing him to seize a mid stage Qi-Refining rogue cultivator from the crowd.

"What happened? Why are you all in such a panic?"

The rogue cultivator had been too focused on fleeing. At first, he looked furious at being grabbed. But when his eyes fell on the group of late-stage cultivators standing before him, a shiver ran down his spine.

"Senior, the demonic beasts in the mountain have gone berserk! They’re indiscriminately attacking all humans!"

A demonic beast riot?

Luo Chen frowned and asked directly, "What about the Foundation Establishment cultivators leading the expedition?"

The rogue cultivator stammered in panic, "A few days ago, the Heavenly Spirit Seizing Array suddenly contracted, pushing out all cultivators below Foundation Establishment. We have no idea what happened to the Foundation Establishment experts inside!"

The array shrinking?

Duan Feng pondered for a moment before saying, "That usually happens when the formation runs low on energy and prioritizes protecting the core region."

Luo Chen’s brows lifted.

It seemed the battle for the Golden Core Ruins had reached its most critical stage.

Luo Chen released the rogue cultivator and gazed into the distance.

With his Spirit Eyes enhanced, his vision far surpassed that of any Qi-Refining Realm cultivator—one could even call it a "miniature clairvoyant eye."

Where his gaze landed, agile figures darted between towering ancient trees, their movements swift and precise.

Deeper in the forest, colossal figures, standing over ten feet tall, rampaged through the woodland, ruthlessly hunting down rogue cultivators.

"Let's go back!" Luo Chen said calmly. A wise man does not stand beneath a collapsing wall!