Chapter 257: This Is Truly a Time of Crisis, Why Not Follow Precedent? (II)

In the Radiant Moon Hall, Luo Chen sat in the main seat, his eyes lightly closed.

Having just taken a Dust Transformation pill and with the Long Spring Art’s natural qi-replenishing ability, the vast amount of spirit energy he had expended was gradually recovering.

Below him, Sima Huiniang and Zhou Yuanli stood respectfully on either side, not daring to breathe too loudly.

By now, after experiencing the Crescent Moon Valley battle, the Fu Family battle, and the beast tide invasion, Luo Chen’s malevolence energy had deepened.

Having held a position of power for some time, every word and action exuded the authority of a leader.

Of all present, Zhou Yuanli, who had followed him the longest, felt this change most acutely.

In the past, Luo Chen would often joke and tease, sometimes even acting playfully. But now, such moments had become rare.

Perhaps they were no longer appropriate, or maybe his position had shaped his demeanor.

After a while, Luo Chen finally opened his eyes.

He looked at the two before him, his tone indifferent—not exactly warm, but not harsh either.

"Where did the beast tide come from?"

His first words cut straight to the heart of the matter.

Zhou Yuanli bowed and replied, “The spirit vein sealing formation in Dahe Market’s inner city has shattered, causing a vast dispersion of spirit energy over a thousand-li radius, forming a land of spirit abundance. Because of this, even before now, low-tier demonic beasts had begun instinctively wandering into the outer district.”

Luo Chen slowly shook his head. "That is not the answer I am looking for."

Sima Huiniang hesitated before speaking. “According to the reports from low-tier cultivators, this beast tide was primarily composed of ape-type demonic beasts. Of the nearest mountains, only Zhouyi Mountain within the Ancient Plains range is home to a significant number of such creatures.

"Therefore, the beast tide must have come from Zhouyi Mountain."

Luo Chen’s expression darkened slightly as he stared at the two of them.

"Zhouyi Mountain is several hundred li from Crescent Moon Valley. Even if demonic beasts travel quickly, they are fiercely territorial. Why would they abandon their home range to come all this way?

"If they were drawn by the abundance of spirit energy, they should have headed toward the nearest outer district instead.

"Isn’t that right?"

Sima Huiniang and Zhou Yuanli exchanged uneasy glances.

For a moment, they were at a loss for words.

Luo Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly. “This incident... someone must have orchestrated it against Luo Tian Society.”

As soon as he said this, the two standing below him shuddered involuntarily.

They, too, had found the beast tide unusual but had not considered it too deeply. After all, there had already been multiple sightings of demonic beasts wandering the outer district of Dahe Market recently.

The only strange part was why the beasts from Zhouyi Mountain had come this far.

Now that Luo Chen had pointed it out so plainly, an icy chill ran down their spines. Who would go to such great lengths to target Luo Tian Society?

Luo Chen sighed inwardly, a bad premonition creeping into his heart.

It had been three or four months since Dahe Market’s inner city had turned into a ghost city. For all this time, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had remained silent.

For rogue cultivators, this might have been good news. But for him, it was anything but reassuring. This meant that his days of wielding Pang Renxiong’s token to bluff and intimidate others were coming to an end.

If the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect did not return within the next two months, someone would make a move against Luo Tian Society.

This beast tide invasion was likely an early test and those Foundation Establishment cultivators were the most suspicious figures of all!

"The beast tide was definitely lured here by someone!

"But how they did it must involve some specific method. Otherwise, no faction in Dahe Market could afford to withstand repeated beast tide assaults."

Luo Chen looked at the two before him. "Thoroughly investigate within the Luo Tian Society! Find anything or anyone that might have drawn the second-tier Explosive Apes here."

"Understood!"

"Understood!"

As the two retreated, Luo Chen rubbed his temples.

The tree longs for stillness, yet the wind refuses to cease. Dahe Market might have appeared peaceful on the surface, but underneath, turbulent currents never ceased.

As Luo Tian Society continued to grow, it was inevitable that many would see it as a piece of fat meat to be carved.

He needed to figure out a way forward.

He was concerned, but not afraid.

From the moment he had decided to stay in Dahe Market, he had anticipated this exact situation.

Now, it was simply time to confront it.

"This is truly a moment of crisis, a time of survival or ruin... Perhaps I could take a page from past events?" His murmured words echoed softly through the vast hall.

***

Early the next morning.

One after another, the ninth stage Qi-Refining cultivators entered and exited the Radiant Moon Hall.

Zhou Yuanli, Duan Feng, Qin Liangchen, Murong Qinglian...

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Luo Chen sat at the head of the hall without speaking, leaving everything to Sima Huiniang to oversee.

He merely listened from the side, only spoke up when critical matters arose.

"Last night’s battle left minimal damage within the valley, but the biggest loss was to the Battle Hall.

"A total of eleven Battle Hall cultivators perished in the beast tide. Additionally, two others have lost their combat abilities and may never regain their former peak strength."

Eleven dead, two severely injured. That was nearly half of the Battle Hall’s forces.

Had Luo Chen not returned in time, even if Luo Tian Society had won the battle, they would have lost the Battle Hall. Even so, the losses were devastating.

Murong Qinglian continued her report.

"The damage to the defensive structures was not severe, but we consumed a full ten mid-grade spirit stones.

"Elder Duan is speeding up the repairs on the fortifications, aiming to restore the Minor Five Elements Formation to its peak state.

"For that, additional funding will be required."

***

"Director Sima, what is your opinion?"

As the report concluded, Sima Huiniang frowned deeply.

Without hesitation, she said, "The repair of the defensive structures is of utmost importance. Tell me how many spirit stones are needed, and they will be provided immediately.

"The remaining Battle Hall cultivators should be generously rewarded.

"The reward standards will follow the pre-battle mobilization plan. However, we can slightly relax the restrictions, allowing them to exchange equivalent value items for high-tier enchanted artifacts and talismans.

"Severely injured cultivators must not be discarded. My suggestion is to assign them to the logistics department so they can continue to contribute."

She laid out each decision one by one. From start to finish, Luo Chen did not interrupt. These were matters that she had already discussed with him beforehand.

Luo Tian Society’s losses were severe, but they were primarily concentrated in manpower casualties rather than material damage.

The eleven fallen Battle Hall cultivators had their inheritance directly confiscated, which alone was enough to be redistributed as rewards.

Meanwhile, the more than two hundred demonic beasts slain during the battle became another valuable resource.

A portion of the beasts rightfully belonged to their slayers, but the majority had been personally killed by Luo Chen.

This first-tier demonic beast meat was valuable. With minimal processing, the meat alone could be sold at a rate of one spirit stone for ten pounds, easily recovering ten to twenty thousand spirit stones.

And that wasn’t even counting the hides, blood, and bones, which could fetch even more value.

The only aspect Luo Chen personally intervened in was the reward system for surviving cultivators. Rather than adhering strictly to the standard compensation rules, he instructed Sima Huiniang to relax the restrictions.

Now, cultivators could exchange equivalent-value items along with their merit points for top-grade enchanted artifacts and talismans from Luo Tian Society’s inventory.

The intent behind this move was clear—if their numbers were lacking, then their individual combat power had to compensate. The remaining members needed to have their combat strength enhanced as much as possible.

Fortunately, Luo Tian Society had a significant stockpile of top-grade enchanted artifacts.

Through three wars, many artifacts had been lost, but just as many valuable ones had been seized.

Previously, Duan Feng had repaired many of the artifacts. Now, distributing them all would be enough to arm the Battle Hall cultivators to the teeth.

Once Murong Qinglian left satisfied, the Radiant Moon Hall finally returned to silence.

Sima Huiniang, however, still did not dare to relax. After all, she had only just taken place as the director, and such heavy casualties had already occurred within the society.

No matter how one looked at it, she could not escape responsibility.

But Luo Chen did not blame her. Some things were simply beyond her control.

"You have done well. With you handling the affairs of the society, I can be at ease." Luo Chen rarely smiled, but he encouraged Sima Huiniang with a rare expression of approval.

Only then did she let out a breath of relief.

Luo Chen gestured for her to approach, and she stepped forward.

Before Luo Chen, a paper crane and two crane nests suddenly appeared. "This is a Sound-Transmitting Paper Crane. You and I will each keep one crane nest.

"In the future, if there is an urgent matter, you can use this to contact me directly within a thousand-li range."

Hesitantly taking the paper crane, Sima Huiniang's face revealed a look of astonishment.

When did the cultivation world develop such an enchanted artifact? Its transmission range was vast, far superior to ordinary sound transmission talismans.

Just as she was about to speak, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.

Moments later, Zhou Yuanli entered, his expression dark.

"President, we've found the cause!"

Hmm?

"Please, come this way."

Luo Chen's eyes flickered as he immediately stood up and followed. Before long, under Zhou Yuanli’s guidance, he arrived at a building reeking of a pungent, foul odor.

He looked at the place in confusion. "The beast pen?"

Zhou Yuanli nodded and pushed open the door.

Liu Qiang’s embarrassed expression immediately appeared before them. "President, I..."

Luo Chen stepped inside and his gaze instantly locked onto a young ape, its entire body covered in fiery red fur.

"A first-tier Explosive Ape? So this is what attracted the beast tide here?"

As his words fell, Liu Qiang immediately dropped to one knee.

"It was my mistake! I bought this beast from an outside source, never expecting that I was inviting disaster upon us."

Luo Chen slowly shook his head.

This was not Liu Qiang’s fault. After all, Luo Chen himself had instructed him to purchase live demonic beasts and to handle the matter personally. These creatures were meant for his cultivation of the Soul-Intimidation, which required the assistance of Spirit Passage pills.

Now, deep into winter, heavy snow sealed off the mountains. Ordinary beasts were already scarce, and hunting demonic beasts was even more difficult. With Liu Qiang alone, capturing enough living demonic beasts was impossible, which was why the decision was made to purchase them instead.

To facilitate this, Luo Chen had even allocated a special fund of spirit stones.

He scrutinized the young Explosive Ape; its demonic energy was weak, indicating it had only just reached the first-tier. However, its fur was smooth and glossy, and its vibrant red sheen reminded Luo Chen of the second-tier Explosive Ape locked beneath the cavern.

"Could this be the offspring of that second-tier demonic beast?" Without turning his head, Luo Chen posed the question.

"There is no doubt," Zhou Yuanli replied solemnly. "I had a bloodline test conducted. These two demonic beasts share a direct bloodline, and the connection is extremely strong."

The bloodlines of demonic beasts were easy to test, far more distinct than those of humans.

It was even rumored that some demonic beasts cultivated themselves through inherited bloodline techniques, passing down their strength and abilities from generation to generation.

With this, everything made sense. The second-tier Explosive Ape had lost its offspring, and not just any offspring, but one with an exceptionally pure bloodline. No wonder it had gone berserk, leading a beast tide to attack them.

With the formation protecting Dahe Market’s inner city now gone, demonic beasts had gradually lost their fear of venturing closer.

Small incidents had already hinted at this growing boldness, and the Explosive Ape was merely the first second-tier demonic beast to reach the outskirts. It was only a matter of time before more followed.

But none of that was the key issue.

Luo Chen turned to Liu Qiang. "Stand up and speak."

Liu Qiang stood, meeting Luo Chen’s gaze.

"Where did you buy this beast?"

"From the Nangong family’s beast farm."

"Nangong?" Luo Chen frowned slightly. "Who sold it to you?"

Liu Qiang instinctively responded, "It was Ke Yuelin, the former Beast Hall Leader of the Poshan Gang. He now serves the Nangong family, managing their beast farm. He personally sold me this beast. I saw that it was highly intelligent and thought it might aid in your cultivation, President..."

"Ke Yuelin..." Luo Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly as he murmured the name under his breath.