"Here, your spirit stones." After leaving the chamber of commerce, Lu Yang handed the storage ring given by the firm to Squire Song.
Squire Song jumped in fright, nearly dropping the storage ring to the ground. This was six million spirit stones—just handed over to him like that?
"No, no, no! I wouldn't dare take so many spirit stones! Ten thousand, ten thousand is more than enough!" Squire Song was merely a mortal. If word got out that he possessed so many spirit stones, he wouldn't dare gamble on whether Great Xia's law and order could deter greedy eyes.
Taking nothing at all wouldn't feel right either, so he settled on just a tiny sliver.
Seeing Squire Song's reaction, Lu Yang understood his reservations and didn't press the matter, escorting him safely back to Yuanhe County.
Afterward, he divided the rest, giving two million each to his two junior sisters.
Lu Yang had never placed much importance on spirit stones. For one thing, he had patent royalties and a profit cut from the barbecue shop. Combined, aside from filthy-rich tycoons basking in ancestral wealth like Meng Jingzhou and visionaries with ahead-of-their-time ideas like Tao Yaoye, no one among the younger generation was wealthier than Lu Yang.
For another, he didn't need spirit stones anyway.
As for dharma treasures, he had the Green Blade Sword gifted by Eldest Senior Sister, as well as the Dark Moon Sword once wielded by Immortal Kirin.
Natural treasures, great pills, and spiritual soil for cultivation could be exchanged at the Mission Hall anytime, or he could simply pluck a few root whiskers from the Ginseng Baby.
As for cultivation arts, the Scripture Pavilion had everything.
Such were the perks of a major sect: cultivation resources were provided in abundance, allowing one to focus purely on cultivation.
The Mission Hall had not been established to run disciples ragged fulfilling quests, but to encourage them to travel the mortal realm, punish evil, promote good, and prevent them from cultivating all human emotion out of themselves.
The Dao Seeking Sect had never advocated the doctrine of supreme emotionlessness.
Judging from the Five Ancient Celestials, Lu Yang reckoned not a single one practiced supreme emotionlessness—especially Immortal Kirin.
The most prominent faction advocating supreme emotionlessness was the Emotionless Cult.
"This celestial has indeed met a few who claimed to practice supreme emotionlessness," the Immortal Fairy chimed in. "Spouting nonsense about devoting their whole heart to the Dao, yet when they struck, they were truly ruthless! Three of them murdered their wives or sons to prove their Dao, and two others refined their entire clans into dharma treasures, sparing not a single family member. On top of that, they walked around expressionless all day, looking at everyone as if the world owed them spirit stones! But they couldn't take a beating—this celestial self-detonated once and blew them all to kingdom come."
"In this celestial's opinion, that wasn't genuine supreme emotionlessness."
"That doesn't even count?" Lu Yang wondered in amazement. What they did was brutal enough.
"Of course not! If nothing else, did any of them dare go around naked?"
"Wearing clothes means they still have a sense of shame. If you still have shame, what kind of supreme emotionlessness is that?"
Lu Yang mulled it over; that actually made some sense.
Who would have thought that while the Immortal Fairy appeared honest, adorable, and rather simple-minded, her insights into certain matters were surprisingly sharp?
Leaving Yuanhe County, on the road back to Qingshui Commandery, Lu Yang suddenly remembered he was a sword cultivator who could fly on a sword; there was no need to ride a horse.
The Green Blade Sword floated up, hovering three feet above the ground. Lu Yang leapt onto it and stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his robes fluttering in the wind—a picture of dashing elegance.
"Now this is what a sword immortal should look like."
Lu Yang had heard that sword cultivators had a peculiar way of dueling: two sword cultivators would face each other, fly directly at one another on their swords, and whichever got knocked off lost.
Lu Yang figured if he were ever forced to duel like that, he would probably have to resort to his flying car.
"Lu Yang, a Soul Formation stage cultivator has their eye on you," the Immortal Fairy warned.
"A Soul Formation cultivator?"
Lu Yang slammed the brakes on his flying sword, every hair on his body standing on end. With a deafening boom, the air ahead exploded, and a figure swept aside the smoke and dust, barring the way for Lu Yang and his companions.
"What nerve! Daring to sell my dharma treasure to a chamber of commerce! You've truly tired of living!"
The ripples of power emanating from the figure made the trio's hearts palpitate. Even Lu Yang's Invincible Core was sounding alarms, screaming at him to turn and flee.
The man's aura was sinister and cold, cut from the exact same cloth as the painting scroll. Clearly, he was a seasoned old demon who had butchered countless souls in the shadows.
"Your dharma treasure?"
Tao Yaoye was still puzzled. If the painting scroll had an owner, how could it have been stored inside a storage ring?
Putting himself in the demon's shoes, Lu Yang grasped the crucial point: "You were afraid Great Xia would trace the treasure back to you, so you erased your own imprint from it. You planned to step in and harvest the benefits only after the treasure finished refining someone, didn't you?"
"Clever little brat." The sinister figure hadn't expected Lu Yang to deduce the scheme so quickly.
Yet that wouldn't alter Lu Yang's fate in the slightest.
"Judging by the jade plaques at your waists, two from the Dao Seeking Sect and one from the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace?"
"You know who we are and you still dare lay a hand on us?"
The sinister figure chuckled darkly. "What of immortal sects? If you brats die here, even if your immortal sects have heavenly methods, they won't be able to trace me!"
Lu Yang narrowed his eyes. Was this man genuinely ignorant or merely putting on a front? When disciples of an immortal sect were harmed, the sects could calculate the karma; the culprit would never escape.
Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting faced the enemy with grim resolve, quietly gripping their weapons and preparing to strike with everything they had.
"Daring to harm our boss's guests? Die!"
Another indifferent voice rang out from the sky. A figure holding a nine-section whip descended. Ghostly green flames burned along the whip as it cracked toward the sinister figure, the eerie emerald fire clinging relentlessly like maggots to bone.
A fierce clash erupted between the two as both deployed their dharma treasures. In less than a hundred rounds, the sinister figure was subdued by the wielder of the nine-section whip.
"You three, come with us. Our boss wishes to see you."
The whip-wielder looked coldly at Lu Yang and the two girls, his tone brooking no argument.
The wielder was also at the Soul Formation stage, but judging by how easily he had defeated the sinister figure, his strength was among the cream of the crop even within Soul Formation.
Tao Yaoye's palms felt slightly clammy. She had seen this whip-wielder before, when she accompanied Senior Brother Lu Yang to the barbecue shop. Back then, he had stood behind Vice Cult Master Shi, likely serving as Vice Cult Master Shi's right-hand man.
What was his name again... Huo Huashen?
Why were people from the Nine Nether Cult looking for them? What was their objective?
Tao Yaoye didn't dare let her thoughts wander any further.
Although Lan Ting didn't recognize Huo Huashen, she could tell from the aura radiating from him that he had not come with good intentions.
Should they run? But his strength far outmatched theirs—how could they possibly escape?
"Who is your boss? What do you want with us?" Tao Yaoye asked, regarding Huo Huashen warily.
Huo Huashen cast an indifferent glance at Tao Yaoye. "You'll know once you're there."
Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting looked to Lu Yang for guidance. Lu Yang nodded. "Let's follow and see."
Not a word was spoken between the four along the way, the atmosphere terrifyingly stifling. Huo Huashen led the way, bringing the three before a small gazebo.
The gazebo stood isolated in the wilderness, far from any village or inn, with not a passerby in sight.
A figure sat inside the pavilion, draped in black robes like an abyss. Just a single glance at him felt like falling into an icy cavern—truly a mass-murdering archdemon.
This person was none other than Shi Huagu, one of the three Vice Cult Masters of the Nine Nether Cult.
"Boss, I brought them. I've confirmed that no one else will come this way."
"Understood. Stand behind me."
Huo Huashen answered with an affirmative and stepped behind Shi Huagu, remaining motionless and silent like a statue.
"You must be Mister Tao, the creator of the Dream Bubble. I have long heard of your renowned name, and today I finally meet you in person."
"Now that the Dream Bubble is wildly popular, Mister Tao must have earned quite a fortune in spirit stones. Congratulations are in order."
Tao Yaoye's heart chilled, cold sweat trickling down her back. She hadn't anticipated that the Nine Nether Cult's target was actually her.
Had they set their sights on the Dream Bubble? Were they after her wealth, or did they want the patent?
"Only mortals watch it. It doesn't earn much," Tao Yaoye said, forcing herself to speak through her nerves.
"Doesn't earn much? Mister Tao, now you're being modest."
"What on earth do you want?"
"Men die for wealth just as birds die for food. With Mister Tao's intelligence, could it be you cannot guess what I want?"
The corner of Shi Huagu's mouth curved upward into a cold sneer.
"Could Mister Tao use the Dream Bubble to promote our barbecue shop? We have an ample budget, and the price is completely negotiable."
Chapter 521