Chapter 432 A Crowd of People
This disciple was nine feet tall, had a booming voice, and a very cheerful smile.
Their actions are also...very straightforward.
For example, his eleven heads were strung together with a thin whip, and then he carried them over, all bloodied and facing the same direction, respectfully inviting Zhong Cai to inspect them.
The disciple pointed to each one and introduced them: "This one caused a great massacre in Qinglang Village. At that time, the village's friendly sixth-tier Qinglang came to rescue them, but this guy almost skinned them alive. Then, the Qinglang did not hesitate to become the contracted pet of a genius disciple of a mid-level power in the area, all for the purpose of avenging the villagers of Qinglang Village. My brother has been tracking him all along, but his strength is still not enough. After my brother learned that King Zhongdan was offering a bounty on evil cultivators, he leaked the information to me, and I beat him to it."
The first thing he introduced was the evil path of building palaces.
Then, the disciple recounted in detail all the things he had done by fusing with the heretical path.
Then he sighed, "The business of Tingfeng Tower is booming right now. Many disciples have gone there to buy information. There is no other cultivator who can get there first. If someone misses out, they will be replaced."
This disciple is also a bit of a chatterbox.
However, Zhong Cai learned from this that both the disciples of the War God Temple and the cultivators outside were busy. The reason why this disciple got there first was probably because it would take other cultivators some time to track and fight, and also because they wanted to collect more heads before exchanging the items to avoid the time-consuming back-and-forth travel...
Zhong Cai listened with a smile before asking, "What kind of resources does Brother Lin want in exchange?"
The disciple, Lin Zhang, scratched his head and said in a low voice, "I have a favor to ask."
Zhong Cai had a good impression of this War God Temple disciple who submitted the task the fastest, and naturally asked with great tolerance, "Brother Lin, why don't you tell me first?"
Lin Zhang cleared his throat, then flashed a human head and said, "I'm currently at the Palace Building stage and only need level six resources. So I'd like to ask if it's possible to exchange a few more fusion heads for level six resources..."
Zhong Cai was taken aback, then nodded and smiled, "You're still lacking something."
Lin Zhang's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "How many fusion heads are needed to exchange for level six resources?"
Zhong Cai thought for a moment and offered a cheap price. Anyway, his main goal this time was to kill more evil cultivators, so it didn't matter if their cultivation level was a little lower.
"If it's a level 5 resource, it requires fifty heads of the Suspended Illumination Cult to exchange for it. But if it's level 6 or above, then it only requires twenty heads of people one level lower than the resources needed by the cultivator."
"Brother Lin, you only need ten more fusion heads."
Basically, every upgrade in resources represents a hundredfold increase in value. Now that Zhong Cai only charges fifty or twenty times the number of people, it is indeed much cheaper.
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhang was overjoyed. He immediately used the heads of the Palace Constructors to exchange for a suitable level-six pill. Then he collected the remaining ten fused heads, intending to save them up for later.
That's really something!
After watching his disciple leave, Zhong Cai glanced at the human head on the ground.
Wu Shaogan took out a clean mustard seed ring.
Zhong Cai simply put the head into the pocket.
Afterwards, all the heads or tokens of evil cultivators that are obtained will be collected here and then destroyed in a unified manner.
Now, Zhong Cai is waiting for the next cultivator to come to his door.
At the same time, he also logged back onto the Danwu Sky Curtain, modified the bounty details, and added a new exchange rate for lower-level bounties to higher-level ones.
Soon, many cultivators cheered under the bounty post—after all, their strength might not be enough to easily kill evil cultivators of the same level as themselves, but killing a few cultivators of a lower level wouldn't be too difficult.
The only difficulty lies in finding their trail.
Then I'd better just buy information.
Similarly, Zhong Cai also sent someone to supplement the exchange rate for external bounties.
However, when dealing with external matters, Zhong Cai was not so generous. Although he still wouldn't use a hundred times the amount, he consistently used fifty times the amount.
In other words, if Lin Zhang were not a disciple of the War God Temple, he would have to hand over fifty fused human heads in exchange for a level six resource.
Finally, Zhong Cai said softly, "If it weren't for the trouble, and to encourage the cultivators, I would also put prices on heads. For example, the most precious level eight resources would require three Nirvana heretical heads, while the cheapest ones could be exchanged for several heads with just one head."
Wu Shaogan chuckled and ruffled Zhong Cai's hair.
His daughter, A-Cai, is always so lively and adorable.
·
Listening to the Wind Pavilion.
This is a place that specializes in selling information, and it can be considered a mature force—established less than 50,000 years ago.
It is said that in the earliest days, a genius cultivator had a very special companion treasure, which enabled him to establish such a force. As it continued to develop, it also shared some of its profits with certain powerful forces, which is why they have been able to continue to this day.
Today, this influence extends throughout the entire continent. Even if there are other places that sell information that can rival it, Tingfeng Tower has always maintained a good reputation. It is both discreet and fair in buying and selling information, which is why it has always been very popular and attracts many customers.
But recently, all the branches of Tingfenglou have been extremely busy.
It's not just any ordinary place; it's a place where many cultivators flock every day, and what they buy are mostly from places where a large number of heretical cultivators gather.
Of course, this doesn't refer to the most notorious territories controlled by powerful heretics, but rather to some more secretive heretical strongholds, gangs, and smaller-to-medium-sized forces...
Tingfenglou was well-informed, and with a little investigation, they quickly learned that this was because of Zhong Cai, a seventh-level Pill King on the Sky Ranking.
All of Zhong Cai's news was closely monitored by Tingfeng Tower, which kept very detailed records and frequently updated them. It was just a pity that this King Zhong Dan rarely appeared in public, as if all his interest lay in his Daoist partner and his research into alchemy. Whenever he made a name for himself, it was because he had cured a very complicated patient or improved his alchemy skills in other ways.
Therefore, Tingfenglou's records of Zhong Cai are not much more detailed than those of other cultivators.
However, Tingfenglou had been paying attention to the bounty from the very beginning.
Now that other cultivators are flocking to buy information, it's a big business for Tingfeng Tower.
So even though they were busy, the servants of Tingfeng Tower all praised them highly in private.
"I calculated it beforehand. In just these three days, there have been hundreds of cultivators who came to buy information about heretical paths! And this is only a branch building; we've already made a fortune!"
"King Zhong Dan is really generous! We information brokers make so much money, but after those cultivators kill enough evil cultivators and then go to King Zhong Dan, the price he has to pay will be even greater! I don't even dare to calculate how many resources he will actually provide!"
"Anyway, we know about that exchange list, and there are quite a few good things on it!"
"Yes, if I had the means, I would also like to go out and hunt down evil people."
"It's not just you who thinks so; all the fellow disciples with any skills have recently taken leave, just to go out and participate! Before leaving, they even bought a lot of information at insider prices!"
"Sigh! I regret not putting in enough effort in my cultivation before!"
"For those of us who lack strength, going to seek out evil paths would just be sending them to their doom... We'd better just stay here and sell information. It's busy, but the commission is good enough!"
"Who can argue with that?"
"well……"
Indeed, Tingfenglou made a fortune just from selling information.
In reality, if it's just cultivators who are focused on fusion and palace building buying information, even if there are many of them, the profit is actually not that much.
What's truly profitable are the evil lairs and caves associated with those powerful cultivators at the Spirit Transformation stage, and the approximate locations of the Nirvana evil path, etc.
In particular, powerful evil sects will not remain stagnant. Cultivators of Tingfeng Tower have to expend a lot of effort to gather more specific information, so their prices are always very high.
As for the righteous cultivators who can hunt down these high-level evil paths, they are not stingy with spending more money on information, and will even invite friends to join forces to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Most of them are so proactive because they are looking for customized pills, while others are in urgent need of some rare level seven or eight resources, which they happen to find on the list provided by Zhong Cai.
With such potential benefits, everyone was tempted.
Once they're moved, their drive to act is truly remarkable.
·
Several underground forces also sell information, but their information may not be as detailed as that of professionals like Tingfenglou.
In many cases, providing a general range is sufficient.
The underground forces were bustling with activity, especially in front of the bounty list, where many cultivators were crowding around to confirm the bounty details.
After confirmation, the message was taken away in batches and spread.
As the cultivators scattered in different directions, many evil cultivators lost their lives.
·
The evil cultivators were naturally aware of the bounty details, and they were all greatly alarmed. Countless evil cultivators even used more secretive methods to hide it!
However, they have committed too many evil deeds in their daily lives, and they always leave clues. Many cultivators who have been harmed by them may not be unable to discover their movements, but they remain silent in order to avoid being targeted by them.
Countless cultivators now want to slaughter the evil path. When righteous cultivators can't find a place, local "guides" will help them find the evil path more easily.
Not to mention the many factions that sell information. To ensure the accuracy of their information, they will track it down privately and provide excellent service to their clients who have paid them "heavy money"...
Ten days have passed, and many of the evil forces hidden deep in the mountains and forests have been wiped out.
·
Red Maple Mountain.
A tall, slender young man stood with one foot on a corpse, counting the pile of heads in front of him.
"There are only two Spirit Transformation cultivators, twenty Palace Construction cultivators, three hundred Fusion cultivators, and those who are Illuminating..."
"It really is a small force."
Not far away, several male and female cultivators dressed in the same clothes as the young man walked over, each carrying a mustard seed bag. After the young man counted the heads each time, they also took action to divide and pack the heads.
One of the female cultivators said, "Brother, we've already wiped out ten evil sect strongholds, shouldn't we go and exchange them with King Zhong Dan?"
Another male cultivator chimed in, "Yes, brother! If we're too late, the resources you've got your eye on might be snapped up by someone else. Wouldn't that be a real shame?"
The others chimed in:
"Exactly! Brother, you'd better hurry up and go."
"Although my cousin wants to compete with that person from the Mao family, it's more secure to have the resources in hand, so let's not wait any longer."
"Brother! That guy surnamed Mao might have already gone ahead to steal your exchange resources!"
The advice from his many cousins made the tall, slender young man ponder.
"Do I have enough spirit-transformed heads here?"
The female cultivator in charge of keeping the Spirit Transformation Human Head Mustard Seed Bag replied, "Fifty-four seeds already! Besides being able to exchange for the eighth-level resources that my cousin desires, we can also exchange for the seventh-level pills that my cousin needs."
The cousins all reported the number of heads in their mustard seed bags, saying, "We can exchange them for a lot of resources!"
Upon hearing this, the tall, slender young man rubbed his fingers together lightly, waved his hand, and said, "Then let's go over there!"
The cousins all smiled.
They all hoped that their cousin could exchange for enough resources this time to enhance his strength to an even greater level!
Only in this way can the Su family possibly produce another Tongtian, who can protect the Su family for another ten thousand years!
Alas, their ancestor had a very difficult time during the last tribulation. Without enough help, they might not be able to make it through the next one...
This time, the reason for actively responding to Zhong Danwang's call is not only because they genuinely covet those resources, but also because they want to befriend Zhong Danwang.
If everyone gets along well, perhaps before the Ancestor falls, King Zhong Dan will have grown to the point where he can help the Ancestor. In that case, wouldn't the Ancestor have a better chance?
The Su family members quickly boarded the flying boat and headed straight for the Lingxian Sect.
·
Cheongdam Valley.
A young cultivator with the appearance of a beautiful woman sat cross-legged on a giant rock, her palms radiating powerful energy as she gripped the handle of a whip, the other end of which was wrapped around the neck of a demonic cultivator who had reached the Spirit Transformation stage.
With a flick of his wrist, the evil spirit's neck snapped.
The large head leaped high into the air, and before it even landed on the shore, it was already being put into a mustard seed bag by a woman dressed in white.
A glint flashed in the young cultivator's eyes, and he laughed, "Let's go! Let's snatch that bastard surnamed Su!"
Not far away, several women in white stood quietly, each holding a mustard seed bag. Upon hearing these words, they all showed helpless expressions.
I don't know what's wrong with their young master, he just has to pick a fight with Young Master Su.
Now, Young Master Su is also constantly competing with the young master, who always seems quite interested.
Is this someone who wants to make friends? Or do they just enjoy having fun?
Maybe both.
It's a real challenge for these attendants; they're always unsure how to please their young master, and they don't know how to treat him properly when they meet him to please him...
However, despite the many chaotic thoughts in their minds, the women's hands moved swiftly.
Soon someone took out a flying artifact and carried their young master all the way to the Lingxian Sect.
·
On Qianyuan Island.
Ever since Lin Zhang came, it's been like a switch has been flipped, and people have been coming one after another.
Zhong Cai didn't mind the trouble, so he simply pulled Wu Shaogan to refine pills together in the pavilion. He personally received all the cultivators who brought heads and exchanged corresponding resources for them.
Those cultivators who came all left satisfied.
Even if two cultivators sometimes need the same resource, and that resource happens to be the only one available, then who gets it depends on the cultivation level of the person the two cultivators brought in during their previous lives—the one with the higher cultivation level has priority.
If it's just a matter of needing the same pill and there's only one left, it's not a big problem. The one with the better battle record can take it first. However, the one with the worse battle record can get a token and come back to collect it later after Zhong Cai refines it or has someone else refine it.
Zhong Cai kept his word, and never discounted any of his rewards.
Even if the cultivators who complete the task gain a slight advantage in the "rounding" process when exchanging items, Zhong Cai doesn't mind.
The cultivators trusted Zhong Cai completely.
·
In just a month or so, the resources on Zhong Cai's list have decreased by about 10%.
It may not seem like 10%, but this time Zhong Cai listed a very long list, including almost all the idle resources that the two of them didn't need, and offered 80% of them as compensation.
It should have been a long time before I could redeem it.
But now it seems that the cultivators are too eager. Even if it gets harder to slaughter cultivators as time goes on, the list will probably be completely cleared in at most one or two years.
For the remainder of the mission time, all you can do is exchange for pills.
·
Tianshan City, the underground forces.
This organization is called the Netherworld Dark Market. The name sounds rather "evil," but in reality, it was formed by several powerful independent cultivators who have been operating for many years.
There were no major forces involved behind the scenes.
For this reason, this Netherworld Market is more secluded and more chaotic than many other dark markets.
The reward offered by Zhong Cai is also displayed here.
Many cultivators also came to accept the mission.
Many others came to complete their tasks.
On this day, a cultivator dressed in a black robe slowly walked over, with a pouch hanging from his waist, its surface stained with blood, making it look rather terrifying.
The black-robed cultivator entered the bounty hall, sought out the old man in charge of the bounty mission, placed the bag on the table, and asked him to inspect it.
The old man opened his pocket and immediately froze.
Nirvana Head!
It was actually the head of a heretical cultivator at the Nirvana Realm!
The head's eyes were wide open, clearly in a state of disbelief. It seemed that no one dared to attack it and even cut off its head.
The old man was deeply shocked, but he still completed his work very steadily.
"Your head does indeed belong to a powerful figure from the evil path. If you wish to claim your reward, you can choose to take my Netherworld Dark Market voucher to the Spirit Immortal Sect, or you can select the resources and leave with the voucher, which my Netherworld Dark Market will then collect on your behalf. After some time, you can return here with the voucher to exchange for the reward."
"What is your choice, sir?"
The black-robed cultivator said without hesitation, "You can collect it on my behalf."
As he spoke, he took out several mid-grade mystic stones and placed them on the table.
"This is a reward for your region." The black-robed cultivator quickly announced the name of an eighth-level resource and continued, "Just give me the voucher. I will come to redeem it in three to five days, or more than ten days."
The old man smiled broadly, took out a token and handed it to the black-robed cultivator, saying, "Then let my Netherworld Dark Market handle this matter."
The black-robed cultivator took the token and vanished in a flash.
After everyone left, many cultivators around seemed to escape from a suffocating environment and took a few deep breaths.
One cultivator exclaimed in shock, "This person's aura is far too powerful. If he can use a Nirvana head, he must also be a Nirvana being."
The old man nodded and said, "He is indeed a Nirvana cultivator. However, in terms of strength, he is still no match for the number of heads he brought."
The other cultivators were all taken aback.
"Could it be that he got the head by sneak attack?"
"Judging from the disbelief on the face of this Nirvana head, he probably never expected to be ambushed... Could it be that he is quite familiar with that man in black robes?"
"The Nirvana heretical sect is quite a powerful force in its own right, how could they possibly trust others?"
The old man stroked his beard, carefully put the severed head away, and sighed.
"This deceased heretic Nirvana could never have imagined that his own son would plot against him."
These words startled the other cultivators.
"What? Son?"
"A heretical father, a righteous son?"
"Does this son intend to betray his own family for the greater good?"
The old man scoffed, "Who says only righteous cultivators can deliver the heads of evil cultivators?"
In an instant, the entire hall fell silent.
The cultivators suddenly realized what was happening.
Yes, although the bounty is for killing evil people, it doesn't mean that evil people are not allowed to accept the bounty!
Compared to righteous cultivators eliminating evil cultivators because of their wickedness, the infighting among evil cultivators for resources, and the mutual slaughter of each other to refine each other into resources, is far more common and brutal.
Those who follow evil paths will certainly not hesitate to use the heads of other like-minded people to exchange for suitable resources for themselves.
Especially since there are very few alchemists on the evil path, and the evil path itself does not easily buy high-level pills, killing a few fellow practitioners of similar level is enough to get good pills for themselves, which is very cost-effective!
Moreover, since they all cultivate evil paths, they basically have no humanity left. Although there may be some "rotten people with genuine hearts," they are very few and far between.
Most of the heretical sects are truly ruthless—in fact, their "family" is more suitable as their means of sustenance!
So……
What's so strange about a son killing his father and exchanging his head for resources?
It's the father who never expected his son to want to kill him... that's even stranger.
·
The old man stroked his beard and smiled again.
Now that he had recognized the origin of the Nirvana head, he naturally knew who the man in black robes was.
This father and son were considered harmonious within the heretical world; the father genuinely had some affection for his son.
However, this son originally depended on his mother for survival. The reason he later fell into evil ways was because his mother's primordial spirit was extracted by his father and refined into a magical artifact. He couldn't understand this and his temperament became extreme and vicious.
After all, his mother was the one who gave him birth and gave him a lot of warmth when he was young. Compared to a father who only came to acknowledge him after he fell into evil ways, his mother was naturally more important.
Then the wicked father led his son to commit all sorts of evil deeds, and the son really did become more and more like his father, and was loved by his father more and more...
It's unclear whether the son was originally plotting revenge for his mother, or whether his father had raised him to be even more ruthless and thought that since his father could refine his mother, it was normal for him to kill his father.
So, perhaps because Lao Tzu, who had attained Nirvana, was no longer of any use to his son who had also attained Nirvana, he didn't hesitate at all when he could exchange him for resources.
Perhaps in his heart, the fact that his father could get him some resources is already a great blessing for him.
The old man sighed slightly, but didn't seem to care much.
It's an unorthodox practice.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com