193: Chapter 193 Establishing an Underground Black Market!

...

At the summit of Zixiao Peak, thunder cascaded like a waterfall.

Shi Jian lay prone at the edge of the lightning pool, purple-gold electric arcs wandering all over his body. He raised his massive bear claw and condensed three drops of essence blood from the tips of his claws.

Seeing this scene,

the phantom of Zixiao emerged in his Sea of Consciousness and curled his lips. "You've made a shrewd deal. Diluting three drops of essence blood into several large vats of bloody water is enough for that bunch of Human Race Loose Cultivators to drink for ten years."

"You really are raising them like livestock!"

"Isn't this exactly how the Human Race raises Yao Beasts?"

Shi Jian's tone remained completely undisturbed. He opened his mouth and spat out a jade box, sealing the essence blood inside and pasting a Talisman on it to isolate its aura.

That night, Elder Rat personally took charge of the jade box and handed it over to two of the most capable Wind Rats. They tunneled underground, heading straight for Youzhou in the Liang Kingdom.

...

Half a month later, this batch of "Holy Blood" source arrived at Luoye County.

The underground blood pool of the Darksteel Ore Vein was filled once again. The dark red pool water boiled, with the fragrance of medicine and the stench of blood intertwining.

Bi Luo stood on a high platform, looking down at the six Cultivators with the most powerful auras below.

These six people were all demonized humans who had been forcefully elevated to the Foundation Establishment Early Stage through the Holy Blood, and Protector Li Tie was impressively among them...

"From this day forth, the Six Great Protectors shall be established."

"Protector Li Tie is bestowed the title 'Heisha' and shall hold the chief seat. The remaining five shall be ranked accordingly, with the titles: Xuansha, Xuesha, Tiansha, Disha, and Zhensha."

"The six of you shall each lead over a hundred cultists and be stationed across the six counties of Taizhen Prefecture."

The six of them kowtowed in unison, shouting with fanatical enthusiasm.

With the structure established, the operations of the Holy Blood Sect became increasingly tight-knit.

However, the daily consumption of blood food, Spirit Medicine, and weapons by over a thousand cultists was a bottomless pit. Relying solely on the Lin Family's minor businesses was simply not enough to fill this hole...

Ancestor Cang Ya and Bi Luo met secretly in the Lin Family's secret chamber.

"Plundering and exterminating clans is ultimately not a long-term solution."

"The matter of the Chen Family has already drawn the attention of the Xuanshui Sect. If we wipe out a few more families, I fear it will provoke a Golden Core Master to take action, and both of us will be exposed."

Ancestor Cang Ya toyed with his iron walnuts and analyzed methodically:

"We must find a way to establish a stable source of revenue..."

"Does the Clan Chief have any brilliant ideas?"

"Establish a black market."

Ancestor Cang Ya tapped heavily on the map on the desk with his fingertip. "There are over tens of thousands, perhaps even up to a hundred thousand Loose Cultivators in Taizhen Prefecture, whereas the markets of the Righteous Path Sects take an extremely high cut and exploit them heavily."

"Thus, we shall establish an underground black market in 'Panlong Valley,' which lies at the border of the four counties: Luoye, Baishui, Qingyan, and Honggu."

"We will only take a ten percent cut and provide the armed protection of our Holy Sect."

"Once inside Panlong Valley, whether it is looted goods from robbery and murder or the shady Magical Artifacts of evil Cultivators, everything can be traded."

"Our cut isn't high, but many grains of sand make a tower. As long as our reputation spreads, we will still rake in gold daily, and maintaining our expenses won't be an issue."

Bi Luo nodded slightly, clapping her hands in admiration. "The Clan Chief's plan is truly marvelous!"

"It can both amass wealth and allow us to filter out usable talents to expand our cultists. It is indeed an excellent way to generate revenue..."

"In the future, if it develops stably, we can even distribute the products of White Cloud Temple, buying low and selling high, which will also be a major source of income."

The two apes hit it off immediately and set to work.

In just two short months, the Panlong Valley Black Market rose from the ground.

A confusing Formation was laid out on the outskirts of the valley, while hundreds of grotto stalls were excavated inside. The Six Great Protectors took turns guarding the place, and their cultist subordinates, clad in armor and armed with sharp weapons, acted as guards.

There was only one rule: private fighting was strictly forbidden within the valley, and violators would be executed without mercy.

Initially, the Loose Cultivators were skeptical.

It wasn't until several robber cultivators tried to force transactions in the valley and were torn to shreds on the spot by Protector Li Tie, their corpses hung at the valley entrance as a warning to others, that Panlong Valley's credibility was thoroughly established.

A low cut, a relatively safe environment,

coupled with the propagation of the Holy Blood Sect's rather righteous doctrines, invisibly closed the distance between them and the low-level Loose Cultivators.

Once this place opened, the Loose Cultivators of Taizhen Prefecture flocked to it. The number of Cultivators entering and leaving the black market daily reached up to over a thousand, and Spirit Stones poured into the Holy Blood Sect's treasury like water...

For a time, its reputation was unparalleled!

With sufficient cash flow, the Holy Blood Sect recruited even more men, established sub-branches everywhere, and expanded its scope of operations.

During this period, the situation grew increasingly prosperous.

The snowball was rolled up bit by bit just like this...

However,

cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents.

Panlong Valley Black Market's daily raking in of gold directly clashed with the interests of the local underground power of Taizhen Prefecture, the Darksteel Gang.

The Gang leader of the Darksteel Gang, Leader Tie Wuya, was a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Body Cultivator.

This Gang controlled most of the smuggling channels and black market businesses in Taizhen Prefecture, with several major cultivation families secretly backing them.

Now, after Panlong Valley had been open for less than half a year, the several black markets under the Darksteel Gang's name were already deserted, with their income slashed by seventy percent.

In Qingyan County, at the main hall of the Darksteel Gang,

Leader Tie Wuya sat upright on a tiger-skin chair, playing with two refined steel balls in his hand, his face as dark as water. Standing below the hall were several hall masters at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, all of them silent like cicadas in winter...

"Have you investigated thoroughly?"

"What on earth is the background of that bloody Holy Blood Sect?"

"Replying to the Gang Leader, we have investigated."

"This Holy Blood Sect is extremely mysterious. We haven't found their roots, and their cultists are mostly low-level Loose Cultivators..."

"But the Cultivation Technique they Cultivate is extremely bizarre, and their physical bodies are incredibly powerful."

"At Panlong Valley, there are several Foundation Establishment Cultivator permanently stationed there, protected by high-grade Formations, so they likely have quite a background."

"We simply cannot find out which power is behind the scenes..."

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

It was not that they were afraid, but to Cultivators, the unknown was the true great terror. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Holy Blood Sect was not simple.

First there was that unfathomable Cultivation Technique, then various Formations, Magical Artifacts, as well as high-grade Talismans, Medicinal Pills, and so on...

These hard currencies were not something a rootless cult could produce, proving that there must be someone backing them!

And the backing power is likely not small.

It must be the work of some grand power—at least a Golden Core level power—to be able to support this Holy Blood Sect...

Precisely because of this, they were extremely wary of taking rash action.

They truly couldn't find out which power was in control behind the scenes. This Holy Blood Sect had appeared without any warning and developed with extreme speed, leaving them truly feeling powerless.

...