Node Eighteen

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Blood Python Association President Mu Yang’s eyes turned cold. “I’m not asking to borrow from you! I’m asking if you’ve found any good prey lately?”

“We’ve also ordered our subordinates to search for prey,” Vice President Lai Mo explained. “But President, as you know, the Void True Gods in Hu Yang City are all very cautious and don’t flaunt their treasures, making it difficult to screen for suitable targets. This past epoch, I killed 122 Void True Gods and obtained a total of 1,800 Universe Sands. I took my 10%, and your 90% share was given to you long ago.”

“This past epoch, I killed 132 targets and obtained a total of 1,200 Universe Sands. I also gave you what was due,” said Vice President Mu Lin. “We all entered into karma contracts; we wouldn’t lie about these matters.”

Mu Yang said coldly, “I want good prey! Not these paltry targets!”

Both Vice Presidents shook their heads.

“If we can’t find good prey, the City Lord’s Mansion has already set a bottom line,” Vice President Lai Mo said. “The number of authorized kills within the city is very limited, and those Void True Gods are extremely careful. Even if they obtain treasures, it’s impossible for them to reveal them publicly.”

Vice President Mu Lin worried, “President, you’ve earned enough since we established the Blood Python Association. You weren’t this urgent in the past. Why have you become increasingly anxious lately?”

He and the President were from the same clan and had drifted to Hu Yang City together, so he could speak more freely, unlike Vice President Lai Mo, who dared not.

“How are the collected living expenses?” President Mu Yang pressed. “Has there been any increase?”

“The vast majority of True Gods in the city make a living by hunting exotic beasts. Every time they go out on an adventure and make a killing, they return to the city to reside safely. Aside from occasional shopping, they generally remain in seclusion. We simply cannot collect living expenses from them,” Vice President Lai Mo shook his head.

“Has there been an overall increase?” Mu Yang pressed.

“No,” Lai Mo shook his head. “This epoch, it might even have decreased slightly.”

“A bunch of good-for-nothings!”

Mu Yang was furious. “The Blood Python Association supports so many subordinates precisely so they can find suitable prey in the city and collect living expenses! They can’t find prey, and living expenses even decreased this epoch? What good are these useless individuals? Those incompetent ones, expel them from the Blood Python Association!”

The cost of supporting a subordinate was quite high. Subordinates also had to pay living expenses to the City Lord’s Mansion—one Chaos Crystal per epoch—plus they needed cultivation resources. So, the average cost of supporting a True God-level subordinate was roughly 3 Chaos Crystals per epoch.

The stronger the subordinate, the higher the cost of upkeep!

A large dark force also had very high operating costs. After all, when collecting living expenses from masses of residents, they couldn’t just send Eternal True Gods to do it, could they?

Finding prime targets was also not an easy task.

“The City Lord’s Mansion has rules: as long as True Gods reside in their cave dwellings, the City Lord’s Mansion guarantees their absolute safety. And in many places within Hu Yang City, True Gods are everywhere. If we act, we’ll be discovered by other True Gods. Once there’s irrefutable evidence, the City Lord’s Mansion is obliged to apprehend the culprit,” Mu Lin shook his head. “The City Lord’s Mansion uses various methods to ensure the safety of its residents, making it very difficult for us to collect living expenses.”

The City Lord’s Mansion’s collection of living expenses was official; every True God had to pay. But once paid, they also received various protections, which is why many True Gods yearned to live in large cities.

Dark forces also collected living expenses, but most residents did everything they could to avoid paying.

For example, they usually hid in their cave dwellings! When they did go out, they went to places with many True Gods, or even moved in groups!

“The Blood Python Association relies on me for support, so you two should come up with some ideas!” President Mu Yang’s eyes grew fiercer. “How do we find good prey? How do we collect more living expenses?”

“We’ll find a way,” the two Vice Presidents agreed verbally, but the Blood Python Association had been operating for so long that all usable methods had long since been employed.

“Hmm?” President Mu Yang suddenly looked outside. “Mo Limeng is here. You two leave first.”

“Alright.” Vice Presidents Lai Mo and Mu Lin breathed a sigh of relief and immediately departed.

Soon, Mo Limeng, a middle-aged man with four purple curved horns, walked in.

“Here to collect again!” President Mu Yang sighed.

“This epoch’s 50,000 Universe Sands, you should give it to me now,” Mo Limeng looked at him. “You’re not going to tell me you can’t pay after losing 20,000 Universe Sands to Luo He, are you?”

President Mu Yang shook his head. “It’s only 50,000 Universe Sands; of course I can afford it. But Mo Limeng, for the Blood Python Association’s small territory, is having to pay 50,000 Universe Sands every epoch a bit too much? Can’t it be less?”

“No way,” Mo Limeng looked at him and chuckled lightly. “Unless you disband the Blood Python Association and abandon your territory. It’s Hu Yang City’s rule that whichever dark force controls a territory must pay Universe Sands. This is the bottom line of the Five Great Clans.”

President Mu Yang felt rather stifled.

When he was originally contending for territory with other dark forces, he was unwilling to pay fees to the Five Great Clans and was punished by them. He suffered a significant loss that time and eventually conceded, which is why the Five Great Clans tolerated him.

“In that case, can the Blood Python Association’s slaughter quota be increased each epoch?” President Mu Yang said. “The death rate within the city cannot exceed one-thousandth per epoch. This proportion is too low. True Gods and Void True Gods naturally have conflicts and battles over a long epoch within the city. The normal death rate is already close to one-thousandth, leaving us with very few authorized kills!”

“It cannot exceed one-thousandth!” Mo Limeng said indifferently. “This past epoch, your Blood Python Association must have assassinated over a million True Gods and several hundred Void True Gods within the city. That’s more than enough!”

“The True Gods in Hu Yang City are countless; what we’ve killed is far less than the normal death toll,” Mu Yang shook his head, then handed a jade bottle to Mo Limeng. “50,000 Universe Sands, not a single one missing.”

Mo Limeng took it, his expression improving. He then said, “I warn you, over the past few dozen epochs, your Blood Python Association has gone too far with some of its actions!”

“What actions? I don’t know anything about this,” Mu Yang said, surprised. “Don’t blame everything on me.”

Mo Limeng glanced at him, said no more, and turned to leave.

Mu Yang watched him depart.

“The Five Great Clans of the City Lord’s Mansion are the most ruthless!” Mu Yang’s eyes grew cold, but he knew very well that once they crossed the bottom line, the Five Great Clans were capable of completely crushing the Blood Python Association at any cost.

“All members of the Blood Python Association require large amounts of Universe Sands each epoch, the Five Great Clans also demand Universe Sands, and that Luo He even took 20,000 Universe Sands.” Mu Yang also felt quite poor. “By my calculations, we haven’t earned much this epoch.”

With a thought, Mu Yang activated the hall’s formation, completely isolating it from the outside.

A mirror materialized in the void before him, showing a white-robed figure wearing a red mask.

“Blood Cloud God Lord,” President Mu Yang humbled himself slightly.

Hu Yang City’s two most terrifying forces were, naturally, the City Lord’s Mansion’s Five Great Clans—the ruling power—and the Eating Nation faction. A terrifying entity named ‘Blood Cloud’ was secretly operating within the Eating Nation faction.

The conflicts between the Eating Nation faction and the City Lord’s Mansion’s Five Great Clans were the most intense, not mere skirmishes like dealing with dark forces.

“Why is President Mu Yang suddenly looking for me?” Blood Cloud’s voice was calm, seemingly without any inflection.

“The second volume of the ‘Tempered Iron Blood Sand Art’ requires one million Universe Sands, and I simply cannot gather enough,” President Mu Yang said. “Can I pay some of the Universe Sands later? Can I pay half upfront?”

Blood Cloud chuckled softly. “With a bloodline cultivation technique, reaching the Chaos Realm is the limit. However, the ‘Tempered Iron Blood Sand Art’ is a ‘perfect-grade’ Chaos Realm bloodline cultivation technique, and it’s highly suited for you. Such a cultivation technique is a rare opportunity for you. If it weren’t for the great service you’ve rendered… we wouldn’t give you the chance to purchase it.”

“I know, but one million Universe Sands is too hard to gather,” President Mu Yang said.

“You’re working for our Eating Nation, which is why you have this purchasing opportunity. Go try the Fiery Wind Guild Hall; you won’t be able to buy it there at all,” Blood Cloud said.

President Mu Yang, of course, understood.

The Eating Nation was generous, willing to offer a top-tier bloodline cultivation technique like the ‘Tempered Iron Blood Sand Art,’ which naturally made Mu Yang frantic with desire.

With ordinary cultivation techniques, he had no hope of reaching the Chaos Realm in his lifetime. But this perfect-grade bloodline cultivation technique at least gave him a glimmer of hope to achieve the Chaos Realm.

“If you slowly manage the Blood Python Association, you’ll naturally earn slowly,” Blood Cloud said softly. “To earn a lot, you have to take some risks. Think about it carefully yourself.”

Then the connection was severed.

President Mu Yang pondered. He had dealt with various factions in Hu Yang City and was deeply entangled with both the City Lord’s Mansion and the Eating Nation faction.

“Normal businesses within Hu Yang City, under the City Lord’s Mansion’s pervasive influence, cannot earn too much. It requires time to accumulate slowly. To make a killing, I do have to take some risks.” President Mu Yang’s eyes grew even colder. “Once I get the ‘Tempered Iron Blood Sand Art,’ I’ll immediately leave Hu Yang City. No matter how fiercely the City Lord’s Mansion and the Eating Nation faction clash, I won’t get involved.”

Chaos Armor No. 913 Cave Dwelling.

Luo Feng sat alone on a large rock atop the mountain, drinking wine.

In fact, he was operating the ‘Great Destruction Mind Refinement Art,’ his spiritual will constantly being destroyed and worn down, making it more refined with each re-coalescence. This was a natural adaptation process.

Under immense wear and tear, each re-coalescence naturally had to resist such destruction.

While its short-term progress wasn’t as effective as the ‘Seven Emotions Mind Refinement Art,’ the ‘Great Destruction Mind Refinement Art’ excelled in its long-term applicability; the effects accumulated over time.

“With Brother Shang Tianyan’s guidance, I’ll soon be able to thoroughly understand the theory behind the second layer of the ‘Chaos Great Power Map’.” Luo Feng had a profound understanding of laws, so he naturally learned quickly. “But even if I fully comprehend it, what then?”

“I’m so poor! I can’t even afford the materials needed for the second body refinement,” Luo Feng also had a headache.

“The first body refinement, merely for laying the foundation, consumed 100,000 Universe Sands worth of materials.”

“According to my calculations, the second body refinement will require at least several times that amount of materials.”

“The third body refinement will again increase by several more times.”

“Where am I going to get Universe Sands from?”

Luo Feng was quite troubled for a moment.

With his current strength, to significantly improve, he either needed to achieve a major breakthrough in his ‘Chaos Realm peak will’ or undergo a second body refinement for his ‘Perfect Divine Body.’

His divine body was immense, and his divine power incredibly pure, so each body refinement naturally brought very obvious growth.

“Improving willpower can’t be rushed. It requires continuous, long-term self-refinement,” Luo Feng understood this. “As for the materials for the second body refinement, I need to think of a way. Sigh, still too poor!”

Thinking this, Luo Feng, with a thought, used the Fiery Wind Guild Hall’s Dark Hall communication token to check for bounty missions.

Thanks to the two patrons who provided rewards: Moon Concealed Night and The Sea in Your Eyes.