Chapter 258: I Understood
Two days later, in a pavilion on a desolate mountain in the eastern region of the continent.
The tall and thin Yuanming Daoist and the short and stout Elder Yongning, these two old friends, gathered again to drink tea.
“Sigh, life is tough,” Elder Yongning said after a long pause.
“Ever since the Demon Cult upgraded to a holy land and swallowed up the Water Moon Sect’s territory, all the nearby sects and families are having a hard time surviving.”
“Who can argue with that?” Yuanming Daoist lamented, “That damned Demon Cult somehow recruited a large batch of newcomers, and now they’re like a pack of rabid dogs, running around stealing resources and biting anyone they catch.”
“In the whole area of these two rivers and three mountains, there are only a few blessed lands left, and they’ve been completely locked down by those little rascals from the Demon Cult. They won’t even leave us a scrap.”
“On top of that, that little girl Hua Jianglian has leveled up to the Great Ascension Stage, and that old ghoul who was the Jail Demon Lord has been lurking, completely untraceable. Under the threat of both sides, no one dares to covet the Demon Cult.”
“Now even the Demon Cult’s underlings dare to defecate on our sects’ heads.”
As he grew agitated, Elder Yongning spat angrily, his face full of fury.
“Damn it, if those guys from the Demon Cult keep bullying us like this, I… I…”
Yuanming Daoist looked at him.
“… I’ll go to their Demon Cult Mountain Gate and flop around on the ground, crying in protest!”
Elder Yongning’s face turned red, and after holding it in for a long time, he could only muster that one line.
“…”
Yuanming Daoist sighed and said, “Time waits for no one. The current cultivation world has already made space for the Demon Cult.”
“If we want to compete with them, at least we need to be at the level of the three great holy lands.”
“People like us, just keeping ourselves safe is already a huge success.”
“Damn it,” Elder Yongning slammed his hand on the table. “Is there really no way to deal with those arrogant bastards?”
“There is.”
Yuanming Daoist smiled and shook his head. “What if that Hua Jianglian suddenly goes crazy and declares war on the Holy Kingdom, Sword Flower Palace, and Beast Domain at the same time? If she ends up getting surrounded and wiped out by several Great Ascension cultivators, then the Demon Cult would collapse on its own!”
Elder Yongning seemed to envision that scene and couldn’t help but show a smug smile.
But after the smile, they both exchanged glances.
And sighed together.
“…Sigh.”
They both understood.
Now was the time for wishful thinking.
“Even if it wasn’t something as absurd as angering all the holy lands at once.”
Elder Yongning couldn’t help but grumble, “Just provoking one of them would be fine.”
“As long as there’s conflict between the holy lands, the Demon Cult won’t have the time and energy to bother with us, and we could at least enjoy a few days of comfort.”
Yuanming Daoist also reminisced, “During the Ascension Ceremony, the Palace Master of Sword Flower Palace was there. The tension in the air almost made me giddy, thinking the Demon Cult might end up in conflict with them.”
“Hah, and what happened? So much time has passed, and not a single thing has happened.”
“I don’t know what those women from Sword Flower Palace are up to!” Elder Yongning cursed angrily. “Do they have no temper at all? Have they all been tamed by the Demon Cult’s men?”
“And the Holy Kingdom? Holy Kingdom, where are you? Help us out!”
“The Beast Domain… forget it, too far away to count on.”
Just as the two old codgers sighed and felt the hardships of life, a light and airy white bird suddenly flew into the pavilion, landing before them and transforming into a notice board.
“Oh? It’s the Purple Gold List from the Shadow Pavilion this time.”
“Another month and the Purple Gold List is out.”
As the largest underground market in the entire continent, the Shadow Pavilion is responsible for the circulation of underground forces throughout the land.
Many unsavory underground trades and auctions rely on the Shadow Pavilion’s operations and management.
Furthermore, the bounty lists from the Shadow Pavilion serve as a source of extra income and enjoyment for cultivators across the continent.
The lists range from copper and silver to gold, and then to the Purple Gold and Black Gold lists.
While the Black Gold List is the highest-ranking, it theoretically contains bounties only for top-level Crossing Tribulation Stage and Great Ascension level figures, appearing once in a hundred years.
Conversely, the Purple Gold List generally features opportunities for various sects to secretly earn some extra cash.
“Let me see what fun is on the Purple Gold List this time.”
Elder Yongning unfolded the notice, and Yuanming Daoist leaned in closer.
“Old geezer’s partner from the south got stolen? Haha, this time they caught the affair right in the act, no wonder the bounty to kill the adulterer is a million!”
“Scammed five million with a communication device? What an idiot, how can you even fall for that?”
“South Tong looking for a bodyguard for a year… meals and lodging included…”
Yuanming Daoist turned to look at Elder Yongning.
Elder Yongning: “…It’s not me who’s doing it. Really.”
After flipping through the list and enjoying the amusement, suddenly, both Elder Yongning and Yuanming Daoist’s bodies jolted.
Their gazes froze on the same bounty.
“Secretly escort the Floating Splendor Commerce’s goods, fend off attacks from the Demon Cult’s scoundrels, and kill a Demon Cult cultivator for five hundred thousand spirit stones.”
The most critical point? This bounty was shockingly signed.
The signer was none other than the Holy Kingdom.
“H-Holy Kingdom?”
Elder Yongning and Yuanming Daoist exchanged glances.
“Could it… really be that Holy Kingdom?”
“It shouldn’t be a fake. I heard not long ago that the new emperor of the Holy Kingdom ascended the throne, and there’s been unrest in Tianlang City, suspected of making a comeback.” Yuanming Daoist frowned. “Besides the Holy Kingdom, which force would dare to blatantly oppose the newly promoted Holy Land of the Demon Cult?”
“The direct signature and the disregard for concealment in acting also resembles the style of the Holy Kingdom.”
Elder Yongning gasped. “So you mean… our beautiful dream has actually come true?”
“The Demon Cult actually has to face the Holy Kingdom?”
Yuanming Daoist stroked his beard in thought and after a while, his eyes sparkled.
“I get it now.”
“Previously, the entire cultivation world was curious about how the shadowy Floating Splendor Commerce managed to establish its foothold.”
“Now it seems highly likely that it has the support of the Holy Kingdom behind it.”
“Only a behemoth like the Holy Kingdom could sustain a massive entity like the Floating Splendor Commerce that spans the entire continent.”
“And since the Demon Cult has recently upgraded to a holy land and is eager to expand its power, they’re bound to set their sights on Linzhou City, not far away.”
“Given the Demon Cult’s shameless methods of robbing without a hint of remorse, it’s very likely they angered the Holy Kingdom while trying to seize goods from the Floating Splendor Commerce.”
“And with the new emperor of the Holy Kingdom just taking the throne, they might not be willing to expend too much effort dealing with the Demon Cult, which is why this bounty has appeared.”
Elder Yongning exclaimed in surprise, “So, isn’t this a win-win for everyone?”
“Not just that.”
Yuanming Daoist’s eyes sparkled. “Though it seems like a conflict between the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Cult, it’s actually an opportunity for us.”
“Under the name of the Holy Kingdom, we can brutally retaliate against the Demon Cult, vent our frustrations, and at the same time, curry favor with the Holy Kingdom.”
“With the new emperor in a position to offer goodwill, if we can get on good terms with the Holy Kingdom, our sects could have a boundless future.”
The two exchanged looks.
And revealed wicked smiles simultaneously.
(F*ck the scheduled releases)
(They can’t be used at all.)
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