Chapter 545: I Know It's a Bit Excessive

After traveling over a thousand kilometers, he indeed began to see scattered Jin Dan cultivators appearing.

Two groups, each of three or four Jin Dan cultivators, wielded magic treasures and clashed spells back and forth — great seals and blades colliding violently, vines entangling, water dragons roaring — stirring the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual energy into restless turmoil.

From time to time, someone's skull would shatter, their corpse and their bonded magic treasure plummeting to the ground.

"A struggle for fortune and fate…"

Jiang Ding glanced toward the center where the two groups were fighting.

It was a small grass, palm-sized, flickering with silver light. Originally folded closed, its stem and leaves now slowly unfurled, revealing a metallic fruit as if cast in silver iron, radiant and gleaming, wisps of pure spiritual energy spilling outward.

Silver Blood Heaven Spirit Fruit.

Jiang Ding searched briefly within his sea of consciousness and quickly recognized what it was.

A semi-metallic plant lifeform; its fruit could be used for refining artifacts, alchemy, and setting up metal-attribute formations, among other things.

Its most famous use was as a primary ingredient in refining a third-grade upper-quality Breakthrough Pill, helping mid-stage Jin Dan cultivators break through to the late-stage realm.

This was what the group of early and mid-stage Jin Dan cultivators were slaughtering each other for.

"Two mid-stage Jin Dan cultivators just died, didn't they…"

Jiang Ding clicked his tongue.

Just for a single primary ingredient of a third-grade upper-quality Breakthrough Pill — not even a complete pill — so many Jin Dan cultivators threw away their lives without a second thought.

The poverty of Northern Plains loose cultivators, and their fierce and combative ways, could be seen at a glance.

He revealed his form.

A sword intent that shattered spiritual power and destroyed magic swept outward.

The seven Jin Dan cultivators, ferocious and crazed, their eyes bloodshot from killing, stiffened their bodies, a trace of terror appearing on their faces. They felt the magic power and divine souls within their bodies instantly stagnate greatly, becoming difficult to mobilize.

An ordinary-looking young man suddenly appeared before them, yet he did not look at them. He came before the Silver Blood Heaven Spirit Fruit, recalled for a moment, took out a silver blade, and carefully harvested it bit by bit, taking the fruit without damaging the spirit plant in the slightest.

The surrounding people hesitated, not daring to act rashly for the moment.

After Jiang Ding took the fruit, he scattered a handful of powdered spirit stones and cast a third-grade metal-aspect Spirit Rain Art to replenish the spirit plant's vitality.

"Who are you…"

A mid-stage Jin Dan cultivator made up his mind, letting out a fierce shout, cold killing intent spreading outward, and signaled with his eyes to the opponents who had just been locked in a life-and-death blood battle moments before.

On the grasslands, such things were commonplace.

Endless killing and strife, life and death against each other — but when a new predator arrived, they could swiftly unite to drive it away first.

Every Jin Dan cultivator's Dao journey had witnessed this kind of scene countless times.

He believed his opponents would understand and respond accordingly.

Among the three on the opposite side, the one with the highest cultivation was a burly man with a stubbled beard.

This man was powerful, at the mid-stage Jin Dan realm, his fire-blade magic treasure incomparably sharp. In a single exchange, joining forces, they had slain one of their Jin Dan opponents — and indeed he had responded.

"Greetings,"

Without the slightest hesitation, he dropped to one knee, placed his fiery red treasured blade before him, and bowed his head deeply.

"Greetings, my lord Tushan!"

"Let's kill him together first—"

The mid-stage Jin Dan cultivator who had spoken first sent out a heavy hammer magic treasure, letting out a fierce shout, about to say something — but his hand trembled, his words stuck in his throat. He whipped his head around, staring in disbelief at the stubbled-beard burly man before him.

He remembered this man had a nickname — Feng Dao Hou — from the somewhat famous Burning Fire Bandits of the grasslands, known for vicious strikes, greed, and bloodlust, famously caring only for money and nothing for his life, daring to join forces and fight even late-stage Jin Dan cultivators.

How could he be so spineless?

Had he fallen under someone's hidden illusion technique and lost his mind?

"Greetings, my lord Tushan!"

"Greetings…"

It wasn't just Feng Dao Hou alone — after he released his magic treasure and dropped to one knee, three more people immediately made nearly identical gestures of submission.

One of them even stood behind the Jin Dan cultivator who had spoken first — his own subordinate.

"What are you doing…"

The mid-stage Jin Dan cultivator wielding the great hammer magic treasure trembled, seemingly realizing something. He desperately clutched the heavy hammer magic treasure about to fly out, dropped to both knees, and hurriedly performed a grand ceremonial bow.

"Greetings, my lord Tushan!"

The great hammer cultivator didn't know who this Tushan was, but that didn't stop him from making the same gesture, and he even put on an extremely fawning, ingratiating expression.

Influenced by the others, the remaining Jin Dan cultivators all did the same — not a single person remained standing.

"…Not bad."

Jiang Ding released his hand from the sword hilt, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the several Jin Dan cultivators: "Fellow Daoists, have we cooperated before? That's good — no need to reintroduce ourselves."

"My lord's great kindness at the Scripture Pavilion — this humble one would never dare forget."

Feng Dao Hou said respectfully and courteously, without a trace of the greed-for-money, blood-crazed madness from outside rumors.

"My lord's celestial bearing — how could we dare forget…"

The other three Jin Dan cultivators also spoke up, clearly having appeared during the previous trip to the Scripture Pavilion.

The cultivator standing behind the great hammer magic treasure cultivator — the one who had first moved to surround and kill Jiang Ding — showed a flash of panic, his divine sense working rapidly as he hurriedly explained something to his boss.

Clearly, out of consideration for keeping his techniques secret, he had never told his companion about the encounter.

"Fellow Daoists, I have a small deal I'd like to discuss with you."

"Mm, just a small deal — it doesn't matter whether it works out or not."

Jiang Ding paid no attention to these little maneuvers, nor would he interfere with how others handled their spoils. He smiled and said: "First, within Falling Void Sect, there must be no more fighting among Jin Dan cultivators. Violators die."

The surrounding Jin Dan cultivators trembled.

"Second, within the spirit medicine garden, all spirit medicines — regardless of grade or type — I claim thirty percent."

"The remainder will be distributed as merit points to cultivators who obey my orders. The general principle is: peak Jin Dan cultivators receive ten shares, late-stage Jin Dan cultivators six shares, mid-stage Jin Dan cultivators three shares, early-stage Jin Dan cultivators one share, with further increases based on the amount of merit."

"Fellow daoists, what do you think of my little venture?"

"We are willing to serve my lord!"

Feng Dao Hou said without the slightest hesitation.

On the prairie, the strong are revered.

The person before him was far stronger than him, acted with rules, and was willing to share benefits with his subordinates — naturally, whatever he said went.

If there was something he couldn't do later on, he'd deal with it then — after all, his legs were attached to his own body.

"We are willing to serve my lord!"

The other six Jin Dan cultivators said the same with equal respect, without a trace of hesitation.

"Very good."

"It seems everyone is very interested in my little business."

Jiang Ding nodded. Sword intent descended and enveloped them, marking each of the seven men's divine souls so he could track them and restrict their actions. He then took out some ores, silk leaves, and other natural treasures, casually refining a few low-grade magic artifacts and tossing them to the group.

"Low-grade magic artifact, the Single-Eyed Silkworm."

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Jiang Ding explained: "It's a little gadget. You must wear this thing at all times, and you are not permitted to cast any concealment arts. I will be watching everything you do the entire time, as the standard for judging merit rewards."

"If it is damaged, I will regard it as hostility."

"I know this is somewhat excessive — cultivators all have their privacy — so I'm very sorry…"

Jiang Ding said, embarrassed.

"You won't deliberately conceal or destroy it, will you?"

"N-no, we won't! We won't!"

Feng Dao Hou and the others shook their heads frantically, speaking in rapid succession.