Chapter 173: Farming

"Daoist Brother Yan, this business... Jiushan Sect will not undertake it for now."

Zheng Fa rejected Yan Wushuang's evil proposal.

The reason for the refusal was actually quite simple:

The main reason was that Zheng Fa's action was not intended to mass-produce talismans, but rather to kill as many Mo Sect disciples as possible.

Catching them alive to draw blood would certainly yield more blood, but wouldn't that mean fewer dead Mo Sect disciples?

It did not align with his purpose.

Moreover, there were far too many Mo Sect disciples; it was nowhere near the point where artificial farming was necessary...

According to Lin Lin Bu Fan, the Zizaimo Sect alone had a population of over a hundred million; among them, those capable of cultivation, if judged by the proportion of cultivators in the Xuanwei Realm, would surely number in the tens of thousands.

If one considered the special bloodline of the Demon Ancestor, the number would likely be much higher.

Only if the Mo Sect was truly reduced to a mere handful of cats would Zheng Fa consider establishing a protected zone for Mo Sect cultivators...

Ultimately, the market for talismans was far from infinite; even relying solely on the current bounty, Senior Uncle Pang worried that talisman prices would drop.

The seal had not solved the problem of talisman paper and spiritual ink; even with more blood from Mo Sect disciples, it would be useless.

Hearing Zheng Fa's refusal, Yan Wushuang looked somewhat disappointed on his face. He thought for a moment and said again, "Sell it cheap."

"..."

This person really lacks money!

"Daoist Brother Yan, it truly won't work. If my Jiushan Sect had that many Mo Sect disciples, we wouldn't need to do anything else."

Zheng Fa sighed.

Farming also requires costs.

Besides, this matter would provoke far more hatred from the Mo Sect than buying blood; even Senior Uncle Pang, that old man, probably wouldn't dare to raise them.

Yan Wushuang nodded, as if he understood.

He asked again, "Then is the previous bounty confirmed as valid?"

"Of course."

Watching Yan Wushuang depart, Zheng Fa turned his head and saw that Lin Lin Bu Fan's expression was not quite right.

"What's wrong?"

He asked.

"Young Master, I offered myself up without asking for spirit stones," Lin Lin Bu Fan suddenly said, "Why not have Li Nuo draw a bit more blood from me?"

"..."

No, even this is being competitive?

Inside the Five Dragons Tiangong, Senior Uncle Pang, unusually, was not playing games. He showed no expression on his face, but his divine sense remained fixed on Zheng Fa's room.

In these few days, the fluctuations of spiritual energy during Zheng Fa's cultivation had become increasingly violent, showing signs of a breakthrough.

He could not help but pay closer attention.

Now that the bounty had been released in the market, it might truly anger the Great Zizaimo Sect. Zheng Fa's role in it was not a particularly great secret, and he also feared someone might secretly harm Zheng Fa.

In Zheng Fa's room, spiritual energy rose and fell like a tide, finally forming a small vortex.

A smile appeared on Senior Uncle Pang's face. Zheng Fa's foundation was solid; although his breakthrough was fast, it was also stable. Now, he was even advancing a few steps faster than Disciple Zhang, and his own disciples were far from comparable.

Thinking of this, he swept his divine sense, landing on the other disciples within the Five Dragons Tiangong.

Several disciples under his sect were passing near the small hall where Zheng Fa was located, as if they had seen this breakthrough phenomenon.

One disciple said:

"Is Disciple Zheng breaking through? Shouldn't he be at the ninth layer of Qi Refining now?"

The other disciples nodded lightly upon hearing this, all remaining silent, with some gloom on their faces.

Watching this, Senior Uncle Pang felt comforted in his heart. Although his own disciples could not compare to Zheng Fa, they still had some sense of shame; with Zheng Fa present, they would likely strive three parts harder in their cultivation in the future.

"Too slow..."

He heard one disciple break the silence.

"?"

Senior Uncle Pang's face showed confusion. Zheng Fa, from entering the sect to reaching the ninth layer of Qi Refining now, could be said to be one of the fastest in Jiushan Sect; if looking at his current advancement speed, he might even form a Golden Core faster than Disciple Zhang.

How could this disciple of his say that Zheng Fa's cultivation was too slow?

What he did not expect was that the other disciples also nodded one after another, seeming to share the same feeling.

This disciple continued, "Why can't Disciple Zheng form a Golden Core this year, a Nascent Soul next year, and directly take over the position of Sect Master the year after?"

"..."

Senior Uncle Pang twitched the corner of his mouth.

No, why is the protagonist of your dream someone else?

But at this moment, he saw several other disciples sigh one after another.

"We don't even need a Nascent Soul the year after. After he forms a Golden Core, he might be able to shoulder the responsibility of the Sect Master; at that time, the Discipline Court would also be under his management!" One disciple thought for a moment and said softly, "At that time, we could at least follow Disciple Zheng in name."

The Discipline Court...

Isn't the Discipline Court under my management?

Having realized what this group of disciples was actually expecting, Senior Uncle Pang's gaze could not help but turn toward Zheng Fa's small courtyard—

Where is the Nascent Soul of the Great Zizaimo Sect?

Are you all turtles?

So capable of enduring!

In Lei Chi, most disciples of the Great Zizaimo Mo Sect had not yet heard of the bounty.

Several disciples of the Great Zizaimo Mo Sect huddled together, advancing cautiously within Lei Chi.

"Senior brother, how long must we patrol?"

A young disciple asked a middle-aged man beside him.

This middle-aged man seemed to be the leader of the group; he shook his head and said, "Our secret realm has been exposed. The higher-ups ordered us to be careful and prevent anyone from infiltrating."

"The higher-ups... they are so powerful, yet they still fear them?"

"No matter how powerful they are, haven't they been cowering in the secret realm for tens of thousands of years without daring to show their faces? Since the Holy Ancestor does not manifest, our Holy Sect cannot contend with the Immortal Sects." That middle-aged man shook his head and said, "If not for Lei Chi, the Immortal Sects would have already attacked the secret realm—perhaps great cultivators are even watching nearby."

"There are powerful experts... isn't this sending us to our deaths?"

The disciple muttered, seeming extremely dissatisfied.

"What are we to them? Those great cultivators wouldn't even glance at us..." The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Besides, they dare not enter Lei Chi."

"What about those disciples of the Immortal Sects?"

Hearing him say this, the middle-aged man laughed in disbelief, as if mocking his ignorance.

Seeing his expression, the disciple's face showed some resentment.

Yet he dared not speak.

Seemingly bored by the patrol, the middle-aged man answered the disciple's question again: "Do you think the outside is the same as our secret realm?"

"The outside has enjoyed a thousand years of peace. Although those Immortal Sect disciples possess an entire world, they lack ambition. Think of our secret realm—on what day is there no struggle? Which of us did not emerge from a pile of corpses?"

"... Senior brother, are you saying?" The disciple's eyes brightened.

"Let me tell you, setting aside the difference in cultivation, the Immortal Sect disciples of the outside world are more concerned with preserving their lives than one another; none are as skilled in battle as our Holy Sect disciples!" The middle-aged man spoke with some heroism: "Now that the secret realm has emerged, though it was an accident, I believe it is an opportunity for us to achieve great things! If we stay in the secret realm, so be it, but now that we are out, we shall let them witness the might of our Holy Sect."

"Especially within Lei Chi, those weak Immortal Sect disciples—let alone daring to come here, even if they do come and we encounter them, wouldn't they be perfect for delivering spirit stones and treasures to us?"

"The Immortal Sects, ha. The hardships we have endured, how could they possibly understand? I heard our senior brothers outside say that most Immortal Sect disciples are of weak character, unfamiliar with magical combat, and absolutely no match for us... If the Holy Ancestor had not yet manifested, we would have already swept across the world."

The other Mo Sect disciples heard this and felt it made some sense.

Expectation appeared on their faces.

"Careful!"

A disciple suddenly issued a warning.

The middle-aged man's heart tightened; he threw his head back, narrowly dodging a silver beam.

"Who!"

Feeling the cold, sharp pain on his earlobe, he could not help but roar in anger.

"Who!"

Unexpectedly, someone in the darkness roared back.

"Didn't we agree to ambush together and split the spoils evenly?"

He looked toward where the voice came from; countless gazes fell upon him like those of tigers and wolves.

The silver beam flew back into the hand of an old man with a goat beard, who smiled sheepishly and explained in a low voice, "With spirit stones at stake, I got a bit excited... my hand shook."

The Mo Sect middle-aged man felt as though he could understand, yet truly understood nothing at all.

Looking again, he saw that their group was already completely surrounded.

Nearly twenty cultivators of unknown origin surrounded them from all directions.

Those gazes made the middle-aged man feel as though he faced tigers and wolves.

Beside him, the disciple who had asked the question earlier spoke with a trembling voice: "Senior brother... didn't you say the outside has been peaceful for a long time? Why do these people look even fiercer than us?"

The middle-aged man felt the same in his heart...

"Remember! Do not rush to draw blood yet; someone is specifically in charge. We will split it evenly afterward!" Someone among the cultivators surrounding them shouted.

The next moment, attacks rained down upon them like rain.

The middle-aged man of the Great Zizaimo Mo Sect, covered in wounds, fled miserably toward the entrance of the secret realm.

He felt somewhat fortunate; although these outside cultivators were numerous, their cultivation levels were uneven, and their experience in magical combat was somewhat lacking.

This allowed him to snatch back his life from the siege.

However, there was one thing he did not quite understand—these people had little interest in killing, but great interest in their blood.

Some were even specifically collecting the blood flowing from their wounds...

While fleeing back along the way, he discovered even more unusual signs—

At some point, many cultivators had appeared here.

They came either alone or in groups, yet their goal was consistent:

The disciples of the Great Zizaimo Mo Sect!

He had already seen many senior and junior brothers killed.

This made him increasingly terrified.

Just as he was nearing the secret realm, a voice suddenly came from his diagonal rear.

"Eh? Another one?"

A tall, broad figure leaped flying toward him.

What made his heart freeze with fear was that this person was carrying a fellow disciple of the Great Zizaimo Holy Sect.

The middle-aged man unleashed the Heavenly Demon Shadow to flee.

Unexpectedly, this person flashed, transformed into Lei Ting, blocked his path, and struck with a palm.

Lei Ting flashed in this person's palm, striking him; he immediately became paralyzed throughout his body, losing all power to resist.

The middle-aged man collapsed into this person's hand, and before losing consciousness, he heard the person muttering.

"If Zheng Shidi Dao is unwilling to raise them, I can raise them, can't I?"

"Two should be enough. Draw blood once every other day; they should live quite a while. If they starve to death, we'll catch more."

"Still fresh."

Hearing these words, the middle-aged man's vision went black; he finally understood why that group of cultivators had behaved that way before.

With his eyes closed, his lips and the corners of his mouth trembled; he wished he could curse aloud:

Is it this brutal outside?

Who the hell is the Mo Sect really?