Chapter 17: Others Fear, I Increase My Position

In truth, Zhao Xuhe was also clear that by now, the Substitute Death Yin Puppet had completely become a bubble, liable to burst at any moment and then collapse entirely.

But he felt that with his own keenness, he could certainly exit the market in time.

Therefore, when Lu Yang contacted him, saying he had already exited and wanted to repay the previous loan of 2, 00 contribution points, Zhao Xuhe even felt pity for him.

"Rash, Junior Brother, you are too rash!"

"Haven't you seen that the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet is still rising? This is before the war has even started; once it truly begins, that is when supply will truly fail to meet demand!"

"While the price hasn't risen too excessively yet, I suggest you hurry back and buy some."

Facing Zhao Xuhe's earnest persuasion, Lu Yang maintained his rationality.

Although he was also envious of the soaring price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet and even regretted selling so early, he understood even better the reason behind Zhao Xuhe's current advice.

Caring about him?

Don't be silly; he wanted to drag people into the market!

After all, the more people who entered the market, the greater his chance to cash out and leave.

"Hold back, I am not in a hurry."

"In this life, I will first observe the situation, confirm the highest price point, and wait until the next life to repeat the operation; only then will it be my great opportunity to earn huge profits."

With the 【Book of Hundred Lives】, I will only profit and never suffer losses!

Thinking of this, Lu Yang's mood instantly balanced out much more; he directly settled the loan with Zhao Xuhe, then immediately entered secluded cultivation, paying no further attention to the outside world.

Just as Lu Yang entered secluded cultivation, the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet continued to soar.

This was because the Chusheng Sect had truly taken actions to prepare for war!

Large batches of disciples received transfer orders and left the sect one after another, their destinations unknown... Under such circumstances, the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet naturally could not fall even slightly.

No matter how expensive it became, those about to depart for the battle between the Righteous and Demonic factions could only grit their teeth and buy it.

After all, money could be earned again, but one only had a single life.

Under these conditions, more and more people chose to enter the market, with the majority not even being ordinary disciples, but true scions of noble families.

Compared to ordinary disciples, these scions came from powerful clans, where even the worst among their elders was a Foundation Establishment True Person, meaning the contribution points they could mobilize were undoubtedly far greater than those of ordinary disciples. Therefore, after they entered the market, the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet, which had shown signs of slowing, took off once again.

Three thousand, four thousand, five thousand.

Clearly, this price was no longer on the same level as the value of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet, and indeed, some people, driven by fear, began to exit the market.

Under these circumstances, the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet naturally began to drop.

Similar panic gradually spread, yet even more people, especially those who had experienced the first drop, remained full of confidence.

"Don't panic; this is just a technical adjustment!"

"Selling? It is still far too early!"

This time, Zhao Xuhe felt he had learned his lesson.

Previously, he had exited too early, resulting in not only failing to profit upon re-entering but also suffering a small loss; how could he possibly make the same mistake twice?

"The battle between the Righteous and Demonic factions hasn't started yet, and the supply of Substitute Death Yin Puppets on the market is still ample, so at first glance, the price seems to have peaked. But once the fighting begins, Substitute Death Yin Puppets will inevitably be consumed in large quantities, and with no substitutes of the same quality available, everyone will have to come back to buy them!"

"By that time, the price will inevitably welcome a third surge!"

"What is a mere five thousand contribution points? Seven thousand, or even ten thousand, is possible! With prices high but no goods available, and lives at stake, everyone will have to sell their pots and pans to buy them!"

Zhao Xuhe felt his analysis was simply flawless.

"So, while those fools are selling out of fear... I will increase my position!"

Thinking of this, Zhao Xuhe not only invested all his savings but even went into debt, borrowing a large sum based on the reputation of the Sanhe Society.

He had gone all in.

Zhao Xuhe was naturally not the only "smart person"; there were others who made the same judgment as him and also began to aggressively sweep up goods in the market while they could.

Affected by this, the price, which had just fallen not long ago, began to rebound.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Xuhe, who had previously felt a bit uncertain in his heart, instantly felt as though he had swallowed a reassurance pill, believing his choice to go all in was truly wise.

Then, early the next morning.

A voice directly erupted from the Sacred Fire Cliff, instantly spreading throughout the interior and exterior of the Chusheng Sect.

"Recently, the Patriarch True Person of our sect personally made arrangements; overtly mobilizing disciples to assume a posture of preparing for war, while covertly sending people to launch a surprise attack on the Jiangnan Ten Thousand People Pit."

"Therefore, I am very happy to announce to all disciples:"

"Just yesterday, the Jiangnan Ten Thousand People Pit was personally retaken by the Patriarch True Person, and simultaneously, the Yushujiange has contacted the Patriarch, expressing willingness to negotiate peace with the Holy Sect."

It exploded.

Literally; the moment the news spread, an explosion sounded from within a certain cave abode, as if someone had suffered qi deviation and self-detonated.

Immediately following this, absolute silence fell.

The vast Chusheng Sect, which just yesterday had been full of vitality and a scene of all things thriving, now remained only with a deathly silence so terrifying it felt suffocating.

Because everyone understood that the retaking of the Jiangnan Ten Thousand People Pit meant the supply of Substitute Death Yin Puppets was no longer scarce, and the Yushujiange voluntarily seeking peace talks meant the battle between the Righteous and Demonic factions was indefinitely postponed; more importantly, this news was released via disciple tokens, equivalent to an official statement.

Therefore, it could not be false.

The bubble named Substitute Death Yin Puppet burst with a crash at this moment, with the result that its price began a plummeting crash from its peak of seven thousand.

Five thousand, three thousand, one thousand, two hundred.

The price that had taken over a month to rise now crashed back to its original value within a mere quarter of an hour, and it was still continuing to fall!

Everyone wanted to sell, yet no one was willing to buy.

Especially those who had hoarded large quantities of Substitute Death Yin Puppets could now only watch helplessly as the price fell below the bottom, watching their wealth continuously evaporate.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

That night, within the Chusheng Sect, almost every so often a deafening explosion would sound, with no one knowing how many people had their Dao hearts shattered because of this.

Inside the cave abode, Zhao Xuhe had long since fainted.

When he opened his eyes, his expression was still somewhat bewildered, as if in a dream: "Truly terrifying; I actually dreamed that the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet fell, hahaha..."

Then he took another look at the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet.

"... must have misread it."

After a moment of silence, Zhao Xuhe turned off his disciple token, took a deep breath, and then with trembling hands opened it again to check the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet.

50 contribution points per puppet.

"Pfft!!!"

Zhao Xuhe immediately spat out a mouthful of old blood, his face instantly turning the color of a pig's liver, while his vital energy, just like the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet, instantly plummeted to the bottom.

"I hate...!"

Zhao Xuhe had no time to think further; he desperately suppressed the rampaging thoughts in his heart, regulated his breathing and circulated his energy, organizing his true qi, and barely managed to avoid truly suffering qi deviation.

Just at this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the cave abode.

"Senior Brother Zhao, Lu Yang has come to visit."

"Lu Yang?"

Zhao Xuhe stared blankly for a long while before remembering this junior brother of his, and then thinking of how the other had exited early and repaid his loan, while he himself had now lost everything...

"Pfft!"

Wiping the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth, Zhao Xuhe trembled as he walked out the door, only to see Lu Yang standing before the door looking refreshed and vigorous, enthusiastically waving at him:

"Senior Brother, how much money did you earn today?"

Bang!

With a loud explosion, Zhao Xuhe was seen clenching his steel teeth tightly, with cracks appearing all over his body as rampaging true qi impacted his flesh and skin, oozing threads of blood.

Lu Yang instantly wore a look of terror: "Senior Brother!? Are you alright?"

"... am fine."

Zhao Xuhe barely squeezed out a slight smile: "By the way, Junior Brother Lu, I recently discovered a cave abode left by a predecessor; there seem to be many good treasures inside."

As soon as these words fell, a glint of ruthlessness instantly floated up in Zhao Xuhe's eyes, and he squeezed out words through his clenched teeth: "I wonder if Junior Brother is interested?"

(End of Chapter)