Volcanic Age

Chapter 42: Ripple Effect (1)

Trying to treat Zhou Xuchuan with medicine for internal injuries was not enough due to the power of the Three-Eyed Godly Thief's martial arts. There was also the fact that his internal injuries were serious because he had taken a hit head-on.

Zhou Xuchuan ended up consuming both medicine for internal injury and spiritual medicine. He couldn't use the ones he got at the beginning because he didn't know what they were, and instead used the Lesser Circulation Pill, which he knew about.

Zhou Xuchuan struggled to recover under the envious eyes of the cultivators, and when he opened his eyes again, he was told that two to three days had passed.

His internal energy didn't rise by much. As a result of executing the Violet Haze Dawnbreaker while wounded, his blood vessels, meridians and dantian alike had all been damaged. His organs had also sustained injuries, and he ended up using most of the energy in the Lesser Circulation Pill to heal himself.

It was a waste, but it was nothing compared to his life.

Nothing special seems to have happened after that.

When he entered a state cultivation, he was genuinely concerned about the cultivators, fearing that they might betray him out of greed for wealth.

Thankfully, there was no one like that. In fact, he learned that they took turns standing guard for him in shifts.

"Thank you all," Zhou Xuchuan expressed his gratitude.

"What is there to thank? You would have consumed the pill even without us around. Since there wasn't anything dangerous nearby, you would have survived even if you were alone," said Chu Lian, chuckling as if it was no big deal.

"I just woke up, so I'm not sure about what's happening. Can someone explain?"

"After the zombie fell, the altar disappeared, and the tablet behind it rose."

Wang Yi pointed at the tablet on top of the stairs.

"We didn't know what might happen, so we didn't approach it," said Zhuge Shengji.

"Good, then let's go claim the reward for our suffering, shall we?"

Zhou Xuchuan stood up and walked over, not forgetting to kick the headless body of the Three-Eyed Godly Thief on his way.

"Hehe." He couldn't help but laugh when he looked at what was engraved on the tablet. "I found it."

There was something he had to prioritize finding, something more important than both the Eclipse Divine Archery Art and the Ten Thousand Divergence Art. It was what was in front of him.

"Divine Phantom Art."

It was the most troublesome thing during his duel with the zombie. Footsteps devoid of sound or presence! The cause of the mysterious movement art was the Divine Phantom Art.

Zhou Xuchuan carefully read the lines engraved on the tablet.

Heaven is Knowledge.

Earth is Power.

And Man is the People.

Obtain Heaven and Earth and You Have Two Eyes.

Find the Third Eye that is Man, and Steal Everything Under Heaven.

These were the Three-Eyed Godly Thief's last words. Below that were the records of his life, as well as the mantra for the Divine Phantom Art. Zhou Xuchuan first memorized the mantra of the Divine Phantom Art and opened a black envelope at the bottom of the tablet.

Inside was a book.

Prajna Divine Art.

After checking the title of the book, he put it in his bosom before anyone else caught a glimpse of it. This tome would cause an immense storm if it was exposed. It was a peerless art of the Shaolin Temple lost for centuries, passed down as legendary tales. It turned out that the legendary Prajna Divine Art had not disappeared but was in the possession of the Three-Eyed Godly Thief.

Zhou Xuchuan put the black envelope in their luggage. With this, he had claimed all the important items.

"Are we leaving now?" Wang Yi asked, his voice tinged with excitement for some reason.

"Yes."

"Yes!"

"Yay!"

As soon as Zhou Xuchuan gave his answer, the others rejoiced. However, their voices weren't that loud, given that some of the traps they had encountered were triggered by noise. The group had all become incredibly cautious in their raid this time.

"Wait a little longer."

Zhou Xuchuan smashed the tablet with Violet Haze Dawnbreaker. Then, he collected the debris and smashed it again with Violet Haze Dawnbreaker. He scattered the dust around so that it was unrecognizable before carrying the headless zombie on his shoulder.

"I'm going to toss this out on the way back. Let's go."

Thus, the arduous trip to the treasury was now over.

*

Making their way out of the treasury wasn't that difficult. Along the way, Zhou Xuchuan disposed of the Three-Eyed Godly Thief's body in a spike trap.

Although there were treasures they had yet to claim, they couldn't carry anymore because they were already fully loaded.

The group came out to Yanchang and walked endlessly. Although they were tired, their steps felt lighter as they anticipated their return.

A few days later, they reached a nearby village and found the Gold Will Merchants waiting there.

As they had agreed beforehand, Li Yicai had stationed his men in a nearby village.

"Tell the head merchant that everything has been completed."

"Yes!"

The Gold Will Merchant's contact immediately dispatched a homing pigeon. Zhou Xuchuan was about to leave when the contact stopped him.

"The head merchant and his escorts are nearby. He asked me to tell you that he would arrive in about a day."

"Why is he nearby? What about Weng'An?"

"Weng'An is now in perfect condition. The head merchant just needs to give orders remotely."

"Oho, he's certainly talented."

He wasn't the future Merchant King without reason.

Following the contact's information, Zhou Xuchuan spent the night in the village. The next day, during lunch, Li Yicai arrived with his entourage.

"Oh my word, Great Hero!"

"It's been a while, Head Merchant." Zhou Xuchuan greeted Li Yicai with a wave.

Li Yicai's eyes lingered on the luggage that Wang Yi and the other cultivators brought, his intentions clear from his blatant gaze.

"You must have endured so much until now. When I think of hardships you must have gone through, tears blur my vision. Please get on. I have prepared a four-horse carriage for you, Great Hero, just for you!"

Li Yicai wiped the water droplets around his eyes with his sleeve.

"I just saw you dip your hands in water…"

"There there, let's get going. Your legs are going to break!"

Li Yicai made a fuss and had Zhou Xuchuan get on the carriage. The interior of the carriage was neat and comfortable, and the ride was smooth.

Around the carriage were nearly fifty cultivators as escorts, mostly ranging from Second Class to First Class.

Their luggage was stowed inside the carriage, filling the space meant for eight people with bags instead. There was no other option due to the contents.

"Are you hurt anywhere, Young Master Zhug—I mean, Sheng?"

Li Yicai almost called Zhuge Shengji by his name but quickly corrected himself.

"Can you at least look me in the eyes when you say that?" Zhuge Shengji gave him a resigned look.

"You can go ahead and check."

Zhou Xuchuan shrugged. As he did, Li Yicai swiftly opened a bag and buried his head inside.

"Tssp~ ha~. Tssp~ ha. Ehehe…"

He began to behave erratically, stuffing his head into the bag and taking deep breaths before giggling like a madman.

"It was the right decision to follow the Great Hero! Eheheh!"

His voice sounded far from human. Zhou Xuchuan even briefly wondered if this guy was practicing some demonic art.

"Sniff sniff. I smell something minty. Money is medicine, after all!"

"That is the scent of spiritual medicine." Zhou Xuchuan remarked, tensing. "Well then, collect yourself. We need to discuss our future plans."

Zhou Xuchuan kicked Li Yicai's shoes. Li Yicai pulled his head out of the bag and smacked his lips in disappointment.

"How long has it been since we departed for the treasury?"

"Just over a month."

That was about what Zhou Xuchuan expected.

"Did anything significant happen?"

"There is news of some experts fighting and dying."

It was a common occurrence in the martial world. The same was true for the factional conflict between the Orthodox Faction, the Evil Faction, and the two Demonic Factions. Nothing changed.

Mount Hua Sect, as well as the Zhuge Family, were still unable to do anything against the Nine Water Gangs.

"Oh, I've established a residence in Guiyang. I plan to work around there for a while."

Guiyang City was the provincial capital of the Guizhou Province. Thanks to the influence of the government, neither the Orthodox Faction nor the Evil Faction could exert their influence.

"That's impressive," Zhou Xuchuan praised. Neither gathering this many cultivators as escorts nor setting up a residence in the provincial capital was an easy feat to accomplish.

"Uhm, Great Hero Zhou… this little merchant has a question. May I ask?" Li Yicai rubbed his hands, looking nervous.

"The distribution of the treasure, yes?" Zhou Xuchuan responded as if he had anticipated the question.

"As expected of you, Great Hero! I hadn't mentioned a word, and you could already…"

"Enough."

Zhou Xuchuan raised his hand to silence Li Yicai.

"I'll give it to you straight."

Gulp-

Li Yicai gulped, sweating profusely. His heart raced like a raging bull.

How much would he give me? Three-tenths? Two-tenths?

Zhou Xuchuan was young, but he was by no means gullible. If Li Yicai was too greedy, he might lose his head. He understood the boundaries he needed to maintain.

"I'll let you handle all of the money."

"What?"

Li Yicai momentarily questioned his hearing or perhaps his sanity. Had his desires distorted the words of others?

"I cannot do anything about all this anyway. Even if the Mount Hua Sect is relatively secular in nature, it is strict about material wealth. I'm not sure you know this, but I am a Daoist."

"Oh!" Li Yicai and Zhuge Shengji exclaimed.

"And through this ordeal, I've come to see you as trustworthy and capable. That's why I intend to invest in you."

"Invest… you say?"

"Yes. Isn't expanding your wealth your specialty? Use this money to expand. In return, you must prioritize listening to my requests and helping me."

Zhou Xuchuan had already obtained the things he truly wanted. Aside from them, he had no need for anything that might be worth money. If that money could be used to reel the head merchant to his side, he would gladly do so.

"And the same goes for my little brother over here. Originally, the distribution ratio of the treasure was planned to be two parts for you, three parts for Sheng, and five parts for me."

Zhuge Shengji's worth could not be ignored. Without him, they wouldn't have had access to the treasury.

"I don't really mind as long as you can help my studies or assist my clan in times of need."

Zhou Xuchuan couldn't tell whether it was because Zhuge Shengji was young or if it was in his nature, but he didn't have any material desires. He willingly accepted the ratio that Zhou Xuchuan offered.

"What will you do?" Zhou Xuchuan extended his hand.

Li Yicai stared at his hand for a while. Then he glanced at Zhou Xuchuan and Zhuge Shengji.

"Sob!"

An overwhelming emotion welled up within him. Li Yicai let that emotion take over and bowed deeply.

"Great Hero, Young Master! Your feet! Please allow me to lick your feet!"

Zhou Xuchuan and Zhuge Shengji fell silent.