Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World

Chapter 494: Chapter 268: A Sudden Increase in Lifespan (Part 2)

He didn’t delay. After ensuring the courtyard was secure and leaving the external Tier Two Protective Array active, he descended into the secret underground chamber and activated the Teleportation Array. The next moment, he vanished from the Array, reappearing in a wooden platform house on the surface of the East Sea.

This wasn’t the subterranean Ice and Fire Cultivation Immortality Realm. There were no Cultivators here, so a Tier One Array was enough to fool even an Innate Expert.

With the Array in place, he had no fear of this Teleportation Array being discovered.

Next, he boarded the Dragon Bone Ship without wasting any time.

He took out a Distance Measuring Magical Artifact and piloted the Dragon Bone Ship back to the west. Over the past two days, he had spent nearly all his Points, using them to request pre-made Arrays and various Magical Artifacts for use at sea, as well as Spirit Stones.

He knew very well what would happen if a mere Martial Artist like himself tried to purchase things with a large amount of Spirit Stones. The consequences were obvious.

That’s why he had chosen to request the items!

He used his Points to directly request several Arrays with concealment and Defense functions, as well as a stationary Magical Artifact to serve as an offshore platform.

After all, there might be islands within a limited distance, but there might also be none at all. He had to be prepared.

He had also taken the Startup Token from the Teleportation Array in the Cultivation Immortality Realm. This Startup Order was the only way to enter the Ice and Fire Cultivation Immortality Realm, and he had to take it. The tokens for the other teleportation arrays on the return journey weren’t necessary.

With that, the most critical Array was inaccessible to anyone!

With the Distance Measuring Magical Artifact, Cheng Zongyang traveled at full speed. Covering a distance of 2,500 kilometers took him only about fifteen or sixteen hours each time.

Cheng Zongyang didn’t stay idle while traveling; he continued his Cultivation using Qi Gathering Pills!

「Meanwhile, far away in Jade Peak County of Xiangyang Prefecture...」

The atmosphere at the Celestial Break Gang’s headquarters was grim. Everyone was on high alert.

Inside the assembly hall, the Hall Masters from various halls and the main core members were all gathered, their eyes filled with killing intent as they glared at the man in the center!

Among them were Zhou Zhendong and Cheng Zongwen, who stood to the side, staring at the completely unfazed man in the middle.

However, his right hand was bandaged, clearly injured. Some members from the other halls were also wounded.

Li Lu stared at the visiting man in the center, his expression grim. "Cut the crap! You rob my Tiantuan Village, kill my gang members, and injure my friends, and now you want to talk peace? Impossible!"

The middle-aged man in the center said with an indifferent expression:

"Let’s get one thing straight. This isn’t a peace negotiation. You are to hand over everything in Tiantuan Village as compensation for harming my Liu Clan Members. Furthermore, your little gang must withdraw from the West City District. Out of respect for the Da Yi Commerce Association, we are merely sparing your lives! Otherwise, do you think the Celestial Break Gang and the Cheng Family would still be here talking?"

"Then there’s nothing to discuss," Li Lu said with a furious laugh. "Don’t think we’re helpless just because you brought a Fourth Grade Martial Artist!"

But just then, Li Xuejin suddenly spoke up. "Sir, is it Tiantuan Village you want?"

As soon as Li Xuejin spoke, the others who were about to shout in anger swallowed their words. Even Li Lu stopped himself from speaking.

Over the past few months, everyone had witnessed Li Xuejin’s Ability. The Celestial Break Gang of today was a far cry from its former self. Everything was orderly and efficient, and even their business ventures had expanded smoothly, all thanks to Li Xuejin’s detailed planning.

Therefore, his status in the gang was on equal footing with Li Lu. But Li Xuejin was also very tactful, generally deferring to Li Lu and treating him as the leader. This helped stabilize the gang, preventing the members from feeling confused about who was in charge.

"That’s right," the middle-aged man sneered. "I’ll give you three days. Otherwise, the death toll will be much higher."

Li Xuejin remained unhurried as he said, "You say you’re acting out of respect for the Da Yi Commerce Association, but are you not aware that the grain grown in Tiantuan Village belongs to the Da Yi Commerce Association?"

"So what? We’ve already given the respect that’s due. As for the rest, we’re the ones calling the shots!"

’We?’

Li Xuejin’s gaze shifted as he stared at the man, then he suddenly smiled.

"It seems you’ve been played by the people behind you. They’re using you as a pawn, and you don’t even know you’ve been sold out. Did they not tell you who is behind Tiantuan Village and the Celestial Break Gang? Or about this person’s other identity within the Da Yi Commerce Association?"

The man’s brow furrowed, and he scoffed. "Isn’t it just the Cheng Family? A mere Sixth Grade family, part of the Middle Third Grades. What can they do?"

Li Xuejin chuckled, then looked toward Cheng Zongwen, who was behind Zhou Zhendong. "A Steward of the Da Yi Commerce Association should have the authority to request an Innate Expert to take action, correct?"

Hearing this, Cheng Zongwen’s heart skipped a beat. He was confused, but seeing the meaning in Li Xuejin’s eyes, he seemed to understand something and immediately nodded. "That’s right."

He looked at the man and spoke clearly, "According to the Da Yi Commerce Association’s internal support agreement, anyone holding a position of Steward or higher can request an Innate Expert for assistance once a year. If they have over 3,000 contribution points, they can make an additional request! For any matter whatsoever!"

Li Xuejin gave Cheng Zongwen an approving look, then slowly sat down. He looked at the man and said with a faint smile:

"It seems the people using you as a pawn didn’t tell you that someone from the Cheng Family holds the position of Steward in the Commerce Association. With your Sixth Grade Cultivation, do you think you can walk out of Jade Peak County? Do you even think that Fourth Grade expert you brought with you can escape?"

"Of course, if you don’t believe me, you can go to the Da Yi Commerce Association and verify it yourself. If what I’ve said is false, we will agree to all of your demands!"

At this, the man’s expression became uncertain.

’A Commerce Association Steward?’

’The Cheng Family? Could it be that Young Master named Cheng Zongyang?’

’But why didn’t anyone tell me this?’

And since the other party had put it so bluntly, it was unlikely they were lying.

Just then, however, Li Xuejin seemed unwilling to give him much time to think and spoke again:

"Sir, since you were unjust, don’t blame us for being ruthless. Now, seeing as they’re using you as a pawn, can you still tolerate it?"

Li Xuejin continued in a persuasive tone, "I’ll be honest with you. We’ve already sent a message to the Young Master, and he’s preparing to file a request with the Prefecture City headquarters. He’s probably on his way here now."

"An ancient sage had a saying: ’Better you die than I.’ They’re sending you to your death. Now that you know the real situation, are you going to let them keep playing you for a fool?"

"Today, I can make a decision. We can give the Liu Family a way out, on one condition: you tell us who the masterminds behind you are—the ones who pushed you out here without any regard for your life. Consider it a way to redeem yourself. What do you say?"

"You don’t have to answer us right away, sir. We’re not going anywhere; we can’t run. You can also go to the Commerce Association to verify if what I’ve said is true. I, for one, would hate to see the Liu Family be used as a pawn yet again. By the way, the last time this happened to the Liu Family, it was the He Family who used them."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man, who was already seething with anger, found his expression turning exceptionally ugly. He swept his gaze over everyone present, snorted coldly, and stormed out with a flick of his sleeve!

Seeing the man leave, everyone in the assembly hall breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Li Lu was about to ask a question, but Li Xuejin stopped him with a wave of his hand. "Careful, walls have ears. Let’s go to the secret underground room!"

Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, nodded, and stood up.

「A moment later, in the basement of the rear hall of the headquarters.」

Outside the room above the basement, several core disciples stood guard. Meanwhile, inside the spacious basement, all the main Hall Master Level personnel were gathered.

Before Li Lu could speak, Li Xuejin said, "The Liu Family’s attack was fierce and caught us completely off guard. I’ve taken stock of the situation over the past few days. They came prepared, and their objective is extremely clear."

"The Wilderness Rice?" Zhou Zhendong asked.

Li Xuejin nodded. "Correct. In the month after we handed the seeds over to the Da Yi Commerce Association, many people came to the County Town. Although they were commoners, they mostly gathered in the West City District and were often spotted near Tiantuan Village."

"I didn’t think much of it at first; it’s normal to be curious about Tiantuan Village. But the Liu Family’s attack was aggressive and highly targeted. They killed many of the village guards and declared they wanted everything in Tiantuan Village. And the most important thing in Tiantuan Village is the Wilderness Rice."

"For a Middle Third Grade Family, that’s the only thing they would be interested in. Other items, even the land itself, are completely useless to them."

"It seems the Boss was right before he left. Once the Wilderness Rice was given to the Da Yi Commerce Association and its characteristics were revealed, this place was bound to be targeted," Li Lu lamented. "I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon!"