Chapter 278: Bountiful Gains

Inside a hidden chamber, there were several large chests, each about half the height of a person. Along one wall, a wooden shelf held dozens of Spiritual Weapons.

Next to it, there were over a hundred damaged Spiritual Weapons piled up like discarded trash.

"Please... spare us!" Two captives, looking at Luo Zhongjie, whose intentions were becoming less benign by the moment, knelt on the ground and pleaded loudly.

"Hmm! Weren't you treasure hunters known for killing without hesitation? Are you suddenly afraid of death?" Luo Zhongjie asked with a curious expression.

"I was forced into this! I was once an upright cultivator, but Leader Changshan coerced me into joining them."

"Yeah, yeah! We were both coerced! We can sign a Blood Contract and serve you."

The two captives tried to absolve themselves. Killing others might not have troubled them, but they still valued their own lives. Even a mere pinprick would cause them pain on ordinary days.

"Perhaps what you say is true, but I currently only need one more person. This puts me in a difficult position. It's up to you two to decide."

Luo Zhongjie tossed two short swords in front of them, and they both scrambled to grab them.

Seemingly unable to make up their minds, unable to harm their companion, suddenly, almost simultaneously, they both lunged, swords aimed at each other.

They both succeeded, each impaling the other in the chest, locking themselves together in a deadly embrace.

They had never supported each other in life, even scheming against one another. In death, they ended up supporting each other.

Luo Zhongjie ignited a flame and turned both of them into ashes. Spending time with Wang Hong had influenced him in this regard. People like them, even if they could sign a Blood Contract, were nauseating to use.

After dealing with the two of them, they began to sort through the treasures in the secret chamber.

According to the captives, this secret chamber contained the private hoard of their leader, Changshan Sect's master. Occasionally, he would take out a small portion as rewards.

There were 32 intact Spiritual Weapons, mostly of low quality, with only three of medium quality, and none of high quality.

There were 140 damaged Spiritual Weapons, with nearly half of them still repairable and usable.

The remaining damaged ones were beyond repair, but they could still be sold for some Spirit Stones. Refining tool masters could extract materials from them.

There were a total of five chests, one filled with wooden boxes and Jade Boxes, all containing Spiritual Herbs.

Another chest was filled with nothing but Spirit Stones, numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

The remaining three chests held various materials, primarily for refining tools, as well as materials for array formation and talisman-making.

In reality, there were no strict boundaries between these different materials, as some materials had multiple uses.

"Pack everything up, and then we'll search elsewhere," Wang Hong instructed Luo Zhongjie.

Luo Zhongjie packed all these items into a Storage Bag and followed Wang Hong out of the secret chamber.

Later, they found some more items in other locations, but the gains were meager, with no valuable treasures to be found.

Before leaving, Wang Hong dismantled the second-tier formation guarding the mountain cave entrance and retrieved several second-tier materials from it.

Generally, dismantling a formation from its interior was not particularly difficult.

When Wang Hong and his group returned to the entrance of the canyon, the others had already finished cleaning up the battlefield.

The bodies had all been cremated, leaving behind a large pile of Storage Bags.

They emptied dozens of Storage Bags onto a flat piece of ground, along with the scattered Spiritual Weapons collected from the battlefield, creating a mountain-like pile of spoils.

Gazing at the treasure trove that had been amassed through this battle, Luo Zhongjie couldn't help but exclaim, "These treasure hunters are incredibly wealthy. The gains from this battle alone surpass the profits of a whole trip with a merchant caravan.

"East Master, what if we organize a team specifically for hunting down treasure hunters across various places?"

In the pile of spoils, there were at least sixty to seventy Spiritual Weapons, including the ones obtained from the Mountain cave. A merchant caravan trip wouldn't yield as many Spiritual Weapons, even after factoring in costs.

"Let's discuss that later. Right now, we're short on manpower. Let's focus on building up the merchant caravan first."

Luo Zhongjie was surprised by the seriousness of Wang Hong's response. Wang Hong had been troubled by the shortage of Spiritual Weapons for a while, and this battle seemed to have resolved the issue entirely.

Although these weren't standard Spiritual Weapons and might have some impact on cooperation, having them was better than not having any.

"Calculate everyone's contributions and convert them into contribution points. As for the spoils, let everyone choose as they please."

Wang Hong instructed Luo Zhongjie. They had always distributed spoils this way, allowing each person to choose according to their contributions. As long as they had contributed on the battlefield, even the lowest-level Qi Cultivation cultivators could claim a share.

Wang Hong only selected a few array formation materials that he could use from the spoils. The rest of the items were of no use to him.

After everyone had exchanged their shares, Luo Zhongjie temporarily kept the remaining items. They would be handed over to Xu Lun for storage upon their return.

They hit the road again, and the group seemed to be somewhat hopeful of encountering another group of treasure hunters. Unfortunately, they did not come across any more on their way to Thousand Crafts Pavilion.

As a subsidiary city of Thousand Crafts Pavilion, its size and scale were similar to Azure Void City. However, the commercial activities in Thousand Crafts Pavilion seemed more prosperous due to its focus on commerce.

Because the products produced by Thousand Crafts Pavilion were different from Qingxu Sect's Refinement Pills, which were a necessity for everyone, they needed to focus more on commerce to maximize profits.

When Wang Hong and his group, a large assembly of cultivators, entered the city, they attracted quite a few curious gazes.

Immediately, several Qi Cultivation junior cultivators approached, unafraid despite the presence of more than ten Foundation Building cultivators.

"Welcome, seniors, to Thousand Crafts Pavilion! Allow us to arrange accommodations for you."

After one of the Qi Cultivation junior cultivators greeted them, he offered to assist with lodging.

Following that, another junior cultivator stepped forward, bowing, and said, "Welcome, seniors, to Thousand Crafts Pavilion! Allow me to guide you in handling any trading matters."

Subsequently, another cultivator came forward, and they reported their respective services.

It turned out that they were all similar to guides, offering their services to newcomers in Thousand Crafts Pavilion, helping them navigate the city.

This service indeed provided convenience to newcomers. However, among these guides were some unscrupulous ones who colluded with certain businesses, targeting inexperienced cultivators for scams.

These rogue guides typically swindled cultivators once and then disappeared for several years, making it almost impossible for the deceived cultivators to seek revenge.

"Stop! What do you do?" Luo Zhongjie called out, halting everyone. He pointed to a young Qi Cultivation cultivator with bushy eyebrows and big eyes at the back, asking, "What is your occupation?"

He had noticed that the young Qi Cultivation cultivator had tried to approach several times but had been pushed aside by others. It seemed like this individual was new.

The young Qi Cultivation cultivator was delighted to be asked and promptly bowed before saying, "I can assist you with lodging and sightseeing, honored seniors."

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay