Chapter Ninety-Five: Three Months

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A golden belt for murder and arson— even someone like Lin Qingyun, who grew up in a wealthy family and now possessed vast wealth, was shocked by the spoils after killing an entire demon-hunting team ranked among the top six in the Third Gathering Zone.

There wasn’t much cash, less than thirty million. It’s important to note that large amounts of cash have been phased out in favor of convenient purchases for cultivation. Ordinary families might never see such sums in a lifetime; these bills are specially issued for cultivators in areas where electronic transactions are inconvenient.

They resemble ancient bearer silver notes and unregistered bonds from before the spiritual energy resurgence.

The real focus, however, was on the various pills and weapons—especially the medicinal pills carried by Zhou Wanlong. By market price, those alone were worth over seventy to eighty million; at the circulation prices in Hanza, they exceeded one hundred and twenty million.

Xiao Hei once mentioned that for a scattered cultivation group like Wanlong’s demon-hunting team, Zhou Wanlong had exhausted immense resources trying to ascend to the Cloud Soaring Realm. Besides fixed assets, his liquid wealth should have been completely depleted.

Seeing so many pills turned up, Lin Qingyun immediately realized this guy must have been preparing to leave the Third Gathering Zone for good.

Adding up the pills and weapons carried by others, the total haul conservatively exceeded two hundred million. This was the bulk of the assets of a demon-hunting team of over a hundred people, seized all at once—truly astonishing.

Not to mention the demon monkeys killed in the battle; if all were sold, they would also be worth a significant sum.

No wonder so many people flock to places like Hanza or venture into sea zones and ruins; only in such places can one quickly amass vast wealth.

Leaving the area, Lin Qingyun skirted the demon monkey forest and began heading toward the Fourth Gathering Zone.

Three months later, Xiao Hei looked anxiously at the five people before her. This was a group of mercenaries, all at the ninth level of the Qinxin Realm, now verifying her identity, preparing to escort her away.

Not long ago, Xiao Hei had examined the last box Lin Qingyun left for her. Inside was a contact method and some secret codes.

Following Lin Qingyun’s instructions, Xiao Hei spent some money to arrange for someone who regularly transported goods to leave Hanza and reach a border communication zone to contact the other party.

Within days, this group of mercenaries arrived to escort her out.

Though nervous, Xiao Hei followed them. She was an orphan with no value; if not for that gentleman’s arrangements, who would hire five Qinxin Realm ninth-level mercenaries to protect her?

A few months earlier, after that gentleman left, the entire Wanlong demon-hunting team vanished completely. Later, it was discovered they had mortgaged all their assets long ago.

Some said they had planned their retreat, probably moving to another gathering zone.

Those with more insight believed they were targeting the Sea Wind faction, fearing the ambitions of their backers, possibly having already fled from the Fifth Gathering Zone to elsewhere.

Hearing these rumors always unsettled her.

Yet seeing the arrangements now gave her more confidence. Planning this months ago meant they likely wouldn’t be betrayed by the Wanlong team.

Others believed the Wanlong team killed that prominent family’s scion—why couldn’t it be the other way around?

The Fifth Gathering Zone was built inside a dormant volcano. It was more prosperous and vast than the Third Gathering Zone, with an underground city brightly lit, peaking at a population of one hundred thousand.

This place wasn’t merely a place for idling in Hanza; it was established here because the area was abandoned—no laws, no rules.

From here, one could quickly enter China or swiftly reach the Russian Zone.

Because it lay just dozens of miles from the Russian Zone, and those miles were basically cleared to a safe zone, this area thrived the most.

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The Russian Zone was now rife with warlords and countless religious factions. The Fifth Gathering Zone had become their peaceful trading and communication center with some Chinese forces.

In the rented independent cultivation compound, Lin Qingyun rose and casually gave an order; the intelligent steward had already prepared the meal. At this moment, Lin Qingyun was no longer using the Sea Wind identity but that of someone he had killed outside.

To leave China officially required a public identity, but here in Hanza, identities could change at will; no one cared.

The Fifth Gathering Zone was entirely different from other zones. Aside from lacking internet access, it had everything international and domestic, unlike other zones that retained a cyberpunk atmosphere.

After killing Zhou Wanlong and his team, Lin Qingyun had successively visited the Fourth, First, and Seventh Gathering Zones. During this process, he continuously refined himself through battles, scouting, and gathering information.

As time drew near, he arrived at the Fifth Gathering Zone because it was convenient for crossing the border back home or entering the Russian Zone.

“Sir, you’re heading out?” This was the high-end cultivation area of the Fifth Gathering Zone. The guards at the gate, all seventh-level Qinxin Realm, respectfully greeted Lin Qingyun as he stepped out.

Lin Qingyun smiled and nodded, then leisurely headed toward the commercial district.

Schools focused on cultivation no longer observed summer or winter breaks. Previously, while training and fighting here in Hanza, he hadn’t returned for holidays. This time, he would bring some specialty gifts for Chao Ge and Chu Qing.

Such specialty gift shops were rare in other gathering zones.

For example, the Third Gathering Zone lacked such shops; everyone there was either cultivating desperately or living recklessly, just trying to survive.

Inside a specialty dried meat shop, various kinds of specially prepared dried meat filled the shelves.

“I’ll take some of this, some of that…” Now a connoisseur, Lin Qingyun pointed out items to be packed.

Since he wanted only top-grade demon beast dried meat in large quantities, the shopkeeper’s eyes almost lit up. Initially, a young clerk had served him, but now even the owner came over.

“Old Zhang, what good news has you grinning from ear to ear? Quickly pack me two hundred jin of dried meat, and ten jin of the finest…”

At that moment, a big man dressed like a wild man in animal skins entered, carrying a machete on his shoulder, his voice booming as if to shake the shop.

“Oh! Thought it was someone else, you scared me. Isn’t this Captain Wu…”

“Captain Wu, you just got back a couple of days ago, why not enjoy yourself instead of rushing out again?”

“Captain Wu, these days, rumors say the Demonic Cult is capturing people for blood sacrifices.”

“That’s right. I heard they plan to perform blood sacrifices to summon extradimensional demons. Probably some big shot in their ranks is breaking through and wants to borrow outside forces. But since the rumors are widespread, there must be a reason. Better be careful…”

The shop was spacious with several customers shopping and tables where people nibbled on dried meat while drinking. Seeing the burly man enter, many recognized him and greeted him warmly.

Their greetings soon turned to discussing the hottest rumor:

“People die and the birds fly to heaven; if you’re scared of death, why come to this hellhole? Might as well go home to your wives. I say you guys are scaredy-cats, coming here to drink. You won’t last long; you’ll burn through your money soon…” Captain Wu was clearly more dominant but didn’t act arrogantly. He grabbed some dried meat from a table, tossed it into his mouth, and took a swig from someone else’s cup.

He was a top-tier Cloud Soaring Realm expert. Even though the Fifth Gathering Zone had many Cloud Soaring experts, scattered cultivators at this level were highly regarded. Although he hadn’t formed a faction and led only a ten-man team, that team included another Cloud Soaring expert and eight at the ninth level of Qinxin Realm.

Their team ranked among the best in the demon-hunting squads. The top ten teams in the Fifth Gathering Zone could rival the strongest demon-hunting teams in other zones.

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Moreover, Captain Wu was generous and chivalrous, having helped many, earning him great popularity.

“Ha ha ha…”

Captain Wu’s words prompted laughter from the crowd, who exchanged jests and teasing.

“Here it comes, Captain Wu, don’t worry, we’re getting your order ready…” The owner attending to Lin Qingyun smiled and approached. Captain Wu was a major client and also sold him many demon beast meats—the two were partners.

“I was wondering why you didn’t come over earlier—turns out you had a big client for premium goods,” Captain Wu joked, peering into the VIP section.

Lin Qingyun, overhearing, turned and met Captain Wu’s gaze.

He nodded slightly in greeting, and Captain Wu returned the gesture.

“Of course, how could I neglect you, Captain Wu? I was just explaining things to the customer. We’re in this business together, and I’m helping you make money.” The old man was smooth-talking, making Captain Wu smile and drop any further questions.

“Alright, you’re a smooth talker. Keep it up. When I have more money, I’ll invest in your shop. Let’s grow bigger.”

“That would be a dream come true. I’ll make sure the boss profits. By the way, Captain Wu, recent news from other zones isn’t good—heavy casualties. I heard people are counting the missing. Over a hundred Cloud Soaring hunters vanished from the Third Gathering Zone; three or four demon-hunting teams from the Fourth Zone disappeared; two top-ten teams from the Seventh Zone are gone. As for solo hunters or small teams, even more. The outside world is chaotic. You’ll have to be careful. The Demonic Cult’s blood sacrifices are now targeting hunters and mercenaries, not ordinary people. Clearly, something big is brewing.”

Old Zhang handled the conversation smoothly but warned Captain Wu again about the blood sacrifices.

Lin Qingyun was sampling some tasting portions the owner provided, sipping local specialty liquor. Hearing their talk, he smiled faintly with his back turned.

Naturally, he was the source of this news. As for the recently missing demon-hunting teams, they weren’t victims of the Demonic Cult but mostly wiped out by conflicts with Lin Qingyun himself.

Until now, no one realized this. Once Zhang mentioned it, others added their bits. Other places might have poor information flow, but the Fifth Gathering Zone was special—many people came and went from other zones, making its intelligence network the most reliable.

Damn, is it really that serious?

At first, Lin Qingyun listened leisurely, but the more he heard, the more uneasy he became. The news of the Demonic Cult’s blood sacrifices was meant to warn people in Hanza to stay alert, hoping they might find clues.

It was better for everyone to be cautious than for him to be alone. Another reason was to attract higher authorities’ attention. Because of these matters, he was already preparing to leave.

Yet hearing others talk, it seemed most of the recent disappearances were caused by him.

If it weren’t for knowing from a previous life that Hanza would be devastated by blood sacrifices, he might have doubted himself—wondering if he was losing his mind or influenced by demonic temptations, killing indiscriminately.

“I know about the Third Gathering Zone. A few months ago, I did an escort mission there. I even met the cultural director. He said the Wanlong demon-hunting team just tried to rob someone and got killed in return.”

“I don’t know about the others, but if the enemy is really behind it, you can’t hide. You’d have to leave entirely. Otherwise, hiding here won’t help; they might sacrifice the whole city.”

Captain Wu spoke indifferently.