372: Covet

Hell's Seventh Layer, Godfall Land.

With the establishment of the guard team and the extensive development of Scarlet Land, the production of blood essence significantly increased. This allowed Lin Ye to sell tens of thousands of bottles of blood essence annually, earning over twenty thousand void stones.

Each bottle of blood essence sold for one to two void stones, and if sold to the Ninth Layer, it could even fetch three void stones. However, as wealth accumulated, external covetousness towards him also intensified.

"The guard force must continue to expand," Lin Ye knew deeply that as his business grew, more and more greedy eyes would be drawn to him.

The enormous annual profit of twenty thousand void stones was enough to make even Demon God Six-star level powerhouses drool. In comparison, some Demon God Six-star powerhouses considered it quite good to earn a few hundred void stones a year.

Due to considering business costs and other factors, the outside world generally believed Lin Ye's profit margin was around twenty percent, as this was typically the traditional profit margin in the Blood Farm industry.

But in reality, Lin Ye's true profit margin was much higher, which was also the key to his continuous expansion of power and strengthening of his own abilities.

They thought that, including the profits distributed to shareholders, Lin Ye's own income was around a few hundred magic stones.

They were unaware that Lin Ye's business was a no-cost, high-profit venture, and he enjoyed the profits exclusively.

Twenty thousand void stones a year—if exposed, even Demon God Seven-star powerhouses would be tempted?

"Still, it's expanding too quickly!"

Lin Ye sighed. Although his main body's cultivation needs could now be met, it also attracted some covetous demons.

He felt a bit of a headache.

Since the expansion, the Blood Farm's output had reached an astonishing one hundred thousand blood essence annually.

However, Lin Ye decided to only sell ten thousand portions externally, with the rest going to his main body.

The reason for such high output was that the Goldglaze Vine had not been harvested before.

Once this harvest was completed, the output would drastically decrease.

According to Hu's estimation, the post-harvest output would be around ten thousand blood essence.

This was actually one of the Great Wizard's main industries back then.

"Let's reduce the external sales quantity. Anyway, the expansion is almost complete; we can claim that the previous sales were just clearing inventory," Hu suggested.

"Hmm, I think it should be controlled at around a thousand bottles, or even lower, otherwise this pressure is truly unbearable. Even if Demon God Three or Four-star powerhouses come, we probably won't be able to resist."

Lin Ye realized he had to take action to alleviate the current predicament.

........

"Why only a thousand bottles this year?" You Nier asked, somewhat puzzled. He had originally expected a larger supply this time, but reality disappointed him.

"Before, that was the farm clearing inventory. Now the blood-meat plants still need to grow, and future production will decrease," Lin Ye explained.

This news was undoubtedly a blow to You Nier, who had hoped for more supply to meet market demand.

"Is that so? That's too bad. Selling to the Ninth Layer is so profitable, and this opportunity isn't common," You Nier sighed.

He knew the market potential of the Ninth Layer well, and if he could supply in large quantities, it would bring substantial profits.

However, the current situation forced him to reformulate his strategy.

"No choice. Our Commerce has already overdrawn for this wave," Lin Ye said helplessly.

Even if they weren't overdrawn, they had to pretend to be; this wave of expansion was too frantic.

It was also a reason for limited cooperation with You Nier and his group; the expansion funds provided were insufficient, otherwise Lin Ye would not have risked selling so much.

........

In a dim space, there was a mysterious round table where seven demons exuding evil aura sat. These seven demons were one of the dark forces in Godfall Land, controlling the life and death and Destiny Law of countless people.

"Have you found out? Is that Starry Sky Chamber of Commerce worth our action?" one of the demons asked.

"We've inquired. Their business was so large in the past few years because the plants on the farm matured and could be harvested extensively. Now, those plants have started to decrease in production," another demon replied.

"Oh? So, their profits will also be affected, right?" the third demon asked curiously.

"Yes, as far as I know, the profit of this kind of Blood Farm is generally only about twenty percent. They used to sell only a hundred bottles a year, so the profit was probably around thirty void stones. However, due to the stimulation of the Ninth Layer's War preparations, their output reached tens of thousands of bottles. But now, they have extensively consumed the blood-meat plants, leading to a significant reduction in output. This year, they only submitted a thousand bottles of blood essence," the fourth demon explained.

"Then how much profit do they still have?" the fifth demon pressed.

"If calculated by normal years, their profit should only be around three hundred void stones. But due to the stimulation of War, it might now reach six hundred void stones. However, this is all at the cost of consuming potential," the sixth demon said.

"Six hundred void stones... While not a small amount, it's not a lot either. And this is still under the condition of consuming potential. Normally, their output should only be around a hundred bottles, right?" the seventh demon questioned.

The seven demons all fell into contemplation, considering whether to act against this Starry Sky Chamber of Commerce. After all, although the profit was not too much, it was still a considerable income.

Was this much profit worth the risk of offending a Commerce?

The guard force of this Starry Sky Chamber of Commerce was probably around Demon God Three-star, but considering hidden strength, they couldn't simply be considered as Demon God Three-star.

"General dark forces might not care, but for our Black Demon Knight Order, this is a lot."

"We are all Demon God Three or Four-star existences. It's easier to earn void stones in the Demon Realm than in the Star Realm, but honestly, we only earn about thirty void stones a year."

"Yes, and this Starry Sky Chamber of Commerce just had a big harvest, so their accounts are full of funds. If we pull this off, we can get tens of thousands of void stones, which would be a few thousand each when split, enough for a hundred years of food and drink."

The seven demons, one after another, finalized their decision.

Mainly, the Starry Sky Chamber of Commerce's guard force was insufficient.

That guard team, relying on formations, was fine against three-star opponents, and it was also because their leader was strong enough, possessing more than two-star Demon God power. But Demon God Three-star was merely the weakest existence among them.

Their strength was truly negligible.

.........

"A bloody disaster, it seems a demon has indeed set its sights on them."

Lin Ye, relying on the Destiny Law, predicted this attack.

With his mastery of the Destiny Law, clearly predicting Demon God Two or Three-star was easy, but this prophecy was unusually vague.

"It seems the intensity of this crisis is around Demon God Four or Five-star."

Demon God Four or Five-star, he couldn't beat them, absolutely couldn't beat them.

"Hmph, then I'll just endure it. Who's afraid of whom?"

If he couldn't beat them, couldn't he hide?

Lin Ye didn't return to the farm and directly found a place to live in Godfall Land.

He left his subordinates at the farm, so he wasn't afraid of affecting production.