73: Big Gamble

The battlefield was silent.

The war puppet stood quietly on the bloody, blurry ground, the eerie green furnace in its chest slowly rotating, completely digesting the Divine Soul of the last Alliance Cultivator.

The once killing machine, now under Lu Yuan's will, had transformed into the most efficient engineering apparatus.

Over the next three days, all of Qingyun Sect's Disciples witnessed a miracle.

That ten-zhang-tall steel behemoth, with unimaginable precision and efficiency, began to repair the dilapidated mountain-protecting Formation in the back mountain.

Its gigantic arms could easily lift ten-thousand-jin boulders and place them at the Formation nodes.

Its fingertips could shoot high-energy beams, engraving intricate Formation patterns on the mountain that Mortals' naked eyes could not discern.

One day's work exceeded the combined total of thousands of Cultivators over several months in the past.

On the evening of the third day.

When the war puppet embedded the last energy crystal into the core of the great Formation, the entire Qingyun Sect mountain range trembled slightly.

An invisible energy ripple, centered on the great Formation, spread for a hundred li in all directions, then quietly vanished.

【Mountain-Protecting Formation repair progress: 11%】

Inside Lu Yuan's Immortal Cave, the golden "Eye of Audit" suspended in mid-air, glowed brightly at this moment.

A cold, emotionless will descended.

It was Auditor's voice.

【Mission 'Value Creation: Repair Mountain-Protecting Formation' has been completed.】

【Final Rating: Excellent.】

【According to Article 117 'Value Creator Incentive Clause' of the 'Federal Reserve Basic Law', the 89.12 million karma points in tax generated by your transaction will be fully exempted.】

【Your account has been unfrozen.】

As the words fell, the golden eyeball began to contract and fold, eventually transforming into a golden card as thin as a cicada's wing, silently landing in Lu Yuan's hand.

The card felt warm and smooth to the touch, with a line of small characters engraved on it in an incomprehensible script.

【Myriad Heavens Novice Qualifier】

Lu Yuan caressed the card, his gaze calm.

His attention had already turned to another "dividend" he had just received.

In the core information flow of the war puppet, the description about the "Demon Suppressing Prison" had a fatal intersection with his earliest goal, the nine revolutions soul returning grass.

A key.

This Divine Plant, which could repair his Dao foundation, was not just a medicine, but a key to unlock a Universe-level secret.

Go and snatch it directly?

Lu Yuan rejected this plan in his mind.

Since it involved the "Demon Suppressing Prison," the danger level of its accompanying location would undoubtedly far exceed anyone's imagination.

Countless Nascent Soul Old Monsters would flock to it upon hearing the news.

If he went now, he would just be one of countless contenders, full of uncertainty.

He never placed his fate in the hands of "probability."

What he wanted to do was to become probability itself.

Lu Yuan's lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.

He decided to turn this upcoming, bloody treasure hunt into a financial feast where he would be the banker.

A few days later.

A piece of news, released through Wanbao Tower channels, ignited the entire Eastern Continent Cultivation world.

Lu Yuan, the Sect Master of Qingyun Sect, announced the establishment of a special product called the 【nine revolutions soul returning grass Treasure Hunt Trust Fund】.

He would publicly reveal the location where the Divine Plant and an ancient secret treasure were hidden.

Any force or individual could "purchase" shares of this fund by investing Spirit Stones, Magic Treasures, intelligence, or even by directly providing personnel and labor.

Once the treasure hunt was successful, all investors would share all the gains, including the "nine revolutions soul returning grass," proportionally according to their invested shares.

As soon as the news came out, the four seas were in an uproar.

This meant that a bloody struggle, which should have involved only a few top powerhouses, had turned into a "capital crowdfunding" open to everyone.

The power of the entire Eastern Continent would be gathered by him to pave the way for him alone.

All potential competitors would become his "workers" under the rules he set.

"You're insane!"

A cold voice exploded within Lu Yuan's Immortal Cave.

Han Yuexi's figure appeared out of thin air, and for the first time, undisguised anger appeared on her cold face.

She stared at Lu Yuan.

"You know better than anyone how important the nine revolutions soul returning grass is to me!"

"If you release the news, how many Golden Core and even Nascent Soul Old Monsters will it attract? You're muddying the waters and making my hope of obtaining the Divine Plant even more slim!"

Lu Yuan looked at her, his expression still calm.

He poured himself a cup of tea, the rising mist blurring his expression.

"No."

"I'm helping you get it at the lowest cost."

Han Yuexi was so provoked by his detached attitude that her breath hitched.

"You're gambling big!"

"I never gamble big."

Lu Yuan put down his teacup, raised his eyes to look at her, his gaze as deep as an abyss.

"I only make transactions."

His words quantified a life-and-death struggle into cold numbers.

"Fellow Daoist Han, we can sign a betting contract."

"What?"

Han Yuexi was stunned.

"I'll be the banker and operate this treasure hunt. Ultimately, if your total cost to obtain the nine revolutions soul returning grass is higher than your estimated cost of going to snatch it alone, then I lose."

Lu Yuan's voice was light, yet it carried a weight that could make even Nascent Soul Old Monsters tremble.

"If I lose..."

He paused, then stated the wager that made Han Yuexi's heart tremble.

"Half of the authority of my 【Great Dao Options Exchange】 will be yours."

The Immortal Cave was so quiet that one could hear the sound of the tea cooling.

Han Yuexi's breathing hitched, she looked at the man in front of her, suddenly feeling incredibly unfamiliar.

To use the very foundation of his existence as a wager.

This wasn't madness.

This was an absolute confidence in his control, to the point of arrogance.

After a long time.

The anger in her eyes gradually extinguished, replaced by a complex, hard-to-read light.

"Good."

She spat out a single word.

"I'll take that bet."

"However, there's an additional condition."

Han Yuexi's voice became incredibly cold, carrying the resolve of sacrificing everything.

"You must make a Heavenly Dao vow. In the future, unconditionally, help me kill one person."

Lu Yuan looked at her, not asking who to kill, nor why.

He simply nodded.

"I can do that."