87: The ultimate market maker?

That red dot.

It lay quietly, dormant.

It emitted no fluctuations of spiritual energy, leaked not a shred of killing intent, and was indistinguishable from the stubborn rocks outside the valley.

Yet on the light screen map of the Great Dao Options Exchange, it manifested as a heart-palpitating, light-devouring crimson.

Data streams surged rapidly in Lu Yuan's eyes.

He understood.

This was not a simple hunt and being hunted.

This was a top-tier financial game involving multiple parties.

The gemini stars were the "open cards" on the market, the "assets" that everyone was watching, on the verge of collapse.

He himself was the "speculator" holding short positions, ready to enter the market and reap the rewards.

And Ye Chen, he was the "Ultimate Market Maker" hidden outside all transactions, attempting to trigger systemic risk and swallow the entire market along with all participants.

His target, from the very beginning, was not the gemini stars.

It was him.

It was he, this walking Great Dao Options Exchange.

On the light screen, a new warning appeared silently, its border stained with the color of blood.

[Warning: High-order 'Demonic Corruption' type Karma source detected. Your karma points assets are at risk of being contaminated. Once contaminated, their value will be diluted, or even wiped out.]

Lu Yuan's face remained calm.

He merely gave a "high" rating to Ye Chen's growth speed in his heart.

This son of destiny, after experiencing several failures, had not collapsed but had instead evolved a weapon targeting his core abilities.

He was no longer a simple combatant.

He had learned to wage a "financial war."

Pressure squeezed in from all directions.

Han Yuexi's Dao wounds, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's gamble, and Ye Chen, a mortal enemy capable of overturning his entire trading System.

The collapse of any single link would mean eternal damnation.

Not only did Lu Yuan not feel fear, but a cold, extreme sense of excitement surged from the depths of his Dao Heart.

The more complex the situation, the closer to the edge of collapse, the clearer his thinking became, and the crazier his calculations grew.

He would turn the tables on his opponent.

He wanted to leverage a shocking storm in this small valley, one capable of crushing even the oriole waiting to swoop in.

"Yun Yao."

Lu Yuan's voice held no emotion.

"Hmm?"

Yun Yao listened respectfully.

"In a moment, I will take you and flee."

"Flee?"

Yun Yao was stunned.

Based on her understanding of her master, these two words should never have appeared in his dictionary.

"Yes, use the way you are best at to show panic, fear, and desperation."

Lu Yuan's instructions were concise and clear.

"We are going to flee in that direction."

What he pointed to was precisely the direction where Ye Chen was lurking.

Yun Yao's heart constricted, but she did not ask why.

She simply nodded heavily, and deep within her eyes, a flash of morbid excitement and anticipation flickered and vanished.

Master was about to begin his unfathomable layout again.

Just at this moment, inside the valley.

Shi Zhan's roar finally made him lose his last shred of reason, and he charged toward his brother.

And Lu Yuan, at this very moment, issued his second instruction.

In the deep crevice of the valley, that ten-zhang tall war puppet moved.

It did not emit an earth-shattering roar, but instead, with an eerie gait completely at odds with its massive size, it walked silently out of the shadows, its huge metal palm, carrying the oppressive force of tearing through the air, reaching straight for the infighting gemini stars.

The timing was impeccable.

This move completely ignited the powder keg.

"You're courting death!"

Shi Zhan roared, gave up on teaching his brother a lesson, and turned to face the war puppet.

In his view, this was merely a powerful Puppet, a trump card of some Candidate.

He had to resolve this external threat first.

Inside the valley, a violent roar of spiritual energy erupted.

And Lu Yuan, taking Yun Yao with him, "hurriedly" dashed out from their hiding spot.

Their movements were frantic, fleeing toward the outside of the valley desperately.

"Hurry, go!"

The panic in his voice was just right.

Yun Yao's acting was even more superb; her face was deathly pale, and she even stumbled, only to be grabbed by Lu Yuan and dragged forward as they sprinted.

All of this fell into Ye Chen's eyes.

The corners of his mouth curled into a cold arc of complete control.

The fish had taken the bait.

He considered himself the most patient hunter, watching the prey run step by step into the trap he had meticulously set.

He could even feel that the Candidate named Lu Yuan was getting closer, carrying that unique "Law" aura that made him salivate.

As long as he devoured him, devoured that magical System of his, he would be able to complete his final shortcoming and become a truly perfect existence.

However, he did not see.

In the eyes of the "frantically fleeing" Lu Yuan, the entire world had already turned into a massive sandbox composed of countless data streams.

Every attack of the war puppet, every parry of Shi Zhan.

Every breath of Yun Yao, every fluctuation of his own heartbeat.

And... the aura of Demonic Corruption slowly gathering in the area where Ye Chen was lurking.

Everything was being quantified, calculated, and reassembled in his mind into a brand new, crazy trading model.

His consciousness had long since submerged into the Great Dao Options Exchange.

On the light screen, his operations were so fast they turned into afterimages.

He did not bet on himself winning, nor did he bet on Ye Chen losing.

He abandoned all trades concerning the "outcome."

He opened a rarely used section in the derivatives trading area with ridiculously high odds—[Special Event Volatility].

[Underlying Asset: In one quarter of an hour, the Law of Karma in the target area (coordinates XXX, XXX) will be completely chaotic.]

[Long (Bullish) Option: After purchase, if the event occurs, you will receive exponential returns based on the degree of Chaos.]

[Short (Bearish) Option: After purchase, if the event does not occur, you will receive a fixed 1.1 times return.]

This was a madman's option.

The Law of Karma is one of the most fundamental Laws of the world; unless a great expert at the Nascent Soul or even Soul Transformation level were fighting to the death here, it would be absolutely impossible for it to become "completely chaotic" in a short time.

But Lu Yuan, without the slightest hesitation, threw in the majority of the karma points he had just acquired.

All-in.

Buy long.

He wanted to personally turn this dead end into a chaotic storm that no one could predict and that was completely out of control.

Because only in the most chaotic markets can the smallest capital leverage the greatest gains.

Ye Chen's killing intent climbed to its peak.

He could already see Lu Yuan's unremarkable face, and he could see the stunningly beautiful maid beside him.

He was ready to strike.

Just now!

But just at the moment before he was about to erupt, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

Inside the valley, Shi Meng, who had just put the grievance spirit flower into his pocket, stiffened.

He let out a wail that did not sound human.

That wisp of black curse power that had burrowed into his body, under the induction of Ye Chen's massive and pure Demonic Corruption aura, erupted like a spark doused in hot oil!

"Ah—!"

Under Shi Meng's skin, countless black veins writhed and bulged madly; his bones made teeth-grinding "crack, crack" sounds, and his body twisted and expanded in a way that violated the Laws of physics.

His eyes lost all reason, leaving only the most primitive hatred and desire for destruction toward all living things.

He had mutated.

And it was just as Ye Chen hesitated due to this sudden change.

Somewhere on his body, an inconspicuous beacon, as if composed of starlight, flickered gently.

The light was extremely weak, yet it carried an ancient and weathered warning originating from the previous Universe epoch.

Warning him.

That seemingly weak prey ahead, the "System" carried within his body.

Could not be digested.