67: Chapter 67 All I See Is Money

Zhao Yi's urgent call exploded in the Pojun Division Command Center.

Lei Qianjue was not there.

He had left early that morning for a meeting at headquarters.

Left in charge was his assistant, the Rank 7 Martial Emperor, Assistant Chen Feng.

Assistant Chen Feng grabbed the microphone at the communication console, his face looking grim.

"Make yourself clear! Are you certain it's a Lord Level demon?"

Zhao Yi's rapid, gasping voice came through the communicator: "Confirmed! That group of demons has absolute organizational discipline; the skirmishers are even covering for the main force! The direction Li Zhengyang chased them in definitely contains the leader's lair!"

The hall fell into a deathly silence for a second.

Lord Level.

Those weren't ordinary Rank 6 or Rank 7 demons; they were existences at the late stage or even the peak of the Martial Emperor realm, monsters only a hair's breadth away from Overlord Level.

Two years ago, a demon broke through to Overlord Level, directly resulting in the total annihilation of three Pojun Division squads. Even the Deputy Division Chief who went to support them was severely injured and nearly died.

Now, that thing had appeared again.

Once it successfully stepped into the Overlord Level outside the wall, the entire Northern defense line would be torn open.

"Venerable Lei is not here, we can't wait!"

Assistant Chen Feng shoved his chair away and commanded at the top of his lungs: "Pass the order! All Pojun Division battalions in camp, including combat personnel in the logistics sequence, are to move out of the wall immediately to support the C7 area!"

He gripped the communicator tightly and roared over the entire channel: "All squads, attempt to advance toward the target coordinates! If you discover that the Blood Demon has already broken through to Overlord Level... you must retreat! Do not hesitate! Retreat immediately!"

Everyone in the hall knew what this order implied.

If it broke through, the Martial Emperors present would just be throwing their lives away if they went.

"I have already sent a top-secret, encrypted urgent message to Venerable Lei."

"Move fast! Get all the armored vehicles out!"

...

Li Zhengyang knew nothing of the despair and anxiety in the Command Center.

He wasn't even interested in knowing.

"Hmph."

Li Zhengyang gripped the abyssal meteor dragon spear with one hand and flicked his wrist.

The long spear transformed into a bolt of lightning, piercing directly through the shoulder of the second demon that had turned to run.

The terrifying piercing power of the Dragon Tooth Armor Piercing rendered the demon's body, which was comparable to alloy, useless.

The piercing force carried its body off the ground, and with a thud, pinned it firmly against the rock wall.

The demon's limbs flailed in the air, and dark black blood flowed down the stone wall.

Li Zhengyang didn't even glance at it.

He strode toward the last demon, grabbed its neck with his left hand, slammed it hard against the rock face, and stepped on its chest with his right foot.

"Now, you're the only one left."

Li Zhengyang looked down at it, his voice devoid of any emotion.

This last demon was already scared out of its wits. The bone spurs on its back, which it was so proud of, drooped limply, and its vertical pupils held nothing but extreme fear of death. It trembled, its hands clutching the bag filled with blood soul orbs tightly.

"I'll talk! I'll say anything! Don't kill me!"

"What is this thing?" Li Zhengyang applied a little pressure with his foot.

"Crack."

Two of the demon's ribs snapped in response, and it let out a shrill scream.

"It's a blood soul orb! It's a tribute for Lord Blood Demon!"

The demon's features twisted in pain as it spat out bloody foam, "We extract the blood energy of human martial artists and refine them into these blood soul orbs..."

It spilled all its secrets in one breath.

"What does the Blood Demon want with this stuff?"

Li Zhengyang's tone was cold and hard.

"To break through! Lord Blood Demon is currently stuck at the half-step Martial Venerable stage. As long as it absorbs this batch of blood soul orbs, it can completely cross that threshold and become an Overlord Level! That is what you humans call... Martial Venerable!"

Overlord Level, Martial Venerable.

Li Zhengyang's gaze changed.

A half-step Martial Venerable level demon, how much would its demon core be worth?

The price would definitely skyrocket several times over. If this thing were sold, it would be a huge windfall.

"M-Master, I've already told you everything..."

The demon looked at Li Zhengyang's bloodshot eyes, thinking he was furious to the extreme, and was still desperately begging for its life.

Li Zhengyang didn't speak.

He simply bent down and snatched the bag the demon was clutching tightly in its arms.

The demon froze for a moment, its hands suddenly empty.

"Pfft."

Li Zhengyang pulled the dragon spear from the rock wall and followed through with a backhand sweep.

Without any hesitation.

The spear blade traced an arc, cleanly and decisively severing the demon's neck.

Li Zhengyang kicked the headless corpse aside and planted the abyssal meteor dragon spear into the ground beside him.

He hefted the bag in his hand and untied it.

As the bag opened, a rich scent of blood energy rushed out.

A pile of beads the size of pigeon eggs rolled out.

Their surfaces shimmered with a halo, and the surrounding air temperature rose by a few degrees.

Li Zhengyang poured them into his palm and counted.

Ten of them.

blood soul orbs, estimated market value of two million each.

Ten of them meant twenty million.

A full twenty million great xia currency.

Plus the demon cores collected from killing his way here, this trip outside the wall was a huge profit!

Li Zhengyang couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from curling upward.

He unceremoniously swept the ten blood soul orbs into his storage space.

Then he walked over to the three headless corpses, deftly cut open their chests, and collected their demon cores as well.

Even a mosquito's leg is meat; nothing must go to waste.

"Perfect finish."

Li Zhengyang clapped his hands in satisfaction, picked up the abyssal meteor dragon spear, and turned to leave.

Just as he turned around.

"Buzz, buzz!"

A vibration suddenly came from the waist of the corpse on the ground.

Li Zhengyang stopped.

He looked down and saw a bead, which was currently flashing with a red light.

Li Zhengyang walked back and picked it up.

As soon as it was in his hand, a demon's voice came from the bead:

"Third brother! Has your group gathered the tribute yet? Lord Blood Demon is already in the blood pool preparing for secluded cultivation; it's rushing us!"

"The blood soul orbs from the last three groups will arrive at the Bone Tower in half an hour. Once you finish the handover, hurry back! It seems like some tough character has entered the perimeter!"

The voice cut off abruptly.

The underground Bone Tower returned to a deathly silence.

Li Zhengyang slowly lowered the hand holding the abyssal meteor dragon spear.

Three more groups?

Arriving in half an hour?

He turned his head slowly back to the eerie and terrifying bone altar.

He changed his mind.

A greedy light erupted in his eyes once again.

His legs, which had already stepped out in preparation to retreat, were forcefully pulled back.

"Three groups."

Li Zhengyang licked his somewhat dry lips.

Isn't this just money growing legs and running here on its own?

Not to mention that "Overlord Level" Blood Demon preparing to break through in secluded cultivation.

"Half an hour," Li Zhengyang muttered to himself.

"Bang."

He stomped the communication bead on the ground into powder.

"I was actually planning to leave."

He shouldered the dragon spear, walked into the shadow of a huge rock beside the Bone Tower, found a comfortable spot, and sat down, "But the God of Wealth insists on extending the session. If I refuse this, I'll be struck by lightning."

He stared quietly at the entrance of the canyon.

Any potential crisis, any Blood Demon breaking through to tear open the defense line—all of it was thrown to the back of his mind.

In his eyes right now, there was only money.

...