Enduring humiliation for three years, seizing the elixir, the treasure, and the holy maiden.

"Fellow Daoist, are you interested in buying the mountain?"

"I want to buy it."

"How much do you want to buy?"

"North of the main peak of Cangwu Ridge, there is an area of ​​eight hundred li in circumference."

The hall was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Some people laughed so hard they slapped the table, while others laughed so hard they choked and coughed incessantly.

Chai Yue also laughed, and as he laughed, he narrowed his eyes.

A Nascent Soul cultivator, alone, entered the Cangwu Ridge, demanding eight hundred miles of mountain range.

Either he's mentally ill.

Either you have someone backing you up.

Chai Yue's divine sense swept over Su Chen again.

Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, with mediocre aura.

There wasn't a single decent magical artifact on his body, except for the strange material of his blue robe.

Who cares if he has someone behind him?

In Cangwu Ridge, Chai was the god.

If we swallow up all this wealth first, and someone really comes knocking on our door, we'll be long gone by then. Who will know who did it?

"Eight hundred li is not out of the question."

Chai Yue leaned back in his chair and held up three fingers.

"Thirty million spirit stones."

"In addition, the Chishui Alliance will take 50% of the demon cores produced by Cangwu Ridge every year thereafter."

This price is so low, you'd be being polite to call it robbery.

The dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators in the hall all stared at Su Chen, waiting to see how this outsider would react.

Su Chen scratched his chin.

I brushed against a blade of grass on the mountain path earlier, and it itched the whole way. I only just got my hand free now.

"The price is a bit high."

"However, since I am sincere in wanting to buy it, Alliance Leader Chai, please allow me to go back and try to raise the funds."

Chai Yue laughed even harder.

He was indeed a fat sheep.

"Of course, of course."

"Three days later, I, Chai, will set up a table of wine in this hall. Fellow Daoist, please bring your spirit stones, and we will sign the contract in person."

It's a deal.

Su Chen cupped his hands in greeting, turned around, and left the Hall of Gathering Righteousness.

Behind him, Chai Yuechong's subordinate gave him a wink.

Su Chen neither turned around nor exposed him.

Taking Cangwu Ridge is not difficult.

The difficulty lies in the fact that even after the raid, these local thugs continue to roam the mountains, robbing caravans one day and stealing demon pills the next.

After the demon race settled down, they argued with these people every day, and trouble was bound to break out within three years.

Chai Yue personally got up and poured Su Chen a bowl of wine.

"Fellow Daoist, you are straightforward."

"Come on, finish this bowl first."

Su Chen picked up the bowl and took a sip.

It was so spicy it made my throat burn, and then a bitter aftertaste lingered.

This wine is far inferior to the spiritual brews of the upper realm, but it's quite good with rice.

After several rounds of drinks, the people in the hall became increasingly noisy.

Chai Yue put down his wine bowl and reached for the storage bag in front of Su Chen.

Su Chen raised his hand and pressed down on the opening of the bag.

"Spirit stones, huh..."

"I certainly cannot owe you anything."

"However, this is a transaction."

"In the cultivation world, transactions require the signing of a spiritual contract."

Su Chen's lips curled up slightly.

Looks like it's time to get down to business...

"A contract?"

"Fellow Daoist, let me tell you the truth."

"The mountains of Cangwu Ridge are never for sale."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chai Yue's spiritual pressure suddenly spread out.

The pressure from the late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was like a mountain pressing down.

The dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators in the hall stood up at the same time and each summoned their magical treasures.

Dark red patterns lit up on the bluestone slabs beneath their feet, converging from all directions towards the center, instantly covering the entire Hall of Gathering Righteousness.

Spirit-Locking Array.

As soon as the array patterns closed, the spiritual energy in the hall was completely drained.

The bowl of mountain fruit liquor in front of Su Chen had fine ripples on its surface.

"The Red Water Alliance will accept your wealth, fellow Daoist."

Chai Yue grinned maliciously as he approached step by step.

"Considering your sincerity, fellow Daoist, I, Chai, will grant you a complete corpse."

Su Chen remained seated.

As the spiritual pressure of the late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator piled up layer by layer, the wooden chair beneath him creaked and groaned.

Thinking that Su Chen was unable to move, Chai Yue's sinister smile widened, and he raised his hand to grab Su Chen's crown.

Su Chen sighed.

The layer of spiritual energy that had been pressing down all the way shed itself like a molting shell.

The combined pressure slowly spread from Su Chen's body.

There was no lightning, no sword cries, just a deep, bone-chilling oppression.

The array patterns of the Spirit Locking Array crumbled inch by inch, one ring after another.

The dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators in the hall suddenly collapsed to their knees and knelt down with a thud.

The magical artifacts in their hands clattered and fell to the ground, and some people couldn't even keep their knees up, their whole bodies sticking to the ground.

Chai Yue is the closest.

The hand that was reaching for Su Chen's crown was left suspended in mid-air, unable to fall even an inch further.

Under this oppressive force, the spiritual power of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was like a drop of water falling into the sea.

Chai Yue opened his mouth, trying to breathe, but couldn't get a single breath in.

Fit.

A powerful being in the fusion phase.

Chai Yue had roamed Cangwu Ridge for hundreds of years, and had never even seen many cultivators at the Void Refinement stage.

Today, I unexpectedly stumbled upon a combined entity.

"Alliance Leader Chai."

Su Chen picked up the bowl of mountain fruit soup and took another sip.

"Is this mountain for sale now?"

Chai Yue slammed his knees to the ground, cold sweat trickling down his forehead along the old scar.

"S-Senior, spare my life!"

"This junior was blind and offended your senior!"

Su Chen put down his wine bowl and tapped his knuckles twice on the table.

Killing a few Nascent Soul cultivators in the lower realm is a piece of cake.

But wiping out an entire alliance in one go would cause too much of a stir.

The Xuanhuang and Heishan continents are full of spies, and there's also a Supreme Elder of the Luoyun Sect in Qingzhou.

Su Chen didn't want to get into this trouble.

"Su gave Chai two options."

"Either take the people of the Red Water Alliance and get out of Cangwu Ridge, and never set foot here again."

"Or stay."

Chai Yue was taken aback.

"In a few days, a group of demons will come from the Boundless Sea and settle down in Cangwu Ridge."

"The people of the Red Water Alliance are familiar with the mountain roads and lead the way for the demon race, guard the mountain paths, and escort them across the border."

"We'll use this to pay off the debts from robbing caravans and smuggling demon pills over the years."

The hall was deathly silent.

To be a guide for the demon race?

The Chishui Alliance knows exactly how many demon cores they've extracted over the years.

Now, leading the demon race is no different from putting a noose around your own neck.

But if they were to roll out of Cangwu Ridge...

The enemies the Chishui Alliance has made over the years are spread across both continents. Once they leave this ridge, they won't live more than three months.

Chai Yue gritted his teeth, almost crushing them to pieces.

"This junior... will stay."

Su Chen nodded and withdrew his oppressive aura.

The kneeling deities in the hall were panting heavily, like fish pulled ashore.

Su Chen picked up the storage bag, put it back in his sleeve, and got up to walk out.

As he reached the door, he turned back to look at Chai Yue one last time.

"The name 'Red Water Alliance' can be discontinued from now on."

Chai Yue remained kneeling until Su Chen's breath had completely dissipated before daring to raise his head.

Chai Yue swallowed his anger.

His mouth was full of blood.

They hid it so well, yet they could release their combined cultivation level so easily.

Behind this person, there might be some important figure from the upper realm.

We can't afford to mess with them.

Let's avoid it for now.

The mountain wind from Cangwu Ridge rushed in through the hall door, causing the torches scattered on the ground to flicker.

That night, the red banner of the Chishui Alliance was torn down from the gate of the village.

But the story of that kneeling in the Hall of Righteousness still got out.

The independent cultivators of Cangwu Ridge began to whisper among themselves, saying that an old monster had come to the ridge.

A beam of light swept across the boundless sea.

The first group of demons to migrate out of the small world...

...