Chapter 335: Seizure and Distribution

Chapter 335: Seizure and Distribution

Ji Zhi was once a student of the Ten Thousand Laws University.

After graduation, he joined a pharmaceutical company, responsible for the cultivation and planting of medicinal herbs.

Thanks to his outstanding professional skills and a diligent, hardworking spirit, he outperformed his senior colleagues and was entrusted with managing a vast medicinal herb plantation all by himself.

His salary grew higher and higher, and the floor of the apartment he rented climbed steadily as well.

The elixirs he consumed gradually switched to premium brands, and the enchanted artifacts he wore were replaced one by one with high-end items.

He began to afford meat once a month and occasionally attended guidance lectures given by Nascent Soul True Lords.

He no longer traveled via magnetic channels but walked through anti-gravity passages instead...

Just as Ji Zhi believed he would grow wealthier step by step and his life would keep improving, it seemed as though fate decided to play a cruel joke on him.

"Severe contamination by No. 18 Malignant Qi. The qi has already seeped into your internal organs. Immediate surgery is required, or you will lose your ability to work within a month at most."

When Ji Zhi heard these words from the doctor, his mind went blank, and he felt utterly disoriented.

Later, he learned that the growth hormones used by the company to cultivate medicinal herbs contained large amounts of No. 18 Malignant Qi.

This qi was a crucial element for the growth of the herbs he cultivated, but prolonged exposure was extremely harmful to the human body.

To cover the surgery costs, Ji Zhi sank deep into debt. Even after the surgery, he still needed to spend spirit coins daily on treatments to purify the malignant qi—a lifelong regimen that would continue until his death.

He wanted to change jobs but discovered that, given his work experience and professional skills, he couldn't find any formal employment outside medicinal herb cultivation that could cover his treatment expenses.

He sought compensation from the company, but the lengthy procedures and endless buck-passing between departments wore down his patience.

Deep down, he understood: "They are waiting for me to die."

"Just like they did with the other affected clients."

To sustain his medical expenses, Ji Zhi had no choice but to continue working at the company.

However, to reduce the harm from malignant qi contamination, his work efficiency inevitably declined, and his salary and performance bonuses dwindled.

It was then that Ji Zhi finally understood the looks his ousted seniors had given him.

It wasn’t jealousy or hatred—it was them looking at their former selves, just as he now looked at the university students poised to replace him.

To fill the financial gap caused by his declining income, Ji Zhi had to cut back on his expenses.

He moved to lower and lower apartment floors, replaced his enchanted artifacts with cheaper alternatives, and relied mainly on defective products manufactured by the company for his medication.

But this further diminished his work capabilities, eventually landing him on the company’s layoff list.

Without his company income, Ji Zhi could only rely on temporary jobs to scrape by, making it even harder to afford his treatments and repay his debts.

Just when he felt cornered, the Maiying Society found him and offered him a job cultivating Earth-Qi Wheat.

This immortal wheat strain contained rich food essence but was difficult to cultivate, requiring experts like Ji Zhi for large-scale production.

At first, it was just farming. Then came flour processing. To increase his income, he took on tasks like assassination and gang conflicts.

Later, to further boost the Earth-Qi Wheat yield, he initiated a project to steal mortals and turn them into blood-pool fertilizer, transforming mortals into his resources to sustain his life.

"This is Kunxu. In Kunxu, you have to devour others to become wealthy and survive."

"Just as the company devours us, we devour mortals."

And so, Ji Zhi lived day by day in the dark cultivation realm, with his life constantly hanging by a thread.

Until today...

Under the combined assault of Zhang Yu and the other two, Ji Zhi’s fury erupted, and a violent killing intent surged within him: "If I were at my peak... how could I be suppressed like this by you?"

Roar!

With a furious roar, the built-in potions in the enchanted artifacts on his arms automatically injected, causing Ji Zhi’s body to swell once more. Violent astral qi surged out, carrying terrifying heat that radiated in all directions.

His vision obscured by advertisements and his moves constantly blocked, Ji Zhi unleashed his full power, releasing his Solar Astral Qi to attack indiscriminately with a high-temperature field.

Zhang Pianpian warned, "He’s trying to destroy the goods. Don’t let him succeed."

Zhang Yu said, "I’ll hold him off from the front."

Feeling the scorching heat rushing toward him, Zhang Yu was the first to charge forward, restraining the opponent alongside several human-shaped astral qi projections.

As their astral qi clashed and forces collided, Zhang Yu felt as though he had caught hundreds of tons of concrete in one breath.

With his Three-Eyes Divine Ability, Yu Xinghan instantly grasped the changes in everyone’s techniques. In a flash, he braved the scorching heat and threw a punch at the opening in Ji Zhi’s defenses.

With a thunderous explosion, accompanied by the burst of astral qi, the protective layer covering Ji Zhi’s back was blasted open by Yu Xinghan.

As the astral qi rapidly surged to close the gap, Zhang Pianpian clearly marked the spot in her Eye Artifact and inscribed two golden characters: "Strike Here."

Empowered by the Deep Cold Law Vein, Le Mulan pointed a finger, blending her frost magic with the medicinal energy within her body. Before the astral qi could close, she sent it into Ji Zhi’s back.

Already in an explosive state, Ji Zhi was further stimulated by this medicinal energy. His blood vessels dilated, and his heart beat even more violently. At the same time, Zhang Yu activated the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force. As the human-shaped astral qi projections tightly embraced Ji Zhi, waves of scorching Solar Astral Qi erupted abruptly.

"What?!"

"My Solar Astral Qi?"

Ji Zhi’s body temperature had already risen with the activation of his Solar Astral Qi. Now, Zhang Yu’s attack was like adding fuel to the fire, causing his internal temperature to skyrocket once more.

This sudden temperature surge accelerated the effects of the medicinal energy within him. Combined with his violently beating heart, Ji Zhi felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

But it wasn’t over yet. Right after the Solar Astral Qi triggered by the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force struck, Zhang Yu followed up with a palm strike, infusing terrifying cold energy into Ji Zhi’s body.

The frost magic of Zhang Yu and Le Mulan converged within Ji Zhi’s body and erupted simultaneously.

The conflicting forces of extreme heat and extreme cold clashed inside him. Some of his blood and qi were accelerated wildly, while others were slowed to a crawl or even frozen, causing his meridians to rupture all over his body.

Pfft!

Ji Zhi spat out a mouthful of blood, and the astral qi around him wavered slightly. In that instant, his defenses were wide open, giving Yu Xinghan the chance to land several more punches.

Zhang Yu and Le Mulan immediately pressed their advantage, unleashing a furious assault that completely overwhelmed Ji Zhi in moments.

Within seconds, Zhang Yu, Le Mulan, and Yu Xinghan stopped simultaneously. Looking at the now-quiet hideout, they all let out a subconscious sigh of relief.

Knowing they were about to confront gang members from the dark cultivation realm, it was impossible not to feel nervous.

After all, from what they understood, these gangsters were ruthless, bloodthirsty individuals who fought to the death.

If even one escaped, it would spell immense trouble.

But under Zhang Pianpian’s guidance, this operation had been a masterstroke. Not only did they choose the moment when the enemy’s defenses were weakest, but they also maintained the upper hand from start to finish.

"Don’t celebrate too soon," Zhang Pianpian’s voice echoed in their ears. "What comes next is the most important part."

She walked in slowly, her gaze sweeping over the stacks of flour bricks.

Since combat talismans were too easily detected by righteous deities, Zhang Pianpian hadn’t intervened directly but had chosen to provide support from behind the scenes.

Now, looking at the flour bricks scattered across the floor, she said, "We need to transport this batch of goods out."

Yu Xinghan asked, "What about the Earth-Qi Wheat still growing in the fields?"

Apart from the storage room they were in, the hideout also contained a cultivation chamber where a significant amount of Earth-Qi Wheat was planted.

Zhang Pianpian replied, "We can’t touch the Earth-Qi Wheat in the cultivation chamber. It’s too easy to raise suspicions. Leave it for the investigation team to discover."

"As for these flour bricks..." Zhang Pianpian estimated, "Their market price is around 100 spirit coins."

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Yu, Yu Xinghan, and Yue Mulan all took a sharp breath.

"This batch of bricks is worth over a hundred spirit coins, enough for us to split."

Yu Xinghan couldn't help but remark, "So valuable, yet they only stationed one Foundation Establishment cultivator to guard it. That's far too careless."

Zhang Pianpian replied calmly, "Normally, there are two. We simply chose a time when the other one was away."

"Besides, even with more Foundation Establishment cultivators, it would be meaningless against the inspection team. The key in the Dark Cultivation Zone is concealment. The hidden passages here are sufficiently discreet, and their spirit devices and surveillance systems aren't connected to external networks."

"If Zhang Yu hadn't accidentally discovered a clue, and if I hadn't forcibly infiltrated, they could likely have operated safely for a long time."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "If not for the ritual of the evil god, I wouldn't have been certain that people from the Dark Cultivation Zone were here either."

Yu Xinghan crouched down to examine the spirit devices on the corpse and asked curiously, "Even though they had goods worth over a hundred spirit coins, why do their spirit devices look like cheap trinkets?"

"Those Qi Refining gang members also appeared thin and weak, as if they hadn't eaten their fill."

Zhang Pianpian said casually, "Who told you that farming guarantees a full stomach? Do you think just because they grow Earth Qi Wheat, they can afford to eat it?"

"Besides, after these goods are sold, the bulk of the profits must be handed over to those above."

"Just consider how they managed to set up this underground cultivation base in Huilong Garden. Do you think there aren't any insiders in the cemetery cooperating with them? And the status of these insiders is likely not low."

Upon hearing this, Yu Xinghan felt a slight stir in his heart and mused thoughtfully, "Some higher-ups are cracking down harshly on the Dark Cultivation Zone, while others are secretly supporting it to profit from it?"

Zhang Pianpian said, "Alright, let's not waste time. Zhang Yu, set aside one-tenth of the goods."

"One-tenth?" Thinking that a tenth would only amount to a little over ten spirit coins, Zhang Yu couldn't help but say, "One-tenth... Are we taking too little?"

Zhang Pianpian replied calmly, "The one-tenth is left here for the inspection team."

"We'll take the remaining nine-tenths."

Zhang Yu was startled and asked, "How do we transport it out?"

"This is a cemetery," Zhang Pianpian said. "The simplest way, of course, is to transport it out as ashes."

(End of Chapter)