Shrugging, he took the sachet into his hand. Zong Shou then looked toward Xuanyuan Yiren with an inquiring smile.

Although the Reversal Cauldron Technique benefited him, matters such as this still required consulting his fiancée first.

Xuanyuan Yiren had initially maintained a stern expression, but she finally couldn't hold back a chuckle, turning her cheek aside to say, "I already told you, as long as you have the ability, I wouldn't mind if you took ten wives or eight."

Despite saying she didn't mind, her hand still circled Zong Shou’s waist. Then, after a slight hesitation, she added with a touch of uncertainty, "—I know her. The favored daughter of the Seven Spirits Sect. She once visited our sect; among peers, no one could match her. Back then, she was as proud as a swan, almost an exiled immortal. I am rather curious to see her suffer a setback because of you, Little Shou. But this act goes against the way of benevolence and righteousness, and I am unwilling to use you as a tool, so it’s quite contradictory—"

Zong Shou made two clicking sounds of disapproval, offering no comment, and ultimately tucked the sachet away.

The entire Spirit Communication Island had nearly half its area dedicated to the marketplace. The place was too small, and the streets were naturally narrow, packed shoulder-to-shoulder with an endless throng of people. Zong Shou led his group wandering through it, currently having no interest in browsing the humble shops or haggling at the street stalls; instead, they headed directly toward the establishments that specialized in spiritual artifacts.

In the Eastern Lin Continent, while the Kongqi Sect was most famous for artifact refining, possessing unique expertise in that area, sects like the Cloud Soaring Sect and the Seven Spirits Sect, which headed the nineteen spiritual prefectures, also had considerable traditions in artifact forging themselves.

And on this Spirit Communication Island, more than a dozen other major sects operated businesses.

However, just as Zong Shou was about to enter one of the Seven Spirits Treasure Pavilions belonging to the Seven Spirits Sect, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a figure in the distance, gazing back with palpable, surging resentment.

His lips instantly curved slightly, and he veered off, stepping into a different seven-story pavilion nearby.

Reaching the highest, seventh floor, the first person he saw was an old acquaintance.

"Isn't this Deacon Qiao? Long time no see, how have you been lately?"

Standing at the base of the first floor was Qiao Han, an outer deacon of the Kongqi Sect. Upon seeing Zong Shou, his face immediately turned ashen, and his tone grew stiff: "Not a deacon, but the Manager! I didn't realize City Lord Zong was here. What brings you? If it's for business, you can speak with your subordinates. I, Qiao Han, have sworn that for the rest of my life, I will never discuss commerce with City Lord Zong again!"

Zong Shou’s eyebrow twitched—Manager? That meant he had been demoted; no wonder the resentment was so intense.

He smiled faintly, walking carelessly toward Qiao Han: "Business ventures naturally have gains and losses; how can you blame me alone? Steward Qiao certainly lost a great deal last time. But a few days ago, didn't Steward Qiao also earn quite a bit from me? Over ten thousand Tier Two spiritual arrows sold for five thousand Tier Four beast crystals. At the usual rate, you could have bought five times that quantity for the same price—"

Qiao Han merely snorted, refusing to be placated: "It was eight thousand Tier Two Fire Thunder Arrows and six thousand Ice Gale Arrows. Only our Kongqi Sect could refine them to match the three-armed spiritual crossbows within ten days!"

"So selling those three-armed crossbows to me might not have been a loss. If I were handling that business, your three-armed crossbows would be better off sold cheap. Merely relying on selling the matching spiritual arrows would allow you to recoup your investment and more."

Qiao Han’s expression instantly stiffened slightly, a thoughtful look creeping into his eyes. Meanwhile, Chu Xue Hu, Zhongyuan, and the others nearby exchanged glances, all silently thinking, This poor fellow is being spun around by our Young Lord again.

Immediately after, they heard Zong Shou continue in a low voice, "May I ask if your Kongqi Sect has ever refined the Origin Annihilation Crossbow?"

Qiao Han snapped back to attention, secretly annoyed that he had once again been swayed by Zong Shou's words. However, his tone was no longer as cold as before.

"The Origin Annihilation Crossbow? Naturally, we have. It's the object used to suppress the beast tide beneath the Cloud Sea; all major sects procure them. I currently have a stock of one hundred units. But although this item possesses immense power, each shot requires at least one Tier Six beast crystal. Even major sects like the Cloud Soaring Sect cannot afford it. Why does the City Lord require this item?"

Knowing that this new Demon King of the Dry Heaven Mountain was, in fact, the shrewdest of men, Qiao Han held nothing back in his reply.

Suddenly, Qiao Han recalled the four thousand cloud ships gathered outside Spirit Communication Island. He gasped sharply: "City Lord, please reconsider! Private warfare beneath the Cloud Sea is strictly prohibited. Otherwise, all the sects of our Cloud Realm will surely attack you collectively!"

Others might find these items unaffordable or unwilling to use them, but Zong Shou, being immensely wealthy, had no such concerns.

Behind him, Chu Xue and the others also had their pupils contract. One Tier Six beast crystal was equivalent to one hundred Tier Four beast crystals, which was one-three-thousandth of the Dry Heaven Mountain’s annual income in previous years—

"Where is Brother Qiao’s mind wandering? I only came to buy the Origin Annihilation Crossbows to deal with those fierce beasts below,"

Zong Shou smiled with pure innocence, his eyes flashing with a peculiar light: "Sell me those four thousand three-armed spiritual crossbows at a low price! I will also pre-order one million Tier Two spiritual arrows. The total price will be two hundred thousand Tier Four beast crystals, deliverable within two years! I wonder, Brother Qiao, if making this transaction would allow you to return to the rank of Deacon?"

Qiao Han’s expression immediately stirred. Completing this massive deal would not only secure his original Outer Deacon position but would be enough for promotion to Outer Elder.

This transaction might even be worth far more than two hundred thousand Tier Four beast crystals. If the four thousand three-armed spiritual crossbows were sold, the Dry Heaven Mountain would have no choice but to rely solely on the Kongqi Sect for future spiritual arrow purchases.

Zong Shou read his expression and knew the matter was settled for the day. A devilish grin spread across his handsome face: "Additionally, I require the purchase of more Origin Annihilation Crossbows; however many you have, I want them all. There should be more than just the Kongqi Sect on Spirit Communication Island that possesses these. I’ll ask Deacon Qiao to go out and acquire and coordinate the collection for me. Naturally, this matter requires your absolute secrecy on my behalf."

This time, Qiao Han only pondered briefly before his brow unfurrowed: "Deal! I will buy the Origin Annihilation Crossbows from you at market price, ten Tier Six beast crystals per unit. I won't take advantage of you, and the City Lord shouldn't expect any discounts either—"

Chu Xue and the others held their breath tightly. One Origin Annihilation Crossbow cost a thousand Tier Four beast crystals. One hundred units meant one hundred thousand. What on earth was this thing that was so expensive? And Zong Shou, given his nature, was willing to spend it?

Zong Shou shook his head, suddenly walking directly to a weapon rack and picking up a sword.

Coincidentally, this was another Soul Weapon, but the Thunder Winged Yang Snake sealed within it was as high as Tier Six. This meant that in life, it must have been a fierce beast at least above the Seventh Tier.

Casually sliding the sword into his Lesser Qiankun Pouch, Zong Shou chuckled, speaking with irrefutable authority: "I don't need any discounts. But I need to buy something to cover my tracks this time. Consider this sword you are gifting me as an extra favor, how about that?"

※ ※ ※ ※

A total of eight hundred Origin Annihilation Crossbows were sent to Zong Shou’s flagship that very day by Qiao Han’s subordinates.

It was unclear what methods Qiao Han employed, but the matter was handled with extreme secrecy; not a single whisper spread across Spirit Communication Island. At least the cloud ships belonging to Tao Yun, Blazing Flame, and Yun Xia showed no abnormalities whatsoever.

Although the name Origin Annihilation Crossbow contained the character for 'crossbow,' it actually bore no relation to bows and arrows.

It was essentially a pure black, cannon-barrel-like object, twelve zhang long and half a zhang in diameter.

It was etched with extremely complex spiritual formations, and at the rear was a socket inlaid with a beast crystal.

This allowed it to directly convert the essence contained within a Tier Six beast crystal into highly concentrated destructive spiritual energy upon firing, hence the name Origin Annihilation. Its power was such that even Seventh Tier experts needed to regard it with extreme caution.

Assembly was straightforward; the Origin Annihilation Crossbow came with its own base and only required temporary fixing onto the deck.

However, this item and the three-armed spiritual crossbow each had their own strengths and weaknesses. The biggest flaw of the Origin Annihilation Crossbow was the extremely slow speed at which it converted spiritual energy. By the time it fired, Heavenly Position experts and Seventh Tier fierce beasts would long have vanished. Even a Day Roaming Spirit Master would have ample time to adjust their altar orientation.

The three-armed spiritual crossbow, while weaker in destructive power, was precise, fast, and fierce. When paired with Tier Five spiritual arrows, its might could even surpass the Origin Annihilation Crossbow.

With the goods secured, Zong Shou paid a total of one hundred Seventh Tier beast crystals, including the deposit for the million spiritual arrows.

However, Zong Shou felt no pangs of heartache this time; he simply considered it an initial investment. If he was going to make a move now, he would make a huge one, and he was certain to earn it all back.

That very night, the forty inner disciples from the Cloud Soaring Sect, whom Long Ruo had mobilized, successively boarded the ship.

Zong Shou had assumed that Long Ruo would likely just haphazardly pick some people to fulfill the requirement and be done with it.

But what arrived were a full forty experts at Tier Four or higher. Six of them were Martial Masters in the Martial Sect realm, surprisingly young, causing considerable astonishment.

The leader of the group was named Jing Tao, a Spirit Master in the Yang Restoration realm, who was unsmiling and stern. After boarding, he never offered Zong Shou a pleasant expression, though he did not cause any overt trouble either.

The very next day, the cloud ships from the two cities of Dry Heaven Profound Mountain merged and set sail. One thousand warships and eight hundred merchant vessels entered the Cloud Sea Vortex near Spirit Communication Island. Half of the merchant ships also hailed from Profound Mountain City.

The so-called Cloud Sea Vortex was essentially a massive whirlpool; warships could sail toward the lower Cloud Sea by following its outer edge.

Descending was effortless, but ascending was difficult, which is why complete floating spiritual arrays and a large supply of beast crystals were necessary.

The entire process went smoothly, without incident. The only annoyance was that the three-city fleet trailed behind them like a tail, impossible to shake off.

Once they reached beneath the Cloud Sea, the illusion before their eyes shifted again. This region was shrouded in gloom.

The Cloud Sea above was boundless and magnificent, but for the area below the clouds, it was a disaster.

Almost all light was blocked, leaving it incredibly dim. Black mist permeated everywhere. If not for every cloud ship being equipped with sufficient Spirit Masters to use spiritual arrays for illumination, visibility would have been almost zero.

The vegetation growing here was all bizarrely shaped. Moreover, the fierce beasts occasionally spotted on the ground mostly had red glints in their eyes, their ferocious aura fully manifest.

After all one thousand eight hundred cloud ships had descended, Zong Shou issued his first decree: "South! Head toward the Sea Spirit Plain—"

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