Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 453 - 453 0319 The Eight Steeds of the Trading

Chapter 453: Chapter 0319: The Eight Steeds of the Trading Company Chapter 453: Chapter 0319: The Eight Steeds of the Trading Company Chapter 0319: The Eight Stalwarts of Wanjie Commerce

Upon hearing Wan Xiaolan’s analysis, Qi Tian revealed a troubled expression. He had anticipated that Wan Xiaolan might demand the Locust Thief Bees from him. When he had decided to employ them, he had already foreseen this outcome; it did not seem abrupt. He had enough mental preparation. However, two main concerns troubled him. One was Wan Xiaolan taking advantage of her status to force him into selling the Locust Thief Bees at a low price. The other was the havoc wreaked by the bees, making him hesitant to sell them off easily. He had managed to control the bees and uproot their hive by sheer chance. For others, accomplishing such a feat might not be possible. If he ended up selling these bees to Wan Xiaolan, and if she ended up losing control over them, causing them to swarm, he, as the instigator, would bear a major sin. Qi Tian certainly had no intention of reducing a part of the Cultivation World into ruins.

“Senior, in theory, I should not refuse if you want something. However, the Locust Thief Bees are akin to locusts in the Cultivation World. Any place they pass becomes barren. Are you prepared for such consequences?” Qi Tian voiced his concerns.

Wan Xiaolan dismissed his worries with a chuckle. “Qi Tian, think about it. You, as a mere Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, what techniques do you have? If you, can do something, can’t I, a Gold Core stage cultivator, do the same? Even if I can’t, can’t Wanjie Commerce find a way? Do you underestimate Wanjie Commerce, or do you look down on a Nascent Soul Master?”

“I certainly don’t mean any disrespect,” Qi Tian hastily replied. He dared not have an iota of disrespect towards Nascent Soul Masters, who could crush him a hundred times over with a single finger. Not even in his words. He always reminded himself to know his place, not to draw trouble with his words. It was not worth it.

“If you have no other concerns, give me a straight answer. Are you willing to transfer ownership?” Wan Xiaolan asked again.

With Wan Xiaolan’s words reaching such a point, if Qi Tian still refused to sell the Locust Thief Bees, he would offend her. Hence, Qi Tian agreed decisively. “Sure. If you want them, how can I possibly refuse? I do not need any special incantations to control them. Consider them sold to you now. Oh, and there’s this.”

While he spoke, Qi Tian took out a honey jar and handed it to Wan Xiaolan. Qi Tian did not care at all about the bees or the honey that could control them. In the storeroom of the Heavenly Dao Engine, he had countless similar items. Moreover, controlling the bees was not as simple as it seemed. He wasn’t particularly confident that Wan Xiaolan or Wanjie Commerce, which she represented, would manage to control them. He expected a lot of fun in the future, but it wouldn’t be his problem anymore.

Pleased with Qi Tian’s obedient attitude, Wan Xiaolan accepted the honey jar. He then said, “All these Locust Thief Bees have high cultivation levels. I will count them as three hundred middle-grade spirit stones each. The honey in the jar, I’ll count it as five thousand middle-grade spirit stones. Let’s make it a round figure, a total of twenty thousand middle-grade spirit stones. Can you accept this price?”

The Locust Thief Bees Qi Tian brought out all had a cultivation level equal to the initial stage of Foundation Establishment. Such insects usually sell at three hundred middle-grade spirit stones each, which is not a high price. Especially considering the unique uses of the marvelous Locust Thief Bees, their price shouldn’t be too cheap. For someone discerning, even after adding a zero to the price quoted by Wan Xiaolan, it could be a possible deal.

However, Qi Tian clearly had no bargaining power with Wan Xiaolan. Furthermore, he lacked the mood to haggle over the price at this moment. After all, there was a mine awaiting him. The sooner he started, the more spirit stones he might dig out. The spirit stones he could earn by digging would most likely surpass what he might gain from prolonged haggling with Wan Xiaolan.

Knowing what to hold onto and what to let go of, Qi Tian’s decision was crystal clear at this moment. He nodded and said, “Alright, let’s seal the deal at the price suggested by senior. Only, I hope we can clear the deal now.”

Knowing he had scored a huge bargain and acknowledging Qi Tian’s contributions, Wan Xiaolan did not want to go too far. He readily threw a spirit stone bag at Qi Tian, containing exactly twenty thousand middle-grade spirit stones.

After confirming the amount and quality of the spirit stones in the bag using the Heavenly Dao Engine, Qi Tian found Wan Xiaolan far fairer than Lin youbi. All these middle-grade spirit stones were brand new, unused ones, each brimming with Spirit Qi. Even among middle-grade spirit stones, there were minor differences in the amount of Spirit Qi they contained, deciding their precise grade. Although these middle-grade spirit stones were of a lower grade, they were indeed brand new, having the same value as high-grade middle-grade spirit stones in terms of currency.

Qi Tian promptly tucked the spirit stone bag into his bosom and bowed to Wan Xiaolan. “Senior, I must leave now. We will be in touch.”

At that moment, Wan Xiaolan was scrutinizing the honey jar Qi Tian had given him to see how much honey was left. He paid little heed to Qi Tian, waved his hand in his direction, and let him leave.

The battle within the protective barrier was in full swing. Numerous cultivators from Wanjie Commerce and those hired formed a massive group that entered the barrier, launching an intense fight against the native cultivators.

The native cultivators are not as powerful as the Wanjie Commerce in overall strength. In the past, they could rely on defensive arrays placed ahead of time and retreat inside them for recovery when they could no longer hold on. However, now that the defensive array has been broken, they have no place left to retreat to. They can only fight to the death against Wanjie Commerce, and at this point, their overall weakness is completely manifested.

Perhaps in some localized situations, native cultivators could still gain a certain advantage, but on the whole, their failure is now irreversible. In most cases, the native cultivators were either killed or ran away when they couldn’t hold on any longer.

When Qi Tian entered, he found that the native cultivators had retreated to the entrance of the mine. If they were to step back any further, they wouldn’t be able to hold onto their vein anymore. Many native cultivators stood their ground like nails here, refusing to retreat even in the face of death.

These native cultivators were not weak. They were either at the Half-step Golden Core stage or the peak of Foundation Establishment. The place at the entrance of the mine, after all, is limited, and deploying spells by cultivators cannot disregard distance. Therefore, only a limited number of cultivators who can attack the entrance of the mine were able to engage in battle. For a time, the native cultivators surprisingly held a relative advantage at the entrance of the mine.

“All of you, move.”

From behind the cultivators from the Wanjie Commerce side, a voice rang out. Everyone turned to see eight Half-step Golden Core cultivators in uniform attire walking in a line, each one of them holding a staff in their hand, with a cold and stern expression on their faces.

“The Commerce’s Eight Stallions.” Recognizing them, a cultivator exclaimed.

This time, in order to seize this vein once and for all, Wanjie Commerce not only dispatched Wan Xiaolan and Lin Youbi, two Gold Core powerhouses, but also sent over one hundred Half-step Golden core cultivators. The strongest aspect of the Commerce’s Eight Stallions was not their individual combat power, but their combined skill. Once the eight brothers joined forces, their manoeuvres were earth-shattering, and even the weaker Gold Core powerhouses could feel threatened.

The Commerce’s Eight Stallions entered the attack range swiftly, each choosing their position. They then simultaneously lifted their staves high. One after another, the runes on the staves were activated, the gemstones on their staves lit up, and rays of different colors soared into the sky, converging mid-air.

Then, neighs of steeds could be heard from the sky, and the converging rays transformed into galloping horses, circling in the sky. They were entirely condensed from mana and each embodied a terrible energy.

“Go.” The leader of the Commerce’s Eight Stallions coldly ordered, looking at the native cultivators stubbornly blocking the entrance of the mine and refusing to retreat.

The ethereal steeds neighed and dove towards the native cultivators.

The native cultivators, recognizing the severity of the situation, either cast spells towards the horses or employed defensive measures, hoping to block these steeds from approaching. However, their movements were too slow and the Commerce’s Eight Stallions were not empty threats, their summoned steeds arrived almost instantly and descended into the midst of the native cultivators.

Bang, bang, bang, one after another, native cultivators were sent flying by the steeds. Those who were hit, the luckier ones vomited blood and had multiple fractures, while the unluckier ones were killed on the spot.

The blow from the Commerce’s Eight Stallions dealt a huge blow to these native cultivators. Their counterattacks suddenly weakened, nearby Wanjie Commerce cultivators promptly seized the opportunity, launching a joint attack on the native cultivators.

Now, the native cultivators could no longer hold on. They dared not continue to stand their ground at the entrance of the mine, either attempting to break through or retreating into the depths of the mine, hoping to utilize the complex terrain within the mine to stage a final clash with the cultivators of Wanjie Commerce.

Qi Tian followed the crowd and rushed into the mine. Although he felt some sympathy for the plight of the native cultivators, asking Qi Tian to give up the spirit stones within his grasp and leave was something he couldn’t do. Ever since becoming a cultivator, Qi Tian had understood that at any time he needed to seize the opportunity to gather resources for cultivation. Otherwise, when you need it, nobody will give you resources for practice because of your past kindness.