Chapter 82: Chapter 81: Zhang Hao’s Advice, the Blood Feeding Sect’s Three-Day Plan

A chill ran down Han Feng’s spine.

The dangers of this world far exceeded his imagination.

"Of course, it’s a different story if you have powerful backing,"

Zhang Hao said, his tone shifting.

"If your dad was a Grandmaster, or if you had an uncle in the Enlightenment Realm serving on the council, then you could sign whatever you want."

"Even if you gave those corporations a mountain of courage, they wouldn’t dare try anything funny with you."

"If anything happened, they couldn’t afford to face the wrath of a powerful expert."

"But what about you?"

Zhang Hao looked at him.

"You’re just like me—an ordinary person with no background."

"So, remember my words."

Zhang Hao stared into his eyes.

"For people like us, until we’re strong enough to flip the table, the safest bet is to only eat from the school’s bowl."

"Go get your Talent assessed, get a rating, and then just obediently collect the public benefits provided by the university."

"Those benefits don’t require you to pay any extra price."

"Things like the monthly stipend, discounts on resource exchanges, priority access to Cultivation Chambers, and so on."

"As for any benefits that come knocking on your door, don’t touch a single one until you’re strong enough."

"As long as you aren’t greedy and don’t sign any of those shady agreements, you’ll always be under the university’s protection. No one can touch you."

Han Feng let out a long breath.

Zhang Hao’s words had clearly marked both the path he should take and the pits along the roadside.

He had his golden finger, so his ability to make money wasn’t weak.

There was absolutely no need to gamble away his future for some immediate resources.

Getting his Talent assessed was mainly to raise his "safety level" at the university.

It was to gain access to more internal resources, not to find himself a good buyer.

"I understand."

Han Feng nodded solemnly.

"Thank you for the guidance, Captain."

"It’s fine. We’re brothers in the same club."

Zhang Hao clapped him on the shoulder.

"You have this Talent. Don’t waste it."

Han Feng smiled.

He was also very curious what kind of rating the instruments of this world would give his Spiritual Vision and Sword Bone.

...

「Meanwhile.」

In the deep, old forests about fifteen kilometers northwest of Golden Ears Farm as the crow flies.

Here, a natural concave valley was formed by a cliff, perpetually shrouded in a thick miasma.

Even sunlight struggled to penetrate the layer of grayish haze.

A few long-dead old trees, their branches twisted, pointed grotesquely toward the sky.

A clearing had been carved out on the forest floor.

In the middle stood a crude altar built from rubble and the bones of some unknown large Demon Beast.

Dark red patterns snaked along the cracks in the pale bones, emitting a nauseatingly sweet and fishy odor.

More than ten figures in wide, black robes stood around the altar.

They remained completely motionless, even in the cold, dark night.

The leader, an old man, leaned on a Magic Staff polished from a human femur.

Beneath his hood, his skin was dry and covered in wrinkles.

Only his eyes, glinting with a venomous green light, were especially terrifying in the darkness.

"He Jiu is dead."

The old man’s voice was grating, painful to the ears.

A commotion immediately broke out among the black-robed figures below.

"Dead? How is that possible?!"

A particularly burly man roared.

"That guy He Jiu might have been a waste, but I know all about his knack for escaping."

"The Blood Gu he was raising was just a step away from maturity. Who at a mere border farm could possibly kill him?"

"Exactly! Lord Deacon, let us go slaughter everyone at that farm!"

Another person chimed in, their tone filled with savagery.

"Let’s dig out those people’s hearts and livers to bury with He Jiu! My Blood Gu has been getting hungry lately, anyway!"

The killing intent in the valley instantly intensified.

"Silence!"

The old man slammed his Bone Staff hard against the ground.

A wave of frigid, sinister energy instantly spread out.

The dry leaves on the ground crackled as a layer of white frost instantly formed over them.

Everyone shut their mouths and bowed their heads in awe, not daring to utter another word.

"A bunch of brainless fools."

The old man swept his icy gaze across the crowd.

"That idiot He Jiu was supposed to lie low at Golden Ears Farm until the very end."

"But he was too greedy. To make his Lifebound Gu evolve ahead of schedule, he actually dared to use the energy leaking from ’that thing.’"

"And what was the result?"

"His Lifebound Gu went out of control, directly attracting the farm’s main force, and he got himself killed!"

The old man gritted his teeth, clearly not saddened by He Jiu’s death, but furious that he had ruined their grand plan.

"According to the plan, the full moon in three days is when the Purple Crystal Wheat ripens and the tide of Earth Vein Spiritual Qi is at its strongest."

"It is also the perfect time for the Nether Embryo to ripen and fall."

"But that waste He Jiu just had to get himself slaughtered at this critical juncture!"

"His death is one thing, but that thing is buried right under the farm’s core residential area!"

Only then did everyone understand.

No wonder He Jiu’s death had been so frustratingly quiet; he was trying to protect that unborn Treasure and didn’t dare cause a major disturbance.

"Then... Lord Deacon, what do we do now?"

The burly, black-robed man grew anxious, scratching his hooded head.

"Without the guidance of He Jiu’s blood essence, will that thing wither and die?"

"It won’t wither. That is an evil object nurtured by the concentrated Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi."

"But if no one collects it, once it emerges in three days, the resulting fluctuation will definitely attract experts from East Sea City."

The old man’s gaze grew even more venomous.

"At that point, forget about getting the Treasure. Not a single one of us will be able to escape."

"To silence us, headquarters will make an example of us first."

Hearing the word "headquarters," everyone shivered involuntarily.

In the Blood Feeding Sect, the consequences of failure were worse than death—a state where you could neither live nor die.

"Therefore, we must retrieve that thing."

The old man held up three withered fingers.

"Three days."

"We only have three days to prepare."

"On the night of the full moon, we must breach the farm’s defenses, create enough chaos, and have someone slip in to retrieve the item."

"So we just charge in and kill them all?"

The burly, black-robed man asked tentatively.

"Call all the brothers. We’ll fight them to the death!"

"Stupid! Incredibly stupid!"

Furious, the old man rapped his Bone Staff on the man’s bald head, producing a dull THUD.

"What is going on in that head of yours? Golden Ears Farm might just be a farm, but that Lei Zhen is not to be trifled with."

"He’s a battle-hardened veteran!"

"And then there’s that flying squad from the Martial Arts University mentioned in He Jiu’s last blood message."

"A head-on clash will only introduce more variables and could even alert the East Sea City’s City Defense Army!"

The burly man clutched his head, a wronged expression on his face.

"Then what should we do? You’re saying this won’t work and that won’t work."

The old man grinned, revealing a mouthful of crooked, yellow teeth. It was a hideous smile.

"We will openly repair the plank roads, while secretly crossing through Chencang."