Chapter 380: The Chaotic Catacombs
Outside Gigantic Willow City.
Old Man Li whispered, “Are you really going back in?”
“I call this hiding in plain sight.”
Fang Ping chuckled. “I doubt they’d expect me to have the guts to return. If not even you can believe it, do you think they can?”
“It’s still too dangerous!”
Old Man Li shook his head slightly. Did you really think that Gigantic Willow City is your home now?
If he was discovered this time, he would face even more severe consequences than before.
He had heard the full story from Fang Ping on what happened previously.
The Rank-9 Willow Tree Monster was in fact preoccupied with something else at the time, hence giving Fang Ping a chance to escape.
Not only that, but the people of Gigantic Willow City were also caught off guard the first time. Now, if Fang Ping tried to flee underground again, he would be discovered in no time.
Willow Tree Monster might even discover him the moment he made slight vibrations when he dug holes.
“Therefore, I’ll need a bit of your help.”
Fang Ping chuckled. “I’m not planning to take action now. I don’t know if the Rank-9 has returned or not. My plan is to wait. Wait for reinforcements.
“When reinforcements have arrived to lure the Rank-9 away.
“After that, you, old man, will help me make some commotion. Lure the remaining powerhouses of the city away. As for the Willow Tree Monster, worst case scenario, I just won’t enter the inner city.
“I’ll be fine as long as I conceal my aura and find a place to hide.”
Old Man Li was still hesitant. Fang Ping added as an afterthought, “Old man, if you’re brave enough, go lure the Willow Tree Monster away too. Meanwhile, I’ll figure out a way to blow up their energy mine!”
Old Man Li’s face became pale as a sheet!
Motherf*cker. The kid seriously has a death wish now.
If he blew up the energy mine, the two Rank-9s would chase Fang Ping to the ends of the earth. They would never let him leave alive.
More importantly, if Old Man Li lured the Willow Tree Monster out, he would be most likely torn to pieces by the enraged monster. Did this kid Fang Ping save him just to see him get ripped to shreds?
“Of course, this might be asking too much of you, old man. You’re too weak…”
Old Man Li’s expression darkened. Was he provoking him on purpose?
Fang Ping said earnestly, “Let’s not be over our heads. You’re not really a Rank-8 or a Rank-7, so it’s better we play it safe. Why don’t we do this? If you have time, destroy a few towns and lure a few Rank-7 and 8 martial artists away from Gigantic Willow City. Create an opening for me.”
“What are you planning to do exactly?”
Old Man Li darted him a suspicious look. Was this kid really plotting to destroy Gigantic Willow City?
Fang Ping let out a hollow laugh. “I’m not planning to do anything.”
Fang Ping lowered his voice and said, “Say, how much is a ton of cultivation-aiding energy stones worth?”
“A ton!”
“1 million grams. The standard price is 900 thousand a gram. So, it’s 900 billion!”
Fang Ping’s eyes sparkled. He clenched his jaw and announced solemnly, “I want to gather a ton and bring it back!”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“You’re the crazy one! Alright, even if it’s not cultivation-aiding energy stones but basic ones, even if it’s the c.r.a.ppiest type, it is still worth 30 thousand a gram. One ton is worth 30 billion!”
Cultivation-aiding energy stones were quite limited. Moreover, the high-ranked mine veins underground were all gathered at the core.
On the other hand, basic energy stones were lying all over the place.
Gathering a ton to take back should not be too hard, right?
Fang Ping spoke excitedly, “After bringing so many energy stones back, do you know how fast the students will progress if MCMAU Energy Room supplies it to the students unrestrictedly?
“Our students are not powerful like us, cultivating just about anywhere that we want to. No matter how great the pills are, they still had to be processed many times. By opening the Energy Room, cultivation speed will increase many times…”
Old Man Li said in astonishment, “You want to supply it to the students?”
When was Fang Ping so selfless?
Fang Ping beamed. “I will take over MCMAU sooner or later anyway. If the students are strong, that means MCMAU is strong. Besides, I’ve thought this through. It won’t be given to them for free. There will be an IOU. When they’re strong enough, they need to stay at the university to pay their debts after they graduate. They can only leave after they’ve cleared their debts.
“I’m not a fan of those methods where one leaves a place after becoming strong.
“I’ll provide loans first. When they’ve grown stronger and can afford to pay it back, then I’ll cook up even better things to offer them as loans. Tsk, tsk. Stay and work in MCMAU your whole life to pay your debts!”
As for those who had the guts to not pay back, Fang Ping would turn the lives of those ingrates into a living h.e.l.l.
Once you have eaten my offerings, it only made sense that you are forced to work for me.
After returning with a ton of energy stones and handing them out without reservation, it would be no problem to nourish a few hundred Rank-3 and 4s.
Sometimes, even rich people could not lay their hands on energy stones. Even if they purchased some, it would not be many.
As for Fang Ping himself, he did not need them as much right now. However, he did need Wealth.
Currently, the energy was sufficient in the Catacombs. When he returned to the ground surface, he would need to spend a lot on Wealth for cultivation.
Honing internal organs, flesh, blood, and meridians at Rank-5 would consume a lot of energy. Rank-6 was even worse. Sealing off the Sanjiao Gate required ma.s.sive amounts of energy. Many martial artists in the middle ranks cultivated for tens of years in one rank alone. This was because the earth’s energy was too thin and weak.
Old Man Li understood now. He said, “Basically, your goal is to s.n.a.t.c.h a bunch of energy stones, right?”
As for wreaking havoc at the rear and destroying Gigantic Willow City, that was just how his actions were going to officially be told.
You, kid, should just be direct about it!
Fang Ping chortled. “In any case, it’s a contribution to mankind.”
Knowing that he was not sending himself to death, Old Man Li was very much relieved. He pondered for a moment and said, “If you want to go underground right now, it’ll be extremely dangerous…”
“It’s fine. There are plenty of energy stone exchange stops in the city.”
Fang Ping had schemes and strategies in his hands. He lowered his voice and said, “I’m only waiting for the perfect timing. When a great war broke out between Rank-9s, there won’t be many people staying behind to guard the city. Make sure you grab this opportunity. Once the battle between Rank-9 begins, you’ll make a move and lure them out.
“As for me, I’ll take advantage of the chaos and rob a few shops first.
“As for Willow Tree Monster, it can consider itself lucky this time. Next time, I will rob it blind!”
Other things aside, Fang Ping did have a strong desire and longing for the ma.s.sive amounts of Energy Essence.
Old Man Li said nothing more this time. He nodded and said, “Alright. You too, grab on to the opportunity and don’t do anything reckless!”
“Don’t worry!”
He was still speaking when a group of armored martial artists ran toward them. Fang Ping darted a look, asking curiously, “Gigantic Willow Divine Guards? What are they trying to do?”
Having said that, without giving a second thought, Fang Ping looked at Old Man Li and said, “I’ll make a move first. Annihilate them when you’re on your way later. Wait until I am near the city gate so this won’t attract so much attention.”
After saying that, Fang Ping changed direction and ran toward Gigantic Willow City. As for getting recognized, that was not likely.
Previously, his face was in a battered state full of splits and cracks. After breaking through Rank-5, Fang Ping no longer maintained the look and allowed the wounds to heal themselves. The Energy Essence was a holy healing medicine. Even the scabs on his face had peeled off.
It had just been a while after Fang Ping left. Old Man Li saw that he was near the city gate and did not take a second look. Old Man Li caught up to the group of Gigantic Willow Divine Guards ahead. Without giving it a second thought, he unleashed full Vitality outburst and struck out a punch!
A thundering boom!
A big plot of land ahead turned into dust instantly.
A split second later, within Gigantic Willow City, a towering force surged.
“You have a death wis.h.!.+”
A roar mixed with a soaring rage was heard. In the blink of an eye, a glow flashed across the air and shot over.
Old Man Li’s face turned green!
Why had he returned?
The Rank-9 was actually in the city. Motherf*cker. Were you not supposed to be outside the pa.s.sageway?
Wasting no time, Old Man Li unleashed full force, running with all his might. He knew that he should not have gone along with the schemes of that little b.a.s.t.a.r.d, Fang Ping. Now, he had gotten himself into big trouble again!
…
Outside the city gate.
Fang Ping’s jaw dropped too. Why was Willow King in the city?
Also, all he needed to do was kill. Why did Old Man Li exert so much force!
“This… He won’t be caught, will he?”
Fang Ping gulped. Both parties were a few kilometers away from each other. A Rank-9 could easily catch up with a Rank-8 in a chase.
Old Man Li would not be bashed to death by him, would he?
This was not a joke!
Fang Ping was absolutely stressed out. How reckless!
‘Didn’t we agree that you would only make a commotion after the great battle broke out in the pa.s.sageway? You just started a riot yourself!’ If no one came to his aid, the old man’s chances of getting killed were very high.
Just as Fang Ping was thinking about these things, a Rank-8 golden glow flashed in front of him. Very quickly, it went to join Old Man Li.
Meanwhile in the city, another glow soared up. A Rank-8 powerhouse rushed his way outside.
This was not the end of it. It was exactly at this moment that two intense forces surged in the distance. Wu Chuan and Gigantic Willow King were taking their fight over here.
Utter chaos!
Fang Ping was completely stupefied. It was not his intention to cause a great battle. Old Man Li might not have expected it either. When he launched the attack, he was probably only trying to create a small ruckus to divert everyone’s attention away from Fang Ping. He might not have expected that he would lure everyone out in such a short period of time!
On the human’s side, there was a Rank-9, a Rank-8, and a false Rank-8.
On the Catacombs’ side, there were two Rank-9s and four Rank-8s!
However, it was still fine now. At least they were not caught in a siege. They did not gather either. After exposing their aurae respectively, they quickly split up and escaped. In the next second, everyone disappeared without a trace.
Fang Ping was still in a daze. How exciting. Old Man Li should be fine now, right?
He exhaled the air in his lungs gently. Right now, the Rank-8 and Rank-9 in the city were gone. They might not be expecting someone else to infiltrate their city either.
Fang Ping already had an experience. This time, he was calm and relaxed. In no time, he had blended his way into the city.
In such a short period of time, Gigantic Willow City might not have expected Fang Ping’s return. The checks at the city gate were not too stringent either. In reality, it was challenging to be too strict. Every day, of all the martial artists nearby, ma.s.sive amounts of them would enter the Royal City. The Catacombs ident.i.ty authentication system was not too strict.
…
Meanwhile.
In a town outside the city, Qin Fengqing and the other two were bathed in cold sweat.
After a moment, Qin Fengqing asked with a blank stare, “What’s going on?”
They started fighting for no reason at all. Moreover, they were just on top of their heads. How terrifying!
Li Hansong mumbled, “Have our reinforcements arrive?”
On the human side, there seemed to be two golden glows. However, when they entered, there was only a Rank-8 one.
As he said that, Li Hansong broke out in cold sweat, saying, “Let’s leave. It’s too dangerous! We’re only a few li away from the fort. If a Rank-7 or 8 caught up to us, we’re dead for sure!”
“Leave, my a.s.s!”
Qin Fengqing’s eyes flared. “Our allies are here! Right now, the high ranks have left. It’s the perfect opportunity for us to do a big one. Come, get closer to the fort and score another haul. We’ll scout for information. If there are no powerhouses guarding in the city, we’ll enter the city and rob another one!”
“You’re crazy!”
w.a.n.g Jinyang mulled it over, saying, “It’s too dangerous to enter the city. It’s best if we don’t. But, we can try and rob the surrounding cities and towns. This Catacombs has just opened, so it’s exceedingly rich. You’ve seen it with your own eyes. We’ve already gotten plenty of energy stones by simply robbing a small village.”
“Alright, let’s not waste any more time. Let’s go!”
Having said that, Qin Fengqing took the lead and ran toward Gigantic Willow City.
Li Hansong had already accepted his fate. Just follow the flow. If anyone wanted to work with these two maniacs, it was best for that person to not take life too seriously.
With that being said, they had only robbed two towns and they had obtained more than ten cultivation-aiding energy stones and more than a hundred basic ones. Indeed, there were a lot of gains in the newly-opened Catacombs.
Unlike Capital City Catacombs, where sometimes they would not even see a piece of basic energy stone.
“Maybe… Maybe I can also bring the guys from CCMAU to try it out next time…”
Li Hansong thought in his heart. The feeling of robbing loot and treasure… was pretty wonderful.
…
While Li Hansong and the rest went to rob the next town, Fang Ping stood at the entrance of the energy stone exchange store, observing the situation silently.
This was slightly troublesome!
The place where the energy stones were stored was fitted with alarms.
For this matter, he had learned his lesson last time. Right now, Fang Ping was extremely vigilant.
Moreover, there was also another Rank-6 standing watch. This was another big problem.
However, he had sensed that this store had the strongest energy source.
“At least ten billion worth of energy stones!”
“It’s difficult to dig holes. There are too many willow tree roots underground. I’ll be exposed too easily. Right now, the Willow Tree Monster is not busy with sealing off the Fountain of Life.”
“It’s not easy killing a Rank-6 either… Also, I may not be able to kill him. If that’s the case, I can only rob a few small stores with Rank-5s standing guard. My Mentality is more than 700Hz now. Paired with my physique of a Peak Rank-5. With the attack of an A-cla.s.s weapon, it may not be too difficult to kill the other party.
“But, after robbing one store, the second store may be on high alert.”
As Fang Ping walked, he started mulling things over.
Now, Royal City was still slightly chaotic.
In the aftermath of the pandemonium Fang Ping had stirred up earlier, numerous shops were destroyed. Now, they were currently rebuilding.
“It’s not chaotic enough!”
Fang Ping saw that there were still high ranks patrolling in the sky and felt slightly helpless. No, this was not good enough. It should be much more chaotic!
It seemed like these high ranks did not usually patrol. Right now, however, they might have been provoked.
“How can I make it more hectic? When exactly can the guys from Nanjiang come? If the Willow Tree Monster can be lured away, I can do whatever I want.”
Just as Fang Ping was thinking about this, the Royal City shook all of a sudden!
Over at the inner city, the gigantic tree crown started quivering!
On the streets, many people prostrated to the ground. Fang Ping squatted down hurriedly too, panic engulfing him inside. Did it notice him?
Very soon, Fang Ping realized that he was overthinking.
A few powerful forces soared into the sky. In no time, these powerful forces shot south instantly!
Willow Tree Monster had sensed a powerhouse’s aura!
Willow Tree Monster could sense energy vibrations from a distance of five hundred li away!
Another powerhouse appeared. An extremely powerful one. Willow King had started fighting with the other party.
…
Over here at Gigantic Willow City, when all high ranks were dispatched.
Outside the pa.s.sageway.
Surprise was written all over Zhao Xingwu’s face. Was Li Changsheng not dead?
“Li Changsheng…”
“…”
He had only shouted a few words. Without bothering to say anything, Old Man Li ran faster than he arrived. In the blink of an eye, he vanished without a trace!
He decided to take his leave as soon as possible. He had no intention to meddle with the battle between two Rank-9s. Instead, he would join Little Fang to rob energy stones!
Zhao Xingwu had arrived. This time, the tide might turn in their direction. Willow King might not be his match. If the Willow Tree Monster was truly lured out, maybe… they could really raid the other party’s lair!
Zhao Xingwu looked completely speechless. ‘I haven’t even said anything yet. What are you running for!’
‘Whatever, run all you want. I had just come out and already you sent a Rank-9 my way as a gift. How polite.’
‘Also, didn’t they tell me that the situation here was extremely brutal?’
‘Why does it seem like the other party is the one who is more exasperated and fuming with rage!’
It felt like the Rank-9 powerhouse who rushed his way over here was about to go mad.
Willow King was indeed about to go insane. It was that human. He sensed the Life Essence’s aura seeping out from that b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s body. It was him. This was the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who stole the Life Essence, nearly destroying Gigantic Willow City!
He could not care less about hunting Wu Chuan. Willow King persistently chased after Li Changsheng until now.
When Willow King saw the Life Essence fixing the man’s wounds swiftly after he struck a punch at him, Willow King was about to lose his mind.
Since the establishment of Gigantic Willow City, he had been stocking up Life Essence with Divine Willow in preparation for the future. It had been more than a hundred years now!
In all the years, the loss this time was the greatest. Nearly one-tenth of the total amount was stolen!
Fang Ping thought he did not take enough. In reality, Fang Ping had no idea. That energy waterfall might look ma.s.sive with endless Life Essence, but in reality, a portion of it was not Life Essence at all. It was purely energy swirling around without having the time to convert.
What Fang Ping had stolen was the true Energy Essence that had been converted.
Although Willow King really wanted to continue chasing after Li Changsheng, he was no idiot. At this moment, the Land of Rebirth sent another king-level powerhouse. Moreover, he had an extremely powerful force. He dared not let his guard down.
The Restricted Area had played him for a fool this time!
Did they not say that the Land of Rebirth powerhouses would stand guard on the spot even if they had gained the upper hand?
Why was it completely different?
Since when had the other party stood guard on the spot!
They had made their way to his lair. Were the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds at the Restricted Area misleading him on purpose?
According to the powerhouses at the Restricted Area, they could fight with the guys from Land of Rebirth freely. It was fine even if they lost. The other party would only occupy a piece of territory. When both parties fought in the future, it would only involve middle and low ranks. They should just take it as a form of training for the soldiers.
If they won, then they would be showered with benefits. The Restricted Area would reward them generously too.
Look what happened now. Not only did they not see any reward, but they had also suffered a great loss.
Carrying the feeling of rage and of being lied to, Willow King had yet to launch his attack when Zhao Xingwu had already slashed with his dadao. That wild aura infuriated and embittered Willow King even more. The Restricted Area had deceived him indeed!
If he could not beat this one, to h.e.l.l with guarding it. Let the Restricted Area send their people and guard instead. He was worried that if he continued guarding it, he would lose his home as well.