Chapter 9: Bound By Life And Death, Revised

He stopped watching the Life Artifact’s broadcast and continued pondering over the game panel.

He had originally had two hundred and fifty-seven subjects. Today, he had fleeced Strange Treasure Hall once and brought in more than two hundred new people. Now there were five hundred people in the valley altogether. After deducting the one thousand points he had spent on leveling up and the one hundred points he had spent on buying houses, he had 257 points left.

Collect infrastructure points?

In this game, the point bonuses for different playstyles were not the same. Although unlocking the Artifact Refining Workshop had consumed spirit stones and Huang-grade materials, the Artifact Refining Workshop counted as a processing factory in the game’s settings. It could provide employment, so it was included in the infrastructure bonus. On the game panel, a gold coin was floating above the Artifact Refining Workshop, prompting him to collect the reward.

Chi Yixuan nodded and collected it.

You have obtained 5,000 points. Current points: 5,257.

Chi Yixuan’s spirits lifted. Putting aside the shameful middle-schooler-style shouting he had used to kill two fourth-level Qi Condensation stewards, which had only rewarded him with 200 points, establishing a single Artifact Refining Workshop had rewarded him with five thousand points. As expected, this game still focused on infrastructure!

Chi Yixuan said with some regret, “Localization is what makes it, and localization is what breaks it. If this were my original version, I’d immediately use developer privileges, directly modify my points, and become the strongest in the world in one second.”

Life Artifact: …

Only after quite a while did the Life Artifact tremble and say, Your Majesty, that will not work. The game is yours, but it must follow the operating laws of this world.

Unfortunately, the Life Artifact had no physical body. Otherwise, Chi Yixuan really would have rubbed it to comfort it. “Relax. Am I the kind of person who messes around?”

The Life Artifact did not answer. Clearly, it had doubts about that answer.

Chi Yixuan had no attention to spare for the Life Artifact’s thoughts. There were only four days left, and Strange Treasure Hall’s hall master was still at Foundation Establishment. Relying on the Shadow Guards alone might not be enough to withstand him, so he still had to obtain more points and level up as quickly as possible.

He immediately extracted the points. The level column lit up, then stopped at the sixth slot, indicating that he had already reached the sixth level of Qi Condensation.

You have 1,257 points remaining.

Although the world was different, cultivation was fundamentally connected. In general, getting started was easy, and the higher one went, the harder it became. Chi Yixuan had spent a total of five thousand points to advance to the sixth level of Qi Condensation, but to cross from the sixth level of Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, he was still more than forty thousand points short.

Fortunately, the sixth level of Qi Condensation already counted as the middle stage of Qi Condensation. He could unlock the next workshop.

“There are still some spirit stones left. Another batch of cages arrived today too, so I’m not short on Huang-grade materials anymore. Let me think about which workshop I should unlock first to maximize the benefits.”

While he was still considering it, he suddenly heard the Life Artifact remind him, Your Majesty, there is a situation on the mystic armor beetles’ side.

Chi Yixuan froze. Had something happened?

He immediately switched perspectives and was shocked to discover that they had actually encountered a mystic armor beetle at the fifth level of Qi Condensation.

…

“Didn’t they say mystic armor beetles were low-level demonic creatures and could cultivate to the third level of Qi Condensation at most? How can there be a fifth-level mystic armor beetle!”

Although their cultivation levels were low, as long as the gap in realm did not exceed two levels, they could vaguely sense the other side’s strength. The other menial workers were all at the first or second level of Qi Condensation. Only Guo Qianshan was at the third level of Qi Condensation. When he sensed that one of the mystic armor beetles was at the fifth level, his expression suddenly changed.

Should they run?

But they had not had time to pack up the insect corpses yet. If they ran now, this entire trip today would have been for nothing.

Besides…

Thinking of their employer’s kindness, and thinking of the expectant look in their employer’s eyes before they set out, Guo Qianshan held his blade horizontally before him and shouted, “Take the things and go. I’ll deal with it!”

But no matter how strong Guo Qianshan was, one person could not defeat something at the fifth level of Qi Condensation!

The shell of the Black Armor King Beetle shimmered with multicolored light within its blackness. Under the sun, the gleam made everyone’s vision swim slightly. The instinctive weakness of human nature made them subconsciously want to turn and flee.

Beside Ma Hongxuan’s ear, the words their employer had spoken last night suddenly rang out. He had summoned a set of scales.

“Weigh right and wrong, black and white. Weigh justice and its height…” he murmured, repeating those few lines. “Our employer has shown me great kindness, and Brother Guo has shown me great righteousness. If I run now just to cling to life, what right and wrong is that? What justice is that…”

Ma Hongxuan did not know what kind of light was shining in his eyes. His back gradually straightened, and he raised his voice. “I’m not leaving! We’ll deal with it together!”

After Ma Hongxuan’s shout fell, others soon responded.

“I’m not leaving either!”

“If we leave, we leave together!”

“This is a king beetle. If we can bring it back, our employer will definitely be pleased!”

“Let’s risk it and surround it!”

More and more voices rang out, causing the people who had been wavering to stop in their tracks as well. The hot blood in their chests was stirred by those impassioned words. That was right. Yesterday, even a situation in which they had been certain to die had taken a turn for the better. Today, with so many of them here, if they were too timid to step forward against a mere insect, then what immortal cultivation were they practicing? They might as well go back to the village, farm the land, and spend the rest of their lives as mortals!

Guo Qianshan noticed that the king beetle, which had originally been staring fixedly at him, suddenly twisted its head to look behind him. Slightly surprised, he discovered that all the menial workers who had been afraid just moments ago had surrounded it.

At the sight, heroic spirit burst forth in Guo Qianshan’s chest. “Good! Everyone, attack together!”

The king beetle was difficult to deal with after all. Although everyone worked as one, blood was still shed.

The king beetle was also extremely fast. Guo Qianshan’s blade struck empty several times. Seeing that the king beetle was charging toward the person with the weakest stamina, Guo Qianshan’s expression sharpened. Suddenly, he slashed a long wound across his own arm. Fresh blood instantly gushed out.

mystic armor beetles were demonic creatures that loved gnawing on flesh and blood to begin with. The moment it smelled blood, it immediately changed targets and rushed at Guo Qianshan.

“Brother Guo!”

“Big Brother Guo!”

Not to mention the menial workers at the scene, even Chi Yixuan, who was watching from afar, was stunned. “My god. This guy goes way too hard in a fight!”

What surprised him was still yet to come. Perhaps because he was so desperate to save his companions, someone actually understood the true use of his Life Artifact on the spot. It was Wan Tianyou, the one who had summoned the Blackberry Lily Chrysanthemum last night. With a loud roar, he discarded the useless club in his hand. The chrysanthemum he summoned spread a cloud of smoke that was almost tangible, slowing the king beetle’s speed considerably.

The others each displayed their own abilities. Those whose Life Artifacts were ropes formed a great net. The one whose Life Artifact was a rag wiped away the king beetle’s eyes. The one whose Life Artifact was a broom swung it, and a gust of wind sent the king beetle staggering this way and that…

Everyone worked together. Each person created a small bit of trouble for the king beetle. Although the king beetle soon tore through the great net and broke free of the poisonous fog, its strength had greatly diminished, and Guo Qianshan split it in two with one slash.

When everything was over, everyone panted as they looked at the king beetle’s corpse. Suddenly, tears filled their eyes.

“We did it?”

“We did it!”

“We really did it!”

These people had originally only been casual acquaintances. Now, after going through this desperate fight in which they had risked their lives to protect one another, they had already become friends bound by life and death. Unable to help themselves, they hugged, bumped fists, cried, and laughed…

Chi Yixuan, who had witnessed this scene from afar, could not help being moved either. At the same time, there was a strange feeling in his heart. “They actually value the task I gave them this much?” One had to know that not a single person who stayed behind could have been certain they would succeed.

He had been a boss before too, but it had been common for employees to complain after work that his standards were strict and scold him as a capitalist. Chi Yixuan had long since grown used to it. He did not understand why these people could risk their lives to complete the task he had assigned. Was it only because he had saved them?

Looking at these people, Chi Yixuan suddenly felt that he was a little lucky.

The Life Artifact said, Perhaps they were attracted by Your Majesty’s aura of a true dragon and a tyrant king.

Chi Yixuan: …

Well said. Don’t say it again.

He drew in a breath. “My employees are risking their lives for me, so I can’t let them down either. When they come back, give them some of the pills we got from the stewards.” It was not that he was reluctant to give them things. He was just too poor right now and could not afford to give them anything else.

To his surprise, he received another point notification.

Congratulations. Five of your subjects have advanced from the second level of Qi Condensation to the third level of Qi Condensation. You have obtained 150 points.

Congratulations. Four of your subjects have advanced from the first level of Qi Condensation to the second level of Qi Condensation. You have obtained 80 points.

Congratulations. One of your subjects has advanced from the third level of Qi Condensation to the fourth level of Qi Condensation. You have obtained 40 points.

Chi Yixuan shot to his feet in shock. “Their cultivation increasing actually gives me points back!”

Yes.

Chi Yixuan said, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

The Life Artifact sounded a little aggrieved. Your Majesty, I did not know about this before either. A Life Artifact improves together with its master.

Chi Yixuan thought it over and understood. Previously, he had thought his Life Artifact was different from everyone else’s. Now, it seemed the rules were still the same. It was just that others could level up through battle or sudden enlightenment, while apart from going all in on infrastructure and increasing the population, he also needed to continuously explore more possibilities.

But he put all of that aside for now. Estimating that Guo Qianshan and the others would return soon, Chi Yixuan had the other menial workers quickly prepare bandages and medicine for dressing wounds.

These menial workers had transported human livestock to Sea of Suffering Island and still had to stay behind to manage them. They had naturally prepared for the possibility of injuries and had brought medicine with them. At this moment, when they heard their employer’s instructions, although they did not understand why, they immediately made preparations.

Not long after, when they saw Guo Qianshan and the others being brought back, the menial workers were shocked.

Qiu Ping’an carried the medicine over to help bandage them. “Our employer truly predicts things like a god. He really calculated that you would be injured. These are the pills our employer left for you.”

Holding the pill bottle, Guo Qianshan and the others were shaken once again. The place they had gone was fifty li away. Their employer was in Nameless Valley, yet he had known their situation from fifty li away. With such vast divine sense, how astonishing must his true cultivation be?

“The important thing is that our employer was secretly watching over us,” Ma Hongxuan said softly.

Once those words were spoken, everyone fell silent. Their hearts were both moved and aching. They were useless. They had merely fought an insect, yet they had still made their employer worry enough to watch over them.

With the pills, everyone’s injuries healed very quickly. Before evening arrived, all their wounds had already scabbed over.

But they did not stay idle either. In order not to make their employer worry about them again, they gathered together while recovering to discuss strategy.

That battle this morning had allowed them to comprehend their employer’s guidance from last night a little more thoroughly. Added to the practical combat experience they had gained, they already had some tacit understanding. Discussing tactics became much smoother. By the time they went looking for a mystic armor beetle nest again the next morning, their harvest was even greater than the previous day’s, but they no longer suffered serious injuries like yesterday.

Chi Yixuan secretly observed them in the valley for two days. Seeing that their coordination was becoming more and more seamless, and that they had also dug out more uses for their Life Artifacts on their own, he finally breathed a sigh of relief for them.

“Whew… There’s only one bottle of pills left. If they get injured again, I really won’t have any medicine to give them.” They might not necessarily think he was a pauper, but there was a high chance they would think he was unwilling to give them medicine. If that chilled their hearts, it would be very difficult to fix.

Because of this matter, Chi Yixuan finally decided on the second workshop.

“Unlock the Medical Workshop.”

The Huang-grade materials and spirit stones required to unlock the Huang-grade Medical Workshop have been met. The Huang-grade Medical Workshop has been unlocked. Please choose its construction location.

Chi Yixuan placed the Medical Workshop relatively close to the valley entrance. That way, if any injured people returned, they could receive treatment faster.

Next Chapter >