In the following period, the number of Demonic Beasts in the vicinity continued to increase, and Wang Hong and his group found themselves engaging in battles more frequently.
Zhan Shulong and his two companions always accompanied them into battle, appearing well-behaved and not committing any indiscretions.
However, Wang Hong knew that they had secretly recruited a Qi Cultivation practitioner behind his back.
Wang Hong pretended to be oblivious and carried on as usual.
At this point, Zhan Shulong and his group were becoming increasingly uneasy. They had invested a lot of effort and paid a significant price to recruit a Qi Cultivation member.
The person they recruited was someone who had recently joined the merchant caravan, with the lowest cultivation level and not much significance.
The information they could gather from this person was extremely limited.
Based on what they knew, they pieced together that the East Zhou Trading Company earned vast wealth through its trade. It was said that every time they annihilated Treasure Hunters, they acquired a significant amount of wealth, including a substantial number of Foundation Establishment Pills.
There was also a Marketplace established at Gu Pass, which yielded abundant resources. These resources were then refined into finished products and traded back for even more resources.
This created a virtuous cycle that continued to grow.
Although they had a rough idea of where Wang Hong's wealth came from, they couldn't replicate it without a strong foundation.
Unless they could take over everything Wang Hong had.
What puzzled them was how Wang Hong had initially developed. They had only known that Wang Hong had a large number of capable subordinates.
Now, as they delved deeper into their understanding, their envy, jealousy, greed, and desire to obtain everything Wang Hong had grew stronger.
However, Wang Hong's subordinates were challenging to bribe. Those at the Foundation Building stage were wealthier than them, the Golden Core juniors, and they had nothing to offer in exchange.
Especially now, with the chaos in the Cultivation World, various Spiritual Objects had become extremely scarce, far more valuable than before.
In Wang Hong's territory, they couldn't feel this scarcity. In particular, some items on the contribution points exchange list were things they had never heard of before.
For example, there was a type of Essence Core Pill that could be exchanged for contribution points, and it was very affordable but highly effective in assisting body refining cultivators.
The reason there were few body refining cultivators was mainly due to the scarcity and high cost of the Spiritual Objects required for body refining, which most cultivators couldn't afford.
There was also a healing pill called Hanyu Pill that they exchanged for research. It turned out to be more effective than all the second-tier healing pills available in the market.
Furthermore, there were many Spiritual Objects they had never seen before, all appearing on the exchange list.
They had secretly reported this situation to several Golden Core Elders, but it didn't garner much attention. After all, these were just second-tier Spiritual Objects, which were of little use to Golden Core cultivators.
Now, the three of them were at a loss regarding their recruitment plan. They didn't know how to proceed and could only wait for the right opportunity.
Meanwhile, the Cultivation World was undergoing significant changes during this time.
Firstly, all the Treasure Hunters within the influence of Azure Void City were now recruited by Qingxu Sect and had become affiliated with them.
Furthermore, the Nascent Soul ancestor of Qingxu Sect issued a decree that henceforth, Human Clan cultivators were not to attack each other but to unite and resist the Demon Clan together. This was due to the increasing number of Demon Clan members entering the East Zhou Cultivation Realm, causing many smaller sects and forces to struggle for survival.
Some had already been wiped out by the Demon Clan, while others had relocated to the vicinity of Azure Void City, automatically becoming affiliated forces of Qingxu Sect.
This sudden influx of power led to a rapid increase in Qingxu Sect's strength, doubling the number of Foundation Building cultivators they possessed.
It was rumored that similar situations were happening elsewhere as well.
As a result, the entire East Zhou Cultivation Realm was left with only six major sects defending against the Demon Clan, while other regions had fallen into the hands of the Demon Clan.
In areas occupied by the Demon Clan, cultivators and mortals who hadn't managed to escape had become slaves and were kept as livestock for the demons. The extent of their misery was unimaginable.
With a large number of people pouring into the vicinity of Azure Void City, the area became bustling with activity.
"East Master, our East Zhou Trading Company's revenue has doubled recently!" reported Xu Lun during a meeting, his excitement evident.
"My Zhao's Pill Shop's revenue has also doubled," Zhao Ning chimed in.
Wang Hong listened to their reports and then turned his gaze to Skinny Monkey.
"Hehe, the income from my Spirit Wine shop has more than tripled," Skinny Monkey grinned.
"So much?" Xu Lun and Zhao Ning asked simultaneously.
"Hehe! Spirit Wine is in high demand now. Prices have already doubled, and anyone who has Spirit Wine in their store is guaranteed a buyer," Skinny Monkey explained triumphantly.
"Let's not get too carried away just yet. The recent increase in income is mainly due to the influx of outside cultivators. But this growth is like a tree without roots, water without a source—it won't last," Wang Hong cautioned them, ensuring they stayed alert.
In this small area, the sudden doubling of cultivators also meant that the consumption of various resources would increase significantly. Without the vast resources of the East Zhou region, they would face resource depletion sooner or later.
Even if everyone stopped consuming resources, simply absorbing Spiritual Qi through meditation was also a form of consumption.
Lately, he had already noticed a slight decrease in the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the air.
"During this time, when selling items, make sure to stockpile some ore materials and other refining tool formation materials. There's no harm in having extra," Wang Hong advised. These materials couldn't be produced in the Space, and he needed them in large quantities.
This time, Qingxu Sect had abandoned many remote mining areas because they couldn't afford to maintain them. Right now, they were using up their stockpiles, but over time, these ore materials would undoubtedly become scarce.
"East Master, should we also stockpile some Demonic Beast materials?" Xu Lun asked. Demonic Beast materials were currently abundant and affordable.
"We only need second-tier or higher Demonic Beast materials, and don't stockpile too many. They will definitely depreciate in the future," Wang Hong replied.
In the upcoming battles against the Demon Clan, there would be more and more Demonic Beast materials available. Currently, many Demonic Beast material products flooded the market because so many had been refined, and prices were dropping. Despite this, they were still unsellable because there simply wasn't enough demand.
"Among the Demonic Beast materials, we can collect a bit more of the essence blood from second-tier or higher Demonic Beasts. I have a use for it," he added.
Although his Poisonous Bees King had already reached the second-tier, it was the weakest among the second-tier Demonic Beasts and needed to increase its bloodline strength.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]