SECTION 65: Spoils of War, Immense Gains!
Half a day later, reinforcements arrived at the Ning Family Island. The Ning Family Island Master returned to his homeland, only to find it in ruins with smoke billowing everywhere. He was so devastated that he could only weep.
“Young Island Master Chu ordered the burning and bombing of many buildings to find hidden treasures,” a subordinate reported to the Ning Family Island Master. Those who remained behind, aside from the Ning Family’s guards, were unharmed by Chu Yun. “When they saw the Ning Family Island Master, they reported the situation.”
The reinforcement troops were dumbfounded.
“Is this still the Ning Family Island?”
“Young Tyrant is truly ruthless. Look, many landmark buildings have been completely destroyed.”
“The Ning Family has been plundered. They’ve been set back 50 years. Chu Yun must be rolling in wealth now.”
The once prosperous main island of the Ning Family now resembled a remote, poverty-stricken island village that had been raided by pirates.
“Treasures, right, treasures…” The Ning Family Island Master suddenly jolted awake from his daze. He shouted and rushed towards the nearest storage area.
It was empty.
Hundreds of Demon Soldiers that were once stored there were nowhere to be found.
“Ah! There were six Great Demon Soldiers here!” The Ning Family Island Master clutched his head and cried out in agony.
“Right, and there…” The Ning Family Island Master lost no time and rushed to the next storage location.
It was as barren as the first.
“My Pills! 1800 bottles of Pills, all gone!” The Ning Family Island Master went mad, his eyes red as he stared at the empty compartments where various Pills had once been stored.
The Ning Family members who arrived later were all pale and dejected.
“Wait, and there, and there. Those places should have secret locks, they should be safe…” The Ning Island Master murmured, with a sliver of hope, and ran towards the underground vault.
*Puke!*
He vomited blood, real blood.
The secret lock had been broken, and the door to the underground vault was wide open.
“No, this can’t be happening…” The Ning Island Master stumbled forward, unable to face the cruel reality. But he eventually entered the underground vault, where of course, nothing was left.
This vault housed priceless antiques. The three most valuable items were the screen painted by Virtuous Consort Huan Sha from the Tang Jin Kingdom, the dancing fan of Fragrant Consort, and the handkerchief of Virtuous Consort Pu Die. Each of these items was valuable enough to purchase a whole town’s worth of islands.
These were the Ning Family’s ancestral treasures. But now, they were all gone, having fallen into Chu Yun’s hands.
“How could he open this secret lock?” The Ning Island Master found it utterly baffling. He had examined the secret lock and the method used to break it was incredibly sophisticated.
“Island Master, that scoundrel Chu Yun emptied our treasury. The first and second treasuries have been emptied. The third treasury was hidden and was not discovered,” someone reported.
The Ning Family had been operating on this island for too long, and Chu Yun had too much time to plunder. It was inevitable that some places would be overlooked.
However, the Ning Family Island Master showed no signs of happiness upon hearing this.
The first and second treasuries were filled with Tiangang Stone Coins. The third treasury, though large, only contained Disha Stone Coins, which were worth less than a tenth of the value of the first treasury.
“Reporting. The secret vault containing Cultivation Methods has been opened. Not a single Cultivation Method remains inside.”
“What?” The Ning Island Master’s body trembled. He immediately asked with urgency, “Inside the secret vault for Cultivation Methods, there was a small chamber. It contained three rare Cultivation Methods. Were they discovered?”
The messenger nodded with great sorrow.
The Ning Island Master’s vision went black, and he nearly fainted.
This was a devastating blow. Those three Cultivation Methods were unique. While not Supreme grade, their effects were extraordinary and distinctive, making them near-Supreme grade.
“Right, my bedroom…” The Ning Island Master suddenly startled, remembering two of the most important items were hidden in small hidden compartments within his bedroom.
Breathing heavily, he sprinted back to his room.
“Chu Yun, may you die a terrible death!” As soon as he entered, he saw the small compartments on the wall completely exposed. Enraged, he cursed and fumed, hating Chu Yun with all his might.
This compartment contained only two items.
One was the Pill Splitting Handprint. This was an Upper grade Pill Refining handprint that the Ning Family obtained from shipwreck remains in the Seaweed Sea region. It was with this Pill Splitting Handprint that the Ning Family had become the dominant force in the Archipelago’s Pill market.
The other was a fragment of a treasure map. Although it was only a quarter of the whole map, it pertained to the legendary Sky City. Its value was immeasurable, and it would surely ignite a mad scramble for it in the outside world.
“Gone… all gone… *Puke!*” The Ning Island Master vomited another mouthful of blood, then fell backward.
He wondered how Chu Yun managed to find all these places with such accuracy.
Unable to bear the successive blows, he collapsed onto the ground and truly fainted.
“The gains this time are truly immense…” On the journey back in triumph, Chu Yun’s heart still thrummed with excitement.
The protracted war with the Yan Family was almost bankrupting the Shu Family’s finances. Now, three full treasure ships, laden with Tiangang Stones and Disha Stone Coins, were a timely arrival. Not only would it resolve the financial crisis, but there would even be surplus.
In addition, the large number of Demon Soldiers could directly enhance the combat power of the Shu Family’s troops.
Over 500 Sea Demon Beast eggs were enough to form another elite squad of Sea鲛. With the Bronze Bell Elite Squad, the Shu Family would now have two elite squads. This would be a great help in defeating the Yan Family.
Ship after ship was loaded with materials for weapon forging, artifact refining, and the cultivation of demonic beasts and demonic plants. There were also Pills, all of them exquisite Middle grade Pills. These supplies promptly filled the Shu Family Island’s nearly empty warehouses.
The Pill Splitting Handprint was worth mentioning. This was the second Upper grade Pill Refining technique Chu Yun had obtained.
“The Pill Splitting Handprint can split one Pill into several, or even a dozen. Although the medicinal properties are slightly reduced, the overall result is far beyond expectation. It will greatly increase profits and indirectly reduce costs. No wonder the Ning Family was able to gradually dominate the Archipelago’s Pill market with this Pill Splitting Handprint.”
Chu Yun cherished the Pill Splitting Handprint, but it would take some time to master it.
“This treasure map is an unexpected bonus. Master Yu Ya also gave me a quarter of the treasure map to Sky City not long ago. Now, with this quarter obtained from the Ning Family, I have half of it.”
“However, what surprised me the most were these three rare Cultivation Methods.”
Chu Yun looked at the three special Jade Slips in his hand, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
The first yellow Jade Slip recorded an Upper grade Cultivation Method called “Eight Directions Welcome”. It was a recovery Cultivation Method that allowed Demon Beasts to rapidly absorb Vital Energy from the surrounding space, greatly increasing their sustained combat capability.
In the past, when Chu Yun fought against the three sons of the Fang Family, Fang Suikong possessed such a recovery Cultivation Method called “Four Directions Congratulate”. It made the Demon Beasts’ demonic energy incredibly abundant, allowing them to unleash powerful attacks repeatedly without worrying about their energy reserves.
“Sky Fox’s demonic energy reserves have always been the most abundant among Demon Creatures of the same level. Now, with two Fire element Supreme grade Cultivation Methods, a Enhancing Light Cultivation Method, and a recovery Cultivation Method, I possess powerful and sustained firepower. Excellent, truly excellent. War is indeed the fastest path to strength.”
The Cultivation Method in the second red Jade Slip had an even greater origin, named “Fire Transformation”.
That’s right. The heaven-defying Supreme grade 《Dao Transformation Technique》, rejected by Heaven and Earth, was shattered into countless pieces. The Fire Transformation Cultivation Method was one of them. Only a supreme being of great luck could gather them all. For countless years, no one had ever managed to collect them all.
Chu Yun had unexpectedly obtained the Lightning Transformation Cultivation Method from Marquis Tian Luo’s tomb. He did not expect to acquire another Fire Transformation Cultivation Method from the Ning Family Island.
“The 《Dao Transformation Technique》 directly threatens the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, capable of destroying the sun, moon, and stars, possessing boundless power, tearing the skies and splitting the earth. Historically, even King level experts rarely possessed more than two such techniques simultaneously. Is it because I possess the Dragon Wish Tree and have successfully cultivated those two Endless Woods?” Chu Yun pondered.
The Dragon Wish Tree was Sea Dragon King Jiang Bo’s Destiny Demonic Treasure. Although the Endless Wood was merely a branch of the mother tree, it was not to be underestimated, being the Destiny Demonic Treasure of the first King, King Huode.
The third white Jade Slip was like a timely rain. The Cultivation Method recorded within was called “One Hour and Fifteen Minutes”.
One hour is four quarters of an hour.
“One Hour and Fifteen Minutes” meant extending the four quarters of an hour to five quarters of an hour.
As the name suggested, this was a time-manipulating Cultivation Method, perfectly suited for the Moon Rabbit.
“Luck truly never hurts. Before, hatching a Sky Fox egg would lead to me being pursued by pirates. Now, I needed a time-based Cultivation Method, and here it is, ‘One Hour and Fifteen Minutes’. It’s like my wishes are coming true, getting whatever I want.”
Chu Yun increasingly felt the benefits of having good luck. Contrasted with his previous life’s adventuring experiences, the difference was profound.
In his previous life, he often worked for others. There were even times when, no matter how hard he tried, something would go wrong at the critical moment, causing him to miss out on treasures.
“However, luck is merely favor and opportunity. Without effort, nothing will be gained. Just like this campaign, although I have luck, if I hadn’t conquered the Ning Family Island, these treasures wouldn’t belong to me. Luck only provides better opportunities; it’s not an omnipotent force. In my previous life, I lacked luck, but through sheer effort, I eventually found the Star Sea Dragon Palace. And that led to my rebirth.”
Chu Yun pondered for a good while before shifting his attention from luck to the present reality.
“This great victory has yielded extremely substantial gains. It is enough for the Shu Family Island to sustain three more large-scale campaigns. The Ning Family’s foundation has been shaken by this battle. However, they still have branches on various islands, so they cannot be completely defeated with one blow. But in the short term, they will no longer have the resources to support the Yan Family Island. It’s time to deal with the Yan Family Island.”
Chu Yun, filled with ambition, sailed towards Shu Family Island. However, en route, a familiar flower boat suddenly appeared, blocking his path.
“Young Island Master Chu, my young lady requests your presence,” a maid said, standing at the bow of the flower boat, smiling slightly, her eyes holding a hint of coldness.
