Chapter 131: One Billion

“...Yes!”
Though his heart responded silently, Su Jingxing maintained a calm and expressionless facade.
Of course, with his face concealed behind a mask, neither Li Linzhou, Li Lilou, Yan Yuanfeng, nor the others could discern his true feelings.
He was merely a bit curious deep down.

A secondary blood demon body!
The corpse of Shi Zhiniè was actually classified as a secondary blood demon body.
This once notorious patriarch of the Shi family, after cultivating demonic arts, had he transformed into a different species, no longer human?
Upon reflection, there were indeed many striking clues.

Most obvious was that after Su Jingxing shattered Shi Zhiniè’s manifested martial intent, his physical body still withstood the combined assault of Li Linzhou, Li Lilou, and others—ten times in total.
His chest was torn open, limbs broken, and his head severely damaged.
Yet, he continued to manifest martial intent, only ceasing when he truly could die no more.
Such a constitution was likely unmatched even at the first rank realm.

A blood demon?
Could the ancient demonic art cultivated by the old man truly transform a person into a blood demon?
Besides humans and barbarians, could there be a hidden, terrifying race on Earth?
Su Jingxing pondered silently.

Regarding the card found on Shi Zhiniè’s corpse, he felt a growing sense of anticipation.
Other members of the Shi family, whether fourth or ninth rank, upon death, yielded bloodline cards that unlocked the Three Yin Candle Blood.
Shi Zhiniè alone was different.
What reward could possibly surpass the Three Yin Candle Blood?

...

“Phew~”
Yan Yuanfeng exhaled deeply, exhausted, and sighed, “Finally done. The demonic art cultivated by Shi Zhiniè is truly overbearing. Not only did he condense martial intent, but his vitality also increased drastically. He only died when he absolutely had to.”

“Indeed. I’m curious about this old patriarch’s demonic art. What supreme technique could it be?” Zhao Zhongyi murmured.

“What, Chief Zhao wants to try it too?” Li Lilou chuckled.

“Haha, I’m just curious to see what kind of demonic art could be so powerful,” Zhao Zhongyi waved his hand, “But as for cultivating it myself, no thanks. Third rank is fine, but I haven’t lived enough yet.”

“If Chief Zhao cultivates it, he may not end up like Shi Zhiniè. Perhaps you could maintain your clarity after cultivation,” Zhou Wencen smiled.

“No need,” Zhao Zhongyi smiled faintly. “Brother Zhou can try it out. Maybe he’s luckier and can directly reach third rank.”

“Hahaha…”
Li Lilou, Yan Yuanfeng, and the others laughed heartily.

Only Li Linzhou did not join in. He first nodded subtly at Su Jingxing, then walked straight toward the base entrance.
Seeing this, Yan Yuanfeng also wanted to follow.
Suddenly, Li Lilou grabbed his arm.

“What’s wrong?” Yan Yuanfeng stopped and looked back at Li Lilou.

“Ahem~”
Li Lilou glanced at Li Linzhou, who had already entered the base, then lowered his voice, “Everyone, while we’re all here, let’s talk about how to divide the Shi family’s assets?”

Divide? Divide what?
Wait!

Suddenly, Su Jingxing’s mind cleared, his heart stirred.
Shi Zhiniè was dead, the two fourth rank powerhouses of the Shi family were also gone. Among the Shi family’s middle and upper echelons, only Shi Jinian survived; the others were nearly wiped out.
If Shi Jinian were taken down, the century-old Shi family could be declared extinct.

With the Shi family gone, their vast industries and accumulated resources would become a huge prize.
The Li, Qi, and Zhou families all coveted this spoils.
But eating it all alone was impossible.
So, dividing it in advance was laid plainly before everyone.

As the main executor of the Shi family’s downfall and a fourth rank expert, Su Jingxing naturally qualified to claim a share.

“I want ten billion,” Su Jingxing spoke before Zhou Wencen, Zhao Zhongyi, and Yan Yuanfeng could, “Just ten billion Dayu coins. Nothing else.”

“Agreed,” Li Lilou answered quickly.

“No problem,” Yan Yuanfeng nodded.

“Same here,” Zhou Wencen concurred.

Zhao Zhongyi, Wang Tiedao, Qi Xin Jue all nodded without objection.

The total value of the Shi family’s assets exceeded a hundred billion.
Su Jingxing asked for only a tenth—a modest sum.
Li Lilou, Zhou Wencen, and the others even felt relieved.
Dividing the Shi family was an obstacle they couldn’t bypass, but Su Jingxing opting for money saved them a lot of trouble.

This choice was well thought out.
Firstly, if Su Jingxing took the fixed assets without selling them, he’d have to hire people to manage them.
Better to convert them into money at once to avoid future hassle.
Secondly, the Shi family’s cultivation resources, including martial arts manuals, pills, and weapons, leaned towards cold and yin attributes, which Su Jingxing had little use for.
Lastly, for the Shi family’s complete annihilation, the Li, Zhou, and Qi clans would have to act together, leaving many complications.
For example, the elderly, women, children, and distant relatives in various towns and cities affiliated with the Shi family—whether to kill or disable them—had to be resolved.
Compared to that, Su Jingxing taking money and leaving was simpler and more efficient.

Of course, the most important thing was that Su Jingxing had already obtained what he wanted:
The Three Yin Candle Blood!
With an extra ten billion, it was more than enough.

With this capital, future cooperation with the Stone Eradication Alliance would be purely transactional.

...

After dividing their shares and agreeing to jointly assault the Shi family manor that night to wipe out the last remnants, the group returned to the base.
They first visited the underground cavern Shi Zhiniè had burst out from.
Upon arrival, everyone, including Su Jingxing, was shocked.

Corpses!
Everywhere they looked, corpses filled the space.
Hanging midair, lying on the ground, leaning against walls.
Each freshly dead body struck at their hearts deeply.

They were fresh because each corpse was connected to two infusion tubes.
One supplied nutrient fluid, the other drained blood.
The nutrient fluid sustained life, while the blood was drawn into a central blood pool deep within the mountain.

Shi Zhiniè’s demonic art required not only rare herbs but also large quantities of human blood.
Perhaps beast blood would suffice?
But Shi Zhiniè chose human blood.
At least in this spacious cavern beneath the base, no animal carcasses were found—only dense human bodies, no fewer than five hundred.

These people were men and women, old and young.
Yi Yunru, Cai Gongxian, Ye Jiuzhong, and others were all among them.
Shi Zhiniè had to use their blood to cultivate his arts, so from the moment they were captured, their fate was sealed.

Su Jingxing was too late to save them.
All he could do was bring back their bodies to the surface, cremate them into ashes, and deliver them to the Stone Eradication Alliance.
Li Lilou, Yan Yuanfeng, and Zhou Wencen’s teams did the same with their own fallen.

As for the other corpses, they were all destroyed within the cavern.
After confirming identities one by one, Li Linzhou personally poured the corpse-dissolving liquid.
With hundreds of bodies, they even had to call the city for two large shipments of the solution before they had enough.

The Shi family had treated lives as expendable, causing countless deaths.
Li Linzhou immediately called and ordered the Martial Town Office to control all exits and seal off the Shi family district.
Such a large operation inevitably reached Shi Jinian, the one guarding the city.

“Old man... has he failed?”