An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 150 Forty Billion Chinese Yuan
This discovery left Chu Xiu somewhat bewildered, both amused and exasperated.

However, Chu Xiu knew that given his father's pride, he would definitely not take the initiative to ask Qingshan for help.

It's highly likely that they encountered Qingshan on their way back, and he astutely noticed the clues.

As he pondered, his friend had already headed towards the private room. With a thought, Chu Xiu sent out a fierce ghost that quietly observed from afar.

Inside the private room, the air was thick with the smell of smoke and alcohol. Huang Jun sat casually in the center of the sofa, his gray shirt half-undone, revealing a hint of his beer belly. Two scantily clad young women sat beside him.

He was clearly drunk, holding a microphone in one hand and howling like a banshee, while the other hand roamed over the thigh of the woman next to him. The woman didn't mind at all; instead, she coquettishly wrapped her arms around his and lightly brushed against him with her breasts, which excited Huang Jun even more.

Inside the room were three bodyguards and Huang Jun's clients, each accompanied by a young woman, and they were all having a great time.

However, at that moment, a loud bang shattered the lively atmosphere.

"boom."

The door to the room was kicked open suddenly, and Zhang Qingshan's tall figure appeared in the doorway.

The room fell silent, with only the background melody of the song playing from the speakers.

"who?"

The three bodyguards reacted quickly, standing up and blocking Huang Jun's way, looking at Zhang Qingshan with hostile expressions.

All three were of the warrior rank, and their presence standing side by side immediately created a sense of oppression.

The Warrior-rank trial is already the ceiling of security personnel that ordinary wealthy people can recruit. After all, the success rate of the Fierce-rank trial is only slightly over 50%, and there are not many people with the courage to challenge it, let alone succeed.

Those who can become Awakened to the Brutal Rank are basically big shots who can stand on their own and rarely submit to others. Even if they provide security services to conglomerates, it is in the form of an agreement.

With these three warrior-level henchmen, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Huang Jun was tyrannical and domineering; no one dared to mess with him.

However, despite the three men's aggressive pressure, the tall young man at the door did not even change his expression.

This made Huang Jun's eyes narrow, and he instantly sobered up considerably.

He pressed a button on the remote control to turn off the loud music, then waved for the three bodyguards to leave, and asked in a friendly tone:

"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?"

Zhang Qingshan simply stared at him coldly: "You're Huang Jun?"

"Not bad, what's wrong?"

"Chu Xiangguo is your employee, right? He was injured on the job, and you not only refused to pay compensation, but you also beat him up."

"So," Huang Jun's eyes narrowed again, "you want to beat me up too? To avenge him?"

Zhang Qingshan calmly said, "I'm doing this to seek justice."

"justice?"

Hearing this, Huang Jun breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back on the sofa.

Decades of experience had honed his exceptional ability to judge people. He could tell at a glance that although the young man in front of him was not old, he was definitely a genius with extremely high talent. It was hard to say who would win if his three bodyguards fought him.

But as soon as the word "fairness" was uttered, Huang Jun understood that this young man was reasonable.

Since that's the case, things are much easier. He's never messed up under the protection of the rules, so he's not afraid of anyone who's reasonable. What he's afraid of are those hotheads who just start fighting without saying a word.

Huang Jun stroked the gold ring on his hand and spoke slowly, "Young man, I think you may have some misunderstanding."

"I, Huang Jun, have always been an upright and honest person, and I have never treated my brothers unfairly."

"I have already compensated Chu Xiangguo in accordance with the law and signed a settlement agreement, but he went back on his word and tried to extort more money from me."

"To be honest, he's worked for me for so many years, and I really want to help him out. But young man, think about it: if I open this door, how much trouble will I cause later? What if everyone thinks I'm easy to bully and tries to extort money from me? Will my factory still be able to stay in business?"

"But what will happen to the livelihoods of hundreds of workers if the factory closes down?"

Huang Jun was already very experienced in dealing with these troubles, and he immediately used a skillful set of moral blackmail.

However, Zhang Qingshan was not fooled. He simply said, "I understand the whole story. If you hadn't taken advantage of me, why would Uncle Chu have signed the agreement with you?"

Seeing that he hadn't fooled Zhang Qingshan, Huang Jun wasn't discouraged. He just shook his head and said, "Young man, you're still too young and too easily taken advantage of!"

"What you've said is merely Chu Xiangguo's side of the story!"

"Actually, before the compensation was paid, I had already paid hundreds of thousands of yuan in medical expenses to the hospital in advance! That's much more than the compensation amount!"

"Including what you said, that not only did he not give you money, but he also beat up Chu Xiangguo, this is absolutely unprecedented. I'm afraid he just made up the injury to gain your sympathy."

"Tell me, does he have any evidence for these accusations against me?"

Huang Jun's words made Zhang Qingshan frown slightly.

Seeing this, he was secretly delighted, knowing that he had succeeded.

What Huang Jun just said was obviously just something he made up on the spot. How could he be so kind as to pay the medical expenses in advance?
But that's not important. What's important is that the young man in front of me looks like a student. He's the kind of person who believes in the rule of law and acts based on evidence. This kind of person won't act like a thug or hooligans when they're not in the right.

As long as he acts within the rules, Huang Jun is not afraid of anyone, because although the methods he uses are not honorable, they are all in accordance with the law.

Those rules are the inescapable laws of nature for ordinary people, but for those in power and influence, there are too many loopholes to exploit.

A confident smile spread across his face: "So, young man, you..."

However, before he could finish speaking, a loud bang was heard, and the three bodyguards surrounding Zhang Qingshan were simultaneously struck and sent flying backward!

"Wow!"

The three bodies slammed heavily against the wall, shattering the glass mirror. Countless fragments fell with a whoosh, landing on the ground along with the three disheveled figures.

Zhang Qingshan had already taken a step forward and arrived in front of Huang Jun in the blink of an eye, grabbing his collar and lifting him up.

"boss!"

But as warrior-level awakened beings, they reacted quickly, immediately getting up and taking out their weapons, only to be stunned the next second.

A colossal creature, two meters tall and four meters long, appeared behind Zhang Qingshan. Its pale golden pupils, flames spewing from its nostrils, scales as hard as steel, and wings clinging to its back all spoke volumes about the creature's identity.

dragon!
The three of them immediately put away their weapons, smiled apologetically, and retreated to the side in unison.

They knew perfectly well that the young man in front of them had held back just now; otherwise, he could have killed the three of them in an instant!

Meanwhile, under Huang Jun's horrified gaze, Zhang Qingshan sneered and spoke:

"You mean you want me to distrust the uncle who watched me grow up, instead of you, you fat pig?"

"Or are you so stupid as to think that I didn't call the police and came to your door to reason with you?"

His voice was cold, and his face showed a decisiveness and murderous intent that Chu Xiu had never seen before.

"I, I," Huang Jun was completely terrified, losing all his previous composure. He could feel the scorching breath of the terrifying creature behind Zhang Qingshan, as if it would spew out flames that would incinerate him at any moment!

Under the threat of death, he felt a chill in his lower body, and as the murky yellow liquid was expelled, his mind became completely clear.

"I'll pay, you name the amount." Huang Jun said with a mournful face.

"Three million, plus a personal apology, to be completed within three days."

"No problem, no problem!" Huang Jun nodded repeatedly.

Although this amount was almost ten times the standard compensation, he dared not say no at this point.

Huang Jun is not short of money; his bodyguard fees alone amount to 100,000 yuan a month. However, he can spend millions to buy luxury cars without hesitation, but is unwilling to pay compensation according to the law. This is because, in his subconscious, he believes that the factory was built by his own wisdom, and the workers are nothing but cattle and horses. It doesn't matter if they are gone; someone else will take their place.

He felt that simply supporting them was already a favor, but then these people accidentally got injured, which already delayed the construction schedule, and now he, the "master," had to pay compensation. This made Huang Jun feel as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly, so he was determined to stop it no matter what.

This is a kind of psychology that is difficult for ordinary people to understand, but is also very common.

And watching them go from discontent to resistance and then to compromise gives him a morbid sense of power.

Over the past ten years or so, the number of workers he has harmed is far more than just Chu's father.

But things are different now. The young man in front of him is someone who is "higher up" than him. Whether now or in the future, he is the kind of person that he needs to please and who is unattainable.

He had no objection to spending money on such a powerful person; he felt it was only right.

After reaching an agreement, Zhang Qingshan didn't linger. He disdainfully tossed Huang Jun onto the sofa and turned to leave.

The moment he stepped out, Chu Xiu concealed himself again, hiding in a corner.

Chu Xiu, who witnessed the entire incident, now wore a look of surprise on his face.

He originally thought that, given his friend's personality, he would spout off some grand principles about law and justice, only to be rendered speechless by Huang Jun, this tough guy.

Unexpectedly, this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes has started to use his fists to express himself.

"It seems I underestimated Qingshan," Chu Xiu thought to himself.

But then I thought about it again and it made sense. If Zhang Qingshan were really so stubborn, he wouldn't have attracted so many people to follow him.

Being a good person doesn't mean you're without means; relying solely on loyalty is unlikely to win people over.

I must say, my friend does have a unique personal charm.

The only thing that Chu Xiu found somewhat regrettable was...
"You were a bit too soft."

Chu Xiu shook his head.

He sneaked into the KTV, not just to take a quick look around and leave. If it weren't for Qingshan, the private room would already be full of corpses.

However, he did not continue to attack, but instead summoned the vengeful ghost back with a thought.

Qingshan had just caused trouble for Huang Jun, and then Huang Jun died. So he will definitely become the prime suspect.

Even if you have an alibi, it's useless. Awakened beings have all sorts of strange and unusual methods that don't fit into conventional trial procedures.

Although Chu Xiu felt that the police probably couldn't do anything to Zhang Qingshan in the end, he didn't want to cause trouble for Qingshan since the other person had stood up for him. From this perspective, his friend had actually done more harm than good.

"I'll let you live until you pay off the compensation."

Three million to buy three days of life, that's quite reasonable.

Without giving it any further thought, Chu Xiu silently left the club and returned home.

The next day, Huang Jun brought the money over and tearfully grabbed Chu's father, expressing his remorse and apologizing.

Chu's father naturally wouldn't accept this, but his kind nature prevented him from making things difficult for the other party any further.

With three million in hand and a sense of relief, Chu's father's smile became noticeably brighter. His previously hunched back seemed to straighten, and he looked completely refreshed.

This made Chu Xiu secretly happy.

That evening, Chu's father personally went to the market in his wheelchair to buy two large carp, and had Chu's mother cook a feast to thank Qingshan's family.

Chu Xiu also took the opportunity to have a good chat with Zhang Qingshan about his recent situation.

My friend is doing very well; he joined the military's faction and immediately obtained level two core privileges.

Although this privilege is far inferior to Chu Xiu's, it is still quite astonishing. Usually, only general-level awakened individuals can possess it. Chu Xiu probably only granted it because of the high-level anchor point he possessed.

His advanced anchor point has ten initial [locating anchor points], which can be exchanged for a large amount of resources.

Zhang Qingshan had previously told him that he had found the exact location of a nearby town in a basement and had even devised a detailed exploration plan, all of which were promising potential opportunities.

With a large amount of initial resources, Zhang Qingshan's team should be able to develop rapidly like a snowball.

This made Chu Xiu start to consider whether or not to include Qingshan as one of his teammates from his past trials.

An S-rank profession combined with an A-rank combat talent is already a strong combination, let alone a powerful early-game profession like the Dragon Knight.

After reaching the Ferocious Rank, his companion dragon will advance from its juvenile stage to adulthood, and its strength will increase dramatically!
The Ferocious Rank is also the strongest stage for the Dragon Knight class. A Dragon Knight who owns a fully grown dragon is extremely strong in both melee and ranged attacks, and has excellent mobility, making them no less powerful than ordinary SS classes.

Most importantly, having Aoyama as a teammate eliminates the need to consider issues of betrayal and desertion.

After careful consideration, Chu Xiu decided to wait until the time was right before making a decision.

If he was confident that he could pass the Old Trial, then this high drop rate trial would be a great opportunity, and Chu Xiu was naturally willing to lend his good brother a hand.

Of course, this also depends on Qingshan's own efforts. If his upgrade progress is too far behind, Chu Xiu will not force him to improve.

He and Zhang Qingshan took completely different paths. Chu Xiu was a lone wolf, while Zhang Qingshan preferred teamwork. He was now one of the military's leaders in the Corpse Demon World, and had over a hundred awakened individuals under his command.

If these people can be fully utilized, they can greatly help his development. Conversely, if their leadership skills are insufficient, they can easily become a hindrance. Therefore, Chu Xiu is not sure how Qingshan's final upgrade progress will be.

Having made up his mind, Chu Xiu stopped thinking about it.

He spent the next few days honing his combat skills and adapting to his new physical strength.

Three days later, Chu Xiu returned to the Corpse Demon World after resolving the Huang Jun matter.

With a familiar feeling of dizziness, the city, now reduced to ruins, appeared before him.

The sea of ​​blood had receded, leaving only ruins and rubble on the ground. The concrete walls still bore the marks of the blood's corrosion.

Only one day after the cooldown period ended, many awakened individuals had already arrived, clearing away rubble and building new strongholds.

Chu Xiu went to the mission hall and found that there were already quite a few missions, most of which were basic tasks such as collecting materials, drawing maps, and building strongholds.

Awakened individuals like Zhang Qingshan, who have found their next goal, can freely explore strongholds, but most ordinary professionals still rely on the government for sustenance.

If Chu Xiu's talent is truly [Bone Polishing (D)], he should be working diligently at the stronghold right now.

Fortunately, the government attaches great importance to the Shiki world, so the rewards for missions are quite generous.

Moreover, a large number of "experts" were dispatched.

In the initial phase, excluding Chu Xiu, there were a total of 56 anchor point slots, a full third of which were for high-level elite support professions. They would recreate a modern city here as a communication hub.

Radio stations, communication towers, farms, breeding grounds, and flying vehicles will all be built within three months in a planned manner to provide logistical support for the Awakened's exploration.

It is worth mentioning that Guan Ke's mechanic profession is very useful in this environment and has received a lot of government investment.

Moreover, this girl received a stroke of luck from Chu Xiu and obtained a high-level anchor point, which allowed her to complete the most difficult initial resource accumulation for a mechanic. Her growth momentum should be very strong going forward.

She also joined Zhang Qingshan's team and is now the team's second-in-command.

As for Shen Zhuoyun, Lu, and others, they have all had quite good development.

Without giving it any further thought, Chu Xiu changed into the Dark Night King's equipment and made his way to the agreed-upon trading location.

He dispatched an army of ghosts to thoroughly search the area around the transaction site, then concealed himself and waited in place.

When the appointed time arrived, six figures appeared in Chu Xiu's line of sight.

They were the leaders of the three major factions, as well as the material appraisers they had hired.

Their strength was all at or below the Fierce Rank, and there were many familiar faces among them, including Zhang Qingshan and Ye Junlin.

After the six people entered the designated location, Chu Xiu used his divine sense to carefully search the surrounding area. Only after confirming that there was no one else around did he slowly reveal himself.

He could clearly feel that the six people opposite him started breathing rapidly the moment he appeared.

Amused, Chu Xiu didn't say much. He simply waved his hand, and hundreds of pieces of equipment and props were instantly spread all over the ground!
This scene instantly changed the expressions of the six people opposite them from tense to astonished.

It's no wonder they were shocked. With the Spirit Flesh Storage Pouch, he didn't have to worry about storage space at all. In the Corpse Demon World, Chu Xiu accumulated a lot of equipment just by fighting monsters. Later, he also took over the wealth of a group of extreme cultivators and Lin Wanyue. In the subsequent advancement trial, he directly plundered the three geniuses and the entire gambling city.

The quality and quantity of this equipment were more than enough to form a guild, so how could it not shock the six people?

They exchanged a glance, both revealing wry smiles, and lowered their heads to slowly begin counting.

Chu Xiu patiently leaned to the side, spreading his divine sense to monitor the surrounding situation.

Fortunately, the appraisers hired by the three major factions were very professional and could complete the valuation of a piece of equipment in just over ten seconds.

Half an hour later, the appraisal was completed. Ye Junlin took out an ancient bronze mirror and handed it to Chu Xiu. Qin Xiang's face was reflected in the mirror.

"We have just completed all the appraisals, totaling 187 [Rare] items and 259 [Excellent] items, including 88 of the Fierce Rank. Is there any problem?"

Chu Xiu nodded, and Qin Xiang continued, "The total is 21.4 billion Chinese Yuan. The ten positioning anchor points are worth 18.8 billion at market price. Should we exchange them all for Causal Points as previously agreed?"

"Yes, did you bring enough?"

Qin Xiang smiled helplessly: "Luckily, I specially applied to the central government for an extra batch, otherwise it really wouldn't be enough. I really don't know where you, an Awakener who has only been awakened for a month and a half, got so much equipment."

"More than four hundred exquisite treasures. Even I, a King-level cultivator, couldn't acquire them in a short time."

"With a storage item that can hold so much stuff, you must have at least one [Perfect] level storage item."

Storage items are extremely rare and far more valuable than equipment of the same quality. Even Qin Xiang, a King-level Awakener, was shocked at this moment.

Chu Xiu didn't reply, but simply rubbed his hands together. The three leaders immediately understood and each threw out a ball of blue light.

[Item Obtained: 11858 Causality Points]

[Item Obtained: 11245 Causality Points]

[Item Obtained: 11601 Causality Points]

In just a moment, nearly 35,000 karma points were credited to his account!

Looking at his rapidly increasing karma points, Chu Xiu couldn't help but reveal a genuine smile on his face beneath the mask.

With so many causal points, he can successfully cultivate the Golden Muscle and Nether Bone to the fourth level.

It's true that it's always good to take shelter under a big tree. In a world with a fixed order, compared to killing and robbing, in terms of long-term benefits and risks, it's far more satisfying to integrate into a group of interest groups and suck their blood!
Unfortunately, there is a limit to the exchange of Causal Points, and the specific amount depends on the number of Causal Points recycled that year.

Currently, with a core level of four, Chu Xiu can exchange for a maximum of 28500 Karma Points this year. Since he has the authority of three major forces, multiplying that by three gives him 85500 points, which can be exchanged for another 50,000 points!

This transaction also allowed Chu Xiu to understand the true value of causal points.

"The recycling price of Karma Points in Jiangcheng is 7863 Huaxia Coins per Karma Point. The current recycling ratio is 11.68. Moreover, the equipment and items I submitted for exchange will be discounted by about 80%. So, the actual price is about 11.6 Huaxia Coins for one Karma Point."

The difference between the purchase price and the recycling price is nearly fifteen times.

"This exploitation is truly ruthless," Chu Xiu sighed.

This is indeed an astronomical figure, but considering the abnormal effects of causal point distortion, it is worthwhile.

After carefully collecting the causal points, Chu Xiu and Qin Xiang agreed on a time for their next transaction. This time, he decided to sell a collection of [Perfect] and [Exquisite] equipment, along with two A-grade professions.

After some discussion, the two parties agreed to make the transaction here in half a month.

Qin Xiang needed time to gather causal points, and Chu Xiu took advantage of this time to visit the military region he had mentioned before.

Having reached an agreement, Chu Xiu did not linger any longer. However, just as he was about to leave, his divine sense suddenly caught sight of a figure rushing past!

The figure was incredibly fast; if Chu Xiu hadn't kept his divine sense constantly alert, he wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.
Without the slightest hesitation, he turned his head sharply to look at the location where the figure had appeared, but only caught a blurry afterimage flashing through the air. The afterimage rushed out from behind the collapsed wall, stayed in the air for less than 0.1 seconds, and then directly merged into the shadow behind another wall!

Chu Xiu's expression suddenly darkened, and his figure rose from the ground like a wild goose, rushing to the spot where the figure had disappeared in the blink of an eye, and throwing a punch!
"boom!"

The concrete wall shattered instantly, but there wasn't a single person in sight.

This made Chu Xiu pause for a moment.

There weren't many places to hide near the transaction location he had chosen; there were only a few isolated walls. If the figure changed position, he should have been able to spot it.

Is it invisibility? Or some kind of special mode of movement?
Just as Chu Xiu was frowning and wondering where the person had run off to, his eyes suddenly narrowed and a look of shock appeared on his face, which was extremely rare!

From the shadow beneath his feet, a figure as black as ink leaped out like a fish out of water! He held a similarly black dagger in his hand and thrust it straight at Chu Xiu's chest!
The figure sprang up with incredible speed, and Chu Xiu never expected that someone could be hidden in the shadows!
Before they could react, they were stabbed by the black dagger!
Chu Xiu felt a chill run through his body, followed by an extremely cold aura that swept over him!

The previous chapter was temporarily suspended and partially deleted by the reviewers before being released, so some parts may appear disjointed.

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(End of this chapter)