Having been given a second chance at life, I choose to join the Demonic Sect!

Within the Hehuan Sect, a strict hierarchical system prevailed.

Only Void Refinement stage elders can move those sixth-tier items in the warehouse. Even the six hall masters who are nominally in charge of the warehouse do not dare to move them on their own!
A strict hierarchical system has become the unified rule for all top sects in the Eastern Region Dao Continent.

For example, there is an unwritten rule in the Eastern Region Dao Continent: no force below the top level is allowed to privately possess sixth-tier treasures.

Even top-tier forces with Nascent Soul stage cultivators cannot escape this fate; if they secretly possess high-level treasures, and the top sects find out, it will be disastrous.

The method used by the top sects of the demonic path was much simpler, just three words: exterminate ten clans!

As for the top righteous sects, they might be dealt with more leniently. Although they might not go so far as to exterminate ten clans, they are capable of killing their high-ranking members and enslaving their descendants for eternity!
Of course, this is the consequence of keeping it private; it would be fine if it were a reward from the higher authorities.

But the sect leader isn't stupid. Why would someone who's not related to you bestow a sixth-tier treasure upon a domesticated sheep?
Upon hearing what the widow said, Cao Meng realized that gathering all the materials on Shishi's list might be a bit troublesome.

It seems that the plan to have Shishi forge a great sword for me will have to be put on hold.

Or, let's just keep Shishi around and let her play with us!

……

The six hall masters of the Hehuan Sect have gathered in the storeroom, clearly preparing for a major meeting!
This warehouse meeting was organized by Gongsun Meng, Baili Qin, and Helian Qi.

Although the three of them held half the power in the warehouse, if they wanted to control Cao Meng, they would have to bring Mei Wen, Le Yao, and Zi Mo, the three hall masters, into the fray and form a united front.

Especially Yue Yao and Zi Mo, these two are not ordinary Nascent Soul stage hall masters.

In terms of seniority, these two are of the same generation as Nangong Yan and Xifeng, and are a generation older than Duanmu Fei and Han Sijing!
However, Le Yao and Zi Mo are not as talented as Nangong Yan and others. They have cultivated for nearly a thousand years but have not been able to advance to the Void Refinement stage.

However, both of them are quite strong, both at the seventh level of the Nascent Soul stage.

Due to their qualifications, the two of them were ineligible for the positions of peak master or sect leader, and could only get a lucrative job as hall masters in the warehouse.

In fact, the Hehuan Sect has many senior members who are not qualified enough to reach the Nascent Soul stage.

For these Nascent Soul stage cultivators, the higher-ups of the Joyful Union Sect would arrange some lucrative positions for them.

For example, guarding a region on behalf of the sect and looking after some of the sect's properties.

These lucrative positions were already the greatest favors the sect elders could bestow upon them.

Let them make enough money, and give them a chance to reach the stage of enlightenment and refinement!
……

Because of their seniority and strength, even Duanmu Fei and Han Sijing had to treat Le Yao and Zi Mo with great respect.

However, the two of them spend most of their time cultivating, and they basically don't even attend high-level meetings.

But because of Cao Meng's previous accusations, the two of them were also in a very difficult situation!

But since the Fifth Patriarch Wanling had already given the order, what could the two of them do? They could only pay the tax!
They've been evading taxes for seven or eight hundred years, and now they suddenly have to pay back the taxes—it's really tough for them!
Just as the two women were feeling distressed, Gongsun Meng, Baili Qin, and Helian Qi suddenly used the Divine Inquiry to tell them that there was a way to recover their losses.

Therefore, Yue Yao and Zi Mo gave these three juniors face and allowed them to attend the warehouse manager's internal meeting!
"Gongsun Meng and the other two, just say what you have to say, don't waste our time!"

Le Yao came to the meeting with these four juniors today solely to gain benefits and make up for her tax losses, not to sit here and drink tea.

"You three, don't try to make fun of me and Senior Sister Le Yao, or don't blame us for teaching you three juniors a lesson!"

Zi Mo also had a bad temper; after all, who could be in a good mood when suddenly they had to pay back taxes?

"My two senior uncles, all six of us are currently troubled by the matter of paying back taxes, but it is all the fault of that traitor Cao!"

Gongsun Meng first drew everyone's anger to Cao Meng, so that he could complete his grand plan!
Stop talking nonsense and waste time!

Le Yao and Zi Mo didn't have time to listen to nonsense, after all, their time was very precious!

"My two senior uncles, Cao Meng has caused us so many losses, we cannot let him off easily!"

"Cao Meng's Supreme Yang Pearl, bubble tea, and the Inquiry of Immortals—all of these materials were provided by our warehouse!"

"Cao Meng's profits are over 70%, while how much have we actually gotten?"

After being reprimanded by Le Yao and Zi Mo, Gongsun Meng had no choice but to speak her mind.

"Gongsun Meng, on which materials do you intend to raise prices?"

Le Yao was a seasoned veteran who had cultivated for a thousand years; how could she not understand what the other party meant?

"If it weren't for our warehouse ensuring the supply of those materials, would Cao Cao have been able to make so much money?"

"He makes 70% of the profits, so he should share some with us."

"The three of us ultimately agreed to double the original price of the materials!"

Gongsun Meng, Baili Qin, and Helian Qi spoke fluently, clearly indicating that the three of them had discussed everything in advance.

"Isn't doubling the price a bit too much?"

"Cao Meng probably won't agree!"

Upon hearing this, Mei Wen, who had remained silent until now, spoke up weakly.

She felt that if the price were raised a little, Cao Meng might accept it.

However, Gongsun Meng, Baili Qin, and Helian Qi wanted to double the price.

Cao Meng wasn't stupid; how could the other party possibly agree?

"We only raised our prices a little; Cao Meng's profit margin is so large, it's not much for him!"

"Even if we double the price of these materials, Cao Meng's net profit will still be at least 50%!"

"Junior Sister Meiwen, a 50% profit margin is quite substantial!"

Gongsun Meng felt that guaranteeing Cao Meng's net profit at 50% was already quite a lot.

If it were a greedy person, they would be grateful if Cao Meng were left with even 30%.

"Gongsun Meng, proceed according to the plan of the three of you!"

Le Yao and Zi Mo discussed it and thought it was feasible.

Cao Meng dared to report them, so he should pay some price.

Seeing that Le Yao and Zi Mo had agreed, and with Gongsun Meng and the others added, it was a five-to-one ratio. What could Mei Wen say?

And so, Gongsun Meng, Baili Qin, and Helian Qi quickly made arrangements to make things difficult for Cao Meng.

……

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed.

In the past few days, Cao Meng has been working diligently and hasn't gone out to cause trouble, but unpleasant things still happened.

The warehouse suddenly announced a price increase for materials, doubling the price in one go.

"Hey, can I play with these?"

Cao Meng was furious when he received this news.

Originally, after deducting material costs and labor costs, only 80% of the profit was left. Of that, some of it had to be used to raise the demon, the female demon, the vengeful senior sister, and Shen Aoxue, and some of the profits were also taken away.

By the time it got to him, there wasn't much left, and he was still throwing money at Four Symbols City.

You should know that Cao Meng is a major customer of the warehouse, its bread and butter.

Now that the Hehuan Sect's treasury is raising prices for itself, this is an attempt to take advantage of the situation.

……

Cao Meng learned from Mei Wen that the trigger for this incident was Gongsun Meng, Baili Qin, and Helian Qi.

So he went to the warehouse and met Gongsun Meng, Baili Qin, and Helian Qi.

Gongsun Meng, Baili Qin, and Helian Qi had long anticipated Cao Meng's arrival, so they had been waiting for him in the warehouse for the past few days.

"Three senior uncles, are you sure you want to do this?" Cao Meng questioned Gongsun Meng and the other two, intending to give them a chance.

Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless and using harsh methods!

"Cao Meng, what, are you going to do something in the warehouse?"

Gongsun Meng was not afraid of Cao Meng taking action at all. Even though her cultivation level was lower than Cao Meng's, she was not afraid in the slightest.

“Nephew Cao Meng, we know that your cultivation is high and we are no match for you.”

However, we warn you, the warehouse is a vital area of ​​the sect. If you take action here without authorization and cause any damage, you will not be able to bear the responsibility!

Bailiqin and Helianqi warned Cao Meng, but if Cao Meng insisted on taking action, they wouldn't mind using him to handle some messy matters!

They've been in charge of the treasury for centuries, and they all have some bad debts to deal with, so it would be the best solution if they could handle them properly!

"My three senior uncles, I dare not lay a hand on you. Otherwise, what if you pin all your dirty laundry on me?"

Cao Meng didn't dare to make a move, after all, if he did, it would be too late.

What if Bailiqi and his group put themselves on the blame for all the debts they've accumulated over the years?
At that time, I might end up being accused of robbing thousands of kilograms of spiritual herbs without having done anything.

Like a joke from my hometown: the King of Hell took advantage of the monkey's intrusion into the underworld to mess up the Book of Life and Death, and his descendants' cattle and horses got to lick his lifespan for decades!

……

Seeing that Cao Meng had no intention of making a move, Gongsun Meng, Baili Qin, and Helian Qi remained calm.
"My three senior uncles, are you sure you want to pull this stunt on me? I advise you to think twice!"

Cao Meng not only refused to yield to Gongsun Meng, Baili Qin, and Helian Qi, but instead turned around and threatened them, showing no concern that the warehouse was a supplier!

"Nephew Cao Meng, your business has an incredibly high net profit margin; you've made a fortune!"

"These materials are in short supply recently, and we went to great lengths to obtain them, so naturally we have to charge a higher price!"

Gongsun Meng spoke with righteous indignation, and Baili Qin and Helian Qi echoed her.

They believed Cao Meng was a smart man who knew how to choose between earning a little less and earning nothing!
"Good good!"

After Cao Meng said "good" three times, his expression suddenly changed, and he uttered a harsh threat:
"I hope my fellow martial uncles won't regret this!"

Cao Meng made a harsh statement and left immediately.

He had already given Gongsun Meng, Baili Qin, and Helian Qi a chance, but they didn't want it, so they shouldn't blame him for making them regret it!

"What's going on with Cao Meng?"

Baili Qin and Helian Qi watched as Cao Meng left without a trace of lingering affection, his figure disappearing into the distance. They were puzzled, realizing what he intended to do.

"What are you afraid of!"

"This kid is just being stubborn; he's trying to fool us!"

Although Gongsun Meng was also a little puzzled, she had to stabilize morale at this time.

Baili Qin and Helian Qi found Gongsun Meng's analysis to be reasonable!
"That traitor Cao should still have some stockpiled goods. I'd like to see how long his stockpiled goods can last."

Gongsun Meng estimated that Cao Meng's arrogance stemmed from his having stockpiled supplies, which was why he dared to threaten him.

"I bet he'll give in to us within ten days to two weeks!"

Gongsun Meng did not believe that Cao Meng's stockpile could last long.

Once Cao Cao's stockpile is depleted, he will inevitably submit to them.

Cao Meng: Hehehe!

I've got plenty of ways to deal with you, kid!
……

At Cao Meng's residence on Suqin Peak, the great demon Xia Yulan saw Cao Meng return and said:
"Cao Meng, you went to talk to Gongsun Meng and the others, but you couldn't reach an agreement?"

Xia Yulan noticed Cao Meng's ashen face and roughly guessed what had happened.

"Ok!"

Cao Meng nodded, and then said:

"Those three women thought they had me cornered and wanted me to submit, but how could I possibly back down!"

Cao Meng had already figured out how to deal with the warehouse area and make those three people cry!

"What to do next?"

Seeing that the matter had not been resolved, Xia Yulan frowned and said:
"Otherwise, we can call your grandmaster over, or I can call my master over, and put pressure on the three of them directly!"

The storehouse is a special area in the Hehuan Sect, and even the sect leader cannot take too much from it.

Therefore, Xia Yulan thought of asking Nangong Yan, Xi Feng and other Void Refinement stage elders to put pressure on the warehouse to restore the material prices to their original levels.

Xia Yulan did not believe that the six hall masters of the warehouse could be superior to a good ancestor in the Void Refinement stage.

"No need!"

Cao Meng politely declined the great demon's suggestion. This was a trivial matter; dealing with a few useless people was no big deal. If he needed to call on Nangong Yan and the others for help, then he, Cao Meng, might as well not stay in the Hehuan Sect!

"Aren't they going to raise prices on raw materials?"

“We’re raising prices too. Starting now, Zhiyang Pearls, bubble tea, Wenxianji… raise your prices as much as they do, and I’ll raise mine by the same amount!”

It's just raising prices, right? Cao Meng thought anyone could do that!
The warehouse is raising material prices, and they want to make themselves suffer.

He himself raised the price of the Supreme Yang Pearl, making those sect disciples suffer, and let this group of people make Gongsun Meng, Baili Qin, and Helian Qi suffer!

"You little rascal, you're trying to use the sect disciples to attack the treasury!"

Xia Yulan wasn't stupid either; after Cao Meng's explanation, she immediately understood.

Xia Yulan estimated that if this matter escalated, the six hall masters of the warehouse would not have an easy time either!

"Ok!"

Cao Meng nodded, then took out the Inquiry Machine and sent a price increase notice to the employees.

……

At the Hehuan Sect's dining hall, just like always, many sect disciples were buying Supreme Yang Pearls.

"These are the spirit stones to buy three hundred Tier 1 Supreme Yang Pearls!"

The true disciple, Zong Xueka, has been at the half-step Golden Core stage for some time. She plans to buy three hundred Supreme Yang Pearls to break through to the Golden Body Golden Core stage.

She handed over the 2,100 low-grade spirit stones she had prepared to the maid, and waited for the maid to give her the 300 first-grade Yang Pearls.

But Zong Xue didn't know she was too late. The price of a Tier 1 Supreme Yang Pearl was seven low-grade spirit stones, which was the previous price.

The price of a first-tier Yang Pearl has now risen to twenty-one low-grade spirit stones.

"Junior sister, the price of the Supreme Yang Pearl has gone up. You can buy a hundred of them with these spirit stones!"

The waitress in the cafeteria didn't rush to give the Supreme Yang Pearl to the other party, but instead said something awkwardly.

"what?"

Zong Xue was shocked upon hearing this and scolded:

"Even if you raise prices, you can't double them all at once! That's outrageous!"

Zong Xue grew angrier the more she thought about it. She knew that the earliest Tier 1 Supreme Yang Pearl only cost five low-grade spirit stones, but the price later rose to seven.

The price of the Supreme Yang Pearl has now doubled, reaching twenty-one low-grade spirit stones per pearl. This is outrageously exorbitant! (End of Chapter)