Daqin Zhentiansi

The smoke of battle had not yet cleared from Fusang Island when the massive cloud-patterned flag ship of the Jiuchuan Alliance slowly docked under the personal guidance of Yu Wanjun.

The dock instantly transformed into a whirlpool of noise, not from weapons, but from the clamor of voices!

Although Zhao Yu did not arrive in person, the presence of the chief craftsmen from the Ministry of Works and more than ten leaders of the Jiuchuan Alliance on board showed how much importance he attached to this trip.

Without saying a word, the master craftsmen of the Ministry of Works swept their sharp eyes across the scorched earth piled high with demonic corpses and immediately used spatial artifacts to set up precision furnaces, quenching pools, and dividing arrays.

A massive frontline workshop, capable of consuming demonic remains and producing refined materials, rose from the ground amidst the blood and sea breeze, adjacent to the teleportation array.

The auction stage was set up on one side of the workshop, displaying the scorpion's carapace like crimson crystals, the demonic dragon's sharp teeth flowing with dark purple light, and the demonic beast's tendons as tough as black iron...

Countless "exotic treasures" tainted with malevolent energy were categorized and piled up.

The Jiuchuan Alliance steward, who was well-prepared, struck the gong, his voice cutting through the noise: "First auction: 3,000 catties of Demonic Pattern Black Iron! Starting price: 100,000 taels of gold! Note: Can be offset by pills or spiritual materials of equal value!"

There are so many responses!
For a time, there was a great uproar.

"120,000! Plus 5,000 Rejuvenation Pills!"

"150,000! 3,000 bottles of the Demon-Cleansing Heart Pill, quality guaranteed!"

The shouts of bidders mingled with gasps of amazement, and the spirit stones flashed with light.

This is the Qin Dynasty's extensive trade routes.

Amidst the fierce battles and bloodshed, those behind turn the ferocious remains into a powerful fuel that drives the gears of war!

Those Penglai cultivators who had just joined the Qin camp looked at the scene before them with shock mixed with relief.

An old Taoist priest who was leading the group quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply to the manager of the Ministry of Works: "Brother Taoist, we are proficient in the method of 'Gathering Spirit and Condensing Pearls'. We can purify the dense blood evil and wandering demonic energy here and condense them into 'Blood Purification Spirit Pearls' and 'Demonic Breaking Pearls'. Although they are not top-grade treasures, they are great because they can be made in large quantities and quickly."

"We only ask that the Great Qin Dynasty grant us, our kin, a safe and secure place to live!"

With such easy prey delivered to their doorstep, how could the merchants of the Nine Rivers Alliance possibly refuse?

Only these immortal island cultivators, who have not been in contact with Yongtian Continent for a long time, do not know what it means to be exploited to the bone.

"Fellow Daoist, please sign this agreement."

"Once we sign, we're on the same side."

The Jiuchuan Alliance manager who spoke had a friendly smile on his face.

Once the agreement was reached, the Penglai cultivators immediately integrated into the workshop, their Daoist brilliance shining brightly alongside the weapon-refining furnace, and the abandoned baleful energy from the battlefield was efficiently transformed and utilized.

At the very core, Zhen Xuan sat beside a huge stone pit where arrays flowed, and inside the pit was the newly discovered Chaos Yuanling mineral vein.

Instead of sending the core essence of the ore vein to the imperial city for auction, Zhen Xuan personally led experts from the Spirit Array Division, along with several seasoned Taoist priests from Penglai who were highly skilled in spatial arrays, to make the move.

By drawing upon the power of the earth's veins and using pure spirit stones as a catalyst, they are condensed in batches into pigeon-egg-sized beads that emit a chaotic gray light—the Chaotic Yuanling Beads!

Although the quality is slightly inferior to that of individually refined products, its advantage lies in its continuous supply and large quantity!
These "spiritual pearls," with their incredibly pure energy, spatial power, and ease of absorption, were distributed immediately to the elite troops of the newly trained army, especially the Eastern Crimson Flame Heavy Cavalry led by Lei Ming, just like the highest quality fuel.

"Cross your legs! Refine! Draw upon the evil energy to temper your body, absorb the chaos to strengthen your foundation!" Lei Ming's low roar echoed throughout the camp.

The soldiers, holding the Chaos Primordial Spirit Pearls, felt their true essence surging and growing stronger at an unprecedented speed. The fatigue and hidden injuries from days of bloody battles were rapidly repaired and transformed by the pure energy, and their eyes shone with a sharp light that was almost tangible! This was the ultimate manifestation of using war to sustain war and using war to train soldiers.

The flesh and bones of the demons, and even the chaotic power of this space, were squeezed, purified, and fed back to the sharpest blade by this massive war machine!

The new recruits took turns transporting the freshly refined materials into the warehouse. Their armor still bore traces of demonic blood, and they wore jade badges of merit at their waists, their steps resounding with a clang.

Several salt merchants, dressed in fine clothes and standing outside the cordon, watched in amazement.

"Tsk tsk, that young man's scales gleam with a cold light, and dark patterns flow across them. Hmm, he even has a gash on his shoulder? What a pity!"

The fat man in the brocade robe looked pained, and couldn't help but shout at a young soldier carrying half a piece of giant rhinoceros demon shoulder armor: "Young brother! Want to sell your armor fragment? I'll offer five taels of gold! No, eight taels!"

The young soldier was none other than Zhao Dahu, who had just been knocked over by a demonic rhinoceros on the battlefield, his armor shattered, yet he had managed to earn merit.

He paused for a moment, then grinned, revealing his white teeth, and patted the damaged part of his breastplate, completely unconcerned: "Shopkeeper, you're joking! This is the armor that helped me slay three demon rhinoceroses. The relief department said to repair it with diamond sand and black iron when we get back, and the Marquis even rewarded me with ten 'demon-slaying pearls'!"

"Don't even mention eight taels; Captain Qi of the Marquis's personal guard said he wouldn't trade it for ten thousand taels of gold!"

He continued carrying the magical material fragments, which were larger than his own body, and walked past with his head held high, leaving Manager Qian dumbfounded.

The surrounding soldiers laughed, their eyes filled with pride.

On the other side, in the corner of the workshop, there were piles of small, cracked or dirty pieces of scales and bones that had been scraped off when cutting up monsters.

The soldiers in charge of counting were directing their auxiliary troops to pour the contents into a specially made large furnace to recover the trace metallic spiritual energy contained within.

The portly Manager Qian of Changning Trading Company rushed over again, picked up a palm-sized, dark red scale covered with spiderweb patterns, and exclaimed in anguish, "Oh dear! This is such a fine demon scale. Although it has a minor flaw, it's worth sending it to Yuyuan Trading Company in the capital to be cut and polished into auxiliary material for a breastplate. It's worth thirty or fifty taels of silver!"

"What a waste! What a waste!" An old cook nearby, who was adding ingredients with a large shovel, scoffed upon hearing this. "Old Qian, this is the front line of Fusang Island! We're calculating every penny when it comes to using materials to break through demonic barriers?"

"The Marquis's order is that the front lines need speed and precision! These scraps are more worthwhile to burn and use as paving stones than to transport them back from afar! At the front lines, every second counts!"

With a flick of the shovel, all the broken scales were thrown into the furnace, sending up a plume of blue smoke.

Manager Qian's lips trembled, and he gasped in distress.

……

As refined materials were produced in a continuous stream, news spread that the first batch of finished products, the "Heavy Mountain Demon Scale Armor" made by layering and refining monster skin scales, were being auctioned off.

The merchants were immediately agitated upon hearing that the Imperial City Yuyuan Trading Company had also sent a manager to assess the prospects for bulk purchases.

Yu Yuan Trading Company controls the trade route along the Great Wall in the Northern Territory. Who can compete with them?
Manager Qian and another equally powerful salt merchant from the neighboring county, Boss Zhou, rushed to the Jiuchuan Alliance manager in charge of the auction almost simultaneously, followed by their respective accountants.

"Manager Li! The Qian family will take all 30,000 sets of Demon Scale Armor! The price will be increased by 10% on top of the list!" Manager Qian patted his chest, full of pride.

"Don't even think about it, Fatty Qian! My Zhou family is willing to add 20%! And it will all be paid in cash with East Sea Spirit Pearls, no delays whatsoever!" Boss Zhou's hair and beard bristled, showing no sign of backing down.

The guards they brought also glared at each other, and the atmosphere on the scene suddenly became tense.

Just as the two were arguing heatedly, their faces flushed and spittle almost hitting each other's faces, a cold, sharp shout pierced the clamor like an ice pick:

"Enough!" (End of Chapter)