Who let him join the Sword Sect!

Chapter 428 Who says early-game items are useless?
Plans never change as fast as they should.

As Zhang Ze was being clung to by Fu Ji, he took a step forward and stood in front of A Li, only to find her sitting on the ground with her face scrunched up, seemingly troubled by something.

"What's going on?" Zhang Ze asked curiously.

Hearing the voice, A-Li looked up and saw that it was Zhang Ze. She didn't say anything at first, but jumped onto Zhang Ze's shoulder.

After settling in, Ah Li reached out and pinched Zhang Ze's face hard. Once she was sure it had returned to its chubby texture, she sighed.

"Hmm, we've run into trouble." Ah Li beckoned with her finger, and the booklet on the ground was lifted by spiritual energy and flew to Zhang Ze's front. Ah Li pointed at it.

"It seems we can't quite meet the quantity and quality of the explosive magical artifacts that Master Dao requested."

Zhang Ze, "Don't you have any there?"

Ah Li: "Yes, but not that many. Besides you and Lily, who would carry so many Thousand Machine Thunders and explosive magical artifacts in their pockets all the time?"

Zhang Ze: "How many do you have?"

"That's all." Ah Li waved her hand again, and another booklet flew over, which recorded the number of Thousand Machine Thunders and various explosive magical artifacts that Ah Li carried with her.

Looking at the booklet, Zhang Ze did some quick calculations and discovered that the gap between the plan and reality was more than half.

"It's a pity Lily isn't here. If she were, she could probably blow up seven Rainfall Mountains without any problem," Ah Li sighed.

“There’s no need to panic. I got this from Senior Brother Shi.” Zhang Ze patted A Li’s head, then flipped his hand, and a jade bottle appeared in front of A Li.

"This is Senior Brother Shi's storage magic artifact. It must contain many treasures, which should be enough to make up for the shortfall. If that's still not enough, we can borrow some from other fellow Daoists."

Most of the cultivators trapped here had been to Thousand Machine Town.

When you come to Qianji Town, who doesn't bring home some local specialty, Qianji Thunder?

It's pieced together from various sources, so it should be roughly correct.

“That’s true.” Ah Li nodded.

……

Unfortunately, plans can't keep up with changes.

Senior Brother Shi doesn't have hamster syndrome; his storage bottle is a bit too clean.

There were very few items among them. Apart from a considerable number of spirit stones, the only other items were three star charts, a short sword, and many ancient scrolls.

At Shi Xiu's level, most magical artifacts are beneath his notice. It's like a Terminator not carrying a firecracker in his pocket.

Moreover, due to the influence of Xiaoxue, he himself is not particularly dependent on magical artifacts.

The few magical artifacts he carried with him were basically only of commemorative value to him; he would never take them out to use them normally.

The situation is largely the same for everyone else.

Besides his personal magical artifacts, the storage bag contained only spirit stones and some pills and scrolls.

"By the way, didn't you guys bring the Thousand Machine Thunder with you when you went out?" Zhang Ze looked at the six sects' fellow disciples who were in charge of the statistics.

"I brought them, but I've used them all up." The junior disciple from Longhu Mountain scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"The waters in Changzhou are too deep," Senior Sister Qin sighed. "After arriving here, we used up all our stock in just half a month."

Recalling her experiences over the past month, she felt utterly exhausted. Even without the incident at Luoyu Mountain, Changzhou was the most dangerous place she had ever been in her life.

"Yeah, if it weren't for Baldy's curiosity, we wouldn't have come to Luoyu Mountain to see the Blood Moon. We would have turned back long ago, and we might be home by now."

The junior disciple from Longhu Mountain also sighed.

"My fault, my fault," the bald man chuckled.

Buddhist disciples are always so easy to talk to.

The other independent cultivators who came from other places were in the same situation as these disciples from the six sects.

As for the locals of Changzhou, they have not yet been corrupted by the Thousand Machine Pavilion. The magical artifacts they use are mostly traditional magical treasures made from local specialties, full of a pristine and natural feel.

At the same time, because most of the trade in Changzhou was based on barter, they didn't even have many spirit stones.

"Hmm," Zhang Ze said, rubbing his chin as he pondered what to do.

As he pondered this, Zhang Ze's gaze fell upon the junior disciple from Longhu Mountain.

This kid's surname is Mu and his given name is Mu. Zhang Ze had met him a few times before. Because his name was unique in many ways, Zhang Ze had a deep impression of him.

If we're strictly counting by seniority, he's the grand-nephew of Xiao Tang's grand-nephew.

Although the two are of very different generations, they are very close and have an ultimate henchman relationship where Xiao Tang can do whatever he wants.

"Brother Mu Mu, did you bring the things?" Zhang Ze suddenly asked out of the blue.

"Bring what?" Brother Mu Mu didn't understand.

Zhang Ze gestured, "A fire unicorn."

The first batch of products from Qianjige's collaboration with Longhushan is the Fire Qilin Spear, which can automatically print talismans with a few swipes. It's an essential item for home and travel, for warding off evil spirits and demons.

It was a favorite item of both Xiao Tang and Lao Tang, grandfather and grandson.

If Brother Mu Mu is Xiao Tang's henchman, then he must be carrying a lot with him.

"Yes, yes." Brother Mu slapped his forehead, waved his hand, and gestured for everyone to stand back a bit.

After clearing a space for him, Mu Mu shook his finger, and a flash of inspiration struck him. He drew a circle in the air.

Then, a hail of gunfire erupted in the circle.

One after another, the incredibly cool and stylish machine guns fell down, piling up into a small mountain in front of everyone.

After continuous iterations, the Fire Kirin Thousand Machine Gun is no longer the original square box. Both its internal and external appearance are very different from the original.

"So many?" Zhang Ze was taken aback.

He thought that a dozen or so games would be the maximum, but he didn't expect there to be so many.

Anyone who didn't know better would think this young Taoist priest was going to become the king of arms dealers.

"You're quite the hidden talent, kid." Senior Sister Qin stepped forward, picked up a gun, and stroked the almost brand-new barrel.

Mu Mu chuckled and said, "Actually, they're not mine. It's my junior grandmaster who likes these things, but he's not very patient. Every time he gets a new one, he gets bored with it after playing with it for two days, so he just leaves them all with me."

Senior Sister Qin now understood what Zhang Ze was trying to do. She put down her gun. "You want to print talismans to replace the Thousand Machine Thunder?"

Zhang Ze nodded. "That's right."

"But whether it's the Thunder Talisman or my Heavenly Sect's Ice Soul Talisman, they're not easy to control without someone to operate them. Can they meet the requirements?"

Zhang Ze shook his finger.

"Let's not print that one, let's print these two."

Zhang Ze raised his hand and used his spiritual energy to draw two talismans in front of him.

One of the talismans is called "Golden Armor Becomes Soldiers".

It was a talisman drawn using magic that Zhang Ze created when he first joined the Sword Sect. It used the Five Elements Little Ghosts to explode and injure people.

The other one has no name.

But Mu Mu recognized him at a glance.

It was the very same nameless, vicious talisman that, according to legend, was drawn by a certain Celestial Master from Longhu Mountain, and this Celestial Master was 80% likely to be the young Old Tang.

This talisman doesn't harm people or exterminate ghosts; it only explodes spirit stones.

One explosion can wipe out an entire area; its power is astonishing, and it can bankrupt a family.

And right now, what they have in abundance is spirit stones.

Both the number of imps and the number of spirit stones can be precisely arranged without human intervention.

Senior Sister Qin looked at the nameless talisman drawn by Zhang Ze, and produced a spirit stone in her hand. She twirled it while muttering to herself.

"I never thought I'd be so rich one day."

"Done."

As she spoke, she beckoned to Ah Li to take out her magical artifact with the particularly long name.

Senior Sister Qin pointed her finger, and the spirit stones flowed into the golden dragon-scale pouch like water.

The other disciples from the six sects followed suit and donated their spirit stones.

Surprisingly, the richest person was the bald Buddhist monk.

"Why are you looking at me? I don't usually spend money, of course I have a lot saved up." The monk blinked innocently.

After asking Shi Xiu and receiving a casual reply, Zhang Ze added all the spirit stones in the jade bottle to the prize pool.

Seeing that the atmosphere had reached this point, the remaining independent cultivators exchanged glances and then lined up to offer their spirit stones.

Although a few misers were heartbroken, they had no choice but to cut off their flesh in order to leave this place alive.

The stingiest person could only keep comforting himself, saying that the money was exchanged for his life and his connection with the Six Sects.

Surprisingly, the fireflies also contributed some spirit stones, which they had collected from various places as little toys. Although it wasn't much, it was still a token of their appreciation.

While the little fireflies were handing over their spirit stones, Senior Sister Qin subtly transmitted her voice to Zhang Ze.

"Junior brother, could you write down the number of spirit stones we offered?"

"I've written it down. What's up?" Zhang Ze replied softly via telepathy. Senior Sister Qin said, "Please double the amounts for all of us, except for that bald guy. His is too much; it'll give us away."

Zhang Ze, "Huh?"

Senior Sister Qin: "Ah, what? I'll definitely ask Master for reimbursement when I get back."

"Isn't it normal to eat more now? Haven't you ever done that before?"

Zhang Ze thought about it; he really had never done it before.

He not only never tricked his master, but he even frequently gave his master money.

If you add it all up, you've already paid a fine equivalent to almost two hundred years of your master's salary.

Thinking about it this way, I realize I'm really a good apprentice.

As for where the fine came from, that's not important, don't ask.

Rain falls outside the mountains.

Although Changzhou is sparsely populated, such a grand spectacle has attracted the attention of many. There was a blood moon, rain, and Zhu Luo, who had manifested as a dragon, flying around in the air from time to time.

In the past few days, local cultivators have been coming here from time to time. Apart from some people who want to find treasures and bargains, most of the rest are just bored and come here to join in the fun.

The Six Sects did not drive them away, but instead temporarily took them in as unofficial members, scattered them, and stuffed them into the patrol teams of the Six Sects' cultivators to serve as guides.

Somewhere, near a volcano.

The junior sister glanced at the guide, whose face was ashen and who was lying on the ground, and reached out to check her breath.

Yes, the pills from Medicine King Valley are very potent and effective; her life is not in danger.

After confirming that she was safe and sound, the junior sister walked up to the culprit tree, the Apa tree, and pointed at it with her flying sword.

"Tell me, are you wrong or not?"

The Apa tree twisted and turned, as if trying to uproot itself and run away, while secretly continuing to spew colorless and odorless poisonous mist at its junior sister.

But the wild monsters were no match for the pay-to-win warriors; the poisonous mist was absorbed by the pendant on the junior sister's waist before it could even get close.

"Tell me, are you right or wrong?" the junior sister asked again.

This time, it probably really chickened out; the Apa tree stopped wriggling and instead lowered its branches, signifying submission.

But the junior sister has not forgiven it yet.

"You're wrong, aren't you? Then spit out the little leaves and fill the basket to the brim!"

The junior sister used the tip of her sword to make a cut in the trunk of the Apa tree.

Upon hearing this, the Apax Tree trembled again. Its spitting out of small leaves is a slow metabolic reaction that occurs only after digesting prey, but if there is no prey and not enough time for digestion, then spitting out small leaves would be extremely taxing.

However, as the saying goes, things can be discussed. After the junior sister wrote half a poem on the Apa tree with her sword, the Apa tree finally gave in and began to sprout leaves.

After vomiting a whole basketful, the Apa tree changed color, turning a rotten yellow, as if it were about to die.

The junior sister, who had started it all, nodded in satisfaction. She turned to the guide who was lying on the ground and said, "Done. Let's go find the next one."

"Grandma, are you coming again? Let's go back... I really can't take it anymore."

The guide sister got up from the ground, swallowed another pill, and after her complexion returned to normal, she pleaded.

These Apax trees are quite interesting. They are born with some intelligence and are inexplicably stubborn. It is difficult to make them obey if you force them.

To control them, either to make them grateful or to make them feel guilty.

That's why the junior sister came up with this "insurance fraud" scheme. Using this method, she has already extorted seven paisley trees.

Faced with the guide's hesitation, the junior sister coolly said...

"I'll add more money; if you find three more trees, the reward will triple."

Upon hearing this, the guide gasped, gritted her teeth, and stomped her foot.

"Let's do it! Follow me."

Having said that, he walked westward.

The two hadn't gone far when the junior sister suddenly stopped.

She squatted on the ground, covering her indestructible head, and began to gasp for breath.

Something hit her without warning or sensation, and the magical artifacts on her body didn't activate.

That thing actually made intimate contact with the junior sister's head.

After a while, the junior sister reached out and picked up the thing that had attacked her. Upon closer inspection, she found it to be a black stone about the size of a thumbnail.

"Black Stone? Where did it come from?"

The junior sister looked up, but there was no floating mountain, no birds, and no Changzhou deer that flew by farting.

All that remained was a cloudless sky.

"Heaven?"

……

A few days later.

Rain in the mountains.

Ah Li sat on the ground, her mouth wide open, looking very uncomfortable.

The others looked at A Lidu with complicated expressions.

Before long, the source of all the problems, Zhang Ze's head and an arm, emerged from A Li's mouth.

“Catch it.” Zhang Ze opened his palm, a gentle breeze swirled, and grayish-white dust crystals flew out from his palm, piling up into a small mountain in front of everyone.

Then the hand gestures changed again, and many more rare and precious treasures flew out, dazzling the onlookers.

"Is that enough?" Zhang Ze asked.

"That's enough...that's enough." Senior Sister Qin, who was in charge of the statistics, nodded stiffly.

But Zhang Ze acted as if he hadn't heard him, saying, "Not enough, huh? If not, I'll go get some more."

"Ughhhhhhh!" Ah Li, whose food had been snatched from the pig's mouth, let out a series of strange whimpers, vomiting as she used her little arms to pry Zhang Ze's face, urging him to get out of there.

Zhang Ze smacked his lips and left Ah Li's body with a lingering sense of satisfaction.

Although Zhang Ze and his team found a way to replace the Thousand Machine Thunder and explosive magic weapons with talismans, they encountered another problem as they began printing the talismans: they were running out of raw materials.

Because Xiao Tang had already played with those Fire Kirin Thousand Machine Guns, none of them were at full capacity.

Although they managed to scavenge some more materials from the Fireflies' dilapidated treasure trove, it still wasn't enough.

The well-laid plan was once again on the verge of collapse, until Zhang Ze turned his attention to A Li, who was continuing to challenge A Pa Cha.

He remembered that there was a golden world inside Ah Li's belly.

Among them are golden mountains and peaks, with golden crystals covering the ground, and buried beneath these golden crystals are the treasures that Ah Li has devoured over the countless years.

As the saying goes, "Nurture glass for a thousand days, use glass for one hour," now it's time for Ah Li to make her contribution.

Only Zhang Ze, who possessed the innate Dao body, could do this job; the others were devoured by A Li and wouldn't survive a single breath in that place.

Still wanting more, Zhang Ze ignored Ah Li's kick in the heel and asked, "Any other questions?"

Senior Sister Qin hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Yes... there is. When you just entered, Uncle Shi came out for some fresh air. He came to check the plan and said that the explosive intensity in a few places might not be enough."

"He suggested we use this..."

Senior Sister Qin opened her hand, revealing four storage rings in her palm.

"Sorry... I forgot to mention it just now, because..." Senior Sister Qin hesitated, then looked apologetically at Ah Li.

She was genuinely frightened.

The method Shi Xiu mentioned was related to Lily.

Wang Lili, the "Iron Hat Green Pepper" from Yimapingchuan, once said that storage rings can also be used to make bombs.

By stacking four storage rings and adding some embers of egg ore, a bomb can be made, and its power is astonishing.

In some intricate areas, it's impossible to stack too many spirit stones. To prevent the power from dissipating, Shi Xiu felt that using these storage ring bombs was a safer option.

Zhang Ze turned to look at A Li.

The storage ring, Ah Li has it in her stomach; the embers of the egg ore, Ah Li also has them in her stomach.

and so……

Seeing Zhang Ze looking over, A Li quickly covered her mouth and mumbled, "Get out, don't come in again, I'll throw up myself..."

Zhang Ze hummed in agreement, but a moment later, taking advantage of Ah Li's relaxed guard, he pointed sideways and said, "Look, there's a dragon over there!"

"Where... Ugh!"

Taking advantage of Ah Li's exclamation, Zhang Ze transformed into a streak of light and disappeared inside again...

The others pretended not to see anything. They kept their heads down, some printing talismans, others sorting spirit stones, each busy with their own tasks. Those who had nothing to do turned their backs and looked at the buildings of the silver-white ruins, studying why these buildings were so white, thinking about going home.

————Countdown to takeoff: four and a half days————

(End of this chapter)