Chapter 242: Black Wind Market, Meeting Dandan Again

Jiang Zhiwei searched frantically, his Divine Sense sweeping over every inch of land within the crevice.

But he simply could not find it.

The Heavenly Heart Dao Lotus had truly vanished.

"No! No! No!"

Jiang Zhiwei roared at the sky, his voice filled with despair and rage.

He had paid such a heavy price and so many people had died, only for it to all be in vain?!

"Who was it?! Who stole the Dao Lotus?! Come out!!!!"

Jiang Zhiwei howled madly, his voice echoing through the wind and snow.

But no one answered him.

*Pfft!*

Overcome by rage, Jiang Zhiwei spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. His body swayed before he collapsed onto the snowy ground.

"Old Ancestor!"

Several Jiang Family Disciples rushed over to support Jiang Zhiwei.

"Quick! Take the Old Ancestor back to the Family at once!"

"Yes!"

The group lifted Jiang Zhiwei and quickly departed from Frost Dragon Abyss.

Thousands of miles away, inside a certain cave.

Zhou Chen sat cross-legged, holding the nine heavens dao lotus in his hands, a wide grin on his face.

"I've hit the jackpot!!"

He examined the Dao Lotus carefully and found that its aura was countless times stronger than that of the Heavenly Heart Dao Lotus.

It had twelve petals, each containing a type of Dao charm. Moreover, at the center of the Dao Lotus, a crystal-clear lotus seed had condensed, emitting a dense aura of life.

"So this is the nine heavens dao lotus…"

Zhou Chen trembled with excitement.

With this Dao Lotus combined with the earth core source crystal, his confidence in achieving a Breakthrough to the Emperor Realm increased by several more folds!

"But I can't absorb it just yet."

Zhou Chen calmed himself down and carefully put the Dao Lotus away.

Breaking through to the Emperor Realm required complete preparation; it could not be rushed.

Furthermore, he was still missing a few Materials.

"It seems I'll have to make a trip to the Emperor Clan's treasury."

Zhou Chen narrowed his eyes, a dangerous light flashing within them.

To maximize his strength, Zhou Chen believed this risk was worth taking.

Jiang Family, Discussion Hall.

"What?! The Heavenly Heart Dao Lotus is lost?!"

The Jiang Family Clan Chief, Jiang Bufan, stood up abruptly, his eyes bloodshot. "What did you say?! Say it again!"

Below, a Jiang Family Elder knelt on the ground, trembling all over. "Clan Chief… the news brought back by Elder Jiang Zhiwei… the Heavenly Heart Dao Lotus… was stolen…"

"Bastard!"

Jiang Bufan smashed the table beside him with a palm strike, causing the entire hall to vibrate.

"Who was it?! Exactly who?!"

"No… I don't know…"

The Elder answered while shivering, "There were no clues at the scene…"

"Useless! You're all useless!"

Jiang Bufan said expressionlessly, "Send everyone out! Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but find that Heavenly Heart Dao Lotus! If it isn't found, Jiang Zhiwei's lineage will not receive any more resources for three years."

"Yes!"

The entire Jiang Family immediately sprang into action. Countless Quasi-Emperors and Half-Emperors poured out of the Jiang Family, beginning a search across the entire Eastern Wasteland.

The subsidiary forces of the Jiang Family also began to move.

Meanwhile, Zhou Chen had already distanced himself from Frost Dragon Abyss.

Eastern Wasteland, Jiang Cloud City, under Jiang Family jurisdiction.

As night fell, a sudden commotion broke out in the city's most prosperous commercial street.

"Look! It's people from the Ying Family!"

"They're robbing the Jiang Family's merchant house!"

On the street, over a dozen Cultivators dressed in ice-blue robes were frantically plundering a Jiang Family merchant house. They moved swiftly, packing Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, and Magical Artifacts from the shop into Storage Pouches.

Leading them was a middle-aged man emitting the aura of a Peak Quasi-Emperor. His facial features, temperament, and even his tone of voice were identical to Ying Huaji.

It was exactly whom Zhou Chen had transformed into using the Divine Concealment Art!

"Smash it! Smash all of the Jiang Family's signs!"

Zhou Chen ordered with a cold sneer, his voice perfectly matching Ying Huaji's.

"Yes!"

Those 'Ying Family Cultivators' immediately set to work, smashing the merchant house to bits.

In truth, these people were not real Ying Family Cultivators, but death-row prisoners whom Zhou Chen had coerced and bribed into wearing Ying Family clothes to act alongside him.

As for why he chose death-row prisoners, Zhou Chen knew exactly what he was doing.

Only the dead can keep secrets; Zhou Chen was merely showing 'mercy' by helping them reincarnate a bit early.

"Stop!"

Several Jiang Family guards rushed out, but they were too weak and were instantly sent flying.

"Go back and tell Jiang Zhiwei."

Zhou Chen sneered, "This old man has noted down the debt from Frost Dragon Abyss! From today onwards, all Jiang Family properties in the Eastern Wasteland belong to my Ying Family!"

With that, he led his men away.

They left behind a wrecked merchant house and a crowd of stunned onlookers.

"The Ying Family is too arrogant!"

"The Jiang Family definitely won't let this slide!"

"There's going to be a good show to watch!"

Over the next three days, Zhou Chen struck repeatedly, specifically targeting Jiang Family markets and merchant houses that lacked an Emperor Realm presence.

Each time, he disguised himself as Ying Huaji and plundered wealth frantically.

In just three days, he robbed over a dozen Jiang Family merchant houses, accumulating a mountain of Spirit Stones and treasures.

The news quickly reached the Jiang Family.

"What?! That bastard Ying Huaji robbed three more of our merchant houses?!"

In the Jiang Family Discussion Hall, Clan Chief Jiang Bufan was fuming with rage. He smashed the jade table in front of him with a palm strike. Over these three days, he had lost count of how many jade tables had been replaced.

"Clan Chief, please calm your anger!"

An Elder hurriedly advised, "The Ying Family is retaliating for what happened at Frost Dragon Abyss!"

"Retaliating?"

Jiang Bufan sneered, "Do they think this old man is afraid?!"

"Pass down the order! All Disciples, listen up: whenever you see a Ying Family property, don't hold back. Rob them! Rob them ruthlessly!"

"Yes!"

The entire Jiang Family immediately mobilized.

Soon, the Ying Family's markets and merchant houses also suffered from the Jiang Family's frantic retaliation.

The two Great Emperor Clans had completely shed all pretense and began a bloody struggle across the Eastern Wasteland.

Zhou Chen hid in the shadows, watching it all with a grin he couldn't suppress.

"Hehe, fight, keep fighting. It's best if both sides suffer, so I can keep shearing the wool."

He took stock of his gains from the past few days and found that there were over a hundred million Top-Grade Spirit Stones alone, along with countless Medicinal Pills and Magical Artifacts.

Even for an Emperor Clan with vast wealth, this would be a painful blow.

In a great mood, Zhou Chen decided to go to the Black Wind Market to relax.

Black Wind Market was the largest market for Loose Cultivators in the Eastern Wasteland.

It was a place where dragons and snakes mingled, and people from all walks of life gathered. It was the best place for Loose Cultivators to trade treasures and gather intelligence.

Zhou Chen reverted to his original appearance, wearing a black robe, and blended into the crowd.

The market was bustling with noise, with shouting vendors everywhere.

"Freshly refined Saint Rank Medicinal Pills!"

"Heaven Rank High Grade Magical Artifact! Don't miss out as you pass by!"

"Buying Vibrating Gold! Prices are negotiable!"

Zhou Chen strolled through the market, casually scanning the various stalls.

Suddenly, he sensed a familiar aura.

"Hmm, this is… Miao Dandan?"

Zhou Chen narrowed his eyes and followed the aura.

Soon, he arrived at the entrance of an auction house.

Outside the auction house, a large crowd had gathered to watch the commotion.

Zhou Chen squeezed through the crowd and saw an unexpected scene.

Miao Dandan was surrounded by a dozen Cultivators, her expression grim.

She wore a black dress that accentuated her slender and graceful figure. Her jet-black hair fell over her shoulders, and her exquisite face carried a hint of coldness, which only made her appear more charming.