Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1441 - Pushing It
Chapter 1441 – Pushing It
Gradually, everyone began to grasp what was really happening, and their gazes toward Liu Wuxie shifted from curiosity to admiration.
“This Liu Wuxie isn’t simple. He actually saw through Huang Li’s plan to act as a middleman, and this was why he kept refusing his offer,” said an elder from the Nine Dragon Palace as he stroked his beard in praise.
“A middleman? What’s that supposed to mean?” The ordinary cultivators at the Void Realm remained utterly confused and still thought Liu Wuxie was putting on airs and pretending to be aloof.
Upon hearing the explanation of the others nearby, they finally understood the broader situation.
Compared to Liu Wuxie’s foresight, they realized just how embarrassingly shallow their own thinking was. Most cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain had not come to buy for their personal use, but to stock up and resell back home for profit.
Very few were here purely to seek the treasures they needed.
Liu Wuxie had guessed Huang Li’s intention the moment the latter tried to purchase three hundred pills in one go. That was why he kept raising the price—to cut off any chance of Huang Li reselling the Soul Pills in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain.
From this moment onward, if cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain wanted Soul Pills, their only option would be to trade with the Heavenly Dao Society directly.
From Liu Wuxie’s behavior alone, it was clear that he intended to extend the Heavenly Dao Society’s reach into the Spirit Martial Astral Domain, and that ambition alone was terrifying.
As everyone dug deeper into the implications of that transaction, a faint trace of fear entered their eyes whenever they looked at Liu Wuxie.
Only now did Xu Lingxue and the others truly realize how formidable he was to think so far ahead.
This was what people meant when they spoke of casting a long line to catch a big fish; the Heavenly Dao Society’s true aim had never been immediate profits.
The time limit was almost up, leaving Feng He and his companions so tense that their hearts felt like they were about to leap out of their throats.
“Senior, how many would you like?” Liu Wuxie asked, his aloofness vanishing as he chuckled and took the initiative to cozy up to Huang Li.
This abrupt shift left everyone dumbfounded, and they wondered if this was really the same man from moments ago. Just a short while earlier, he had worn an expression of cold indifference, and now the sudden change felt almost comical.
Huang Li froze for a moment before a wry smile tugged at his lips.
“Give me two hundred,” Huang Li said. His astral crystals were limited, and two hundred pills were all he could afford.
“Pack three hundred for Senior Huang. Consider the extra hundred as my gratitude for becoming the Heavenly Dao Society’s very first customer. I hope we can cooperate often in the future,” Liu Wuxie said, deliberately stressing the word “cooperate” so that anyone listening could hear the meaning behind it.
Bi Gongyu finally couldn’t restrain himself. He rushed over, swiftly filling a bottle with 299 pills, as Huang Li had already consumed one earlier, and that one wasn’t free. He immediately handed the bottle to Huang Li, afraid the man would change his mind at any moment.
“Young friend, I won’t get in the way of your business any longer. I’ll come revisit you in a few days,” Huang Li said, cupping his fists. He clearly understood the intention behind Liu Wuxie’s words and felt that he had profited as well by receiving an extra hundred pills.
“Master, why did you give him a hundred extra? That’s one hundred astral crystals!” Bi Gongyu asked curiously. He wasn’t questioning his master’s decision; he couldn’t follow his master’s line of thought because of the disparity in their intelligence.
Everyone else wore equally puzzled expressions, including cultivators from the other sects. At most, a seller might give away a dozen pills as a gesture of goodwill, but giving away a hundred was astonishingly generous, especially when Huang Li had only bought two hundred.
“Those hundred pills aren’t for free, and we need someone to advertise the Soul Pills for us,” Liu Wuxie replied with a smile, and his answer made Bi Gongyu’s eyes light up with sudden understanding.
The surrounding cultivators also heard him and raised their thumbs in silent approval toward Liu Wuxie.
By giving away an extra hundred Soul Pills, Huang Li would never consume them all by himself as long as he wasn’t a fool and still wanted to work with the Heavenly Dao Society in the future.
Those hundred pills would serve as free samples for cultivators in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain.
Once enough people had personally experienced the pill’s effects, they would naturally come looking for more. At that point, the Heavenly Dao Society could monopolize the market, leaving the other sects no room to squeeze in.
Moreover, Huang Li had already said he would return in a few days to “visit” Liu Wuxie again. It was clear that he would promote the Soul Pills’ effects in advance.
The elders of the Grand Unity Sect exchanged glances and saw deep shock mirrored in one another’s eyes. They finally understood why Shi Yuan had called Liu Wuxie terrifying.
Shi Yuan’s dao heart had shattered when he returned to the Grand Unity Sect, and he had become half a cripple even if he still managed to reach the Earth Immortal Realm. He left the Celestial Jade Star badly wounded, and forcing his way through the world teleportation array only pushed his condition from bad to worse.
Now, the Grand Unity Sect’s elders finally understood what Shi Yuan had meant—Liu Wuxie was practically a monster. He calculated every step he took down to the smallest detail.
With that sale, Liu Wuxie had successfully moved two hundred pills with five minutes to spare before the two-hour deadline, selling twice the amount required by the bet. Cold sweat dripped down the backs of those sects whose livelihood depended on alchemy.
They felt a terrifying premonition that once the Heavenly Dao Society’s pills officially entered the market, they might not be able to sell anything and would end up scraping by in the cracks. In the worst case, they might even have to cling to the Heavenly Dao Society to survive.
Then again, the Divine Alchemy Sect took the heaviest blow. Their entire foundation rested on alchemy, while for most other sects, alchemy was just one business among many. Losing the alchemy market would shake the Divine Alchemy Sect’s roots, but the others could still stand firm.
Liu Wuxie’s booth had been swept clean in an instant when Huang Li bought every pill, leaving many Spirit Martial Astral Domain cultivators sighing in frustration. Their disappointment didn’t last long, however, as Bi Gongyu soon laid out another thousand pills, making nearby cultivators stagger and nearly topple over.
“Are those really pills? They’re not dirt Liu Wuxie scraped off in the bath and rolled into balls?” Many people cursed in disbelief.
Pills were precious, and it was already impressive that Liu Wuxie could take out a few hundred for sale. After all, the primary purpose of Nightmare City wasn’t to dump stock but to help sects build reputations and secure future orders.
However, Liu Wuxie had clearly come with the firm intention of doing business. Even the Divine Alchemy Sect had brought only a thousand pills, and those who failed to buy them here would have to visit the sect’s medicine halls in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain.
Nightmare City had always been about promotion first, and Liu Wuxie had not only managed to promote his pills, but he also planned to make a fortune here in Nightmare City.
The middle-aged man standing at the front of the booth looked pitiful at first when he saw all the pills go to Huang Li. Just as he was about to leave in disappointment, he saw Bi Gongyu lay out another thousand and immediately stepped forward in response.
“I’ll take two hundred!” he exclaimed, slapping down the payment for two hundred pills, afraid someone else would snatch them away first.
Bi Gongyu quickly counted out 199 pills, as the middle-aged man had already tested one earlier.
“Everyone, please hold on for a moment. We have plenty of pills for sale, but I have some personal business to deal with right now,” Liu Wuxie said just when one of the middle-aged man’s companions finished testing a pill and rushed over to the booth.
Liu Wuxie temporarily closed the stall and would resume selling after he had settled his private matters.
The reason Liu Wuxie allowed the middle-aged man to purchase first was simple; he needed another person to help advertise the pills. Many cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain still had no idea how effective the Soul Pills were.
Huang Li had already left Nightmare City and returned to the Spirit Martial Astral Domain, so the task of promoting the pills within the city naturally fell on the middle-aged man’s shoulders.
The middle-aged man wasn’t foolish. He eagerly described the pills’ effects in detail, especially emphasizing that they not only boosted one’s soul energy but also nourished one’s physique, setting them apart from the pills of every other sect.
After all, every other alchemy pill carried side effects, and residual toxins would gradually accumulate in the body. Only the Heavenly Dao Society’s Soul Pills lacked that hidden poison, which was why everyone was so desperate to get their hands on them.
Staring at the remaining eight hundred pills, the surrounding crowd grew restless, worried they would miss their chance if they hesitated.
“Liu Wuxie, I want to reserve four hundred!”
“Three hundred for me!”
“Give me six hundred!”
“I want to place an order, and I can pay a seventy percent deposit upfront! I want ten thousand pills!”
The people from the Grand Unity Sect finally lost their composure when they heard someone trying to place an order for ten thousand pills. That order alone amounted to ten thousand astral crystals, which translated into billions of astral stones.
The Grand Unity Sect’s annual income of astral stones only hovered around a billion. Even the Divine Alchemy Sect produced roughly ten thousand pills a year at most, earning it, at best, several hundred million in yearly profits.
The Heavenly Dao Society had only just formed, yet its projected income had already surpassed that of the Divine Alchemy Sect, shattering everyone’s expectations.
A suffocating sense of crisis descended on every sect present as they realized how unstoppable the Heavenly Dao Society would become once it grew.
“It’s the Nalan Clan of the Spirit Martial Astral Domain. They’re the strongest clan over there,” someone exclaimed after recognizing the person who had called out the order for ten thousand pills.
The Nalan Clan’s standing in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain rivaled that of superpowers like the Grand Unity Sect in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, and their annual demand for pills was staggering.
“My apologies, but the sale will be limited to two hundred pills per person for this event in Nightmare City. If anyone wants to place an order, you can come and register. We will notify you again separately about the delivery dates,” Liu Wuxie said, cupping his fists and addressing the crowd.
The Heavenly Dao Society had only brought a little over ten thousand Soul Pills to Nightmare City. Their primary goal was to expand their influence, not to rake in astral crystals. They would have plenty of time to amass wealth later once their name spread, and Liu Wuxie saw no need to rush that part.
Upon hearing they could buy only two hundred pills each, many people couldn’t hide their disappointment. Even so, a long queue quickly formed in front of the Heavenly Dao Society’s booth. Lan Yu and the others busied themselves with registration, collecting deposits, and confirming delivery dates.
Once Liu Wuxie finished his announcement, he turned and smiled at Feng He’s group of three.
Seeing Liu Wuxie’s gaze, the trio felt their hearts sink. The moment they had been dreading had finally arrived.
“Gentlemen, do you need help from me?” Liu Wuxie asked, still smiling as he looked at the three of them.
Only now did everyone recall the bet between Liu Wuxie and the Divine Alchemy Sect. If he managed to sell a hundred pills within the two-hour time limit, the trio would have to kneel and bark like dogs.
For a dignified expert at the Earth Immortal Realm, kneeling and barking like a dog was worse than death. Earth Immortals stood at the top of the pyramid in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain whenever Heaven Gaze Realm experts didn’t appear.
“Liu Wuxie, don’t push it!” Feng He growled, feeling utterly humiliated despite his status as a peak Earth Immortal Realm expert.
“You’re right. I am pushing it,” Liu Wuxie replied with a sneer. The oath bound both parties, and if Feng He refused to honor it, Liu Wuxie could invoke that oath to take his life.
It was laughable that the Divine Alchemy Sect had jumped out to provoke him first, yet now claimed he was going too far.
Zhang Li and Wang Lai glared at Liu Wuxie with clenched fists, itching to rush forward and tear him apart.
The Grand Unity Sect’s elders had already turned away and quietly slipped off, knowing it would only be more humiliating if they stayed. Even so, anyone with a brain could tell that the Grand Unity Sect had instigated the Divine Alchemy Sect’s provocation from the very beginning.
