Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1450 - Distributor Rights

Chapter 1450 – Distributor Rights

Ten days had gone by, and everyone had already decided that Liu Wuxie’s group of three must have died in the depths of Nightmare City. Just as that conclusion settled firmly into their hearts, a familiar voice suddenly swept across the entire plaza.

Everyone was busy making final preparations for the exhibition, and the gossip about Liu Wuxie had long since faded. Most people no longer believed he would ever return—especially the Divine Alchemy Sect, who had been jumping about arrogantly. If the Grand Unity Sect hadn’t been backing them, the Heavenly Dragon Sect’s elders would have wiped them out long ago.

They had hurled out every kind of slander they could think of against Liu Wuxie, even spreading rumors that the pills produced by the Heavenly Dao Society carried terrifying side effects.

At the sound of that voice, Feng He’s body jerked, and he began to tremble. Zhang Li and Wang Lai nearly dropped to their knees on the spot, as Liu Wuxie had already become their inner demon after forcing them to kneel and bark like dogs.

“L-Liu Wuxie!” Zhang Li swallowed hard, his gaze locking onto Liu Wuxie’s group of three.

Liu Wuxie and his companions stood calmly in the plaza, watching the Divine Alchemy Sect’s party with mocking smiles. More importantly, all three of their auras had grown stronger—Liu Wuxie had reached the third-level Void Realm, while Qiao Bian and Han Feizi had stepped into the second-level Void Realm. Everyone began to wonder if the trio had stumbled upon some miraculous encounter.

“Does it disappoint you that I came back alive?” Liu Wuxie asked, his tone turning icy as boundless murderous intent spread from him. Since the Divine Alchemy Sect refused to behave, he had no intention of showing mercy.

Feng He’s group of three looked as though they had just swallowed something vile and couldn’t force down a response. Of course, they were disappointed to see Liu Wuxie alive.

Shocked gasps rippled through the plaza, from the Divine Alchemy Sect to every other force present. No one could imagine what Liu Wuxie’s group of three had endured over these past days.

No one knew the truth, and the trio had no intention of sharing it. They planned to bury the fact that Nightmare City was a quasi-immortal artifact deep in their hearts. Liu Wuxie had already told them that once his cultivation reached a sufficient level, he intended to refine Nightmare City for himself.

After Liu Wuxie signed a contract with Nightmare City’s artifact spirit, the spirit tore open a spatial rift and sent the trio back to the surface. Without the artifact spirit’s help, they would have remained trapped in the underground world for eternity.

“Master!”

“Dear!” Voices rang out from all sides of the Heavenly Dao Society as Xu Lingxue threw herself into Liu Wuxie’s arms. She and the other ladies had been worried sick about his safety.

“Look what I brought back,” Liu Wuxie said with a smile, taking out the Eternal Beauty Pills.

“What’s that?” Xiao Luo and Vanya asked, leaning in curiously.

“They’re called Eternal Beauty Pills. Once you consume them, your appearance will never age,” Liu Wuxie explained.

The moment he said that, the women snatched up the pills and swallowed them without the slightest hesitation, drawing a burst of laughter from the surrounding crowd. Even Xu Lingxue and the other ladies couldn’t resist the temptation of eternal youth.

The remaining seven pills went to Xu Lingxue, Murong Yi, Chen Ruoyan, Jian Xing’er, Xiao Luo, Vanya, and even Mu Yueying received one.

Bi Gongyu and the others could only sigh and shake their heads at their master’s obvious bias. But their complaints were only playful grumbling; in truth, they were relieved that Liu Wuxie had returned alive.

Once word of Liu Wuxie’s return spread through the plaza, Huang Li hurried over with two cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain. They had initially planned to leave tomorrow. Having attended this exhibition segment several times over the years, they had long grown bored with it—new products were rare.

This year, however, the appearance of the Soul Pills had sent a shockwave through cultivators of the Spirit Martial Astral Domain, and that was why so many of them chose to stay in Nightmare City.

The area around the Heavenly Dao Society had already become a forbidden zone, preventing outsiders from approaching. This time, Elder Jian didn’t bother to conceal himself; he sat openly beside the Heavenly Dao Society’s booth, killing anyone who dared to stir up trouble. As a result, the Divine Alchemy Sect didn’t dare come near, and even the Grand Unity Sect refrained from making a move.

Huang Li sat down opposite Liu Wuxie.

“Young Master Liu, these two are my martial uncles. We have come with the intention to act as distributors for the Soul Pills,” Huang Li said, gesturing to the two middle-aged men behind him. They appeared younger than Huang Li, but they should both be at the Heaven Gaze Realm, using some secret art to conceal their actual cultivation.

“Greetings, seniors,” Liu Wuxie said, cupping his fists toward the two men.

The two Heaven Gaze Realm experts returned the greeting with equal courtesy. They had already experienced the Soul Pills for themselves, or they would never have stayed in Nightmare City for so many days. They didn’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If they could secure the right to distribute the Soul Pills in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain, their sect would undergo a complete rebirth.

Outside the Heavenly Dao Society’s booth, more and more cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain gathered, hoping to secure a cooperation with Liu Wuxie. Everyone wanted distribution rights for the Soul Pills in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain.

Given the Heavenly Dao Society’s current size, they couldn’t even cover the entire Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, much less the Spirit Martial Astral Domain. Seeking distributors to help sell the pills was clearly the fastest way to expand.

“Seniors, I believe you can all see that you’re not the only ones seeking cooperation with the Heavenly Dao Society. Everyone waiting outside also wants the distribution rights,” Liu Wuxie said with a smile as he rubbed his nose.

How could Huang Li not understand that? His heart felt as though it was bleeding. He worried that Liu Wuxie might hand the distribution rights to another sect.

“Young Master Liu, if you had no intention of giving us the distribution rights, you wouldn’t have made us your first audience. We’re all smart people, so let’s not beat around the bush. We will only take 10% of the profits, and I believe there isn’t a single sect in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain that can offer a lower margin than our Skyward Gate,” Huang Li said. He spoke the truth. A 10% cut was extremely low, and once the accountants deducted operational costs, little profit would remain for the Skyward Gate.

Even Liu Wuxie hadn’t expected Huang Li to lower the commission that far. Elder Jian had already informed him via voice transmission about the Skyward Gate’s background. The Skyward Gate was a prominent sect with an excellent reputation, but due to an internal upheaval, it had been in decline for the past few centuries.

The fact that Liu Wuxie chose to receive Huang Li first already showed his intentions; from the beginning, he had never planned to work with just anyone. He had met countless people over the years, and his decision to choose Huang Li wasn’t a whim but a deliberate choice.

Under normal circumstances, the lowest commission rate was 20%, and since ancient times, almost no commission had fallen below 10%. After all, who would be willing to work so hard for so little benefit?

At a 10% commission, the entire Skyward Gate would be working for the Heavenly Dao Society for free.

Liu Wuxie gently tapped his finger on the table, choosing not to answer immediately. Bi Gongyu and the others stood silently behind him, fully aware that Liu Wuxie was laying out a net across the astral domains. Their own vision was far narrower than his.

“I’ll give you 30% of the profits, but under one condition,” Liu Wuxie said. Since it was a business, both sides had to benefit. The Heavenly Dao Society had no intention of monopolizing everything, and he had no desire to let his partners work for nothing.

The commission rate of 30% was generous, equivalent to one astral crystal for every three pills they sold.

“Young Master Liu, please go ahead,” Huang Li replied, his voice thick with emotion. He would gladly accept ten conditions, let alone one.

He had initially planned to request a 20% cut, but as more sects from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain arrived to partner with the Heavenly Dao Society, the pressure on his side increased.

The sect had given them a bottom line of 10%, and Huang Li had laid it out upfront as a gesture of sincerity toward Liu Wuxie.

“The Skyward Gate must sell one hundred thousand pills in half a year,” Liu Wuxie said. That was his only condition. To sell that many pills, they needed a robust and far-reaching sales network. If Skyward Gate lacked that capacity, he would have no choice but to look for someone else.

The Heavenly Dao Society lacked broad distribution channels; relying on a few shopfronts in Mount Dragon City wasn’t enough. In contrast, most major sects held assets across multiple planets and could instantly distribute goods through their networks.

Although the Skyward Gate had declined, they had once been one of the top sects in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain. A force of that level should still possess such capabilities.

“Young Master Liu, please allow the three of us to discuss it,” Huang Li said, not daring to agree immediately.

If the Skyward Gate wanted to sell 100,000 pills in six months, they would have to shut down almost all their other businesses and focus entirely on selling Soul Pills. That was the same as tying their fate to the Heavenly Dao Society. If the Heavenly Dao Society later restricted supply or replaced them as distributors, the Skyward Gate would suffer disastrous losses.

So Huang Li had to consult his martial uncles; this wasn’t a decision they could make on a whim.

Liu Wuxie didn’t rush them. He rose, stretched his back, and left the three some private space.

With time still left before dawn, crowds packed the Heavenly Dao Society’s booth. Many people were even asking to take just a 5% share of the profits to distribute the Soul Pills.

Huang Li’s group of three discussed quietly for about ten minutes before returning with their decision.

“Young Master Liu, we can agree to it. We can sell one hundred thousand pills in half a year,” he said. Their only concern now was whether the Heavenly Dao Society could keep up with production, not whether the pills would sell. Producing one hundred thousand Soul Pills would require an army of alchemists.

“Okay. Let’s sign the contract then,” Liu Wuxie said. He added a clause stating that if the Heavenly Dao Society failed to supply 100,000 Soul Pills, they would be in breach and would have to pay compensation. Both sides then signed a soul contract to ensure neither party could go back on their word.

“Young Master Liu, there’s something I don’t understand, and I would like to ask you about it,” Huang Li said after they finished signing, a trace of confusion in his eyes.

“You want to ask why I insisted on selling one hundred thousand Soul Pills in six months?” Liu Wuxie asked. He already knew what Huang Li had in mind. It wasn’t just Huang Li; the two Heaven Gaze Realm experts also looked puzzled.

They saw no need to expand so aggressively. Even at a slower pace, the Soul Pills would shake the Spirit Martial Astral Domain within a year. It wasn’t a matter of fighting for market share either, since nothing could replace the Soul Pills. As soon as they appeared on the shelves, they would sell.

“It’s nothing complicated. I can’t stand the Divine Alchemy Sect, and I want to make it so that they won’t be able to sell a single pill,” Liu Wuxie replied with a casual shrug.

Upon hearing his answer, Huang Li and his two martial uncles almost spat blood on the spot. They had prepared themselves for some profound strategy, only to find out that Liu Wuxie disliked the Divine Alchemy Sect.

The Divine Alchemy Sect’s pills naturally still had a market in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain. If the Soul Pills’ supply failed to meet demand, cultivators would continue to buy from them.

But if the Heavenly Dao Society could supply one hundred thousand Soul Pills in half a year, they would satisfy the majority of the Spirit Martial Astral Domain’s demand. Once the market became saturated, the Divine Alchemy Sect’s pills would gather dust.

After all, who wouldn’t buy a more potent pill at the same price? Once the Soul Pills spread on a larger scale, Liu Wuxie even planned to adjust the price so that one astral crystal could buy three or even five pills.

Huang Li’s group of three couldn’t help turning to look in the Divine Alchemy Sect’s direction with pity. Of all the people they could have offended, they just had to choose Liu Wuxie.