Chapter 395

Chapter 395: Bird Bro’s Fury

However, just as everyone believed Fang Lie was doomed, the unexpected occurred.

Fang Lie dispatched personnel to post notices across the city listing three decrees:

First, the Four Great Gangs would be permanently disbanded, and no gangs would be permitted to operate hereafter.

Second, all iron ore collection must now be officially registered. Upon registration, the authorities would freely provide Sumeru Bags, treasure ships, and third-rank fire-element protective treasures.

Third, iron ore transactions would henceforth occur only at designated lakeside locations with fixed, publicly displayed prices.

The listed prices for all iron ores were more than double what the Four Great Gangs had previously offered. Though still far below the Mo Sect’s official rates, the difference became Fang Lie’s profit margin.

Upon seeing this, low-ranking scattered cultivators erupted in frenzied joy. Not only had prices risen, but the provision of third-rank protective treasures alone multiplied their survival odds.

As for the gangs? To hell with them! The cultivators had long seethed under their oppressive rule. With most gang leaders eradicated by Fang Lie’s purge and the remnants fleeing like terrified rats—abandoning even their city assets—no resistance remained.

A massive wave of cultivators immediately flooded the City Lord’s mansion to register and claim official tokens after the notices appeared. These tokens, originally designed for Iron-Walled Jin City’s management, enabled full surveillance through the protective array. Any illegal act by token-holders would trigger instant detection and punishment.

The Bai family had previously locked these tokens away. Their corruption thrived in the dark—without tokens tracking ore quantities and transactions, they freely siphoned profits. Over time, token distribution ceased entirely as regulations crumbled.

Fang Lie simply retrieved the stockpiled tokens and redistributed them. Those without tokens became prime suspects for foreign infiltration.

One problem nagged Fang Lie: the third-rank protective treasures. Past rulers had supplied these to protect ore collectors, but the Bai family’s embezzlement of treasures and maintenance funds had ended the practice. Though warehouses held a few hundred damaged relics, mass production couldn’t be rushed.

Fang Lie turned to the old bird for help. After consideration, the old bird agreed—this concerned both Fang Lie’s efforts and the Mo Sect’s resource supply and reputation. Having allowed the Bai family to tarnish the sect’s name, the Benevolence Token’s holder couldn’t ignore Fang Lie’s corrective measures.

With the Ninth-Rank Treasure’s support, solutions materialized instantly. The old bird demanded vast materials from storehouses, then forged 300,000 third-rank fire-element treasures in a single hour. Golden Pool realm cultivators typically required months to craft one such item, yet the old bird achieved this feat effortlessly, as if playing a game.

Armed with these Fang Huo treasures and transparent payment systems, grassroots cultivators’ enthusiasm exploded. Within days, the Magma Lake teemed with activity, swarmed by diligent ore collectors.

Their efficiency soared, with mountains of iron materials piling up in Fang Lie’s warehouses. At this rate, completing sect missions became as easy as child’s play!

While everyone worked feverishly, Fang Lie wasn’t idle either—he gleefully tallied his gains.

Having dominated this territory for millennia, The Four Great Gangs possessed staggering wealth. Beyond their headquarters, each controlled hundreds of lucrative shops. Now all these assets naturally fell into Fang Lie’s hands. Even with numerous helpers dispatched, it took days to fully inventory and take control of everything.

Fortunately, after annihilating the gangs, Fang Lie’s display of invincibility attracted many Cultivators to join him. Within days, he commanded over a thousand followers, establishing basic city management and gaining reliable subordinates.

When Fang Lie first arrived, the City lord’s mansion warehouses stood nearly empty—only old city tokens and worthless scraps remained. The Bai family had cleared out everything else, especially draining the spirit stones vault completely.

But crushing The Four Great Gangs yielded astonishing resources. Not only did Fang Lie obtain enough materials for old bird to craft third-tier magical items, but he also gained vast liquid assets. Among these treasures, the rarest finds were the warehouses overflowing with premium iron materials.

Iron-Walled Jin City produced hundreds of iron varieties, including legendary Ninth-Rank materials that surfaced once every ten millennia. Sixth and Seventh-rank materials however appeared almost monthly.

These were precisely what Mo Sect desperately needed. Yet shockingly, over 95% had been intercepted by The Four Great Gangs instead of being submitted to the sect. Even the trickle they forwarded consisted only of common valuables, while true rarities were secretly hoarded.

Scarcity determines value—sometimes scarce low-grade materials surpass abundant high-rank ones. The gang warehouses Fang Lie seized contained nothing but rare, precious goods. Conservative estimates suggested these alone could trade for three or four Eighth-rank Treasures.

And this was merely less than 5% of what the gangs had stolen over centuries. The scale of their embezzlement became horrifyingly clear.

Fang Lie’s emotions churned—awe at their audacious greed, joy at his windfall, and fury towards the Bai family. Those traitorous wolves had colluded with outsiders to plunder sect treasures for personal gain!

Beyond public warehouses, Fang Lie uncovered the gang leaders’ private stashes. Though smaller in quantity, every item was exceptional—dozens per leader, mostly Seventh-rank materials or higher. Among them shone a game-changer: the three-foot-long Innate Divine Marrow, a Ninth-Rank marvel!

This ugly black lump resembling a deformed silkworm possessed heaven-defying power—it converted Nascent Soul energy into pure innate Spiritual Energy. Unlike ordinary Spiritual Energy requiring refinement, this primal energy transformed directly into Magic.

A mere eighteen-inch fragment could grant Semi-Immortals limitless Magic reserves. Combined with their existing might, this created nigh-invincible combatants capable of challenging Ninth-Rank Treasures!

Historically, only three palm-sized Divine Marrow pieces had ever surfaced, each triggering blood-soaked conflicts. This three-foot specimen was unprecedented. While less valuable than Ninth-Rank Treasures, it dwarfed a dozen Eighth-rank Treasures in worth. Material-wise, only the innate great five elements nascent fetuses surpassed it.

Initially clueless about its value, Fang Lie nearly overlooked it until old bird intervened. The ancient avian practically glued himself to the marrow, squawking indignantly: "The Bai rats nearly let this slip through Mo Sect’s fingers! Had the Sect Leader not assigned you here, this treasure might’ve been lost forever!"

When Fang Lie suggested investigating past production, old bird exploded: "Burn everything to ashes if needed! Kill, capture, interrogate—I’ll handle anyone you can’t! Since when do gutter-dwellers think they can shit on Mo Sect?"