Chapter 347

Chapter 347: Waiting

“You must be wondering why Huang Deqi and the others have colluded with Yuan Shen Kui, right?”

Wang Chen nodded in response to Luo Zhen’s speculation.

He was indeed curious.

Even a three-year-old child knows that colluding with demon cultivators is a heinous crime, one that could lead to the extermination of entire families!

Someone like Huang Deqi, a local tyrant, lived a comfortable life with no shortage of resources for cultivation. Logically, he should be the last person to collude with demon cultivators, planting such a dangerous seed for himself.

Usually, only those who are desperate would take such a reckless risk.

Huang Deqi clearly didn’t fit that description.

The same could be said for Chen Anhe and Xu Miao.

Yet, from his interactions with them, Wang Chen had begun to form a vague suspicion.

“Wanhua Pills.”

Luo Zhen didn’t beat around the bush and revealed the answer directly: “Yuan Shen Kui promised to give each of them a Wanhua Pill.”

Just as he thought!

Wang Chen’s suspicion was confirmed.

The primary purpose of the Wanhua Blood Pool is to refine the Qi and blood, magical power, and soul of martial artists and cultivators to produce Wanhua Pills.

Wanhua Pills can enhance one’s cultivation level, extend lifespan, and even aid in breaking through to higher realms.

Chen Anhe’s lifespan was nearing its end; he had aged to the point where advancing to the Purple Palace was no longer possible.

Wanhua Pills could grant him more time.

Huang Deqi had been stuck at perfect mastery in Qi Training for over a decade, and the longer he remained, the slimmer his chances of a breakthrough became.

Wanhua Pills could help him achieve that breakthrough.

As for Xu Miao, her reasons were likely no different.

In the end, it all came down to the desire for a longer life!

“But in reality, even if Yuan Shen Kui succeeds in creating the Wanhua Pills, he won’t give them a single one.”

Luo Zhen sneered. “He built the Wanhua Blood Pool entirely for himself, already planning to summon Huang Deqi and the others as sacrifices when the time comes to condense the elixirs.”

Wang Chen was left speechless.

It’s the height of folly to bargain with a tiger for its skin, yet when it comes to matters of life and death, many people fail to see the truth.

Or perhaps they see it but refuse to acknowledge it!

“Yuan Shen Kui has already been sent to the sect.”

Luo Zhen continued, “As for your reward, it will take some time to be granted. There’s a review and approval process that must be followed, so you’ll need to remain in Datian Village for now.”

The high-level Purple Palace cultivator showed a hint of embarrassment.

This process could take quite a while!

The West Sea Sect was simply too vast.

As the first immortal sect in the Mountain-Sea Realm, the West Sea Sect boasts millions of disciples, with over 300,000 inner sect disciples. Golden Cores are as common as the stars, and Purple Palace masters are as numerous as the hairs on a cow; the internal structure of the sect is exceedingly intricate.

Moreover, it is quite bloated!

If Wang Chen had taken on a related task directly within the sect, he would have received his rewards swiftly.

However, he was an outsider with no background and had only recently arrived in the West Sea Spiritual Realm.

Having achieved such great merit, it would be strange if no one was envious!

While no one dared to openly snatch it, there were plenty of underhanded ways to undermine him, making it impossible to guard against.

“I assure you,” Luo Zhen said solemnly, “you will not lose anything you deserve!”

“Thank you, fellow traveler, for your righteous assistance.”

Wang Chen understood very well that with such great merit, he could not claim it all for himself.

So he immediately stated, “I only want the qualification of an inner sect disciple; the rest is not important.”

Luo Zhen looked deeply at Wang Chen, wanting to say something but swallowing his words.

He handed Wang Chen a storage bag inlaid with golden threads. “This is Yuan Shen Kui’s storage bag. I had someone take it to the sect, but I checked its contents, and everything useful is in this bag.”

“Now it returns to its rightful owner!”

Wang Chen accepted the storage bag but did not open it. He solemnly bowed to Luo Zhen.

Everything was understood without further words!

Wang Chen would always remember this favor.

In the following two days, the battle cultivators from the Battle Hall, led by Luo Zhen and the patrol guards, thoroughly searched Huang Deqi and the others’ homes, forcing them to reveal their hidden assets.

This included shops and residences purchased in Wancheng.

Even the demon cultivator Yuan Shen Kui could not withstand the methods of the patrol guards; how could these pampered individuals resist interrogation?

They all confessed.

By the third day, Luo Zhen and the battle cultivators took a flying ship to leave, taking Huang Deqi, Chen Anhe, Xu Miao, and their dozens of relatives and subordinates with them!

They left the mess in Datian Village to Wang Chen.

This mess truly required him as the village chief to clean up; no one else could do it without a valid reason.

At present, Datian Village was in a state of panic.

Originally, this village of nearly 2,000 people had power firmly held by Huang Deqi and the other two.

Huang Deqi occupied the highest position, while Chen Anhe held substantial respect among his family, but he ultimately followed Huang Deqi’s lead.

Xu Miao was relatively mysterious, rarely showing her hand, but few in the Xu family dared to disrespect her.

Now, with the heads of the three prominent families taken away at once, everything was uprooted.

The villagers were left without anyone to issue orders, and fearing for their own safety, they were all in a state of confusion.

In such a situation, village chief Wang Chen naturally became their new source of support!

Wang Chen was the village chief and also a highly skilled Purple Palace master.

If they didn’t rely on him, who else could they turn to?

Most importantly, as the villagers learned the truth of the situation, their lingering trust and respect for Huang Deqi and the others crumbled completely!

Huang Deqi and his companions had sought Wanhua Pills, actively helping Yuan Shen Kui gather materials for training and building the blood pool, and they had aided the Gray Wolf Bandits in plundering the surrounding villages.

This included the residents of Datian Village itself!

These villagers, kidnapped by the gray-eyed thieves, were forced to work in the mines and after being thoroughly exploited were handed over to Yuan Shen Kui to be used as materials for alchemy in the blood pool.

Over the years, the victims numbered in the hundreds.

If not for Wang Chen uncovering their plot, the final number of victims would have surpassed a thousand.

How could the families and friends of those victimized in the village not resent Huang Deqi, who acted as a henchman for the evil?

And how could they not be grateful to Wang Chen for seeking justice for them?

Wang Chen’s reputation in the village was established this way!

In truth, Wang Chen had no interest in holding power, much less being a village chief, a role so minor.

But until matters with Luo Zhen settled down, he needed to secure this territory and avoid any rumors that could tarnish his reputation.

After all, Wang Chen was still in the midst of his entry assessment task.

In the days that followed, aside from his daily cultivation, Wang Chen took time to manage village affairs, striving to be a qualified village chief.

As days passed, apart from sending a communication talisman, there was no further news from Luo Zhen.

Wang Chen remained patient, waiting.

Until the autumn harvest came in and the weather turned cold, he still received no word.

It felt as though he had been forgotten.