Chapter 103: Reaping Great Profits! The Demoness’s Midnight Visit!

“Hahaha! I’m rich! I’m really rich!”

Zhang Daniu clutched his identity jade token, eyes brimming with tears of excitement. His contribution points had risen from one thousand to ten thousand—he had never seen so many digits in his entire life!

And it wasn’t just him—the entire Main Peak Square had exploded into chaos.

Tens of thousands of disciples were celebrating like mad. Some fell to their knees and kowtowed; some hugged their fellow disciples while laughing and crying; some even wanted to erect a longevity memorial tablet for Chu Feng right on the spot.

Those visiting Sect Masters and Clan Heads stared at the frenzied disciples with expressions that were a twisted mix of envy, fear, and indescribable longing.

Chu Feng stood upon the high platform, gazing down at the sea of ecstatic celebration beneath him, yet his heart remained strangely calm.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

A beautiful piece of crisis public relations—not only had it saved the Group, but it had also ruthlessly boosted its brand value.

Now, it was time to harvest.

“Fellow Daoists, friends from the media!”

Chu Feng lifted the amplification conch horn, his voice overpowering the noisy scene.

“Thank you for your patience today. The Group conducted a small internal asset restructuring, and we may have taken up a bit of your valuable time.”

He pointed toward the corner, where True Lord Lieyang—covered in talismans and rhythmically producing a “dong dong dong” sound—was generating power.

“Our sincerest thanks to our Chief Guest Speaker, True Lord Lieyang, for providing such an enlightening negative case study. We’ve all benefited greatly from his example.”

As he said this, Chu Feng even solemnly cupped his hands toward the “power bank.”

The crowd below fell into utter silence.

The scene was too damn ironic.

A dignified Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivator—one of the Eastern Wasteland’s top powerhouses—was now being used as a generator, and still had to be thanked for it.

“Additionally,” Chu Feng’s tone shifted, “on behalf of the Ascension Group, I’m pleased to announce some good news.”

Every ear instantly perked up.

“In light of today’s incident, we have come to a deep realization of the Group’s shortcomings in security. To better serve the Eastern Wasteland and maintain regional stability, we have decided to officially launch the Franchise Plan 2.0!”

“Starting today, we are opening the second batch of Regional Strategic Partnership slots across the Eastern Wasteland.”

Chu Feng spread his hands, putting on a helpless expression.

“Of course, since we just went through a vicious round of business competition, the market has now fully recognized the Group’s brand value and risk resistance. So naturally, the franchise fee will be… adjusted slightly, in accordance with market trends.”

He held up five fingers.

“Not much—just five times the original price.”

“And since slots are limited, applicants must queue for review and pre-registration. You all know, our Group follows a premium strategy—we set very high standards for our partners.”

The faces of those Sect Masters and Clan Heads turned green.

Five times?!

This wasn’t a “slight adjustment”—this was daylight robbery!

But not one of them dared to utter a single word of protest.

Joking? When even a Nascent Soul Great Perfection from Heavenheart Holy Land had been captured and turned into a battery, what were their petty sects worth?

What made it worse was—they were terrified.

Not of the Ascension Group’s force, but of being left behind by the times.

Everything that had happened today had completely shattered their understanding of the world. 

A brand-new, overwhelmingly powerful system of rules was rising.

Either join it—or be recycled by it.

There were only these two options.

Soon, everyone’s gaze turned toward Wu Hao below the platform.

At some point, he had brought over a small table. A jade slip lay atop it, with four big characters engraved on it: “Franchise Registration.”

He had even brewed a pot of spirit tea, sipping leisurely, looking for all the world like a scalper holding scarce resources.

Several Sect Masters from smaller sects finally couldn’t bear it anymore. Gritting their teeth, they forced smiles and hurried over.

“Manager Wu, we from the Flowing Cloud Sect would like to inquire about the franchise program…”

“Queue.”

Wu Hao didn’t even raise his eyelids, merely gesturing toward the side.

“Register first. Wait for notice.”

His tone couldn’t have been colder.

But those Sect Masters didn’t dare to complain—instead, they smiled obsequiously, leaving their spiritual imprints on the jade slip with utmost reverence, terrified that being a second too slow would cost them their chance.

Chu Feng watched the scene unfold and nodded in satisfaction.

Hunger marketing—outstanding results.

……

Night fell.

After an entire day of uproar, the Qingyun Sect was finally quiet.

Inside the Main Peak Hall, Chu Feng sat alone upon the throne symbolizing supreme authority. 

In his hand was a jade slip recording detailed income and expenditure from the day’s war bonds, as well as the flurry of incoming franchise applications.

“Dong, dong, dong…”

A dull sound came from the corner of the hall.

It was True Lord Lieyang—now modified into a spiritual power core—being driven by formation energy to charge the sect’s spiritual power network for the first time.

The spiritual energy concentration in the hall had already increased by at least thirty percent compared to before.

Everything was moving in a positive direction.

Yet Chu Feng’s expression showed little joy.

He understood well that though today seemed like a victory, it had actually pushed both himself and the entire Ascension Group into an irreconcilable conflict with Heavenheart Holy Land.

Today he had slapped True Lord Lieyang’s face; next time, he might be facing the full wrath of Heavenheart Holy Land itself.

The Eastern Wasteland was simply too small.

As he pondered the next move in breaking this deadlock, a familiar, faintly fragrant breeze slipped quietly into the hall.

A graceful figure appeared before him like a ghost.

Yao Yue.

She had changed out of the tight black dress from earlier, now wearing a loose, translucent violet gauze robe. 

Reclining lazily against a jade pillar, she looked especially enchanting under the flickering lamplight.

“Congratulations, President Chu.”

Her red lips curved, her tone filled with genuine admiration.

“To toy with a Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivator all by yourself, and even host the most successful investment conference in history along the way… This little woman has roamed the world for a hundred years, and tonight, I’ve truly been enlightened.”

“Pavilion Master Yao Yue flatters me,” Chu Feng put down the jade slip and looked up at her.

“They were but small tricks, unworthy of the Pavilion Master’s attention.”

“Small tricks?”

Yao Yue giggled, her laughter as soft as blossoms swaying in the wind.

“If President Chu calls this ‘small tricks,’ then I fear the men of the entire world don’t even know how to spell the word ‘tricks.’”

She slowly walked up to Chu Feng, her beautiful eyes carefully studying the man before her.

“I admit—I underestimated you before.”

For the first time, her tone was solemn.

“I once thought you were merely an amusing chess piece, something to be used. But now I see—you’re not a chess piece. You’re the one capable of overturning the entire board.”

“Oh?” Chu Feng looked at her with interest. “And so?”

“So,” Yao Yue took a deep breath, “I’ve decided to change the way we cooperate.”

“The Eastern Wasteland is already too small for you. Your stage, your market, lies in a far broader place.”

She leaned close to Chu Feng’s ear, her breath carrying that alluring fragrance, her voice filled with endless temptation.

“President Chu, would you be interested in hearing about… business in the Immortal Realm?”

“The Immortal Realm?”

Chu Feng’s pupils shrank slightly.

“That’s right.”

Yao Yue’s eyes gleamed with a brilliance never seen before.

“Do you really think ascension means enlightenment, freedom, and joy?”

“Wrong!”

“Ascension is merely a grander—and far more brutal—capital game!”

“The Immortal Realm isn’t paradise, but the ultimate market, monopolized by nine unimaginably ancient conglomerates—the so-called Nine Immortal Emperors!”

“To them, cultivators like us in the mortal realm are nothing more than raw materials to be harvested at intervals.”

She paused, then cast the most enticing bait of all:

“Would you like to bring your Qingyun Group there… and wrestle with them, hand to hand?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep