Chapter 93 - 91: Purple Jade Stone
Five had escaped, but compensation was only paid for three. Anyone familiar with the gangs knew exactly what had happened with the other two.
"Haha, that Lu Shengchun must be dumbstruck! He tried to take advantage of Master Qian, and look what happened. A classic case of being penny wise and pound foolish!"
"Exactly! The Earth Dragon Gang could have made a fortune from the Hundred-Year Earth Fire eruption. Now they can only watch as everyone else gets rich!"
Many people had already been annoyed seeing the Earth Dragon Gang get a Seated Mountain Eagle for free, taking such an unfair advantage. When they heard that all three eagles had fled right before the eruption of the Hundred-Year Earth Fire, they couldn’t help but roar with laughter, finding it immensely satisfying.
"That Lu Shengchun is so stingy, always haggling over every little thing and looking for petty advantages. He’s not even a strong Martial Artist. How has a pathetic gang like the Earth Dragon Gang not been wiped out yet?"
Someone wondered aloud.
"You just don’t get it. Lu Shengchun is only the Vice Gang Leader of the Earth Dragon Gang. The real leader is someone else—his older brother, Lu Shengyuan."
"Lu Shengyuan is obsessed with Martial Arts. Ten years ago, he had already reached Meridian Passage Great Success."
"Unwilling to stagnate in the Meridian Passage realm, he left Fire Mist Island seven or eight years ago to train elsewhere, seeking a chance to break through and become an Inner Breath Grandmaster."
"All the gang leaders on Fire Mist Island know how powerful Lu Shengyuan is. It’s only because he has no interest in gang affairs that the Earth Dragon Gang is barely hanging on."
"But if Lu Shengyuan really does return one day after breaking through to become an Inner Breath Grandmaster, no one on Fire Mist Island will be his match."
"Until his death is confirmed, no one will dare to make a move against the Earth Dragon Gang."
"So that’s the reason."
Someone had explained the cause.
A barely-surviving gang like the Earth Dragon Gang posed no threat to the others.
And Lu Shengchun was a moron, hardly a cause for concern, so of course no one would risk attacking the Earth Dragon Gang.
If Lu Shengyuan returned one day as a Grandmaster only to find the Earth Dragon Gang gone, the gang that did it would surely be forced to accompany them in death.
...
Amid an atmosphere of tension and anticipation, the once-in-a-century Hundred-Year Earth Fire was finally about to erupt.
That morning, vast flocks of birds appeared on the horizon, swarming toward Fire Mist Island as if they had received a summons.
These birds were mostly enormous. Among them was a type of white-headed sea eagle, whose size was easily a match for a Seated Mountain Eagle.
Most of the birds found temporary roosts on Fire Mist Island, while a considerable number continued to circle the skies above the surrounding sea.
Besides the great number of birds,
there were even more fish—all of them massive sea fish and Sea Beasts.
Standing on the shores of Fire Mist Island and gazing into the distance, one could occasionally see huge splashes erupting from the sea’s surface.
In contrast, the sea fish that normally inhabited the waters around Fire Mist Island were now fleeing in droves.
The people on the island had only read descriptions of such a scene in books; none had ever witnessed such a grand spectacle in person.
Countless onlookers stared in awe at the birds that filled the sky and the massive sea creatures that swarmed the ocean.
"Our luck is good. It seems it will erupt today, during daylight."
"Indeed. If it erupted at night, it would be difficult to collect many Longevity Jades, even with our Seated Mountain Eagles."
Among the Nuhai Gang, the men standing with Zhou Ruhai all breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the black smoke at the center of the island grow ever thicker.
Finally, at noon, to the breathless anticipation of the crowd, the ground suddenly shuddered. A massive torrent of flame roared into the sky.
It was followed by a rain of fire, ash, and rock, which scattered and fell across the entirety of Fire Mist Island.
"Everyone, keep your eyes on the sky and look for Longevity Jades! A reward of three thousand taels for every one you find!"
The few gangs that possessed Seated Mountain Eagles all gathered around their mounts, scanning the sky for falling Longevity Jades.
As long as they could be spotted in time, they could fly over on the Seated Mountain Eagles. Even if they couldn’t catch them immediately, as long as they knew the drop point on the sea surface, the chances of finding them were very high.
"There’s one over there, it looks big! Fist-sized!"
"There’s one here too!"
The greatest number of Longevity Jades were spewed out during the initial eruption, and excited cries rang out one after another from all over Fire Mist Island.
On another side of the island, Jiang Zuo calmly watched the volcanic eruption from the seashore.
The once-a-century volcanic eruption of Fire Mist Island was on a massive scale.
The spewed flames and lava obscured half the sky.
A rain of fire, ash, and stone was falling on Fire Mist Island.
If not for his Cultivation at Inner Breath Perfection, Jiang Zuo would not dare to watch so calmly.
A rock fell diagonally from the sky, hurtling towards Jiang Zuo.
Jiang Zuo remained unmoved, shattering the rock with a single punch.
The three Seated Mountain Eagles from the sixth batch were not far from being auctioned off and already possessed considerable combat ability.
Jiang Zuo had them mix in with the birds in the sky, competing with them for the falling Longevity Jades.
When a Longevity Jade fell near them, they, like the other birds, could sense its extraordinary nature.
As for Jiang Zuo, Great Black, and Xiaoqing, they simply waited on the ground.
After the volcano began its major eruption, the intensity grew stronger over time.
From time to time, Longevity Jades would fall from the sky.
However, most of them either fell into the talons of the birds or into the mouths of the giant sea fish and Sea Beasts on the ocean’s surface.
But compared to the sheer number of birds, fish, and Sea Beasts, there were nowhere near enough Longevity Jades to go around.
In the sky and in the sea, one could often see birds and Sea Beasts fighting fiercely over the Longevity Jades.
The three Seated Mountain Eagles would also occasionally fight with other birds in the sky, but with their huge size and Skin Refining strength, few birds were their match.
Although Jiang Zuo sat motionless, the three Seated Mountain Eagles would fly back from time to time, each carrying a Longevity Jade.
Most were pale-white grade Longevity Jades; a greenish-blue one would appear only about once in every ten.
Despite this, the harvest was still quite considerable.
By evening, the three Seated Mountain Eagles had already snatched nearly fifty Longevity Jades, four of which were greenish-blue.
Although their size was far from the one Xiaoqing had found before, they were still fist-sized and quite valuable.
Suddenly, a streak of purple light cut across the sky.
In mid-air, the purple light abruptly split in two. One part fell towards Fire Mist Island.
The other fell towards the distant sea.
"Xiaoqing, go after the one over the sea!"
"Great Black, follow me to get the one on the island!"
Jiang Zuo keenly sensed that this might be something good.
He immediately gave the order to Xiaoqing and Great Black, and they all began to move at once.
Xiaoqing leisurely slipped into the sea, keeping its eyes on the falling purple light from the water’s surface.
Jiang Zuo and Great Black, on the other hand, looked up at the sky and ran at full speed toward the crash site.
In the sky, many birds sensed that the purple light was a treasure and flew over, trying to snatch it.
But as they drew near the purple light, they felt an incredibly scorching temperature and dared not get any closer.
Jiang Zuo’s luck wasn’t very good; he could see the landing point was not close to him.
’If I don’t hurry, I’ll be too late by the time it lands.’
Great Black was already very fast, but its speed was still no match for Jiang Zuo’s.
So Jiang Zuo simply hoisted Great Black onto his shoulder with one arm and sprinted forward.
The sky was growing dark, and everyone’s attention was on the air above. Jiang Zuo wasn’t afraid of being seen.
Even while carrying Great Black, Jiang Zuo’s speed at a full sprint was still astonishingly fast.
BOOM!
Soon, the purple light crashed down three to four thousand meters ahead of Jiang Zuo.
Although Jiang Zuo was already very fast, it seemed he still wouldn’t make it in time.
"Go!"
At that moment, Jiang Zuo grabbed Great Black and hurled him forward like a cannonball.
Great Black weighed two to three hundred pounds, but in Jiang Zuo’s hands, it felt like nothing.
WHOOSH!
In an instant, Great Black crossed a distance of two to three thousand meters.
After landing, Great Black immediately accelerated, sprinting madly toward the crash site.
Jiang Zuo’s series of actions had undoubtedly bought them time.
Before anyone else could arrive, Great Black had already found the fallen gem.
It was a Jade Stone that emitted a faint purple glow, about the size of a small bowl.
Great Black tried to pick it up in his mouth, but as soon as he got close, he discovered the purple Jade Stone’s temperature was shockingly high.
Helpless, he could only stand guard on the spot, waiting for Jiang Zuo to arrive.
"It’s here!"
Jiang Zuo had not yet arrived, but a few people had.
"This... A big black dog got here first?"
"Be careful! That’s Qianhai’s big black dog—the one at the Meridian Passage realm!"
The newcomers were at first elated, but their expressions changed when they clearly saw Great Black was also there.
"Qianhai’s dog? Hmph! Everyone remember this: we arrived first, and this big black dog arrived after us! The stone is just too hot, so we couldn’t take it right away!"
These newcomers were none other than the Earth Dragon Gang, led by Lu Shengchun.
Lu Shengchun ran over, panting for breath. Seeing that Great Black had beaten them to it, he couldn’t help but snort coldly.
’So what if it’s a Meridian Passage realm dog? It’s still not human!’
’Even if the Jade Emperor himself showed up, we, the Earth Dragon Gang, discovered this purple treasure first!’
Gritting his teeth, Lu Shengchun mustered his courage and led a few of his gang members to the side of the purple Jade Stone.
However, the purple Jade Stone was indeed radiating a scorching heat, and with Great Black standing guard nearby, they didn’t dare to actually try and snatch it before Jiang Zuo arrived.
If they were killed by Great Black, there would be nowhere to plead their case.
Since they didn’t try to take the purple Jade Stone, Great Black couldn’t be bothered with them either.
After a short wait, Jiang Zuo finally arrived.
"Qianhai, get this big black dog of yours out of here! The Earth Dragon Gang discovered this Jade Stone first! Your dog came over and tried to snatch it. You better get him under control!"
Lu Shengchun, playing the victim, shouted loudly before Jiang Zuo could say a word.
Just by standing next to the purple Jade Stone for a short while, they felt their bodies and minds become refreshed; it was clearly an extremely high-quality Longevity Jade.
A Longevity Jade like this was worth a fortune. As long as they could get their hands on it, what did offending Jiang Zuo matter?
’The worst that could happen is Jiang Zuo would blacklist us from the Seated Mountain Eagle auctions.’
"What, Qianhai, you want to try and steal it? Let me tell you, my big brother is a master who has achieved Meridian Passage Great Success, and he’s going to be an Inner Breath Grandmaster in the future! If you dare to steal my stuff, he won’t let you off when he gets back!"
Seeing Jiang Zuo unmoved, Lu Shengchun immediately threatened him fiercely.
"Great Black, kill them,"
Jiang Zuo glanced at Lu Shengchun and said calmly.
’With anyone else, I might have tried to reason, to persuade them with logic.’
’But for a guy like Lu Shengchun, I just don’t have the patience.’
’Letting him go would just lead to a ton of loose ends. The thought alone is a headache.’
’Better to just kill him and be done with it.’
Without hesitation, Great Black lunged at the members of the Earth Dragon Gang.
At such close range, two or three people were instantly killed under Great Black’s claws.
"Qianhai, I was wrong! It’s your Jade Stone, don’t kill me!"
Lu Shengchun was scared witless. He never would have imagined that Qianhai, who always claimed to dislike fighting and killing and to be a man of goodwill, would order Great Black to kill them all to silence them without a second thought.
He hurriedly begged for mercy, but it was fucking useless.
With a single swipe of his paw, Great Black also sent him on his way.
Lu Shengchun’s eyes were wide open. He never imagined he would die just like that.
Jiang Zuo picked up the bodies one by one and tossed them into a torrent of lava over a hundred meters away.
The purple Jade Stone was still intensely hot, but Jiang Zuo wrapped his palm in Inner Breath, grabbed it, and tossed it into his storage bag before quickly leaving with Great Black.