Chapter 85 – Storage Ring

Chapter 85 – Storage Ring

On the way back, Cheng Yang’s earlier speculation was confirmed. Normally, after the thousands of demonized beasts gathered at the Xianghe Village altar were eliminated, the surrounding demonized beasts should have respawned normally. However, after walking two or three kilometers along the path, Cheng Yang didn’t see a single demonized beast.

When he reached the Xiang River, he found that the road had transformed into a bridge, spanning directly across the river. The bridge had a single arch, stretching over a kilometer, a true marvel of divine craftsmanship. The work of gods was indeed different; with current bridge-building technology, such a structure would be impossible to create.

Cheng Yang didn’t dwell too much on these matters and quickly crossed the bridge, rushing back to Luofeng Village. The smooth road was incomparable to the previous jungle terrain, and Cheng Yang made it back to the village in just a few minutes.

It was around 5 PM when Cheng Yang returned. Niu Bing had just finished his cultivation and was leading his team out of the village gate, presumably to hunt monsters. Seeing Cheng Yang, Niu Bing immediately halted his team and approached alone.

“Lord, why are you back so early today? Where are Hao Zi and the others?” Niu Bing asked, puzzled. Previously, Cheng Yang usually returned after dark.

Cheng Yang explained, “We found a new settlement and have already taken control of it. They’re currently defending it. I came back to gather more people and transport some lumber. We need to build a wall there as soon as possible.”

Niu Bing’s face lit up with joy. Pointing at the path behind Cheng Yang, he said, “Does this road lead directly to the new settlement? We were just wondering what the gods were up to, but it turns out it was your doing, Lord.”

Cheng Yang ignored the implied question and said, “Alright, forget about hunting for now. Gather all the warriors and archers to transport lumber. Also, recruit some more from other teams. Let’s get this done in one go.”

Niu Bing nodded and immediately organized the lumber transport. Since Luofeng Village didn’t have a proper storage facility yet, the lumber was piled up in one corner of the village.

After Niu Bing left, Cheng Yang stayed in the outer village to select eighty untrained villagers to take to Xianghe Village. The profession statues there hadn’t been used yet, and Cheng Yang wanted to get everyone trained as soon as possible.

The selection process wasn’t complicated. Cheng Yang prioritized strong and healthy individuals. While age didn’t affect basic attributes under the divine rules of profession training, healthier individuals had a higher chance of obtaining better talents, as countless people had discovered in his previous life.

Cheng Yang didn’t choose Liu Xiyue and Zhou Jie this time. He planned to have them train in Luofeng Village. Zhou Jie would be more useful there, and as for Liu Xiyue… Cheng Yang wasn’t entirely sure why he wanted her to stay, perhaps because she was one of Pang Shan’s few friends, and Pang Shan was his sworn brother’s woman.

When Cheng Yang led the eighty villagers to the east gate, Niu Bing was already waiting with a large group of people. The team consisted of over three hundred people, each pair carrying a log. In total, they had over four hundred cubic meters of lumber, enough for Xianghe Village’s initial development.

At Cheng Yang’s command, the team set off. The journey surprised all the combatants, as they didn’t encounter a single demonized beast. In their experience, the wilderness was completely overrun by these creatures. Currently, only Cheng Yang dared to move freely near the main city; others wouldn’t venture out alone, and even groups had to proceed with caution.

But now, walking along this path, there wasn’t a single demonized beast in sight. This was highly unusual.

While others kept their curiosity to themselves, Niu Bing directly asked Cheng Yang about it. After Cheng Yang’s explanation, Niu Bing understood.

Suddenly, Niu Bing had an idea. “Lord, if humans could build roads like this everywhere, wouldn’t that eliminate all demonized beasts?”

Cheng Yang looked at Niu Bing, appreciating his creativity, but the idea was impractical. Even if the rules allowed it, the benefits that demonized beasts provided to combatants meant no one would want to eliminate them entirely.

It took nearly an hour for the group to reach Xianghe Village. Liu Hao and his team were scattered around, killing demonized beasts. With over thirty experienced fighters, any respawning beasts were quickly overwhelmed.

Cheng Yang immediately instructed the combatants to unload the lumber and had Liu Hao start building the wall at the altar. In an instant, a sturdy wall encircled the area within a kilometer of the altar, providing a strong sense of security, especially for the untrained villagers.

The rest of the tasks didn’t require Cheng Yang’s direct involvement. Liu Hao left Cai Tiancheng in charge of Xianghe Village, along with the eighty untrained villagers. Cheng Yang didn’t set high expectations for Cai Tiancheng, leaving him with 1000 spirit energy points to train the villagers and clear the settlement’s area of demonized beasts. Expanding beyond the settlement’s borders would have to wait, as the surrounding areas were teeming with hundreds or even thousands of demonized beasts that Cai Tiancheng’s newly trained team couldn’t handle.

By the time Cheng Yang returned to Luofeng Village, it was already dark. After dismissing the other combatants, Cheng Yang retreated to his courtyard and used his newly acquired Spirit Gathering Pill Furnace to brew 35 small bottles of mana potions.

After delivering the potions to the alchemy shop owner, Cheng Yang received 1440 spirit energy points according to their agreed price.

Today had been a highly productive day for Cheng Yang. Besides securing the Xianghe Village settlement and obtaining silver-grade equipment, he had gained nearly ten thousand spirit energy points. This was to be expected after several major battles, especially the exhilarating experience of mass-slaying demonized beasts at the Xianghe Village altar.

Cheng Yang’s spirit energy had now surpassed 110,000 points, but he wasn’t satisfied. After brewing the potions, he quickly left Luofeng Village again.

This time, Cheng Yang had a specific goal: to target large groups of demonized beasts numbering over five hundred. While these groups posed little threat to him, they were dangerous for the average combatants of Luofeng Village. Only by clearing these large groups could the village’s combat teams safely expand their territory.

Over the course of the night, Cheng Yang eliminated nearly three thousand demonized beasts, consuming a significant amount of mana potions. However, compared to the spirit energy he gained, the cost was negligible.

It was around 3 AM when Cheng Yang returned to Luofeng Village. He considered distributing his 110,000 spirit energy points to others in the settlement, which could allow ten people to cultivate at six times the normal speed. However, the daily spirit energy income couldn’t sustain this for many people unless Cheng Yang was willing to subsidize their cultivation, which he wasn’t. While he wanted to save as many people as possible, he wouldn’t do so at the expense of his own interests.

After careful consideration, Cheng Yang decided to splurge, spending 10,000 spirit energy points to purchase a storage ring. The benefits were obvious: a weightless storage space would free up his physical capacity for combat, and the space itself far exceeded what his current backpack could hold.

Cheng Yang immediately went to the general store, his first visit since his rebirth. Compared to the other shops in the village, the general store was the least busy, as its items were either not very useful or too expensive for current combatants.

“Lord, what can I get for you? We have everything you need,” the shopkeeper greeted Cheng Yang with an enthusiastic smile.

“I need a storage ring,” Cheng Yang said.

The shopkeeper’s face lit up. “What size would you like? We have storage rings from one cubic meter to one hundred cubic meters.”

“A one cubic meter one will do,” Cheng Yang replied.

The shopkeeper’s expression faltered slightly. “Lord, one cubic meter is rather small. Why not get a ten cubic meter one? It’s only 100,000 spirit energy points. If you buy a small one now, you’ll just waste money upgrading later.”

Cheng Yang cursed the shopkeeper’s greed internally but said, “No need to worry about that. I know that storage rings can be expanded by paying additional spirit energy. So buying a one cubic meter ring now isn’t a waste. Besides, I don’t need a larger one at the moment. Just give me the one cubic meter ring.”

*Damn, he knows the system!* the shopkeeper thought, disappointed. Nevertheless, he quickly produced a storage ring. After all, a 10,000 spirit energy point transaction was still a significant sale.