Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

But one thing still puzzled Ye Chen.

'Why wouldn't the abbot personally secure such a valuable treasure, instead leaving it in the Great Battle Buddha's Storage Ring?'

Ye Chen shook his head, not bothering to dwell on it for now.

Soon, after a long wait, Li Yunxiao had finally finished consolidating the resources from the Yan family's various treasuries. He personally handed a Storage Ring to Ye Chen.

"Lord Ye, all the resources from the Yan family's treasuries are within this Storage Ring!"

"And, of course... the treasures from our Li family are in there too!"

Li Yunxiao wore a fawning smile. Who would believe that just a short while ago, he had looked as if he would rather die than submit?

"Oh?"

Ye Chen had originally planned on visiting the Li family's treasury himself. He didn't expect Li Yunxiao to be so proactive.

He had actually emptied his own family's treasury just to curry favor with Ye Chen!

"You've done well."

Ye Chen nodded slightly. Looking at the dazzling array of resources inside the Storage Ring, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

After all, this was the combined wealth of two great families, the Li family and the Yan family!

As two of the four great families of Lei Province, their foundations were so profound they were practically immeasurable.

Now, with the resources of both families combined, Ye Chen's net worth instantly shot past ten million!

In low-grade Spirit Stones alone, he had nearly twenty million!

Not to mention all the various Spirit Medicines, Spirit Pills, and spirit weapons...

There were even at least a dozen pills of Tier Five or higher!

"Hm? What's this...?"

Just then, Ye Chen's gaze flickered.

He was stunned to find three crystalline objects lying next to the mountain of Spirit Stones. They were translucent and radiated a surging Spiritual Qi!

The Crystal Stones looked similar to Spirit Stones, but a closer look revealed many differences.

Even the dense Spiritual Qi of a Top Grade Spirit Stone was far inferior to that of these three faintly glowing Crystal Stones!

'I can't believe the treasuries of these two families actually held a combined total of three Spirit Crystals!'

Ye Chen's heart stirred, and a smile appeared on his face.

Spirit Crystals were a level above Spirit Stones. You'd be hard-pressed to find more than a few in all of Lei Province!

A single Spirit Crystal was worth one thousand Top Grade Spirit Stones! That was equivalent to one million low-grade Spirit Stones!

These three Spirit Crystals were the equivalent of three million low-grade Spirit Stones!

You have to understand, Lei Province was relatively poor in resources. Low-grade Spirit Stones were already the most common currency in the province.

Even mid-grade Spirit Stones were rare, let alone a treasure as exceedingly scarce as a Spirit Crystal!

'Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi must be tempered deep underground for countless millennia before a Spirit Crystal can form! The use of a single Spirit Crystal far exceeds its face value!'

'The material of a Spirit Crystal is unique, making it perfect for carving a Spirit Gathering Array onto it! With a Spirit Crystal, it'll be like I'm carrying a portable Spirit-Gathering Array!'

'Vast amounts of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi will be drawn into my body by the Array anytime, anywhere. I'll essentially be cultivating at an extremely high efficiency every single moment!'

After absorbing the memories of the Ancient Demon God, Ye Chen's mind was sharp, and his knowledge was astounding.

He could essentially utilize any resource he came across to aid his own progress.

Just then, Li Yunxiao, who was standing to the side, spoke respectfully, interrupting Ye Chen's thoughts.

"Lord Ye, what is to become of our Li family from now on?"

A hint of worry was on his face.

His life was now in Ye Chen's hands. Although the Li family's foundation remained, they had clearly become Ye Chen's vassals.

"From now on, your Li family will join my Demon Sect and become a subordinate power. Continue to manage your original territory."

Ye Chen said immediately after a moment of thought.

"The Demon Sect?"

Li Yunxiao was slightly startled. He had never heard of such a Demon Dao power within Lei Province.

'However, a power that could produce a terrifying prodigy like Ye Chen must be anything but simple!'

"So, Lord Ye is a prodigy of the Demon Sect! Might I ask who the Sect Leader is...?"

"That would be me," Ye Chen said flatly.

"..." A storm raged in Li Yunxiao's heart, and he couldn't calm himself for a long time.

He finally understood. It turned out that this Demon Sect was a newly emerging Demon Dao power.

And the leader of the Demon Sect was none other than Ye Chen!!!

"Right. Although Lei Province isn't rich in resources, you great families should control some Spirit Stone mines, more or less, correct?"

Ye Chen suddenly changed the subject.

"Of course!"

Li Yunxiao didn't dare to hide anything. "My Li family manages five Spirit Stone mines! They mostly produce low-grade Spirit Stones, with a small amount of mid-grade ones!"

"The Yan family has three such Spirit Stone mines as well!"

Ye Chen nodded slightly. "Spirit Stone mines are a very important resource. Manage them well, but remember that all output must be reported in full."

"In the future, I will send high-ranking members of the sect to inspect the sites."

"If I find any discrepancy between the reported amount and the actual output, I will personally step in and hold you accountable!"

"As you command!" Li Yunxiao was very obedient. "How could we dare to disobey the Sect Leader's orders!"

After giving a few more instructions, Ye Chen casually tossed something, and a streak of light landed in Li Yunxiao's hand.

It was a bottle of Spirit Pills!

Even though the bottle was sealed, a faint medicinal fragrance still wafted out.

Complex, glowing patterns covered the Spirit Pills, indicating they were anything but ordinary!

"This is..."

"An entire bottle of Fourth Grade pills?!"

Li Yunxiao brought the bottle of Spirit Pills before his eyes for a closer look and couldn't help but gasp.

Fourth Grade pills could only be created by a Fourth Grade Alchemist!

Of course, some exceptionally talented and powerful Third Grade Alchemists could also refine them, but it would be much more difficult.

Fourth Grade Alchemists were typically experts at the Primordial Mansion Realm.

And an Alchemist of a level capable of refining so many Top Grade Fourth Grade pills not only had first-class Alchemy skills but likely also had a cultivation base that ranked among the very best in the Primordial Mansion Realm!

'So the Demon Sect even has such a powerful Fourth Grade Alchemist?'

Li Yunxiao was amazed. Behind him, the eyes of the Li family's upper echelons grew fervent.

"These Fourth Grade Spirit Pills were all crafted by my own hand."

"You've submitted to me, so naturally, I won't have you work for nothing."

"As long as you remain loyal in the future, the Li family will not be short of such rewards."

Ye Chen said calmly, his hands clasped behind his back.

To make the Li family work for him willingly and without any dissent...

...it was essential to provide them with enticing rewards in addition to threats and suppression through overwhelming martial power.

The classic carrot and stick.

Only then could he manage these people and keep them completely obedient.