Dao of Money

Chen Ren moved through the streets of the nameless city with lightning wrapped around his legs, silently wishing that his plan would hold together.

If it were up to him, he would have divided the sects and assigned them separate roles. But that would have bred suspicion. None of them trusted him enough for that. So instead, he now ran alongside a mixed group, consisting of members of the Soaring Sword Sect and Thunderblade Sect.

At least his own group remained intact.

The presence of rival sect members ensured no one would dare betray openly. Not that Chen Ren intended to betray everyone. The only unpredictable element was Yun Zhaotian, and Chen Ren was certain the man would be too busy rampaging once freed to focus on anything else.

He would not wait for him.

They kept running, cutting through wide streets lined with low stone buildings. The castle loomed in the distance, and the lift lay beyond it.

Then as they ran, trouble finally showed itself.

Arrows suddenly whistled through the air.

One slammed into the ground directly in front of Chen Ren, cracking the stone. He leapt over it without slowing, eyes snapping toward the rooftops. Undead archers were already repositioning along the edges of the buildings.

“Take care of them!” he shouted.

Little Yuze answered with a howl. Flames burst from his mouth and rolled across the rooftops in a wave of fire. At the same time, Li Qingxue raised her bow and returned fire, her arrows streaking upward.

Soaring Sword Sect and Thunderblade Sect disciples followed, sending blades of qi and lightning projectiles into the air. Not every attack struck true, but enough did. One by one, the archers toppled from the rooftops, crashing into the streets below.

Chen Ren allowed himself a brief breath. But he knew better. This was only the beginning.

Yalan ran beside him, letting out a low grunt as she scanned their surroundings for any more of them.

Princess Yanyue kept pace on his other side. “How much longer, Sect Leader Chen?” she asked. “I have a bad feeling that if we don’t reach the lift soon, we’ll be in serious trouble.”

“We need to take a few more turns,” Chen Ren said. “Just follow me. We should buy some time once the others free the prisoners—”

Before he could finish, a thunderous explosion shook the city, sending shockwaves through their bodies.

Everyone flinched at once.

Before they could recover from the first one, another explosion followed. And then another.

The cultivators behind him began murmuring in alarm. Chen Ren lifted his head and saw thick smoke rising from the direction of the arena.

He allowed himself a small smile.

They had done it.

The smoke meant Yun Zhaotian was likely free by now. Before even starting the plan, he had provided the group that will rescue him with a Raging Blood Pill. Once the pill was given to Yun Zhaotian, he wouldn't be able to hold back their anger. His anger alone would alone cause chaos. Of course, he hadn't told anyone else the true nature of the pill, simply saying that it would heal and strengthen him. k

But Yun Zhaotian was not the only piece in motion.

Chen Ren had instructed them to release all the prisoners.

The reasoning was simple. If the undead here were intelligent, then surely not all of them supported the Zombie Queen. There would be criminals, political rivals, discontented beings. Merchant Shrey had confirmed as much.

And once those prisoners were freed, there would be only one thing on their minds.

Destruction.

That kind of chaos would force the Zombie Queen to respond personally. She would have to deal with a revolt inside her own city.

In the meantime, Chen Ren and the others would seize control of the lift and hold it.

Even if the Zombie Queen reached them in time, they could activate it. Once the lift began moving, she would not be able to stop it.

That was the ideal outcome.

Of course, for everything to align perfectly—including the Zombie Queen’s response—was unlikely.

But this was still their best option. So Chen Ren kept running.

And finally, as they turned a corner, he smiled.

The lift was in sight.

It stood in an open clearing, surrounded by black sand. There was no mistaking it. That was their way out.

The buildings behind them began to thin as they stepped fully onto the sand and advanced toward it.

Then they saw what stood between them and the lift.

Dozens of undead waited in formation.

Chen Ren spotted several death knights among them. Beside them stood different types of zombies—armored soldiers, archers, and one massive creature nearly ten feet tall gripping a giant hammer in both hands. If he had to estimate, their numbers matched a small horde.

But unlike a horde, every one of them was intelligent.

Chen Ren’s group barely had fifty people. He had hoped the lift might be left unguarded.

That hope died quickly.

It seemed the Zombie Queen had expected at least some climbers to reach this far.

Their group immediately slowed seeing them. Li Xuan frowned. “What do we do?”

Li Kuangdao snorted. “What else? We go through them. Or do you plan to negotiate?”

Chen Ren glanced at Li Kuangdao. “I believe he was asking about strategy. We can’t just charge and expect to win. They aren’t mindless.”

Princess Yanyue stepped snorted. “Then what do you think we should do?”

Chen Ren studied the undead formation carefully. They did not move and simply waited for them.

They would only engage once Chen Ren’s group stepped close enough, and that gave him time to think.

He turned his head toward the Thunderblade Sect members.

One of them scowled at him. “What?”

Chen Ren extended his hand calmly, an idea forming in his mind. “Give me your sword.”

The Thunderblade disciple frowned at once.

Chen Ren added quickly, “I’ll return it. It’s just for this fight. I can kill more from the air.”

The man clearly did not trust him. But when the others turned and looked at him, waiting, he hesitated only a second longer before pulling the sword from his back and handing it over.

Chen Ren glanced down at it. The blade felt lighter than a normal sword. Runes were etched along the hilt, faintly glowing with stored qi. He did not study it long.

Instead, he handed it to Li Xuan.

Li Xuan blinked in confusion. “Why are you giving it to me?”

“I don’t know how to fly one,” Chen Ren said bluntly. “You’ll be my driver.” He added sharply, “Hurry. We don’t have time. We need to take control of the lift before the Zombie Queen gets here.”

Li Xuan did not argue.

He pushed qi into the sword and threw it forward. The blade hummed and began to float. Li Xuan stepped onto it smoothly, and the sword steadied under his control.

Chen Ren climbed up behind him, placing his foot carefully to maintain balance.

Li Kuangdao narrowed his eyes. “What are you planning?”

“You’ll see,” Chen Ren replied. “When the fight starts, kill as many as you can. And pray they can’t fly.”

Then he looked toward Princess Yanyue, Zi Wen, and the twins.

“Don’t die out there.”

Before anyone could respond, Li Xuan lifted them into the air.

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Just as they rose, Chen Ren felt a sudden weight on his back. He turned his head slightly and saw Yalan perched on his shoulders.

“I’m not letting you go alone,” she said in his mind.

Chen Ren grunted but did not protest. They drew closer to the undead formation below.

Li Xuan spoke quietly, “What exactly are you going to do?”

“You’ll see,” Chen Ren answered again. “Keep your eyes everywhere. Don’t let anything touch us.”

Li Xuan’s voice was steady. “Don’t worry. I’ve flown swords since I was a child.”

Chen Ren really hoped Li Xuan’s confidence was justified.

He pushed qi into his spatial ring and pulled out several thundercrack orbs. He still had plenty left and had even restocked during his trip to the fifth floor. There was no better time to use them.

As they descended closer to the undead army, the death knights noticed them. Their swords rose in unison, demonic qi blooming around their blades like dark flames.

Chen Ren’s eyes widened. “Li Xuan—go up!”

Li Xuan reacted instantly. The flying sword shot higher into the air just as arcs of demonic energy tore through the space where they had been moments before.

Chen Ren did not hesitate.

He hurled the thundercrack orbs downward.

The clustered formation below worked against the undead. The first explosion tore through the front ranks. The second and third followed immediately, sending bodies flying in all directions. Dozens of zombies were blown apart before they even understood what was happening.

Panic spread through the formation as they tried to scatter.

The death knights, however, adapted quickly. They began sending precise arcs of demonic qi toward the falling orbs before they could strike the ground. Several detonated midair, the shockwaves rippling outward violently.

Chen Ren tightened his grip on Li Xuan’s shoulders as the sword swerved sharply to avoid the blasts. The air trembled with every explosion.

Wang Jun cursed beside him, but with the thunder ringing in his ears, Chen Ren doubted Li Xuan heard a word of it.

Soon, it became clear the orbs alone would not be enough.

The death knights were too coordinated and intelligent for being undead.

Chen Ren immediately reached into his spatial ring again and pulled out another item he had purchased from Merchant Shrey.

A bow. One that had no strings or arrows, but was probably one of the best artifacts he had bought.

Li Xuan glanced back at it in disbelief. “What are you planning to do with that?”

Chen Ren smiled faintly. “Just watch.”

He raised the bow and positioned it carefully. Then, Chen Ren pushed his qi into the bow.

A string formed instantly, made entirely of condensed qi. As he pulled it back, an arrow of pure energy shaped itself between his fingers.

He released it the next second.

The arrow shot straight toward the cluster of death knights.

They tried to scatter, but the arrow exploded midair before reaching them. Instead of a blast, a glowing net unfolded and dropped from above. It spread wide, covering several death knights and dragging a handful of nearby zombies down with it.

The moment the net settled, lightning surged through it.

The trapped undead thrashed violently, but the electricity pulsed again and again, preventing them from escaping.

This was one of the most expensive items Chen Ren had purchased from Merchant Shrey—a bow called Stormsnare Bow, crafted for hunting massive beasts. Now, it proved even more effective against armored undead.

Chen Ren did not stop.

He pulled back the qi-string again and fired another arrow. And then another.

Each one burst into a crackling net upon impact. More death knights were pinned down. Even when they tried to endure the lightning and cut through the net with their swords, they found themselves overwhelmed.

Because the rest of the cultivators had arrived.

Seeing the opportunity, they launched repeated attacks on the trapped targets. Blades of qi and lightning strikes hammered down mercilessly, finishing off the immobilized undead.

Chen Ren continued firing carefully, making sure not to ensnare his own allies.

As he looked down at the battlefield, he realized he had made the right choice aligning with the guardian sects.

Different types of qi lit up the clearing.

The Soaring Sword Sect stood at the front, their sword techniques flashing brilliantly as they carved through dozens of common zombies at once. Li Kuangdao and a few others focused on the remaining free death knights, their coordinated strikes precise and deadly.

Behind them, the Thunderblade Sect unleashed lightning and water qi in sweeping arcs. Some had already taken to the air on flying swords, raining bolts down from above.

And then there was Chen Ren’s own group.

Princess Yanyue and her royal guards stood at the center of their formation.

In truth, it was the royal guards doing most of the fighting. She remained just behind them, calm and composed, while any zombie that dared approach her was cut down before it could come within reach. The guards moved like a trained wall of blades.

Zi Wen and the twins fought nearby. Little Yuze even clashed with a death knight on his own. The wolf’s flames burned fiercely as Zi Wen balanced on his back, driving a long spear of condensed qi into the knight’s armor. The twins circled them, eliminating any zombies that tried to interfere.

With how well-coordinated everyone was—and with Chen Ren’s initial aerial assault—the undead force was already collapsing. Many had fallen. The rest were struggling.

Chen Ren allowed himself a small smile.

The lift stood in the distance.

Behind them, explosions and chaos still echoed from the direction of the city. The other parts of his plan were in motion. He only hoped they would hold.

They did not have much time.

Han Qingshi had to keep his word.

Chen Ren looked down again and saw that most of the immediate resistance near the lift had been crushed in seconds.

He patted Li Xuan’s shoulder. “Move toward the lift. I’ll send the signal once we secure it.”

Li Xuan nodded and angled the flying sword toward the platform.

They had barely gained speed when Yalan suddenly tensed on his shoulders.

“Chen Ren,” she said urgently in his mind. “To your left.”

Chen Ren turned instantly.

A Thunderblade Sect disciple was flying straight toward them, lightning crackling around his hand.

Chen Ren moved to activate a defensive technique, but the man did not aim at him.

The bolt struck the front of their flying sword. The impact shattered the blade’s tip.

Li Xuan cursed as the sword destabilized violently beneath them.

The next second—

The sword flipped, and Chen Ren fell.

***

A/N - You can read 30 chapters (15 Magus Reborn and 15 Dao of money) on my patreon. Annual subscription is now on too. Also this is Volume 2 last chapter.

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