Rise to God with Life Skill Professions

Chapter 524 - 513: Forbidden Area Secrets

The room was quiet, with only the flickering candlelight illuminating it.

The dim light cast mottled shadows around, and the fire in the backyard was blazing fiercely.

The pills inside had already been removed, but the fire had not been put out, waiting for it to extinguish naturally.

Occasionally, a breeze would pass by, using the heat from the fire to send a faint warm aura into the room, dissipating some of the coldness within.

The Dragon Demon spoke with a delighted expression, as if it enjoyed watching the Alchemy Master Alliance suffer.

Qin An asked, "Why are you so distressed?"

Qin An actually understood very well why the Dragon Demon had such an expression.

The Alchemy Master Alliance was too oppressive. Whether it was the Dragon Palace or other demon Pseudo-God powers, the cost of obtaining their pills was always high.

Although Qin An only deducted a little here, if the quantity reached a certain level, it would save the Dragon Palace a significant amount of resource expenditure.

Therefore, as a Dragon Demon of the Dragon Palace, it was naturally normal to show a delighted expression when seeing the Alchemy Master Alliance stumped.

However, Qin An was also curious about how miserable the Alchemy Master Alliance had become to make even this Dragon Demon responsible for trading with him show such an expression.

The Dragon Demon chuckled and said in a low voice, "Since the Dragon Palace severed its relationship with them, many powers knew we had found a better source of pills, so they sought out the Dragon Palace."

"The Old Dragon King actually had a lot of surplus from the deal with Mr. Qin back then, so he distributed that surplus to those powers seeking the Dragon Palace."

"These powers did not cause trouble on Tianyun Dao, so the Old Dragon King did not violate the Evil Extermination Bureau’s iron law, and this maneuver also caused significant losses to the Alchemy Master Alliance."

Qin An rubbed his chin and said, "Even so, there isn’t much distributed; why are they so distressed?"

The Dragon Demon was right.

Such a maneuver could indeed cause losses to the Alchemy Master Alliance, but given the Alliance’s size, the damage inflicted by the Dragon Palace and its allied powers wouldn’t be substantial.

If it were Qin An, he would let this kind of minor loss slide and not worry about it.

Maintaining what’s left of their operation is the priority above all.

The Dragon Demon shook its head, "You may not know, sir, but after your operation, many alchemy powers began to emulate your methods. Although they couldn’t produce compound pills, the specific pills they made were extremely effective, causing the Alchemy Master Alliance a major loss."

"Because of this, many powers have reduced their transactions with the Alchemy Master Alliance."

Upon hearing this, Qin An revealed a look of understanding, "I see, in that case, it truly is a significant blow for them."

Sometimes, once the first person breaks new ground, it encourages a second, a third, and many more to come and partake in the spoils.

This was exactly the case with Qin An.

After he tasted benefits with the Dragon Palace, other leftover alchemy powers would inevitably want a share of those resources.

And with Qin An leading the charge, they weren’t afraid of being resented by the Alchemy Master Alliance.

Therefore, their actions indeed managed to greatly reduce the Alchemy Master Alliance’s operation scale.

"Have they made any moves?" Qin An asked.

The Dragon Demon shook its head and said, "For now, there’s no movement. We understand your intentions, Mr. Qin. Rest assured, we will keep an eye on the Alchemy Master Alliance’s movements. Should any unfavorable trends emerge, we will inform you immediately. Even the Old Dragon King will provide secret support."

Certain things need not be displayed openly. The weight of ’secret support’ speaks volumes.

After some thought, Qin An nodded, "If so, I’ll be leaving now."

This time, with twenty monster spirits in hand, he had to return to the Evil Extermination Bureau to hone his proficiency in the Array Master profession.

This proficiency didn’t require wasting too many resources or facing the limitation of venues.

Before the major task mentioned by Zhu Xueshuang arrives, Qin An plans to quickly elevate his Array Master profession.

Reaching level seventeen would be ideal, but even if he doesn’t, the time won’t be wasted.

The Dragon Demon agreed repeatedly, then escorted Qin An out of the shop.

Watching Qin An’s departing figure, the Dragon Demon’s eyes flashed with a trace of contemplation.

"The last time I saw Mr. Qin, he didn’t exude such pressure. How has it increased this time?"

"Although Mr. Qin’s realm hasn’t advanced, why is this happening?" the Dragon Demon wondered silently. "Could it be that Mr. Qin’s other cultivation techniques have improved? If that’s true, it’s terrifying. The person chosen by Princess Long San seems to be quite a treasure."

Anyone experienced in cultivation knows the terror of an all-around enhancement, its difficulty comparable to transforming a genius into a mediocre talent.

That Qin An could enhance himself so powerfully across the board appeared truly frightening to the Dragon Demon.

After standing still for a moment, the Dragon Demon shook off its thoughts.

"I’d better focus on managing this trade."

"I can’t meddle too much in the affairs of these upper-tier individuals."

Soon, the Dragon Demon returned to the shop and closed the door.

Once more, the street fell into silence.

...

Time flew by, and before long, a few days had passed.

In those days, Qin An didn’t stop, tirelessly honing his proficiency as an Array Master, which improved significantly but still had some way to go to reach level seventeen.

Currently, the proficiency could only be achieved through the Water Grinding Technique.

To this, Qin An was not in a rush.

Today, after having breakfast, Qin An was making his way back to his room along the stone path of the Evil Extermination Bureau.

But before he could get close, a Copper Dao Marshal dressed in dark clothes blocked his path.

Seeing the Copper Dao Marshal, Qin An smiled slightly.

"Aren’t you supposed to be on a task? What brings you here today to find me?"

Zheng Rou appeared bashful, her cheeks flushing lightly as Qin An’s gaze swept over her, "Mr. Qin, I truly didn’t want to disturb you, but Lord Zhu told me to summon you here, saying that a major task is about to be assigned to us."

Upon hearing this, Qin An furrowed his brow slightly, recalling what Zhu Xueshuang mentioned to him before. He nodded, "I will proceed immediately. Will you accompany me?"

The two of them were both under the banner of Zhu Xueshuang, hence Qin An made such a remark.

But who knew that Zheng Rou would shake her head.

"Lord Zhu said that Mr. Qin could go alone. I am just here to pass the message, Mr. Qin, I shall take my leave."

She left swiftly, like a frightened little rabbit, her cheeks flushed red, even to her ears, as she turned away.

Qin An watched this introverted Copper Dao Marshal and shook his head slightly, then lifted his foot and walked towards Zhu Xueshuang’s residence.

Calling him over alone today, he knew clearly in his heart that Zhu Xueshuang must have something important.

And it was something only he could know.

Qin An was very curious, his steps quickening.

...

In the courtyard, Zhu Xueshuang was flipping through the paperwork in her hand.

The tea set on the table was already cool, but she didn’t mind at all. After pouring herself a cup and drinking all the tea in it, she used the tea water residue to continue flipping.

At this time, the sound of footsteps rang out, attracting Zhu Xueshuang’s attention.

Zhu Xueshuang turned her head and saw Qin An striding with the gait of a dragon and the pace of a tiger, already walking into the courtyard.

Zhu Xueshuang put down the paperwork and pointed to a seat opposite, saying, "Sit first. I’ll tell you the story in a moment."

Qin An did not dawdle, sat opposite Zhu Xueshuang, and waited patiently.

Zhu Xueshuang continued to look down at the paperwork.

There were not many papers on the table, only two or three left.

But Zhu Xueshuang’s actions of flipping were very meticulous.

This scene Qin An took in completely.

Qin An stared at Zhu Xueshuang’s fair face, lost in thought.

"Being a Mountain Patrol Marshal is still better."

Whether it was Ding County, Lingzhou, or Xunyang Prefecture, the level of Mountain Patrol always offered more freedom than holding a position within the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Even if this freedom was exchanged with danger and risks, it seemed more suitable for Qin An.

He thought that if he moved up the ranks to Silver Dao Marshal, then Gold Dao Marshal, he might be crushed under the complexity of bureaucratic affairs.

Even if he wanted to stay independent and not recruit subordinates, the Evil Extermination Bureau would not allow it.

Because a person at the Silver Dao Marshal level must have a large group of people.

But precisely because of this, it would lead to more complex bureaucratic affairs.

"It seems that if there’s an opportunity, I should find a way to inquire about joining the Mountain Patrol Marshal’s camp," Qin An thought in his heart.

As he was thinking this, Zhu Xueshuang had already finished reading the last piece of paperwork.

She put down the paperwork, looked at Qin An’s thoughtful expression, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Qin An returned to his senses and shook his head, saying, "Nothing, I was just wondering what task Lord Zhu told me about, what exactly it involves?"

Zhu Xueshuang slowly said, "Your eyes tell me you aren’t thinking about this, but it doesn’t matter, I don’t like to pry into other people’s privacy. Since you’re curious about what the next task is, I will tell you, the next task is related to a Forbidden Area."

When the Forbidden Area was mentioned again, Qin An narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Is the Forbidden Area Lord Zhu mentioned similar to the Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak?"

When mentioning this, he recalled the formless figure he encountered when escaping from the Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak.

That figure gave him an overwhelming sense of oppression, even Wu Yunfeng from back then might not have been able to contend with it.

Later, when Qin An returned with Wu Yunfeng, he asked Wu Yunfeng about the identity of that figure.

But even Wu Yunfeng didn’t know.

This showed how frightening the hidden secret in the Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak was.

Zhu Xueshuang paused briefly and shook her head, "The Forbidden Area is the Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak, and the Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak is also a Forbidden Area, but the Forbidden Area includes many more magical places. I suppose you have not seen the information about the Forbidden Area as it wouldn’t be in the Evil Extermination Bureau’s Confidential Library."

"Only those conducting tasks related to it or those at the Silver Dao Marshal level can know about it."

Qin An curiously asked, "What is a Forbidden Area?"

Listening to Zhu Xueshuang’s string of explanations, he had become more curious about the Forbidden Area.

After a brief pause, Zhu Xueshuang said, "The Heavenly Cloud Road is filled with various Forbidden Areas, of various sizes, scattered all over it, and each Forbidden Area is an exceptionally terrifying place."

"And within the Forbidden Areas, aside from terrifying entities, there are also a wealth of benefits."

"These include weapons, pills, and even a variety of resources."

At this point, Zhu Xueshuang paused briefly.

Qin An raised an eyebrow and said, "And why do Forbidden Areas come into existence?"

Listening to Zhu Xueshuang’s explanation, he gained some understanding, but not much.

Zhu Xueshuang shook her head and said, "No one really knows how Forbidden Areas come into existence. Every major Dao city has these things, and it’s because of these things that bring danger but also a tremendous amount of resources, allowing all Dao-level cities to thrive."

Qin An pondered, "Has anyone ever thought about eradicating these minor or medium Forbidden Areas?"

What Zhu Xueshuang had just said made Qin An consider a question.

If indeed this was the case, with the Evil Extermination Bureau leading the charge to eradicate these Forbidden Areas, seizing all the resources within, then wouldn’t the Heavenly Cloud Road be different?

But upon expressing this thought, Zhu Xueshuang shook her head.

"You’re overthinking, not taking all these resources is due to the situation’s complexity, it is very complicated."

"As for why these Forbidden Areas have not been destroyed, it relates to a rule regarding Forbidden Areas..."