Dao of Money

When Princess Yanyue had begun explaining the deeper parts of the plan, she had given Han Qingshi and his sect only one clear task.

Steal everything useful from the city.

At first, Han Qingshi had questioned her. What value could possibly exist inside a city ruled by zombies? To him, it sounded like a waste of effort compared to fighting or securing the lift. But Princess Yanyue calmly explained that the zombies living within the city behaved no differently from the other inhabitants of the pagoda. If they lived, ruled, and governed like people, then they would naturally accumulate valuables as well.

To prove her point, she handed them copies of a detailed map of the city.

When Han Qingshi asked where she had obtained something so precise, she simply replied that it came from Chen Ren.

That answer only deepened his curiosity about the man, though he chose not to press further. He already knew he would receive no explanation even if he asked.

Instead, he focused on what mattered—What exactly he was supposed to retrieve.

Princess Yanyue’s answer had been simple.

Books.

Knowledge gathered by the Zombie Queen over centuries of existence. And now, standing inside the room before him, Han Qingshi finally understood why.

The entire space was a compact library. It was not large by ordinary standards—he had seen libraries ten times this size within his sect—but size did not matter here. Every shelf held records, manuals, scrolls, and bound texts that likely contained knowledge accumulated across generations within the pagoda itself.

Considering how mysterious the pagoda was, even a single book from this place could be priceless.

Han Qingshi stepped forward without hesitation and began storing everything he could into his spatial ring. Books vanished from the shelves one after another as he worked quickly but methodically.

At the same time, his senses remained spread throughout the room, alert for danger.

Important locations almost always contained traps.

He expected mechanisms to activate at any moment—hidden arrays, cursed inscriptions, or defensive constructs meant to punish intruders. But nothing happened.

Even after clearing nearly half the library, the room remained silent.

Han Qingshi allowed himself to relax slightly.

Once again, it seemed Princess Yanyue had been right.

There were no traps or security inside the library because no one in the city dared to step onto the top floor of the castle. The zombies feared the Zombie Queen too much to even approach her private domain. Apparently, she had not been challenged in over a decade.

Well, at least until today.

As Han Qingshi continued storing books into his spatial ring, distant screams, shouts, and explosions echoed from outside. The sounds of battle rolled through the city without pause. At the same time, his senses picked up the presence of other cultivators moving quickly through the streets, most likely heading toward the lift after freeing Yun Zhaotian.

He increased his speed. Falling behind now would ruin everything.

But just as only three books remained on the shelves, his spatial ring refused to accept another item.

It was full.

Han Qingshi frowned and tried again, pushing qi into the ring, but nothing changed. The storage space had reached its limit. He took a glance at the final three books. There was no time to examine them or judge their value.

Without hesitation, he grabbed all three and tucked them into his robes.

Then he lifted his chains from the floor and hurled them toward the far window. Glass shattered instantly under the impact. He walked toward the opening and looked outside.

The arena still roared with chaos. Screams and violent bursts of qi rose into the sky, and he could feel the immense presence of the Zombie Queen battling below. The prisoners—once her enemies, long imprisoned instead of executed—were now fighting her in a frenzy.

She had tortured them for years rather than killing them, and because of that, they were doing their best to use a chance to kill her. Their accumulated hatred had turned into pure violence the moment they were freed.

At least, that was what Princess Yanyue had told him. And judging by the destruction unfolding below, every word she had spoken had proven true.

Han Qingshi no longer had any reason to doubt her.

He simply leapt from the top of the castle.

His chains shot outward, wrapping around pillars and broken structures as he swung forward, using momentum to pull himself across rooftops. Each movement carried him farther through the city as he rushed toward the gates.

Hopefully, his junior disciples had already gathered what they could and were waiting nearby. Otherwise, they might end up too late to reach the lift.

Han Qingshi continued jumping from roof to roof, moving as fast as possible. The sounds of destruction followed him everywhere—explosions, collapsing stone, and distant roars shaking the city.

When he finally reached the gates, he slowed.

One of the sand elementals had broken through completely. The massive creature held a death knight in its jaws, chewing through armor and bone before spitting the crushed remains onto the ground. It then slammed its body into nearby buildings, reducing stone walls to rubble.

Han Qingshi watched the scene briefly, calm even amid the chaos.

Then a shout came from his left.

“Senior Brother Han! We are here!”

He turned immediately and saw the disciples gathered in an open area nearby. He counted them silently, relief settling in when he confirmed that none were missing.

He jumped down beside them.

“Did you get everything?” he asked.

“Whatever we could find,” one of them replied quickly. “I think we should leave now, Senior Brother. The others should already be at the lift.”

Han Qingshi nodded. “Alright. But you all need to keep pace with me. If the other sects were going to betray us, they would have already done so.”

His disciples exchanged uneasy looks.

“We won’t be able to keep up with you,” one admitted. “You’re too fast, Senior Brother.”

Han Qingshi frowned slightly. “Then what should we do—”

A sudden shriek cut him off.

The sand elemental roared as it crashed into another building, stone exploding outward. Han Qingshi immediately turned his gaze toward it, a smile forming on his face.

An idea struck him instantly.

“Wait here,” Han Qingshi said. “I’ll get us a mount.”

He rolled the chains around his hands before swinging them outward. The metal links shot through the air and wrapped around one of the sand elemental’s massive teeth just as it opened its mouth in a roar. Han Qingshi pulled hard and leapt, landing firmly on the creature’s back.

A grin spread across his face.

Below the elemental, several death knights rushed forward, weapons raised. Han Qingshi simply tugged on the chains, and the elemental surged ahead. Arcs of demonic qi slammed into its body but bounced harmlessly off its thick hide as the massive creature crushed the knights beneath its weight.

Han Qingshi didn’t spare them another glance.

Instead, he turned toward his disciples and shouted, “Get up here!”

They didn’t hesitate. One after another, they leapt onto the elemental’s back. The creature thrashed violently, trying to shake them off, but Han Qingshi tightened his chains, forcing it into submission.

He slammed his free hand against its back.

The elemental roared and began moving forward at full speed, steamrolling through streets and buildings alike. Stone shattered beneath its massive body as Han Qingshi steered it along the route to the lift, recalling the path from memory using the map Princess Yanyue had provided.

No enemies dared block their way.

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Zombies scattered in all directions at the sight of the enormous worm charging through the city, unwilling to be crushed beneath it.

Han Qingshi smiled faintly. If things continued like this, they would leave this wasteland soon.

But as the elemental turned a corner, a piercing scream echoed through the air.

A chill ran down his spine.

He turned back, and saw her.

A figure flew toward them, demonic qi rolling outward like a storm.

The Zombie Queen.

His junior disciples cried out in fear at the sight, and Han Qingshi wondered briefly if she had already finished dealing with the prisoners.

In the end, it didn’t matter.

The only thing that mattered now was reaching the lift as fast as possible.

***

Chen Ren stared at the scene unfolding before him, and his expression shifted from relief to shock in a matter of seconds.

Seeing Han Qingshi charging toward them atop a sand elemental was one thing.

Seeing the Zombie Queen chasing behind him was something else entirely.

Even from a distance, Chen Ren could feel the oppressive wave of demonic qi rolling off her like a storm. The air itself seemed heavier, pressing against his lungs and making breathing difficult. If she reached anyone here, he knew without doubt that none of them would survive.

Not a single one.

The pressure alone was terrifying. If not for Han Qingshi controlling it, the sand elemental would have already fled in panic, and judging by the way it thrashed beneath him, it probably was trying to.

The cultivators outside the lift realized the same thing. Their faces turned pale almost instantly, and the brief hesitation in battle vanished. Attacks that had paused moments earlier now resumed with desperate intensity, lightning, sword qi, and destructive techniques slamming relentlessly into the protective dome.

Fortunately, the royal guards had used that short pause to reinforce the barrier, but Chen Ren could already see cracks forming again.

At this rate, it wouldn’t last a minute.

Princess Yanyue immediately grabbed his shoulder. “We need to go.”

Chen Ren immediately shook his head. “We can’t. We had a deal. We need to keep it.”

From the other side of the platform, Zi Wen shouted, “Sect Leader Chen, at this rate no one here will reach the seventh floor! The Zombie Queen will kill us all!”

Chen Ren knew that was a real possibility.

Truthfully, he felt more fear than anyone else present. His instincts screamed at him to activate the lift immediately. All it would take was a push of qi into the platform, and they could escape.

But he couldn’t do it yet. Not now. He had to wait.

There would be a brief gap when Han Qingshi and the rest of Frostpeak Sect reached them.

Chen Ren had to use that moment.

Otherwise, even if they escaped to the next floor, they would lose access to countless pieces of valuable knowledge. The entire risk of this plan would become meaningless.

He shook his head and shouted, “Block anyone from getting on the lift! Trust me!”

Even as he spoke, more cracks spread rapidly across the dome. Pieces of the barrier shattered under the relentless barrage, and several cultivators forced their way much deeper inside. Yun Zhaotian had risen again and was now hammering the dome with everything he had, lightning exploding around his fists. Chen Ren knew the same trick wouldn’t work twice.

Suddenly, the left side of the dome finally broke.

Li Kuangdao stepped through with one leg, sword swinging in a wide arc to widen the opening, but Li Xuan moved first.

Lightning burst around his legs as he intercepted his own senior brother. Their swords clashed with a deafening crack, lightning igniting along Li Xuan’s blade as it collided with flames of Li Kuangdao. A violent wave of qi exploded outward, forcing nearby cultivators to stagger.

Chen Ren saw Li Xuan being pushed back, boots carving lines into the ground, but he didn’t retreat.

Li Kuangdao sneered. “You’re going to die here, traitor!”

Li Xuan said nothing.

Around them, more gaps were torn open by Yun Zhaotian, Li Shijun, and the other cultivators. The remaining royal guards abandoned reinforcement of the dome and rushed forward to hold the invaders back, joined by Zi Wen, Little Yuze, Whiskey, and the twins.

Chaos erupted across the lift platform.

Yalan and Chen Ren moved toward the strongest opponents without hesitation.

Chen Ren rushed straight toward Zhaotian, lightning gathering around his arms as he prepared to meet the incoming storm head-on, intending to halt the man’s advance with his own thunder while Yalan moved to intercept the other Soaring Sword Sect leader, Li Shijun.

He reinforced his palms with [Starlight Armour], faint silver light wrapping around his hands while lightning coiled violently over it. Using two techniques at once felt unnatural—his meridians strained under the pressure—but he ignored the discomfort as he rushed forward and met Yun Zhaotian head-on.

Their fists collided.

Pain exploded through Chen Ren’s arms, the impact sending shockwaves through his bones, but he refused to yield. He pushed forward, planting his feet firmly and stopping the man from advancing further into the dome.

He had done too much to fail now. He only needed to hold for a minute.

The longer he stalled, the closer Han Qingshi and Frostpeak Sect would get.

Yun Zhaotian realised it as well. His attacks grew fiercer, aggression replacing calculation. With one hand locked against Chen Ren’s guard, he tried to grab his shoulder with the other, attempting to shove him aside and break through.

Chen Ren gritted his teeth and held his ground. Then, he unleashed a [Lightning Frenzy].

Electric arcs burst outward in every direction. Yun Zhaotian was struck directly, and several nearby cultivators staggered back as lightning crawled across the ground and through the air like living serpents.

But it wasn’t enough.

The stalemate remained.

Yun Zhaotian kept pushing—step by step—forcing Chen Ren backward. On the other side of the dome, more cultivators poured in through widening cracks. Even Li Xuan was now getting grouped up by several Soaring Sword Sect cultivators.

Chen Ren lifted his head, and saw that Han Qingshi was close now. Too close.

And right behind him was the Zombie Queen.

Frostpeak disciples fired projectiles behind them desperately, trying to slow her advance, but it was clear they were only buying seconds.

Another lightning punch struck Chen Ren again, burning across his defenses as his mind raced.

There had to be a way out.

A way where none of them died.

His thoughts spiraled faster and faster until only one answer remained.

As Yun Zhaotian swung another crushing punch toward him, Chen Ren suddenly jumped back.

At the same instant, he thrust his qi into the lift platform.

The dome shattered.

And the lift began to move.

***

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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