Chapter 17: Others Panic, I Double Down

Actually, Zhao Xuhe was also well aware that by now, the Substitute Death Yin Puppet had completely become a bubble, one that could burst at any moment and collapse entirely.

But he believed that with his sharp intuition, he would definitely be able to exit in time.

Therefore, when Lü Yang contacted him saying he had already exited and wanted to repay the 2000 contribution points loan he had previously borrowed, Zhao Xuhe still felt sorry for him.

"Too hasty, Junior Brother, you're too hasty!"

"Did you not see that the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet is still rising? And the battle hasn't even started yet—once the fighting truly begins, that’s when the demand will really outstrip supply!"

"Before it skyrockets too much, I suggest you quickly buy it back."

Facing Zhao Xuhe’s earnest persuasion, Lü Yang, however, remained rational.

Although he was also envious of the soaring price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet and even regretted selling too early, he understood very clearly the reason Zhao Xuhe was trying to persuade him.

Concern for him?

Don’t be silly—he just wanted to pull more people in!

After all, the more people entered, the more chances he had to cash out and leave.

"Hold it in, I’m not in a rush."

"In this lifetime, I’ll observe the situation first, confirm the peak price, and repeat the operation in the next lifetime—then it will be my opportunity to make huge profits."

With the 【Book of a Hundred Lifetimes】 in hand, I’ll only make profits, never losses!

Thinking of this, Lü Yang instantly felt balanced in his heart, settled the loan with Zhao Xuhe, and directly entered seclusion, ignoring the outside world.

At the same time Lü Yang entered seclusion, the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet continued to soar.

Because the Primordial Saint Sect really started preparing for war!

Large numbers of disciples received transfer orders and began leaving the sect in succession, destination unknown.

In such a situation, there was naturally no possibility of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet price dropping in the slightest.

Even if it was expensive, those about to head into the righteous-demonic war could only grit their teeth and buy.

After all, money can be earned again, but a life is only one.

In this scenario, more and more people chose to enter the market, and most of them weren’t ordinary disciples, but true children of noble families.

Compared to ordinary disciples, these family-born disciples came from powerful clans, and even their least powerful elders were Foundation Establishment Real Persons.

The contribution points they could mobilize were undoubtedly much more than those of ordinary disciples.

As a result, once they entered the market, the previously slowing price trend of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet once again took off.

Three thousand, four thousand, five thousand.

Clearly, this price was already no longer on the same level as the puppet’s actual value, and some people, out of fear, had already started to exit.

In this case, the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet naturally began to drop.

This kind of panic gradually spread, but there were still more people, especially those who had experienced the first price dip, who remained full of confidence.

“Don’t panic, this is just a technical correction!”

“Selling? That’s still a long way off!”

This time, Zhao Xuhe felt he had learned his lesson.

Previously, because he exited too early, his re-entry not only failed to profit, but he even suffered a small loss—how could he possibly make the same mistake twice?

“The righteous-demonic war hasn’t even started yet. There’s still plenty of Substitute Death Yin Puppets on the market, so it looks like the price has peaked."

"But once the fighting begins, these puppets will be consumed in large quantities, and there’s no substitute of the same quality."

"By then, everyone will have to come back and buy again!”

"At that time, there will definitely be a third price surge!"

"A mere five thousand contribution points? Even seven thousand, or ten thousand is possible!"

"No supply but huge demand, and it concerns one’s life—people will sell their pots and pans just to buy!"

Zhao Xuhe felt his analysis was flawless.

"So while those fools sell out of fear... I’m doubling down!"

Thinking of this, Zhao Xuhe not only invested all his savings, but even took out loans, leveraging the credibility of the Sanhe Association to borrow a huge sum.

He went all-in.

Of course, Zhao Xuhe was not the only "smart person"—others made the same judgment and began sweeping up stock in the market.

As a result, the price, which had just recently dipped, began to climb again.

Seeing this, Zhao Xuhe, who had felt some uncertainty in his heart, instantly felt reassured and thought his decision to go all-in was truly wise.

Then, early the next morning.

A voice suddenly rang out from Sacred Fire Cliff and instantly spread throughout the entire Primordial Saint Sect.

“Recently, under the personal direction of the Sect Master True Person, we have openly mobilized disciples to create the appearance of preparing for war, while secretly sending people to launch a surprise attack on the Jiangnan Ten-Thousand-Pit.”

“Therefore, we are pleased to announce to all disciples.”

“As of yesterday, the Jiangnan Ten-Thousand-Pit has been personally reclaimed by the Sect Master True Person, and the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion has already contacted the Sect Master, expressing willingness to negotiate peace with our Saint Sect.”

Boom.

In the literal sense—at the moment this news spread, an explosion rang out from within a certain cave dwelling, as if someone had gone mad and self-detonated.

Immediately after, silence reigned.

The vast Primordial Saint Sect, which had been full of life and vitality just the day before, was now engulfed in a suffocating dead silence.

Because everyone understood—the reclamation of the Jiangnan Ten-Thousand-Pit meant that there was no longer a shortage of Substitute Death Yin Puppets.

The Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion initiating peace talks meant that the righteous-demonic war was postponed indefinitely.

Even more importantly, this news had been published through disciple tokens—an official announcement.

So it couldn’t possibly be false.

The bubble named Substitute Death Yin Puppet burst spectacularly at that moment, and its price plunged from the peak of seven thousand like falling from a cliff.

Five thousand, three thousand, one thousand, two hundred.

The price, which had taken over a month to climb, now crashed back to the original value within just a quarter of an hour—and was still falling!

Everyone wanted to sell, but no one was willing to buy.

Especially those who had hoarded large amounts of Substitute Death Yin Puppets—they could only watch helplessly as the price fell through the floor and their wealth evaporated.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

That night, almost every period of time saw a thunderous explosion within the Primordial Saint Sect—countless people suffered from shattered Dao hearts.

Inside his cave dwelling, Zhao Xuhe had already fainted.

When he opened his eyes again, his expression was still dazed, as if in a dream: “Terrifying... I actually dreamed that the price of Substitute Death Yin Puppets dropped... hahaha...”

Then he glanced again at the current price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppets.

100 contribution points each.

“...Must be a mistake.”

After a moment of silence, Zhao Xuhe turned off his disciple token, took a deep breath, and tremblingly reopened it to check the price again.

50 contribution points each.

“Pfft!!!”

Zhao Xuhe immediately spat out a mouthful of old blood.

His face turned pig-liver purple, and his Qi circulation instantly collapsed just like the price of the Substitute Death Yin Puppets.

“I hate...!”

Zhao Xuhe didn’t have time to think—he desperately suppressed the urge to explode, circulated his energy, and smoothed out his True Qi, barely avoiding a real case of Qi deviation.

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out outside his cave.

“Senior Brother Zhao, Lü Yang has come to visit.”

“Lü Yang?”

Zhao Xuhe was stunned for a while before remembering this junior brother of his.

Then, thinking of how the other exited early and repaid the loan, while he himself had lost everything...

“Pfft!”

Wiping away the blood from the corner of his mouth, Zhao Xuhe staggered out the door, only to see Lü Yang standing there, full of energy, waving at him enthusiastically:

“Senior Brother, how much did you make today?”

Boom!

With a loud explosion, Zhao Xuhe’s steel teeth clenched tight, and True Qi rampaged through his body, bursting through his skin and leaking streaks of blood.

Lü Yang’s face instantly filled with horror: “Senior Brother!? Are you alright?!”

“...I’m fine.”

Zhao Xuhe forced out a slight smile: “By the way, Junior Brother Lü, I recently discovered an ancient cultivator’s cave dwelling—it seems there are quite a few treasures inside.”

As he finished speaking, a murderous gleam flashed in Zhao Xuhe’s eyes, and he squeezed out his words through clenched teeth: “Don’t know if Junior Brother is interested?”