By the time everything was over, it was already midnight. Only then did Cheng Zongyang head to Ma Yue’s home.

The sixty Soul Crystal Stones were crucial to the development speed of the Wilderness World, so he was naturally concerned.

"My lord."

At the entrance of his new home, Ma Yue cupped his hands toward Cheng Zongyang and said, "Please, come inside and have a seat."

Cheng Zongyang shook his head slightly. "No need. It’s getting late. Things took longer than expected, so I’m late. Come see me tomorrow morning; I have something to discuss with you. For now, hand over the stele and the Crystal Stones."

Seeing this, Ma Yue immediately agreed. He then brought everything out, one by one.

Cheng Zongyang took back the Soul Gathering Stele, the Crystal Stones, the Weapons, the Geomagnetic Stone, and the Stone Skin Purse. As for the rest, he left it all for Ma Yue as a reward.

Amid Ma Yue’s grateful thanks, Cheng Zongyang returned to his residence with the items.

Zhou Zhendong was staying in Tiantuan Village for the time being, as the matters in the County Town were not yet resolved. He would be arranged to live in the city later.

Back in his study, Cheng Zongyang took the Stone Stele and Crystal Stones into the Wilderness World.

All sixty Low Tier Soul Crystal Stones were glowing red, a clear sign that they were fully charged. ’As for this speed, I’ll find out when I ask Ma Yue tomorrow,’ he thought.

Then, he turned his attention to the Soul Gathering Stele.

——

Soul Gathering Stele

Tier: Tier Seven

Yin Realm: 1700 meters

Quantity: 2352/20000

Effects: Ghost Wall Lv6; Illusion Lv4; Soul Suppressing Lv1;

Other: Not Unlocked

Controller: Cheng Zongyang

——

"This progress is really astounding!"

Cheng Zongyang muttered to himself. He was extremely curious where Ma Yue had gone. Not only had the sixty Soul Crystal Stones been fully charged in less than twenty days, but the Soul Gathering Stele had even been upgraded to Tier Seven!

’He must have spent most of that time traveling, right?’

But when he recalled the previous situation in Jade Peak County, he could only shake his head slightly.

’Perhaps other places are similar.’

’Soul Suppressing... what kind of effect does it have? Could it suppress the souls of people within its range?’

But Cheng Zongyang shook his head. The Soul Gathering Stele’s effects weren’t explained; he would have to test them to find out.

Now that he had the Soul Crystal Stones, all that was left was to get the bodies!

’Counting the previous Crystal Stones, I have seventy-three now. There are still twenty-seven that aren’t full. For now, I’ll need one hundred forty-six bodies first.’

The target population was in the prison. The problem now was how to transfer them to the Wilderness World discreetly.

The more chaotic the world became, the more troublemakers there were, even with the Gangs in the County Town. As a result, Zhao the Seventh had arrested quite a few. The prison was nearly full.

After some thought, he disguised himself and quickly headed for the prison.

’Why overthink it? I’ll just kill them all and send them into the Wilderness World.’

’They’re all just scum who bully the weak and fear the strong anyway. Killing them won’t weigh on my conscience.’

But there were too many people; he couldn’t just kill them in front of everyone.

So, he entered the Wilderness World and got some Confusing Smoke from Zhang Jinquan.

This Confusing Smoke wasn’t made from ordinary ingredients; it contained components of Wilderness Beans.

Although the amount it contained was small, its effect was far superior to normal knockout gas.

The prison was unguarded, but every two days, someone would bring a little food and water to ensure the prisoners didn’t starve to death.

If not for Cheng Zongyang’s orders, Zhao the Seventh wouldn’t have even bothered with such a task.

In his view, it was a purely thankless task with no benefit whatsoever.

At this time, everyone in the prison was asleep. Inside the pitch-black jail, Cheng Zongyang used his night vision and his Body Technique, moving like a silent breeze to place the lit Confusing Smoke inside.

He then entered the Wilderness World to wait it out. After half an hour, Cheng Zongyang reappeared.

Holding his breath, Cheng Zongyang began the harvest.

To avoid leaving any blood, Cheng Zongyang didn’t use a blade. After snapping the iron chains on the wooden doors, he entered the cells, broke a few prisoners’ necks, and pulled their bodies into the Wilderness World.

In a small hut at the marketplace, Luo Dingran led several people to move the corpses.

Once he had enough bodies, Cheng Zongyang left and returned to his residence. He didn’t lock the cell doors, knowing the survivors would naturally run away when they woke up the next day.

Those who woke up would only think the doors had been opened and that some people had already escaped. No one would know where the missing prisoners went.

And no one would know that Cheng Zongyang had ever been there.

In his study, Cheng Zongyang changed into a set of loose-fitting clothes before entering the Wilderness World again.

Luo Dingran had already arranged the bodies and the Low Tier Soul Crystal Stones, waiting for his arrival.

Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang was very satisfied with Luo Dingran’s efficiency.

Without dawdling, with a single thought, the seventy-three Soul Crystal Stones began to reforge new Soul Slaves.

Everyone stood to the side, watching.

However, Ma San and his group were not in the crowd. They had returned the day before yesterday, but had set out again this morning.

As the new Soul Slaves appeared one by one, Cheng Zongyang copied either the Archery or Medicine Skill onto them, depending on their Talents.

Soul Slaves reforged from Low Tier Soul Crystal Stones couldn’t level up their Skills, but the main goal was to meet the needs of Zhang Jinquan and Luo Dingran, and it was best if the Talents matched accordingly.

The Skill copying for the seventy-three individuals was complete, and all their Attributes were added to Power and agility.

After he was finished, Cheng Zongyang introduced their names, Skills, and Talents to Luo Dingran.

Luo Dingran also had an excellent memory and memorized everything after hearing it just once.

"I’ll leave these people for you to assign. The remaining twenty-seven Crystal Stones aren’t ready yet, so we’ll deal with them later."

"Yes, my lord. With these people, our manpower issues are finally somewhat resolved," Luo Dingran said with a smile.

Cheng Zongyang didn’t interfere with his arrangements. Some of these new Soul Slaves shared the same Talents.

For example, there was intensive cultivation, as well as Skilled Artisan, Master Weaver, and so on. Other new Talents included Dexterous Butchery, Expert Hunter, and Master Chef.