Chapter 304: Chapter Seven: Invitations from All Sides

In the core area of Yulan City, inside a modest cave dwelling.

A slightly chubby man with deep blue skin, possessing two soft antennae and wearing spectacles, smiled as he watched a combat footage from a report.

“Tianhe, you actually lost to a newly appointed Elder.” The chubby man smiled at Tianhe Elder beside him.

“I lost fairly and willingly!” Tianhe Elder chuckled bitterly, then turned to the chubby man. “Boss, would you be interested in testing yourself against him?”

The chubby man smiled.

He was the Master of the Guifang.

“No need to test. His realm accumulation is still weak—he’s relying solely on external aids.” The Master of the Guifang shook his head; at least, he was confident he could suppress that final claw strike Luo Feng had revealed.

Tianhe Elder joined the Guifang primarily because of its Master—the Master cultivated two Dao paths simultaneously and was attempting to fuse them into one.

“Even in the Dark Sacred Realm, there are many who cultivate two or three Dao paths. But fusing distinct Dao paths into one? That is exceedingly rare.”

“Among the top twenty entities in Yulan City, in terms of potential, the Master of the Guifang is number one.”

Tianhe Elder knew his own potential was limited, even forced to choose the bloodline path. Naturally, he needed to cling to a powerful patron—he chose the Master of the Guifang.

“Tianhe.”

After reviewing all detailed intelligence on Luo Feng, the Master of the Guifang smiled and said, “Prepare one hundred million Hunyuan Crystals. Send them to Luo Feng as your apology.”

“Apology?” Tianhe Elder couldn’t help but protest. “We’re both Elders. Why should I apologize to him? And I’m only a projection here in Yulan City—why should I flatter him?”

Elders generally possessed projection techniques and naturally carried pride. Losing outside the East City Gate was already humiliating enough. Now an apology?

“Do as I say.” The Master of the Guifang ordered.

If you follow me, you follow my rules.

If Tianhe Elder refused to obey, the Master of the Guifang would simply distance himself.

After hesitation, Tianhe Elder nodded. “Fine. I’ll arrange the apology immediately.”

“Boss, why treat him with such courtesy? I don’t understand.” Tianhe Elder looked at the Master of the Guifang.

“Look at the intelligence,” the Master of the Guifang smiled, pointing to the floating detailed report. “He arrived in Yulan City barely a thousand cycles ago. Initially, he was suspected to be at the early Divine Emperor realm. Yet in just a thousand cycles, he’s now suppressed you. What kind of cultivation speed is that?”

“Boss, the report also says ‘suspected early Divine Emperor realm,’” Tianhe Elder countered. “When he first arrived, his true strength couldn’t be verified. The Cocoon once sent members to steal from him—they failed and couldn’t determine his real power. Only when Luo Feng later openly fought did we confirm: his strength far exceeded that of a typical mid- Divine Emperor Dao-seeker.”

“In my view, when he first arrived in Yulan City, his true strength was already mid- Divine Emperor Dao-seeker level. Only after accessing Yulan City’s resources did he break through his bottleneck and enter late Divine Emperor realm.”

The Master of the Guifang gently shook his head. “I don’t care about speculation—I only care about facts.”

“The fact is… this Luo Feng, upon arriving in Yulan City, shared a dwelling with Di Qing. He bought only the cheapest materials in the city—clearly impoverished.” The Master said. “Yet in just a thousand cycles, he became a late Divine Emperor Dao-seeker. Think: how long did it take us? How many hundred million Hunyuan Crystals did we spend to reach late Divine Emperor Dao-seeker level?”

Tianhe Elder froze.

How much had he sacrificed to reach late Divine Emperor?

“Even if he reaches half-Hunyuan level, so what?” Tianhe Elder said. “Our roots lie in the Dark Sacred Realm.”

“Don’t ask. You’ll understand later.” The Master of the Guifang said.

“Understood. I’ll arrange the apology now.” Tianhe Elder rose.

The Master of the Guifang watched Tianhe leave.

Then—“whoosh”—an invisible ripple appeared, and a phantom figure materialized before him: a man radiating boundless heat.

“Lord Weiyang.” The Master of the Guifang spoke.

Lord Weiyang’s face was like carved stone, his eyes deep and expressionless. He was an extremely dominant and ruthless half-Hunyuan Dao-seeker, who had spent eons honing himself in the Dark Sacred Realm before sending a projection to establish a foothold in the Jiuhe Sacred Realm.

Upon arriving, he even overshadowed the city’s founder, Lord Yuanxiang, becoming the most powerful Lord in Yulan City—and he received the greatest share of resources among the three Lords.

“I heard your Guifang’s Tianhe Elder lost to someone named Luo Feng?” Lord Weiyang looked at the Master of the Guifang, a rare smile appearing on his face. He was proud by nature; few in the city merited his attention—the Master of the Guifang was clearly one of them.

“This Luo Feng has extraordinary potential. Even if he eventually leaves for the Dark Sacred Realm, he may still leave a projection behind in Yulan City.” The Master of the Guifang said. “In the future, Yulan City might very well be ruled by him.”

“Oh?”

Lord Weiyang’s phantom smiled. “You think so highly of him?”

The Master of the Guifang said nothing more.

“Yulan City is jointly controlled by the three of us. If he’s strong enough, we’ll simply become four Lords instead of three.” Lord Weiyang smiled. “But for now, his strength is still far too weak.”

“It seems all the Lords have thought this through clearly.” The Master of the Guifang nodded.

“Yuan, younger brother,” Lord Weiyang said. “With your talent, your strength should have already matched mine. Why haven’t you broken through your two Dao paths? The next expedition is coming—will you still refuse to join?”

“I won’t join.” The Master of the Guifang smiled faintly.

Lord Weiyang nodded. He and the Master of the Guifang had been friends since their days in the Dark Sacred Realm.

The communication ended.

“Luo Feng?”

The Master of the Guifang pondered.

He founded the Guifang, but he was no benevolent soul. His “Gu Jie Dao” was steeped in darkness and ferocity.

“Why does my ‘Gu Jie Heart’ feel fear?” The Master murmured. While watching the combat footage, his internal “Gu Jie Heart” had trembled instinctively, recoiling from Luo Feng.

“In the Dark Sacred Realm, there are some cultivators who cultivate two Dao paths and push both to half-Hunyuan level.” The Master mused. “Yet they still cannot escape the cage.”

“There is a legend in the Dark Sacred Realm: cultivating two Dao paths isn’t enough. Only by fusing them into one can a true transformation occur—only then might one hope to escape the cage.”

“To this day, I’ve only pushed my ‘Gu Jie Dao’ to early Divine Emperor level.” The Master of the Guifang shook his head lightly.

He waited until both his Dao paths reached late Divine Emperor level before attempting fusion. Fusion was impossibly difficult; after countless eons, his fused “Gu Jie Dao” had only reached early Divine Emperor level.

!

He even slowed progress on his other two paths, fearing he might choose the wrong direction.

“The fusion path offers a broader future. Even at early Divine Emperor level… it rivals the power of ordinary late Divine Emperor paths. If I can push fusion to half-Hunyuan level, perhaps I truly can escape the cage.” The Master of the Guifang had ambition—and patience.

“As for Luo Feng… I’ll observe him more closely.” The Master of the Guifang did not wish to make an enemy, nor did he wish to draw too close.

…

In a cave dwelling in Yulan City’s core zone, its size was merely several times larger than Di Qing’s.

“This is my newly rented cave dwelling,” Luo Feng said, leading Di Qing, Di Ming, and Di Fu to inspect it.

“The energy supply here is immense,” Di Qing sensed, watching the energy liquefied into mist in midair. “It should be sufficient for a half-Hunyuan cultivator to absorb at full capacity.”

Di Ming and Di Fu were also excited.

“I never thought I’d live in Yulan City’s core zone,” Di Fu couldn’t help but sigh. Even the smallest cave dwelling here carried an exorbitant rent.

“How much is the rent here?” Di Ming asked curiously.

“Five thousand Hunyuan Crystals per cycle,” Luo Feng said, wincing inwardly. He had no choice—he’d rented the smallest dwelling in the core zone.

“Five thousand Hunyuan Crystals per cycle? In just ten thousand cycles, just living here will cost fifty million Hunyuan Crystals?” Di Ming and Di Fu were stunned. Housing expenses were continuous—without sufficient strength, no one dared rent such an expensive place.

Luo Feng had no choice either.

As his strength grew, his energy absorption rate increased rapidly—he needed a better dwelling. This one ensured sufficient energy supply even after his “Shengmie Dao” reached mid- Divine Emperor level.

“Hmm?” Luo Feng suddenly sensed someone knocking.

He’d just moved in—and someone was already knocking?

“I’ll go check.” Di Fu stepped forward to the courtyard gate.

Di Fu opened the door and saw an old man standing outside. The old man’s aura was completely concealed, yet even the faintest trace of it sent shivers through Di Fu.

“Youngster Di Fu?” The old man immediately recognized him, warmly saying, “I’ve come on behalf of my Lord to deliver a formal invitation to Lord Luo Feng. My Lord will visit personally tomorrow.”

Di Fu accepted the invitation, and the old man smiled and departed.

“An invitation?” Di Fu quickly brought it to Luo Feng.

Luo Feng opened it. The note contained only a few lines: it formally invited Luo Feng to become the guardian of Yun Dan Tower, with detailed terms to be discussed in person by the Tower’s Lord tomorrow.

“This is the third invitation I’ve received today,” Luo Feng smiled, holding the note.

“Brother Luo Feng’s strength is top-tier among Elders! The factions in Yulan City aren’t fools. Some with weak foundations will surely want to recruit you,” Di Qing chuckled. “Brother Luo Feng, you should compare several offers—choose the one with the best terms.”

Luo Feng nodded.

Yulan City seemed safe, but real dangers still existed: low-level Hunyuan lifeforms capable of infiltrating the city, or even fellow cultivators striking from the shadows.

The larger the business, the more formidable the guard force required.

Even Yulan City itself needed sufficient martial strength—otherwise, even with city protection, it might not withstand a siege by low-level Hunyuan lifeform clans.

…

On his first day in the new cave dwelling, Luo Feng received a total of twelve invitations—from factions of varying influence.

The most influential was Lord Yuanxiang, one of the three founding Lords of Yulan City, who sent a messenger with an invitation requesting Luo Feng to visit his dwelling.

The least influential were ordinary Elders—some weaker than Tianhe Elder—but these ordinary Elders were more willing to pay dearly to court Luo Feng.

Besides the twelve invitations, Luo Feng also received an apology gift from Tianhe Elder: one hundred million Hunyuan Crystals, leaving him astonished.

“Tianhe Elder is a powerhouse from the Source World—I can’t threaten him. Why would he send me an apology gift?” Luo Feng stared at the cloth sack in his hand, containing one hundred million Hunyuan Crystals.

(End of Chapter)