Chapter 441: Master, Did You Steal the Token?

I don't remember buying this kind of antique.

A plain-looking plaque, neither quite iron nor quite stone, sat quietly beside the newspaper on the table—at first glance, indistinguishable from any other antique.

Wang Wen was certain he had never bought such an antique.

Everyone has some hobby; Wang Wen's was mythology, and he was passionate about collecting odd and unusual antiques, believing these artifacts might somehow involve the transcendent.

Wang Wen's expression turned strange as he scanned the room, then picked up the golf club standing beside the living room.

"Did a thief break into my house?"

He meticulously checked the entire house, inspected every possible hiding spot inside and out, and verified that nothing of his was missing.

Nothing was stolen, no one was hiding, no signs of forced entry or rummaged drawers—clearly, no burglar had broken in.

"What's going on? Ghosts?"

Wang Wen put down the golf club and stared at the plaque on the living room table.

As a top student and a professor, his memory was excellent—he was certain the plaque had simply appeared on the table, because the items there were exactly what he'd left behind after studying transcendent events last night.

He couldn't possibly forget what happened just yesterday—he clearly remembered only the newspaper, transcendent research materials, a pen, and a cup on the table.

He picked up the plaque and turned it over, examining it from all sides.

"It looks a bit like an ancient token. Who put this in my house? What is it made of? I've never seen anything like it. Tomorrow I'll ask Professor Qin to identify the material."

After checking that the plaque posed no danger, Wang Wen decided not to throw it away.

Still, he took precautions—he installed a small surveillance camera in the house that night to see if someone was playing a prank by leaving the plaque here.

He didn't know that, at the same moment, households across the world were all finding the same plaque appearing in them.

The plaque was identical to this one.

Those who found the plaque had no pattern—men and women, foreigners and citizens of Huaguo, shut-ins and office workers, social elites—the range was so vast, no one could find a clue.

But…

Not everyone was as carefree and meticulous as Wang Wen.

…

United Kingdom.

During rush hour, Milwell took the elevator in his company's building down to the underground parking lot.

Beep~

Unlocking his car, Milwell tossed his briefcase onto the passenger seat, ready to shift into gear and drive home—when he noticed a plaque resting behind the gear selector.

"What's this?"

Milwell picked up the plaque. When had he put this here?

"A prank? Did I buy it myself and forget? Or is it some kid's toy left by one of those guys?"

After thinking it over and finding no answer, Milwell glanced at the plaque, rolled down the window, and tossed it into the trash bin beside the garage.

He decided to discard it—it had no clear origin, and no friend had asked him for it.

Not just Earth was experiencing the plaque phenomenon—across the myriad worlds, every realm was witnessing the same event.

…

Otherworld.

Lord Tianhong's Realm.

Bai Yuanxian Jun brought Zhang Hao back to his cave dwelling.

After so many days away, he missed his messy old nest.

"Disciple, now that the Chen ancestral clan, the Heavenly God Temple, Lingxing Mountain, and the Divine Nether Gate have been wiped out, your enemies will likely fear you—but you must not become arrogant or lower your guard. This is precisely when those plotting against you will strike at your weakest moment."

"When you slew Chen Xuan before countless witnesses, it's uncertain whether anyone spotted your ultimate treasure. Be extremely cautious. I plan to enter seclusion for a while to heal my injuries."

Bai Yuanxian Jun stepped into the cave dwelling.

Zhang Hao's eyes filled with concern: "Seclusion? Master, are you really alright? Should I go find you a miraculous healing pill?"

Bai Yuanxian Jun stroked his beard, smiling warmly:

"I'm fine. Saying I'm secluding to heal is just a cover—I'm actually secluding to comprehend the Dao. After being ambushed and nearly killed by the three Chen Ancestors, then fighting the Shenming Mozun during the purge of the Chen ancestral clan, I've gained some profound insights."

"I intend to seclude myself and fully understand them."

Hearing this, Zhang Hao exhaled in relief and sat down on the chair made of five-thousand-year-old immortal wood.

Only someone of Bai Yuanxian Jun's stature—an immortal-martial artist—could afford such extravagance: using five-thousand-year-old immortal wood as a chair.

"Master, you nearly gave me a heart attack with that dramatic pause—wait, what?! Master, how is there a token here?!"

Zhang Hao's gaze casually flicked over the table—and his eyes widened.

Gao Xiang Hong had once shown Zhang Hao the only token ever gifted by the departed One to the group members—the two tokens on the table were identical to that one.

"M-Master… you didn't steal someone else's token, did you?"

The token was given by the departed One; Zhang Hao didn't believe his master could obtain one. Now that the token appeared in his master's cave, and his master had just passed by the table, it was hard not to suspect he'd stolen Gao Xiang Hong's token.

Slap.

Bai Yuanxian Jun smacked Zhang Hao's head, eyebrows raised and beard bristling:

"What do you take me for? Do you think I'd steal tokens from Immortal Lord and the others? They're our benefactors—they saved my life. Am I insane? Would I do something so vile? I'm more inclined to suspect you stole it."

He was even more baffled than Zhang Hao—he hadn't even noticed the token on the table until he was rushing to enter seclusion.

Now seeing the token, Bai Yuanxian Jun was stunned, briefly wondering if his disciple had planted it to frame him—but ultimately dismissed the thought, just as Zhang Hao had dismissed the idea of him stealing it.

"It wasn't you who stole it, and it definitely wasn't me."

"Disciple, did you touch the table?"

"No, Master. Did you?"

"No."

The two of them: "……"

Neither of them had touched the table, which meant the token was already on the table when they returned?

Could it be that Gao Xiang Hong and the others sent us the token? But they wouldn't just toss it over, would they? And it's unlikely they'd send such a precious gift — it's not like we did them any great kindness.

"No good, I'll go ask Old Ghost what's going on."

……

Another world.

The Myriad Heavens of Profound Fate.

Jiang Yongchang had obtained a supreme treasure in a ruin, and was being hunted by greedy eyes, fleeing for his life everywhere.

At this moment.

He had fled to a mountain cave in an uninhabited deep mountain, and while exploring the cave for danger, he discovered it was actually the meditation-death site of an immortal-demon elder.

And before the elder's bones, a token was placed.

If Zhang Hao were here, he would surely recognize that this token was identical to the one the departed one had given to Gao Xiang Hong and the others.

"Whatever an unnamed immortal-demon elder left behind must be something good — I'll keep it for now."

Jiang Yongchang thought it over; he was already guilty of possessing a jade that invited disaster, so he didn't mind adding one more mysterious treasure.

……

On the other side.

Ten minutes later.

Arakawa Ward, Tokyo, Japan — an apartment.

Kamikawa Mitsu took out a small notebook and ticked a check on it.

On it were densely packed names.

Suddenly, one of the names flickered, then the ink quickly faded and gradually disappeared.

Kamikawa Mitsu shook his head.

I gave you your chance, but sadly you didn't know how to cherish it. If you had, a future of becoming gods and demons would have been as good as nailed down.

But it doesn't matter — there are plenty more people. Kamikawa Mitsu didn't care.

……