Chapter 248: Li Feiyu, Gu Yue Fang Yuan, and Amon Have Sent You a Team Invitation

Upon hearing the arena's advertisement, Lu Mingfei rushed straight from the filming set to the backstage Water Mirror Peak—but once there, he drew his sword and looked around, heart empty and lost.

"Where's that old bastard?" Lu Mingfei asked, sword in hand, teeth clenched.

"There are plenty of old bastards here—which one are you asking about?" Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan was busy crafting pills, as the cultivators from Song Shuhang's world consumed too much—the studio's props were nearly depleted.

"The old bastard who looks just like me!" Lu Mingfei suddenly felt like crying: "And where's Su Lin? Where did his true body go?"

"I don't know about Old Lu, but Su Lin's playing multiple roles." Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan spoke weakly: "He left a message telling you to hurry up and nag Old Tang to finish setting up the dungeon scenes."

"Where's Klein?" Lu Mingfei looked around, surprised to find the guy wasn't playing video games.

"He put on his monocle and went to Dongtinghu." Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan retracted the strange flame in his palm, instantly filling hundreds of meters with the scent of pills: "If you've got nothing better to do, come help me refine pills."

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan felt as if his body had been drained—his master had gone to exchange pill-making insights with cultivators from Song Shuhang's world and the immortals of Liyue, leaving him alone to hold the fort.

On the other side of the teleportation gate.

Ye Fan was in the same situation—he never imagined his cross-world business would unfold like this.

'Are all the cultivators from Song Shuhang's world rich guys? I've never seen such insane shopping!'

Weigong Shilang, drenched in sweat, cried out: "Old Ma, send me two more Ru Hua—I can't keep up with production anymore!"

"Ru Hua is all gone!!! The alchemy materials are exhausted too! Are they insane?! These are beginner cultivator artifacts!" Ma Xianhong now understood exactly what Weigong Shilang had felt—this endless stream of orders was utterly overwhelming.

Who buys artifacts in batches of a hundred?! Are they brain-dead?!

They probably forgot there's such a thing as bringing back local specialties after a trip.

Ye Fan wiped sweat from his brow in silence—even though he wasn't doing anything, the scene still made him sweat.

'After this, shut down for half a month and give them a vacation.'

A sheet of paper flew through the teleportation gate and landed in Ye Fan's hand; he glanced at its contents, pupils contracting as if an earthquake shook his eyes.

"Weigong Shilang," Ye Fan hesitated, then said: "They want to purchase projection weapons."

"What?! Didn't we tell them those are just projected fakes?!" Weigong Shilang exclaimed: "And weren't there plenty already in the guild?"

"They only care if they can use them—and since they're cheap, every single one in the guild sold out." Ye Fan grimaced as if suffering a toothache: "One hundred and fifty specially customized artifacts, with their own design blueprints and originals provided—and another two hundred."

Clang—!

Weigong Shilang's mouth hung open, his legs buckled, and he collapsed onto the floor, eyes devoid of all light.

"Ma Xianhong! Shove his soul back in! Don't let it leave now!" Ye Fan pulled a sacred herb from his storage bag and said solemnly: "Your Brother Ye is here—don't worry, you won't die!"

Sun God BBQ Chain

Seeing Qu Yanping had assumed that an interior space larger than its exterior appearance was the limit of any restaurant—but he never imagined what awaited him inside the private room.

In the east, a sun hung in the heavens, clouds dyed deep gold; apart from the floating islands suspended in the sky, nothing else could be seen—only boundless, empty expanse.

Between the floating islands, bridges of translucent silk connected them.

At the center island, a phoenix tree twisted with gnarled branches, its crimson leaves falling softly in the cool breeze, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance.

Autumn's solitude, the mournful wind, endless decay—hidden within the vast emptiness.

"Only Luofu Cave Heaven left?" Gu Yue Fang Yuan surveyed the surroundings, a gentle smile on his lips: "Not bad."

Seeing Qu Yanping felt his body grow light; with each breath, spiritual energy seeped into every pore.

The spiritual energy here was incredibly dense—the densest he had ever seen in his life.

If he cultivated here, he could break through to Nascent Soul within a year.

"This is a private room?!" Seeing Qu Yanping, confident in his naive newcomer persona, no longer hid his questions: "Are we eating here?"

"Indeed. This is a Cave Heaven World—each private room corresponds to one such realm. Also, time flows differently here than in the outside world," Gao Sheng explained to Seeing Qu Yanping, beaming with delight:

"That's why Sun God BBQ Chain is so expensive—and the minimum consumption here is three hundred spiritual stones per person. I usually only come here with my master. I never expected to sneak another meal today—thank you, Brother Gu Yue and Brother Qu."

"Of course, we must also thank Brother Li."

Gu Yue Fang Yuan waved his hand: "Brother Gao, don't mention it. Brother Li, let me pay for today's meal—don't refuse."

"This…" Li Feiyu, taken aback, fell silent for two seconds, then nodded: "Then Li will not refuse your generosity."

"Hmm." Gu Yue Fang Yuan swept his sleeve, clearing the fallen leaves from the ground: "Food will arrive in about half a day. Spiritual stones are easy to get; time is priceless. Let's all cultivate while we can."

Saying this, Gu Yue Fang Yuan sat cross-legged on the ground first, beginning to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy.

Gao Sheng and Li Feiyu followed suit, activating their cultivation methods.

Seeing Qu Yanping studied the three men—if he were still in the Huan Yu Realm, facing cultivators so careless yet so powerful, he would have considered turning them into blood food; if he could devour all three, he might achieve Nascent Soul in days.

He then glanced at the surrounding sea of clouds—his childhood fantasy of the Immortal Realm had looked much like this.

The pure spiritual energy forming spiritual stones, the ability to casually break the boundary between life and death, even dining here granted access to a Cave Heaven World and the laws of time.

Such abundant conditions were truly enviable.

And even this level of spending was affordable to ordinary cultivators with modest savings.

He had only just entered the cultivator world for less than a day.

Even the most talented disciple of the Qu Clan likely enjoyed resources no better than those of an ordinary cultivator here.

Seeing Qu Yanping shook his head, stopped thinking further—since he was here, he might as well make the most of it; every second here cost spiritual stones—he couldn't waste them.

He moved slightly away from the others, quietly setting up defensive measures, then focused on his Heavenly Eye technique, absorbing celestial spiritual energy, observing the operation of laws, and engraving them into his own destiny.

As he sank into cultivation, his meridians and spiritual awareness gradually repaired themselves; mysteriously, he sensed an indescribable change in his Heavenly Eye technique—perhaps the prior stimulation had awakened its latent power.

Fortune and misfortune are intertwined.

After an unknown length of time, he faintly smelled meat aroma—the scent of fat and honey mixed with a hint of fruitwood smoke.

Seeing Qu Yanping slowly opened his eyes to see a blond, bushy-browed Sui Xifu and a green-haired, one-eyed man entering, each carrying a tray three meters long through the swollen wooden door.

On the tray lay a massive slab of meat.

"Charcoal-grilled Sea King and butter-fried Dragon Jiao, please enjoy. The next course is ferocious beast sashimi—it'll take longer; today's customers are numerous." The blond man lit a cigarette, exhaled a smoke ring, then said: "Hey, Greenhead, tell that idiot to stop ordering—he eats but never pays."

"Only feeding him keeps him from wandering off, you idiot," the green-haired one-eyed man retorted: "Nami says we'll buy a ton of those 'Bi Gu Pills' and stuff them into his meat later."

The two chatted intermittently, then walked outside and closed the door behind them.

"It seems the dishes have arrived." Gu Yue Fang Yuan stood up from the ground and approached the massive stone table. "Gentlemen, would you like wine or tea?"

"I have some matters to attend to today and cannot drink with you all. Forgive me." Li Feiyu bowed his hands. He rose slightly and adjusted his robes. "If you're inclined, feel free to ignore me."

"The wine here is too overpowering—I dare not drink it, hahaha." Gao Sheng waved his hand. "Tea will do."

"I'll have tea too," Seeing Qu Yanping said.

"Then please wait a moment while I restore the normal flow of time." Gu Yue Fang Yuan sent a streak of spiritual energy into the wooden door; ancient, obscure characters glowed upon its surface. "I recall my younger brother stored some tea here—I'll fetch it to serve you, fellow cultivators."

Not long after Gu Yue Fang Yuan left, Li Feiyu frowned and asked Gao Sheng: "Brother Gao, are you well-acquainted with this Gu Yue cultivator? He seems to be a Gu Master."

"I just met him today. He probably wants to exchange insights with Brother Qu; I merely happened to be traveling with Qu and was invited along." Gao Sheng smiled without any embarrassment or discomfort.

"You don't like gambling, so you probably didn't watch this year's Heavenly Artifact Contest. Though Brother Qu is new to the world, his Eye Technique was specially praised by Mr. Guangming."

"Oh?" Li Feiyu glanced at Seeing Qu Yanping with surprise. "Did Brother Qu use his Eye Technique to observe the Heavenly Artifacts?"

Seeing Qu Yanping frowned. "Brother Li, why are you so certain I used my Eye Technique to observe the Heavenly Artifacts? Could there not be other reasons?"

"Mr. Guangming 007 praised twelve people during the Heavenly Artifact Contest. Add Brother Qu, and that makes thirteen." Gao Sheng cast an envious glance at the food on the plate, then looked away.

"Each one was injured by using a secret method, divine power, or Dao artifact to observe the Heavenly Artifacts. Frankly, Brother Qu, you're not even the most severely injured."

"Ten years ago, the Supreme Elder of Tianji Sect lost control while divining the origin of a photograph of a woman with black hair and brown eyes—he turned into a pile of wriggling worms. Only after being delivered to the Yuzhe Sect was the problem resolved."

Turned into worms?

Seeing Qu Yanping felt even more dread over his earlier impulsive act—he had never imagined the Heavenly Artifacts could be so bizarre.

"Brother Gao, Brother Li, about Mr. Guangming..." Seeing Qu Yanping feigned hesitation, looking slightly embarrassed. "I'd like to ask: what is the origin of this Mr. Guangming who saved my life? Why does he have a number prefix?"

"You're truly new to the world, aren't you? You must have had no contact with the cultivation realm since after the millennium?" Li Feiyu sized up Seeing Qu Yanping, then replied coolly: "Mr. Guangming is itself a Heavenly Artifact."

"What?!" Seeing Qu Yanping shuddered—he was genuinely stunned.

That Mr. Guangming, radiating life force and wielding immense power to pull him back from the brink of death and Dao dissolution—was a Heavenly Artifact?

"Mr. Guangming is a living Heavenly Artifact, possessing autonomous consciousness," Li Feiyu continued.

"As for the numbers—they exist because there are many Mr. Guangmings in this world, and each one calls himself Mr. Guangming. To distinguish them, our cultivation realm assigns numbers based on the order of discovery."

"The Mr. Guangming you saw is the seventh discovered. He was found beneath the ruins of Eden by Lord Dongting and several senior figures."

"According to Mr. Guangming's rules, he remains within roughly one hundred li of the person who first discovered him. Whether he intervenes depends entirely on his personality and mood."

Seeing Qu Yanping's eyes widened slightly. He found it hard to believe—but suddenly recalled something Gao Sheng had said earlier.

'Could it be that Mr. Guangming gave Kuangdao Sanlang Shu a backdoor?'

Was the Mr. Guangming Gao Sheng mentioned the same one?

"Brother Gao, when you mentioned that Senior Kuangdao Sanlang and Mr. Guangming just now—what exactly did you mean?" Seeing Qu Yanping ventured.

"Our Kongyun Sect also has a Mr. Guangming—number 066," Gao Sheng said without hesitation. "It's no secret."

"Sixty-six?" Seeing Qu Yanping's breath caught. "How many Mr. Guangmings are there in the entire cultivation realm?!"

This was terrifying—were they all as powerful as that Mr. Guangming?!

Gao Sheng answered: "About two hundred and forty-nine combined in the East and West. Of course, according to the great ones' estimates, there may be dozens more yet undiscovered."

"This..." Seeing Qu Yanping couldn't even imagine—so many identical beings, all of them Heavenly Artifacts: "Does anyone know the origin of Mr. Guangming?"

If they hadn't investigated his origin, these cultivators wouldn't allow a living Heavenly Artifact to remain near them. Did they trust the Heavenly Artifact 【Mr. Guangming】? Or did they have some method to control it?

"That's a good question," Gu Yue Fang Yuan entered carrying a tea set, a purple clay teapot floating beside him, beneath which a red-shelled insect spat flames.

"I observe your attire—you've lived among ordinary people for a long time," Gu Yue Fang Yuan distributed teacups. "You must still remember the great clash between the Eastern Immortal Emperor and the Western Deities?"

Seeing Qu Yanping nodded. "That epochal battle was witnessed by the entire world."

Even the memories extracted by Soul-Searching Technique had conveyed to him the overwhelming power of that clash.

"Mr. Guangming," Gu Yue Fang Yuan declared startlingly, "is a puppet crafted by that Deity in his own image."

"We don't know why he abandoned his puppets across the world, but one thing is certain."

"Mr. Guangming will never do anything harmful to us."

Aside from Seeing Qu Yanping, the others all nodded in agreement.

The purple clay teapot began steaming; the sound of boiling tea interrupted Seeing Qu Yanping's thoughts. The teapot automatically poured tea for everyone present.

"Wu Dao Tea. Please, fellow cultivators, savor it."

The Dao's resonance spread with the tea's fragrance; for a moment, Luo Fu Cave Heaven resembled a true immortal's blessed land.

Seeing Qu Yanping froze. Merely inhaling the tea's aroma gave him a faint sense of Dao principle awakening, a resonance with the Great Dao—what would happen if he drank it?

This was undoubtedly an Immortal Treasure! And he was serving it to them?!

"One leaf of Wu Dao Tree tea sells for five thousand Spirit Stones," Li Feiyu glanced at the floating teacup before gently pushing it forward. "Gu Yue cultivator, I accept no gifts without merit."

Gao Sheng merely smiled, picked up his teacup, drank, then closed his eyes as if contemplating the Dao.

"Brother Li, no need to be formal—it's my younger brother's tea, not mine," Gu Yue Fang Yuan's expression remained unchanged, his lips still curled in a faint smile. "Blame him for not changing the password."

He calmly lifted his teacup, sipped, exhaled a wisp of steam, then asked: "Or are you afraid I've poisoned it with a Gu?"

Seeing Qu Yanping didn't drink either. True, this Immortal Treasure was precious—but he feared what request might follow.

To eat another's meal is to owe them; to accept a gift is to be bound. This meal was already his gift—and this Wu Dao Tea, he suspected, had been planned from the start.

He stared at the emerald tea in his hand. "Brother Gu Yue, speak plainly. We may have felt an instant kinship, but such a grand gift—I am truly overwhelmed."

Having been a demonic cultivator for so many years, if he had no caution or cunning, he'd have been captured by the orthodox long ago.

Gao Sheng, unlike his honest, good-natured face, understood the focus wasn't on him—he took what benefits he could.

"Hehe, fellow cultivators, don't worry—enjoy it freely," Gu Yue Fang Yuan said calmly, his ink-black eyes as still as a deep well.

"I swear upon my Dao Heart—and I can even summon the Divine Image of the Celestial Court's Master to swear before you—that today, I, Gu Yue Fang Yuan, harbor no ill will toward any of you."

His words ended, then he shifted tone softly:

"I have an opportunity to share with you all. If you're interested, after tea and meals, come with me to the Yuzhe Sect. If not, consider it merely a good connection formed."

"But concerning the Penglai Ruins, please keep this quiet."

Hearing this, Gao Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, staring directly at Gu Yue Fang Yuan, filled with shock.

"Penglai Ruins," Li Feiyu squinted and murmured softly: "So it's the Penglai Ruins. Hmph, interesting. It's said the Heavenly Dao Wonder in this year's Heavenly Dao Wonder Contest was discovered within the Penglai Ruins."

"How about it?" Gu Yue Fang Yuan raised his teacup in gesture: "The owner of the Heavenly Dao Wonder 【Palace Sky Vase】, Brother Li."

"If that's the case, I, Li, cannot refuse such an honor." Li Feiyu raised his cup in return: "Thank you, Brother Gu Yue, for going to such trouble."

The Heavenly Dao Wonder 【Palace Sky Vase】?!"

Seeing Qu Yanping suppressed his inner astonishment—he hadn't expected this Brother Li to possess a Heavenly Dao Wonder? Wait—

Seeing Qu Yanping suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He turned to look at the black-haired, black-robed Brother Gu Yue, and a thought formed in his mind.

'His target isn't just me. No—I'm the accident. He was actually after Brother Li Feiyu from the start?'

Hmph, one really cannot underestimate the cultivators of this world.

After forming some suspicions, Seeing Qu Yanping also raised his teacup and said: "This tea and spiritual food are also strokes of fortune. I, Qu, thank you, Brother Gu Yue."

Gao Sheng shook his head, raised his cup, and chuckled helplessly: "Then I'll join in the fun too."

Several hours later, the group arrived before the gates of the Yuzhe Sect.

During the meal, the group had appeared to converse merrily on the surface; Seeing Qu Yanping had gained much knowledge about this world.

Knock knock knock—

The moment Gu Yue Fang Yuan knocked on the gate, the pair of black oak doors swung open inward automatically.

In the center of the rows of benches, a young man appeared before them.

He stood beneath a strange symbol, clad in black clerical robes, his hair slightly curled, a single eyepiece carved from crystal resting over his right eye socket.

"Welcome to my Lord's earthly divine realm," he pushed up his right eyepiece, grinning to reveal two rows of clean white teeth: "You may call me Father Amon."

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(End of Chapter)