Chapter 250

"Mr. Qu, your eye technique is fascinating—it can peer into information at this level." Kleine spun his cane once, then slammed it down with a bang onto the black tile.

"If you're interested, I'd like to commission you to use your eye technique to investigate the origins of several Heavenly Dao marvels owned by the Yuzhe Sect."

"Rest assured, we have a professional angel team that can maximize your safety—time reversal, fate restart, and even the Yuzhe Sect's Mr. Light can be arranged for you."

"As for compensation, it will surely satisfy you."

The other's demeanor was sincere, and Qu Yanping was immediately tempted.

If Mr. Light was indeed present, with so many resurrection methods available, accepting this commission might not be unreasonable.

"May I see what these Heavenly Dao marvels look like first?" Qu Yanping asked curiously.

Kleine adjusted the monocle on his right eye socket and smiled: "Of course."

Qu Yanping wondered why everyone in this sect wore monocles—was it some kind of symbol? It felt odd.

"Mr. Amon, could you kindly entertain these guests for me? Give me and Mr. Qu some time—you're not off duty yet, no need to rush out." Kleine's mouth stretched into an exaggerated grin, just as Father Amon had done earlier.

Father Amon had already reached the door; he offered a formulaic smile: "Certainly."

"Brother Qu, be careful—if you encounter certain unique backlashes, you won't even get a chance at resurrection," Gao Sheng warned before leaving.

"Thank you, Brother Gao," Qu Yanping nodded. He'd simply felt a sudden curiosity to see what these Heavenly Dao marvels were.

Each of these Heavenly Dao marvels could be called a supreme treasure of the Shi Huanyu Realm—even immortals of the Shi Huanyu Realm would fight to the death if they saw them.

He'd heard those three say some Heavenly Dao marvels were remnants of a great being's Dao fruit, or the accumulated legacy of an ancient faction—even a mortal who stumbled upon one could ascend instantly and become immortal.

The Sun God was the best example; though some Heavenly Dao marvels might carry side effects, they weren't unacceptable.

Under Qu Yanping's gaze, Mr. Kleine began praying before the strange symbols behind him.

Soon after, Mr. Light appeared out of thin air, floating midair, dressed in a Western evening gown and looking exceedingly gentlemanly; he too wore a monocle on his right eye socket.

Qu Yanping believed his perception, enhanced by the Tianmu Technique, was exceptionally sensitive—even when idle—yet this man's arrival left no trace whatsoever; he had no idea where the man had come from.

Mr. Light glanced at his wristwatch and said:

"Hurry up and finish. Twenty-eight minutes left until 5 p. m. If you exceed even one minute, I won't help you with healing or resurrection—you'd better survive until tomorrow at exactly 9 a. m."

"Actually, it's 9:05 a. m. —I need to clock out and brew some health tea before resuming work."

"Hmm. After saying that, you now have twenty-seven minutes."

Qu Yanping's face tightened. Having absorbed modern memories, he knew exactly what "clocking out" and "leaving work" meant. Whether as a Heavenly Dao marvel or a cultivator, Mr. Light's personality was absurd.

Kleine neatly arranged the boxes on a larger brown table, opened them, and took out a card, a brilliant blue longsword, an orange-yellow sphere the size of a glass bead, and a nearly transparent flower.

"Let's start with this card," Kleine held up the card and said: "This card is indestructible. It bears a script never seen before—use your eye technique to cautiously examine it. Yes—cautiously."

Qu Yanping took the card; apart from its unusual material, it seemed unremarkable.

Should I really investigate the origin of something like this? What if—what if—I suddenly changed my mind. Compared to the potential gains, this risk was negligible.

After signing another contract, Qu Yanping decided to stop concealing his power—it would let him better control his technique during the investigation.

Runes imbued with Dao principles gathered on his forehead, forming, under his will, a vertical pupil.

"Yang Erlang?!" Mr. Light's voice held surprise: "You've opened your Heavenly Eye!"

"Don't disturb Mr. Qu, No. 110," Kleine warned.

The voice beside his ear faded; Qu Yanping's vision was swallowed by the card. In a daze, he seemed to see a universe.

Probe—only probe. Do not actively investigate.

"A customer has come to us?"

A cry rang out—not a language any living being could understand—but translated by the Tianmu Technique, a vast stream of dimensional-transcending information forcibly flooded his mind.

"Brother, hey? There's a sister here too—want to buy a boost?"

"I see your side's crowded—only thirty Dao of Hongmeng Purple Qi, our Wind Spirit—"

Boom! Qu Yanping's head exploded into a mist of blood; the Tianmu eye instantly turned into a blazing pillar of light.

Mr. Light stared at the light, fell silent—less than three seconds had passed.

Instantly, time froze. Everything that had just happened reversed like a film rewinding—the light returned to the Tianmu eye, the blood mist reformed into a head, and Qu Yanping returned to his state before the explosion.

"Ahh!!!" Qu Yanping collapsed to the ground, as if he'd endured a nightmare—an unbearably real nightmare.

The phantom pain clashed violently with his current safety; for a moment, he couldn't tell if he was still alive.

He struggled to shake off that state, forcing himself to calm down. Unlike being gravely wounded on a battlefield, he had truly perished just now.

"Mr. Qu, I told you to just take a cautious look—did you really have to push yourself so hard?" Mr. Kleine sighed. "You're too dedicated."

"Exactly—how much do you earn a month? Why risk your life?" Mr. Light tossed Qu Yanping a blessing, instantly stabilizing his mental state.

Qu Yanping: "."

He wanted to say he never intended to probe deeply—some force had simply come to him on its own.

He couldn't recall what that voice had said—if he remembered, he'd probably die again.

He regulated his breath, relaxing his clenched teeth and tightly balled fists.

"I heard a voice—but I can't remember what it said…" Qu Yanping's voice was calm, yet hollow. He'd prepared himself for the Dao, but the void he'd just experienced was harder to bear than he'd imagined.

"You heard a voice?" It was Mr. Light who spoke. He exchanged a glance with Kleine: "So the legend is true—there's a living Heavenly Dao."

Heavenly Dao?

Qu Yanping froze. He was certain—he hadn't misheard. The man had said "Heavenly Dao."

Kleine smiled, then picked up another item from a different box—the longsword.

"Next is this weapon," Kleine beamed, as if Qu Yanping had greatly aided him: "Mr. Qu, you're quite impressive."

Qu Yanping fell silent. He suddenly realized he'd agreed too rashly—he could have slowly cultivated in this world, and the Dao would come in time. Why had he pushed himself so hard?

A strange discomfort stirred, but he always tended to ignore it unconsciously.

"Do you know anything about this sword?" Qu Yanping had barely finished speaking when he shook his head: "No—don't tell me. I withdraw from this commission."

According to the contract, he could withdraw from this commission at any time.

He had a premonition that none of the Heaven's Dao artifacts here were simple; either they left not a single trace, or following those traces led to the primordial primordial fiend.

"Sorry, Mr. Miss Kelaien, you'd better seek someone more capable." Qu Yanping bowed, then turned and left. He did not mention the reward; under these circumstances, it was already good if the other didn't harbor resentment.

"Clock out, clock out." The Light Master's voice rose slightly; he snapped his fingers, and with them, the Heaven's Dao artifacts inside the boxes vanished.

"According to our contract, I must pay you equivalent compensation," Qing'an said softly. "Wait a moment—I need to think of what to give you."

Qu Yanping stopped walking and waited silently.

"Was that just now your Heavenly Eye? Or some similar divine ability?" Qing'an asked.

"Something like that," Qu Yanping said. The "Heavenly Eye" circulating among cultivators in this world was very similar to his own "Heavenly Eye Divine Ability."

"I'll give you a piece of information—it should be a stroke of fortune for you, provided you ever encounter him." Qing'an summoned a bound book from a twenty-meter-high shelf: "Take it."

The book spun toward Qu Yanping; he caught it in one hand and stared—the blue cover bore several characters written in ink brush.

The Biography of Huangshan Zhenjun

Qu Yanping froze. What kind of information was this?

"The deal is done." Qing'an sat back in his chair and returned his attention to the book before him.

Seeing the other say no more, Qu Yanping tucked the book away and left through the door.

At the entrance of the Yuzhe Sect.

The last to emerge from within, Qu Yanping asked the others about the deeds of Huangshan Zhenjun.

"After the ancient Heavenly Court shattered, this Shen Jun vanished along with other Immortals and gods," Li Feiyu said. "Some say he perished; others say he reincarnated; still others say—"

"That he is the one who single-handedly halted the calamity of the Undying Wraiths."

Qu Yanping was startled and uncertain, for in the myths circulating among mortals in the Shi Huanyu Realm, long before Taiqing Xian Emperor ascended, there had been a figure with a remarkably similar name.

He had merely intended to ask a few questions, but as the others spoke, he felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, and a quiet dread stirred within him.

"But this cannot be verified. Lord Dongting once met Yang Erlang and also encountered the 【Heaven's Dao Artifact】 that roamed the lands hunting Undying Abominations—he himself said he did not know the other." Gao Sheng, holding his phone, was adding Qu Yanping on WeChat: "In the distant ancient past, this world was too glorious, too vast—no one knew how many great cultivators existed."

"Alright, Brother Qu, contact me on WeChat, or call me. Aren't you coming to visit our Kongyun Sect?"

Qu Yanping smiled warmly. "Thank you, Brother Gao, but I'm used to staying in the city—I can't live without my computer."

It was just an excuse. The five had agreed to meet in seven days, watch the final match of the Heaven's Dao Artifact Battle, then head to the Penglai Ruins with Gu Yue Fang Yuan.

He needed one or two days alone to reflect, to carefully analyze his current situation and all the information he had gained.

"That's prejudice, Brother Qu," Gao Sheng laughed and scolded. "Don't you believe our sect's Wi-Fi is several times faster than yours?"

"Fellow cultivators, farewell," Li Feiyu's actions never dragged—he moved with pure efficiency.

"Meet at my place first in seven days—the address has been sent to all of you." Gu Yue Fang Yuan tapped his phone screen a few times, then looked up and smiled: "Then I'll take my leave as well."

Unlike cultivators from the Shi Huanyu Realm, these people departed by bicycle, ride-hailing apps, and public buses.

"Truly low-key," Qu Yanping naturally followed local customs and turned back toward the cultivator marketplace.

He had ten Spirit Stones; staying at a hotel here for a few days posed no problem. This gathering place for cultivators was ideal for gathering more information to cross-check, to guard against misinformation from those three.

A cheap hotel cost one Spirit Stone per day.

"These prices are too high," Qu Yanping still felt a pang—Spirit Stones here were worth far more than in the Shi Huanyu Realm: "Huh?"

As he checked his storage pouch, he suddenly froze.

"One, two, three… seven? Seven?"

Why were three Spirit Stones missing?! Qu Yanping snapped his head toward the ground, then swept his gaze across the faces of passing cultivators.

"Stolen?"

Behind the scenes, Shuijing Peak production crew rest area.

Su Lin tucked away a Spirit Stone and withdrew the half-divine path thief's Exquisite Trait card from his body. How to put it—this ability was rather fun.

Nearby, "Qing'an"'s facial features gradually shifted, the only constant being the single crystal lens embedded in his right eye socket. He tossed a Spirit Stone in the air and walked toward them.

The priestly "Amon" appeared beside Su Lin, reverted to his scholarly appearance, still holding his hands behind his back—only now, in the palm of his right hand, a Spirit Stone was firmly gripped.

"Alright, first scene wrapped perfectly. Second scene's Mystical Realm exploration is set for seven days from now. Everyone, well done."

Qing'an: "."

Qing'an stared at the Amon before him and asked Su Lin: "Why did you bring Amon here? My competition with him isn't over."

"Amon? Where's Amon?" Su Lin shot up from his chair, scanning around. "Anduin, did you see Amon?"

"I didn't see Amon. You're probably too immersed in the role," said the thin-faced man, adjusting his monocle.

Qing'an: "Aren't you Amon?"

Amon's avatar: "I am Anduin."

Qing'an: "You're Amon."

Amon's avatar: "I am Anduin, a priest from another world spreading the glory of Holy Light."

Qing'an rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry—I severed my connection with my original self long ago. Under Adam's interference, I became an independent entity, and even here, I've been under constant watch," Amon's avatar smiled. "Besides, encountering something this amusing—do you think I'd want to return to my original self?"

"Rather than worrying about me, you'd better prepare your Ascension Ritual soon. If he doesn't intervene, you stand no chance. Of course, if you become his vassal, I could even draft a surrender letter for my original self."

As Amon's avatar spoke these words, he looked directly at Su Lin—clearly, he intended to provoke Qing'an.

"I only regret that it wasn't your original self who came," Qing'an replied indifferently, retorting: "Then perhaps the Yuzhe Sect might truly gain another Amon Priest."

If clinging to a powerful figure could eliminate Amon's original self, Qing'an wouldn't care about face—he was the Faceless Man, after all.

Su Lin in this world could probably suppress Amon with a mere gesture.

Amon's avatar shrugged and waved casually. "Fine by me. Right now, you're the Amon Priest. I'm Qing'an."

Qing'an sighed silently. His lingering puppet in the scene had been stolen by this fellow without his notice—what a surprise. Fortunately, it wasn't the original.

"Don't break character. Mr. Qing'an doesn't have a habit of stealing."

Shi Huanyu Immortal Realm

"Princess Di, are you really going to keep investigating?!" Mi Yilong tried to stop her, but he had no way to do so; among everyone present, Ju Chang held the highest status and seniority.

Just now, a being of Immortal Emperor rank had already, following the puppet's gaze, seen them.

"Continue investigating," Ju Chang said coldly. "That one was not in the puppet's world—no matter."

She always felt.

That world was not quite real.

(End of Chapter)