Chapter 526

"It seems the young friend has plenty of confidence; I originally intended to make a deal with you for mutual benefit."

Bei Wu Zhenxian gave Shang Yue a deep look, then stepped first into the trading zone, leaving behind these words: "This man is not to be trusted; if you think it over, feel free to join forces with me anytime."

As Bei Wu Zhenxian led the way inside, many others quickly flooded in—some bold enough to place orders immediately, others cautiously asking questions to avoid buying defective goods.

After all, there had been cases before where inferior goods were sold at low prices as substitutes.

Shang Yue remained where he stood, ignoring Bei Wu Zhenxian's invitation with mere lip service.

At this moment, his thoughts were a tangled mess.

"Ye Zhetian? A Sovereign Divine Weapon? Don't trick me—I've read too few novels!"

The thought that one of the city lord candidates was actually Ye Tian Di from Ye Zhetian filled him with mixed emotions, as if he were about to reach the peak of his life when an avalanche and mudslide struck.

"If he's Ye Fan, where did the other immortal arts come from?! But if he's not Ye Fan, where did those things come from?!"

Soon Shang Yue noticed something odd—but there was a serious problem: "Even names, titles, and nicknames must be ones you genuinely recognize to be engraved into the Tower."

Is Ye Zhetian really that Ye Fan?!

Before he could even sort out his thoughts, as Shang Yue was stunned by the sheer number of weapons, something suddenly appeared in the empty air beside him—a shop sign was unveiled.

"Qiongqi Tower already has another trader opening a shop so quickly?"

"Seems to be a pill shop."

"Dan Alliance?!"

Several exclamations drew everyone's attention.

They glanced toward a distant corner and saw a smaller shop, permeated with the scent of herbs, gradually materializing through Qiongqi Tower's unfathomable spatial manipulation.

Instantly, the entire Qiongqi Tower was filled with the rich aroma of pills; many with weaker cultivation levels felt their bottlenecks begin to loosen under the combined scent of precious and holy herbs.

"Is this another Pill Dao master?" someone marveled.

"I wouldn't dare call myself a Pill Dao master."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a man in black stepped out from the depths, his face wearing a lazy smile, his jet-black eyes swirling with dazzling light, appearing unusually gentle and profound—he carried a giant ruler taller than himself.

"I never imagined such a miraculous place connecting countless worlds exists; when I received this invitation token, I thought I was dreaming~." He bowed with clasped fists, his demeanor approachable and free of any ill will:

"Young man Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan, greetings to all."

He chuckled and gestured invitingly.

"I have some pills and Dou Qi martial arts techniques—if any of you find something you like, feel free to choose."

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan?!

It's Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan!!!

That Flame Emperor—Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan!

Besides Shang Yue, several traders from urban realms also cried out in surprise.

"Brother Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan, I know your future!"

Damn it!

Including Shang Yue, many silently scolded themselves for forgetting this detail amid the arrival of two consecutive "protagonists."

This was a golden chance to build rapport—perhaps even gain some reward.

Facing the slightly stunned Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan,

people immediately crowded over, surrounding him, chattering about "Yunlan Sect," "Soul Sect," "Hun Tian Di," "Ancient Tomb," "Ancient Eight Clans," "Upper Realm, Lower Realm," and similar information.

A young Emperor, surrounded by dominant dragon qi, pushed through the crowd—he was none other than the Emperor who had greeted Shang Yue earlier: "Young Master Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan, my Han dynasty can help you clear your enemies!"

"Emperor Xian, focus first on protecting yourself from the Heavenly Demons."

A tall, imposing middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion entered wearing a simple yet elegant red python robe, speaking bluntly: "Young Master Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan, no rush. Once you understand your future, if you need help, come find me at Dao Song—I am Zhao Kuangyin, my word is law."

A terrifying dragon-shaped true qi coiled from Zhao Kuangyin's hand, forming a coiled dragon staff; the cultivation aura he revealed pressed heavily on Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan—even here, in this stable space, the sheer force threatened to shatter the void.

But this was only a display; in an instant, the imperial aura vanished.

He did not linger, merely nodded slightly to Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan, then smiled and departed.

"Nǐ mā mā de!"

So this is how it starts, is it?!

Shang Yue felt frustrated, once again cursing the "Tower Masters"—the candidates of Tiancheng—who had leaked all this information.

But then again, if he couldn't play the mystic, neither could anyone else.

These shrewd Emperors and warlords had already sensed that the Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan before them was likely a "Destined One" from another world, and were now rushing to introduce themselves—information about Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan was surely for sale.

This sort of thing was already common; Tiancheng was no longer the only power, and the countless worlds were vast—encountering protagonists from stories was perfectly normal.

Even people from magical worlds, whose myths were unknown to him, were appearing; the exchange and trade of information was perfectly natural.

But if possible, Shang Yue had originally wanted to invite Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan to his place, explain Dou Po Doupo Doupo Cangqiong to him, and casually invite him to open a shop in his Long Que Tower.

"Thank you all, but Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan already knows what lies ahead—isn't it Dou Po Doupo Doupo Cangqiong?"

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan smiled slightly, explaining amid the surprised glances of those around him:

"Before this Tower opened, I and several friends exchanged information; some of them came from the modern world and had already told us the story."

There were already insiders who got early access?!

Sensing the stunned silence and awkward pauses around him, Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan cleared his throat, his eyes darting, then grinned:

"I deeply appreciate your goodwill. To thank you all, today all my pills are 88% off, and everyone who enters gets a free basic Dou Qi cultivation technique."

How does this Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan understand business so well? Could he be fake?... Oh, right—I almost forgot—he's a transmigrator.

But that made sense—after Qiongqi Tower was activated, it remained closed for so long because its Tower Master and other lucky recipients of the Celestial Tokens had been exchanging information.

I wonder who else is out there...

Someone suddenly snapped back to reality, lamenting being beaten to the punch, and immediately turned his gaze to the items displayed in Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan's shop.

"Power-Up Pills, Turtle-Breath Pills, Nourishing Qi Powder"

"Shape-shifting Pill? Yin-Yang Mystic Dragon Pill?! That's a rare treasure!"

After breaking down, it reestablishes itself, rejuvenating life—it's a divine pill combining the effects of a Breakthrough Realm, a second life, and healing injuries all in one!

But the inventory—

Those who originally planned to buy as much as possible and flip for profit were stunned.

【Inventory 999+】

"I've long heard of the Flame Emperor's great name," said Shang Yue, stepping forward to strike up a conversation and shooing away the crowd surrounding Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan: "I am Shang Yue, Tower Master of the Dragon Phoenix Tower, and also the Lord of this Tiancheng."

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan frowned: "A candidate?"

"Ah, it's just a unified title for the Lord," Shang Yue explained awkwardly.

"Forgive me, Lord Shang," Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan bowed with a smile: "I dare not claim the title of Flame Emperor—I'm merely a Star Dou Zong for now."

"Nonsense."

Shang Yue had originally intended to probe Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan for information about the Qiongqi Tower's Tower Master, since the man known as 'Ye Zhetian' had yet to appear.

Are they selling this many Sovereign Divine Weapons?! Hearing the news from the Tiancheng system spirit, Xiao Yue, his throat bobbed—he wasn't sure which era this Ye Zhetian belonged to.

Could he already be a Fully Matured Sacred Body?

No, strength isn't the key. If this Tiancheng were judged by behind-the-scenes power and prodigies from all realms, even a Fully Matured Sacred Body wouldn't be the strongest. If it were based on personal strength and influence, the position of Lord of Tiancheng would have long since passed to the Northern Wu Zhenxian.

The key is the resources this Ye Zhetian can trade.

"Brother Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan, if you don't mind me calling you that…" Shang Yue set aside his other thoughts and focused on the man before him, recalling his identity as an alchemist, and smiled:

"Your shop doesn't need to handle transactions yourself—even without universal currency, certain customers' equivalent items will be evaluated by Tiancheng's backend and automatically traded."

"If you'd be so kind, Brother Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan, come with me to tour Tiancheng. Against the Soul Clan and their master, Hun Tian Di, having more cards is always better."

He suspected that Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan of this era was about to infiltrate the Soul Sect's branch temple to rescue Master Yao.

Considering his needs, luring this protagonist—who already carried a certain "traffic"—over was a smart move. A gifted alchemist was in high demand; with proper cultivation, he'd become another major asset for Shang Yue's Dragon Phoenix Tower.

Once familiar, he could also pay a certain price to venture into Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan's world and extract resources.

"The Dragon Phoenix Tower also has many treasures from the myriad worlds. Recently, we've even launched a bodyguard service—if—"

Shang Yue had already planned everything out. As the true and sole protagonist of this Tiancheng, he was about to step onto his own path of strength—to become the greatest boss in Tiancheng.

"What's going on with this pill?! Why is it so expensive?!"

"This pill directly elevates you to a Nine-Star Dou Sheng?!"

"Repairs any soul damage, greatly enhances cultivation talent and potential, has zero side effects, boosts soul power, and even grants clarity of mind and insight into one's true nature."

Hss—!

Gasps of disbelief rang out, as if breathing itself had become a luxury.

Shang Yue froze, then sharply turned his head to the left—many faces were filled with disbelief, eyes glittering with shock and confusion.

Their gazes all locked onto a display case.

The characters were small, but legible:

"Hun Tian Di Pill?"

An old Daoist Priest in dark green robes, with the air of a celestial hermit, carefully examined the pill, as beautiful as blue jade. Suddenly, he collapsed to the ground, muttering: "A demonic pill?! No—it's a divine pill! Not demonic! But why does this pill carry no resentment or evil at all?"

"Master Dao Xuan, do you know what this pill is?" asked a woman dressed as a martial hero.

"I can't tell how many lives are involved, but I sense the soul energy radiating from it—like an ocean. If this were the soul of a mortal…" Master Dao Xuan, still shaken by his own lapse, narrowed his eyes and stared warily at Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan beneath his hood:

"Could it take a thousand souls? Or tens of millions to produce this kind of soul energy?"

All the soul essences were fused into one, yet fragments of pure, shattered energy could still be sensed. Had he not had some strange fortune within Tiancheng, he might never have noticed its mystery.

Shang Yue's eyelids twitched violently; he instinctively stepped back two paces, putting distance between himself and "Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan": "Are you Hun Tian Di?!"

"."

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan remained silent, pulling from his pocket the Tiancheng token he'd used for store registration—his name, "Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan," clearly engraved upon it.

"You're really the real Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan?!"

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan gave a slight nod.

If not the real Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan, was he some Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan from Teyvat?

"But this pill is called Hun Tian Di Pill? And this pill—you… it says 'handcrafted by the shop owner'?"

"I made it," Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan nodded.

To distinguish it from the soulless, mass-produced pills next door, I added "handcrafted" to charge you a few extra coins.

Ye He was showing off his shop's treasure—why should I get worked up over it?

This isn't QQ Space, where you fight for parking spots.

Had I known so many people recognized me, I wouldn't have made that pill my shop's centerpiece.

"As for why it's called Hun Tian Di Pill—it's because among the Soul Sect and Soul Clan, Hun Tian Di has the highest cultivation."

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan frowned, thinking, then explained as the crowd around him seemed to have their worldviews collapsing:

"He was the main ingredient, plus a few thousand Dou Sheng, Dou Zun, and Dou Zong—about ten thousand souls total. Their soul power being strong is normal."

He noticed people were already leaving the shop; Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan felt he ought to add one more clarification.

"Look, I'm not some demon like Hun Tian Di. These souls all had it coming—and the pill has zero side effects."

The situation didn't improve—they all rushed over to Ye Zhetian's shop.

Dear customers, what's the difference? They're selling Dan Alliance goods too.

Shang Yue felt like he was dreaming: "What version of Dou Po is this?"

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan, here in Tiancheng, doesn't need to ascend to the Skyward Dou Po right now.

Ye Fan: "In summary, store registration here requires real-name verification. Liu Li Ge, don't open a shop—just leave your items at mine."

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan: "I feel like the hostile glances have decreased a lot."

Ye Fan: "Of course not, my lord Hunyan?"

Facing a 'protagonist' whose information and secrets are exposed, along with the resources behind his world, not all the flowers and sweet words carry good intentions.

But when this protagonist is just a little different, some demons and spirits grow far more obedient.

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan's pill shop also became quieter by association, though it wasn't completely without business.

Ye Fan: "@Su Lin, no one's buying your stuff. Why not open your own arms dealership?"

The main reason seems to be that most customers here come for cultivation techniques, secret manuals, and weapons; the so-called blessed firearms are expensive and deal no more damage than ordinary firearms, so naturally no one buys them.

Some even think the display cases here are in the way.

Fine.

Su Lin: "I've set up a stall outside. Also taking a stroll."

Yi Leina: "You have to pay the Tower Master a fee to open a shop inside the tower. I'll set up a stall too. @Su Lin, where are you setting up?"

Ye Fan: "Strange—I said I don't charge group members any fees, didn't I?"

Along both sides of the street, shops lined with dazzling goods emitted soft radiance; most shop signs were carved with strange runes, glowing faintly.

On the street, some had talismans written in yellow paper and cinnabar, others displayed skulls and candles, still others placed crosses, prayer beads, and crystal balls—as if every profession from Daoist Priests to fortune-tellers were present.

It had the very air of a fortune-telling alley outside a temple.

Su Lin found a secluded spot, spread out a cloth, and sat cross-legged.

He propped his chin on one hand, eyes unfocused, and sent a reply into the air: "I don't know—I'm a stranger from afar; how am I supposed to tell where this is?"

"You outsider, come begging on Demon-Slaying Street?" A pig demon with flour-dusted hair and a round belly waddled up to Su Lin, swaying as he peered into the white woven bags:

"Demon-Slaying Street! Can you read the three characters?! What are you selling guns for here?!"

The pig demon watched as Su Lin pulled from thin air a nine-ringed staff of tin, then produced a purple-gold bowl shimmering with Buddhist light.

"Wishing you a grand opening and booming fortune."

"The monk counts to three."

In less than an instant, the pig demon vanished before Su Lin's eyes as if he'd seen a ghost.

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