Chapter 528

"Old Master, I told you I wasn't lying, didn't I?"

The elderly man, tall and upright, with long beard and eyebrows, narrow eyes, clad in the black robe of the Long Hushan Tian Shi, slowly scanned his surroundings.

"Zhang Zhang Chulan."

"Here."

Zhang Chu'lan, carrying Feng Baobao, who had just been picked up from Bie Xue Xianji's immortal chef shop after ordering a full Immortal Banquet to-go, said with visible pain: "Old Master, what do you require?"

"I want to ask," Zhang Zhiwei grabbed Zhang Chu'lan's crown point with one hand, pointing at the scriptures displayed on the wooden board: "How do you read these characters?"

"Jin Guang Zhi, Yang Wu Lei, Palm Thunder," Zhang Chu'lan laughed it off, changing the subject: "Isn't this about blending in with the environment to seem more normal?"

"Your nerve is even greater than your grandfather's," the Old Master shook his head, his shock and astonishment gradually subsiding:

"I originally thought you'd been reading too many infinite-stream and multiverse web novels, so I wanted to keep you on Long Hushan to train your Thunder Arts and kick your internet addiction."

Zhang Chu'lan blinked in surprise: "You read these too?"

"The Tian Shi Mansion has such good signal—how else am I supposed to pass the time?" The Old Master pulled out his phone, opened an app, and showed Zhang Chu'lan his densely packed bookshelf:

"But you—you've got this ability—why not go get secret manuals from other sects to sell? Why stick to selling only Long Hushan's?"

"Don't worry, I haven't sold a single one," Zhang Chu'lan sighed.

Another day of surviving on my nephew Lao Ma's salary dividends.

Zhang Chu'lan felt the wisest decision of his life was, when Ye Zhetian's company was just starting out, using his powerful connections to secure a good future for Ma Xianhong.

Lao Ma, Lao Ma…

Uncle, I'm crying my eyes out.

"Stop being so shameless—when are you bringing me back?" Ma Xianhong, eyes shadowed with dark circles, suddenly appeared behind Zhang Chu'lan, even causing the Old Master's gaze to sharpen.

"Uh…" Zhang Chu'lan's mouth twitched, his tear-wiping motion halting: "Don't you work?"

"I haven't taken a day off in years—except that half-day when I went back with you. My vacation days have piled up into a whole summer."

Ma Xianhong's voice was hoarse: "Zhang Chu'lan, you—"

"Ma Xianhong, Ye Fan just added five more production lines," Weigong Shilang, eyes dull, waved from afar: "We're opening soon for guests from Tiancheng."

Zhang Chu'lan patted Ma Xianhong's shoulder: "Go. This is the critical moment for the company's launch."

"."

Ma Xianhong gave Zhang Chu'lan a long look, nodded slightly to Zhang Zhiwei, then left, gripping his trembling hammer tightly.

"You're acting like a heartless middleman," Feng Baobao said.

"It's for his own good."

Zhang Chu'lan dropped his smile and exhaled in relief—Ma Xianhong replenished his strength and energy daily with the spiritual spring, and his cultivation progress hadn't slipped a bit despite the overtime.

He turned to the side: "Old Master—"

"Three, two, one."

"Cheese~!"

A flash of Bai Guang, the phone camera clicked—Su Lin and the Old Master simultaneously lowered their victory signs.

Zhang Chu'lan: "."

"Check-in successful. Thanks, Old Master," Su Lin put his phone back in his pocket and waved: "Just say Zhang Chu'lan's name when you buy anything—this place keeps a tab. Don't be formal with me."

The Old Master nodded and smiled: "Good."

"Three bowls of Divine Chef's egg fried rice," Feng Baobao told the Divine Chef at the takeout window: "Charge it to Zhang Chu'lan."

Thanks for remembering to order us something.

Zhang Chu'lan glanced at the menu and the Divine Chef's blurring hands, nearly in tears: "Add more scallions."

"Three bowls of Divine Chef's egg fried rice, plus three portions of Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow, complimentary to all."

In Zhang Chu'lan's stunned gaze, the Divine Chef glanced around, then whispered: "If the Daoist friend finds the flavor pleasing, please speak well of me before Hun Tian Di—I haven't cooked at the Peach Banquet for three consecutive cycles."

"Hun Tian Di?" The Old Master looked at Zhang Chu'lan.

"The guy who just took the selfie with you—that's him."

"What the hell is going on?!"

Tiancheng was in chaos—everyone had been waiting for the Buddhist sect led by Jin Wu Ta, Rulai, to clash violently with the newly arrived Qiongqi Tower, but no one expected it to turn into a team-building event in an instant.

In another blink, the Buddhist team-building was already over.

"Who are these people holding the Qiongqi Tower tokens?!"

"The Heavenly Court?! The Spirit Mountain?!"

"Why is Tang Sanzang eating meat?"

"Anyone else want to go get some Tang Seng blood?"

"Don't splatter blood on me."

Ye Fan's suspected Zhetian Corporation, Dandedou Sect's Xiao Yan, who refines pills with Hun Tian Di, now suddenly had a slew of gods and Buddhas with unmistakable identities appearing out of nowhere.

"."

Shang Yue had just unlocked the second-layer hidden treasury left behind by her past-life self—the former Lord of Tiancheng.

Yet staring at the mountain of rare treasures and divine secret manuals, Shang Yue felt no emotion—she even wanted to curse.

"The Qiongqi Tower's master has now earned nearly as many points in a day as we did in a whole month—this includes valid listings and successful transactions."

Ask how much sorrow one can bear—like an avalanche, like a mudslide.

Shang Yue: "Are they open yet?"

Shang Xiaoyue: "Not yet, but a dragon, a dog, and a Daoist Priest came out of it and went to Bai Ze Tower."

Dragon, dog, Daoist Priest—none of that matters.

That means they're all internal consumption.

I hit ( ) ( )

When she saw that group of immortals, Shang Yue felt a bad premonition, and unexpectedly this premonition actually came true.

One world's Heavenly Court immortals obtained the token, yet instead of treating it as their own exclusive opportunity, they brought the entire Heavenly Court over—who is this immortal?

The Jade Emperor? The Buddha? The Three Pure Ones? The Five Emperors?!

That's not the point; the point is the quantity of resources and goods these Heavenly Court immortals brought for trade is absolutely terrifying, yet 'Ye Zhetian' chose to lock the tower and first conduct an internal digestion.

"Don't worry, my lord, you've now unlocked the second layer of treasure left by the former city master; once you put these treasures on display, you'll quickly transfer the purchasing power they hold to yourself," Shang Xiaoyue encouraged.

Shang Yue nodded in agreement: "As long as they're not candidates for city master, the greater the origin of ordinary traders, the better for the development of this Celestial City."

He still had vision.

Those immortals will eventually come out to shop in other districts of the Celestial City; as long as the treasures and scriptures I offer are more attractive than those in Qiongqi Tower, the future gains will be immense.

"Moreover, as the Celestial City connects to more worlds and trade increases, the repair progress will accelerate faster."

Shang Yue turned, hands clasped behind his back; as a vast, ocean-like mist swirled, dazzling divine radiance filled the entire warehouse, transformed from this world, and his inner confidence returned.

Cold technological artifacts were neatly categorized, alongside vast reserves of transcendent items.

Quantity?

No need to worry about such a concept—it was a contingency left by the former city master at his peak.

Cost?

The only thing Shang Yue needed to consider was how to sell these things—to every world, to the myriad realms of the heavens!

"Ye Tian Di, is the storage of divine weapons sufficient?" Shang Yue grinned, escorted Shang Xiaoyue out of the newly opened treasure vault, and immediately updated the product shelves.

Such a dazzling variety caused many guests inside the Zhu Long Tower to burst into exclamations.

"We must quickly unlock higher-tier treasures, lest we suffer the embarrassment of having nothing to sell again."

Shang Yue recalled how, last time, a superbeing from an unknown divine clan had passed by here, unaware that this Celestial City had long since fallen into decline; after lingering briefly, he departed in disappointment.

Over the years, many powerful figures occasionally passed through this station, but they merely passed—nothing here caught their eye.

"My lord, Qiongqi Tower has opened."

"I know."

Seeing countless beams of light flying from every corner of the Celestial City toward the current focal point, he immediately decided to go see for himself.

He changed into a celestial robe from the second-layer treasure vault, adorned himself with various divine ornaments as decoration, and with a single thought, stepped out of the tower—himself, advertising.

"Young Shang Yue, what a coincidence?"

The speaker was Bei Wu Zhenxian, clad in white robes, still the same refined, scholarly middle-aged man.

But unlike before, behind him stood two rows of dignified figures, swords and pendants clinking, arranged in formation—men and women alike, each wearing a silver mask adorned with star patterns.

"Bei Wu Zhenxian." Shang Yue noticed his gaze lingering slightly on him and asked, puzzled: "What is this?"

"My fellow disciples have just emerged from seclusion, and since we have nothing urgent, we brought some local specialties to Qiongqi Tower to meet some new friends," Bei Wu Zhenxian gestured invitingly with a smile.

"Join us?"

Advertising is advertising—why phrase it so tactfully?

"Join you."

Shang Yue nodded; the two walked side by side, unhurried, blending into the flowing crowd.

"Are you sure AK is worth this price?"

"Don't believe me? Ask Mr. Constantin—he bought a pile outright to exorcise demons."

A black-haired man with deep blue eyes ignored the rule that smoking in public spaces automatically deducts one point from your account; he weaved through the crowd with two men and one woman, nearly colliding with Shang Yue.

"Old Kang, how effective was the exorcism?" asked the greasy-haired man in leather.

Amidst clouds of smoke, scarred and disheveled, Constantin fell silent for a long moment, then replied: "Effective enough to get me straight to heaven."

The tower master of Qiongqi Tower must have lost his mind—charging admission just to enter.

Many had intended to rebuke him for this—but.

When they saw the ancient tea tree, gnarled like a coiled dragon, seemingly nurtured by the Dao itself, standing at the center of the tower's trading hall, all complaints and resentment vanished.

【Non-sale item: Awakening Dao Ancient Tea Tree】

On its branches, every leaf was crystal-clear.

Some leaves resembled tiny tripods, others shaped like divine phoenixes; still others bore patterns of immortals, divine bells, Shanhe, clouds, and Bagua—each shimmering with divine radiance, each flowing with tangible Dao principles.

As a torrent of vital energy flowed downward, the ancient mystery merged with it; every soul began to grow still, quietly comprehending countless different Dao principles.

Grasping something, nearly grasping it—the longer one stayed, the deeper one's understanding of Dao's profundity became.

Around it, purple radiance flashed, light surging to the heavens; a spectral qilin absorbed life essence and immortal essence, its form growing increasingly solid.

【Non-sale item: Qilin Immortal Medicine】

And there was another lush, verdant—

Huh?

【Non-sale item: Immortal-grade Scallion Spirit】

Is this thing in Ye Zhetian?!

Shang Yue stood frozen for a long time, but after staring longer, he faintly saw visions of endless reincarnations emerging from the scallion—his understanding of the distinction between past and present lives deepened further.

"This scallion is truly extraordinary," Bei Wu Zhenxian said solemnly.

Shang Yue involuntarily stepped back two paces.

Shit.

This isn't some Great Saint Ye Fan—this is Tian Di Ye Fan?!

Shang Yue, who had crossed over from Earth year 2016, felt he absolutely had to utter a vulgar phrase.

"Young Shang Yue, by the way, have you read Bei Wu Zhuan?" Bei Wu Zhenxian, noticing his odd state, smiled warmly.

Shang Yue's expression was not pleasant: "Bei Wu Zhuan?"

"Yes. A talented young man from Wu Lin, who, during a persecution by imperial power, stumbled upon the legacy of an ancient Immortal. " Bei Wu Zhenxian carefully observed the area, which had changed greatly since just over ten hours ago, his voice tinged with nostalgia:

"Ten years to establish the Foundation, thirty to forge the Golden Core. A hundred years of fleeting worldly life, swept into one storm after another, until finally, after thwarting the dark schemes of the Tianhuan Demon Cult, he fulfilled his millennia-old aspiration to ascend, becoming the closing disciple of a True Ruler of the Heavenly Cosmos, sharing the sustenance of six universes with his beloved and close friends."

"This is a tale I heard from a guest invited to the Yinglong Tower — a visitor from a world where technology and cultivation are fused. This book was written a century ago by a mortal author as a classic text."

"Isn't it fascinating? You might project all sorts of unknown causes into other worlds — it could be a schoolchild's fleeting fantasy born of idle thoughts in his master's lecture hall, or a tale of ghosts and marvels told by storytellers."

Shang Yue understood what Bei Wu was telling him, but he didn't understand why the man was telling him this now.

Bei Wu Zhenxian smiled, lifting his head once more to gaze at the tower's peak, obscured by void mist that blocked perception and sight.

"But heaven's winds are unpredictable. As Bei Wu ascended, he was attacked by the Blood Ancestor of the Tianyao Realm. To protect a corner of the Yaojie Star Sea, he detonated himself, dissolving into dust within the Yaojie Star Sea — that is the ending of the book's tale."

Under Shang Yue's startled gaze, Bei Wu Zhenxian looked at him and said:

"In this City of All Heavens, regardless of strength, you'll encounter many protagonists of their eras or worlds. But here, there's no need to fear, nor to care what great deeds others have accomplished."

Shang Yue frowned slightly and asked: "What are you getting at?"

"Cooperation. Mutual gain." Bei Wu Zhenxian pointed toward an old man with white whiskers.

He had white hair and a youthful face, his countenance ruddy, and at this moment was pulling a red-haired youth along, chattering nonstop; in front of the folding chair set up on the spot was a small table, and nearby was placed a piece of plain canvas with the following written on it:

——"Six Divinations Reveal All Worldly Affairs, One Gaze Perceives All Beings of the World."

"Among the candidates for City Lord in this City of All Heavens, besides Shang Yue, the most famous are Beiwunan Gua, Dong Moxi Fo."

The white-bearded old man gripped Weigong Shilang's wrist and said: "Today you met me, Nan Gua — you're lucky. Otherwise, with your rampant romantic luck, it's already turning into a Peach Blossom Calamity."

"Master, I still have to go back to work." Weigong Shilang looked troubled, yet felt the man had touched on something crucial; he hesitated: "I'm not unfaithful — there shouldn't be any Peach Blossom Calamity."

"Nonsense. Do you think I'd lie to you? In my youth, I was called the Genius Astrologer — I spent all day reading others' fates and forgot to look at my own. Only later did I realize I was born with the Peach Blossom Destiny. Do you know what this face means?"

Seeing Weigong Shilang nodding blankly, Nan Gua released his hand and pointed to the corner of his brow:

"Your Female Trouble Face, under unknown influences, has become so severe that even if you're not unfaithful, the Peach Blossom Calamity will come knocking on its own. Think carefully — haven't you been entangled with many women lately? Your dearest one resents you, others misunderstand you?"

"You can't run away anymore! Something big is coming! When I was young, I fell for it — and when those women fought, I was the one who got hurt!"

Weigong Shilang covered his head and sat down gloomily: "Master, please calculate for me…"

"Give me your hand. What's your name?" Nan Gua asked.

"Weigong Shilang." Weigong Shilang answered honestly.

"Holy shit, Winterwood Bulldozer?!"

A cry rang out.

Weigong Shilang spun around — but most people were sitting quietly, meditating, absorbing the benefits of the Ancient Dao Tea Tree. He twitched his lips twice but didn't chase down who had shouted "Bulldozer."

The urgent matter now was to break up the household — the "children" and their "mother."

Otherwise, Dada Liya questioned him every day about when he'd have a child with her.

Too many people lived under one roof. Even though Dada Liya was adorable, he still had to endure Yuan Shan's relentless attacks as "the child's father."

"Master, is there a way to fix this?"

Weigong Shilang turned back — but saw that Nan Gua's eyes seemed to flicker with boundless swordlight.

He sat there silently, saying nothing, until his right hand, examining Weigong Shilang's palm, began trembling uncontrollably.

"Only…"

"Only?"

Weigong Shilang frowned.

"Too shallow. Too ignorant. Excuse me."

"How could this be?!"

In the instant Weigong Shilang cried out, Nan Gua flipped off the folding chair, turned without looking back, and vanished into the crowd.

"No way. Is this real?"

Weigong Shilang's face was filled with despair. He rose numbly and headed toward the Guild: "Work is better. I won't go home for now."

(End of Chapter)

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