Chapter 539: The Glories of Old, Reborn Today

Le Wen Qin, double-tap the screen to auto-scroll lwshuku

Osmanthus frost chills the dew; occasional heavenly fragrance drifts on distant winds. The beautiful woman with white hair, like falling rain, offered the Wu Gong manual with a hint of apology, her gaze shyly fixed on the two before her.

"Thank you for your patronage—two thousand seven hundred and fifteen, just two thousand seven hundred will do," Bai Yuxiu said.

Su Lin tried to lift his usual right arm and pull away, but Yi Leina held him tighter: "Why is this Wu Gong so expensive?"

A faint aroma of essential oil, like a blend of bergamot and lemon leaf, drifted through the air—how to describe it?

The witch's scent is truly delightful.

Question Rosell, understand Rosell, but do not become Rosell—do not be Rosell.

"Huh? Because it's the repository of all Wu Gong from our world. You said earlier that once I found the complete version of Wu Xiang Gong, I could come back to you for the final payment," Bai Yuxiu said. Su Lin's expression suddenly grew peculiar.

That damn future person is showing off his face here in Tiancheng?!

"Do you guys even do delivery before payment?"

"Normally not, but Young Master Su's character is trustworthy, so it's perfectly fine."

Bai Yuxiu recalled how Su Lin had just guided them on improvements to the cultivation method and gifted them several items.

Yi Leina tugged his arm and asked: "Compared to white hair and red eyes, do you actually prefer white hair and blue eyes?"

White hair and blue eyes? No, right now I actually prefer gray hair—this guy's eyes are quite nice too.

"..." Su Lin realized he was probably in over his head.

Whatever. Gu Tianwang is tired too—let it be.

He just wanted to settle the bill quickly, find a quiet place, and clarify things with the annoying witch beside him. If she calmed down, analyzed the situation, and helped restore her normal state, he would push his Gu Tianwang cultivation to its highest level to eliminate the side effects.

When the heart holds no woman, the sword naturally becomes divine.

Life is about experiencing all kinds of things—think carefully, isn't it just the swordsmith's romantic entanglements? Oh, sword-severing romantic entanglements.

If this woman is serious... what if she truly likes me?

"Young Master Su, should I come back later?"

Bai Yuxiu felt she shouldn't be here—she hadn't expected that just moments ago, Young Master Su had been with another Miss, and now he was so close to this gray-haired girl, eyes and attention fixed entirely on her.

Is this what they call being amorous?

"Even if you stare at me like that, I have no money," Yi Leina sighed, surprised: "Do you actually like me spending money on you?!"

"Ssshh—! That's actually possible." Su Lin gasped, eyes wide, heart pounding wildly—he felt a sudden impulse that maybe this was fine too.

Yi Leina released her grip and smiled politely: "Then let's break up."

"Wait—have we even started dating?" Su Lin rubbed his eyes, pulled out his Tiancheng token, and prepared to transfer payment: "Why didn't I see you at the Wu Gong Exchange Competition before?"

"The North Wu Zhenxian invited several of us candidates to use our permissions to lift Tiancheng's defenses," Bai Yuxiu said, glancing at the increased payment amount, delighted: "Thank you, Young Master Su. Welcome again."

"Why lift Tiancheng's defenses?" Su Lin asked, puzzled.

"Huh? I don't know," Bai Yuxiu suddenly froze, pupils dilating, lips slightly parted, as if lost in confusion: "He asked us to agree to his request, so we agreed—why lift the defenses?"

Bai Yuxiu raised her hand and pressed it to her forehead. After a moment of hesitation, she looked up at Su Lin.

"Young Master Su, I..."

Esteemed guests, after careful deliberation, our Yinglong Tower has decided to raise the rewards for this Grand Multiverse Exchange Competition to their maximum.

Within the infinitely vast Yinglong Tower, a genderless voice echoed, devoid of emotion.

We shall grant all guests the same reward:

Every person in Tiancheng shall receive the resources of an entire universe!

Dead silence—even the Black Emperor and King Dou Dou on the opposite shore stopped calling out.

It felt like auditory hallucination—people wondered if someone was drunk and babbling, or deliberately mocking others.

Do you even hear what you're saying?

One universe's resources per person? Then you can have the title of City Lord!

Calm down. When something like this happens, first suspect it's Aha's doing. If not, then Hong Zhong has revived inside Li Huowang—or Li Huowang brought Zhao Lei here.

The suffering of all attachments, the imperishability of all beings, every long-held wish shall be fulfilled.

How fortunate am I to enter the Great Vow Heaven! North Wu Zhenxian invites all fellow cultivators to board the Great Vow Vessel!

The moment the North Wu Zhenxian's voice rang out, the air and sight of heaven and earth twisted and bent. Countless vortices surged into view amid a phantom star-sea, the sound of konghou music never ceasing, as beautiful as celestial melodies.

Heaven and earth overturned, myriad universes manifested simultaneously. One by one, universes brimming with infinite potential appeared as vortices beyond spatial description, each enveloping a person and pulling them in.

"At a time like this, think about what Dad would do... unlucky, unlucky, unlucky, unlucky!!!"

"My Lord, flee quickly—!"

"The Sea of Realms!? No—these aren't broken worlds!"

"This is too delightful! Hohohoho! Bishop, Bishop, I love you like a mouse loves rice! Hohohohohoho!"

"I told you we should've been cautious. Let's get out of here."

"Jiejiejie! Just a small problem—Brother Gu, save me!"

One after another, figures were swallowed by the vortices—time and space both warped, escape impossible.

"Fellow cultivators, don't rush—I'll calculate... Don't worry, this is an excellent omen!"

A certain area fell into sudden silence.

"Mommy, I want to go home!!!"

"Yesterday returns! Yesterday returns! Yesterday returns!"

"This isn't a simulated universe?! Impossible, impossible, puh—!"

Watching a giant monkey's position replaced by a Confucian scholar, Henghuo Zunzhe, enraged and heart-broken, spat blood and vanished into the vortex.

"Is this what you meant by 'interesting,' Shu Hang?"

"Senior Bai, let me explain—AAAAAAAH—!"

Song Shuhang hadn't even finished speaking when his entire body was twisted and stretched into a long strand, swallowed by the vortex.

"Hehe, indeed quite interesting."

Occasionally, someone would erupt with divine light and immortal radiance, breaking through the cosmic vortex's blockade, or unleash supreme divine arts that summoned countless marvels—only to be swallowed by the surging tide rushing from the star sea, dragged into new whirlpools.

These cosmic vortices began colliding, tearing apart, and merging, eventually forming above the endless star sea an unprecedented massive vortex, as infinite starlight poured into it from all directions at once.

It kept expanding, extending, until it swallowed the entire City of All Heavens.

Shang Yue gripped tightly the City Lord token of the City of All Heavens in his hand, unable to tell whether the Northern Wu Zhenxian's gaze was pity or mockery—but either way, it meant nothing to him now.

"What did you do to me?"

"After decades, you've finally matured a little, young Shang Yue."

The Northern Wu Zhenxian smiled faintly, turning to gaze at the endless star sea rising toward the horizon: "The experience brought by longevity or immortality is the finest nourishment for a being's growth—but it is also a poison that intoxicates one with comfort."

"I asked what you did to me?!" Shang Yue roared, the token in his hand flashing a streak of light as his massive points rapidly drained.

Boom!

The Northern Wu Zhenxian was crushed onto the ground, his limbs contorted by an irresistible force.

"I take back what I just said," the Northern Wu Zhenxian said calmly, his smile unchanged. "But if you wish to know, I'll tell you—do you understand karma?"

In Shang Yue's stunned gaze, the Northern Wu Zhenxian rose from the ground, gently brushed his robes, and the invisible pressure vanished from his body.

"Karma is the value a person once created—the lives they helped, the crimes they committed, the grudges and debts they accumulated. Vow-power, meanwhile, is the driving force: the original intention, the ideal, hope, longing, desire. They sound noble, don't they?"

The Northern Wu Zhenxian slowly began tidying his robes, then combed his disheveled hair.

"The universe has a fundamental projection law: whatever influence you bring will inevitably rebound upon you at some time, regardless of whether it is good or bad, light or heavy."

"Young friend, do you still remember the Return-Realm Flying Shuttle I once gave you? You longed to return home—well, I have one capable of traversing the void, able to simulate the authority of supreme divine artists, leaping across world after world. That device's cost is extremely high."

"In short, I helped you. The influence from that good deed, and the vow-power generated by fulfilling your wish, returned to me—just as I am now answering your questions, satisfying your thirst for knowledge."

Snap! Snap!

Under Shang Yue's growing terror, the Northern Wu Zhenxian lightly clapped his hands.

"Young friend, jump down from here—I've prepared a universe for you."

Shang Yue's body began moving. He knew the other man had ill intent, yet he could not resist this influence; strangely, his heart felt he truly ought to do it.

"Young friend, I'm curious—are you truly the reincarnation of that City Lord?"

As he walked toward the tower's edge, Shang Xiaoyue stepped out from the side, head bowed, tears in her eyes, silently watching Shang Yue.

"Xiaoyue…" Shang Yue frowned.

The Northern Wu Zhenxian placed a crown upon his head and said:

"Don't blame her—blame yourself. When you first entered the City of All Heavens, you were too conspicuous. A child who understood nothing, not even cultivation—where did you get all those rare treasures? From that moment, I suspected you had received some legacy."

Under Shang Yue's gaze, filled with mixed emotions, the Northern Wu Zhenxian opened the City of All Heavens' treasure vault.

"Don't worry, young friend—she'll help me with some tasks. Afterward, you two can be together."

The Northern Wu Zhenxian glanced back at Shang Yue, about to tumble over the edge, and smiled: "I'm actually quite kind, aren't I?"

"Bei Wu, I'll f*** your mother!!!"

Shang Yue's voice vanished instantly. Outside the tower, the celestial music of the konghou echoed through the vast span of time—leaving only the footsteps of Bei Wu and Shang Xiaoyue.

The third treasure vault opened. The fourth treasure vault opened. The fifth treasure vault…

"Sorry, your points are insufficient," Shang Xiaoyue said coldly.

"There's nothing to be done," the Northern Wu Zhenxian withdrew his hand from the vault door.

"Don't look at me like that. Blame only the bizarre individuals who appeared in the Qiongqi Tower—they shattered all my plans. Otherwise, I could have competed fairly with others for centuries."

"Under this pressure, I had to resort to special methods. You must know that under normal circumstances, over ninety-nine percent of the City of All Heavens' inhabitants lack even the qualification to enter the Great Vow Celestial Universe."

"That's enough…"

A cold, clear moonlight pierced through layers of spacetime, descending from a Yinglong token and resonating with the Jade Ruyi at the Northern Wu Zhenxian's waist.

"Huuu—call forth all beings of the Ten Thousand Realms, and ascend together upon the Great Vow Vessel."

Amidst a deep, prolonged chant, the colossal vortex that had swallowed the City of All Heavens shrank to an infinitesimal point. A slender, elongated hand—appearing from nowhere—grasped the vortex and cast it onto a golden colossal ship, its surface shimmering like a mirrored membrane, flowing with light.

The collective vow-power of all beings condensed into countless stars, filling the ancient, sorrowful sea of birth and death in serene time.

Heaven and sea inverted. The Great Vow Vessel, bearing infinite star seas, sailed toward the distance.

Su Lin watched the news on TV, his eyes dry from prolonged use, eyelids twitching incessantly.

He idly opened his computer's browser, going straight to his last search history.

Today, nothing strange happened anywhere—calm and peaceful.

He picked up the eye drops beside the table and dripped two drops into his dry eyes.

He understood: there was no chat group, no City of All Heavens, no Yi Leina—just a urban protagonist with a system, imagining a world the moment he was reborn.

This was a normal Parallel World.

Su Lin yawned, walked to the fridge, took out a box of strawberry milk—sugar and protein helped replenish mental energy after fantasy.

There was no monthly maintenance bug requiring months of effort in another root timeline.

There were no endless memorials to approve; the only pleasure was arranging for the holy immortals and gods who had abandoned their duties to reincarnate—making them endure endless, fruitless love triangles: he loved her, she loved him, he fell for him again.

Hmm, most importantly, no Kleine's mouth.

"Wai rui gu de," Su Lin set down the strawberry milk, scratched his armpit, and pulled a bag of chips from thin air. He sat on the sofa and turned on the TV with the remote.

If there were a mute Kleine, that wouldn't be bad either. Though he couldn't speak, as a good friend, I'd never discriminate against him—I'd even find him a kind, beautiful, wealthy woman who could read minds.

By the way—

What the hell is this on TV?

Only 998! Only 998! Take home the Soul-Replenishing Purple Pill! Honored product of Wujin Huoyu Group, Dan Alliance Co., Ltd.!

All the finest goods of the Ten Thousand Realms, gathered in one place! Buy authentic magical artifacts at Ye Zhetian Shangcheng!

Yuzhe Sect is recruiting.

Tap!

Su Lin turned off the TV, clicked his tongue, and pulled out his phone to select a news clip to pass the time.

Is this a live foreign news interview?

Not bad. Even though I don't understand the foreign language, it's still interesting to watch.

"This year's snowfall is especially heavy. What are your thoughts on it?"

A man and a woman flanked a girl with gray-white long hair; she covered her face with both hands, looking extremely shy and unwilling to face the camera, while the faces of the man and woman were strange, shrouded in a mass of Bai Guang.

"Snowfall while with a lover fills one with a special atmosphere—I love it," they said in unison.

Su Lin slowly rose and walked to the window, opened it, and six pure white wings appeared.

The live news on his phone was drowned out by a violent explosion and Bai Guang.

(End of Chapter)

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by, Lewen lwshuku