Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Soon after Yang Kai appeared, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out and several figures flew over from the horizon, coming to a stop above the Spirit Lake!
These few people only stood mid-air and they didnât release their auras, yet all the cultivators cultivating here were alarmed by their arrival and raised their heads to look at them.
When they got a clear look at the faces of those few people, they all drew a sharp, cold breath of air.
âSeven Glories Chamber of Commerceâs Cheng Yuan!â
âViolet Source Chamber of Commerceâs Lou Chi!â
âEven Star Soul Palaceâs Senior Xiao has come!â
Those six were familiar faces to Maplewood Cityâs cultivators. When the Luan Feng had appeared last time, it was these six Emperors who had come to Maplewood City to carry out an investigation, and it was also they who opened Star Soul Palaceâs Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda for the cityâs cultivators.
The cultivators had assumed that they were already very lucky to see these great Seniors one time in their lives and never expected to see them again.
But just two years later, these six Seniors had gathered in Maplewood City again. This was all but an impossible occurrence for the little Maplewood City.
Usually, an Emperor Realm Master might not pass by here even once in dozens of years, yet several Emperor Realm Masters were now visiting this small city repeatedly.
The Spirit Lakeâs vicinity descended into silence as the crowd looked up into the sky respectfully.
It looked like those six Emperors had also thought of the same issue as they observed the situation and Violet Source Chamber of Commerceâs Lou Chi chuckled as he spoke, âI always thought Maplewood City was anything but ordinary and had been considering opening a branch here, but unfortunately, I hadnât found the time to do so. Now, it looks like I canât delay this matter any longer.â
Maplewood City had some shops owned and operated by Violet Source Chamber of Commerce, one of which was managed by Kang Si Ran, but shops werenât the same thing as a branch.
A branch was more like a representative of the chamber of commerce and it would be overseen by powerful Masters. An ordinary shop varied greatly in scale, but Spirit Pill Plaza was a decent example. It was only a little store, one that was so unimportant that Lou Chi wouldnât have ever heard of it if so many incidents hadnât occurred in Maplewood City.
As for branches, Lou Chi had a thorough understanding of the situation of every one of them.
If Violet Source Chamber of Commerce opened a branch here, then it would greatly improve the cityâs economy and Maplewood City might become something more than a small unknown city in the near future.
âGlib words!â Ceng Yuan sneered. Seven Glories and Violet Source were the two greatest chambers of commerce in the Southern Territory and had an intense rivalry between them; as such, whenever Ceng Yuan and Lou Chi met, they would inevitably get into a verbal spat.
Upon hearing Lou Chiâs statement, Ceng Yuan couldnât help but say mockingly, âFatty Luo, if you had such good foresight, why didnât you say so earlier?â
Lou Chi squinted his eyes and cast a glance at Ceng Yuan, snorting as he said, âMy acute foresight isnât something the likes of you can comprehend.â
âGo on, continue bragging. In any case, bragging wonât cost you money,â Ceng Yuan wore a disdainful look.
Lou Chi let out an infuriated shout and turned his face toward Xiao Yu Yang, cupping his fists as he said, âSenior Xiao, I want to have a duel against this horse-faced freak, a duel to the death.â
Ceng Yuanâs brows twitched and veins popped out of his forehead, gnashing his teeth as he snapped, âSuch insolence! And just who are you calling a horse-faced freak?â
As his face fell, his long face looked longer than it already was.
Lou Chi cast a sidelong glance at him then snorted and said, âThen, who are you calling a fatty?â
Ceng Yuan mocked, âYou ARE fat, yet youâre admonishing people for pointing out the truth? I dare you to slice off your fat belly,â as he spoke, he chuckled and patted Lou Chiâs large belly.
Lou Chi moved back several steps and snapped, âHey, horse-faced freak, weâre having a civilized talk here, so keep your hands to yourself.â He turned his head and looked at Xiao Yu Yang then said, âSenior Xiao, you witnessed everything just now, didnât you? That bastard is going too far! Today, I must fight to my last breath against him.â
âEnough, enough,â Xiao Yu Yangâs brow twitched as he waved his hand. âYouâre both businessmen, so donât you understand that amiability makes money? Why are you fighting and quarrelling with each other at every meeting? Youâre embarrassing yourselves in front of everyone down below.â
Upon hearing this, Lou Chi and Cheng Yuan both looked down and noticed that many eyes were observing them, and many jaws had become loose. Everyone was observing these Emperor Realm Masters in stunned shock.
âItâs really so embarrassing to stand with you,â Gao Xue Ting looked at them disdainfully.
âThatâs right, our dignified status and prestige have been brought down by them,â Chen Wen Hao said expressionlessly.
Feng Ming chuckled and his eyes started shining brightly, but his expression suddenly changed as he looked towards a certain region and said in surprise, âHuh, isnât that the boy who refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill? Why is he here in Maplewood City?â
The crowd followed his gaze and their eyes landed on Yang Kai.
âItâs really him!â Xiao Yu Yang smiled and said, âNow that you mention it⌠I always thought his face looked familiar, it turns out I had once seen him in Maplewood City before.â
âThis boy is quite the talent, our Violet Source Chamber of Commerce needs him,â Lou Chi looked at Yang Kai with a flickering gaze.
Ceng Yuan snorted, âDidnât he say that heâs already a member of a Sect? It isnât up to you to recruit him.â
Lou Chi sneered and said, âIf I step in personally, then which Sect wonât give me face? Horse-faced freak, I have to tell you now, if you dare to fight with me over him, then Iâll really kill you today.â
Ceng Yuan furrowed his brows and kept his silence. It looked like he was mulling over the pros and cons of this matter.
Gao Xue Ting said calmly, âVice President Lou, why are you making such decisions by yourself? Did you forget to ask for my opinion?â
Upon hearing this, Lou Chiâs eyes widened as he looked at Gao Xue Ting in surprise, âWhat does this have to do with you?â
Gao Xue Ting brushed her hair back behind her ear and declared, âThat boy is already mineâŚâ
*Gudong!*
A gulping noise echoed out while an odd look appeared on Xiao Yu Yangâs face. He couldnât help but cast some odd glances towards Gao Xue Ting.
âYou⌠Yours?â Lou Chi couldnât help but stutter. He felt like a lot of information was hidden behind those few words.
Ceng Yuan was also dumbfounded and he said weakly, âDoesnât Temple Master Wen have⌠any objections?â
âWhy would he object to this?â Gao Xue Ting saw the confusion in Ceng Yuanâs face and wondered what he was talking about, but she quickly understood something and her expression turned cold while a faint blush filled her cheeks.
The Emperor Artifact, Radiant Sun Mirror, appeared above Gao Xue Tingâs head and raging flames burst from its surface as she declared coldly, âIf you dare indulge in such absurd thoughts, Iâll cut you into eighteen pieces.â
âWhy is it such a specific number!? Whatâs so special about that?â Lou Chi was a businessman and he couldnât help taking notice of this odd point
âThatâs not the pointâŚâ Ceng Yuan cast a disdainful glance at Lou Chi then looked at Gao Xue Ting and said, âDoes that mean this boy is already a disciple of Azure Sun Temple?â
Gao Xue Ting only snorted coldly in response and stored her Radiant Sun Mirror away, playing it off lightly.
She wouldnât tell them that she had tried to recruit Yang Kai but was refused. It was an embarrassing tale after all. She was an Elder of the great Azure Sun Temple, yet she couldnât even entice a single Dao Source Realm Junior to join her Sect. Even if she told them this, they might not believe her.
Xiao Yu Yang smiled, âThat little girl Lan Xun thinks quite highly of this boy and believes he will accomplish great things in the future. Elder Gao, I have to congratulate you for recruiting him already.â
As the six Emperors exchanged a few words, they kept a close eye on Yang Kai.
The people next to Yang Kai were all engulfed by a strong wave of pressure and beads of sweat dripped down their foreheads.
Amazement was apparent in most peopleâs eyes as they all wondered why so many Masters were eyeing Yang Kai.
âFine, we have already assembled and we have to start dealing with the Spirit Lakeâs matter,â Xiao Yu Yang changed the subject and looked toward the Spirit Lake beneath them with a flickering gaze, âI have already obtained some information about this place before arriving here, but I didnât expect that the World Energy would be this dense.â
Chen Wen Haoâs expression changed as he asked in a deep voice, âHow is it in comparison to the Star Soul Palaceâs Heaven Grade cultivation paradise?
The other people also looked at Xiao Yu Yang curiously. They all wanted to know more about the efficacy of Star Soul Palaceâs treasured lands.
Xiao Yu Yang fell silent for a moment before replying, âItâs not on par, but itâs not far off.â
Upon hearing this, they were all shocked.
The Spirit Lake beneath them was the land with the densest World Energy they had seen in their lives, and it was vastly superior to any cultivation paradise in their respective Sects, yet it still wasnât on par with Star Soul Palaceâs Heaven Grade cultivation paradise. One could only imagine how high the density of World Energy was in that place.
It was no wonder that Star Soul Palace was the hegemon of the Southern Territory. Even if they didnât have a peak-level Master such as Bright Moon Great Emperor, they would still be able to nurture a lot of experts with their Heaven Grade cultivation paradise, enough to ensure the Sectâs prosperity and dominance at least.
Upon realizing the large disparity between them, the other Emperors couldnât help feeling a bit dejected.
âThis isnât the time to talk about this. The Spirit Lake below us has eighteen Spirit Spring Eyes and this lake has been formed by the unending stream of World Energy flowing out from them; however, if it goes on like this, then it will dry out shortly. We need to seal this land,â as Xiao Yu Yang spoke, he turned to Lou Chi and said, âBrother Lou, I remember that your Emperor Artifact, the Unified Ceremonial Record, has sealing powers, doesnât it?â
Lou Chi smiled proudly, âSenior Xiao is not mistaken.â
Xiao Yu Yang said, âThen Iâll have to trouble you with this.â
Lou Chi said, âSenior Xiao, Iâm at your command.â
As he spoke, his expression turned solemn as he strode forward, leaving visible ripples in the air, one that spread out rapidly.
As a boundless Emperor Pressure filled the region, the cultivators in the vicinity realized that the Emperor Realm Masters were finally making a move. Their expressions changed and they all moved back, trying to avoid getting caught up in whatever was about to happen.
As for Lou Chi, he stretched out his hand and summoned a heavy-looking book before him, one that gave off a profound and ancient aura. Apparently, this book had been baptized by the endless flow of time for many, many years.
The crowdâs gazes were attracted by it and Yang Kaiâs eyes flickered upon seeing it.
Yang Kai knew that the book taken out by Lou Chi was an Emperor Artifact, but this was the first time he had seen such a type of Emperor Artifact and he couldnât help but wonder what kind of miraculous abilities it possessed.
âThe Emperor Artifact, Unified Ceremonial Record!â Duan Yuan Shan next to him had apparently recognized this artifact though and uttered its name in a low voice.