No Longer What It Once Was

"Uncle Hai, how much did you win?" Wu Yaozu, his eyes shining, as he leaned closer from the side.

"Let's go to Celestial Tower together tonight!" Meng Xinghai waved his hand vigorously, his eyes and brows shining.

"Uncle Meng is so generous!" Xiang Yiwu also came closer, his thumb as thick as a carrot.

"Xinghai, you've become too impetuous. Ling Canghai Esoteric Sect just talking about someone like you," a dignified old man from the esoteric sect said sternly.

"Martial Uncle," Meng Xinghai greeted.

Then, he whispered in his ear, "Martial Uncle, how was it? Was it a pleasant gathering with me this time?"

"What nonsense are you spouting in front of the child!" The white-haired Martial Uncle glared at him, then left with his hands behind his back.

"Alright, I'll talk to my Martial Uncle over there tonight." Meng Xinghai pointed to the Jade Towers in the distance.

Beside them, Wu Yaozu and Xiang Yiwu were both somewhat stunned. Was their highly respected Martial Uncle so busy? He was preoccupied with all matters of the Esoteric Sect in the Shallow Night, and now he was also throwing himself into the extravagant Celestial Tower late at night.

Meng Xinghai said, "What are you looking at? Everyone has their own burdens."

Wu Yaozu immediately said, "Uncle Hai, we're not afraid of hardship, we're willing to share the burden!"

"Uncle Meng, will you take us again that night?" Xiang Yiwu asked, having never been to Celestial Tower before.

Qin Ming was stunned. If he had known the effect of the Immortal Pact beforehand, he would most likely have fought Li Guang to the death, and the "Sun Elf" girl might very well have become the "Eight Sun Blue Flame."

Meng Xinghai said, "The Immortal Pact has been lost for a long time. Some old fellows in the Beyond the Mundane have studied it for many years, but they haven't been able to recreate it."

Qin Ming immediately felt a deep sense of malice.

Clearly, some old monsters on the Immortal Path want to restore the glorious era when immortals ruled the Night Mist World.

Deep within the night fog, the Immortal Tomb and Divine Grave unearthed by the Sun Elf Race even contained Immortal Pact. Regardless of how profound the lineage there was, the system was certainly quite comprehensive.

Therefore, Immortal Path had immense anticipation for that mist-shrouded region.

After learning the truth, Xiang Yiwu's face darkened. Having walked the New Life Path together, he naturally felt extreme aversion and disgust towards the Immortal Pact.

"Luckily, Ming Ge is strong enough. This was a huge profit for him. In fact, he even gained an elven royal!" Wu Yaozu said.

He added, "Business would be very good just selling my shaved head; some nobles have even secretly asked me to buy it."

Then, he sensed that many people were watching him.

In fact, although the competition had ended, many people had not yet left, and many eyes were still on Qin Ming.

From the young disciples of the Immortal Path to the young nobles of the Great Yu Dynasty, and even some renowned figures, everyone is paying attention.

Even the high-level Immortal Seed all looked over.

Although they were incredibly confident and possessed exceptional charisma, they were now pondering what would happen if they were in their shoes.

Pei Shuyan frowned slightly, recalling his condition when he was in the Second Realm. Cui Chonghe, on the other hand, was deducing, becoming unusually serious.

Jiang Ran, dressed in flowing green robes, was also unusually lost in thought, comparing herself to Qin Ming when she was in the Second Realm —who was stronger?

She is the foremost among her peers in the Beyond-Mundane Immortal Land, and she has the confidence and assurance to back it up.

Beside her, the White-Clad Girl Luo Yao, whispered, "Sister, this guy is really strong. He surpassed me so quickly. I misjudged him back in that remote village."

Then, she saw Jiang Ran raise her head, her eyes flashing with what seemed like lightning, and meet the gaze of Tang Jin, the Black-Clad Woman opposite her.

Jiang Ran smiled and transmitted her voice, "Old woman, I heard you've been selecting successors for your teacher in various places, and even passed through Black White Mountain. Your eyesight is really bad!"

Tang Jin couldn't sit still any longer. It was bad enough that there was a Purple-Eyed Crow bothering her every day, but now this Jiang Ran, who was slightly younger than her, was also trying to cause her trouble.

Qin Ming looked up and saw all sorts of gazes. Immediately, many people smiled at him, some nodded, and many others waved and greeted him.

Clearly, after World War I, his reputation soared dramatically, despite his perfunctory use of the Bronze Mask as a substitute fighter.

Even some of the renowned figures on the Immortal Path no longer paid him any attention; some even nodded slightly at him.

Some nobles were even more enthusiastic, sending messengers to convey their desire to host banquets and make acquaintances.

This is an acknowledgment of his abilities.

Leaving aside the future, in the present Second Realm, he has performed exceptionally well, stunning everyone in front of the South Heaven Gate.

Qin Ming responded with a smile, saying that now was not the time to accept private invitations.

He noticed that Li Qingyue, dressed in white, stood gracefully and smiled as she looked at him.

Little Wu secretly transmitted his voice. "Ming Ge, I noticed. Sister-in-law just glanced in the direction the Sun Elf Race left. It was something else."

"Don't shout nonsense," Qin Ming quickly corrected him.

In the night fog, many cities were brightly lit, all awaiting the latest news: what would be the outcome of the contest on the moon in the Great Yu Capital?

In the various gambling dens, many people were restless and uneasy.

"Need I Say More? The Immortal Path has definitely been shaved again. There's no advantage in the first two realms, and it's hard to change the current situation."

"Alright, hearing you gamblers talk this out of the blue, I know I'm guaranteed to win. Just think about all the super betting rounds, when have you ever not gotten ripped off?"

From teahouses to restaurants, people everywhere are discussing it. Anything related to pioneering, no matter how big or small, will attract everyone's attention.

Soon, above the Great Yu Capital, strange beasts flew out from the bright moon in the night mist.

When the news spread, some people in the casinos laughed, some screamed, some started talking nonsense, and some even fainted. The scene was utterly absurd.

Ordinary people, on the other hand, are simply engaging in heated discussions.

"It was a resounding victory! This time, they completely shaved the Sun Elf Race!"

"I heard it was someone from New Life Path who stepped in to save the day?"

In the evening, Meng Xinghai led Qin Ming, Xiang Yiwu, and the others into the magnificent building— Celestial Tower —built of jade and with gleaming golden tiles.

This place is extremely luxurious, like a palace in the sky. Rare Flowers and Exotic Herbs compete for beauty in front of the jade steps, butterflies dance, maids are dressed as palace maids, Immortal Crane spread their wings in mid-air, and Five-Colored Peacock fly across.

They entered a magnificent Giant Palace, with True Dragon carved on the thick pillars and Immortal Mist flowing on the ground. The place was very spacious, with only a few jade tables and seats.

"It's rather deserted," commented Wu Yaozu.

Meng Xinghai clapped his hands, and immediately a group of women entered. They were all beautiful, and their every move was like that of celestial fairies. They served up delicacies and fine wines.

"Uncle Meng is a regular here!" Xiang Yiwu said.

Soon, Qin Ming and his group realized that the liquor was too strong. After drinking it, they felt like they were on fire, and something was clearly wrong!

In the blink of an eye, they were drenched in sweat.

"Uncle Meng, is this too much? Giving us medicinal wine right off the bat? By the way, when does the 'Dancing Immortals' performance start?" Wu Yaozu asked.

"This wine is very expensive; not a single drop can be wasted," Meng Xinghai said, clapping his hands again. A group of slender, veiled women entered, their dance seemingly distorting the void and causing Spiritual Qi to surge.

Xiang Yiwu exclaimed, "Could this be the legendary Heavenly Demon Dance? It must be really tough being a maid in the Celestial Tower; everyone's cultivation level is quite high!"

"We can begin," Meng Xinghai said.

"What's going on?" Qin Ming sensed something was wrong.

Meng Xinghai said, "Practice your skills! This medicinal wine can remove all the hidden injuries in your bodies, strengthen your foundation, and nourish your vital energy. Quickly circulate your internal energy!"

Then, the group of masked women stepped forward and clapped and hit them, and in the blink of an eye, all three of them groaned.

They were stunned for a moment; upon entering the Celestial Tower, they were actually forced to practice martial arts!

"No, Uncle Hai, what is this...?" Little Wu asked, dumbfounded.

Meng Xinghai said, "What do you think this place is? The bright moon hangs high, it's a sacred place, Celestial Tower is the best place to train. I spent a lot of money to arrange this for you, and these women who assist you all have impressive backgrounds."

A moment later, the three of them almost screamed like ghosts.

They were all being heavily struck; some of these masked women were highly skilled and were hitting them very hard, and they couldn't fight back. They said they were helping them improve their blood circulation and make the medicinal wine more effective.

"You guys practice slowly, I'm going to check on my Martial Uncle." Meng Xinghai left with his wine glass.

"Girl, be gentle. Someone with your level of martial arts skills is working as a maid here?"

A woman laughed and said, "I'm old, over a hundred years old, and there's no hope for the future. This Celestial Tower is the training ground for my sect. Moreover, Master often come here to give me guidance, and I benefit greatly from it."

The three of them were immediately taken aback; Celestial Tower was a lineage of Daoist traditions.

At the same time, they felt extremely uncomfortable. These women were all over a hundred years old? Old Meng is really ruthless!

However, they learned why Old Meng had called it an exorbitant price: these were the women who usually entertained Master, but now they were helping them practice their skills.

"Auntie, don't be so cruel!" Xiang Yiwu's face turned green as he saw a woman wielding an iron bar and charging towards him.

"Your constitution is unique; your body is too large. Simply striking won't improve blood circulation..."

"Bang!"

"Aww!"

An hour later, the three of them were covered in sweat. They had come to Tianque to broaden their Celestial Tower, but they felt like they had been beaten up.

After the medicinal bath, the three of them got up and left immediately, unable to stand the service. It was said that a 160-year-old woman would personally serve them and use finger techniques to open up their blood and meridians.

As they left, they passed a magnificent palace and could clearly hear the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments, the tinkling of zithers, the clinking of glasses between Meng Xinghai and others, and the laughter of that Martial Uncle.

Xiang Yiwu and Wu Yaozu suspected that there were two Celestial Tower on the moon, and that the three of them had entered the wrong place.

"Alright, I've seen it all. The Celestial Tower is nothing special!" Qin Ming said, and left first.

"Brother, we've entered a fake Celestial Tower!" Little Wu was unwilling and indignant.

Xiang Yiwu grimaced in pain. A fairy-like woman, over a hundred years old, was wielding an iron rod and brutally smashing him. Who could understand the feeling? To whom could he tell about this Celestial Tower experience?

Wu Yaozu said, "The more I think about it, the angrier I get. I didn't get to experience the mystery of the Celestial Tower, and I even indirectly got beaten up!"

As he passed by the Moon Palace, he couldn't help but stop, thinking that he should Tathagata here instead.

"We didn't make an appointment," Xiang Yiwu shook his head.

"Please come in, distinguished guests." Someone actually took the initiative to greet them.

Moreover, the waiter, with a smile on his face, led them to the main palace.

Wu Yaozu stopped and said, "Didn't you say that it only accepts renowned figures? If young talents want to enter, they must go to the Third Realm, because there are too many people making reservations here."

Last time, they were turned away here, watching Pei Shuyan, Cui Chonghe, and others, along with some Sun Elf, enter the Moon Palace Main Hall, while they were blocked outside.

"Today, are there any more dazzling young heroes than these three? They have defeated experts from the Sun Elf Race in succession, truly possessing extraordinary talent. They are even more powerful than those Immortal Seed with immortal seeds while still in the Second Realm."

A middle-aged woman walked out with a smile. She was one of the people in charge here. She lowered her posture, apologized for what happened last time, and invited them into the Moon Palace Main Hall.

The air here is filled with the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms and shrouded in mist, truly recreating the Moon Palace from mythology.

However, in Qin Ming's view, it was just a place to drink. After experiencing Celestial Tower, he, Xiang Yiwu, and Little Wu all took it all in stride.

Today, they encountered no unpleasant events, no elven servants came to offer them wine out of the blue, but a noble lady did send over a bottle of fine wine.

"Who?"

The attendant informed them, "The Great Yu Dynasty the daughter of Marquis Wuping Pei Yan, who possesses the potential to become a god."

Some people wanted to invite the three of them for a drink and a private chat.

At this moment, the Sun Elf Race received the news, and someone immediately said, "They've entered the Moon Palace. Let's go see them and see how to resolve the issue of the Immortal Pact."

"Hopefully they won't ask for an exorbitant price!"