The ground was a battlefield of slaughter that shook the heavens.
The sky was calm, clouds light and winds gentle.
Two middle-aged men sat cross-legged in midair, wearing Daoist robes of different styles, each looking every inch the immortal sage.
Lei Hua of Jun Tian Immortal Estate stroked his goatee and looked at the gloomy middle-aged man opposite him, who was frowning.
"Brother Mo Hai, gathering 'sins' may be a little tedious, but there's no need to wear such a miserable face, is there?"
"Or could it be..."
The corners of Lei Hua's lips lifted, and his voice gained a trace of mockery.
"Could it be that the ancestor of your Profound Heaven Sword Sect still can't let go of the missing Mo Yuan, so he refuses to release the true inheritance and sent you off to do this thankless work instead?"
"That makes sense. Mo Yuan was a peerless prodigy, and back then, the name 'Sword Master of the Questioning Heart' spread throughout Canglan..."
"Shut up!" Mo Hai roared, cutting him off before saying coldly,
"There is no Profound Heaven Sword Sect now. There is only one of the Ten Direction Immortal Courts—the Profound Sword Heavenly Palace!"
"Furthermore, Mo Yuan betrayed Canglan and was struck from the Heavenly Palace's rolls a thousand years ago!"
Lei Hua's smile faded, while the curiosity in his eyes deepened.
"Now that the Immortal Court rules the world, we possess the Karma Fire Refined Golden Core method, and our lifespans stretch long and far, no less than the legendary ancient immortal realm. What could possibly trouble you, Brother Mo Hai?"
"What troubles me is precisely the Golden Cores!"
Mo Hai lowered his gaze to the jade bottle that was drawing in trickling streams of blood.
Canglan was vast beyond measure, with mortals too numerous to count and impossible to kill cleanly. They could provide an endless supply of "sins."
Yet "sins" were merely fuel. Golden Cores were the foundation.
To prevent a repeat of the Tianji Upheaval Era from a thousand years ago, no immortal arts were circulated in the mortal world at all. The sole channel for obtaining Golden Cores was the myriad worlds beyond the heavens.
Under the command of the Earth Immortal ancestors of the various sects, the former Ten Immortal Sects had transformed into the Ten Directions Heavenly Court. Each suppressed one region of Canglan while controlling the ascension platforms of a thousand worlds.
Every year, tens of millions of expendables ascended, supplying an ocean of Golden Cores!
Those born with Nine Revolutions would be offered directly to the ancestors.
Those below Nine Revolutions could also use the Karma Fire Refined Golden Core method to make up the acquired Nine Revolutions, keeping them for cultivation and life extension.
But in the past year,
the number of ascenders under his Profound Sword Heavenly Palace had suddenly plummeted. In an entire year, they had not even gathered a million Golden Cores!
"Golden Cores?"
Lei Hua's eyes shifted as he cautiously said,
"Brother Mo Hai, to be honest, production at my Jun Tian Immortal Estate has also fallen somewhat this year. I wonder how things stand in the Profound Sword Heavenly Palace. Have you reported it to the Dao Ancestor..."
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The humming shook heaven and earth.
The two swiftly turned to look in every direction. Ten pillars of golden light descended from different quarters, each enveloping one area.
Those were where the Ten Direction Immortal Courts stood!
"The Dao Ancestor's decree!"
Mo Hai and Lei Hua changed color at once. With no time for farewells, and without sparing another glance at the jade bottle still absorbing "sins," they turned into streaks of light and sped off in separate directions.
Profound Sword Heavenly Palace.
A colossal palace floated in the air, hidden amid clouds and mist. Figure after figure knelt upon the ground, bowing reverently toward the golden pillar of light deep within the palace.
Beneath the pillar of light,
"A decree?"
The old man was vigorous and alert, his hair glossy black. He casually reached into the light pillar and retrieved an irregularly shaped jade talisman.
"A World-Breaking Talisman capable of containing a Body Integration Realm?"
The old man raised his brows and said in surprise,
"You really are willing to spend lavishly!"
After his words fell, no response came. The golden pillar of light suddenly withdrew upward and vanished beyond the heavens.
The old man paid it no mind and casually extended his right hand.
In a flicker, a streak of light flew from his palm and fell to the ground. It was Mo Hai, who had been hurrying back.
Mo Hai blankly lifted his head and met a pair of chilling eyes. He hurriedly bowed in obedience.
"Disciple Mo Hai pays respects to Ancestor Xuan Ling!"
"Body Integration in a thousand years! After eating so many Golden Cores, your cultivation has finally surpassed Mo Yuan's back then."
Xuan Ling licked his lips and tossed out the jade talisman in his hand.
"This is a World-Breaking Talisman. Go take a trip through the myriad worlds!"
"With production dropping so sharply, the Heavenly Palace's stockpile won't last more than a few years. You don't want to watch this ancestor of yours turn white-haired and aged, do you?"
Mo Hai shuddered from head to toe and hurriedly accepted it with both hands.
"Rest assured, Ancestor. This disciple will surely investigate the cause, set chaos right, and never delay Ancestor's grand plan for eternal life!"
"At least you have some filial piety..."
Xuan Ling smiled in satisfaction, the chilling look in his eyes receding as he looked at the World-Breaking Talisman.
"Keep it safe. It is more important than your life!"
"Hmm?!"
Mo Hai's expression froze. He carefully examined the jade talisman in his hand, yet could not discern anything unusual about it.
"Hehe, don't forget how the myriad worlds came to be!"
Xuan Ling stood with his hands behind his back and said meaningfully,
"If not for the Tianji Disc, that immortal artifact, those brats from the Tianji Sect would never have been qualified to contend with Cang Yan..."
His voice gradually faded. Xuan Ling raised his gaze, glanced at the roof above, and stopped there, leaving the rest unsaid.
Hearing him casually speak the Dao Ancestor's true name made Mo Hai's heart tremble with fear. He dared not linger and immediately took his leave.
"Ancestor, World No. 9527 has not produced a single Golden Core for three hundred years. This disciple's trip down to the lower realm will begin with investigating it. Please send this disciple on his way."
"World No. 9527? It truly is time to investigate it properly."
Xuan Ling lightly nodded and swept his sleeve.
Mo Hai instantly rose with the wind, shooting toward a great star beneath the cold white moonlight beyond the heavens.
"I hope it's quick! This old man doesn't want to go hungry again!"
On the ground, the old man's lips curled upward into an exaggerated grin. He reached into his sleeve with his right hand, pulled out a handful of brilliant Golden Cores etched with nine blood-red patterns, and stuffed them into his mouth.
His grim white teeth bit down. The pills shattered, and golden light spilled from his mouth...
At the same time, throughout the ten regions of Canglan,
figures like Mo Hai rose from the various Immortal Courts and sped toward great stars shrouded in cold white moonlight.
Those were all worlds they had carefully selected as having the most severe problems.
World No. 9527.
"Welcome aboard Tianji Group's Spirit Energy Series 'Special-985' train. The train crew will serve you wholeheartedly!"
The warm announcement, tinged with a hint of mechanical stiffness, echoed through the carriage.
Jade screens hung along both sides, repeatedly playing all kinds of advertisements.
Tianji Brand Strength Pills, Tianji Brand Clarity Pills, Tianji Brand Qi Gathering Pills...
Tianji Brand Class-C Flying Swords, Tianji Brand Light Transmission Jade Slips, Tianji Brand Home Purification Arrays...
The passengers were dressed in fashionable clothing. Some were drawn in by the advertisements on either side, while others frowned and complained.
No one noticed that an extra person had suddenly appeared in an empty seat near the front.
No, one person had noticed!
In a corner, Zhang Tinnan lowered the New Factory Planning Outline in his hands and stared at the middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared ahead.
A middle-aged man carrying a longsword on his back and dressed in ancient-style clothing!
His thoughts turned only once before he made a decision. His fingers brushed over a transmission talisman, silently sending out a message.
Then he rubbed both hands over his face, kneading it into a standard smile.
With a smile on his face, Zhang Tinnan rose, crossed the long aisle, and stopped before the bewildered middle-aged man. He bowed and cupped his hands in salute.
"This junior, Zhang Tinnan, pays respects to Senior!"