Washed-Up Internet Celebrity

When Lu Yan left the Maple Orchid Grand Hotel under invisibility, the hotel manager was organizing urgent electrical repairs. Complaining guests and busy staff were everywhere.

To buy time and keep the hotel staff from immediately checking the presidential suite, Lu Yan had cut off the power to the entire hotel.

For Vengeful Souls that could easily pass through walls, entering the walls and severing the circuits was effortless.

Having dealt with Gongyang Xuanming, this major threat hanging over him, Lu Yan felt little emotional upheaval.

After leaving the Maple Orchid Grand Hotel, Lu Yan glanced at the Soul Banner in his hand, now several times smaller.

Once the damaged Soul Banner had been restored, the drawings on its surface became more intricate, and the three Vengeful Souls it originally controlled had become four.

However, because the fourth Vengeful Soul lacked a cultivator's soul, even though its numbers had been made up with ordinary human souls, it was still somewhat weaker than the other three Vengeful Souls.

The gap between cultivator tiers was difficult to bridge with sheer numbers.

For Demonic Path Magical Artifacts like the Soul Banner, even sacrificing a million mortal souls was far less valuable than the Divine Soul of a Nascent Soul Old Monster.

Still, that was far too distant a prospect for Lu Yan. Having personally completed the Soul Banner's final refinement, he could feel his connection with it growing ever closer.

The Soul Banner's current quality was superior even among low-grade magical artifacts.

"What a pity. There won't be another opportunity this good in the future."

Lu Yan lightly shook his head and sighed.

Today, he had killed Gongyang Xuanming and more than a dozen of his subordinates. In the orderly Urban Version, that absolutely counted as a case shocking enough to rattle the heavens.

Gongyang Xuanming's identity was particularly unusual. His father was suspected to be a Myanmar dignitary, so what happened today would inevitably draw investigation from many sides.

For a while, Lu Yan could only keep a low profile to avoid being dragged into it.

"Gongyang Xuanming only returned to Luo City today, yet he had already arranged for Li Zhaoheng to investigate my information.

"I killed them immediately and completely sealed off the information. Even Information Mapping won't lead back to me."

"But then again, with Gongyang Xuanming's father out there, even if nothing about me was leaked, it still isn't safe enough.

"He was already a powerful figure in the Urban Version. After returning to the Xianxia Version, he might be an elder or high-ranking figure in some Devil Dao Sect.

"With Gongyang Xuanming's identity as a clue, should I consider going to Myanmar and killing his father too, cutting the weeds and digging out the roots?"

The thought flashed through Lu Yan's mind, but it was only a passing notion.

Myanmar was simply too far away. Once he acted, traces would inevitably be left behind.

Gongyang Xuanming's case had already drawn attention. If Lu Yan made another move, he would surely be identified at once.

The arts of the Path of Xian were indeed wondrous, but Lu Yan's cultivation was ultimately too low. Modern technology had its own unique strengths as well; acting rashly would only expose him.

"So... I'll wait until my cultivation has improved somewhat, then find a way to reunite father and son!"

Having made up his mind, Lu Yan entered the mall beside the Maple Orchid Grand Hotel and went into the restroom where he had previously turned invisible.

After dispelling his invisibility, Lu Yan walked out of the restroom with an ordinary expression. During the process, he even used a low-grade Cleanliness Talisman to remove any possible scent of blood from himself.

After reappearing, Lu Yan did not immediately leave the mall. Instead, he strolled around leisurely.

If he had left right after something happened at the Maple Orchid Grand Hotel, any investigation would only arouse suspicion.

The trouble weighing on him had been resolved anyway. He could take this opportunity to enjoy city life; who knew how many versions it would be before he returned to the city again?

Night had already fallen, but the people of Luo City placed great importance on nightlife. Rather than thinning out, the crowds in the mall had grown livelier.

Only then did Lu Yan notice that a small concert was being held at the main entrance on the other side of the mall, drawing quite a few people to stop and watch.

Curious, Lu Yan stopped as well. Onstage, a beautiful young woman was singing.

She wore twin ponytails and a short blue skirt that revealed her fair, slender legs. Her singing was accompanied by an energetic dance, radiating the bright spirit of youth.

For some reason, Lu Yan felt that the girl onstage looked vaguely familiar.

At the edge of the stage near Lu Yan, several young men and women held up their phones, eagerly taking pictures. Many people were also chatting animatedly.

"Who's this? I don't think I've seen her before."

"That's Ji Xingyao. She was a hugely popular internet idol a few years ago. I heard she's from Luo City too. Didn't expect the mall to invite her here."

"What do you mean hugely popular a few years ago? She's obviously a washed-up internet celebrity now!"

"It's Ji Xingyao! I heard she's been playing girls in their teens all this time, but she's actually almost thirty. After that got exposed, her popularity plummeted, and she's basically been half-retired from the internet ever since."

"If this had been two years ago, the whole mall would've been packed solid. How could there be only this many people?"

Listening to the gossip from the onlookers, Lu Yan curiously took out his phone and searched for Ji Xingyao's name.

A social media account soon popped up. Its ID was Jade Polishing.

Looking at the information on it, Lu Yan froze, then wore an expression of utter disbelief.

If it was only Ji Xingyao, Lu Yan had indeed never heard that name before.

But if it was Jade Polishing Fairy, then there was practically no one in Bamboo Forest Market who did not know of her.

Although Bamboo Forest Market was a market for Rogue Cultivators, its minimum requirement was possession of a Spiritual Vein. With only a few Rogue Cultivators at Qi Refining Completion, there was no way they could protect such a large Spiritual Vein, even if Bamboo Forest Market's Spiritual Vein was merely the lowest, first-grade kind.

The secret covetous gazes of Demonic Path Cultivators and Rogue Cultivators alone were enough to give anyone a headache.

Yet Bamboo Forest Market had managed to survive. Its greatest support was that it stood behind an important figure from a Profound Gate Orthodox Sect.

Jade Polishing Fairy, a true disciple of the Azure Parasol Sect and a renowned prodigy cultivator of the Southern Border.

The Azure Parasol Sect claimed to be the master of the eight thousand li mountain ranges of the Southern Border. Though this statement was somewhat exaggerated, no sect dared openly dispute it.

As a true disciple of the Azure Parasol Sect, Jade Polishing Fairy was a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator, with hopes of reaching the Golden Core Realm in the future and becoming a Golden Core True Person with an eight-hundred-year lifespan.

Such a major figure from a Profound Gate Orthodox Sect could protect all of Bamboo Forest Market with a single word. Even disciples from other sects did not dare interfere casually with the market's operations.

During Lu Yan's second month in the Xianxia Version, he had once seen Jade Polishing Fairy inspecting the market. Sect disciples and powerful Rogue Cultivators surrounded her, following in her wake in a truly magnificent display.

However, Jade Polishing Fairy had worn a veil then, and Lu Yan's status had been too low for him to dare look closely.

Now that he thought about it, both Jade Polishing Fairy's figure and appearance seemed to match the washed-up internet celebrity before him.

Yet in terms of temperament, one was cold and lofty while the other was youthful and radiant—two utterly opposite extremes.

"A Demonic Path Cultivator matching up with a Myanmar boss who traffics people can barely be explained away.

"But isn't the gap between a prodigy of the Profound Gate and a washed-up internet celebrity a little too huge?"