A Massive Upheaval in the Chat Group

"If you wish to visit the Queen Mother of the West, Fellow Daoist, I'm afraid I can't be of much help."

Yang Xuan laid matters out first. Otherwise, he truly did not know what meaning there was in the other party seeking him out.

Moreover, the Queen Mother of the West's sacred ground was not somewhere just anyone could enter. Though Red Cloud was a great mighty one, he had no friendship with the Queen Mother of the West. Paying an abrupt visit would only be improper.

It might even sour the karmic bond between himself and the Queen Mother of the West.

Red Cloud burst into hearty laughter and waved his hand. "You misunderstand, Fellow Daoist. I wasn't asking you to introduce me to the Queen Mother of the West. I merely mentioned it in passing; there is no need to take it to heart."

Zhen Yuanzi also nodded slightly, his expression calm. "Red Cloud and I merely saw that you and the Queen Mother of the West were conversing most pleasantly, and we became curious. There was no other intention."

Yang Xuan quietly breathed a sigh of relief, though nothing showed on his face. He cupped his hands and said, "I was overthinking things. I hope the two Fellow Daoists will forgive me."

Red Cloud smiled. "Forgiven, forgiven. By the way, where do you plan to go now that you have returned to the Primordial World? If you have no urgent business, why not travel with the two of us?

"Though the Dao Ancestor's voice guided us here through the chaos, the road back is not so easy to traverse. Zhen Yuanzi and I often come and go, so we know the way like the backs of our hands. We can give you a lift."

Yang Xuan's heart stirred.

Now that the sermon had ended and the Dao Ancestor's voice had faded, there was neither direction nor up or down within the chaos. Without the guidance of a great mighty one, it was indeed easy to lose one's way.

Red Cloud and Zhen Yuanzi were both great mighty ones at the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal level. Traveling with them would be both safe and effortless.

"Then I must thank you both, Fellow Daoists." Yang Xuan did not decline.

The group left the Purple Cloud Palace, and before them immediately stretched the boundless chaos.

Red Cloud drew a crimson cloud from his sleeve. With a flick, it unfurled in the wind and expanded into a vast platform thousands of zhang across, hovering in midair.

The cloud was crimson from end to end, its edges lined with gold, radiating a gentle glow.

Red Cloud stepped onto it first and said with a smile, "This is my companion-born treasure, a Red Cloud. It is not suited for battle, but when it comes to carrying people on a journey, nothing is steadier. Zhen Yuanzi, come aboard as well."

Zhen Yuanzi did not stand on ceremony. He stepped onto the cloud and stood at Red Cloud's side.

Yang Xuan followed closely behind. Stepping onto the cloud, he found it soft beneath his feet, like walking on cotton, yet as steady as level ground.

Red Cloud formed a hand seal, and the red cloud slowly rose, drifting toward the depths of the chaos.

Endless chaotic qi surrounded them, a murky gray expanse where east, west, south, and north could not be told apart.

Yet Red Cloud was entirely composed, moving freely through the chaos.

Standing atop the cloud, Yang Xuan sensed the chaotic qi around him.

His true body was rooted on Mount Buzhou, absorbing chaotic qi day after day, so chaos was not unfamiliar to him.

Yet now that he was within the chaos itself, gray currents surged in every direction. That vast desolation and immensity made Yang Xuan feel incomparably small.

"Is this your first time in the chaos, Fellow Daoist?"

Red Cloud asked.

"It is." Yang Xuan nodded. "Had the Queen Mother of the West not guided me, I fear I would not even have caught sight of the Purple Cloud Palace."

Red Cloud sighed. "Indeed. The Dao Ancestor's sermon was the greatest opportunity in the Primordial World. Had the Dao Ancestor not spoken, this chaos would be endless and boundless; even a quasi-saint might not have found the Purple Cloud Palace. Back then, I was fortunate enough to receive Zhen Yuanzi's aid..."

Zhen Yuanzi said flatly, "If you had not encountered me back then, you would likely have long since been assimilated by the chaotic qi."

Red Cloud smiled awkwardly. "Say no more, say no more..."

Listening to their exchange, Yang Xuan's impression of Red Cloud deepened further.

"Fellow Daoist Yan Zhen, it seems you are quite proficient in the Dao of Creation?"

Zhen Yuanzi suddenly asked.

Yang Xuan considered his words before replying,

"My true body is a congenital spiritual root, naturally close to the Dao of Creation. During my earlier travels through Kunlun Mountain, I was fortunate enough to receive guidance from the Queen Mother of the West. Thus, I gained some understanding of the Dao of Creation, but to call myself proficient would still be far too great an exaggeration."

Zhen Yuanzi nodded and did not press further.

Red Cloud suddenly understood. "So you are a transformed congenital spiritual root! No wonder I sensed such a familiar aura from you. I was transformed from a cloud. We were both born of heaven and earth, so by all accounts, we walk the same path."

He spoke with utter sincerity, and Yang Xuan could not help but feel a trace of warmth.

Red Cloud truly was unlike the others.

Though the Three Pure Ones had also been born from the primordial, they prided themselves on being Pangu's orthodox lineage. Whenever they looked upon other transformed beings, there was always a hint of looking down from on high.

Dijun and Taiyi were even more domineering, treating all Demon Race beings beneath heaven as their own possessions.

Only Red Cloud wore a smiling face toward everyone and never used his cultivation to oppress others.

"You cultivate the Dao of Creation—that is the mother of ten thousand Daos! Though I do not cultivate that path, I know how formidable it is. You are still so young, Fellow Daoist, yet you have already gained insight into it. Your future is beyond measure!"

Red Cloud grew interested and praised him with a smile.

Yang Xuan smiled bitterly. "You flatter me, Fellow Daoist. I have only just glimpsed the entrance. I cannot even be said to have touched the surface."

"You are far too modest!"

Red Cloud could not help laughing. "I have cultivated for who knows how many years, yet I have not even touched the surface."

The three chatted and laughed, unknowingly traveling countless tens of thousands of miles through the chaos.

Though Red Cloud appeared carefree, he was exceedingly cautious while traveling through the chaos. Every so often, he would stop to make calculations, afraid of taking the wrong road.

Yang Xuan took the opportunity to calculate with his fingers.

He prepared to open the chat group and take a look.

He had not expected that listening to the sermon at the Purple Cloud Palace would consume nearly ten thousand years.

Converted into the chat group's time, several decades had passed as well.

By now, there should be hundreds, perhaps even a thousand members in the group, right?

Xiao Yan should at least have become a Dou Emperor by now, shouldn't he?

Yang Xuan sent his divine consciousness into the chat group, and the interface before him made him pause slightly.

The member list had expanded from the original eight people to exactly forty-nine.

No more, no less—exactly forty-nine.

The Great Dao was fifty; heaven derived forty-nine, while one escaped.

The group stopping at forty-nine members was absolutely no coincidence, but the manifestation of some rule.

The member list was densely packed. Yang Xuan quickly scanned through it.

Apart from the familiar names from the beginning, the new members likewise came from the myriad heavens and worlds—

Shi Hao from Perfect World,

Ye Fan from Shrouding the Heavens,

Wang Lin from Renegade Immortal,

Han Li from A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality,

Qin Yu from Stellar Transformations,

Chen Nan from Tomb of Gods,

Xu Fengnian from Sword Snow Stride,

Chen Ping'an from Sword Comes,

Klein Moretti from Lord of Mysteries,

Hao Ren from Records of Unusual Creatures,

Tang San from Douluo Continent,

Han Xiao from The Legendary Mechanic,

Li Yao from Forty Millenniums of Cultivation... the chosen ones of dozens of worlds had gathered in one place.

Yang Xuan was dazzled by the sight, and understanding gradually dawned on him.

Every person invited was a "variable" in their own world.

The group was no longer as quiet as it had been decades ago. It was now incredibly lively, messages scrolling by at a furious pace.

Xiao Yan was boasting to the newcomers about his experiences, from being a useless good-for-nothing in Wutan City to becoming a Dou Saint in Central Province.

Luo Ji was sharing his cultivation technology with the group, and Han Li was deeply interested, repeatedly asking about methods of technological cultivation.

Zhang Sanfeng's Martial Xia had unified the entire globe, and he was establishing a universal cultivation education system.

Watching these messages, Yang Xuan's lips curled upward without his realizing it.

These chosen sons of fate from the myriad heavens and worlds now resembled a group of ordinary netizens, chatting, bragging, and helping one another in the group.

They were completely different from the unease and caution they had felt when they first joined the group.

Thinking back on it now, he found himself somewhat nostalgic.

What pleased him most were the people he had helped.

Xiao Yan had already broken through to Dou Emperor and was merging with the laws of the Dou Qi Continent, preparing to charge toward the Human Immortal realm.

Luo Ji's universal technological cultivation system had gradually reached maturity. He himself had broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, becoming Earth's first Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.

With the blessing of Martial Xia's national fortune, Zhang Sanfeng's cultivation had surged to the Spirit Transformation Realm, making him the first Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator in the Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre world.

Huang Rong had fused Peach Blossom Island martial arts with immortal cultivation techniques, creating her own "Nine Yin Immortal Art." Her cultivation had broken through Foundation Establishment, making her the first Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Legend of the Condor Heroes world.

The group owner, Li Yuxuan, had become the new Chinese Goddess of War. Her cultivation had broken through the Golden Core Realm, and she had begun to come into contact with the truth of the Blood Qi world. Moreover, the martial arts world was merging with other worlds.

Just as Yang Xuan was engrossed in reading, a system notification suddenly popped up.

Golden text floated above the group chat interface, radiating a faint chaotic glow.

Ding! Do you agree to the opening of the 'Heavens Marketplace'?

This message had apparently been hanging there for a long time, only now noticed by Yang Xuan.

It required the approval of both the group owner and administrator Yang Xuan before it could truly be opened.

And since Yang Xuan had disappeared for decades, the opening of the Heavens Marketplace had naturally been put on hold.

Heavens Marketplace: A trading platform connecting the myriad heavens and worlds. Group members may open shops within the marketplace to sell cultivation techniques, pills, magical treasures, technology, intelligence, and all other tradable goods. The marketplace supports multiple forms of trade, including points, barter, and karmic collateral.

Additional function—Myriad Realms Auction House: Myriad realms auctions will be held periodically. Cultivators from the myriad heavens and worlds may enter the auction house with Myriad Realms Invitation Tokens to participate in bidding. Within the auction house, cultivation and identity are unrestricted.

"Agree."

After reading it, Yang Xuan chose to agree without the slightest hesitation.

Administrator 'Immortal' has agreed to the opening of the Heavens Marketplace.

Golden words drifted before every group member's eyes.

A notification popped up.

It was no less explosive than dropping Little Boy on Hiroshima, and the group chat erupted completely.