Greetings from the Pope

"Purple Heaven City Lord!"

The moment Li Ming appeared, someone recognized him. After all, the only one who could appear so abruptly in the Dream was its master.

However, the newly arrived Soul Masters were seeing him for the first time, and many of them studied him curiously.

In an instant, Li Ming became the new center of attention.

Both Qian Daoliu and Di Tian looked over, wanting to see what the man who had created Purple Heaven City actually looked like.

The Beast of Auspice hidden in the shadows rolled her eyes, clearly intending to hide. She had indeed sneaked in, so naturally, she hoped not to be caught.

"Welcome, new friends, to Purple Heaven City. I am the Purple Heaven City Lord. If you would honor me, you may call me City Lord. If you dislike that title, you may also call me the Purple Heaven Taoist."

Li Ming smiled faintly. His voice seemed to be amplified, resounding across the sky.

This was a Dream. Naturally, he could make anything happen as he wished.

Di Tian looked at Li Ming, his brow furrowing slightly. Was this man the one bound to the Beast of Auspice's fate? Why could he not sense the fate of the Star Dou Great Forest on him? Even in a Dream, that should not have been possible.

Fate was an incredibly mysterious thing. It was not something one could simply hide at will.

Had he guessed wrong? Was this place unrelated to the Beast of Auspice's recent abnormalities?

For a moment, countless questions flashed through Di Tian's mind.

Qian Daoliu was likewise observing Li Ming, but the man appeared utterly ordinary, like nothing more than a common old man.

What he did not know was that Li Ming had long prepared for this. As the master of the Dream, there was naturally no need for him to simulate every aspect of reality as the others did.

Every user here apart from him carried data inserted from reality, so they looked no different from their real selves. The aura of the strong and weak was entirely different.

Li Ming, however, had removed his own information, making himself seem like a transparent man.

Beyond that, Satellite AI had used Fate Power to create a program for him, concealing his fate trajectory and making his origins even harder to trace.

"City Lord, could you explain why there is a humanoid Soul Beast within Purple Heaven City?"

Tang Xiao, as the sect master of one of the Upper Three Sects, stepped forward and asked.

As for asking this in Di Tian's presence, he did not care. This was merely a Dream.

The others all stared intently at Li Ming, wanting an explanation. As human Soul Masters, they were naturally opposed to Soul Beasts.

Emperor Xue Ye lifted his chin slightly, as though supporting Tang Xiao.

The White Tiger Emperor of the Star Luo Empire did the same. When facing such a terrifyingly powerful Soul Beast, their positions were aligned.

Li Ming did not mind. He merely spoke softly.

"Purple Heaven City welcomes all intelligent beings. If any of you find this unacceptable, you may leave on your own. Simply submit a logout request through your Personal Cultivation Assistant. I guarantee Purple Heaven City will never disturb you again."

Previously, Li Ming had even needed to repeatedly use Soul Skills to forcibly invite people in.

That had been necessary to expand the user base, but once they had been brought in, Li Ming no longer cared whether they stayed or left.

He had made so many arrangements to retain Purple Heaven City's residents. There was the Personal Cultivation Assistant and all kinds of information. If that still could not keep them here, then they could leave as they pleased.

Li Ming's words sounded calm, yet they were exceptionally domineering.

The moment he said that, everyone fell silent, including Tang Xiao. What sounded like an ordinary statement was actually a warning that their accounts would be permanently deleted.

It sounded as though Purple Heaven City simply would not disturb them anymore, but it plainly meant they would never again be able to enter Purple Heaven City. The consequences would last a lifetime. Others could continuously create their own Soul Skills through the Personal Cultivation Assistant, while they would remain forever cut off from it. That was practically cutting themselves off from Soul Master society.

Compared to that, the presence of a humanoid Soul Beast in Purple Heaven City no longer seemed so intolerable.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell everyone. The Personal Cultivation Assistant has received a new update, which can provide better guidance for creating your own Soul Skills."

Seeing that no one raised further objections, Li Ming nodded in satisfaction. A slap followed by a sweet date—though it was a stripped-down version of the Personal Cultivation Assistant, it was still far better than it had been during the Closed Beta.

Quite a few Closed Beta users immediately lit up at those words. They had personally experienced the Personal Cultivation Assistant's power.

Now, no one had any objections left.

Only after seeing the Soul Masters settle down did Li Ming turn his gaze toward Di Tian and Qian Daoliu.

"Gentlemen, Purple Heaven City forbids private fighting. If you have grievances you wish to settle, please look forward to Purple Heaven City's Arena. When the time comes, you may engage in private duels, death matches, or even wagered fights within it."

Li Ming then spoke.

"We just arrived and did not understand the rules here. Please forgive us."

Qian Daoliu spoke rather politely.

"And if I refuse to listen, what will you do?"

Di Tian was clearly far more domineering and defiant. He looked down at Li Ming with a contemptuous gaze.

He had already been troubled by the Beast of Auspice giving away most of the Star Dou Great Forest's fate. Now he suspected that the man before him was the holder of the other half of that fate, so naturally, his tone was far from pleasant.

Li Ming immediately flashed an eight-toothed smile.

"Since you have violated this city's rules, you shall receive a minor punishment as a warning to others. Your accounts will be suspended for three days."

Li Ming's words truly made everyone present nervous. That was a humanoid Soul Beast who could kill the Clear Sky Douluo without injury, yet Li Ming gave him no face at all. Was he not afraid of angering him?

Di Tian nearly laughed from fury when he heard this. No one had ever dared put on such airs before him!

Just as he was about to say something, his vision suddenly went dark, and he woke directly from the Dream.

Looking at the familiar place before him, Di Tian could not help laughing in anger.

"Fine, fine, fine! So that's how you want to play it!"

He had not even gotten the chance to utter a threat. Was that not the same as being muted after getting cursed at?

In an instant, his terrifying aura erupted as he was thoroughly enraged.

Outside, the scar-covered Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff sensed Di Tian's inexplicable fury. All three heads lowered, and it did not dare make a sound, afraid of being implicated.

On the other side, Li Ming looked at the vanished Di Tian and felt exceptionally pleased. How could he fail to see that Di Tian still wanted to say something? That was precisely why he gave him no chance, forcibly logging him out.

Otherwise, if Di Tian said something unpleasant, where would that leave the dignity of the Purple Heaven City Lord? This was exactly the time to establish his authority.

As for the consequences...

It would be a lie to say he was not uneasy. After all, this was Di Tian, a Demigod.

But Fate AI had confirmed that it could create a program to conceal his fate and hide his identity. Unless Di Tian was also skilled in Fate Power, he would not be able to find him even with the fate of the Star Dou Great Forest.

And even if Di Tian truly found him, was he not still part of the Star Dou Great Forest, half a Beast of Auspice?

No matter what, Di Tian could not really do anything to him... right?

In any case, it was already done, and Li Ming had no chance to regret it. He then looked at Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu had nothing further to say. He merely nodded.

"If that is the case, then we shall follow Purple Heaven City's rules. However, when I enter again, I hope to have a casual conversation with the City Lord."

"Of course."

Compared with Di Tian, Qian Daoliu was clearly much easier to deal with.

The next moment, Li Ming forcibly logged Qian Daoliu out. The suspension did not apply only to the two of them. Anyone who had made a move, whether in self-defense or otherwise, had their account suspended for three days.

When the others saw this, they were all solemn. They truly had not expected the City Lord to be so forceful even toward such powerful beings. Their impression of him rose sharply. If he could be so uncompromising, his strength was likely not much weaker than theirs.

Just as the matter ended and Li Ming was about to say something as the City Lord, a figure emerged from the crowd and walked straight toward him, drawing everyone's attention.

"You're the Purple Heaven City Lord, right? His Holiness the Pope asked me to send you his greetings."

He looked at Li Ming and spoke coldly, his expression unfriendly and his eyes filled with danger.

Clearly, these were not sincere greetings.