The Upper Realm.
Immortal light permeated the city.
Across the firmament, streaks of light flashed from time to time, descending into Menggui City.
Clad in a black robe, Shen Wushen flew through the air as his spiritual energy surged. Every cultivator he encountered on his path—whether Origin Core, Divine Infant, or even Purple Mansion—instinctively made way for him.
For Shen Wushen flew atop a miniature mountain.
This miniature mountain was the hallmark of a true disciple of Mount Futu.
Mount Futu was the mightiest sect in this region, a legendary sacred land presided over by a Yang God. The standing of its true disciples was even higher than that of ordinary Yin Gods.
Shen Wushen landed in Menggui City before an exquisite pavilion known as Eight Treasures Tower.
This tower was a branch of Tianzi Tower, specializing in the transmission of information.
Even what Qi Yuan had called "advertising" was something Tianzi Tower handled.
"A distinguished guest arrives, yet I failed to greet you from afar. Please forgive my negligence."
A hearty voice sounded, and the tower master of this branch stepped out from within. He was a white-haired elder draped in a tidy Daoist robe embroidered with a crane spreading its wings among the clouds.
The tower master’s cultivation stood at the Perfection of the Purple Mansion, only a single step from the Yin God realm, yet he was exceptionally deferential before Shen Wushen.
"I need to use your Eight Treasures Tower to deliver a message," Shen Wushen said, cutting straight to the chase. He was never good at social pleasantries, nor did he need to be; after all, most people he encountered treated him quite well.
The tower master smiled kindly. "Where does this message need to be delivered?"
"The Moon Goddess Palace, to Yue Nü Jin Li," Shen Wushen stated.
The message to be delivered contained not only Qi Jianjun's spoken words, but also the cultivation technique Qi Yuan had created—*Seeing You*.
Shen Wushen had placed these items into a storage bag and briefly sealed them. Naturally, Tianzi Tower behind Eight Treasures Tower would not let such things leak. Their business was immense, extending even to transactions with Yang Gods, and had endured for a million years. If there were any flaws in their discretion, Tianzi Tower would have perished long ago. Even in a world where strength reigned supreme, reputation was of paramount importance; once it collapsed, the entire foundation would crumble.
"The Moon Goddess Palace?" The tower master hesitated, retrieving a map-like jade slip to consult it. Clearly, he had heard of this sacred land, but did not know its exact location.
"That is quite far..." Once he discerned the approximate location of the Moon Goddess Palace, the tower master sighed with emotion. "It will likely take around three years to deliver it."
The Upper Realm was exceedingly vast—or rather, it was a collective name for countless worlds. It was boundless and limitless; an ordinary Yang God could never travel across all its domains in an entire lifetime. Exactly how many individual worlds existed in the Upper Realm? Not even Yang Gods knew.
However, the worlds of the Upper Realm were categorized into the Nine Heavens.
Mount Futu resided in the Second Heaven of the Lower Three Heavens.
The Moon Goddess Palace was located in the Sixth Heaven of the Middle Three Heavens.
"Understood. Thank you for your trouble." Shen Wushen produced two storage bags: one contained the items to be delivered, while the other held the payment.
The tower master hurried to take them, then produced a sheet of ancient oiled paper to sign a contract with Shen Wushen. With that, the agreement was concluded.
Shen Wushen let out a sigh of relief. One of the errands Qi Yuan had entrusted to him was now settled.
As for the other one...
At the thought of it, he felt hesitant.
That matter was far more troublesome than delivering a message. The Moon Goddess Palace was vast, yet there were only a handful of Yue Nü; sending a message to a Yue Nü was well within reach. But "confessing feelings to Ruan Yixi" was distinctly more complicated. The Moon Goddess Palace was enormous, so to get a message to someone named Ruan Yixi, he would have to do as Qi Yuan suggested and broadcast it far and wide. The cost... would be far greater.
He also needed to spend a fortune to trade for cultivation techniques for Qi Yuan. Going to the lower realm required money as well, which was another massive expense. Right now, he was flat broke.
The only way to make money... was what Qi Yuan had suggested: taking on sect missions for Qi Yuan to complete.
Shen Wushen did not harbor high hopes for what Qi Yuan had said. Perhaps if he accepted dozens of missions, Qi Yuan completing even two or three would already yield a massive profit, saving him from too heavy a loss.
Thinking up to this point, he was just about to leave when his footsteps suddenly froze upon catching sight of a fair-skinned, alluring woman with an astonishing waist-to-hip ratio.
As she appeared, her lotus steps swayed with boundless grace. Her emerald-green dress was slightly revealing, displaying a vast expanse of snow-white skin at her chest and an exquisite cleavage, exuding endless charm. A bountiful bust, a willow waist, lush hips, and a sultry face with eyes shimmering like autumn waters—the moment she appeared, she drew the gaze of nearly everyone present.
"Fairy Lianmei... To think I'd be blessed with seeing Fairy Lianmei from such close quarters!"
"The fairy is three parts more seductive than the legends claim!"
"I wonder who could ever become Dao companions with such a fairy?"
"I heard Mount Futu's Saint Son wished to take Fairy Lianmei as his Dao companion, but was turned down!"
Fairy Lianmei was a true disciple of Mount Futu, possessing the cultivation of Divine Infant Perfection. Among the true disciples of Mount Futu, she was ranked in the top ten.
At this moment, Fairy Lianmei's gaze fell upon Shen Wushen. She noticed his scorching, unvarnished look, as though he were stripping away her clothes with his eyes. She had seen countless such looks before, but they were always cast in secret; to see one so brazenly direct as Shen Wushen's was practically unheard of.
"Senior Sister Lianmei, would you care to do battle with me?!" Shen Wushen suddenly blurted out, a dense fighting spirit erupting from his body.
His eyes burned with intense fervor, as though he had laid eyes on an incomparable beauty.
Fairy Lianmei smiled enchantingly. "Why ever not?"
Shen Wushen's reputation as a battle maniac was renowned throughout Mount Futu. The last time he challenged her, she had defeated him with ease. Since he had come to challenge her once more, Fairy Lianmei naturally agreed.
Seeing this, the surrounding cultivators wore envious expressions.
"I want to have a fair and upright battle with Fairy Lianmei too!"
"You bastard, you want to spar with Fairy Lianmei? You're clearly just lusting after her body!"
"That guy has no romantic sense whatsoever. What couldn't he invite Fairy Lianmei to do? Why must he insist on a duel?"
"Shen Wushen is strong, but he is still quite a ways behind Fairy Lianmei."
Even so, the cultivators watched with rapt attention.
A hundred breaths passed.
Fairy Lianmei looked at Shen Wushen, a smile in her eyes. "Junior Brother Shen has come to challenge me; it seems this journey across the realms was quite fruitful."
"Yes. I befriended a prodigy who gave me some pointers, greatly boosting my strength," Shen Wushen answered honestly.
The smile on Fairy Lianmei's face widened. "I can tell—you even possess the confidence to challenge me."
Among true disciples, Lianmei belonged to the first tier, while Shen Wushen had belonged to the second tier.
"Compared to that prodigy, I may fall short, but compared to Senior Sister, I am confident in my victory!" Shen Wushen said.
Fairy Lianmei chuckled softly. "Junior Brother, your words are as blunt as ever."
In other words, he spoke without thinking.
At that very moment, the battle erupted.
All the onlookers widened their eyes, holding their breath to witness this splendid duel.
Yet to their surprise, the duel began quickly and ended just as quickly. In less than ten breaths, Fairy Lianmei's figure plummeted from the sky.
Upon her snow-white chest appeared a bright red footprint, and blood seeped from the corner of her lips as a complex expression crossed her face. A snowy-white gauze flashed, concealing her chest from view.
Clutching her chest, she looked at Shen Wushen with mixed feelings. "I lost."
If not for the crowd, she would have wanted nothing more than to return and check whether Shen Wushen's kick had ruined anything.
"Thank you for yielding!" Shen Wushen was overjoyed. After all, he had triumphed over Lianmei, whom he had never been able to defeat before. Among Mount Futu's true disciples, he now belonged to the first tier.
Seeing Shen Wushen like this, ripples stirred in Lianmei's heart. This man... was truly devoid of romantic sensibilities. Shouldn't he apologize and say something about having offended the beauty? But recalling that Shen Wushen had always been like this, she refrained from speaking on it.
However, a thought struck her, and she said, "It seems the prodigy Junior Brother met in another world is a genuine, peerless genius?"
After all, Shen Wushen's past strength had been far below hers. Now, he had defeated her with ease, standing on par with the Saint Son at the same realm.
"He is the strongest Divine Infant cultivator I have ever seen," Shen Wushen said, his face brimming with reverence at the thought of Qi Yuan.
"Oh? If he is such a formidable Divine Infant cultivator, why didn't Junior Brother recommend that he join our Mount Futu?" Fairy Lianmei was quite curious about Qi Yuan. With merely a bit of guidance, Shen Wushen seemed completely reborn. Moreover, judging from Shen Wushen's words, a vast chasm lay between him and Qi Yuan.
"He... cannot come to the Upper Realm." Shen Wushen did not elaborate on the topic.
Seeing this, Lianmei tactfully dropped the inquiry.
At this moment, Shen Wushen looked at Lianmei, a sudden idea taking shape in his mind. "I wonder if Senior Sister... could lend me a divine art? An unrecorded divine art."
Shen Wushen recalled that Lianmei had once obtained a divine art. Now that he had just bested her, she might give him some face.
Beside him, the smile on Lianmei's face froze. If anyone else had fought her, kicked her violently in the chest, and then asked to borrow a divine art, she would have ignored them entirely. But... this was Shen Wushen. Today's Shen Wushen possessed a foundation no less solid than the Saint Son's. Perhaps an investment was worthwhile.
"I can lend Junior Brother this divine art, but when will you be able to return it to me?" Fairy Lianmei asked with a smile.
"Before I return it to Senior Sister, whenever I am around and you wish to spar, I will gladly accompany you anytime!" Shen Wushen answered as if it were only natural.
Hearing this, Lianmei was taken aback. "If anyone else had said that, I would certainly suspect they had ulterior motives."
Lianmei did not stand on ceremony and handed the divine art over to Shen Wushen. "The original copy of this divine art belongs to you; I will not practice it again."
"Thank you, Senior Sister!" Shen Wushen breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally obtained a divine art—and an unrecorded one that could be sold to Eight Treasures Tower.
"Senior Sister, farewell."
With that, Shen Wushen turned and left.
Lianmei: "..."
???
Wretched man, running off the instant he scammed some wealth?
***
On the other side, Shen Wushen returned to Eight Treasures Tower once again.
The tower master came out to greet him, the smile on his face even brighter this time. He had just received word that Shen Wushen had challenged Fairy Lianmei and won with ease.
"Tower Master, I have another matter to trouble you with."
Shen Wushen was direct, recounting everything Qi Yuan had instructed in full detail. He produced the original copy of the divine art and handed it to the tower master. "This is... the remuneration."
He had already memorized this divine art and could transcribe it for Qi Yuan later.
Upon hearing Shen Wushen's request, the tower master froze.
"A... transaction of this nature directed at the Moon Goddess Palace must be reported to the higher-ups. It will take a few days to reach a verdict." A look of difficulty surfaced on the tower master's face.
After all, this business meant advertising across the entire Moon Goddess Palace. The Moon Goddess Palace was a sacred land, and far from an ordinary one at that. Such business demanded caution. What if this "Ruan Yixi" was some important figure in the Moon Goddess Palace? A public confession like this might offend Ruan Yixi and provoke the palace's displeasure.
Therefore, the tower master guessed that the higher-ups would most likely reject it. After all, it was better to avoid trouble than invite it.
"Very well." Shen Wushen took back the divine art and strode away. He needed to return to Mount Futu to pick up missions for Qi Yuan to undertake.
***
Within Mount Futu, Great Venerable Huadu sat with his eyes closed.
Inside the jewel-adorned immortal cave, the silhouette of an elder appeared above a luminous pearl the size of a soccer ball. The elder lay prostrate on the ground, his face bathed in devout reverence.
"Unworthy grand-disciple Heyunzi, thirty-first generation Sect Master of the Xuantian Sect, prostrates and implores the Ancestor to bestow a talisman!"
Great Venerable Huadu opened his eyes and let out a long sigh. "To think it has already reached the thirty-first generation."
He had once belonged to the lower realm, having served as the third-generation Sect Master of the Xuantian Sect before ascending to the Upper Realm. By now, he maintained virtually no connection with the Xuantian Sect.
The Xuantian Sect had declined; in the entire vast sect, only the sect master reached the Purple Mansion realm. According to what the thirty-first generation Sect Master prayed for, the Xuantian Sect had discovered a new world and wished to enter it to preach the Dao and acquire resources. Yet the Xuantian Sect was too weak, lacking the standing and ability to preach. Thus, the sect master performed a ritual to implore an ancestral blessing.
"A lingering karmic bond..."
Huadu sighed.
With a flick of his finger, a talisman seemed to traverse space, passing through the luminous pearl to descend into the lower realm.
"The worldly ties of the past are severed. I wonder when... I will finally step into the Mythological realm?"
A wistful expression settled on Great Venerable Huadu's face.
He had remained stagnant at the Six Steps of Sky Treading for nearly ten thousand years, perpetually unable to break through to the Mythological realm. Once he entered the Mythological realm, he would become a true core figure within Mount Futu. With sufficient contributions, he could petition the Mountain Lord for the qualification to project across the myriad heavens.
With these thoughts in mind, he sank his consciousness into a jade slip, and a sliver of surprise involuntarily flashed in his eyes.
"My mission... was accepted?"
"Shen Wushen... a true disciple?"
Great Venerable Huadu was astonished.
The mission he had posted was related to cultivation techniques and directly tied to his ascension to the Mythological realm. He had posted this mission seven thousand years ago, but no one had ever accepted it. The mission was exceedingly difficult; only a Mythological figure walking the same path had the slightest hope of solving it. Even then, it would require over a millennium of that Mythological figure's time.
Moreover, Mount Futu had no Mythological figures sharing Huadu's path.
"Shen Wushen's master is... Great Venerable Wangqiong. He is in the Mythological realm... but his path differs from mine.
"Strange. Why would a mere Divine Infant accept my mission?"
Great Venerable Huadu was thoroughly perplexed.
When he posted the mission, he had essentially anticipated that no one could solve it. After all, within Mount Futu, perhaps only the Mountain Lord—the Yang God—could resolve it.
Huadu thought no further on the matter and resumed his closed-door cultivation.
Meanwhile, Shen Wushen spent an entire day endlessly browsing the sect's missions, accepting a massive pile of them.
A few days later, upon receiving a transmission from the tower master of Eight Treasures Tower, he returned there.
The tower master wore a delighted expression. "Young Master Shen, the higher-ups approved our previous deal!"
In truth, the tower master was intensely curious. Normally, the higher-ups would reject such requests; he did not know why it had passed this time. Though puzzled, he showed none of it.
Beside him, Shen Wushen let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Tower Master!"
The errands Qi Yuan had entrusted to him were fulfilled—and ahead of schedule.
Chapter 248