Everyone present looked at Qi Yuan with bizarre expressions.
The Advertisement Society was simply too mysterious, absurd, and abstract.
Many felt it was a straight-up cult—the kind that ground people's intellect into the dirt.
After all, what this church preached was actually telling people to go die.
The gold-robed man moved to drive Qi Yuan away immediately.
He was a devout believer of the True Creator, so he naturally looked down on heretical cults like the Advertisement Society.
"Why should I leave? I came here to save you," Qi Yuan said placidly, playing the charlatan. "The world is ending, and all living beings will be extinguished. Only by watching ads and reviving from death can you grasp your sole sliver of hope."
The Chongyuan Universe was very peculiar.
After acquiring the Illusory Dream Primordial Physique, Dao Lord Nan Ke had modified this universe as well.
Consequently, this universe was half-illusory and half-real.
For someone like Dao Lord Nan Ke, if news of his demise leaked, the entire universe would instantly collapse.
This universe, however, was undergoing a slow collapse.
Even then, only half of it would fall apart.
As a kindhearted soul who had also inherited Dao Lord Nan Ke's legacy, Qi Yuan naturally felt obligated to lend a hand upon arriving, offering these people a chance to watch ads and revive.
Furthermore, as the old saying went, the Netherworld was empty, while beasts of burden roamed the mortal realm.
If the Netherworld lacked laborers, could it still be called the Netherworld?
Thus, he manifested countless avatars and took the initiative to proselytize, ushering some beasts of burden into the Netherworld.
As long as these people died and watched advertisements to revive from the Netherworld, they would break free from their half-illusory, collapsing fate and escape being devoured by the dream beasts.
Beyond that, Qi Yuan wanted to track down people from outside the cosmos—the ones "fished" over by Dao Lord Nan Ke.
Upon hearing Qi Yuan's words, everyone present found it utterly preposterous.
The gold-robed man sneered inwardly with disdain.
Preaching without even knowing divine arts?
When missionaries of the True Creator preached, they invoked divine arts.
With divine arts amplifying their voices, their words were far more bewitching and persuasive, seeded with psychological suggestions.
Qi Yuan's words just now had been plain, everyday speech.
Of course, what he did not know was that if Qi Yuan truly wanted to bewitch them, he would not even need the Great Oblivion Heart Scripture; any trivial spell could make these people believe him without reservation.
However, he disliked adopting a patronizing "for your own good" stance to twist other people's wills.
Enemies were the sole exception.
Therefore, even though he genuinely had their best interests at heart right now, he refrained from using the Great Oblivion Heart Scripture.
"Have you made up your minds? By my estimate, the dream beasts will breach this fortress in three days. When that time comes, you won't revive even if you watch ads," Qi Yuan said earnestly.
The onlookers exchanged glances.
They were all considered mid-to-high-ranking figures in this fortress; convincing them was practically equivalent to convincing a vast number of people.
"You should just leave. With the True Creator's protection, this fortress will remain safe and sound," the gold-robed man said coldly.
Qi Yuan stood quietly, pondering a question.
While he disliked twisting others' wills, if he wanted to get things done, did he not need to display his strength?
Otherwise, their doubts were only natural.
Should he summon a star to shatter this world and let them see?
*See that? I've got power!*
Yet wouldn't that be a bit too crude and violent?
Or should he seek another approach?
Right then, an old woman in sumptuous robes appeared. Her white hair was adorned with jade and coral pins, radiating sacred brilliance amid her dignified luxury.
At the sight of her, Wu Xue and the others stirred.
The gold-robed man grew even more thrilled.
This was the priestess of the Church of the True Creator in this fortress.
The priestess looked at Qi Yuan, delight flashing in her eyes. "If you want to leave, you'll have to ask me first."
As a priestess of the Church of the True Creator, she had recently received a decree from above ordering the capture or extermination of Advertisement Society missionaries.
Learning that Qi Yuan had come to this fortress, she had deployed in person.
Seeing the priestess, Qi Yuan beamed.
Talk about a pillow handed to a sleepy man.
Just as he was wondering how to display his strength, someone showed up looking for trouble.
"I'm not leaving. Hurry up and charge your ultimate attack. Pull out all your trump cards; otherwise, I'm afraid there won't be enough special effects when I kill you." Qi Yuan had always been emotionally intelligent and considerate, giving his opponent a flashy death.
"Hmph." The white-haired crone sneered coldly, regarding this third-rate cult as nothing more than a bunch of raving lunatics who had never seen the world.
"Courting death!"
With a sharp cry from the old woman, the sky shifted. A jet-black spear manifested in her hand.
Legend had it that the True Creator had used this very spear to slay the world-destroying behemoth before creating the realm.
This spear was a divine artifact crafted in imitation of the Creation Divine Spear, possessing boundless might.
Catching sight of the black spear, everyone present looked visibly moved.
"A divine artifact!"
"It's actually a divine artifact!"
"He's done for! That man from the Advertisement Society is dead for sure!"
So-called divine artifacts contained the world's ultimate principles.
A priest wielding one could slaughter an army of ten thousand alone.
Mortals could never withstand the power of a divine artifact.
The gold-robed man wore a fanatical expression.
Holy brilliance surged around the priestess, making her look like a seraph, incomparably formidable.
"Boring." Qi Yuan yawned. "Your special effects aren't flashy enough."
The moment the words left his mouth, a dragon's roar reverberated between heaven and earth.
A golden divine dragon emerged, spanning the heavens in fierce, imposing majesty.
Multihued clouds and mists swirled.
A blazing sun rose within the mist.
A colossal azure lotus shot straight into the sky.
A divine tortoise roared, seemingly bearing the crust of the earth.
A phoenix danced and coiled while a qilin spewed flames.
Endless divine thunder crashed down from the heavens.
All manner of special effects and anomalies clashed together in utter chaos.
Yet they were breathtakingly captivating, seizing the soul.
Everyone present gaped in absolute shock.
"What is that?"
"A divine dragon—the legendary divine dragon!"
Wu Xue was profoundly shaken.
The tall woman trembled with fear.
Countless anomalies roared and surged toward the priestess of the True Creator.
*Crack!*
The divine black spear shattered in an instant.
The priestess's eyes bulged in disbelief. "Why?"
In this Feiniao Realm, she was virtually invincible while wielding a divine artifact.
Why could a missionary from an obscure cult strike her down so effortlessly?
"Because... your special effects weren't flashy enough," Qi Yuan said nonchalantly.
The priestess's form crumbled, collapsing heavily to the ground.
From her appearance to her death, not even ten seconds had passed.
Qi Yuan dusted off his hands with a lazy expression. "Now... do you believe me? Do you want to watch ads and revive?"
Wu Xue took a deep breath, recovering from his shock. "This matter must be referred to the City Lord."
After all, killing oneself only to revive was far too bizarre.
Even if Qi Yuan was remarkably powerful, they dared not take such a gamble. One had only a single life, after all.
"Fine. Give me an answer soon. You only have three days," Qi Yuan said.
...
At the banquet.
The sounds of pipes and strings filled the air without pause. Young, beautiful women swayed their supple bodies, flaunting their youthful figures with alluring charm.
Despite the severe external crisis, the upper echelons seemed entirely unaffected, reveling in peak luxury and dissipation.
These gorgeous women carried an enchanting allure that captivated the spirit, drawing sidelong glances from many dignitaries.
The City Lord looked at the handsome man before him, his gaze laced with respect. "My lord... where have you come from?"
"Home," Qi Yuan replied succinctly.
Choked by the answer, the City Lord pressed on, "My lord possesses vast divine abilities. Could you eradicate the dream beasts?"
If the dream beasts could be eradicated, the crisis would vanish, and there would be no need to die and watch ads to revive.
"If you can slay the dream beasts, I am willing to fulfill your every desire to the best of my ability—wealth, women, or even supreme authority," the City Lord offered earnestly, willing to pay any price.
Qi Yuan shook his head. "These dream beasts don't exist to begin with. How can they be slain?"
To these people, perhaps dream beasts were real, physical entities.
To Qi Yuan, however, they were a cosmic natural disaster—the propagation of informational elements.
Even if the dream beasts were slain, those informational elements would continue to spread, and they would still die.
Hearing this, the City Lord's lips twitched, but he ultimately said nothing more.
He naturally assumed Qi Yuan either refused to act or lacked the ability.
At that moment, Qi Yuan asked, "The two strongest merchant guilds here should be the Dawn Chamber of Commerce and the Fengyun Chamber of Commerce, correct?"
Immediately, a fat, round-faced merchant stepped forward with pride. "I am the branch president of the Fengyun Chamber of Commerce."
A plainly dressed middle-aged man looked slightly startled before stepping forward. "Zhang Yifan of the Dawn Chamber of Commerce."
The City Lord was somewhat surprised.
The Fengyun Chamber of Commerce was truly formidable, reigning as the strongest guild in the region.
Yet the Dawn Chamber of Commerce could not even crack the top ten here.
"Both of your guilds possess profound backgrounds. I'd like to make a deal with you," Qi Yuan stated his intention directly.
This deal was to sell advertising slots.
In return, he wanted to obtain the intelligence and resources he required through their networks.
Though his power would easily allow him to conquer this universe outright, Qi Yuan was a man of principles.
The branch president of the Fengyun Chamber of Commerce quickly asked, "My lord, what sort of deal?"
The tall, lean man from the Dawn Chamber of Commerce looked curious as well.
"Since people can revive after death by watching advertisements, I plan to sell these ad slots to you," Qi Yuan said, shifting into top-tier salesman mode as he pitched his ad inventory.
"Allow me to outline the advantages of our advertising slots.
"First, we target the mass market. What does this world have the most of? The common folk at the base of society. Their consumption potential is terrifying.
"Second, we capture the mid-to-high-end market. Many nobles, officials, and members of the middle class will die too. They control the vast majority of the world's resources, and their purchasing power is not to be underestimated."
The branch president of the Fengyun Chamber of Commerce listened, utterly bewildered.
The president of the Dawn Chamber of Commerce listened intently, wearing a bizarre expression.
"Although each ad slot lasts only sixty seconds, it is absolutely worth every penny," Qi Yuan declared.
"Well..." The branch president of the Fengyun Chamber of Commerce suspected Qi Yuan was soliciting a bribe.
He was already calculating how much money would be appropriate to donate.
"By the way, I'm not partnering with you two directly, but with your headquarters. Convey this message to your headquarters and say... I want one-third of your chamber's manpower and intelligence network working for me," Qi Yuan revealed his true demand.
The branch president of the Fengyun Chamber of Commerce inhaled sharply.
He thought Qi Yuan was insane.
Even he had no idea just how massive their headquarters was.
If he reported this upward, his superiors would likely question his competence.
As for the president of the Dawn Chamber of Commerce, after some thought, he decided to forward the proposal.
"Please wait a moment, my lord. This matter will likely take some time to reach a conclusion," the Fengyun branch president said, opting to stall.
"Fine," Qi Yuan nodded.
He didn't care either way.
He had always acted entirely on whim.
At that moment, the branch president of the Fengyun Chamber of Commerce leaned in close, an ambiguous smile on his face. "My lord, this humble one has prepared a few gifts to be sent to your residence tonight."
"Oh?" Qi Yuan's expression turned enigmatic.
...
Night fell, carrying a drifting fragrance and the melodies of enchanting songs.
A troupe of graceful young women entered the palace where Qi Yuan resided.
They were the very dancers who had performed at the banquet earlier that day.
Twenty-seven in all, every single one possessed striking beauty, each with her own distinct allure.
Clad in dancer silks, their pale arms and long, rounded legs were exposed to the air. Their figures were either supple or slender, radiating seductive elegance.
Upon arriving, each carried a full-length mirror as tall as a person.
These mirrors seemed intended to heighten visual stimulation, meant to form an enclosure during intimate encounters.
"My lord, the president sent us to serve you," the leading maiden said, keeping her head lowered shyly, not daring to meet Qi Yuan's gaze.
"This is the gift?" Qi Yuan looked somewhat disappointed. He swept his gaze over one of the mirrors, his eyes placid. "I don't need your service."
These maidens were quite pretty and young, and they appeared to cultivate charm arts, brimming with allure in every gesture.
Yet in Qi Yuan's eyes, they were no different from common vulgarities.
Though there were many of them, Canary and Ning Tao also occasionally manifested into thousands of avatars—a delight far beyond anything outsiders could comprehend.
Hearing Qi Yuan's refusal, the maidens appeared close to tears, looking thoroughly pitiful.
Evidently, if they failed to serve him, the people behind them would vent their fury upon them.
"How about this: perform a dance, and then you may leave," Qi Yuan said with an amused look.
While he could easily tell the president of the Fengyun Chamber of Commerce not to punish them, he chose to watch the dance instead.
Not out of lust, but because of his refined taste, and...
Those mirrors were rather interesting.
...
In the deep of the night.
The president of the Fengyun Chamber of Commerce wore a grim expression. "To think he could resist such temptation. Fortunately... the divine mirror has already recorded him."
He had not sent the dance troupe out of goodwill.
One of the mirrors intended to set the mood had been tampered with.
This divine mirror originated from the Church of the True Creator and was used to record a living being's traits.
Just then, a flash of white light appeared, and a phantom descended. "Liu Tu, how did it go?"
Seeing the phantom, Liu Tu knelt without hesitation. "Reporting to the Grand Priest, the divine mirror has recorded his information."
This Grand Priest belonged to the higher echelon of the Church of the True Creator, not an ordinary priestess.
"Hmph, his strength is decent—perhaps he has reached the legendary Yang God realm—but what use is that? Now that the divine mirror has recorded his information, deliver it to the Zhenshan Realm. With our Lord's blood, I will invoke a curse that will ensure his death."
A vicious look twisted the Grand Priest's face. "Anyone who dares slaughter the people of our True Creator is courting death!"
Chapter 586