Professional Team

Outside the Illusory Star Cave, Fang Fan stumbled as he was roughly teleported back, the gentle support of the All-Encompassing Mystic Ring behind him dispelling the weightless sensation enveloping his body.

Having ascended to the Celestial Immortal realm in a single step within the Boundless World, the speed was almost too fast—he wasn’t quite used to it.

After all, he had originally assumed it would take him centuries, if not millennia, to steadily reach this level.

Yet now, it had happened in the blink of an eye!

Though the process hadn’t been pleasant, the outcome was acceptable.

"Special Operations Division… replace them…"

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Fang Fan muttered the instructions left by the Venerable One under his breath, the cold token in his palm burning hot from his grip.

After a moment of contemplation, he didn’t rush back to the Hall of Wealth to gather his forces, nor did he hurry to the Celestial Soldiers’ Division to select elite warriors.

Haste makes waste—recklessness wouldn’t achieve greatness!

The Venerable One’s intention was clearly not for them to confront the Celestial Realm squad head-on. Even with the support of the All-Encompassing Mystic Ring, they might not be able to handle those unfathomable Celestial Realm figures!

No, the Venerable One wanted him to become a shadowy hunting blade, silently clinging to the enemy, ready to strike back at any moment!

But then came the question—

How could he locate this Celestial Realm squad?

Lost in thought, Fang Fan made his way toward the Ascension Bureau.

As the acting Civil God of Wealth and the Venerable One’s newly favored subordinate, his authority granted him unimpeded access.

The celestial officials of the Ascension Bureau stepped aside without a word the moment they saw him.

Ignoring the records of major star domains and thriving worlds, Fang Fan went straight to the farthest corner, brushing off the dust before pulling out a row of jade slips labeled "Abandoned."

These documented the countless worlds across the cosmos deemed utterly worthless.

Some were drained of spiritual energy, unable to even nurture Qi Refining cultivators; others had suffered celestial disasters, their laws shattered, reduced to barren wastelands.

In the Purple Star Celestial Court’s valuation system, these worlds were pure liabilities—not even worth stationing a loose immortal to oversee, lest it waste their fortune.

"Lord God of Wealth, what brings you to these records…? Do you have some insight?" A nearby Ascension Bureau attendant cautiously inquired.

To him, the Civil God of Wealth—renowned for seeking fortune—taking an interest in these forsaken worlds could only mean one thing: another divine revelation.

One must trust the nose of the Civil God of Wealth, and even more so, his intuition!

Without looking up, Fang Fan ran his fingers lightly over several jade slips, his divine sense rapidly scanning the vast troves of information within.

"During my absence, has the new bureau chief not reorganized these records?" he asked indifferently.

If the Celestial Court’s squad was operating in secrecy, they wouldn’t take the usual celestial gates or march openly through stable territories.

They would choose the most remote, inconspicuous routes.

And these forgotten corners of the cosmos were the perfect places to hide, relay intelligence, or establish waystations.

The darkest place was under the lamp—the most dangerous spots were often the safest.

Fang Fan’s divine sense swiftly traced across the star charts, guided by intuition, tempered by logic, and aided by the All-Encompassing Mystic Ring’s unique ability to reflect the heavens…

Soon, a hidden and winding path began to take shape in his mind.

"Just as I thought."

Fang Fan withdrew his divine sense and extracted three jade slips from the collection.

The route he had deduced connected precisely these three forgotten worlds—no more, no less.

Once this was done, he began selecting his team.

The first person he summoned was a craftsman from the Celestial Artifice Pavilion named Mo Ban.

This man’s cultivation was mediocre, barely at the True Immortal stage, making him inconspicuous among the powerhouse-filled ranks of the Celestial Artifice Pavilion. His greatest passion was tinkering with intricate but largely useless magical artifacts.

Yet, he possessed a unique skill—his formations could seamlessly blend into their surroundings, leaving no trace of spiritual energy fluctuations. Even Zhang Kuang, the Pavilion Master and a Heaven-mandated Immortal, would struggle to detect them with his divine sense.

More importantly, Senior Zhang Kuang seemed to hold him in unusual regard.

The second was a female immortal from the Celestial Law Pavilion’s enforcement squad, codenamed Shadow Seven.

Rumored to have close ties to Senior Gu Yuan, her mastery of shadow-clone puppetry was enigmatic and formidable. She once held the record for the fastest clearance of the advanced-difficulty Illusory Dream Secret Realm—though it was later broken by a certain idle Marshal of the Central Altar. Still, her prowess was undeniable, granting her the confidence to stand atop tables in the "monster den" and eat with pride!

The third was a junior colleague from Fang Fan’s time in the Treasury Department—Qian Duoduo.

A shrewd calculator, he could squeeze every drop of utility from resources and had an encyclopedic knowledge of the resource nodes under the Purple Star Celestial Court’s control.

The team didn’t need to be large—quality over quantity.

Besides, a bigger group would be harder to manage, especially since Fang Fan still had to collaborate with the mysterious new head of the Ascension Bureau, Zhao Huazhen. According to Xiao Huanhuan, this man was the incarnated spirit of a Chaos Supreme Treasure, his treasure-body slightly flawed. While his abilities were above average, his mind... wasn’t the sharpest.

A headache as an opponent, and an even bigger headache as an ally—since you could never predict where his next strike would land!

So, for safety’s sake, Fang Fan decided to start with these three core members. More could be added later to share merits and maintain harmony...

Decision made, he acted swiftly.

At a secret outpost on the edge of the Purple Star Continent, Fang Fan gathered the trio.

There were no rousing speeches or grand promises. He simply unfurled a star chart and placed the three jade slips on the table.

"The Venerable One has established a new Special Operations Bureau. I’m the director. You’re the first members."

His introduction was blunt.

Mo Ban’s eyes lit up at the sight of the star chart. Rubbing his hands, he chuckled. "Fascinating. Stirring up trouble with the Literary God of Wealth in some godforsaken corner of the cosmos? I’m in!"

Shadow Seven stood with arms crossed in the shadows of a corner, her presence so faint one might overlook her unless deliberately searching.

"Boss, just tell us—how do we proceed?" Qian Duoduo flicked a darkwood abacus bead into his palm, rolling it between his fingers.

"Our mission is simple." Fang Fan’s finger tapped the coordinates of the first abandoned world as he spoke slowly. "The upper realm—the true Immortal Realm beyond the Tribulation—has sent people down. They aim to interfere with, or even halt, the development of our Purple Star Immortal Realm."

"So, we move first. We lurk like ghosts, listening to their words, observing their actions, learning everything about them."

"And when the time comes..." Fang Fan’s tone was calm, yet it sent a chill through the three present. "We replace them. We become them."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.

"Hiss..."

Mo Ban, Shadow Seven, and Qian Duoduo had expected this mission to be difficult, but they never imagined it would be this daunting.

Opposing the Immortal Realm behind the Tribulation of Ascension?

With just a bunch of small fries like them?

Have they lost their minds?

However, upon seeing the faint purple halo shimmering behind the God of Wealth's head and the token personally bestowed by the Venerable One, the three quickly regained their composure.

If even a Chaos Supreme Treasure could be obtained by the God of Wealth, and with the backing of a Venerable One, all they had to do was go all out!

......

OS: Old Yu's condition is critical—he can't stay conscious and can't maintain regular updates...