"Wrong! That sneaky bastard! The ghost cultivator Gu Tiande! What are you doing siding with the righteous path?!" The Blood Demon Tang Yuan spotted a fellow demonic cultivator standing among his enemies.
Gu Tiande, wearing a short-sleeved shirt printed with a skull design, lifted his chin arrogantly. "That merchant convoy had my goods too! You blind old fool, daring to rob whatever you please, huh?"
Blood Demon Tang Yuan was momentarily speechless. He finally understood why these people had come. Now, he could only hope the puppet he had prepared might save his life.
The next moment, a figure clad in robes bearing the words "Cloud Sky Palace" stepped forward. "Blood Demon Tang Yuan, you attacked the merchant convoy without cause, severely injuring three disciples, damaging five immortal carriages, and causing significant loss of goods. Now, you have two choices."
"First, compensate us for all losses, plus a fine. The exact amount will be determined after discussions with representatives from each sect."
"Second, we kill you, then take everything in your cave to settle the debt. If it’s not enough, we’ll imprison your soul in a soul lantern and hang it at the entrance of the immortal market as a warning to all!"
Blood Demon Tang Yuan sucked in a sharp breath. Isn’t Cloud Sky Palace supposed to be righteous? How are their words even more ruthless than mine?! Imprisoning my soul and putting it on display?!
"I’ll pay the fine!" Blood Demon Tang Yuan completely abandoned his dignity, flailing his arms as he shouted. Facing dozens of cultivators whose strength matched his own, he didn’t dare say another word.
When the news reached Cloud Sky Palace, Yue Anyao seemed dazed. "Zhiyi, you’re amazing. Just as you said—if this continues, the cultivation world won’t need endless bloodshed anymore."
Fang Zhiyi chuckled. "This is what you call the power of capital."
Yue Anyao was puzzled. "Capital?"
Fang Zhiyi didn’t explain, simply ruffling her hair instead.
The outskirts of the immortal market were lined with small shops. In one of them, a young woman stood, tirelessly stir-frying vegetables infused with faint spiritual energy.
"Boss, add an order of chicken over here!"
"Got it! Just a moment."
The small shop was packed, and some customers were there just to see the boss.
"This boss is so cute. I wonder if she has a dao companion yet."
"Last week, the young master of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion got rejected. You wanna try your luck?"
"Try? Fine, I will—once the crowd thins out!"
"Enough nonsense. Hurry up and eat—her cooking is amazing."
A young man waiting in line had been flipping through a magazine, but upon overhearing the conversation, he glanced at the boss. She wore jeans and a short-sleeved blouse with ruffles, her hair tied up in a high ponytail.
Nice figure.
Just as he thought this, the boss finished cooking and lifted the wok. The young man’s eyes widened.
"This… isn’t she…?" he muttered in shock. His companion behind him asked curiously, "You know her?"
"She… she looks just like our palace lord’s former dao companion!"
The companion scrutinized her for a moment before smacking him. "Impossible! That naive little girl would never be here. Don’t you remember? She ran off with that demonic sect’s young master ages ago."
"Right, right… must just be a resemblance. Do you have a memory stone? I’ll record her image to show the palace lord."
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? The lady of the palace will flatten you and toss you into the mines."
At that moment, Zhong Ling'er wiped her sweat and looked up, recognizing the two youthful faces—though they appeared young, they were actually centuries old.
She faintly remembered them—back when she was at Cloud Sky Palace, these two often guarded the mountain gates.
She smiled and nodded at them. The two young men returned the gesture. "Boss, we heard recommendations about your place. We’d like to take away a few signature dishes."
"Sure! How many people?"
"Just a few, but please pack one portion separately. Our palace lord’s wife loves stir-fries—we have to bring her some."
Zhong Ling'er’s hands paused briefly before she replied cheerfully, "No problem! Just wait a bit."
Meanwhile, in a teahouse not far away, Fang Zhiyi sipped immortal tea while observing the scene from a distance. He shook his head with a smile. "This heroine is broad-minded and reasonable. Saves me the trouble."
The system beside him drooled silently, unable to drink despite smelling the tea’s aroma.
"Let’s go. Time to wrap things up."
At a pitch-black mountain peak, a gatekeeper disciple idly shuffled a deck of playing cards bought from the immortal market when suddenly, his hair stood on end. He looked up to see a figure hovering high above.
"Who goes there?!"
Fang Zhiyi couldn’t be bothered to reply. With a single wave of his hand, the mountain’s protective formation shattered instantly.
"Holy—what the—?!"
The commotion drew out the entire demonic sect, including the demon lord who had once rescued Chu Aotian.
"You! Fang Zhiyi of Cloud Sky Palace! You dare ambush our demonic sect?!" the demon lord roared, though his voice trembled slightly.
Fang Zhiyi wagged a finger. "Not an ambush. I came openly. My goal? To kill you."
"Why?! Our demonic sect hasn’t provoked Cloud Sky Palace in years!"
Fang Zhiyi unleashed the full pressure of his late-stage Transcendence Realm cultivation. "I just prefer eliminating uncontrollable variables. Who knows if you’d try to sabotage me during my ascension?"
In the entire cultivation world, Fang Zhiyi stood at the pinnacle, while this demon lord ranked among the top. Though the system had confirmed Chu Aotian was completely ruined, who was to say this demon lord wouldn’t fill the void?
The demon lord froze. He’s right… why didn’t I think of ambushing him during his tribulation?
But it was too late. Fang Zhiyi was a full realm above him. With a simple grasp, the demon lord’s body exploded into gore. Fang Zhiyi flicked his hand in disgust. "You deserved it, sucking mortals dry for cultivation. Learn from the Bat Sect—they switched to pig blood and even started a pig farm."
The demonic sect disciples stood dumbfounded. Even the left and right guardians didn’t dare move under Fang Zhiyi’s overwhelming pressure.
As Fang Zhiyi departed, the guardians exchanged glances. "We shall heed the palace lord’s teachings!"
Fang Zhiyi nearly stumbled mid-air. Glancing back, he muttered, "Quite adaptable."
In a ramshackle hut at the mountain’s base, a pale-faced Chu Aotian watched the figure fly away, envy burning in his eyes before fading into a sigh.
On the day Fang Zhiyi and Yue Anyao ascended, countless sects gathered to witness the event—and, more importantly, to confirm the status of their "shares." Fang Zhiyi waved farewell, announcing that after his ascension, affairs would be handled by the former law enforcement elder. The crowd turned to the old man wearing sunglasses, beaming with pride.
As countless heavenly tribulations struck, Fang Zhiyi faced them with ease, Yue Anyao steadfastly by his side.
Just then, a figure leaning on a cane pushed through the crowd. "Fang Zhiyi! You can’t leave! You owe me—" The rest was drowned out by thunder.
The system remarked, "He remembered."
Fang Zhiyi nodded. Well, that guy’s going to be miserable now.
At that very moment, a woman moved faster than the guardian disciples. In two swift steps, she reached Chu Aotian, grabbed him, and hurled him aside. Then, turning back, her gaze—filled with a tumult of emotions—locked with Fang Zhiyi's.
Fang Zhiyi gave a slight nod, pulling Yue Anyao close with one arm while raising his other hand to summon his qi, bracing against the final, colossal strike of the heavenly tribulation lightning.