#547 - Deception
Emerging from the Secret Earth, Jun Wuxie swiftly caused a stir throughout the entire ancient town.
A Half-Saint from the Xuanyuan Clan arrived, leading a group of Peak Saint Overlords.
“Senior, you’ve worked hard these past few days.”
Jun Wuxie, riding Lan Lan, stepped forward and was led by them into a mansion.
This was their constructed residence, the environment was quite good, with formations isolating the outside noise, and a bamboo forest and several trees planted inside.
“Little friend, you are too kind. Earning money, we now feel it's not hard work at all, especially enjoyable!”
One of the Half-Saints personally brewed tea, inviting Jun Wuxie and Mu Yunxi to take a seat.
They couldn't help but glance at Mu Yunxi, who was sitting closely beside him, and said, “Little friend, you have good methods, truly convincing us old fellows.”
Jun Wuxie's lips twitched slightly: “You flatter me, it’s just ordinary.”
He didn't know what these two old men were referring to, was it Mu Yunxi by his side or the ancient town's tourism industry?
“By the way…”
“Little friend, please have some tea.”
One of the Half-Saints interrupted Jun Wuxie's words.
“Why didn’t I see…”
“Well, little friend, what do you think of the tea brewed by this old man?”
He was interrupted again, and the corner of his eye couldn't help but twitch. This old man was definitely doing it on purpose.
“The tea is very good, fragrant and pleasant.” He took a sip and said, “Senior, are you not planning to let this junior speak?”
“Little friend, what are you talking about? There is no such thing, please speak your mind…”
The faces of the two Half-Saints were somewhat unnatural. What had to come would eventually come, hopefully this kid wouldn't get too angry.
“Where is Qingcheng? I asked her to wait for me here when I came out, why is she nowhere to be seen?”
“This… Yan Qingcheng, she…”
The Half-Saint brewing tea was about to speak but was immediately interrupted by the other Half-Saint, “Little friend, you may not know, not long after your avatar escorted her out, something happened…”
“What happened?”
Jun Wuxie always felt that something was not right with these two old men.
“The thing is, one day, Yan Qingcheng suddenly came to us, looking anxious. She said that these past few days she always heard the voice of a demon race sage calling her from the Secret Earth, wanting her to go and accept the demon race inheritance. We thought at the time, you said to keep an eye on her and not let her enter the Secret Earth again, so we didn't agree. But she asked many times, and we thought, a sage's inheritance, that's a rare opportunity in ten thousand years, so…”
“So you let her go to the Secret Earth?”
The muscles on Jun Wuxie's face twitched a few times. Yan Qingcheng actually didn't listen to him and ran to the Secret Earth?
“Alas, there was no way, such opportunities are hard to come by, inheritance is a big matter, we really couldn't dissuade her…”
Both Half-Saints sighed, looking helpless.
“Is that really the truth?”
Jun Wuxie always felt that something was wrong, but the two Half-Saints shouldn't be telling lies to deceive him, right?
“Little friend, you can rest assured, Yan Qingcheng is very strong, and besides, the demon race sage asked her to inherit the inheritance, so there won't be any danger. Little friend, just wait patiently for her return.”
Jun Wuxie was silent.
How could he not worry?
If she was just exploring normally inside the Secret Earth, or accepting the inheritance, that would be fine.
The key is, she knew he went to the Cliff of Certain Death at the time, and hadn't seen him come out for a long time, what if she also ran to the Cliff of Certain Death…
“No, I have to return to the demon race Secret Earth to find her!”
Jun Wuxie naturally didn't want to blame the two Half-Saint seniors.
“Little friend, the Great Zhou still has matters waiting for you to return, which are imminent.”
The Half-Saint brewing tea took out a rune memory stone.
Jun Wuxie frowned slightly, took the memory stone, injected blood energy, and a ray of light bloomed, projecting a scene in the void.
In the picture, it was the Great Zhou capital.
Above the capital, the thunderclouds stretching for thousands of miles made the city almost as dark as night.
A man wearing silver clothes, surrounded by lightning, stood in the sky under the thunderclouds, his eyes bursting with lightning, his brows filled with arrogance and power, overlooking the city, with an attitude of 'I am unrestrained and descending upon the world'.
The words spoken by the silver-clad man, as well as the scene of him punching and severely injuring two Peak Saint Overlords of the Xuanyuan Clan, were clearly replayed.
Those powerful words, the arrogant posture, really shocked Jun Wuxie.
“Southern Emperor?”
His eyes narrowed slightly, especially when he saw later, hearing him say that he would tie himself up with iron chains and raise him like a dog, and calling Qin Keqing a slut, his anger had burned to the extreme.
The temperature of the entire small courtyard dropped sharply, and the chilling coldness made the two Half-Saints reveal a look of horror.
After several months, has this kid become so strong?
His killing intent actually made them, such Half-Saints, feel bone-chillingly cold.
“This person is really crazy, even more crazy than the Primordial Overlord Body. He must feel that living is too boring and wants to find some excitement. Then I will fulfill him and let him enjoy the feeling of excitement. Ten days, is it? How many days are left now?”
“Two days have passed, there are still eight days left. Now, that girl Qin Keqing must be looking forward to your return, eagerly waiting. Even if you really want to enter the Secret Earth again, you have to wait until this matter is resolved.”
“Then this junior will return to the Great Zhou.”
Jun Wuxie stood up, not wanting to delay any longer.
Qin Keqing should be under great psychological pressure now. If he doesn't return for a day, her heart will suffer a day of torment.
That Southern Emperor actually used her grandfather's life as a threat.
Although what her grandfather did had hurt her heart, he was, after all, her last close relative in this world.
She certainly couldn't watch her only close relative be cut off limbs and made into a human pig.
“Then we two old fellows won't send you off. This is the ledger, the revenue accounts of the ancient town's industry for the past few months, take a look.”
They handed him a jade slip.
Jun Wuxie took it, pulled Mu Yunxi to sit on Lan Lan's back, and said, “Senior, I hope you will pay more attention to the surrounding area of the Secret Earth, in case a Half-Saint secretly attacks Qingcheng when she comes out!”
“Little friend, rest assured, we two old fellows will do our best to prevent such incidents from happening!”
“Thank you, senior, farewell.”
Lan Lan soared into the sky and disappeared in an instant.
The two Half-Saints looked at each other as their figures disappeared.
The Half-Saint brewing tea looked at the other Half-Saint and said, “You really know how to make things up, you came up with a story so quickly and actually fooled him. But, is it really good for us to deceive him like this?”
That Half-Saint smiled bitterly and said, “I had no choice, otherwise that kid would have pulled out our beards. In fact, we are deceiving him with a benevolent lie. As long as that girl Yan Qingcheng is okay, everything will be fine. We have to pay attention to what that kid is worried about, and we must guard against a Half-Saint attacking her. Otherwise, if that kid knows we fooled him, and Yan Qingcheng is really injured by a Half-Saint, he might really tear down our old bones…”
“Alas, what is this all about?” The Half-Saint brewing tea sighed, “The people of our Xuanyuan Clan have always been honest, but now we, two dignified Half-Saints, are actually making up stories to deceive a young man who has been kind to our clan. My own old face is flushed, it's embarrassing.”
“Ahem, don't think so much, as long as you have a thick skin, there's nothing embarrassing. We've lived to this age, it's okay to have a thicker skin…” The Half-Saint who made up the story to fool Jun Wuxie said embarrassedly.
…
“Wuxie, this world…”
Lan Lan galloped between heaven and earth, the mountains and rivers changed, and the stars shifted.
Even at this speed, for Jun Wuxie and Mu Yunxi sitting on it, the scenery along the way could still be seen very clearly, and the picture would not be blurred due to the excessive speed.
“This world has changed, a world-shaking change…”
Jun Wuxie's heart was very uneasy. When he came out of the demon race Secret Earth, he found that the changes in the outside world were too great. Those plants were much denser than before, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was abundant, and even the ground faintly overflowed with spiritual energy.
At that time, he thought it was because of the demon race Secret Earth that caused such changes in the surrounding area, including the coastal ancient town.
But the beautiful rivers and mountains and the beautiful scenery he saw along the way shocked him.
The territory of millions of miles along the way was full of spiritual energy, at least dozens of times the concentration compared to the past.
He even saw many mysterious mountains surrounded by smoke and clouds. Those were mountains that did not exist in the past, but now they stood between the original mountains, and the mountainside had already disappeared into the clouds.
Those mountains seemed to have mysterious energy flowing, and roars that shook the mountains and rivers occasionally came from inside.
He even saw huge flying birds occasionally passing across the sky in those mountains, casting large shadows on the ground. They were about a thousand meters long, and their wings spread out for thousands of meters, incredibly huge!
“What exactly happened? In these months we were in the Cliff of Certain Death, the world has become like this…”
Mu Yunxi was shocked and puzzled by the changes in the world.
The world she had lived in for nearly twenty years had suddenly become like this.
Although such changes seemed to be very good for warriors, she felt a faint sense of unease in her heart.
“It seems to be the revival of heaven and earth recorded in ancient books. It is said that similar things have happened in previous epochs, but according to the comparison of records, the great changes that have occurred in our era are more violent than in any previous era…”
Jun Wuxie remembered those ancient books he had seen, and based on the current situation, he came to this conclusion.
Changes in the general environment of heaven and earth are always accompanied by many unknowns.
He knew that this world, strictly speaking, was their ancient star of life, and it would probably become even more uneasy.
Just like what was recorded in those ancient books, every time heaven and earth revived, not only would creatures from those hidden areas come to the human world, but even creatures from outside the territory would descend to compete for rare resources.
How long has it been from the first time I heard about the coming of the Golden Age until now?
The changes in the world situation are too rapid, and the time is too short, not even allowing the warriors of this ancient life star to make sufficient preparations.
In such a short period, the improvement of the younger generation of geniuses is naturally limited. I just don't know if those ancient life stars outside the region have already recovered? If so, it would not be a good thing for the cultivators of this life star.
Jun Wuxie realized that the planet he lived on, the supreme-level forces here, would soon face the most severe test and the greatest crisis.
As for those Supreme Sovereigns, with their profound foundations and extremely strong strength, they can naturally stand tall in this great era, but the Sovereign level is different.
......
They traveled through the city closest to the coast to the ancient city of the Southern Region, speeding all the way.
They arrived at the capital of Great Zhou the next morning.
Jun Wuxie had Lan Lan stop in the sky above the capital, overlooking the entire city, and was shocked in his heart.
He only left for a few months, but the current Great Zhou is truly different and has changed too much.
This city is filled with spiritual energy, like a mist of light, condensing into auspicious clouds and colorful rainbows in the sky above the city.
If you didn't know the past of Great Zhou, you might have thought you had come to an ancient cultivation holy land!
Among them, his Immortal Execution Sword Sect was the most prominent. The spiritual energy there was so rich that it condensed into ribbon-like clouds, winding around the peaks of Sect King Mountain, with hazy smoke and mist, making the sect look mysterious and ethereal.
Inside the city, the spiritual fields have already been cultivated and planned. Looking down from above, there are golden-green spiritual rice fields everywhere, swaying in the wind, with the ears of rice rippling with golden light and spiritual energy.
"I can't believe this is the Great Zhou of the past..."
Mu Yunxi couldn't help but marvel. It was just a mortal kingdom, originally an insignificant existence.
But now, it has transformed into such an amazing appearance.
All these changes, the transformation of Great Zhou, are all due to the man who is holding her body at this moment.
One person, in just a few years, changed the entire country, and it was a fundamental change from the essence.
To put it exaggeratedly, when one person attains the Dao, even his pets ascend to heaven.
The people of Great Zhou were originally just mortals, most of whom did not understand cultivation, would be plagued by diseases, and struggled for survival.
But now, these problems no longer exist.
In this country, no one will starve or be tortured by diseases anymore.
In a few more years, even the livestock in this country will probably be able to cultivate true energy!
She suddenly felt an indescribable admiration for him in her heart.
Since ancient times, for thousands of years, even the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan of that year did not seem to have achieved such a level.
But this man, he did it!
She turned to look at him, but found that his brow was slightly furrowed, and he was scanning certain areas with his eyes.
She followed his gaze and saw many manors outside the inner city, built with unparalleled luxury, each manor occupying a vast area.
"Hmph!"
He snorted coldly, staring at those manors.
The spiritual rice harvests are abundant every season of the year, even in winter, it is still a harvest season, unaffected by seasonal changes in temperature.
Now is the time of the winter harvest.
He saw that in the areas far away from the four cities of the southeast, northwest, and the central capital, many people were busy in the spiritual fields, constantly transporting the harvested spiritual rice to the manors.
In the fields, on the roads, inside and outside the manors, there were overseers holding leather whips, and pot-bellied people directing there.
"Wuxie, what's wrong?"
Mu Yunxi was puzzled. It was just the people harvesting spiritual rice. This was a normal thing. Why did he seem so angry, faintly exuding a trace of coldness?
"Look at those manors, do you think they are private residences of local gentry and tyrants, or are they granaries set up by the imperial dynasty?"
"Private residences."
Mu Yunxi said this. Even in the high sky, across a long distance, she could clearly see the names of those manors with her eyesight. The plaques on the gates clearly stated so-and-so's mansion, so-and-so's residence.
"Let's go, back to the sect!"
Jun Wuxie didn't say much, and drove Lan Lan towards the sect, his face a little cold.
Not long after, Lan Lan landed in the small courtyard near the peach forest.
Mu Xuelan, Lingfei, Qin Keqing, and Su Lan were dealing with various matters related to the imperial dynasty's construction of academies and enrollment.
Seeing him suddenly come back, they were stunned, and then showed excitement.
"Young Master, you're finally back."
Lingfei stepped forward with small steps, smiling.
Qin Keqing and Su Lan also trotted to him, their excited mood overflowing.
Only Mu Xuelan, the look in her eyes suddenly changed from the initial excitement to astonishment.
She stared blankly at Mu Yunxi, who was being held in Jun Wuxie's arms on Lan Lan's back.
And Mu Yunxi was also looking at her at this moment, her eyes complex and somewhat uneasy, with a bit of awkwardness and shame.
"I'm back." Jun Wuxie got off Lan Lan's back and said to Qin Keqing, who was hiding a trace of worry in her excitement, "I already know about Nanhuang's matter. Don't worry, he can't make any waves."
"Yeah."
Hearing these words, Qin Keqing only felt that her tense mood for days had involuntarily relaxed, and the whole person became extremely relaxed.
His voice seemed to have a kind of magic, making her feel extremely at ease, as if as long as he was there, there was nothing that could not be solved, she could not think about anything, and did not have to care about anything.
Mu Yunxi stood beside Jun Wuxie, her expression a little uneasy, and she looked at Mu Xuelan from time to time, but every time she met her gaze, she quickly moved her gaze away and lowered her head slightly.
