Chapter 18: Come Out and Speak to Me!

"There's nothing interesting here, let's go."

Though all were cultivators and had used pills and other means to alter their appearances, making them appear alluring, at heart they remained ordinary and commonplace. Once his curiosity faded, it all seemed dull and unremarkable. The main reason was that what he had seen before was far beyond anything these mortals could offer. In the Crimson Lotus Demon Palace, his three thousand 'Master's Wives'—any one of them, whether transformed by demonic arts or dazzling enough to outshine an era—could easily eclipse these ordinary beauties, even if they were bound together.

He left the Bureau of Instruction and found a proper place to rest for the night. The next day, he continued toward Celestial City of Tianyuan. The closer he got, the more people used teleportation arrays; after more than ten days, he arrived at the city just a day before the grand gathering.

Celestial City of Tianyuan was the largest city in Baohua Continent, spanning over three hundred miles, with a permanent population of millions—all cultivators. No sooner had he stepped out of the teleportation array than he felt a pressure of spiritual energy descend from above. This was a city-wide anti-flight formation.

He frowned slightly and released the 'Supreme Spirit Banner.' With a shake, multicolored mist transformed into a thin, five-colored veil that enveloped him.

"Greetings, Sect Master Chen. I am Xu Lingya of the Four Seas Merchants' Guild, sent by the Chairman to welcome Sect Master Chen."

Having used the wondrous power of the Supreme Spirit Banner to shield himself from the anti-flight formation, a middle-aged man in a green robe, about thirty years old, approached respectfully.

Chen Yang frowned and looked at Fat Xu.

Fat Xu jumped in surprise, hastily waving his hands, "He's not mine."

Though this man was sometimes unreliable, he lacked the courage to deceive Chen Yang; since he said it wasn't him, it certainly wasn't. If Fat Xu hadn't tipped them off, it meant Chen Yang's whereabouts had been tracked all along.

"So this is meant as a show of force," Chen Yang sneered inwardly and waved, "Lead the way."

"Yes, sir."

Following Xu Lingya, they arrived at an extremely luxurious manor, spanning over ten acres, fully staffed with servants and maids.

"Sect Master, you've come a long way. Please freshen up first."

Several beautiful maids stepped forward and bowed respectfully, "Please, honored guest."

Chen Yang chuckled and said nothing, following the maids to a spiritual bath. The pool was infused with earth vein spiritual milk and medicinal herbs, excellent for refining the body and regulating vital energy—a lavish touch. With the maids' meticulous service, he bathed and changed clothes. Though cultivators rarely gathered dust and remained clean, after washing he truly felt refreshed.

"This way, honored guest."

The bathing maids withdrew, and an even more stunning maid awaited outside the pool, guiding Chen Yang through several corridors and gardens to a pavilion.

"Please wait here, sir. I will report your arrival."

"No need."

"Playing these tricks in front of me—do you not realize I am your ancestor?" Chen Yang couldn't help but laugh aloud.

From the outset, they sought to use luxury and protocol to pressure him, a tactic reminiscent of how he once dealt with Elder Jin of the Yin-Yang Sect and Star Master Tianxing of the Heavenly Jade Sect. Yet the Four Seas Merchants' Guild lacked his demonic mastery and secret arts.

Stopping the maid from reporting, Chen Yang shouted loudly, his black Dao robe billowing without wind.

"Enough of your theatrics—come out and speak!"

He pointed, and the Supreme Spirit Banner expanded in the wind, transforming instantly into a great banner eight feet long, hanging above the manor and whipping fiercely.

Multicolored mist spread, enveloping the entire manor in moments.

Upon its surface, golden light surged, and a golden-armored god was poised to leap forth, its mountain-like four faces emerging.

Each face had two eyes, eight in all, shooting beams in every direction, scanning the area.

Yin and yang energies descended, intertwining, forming a black-and-white pair of scissors that snipped toward the pavilion.

Inside, a scholarly middle-aged man and another Nascent Soul of the Four Seas Merchants' Guild felt murderous intent descend upon them, their hair standing on end with terror. They transformed into two streaks of light, bursting out of the pavilion.

Their escape lights barely grazed the black-and-white energy; not only were their protective treasures shattered into scrap, but their flight also faltered, sending them tumbling to the ground in utter embarrassment.

The black-and-white energy, like two dragons or sword beams, hovered above their heads, circling menacingly.

The scholarly man, shaken, hurriedly made a respectful gesture:

"The Four Seas Merchants' Guild bears no ill will; we've long admired the Sect Master's reputation and overstepped our bounds. We admit our fault—please, Sect Master, calm your anger and withdraw your magic!"

Chen Yang's cultivation was already exceedingly high; the Daoist arts of Mount Shu far surpassed these conventional cultivation methods. No matter whether he practiced Daoist or demonic arts, he had always mastered top-tier techniques. Even if his spiritual power was not as vast as the cultivators of this realm, killing them was as easy as slaughtering chickens or dogs.

Now, having first entered the demonic path and then transitioned back to Dao, though his power was borrowed, its use was a thousand times more profound than before. Moreover, the Supreme Heavenly Demon Banner, refined into the Supreme Spirit Banner, was now a treasure of the highest grade, even among the wonders of Mount Shu.

Chen Yang stood with hands behind his back, a mocking smile on his face:

"You do not admit your mistake—you simply realize you are about to die. Do you think that in this so-called Celestial City, I would restrain myself and not kill freely?"

"It seems you have yet to understand my nature. Let alone your Four Seas Merchants' Guild—even if I slaughtered every cultivator in this city, what could you do about it?"

As he spoke, the black-and-white energy once more formed a pair of scissors.

The scholarly man was terrified, hurriedly pulling out a jade box from his robe, opening it and presenting it to Chen Yang with a bow, "Sect Master, please calm your anger!"

Chen Yang had always been the kind who, if treated kindly, would remember the favor and repay it tenfold. Just like the Primordial Master—despite entering a new world, he would cultivate supreme arts to return and rescue his teacher from calamity.

But if you offended him, no matter how many years passed, he would not forget and would exact revenge.

This was his nature; no matter how high his cultivation, it could not be changed.

Originally, when the Four Seas Merchants' Guild had yielded, Chen Yang had let the matter pass. After all, the root of their feud was his own minor misstep, so he did not pursue it further once they surrendered.

He had no intention of interacting with them in Celestial City. Yet, despite his efforts to avoid them, the Guild took liberties, thinking that in Celestial City he would not dare act, seeking to give him a show of force right upon arrival.

Whatever courage or motives the Four Seas Merchants' Guild possessed, Chen Yang had genuinely been moved to kill.

"Nine-leaf Ginseng?"

He beckoned, and multicolored mist wrapped the jade box, bringing it to his hand—the main ingredient of the Pure Yang Pill, the Nine-leaf Ginseng.