Translator: CinderTL
For some Council-level sects, procuring thirteen thousand Void and Destruction Dao Pills would be impossible without liquidating their assets—even after scouring their entire sect, they might not be able to gather such a quantity.
But for the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild...
Even a single branch within the Star Ring Great World could easily handle such a request.
After all, the once-in-a-millennium trade fair was currently underway, and the guild had already mobilized a substantial reserve of Dao Pills to address any unforeseen circumstances.
Given these favorable conditions, Jin Huaiyu delivered the thirteen thousand Dao Pills to Li Chunjun within just half a month.
"Truly worthy of being the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild, whose business spans every Great World and Realm Region of the Human Race," Li Chunjun remarked, glancing over the Pills Jin Huaiyu had provided. "Your capabilities are beyond doubt. This journey has been worthwhile."
"It is our greatest honor to satisfy our Honored Guest," Jin Huaiyu replied with a smile.
She then presented a crystal card crafted from great dao divine stone.
"This is our Sword Master Card. In the future, Swordmaster Li, regardless of which Great World you are in, you may use this card to communicate any material needs to the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild. We will fulfill your requests within one year."
"Sword Master Card," Li Chunjun murmured.
Li Chunjun knew that such cards merely represented a certain level of authority.
The so-called "Dao Lord Card" was simply a name he had grown accustomed to using.
If this were another sect, it might be called the "Heavenly Emperor Edict," the "Dao Lord Flag," or something similar.
The card's rank corresponded to a Quasi-Tenth-Tier lifeform.
Above that would likely be the Dao Venerable Card or Sword Venerable Card.
"I'll accept these items," Li Chunjun said. "If I need Dao Pills in the future, I'll contact you again."
"We eagerly anticipate collaborating with Swordmaster Li again," Jin Huaiyu replied sincerely.
Her attire today was slightly more conventional.
While still tailored to Li Chunjun's aesthetic preferences, it leaned more toward elegance and rationality.
In truth, she knew that 1.9 trillion wasn't Li Chunjun's entire wealth.
Especially the Quasi-Immortal Artifact, the Yin-Yang taiji diagram. If she could sell it, even without charging a commission, the mere spectacle of a Quasi-Immortal Artifact would make her shine within the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild. A future transfer to the Headquarters would be far from a pipe dream.
Yet now, she found herself torn between wanting Li Chunjun to stay and wanting him to leave.
The commotion was too great.
The arrival of this suspected "Innate Divine Being Embryo" and the dao unification opportunity in the Star Ring Great World had drawn too many powerful figures to the region.
Currently, the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild had confirmed the whereabouts of six top-tier experts, each possessing combat power exceeding 500,000.
Moreover, even more top-tier experts were converging from all directions.
The trade fair was scheduled to last three years.
By the end of that period, Jin Huaiyu wouldn't be surprised if the number of such experts reached dozens, or even a hundred.
Among these powerhouses, there might even be invincible figures with combat power exceeding 700,000 or 800,000.
This force far surpassed the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild's maximum defensive capabilities in the Star Ring Great World.
These top-tier experts, nearing the end of their lifespans and desperate for a dao unification opportunity, would stop at nothing. Unless the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild mobilized its full strength, they might struggle to deter them.
Even within the guild itself, some might be tempted to act.
Under these circumstances, to safeguard the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild's reputation and avoid tarnishing its brand, the best course of action was to treat Li Chunjun well, ensure his transaction was completed smoothly, and have him depart the Star Ring Great World as soon as possible.
After exchanging a few politeries, Jin Huaiyu tactfully excused herself.
As soon as she left, Wu Chen, who had been monitoring the False God Realm's activity, immediately asked, "Supreme Elder Li, shall we return to the Profound Yellow Great World now?"
"I can't speak for other directions, but the super star gates leading back to the Profound Yellow Great World are likely already being guarded," Li Chunjun said calmly.
"This... wouldn't it be too soon? After all, news of your battle with Yuan Taiji only spread less than two years ago."
"It just shows how convenient transportation within the Human Territory is. Unless you're heading to some remote backwater, you can easily reach any Great World within the Human Territory in a century."
Li Chunjun didn't reveal his true thoughts, instead saying, "Since those people are converging on the Profound Yellow Great World even when they can't find me, we might as well complete the tasks we set out to do and use it as an excuse to lay low for a while."
"Lay low..." Wu Chen thought to himself. His rational mind told him that this kind of storm couldn't be avoided.
Still, he agreed with Li Chunjun's assessment. "Supreme Elder Li has already broken through the shackles of life governed by the Dao. If you were to cultivate in seclusion for a few decades or centuries, refining your Qi to the level of Millennial Magic Power, even the top Quasi-Tenth-Tier cultivators might not be a match for you."
Li Chunjun was surprised by this.
"Decades or even centuries?"
Does this Supreme Sage really think it's normal to cultivate a hundred thousand years of Millennial Magic Power in just a few decades or centuries?
He showed no hint of surprise.
Have the members of the Profound Yellow Sect already seen through my talent?
But thinking about it...
Li Chunjun sensed his own Qi, which had already grown to eighty thousand years of Dao cultivation. With thirteen thousand Dao Pills now in hand, refining them over the next year or two to reach a hundred thousand years of Millennial Magic Power wouldn't be difficult at all.
It certainly wouldn't take decades or centuries.
So...
The notion of his talent being exposed was unfounded.
"Next, let's head to the Zhou Tian Great World," Li Chunjun said. "Liu Yu arranged a route for me. It will take over a year, but the journey will be relatively peaceful, and the Star Gate inspections along the way won't be too strict."
"The Zhou Tian Great World, then," Wu Chen nodded.
He immediately requested Li Chunjun's route and began calculating the activation times for each Star Gate, making the necessary arrangements.
Meanwhile...
Li Chunjun continued his journey, refining Dao Pills and accumulating Qi as he traveled.
Thanks to the power of his Innate Dao Body, refining Dao Pills was effortless and remarkably efficient. Even while traveling, his cultivation remained uninterrupted.
After all, at the Supreme Sage stage, cultivators traveled in mobile Flying Boats or Palaces. They remained comfortably within these Palaces, far removed from the dusty, weary journeys of ordinary Primordial Spirit or Void Refining cultivators.
Li Chunjun made no attempt to conceal his departure from the Star Ring Great World.
As a result, within hours of his leaving, rumors had already spread throughout the False God Realm.
This development brought a collective sigh of relief to Jin Huaiyu of the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild, including the guild master and the Quasi-Tenth-Tier elders stationed there.
Li Chunjun had become the eye of a storm. Yet, if he insisted on staying with the guild, they couldn't bring themselves to drive away a guest, lest it damage their reputation.
His voluntary departure was the best possible outcome.
While the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming Li Chunjun's exit from the Star Ring Great World, Li Chunjun himself was busy reviewing the news in the False God Realm.
"Great Sun Dao Lord, Dao Lord Lu Wu, Lord Feilian, Sword Master Yongyue... eight already, brothers! According to my sources, eight top-tier experts have already revealed themselves. This is truly a spectacle unseen in millennia! The last time the False God Realm stirred up such a commotion was when Nantian Guang Sword tested the world, accumulating invincible momentum to strike at dao unification."
"Didn't they say the 'innate divine being' claim about Li Chunjun was just a rumor, with no evidence whatsoever? How could it attract so many top-tier experts to act on mere hearsay?"
"Everyone, look here! There's an honest fool who actually believes Li Chunjun isn't an innate divine being just because someone else said so! Can't you judge for yourself whether he's innate or not? Don't just listen to what others say—analyze the situation yourself!"
"The information in the False God Realm is a mix of truth and lies. Who can truly discern it all? But even if our limited perspectives prevent us from seeing clearly, we can still observe the actions of the great figures. Eight top-tier experts moving simultaneously—I think that's enough proof of whether Li Chunjun is an innate divine being or not."
"This time, the innate divine being has caused an unprecedented commotion. If this trend continues, even eight top-tier experts won't be the limit. As time passes, there will be eighteen, twenty-eight, or even more. And his ultimate fate might very well mirror Nantian Guang's—a tragic demise, becoming another example of a young genius who died too soon in the history of the Human Race."
"I agree. This innate divine being revealed himself too early, surrounded by tigers... his chances of survival are slim!"
The False God Realm buzzed with countless discussions, a mix of truth and falsehood, reality and illusion.
Of course, ordinary Nascent Soul and Primordial Spirit Realm cultivators struggled to sift through the overwhelming information for anything useful. But the apex figures of the Cultivation World, each wielding immense power and influence, backed by vast organizations, possessed their own intelligence networks. Combined with the False God Realm's formidable manpower and resources, they could, like finding a needle in a haystack, extract crucial details from the sea of information, gaining a preliminary grasp of Li Chunjun's movements.
Watching these figures debate him endlessly in the False God Realm, Li Chunjun found the situation rather novel.
This was...
Becoming a cosmos-level celebrity.
As a result of this phenomenon, when Li Chunjun arrived at the next super star gate connecting Great Worlds, he could clearly sense the increased scrutiny.
Of course, it was merely increased scrutiny.
In this world where strength reigned supreme, the hierarchy of power was deeply ingrained. No fool would dare approach him like a starstruck fan.
Though Li Chunjun had chosen a low-profile route, his current fame made it impossible to keep his movements secret. As he traversed super star gates, his itinerary inevitably leaked out.
However, since few knew his destination, intercepting him proved difficult.
Under these circumstances, it took Li Chunjun another year and four months to cross five Great Worlds.
During those sixteen months, he had completely refined the thirteen thousand Dao Pills obtained from selling spoils of war from the dark horned prison, including Top-Tier Dao Artifacts.
His cultivation progress visibly slowed to a crawl.
The sudden shift from rapid advancement to painstaking progress left Li Chunjun deeply unsettled.
If not for his concern that exchanging the Yin-Yang taiji diagram might require additional compensation, he would have already sold his void escape pearl for tens of thousands of Dao Pills.
Fortunately, this sluggish cultivation pace lasted only a month.
With his movements exposed, Li Chunjun abandoned detours and chose the most direct route. In just two months, the Zhou Tian Great World loomed before him.
(End of the Chapter)
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