Chapter 550: People of Insight Under Heaven Gather Here Collectively

"Clang!" The crisp sound of a shattered wine glass echoed through the grand hall. The silver-armored man’s face was livid, cast in deep, stormy shadows.

The scene of jubilant laughter and celebration that had just filled his vision was now utterly obliterated!

We are clearly the invaders here; we marched into this realm, delivered our dire threats, and established our terrifying prestige through our ancestors countless ages ago. How is it that these people now...

Have they entirely forgotten the lessons of old, or what is going on?! Every single one of them is celebrating and making merry. Just a moment ago, they looked as if they had struck a massive fortune. Is this how people facing utter despair are supposed to act?!

"Calm your wrath, my Lord!" the white-robed man rushed to interject. "These indigenous creatures simply do not comprehend our might. They..."

He struggled for a long moment, visibly tangled in his own words, before finally managing to speak: "They are merely a herd of common mortals, uh... these mere ants, how could they possibly perceive your grandeur... uh... much less know of the glorious deeds of you lords..."

The white-robed man spoke with a halting stammer now, giving off the distinct impression that he could no longer sustain his own fabrication.

In the end, his face turned crimson with exertion before he squeezed out another line: "When the Hidden Heaven Palace truly descends upon this realm, that will be the hour for us to properly display what absolute power means before these ants! When that time comes, will these insects not be so terrified that they... beg for mercy on the spot?!"

The voluptuous woman narrowed her eyes slightly, a charming yet chilling smile gracing her lips. "I watched them for a moment just now as well. These ants are truly far too ignorant. In my view, we need not rush things too much when the time comes. We ought to strike terror into them first, letting them realize just how profoundly ignorant they truly are."

The white-robed man nodded respectfully. "Lady Jessica speaks with great wisdom. To borrow a phrase from these very ants, it is like 'a mayfly before the vast ocean.' When the moment arrives, I believe they will receive the most visceral experience of it."

"Excellent! This is a splendid proposal! We shall proceed exactly as you two have suggested," the silver-armored man declared, settling the matter on the spot. "Most especially that establishment—what was it called, the 'Origin Internet Cafe'! For such an ignorant, foolish little mortal shop to dare ruin my grand designs!"

"When the time comes, the Vanguard Commander shall personally display his divine prowess right before that establishment. A mere, trifling shop..."

"Hahahahaha...!" A prolonged chorus of laughter echoed throughout the grand hall.

"What makes you all so exceptionally joyous?" Several more men and women walked into the grand hall from outside.

Soon, another burst of roaring laughter erupted within the hall: "When the time comes and they witness the grand might of our race, these lower existences will finally learn the depths of their own ignorance!"

It was a thoroughly delightful prospect.

The silver-armored man found himself in high spirits once more. He poured himself another cup of wine and began to sip it with leisurely complacency.

...

Meanwhile, inside Boss Fang's internet cafe.

The Yuanyang City branch, which had previously grown desolate, was gradually becoming bustling and crowded once more.

Cultivators from various other cities also began to notice this strange phenomenon.

Rumors had previously circulated that the cultivation world was about to face a catastrophic disaster, prompting many to flee the cities for safety. Why, then, at this very moment...

Were they all rushing toward Yuanyang City as if their very lives depended on it?!

The fact that many cultivators had originally traveled thousands of miles to Yuanyang City every day, acting in a secretive and stealthy manner, had already been enough to arouse the suspicion of others.

Now, the highly anomalous behavior of these cultivators stood out like a brilliant beacon in the dead of night to the wandering cultivators and ordinary martial artists who were currently preparing to flee the disaster.

"Could it be... that there is something peculiar afoot?!"

Yuanyang City, the Wandering Immortal Tavern.

The tavern, which had emptied out to the point where birds could nest undisturbed at its doorstep, was now packed with a vast gathering of wandering cultivators from all over.

Even the aristocratic forces and various sects from other cities had assembled here.

"Innkeeper, bring me a pound of spiritual turtle meat and a jar of millennium-old Shaoxing wine." A young man clothed in a simple green robe entered the establishment. His skin was slightly dark, and his features were thoroughly ordinary.

By this time, there were no solitary seats left in the tavern. He cupped his hands toward three wandering cultivators and pointed at an empty spot at their square table, asking, "May I share this table with you gentlemen?"

Seeing the suspicious glances they cast his way, he hastily introduced himself: "My name is Han Yue, from the small kingdom of South Yan."

"Han Yue?" another wandering cultivator roared with laughter. "Young fellow, you actually share a name with Han Yue, the Wandering Immortal from two thousand years ago? Do you know the Azure Light Divine Edge Sword technique?"

"Going out with a name like that, aren't you afraid of getting thrashed?" a burly man remarked, shaking his head. "Suit yourself."

The green-robed youth's face twitched slightly.

These wandering cultivators simply went back to their own chatter. One of them lowered his voice and said, "Have you heard? All these cultivators coming to Yuanyang City are doing so for a supreme treasure!"

"What treasure?! To think they would abandon all regard for their own lives just for a treasure?!"

"You cannot look at it that way. It is said... there are still three months left before the great catastrophe of Lingzhou arrives, yet obtaining this treasure requires only a dozen or so days. At worst, one can just flee after securing the treasure!"

"Can someone explain... what exactly is this treasure?!"

"A single treasure? Why did I hear... that there are many of them?!"

"How could there be many?! The only thing I heard of is a single item, and that is—the +10 Reinforcement Ticket!"

"No, no, no! I heard there are also Black Diamond Memberships! Resurrection Coins! And Pocket Pots!"

The youth named Han Yue listened to their discussion with a completely blank expression. "...I have traveled through this realm for many years, yet how is it... that I have never heard of such treasures?!"

At that very moment, in the skies outside Yuanyang City, a cloud of seven-colored auspicious light drifted gracefully into view.

Upon the colorful cloud, immortal radiance swirled and ethereal mist drifted. Atop it stood a woman clad in pure white attire as pristine as snow. She possessed jade-like skin and a crystalline grace, her ribbons fluttering in the wind. As the mountain breeze swept past, her white robes and cascading hair swayed in unison, presenting a truly celestial spectacle.

By her side stood a young girl in a green dress, her features as exquisite as carved jade. She held a flower basket in her hand, looking indescribably charming and lovely.

"Master, you have not descended from the Seven Holy Peaks for so many years. Why have you chosen to take a stroll through the red dust of the mortal world today?"

"The central star grows dim; the cultivation world of Lingzhou is likely to encounter a grand disaster." The white-clothed woman let out a soft, sighing lament as she shook her head. "I calculated long ago that I am destined to face a tribulation in this lifetime. Evading it is not the mindset we cultivators should possess. If this tribulation truly exists, then let it manifest here. If I can contribute even a fraction of my meager strength, it will ensure these thousands of years of cultivation do not go to waste."

"Come, I shall take you to visit the hidden experts of this place," she spoke as she descended from the heavens.

"Who could this be...?"

"It is simply a goddess descended to the mortal realm..."

"A cultivator of this caliber should have long been famous throughout the Lingzhou cultivation world. How is it that we have never heard of her..."

"Fellow Daoists," the woman offered a gentle, polite bow. "I observed earlier that you were all rushing into the city in great haste. Is it possible... that there is some hidden expert or extraordinary person within this city? Pray tell us, so that we, master and disciple, may pay him a visit."

"An expert...?" The crowd wore expressions of sheer bewilderment, exchanging glances with one another.

"There is! There is!"

"Boss Fang of the Origin Internet Cafe is a hidden expert from beyond the mortal realm. It is said that his cultivation surpasses even that of Gu Tingyun, the Master of the Haotian Academy!"