Chapter 158: This is My House, I'll Rent It to Whoever I Want

Chapter 158: This Is My House, I Rent to Whom I Please

Twenty prodigies gathered, each harboring their own thoughts.

Except for Ling Jiao, the others at least showed outward respect to Qi Yuan, though inwardly they were curious: just which Yin god’s descendant was this strange man?

In all the Eastern Lands, there were only a handful of Yin gods.

At that moment, Fenglan the Great appeared, with Wind Moon Fairy following behind him, her figure graceful, her jade hands wrapped in white gloves that concealed her nails and fingers.

The prodigies present all looked toward Fenglan the Great, their eyes filled with reverence.

“Greetings, Senior Fenglan!”

To a Purple Mansion great power, these prodigies naturally offered respect.

Fenglan nodded, glanced at Qi Yuan, who carried a turtle shell on his back, and a peculiar expression flickered in his eyes. He cleared his throat and spoke: “All of you are the prodigies of the Eastern Lands, bearing the heavy responsibilities of your sects.

Regarding the situation on Wangyue Continent, I will give you a brief introduction.”

As he spoke, twenty jade slips fell into the hands of the assembled.

The jade slips detailed the conditions on Wangyue Continent.

“On Wangyue Continent, including us, there are now three factions.

They are the natives of Wangyue Continent, the Mara Clan, and ourselves.

The natives of the continent are not worth mentioning.

But the Mara Clan’s strength… is formidable.

However, the Eastern Lands and the Mara Clan have already reached an agreement: combat power at the fifth rank and above will not intervene,” Fenglan the Great said.

The fifth rank was the Purple Mansion realm.

“On Wangyue Continent, who are our opponents?” asked Gu Xiaoyao.

Qi Yuan glanced at Gu Xiaoyao as well.

This was the perfect Heavenly Dao foundation—someone even he regarded with caution.

“Among the three factions, the Mara Clan is the strongest, so we have… formed a temporary alliance with the natives of Wangyue Continent.

Of course, in reality, both are our adversaries.”

Those present nodded.

Qi Yuan also looked at the jade slip, gaining a deeper understanding of the intricate situation on Wangyue Continent.

Both Canglan Continent and the Mara Clan were gradually devouring the territory of Wangyue Continent.

“On Wangyue Continent, the three Venerables have already established strongholds, guarded by many Divine Infant cultivators,” Fenglan the Great continued. “You must never become their enemies.”

On the surface, the Eastern Lands had only those three Venerables.

Wangyue Continent was discovered and occupied by them.

The Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle had granted twenty slots to let other major powers in the Eastern Lands share some of the spoils.

These twenty would enter Wangyue Continent, first to gain experience, second to clarify the state of the continent, and third, based on their contributions there, to earn more say in matters.

In simple terms, they were to work for the three Venerables.

Those who performed well would receive greater rewards, and their sects could send more people to occupy territory, thus escaping the great calamity.

“Understood.”

The twenty prodigies replied in unison.

“In that case, everyone, enter Wangyue Continent!” Fenglan the Great declared.

Suddenly, a door appeared before them.

All eyes fell upon that door, including Qi Yuan’s.

His gaze held a hint of surprise.

To be honest, this was the first time he had… reached another world through such a means.

“Let’s go!” Gu Xiaoyao said.

The assembled prodigies filed through the door one after another.

What met their eyes was a mass of white radiance.

Everyone felt their vision turn blindingly white, unable to see anything clearly.

Then, abruptly, a sensation of the world spinning came over them.

This feeling lasted for a full dozen breaths.

Qi Yuan’s eyes were filled with anticipation, and also a trace of unease.

He did not know whether this Wangyue Continent was the world he had once lived in.

He did not know if he would meet old acquaintances here.

In Wangyue Continent, what year was it now?

The white light faded, replaced by a dry and scorching atmosphere.

It was as if a wave of heat swept over them.

Everyone present felt an intense heat.

The place where they now stood resembled a desert.

“So this is Wangyue Continent?”

“It’s hot!”

Their expressions varied, filled with curiosity about this unknown world.

At that moment, Ling Jiao glanced at Qi Yuan and could not help saying, “Some people wear such thick clothes even in this heat. Do they really think this is still the Canglan Realm?”

In the Canglan Realm, the world was filled with spiritual energy.

As long as one’s spiritual power was abundant, spells could theoretically be used endlessly.

But Wangyue Continent was different.

This was not the same world as the Canglan Realm; in this world, there was no spiritual energy.

The spiritual power in their dantians was limited, and once used up, it was hard to replenish.

Even with spirit stones, absorbing them was more troublesome than in the Canglan Realm.

Therefore, they conserved the spiritual power in their dantians as much as possible.

At that moment, they were frugal, not using spells to cool the place down.

Qi Yuan, however, paid no attention to Ling Jiao.

Or rather, he simply did not hear her words.

He crouched down, looking at a withered blade of grass on the ground.

He extended his finger and touched that blade of grass.

With his touch,

a wondrous thing occurred.

The withered grass upon the ground seemed to have been moistened by spring rain.

The once yellowed leaves and stems now turned tender and green, brimming with life.

In the desert, one blade, then two, then three kept appearing, growing wildly.

Beneath Qi Yuan’s feet, the parched sand transformed in an instant into a patch of green.

These grasses stretched out their shoots, like the garden greenery in Wang Duoyu’s estate, as if greeting Qi Yuan.

Such a scene, in the mortal world, would be enough to make those mortals see it as a miracle.

But to the prodigies present, it felt utterly baffling.

Especially Ling Jiao, who sneered coldly: “Wasting spiritual power on such trivial matters—how amusing.”

Great Wisdom True Lord remarked: “This fellow Daoist is willing to expend his own spiritual power just to save a withered blade of grass. It shows his character, worthy of befriending.”

Only then did Qi Yuan rise, looking at Ling Jiao: “If not for this, should I waste it on you?”

Ling Jiao gritted her teeth, about to retort.

Just then, an aged voice rang out, cutting off their argument.

“All of you have arrived. I, Falling Wood True Lord, have been waiting here for some time. Greetings to you all!”

A Divine Infant cultivator appeared, his expression indifferent.

“Greetings, Falling Wood True Lord!” The prodigies present all showed great respect to this Divine Infant cultivator.

After all, those who had come to Wangyue Continent were all subordinates of the three venerables.

“Since you are all here with me, it happens that now, in Wangyue Continent, representatives from seven powers have come to our stronghold seeking an alliance.

You may each choose to ally with these powers to jointly confront the Mara race,” said the Divine Infant cultivator, Falling Wood True Lord, explaining the current situation to the assembled prodigies.

Near this stronghold, there were currently seven kingdoms.

These seven kingdoms were resisting the Mara race.

Given their strength, they naturally could not contend with the Mara race, so they sought cooperation with the cultivators of Canglan Realm.

“An alliance?” Ling Jiao’s eyes held a faint sneer. “It’s nothing but ceding territory for help. These natives of Wangyue Continent are truly weak.”

The bargaining chips these natives offered were to cede some territories to them in exchange for their aid.

Hearing this, the prodigies present all sighed with a strange sense of melancholy.

In this world, weakness is the original sin.

Because of its weakness, Wangyue Continent could only struggle to survive between two terrifying foes.

Yet their struggle, their humiliating concessions, seemed especially laughable in others’ eyes.

At this moment, Qi Yuan’s heart was extraordinarily calm.

The words of the crowd seemed not to reach his ears.

He gazed at the azure sky, murmuring inwardly: “Twenty-one days, is it?”

The moment he set foot on Wangyue Continent,

he knew that this was his Wangyue Continent, his home.

His body, his soul, were now reclaiming this world.

And to fully take over, becoming the Heavenly Dao of this realm, would take twenty-one days.

…

Within the stronghold, the representatives of the seven kingdoms gathered together.

Their expressions were far from good.

After all, coming here was ostensibly to seek help and form cooperation,

but in reality, they would sign treaties that humiliated the nation.

If the kingdom fell, all else was moot.

If the kingdom survived, they would become eternal sinners.

Luo Xi wore a plain white robe, his features handsome; the only pity was that he was bald, not a single hair on his forehead or brows.

At this moment, his face was also etched with deep worry.

“I hear that from Canglan Realm, the younger generation of twenty major powers have come to ally with us.

Do you have any information about them?” Luo Xi asked.

Knowing the strength and background of those powers, as well as their conduct, was crucial to them.

“I do not know,” an elderly man shook his head. He then looked at Luo Xi. “Your Fenggui Kingdom is unwilling to cede territory. This cooperation may well come to nothing.”

Luo Xi’s expression dimmed. “Fenggui has only three cities. Of the ten great generals in the kingdom, eight died defending the realm against the Mara race.

How can we, the younger generation, casually hand over the lands our forebears defended with their blood?”

“If you don’t offer some tangible benefits, how can those outsiders sincerely help us?” the old man sighed.

They too knew how important territory was.

But when the kingdom was on the verge of ruin, they had no choice but to yield and first survive the immediate calamity.

“The king has said she would rather become a servant or a slave than cede territory!” Luo Xi lamented.

How could the lands defended by the blood of their ancestors be given away in their hands?

The seven kingdom representatives present wore gloomy expressions.

Just then, an aged voice rang out.

“Everyone, the prodigies of our Canglan Realm have arrived.”

With the aged voice,

Gu Xiaoyao, Jiang Ya, Qi Yuan, and others entered the tent.

The seven kingdom representatives rose one after another, their faces respectful: “Greetings to you all!”

Luo Xi lifted his head, looking at the twenty young people before him, his gaze turning solemn.

For each of these twenty youths gave him an extremely terrifying feeling.

He doubted he could defeat any one of them.

Was this the foundation of Canglan Realm?

Were even just twenty young people this powerful?

Not only Luo Xi’s face was grave; the others felt the same.

Falling Wood True Lord then spoke, briefly introducing both sides, and then said, “The rest, you can discuss among yourselves.”

At this, Ling Jiao spoke up: “My maternal grandfather is a Yin God, and my father is the lord of Water Cloud Palace, the foremost power in Water Immortal Prefecture, possessing a Yin God artifact.

I have only one requirement when choosing a partner: the amount of territory ceded must be large.”

"Too little—I'm not interested."

Ling Jiao's opening words immediately revealed her domineering nature.

"By the way, when facing the Mara clan, I should take the lead. I don't want anyone telling me what to do!"

The representatives of the seven kingdoms, upon hearing Ling Jiao's first sentence, all showed expressions of shock.

That was a Yin God, a legendary sixth-rank powerhouse!

But upon hearing the latter part, their faces grew strained.

At this moment, Jiang Ya also spoke: "Our Ascension Pavilion doesn't have high demands for territory—just one city to dwell in is enough. But... we need cultivation techniques, the more the better."

Several of the seven kingdoms' representatives seemed quite tempted.

Then, Great Wisdom True Lord couldn't help but say: "That old man, Wutian, is still collecting techniques?"

Jiang Ya glanced at Great Wisdom True Lord upon hearing this but said nothing.

Back then, Wutian had taken a liking to Great Wisdom True Lord and wanted to take him as a disciple, but Great Wisdom True Lord refused, saying that following Wutian would lead nowhere.

This had caused a stir in the Eastern Lands at the time.

After all, Wutian was the foremost figure below the Yin God in the Eastern Lands, and countless prodigies begged to be accepted into his tutelage.

Great Wisdom True Lord, who refused Wutian and declined to become his disciple, was truly the first of his kind.

On the field, these Eastern Lands prodigies each stated their backgrounds and respective demands.

This made Qi Yuan sigh in admiration.

Those who made it into the top twenty of the Eastern Lands Prodigy List all came from major powers.

Even Xu Tongchen's Seven Words Sect had a Zifu cultivator.

Unlike him, who was from a village-level immortal cultivation sect, where a Divine Infant cultivator was the strongest.

The crowd on the field kept discussing and bargaining.

Ling Jiao, who displayed formidable strength and background, naturally received the most attention from the seven kingdoms' representatives.

They wanted to cooperate, so they naturally preferred the strongest.

After all, the Mara clan was too powerful; if an ally was too weak, it would be a great loss.

Facing the seven kingdoms' representatives, Ling Jiao wore an arrogant expression: "Three cities? That's for beggars?

Even three cities in the Canglan Realm wouldn't impress me, let alone your dilapidated cities in Wangyue Continent."

With other prodigies, she could still converse amiably and politely, but with the natives, she had no patience and looked down on them.

The old man who had spoken earlier looked embarrassed; being mocked like this, he could only swallow his anger and dared not retort.

About half an hour passed.

Most of the seven kingdoms' representatives on the field had reached agreements with the prodigies present.

These dozen or so prodigies wore proud expressions, their eyes gleaming with smugness.

Clearly, they were satisfied with this negotiation.

In contrast, every representative of the seven kingdoms looked grim.

Even after reaching cooperation, the clouds on their faces did not dissipate.

At this moment, Qi Yuan, who had been silent all along, looked at the bald man, curiosity in his eyes: "Do you know the Southern Qian Kingdom?"

The bald man before him was not a monk.

Rather, it was a side effect from entering the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground and cultivating there.

Back then, Qi Yuan had taken control of the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground and set rules within it.

Doing push-ups, pull-ups, and so on would make one stronger.

But the corresponding side effect was hair loss.

The Luo Xi before him had clearly trained in the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground.

Upon hearing this, Luo Xi showed a strange expression: "This junior does not know."

Qi Yuan felt a bit disappointed and said, "When do you have time? Take me to your Fenggui to have a look."

Luo Xi's face lit up with joy, but then he said, "Reporting to you, sir, our Fenggui has only three cities. We cannot... cede territory to you."

Just now, he had tried to cooperate with other prodigies.

But no one was willing to accept the terms he proposed.

"What use would I have for your cities?" Qi Yuan said with a smile in his eyes. "Aren't your cities already mine?"

Luo Xi's expression shifted slightly, unsure what Qi Yuan meant by this.

Beside him, Ling Jiao couldn't help but speak again: "Thick clothes, thick skin—are you resorting to extortion?"

Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered to look at Ling Jiao.

Standing on Wangyue Continent, he felt his strength increasing every moment.

Although this increase might vanish completely soon after leaving Wangyue Continent,

on Wangyue Continent, this power was real.

Qi Yuan's boldness had returned.

"Where am I extorting?" Qi Yuan said indignantly. "Wangyue Continent is my home—I have the deed!

Even if they offered me cities, I wouldn't take them, since they're already mine. What would I do with those cities?"

The prodigies on the field exchanged glances and said nothing.

Jiang Ya also looked at Qi Yuan with a strange expression; for some reason, she felt that this man carrying a turtle shell seemed familiar.

Great Wisdom True Lord then asked with a look of astonishment: "Fellow Daoist, is Wangyue Continent really your home?"

"Mm." Qi Yuan nodded emphatically. "Absolutely true!"

"No wonder—so this is your home.

In that case, shouldn't our previous deal be voided?

Fellow Daoist, how about this: I and the forces behind me will help you resist the Mara clan, and you rent me some rooms in your home." Great Wisdom True Lord pondered seriously.

If these words came from anyone else, they would seem absurd and incomprehensible.

But coming from Great Wisdom True Lord, it was easy to understand.

Qi Yuan thought for a long while, then said, "Fine."

Great Wisdom True Lord had given him much help, and he was willing to owe him a favor.

Hearing this, Ling Jiao couldn't help but sneer: "How ridiculous—do you really think Wangyue Continent is yours?"

At this, Qi Yuan finally looked at Ling Jiao: "My home's rooms won't be rented to you. Get lost."

Ling Jiao fumed, feeling she had been foolish to argue with an idiot.

She said no more.

The crowd present did not take Qi Yuan's words to heart.

They merely regarded Qi Yuan as a madman.

At that moment, Qi Yuan continued, "If anyone still wants to rent a house, tell me now. I'm leaving for Fenggui immediately and have no time for idle chatter with you."

The others present were even more bewildered.

Did this man in a tortoiseshell really think he was the master of Wangyue Continent?

"It seems no one wants to rent anymore." Qi Yuan looked at the representatives of the seven kingdoms, his voice ethereal. "Children, your agreements with them are void. In a moment, I will go see who dares to act presumptuously in my home!"

Qi Yuan's words seemed almost bewitching.

The people of Wangyue Continent, looking at Qi Yuan, all felt a sense of kinship, as if a son had met his father.

"Void?" The old man's eyes were dazed.

The others also struggled, their minds engaged in fierce conflict.

"Yes, void!

Wangyue Continent is my home. If unwelcome guests come, I will personally drive them out!"

"Alright, void!" For some reason, the old man felt a powerful force compelling him to say these words.

"We also void!"

"Us too!"

The representatives of the seven kingdoms spoke one after another, declaring the previously negotiated agreements void!

(End of chapter)