85: The courier service has just opened, and someone's causing trouble!

Central Continent Sacred Domain, Tianxu City.

This city hangs above the Nine Heavens, with one hundred and eight giant floating islands connected by profound Formations, clouds and mist as the sea, and rainbow bridges as roads.

Each floating island is even more magnificent than Tianluo City, the largest city in the Eastern Barrens.

The Spiritual Qi in the city is so dense it's almost material, taking a single breath feels like one's cultivation is improving.

On the streets, Golden Core Cultivators are as common as dogs, and Nascent Soul Cultivators are everywhere.

Occasionally, Soul Transformation powerhouses can be seen riding exotic beast carriages, soaring past, yet no one dares to act presumptuously in the city.

"Gulp."

Qian Duoduo swallowed, his small eyes filled with shock.

"Senior Brother Wang, is this Tianxu City? I feel... I feel that even the city gate guards here are stronger than the branch Revered Master of the Qingyun Branch!"

Wang Duojin stood with his hands behind his back, his round belly puffed out, trying to appear worldly.

But his slightly trembling fingertips still betrayed his inner turmoil.

"Have some backbone!" Wang Duojin chastised, "It's just a bit more Spiritual Qi and a few more people, what's there to be surprised about!"

"Revered Master said our goal is the sea of stars! This mere Central Continent is just a novice village!"

Although he said that, he was frantically calculating in his heart.

This location! This foot traffic! This consumption level!

Opening a shop here, the Spirit Stones earned in a day could probably buy the entire Eastern Barrens!

"Let's go! Time for business!"

Wang Duojin waved his hand, leading Qian Duoduo and dozens of carefully selected Inner Sect Disciples directly to the most prosperous central giant island in the city.

With the enormous Spirit Stones extorted from Wanghai City, he didn't even blink an eye as he took over a three-story prime storefront on Central Street.

Three days later.

A huge gilded plaque was hung high.

On the plaque, three large characters were carved in a vigorous, flowing style—Myriad Dao Express Delivery.

At the entrance of the shop, two rows of Disciples wearing Myriad Dao Divine Sect Outer Sect Disciple uniforms stood tall and proud, exuding an extraordinary Aura.

Qian Duoduo shouted at the top of his lungs, using his spiritual power, to the Cultivators passing by.

"Come and see, come and see! Myriad Dao Express Delivery, new store opening!"

"Thousands of miles, delivered in one day! From Immortal Artifacts and divine materials to Mortal letters, nothing is too much to send, nothing is unreachable!"

"Grand opening special! The first one hundred orders are all free!"

This novel slogan and the unheard-of "express delivery" business immediately attracted countless Cultivators to stop.

"Myriad Dao Express Delivery? What is that? Delivering things?"

"Thousands of miles in one day? Bragging! Even a Void Refining powerhouse using a teleportation Formation would take ten days to half a month to get from Tianxu City to the Eastern Barrens border!"

"Free? Aren't they some fraudulent Sect trying to trick us out of our goods and then run away?"

The crowd discussed animatedly, mostly with curiosity and ridicule.

Just then, a team of Cultivators dressed in purple cloud-patterned brocade robes pushed through the crowd and walked to the shop entrance.

The leader was a gloomy-faced middle-aged man, whose cultivation was surprisingly at the Void Refining Middle Stage.

He glanced at the plaque, a sneer of disdain curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Myriad Dao Divine Sect? Bumpkins from the Eastern Barrens dare to do business in my Tianxu City?"

A Soul Transformation Stage steward behind him stepped forward, speaking haughtily.

"We are from the Purple Cloud Chamber of Commerce! Who allowed you to open this shop? Do you not understand the rules of Tianxu City?"

Wang Duojin slowly walked out from inside the shop, a benevolent smile on his face.

"Oh? Purple Cloud Chamber of Commerce? I've heard much about you."

"May I ask what the rules of this Tianxu City are?"

The steward lifted his chin.

"The rule is, any newly opened shop must pay three-tenths of its 'tribute' to our Purple Cloud Chamber of Commerce! Otherwise, it will have to close and get out the next day!"

Wang Duojin's smile grew even wider.

"So you're collecting protection fees."

He took out his golden abacus and started clicking away rapidly.

"The Purple Cloud Chamber of Commerce controls 70% of Tianxu City's Medicinal Pills, 50% of its Magic Treasures, and 80% of its intelligence business. It has three Void Refining Elders, thirty-six Soul Transformation stewards, and tens of thousands of Disciples."

"Your OP, called Purple Cloud Immortal Master, right? Early Integration Stage cultivation, three hundred years ago, colluded with the Demonic Sect to ambush their rival, 'Hundred Rivers Pavilion,' and annexed their assets. Am I right?"

With each sentence Wang Duojin spoke, the middle-aged man at the Void Refining Middle Stage's face grew uglier.

When he heard the last sentence, unconcealed killing intent erupted in his eyes!

These were the most core secrets of the Chamber of Commerce!

How did this dead fatty know them!

"You! You're courting death!"

The middle-aged man could no longer hold back, and the terrifying pressure of the Void Refining Stage, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami, surged towards Wang Duojin!

He wanted to crush this fatty who knew too many secrets, along with this ridiculous shop, into dust!

Wang Duojin's face paled, feeling as if he was being crushed by a huge mountain, his bones groaning.

But he didn't retreat.

He just sighed.

"Alas, Revered Master was right. There are always some fools who prefer to take a penalty rather than accept a toast."

Just as that pressure was about to crush him.

A clear, cold female voice echoed in everyone's ears.

"Ice Seal."

Crack!

Time seemed to stand still.

That terrifying pressure, enough to destroy half a street, actually condensed into crystalline ice shards in mid-air, then shattered into pieces on the ground.

Su Linger had appeared beside Wang Duojin at some point.

She held a string of freshly bought candied hawthorns, eating them in small bites.

She didn't even look at the middle-aged man from the Purple Cloud Chamber of Commerce, merely stating calmly.

"Third Junior Brother, he's disturbing my candied hawthorns."

The middle-aged man's pupils constricted abruptly!

He stared intently at Su Linger, a turbulent storm raging in his heart.

Domain!

This was the nascent form of a Domain, something only Body Integration Stage powerhouses could initially grasp!

How could this girl, who looked no older than seventeen or eighteen, possess it!

"You... just who are you people!" he roared, his voice betraying his inner fear despite his outward bluster.

"Us?"

Wang Duojin recovered, patted the dust off himself, and said with a grin.

"We are businessmen who come to reason."

As soon as he finished speaking.

"Clang!"

A clear, resonant sword cry pierced the sky.

A sword light, extremely fast and utterly simple, flashed and disappeared.

No one even saw what happened.

They only saw a thin bloodstain appear on the neck of the middle-aged man at the Void Refining Middle Stage.

The Magic Treasures in the hands of the dozens of Purple Cloud Chamber of Commerce Cultivators behind him were all neatly cut into two, the incisions smooth as mirrors.

A young man in green robes, carrying a long sword on his back, had appeared on the shop's eaves at some point.

He looked at the dumbfounded middle-aged man below and spoke calmly.

"My sword says it doesn't like your scent."

It was Ye Chenfeng.

He had just returned from the Sword Tomb outside the city and happened to pass by, witnessing this scene.

The middle-aged man completely collapsed.

He felt the lingering sharp Sword Intent on his neck; with just a thought from the other party, his head would be gone.

A young girl, suspected to be a Body Integration powerhouse.

A fat man, privy to all secrets.

A swordsman, capable of instantly killing him with a single sword strike.

Are these really bumpkins from the Eastern Barrens?

These are clearly a group of prehistoric Dragons crossing the river!

"I... I was wrong! Senior, spare me! Fairy, spare me! Great Masters, spare me!"

The middle-aged man fell to his knees with a thud, tears and snot flowing, completely devoid of his previous arrogance.

Wang Duojin walked over and tapped his face with the abacus.

"See, isn't it much better to talk nicely like this?"

"Now, I'll ask you again."

"Can my shop, after all, be opened?"

"Yes! Yes! Absolutely!" The middle-aged man kowtowed like pounding garlic, "Let alone opening one, even if you buy the entire street, no one would dare say a single word against it!"

"Hmm, good attitude." Wang Duojin nodded in satisfaction.

"However, you just startled my Senior Sister."

He pointed to the string of candied hawthorns in Su Linger's hand, which only had one left.

"My Senior Sister's candied hawthorns almost dropped. Shouldn't you compensate for this emotional distress?"

"Compensate! We will definitely compensate!" The middle-aged man quickly pulled out a large pile of Spirit Stones and Magic Treasures from his Storage Ring.

"Also, my Senior Brother's sword was drawn just now. His sword rarely leaves its sheath, and when it does, it must see blood. It made an exception for you today. Shouldn't you also show some compensation for the wear and tear and loss of work?"

Ye Chenfeng on the eaves, his mouth twitched slightly.

He felt that Third Junior Brother's shamelessness was even sharper than his sword.

In the end, after compensating a huge amount of resources enough to buy ten shops, the Purple Cloud Chamber of Commerce was finally allowed to scramble away in a sorry state.

Watching their pathetic retreating figures, Qian Duoduo was flushed with excitement.

"Senior Brother Wang! You're amazing! Senior Brother Ye and Senior Sister Su are also incredibly strong!"

Wang Duojin, however, put away his smile and looked at Su Linger with a solemn expression.

"Second Senior Sister, did you discover something just now?"

Su Linger nodded, eating the last candied hawthorn, her voice clear and cold.

"That Void Refining Cultivator had a very faint, but very pure Devilish Qi on him."

"It's not the mixed Devilish Qi of ordinary demonic Cultivators; it's more like... it originates from a very ancient, very powerful existence."

Ye Chenfeng also floated down from the eaves.

"His Cultivation Technique appears grand and righteous, but its Foundation is sinister and strange, seven parts similar to the demonic creatures I've killed before."

Wang Duojin's face completely darkened.

He remembered Revered Master saying that the city lord of Wanghai City had a "foul smell" on him.

It seems the waters of this Central Continent Sacred Domain are much deeper than he imagined.

"It seems this Purple Cloud Chamber of Commerce isn't just about collecting protection fees."

He muttered to himself.

"I must report this news to Revered Master immediately."

...Thousands of miles away, in an unknown small courtyard.

Chu Xuanjin was lying on a rocking chair, leisurely basking in the sun.

On the stone table in front of him, there was a chessboard.

On the chessboard, black and white pieces were fighting each other, constantly changing.

[Ding! Detected that the Host's Disciple has come into contact with the Karma thread of the 'Demonic Overlord' in Tianxu City of the Central Continent.]

[Main Quest Updated: Gaze of the Abyss.]

[Quest Description: An ancient existence named 'Abyssal Demonic Overlord' has cast its gaze upon this world. It corrupts and controls some top forces in the Central Continent through 'demonic contamination,' intending to subvert the world and transform it into a demonic Domain. The Purple Cloud Chamber of Commerce is one of them.]

[Quest Reward: Depends on quest completion.]

Chu Xuanjin opened his eyes, looking at the information on the System panel, and a curious smile appeared on his face.

"Oh? A chain enterprise."

"Hit the small ones, the old ones come. I'm familiar with this script."

"The game has just begun."

"I just wonder if these chess pieces are enough for me to kill."