124: Chapter 124 Senior, don't go! Please accept my deepest respect!

The Treasure Appraisal Conference came to an end in a way that no one had ever expected.

Su Changge's reputation in Zhongzhou City was pushed to an unprecedented Peak.

Now, no one dared to harbor even the slightest bit of doubt.

No one dared to spy in the shadows anymore.

Whenever people mentioned the "Senior in heavenly room number one," their words were filled only with awe stemming from the depths of their Soul.

Su Changge, however, knew very well that this pedestal built for him was a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.

It was time to slip away.

If he stayed any longer, and some blind True God happened to pass by and see through his act of bluffing, then he would be in real trouble.

He quickly returned to the villa, stuffed those carefully selected "treasures"—which looked ordinary but actually contained hidden mysteries—into his pitifully small personal storage space, and then found Mo Wentian.

"I am leaving."

Su Changge's voice was as calm as ever, without a trace of worldly concern.

"Clang!"

These simple four words caused the teacup in Mo Wentian's hand to slip instantly, fall to the ground, and shatter into powder.

He was struck as if by lightning, freezing in place.

"Se... Senior! You are leaving?"

Mo Wentian's voice cracked, turning sharp and off-key, while all the color drained from his face, replaced by panic and reluctance.

"Senior, is it that this Junior has not entertained you well? Or has some blind thing in this Zhongzhou City offended you? Just tell me, and this Junior will immediately go and scatter their ashes, along with their ancestral graves!"

Su Changge waved his hand calmly, while muttering to himself: "Please do not, I am afraid you will get excited and scatter your own ashes first."

He maintained his Master demeanor, his voice distant.

"Gatherings and partings have their own fate; there is no need to force it."

As soon as these words were spoken, Mo Wentian could no longer hold it together.

With a "thump," he knelt directly in front of Su Changge and hugged his thigh tightly.

"Senior! You cannot leave!"

This Tianji Pavilion Master, who held power over Zhongzhou and could shake the region with a stomp of his foot, was currently crying like a three-hundred-pound child, his face covered in snot and tears, with no image left to speak of.

"This Junior is dull and needs your constant guidance, Senior, to make any progress on the Dao path!"

"I beg you, Senior, to show mercy and let this Junior follow by your side, to lead your ox and drive your horse, to serve you tea and pour water—this Junior is willing to do anything!"

Su Changge only felt a damp, sticky sensation on his thigh, his stomach churning with nausea and a chill running down his spine.

He used all his strength to try and pull his leg out.

What kind of joke is this?

Bring a burden by his side?

Especially someone like Mo Wentian, who was the shrewdest of the shrewd? His disguise, propped up entirely by the System, would likely be stripped down to his underwear within three days!

"No."

Su Changge's refusal was firm and decisive.

Mo Wentian stiffened, the last trace of color fading from his face, leaving only despair: "Wh... why, Senior?"

Seeing that a hard refusal would only make him more persistent, Su Changge had to change his strategy.

He put on a compassionate and profound expression, reached out to help Mo Wentian up from the ground, and patted his shoulder earnestly.

"Wentian."

Just this soft call made Mo Wentian tremble violently, a warm current rushing from his head to his feet, making him feel as if he were melting.

Senior... Senior actually called my Dao name so affectionately!

Su Changge ignored his reaction, casting his gaze toward the distant horizon, his eyes deep and distant, as if he had seen through the ages of time and understood the river of fate.

"Your Dao is not by my side."

"Your Dao is here in Zhongzhou, here in the Tianji Pavilion."

"Mastering the heavenly secrets and overlooking all living beings—this is your destiny. If you follow by my side, it will only dull your own edge and Luck, understand?"

Su Changge began to spout nonsense with a straight face.

However, these words fell into Mo Wentian's ears like a clap of thunder from the Nine Heavens, a moment of enlightenment, the very sound of the Dao!

He was completely stunned.

Did Senior mean... my Dao is to Master the Tianji Pavilion? Is he enlightening me, wanting me to thoroughly integrate all the power of the Tianji Pavilion and become a true ruler whose Words Become Law, instead of being held back everywhere by those old, immortal Grand Elders like now?

Senior... he actually thinks so highly of me! He believes I can do it!

A burning hot current rushed from the bottom of his heart to his eyes; Mo Wentian was moved beyond measure.

He stepped back abruptly, performed the most standard and solemn Daoist salute to Su Changge, bowed ninety degrees, and made a deep obeisance.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior! Wentian... understands!"

"Wentian hereby swears that I will not fail your high expectations, Senior. I will surely carry forward the Tianji Pavilion and become an existence worthy of leading the way for you!"

Su Changge looked at his pumped-up appearance, the heavy stone in his heart falling to the ground, while he nodded gratifiedly on the surface.

He had finally managed to fool this clingy person.

Mo Wentian wiped away his tears, regaining the dignity and demeanor of the Tianji Pavilion Master.

"Since you are going on a long journey, Senior, this Junior has already prepared a flying boat for you as transport."

With a wave of his large sleeve, a huge, incredibly luxurious flying boat that was almost blinding to the eyes slowly rose into the sky outside the villa.

The flying boat was crafted entirely from ten-thousand-year-old purple gold divine wood, with carved beams and painted pillars, surrounded by immortal light. In front, it was pulled by nine flood dragons with single horns on their heads, each possessing an aura comparable to the Late Nascent Soul Stage—the ostentation was extreme!

"This is the 'nine dragon sinking incense carriage,' traveling a million miles a day, with its own inner world, ensuring a stable and comfortable journey for you, Senior."

When Mo Wentian introduced it, his face was full of pride.

Su Changge just glanced at it and shook his head in disdain.

"Too tacky."

Just kidding, riding this thing on the road, would that not be equivalent to carving the eight words "I am a fat sheep, come and rob me" on his forehead?

This is no flying boat; this is clearly a moving live target!

He directly ignored the blinding flying boat, walked straight to the corner of the courtyard, and untied the reins of the Old Yellow Ox.

Under the stunned gaze of Mo Wentian and a group of high-level officials from the Tianji Pavilion who had rushed over upon hearing the news, Su Changge flipped over and sat steadily on the ox's back.

"Let's go."

He gently patted the ox's butt, and the Old Yellow Ox flicked its tail, stepped out with its four hooves, and walked unhurriedly toward the outside of the villa.

Mo Wentian stood frozen in place, staring blankly at Senior's simple green-shirted back, and that Old Yellow Ox that looked ordinary no matter how one saw it.

The next second, it was as if hundreds of millions of thunderbolts exploded in his mind simultaneously!

He suddenly understood something, and an unprecedented, brilliant light erupted in his eyes!

The Great Dao is simple, Return to Simplicity!

That is it! This is the true supreme Realm that sees through the illusions of the world!

Compared to Senior's Realm, what is the nine dragon sinking incense carriage? It is simply a pile of tacky, flashy, useless scrap metal!

"I understand... I really understand again this time!"

Mo Wentian was trembling with excitement, almost dancing with joy.

"Quick! Pass on this Pavilion Master's order! The Pavilion Master will personally escort, clearing the way for Senior! No one is allowed to disturb the holy carriage!"

Thus, the most magical scene in the history of Zhongzhou City appeared.

A young man in a green shirt, riding a bony Old Yellow Ox, walked slowly in the very center of Vermilion Bird Street.

And behind him, the Tianji Pavilion Master Mo Wentian, personally leading a group of Elders with terrifying, abyss-like auras, followed respectfully, step by step, forming an endless farewell procession.

On both sides of the street, countless Cultivators stood spontaneously, holding their breath, their eyes filled with fanaticism, paying silent tribute to the figure on the ox's back.

This spectacle was a hundred times more magnificent than the royal procession of an earthly emperor.

Su Changge rode on the ox's back, feeling the thousands of fanatical, worshipful, and awestruck gazes behind him, only feeling like needles on his back, itching all over.

"Go faster, go faster... the enthusiasm of these people is too terrifying, I cannot handle it..."

The Old Yellow Ox seemed to feel its owner's anxiety, and its four hooves involuntarily sped up a bit.

Finally, the towering city gate was right before his eyes.

But Su Changge's heart did not relax; instead, it rose to his throat, almost jumping out of his chest.

He knew that the bluffing conference was over.

The real test of life and death was right outside the city.