439: Five hundred years

Five hundred years passed like a fleeting dream.

Today, the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild has become the most dazzling commercial giant in the Eastern Eighty-One Regions.

Being based in Xuanhuang Ancient City no longer quite fit its current status.

Therefore, the Guild’s headquarters had long since moved out of Xuanhuang Street, relocating to a chosen area within Xuanhuang Ancient City and undergoing a complete reconstruction.

The Guild’s headquarters, like a mysterious immortal palace, stood in a corner of Xuanhuang Ancient City.

An ancient Formation, like a giant Dragon coiling, exuded a powerful Aura, and within the Formation, endless mysteries were contained, as if it were a mysterious portal between Heaven and Earth, leading to an unknown world.

Within the Formation, buildings soared into the clouds, majestic in their Aura, and each immortal palace and jade pavilion exuded an ancient and mysterious Aura, as if they were witnesses to the passage of time.

Deep within the Guild’s headquarters, a blessed land of caves lay hidden.

There was a great river composed of Chaos energy, like the Milky Way pouring down, flowing through all parts of the headquarters; around the great river, various Dao medicines and Divine flowers competed in beauty.

The thin mist of early morning, like a veil, enveloped the entire Guild headquarters in a layer of mystery.

Two half-step Dao Lord Realm Purple-Winged Unicorns, as if from a fairyland, their wings shimmering with purple light, pulled a luxurious carriage and slowly descended onto the plaza in front of a white jade immortal palace.

The curtain of the carriage gently lifted, and a middle-aged man in luxurious robes stepped out; his figure was tall and imposing, and on his chest, he wore a purple-gold badge symbolizing his status as a Xuanhuang Merchant Guild offering, shimmering with mysterious light.

“Greetings, Dao Lord Lin, welcome back!”

A retinue of immortal palace attendants bowed in unison, their voices echoing across the plaza.

Dao Lord Lin nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the several immortal palaces not far away, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes: “I only went into seclusion for a hundred years, yet the Hall of Offerings has expanded again?”

“Your Excellency, you are unaware.” The immortal palace butler stepped forward respectfully, saying, “In these hundred years, the Guild has added seven new offering Dao Lords.”

Upon hearing this, Dao Lord Lin’s pupils constricted, and a sense of crisis arose in his heart.

He was originally a Loose Cultivator; seeing the power of the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild, he joined it five hundred years ago. Three hundred years ago, after performing a great meritorious deed and spending ten trillion contribution points, he obtained a Dao Lord Opportunity, allowing him to step into the Dao Lord Realm and become a purple-gold offering of the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild.

He still remembered that at that time, the Guild only had nine purple-gold offerings.

A hundred years ago, he used three trillion contribution points to exchange for a Cultivation Opportunity in an immortal Secret Realm. At that time, the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild only had fourteen purple-gold offerings. Who would have thought that in a hundred years, seven more would be added?

He was well aware that with more purple-gold offerings, competition would be fierce, and if he could not compete, it would mean a loss of resources, which was why he felt a sense of crisis.

“No! I must take on some tasks; I cannot fall behind!”

With this thought, Dao Lord Lin re-entered his carriage and headed towards the Hall of Offerings.

At this moment!

Within the Hall of Offerings, the deliberation hall was solemn and dignified.

Six Dao Lord Realm experts stood like green pines on either side, listening intently to the Branch Leader Xu Ming’s instructions.

Xu Ming wore a Xuanhuang robe, like a dazzling sun, with the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild’s badge embroidered on his chest, and above that badge, an additional star, brilliant as a diamond, sparkled brightly.

Five hundred years had passed, and Xu Ming had long since transformed from the Dao Lord Realm to a Dao Lord Realm expert.

Not only that, he had also ascended to the position of Hall of Offerings Branch Leader, not only managing a host of Elders and deacons but also leading a group of exceptionally powerful offerings.

Although he was currently only in the Early Stage Dao Lord Realm, with this status alone, he could move unimpeded across the vast Eastern Eighty-One Regions.

“Everyone, next month, a batch of extremely important resources needs to be escorted to the Tianhua Dao Domain branch. The headquarters requires two purple-gold offerings to accompany them.”

Xu Ming’s gaze was like a torch, sweeping over everyone, his tone calm as water, yet carrying an unquestionable authority.

“Branch Leader, I am willing to go!”

“Your Excellency, count me in!”

...As soon as Xu Ming finished speaking, it was as if a giant stone had been thrown into a calm lake, immediately stirring up a thousand waves. Several Dao Lords eagerly volunteered, and the scene was exceptionally lively.

This was an almost unimaginable sight in other powers, yet it was happening here, and Xu Ming appeared extremely composed.

In five hundred years, the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild had undergone earth-shattering changes. Twenty-seven first-grade merchant guilds had been established, each with a Dao Lord Realm expert overseeing it.

Currently, the number of Dao Lord Realm experts in the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild had reached fifty-three.

There were eighteen Branch Leader-level individuals, consisting of two halls from the Xuanhuang Division, five halls from the Commercial Division, four departments from the Supervisory Division, and seven halls from the Enforcement Division, all with Early Stage Dao Lord Realm Cultivation.

There were four Division Chiefs; excluding the Xuanhuang Division, the three other major Division Chiefs were all Middle Stage Dao Lord Realm; as for Xu Song, the President and concurrent Xuanhuang Division Chief, he was already a Late Stage Dao Lord Realm expert.

Aside from the Guild’s high-ranking officials, there were also guardians and offerings.

All twenty-seven first-grade merchant guilds had guardians, sixteen of whom were Xu Family Earth Elders, now serving as guardians for various major Dao Domain first-grade branches. Guardians do not participate in branch affairs but are solely responsible for the Guild’s security. The other eleven guardians were offerings recruited over these five hundred years.

The last ten were also offerings, but they had no guarding duties; instead, they remained at headquarters, either in seclusion or awaiting tasks assigned by headquarters.

These offerings either joined with Dao Lord Realm Cultivation or were granted Cultivation advancement after performing great meritorious deeds.

As for half-step Dao Lord Realm, all Elders of various halls held this Cultivation, and all presidents of first-grade merchant guilds were at this level.

The number of Dao Lord Realm and Dao Severing Realm experts exceeded one million.

This was the current foundation of the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild.

And this foundation was sufficient to deter most Supreme Powers in the Eastern Eighty-One Regions, making the name of the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild highly prestigious even in other Dao Domains.

The emergence of the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild also influenced the ranking of the Mystic Yellow Dao Territory, pulling this Dao Domain into the top two hundred... Nine Heavens Dao Domain!

Great Heaven Realm, Profound River Heaven Realm.

Over the past six hundred years, many members of the Xu Family had left the Profound River Heaven Realm, and some had even left the Nine Heavens Dao Domain.

Starting five hundred years ago, Xu Family Disciples no longer concealed their identities and began to travel through various major Dao Domains as members of the Xuanhuang Xu Family. Some Prodigies had already made a name for themselves in the outside world.

As a result, the Xuanhuang Xu Family had become a hot topic for a period of time.

Of course, many Family members also perished outside.

For those who perished, if it was due to competition among peers, it meant they were not skilled enough, and the Xu Family would not seek revenge. However, if an Elder generation intervened, the Xu Family would never tolerate it.

Over five hundred years, three Supreme Powers had been annihilated by the Xu Family with swift and decisive action.

At this moment, the Xu Family’s ancestral land!

In six hundred years, the ancestral land’s scale had expanded more than tenfold.

Floating islands, surrounding the main peaks of each Branch, with pavilions and towers scattered gracefully, immortal springs and waterfalls visible everywhere, and various Heaven And Earth Treasures, Divine Beasts, and immortal birds as numerous as stars.

“Boom—”

Suddenly, an astonishing Aura fluctuation erupted from a certain island. Chaos energy frantically converged towards that direction, and at the same time, a great flame Dao floated in the sky between Heaven and Earth. The terrifying immortal pressure caused many Family members to breathe rapidly.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, a powerful expert intervened and resisted this pressure.

The Xu Family Disciples stopped in their tracks, their faces showing joy.

“That’s the Tianfu Branch; our Family has gained another Earth Elder!”

“Let’s go! Every time an Earth Elder is promoted, they will preach the Dao. Let’s go sign up now!”

A group of Xu Family Disciples rushed towards the Tianfu Branch.