81: Chapter 81 Getting Anxious

What shattered beneath Xuan Tianzhenren was not just the throne cast from ten-thousand-year-old cold jade, but the lofty, inviolable dignity that the Central Sacred Land had held for ages.

A terrifying pressure, like a celestial river surging backward, crashed down from the nine heavens.

It was no longer a simple oppression of spiritual energy, but a more primal fury capable of resonating with the laws of this world.

The air solidified into glaze, and every inch of space was filled with soul-tearing killing intent.

The disciples of the Sacred Land felt chilled to the bone, yet in the next instant, their blood was ignited by this fury.

With crimson eyes, they drew their Dharma swords, spiritual light gathering like a sea, and killing intent soaring to the clouds, waiting only for the order to tear these anomalies—who had trampled the Sacred Land's face into the dirt—into shreds.

However, at this critical moment, a light cough rang out, entirely out of place.

Outlaw Zhang San walked out from the player camp. He did not look at the murderously furious, mad-looking Xuan Tianzhenren, but instead leisurely brushed non-existent dust off his sleeves, then flicked his finger.

A streak of spiritual light shot into the sky, transforming into a massive light-screen contract composed of countless Dao runes.

This was the original contract of The Wager of the Dao Heart, every word containing the might of the Heavenly Dao, sacred and inviolable.

Zhang San's voice, amplified by magic power, clearly spread to every corner of the Cloud Top Heavenly Palace:

"Great Elder Xuan Tian, fellow Daoists of the Sacred Land, please remain calm. This junior is untalented but has a basic understanding of this world's laws. This contract for The Wager of the Dao Heart, notarized by the Heavenly Dao, is written in black and white: 'In the outcome of the gamble, each accepts their fate; the loser retreats, the winner is honored.'"

He paused, scanning the faces distorted by anger, a playful arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

"We won, so we should be 'honored.' You lost, so you should 'retreat.' Now, you draw your swords, intending to kill the 'honored ones.' Does this act... count as violating the oath to the Heavenly Dao? Does it... count as a blemish on your Dao Heart?"

"If even the Great Elder of the Sacred Land can ignore the Heavenly Dao contract, then what 'Dao' does the Sacred Land uphold? Is it the tyranny of 'those who submit prosper, those who resist perish'?"

Heart-stabbing! A more vicious heart-stabbing than Zuan Pianist!

Zuan Pianist stabbed at the Dao Heart of Jian Wuchen alone, but Outlaw Zhang San was stabbing at the entire orthodoxy of the Central Sacred Land!

"You..." A Sacred Land elder trembled with rage, pointing at Outlaw Zhang San, but unable to say a single word.

Indeed, they could kill these anomalies, but what then? Tens of thousands of cultivators present today witnessed the Great Elder of the Sacred Land violating the Heavenly Dao oath, witnessed the Sacred Land being unable to accept defeat. This "cause" would surely plant the "fruit" that would shake the very foundation of the Sacred Land's rule!

For the first time, Xuan Tianzhenren's pressure faltered. His power, capable of destroying heaven and earth, seemed bound by an invisible net, forcing him to be cautious and leaving him feeling extremely aggrieved.

Just at this tense moment, trapped in a bizarre stalemate, the Wolf of Wall Street, who had been silent in the player camp, shifted his gaze slightly.

A verdant Bodhi leaf, blown by the wind from who knows where, drifted lightly onto his shoulder. He calmly raised his hand to brush the leaf away. A faint, imperceptible stinging sensation, like a mosquito bite, pricked his fingertip.

On his retina, a faint light visible only to players flashed by. [Coordinates: Zi hour, third quarter, Star-Gazing Platform.] [Password: The moonlight is truly beautiful.]

...The night was like ink, spilled over the magnificent palaces of the Cloud Top Heavenly Palace. The player group was "accommodated" in a remote guest courtyard, surrounded by hundreds of the Sacred Land's Golden Armor Guards; it was called protection, but in reality, it was house arrest.

Inside the courtyard, several core players were sitting together. "These grandsons really can't handle losing," Zuan Pianist spat out a grass root, cursing. "If it weren't for Outlaw Zhang San being quick-witted, we would've been slapped into meat paste by that old bastard today."

"The key is how to break the stalemate," Infrastructure Maniac said, drawing the structure of the guest courtyard on the ground. "We definitely can't break out by force; the defensive power is too strong."

The Wolf of Wall Street had remained silent; he was waiting. As the bell for the third quarter of the Zi hour chimed leisurely, he suddenly stood up, walked to the center of the courtyard, and said loudly: "The night is clear and the breeze is gentle; thank you for your hard work, brothers of the guard. I have a few boxes of newly researched 'Refreshing Happy Water' here as a token of my appreciation. I hope you will not refuse!"

As he spoke, he took out several boxes of beautifully packaged drinks from his storage ring and threw them out. The Golden Armor Guards looked at each other, initially remaining vigilant. But when one guard couldn't resist opening a bottle, the refreshing scent, mixed with spiritual energy and a strange fragrance, instantly whetted everyone's appetite.

Just as most of the guards' attention was drawn to the "Happy Water," the figure of the Wolf of Wall Street was like a wisp of blue smoke, merging into the shadows of the corner, and disappeared after a few flickers.

The Star-Gazing Platform. This was one of the oldest buildings in the Cloud Top Heavenly Palace, having been abandoned for many years. The massive dome was covered in cracks, and the broken star-tracking instrument was covered in thick dust.

A slender figure, with his back to the entrance, was looking up through the hole in the dome at the vast galaxy. He was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, his temperament as gentle as jade, yet he carried a suppressed sharpness that was out of place in this Sacred Land.

"The moonlight is truly beautiful." The voice of the Wolf of Wall Street rang out in the empty hall.

The figure slowly turned around, revealing a handsome and elegant face; it was the Ninth Prince of the Sacred Land, Ninth Prince.

"Pity, no matter how beautiful the moonlight is, it cannot illuminate the darkness in some people's hearts." The Ninth Prince's voice carried a hint of self-mockery. "You are courageous, sir; are you not afraid that this is a trap?"

"Risk and reward coexist," the Wolf of Wall Street walked to the opposite side of him, meeting his gaze calmly. "The Ninth Prince meeting me, this 'enemy of the world,' in the dead of night, must be taking a greater risk than I am. Let us skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. Your time is precious, and my life... may end at any moment."

A flash of approval passed through the Ninth Prince's eyes. Dealing with these anomalies could not be done in the same way as dealing with ordinary cultivators.

"Good." He no longer beat around the bush. "What you did today shocked the entire Sacred Land and completely infuriated the conservative faction led by Xuan Tianzhenren. They aren't acting now only because they are wary of the Heavenly Dao contract. Once they find any excuse, you... will undoubtedly die."

"We know."

"I can help you." The Ninth Prince threw out the bait. "I can even provide you with a certain degree of protection."

The Wolf of Wall Street heard this and laughed. "Your Highness, perhaps you don't understand our world very well. Where we come from, there is a cooperation model called 'angel investment'."

"Angel investment?" The Ninth Prince frowned; this term was beyond his understanding.

"Simply put," the Wolf of Wall Street extended a finger, "a startup team with disruptive ideas but lacking resources will look for an investor with vision and courage. The investor provides capital and help, not for immediate returns, but to gain hundredfold or thousandfold returns after this team grows into a giant in the future."

He paused, looking intently at the Ninth Prince. "Now, Your Highness, you are that ambitious 'startup team.' And we can be your 'angel investors'."

The Ninth Prince's heart was shaken! For the first time, someone had analyzed his situation and ambition in such a novel yet precise way. He had thought he was here to bestow charity or form an alliance, but he hadn't expected that in the other party's eyes, he was the one being "invested in"!

"Interesting." He suppressed the waves in his heart and said in a deep voice, "Then what can you 'investors' provide?"

"We can provide what you need most, and what those old antiques in the Sacred Land fear most—'dimensional reduction strikes'."

The Wolf of Wall Street said confidently: "Economically, we can use our industrialized products to precisely strike at the industries behind your political rivals, causing chaos in their backyards. In terms of public opinion, our Zuan Pianist was just a small test; our 'gossip reporters' can dig up the dirt on their ancestors for eighteen generations, ruining their reputations. As for the way we solve problems... you should have seen it at the grand competition today; we never play by the rules."

The Ninth Prince was silent, his breathing slightly rapid. What these anomalies described was precisely the power he dreamed of but could not grasp! A power from another dimension capable of prying open the Sacred Land's ten-thousand-year stalemate!

After a long while, he raised his head, his eyes bursting with astonishing light: "Your conditions."

"Our conditions are very simple," the Wolf of Wall Street's tone became serious. "We have no interest in power, territory, or wealth. Our investment only requires one return—" "Intelligence!" "All information about the key of the divine prison! We want to know what it is, where it is, and... how to obtain it!"

The Ninth Prince's pupils suddenly shrank! The key of the divine prison! These four words were the ultimate taboo in the Sacred Land! It was only because of his special status that he had managed to catch a glimpse of it from certain royal secrets.

He looked deeply at the Wolf of Wall Street, as if trying to see through him. He finally understood that the ultimate goal of these anomalies was not to dominate a region, but this shocking secret that involved the very foundation of the world. This investment was even more dangerous than he had imagined. But the return... was also unimaginably huge.

"Deal." Finally, he slowly spit out the two words.

"As an advance 'investment deposit'," the Ninth Prince's voice was extremely low, "I can tell you that the clue to the third fragment of the key of the divine prison is hidden in the Sacred Land's most core forbidden area—the Heavenly Scripture Pavilion."

"Heavenly Scripture Pavilion?"

"Correct. It is known as 'a place even a True Immortal cannot enter,' guarded by a 'Tomb Guardian' who has lived for who knows how many years and whose strength has reached the pinnacle of this world. Any covetous act is equivalent to declaring war on the entire Sacred Land."

After speaking, the Ninth Prince looked at him deeply, turned, and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.

The Wolf of Wall Street stood there, digesting this shocking intelligence, his face not showing joy, but rather deep gravity.

The prerequisite for the [Myth-level Mission: Raid the Heavenly Scripture Pavilion]... had finally been met.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the Cloud Top Heavenly Palace, in a palace surrounded by clouds and mist with ethereal immortal music, Fairy Yunshang was facing an ancient cloud-water treasure mirror. The mirror clearly reflected the entire scene of the Ninth Prince meeting the Wolf of Wall Street on the Star-Gazing Platform.

Her white jade-like fingers gently picked up a white chess piece and placed it on the board in front of her. "Clack." The crisp sound of the piece falling was like the final judgment on this dangerous covenant.

"An ambitious prince, a lawless pack of wolves..." A smile that seemed to understand everything, almost perfect, curled at the corner of her mouth.

"Very good. Let you go and open that door for me, the one I have always wanted to open... but have not been convenient to open with my own hands."