Tycoon War God

Before a great city in the Ancient Land.

”Sir, the Ancient Land is vast and sparsely populated. Even if we travel through the night, it would still take us several days to reach the Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion…” Shangguan Shiming explained to Lin Mu. ”If we take the Teleportation Array, we can reach our destination in the shortest possible time. This great city before us has a Teleportation Array that leads to a city under the jurisdiction of the Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion.”

Lin Mu gave no definite response and walked towards the city gate with Shangguan Shiming. As soon as they reached the gate, they were stopped by the city guards.

In the Ancient Land, even the soldiers guarding a great city possessed Inner Strength. This alone showed the might of the Ancient Land.

”Due to an urgent situation, all outsiders are forbidden from entering the city. Please turn back!” a soldier said politely, but the sword in his hand was discreetly pointed at Lin Mu and Shangguan Shiming.

Shangguan Shiming produced an All-World Travel Token and said indifferently, ”I am an All-World Traveler from the Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion. We need to use the city’s Teleportation Array.”

The soldier glanced at Shangguan Shiming’s token, and his wary expression faded, but he still did not step aside.

”Master Shangguan, please allow me to report to my superiors. These are extraordinary times, so I ask for your understanding!”

The soldier gave an eye signal to another man beside him, who then turned and ran into the city. Before long, a neatly dressed young man emerged from within the city walls. Upon seeing Shangguan Shiming, his eyes lit up.

From a distance, he clasped his hands in a bow. ”Master Shangguan, I have long admired your great name. I am Lin Jun, the Young Lord of this merchant city. It is an honor to meet you, Master Shangguan!”

Shangguan Shiming nodded coldly and said, ”I have urgent business and cannot exchange pleasantries. Please allow us to pass.”

Lin Jun, still smiling, replied, ”Master Shangguan, please forgive me. At any other time, I would not dare to stop you, but a major change has occurred. All great cities in the Ancient Land have received orders that no one is allowed to use the Teleportation Array unless accompanied by a Foundation Building Immortal!”

Shangguan Shiming couldn’t help but glance at the indifferent Lin Mu by her side. Perhaps all of this was caused by him forcefully opening the Ancient Land Gate.

Her face turned cold as she said, ”So you’re saying my word isn’t good enough!”

As she spoke, she unceremoniously unleashed the pressure of her Tenth Layer of Qi Cultivation, bearing down on Lin Jun.

Lin Jun’s face turned pale as he staggered back seven or eight steps, exclaiming in shock, ”Tenth Layer of Qi Cultivation, the realm of a genius! Master Shangguan, you actually broke through to such a level in the secular world!”

As the young lord of a great city, Lin Jun had some understanding of the secular world, where Spiritual Energy was scarce and cultivation difficult. For an All-World Traveler like Shangguan Shiming, whose job was already an arduous task, to break through to the realm of a genius was unprecedented in the history of the Ancient Land Sects.

Such a person, if they returned to their Sect with access to Cultivation Techniques and Elixirs, would certainly become a Proud Son of Heaven! If she were just a titular, hard-working All-World Traveler, offending her would be one thing. But this is a future Proud Son of Heaven. Offending someone like that would probably mean the end for the Lin Family’s City Lord!

”Master Shangguan, my apologies! I did not realize you were returning with such accomplishments! Please forgive me. I will open the Teleportation Array right away!” Lin Jun hurriedly made way.

Shangguan Shiming breathed a long sigh of relief. She could tell that the Lin Wudi beside her was becoming rather impatient. If Lin Jun hadn’t moved, I fear this tyrant beside me would have stormed into the city and forced his way to the Teleportation Array.

The three of them arrived at the Teleportation Array, with Lin Jun personally overseeing its activation.

”Master Shangguan, I hope you can forgive my transgression and not hold it against me!” Before they entered, Lin Jun handed over a Space Ring.

Shangguan Shiming nodded coldly, accepted the Space Ring, and stepped into the Teleportation Array with Lin Mu.

”Sir…” Shangguan Shiming offered the Space Ring to Lin Mu.

Lin Mu’s eyes didn’t even flicker. ”You keep it. It’s just from a minor city in the Ancient Land. What good could it possibly have?”

Shangguan Shiming wiped away a bead of cold sweat. The items in this Space Ring are by no means insignificant. Lin Jun clearly spared no expense to avoid offending a future Proud Son of Heaven. The resources within are probably enough for me to cultivate from the Tenth Layer of Qi Cultivation to the Eleventh Level of Qi Cultivation! These great city lords are incredibly wealthy! And yet, such resources don’t even warrant a glance from Lin Wudi. His ambitions are truly lofty!

With a flash of white light, Shangguan Shiming and Lin Wudi vanished from the Teleportation Array.

Lin Jun wiped away a film of cold sweat. ”Shangguan Shiming? Wasn’t she said to be from just a collateral branch of the Shangguan Family? To possess such talent! Has the Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion gone blind? Wasting such aptitude by sending her to the secular world! If she were in the Ancient Land, she would already be a Proud Son of Heaven by now, wouldn’t she?!”

「Nanling City.」

It was one of the seven major cities under the jurisdiction of the Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion. Compared to other great cities presided over by Qi Cultivation Realm experts, the defenses here were even more rigorous.

The City Lord, Divine Mechanism Immortal Jiang Zongheng, was a Foundation Building Immortal of the Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion and one of its Outer Sect Elders.

”Strange, why am I feeling so restless?”

Standing atop the City Lord’s Observatory, Jiang Zongheng looked down at the great city that was his domain, unable to find peace. At two hundred years old, he was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage but unable to break through to the next realm. He now served as the City Lord only to leave behind more resources for the progeny of the Jiang Family. For a while now, he had been unable to sit still, vaguely feeling that something significant was about to happen.

After a brief contemplation, Jiang Zongheng returned to his desk, took out a Tortoise Shell, and decided to conduct a divination. The Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion, named for heavenly secrets, was a sect that excelled at divination. Upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, one could even sense the will of heaven in the workings of the world and use divination to seek good fortune and avoid disaster.

After rattling the Tortoise Shell, Jiang Zongheng set it down.

Death, death, death, misfortune, misfortune, misfortune!

The hexagram revealed by the six copper coins made him suck in a sharp breath.

”Three misfortunes, three deaths… this is the hexagram of near-certain doom! Why? Could it be related to the order from above to close the Teleportation Array?”

Even as an Immortal at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage, Jiang Zongheng felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

”Pass my order! Immediately shut down the Teleportation Array! Even Foundation Building Immortals are not permitted…”

Before Jiang Zongheng could finish his order, he saw the copper coins within the Tortoise Shell flip over. SNAP! SNAP!

Death, death, death, death, death, misfortune!

Five deaths and one misfortune… an almost certain indicator of death! Why is this happening? Could it be because of the order I just gave?

With a jolt of anxiety, Jiang Zongheng hurriedly shouted, ”Notify everyone, no one is to hinder anyone from using the Teleportation Array! As long as they are from my Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion, they shall have passage!”

The messenger outside was puzzled by his City Lord issuing two completely contradictory orders in such a short time. Peeking inside, he saw his City Lord staring blankly at the Tortoise Shell. The messenger didn’t dare to delay and quickly ran off to deliver the new order.

SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

The moment the messenger left, all six copper coins flipped and danced, forming a new hexagram.

Auspicious, auspicious, auspicious, auspicious, auspicious, auspicious!

It was an astonishing six auspices.

Jiang Zongheng swallowed hard. In half a lifetime of divination, he had never seen such precise hexagrams. If his divinations could always be this exact, he wouldn’t be stuck at the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage, unable to advance.

”Who in the world needs to use the Teleportation Array, to be able to influence the heavens themselves?! Terrifying… far too terrifying!”

Jiang Zongheng slumped to the ground, soaked in a cold sweat.