Dao of Money

After seeing the sixth floor, most people might assume that it was an abandoned place.

After all, most of it was nothing more than a barren wasteland. A black desert stretched endlessly across the horizon, broken only by a single city that was small compared to a place like Goldspire City. On top of that, zombie hordes wandered across the sands while demonic beasts and sand elementals lurked beneath the surface.

It painted the perfect picture of a ruined and forgotten floor. But that assumption would be wrong.

The sixth floor only looked that way because the Zombie Queen had no reason to expand.

She ruled the only city that mattered, and the rest of the desert served her well enough. The mindless zombies roaming the sands were nothing more than expendable tools. If they were eaten by sand elementals or crushed by demonic beasts, it made little difference to her.

If she truly wanted to, the sixth floor could have looked just like the fifth—filled with thriving cities and organized territory.

She simply didn’t care.

The eighth floor, however, was something entirely different. This place truly was abandoned.

As Chen Ren, Princess Yanyue, and Yalan stepped off the lift and entered the first city of the floor, the difference became immediately obvious.

Broken buildings stretched across the horizon.

Streets were cracked and uneven, weeds pushing through the stone as years of neglect slowly reclaimed the once-great city. Windows hung shattered from elegant towers, while banners long faded by time fluttered weakly in the cold wind drifting through the streets.

Yet even in its ruined state, the city still carried an undeniable sense of beauty.

Anyone could tell that during its prime, this place must have been magnificent.

The architecture was elegant and deliberate. Tall white stone structures stood beside intricate mechanical pillars and bronze statues. Decorative arches connected roads, while wide plazas hinted at gatherings that must have once filled the city with life.

Even broken and empty, parts of it still felt strangely pleasant to walk through.

As the three of them moved deeper into the streets, Chen Ren noticed movement around them.

Small puppets.

Some were shaped like animals—metal foxes, birds, and tiny mechanical deer. Others resembled dolls with painted wooden faces and delicate limbs.

They peeked out from shattered windows, narrow alleys, and broken gutters. But none of them approached.

From what Chen Ren had learned, not all puppets had turned violent when the catastrophe occurred. Many of the smaller utility puppets had simply continued functioning as they always had.

Fortunately for them, they hadn’t encountered any hostile ones yet.

But that was likely because they were still near the outer districts of the city.

The real dangers would be deeper inside. As they walked, Chen Ren began explaining what he had learned.

“We’re currently in the first city of the floor,” he said calmly, scanning the streets around them.

Chen Ren pointed upward toward the sky.

High above them, beyond the rooftops of the ruined city, three enormous landmasses floated silently in the air. Each one held a city of its own, their outlines faintly visible through the soft glow of the dome that enclosed the entire floor.

“Those,” Chen Ren said, gesturing toward them, “are the second, third, and fourth cities respectively.”

Yalan followed his gaze and then scoffed. “Who named them?” she asked with amusement.

Chen Ren shrugged. “I have no idea.” Then his eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the floating cities. “But I’m fairly certain a major inheritance lies somewhere here.”

Princess Yanyue glanced toward him.

“The same inheritance you discovered a fragment of on the fourth floor?”

Chen Ren nodded. “Yes.”

He looked around at the ruined streets.

“But what we found there was probably just a minor piece of it. If there’s a place where the complete inheritance could exist, it would be here.” He gestured toward the massive abandoned cities around them. “No other floor would make sense.”

Princess Yanyue nodded slowly.

“Let’s just hope Yun Zhaotian doesn’t try to fight you for it again.”

Chen Ren gave a wry smile. “Hopefully.” Then his expression hardened slightly. “But if I run into him again, I plan to deal with him properly this time.”

Yanyue raised an eyebrow at that.

For a moment, it looked like she might ask something, but she held the question back. Instead she simply said, “Good. He’s been enough of a nuisance already.”

Chen Ren nodded. “Yes… he has.”

Yalan stretched her paws slightly before asking the obvious question. “So what’s the plan?” Her tail flicked lazily behind her. “Are we here for the master lift, or the inheritance?”

Chen Ren thought for a few seconds before answering.

“Both.”

He glanced upward again toward the floating cities. “But I have no idea which city we might find the master lift in.” His gaze swept across the massive abandoned streets around them. “This place is huge. But I’m certain there will be clues somewhere.”

As he said that, Chen Ren couldn’t help wondering how they were supposed to reach the other cities.

A massive dome surrounded the entire floor, and the floating cities hung high in the air beyond the one they currently stood in.

Chen Ren himself couldn’t fly. There had to be some way to travel between them.

But the only way to find out was to explore.

Before he could say more, Princess Yanyue spoke. “So,” she said calmly, “do you want to split up?”

Chen Ren nodded immediately.

“Yes. That’s what I was thinking.” He gestured toward the surrounding streets. “We cover more ground that way.” Then he added, “If any of us finds something important—or gets into trouble—just send a flare of qi into the sky.”

Princess Yanyue nodded after hearing his suggestion.

“That should work,” she said calmly. “If none of us finds anything important, we’ll meet back here in twelve hours.”

Chen Ren looked at her for a moment before asking, “Will you be alright without your guards?”

Princess Yanyue smiled faintly.

“It’s easier when they’re around,” she admitted. “But I can take care of myself.” Then she added, “Besides, the pagoda isn’t meant to be climbed in large groups anyway.”

Chen Ren nodded.

He wasn’t particularly worried about her. After everything he had already seen, he was fairly certain Princess Yanyue had a better chance of surviving the pagoda than most cultivators.

Possibly even him. Turning his gaze toward Yalan, he began assigning directions.

“You should head north,” he said. “Princess Yanyue can take the southern side.”

Then he pointed toward the deeper districts of the ruined city.

“I’ll move toward the center.”

He paused before adding a warning.

“But remember, the deeper we go, the more dangerous the puppets will probably become.”

Yalan scoffed. “I’ll deal with them.” Then she studied his face carefully before asking, “What about you? Will you be fine on your own?”

Chen Ren nodded without hesitation.

“Yes.” A faint smile appeared on his face. “You might have noticed by now, but I value my life quite a lot. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

With that, the three of them stopped wasting time.

They separated immediately.

Chen Ren and Princess Yanyue each took different streets branching out from the plaza, disappearing into the deep parts of the ruined city.

Yalan, meanwhile, chose the more direct route.

She leapt onto the roof of a nearby building, her tail flicking behind her as she began moving across the rooftops with effortless speed.

Soon, Chen Ren found himself alone.

The abandoned streets stretched quietly around him.

Without hesitation, he activated his movement technique. Lightning burst around his legs as he shot forward through the empty roads, his figure flashing between broken pillars and shattered storefronts.

At the same time, he pushed out his [Void Sense] technique.

An invisible wave spread from his body, flowing through the surrounding buildings like ripples across water.

It was a technique he hadn’t had much opportunity to use on the previous floors. But here, in a city filled with abandoned structures and hidden corners, it was perfect.

As he moved deeper into the streets, Chen Ren carefully scanned every building he passed, searching for anything unusual. He was looking for hidden treasures, secret chambers, or perhaps even clues leading to the master lift.

But even after twenty minutes of running through the ruined streets, sticking close to buildings and sweeping the area with [Void Sense], Chen Ren didn’t find anything useful.

Once he had moved far enough from the lift and was certain no one else was nearby, Chen Ren slowed to a stop.

He walked toward a stone bench beside a cracked fountain and sighed softly.

Then he spoke.

“Wang Jun.” There was a pause before he added dryly, “I didn’t drop you back there, right?”

The head immediately replied from his side. “No, you didn’t. But I know that’s what you want to do.”

Chen Ren chuckled. “Of course not.”

He pulled the head out from his side as the invisibility faded and carefully placed it on the stone bench beside him before sitting down himself.

“I would never drop you. Especially not now that we’re here.” Then his expression grew more serious. “I actually need your help if we’re going to leave this floor with everything we need.”

Wang Jun raised a thick eyebrow. “What exactly can I even do?”

“You can give me information,” Chen Ren said and gestured around. “This entire floor was designed by the Artificer Xuan Mo, I could tell. And you knew him. I know you don’t remember everything about the pagoda, but don’t you have any idea where he might have hidden more of his inheritance… or maybe the master lift?”

Wang Jun went silent for a moment. His expression turned thoughtful as he tried to recall old memories.

Finally, he spoke.

“Well… he did have some habits.”

“What kind of habits?”

Wang Jun frowned. “Weird ones.”

Chen Ren sighed. “Of course they were.”

Wang Jun continued. “For example, he only liked dual cultivating with ancient cultivators. Those old hags.”

Chen Ren blinked. “…That’s oddly specific.”

Wang Jun ignored him and continued listing things.

“He also almost never left his workshop unless it was absolutely necessary.” He tilted slightly as if recalling the memory more clearly. “He preferred staying underground. Always locked inside his workshop for months at a time.”

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Chen Ren rubbed his temples. But Wang Jun wasn’t finished. “He also had a strange fighting style.”

He raised an eyebrow. “How strange?”

“He liked to have his puppets hold down his opponents… and tickle them.”

Chen Ren stared at him. “…What?”

Wang Jun sounded just as confused. “Yes. Tickle them… Who even does that?”

Chen Ren slowly exhaled. “What else?”

“Oh, right. There was also—”

As Wang Jun continued listing habit after habit, Chen Ren’s expression slowly became more complicated.

The more he listened, the more it sounded like Xuan Mo was an extremely talented cultivator…

…and an absolute pervert.

Honestly, Chen Ren wasn’t particularly surprised.

Even back on Earth, many people who reached the top of their fields were often perverts or sociopaths in one way or another. Cultivators, who lived longer and wielded far greater power, were probably even worse.

So learning that Xuan Mo had a fondness for older women didn’t shock him in the slightest.

What did bother him was that none of that information actually helped him locate the inheritance or the master lift.

But as Wang Jun continued ranting about the strange habits of the man, Chen Ren’s mind kept turning over the details. Then something caught his attention.

Chen Ren suddenly raised a hand.

“Wait.”

“He was also—” Wang Jun stopped mid-sentence. “What?”

“What did you say about his workshop?”

“About how he was always locked inside it?”

Chen Ren frowned. “Yes, go on.”

“Well, it was always filthy. I remember one time it was filled with this disgusting oil he made from beast urine—”

Chen Ren immediately cut him off. “No.” He shook his head impatiently. “The other part. The one where you said his workshop was underground.”

Wang Jun paused. “Oh, that.” he pursed his lips. “Yes, he always liked building his workshops underground. Said it made them harder to find.”

A smile formed on Chen Ren’s lips. There it was. Without wasting another second, he picked Wang Jun up from the bench and put him back on his hip.

“Good.” Chen Ren stood up. “I know where to go now.”

“Where?”

Chen Ren shook his head as he started moving again. “For an ancient head,” he muttered, “you really take your time connecting the clues.” Then lightning flared around his legs as he burst forward into the streets again. “I’ll show you.”

But this time he didn’t spread [Void Sense] through the buildings. Instead, Chen Ren pushed the technique downward.

Directly into the ground.

As he ran through the streets, waves of qi spread beneath the stone roads and cracked pavement, flowing through gravel, soil, and buried debris.

Through his senses, Chen Ren could feel everything beneath the city. Layers and layers of stone, loose earth, broken pipes, and even old sewers.

Still he kept moving, scanning deeper and deeper as he ran.

Minutes passed. Then half an hour.

Still, there was nothing.

Chen Ren refused to slow down. He continued running in a straight line through the abandoned districts, lightning flashing around him as his senses probed further underground.

Finally, nearly an hour later, something appeared in his perception.

Chen Ren’s eyes narrowed, and he came to an abrupt stop.

The sudden halt made dust swirl lightly around his feet as the wind drifted through the abandoned street.

Slowly, he looked down at the road beneath him.

At first glance, the street looked no different from the ones he had already passed.

But Chen Ren knew. He had found it.

By his side, Wang Jun immediately began complaining. “Why are you stopping?” the severed head snapped. “Did you sense a puppet? Or are your legs already tired?”

Chen Ren simply smiled. “You should brace yourself.”

Wang Jun’s voice rose sharply. “What do you mean—”

Before he could finish, Chen Ren moved.

Lightning exploded around his body as he launched himself upward into the air.

The sudden motion made Wang Jun screech.

“What are you doing?!”

But Chen Ren had already flipped mid-air.

As he began falling back down, he redirected the lightning swirling around his body into his palms.

Crackling energy gathered there.

Then he slammed down.

His palms smashed directly into the road, and the stone street shattered instantly.

“By the nine hells!” Wang Jun shouted but it was muffled by the thunderous sound echoing through the empty city as cracks spread across the pavement like a spiderweb. The ground collapsed beneath him, and Chen Ren dropped straight through the broken road.

He landed hard below.

For a moment his balance wavered as his boots struck solid rock, and he barely managed to steady himself before crashing face-first into the ground.

Dust filled the air. Chen Ren exhaled slowly and straightened.

Then he looked up.

High above him, the jagged hole he had just created revealed a slice of pale sky through the broken road.

After confirming he hadn’t broken any bones, Chen Ren turned his attention to the space around him.

It was enormous.

A massive underground hallway stretched out in multiple directions beneath the city streets. The walls were made of smooth dark stone reinforced with metal pillars, and long mechanical conduits ran along the ceiling.

The corridor branched off into several tunnels that disappeared into the darkness.

Chen Ren couldn’t help but smile.

From experience, he knew that habits were incredibly difficult to break, especially for cultivators who had lived for centuries.

They repeated the same behaviors again and again until those patterns became part of them.

And if Xuan Mo was someone who preferred building his workshops underground… Then it was only logical he would do the same here. Especially if this floor truly held his inheritance.

Chen Ren slowly scanned the sprawling network of tunnels beneath the city. He had gambled on that habit.

And it seemed the gamble had paid off.

He lifted Wang Jun up, and the moment the head looked around the underground hallway, realization dawned on his face. He clicked his tongue. “You should have warned me.”

Chen Ren chuckled lightly. “There’s no fun in that.” Then he turned his gaze down the long tunnel stretching ahead and asked, “Anything I should expect?”

Wang Jun thought for a moment.

“A few things,” he finally said.

Chen Ren waited.

“I’m pretty sure there will be traps,” Wang Jun continued. “Xuan Mo loved skewering anyone who tried to enter his workshop without permission.”

Chen Ren sighed. “Wonderful.”

“And puppets,” Wang Jun added. “A lot of them. If this really leads to another one of his workshops, then you should expect some strong ones guarding it.”

Chen Ren nodded slowly as he considered the situation.

If this place had truly been designed as part of the pagoda’s trial system, then it was almost certainly meant to be discovered by climbers eventually.

Which meant the difficulty should match their level.

At worst, the puppets here would probably be around the peak of the foundation establishment realm.

Even so, clearing the entire workshop alone would be extremely difficult.

Chen Ren glanced upward toward the hole he had blasted through the road.

Then he raised his hand.

A bolt of lightning shot upward.

It streaked through the opening and exploded brightly in the sky above the city.

The flare of qi spread outward like a beacon.

Hopefully either Yalan or Princess Yanyue would notice it soon. But Chen Ren had no intention of simply standing around and waiting.

He began walking forward.

If traps truly existed here, rushing through the tunnels would be suicide.

So, he expanded his [Void Sense] technique, letting it spread carefully around him to probe the surrounding stone.

Hopefully the technique would warn him before anything dangerous could reach him.

Minutes passed. Then an hour. Then two. The hallway seemed endless.

Yet strangely… Chen Ren hadn’t encountered a single trap. He was met with pathways, metal structures but no puppets or mechanisms.

But he didn’t grow impatient. Instead, he continued walking calmly, letting his senses probe every inch of the surrounding structure.

When he thought he’d have to walk more, something appeared within his perception and he stopped.

His [Void Sense] detected an empty space behind one of the walls.

It was a hidden chamber.

He stepped toward the wall and placed his hand against the cold stone, focusing his senses to understand what might be hidden behind it.

But the moment his qi touched the structure—

Chen Ren instantly jumped backward.

A fraction of a second later the wall exploded outward with a rattling sound. Stone fragments scattered across the hallway as a figure burst through the rubble and landed heavily on the ground.

A puppet.

Its body was made of dark metal plates layered like armor, glowing lines of spirit energy running between the joints.

Two crimson eyes lit up in its metallic skull as it locked onto Chen Ren.

***

A/N - You can read 30 chapters (15 Magus Reborn and 15 Dao of money) on my patreon. Annual subscription is now on too. Also this is Volume 2 last chapter.

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