After the Hunyuan Dao Lord agreed, he did not linger. He turned and left the Undead Dao Court immediately.
As a veteran who had once dabbled in the ritual system for a time, the Hunyuan Dao Lord knew that once a ritual was initiated, every second counted.
Therefore, after leaving, he no longer concealed his aura. He pushed his power to the limit and rushed back toward his own Daoist sanctuary.
To ensure the performance was convincing and to prevent Heaven from learning of his private schemes, Chen Xu tacitly mobilized the authority of the Land of the Undead. He completely isolated the realm from the outside world, making it impossible for the Priest of Mercy, Abel, to perceive anything beyond its borders.
Within the Land of the Undead, Abel also keenly sensed the change. He had been conversing with Boss when he suddenly paused and looked up at the sky.
Seeing this, Boss subconsciously asked, “Lord Abel, what is the matter?”
“Oh, it is nothing. Lord Boss, does the weather in the Land of the Undead change so abruptly often?”
“Weather? The weather in the Land of the Undead?”
Boss was momentarily stumped by Abel's question. He hadn't been in the Land of the Undead for very long—essentially as long as Chen Xu had been there.
As for the weather in the Land of the Undead... what weather could there be in this ghostly place? If one had to name something, it would be special phenomena like the necrotic tides.
Before Chen Xu created the sun, moon, and star gods, the Land of the Undead didn't even have daylight.
However, Boss was a man of the world and quickly realized that Abel’s words carried a deeper meaning.
Unfortunately, he was merely an ordinary Mythic Rank expert. It was only through Chen Xu's support that he had managed to become the God of Trade. How could he possibly know what an Eternal Rank Angel Priest—a Titled High Priest, no less—was sensing?
Just as Boss was pondering how to reply, Chen Xu sent a divine message to him.
Boss immediately straightened his posture, lowered his head, and whispered respectfully, “My Lord.”
“Tell Abel that Hell has launched a counterattack. A thousand Hell Archdukes and seven Hell Demon Kings have mobilized in full force. For the safety of the Land of the Undead, I have temporarily isolated it from the outside world.”
“Understood, my Lord.”
Seeing Boss in such a state, Abel immediately guessed that the Lord of the Undead had sent him a message. He quickly inquired, “Lord Boss, did the Lord of the Undead have any instructions?”
“Lord Abel, my Lord asked me to inform you that the changes in the Land of the Undead are due to him temporarily isolating it from the outside world.”
“This is because Hell has suddenly launched a counterattack. A thousand Hell Archdukes and seven Hell Demon Kings have mobilized in full force.”
“What!”
Hearing this, Abel sprang from his chair, his face filled with shock.
“Lord Boss, this is an emergency. There is no need to discuss the remaining minor details. Let us sign the agreement immediately and begin the supplies.”
Hearing this, Boss was momentarily stunned, but then he was overjoyed.
One must realize that he had drafted this contract for a massive amount of strategic materials himself. He had included quite a bit of fat in the pricing specifically for the haggling process.
But now that Abel wanted to sign it directly, it was almost embarrassing.
Boss did not let a smile show. Although his heart was nearly overflowing with joy, he kept a straight face.
Using the top-tier acting skills of a merchant, he spoke with a tone of slight sympathy and regret.
“Lord Abel, since you have spoken, I naturally have no objection.”
As he spoke, he very quickly used his divine power to condense the contract and placed it on the table.
Abel truly did not bother to check the details. He signed his name directly on the contract, leaving behind his unique Dao principle rhythm, and then hurriedly bid his farewells and left the Land of the Undead.
Boss was left sitting alone, looking at the contract before him, savoring it over and over again.
However, Boss did not lose himself in the moment for long. Since the contract was signed, the work had to be done well. The Heavenly Great Expedition was a massive undertaking, and he did not dare to delay it.
Although he had Chen Xu, the Lord of the Undead, standing behind him, the trust and tolerance of great figures were limited. There was no need to waste it on something like this.
Boss put away the contract and immediately returned to the City of Miracles. He began to issue divine oracles, and under his command, the city of merchants began to operate at full capacity.
...
Not long after, the Hunyuan Dao Lord returned to his Daoist sanctuary. He quickly sent messages to the other Immortal Dao Lords, asking them to come for a discussion.
Because the Hunyuan Dao Lord used extremely urgent language in his message—even more intense than during the previous Immortal-Yokai unrest—the other Immortal Dao Lords thought something major had happened. Without a word, they all arrived at his sanctuary.
“Hunyuan, what happened? Why are you in such a panic?”
An exquisite small tower arrived in an instant from afar, and the voice of the Tianta Dao Lord echoed from within.
The Hunyuan Dao Lord did not answer directly. Instead, he raised his hand and gestured for the Tianta Dao Lord to take a seat first.
Soon, the other Immortal Dao Lords arrived one after another.
The Tianta Dao Lord looked at Hunyuan again and asked, “Hunyuan, everyone is here now. Can you tell us?”
The Hunyuan Dao Lord nodded and explained Chen Xu’s proposal as well as the current situation to them.
“To think that the hand of that person is behind both Heaven and Hell. No wonder only those two among the six special worlds have attained the Dao over all these years.”
The Taihao Dao Lord stroked his beard and sighed deeply. The other Dao Lords were also greatly shocked. It seemed the fame of the Great Sage was still as thunderous as ever.
“Indeed. Precisely because of this, I have decided to join the side of the Undead and help Friend Chen.”
“Mm. Although Friend Chen wields the power of a special world, he possesses a human body and is not a creature born of that world. Scheming for the Dao with him is much better than with those other figures.”
The Taihao Dao Lord quite agreed with the Hunyuan Dao Lord's view. After a brief moment of thought, he directly cast his vote in favor.
Seeing that these two veterans had both voted, the other Dao Lords followed suit. As the saying goes, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. They had risen to power relatively late and had never witnessed the style of the Great Sage personally, but since these two veterans were so cautious, the Sage must be an extraordinary figure.
Seeing that no one objected, the Taihao Dao Lord looked at the Hunyuan Dao Lord again.
“Friend Hunyuan, it is easy to combine the Immortal and Martial paths. I expect Friend Chen has already approached the Martial Dao side. But as for the Yokai Dao, do you have any ideas?”
“I will find a way regarding the Yokai Dao. I hope that Brother Black Tortoise still holds a shred of our past friendship.”
The Hunyuan Dao Lord turned his head toward the direction of the Yokai Realm, his eyes shining with divine light that pierced through layers of space.
Within the Yokai Realm, in the Southern Deep Abyss, two massive light sources suddenly lit up within a pitch-black underwater mire. They were the eyes of the Black Tortoise.
The Black Tortoise looked toward the Immortal Realm, specifically toward the sanctuary of the Hunyuan Dao Lord. Their gazes met.
“Friend Black Tortoise, would you care to come for a chat?”
“Hunyuan?”
Although the Black Tortoise was confused and did not know why the Hunyuan Dao Lord was looking for him, he intended to go.
“The location?”
“The old spot. Be there or be square.”
...
Outside the Immortal Realm and the Yokai Realm, in a chaotic region composed of a vast number of shattered world fragments, the Hunyuan Dao Lord sat upon a giant rock. He had lit incense, brewed wine, and set out a guest table.
A wisp of spiritual energy descended from the sky, merging with the earth element within the giant rock to form a small, yellowish-gray tortoise.
The Hunyuan Dao Lord smiled, lifted the jar to pour wine, and welcomed him.
“Friend Black Tortoise, please.”
The Black Tortoise first glanced at the Hunyuan Dao Lord, his eyes full of confusion. However, the aroma of the wine in the cup was overflowing. Since the discord between the Immortals and Yokai, he had not tasted such good wine for a long time, so he temporarily suppressed his doubts.
He used his divine sense to lift the wine from the cup and draw it into his throat.
“Mm. It’s smooth on the tongue, fragrant without being sharp, and rich without being harsh. The wine of old Hunyuan is as profound as ever.”
“Hahaha! If you like it, Friend Black Tortoise, you may come to my sanctuary anytime. I will certainly be waiting to welcome you.”
“Heh. Hunyuan, the wine is finished. You should tell me why you sought me out.”
“Sigh. Friend Black Tortoise, do you still remember the ancient times? Back then, the two of us fought side by side for the sake of all living beings, charging into Hell to slay the extreme evil.”
“That was so many years ago. Why bring up ancient history?”
“Friend Black Tortoise, what if there was another chance? Another chance to slay that extreme evil... would you still be willing to act?”
Hearing this, the Black Tortoise’s eyelids lowered until only a sliver remained, through which a sharp light gleamed as he looked at the Hunyuan Dao Lord.
“Old man Hunyuan, haven't you been screwed over by Heaven enough? You still want to cooperate with them? Wait... is it that person from the other day? The one who seized the position of Lord of the Undead as a human?”
The Black Tortoise’s eyes suddenly widened. In an instant, he thought of many things and understood why the Hunyuan Dao Lord had come to find him.
“What... do you want me to do?”
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