Chapter 278

Chapter 278: The Number One Forbidden Place in the World

"Huh?"

"Why are there three people on the city wall?"

Linglong City had become the Yuan Realm’s busiest hub. Countless cultivators streamed through its gates constantly.

Because of this, the City Lord of Linglong had to construct eight additional gates, bringing the total to nine grand entrances. Under Ye Xu’s directive, he enforced the rule forbidding flight within Linglong City. Everyone, from Great Emperors to Emperor Venerables, strictly abided by these rules.

Uncountable cultivators turned their gazes, captivated by the three Emperor Venerables of the Tianyun Sect hanging there, stopping to stare.

"That old man looks very familiar." A female Great Emperor about to enter the city frowned. "He looks like the sect master of Tianyun Sect. But that’s an Emperor Venerable! How could anyone hang him on the city wall?" She shook her head. "Must be my eyes playing tricks…"

"Junior Sister, your eyes are fine," another Great Emperor declared solemnly. "That is indeed Tianyun Zi, the sect master of the Tianyun Sect."

"How is that possible?" the female Great Emperor exclaimed in shock. "How could anyone dare lay a hand on that senior?" Tianyun Sect was not only a top-tier power in their realm, but also subservient to the Temple of Ten Thousand Paths, one of its twenty-eight member factions—a colossal alliance in the lower worlds.

"Why not?" The male Great Emperor said with reverence. "This is Linglong City. Right now, throughout all realms, who doesn’t know Linglong City is the foremost forbidden land under Heaven? Just the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion alone is more fearsome than Burial Soil or Return to the Ruins. Those top-tier Emperor Venerables, who could make entire worlds tremble with a single stamp of their foot, come here and must behave carefully. Not even true immortals dare act arrogantly within these walls."

"Senior Brother," the female Great Emperor asked, her voice trembling. "Are you saying Senior Tianyun Zi offended Heaven’s Secret Pavilion and ended up like this?" Tianyun Sect, a member of the Temple of Ten Thousand Paths, renowned for inheriting the art of calculations and manipulating fortune, held immense prestige.

"Inside Linglong City, besides Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, who else would dare teach someone a lesson so brazenly and without restraint?"

Hearing this, the female Great Emperor completely believed her senior brother’s explanation.

"Tianyun Sect also had the inheritance of the art of calculations. Tianyun Zi must have understood a good portion of it. I wonder if he ever calculated he’d have a day like this?"

"…"

Being pointed at and discussed by the crowd below, Tianyun Zi felt he wanted to die. Why hadn’t he thought to divine his own fortune that morning before leaving? Once this news spread, how could he possibly command his subordinates in the future?

"Qiu Qianli…" Tianyun Zi ground his teeth. He thoroughly nursed a deep hatred towards Heaven’s Secret Pavilion now.

The Dao Protectors, the boy and the girl, hung limp like eggplants hit by frost, faces filled with utter dejection.

He was full of resentment but had not an ounce of strength.

The three Emperor Venerable level masters were like three monkeys on a stage.

"Hahaha…"

"Tomorrow is the Tianji Auction. I didn’t expect to see a good show today." Gu Daojin and others like the Seven Immortals of Cloud Capital were also watching the spectacle.

"This old Tianyun Zi, in the Lower World, was also a figure. Back then, before I explored the Taihuang Tomb, I specially asked him to divine the fortunes, and this old fellow still had an arrogant look."

"You’ve come to this day…"

Gu Daojin laughed without restraint, and his voice spread throughout Linglong City.

Tianyun Zi had a murderous heart.

But his magic power was sealed, his vision was blocked, he could not even find the source of the voice, nor could he cover his ears; he could only listen to it, sound by sound, grating on his ears.

Heavenly Talisman Old Man said solemnly, "The Temple of Ten Thousand Paths has been so rampant these years, wantonly annexing forces of various realms, they ought to taste a bit of hardship."

Yu Ziwei said, "Master Uncle, I heard you mention that the Palace Master of the Temple of Ten Thousand Paths seemed to have invited you all to join?"

Qin Fei Yan nodded gently and said, "That was hundreds of years ago."

"That Palace Master is also a troublesome figure, probably comparable to Big Brother Gu’s strength."

Gu Daojin wasn’t surprised.

There were immortals in the Lower World, and not just him.

Gu Daojin said lightly, "I’ve also made contact with the Palace Master of the Temple of Ten Thousand Paths. He can be counted as a personage. But you don’t need to fear him. With me here, he won’t dare to cause trouble for you."

"The strength of us few, placed in today’s Lower World, absolutely counts as a top tier."

"What about the future?" Ye Xu’s Second Primordial Spirit Avatar suddenly blurted out.

Gu Daojin was stunned.

His nature was carefree; he drank when there was wine today and never worried about tomorrow’s affairs.

What’s more, his cultivation had reached the peak of True Immortal Realm, which could be called unrivaled in the Lower World.

As for the future?

Could a large crowd of Immortal Kings and Immortal Venerables just appear out of nowhere, right?

Heavenly Talisman Old Man stared at Gu Daojin and said, "Senior Brother, what Young Friend Ye said fits well. We truly need to think about matters for the future."

"In recent years, the changes of heaven and earth have been too swift; we must adapt."

"The current situation is chaotic, the future is unclear; if one day, a great number of Immortal King level experts truly emerge, how would we handle ourselves?"

With wisdom in her eyes, Qin Fei Yan said, "On the day of the great change in the Yuan Realm, there was an Immortal King expert."

"This is enough to prove that Immortal King experts can also appear in the Lower World."

Gu Daojin’s eyes turned sharp.

He also knew this fact, but he had never paid it much mind.

For him, the greatest joy in life was exploring and discovering secrets, incidentally bringing long-hidden treasures back to light, essentially archaeological excavation.

"I never expected that a small Linglong City would have such a bustling crowd of people, and it was even hailed as the world’s number one forbidden land!" Ye Xu expressed deep emotion.

This sentiment truly came from his heart.

He really wouldn’t have thought that Linglong City, because of the existence of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, would be a more terrifying place in the hearts of cultivators across all realms than Burial Soil and Return to the Ruins.

Of course, this was understandable.

At least Burial Soil and Return to the Ruins had some rules and patterns.

But in Linglong City, as long as one offended the Master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, one was certain to meet a bad end.

This point could be referenced by the three Emperor Venerables of the Tianyun Sect, who were currently suffering in disarray.

"That’s because there’s Heaven’s Secret Pavilion," Yu Ziwei took over, saying, "The Master is invincible in the world; who would dare stir up trouble in Linglong City?

Heaven’s Secret Pavilion should be the world’s number one power, not the world’s number one forbidden land."

After these words were spoken, the expressions of the Seven Immortals of Cloud Capital and Gu Daojin subtly changed.

"In my opinion, if we’re ever cornered without options in the future, we might as well join Heaven’s Secret Pavilion," Ye Xu said half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Good idea,"

Yu Ziwei immediately agreed, "The Master is kind-hearted and easygoing. Now, because of the Star Yuan currency, he’s recruiting a lot of people. If we join Heaven’s Secret Pavilion now, it would be like timely help during hardship."

Ye Xu and Yu Ziwei exchanged a glance, understanding each other wordlessly.

"Brother Yu really grasps my meaning," Ye Xu thought inwardly.

Gu Daojin and the Seven Immortals of Cloud Capital would be an enormous asset to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

Especially right now.

The Seven Immortals of Cloud Capital glanced at each other, their eyes revealing strange looks.

Why did they feel that Yu Ziwei and Ye Xu were singing in harmony, just wanting them to join Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?

"You little rascal, what nonsense do you know!"

Gu Daojin slapped Yu Ziwei on the head.

Currently, he couldn’t stand hearing the word "easygoing" the most.

It was all rubbish!

His foolish disciple could be tricked and still help the trickster!

"Actually, fellow Daoist brothers, with your pure hearts and simple desires, detached from fame and profit, your ideals align with Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s principle of not interfering in worldly affairs. If turbulent times come, joining under Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s banner and ignoring worldly conflicts would be beneficial," Ye Xu chuckled lightly.

"Just my personal view; if I said anything incorrect, please don’t blame me, fellow Daoist brothers."

Despite this, none of the Seven Immortals of Cloud Capital argued back.

Their personalities, like Gu Daojin’s, were free-spirited and unrestrained; each was obsessed with their own pursuits and didn’t chase power or glory, so Heaven’s Secret Pavilion indeed matched their ideals.

Gu Daojin looked toward the scars of the heavens, then subtly glanced at Yu Ziwei, a hint of concern in his eyes.

Chaotic times were approaching, and with his own abilities, Gu Daojin was confident he could keep himself safe alone.

But Yu Ziwei could not.

The Seven Immortals of Cloud Capital couldn’t either.

"In the end, the burden still falls to me to carry it and push forward…"

Gu Daojin clucked his tongue, his eyes naturally carrying a melancholic air.

"…"

The whole group was rendered speechless for a moment.

"I’ve decided, once we return from the Divine Ruins, we’ll make a real decision," Gu Daojin declared with a hearty laugh. "But first, the most urgent matter is to go exploring!"

Ye Xu couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

How could that count as a decision?

But on reflection, it was indeed Gu Daojin’s characteristic way.