Chapter 444

Chapter 444: The Emperor Wants to Stay for Ten Days

Ye Xu struggled to hold back his laughter.

That the mighty Heavenly Emperor had to seek refuge in Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was quite amusing to ponder.

"Cough…"

Ye Xu cleared his throat and said, "Daoist friend, do you think Heaven’s Secret Pavilion is some sort of refuge?"

"Master, name your price."

Li Ruoyu rarely wasted words for once.

He knew Ye Xu’s character very well; in the end, it always came down to demanding more money.

"Very perceptive."

Ye Xu chuckled inwardly, and maintained a serious expression as he said, "We’re all old friends, so I’ll give you a discount—one hundred billion Star Yuan per day."

"…"

Li Ruoyu’s lips twitched slightly. One hundred billion Star Yuan a day?

After all, this dao body of his, forged from an Innate Dao Seed and Ziwei Spirit Root, plus the intrinsic value of its dao-protection, probably couldn’t be worth more than twenty trillion Star Yuan at most.

"Too expensive," Li Ruoyu sighed,

he actually didn’t have many resources on him.

His own strength was immense.

"Daoist friend, if you pass this opportunity, there won’t be another," Ye Xu revealed a confident smile,

he had completely grasped control and wasn’t worried that Li Ruoyu might escape his clutches.

Whoosh!

A divine light landed before Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, and Martial Emperor Lingxiao rushed in impulsively. Before he even entered, his voice boomed forth.

"Master, check again for me on the Heavenly Emperor’s…" His voice suddenly halted.

Li Ruoyu was right before his eyes.

"Sigh…" Li Ruoyu pressed his hand to his forehead in distress, plagued by a splitting headache. This person clung to him like an unshakable pest.

As everyone knew, the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was a cunning profiteer, yet Martial Emperor Lingxiao stubbornly sought out his business.

"Li Ruoyu, you cowardly turtle," Martial Emperor Lingxiao sneered,

"To think you’d hide in Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. After much fruitless searching, finding you effortlessly saves me spending any coin after all."

Ye Xu smiled wordlessly.

"If you have the guts, come out and fight," Martial Emperor Lingxiao declared with blazing battle intent.

"I won’t go out," Li Ruoyu said.

"I will be staying in Heaven’s Secret Pavilion for a few days to discuss the dao with the Master."

"Master, do you intend to accommodate him?" Martial Emperor Lingxiao frowned.

"It is not the case."

Ye Xu remained calm, shook his head, and said, "Doing business at Heaven’s Secret Pavilion? Absolutely possible. But debating the Dao…"

His gaze swept over Li Ruoyu and Martial Emperor Lingxiao as he continued, "Pardon my bluntness, but you two present here didn’t quite measure up.”

“…”

Martial Emperor Lingxiao felt rage surge within him. If not for knowing he was no match for Ye Xu, he surely would have taken action to teach the man a lesson.

"Master, We can meet Your price," Li Ruoyu said.

Ye Xu picked up the teacup, lightly flicked the lid with his finger, watching the tea leaves sway as he replied with utter composure, "One hundred and twenty billion Star Yuan."

"You are raising the price on the spot, Master!" Li Ruoyu flared up, furious.

"I already told you before, the offer expired," Ye Xu said dismissively. The Heavenly Emperor was a big fish; he hadn’t managed to properly shear this fat sheep the first couple of times. If not now, when?

Ding!

Right then.

The Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings suddenly underwent an anomaly.

The positions in the top ten began to shift gradually.

This phenomenon shocked every cultivator who had ever seen the Golden List.

"Lin Qianmo broke through?"

"She actually reached second place?"

The Golden List started rearranging its rankings:

1. Li Ruoyu (Pangu universe): Peak of Immortal Emperor. Ancient Heavenly Emperor, masters the Great Dao of Time, the Great Dao of Space, the Great Dao of Tai Chi, wields the number one fierce weapon.

2. Lin Qianmo (Pangu universe): Peak of Immortal Emperor.

3. Yi Daoist (Zixiao plane): Peak of Immortal Emperor.

4. Mu Fanyin (Qing Xuan plane): Peak of Immortal Emperor.

5. Martial Emperor Lingxiao (Cangyue universe): Peak of Immortal Emperor.

6. Chaos Immortal Emperor (Yuxu plane): Peak of Immortal Emperor.

7. Qin Emperor (Cangming universe): Peak of Immortal Emperor.

8. Sword Master (Qingyuan plane): Peak of Immortal Emperor.

9. Immortal Daoist (Bahuang plane): Peak of Immortal Emperor.

10. Reincarnation Ancient God (Pangu universe): Peak of Immortal Emperor.

Lin Qianmo’s cultivation had reached the Peak of Immortal Emperor, leaping directly to second place. Mu Fanyin also surpassed Martial Emperor Lingxiao, taking the fourth spot.

Martial Emperor Lingxiao dropped to fifth.

Li Ruoyu and Martial Emperor Lingxiao were both deeply shocked.

Martial Emperor Lingxiao wore a look on his face as if he was constipated.

He had fallen from the top three… to fifth place?

Ye Xu’s eyes glimmered.

Lin Qianmo had broken through to the Peak of Immortal Emperor far too quickly, likely linked to the Place of Origin.

What astonished him was that even at the Peak of Immortal Emperor, with all her abilities, she still couldn’t gain the upper hand over the Heavenly Emperor. Li Ruoyu’s hidden depths were truly unfathomable.

"Daoist friend, you now have more than just me ahead of you," Li Ruoyu chuckled. "Lin Qianmo ranks second and commands one of the nine great Spirit Roots. If you can defeat her, I shall grant you a duel."

For the moment, Li Ruoyu seemed to forget his transaction with Ye Xu.

After all, if he could trick Martial Emperor Lingxiao into confronting Lin Qianmo, he’d buy himself breathing room.

"And why should I challenge her?" Martial Emperor Lingxiao scoffed. "Should I defeat you, victory over her follows naturally. The title of number one on the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings will still be mine."

Ye Xu beamed with satisfaction.

It was rare to see Martial Emperor Lingxiao display such wit.

"Daoist friend, how much longer do you intend to stall?" Ye Xu smiled knowingly at Li Ruoyu.

"I am the Immortal Daoist, seeking an audience with the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion!"

"This sovereign is the Chaos Immortal Emperor, journeyed from the Yuxu plane expressly to visit the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion!"

"The Qin Emperor requests an audience."

"I am the Sword Master, requesting an audience with the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion!"

Suddenly, voices echoed outside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion—a dozen distinct pleas.

The next instant, over a dozen Immortal Emperors entered the pavilion.

"Esteemed guests, please be seated," Ye Xu proclaimed, sweeping his sleeves as he surveyed the newcomers. Each was a powerhouse on the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings, with the Chaos Immortal Emperor, Qin Emperor, Sword Master, and Immortal Daoist ranking among the top ten.

Martial Emperor Lingxiao’s gaze swept past the assembly.

Those beneath him held little interest.

"So this is the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?"

The Chaos Immortal Emperor wore an imperial crown, his aura profound like an abyss. Clad in imperial robes, he embodied the presence of an emperor.

The master differed slightly from his imagination—yet undeniably formidable.

An invisible pressure permeated Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

"Might I inquire, Master, what purpose guided your publication of the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings?"

The Sword Master spoke bluntly, cutting straight to the heart.

He stood like a tempered blade—unyielding, radiating righteous integrity.

The question lingered in every mind, yet only the Sword Master dared voice it.

"I issued the Golden List," Ye Xu replied mildly, "so all might grasp that beyond oneself lies greater heights, and beyond heaven, vaster skies. I sought to create a stage where dear friends could gather."

"Would it not be lonely, reigning invincible yet isolated within one’s own cosmos?"

Li Ruoyu remained silent.

It was the first time he’d witnessed someone describe money-making with such refined elegance.

The thickness of Ye Xu’s skin was something he couldn’t hope to match even on horseback.

"Hahaha, that’s precisely the reasoning," replied Immortal Daoist, clad in a gray robe adorned with a Tai Chi diagram, as if a yin-yang fish swam miraculously across its surface.

His eyes, one yin and one yang, revealed he had cultivated the yin yang Great Dao into them, attaining extraordinarily high mastery.

"Master, who are these two Daoist friends?" Qin Emperor, polite and scholarly like a true gentleman, fixed his gaze upon Li Ruoyu and Martial Emperor Lingxiao.

"This is Martial Emperor Lingxiao, ranked fifth on the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings."

"So it is Daoist brother Lingxiao."

The group clasped their hands in salute.

Martial Emperor Lingxiao nodded in acknowledgment.

"And this is Li Ruoyu, number one on the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings." Ye Xu introduced him grandly. "Daoist friend Li is none other than the Heavenly Emperor of the Ancient Heavenly Court, foremost beneath transcendence, his very body the number one fierce weapon in the world."

With every word Ye Xu spoke, Li Ruoyu’s face darkened a shade more.

By the time Ye Xu finished, Li Ruoyu’s visage was as black as charcoal.

"When this emperor first beheld the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings, I developed a profound interest in Daoist friend Li." Chaos Immortal Emperor concealed a blade within his smile. "My journey to this Pangu universe was likewise motivated by a desire to witness the Heavenly Emperor’s splendor."

"Chaotic Daoist friend’s words resonate deeply with this one."

Sword Master laughed heartily, his eyes sharp as divine swords, piercingly fixed on Li Ruoyu.

"My sword has stayed sheathed through countless years. Daoist friend Li, occupying the pinnacle of the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings, presents the perfect opportunity to test whether these long years of idleness have dulled its edge."

"I defer to you all first."

Immortal Daoist chuckled amiably. "This old Daoist shall witness your contest and then face Daoist friend Li myself."

"Do engage wholeheartedly, dear friends; I shall provide musical accompaniment to enhance your battle."

Qin Emperor bowed gracefully, his demeanor as refreshing as a spring breeze.

Ye Xu’s smile broadened continuously.

"Li Ruoyu, will you slip through my fingers yet again?" Ye Xu inwardly rejoiced.

At long last, he could ruthlessly fleece the Heavenly Emperor.

His gaze locked with Li Ruoyu’s, where deep complexity swirled.

Li Ruoyu closed his eyes and spoke quietly.

"Master, this emperor shall reside in Heaven’s Secret Pavilion for ten days."