I, Thanks To My Unlimited Investment, Am Admired By All Races

Half an hour later, the battle had come to an end.

Li Xun retrieved his puppets and, together with Elder Chen, cleaned up the battlefield.

It was clear that Elder Chen was in a rather good mood.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile hung on his aged face.

At one point, Elder Chen glanced at Li Xun, feeling a wave of emotion in his heart. Initially, he thought being assigned to protect Li Xun was nothing but a troublesome task—he might have to flee for his life with him at any moment.

After all, most other guardians were usually in such situations.

But Li Xun was different.

In the past two months alone, Elder Chen had witnessed Li Xun kill two opponents of the same cultivation level. His own wealth had multiplied several times over.

If those who came to assassinate Li Xun were all of this caliber, he wouldn’t mind encountering a few more waves.

At this rate, he might even be able to break through to the Divine Palace Realm just by looting the fallen enemies.

“This thought is dangerous,” Elder Chen shook his head and quickly dismissed such notions. “What if something happened to my martial nephew?”

Li Xun noticed Elder Chen’s odd expression and asked, “Elder Chen, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Elder Chen replied with an awkward smile.

“Really?”

Li Xun’s instincts told him that whatever Elder Chen had been thinking must have something to do with him. However, since Elder Chen didn’t want to share, he chose not to press further.

After finishing their cleanup of the battlefield, Li Xun waved his hand and released the Royal Spirit Boat, stepping aboard with Elder Chen.

With a flash of light, the spirit boat transformed into a streak of flowing radiance, swiftly heading toward Yunzhou.

As they crossed into Yunzhou territory, they briefly exchanged glances with two marquises stationed at the border.

With mutual understanding, both sides exchanged polite smiles without further interaction.

<+>

One day later.

Yunzhou – Blackstone City.

Blackstone City was a small town with a population of less than 100,000. On most days, it was quiet and desolate.

However, in recent days, the city had become unusually lively, attracting numerous cultivators.

Everywhere in the city, Spirit Meridian Realm cultivators could be seen, and there were quite a few Profound Elixir Realm experts. Occasionally, even powerful Divine Power Realm figures appeared.

The reason for this sudden gathering of cultivators was simple—rumors had spread that a bald monk had been spotted in Blackstone City recently.

The term “monk” might not mean much in other places.

But in Yunzhou, it was impossible not to think of Fa Zhao from the Great Bright Monastery.

As a result, in just a few short days, Blackstone City had become packed with cultivators.

Inside a bustling tavern, the entire place—both the first and second floors—was filled with guests.

On the second floor, near a window, six Profound Elixir Realm cultivators sat around a table.

A burly, rough-looking man at the center lifted his cup, downed his drink in one gulp, and sighed heavily.

“Sigh!”

“It’s been five days already, and we still can’t find that monk Fa Zhao. We came all this way, and we haven’t even found a single clue!”

“Fellow Daoist Wang, you’re the most meticulous among us. Have you discovered any clues?”

As he spoke, the burly man turned his gaze toward the person he referred to as Daoist Wang.

This man, dressed in a plain blue robe, had an ordinary appearance and seemingly unremarkable strength—just at the early-stage of the Profound Elixir Realm. However, to those with keen spiritual senses, it was evident that his true cultivation had already reached the late-stage of the Profound Elixir Realm!

If Li Xun were here, he would have immediately recognized this “Daoist Wang”—he was none other than Jiang Taixuan, whom he had encountered over half a year ago.

For reasons unknown, Jiang Taixuan had traveled across more than half of the Great Zhou Empire’s territory to reach this chaotic region of Yunzhou.

Now, he was even participating in the hunt for Fa Zhao.

“I haven’t discovered anything unusual either,” Jiang Taixuan shook his head slightly. After thinking for a moment, he added, “Fa Zhao was once the prodigy of the Great Bright Monastery, possessing countless techniques. It’s only natural he’s difficult to track down.”

“Daoist Wang is right,” the burly man sighed after taking another sip of his drink. “If Fa Zhao’s skills were lacking in any way, he wouldn’t have made it out of the Great Chu Dynasty alive.”

“But speaking of it, Fa Zhao is carrying quite a few treasures. If we can capture him, people like us rogue cultivators might just soar to greatness overnight!”

A thin man sitting beside Jiang Taixuan chuckled sinisterly as he spoke.

Before his words had even settled, a mocking voice drifted up from downstairs.

“Even trash like you dare to meddle in this affair?”

“Who’s there?!”

The thin man’s face darkened as if he’d been insulted. With a flash of anger, he slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, looking toward the source of the voice.

The others at the table also rose to their feet, except for Jiang Taixuan, who subtly took a step back and discreetly sent out a wisp of spiritual sense to scan the surroundings.

“You think you’re worthy of asking my identity?”

The mocking voice rang out again.

Several young men in luxurious brocade robes slowly ascended the stairs. The leader, wearing a white jade crown and a moon-white robe, had jet-black hair and sharp, icy eyes.

With his confident stride, an aura of nobility emanated from him, making him appear like a celestial king descending to the mortal realm, causing those around to lower their gazes instinctively.

“A Chu royal?”

Noticing the distinctive clothing, the thin man’s expression changed dramatically, his face growing solemn.

Everyone knew that within the Great Chu Dynasty, ordinary people were forbidden from cultivating. Those who could cultivate were undoubtedly connected to the imperial court.

Realizing the identity of the newcomers, the atmosphere in the tavern instantly grew tense.

The other patrons quickly got up and moved away, distancing themselves for fear of being caught in the conflict.

“That guy seems to be at the Divine Power Realm. Look at the token on his waist—it seems he’s a… Count!”

“They’re finished. Anyone who can attain the title of Count within the Divine Power Realm in the Great Chu Dynasty is a top-tier genius. There’s no way mere Profound Elixir Realm cultivators can match him.”

“Tough luck for them. We all know why we’re here, but discussing Fa Zhao openly was a mistake. After all, Fa Zhao originally belonged to the Great Chu Dynasty. Now that he’s in Yunzhou, he’s become a prize for both Great Chu and Great Zhou. It’s no surprise they’re angry.”

While the patrons whispered among themselves using secret voice transmissions, the man in the moon-white robe casually found a seat and sat down.

A faint smile played on his lips as his gaze swept over everyone in the tavern.

Then, with an indifferent expression, he slowly spoke.

“I’ll give you all a choice—crawl out, or die.”

His voice carried a subtle but unmistakable authority.

He then added, emphasizing each word with a chilling tone:

“And by all of you… I mean everyone here.”