Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 739 Ascension! (Sorry for being a little late.)
"Rumble..."

Silver-white lightning tore through the sky, ripping the entire Lost City apart, and precisely enveloping the Ghost Capital area.

[WARNING! This area is about to fall! WARNING! This area is about to fall. Uncertain events may occur during the fall. Please be prepared.]

The chilling notification sound rang in Xiao Ran's ears, instantly turning her face deathly pale. Her mind felt as if it had suddenly plunged into an ice cave.

Immediately, a countdown appeared in front of Xiao Ran, with only two hours remaining.

"What a coincidence!!"

This coincidence made Xiao Ran want to curse. He had just completed the blockade of Ghost City, and now he was being told that this area was about to fall into reality.

This enormous ghost city, once it falls into reality, even if it's just a third-tier city, still has millions of people... At this moment, Xiao Ran felt his scalp tingling. Millions of people are trapped in the ghost city, and they will all become food for these demons.

His brain felt like it was about to explode at that moment.

This was no coincidence at all! The icy coldness in Xiao Ran's eyes was instantly ignited by a raging fire of anger.

This is a trap he deliberately set for himself!

At that moment, all the questions in Xiao Ran's heart were answered in an instant.

The Ghost Locust model, the writing staff, the blueprints left by Huang Chao, and all the seemingly coincidental fragments were instantly linked together by this fall warning!
At this moment, Xiao Ran finally understood that this trap was destined to be a dead end from the very beginning.

Huang Chao and the Imperial Seal were merely bait.

I am the fish waiting for this bait.

Xiao Ran knew very well why it had to be her; it was probably because she was after the Mang Banner that represented power on her.

At this moment, Xiao Ran's mood was beyond description. He had underestimated his opponent and his methods.

Now this area is about to fall, and Xiao Ran is faced with two paths: either open the gate now and forcibly blast those demons out of Ghost City, or let them descend into reality along with Ghost City.

Neither the former nor the latter is clearly an easy choice. A dilemma? More than just a dilemma!

Of course, Xiao Ran could grit her teeth and leave. What did the lives of millions matter? None of her relatives were among them.

But the result of doing so was that he would bear the consequences of the deaths of millions of people, a karmic burden that Xiao Ran could not bear.

Don't say that people will be killed by these demons and have nothing to do with you.

Demons are bloodthirsty; it's in their nature. Besides, everyone else can leave, but they can't just walk away and ignore what's happening.

Because he was the Inspector of Yin and Yang, it was his responsibility to monitor Yin and Yang.

If we allow these demons and gods to fall into reality along with the ghosts, then we are failing in our duty.

At that time, not to mention whether he could keep his position as inspector, he was afraid that even his life would be in question.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran immediately took out the scroll from her space. She had already made up her mind that since she couldn't put it away or trap it, she might as well kill all these demons.

I certainly couldn't do that myself, but the Plum Blossom Taoist could.

However, the moment Xiao Ran took out the scroll of Plum Blossom Taoist, the entire ghost trembled violently, and one after another golden light flew out from the void.

The sudden change caused Xiao Ran's pupils to shrink sharply. The golden light shooting out from the void was not attacking him, but rather precisely wrapping around the newly unfolded scroll of "Plum Blossom Taoist". Like chains formed by runes, it instantly sealed the scroll layer by layer, forcibly suppressing the powerful Taoist charm. The scroll trembled violently but could not break free!

"The other party even knew about this?"

A chill ran through Xiao Ran's heart. The other party had not only calculated the exact time after the Ghost Capital was sealed off, but had also set a restriction on the Plum Blossom Taoist's last life-saving talisman in advance.

This is no coincidence. There is no record of this in the drawings left by Huang Chao, which means that the trap targeting the scroll was deliberately hidden by the person behind the scenes, and even Huang Chao was kept in the dark!

"Open it for me!"

Time was of the essence, and a fierce glint flashed in Xiao Ran's eyes. He drew the [Guillotine] from his spatial storage with a backhand motion, the blade humming as it unleashed a chilling aura. At the same time, [Spirit Blade Technique] activated; the barber's professional skill was specifically designed to counter such restrictions.

A silver light covered the blade, transforming into a pale, condensed beam of light that slashed down fiercely at the golden rune chains binding the scroll!
"Keng!!!"

The moment the blade collided with the golden light, it wasn't the sharp clang of metal striking metal, but rather like a giant hammer smashing into a mountain made of tons of refined steel! An unparalleled force of recoil erupted from the blade!
"Ugh!" Xiao Ran groaned, his right arm holding the knife instantly went numb and ached, and his tiger's mouth split open on the spot, blood soaking the hilt! The recoil force was like an invisible battering ram, slamming hard into his chest and abdomen, causing his blood and qi to surge violently.

Even though he was a being of the hundred kinds of constitution, he was still shaken by this violent force and staggered back seven or eight steps. Each step left spiderweb-like cracks in the scorched ground before he finally regained his balance. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and a trace of scarlet blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"Buzz!"

The guillotine in his hand let out a mournful cry of unbearable strain, and the radiance of the [Spirit Blade Technique] covering it was shattered inch by inch, its sharpness completely concealed!
Xiao Ran's eyes were as dark as water as he stared intently at the golden rune chains. This thing seemed to use the entire Ghost City as its foundation, and the difficulty of forcibly breaking it was far beyond his expectations!

"Trouble!"

Just then, Xiao Ran suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder as a large hand patted her shoulder.

"Wu Man?" Xiao Ran turned around and saw Wu Man, who had a pig's head on his head, shaking his head at him and then pointing to the direction above his head.

Following Wu Man's gaze, Xiao Ran saw that at the edge of the huge crack in the sky, which was barely blocked by the group of shrines, the stone statues that should have been silent were slowly and stiffly stepping out from the shrines!

These statues were entirely black, as if cast from charcoal, yet they crackled with purple lightning, illuminating the surrounding void.

These statues stood close together, side by side, forming a "human wall" right at the edge of the crack.

Following closely behind, bolts of purple lightning, like wildly dancing serpents, burst forth from their joined bodies and fingers, no longer chaotic, but converging into a violent torrent of purple plasma, relentlessly and relentlessly bombarding the demon gods behind the cracks.

"Boom! Sizzle—!"

The purple lightning burst forth with blinding light and a muffled roar like a thunderstorm, piercing straight through the crack and striking the demons, forcing them to retract their hands that had already protruded from the crack.

They let out frantic, agonizing howls, clearly showing that these demons were extremely wary of the damage caused by lightning.

"Is it... Jin Chanzi?" Upon seeing this, Xiao Ran immediately guessed that it was Jin Chanzi who was helping him, otherwise these statues would not have suddenly attacked those demon gods.

At this moment, Wu Man pointed to the left.

Xiao Ran followed the direction and quickly locked onto the figure of a deity.

Among the many statues of various shapes and sizes, all uniformly "blackened and charred," that statue stood out from the rest! It wasn't entirely black, and its shape and outline exuded an inexplicable sense of familiarity! With its back to Xiao Ran and Wu Man below, it was lying on a shrine, rapidly carving something!
"That is……!"

On the back of the shrine, stone chips fell in a flurry, and soon a line of large characters appeared above the shrine:
Don't be a coward, Master Dao specializes in high-level games, I'll carry you!! Set up the formation for Master Dao!

Below the writing is a diagram carved by Jin Chanzi, which is a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) with a high platform made of shrines in the center.

"This guy……"

Upon seeing the crooked characters written by Jin Chanzi, Xiao Ran felt much more at ease after a brief moment of surprise.

Although Wu Man was unable to speak, she also gave Xiao Ran an encouraging look.

This scheme was designed to target Xiao Ran, but the mastermind didn't realize that Xiao Ran was never alone; he had trustworthy companions by his side.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran took a deep breath, sweeping away all the negative emotions in her heart. Then she opened her eyes, and her gaze gradually became clear.

"Let's go for it!" With the support of Wu Man and Jin Chanzi, Xiao Ran shook off her previous dejection, turned around, placed her hands on the Wenzhu pillar, calmed down, and after reviewing the entire Ghost Capital's operational trajectory in her mind, she immediately had a plan in mind.

"Kakaka..."

Xiao Ran turned the Wenzhu again, and instantly a series of shrines were summoned from the void, forming a huge Bagua in front of the crack according to Jin Chanzi's plan.

"Rumble..."

Five towering shrines, as tall as mountains, emerged from the void, stacked together to form a massive platform in the center of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams).

Upon seeing this, Jin Chanzi immediately wrote a line of words on another shrine.

This time there are only two words.

Come quick!

Seeing this, Xiao Ran turned to Wu Man and said, "This is yours!"

Although Wu Man cannot speak and cannot recite poems, he can still activate the energy of the writing staff by silently reciting them in his mind, as for literary talent.

Having both received nine years of compulsory education, Xiao Ran believed that Wu Man's level in this regard was certainly no less than her own.

Wu Man nodded and gave Xiao Ran a reassuring look.

He immediately stepped forward and grabbed Xiao Ran's shoulder. Wu Man's arm veins bulged, and he suddenly lifted Xiao Ran up, spinning her around in place.

"Shh!"

The sound of wind breaking was sharp and piercing! Xiao Ran felt as if she were thrown into the air like a cannonball! Her body drew an almost straight silver-gray trajectory in the air, and the huge wind pressure brought by the high speed almost suffocated Xiao Ran.

But soon, Xiao Ran's terrifying coordination and honed combat instincts, brought about by his Hundred Elements Body, were instantly activated! Just as the force of being thrown was about to reach its peak and his body involuntarily leaned backward, the core strength of his waist and abdomen tightened like a dragon, and his shoulders sank, causing his whole body to suddenly perform a hard bridge flip in mid-air!
The movements were incredibly fluid, like a rapidly spinning top being instantly straightened by an invisible hand. The up-and-down stance instantly transformed into a standard diving posture, while simultaneously, mental energy subconsciously surged throughout the body, forming an invisible layer of airflow that slightly mitigated the impact.

In the next instant, he moved like an eagle swooping down on a rabbit, aiming precisely at the eaves of a giant shrine below, and landed with unparalleled accuracy!

"despair!"

With a soft thud, the thick-soled cloth boot landed steadily on a shrine, the enormous impact silently neutralized by its powerful muscles and the unnamed footwork technique used to deflect the force.

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the shrine beneath his feet, but Xiao Ran did not pause for a moment! He touched the shrine with his toes, and his whole body transformed into a blurry, indistinct phantom!

Nameless Footwork – Activated!
Xiao Ran's figure moved swiftly among the towering shrines, his steps both rapid and unpredictable, taking a few steps as if walking on flat ground, leaving behind a series of dissipating afterimages.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Ran's figure had already crossed several shrines in succession, and finally, after a leap, he quietly landed on the top of the shrine where Jin Chanzi was located, like a falling leaf!

The moment he landed, Xiao Ran's gaze locked onto the figure carved on the shrine below, which was none other than the petrified Golden Toad!
Seemingly sensing Xiao Ran's arrival, the figure who had been focused on carving paused for a moment.

The giant head of the golden toad turned around, and at the same time, its voice came.

"Get on top of me first, and then you'll follow my instructions." The Golden Toad's voice held a hint of smugness as he finished speaking.
"The person who plotted against you has indeed figured you out perfectly, but that's precisely where they miscalculated. They were too focused on you, unaware that my methods are no less than those of Plum Blossom Taoist."

After saying that, Jin Chanzi muttered to himself, "It's just that there will inevitably be some bloodshed."

"it is good!"

Since Jin Chanzi was confident, Xiao Ran didn't ask any more questions and simply cooperated fully.

Jin Chanzi then pointed a written inscription at Wu Man below, on which was inscribed a single sentence.

"Try to buy time and prevent these things from escaping."

Then Jin Chanzi led Xiao Ran to quickly climb up the high platform in the middle of the Bagua. As they climbed, Jin Chanzi said, "Right now, we can't count on Plum Blossom Taoist. We only have one way."

"any solution?"

"Summon the gods!"

Jin Chanzi said to Xiao Ran, "You are the Yin-Yang Inspector, and summoning gods is your greatest privilege. Do you remember the time at the Ghost Market? As long as you summon a god to possess you, with your privilege, you can make the god unleash almost all of his power."

Upon hearing Jin Chanzi's words, Xiao Ran's face showed concern: "But... that's what I'm worried about too."

Xiao Ran was referring precisely to that time at the evil spirit market, when she almost had her body possessed during the summoning of the gods. Moreover, Xiao Ran would never believe that this incident was not orchestrated by Yu Jie. Most of the demons who had possessed her were probably Yu Jie's subordinates. Having driven her to this point, it was hard to say that Yu Jie was hoping she would use this trick.

"I told you to invite the gods, not to go knock on that Yin-Yang Road!" Jin Chanzi's voice carried a rare hint of urgency and solemnity.

"You're right to worry about that old man! That old devil went to so much trouble to corner you, clearly hoping you'd use that trick again so he could wipe you out, flag and all!!"

As they spoke, the two had already climbed to the top of the platform. Jin Chanzi stepped onto the center of the platform.

"Then what are you referring to as 'invoking the gods'?"

Since Jin Chanzi understood, Xiao Ran didn't understand what he meant by "inviting the gods."

The Golden Toad pointed to the sky and said, "What else could it be? If you can't invite those from the underworld, then go invite those from heaven."

"The heavens?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran hesitated for a few seconds: "This... is it feasible? What I mean is, I'm not very familiar with the gods in the heavens."

As a messenger and inspector of the underworld, I'm not actually very familiar with most of the underworld spirits.

But the other party should at least give me some face, after all, we're colleagues.

But Xiao Ran really wasn't familiar with the gods in heaven. If he had to say who he was familiar with, it would probably only be Lord Guan.

"What are you afraid of? You may not know me, but I do. I have some influence, even if the gods in heaven don't care about Buddha, they'll still give me face."

After speaking, Jin Chanzi lay down on the ground and carved a complex talisman on the high platform built of shrines. His fingertips left deep marks on the stone floor. The talisman meandered like dragons and snakes, faintly revealing a dark golden light.

There was a blank circle in the center of the talisman. After Jin Chanzi finished drawing it, he carefully sat in it, afraid of accidentally crushing the talisman.

Jin Chanzi opened his arms to Xiao Ran, gesturing for her to sit down.

"Sit down and calm your mind. I can help you send it up, but I can't say which one you can invite. If you're lucky, it would be the Five Elders of the Five Directions, which would be a great honor for me. If you're less lucky, inviting a Heavenly Lord or a Realm Lord would be acceptable. If you're even less lucky, inviting a Star Lord or something would be fine. But if you're really unlucky, then there's no point in inviting anyone; it won't do you any good."

Xiao Ran didn't actually know which expert she could invite.

But now that things have come to this, he has no choice but to bite the bullet and give it a try.

Ran Pan sat down and, following Jin Chanzi's instructions, focused his mind into his body, abandoning the clamor of the Ghost Capital Purgatory and the surging blood and qi within his body, concentrating his spirit as one.

Behind him, the golden toad, which had been like a stone statue, seemed to have briefly broken free from the shackles of its petrified state, revealing the aura of a living creature.

Jin Chanzi watched Xiao Ran's retreating figure and muttered to himself, "It's been too long since we last met... I hope these old guys high above in the heavens will still give me the time of day."

With this in mind, Jin Chanzi no longer hesitated. His movements were swift and decisive. He suddenly raised his hand and broke off one of his withered fingers on his left hand!

There was no earth-shattering scream of pain, only an indescribable, pale golden blood, imbued with an ancient divine aura, gushing from the fracture. This blood was unusual; each drop seemed to carry the weight of a thousand pounds.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock..." The sound tapped with a peculiar rhythm on the extremely intricate and mysterious talisman lines carved below.

The talisman lines, stained with divine golden blood, seemed to come alive, suddenly lighting up and greedily absorbing the precious liquid.

The blood, like flowing liquid gold, spread and filled rapidly, completely filling the entire enormous talisman pattern in an instant, enveloping the entire formation in a hazy and sacred golden glow.

Seeing that the talisman was complete, Jin Chanzi joined his remaining fingers together to form a sword finger, gathering his last remaining power and pointing it towards the center of the talisman. Golden blood was still dripping from the severed finger, but he ignored it and uttered a low shout, his command echoing throughout the eerie shrine: "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Go!"

"Boom!!"

As soon as the decree was issued, the already saturated golden talismans on the ground instantly burst into a blinding light!

A grand, cold, and overwhelming will that seems to be able to influence the movement of all the stars in the heavens.

An unimaginable pulling force enveloped Xiao Ran's entire body. His body, with his eyes tightly closed, trembled violently, as if his soul was being forcibly "pulled" out of his body by a vast force and pulled towards some distant, mysterious place high in the heavens...

At the same time, the demon god trapped behind the crack also seemed to sense the danger.

He began to charge towards the crack despite the lightning. A demon god's enormous claws tore heavily into the crack, and lightning flashed and burst into blinding light as it struck him. But he did not stop. Instead, he forcefully tore it open, creating a huge gash in the crack.

"Kakaka..."

As the opening was torn open, another demon god immediately poked half of his body out, his eyes flashing with furious fire, and slammed his fist into the shrine in front of him.

"boom!!"

The air in the entire world suddenly solidified and compressed! Then a terrifying shockwave was formed, and with just one punch, the statue blocking the crack was reduced to dust.

"Damn it, you all deserve to die!!!"

Having finally broken free from the rift, the rage of these demons was nearly driving them mad, and they desperately needed blood to soothe their inner fury.

Seeing that a demon was about to burst out of the crack, Wu Man's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly tried to turn the staff.

After turning it around a few times, there was absolutely no movement. Wu Man was a top expert, and had even touched the threshold of a B-level professional.

However, he had no idea how to use the staff to control the ghost capital.

Seeing that this thing was useless, Wu Man did not hesitate at all. She picked up the [Ten Thousand Food Cauldron] beside her, exerted force with both legs, and her waist sprang up like a taut bow!
"boom!"

Wu Man's body instantly transformed into a blur that tore through the charred air, rushing straight towards the demon god whose body had already emerged from the crack.

He gripped the rough, cold bronze handles of the [Ten Thousand Food Cauldron] tightly, and a visible, savage heat wave mixed with bloody and malevolent energy erupted from his body. The heavy bronze cauldron was swung with tremendous force, and with a dull whistling sound, a blurry black shadow swelled out, resembling the giant head of a ferocious beast that had pounced down from the ancient wilderness.

"Ow!!!"

The bronze cauldron, carrying immense force, slammed solidly into the shoulder blade of the demon god's massive arm, which was covered in bone spurs and had forcibly protruded a crack!
Boom!

A deafening clang of metal clashing was accompanied by a teeth-grinding sound of bones shattering!

The demon's momentum to break through the blockade faltered, and it let out a painful roar that shook the entire ghost city.

The intense pain caused its massive body to stiffen and lose its balance briefly.

But then another thick arm suddenly emerged from the crack, its enormous hand open, and countless eyes on its palm instantly locked onto Wu Man.

Wu Man instinctively tensed all her muscles, realizing something was wrong, and immediately flew backward.

But he was not facing a lowly god like the Locust God, but a demon god from the underworld. The moment he locked onto Wu Man, a huge fist tore through the void and smashed into Wu Man.

"boom!!"

Even with his thick skin, Wu Man couldn't withstand this punch. His body flew out like a cannonball and slammed heavily onto the ground.

"boom!!"

The already ruined ground was violently blasted open by the massive impact, creating a huge crater five meters in diameter.

The crack widened, and finally a demon god emerged intact from it.

Its body was as large as a small mountain, and its surface was covered with constantly wriggling dark purple tumors.

The head had no facial features; instead, it had dozens of thick, black arms, each as thick as a giant python, with a mouth full of sharp teeth at the end of each arm, frantically tearing at the edge of the spatial rift.

Several arms suddenly shot out, accompanied by a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air, and smashed into the shrine blocking their way like lightning!
"Boom! Crash—!"

The outermost shrines, along with the stone statues inside, were instantly shredded by the giant arm, scattering everywhere. In a short time, an area was forcibly cleared to allow more demons to rush out.

After clearing a path, the demon god turned his gaze and locked it on the direction of the golden toad in the distance. The flashing golden light there made them very uneasy, and they were eager to destroy it.

"Roar!"

The demon god let out a roar containing the will of destruction, and several giant python arms broke through the barrier of the second-level shrine, tearing through the air with an aura of crushing everything, and rushing straight to the high platform!

"Qiang!"

Suddenly! A streak of dark light, carrying the force of a desperate gamble, hurtled in from the side!

Holding the [Ten Thousand Foods] in both hands, Wu Man charged forward. At this moment, all of Wu Man's muscles swelled to their maximum, and he transformed into a giant nearly three meters tall.
The enormous hand firmly grasped the arm on the demon god's head, and with one hand raised the [Ten Thousand Food Cauldron], smashing it down on the demon god's head.

"Awoooooo!!!"

Wu Man's pig-like snout hissed wildly.

The wild boar's howls were incomprehensible, but one could sense the immense ancestral power within them.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!" A muffled thud accompanied by the cracking sound of flesh and bone splitting!

Even the demon god was knocked off balance and nearly fell to the ground.

But soon, another demon rushed over and spewed a ball of black flame at Wu Man.

In an instant, the flames engulfed the demon god's head along with the flames.

However, the next second, a huge vortex appeared in the flames.

At the center of the vortex was the [Ten Thousand Food Cauldron] in Wu Man's hand. After devouring the black flames, the [Ten Thousand Food Cauldron] seemed to have reached some kind of limit.

Wu Man hoisted the cauldron onto his shoulder and aimed it at the head of the demon god beneath him.

"puff!!"

A black flame shot out from the [Ten Thousand Food Cauldron], compressed to its limit, like a sharp arrow, piercing straight through the demon god's head and leaving a huge hole in his massive forehead.

However, for Wu Man, this was clearly the limit.

Wu Man hurriedly took two pieces of meat out of the cauldron and stuffed them into her mouth.

As the flesh and blood entered her mouth, Wu Man's breathing gradually calmed down, but when she looked up, she saw three giant-like figures standing before her.

Seeing this, even Wu Man couldn't help but feel a sense of powerlessness.

"In the end, I didn't make it to Rank B. It was too close..."

Wu Man's body was as large as a mountain, yet it swayed precariously. His muscular body was covered with scorch marks and cracks, and the [Ten Thousand Food Cauldron] in his hand hummed and trembled.

Wu Man let out a low roar, forcibly channeling her remaining strength to hurl the [Ten Thousand Food Cauldron] out. The cauldron spun like a meteor, and Wu Man leaped up, pulling out three dice from her spatial storage and throwing them out in one go.

The three dice in mid-air all corresponded to a bear, a tiger, and a goat, respectively.

Once the results of the three dice were determined, they immediately transformed into three streams of light and merged into Wu Man's body.

In an instant, Wu Man's physical body transformed once again, becoming the body of a bear, the claws of a tiger, and the horns of a goat.

At this moment, even these demons were surprised by Wu Man's transformation, as if Wu Man, standing in front of them, was more like a demon than they were.

However, after only a brief moment of hesitation, the three demon gods immediately attacked, and they went all out from the start.

They no longer wanted to continue their entanglement with Wu Man; the shimmering golden light on the nearby shrine was making them increasingly uneasy.

"kill!!"

The first demon god's giant claw tore through the air, and purple-black demonic flames condensed into a hundred-foot-long battle halberd, carrying a power that distorted the void as it cleaved down.

Wu Man's shoulder sank as her left side was torn open, blood gushing out, but she opened her mouth and viciously bit down on the demon god's neck.

The dark singularity in the palm of another demon god on the right collapsed and pierced through Wu Man's abdomen from behind.

On the left, the demon god's single eye was blood red, and its silent spiritual shriek pierced straight into Wu Man's soul.

Blood splattered from mid-air as four enormous creatures tangled together, a gruesome scene too painful to bear.

Not only was Jin Chanzi moved, but Dai Long on the other end was also extremely nervous.

"Um!!"

At this moment, Eunuch Wang's expression suddenly changed slightly, and his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

At this critical moment, Eunuch Wang felt a churning sensation in his abdomen, and his wrinkled old face contorted in pain.

"Godfather!"

Seeing this, Dai Long, who had been keeping a close eye on the prince's movements, quickly stepped forward and asked, "Godfather, are you alright?"

Wang Gonggong frowned and didn't answer, but suddenly stood up from his chair: "Quick, take me to the outhouse..."

After he finished speaking, "Pfft!" everyone unconsciously wrinkled their noses.

With a cold snort, Wang Gonggong disregarded everything else and hurriedly stood up. Supported by Dai Long, he quickly ran towards the outhouse...

Outside, there was either a bloody fight or Dai Long helping his godfather into the outhouse.

Xiao Ran was completely unaware of the situation outside. At this moment, his consciousness soared through the clouds and the sun and moon like a shooting star.

The scene before my eyes suddenly changed: glazed green tiles, jade pillars reaching for the sky, and amidst the misty haze, a majestic palace stood tall in the clouds.

Xiao Ran's consciousness was pulled upwards rapidly by a tremendous gravitational force.

Soon, Xiao Ran arrived in front of a palace. Gazing intently, he saw a plaque hanging high above the palace, with large, shining golden characters—[Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin Palace]!
Xiao Ran's heart skipped a beat. He had heard of this place before. Wasn't this the Daoist temple of the [Nine Heavens Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable]?
"Is the Golden Toad really worth that much face?"

Xiao Ran sighed inwardly, but then he noticed a small problem and looked around. The pillars were carved with dragons and phoenixes, but there were no guards. The palace doors were ajar, exuding a sense of desolation.

"No... nobody? Oh, no, no god? Not even a divine dog??"

Now it was Xiao Ran's turn to be stunned, thinking to herself, "Old Taoist priest, it seems your influence... isn't very effective after all."

Just as Xiao Ran was feeling puzzled, her gaze suddenly shifted, and she noticed a white jade lion button seal on the table.

Xiao Ran's gaze focused on the large seal, a hint of doubt in her eyes. She stepped forward, took the seal in her hand, and opened it to see five large characters written on it: "Seal of the Heavenly Venerable of Universal Transformation"...

(End of this chapter)