supreme deity

Chapter 816: Virtual and Submissive
The meeting between Dream Celestial Venerable and Lin Rui took place in the coffee shop on the top floor of the Tianrun Building in the Ninth Base.

— This building is located in the most prosperous commercial district of the city. It was originally the headquarters building of Taiyi Biotechnology Group. Later, Taiyi Biotechnology Group was forced to relocate, and this building was sold to Tianrun Group. It is currently the seventh tallest commercial building in the Ninth Base City.

Four of the top six properties belong to Lin Rui, while the other two belong to the Linghu family and Tianlan Group, respectively.

Lin Rui did not want to meet with the Dream Celestial Venerable, fearing that some of his plans would be seen through by this cunning old man. The Dream Celestial Venerable, however, did not dare to enter the lair that Lin Rui had been building for years, so he chose this place.

As Lin Rui stepped into the coffee shop, dusk was turning the Ninth Base city into a golden hue. The towering buildings outside the floor-to-ceiling windows began to glow with neon lights, and occasionally, the streaks of light from the floating cars could be seen streaking across the sky like stardust.

The coffee shop had been cleared out, and the Dream Celestial was reclining on a floating seat that looked like it was floating in the clouds. He was looking at the scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling windows with a leisurely expression while gently swirling his coffee cup: "You're here? If you want some coffee, make it yourself. I doubt you'd feel comfortable if I made it for you."

"I am worried." Lin Rui walked straight to the opposite side of the Dream Celestial Venerable and sat down, examining the other's divine body from head to toe: "The divine body of the Divine Venerable is quite good, it should be able to surprise all the gods."

"Your words are an exaggeration."

The Celestial Venerable of Dreams shook his head and smiled nonchalantly: "By December, the artificial canopy's capacity had reached nearly 12 billion people, and it already accommodated 1100 billion of your extraterrestrial demons' canopy spirits. I have no choice but to plan ahead. This divine body can only be considered an emergency measure, and can only bear about 940% of my power. It's a pity—"

Unfortunately, he dared not use Lin Rui's purification method, otherwise he was confident that he could create a divine body capable of bearing all of his power.

Just as Lin Rui dared not drink his coffee, Dream dared not let Lin Rui help Him achieve 'union of body and soul'.

Even if the Lord of Light has a good reputation, the Celestial Venerable of Dreams would not dare to take the risk.

Upon hearing this, Lin Rui curled his lips into a disdainful smile.

Only 70%? If you said that out loud, even a ghost wouldn't believe it.

This dreamlike Celestial Venerable resides deep within the consciousness and dreams of all beings, secretly manipulating the federal political situation for six hundred years. He not only wove a vast network of power within the federation but also secretly controlled countless top talents in biology and engineering.

A large portion of the technological achievements of the Longevity Society also fell into the hands of the Dream Celestial Venerable.

The Church of Light and the two major corporations under Lin Rui's control have also been rapidly expanding within the Federation in recent years.

But the more they expanded, the more they sensed an extremely powerful force lurking beneath the surface of the Federation's waters, and the mastermind behind this force was most likely the Dream Celestial Venerable before them.

Moreover, the 'Dream' technique he wields inherently possesses the ability to help him achieve an extremely high degree of unity between body and soul.

Lin Rui leaned back, his expression nonchalant: "Your Majesty, why don't you speak frankly? What is your purpose in repeatedly inviting me here today using your spiritual sense?"

"Naturally, it's for that 'Lord of Fate.' I know that for the past three and a half years, you've been searching for His whereabouts and investigating everything about Him. You've also made some targeted arrangements. It seems that His Highness the Lord of Light no longer wants to have your fate controlled by others."

The Celestial Venerable smiled and took a sip of tea: "Besides that, you must also be paying attention to the Garden of Truth in the Eastern Abyss?"

At this moment, He paused, and His tone became cold and sharp: "That was the work of the Lord of Fate! This God of the Eastern Abyss is becoming increasingly powerful, and is only a hair's breadth away from transcending the concept of limit. However, His every move is actually within the Lord of Fate's calculation and control."

Lin Rui narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze meeting that of the Dream Celestial Venerable with piercing intensity: "And then? What does Your Excellency intend to do?"

“Of course it is—” Dream Celestial Venerable then made a “hmm” sound and focused his attention to observe Lin Rui carefully.

He suddenly realized that something was wrong with the Lord of Light before him.

This person's spiritual insight is as deep as the ocean, with light and darkness blending together, quietly resonating with the rhythm of heaven and earth. The Dream Celestial Venerable vaguely saw dozens of different conceptual powers perfectly blending around Lin Rui's body, as if light and darkness were weaving invisible shackles around him, or as a balance point where all things return to oneness.

The Primordial Heavenly Dragon coiled around its neck, breathing in the sun and moon. Deep within its pupils, runes representing Lin Rui's fundamental martial intent flickered, each breath precisely fitting into the folds of spacetime. Its power was restrained yet seemed ready to erupt at any moment, flawless and perfectly harmonious.

In addition, Lin Rui also possesses a strong aura of origin.

The Celestial Venerable of Dreams was extremely puzzled. He knew that Lin Rui had mastered many concepts, reaching more than 30 in just half a year. For an ordinary martial artist, this would have been a case of biting off more than one can chew, and might even have led to demonic transformation due to the conflict between the concepts. However, Lin Rui relied on the Throne of Truth to cultivate these concepts to a very high level and condensed the martial intent of 'One', unifying them into one.

The Celestial Venerable of Dreams was curious and wary, but his divine sense could not penetrate deeply to perceive anything related to the origin. He avoided anything that was related to the origin as much as possible.

This was another point that puzzled Him: why was Lin Rui's aura of origin so strong?

Lin Rui's mind became slightly tense, which was one of the reasons why he was unwilling to see the Dream Celestial Venerable.

Within the origin, He first targeted those near-abyss-level concepts. Now, the unified conceptual power has reached 143 types, and even with His best efforts to restrain Himself, some clues will still be revealed.

However, he knew that the more unwilling he was to meet the other person, the more guilty he felt, the more it would arouse the suspicion and vigilance of the Celestial Venerable.

On the one hand, he was very open and generous, allowing the other party to observe and scrutinize him, while on the other hand, he raised his eyebrows impatiently: "Have you seen enough? If the deity has something to say, just say it frankly. Why bother with all this mystery? I'm very busy right now and don't have time to waste with the deity here."

The Celestial Venerable of Dreams frowned first, then spoke in a solemn voice: "Naturally, we must eliminate this major threat. I and the gods are willing to fight to the death for transcendence, but we are unwilling to be schemed against and controlled by others, and even less willing to be used as pawns for others afterward."

He stared intently at Lin Rui: "This time, the Eastern Abyss's plot to use the Law of Truth to help them advance beyond their limits is an opportunity."

In the past, during the battles of the artificial sky and Huangshan Island, He was manipulated by the Lord of Destiny. How could He not respond?

Lin Rui looked surprised for a moment, then laughed and leaned back on the sofa: "Isn't the God's words too absurd? It's your business if you want to get rid of Him, what does it have to do with me? I promised to withdraw from the artificial sky curtain struggle, and the Lord of Destiny has benefited me a lot. I have come to where I am today entirely thanks to the help of this prince. One cannot be ungrateful."

Why should an outsider like him, who has already been eliminated, worry about and work hard for these abysses?
The Celestial Venerable of Dreams was not surprised by this person's attitude. He curled his lips into a mocking smile: "What favor has the Lord of Fate done for the Lord of Light? I only see that your fate, as well as that of your parents and sisters, is like that of a puppet being held in his hands. How pathetic."

"Your Excellency is currently high above, like the abyss of heaven, but in the script of that Fate Master, who knows if your next step won't be to become someone else's stepping stone, a sacrifice for someone's return, or even a stepping stone to transcendence? If Your Excellency had no fear or wariness towards the Fate Master, you wouldn't have made so many moves in secret."

Seeing that Lin Rui remained calm and unmoved, he changed his tone: "Five Sky Canopy Bases that can accommodate 500 million people! I can persuade the gods to let you build five more Sky Canopy Bases in the Heavenly Demon Plains in exchange for the Lord of Light's assistance."

Lin Rui was stunned for a moment, then thought to himself, where would he get the extra money to build so many more artificial canopies?
Lin Rui's existing 34 Pure One Sacred Altars were built by him through sheer grit and determination.

These altars can accommodate 127 billion people, but the number of devout believers in the Church of Light, including those who receive Holy Communion every day, is less than 80 billion. Many people feel that this Lord of Light is somewhat useful today, so they reluctantly believe in Him. But tomorrow, when they no longer need the Lord of Light, they abandon Him to the winds or convert to other abysses.

Lin Rui now prefers to focus his efforts on Tianji Star. The people there are much more honest and kind, and their lives are also difficult. With just a little kindness and some promises, they can be persuaded to convert.

Not to mention that the Glorious Altar can expand the underground farm, causing his income to continue to skyrocket.

The problem is that Lin Rui has to pretend to be very interested in the artificial canopy base.

Otherwise, if these abysses saw that this guy had no desire for the artificial canopy, they would definitely have ulterior motives! "God, no matter what, the Lord of Fate has been kind to me. Although my family suffered some hardships because of this, the outcome was ultimately good. Even my father has the possibility of being resurrected through the canopy."

He shook his head first, then chuckled: "So, I will at most not participate in the five Sky Canopy Bases and will stand by and watch your affairs. If you want me to lend a hand, you must give me a quota of fifteen more."

After Lin Rui finished speaking, he stood up and straightened his clothes with an indifferent expression: "If the God invited me here only for what you said, then this is the end of today. I am busy with affairs and will take my leave first. If the God is willing, he can discuss it with the gods and then have someone inform my fiancée or the Grand Astrologer."

He knew that the Celestial Venerable of Dreams could not make the decision alone and that he had to coordinate with the other gods.

Lin Rui's existence was based on an agreement reached by all the gods in the past, and naturally, it also requires the gods' permission now.

The moment Lin Rui stepped out of the coffee shop, the figure of the Dream Celestial Venerable vanished like a bubble.

The Celestial Lord of Dreams has returned to His dreamlike divine kingdom, reclining on His divine throne. He still holds that cup of coffee in his hand, gently swirling it. The surface of the coffee gleams with seven colors, which the Celestial Lord of Dreams has incorporated into it the purest and most beautiful dreams of young boys and girls, using it as a flavoring.

Just moments later, His Grand Astrologer Mengli also appeared in this dreamlike divine kingdom.

"Your Majesty!" Mengli bowed first, then asked with a hint of anticipation, "Has the Lord of Light been captured?"

"This boy is as cunning as a fox, slippery and ruthless. I've been plotting for nearly three years to lower his guard a little. Getting him into my trap shouldn't be a problem, but—"

The Celestial Venerable of Dreams chuckled softly, a thoughtful look in his eyes: "There's something wrong with Lin Rui's situation. Could you help me investigate the inner workings of the Church of Light, as well as the 'Root'? Ideally, you could persuade a few Divine Illumination and Longevity Martial Cultivators to delve deeper into the truth of the Root."

When Mengli bowed in agreement, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Investigating the Church of Light and its origins is no problem, but instigating the Divine Illumination and the Longevity Martial Cultivator to delve into the root of the problem is very troublesome.

The gods avoid the source like the plague, and these divine beings and immortals are no exception; they all cherish their lives.

Mengli's only idea right now is to guide it with the power of dreams, but this requires a lot of time to prepare.

At this moment, the Celestial Venerable's gaze sharpened again as he looked towards the direction of the Celestial Star: "So, how is the Garden of Truth doing now? When is the Eastern Abyss preparing to advance to the Transcendent Realm?"

※※※※

Just as the Celestial Venerable of Dreams was gazing at the Garden of Truth, Fei Yunlai stood at the entrance of the Garden of Truth.

He was there to deliver goods to the Eastern Continent Divine Palace. Ruifang Pharmaceutical had been commissioned by the Eastern Continent Grand Master to develop two 'Supreme Blood Remnant' medicines, which could effectively delay and suppress the bloodline power of these 'Supreme Blood Remnant' individuals.

However, these potions are also very expensive. Because they contain the blood of the seventh generation of the sect leader, which is artificially cultivated, and thus the fire of purification is incorporated into them, each potion costs as much as one hundred taels of divine gold.

The Eastern Continent Divine Palace currently requires 1.2 million vials of these two medicines per month, which is equivalent to 120 million taels of divine gold. This is one of Ruifang Pharmaceutical's most profitable businesses. Therefore, every transaction between Ruifang Pharmaceutical and the Eastern Continent Divine Palace is personally escorted by Fei Yunlai, the superhuman director of the Forest Group.

The person in charge of inspecting the goods was Han Baxian, who had already been promoted to Junior Heavenly Master of the Divine Palace. He had a cold face and was as cold as ice throughout the process.

It wasn't until the pharmacists beside him bowed in greeting that Han Baxian spoke up rather rudely: "The goods are fine, but Consultant Fei, I gave you an ultimatum before. My two envoys from the Great Song Dynasty have repeatedly complained to the Divine Palace that your Starport is harboring the blood of the Supreme Being, numbering in the thousands. You have to give me an explanation."

This man surnamed Fei, in addition to serving as the supernatural director of the Forest Group, also worked part-time in Star Harbor as a security consultant, earning the salary of a third-rank official in the Song Dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Fei Yunlai smiled calmly: "Shao Sitian, you're putting me in a difficult position. This is a matter for the two gods to discuss. What use is it for you to come to me? I can only say that there will be absolutely no problems on the Starport side, nor will it be any burden on the Divine Palace."

He then gestured to the people behind him, signaling several alien walkers to open several alloy refrigerated medicine boxes: "These are two hundred thousand vials of medicine that Ruifang Pharmaceuticals has gifted us as an extra gift!"

The implication was that they guaranteed to monitor all the 'Supreme Bloodline' hidden in the Starport, as long as the Divine Palace turned a blind eye, and they would even provide free medicine.

His divine authority believed that sending the blood of the Supreme Being to the Divine Palace was not a good thing, but since the Eastern Continent was, after all, the territory of the Eastern Abyss, He was unwilling to confront the Eastern Abyss head-on, nor was He willing to aid and abet evil, so He could only do so.

Fei Yunlai privately thought that the god was a bit too soft-hearted, but following such a boss was not bad.

Han Baxian frowned as he looked at the medicine boxes, then glanced discreetly at the petite girl behind Fei Yunlai, whose name seemed to be Qi Lingwei.

That was Fei Yunlai's Heavenly Dog Demon, but what caught Han Ba's attention first was the platinum ring in the girl's hand.

Over the past three years, Lin Rui has been recruiting talents extensively in the Earth Federation and investing heavily in the research and development of rune and magic array technologies. It is said that with the help of many top array masters and weapon refiners led by Tai Xuan Immortal Venerable and Tan Shenzhi, Forest Heavy Industry has overcome the manufacturing technology of pseudo-abyssal artifacts and can produce artifacts with 70% conceptual power.

The outside world currently does not know how this amazing artifact was made.

Fortunately, the production of this artifact is currently low, with only three to five pieces reportedly being successfully produced. One of these pieces ended up in Fei Yunlai's hands and was worn by the Heavenly Dog Demon.

This single 'pseudo-Abyss Artifact' is enough to make this Tengu Demon's strength rival that of a divine messenger.

Han Baxian was more concerned about the strength and foundation of the 'Abyss of Heaven,' which was still expanding and growing stronger step by step!
Three years ago, during the Battle of Huangshan Island, Lin Rui was able to stand up to the Southern Abyss and the Hope Celestial Venerable with the help of allies from the Earth Federation. Now, the strength and foundation of this person are beyond comprehension.

Han Baxian sighed inwardly, feeling bitter. The commander of the assassination bureau who had bribed him with a large sum of money in the past was now a god, an abyss in the heavens, standing on equal footing with His own divine power.

Fortunately, their godhood is about to advance another step, ascending to the highest godhood!

"Enough!" Han Baxian flicked his sleeves and snorted softly, "You can tell your god that the remaining blood of the Supreme Beings in Xinggang must not be harmed, otherwise he cannot bear the consequences."

Fei Yunlai sneered inwardly, but outwardly remained expressionless as he bowed respectfully.

Just as they returned to the battleship that was transporting the medicine and were preparing to take off, Fei Yunlai glanced at the 'Garden of Truth' below through the porthole.

"I wonder what medicine that Grand Celestial used on these remnants of the Supreme Being? They all seem dull, like walking corpses."

Qi Lingwei was also looking at the huge garden below, where the crowd was moving around like zombies: "It was right that the gods didn't send those remnants of the Supreme Beings over here. That person from the Eastern Abyss is treating them like livestock."

"This has nothing to do with you or me." Fei Yunlai wasn't really concerned about the people in the Garden of Truth. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "What did you sense just now?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Lingwei's eyes flashed: "I can confirm that the divine palace that is hiding in the Eastern Abyss may even be near the Garden of Truth!"

Fei Yunlai was startled upon hearing this, because the one Qi Lingwei mentioned was none other than the Celestial Venerable of Separation and Union, whom his family had been searching for for three years!
(End of this chapter)