Mythical Scroll Artist: Starting with the God of Wealth, Zhao Gongming

Chapter 226 Is the fate of the upper echelons exhausted?

Cui Wenxuan nodded as if he understood, vaguely grasping at something.

Next came the implementation and construction of the [Land Temple].

The task of collecting materials for the land temple was handled by Cui Wenxuan and Chen Shilong, while Wu Xian only needed to focus on the production.

As for its subsequent implementation, that will naturally be the responsibility of Mayor Chen Shih-lung.

"You two continue your conversation. We still have guests from the Holy Spirit Dojo at the association," Cui Wenxuan said, taking his leave.

"Guests from the Holy Spirit Dojo?" Wu Xian asked, puzzled. "What are they here for?"

“I don’t know. They said they were going to investigate the situation of the [Holy Spirit Island] instance,” Cui Wenxuan shook his head and said, “When the Holy Spirit Island instance was closed a while ago, I felt something was wrong. I guess something happened on the [original] side of Holy Spirit Island.”

Wu Xian understood, but felt a strange unease in his heart.

Good grief, could they really trace it back to me?
After Cui Wenxuan left, Mayor Chen Shilong quickly dispatched people to protect the area surrounding the Land Temple.

“Master Wu has done a great service this time,” Chen Shilong said, bowing deeply to Wu Xian in gratitude. “Once the Land Temple Farm is established, the shantytowns in the city will become a thing of the past.”

Clearly, Chen Shilong wanted to involve the residents of the shantytowns in agricultural production.

This is undoubtedly a great thing for the entire Yaoyang City.

Wu Xian, who came from a shantytown, felt extremely gratified by this.

My impression of Mayor Chen Shilong has also changed somewhat.

"Speaking of which, how did the major shantytowns in Yaoyang City come about?" Wu Xian asked casually.

“This… on the one hand, there are the refugees who moved here from Hongta City and Ziyun City,” Chen Shilong said helplessly, “and on the other hand, it’s also because of the difficulties in urban development.”

Of course, with the rise of your Underworld Club, the economic and employment environment has improved significantly.

"Ziyun City and Hongta City?" Wu Xian couldn't help but wonder, "What exactly happened in those two cities back then?"

Chen Shilong pondered for a moment, then said meaningfully, "I'm not entirely clear on the specifics, but based on my investigations and research over the years, it's most likely related to people at the top."

"Isn't it an extradimensional catastrophe?" Wu Xian asked, puzzled.

"The dimensional catastrophe is just a symptom," Chen Shilong sneered. "A catastrophic monster invaded, exactly enough to wipe out those two cities, and then it withdrew on its own. Do you think that makes sense?"

"A catastrophic monster?" Wu Xian was startled: "Was there a catastrophic monster invasion back then?"

Generally speaking, monsters from other worlds are divided into five levels: Elite, Commander, Lord, King, and Emperor.

However, after the Lord level, there is another set of levels: Catastrophe level and World Destroyer level, which correspond to King level and Emperor level, respectively.

Simply put, monsters like Second Sister-in-law who gradually develop higher intelligence and cultivate human form belong to the King-level and Emperor-level sequence.

Those that do not develop higher intelligence and rely solely on instinct to destroy and destroy belong to the catastrophic and world-ending categories.

Elite, Commander, and Lord monsters do have differences in intelligence, but the differences are not significant and there is no need to distinguish them.

“That’s right,” Chen Shilong nodded, “and it’s a level 80 disaster monster!”

Wu Xian was secretly alarmed. "You mean, that catastrophic monster back then might have been controlled by someone higher up?"

Chen Shilong neither confirmed nor denied.

Wu Xian took a deep breath, his heart heavy.

Chen Shilong had already investigated the situation of Wu Xian and his father, and knew that Wu Xian was related to the two cities of Ziyun and Hongta back then, but he did not point it out.

"Are you scared?" Chen Shilong asked with a smile.

"Afraid?" Wu Xian asked, puzzled.

"What if, like in Ziyun City and Hongta City back then, a catastrophic monster suddenly appears?" Chen Shilong joked.

"..." Wu Xian fell silent.

Yeah, what if a catastrophic monster also appears in Yaoyang City?
Chen Shilong shook his head and smiled, "Actually, there's no need to be afraid. As far as I know, the upper class no longer has this ability."

"What do you mean?" Wu Xian asked, surprised and curious.

Chen Shilong smiled with narrowed eyes, "Although I don't know exactly what Ziyun City and Hongta City did back then, what's certain is that since then, the upper world has completely lost control over the various otherworldly realms. Now, they are constantly suffering from the backlash of otherworldly forces."

Upon hearing this, Wu Xian was both surprised and suspicious.

"You mean, the top beings in various other worlds are also fighting against the higher worlds?"

“Although we haven’t gone to war yet, it’s almost at that point,” Chen Shilong laughed. “I bet those old men at the top have been having a real headache these past few years, haha.”

"How do you know all this?" Wu Xian asked, puzzled.

“This is no secret to the top leaders of all parties,” Chen Shilong said with a smile. “Chairman Cui and Old Master Wang are obviously aware of it as well.”

Wu Xian suddenly realized.

So, the reason the three parties hinted at it back then was because they knew the inside story?
Realizing that the "upper world" is doomed?
……

In the following days, the battle to protect grain prices in Yaoyang City quietly began.

The first seven land temples appeared quietly in various parts of Yaoyang City, establishing farms.

The spirit tamers may not feel it, but the general public has experienced real benefits.

For example, what used to be a shantytown has now been completely transformed into a "heavily polluting industrial zone".

A large number of shantytown residents flocked to the area around the seven major land temples to establish "new rural areas".

And so, the shacks that used to be there are now slated for demolition.

Although Wu Xian had long since looked down on the small amount of demolition compensation, he still had a unique feeling when he received the compensation.

Having traveled through time, he got to experience what it's like to be a homeowner affected by demolition compensation.

However, beneath this seemingly prosperous and developing surface, various turbulent events still lurk.

Du Yifan's defense team is getting busier and busier, and they've even started to expand their manpower.

According to Du Yifan, the dimensional leaks in Yaoyang City are becoming more and more frequent.

I wonder what those evil scroll painters are up to.

On the association's side.

Wu Xian was discussing with the tattooed guy how the composite divine power factor could enhance the "human body scroll".

After several verifications, it can indeed effectively improve the effect of human figure painting.

Meanwhile, the Xue family members, under the arrangement of their master sister and Third Master Xue, began to come one after another to undergo "reform." However, the tattoo designs were not those of the evil-suppressing guardians, but rather those of their master sister's Soul-Eating Ghost King.

According to Tattoo Guy's tests, among Xue Lingling's many Ghost Kings, the [Soul-Eating Ghost King] is the most suitable for the human body painting scroll.

As for the Ghost King series, Tattoo Guy's current skill level is not up to par.

During his discussion with the tattoo artist, Wu Xian unknowingly discovered the secrets of "human body painting".

In fact, he had been trying to learn the craft ever since he met the tattoo artist.

The tattooed guy was exploring and probing ahead, while he was responsible for guiding the tattooed guy across the river from behind.

I just haven't had a chance to try it out myself.

"Xiao Wu, are you sure you're confident?" Xu Lu asked worriedly from the side. "Don't cause any problems for him."

"Don't worry~ I can't guarantee the success rate, but I definitely won't cause any problems for anyone." Wu Xian smiled confidently and looked at the young Xue family member who was showing his back in front of him. "Don't be nervous, relax."

This person is named Xue Zihang. He is a young man from a collateral branch of the Xue family and was also a "reform candidate" carefully selected by the Xue family.

He is physically strong, honest and kind, and has a blind trust in Wu Xian.

"Go ahead and do it, Angkor! I trust you!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Xian became a little nervous.

(End of this chapter)