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

Chapter 269 The Predicament of Yaoyang City

Upon hearing Chen Shilong's admission, Wu Xian's already heavy mood became even more complicated.

"Why? Could it be that the evil god scroll painter has caught something on them?"

"I, Chen, have lived an upright life. Even if I were caught doing something wrong, I would never betray the city that the mayors of all time have protected," Chen Shilong said solemnly, "including my cooperation with the evil scroll painters."

"Cooperate?" Wu Xian asked, puzzled. "Cooperate with them? What's the point?"

Chen Shilong hesitated for a moment, then said, "I hope Master Wu can keep the following conversation a secret."

Wu Xian nodded, signaling Chen Shilong to continue.

"You must have noticed that dimensional leaks have been occurring more and more frequently in Yaoyang City lately, right?" Chen Shilong asked.

"Isn't that the work of those evil scroll painters?" Wu Xian was stunned.

"What if I said this matter actually has nothing to do with them?" Chen Shilong said quietly.

"?!" Wu Xian exclaimed in surprise, "What's the reason? Could it be that there's something wrong with the seal on the dimensional gate?"

Chen Shilong took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Strictly speaking, it should be Yaoyang City that is about to collapse."

Wu Xian was stunned. "What do you mean?"

“As the first-generation shelter, it’s already quite remarkable that Yaoyang City has been able to survive until now,” Chen Shilong explained with a wry smile. “Especially after the impact of the disaster eighteen years ago, Yaoyang City is now riddled with holes and could collapse at any time.”

"Collapse?" Wu Xian was puzzled. "Such a big city, it can't just collapse instantly, can it?"

Chen Shilong paused slightly, then added, "Strictly speaking, Yaoyang City is not only a city, but also a special scroll."

"what?"

Wu Xian doubted that he had heard correctly.

“A special kind of existence called the ‘Heaven and Earth Scroll’ was created by several first-generation scroll painters using extraordinary methods.” Chen Shilong continued, “Including the new cities today, they are also scrolls of this kind.”

The difference is that the other new cities are the creations of the upper world, while our Yaoyang City and its surrounding brother cities are merely stepchildren.

"A scroll depicting heaven and earth?" Wu Xian's worldview was somewhat shattered.

“That’s right,” Chen Shilong said. “The specific method of drawing it has long been lost, or it has been blocked and monopolized by the upper world. In any case, with the collapse of the Heaven and Earth Scroll, the entire Yaoyang City will be exposed to the erosion of various other dimensions in the future, and become a dimensional control zone.”

"Where is the scroll of Yaoyang City?" Wu Xian asked in surprise and curiosity.

"The Heaven and Earth Scroll does not have a scroll body, or rather, the scroll body has been integrated into the laws of heaven and earth, and transformed into the land where Yaoyang City is located today."

"Similar to an otherworldly outpost?"

Wu Xian couldn't help but recall the scene of the underworld taking root and sprouting in the strange abyss.

“Not quite the same,” Chen Shilong shook his head and said, “but there are indeed many similarities. I’m not too sure about the specifics. The local earth temple is somewhat similar, but it doesn’t seem quite the same either.”

Chen Shilong was not a scroll painter after all, so he naturally couldn't figure out the difference.

Wu Xian took a deep breath and asked seriously, "Then why did this scroll of heaven and earth collapse? Could it be that the upper world is behind this?"

“The higher-ups are just sitting idly by,” Chen Shilong said. “The real problem lies in the distortion and pollution and the erosion of other dimensions. The two complement each other, making it impossible for anything to last forever.”

“I see,” Wu Xian took a deep breath. “So your collaboration with the evil scroll painter was to curb the distortion and pollution.”

“On the one hand, they can absorb the distorted pollution for cultivation; on the other hand, they have a better understanding of the distorted pollution,” Chen Shilong pondered, “which can help alleviate a lot of pressure on Yaoyang City.”

"Is it enough to just provide them with a stable supply of human spiritual matter?" Wu Xian frowned.

Chen Shilong nodded and said, "But those guys have their own plans. They're all waiting for Yaoyang City to collapse so they can have a good feast." "If they act first, wouldn't they have an even bigger meal?" Wu Xian asked, puzzled.

"Don't worry, they're terrified of dying," Chen Shilong joked. "Our Yaoyang City still has some hidden strength. Chairman Cui alone is enough to intimidate them."

“Alright,” Wu Xian asked thoughtfully, “what are your plans now?”

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Chen Shilong sighed sadly. “If all else fails, we can only move to some of the neighboring cities ahead of time. But the problem is, the neighboring cities aren’t much better off. They can only hold on for another one or two hundred years at most.”

Wu Xian asked, "How much longer can Yaoyang City hold out?"

"It's hard to say, it could happen at any time."

"But then again, are you sure those evil god scroll painters aren't just making things worse?" Wu Xian asked, his soul darting around.

“Well… I’m not entirely sure,” Chen Shilong said helplessly, “but since they came, the situation in Yaoyang City has indeed been somewhat contained.”

"What if they just put on a show on the surface, but actually do something underhanded?" Wu Xian asked again.

"..." Chen Shilong's lips twitched, speechless.

“I understand your choice, but it’s not a safe bet to negotiate with a tiger,” Wu Xian analyzed. “It would be better to get rid of them as soon as possible.”

"But what about Yaoyang City?" Chen Shilong asked worriedly. "Although your Underworld Club is here now, which should reduce casualties a lot, but..."

Chen Shilong clearly has deep feelings for Yaoyang City and is unwilling to see the day when Yaoyang City collapses.

“We have to face it eventually, don’t we?” Wu Xian said. “And even without Yaoyang City’s protection, we can still survive. It’s just that ordinary people might not be suited to living in this environment.”

"Speaking of which, why can't the Domain Scroll be established here, setting up an outpost?"

“Yes, but only if it is first eroded and transformed by the power of another dimension,” Chen Shilong said. “But the domain outpost is not a scroll painting of heaven and earth, and cannot isolate itself from the erosion of another dimension.”

Wu Xian understood.

The outposts created by the Domain Scroll are essentially a fusion and shaping with another world, and are not suitable for human survival, especially for ordinary people.

"Do you have any information related to the Scroll of Heaven and Earth?" Wu Xian asked tentatively.

Chen Shilong shook his head bitterly, "If I had one, I would have given it to you during my first visit."

"Alright," Wu Xian sighed helplessly, "Is there really no one here today who understands the Scroll of Heaven and Earth?"

“It’s unlikely,” Chen Shilong analyzed. “The association’s senior management and the dojo’s senior management may have some information.”

"Is it possible to achieve an effect similar to the Heaven and Earth Scroll by simply integrating into the laws of our human world?" Wu Xian pondered.

"A domain scroll inspired by our human world?" Chen Shilong's expression was strange. "As far as I know, our human world is different from other dimensions, and it seems unable to bear the creation of the world by the domain scroll."

Wu Xian shook his head and said, "I don't think so. Couldn't a local temple be a perfect fit?"

"No, no, no, strictly speaking, the Earth God Temple should be integrated into the Scroll of Heaven and Earth of Yaoyang City, not the human world itself." Chen Shilong subconsciously corrected him, but then suddenly realized something, "Huh?"

He immediately looked at Wu Xian with an excited expression; the two were clearly thinking the same thing.

"Has there ever been a dimensional leak around the Earth God Temple?"

Wu Xian pondered for a moment, but since the Land Temple Farm had not been established for long, it was not yet time to draw any conclusions.

But so far, there have been no dimensional leaks around the Land Temple.

(End of this chapter)