Domestic Zone: You already have a system, why join a chat group?

Chapter 193 The Secret Deal with Xiao Huohuo

Top floor of Deer Park, Hong Kong.

Xiao Yan stood with his hands behind his back by the railing, the evening breeze ruffling his robes. He wore a deep and melancholy expression. Noticing the dark shadows behind him gathering like ripples on water and solidifying into a human shape, he exhaled a breath of stale air, his tone deliberately weathered, his voice filled with a thousand kinds of loneliness and desolation: "You've come."

Russell responded casually, "Yes, I'm here."

Xiao Yan straightened his back and continued in a deep voice, "You shouldn't have come."

Russell: "————"

Ok?

After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply, Xiao Yan finally couldn't hold back any longer. He turned around in confusion and looked at Russell with a dissatisfied expression:

Why aren't you saying your lines?

"Ahem—" Russell coughed awkwardly twice: "To be honest, it's a bit awkward."

In the end, he didn't accompany Xiao Yan into the Jiahao dialogue mode.

"Tch~" Xiao Yan looked disgusted and gave him the middle finger without any politeness.

Russell, not wanting to waste time arguing with him, went straight to the point: "Is everything ready?"

Xiao Yan nodded: "Come with me."

As soon as the words were spoken, two streaks of light, one black and one red, shot up from the rooftop and disappeared into the horizon of the city in a flash, traveling thousands of miles to land on the crater of an active volcano.

Yao Lao was suspended to one side of the cave entrance, his body surrounded by spiritual energy. Circles of pale golden array patterns spread out from beneath him in all directions, rising and falling like breathing, steadily maintaining the operation of the entire array. Sensing the auras of Xiao Yan and Luo Su, the old man gently flicked his sleeve, and a light gate that could be passed through immediately cracked open on the array wall.

The two landed steadily beside the old apothecary. After exchanging greetings, Russell leaned down slightly and looked into the interior of the volcano. The smell of sulfur mixed with the scorching heat rushed towards them. Dark red magma surged below the crater, and the hot air distorted all the surrounding contours. Even the rock walls seemed to be trembling slightly.

Countless mysterious array patterns intertwined to form thick chains, running vertically and horizontally from top to bottom, firmly sealing off the interior space of the volcano. Just by looking at it, the endless heat was almost enough to burn one's vision.

In the very center of the grand formation, a hexagonal crystal pillar, more than half a person tall, floated silently. Inside the pillar lay a sleeping, monstrous dragon, its breath merging with the earth's fire, radiating astonishing fire-attribute spiritual power.

Seeing this, Russell nodded slowly, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

He had only one purpose for this trip: to cast artifacts.

In the cultivation system of the world of Shrouding the Heavens, weapon forging is an essential path that every cultivator must take.

The so-called "weapon" is the natal magic weapon that is intertwined with the cultivator's life. Its quality will improve layer by layer as the cultivator's realm rises. When the cultivator becomes a saint and emperor, the "weapon" that has been tempered twice will be intertwined with the Dao and the principle, and will transform into a true holy weapon or emperor weapon.

Ye Fan's Heavenly Emperor Cauldron, Emperor Zun's Immortal Ascension Cauldron, and Emperor Wushi's Wushi Bell are all masterpieces on this path.

The most time-consuming and labor-intensive part of the casting process is never the fusion of divine runes; what is truly grueling is the complete fusion of the rare and precious materials found with the divine runes.

Mysterious treasures are inherently interwoven with profound principles and laws; the rarer the material, the more intense the resistance to the fusion of divine runes.

Therefore, the Fire Domain, a place abundant with flames and where external fire can suppress the backlash of materials, became the first choice for the chosen ones to forge weapons.

Bertrand Russell was never short of rare and precious treasures.

The Zhaodan Divine Sword obtained from the world of Legend of Sword and Fairy, the Shura Armor and Geng Ao Vajra Pestle seized from Xing Tian, ​​while not as good as the Nine Great Immortal Golds, are still far superior to most divine treasures in the world.

The reason he hadn't forged the weapon yet was not only because he was waiting for Ye Fan to obtain the Source Root of All Things, but also because he couldn't find a powerful enough flame to refine the materials.

For something at the level of the Asura of the Radiant Gall, ordinary flames cannot even soften its surface, let alone melt and reforge it.

Originally, his plan was to wait until Ye Fan passed through the Bronze Immortal Palace before teleporting to the Fire Domain and using the nine levels of the Fire Domain to complete the forging process. Now, with the Holy Lord's Fire Incarnation and Xiao Yan's Fire God Dao Fruit as a boost, he has saved himself a lot of trouble.

"How so?" Xiao Yan asked.

This grand formation was something he and Elder Yao had put a lot of effort into setting up. For the past half month, he hadn't done anything else, focusing all his attention on it.

"Wow, good!" Russell gave a thumbs up and was about to step into the core of the formation when Xiao Yan firmly blocked his back foot in mid-air with one hand.

"?"

Russell stopped what he was doing, slowly typed a question mark, and turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan with a puzzled look.

Xiao Yan cleared his throat: "As you know, we now belong to two opposing camps, good and evil. Strictly speaking, what I'm doing now is called colluding with the enemy—you understand what colluding with the enemy means? If this comes up later, I'll be the subject of gossip."

Russell stared at him expressionlessly: "So?"

Xiao Yan dropped all pretense and put on a serious and sincere expression, saying slowly and deliberately, "So, we need to pay more."

"—You son of a bitch!" Russell's forehead veins throbbed, and his forehead was covered in black lines that almost materialized: "Last-minute price increases, malicious price gouging, and price gouging—this is blatant profiteering!"

"Just tell me if you're adding it or not?"

"add!"

One minute later.

After paying a hefty sum for a blue-level lottery draw as "overtime pay for treason," Russell finally stepped into the core area of ​​the formation as he had hoped.

As soon as he entered, he understood why Xiao Yan dared to extort money from him so brazenly. The temperature in the core area had exceeded the limits that the word "scorching" could describe. The air itself was slightly white under the high temperature, and every breath felt like pouring magma into his lungs.

Even the finest refined gold would instantly turn into a pool of spineless molten iron if placed here.

Russell took a deep breath, sat cross-legged in mid-air, and with a thought, three beams of light flew out from his sleeves. The three objects—the Divine Sword of Illumination, the Armor of Asura, and the Vajra Pestle of Geng Ao—floated silently in front of him.

Using the True Martial Dao Fruit to entice the Fire God Dao Fruit hidden deep within the volcano's core, he squeezed out the essence of the Li Fire within the Saint Body to the best of his ability.

"roar--!"

Inside the ridge, the evil dragon, which was enveloped in solidified flames, suddenly opened its eyes, its scarlet dragon pupils reflecting its sealed rage and astonishment.

The dragon's body suddenly tumbled within the prism, and the flames around it transformed from solid to raging, unleashing a dazzling, blazing white halo from the entire hexagonal prism.

"Stop yelling, it's no use."

With a light laugh, Bo Gang's demonic energy from Liangshan dissipated, and the space was reinforced layer by layer as earth and fire interacted.

Russell's Sea of ​​Bitterness was the first to shine with divine light, and a purple-gold divine rune emerged. Upon closer inspection, it resembled a vertical pupil, within which seven stars lit up one after another.

Casting, begin!

China, Zhongnan Mountain, Chunyang Palace.

Inside the hall, candles burned continuously, and three sticks of incense burned quietly in the bronze incense burner in front of the statue of Lu Zu, with wisps of smoke rising gently.

Zhang Xiaofan, clad in a five-colored robe, sat quietly on a futon in front of the statue, his knees resting on the Pure Yang Sword. The Pure Yang True Qi around him flowed slowly like golden clouds, pure, upright, and unstoppable. A dot of cinnabar between his brows shone brightly, as if formed from raging fire, making him look like an ancient immortal who had just stepped out of a mural.

Of all those who attained the Dao Fruit of this realm, Zhang Xiaofan's affinity with the Dao Fruit he obtained was the most compatible.

He was originally a direct descendant of the Chunyang lineage, with the foundation of Taiji Xuanqing Dao cultivation from Dazhu Peak, the mastery of the five volumes of the Heavenly Book, and the sword heart tempered in the Zhuxian Sword Formation. Every aspect of him was perfectly aligned with the Chunyang Dao.

In just half a month, he had completely imprinted the Pure Yang Dao lineage of this world into his sea of ​​consciousness. He was proficient in sword seals, techniques, mental incantations, and spells, and had mastered them all.

knock!knock!knock!

A crisp knock broke the silence, and Biyao's sweet voice came from outside: "Xiao Fan, Sect Leader Wang said that the representatives from all countries have arrived and are waiting for you outside."

Master Wang is the head of the Quanzhen School in the contemporary era. In terms of status, only the old Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain and the reclusive old Taoist of Wudang Mountain can be compared with him.

He spearheaded the preparatory meeting for this joint Buddhist organization, consulting with officials along the way.

"They're here."

Zhang Xiaofan responded softly, and the pure Yang power around his body slowly receded back into his body. The spiritual light on his five-colored robe also dimmed. When he opened his eyes, a golden light flashed by. He raised his hand, grasped the pure Yang magic sword, stood up, and pushed open the door to go out.

Biyao, who was outside the door, had already adapted to the local customs and changed into a refreshing and beautiful modern outfit. With her eyebrows and eyes curved, she still looked lively and charming.

These days, she's been handling all the dealings with official forces from various countries and coordinating meeting procedures all by herself. With her quick wit, she's actually more adept at dealing with these situations than Zhang Xiaofan.

"Where are Senior Sister Ling'er and Senior Sister Xueqi?" Zhang Xiaofan naturally let her take his arm, and the two walked side by side toward the main hall.

"You've only been gone a few days, and you already miss them?" Biyao turned her head, gave a coquettish hum, and secretly tightened her grip on his arm, but she wasn't really jealous. She quickly gave an answer: "There was news that demonic energy was reviving in Huashan, so they went there to deal with it. Judging by the time, they should be back soon."

"Okay." Zhang Xiaofan nodded slightly.

Compared to other parts of the world, the pressure that China faced during this great upheaval was not as heavy as one might imagine.

Because all the sects and schools of Taoism have their own lineages here, and countless reclusive masters are hidden among the famous mountains and rivers, with the revival of righteousness, the power of the magic arts of the various schools has greatly increased, and their foundations are unparalleled in the world.

Before long, the two passed through several corridors and soon arrived at the temporary assembly hall.

This hall was originally a venue used by the Quanzhen School to receive fellow Daoists from all directions when holding the Luotian Grand Ritual. It was originally used to receive leaders from the Tourism Bureau.

The hall was already packed with people, a dense crowd of over two hundred, a mix of Chinese and foreigners. There were monks in robes, Western sorcerers in suits and ties, and shamans wrapped in sheepskin coats with bone staffs at their waists. Each one of them was either a well-known independent practitioner or the leader of a powerful faction.

"Michiko has arrived!"

The moment Zhang Xiaofan stepped across the threshold, two Quanzhen Taoist priests at the door proclaimed his name with a lion's roar, their voices booming like bells. In an instant, countless eyes turned to the entrance of the hall.

After all, the title of "successor of Lu Zu" is too prestigious. Most of you here have heard of the legends of the Eight Immortals of antiquity. Now that a living Taoist has suddenly appeared, everyone would take a second look.

Zhang Xiaofan stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his face expressionless. He simply nodded slightly and walked calmly through the passage left between the crowd, heading straight to the stage where he sat down firmly in the main seat.

For him now, this kind of scene is hardly something to be nervous about.

Upon seeing this, Sect Leader Wang immediately led several leading figures forward and introduced them one by one.

"Daozi, this is my father, the successor of the Grand Mage. He is proficient in ancient magic and his spells and sorcery are extremely skillful."

"This is Master Huikong, the abbot of this temple. He is highly accomplished in Buddhism and can ward off evil spirits."

"This is Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in England."

Zhang Xiaofan greeted everyone one by one, and then, under the arrangement of Headmaster Wang, everyone took their seats in turn.

To reassure the audience, he thoughtfully revealed his magic sword, and instantly, multicolored sword light filled the entire venue.

The sword intent was chilling, and the sword light was fierce. In an instant, the entire venue fell silent.

well.

Zhang Xiaofan nodded and began his opening remarks in the format taught by Dao Xuan Zhenren and his father-in-law, Wan Renwang: "Thank you all for coming from afar. The matter we are discussing today concerns the fate of all living beings in this world, as well as the future direction of the struggle between good and evil—"

If you remove the beginning and end, cut out some adjectives and modifiers, and then filter out lofty terms like "the masses" and "common people," a 25-minute speech will essentially convey only one meaning.

The world has changed, and a demon is about to be born. I'm here to save you guys. I'm a great fighter, so you'd better behave and do as I say. Make sure you do whatever I tell you to do, and don't keep any information to yourself.

To be honest, these cultivators, or rather, mages, are not particularly powerful.

Even if Zhang Xiaofan had not obtained the Dao Fruit of this world, his own cultivation alone would have been enough to sweep through the entire contemporary secular cultivation world.

The reason he sat here and contacted the authorities to hold this meeting in an official capacity was mainly due to Ye Fan and Xu Qi'an's plan.

Because wherever there are humans, they can generate what is called the power of all living beings. In the world of Shrouding the Heavens, this power is called the power of faith; in the Western fantasy system, it is called the power of will; and in simple terms, it is called destiny.

Luck is intangible, yet it certainly exists and can influence the waxing and waning of good and evil at the level of laws.

Although the Dao Fruit's blessing brought their combat power to a relatively similar level, Russell still had a cheat code.

If you really push them too far and max out the parameters, they might as well just quit playing altogether.

To deal with such unexpected situations, we must have the necessary trump cards; whether we win or lose will depend on this one move.