Chapter 131

What kind of concept is three thousand years?

Any profitable establishment, given three thousand years, could accumulate a massive fortune.

Not to mention that Moon Laurel Tower was the most lucrative place in the entire cultivation world… The wealth amassed over this period was sure to be an astronomical figure.

Elder Wu never considered himself greedy, but upon hearing this, he couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. He paused for a moment before speaking, “This is a huge workload. I might not be able to handle it alone in a short time…”

Ning Xu simply replied, “You can have Qin Rilu and the others help you.”

Elder Wu agreed, “Alright.” Ning Xu was the Tower Master—what she said went.

Ning Xu continued, “Also, I’ve recently found several high-level cultivation techniques suitable for disciples advancing in their cultivation. Of course, elders can use them too. When you come to Moon Laurel Tower to handle the accounts, I’ll hand them over to you.”

As her cultivation level increased, Ning Xu unlocked more techniques. She had no need for these techniques herself, but they could help elevate the sect’s overall strength.

Hearing this, Elder Wu’s tone showed a hint of urgency. “Are you in Sky City right now? I’ll come over immediately.”

Ning Xu originally wanted to tell him there was no need to rush, but knowing Elder Wu’s eagerness, she didn’t try to dissuade him.

She said, “I’m currently staying at the City Lord’s Mansion in Sky City. Elder Wu, just let me know when you arrive, and I’ll come find you.”

Elder Wu: …

At this point, Ning Xu was already the hidden wealthiest person in the cultivation world. It was only natural for her to temporarily stay at the City Lord’s Mansion, and having a good relationship with the City Lord’s Mansion was also normal.

After all, she was a woman of great destiny. No matter what earth-shattering things she did, it would still be within reason.

Thinking of this, Elder Wu calmly said, “Alright, I understand.”

Having settled matters regarding Moon Laurel Tower, Ning Xu felt like she had lifted a major weight off her shoulders.

After all, this was her personal business—and her most profitable one at that. It was only natural for her to be concerned about it.

“When the renovations at Moon Laurel Tower are complete, the customer flow should increase significantly.”

Then she added, “The current entry fee is too high; we can lower it slightly.”

“Additionally, we should start promoting Moon Laurel Tower’s upcoming new look in advance.”

“To thank both new and old customers, we can also offer a discount at that time.”

【Melon-Eating System】: 【Great! Great! Great! Host, I can’t wait for the day when Moon Laurel Tower’s customer flow explodes!】

【Money! Making crazy amounts of money!】

When it came to spirit stones, the more, the better!

—

On the other side, Gou Chen quickly lost patience after waiting for only a short while.

He directly called out outside the closed-door cultivation chamber, “Xuhua, I have an important matter to discuss with you. Hurry up and come out.”

After waiting a while and seeing no response from the chamber, he added, “This is a matter of life and death for us. It’s extremely urgent. Stop your secluded cultivation and come out now!”

Still, there was no response from Xuhua.

Left with no choice, Gou Chen took a deep breath and finally played his trump card.

“Si zang and Ning Xu… might have returned. I don’t know how they did it, but… I’m certain that neither of them perished.”

The moment these words fell, the chamber finally showed some signs of movement.

A short while later, the chamber doors opened from within.

Moments later, a graceful figure slowly stepped out. She was dressed in an intricately designed, luxurious robe, exuding an air of nobility from head to toe.

The person who appeared before Gou Chen was none other than Xuhua.

Compared to three thousand years ago, she now carried a more profound aura of time’s passage. Yet, she remained as gentle and beautiful as ever.

Following closely behind her was Zhi Qing. Just like before, he was silent, standing quietly by Xuhua’s side, silently guarding her.

Xuhua cast a glance at Gou Chen and said lightly, “The sacrifice ceremony for that so-called ‘genius’ is set for the second half of the year. I had already planned to exit seclusion in a month.”

Her meaning was clear—couldn’t he even wait one month?

Gou Chen shook his head. “Too much can happen in a month.”

Xuhua sat down on a stone chair outside the chamber and asked, “You just said… they returned?”

After asking, she let out a mocking chuckle, her usual gentle facade momentarily dropping. “Gou Chen, you’re regressing as you age. Back then, you and I confirmed multiple times that Si zang was completely, utterly dead. How could he have returned?”

Being mocked like this, Gou Chen felt his temper rise.

“How did he return? How would I know? All I know is that you’ve been in seclusion for so many years, unaware of what’s happening outside! You’re even more clueless than I am!”

Zhi Qing cast a cold glance at Gou Chen, signaling him to watch his tone.

Gou Chen took a deep breath and quickly explained, “You probably don’t know, but in The Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area, a certain cultivator with the nickname ‘Melon Mover’ has been incredibly accurate in exposing major scandals. When they first appeared on the forum, their cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Stage.”

Xuhua raised an eyebrow. “And? What does that prove?”

Gou Chen continued, “And then, in about four years, this person leaped from Qi Refining all the way to the Nascent Soul Stage.”

“Besides that, there’s also another major piece of news in the past two days—someone just leaped from Foundation Establishment straight to the Body Integration Stage! It was practically an ascension in one step!”

“Who could ascend in one step?”

“Even a genius blessed by the heavens couldn’t possibly achieve this!”

Unless—someone had inherited their cultivation.

It wasn’t until she heard the final piece of news that Xuhua’s expression changed slightly.

Gou Chen voiced his suspicion. “I suspect that Melon Mover is Ning Xu, and that the cultivator who suddenly advanced to the Body Integration Stage is Si Zang! Or rather, Si Zang after reincarnation.”

Only reincarnation could explain everything happening now.

Gou Chen stood up, his tone intense. “Why have we never been able to find Si Zang’s sword bone? I strongly suspect that he left it for his future self! Because the sword bone already had a master, we could never locate it!”

“He was indeed dead at the time, but I think he must have secretly taken a Reincarnation Pill before we noticed!”

“I don’t know how he got his hands on such a divine object. Although the Reincarnation Flower blooms once every few thousand years, the Reincarnation Pill has appeared so few times in cultivation history that it might as well not exist! And yet, he had one!”

“He’s too hard to kill. Truly, impossibly hard to kill!” By the end, Gou Chen seemed almost manic.

Why hadn’t they died?

If they were still alive, given Si Zang’s nature, he would definitely come back for revenge. A battle between them was inevitable, and its outcome uncertain.

Xuhua’s right hand, resting on the stone table, clenched slightly. She spoke coldly. “So what? Gou Chen, what exactly are you afraid of? Si Zang was only at the early Mahayana Stage back then, and we crushed him completely. Now, he’s even weaker compared to us.”

“Even if everything you say is true—even if both of them survived and have returned—their cultivation levels are far below ours. What is there to fear?”

Gou Chen let out a sharp laugh and roared, “The times have changed! Do you still not understand? Back then, we were only assisting from the sidelines—we weren’t the main force. Now, all those great figures who led the battle have fallen!”

“For years, because of the need to offer sacrifices to that existence, the cultivation world has produced fewer and fewer geniuses! The ones with high cultivation were mostly force-fed with pills and have no real combat power! As for the few who do have strength, they wouldn’t lift a finger to help us!”

“Take that so-called naturally gifted Daoist master, for example. He looks impressive, but he’s nothing compared to the true powerhouses of the past. To put it bluntly, he’s just a fancy embroidered pillow stuffed with straw.”

Gou Chen bellowed, “Aside from each other, we have no allies! Xuhua, we are completely alone!”

Xuhua shot him a cold look. “How could we possibly be alone?”

“We still have that one.”

She stood up, her voice calm. “That existence is about to descend. When that happens, whether it’s Si Zang, his reincarnation, or that so-called Ning Xu, they will all be reduced to ashes.”

She turned to gaze into the distance, a hint of anticipation in her tone. “All we need to do is focus on what we must do now.”

—

Meanwhile, the Melon-Eating System was giving Ning Xu a quick rundown of the biggest dramas from the past three thousand years.

【Host, back then, North Elder didn’t take the Reincarnation Pill himself. Perhaps out of a sense of atonement, he left the pill for his only biological son.】

【During your battle at the Endless Sea, he and North Elder were observing from afar. He wanted to intervene and help you, but North Elder stopped him, telling him that you had two Reincarnation Pills and that your current defeat was only temporary—the true battle would take place in the future.】

【With the outcome undecided, he chose to go into hiding.】

【He made great progress in the Dao of the Blade, though he never managed to reach the threshold of ascension. Before he fell, he took the Reincarnation Pill and swore an oath to the Heavenly Dao.】

【If a great war ever breaks out in the cultivation world, he will stand firmly on your side.】

【He is now at the Tribulation Stage, just one step away from Mahayana. His daughter also has decent talent in the Dao of the Blade and is currently at the Nascent Soul Stage.】

【They’re both strong fighters.】

Ning Xu hadn’t expected that a melon she casually dug up in the past would end up bringing her such a pleasant surprise.

【Host, do you remember that Xu Zhi?】

Xu Zhi? An inner disciple of the Ming Palace Pavilion? The one who was a hopeless romantic like Clear Wine Immortal? Of course, she remembered.

The Melon-Eating System continued, 【Her fate changed. In the end, she successfully married her childhood sweetheart, someone of equal status, and they are living happily together.】

【And that senior brother—after you gave him that so-called “divine artifact” for overcoming tribulations, he successfully survived his tribulation. He later improved the artifact multiple times and has lived all the way to the present, now reigning as a great power in his own right.】

The Melon-Eating System stated matter-of-factly, 【North Elder’s son and that senior brother from Ming Palace Pavilion both owe us. Their fates changed because of us, and they are indebted to us.】

【If you and the Innocent Cultivator go to war against Xuhua and the others, they will have to stand on our side.】

North Elder’s son went without saying—he was deeply grateful to Ning Xu, and he had even made a Heavenly Dao oath before reincarnation to ensure he wouldn’t forget his debt. As for that senior brother from the Ming Palace Pavilion, he was no fool.

After finishing, the Melon-Eating System was brimming with excitement.

【Host, I can’t wait to see you fight them!】

【The last battle was so suffocating—there was no chance of a comeback. This time, we must turn the tables! Let’s show them our true power!】

Ning Xu: …

She had a feeling that the day of reckoning wasn’t far off.