Chapter 10
Playing meek now that it’s time to pay up?”
“You—Lord of Zhaoling Kingdom. You bleed the people dry with taxes every year to fuel your own cultivation. Acting innocent now?”
“And you—Alliance Leader of the Martial Path Sect. Always talking about protection fees. You collect the money, then expect the DivineLord to do all the work alone?”
…
Years of traveling with Dad taught me every dirty secret of every major power.
Their faces flush scarlet in the ProjectedImages.
I don’t care.
Another voice still tries to stir trouble.
“Don’t panic, everyone. The DivineLord will hold the sky up no matter what—he won’t really abandon us.”
“Yeah, what does any of this have to do with us? Who do you think you are?”
QiYaoheng’s head snaps up.
Before, no matter how vicious the curses aimed at him, he kept his face unreadable.
But the moment someone insults me, fire flashes in his eyes. He lifts his hand toward that voice, ready to strike.
I catch his arm in time and stroke his back to calm him.
Then I activate the DivineSealMark.
“Disciples of the DivineCapital—hear my command!”
“Anyone recorded in the ProjectedImages just now—spewing nonsense, dodging duty, inciting unrest—regardless of status, escort them to the BoundaryStele at once!”
“They either pour in wish power willingly… or get thrown straight into the polluted SeaOfWishes to feed it with their flesh and souls!”
TaiyuanRealm erupts.
12
I never expected so many to come to the BoundaryStele.
An endless tide, stretching beyond sight.
Far beyond the few dragged here by force.
Streams of light burst from sects, clans, even remote wilderness peaks.
Whole teams of cultivators set out together.
But most are ordinary people.
Merchants lead pack horses loaded with supplies. Craftsmen sling toolbags over shoulders. Women balance baskets on carrying poles.
Old grandmothers lean on canes. Children clutch their parents’ clothes.
Cloth shoes trudge through wind, sand, snow.
“Immortal lady,” an old farmer tucks his hat against his chest and looks up shyly, “we have no magic… but we can boil water, pass tea, lay mats for the cultivators, build walls against the wind.”
“I can put up shelters!” A teenage boy drops his basket. “My father’s a carpenter—I learned from him.”
“I brought rice.” A woman lifts the small sack off her back. “Old grain saved from home. Makes fragrant porridge.”
…
Lines of wish power begin to glow before the BoundaryStele.
Cultivators press both palms to the stone and pour spiritual power into its heart.
Mortals quietly do what they know best—set up tents, light fires, cook.
In no time, a small town rises beside the BoundaryStele that has stood alone for ten thousand years.
The white-bearded elder stands beside me, crying rivers.
“I’m starting to love this world again…” he sobs.
I pat his shoulder. “Stop crying. Get up and work.”
—
I did live in the modern world once. Time to put its best tricks to use.
Live streaming? I’m a pro.
Soon, ProjectedImages appear in every temple throughout TaiyuanRealm, showing live scenes of everything happening at the BoundaryStele.
The once-barren wasteland now pulses with life and color.
As cultivators feed strands of wish power into the stele, RankingBoards shimmer into view.
Personal rankings. Sect rankings. County and kingdom rankings.
Daily, weekly, total contribution boards.
“Holy crap!”
Passersby stop and stare.
“Whoa—238th on the personal board is my dad’s cousin’s cousin!”
“Damn, Qingyun Sect brags about being number one—how are they not even top ten on the sect board?”
“Hahaha, I’m coming every day to see who’s slacking!”
…
The RankingBoards become TaiyuanRealm’s newest obsession.
People swing by in the morning, gossip with neighbors, come back after dinner to check updates.
Who’s climbing, who’s falling—everyone’s talking about it.
I strike while it’s hot and open Tipping and AdSlots.
Full participation mode activated.
Top wish power contributors earn cash rewards.
AdSlot rentals cover the growing town’s expenses.
Dad rubs his hands together and claims the number-one tipping spot for a whole month.
QiYaoheng takes none of the tipping shares—he lets it all go to me.
Our Su family business snags prime AdSlots and makes a fortune.
13
Whether from true heart, force, or profit—wish power flows without cease into the SeaOfWishes.
The black-red demonic qi slowly recedes.
The vast starry sea regains its clear, radiant glow.
It flows gently again, nourishing every living thing in TaiyuanRealm.
QiYaoheng no longer has to guard the depths day and night.
He finally keeps the promise he made long ago—taking me to see every corner of this beautiful realm.
And he fulfills his deepest wish:
From now on, I live in peace, year after year, lifetime after lifetime, without worry.
To be continued.