110: Chapter 110 This is too much!

The long streets of Heavenly Saint City were packed to the point of being impassable.

A sign for the 'Upper Realm Mighty Beings Exhibition Hall' hung outside the Star-Plucking Tower; its gold characters on a red background exuded a sense of tackiness.

Taihao Immortal Emperor was suspended from the central Black Iron Pillar. His Nine Dragon Emperor Boots had long since been stripped off; word was they were bought at a high price by a Loose Cultivator to be kept as a family heirloom. The dignified Immortal Emperor now had disheveled hair, tattered immortal robes, and even a few rotten vegetable leaves clinging to his body.

To his left was Golden Scale Immortal Venerable, and to his right was the Nine Nether Devil Emperor. Ten Immortal Lords squatted in a row within a fenced area below.

Su Jiuer stood on a high platform, holding a tin megaphone.

“Line up, line up! One kick to the Immortal Emperor costs one hundred thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones! A slap to the Immortal Venerable is ten thousand! The Immortal Lord package is twenty percent off!”

The queue stretched all the way outside the city. The Cultivators of the Central State had gone mad. Saints and Old Ancestors, who were usually high and mighty, were now all squeezed into the line, clutching their storage pouches for fear of missing their turn.

A white-haired old man walked up to Taihao, paid his Spirit Stones, and delivered a kick.

It landed right on Taihao's shin bone.

Taihao let out a muffled groan, opened his eyes, and stared deathly at the old man.

The old man was startled and recoiled half a step, but then he puffed out his chest. “What are you looking at! I paid my money! The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is protecting me; how dare a prisoner like you glare at me!”

The crowd burst into laughter. Taihao closed his eyes, trembling with rage. His Dao Heart was shattered to pieces.

The top floor of the Star-Plucking Tower.

Gu Sheng lay on a grand armchair, holding a purple clay teapot and taking occasional sips.

The ledgers on the table were piled high.

In his mind, the System's voice popped up.

[Host, your methods are way too wild. Charging admission for an Immortal Emperor exhibition—you're the first in history to do this.]

Gu Sheng tapped the lid of the teapot.

“This is called rational resource utilization. Fighting and killing is so much effort; harmony brings wealth.”

[destiny points balance: Twelve million. Host, you are now as wealthy as a nation.]

Gu Sheng didn't respond. Twelve million sounded like a lot, but if he really wanted to open a cross-realm teleportation array to attack the Upper Realm, or exchange for a few Great Emperor-level character cards, it would be spent in just a few clicks.

The struggle of the Great Era had only just begun, and several Immortal Domains above had yet to show themselves.

Footsteps came from the stairwell.

Xia Qingyue, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, walked up to the top floor. The Empress of Great Xia's majesty grew more profound by the day, but before Gu Sheng, she still maintained sufficient reverence.

“Pavilion Master Gu,” Xia Qingyue said, cupping her hands in greeting.

Gu Sheng pointed to the chair opposite him. “Sit.”

Xia Qingyue took her seat and glanced at the suspended Taihao outside the window.

“Pavilion Master, over the past few days, all the major Sects of the Central State have submitted letters of surrender. The former site of the Taichu Holy Land now belongs to Great Xia, and the Western Desert Buddhist Sect and the Heaven-Burial Island of the Northern Plains have also sent their annual tributes. Great Xia's territory has expanded threefold.”

Gu Sheng poured a cup of tea and pushed it toward her.

“They are just fence-sitters. They can surrender to Great Xia today, and if someone from the Upper Realm comes tomorrow, they'll turn coat just the same.”

Xia Qingyue nodded and picked up the teacup. “I understand. The Black Armor Army has already taken over the Spiritual Veins and treasuries of each Sect. Those who did not comply were all killed.”

Gu Sheng smiled. This Empress was ruthless enough, which saved him a lot of trouble.

“As for the Realm Passage, I have stabilized it with a Heaven-Sealing Talisman.” Gu Sheng pointed toward the sky. “The Upper Realm won't be able to come down for a short while. Have the Great Xia Ministry of Works build a toll station beneath the passage.”

Xia Qingyue was stunned. “A toll station?”

“Yes. From now on, if people from the Upper Realm want to come down, they pay a per-head passage fee. If people from the Lower Realm want to go up, they must also pay. The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and Great Xia will split the profits fifty-fifty.”

Xia Qingyue sucked in a cold breath. Turning the Realm Passage into a business—this was bold beyond measure.

“I will see to it immediately.” Xia Qingyue set down her teacup and rose to take her leave.

The Eastern Region.

The Endless Sea.

The sky was gloomy, and the waves were churning.

Three Silver Flood Dragons at the Soul Transformation Stage pulled a chariot, racing across the surface of the sea.

In front of the chariot, a hundred-zhang-long green ox stepped through the air, a thick iron chain fastened around its neck, panting heavily from exhaustion. The Southern Border Demon Emperor, a great demon at the Creation Realm Peak, was being used as forced labor.

Ye Yuan sat on the chariot's shaft, holding a whip made from flood dragon tendon.

Chu Kuangren stood to the side, looking down at the sea surface.

“Young Lord, the Return to Ruins is just ahead. Ever since you pulled out the Dragon Emperor's tendon last time, the Dragon Clan has sealed the entrance to the Return to Ruins. Not even a sea turtle can get out.”

Ye Yuan stood up and stretched. The bones of his Ancient Desolate Magic Body let out a series of crisp, popping sounds.

“Sealed? Then I'll just smash it open.”

The chariot stopped directly above the Return to Ruins.

The seawater here formed a massive, bottomless vortex. In the center of the vortex, a blue Formation light screen was faintly visible, with complex Dragon Clan runes flowing across it.

Ye Yuan jumped off the chariot and stood suspended in the air.

He raised his right hand and clenched his fingers into a fist.

He didn't use any True Qi, only pure physical strength. The blood-qi of the Ancient Desolate Magic Body soared into the sky, dyeing the gloomy clouds a blood-red color.

He threw a punch downward.

The force of the punch transformed into a physical Protective Aura, crashing into the Formation light screen of the Return to Ruins.

Crack.

The light screen didn't even last for a breath before it shattered completely. A thousand-zhang-high tsunami erupted across the Return to Ruins sea area, and seawater poured back into the vortex with a deafening roar.

Deep beneath the ocean floor, the Dragon Palace shook violently.

Grand Elder Ao Gu sat in the main hall, looking gloomily at the half-severed remains left by the Dragon Emperor.

The sound of the Formation breaking came from outside.

A shrimp soldier came running in, scrambling on all fours. “Grand Elder! This is bad! That disaster-bringer Ye Yuan is back! He smashed the protective Formation to pieces!”

Ao Gu's face turned deathly pale.

The Dragon Clan's Second Ancestor had been split by a single sword strike, the Fifth Ancestor was crippled, and the Dragon Emperor had his tendon pulled out. The Dragon Clan didn't have anyone left who could put up a fight.

“This is taking things too far!” Ao Gu gnashed his teeth, grabbed a trident, and rushed out of the Dragon Palace.

On the sea surface.

Ye Yuan stepped onto the water, looking at the thousands of sea race members rushing out.

Ao Gu led the charge, his Creation Realm Late Stage cultivation released without reservation.

“Ye Yuan! Do you really think the East Sea Dragon Clan is made of clay!” Ao Gu roared, his trident pointing directly at Ye Yuan.

Ye Yuan ignored him and turned to look at the green ox pulling the chariot.

“Ox demon, go teach them the rules.”

The green ox rolled its eyes. As the dignified Southern Border Demon Emperor, it had actually been reduced to being Ye Yuan's thug. But the iron chain around its neck was pulled tight; if it dared to say a single word of dissent, Ye Yuan would likely stew it on the spot.

The green ox let out a world-shaking low.

The pressure of a Creation Realm Peak swept across the sea surface.

When Ao Gu saw the appearance of that green ox clearly, he froze in his tracks.

“The Southern Border... Demon Emperor?”

How could this great demon, who walked tall in the Southern Border, have an iron chain around its neck and be pulling a chariot for Ye Yuan?

The green ox exerted force with its four hooves, turning into a streak of green light as it crashed into the sea race's Formation. Its horns tossed repeatedly, and over a dozen Soul Transformation Stage sea race generals were gored through, their blood staining the seawater red.

Ao Gu raised his trident to counter, but was kicked in the chest by one of the green ox's hooves.

Seven or eight ribs snapped, and Ao Gu flew backward, crashing onto the water's surface and spitting out a large mouthful of blood.

The battle ended without any suspense.

The green ox shook the blood off its hooves and retreated to the front of the chariot, standing there with a submissive expression.

Ye Yuan walked up to Ao Gu and looked down at him.

“I didn't come here to kill people today.” Ye Yuan gave Ao Gu a kick. “Open the Dragon Clan treasury. This Divine Son will take whatever I fancy. If you dare to hide anything, I'll boil this entire sea.”

Ao Gu's face was ashen.

The Dragon Clan's dignity was completely lost today.

Half an hour later.

Chu Kuangren directed several sea race members to load crates of Top-Grade Spirit Stones, Deep Sea Cold Iron, and Ten-Thousand-Year Coral onto the chariot.

The chariot was packed to the brim, and even the green ox had two storage pouches hanging from its back.

Ye Yuan jumped into the carriage and clapped his hands.

“Alright. Go back and tell those slumbering ancestors of yours: don't provoke the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, and don't provoke the Ye Family. Otherwise, the next time I come, it won't be as simple as asking for money.”

The green ox pulled the chariot and left the Return to Ruins in a grand manner under the humiliated gazes of the sea race.