Chapter 1573: Money Empire

The night sky was deep, with broken stars like dust, and everything was silent. Beneath the heavens, all was peaceful, but the Heavenly Court was buzzing with activity. Xiong Er issued commands, and everyone had their assigned tasks.

For instance, Chu Lingyu and Hong Chen Xue were each leading a million people to engrave sword dao intent and alchemy intent. Others, like Wuya, who were skilled in spatial mysteries, had already taken teams to various ancient cities in Xuanhuang, renting pavilions in advance and opening up spaces, ready for the intents to be installed. Then there were Long Yi and Long Wu, who began leading teams to carve array patterns, strengthening protective barriers and attack formations.

Though Xiong Er was usually unreliable, he proved trustworthy in critical moments, like a general giving orders methodically. The Heavenly Court cultivators cooperated without question. For three full days, he didn't even close his eyes, excitedly going all out, his mind filled with business opportunities.

In just three days, the sword intent pavilions and alchemy intent pavilions opened first in the major ancient cities of Zhongzhou. As soon as the news spread, Zhongzhou erupted in excitement.

Who was Jian Shen? A legendary figure across the heavens, hailed as having the greatest hope of becoming an emperor in this era. Each of his sword dao intents was a priceless treasure. And who was Dan Zun? The supreme master of alchemy, whose skills had reached perfection, a dream for all alchemists. His alchemy intents were equally invaluable.

"Is this real? There's such a good thing?"

"It's absolutely true. Jian Shen's disciple and Dan Zun's divine avatar are both there, so there can't be any mistake."

"What are they up to? One is Jian Shen's disciple, the other Dan Zun's divine avatar—are they both short on money?"

"Who cares if they are? I have to go check it out. If I wait, I might not get in line. Even if I have to scrape together the money, I'm going." Many people were already on their way, and it was the same everywhere.

Zhongzhou was lively, with people from all directions—whether from sects or independent cultivators—flocking to the nearest ancient cities. From a distance, every ancient city had one or two pavilions packed with crowds, forming long lines. Among them were powerful experts, but they all behaved orderly, knowing better than to provoke Dan Zun or Jian Shen.

With so many people and so few pavilions, they couldn't just let everyone wait idly. That Xiong Er was quite cunning, building one pavilion right next to another. As he put it, it was all about volume. Time was short, and the more people who came, the better—more visitors meant more money.

Chu Lingyu and Hong Chen Xue were incredibly efficient, conjuring one avatar after another. Almost every pavilion had an avatar seated inside. Jian Shen's disciple and Dan Zun's divine avatar represented Jian Shen and Dan Zun themselves, so no one doubted the authenticity of the intents.

Zhongzhou was on fire, and soon Donghuang, Ximo, Nanyu, and Beiyue followed suit, with ancient cities everywhere buzzing with activity. So many people headed to the cities that it was hard to spot cultivators outside anymore—this phenomenon was strangely eerie.

With business this explosive, how could money not flow in? Massive amounts of source stones were being delivered continuously, piling up into mountains. The sheer volume left the Heavenly Court cultivators stunned—was making money this easy?

"Wow, so many source stones!" Xiao Jiuxian rushed over, her bright eyes sparkling at the heaps upon heaps, even drooling a little.

"The Heavenly Court truly has talents emerging everywhere." On the mountaintop, Nan Di and Bei Sheng sighed in admiration. "Who knew this little fatty could be such a moneymaking genius?"

"You can't deny it—look at how you're all gazing at me, full of worship." Xiong Er smoothed his hair, exuding an air of sophistication.

"This act of his is actually pretty convincing." Dao Zhi said with a serious tone, his rat-like eyes gleaming mischievously.

"Let's beat him up when we get a chance!" Xie Yun said, hands in his pockets as he squatted nearby, speaking meaningfully.

"Exactly what I was thinking." Situ Nan agreed.

"You three, get over here." Xiong Er shouted. "Everyone else is busy, and you're just lounging around."

"Hey!" The three of them refused, grabbing their weapons on the spot.

"Ye Chen, these three aren't cooperating." Xiong Er took a deep breath and yelled toward Jade Maiden Peak.

"You little fatty Xiong Er, you've got quite the repertoire!" The three of them had black lines crawling across their foreheads, their faces dark as charcoal.

"Hmph!" Xiong Er shrugged it off—after all, he had the sacred lord's command, giving him significant authority, so he wasn't about to back down.

With that, he called over some Heavenly Court female cultivators to count the source stones and transport them to the array sites to maintain the formations. Of course, he didn't hesitate to abuse his power a bit—for example, having a couple of pretty girls massage his shoulders and legs, claiming it was for work.

The scene looked rather comical from afar, like a miniature Maitreya Buddha chuckling away happily.

"Come on, record this— we'll show it to Shimei Ruxuan later." Xie Yun and the others pulled out memory crystals, not missing a thing, their laughs downright sleazy.

At the peak of Jade Maiden Peak, Ye Chen stood watching with a smile. With plenty of source stones, they now had ample resources. A gentle breeze blew, stirring his white hair and leaving streaks of fresh blood at the corners of his mouth that he couldn't wipe away.

His aura suddenly weakened, his cultivation dropping straight to the Qi Condensation realm, and his lifespan plummeted. Thick death energy surged again, engulfing him. At that moment, all the treasures that delayed aging became useless, unable to stop his rapid decline.

"Don't mess with Zhou Tian anymore." An aged voice rang out as Zhou Yi appeared at his side, dispersing the death energy.

He knew all too well that Ye Chen's ability to predict a major clan's unsealing within three months came from recklessly performing Zhou Tian deductions—and not just once, or his cultivation wouldn't have fallen so quickly. It was the backlash from Zhou Tian.

"One or two times won't hurt." Ye Chen smiled.

"I regret it now, regret passing Zhou Tian to you." Zhou Yi sighed, his words heavy with guilt.

"Without your Zhou Tian, there wouldn't be the Heavenly Court as it is today. It's worth it." Ye Chen chuckled, never blaming Zhou Yi—in fact, he was grateful.

Zhou Yi sighed and shook his head, staying by his side to keep an eye on him and prevent any more foolish actions. Below, the activity continued feverishly, with everyone full of energy—more source stones meant more motivation.

Even more source stones were being transported from the ancient cities, arriving in larger batches each time, dazzling to behold. Yet, they had still underestimated Xiong Er. His carefully planned opportunities unfolded one by one.

He had big ambitions, sketching out a grand blueprint that spanned various industries, like taverns, general stores, pill shops, and secret technique halls. He had even thought about opening a few pleasure houses for fun.

But as soon as he mentioned that idea, Shangguan Yuer and the others dragged him away and beat him mercilessly. That put him in his place—mainly because his face hurt too much.

In just over ten days, nearly ninety percent of the ancient cities on Xuanhuang Continent had established Heavenly Court businesses. This was thanks to the Heavenly Court's large numbers and substantial wealth, giving him the resources to manage it all. Any other force or sect couldn't have pulled off such a scale.

His so-called Money Empire was starting to take shape, not just empty talk—it had real power behind it. To match this empire, Long Yi and Long Wu doubled the protective barriers and attack formations, as they say, with money comes indulgence.

The current Great Chu Heavenly Court had it all: wealth, people, defenses, and attacks. It was truly impregnable.

As the Money Empire rose, Ye Chen fell. His once sturdy body finally collapsed in the breeze. Too many people rushed to Jade Maiden Peak; no amount of source stones could hide their urgency—that was their commander.

Ye Chen lay on a cloud, fallen into a coma, his cultivation still dropping, waves of death energy repeatedly overwhelming him.

"Dammit, stop! Stop right now!" Xie Yun, Situ Nan, and Xiong Er roared, their eyes bloodshot, like madmen as they drew on their origins, frantically pouring them into Ye Chen's body.

"Stop, please stop." Lin Shanhua and Shangguan Yuer joined in, tears blurring their eyes, channeling their essence and origins without regard for the cost.

But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't halt the decline of Ye Chen's cultivation or the aging of his life wheel. They watched helplessly as he turned into an ordinary mortal.

He hadn't died yet, but he was utterly spent, like a flickering candle flame on the verge of extinction.

At the peak of Jade Maiden Peak, an oppressive silence hung in the air. The men had blood-red eyes, the women tear-streaked faces, all filled with grief and rage.

That damned Zhou Tian had bent his back.

That damned time had whitened his hair.

That damned world had aged his heart.

A once vibrant person, tortured to the point of ruin.

Ah!

The fifty million cultivators of the Great Chu Heavenly Court all roared toward the sky. This cry was laden with fury against the heavens, provoking celestial wrath as billions of thunderbolts rumbled, draining the color from the world.

If Tian Zhuque arrived, she sighed and carried him into the depths of the immortal mountains, placing him in a spiritual pool.

In the void, Tian Zhu and Di Mie also sighed.

Through the haze and mountains, they seemed to see their most brilliant junior, their ancient eyes filled with sorrow. He had the emperor's potential but no path to the emperor's road.

Peerless heroes meeting tragic ends—they had witnessed too many such tales, leaving scars in the mortal world.

Night fell quietly, bringing an ancient desolation. In the spiritual pool, the water rippled as Ye Chen lay still, death energy enveloping him, constantly trying to consume him.

By the pool, If Tian Zhuque stood in silence, slowly closing her eyes and raising her hand to form an ancient seal.

Ye Chen opened his eyes, but not in the spiritual pool. Before him was a layer of mist, vague and ethereal. As the fog dissipated, a vast landscape of mountains and rivers emerged.

"Great Chu." Ye Chen murmured softly, his eyes full of weariness.

"Just as beautiful as in my memories." An ethereal female voice sounded as If Tian Zhuque manifested beside him, also gazing at Great Chu—this was her homeland too.

"Your dream path truly defies the heavens and creates miracles." Ye Chen smiled faintly, not overly surprised.

"With your lifespan, it's unlikely you'll last until Great Chu returns. Bringing you here early fulfills that wish."

"It's already etched in my soul." Ye Chen tilted his head back, as if seeing through the nine heavens to ten shadowy figures.

Those were the Great Chu emperors, from Chu Huang to Liu Ruyan, standing side by side in ancient armor and battle robes. Below them were the Great Chu cultivators, neatly arranged in formations, with the Heavenly Court's banners fluttering fiercely.

Their eyes all looked toward Xuanhuang.

After three hundred years of trials, Great Chu would finally return. Sadly, some might wait for it, while others might not—able only to glimpse it quietly in this illusion.