Chapter 1 Dead Girl, Your Wings Have Hardened, Haven't They?

Grand Elder Sun on the rocking chair roared, "Dead girl, your wings have hardened, haven't they?"

Seeing that her grandfather seemed genuinely angry, not just teasing, Sun Miaomiao immediately changed her tune, smiling sweetly, "I know, I know, but Grandpa, hanging out with Yuanshi Tianzun is very profitable. It's even better than running into a sucker.

"Look, I just cleared an S-level instance dungeon. You just said those tokens could let me fight above my level. They're all trump cards to save my life!"

Grand Elder Sun sized up his granddaughter. Her face was round and cute, with a hint of baby fat. When she smiled, she revealed a row of small white teeth, and her eyes were round and bright. Without realizing it, she had grown into a young woman.

"Alas!" Old Sun sighed. "Miaomiao, how old are you this year? 24, right?"

"Mmm-hmm." Sun Miaomiao pinched the cheek of the girl in her arms, a child from the locust tree, her childhood playmate.

"It's the age to be thinking about spring," Grand Elder Sun said. "What do you think of Yuanshi Tianzun? Young, talented, and not bad looking. He'd be perfect to date."

Sun Miaomiao straightened up abruptly and shook her head vigorously. "Of course not. That kid is lecherous, greasy, and a playboy. Any girl who falls for him is blind."

"I was playing dumb in front of your grandmother before your father was even born."

"Okay, maybe a little." Sun Miaomiao made a tiny gesture with her little finger, looking disgruntled.

She thought her old rogue of a grandfather would tease her, but Grand Elder Sun just gazed at the darkening night sky, silent for a long time.

"Grandpa?" Sun Miaomiao asked tentatively.

Grand Elder Sun sighed. "If the entanglement is too deep, a piece outside the chessboard will be pulled in sooner or later. I really don't know if it's a karmic debt." "I don't understand at all." Sun Miaomiao pouted. "You've been stupid since you were a kid, of course you don't understand." "You old codger."

I'll cyberbully you tonight.

Japan, Ginza.

The Chizuru-gumi Headquarters Building, Oyama-ya.

Oyama-ya was where the Chizuru-gumi executives entertained guests. As an official organization in Japan, the Chizuru-gumi couldn't take people out to eat.

Oyama-ya had Japan's finest vintages and the most beautiful waitresses. With one phone call, the freshest ingredients in Japan would be delivered to the Oyama-ya head chef's cutting board within an hour.

In the "Nankaido" private room of Oyama-ya, the Chizuru-gumi executives gathered. As soon as Asano Ryo sat down, the serious and majestic leader, Kambe Ichiro, revealed a smile that could be described as gentle.

"Congratulations to the pearl of our Gan-ryu Group for clearing the S-level instance dungeon. Ryo-chan, you're already the most experienced executive among us." The fire demon, Kogun Hotsutsu, asked bluntly, "Ryo-chan must have gotten a lot of treasures, right?" "I obtained consumables for fighting above my level and a superior-quality Saint-level item," Asano Ryo answered truthfully.

The Chizuru-gumi executives revealed envious gazes. Having gotten on the good side of the legendary Yuanshi Tianzun, Ryo-chan's future achievements would definitely surpass theirs. Asano Ryo enjoyed these gazes and took out the Yata no Kagami, placing it on the sake table. "Leader, Yuanshi-jun returned the Yata no Kagami." Kambe Ichiro's eyes lit up slightly. He beckoned, and the Yata no Kagami flew into his hand.

The executives also breathed a sigh of relief, revealing relaxed smiles.

The current Yuanshi Tianzun was different from before. After leveling up twice, Yuanshi Tianzun was already someone they couldn't afford to offend.

Therefore, the Chizuru-gumi executives were anxious, afraid that Yuanshi Tianzun would turn ruthless and seize the Yata no Kagami.

Asano Ryo's next words made the smiles on everyone's faces slowly disappear. "The second item Yuanshi-jun wants is the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi." Ryu Koichi was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Ryo-chan, you know very well the significance of the three items retrieved from Takamagahara to the Chizuru-gumi. Yuanshi Tianzun is not what he used to be. Even if he borrows them and doesn't return them, the Chizuru-gumi can't do anything about it.

"We want to ask you to intercede and cancel the original agreement."

The executives looked at Asano Ryo expectantly.

"That's not going to work!" Asano Ryo shook her head slightly.

"Why not?" Kogun Hotsutsu said angrily, "Aren't you on good terms with Yuanshi-kun? Otherwise, why would you join his gang? But don't forget that you are an executive of the Chizuru-gumi. Japan is your homeland. You can't betray your country."

"Kogun-kun, calm down." Kambe Ichiro looked at Asano Ryo. "Ryo-chan, tell us your thoughts."

Asano Ryo pursed her lips and straightened her back. "Leader, my intercession might not work. Besides, Yuanshi-kun is a man of his word. He will never seize the Chizuru-gumi's items, nor will he allow us to break our promise. Also, you underestimate Yuanshi-kun's wealth."

"Underestimate his wealth?" Kambe Ichiro was stunned.

Asano Ryo said seriously, "Yuanshi-kun has more treasures than we imagine. The Chizuru-gumi's three Dominator-level items may just be useful weapons to Yuanshi-kun... Kogun-kun, don't be angry. I'll slowly tell you..."

She immediately told the Chizuru-gumi executives about what she had seen and heard in the Mo Sect's Mechanical City in detail.

From the Holy Infant to the Purple-Gold Hammer, to the Heaven-Sacrificing Set and the Yin-Yang Disk, every item was top-notch, a divine artifact that the Chizuru-gumi could pass down as a family heirloom.

Even if their rank couldn't compare to the three items in Takamagahara, just as Asano Ryo had said, Yuanshi Tianzun didn't lack top-quality items.

"As far as I know, Yuanshi-kun also has Dominator-level items, he just didn't bring them to the instance dungeon," Asano Ryo added.

The executives exchanged silent glances, filled with surprise and apprehension.

"As expected of the official genius," Kambe Ichiro said with emotion. He no longer hesitated and took out the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.

The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was a two-foot-long bronze sword. The rust on the sword had been wiped clean and oiled. The bronze patterns on the sword's spine were bright and beautiful.

Kambe Ichiro reluctantly tossed it to Asano Ryo. "Take it."

Asano Ryo took the divine sword and uploaded it to the Return of the Dead gang's warehouse.

Finally settled it... she thought happily.

"Ryo-chan!" Kambe Ichiro said, "In a few days, a first-level enforcer from Providence will lead a team to Japan. All the Chizuru-gumi executives will have to come out to meet them. You won't be going into instance dungeons these days, will you?"

"Ah, I still have to go into the gang's instance dungeon tomorrow." Asano Ryo frowned in distress. "What are the first-level enforcers doing in our country?"

Kambe Ichiro said in a deep voice, "I can't say yet, but it has nothing to do with us. They are going to the mainland. You'll know when the time comes. Postpone the gang's instance dungeon."

"Yes!" Asano Ryo said.

Jiangnan Leather City.

Xiahou Aotian strode into the clan leader's study, full of vigor.

"Grand Uncle, I'm here again!" Xiahou Aotian shouted.

"Grandpa, this guy broke in again!" the old family head's grandson shouted.

"Get lost."

Xiahou Aotian kicked him away.

The old family head, who was sitting at his desk writing the *Materials Science Handbook*, sighed, looked up, and forced a smile.

"Are you going to the treasure vault again?"

"No, I'm here to discuss a business deal with Grand Uncle," Xiahou Aotian said. "But before we talk business, I think Grand Uncle should ask about my level first."

The old family head was stunned and blurted out, "You're Level Six?"

Xiahou Aotian raised his chin.

The old family head was both surprised and happy, but also worried. Among the younger generation of the Xiahou family, there were only a handful of Level Six Saints. It should have been a great thing, but it was this blockhead.

Seeing Xiahou Aotian maintain his posture of looking down on people with his nostrils, the old family head asked tentatively, "So, what is this business deal you're talking about?" Xiahou Aotian took out a few blueprints from his pocket. "Grand Uncle, take a look."

With a doubtful expression, the old family head took the blueprints. After taking a closer look, his cloudy eyes suddenly shone with a bright light, and the hand holding the paper trembled slightly. "Wonderful, wonderful..." The old family head trembled with excitement. "Such exquisite puppet designs. Whose hand did these come from?" Mechanical puppets weren't much to a Dominator-level scholar. What excited the old family head was the design concept of the blueprints, the internal structure, and other technical aspects.

"Grand Uncle, you look like you've never seen the world." Xiahou Aotian looked at this elder with his nostrils. "I have a whole book of blueprints like this." Hearing the words "a whole book," the old family head's gaze suddenly became sharp, so sharp that Xiahou Aotian was a little scared. "A book? Is it a complete mechanical secret manual? Where did you get it? Quick, quick, show it to Grand Uncle."

The old Xiahou family head grabbed Xiahou Aotian's arm. His withered hand burst out with powerful strength. This man, who was always gentle and calm, and praised for his generosity—because he was one of the few elders in the family who could tolerate Xiahou Aotian.

But at this moment, he was as excited as a young man whose wife had just given birth to their first child.

As the saying goes, one leaf reveals the autumn. An exquisite mechanical puppet blueprint foreshadowed the quality and level of the entire secret manual.

Mechanical techniques were good things. Items couldn't be popularized, and their numbers were limited, but mechanical techniques could be manufactured in batches, similar to military equipment.

It could completely change the structure of a force's middle and lower levels, allowing the Xiahou family's grassroots power to surpass other Spirit Realm families, and even reach a level that the government would be wary of.

It was just that mechanical techniques were the accumulation of generations of technology. They couldn't be created or researched with money and strength alone.

How could contemporary Lingjing Xingzhe catch up with the technology accumulated by ancient cultivators over thousands of years in a hundred years?

Therefore, the value of a secret manual that recorded various mechanical creations was self-evident.

Xiahou Aotian gasped. "Grand Uncle, you look like a villain right now. I'm getting angry."

The old family head was stunned, and then realized his gaffe. He quickly let go and glared. "Speak!"

Xiahou Aotian's mind raced, and he answered fluently.

"I entered Yuanshi Tianzun's gang's instance dungeon this morning."

"You entered the instance dungeon? You also joined Yuanshi Tianzun's gang?" The old family head said blankly, "How come I didn't know... Well, that's not important. Continue."

"The instance dungeon is called Mo Sect's Mechanical City, S-level. The mechanical secret manual is one of the spoils of war. It's currently in Yuanshi Tianzun's possession, but the people in the gang have the right to read it at any time," Xiahou Aotian said.

S-level instance dungeon, Mo Sect's Mechanical City... The old family head frowned, quickly running through the database in his mind. The scholar's ability to remember everything he saw allowed him to quickly find relevant terms.

"There was such a immortal sect in the Song Dynasty. It's in our database, but the difficulty level is only C-level, and there's only one instance dungeon, called Mo Sect's Trial," the old family head said. "The rewards for low-level instance dungeons are also very sparse and ordinary."

"That's because Mechanical City was destroyed during the Southern Song Dynasty. Its history was short, so there weren't many corresponding instance dungeons. Our main quest this time was to find out the reason for its destruction," Xiahou Aotian said.

The old Xiahou family head nodded. If it was an S-level instance dungeon, this kind of reward could be understood.

"Aotian, you said just now that the members of the gang can share the mechanical techniques secret manual, right?" The old family head's eyes hid hope. "The family is willing to buy it. Just name the price."

"That depends on the family's performance," Xiahou Aotian said.

The old family head probably put up with it for the sake of the blueprints, or perhaps because he knew this kid's character well. He took a deep breath and endured it, saying kindly, "Then how much are you going to sell this blueprint for?"

Xiahou Aotian said, "I'll write off the debt I owe the family. Oh, right, I used up another energy pack. Write that off too."

"Okay!" The old family head agreed immediately.

Xiahou Aotian said suspiciously, "Grand Uncle, am I selling it too cheap?"

"This blueprint isn't worth 150 million, but the family is willing to pay a premium for outstanding juniors."

"Grand Uncle is wise. The outstanding junior thinks the family should pay another 150 million in premium?"

"Aotian..."

"Grand Uncle, you were saying."

"Get out!"

Xiahou Aotian was kicked out of the villa. Before leaving, he was unwilling and kicked the old family head's grandson a few more times.

On the way back to his villa, Xiahou Aotian felt as light as a swallow, feeling that it was easy to be debt-free. But there was still one thing he wanted to do, and if he didn't do it, it would be like a fishbone stuck in his throat, making it difficult for him to fall asleep.

Returning to his villa, he took out a drone, hung up the prepared banner and loudspeaker.

"I've leveled up to Level Six. I'm going to do something big," Xiahou Aotian said.

A voice came from the ring, "Are you planning to announce it to the whole family again?"

The drone took off, two banners hanging straight down, with the following written on them:

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't bully the young and poor."

"Yesterday's you ignored me, today's me you can't afford to climb, tomorrow's me will crush you with a finger."

Xiahou Aotian held the remote control and manipulated the drone to rise into the air, disdainfully saying, "The strong never show off to ants, they only provoke the stronger." Under the ring grandpa's surprised gaze, the drone flew towards the depths of the villa area, towards an ancient house.

"What do you want to do?" The Qin Dynasty exorcist's heart sank.

"Go take a stroll around the old ancestor's place of seclusion. He bullied and humiliated me back then. Today, I'll let him know that those who bully me will be abandoned by the heavens." Xiahou Aotian's face was full of ambition, eating barbarian flesh when hungry and drinking Xiongnu blood when thirsty. He would start all over again, angrily slap his ancestor's face, and look towards the heavens.

"What level is the Xiahou family's old ancestor?" The Qin Dynasty exorcist asked tentatively.

"Not much different from me."

"Dominator?"

"Demigod!"

The Qin Dynasty exorcist was shocked. "Are you courting death?"

International Building.

Anne, wearing an exquisite L suit, sat in front of her computer and quickly wrote an email.

Today was the day to report intelligence to the headquarters of the Goddess Association, and she wrote the intelligence she had recently collected into the email.

"In the Spirit Realm of August, Yuanshi Tianzun leveled up twice in a row, setting a record that no one has ever achieved before, but he was also held accountable for killing the grandson of Elder Cai of the Five Elements Alliance headquarters in the instance dungeon."

"Because the Red Fire Gang leader intervened, the matter was finally settled, but the rift between Yuanshi Tianzun and the Five Elements Alliance headquarters deepened. They appear united but are divided at heart. I believe the Association should seize the opportunity to further win him over and develop Yuanshi Tianzun into a senior member. Anne is always ready to dedicate herself."

"According to reliable sources, Demon Eye Heavenly King escaped from Songhai. In the incident, Dark Night Rose is suspected of being deeply involved with the high-level members of the Taiyi Sect. The details are unknown. I wanted to gather intelligence from Yuanshi Tianzun, but he turned a blind eye to my beauty. Although he has become a peripheral member of the Association, he never takes the initiative to contact me."

"Of course, this is not because Anne is not outstanding enough, but because this person is different from the Demon Lord. He cannot be seduced by beauty. He needs to be moved with emotion and slowly plotted." When she wrote this, Anne sighed, and her eyes, as blue as the sea, flashed with disappointment.

She prided herself on her beauty and despised her own sex. With her professional charm, she was always invincible, and very few men could ignore her charm.

But she had to admit that beauty was not omnipotent.

Yuanshi Tianzun's act of putting her in the cold palace had severely frustrated the confidence of this proud and beautiful diplomat.

After writing the email, she carefully checked it several times and sent it to the Foreign Minister's mailbox.

Anne picked up her water cup, got up, and went to the water dispenser to get a glass of warm water. When she returned to her desk, she found that the Foreign Ministry had replied to an email.

She put down the water glass and opened the email.

"Peripheral Member Bounty Mission:"

"A-level wanted criminal, Hades, has sneaked into China. Please find a way to secretly capture him."

"Bounty Reward: 6 million Federal Coins, 160 points."

"Suggestion: Entrust it to the peripheral member, Yuanshi Tianzun."