Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1029: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (37)

A vast island stretched before them.

Though he had no idea how they had been transported here, there was no doubt about it—Daoist Baijie glanced at his surroundings and confirmed that they were at the edge of the island, on a beach.

It seemed not everyone had been transferred to the same location. A quick scan of the area told Daoist Baijie that nearly half of their group was missing from this beach.

The fine, golden sand was soft beneath his feet, and the shimmering seawater washed ashore before retreating again, leaving behind clear imprints.

Meanwhile, the Demon clan members had landed on a cluster of reefs at one end of the beach. Not all of them were accounted for either—some familiar faces were absent. For instance, the fearsome Huang Baifu was nowhere to be seen.

This place was strangely eerie, but one thing was certain—the spiritual energy here was incredibly dense, rivaling even that near the Jade Dragon Pillar. However, unlike the Jade Dragon Pillar, which released spiritual energy into its surroundings, the energy here seemed to be an innate part of the land itself.

“These aren’t sand grains!” Suddenly, a young Daoist from the Daoist Association exclaimed in shock. “This is gold!”

The golden ‘sand’ slipped through his fingers, but he quickly grabbed another handful. With a sudden burst of red flames in his palm, the ‘sand’ melted into a pool of liquid gold. Moments later, as it cooled, it solidified—true gold.

An entire beach filled with high-purity gold!

For cultivators, wealth was not the highest priority, but the path of cultivation required resources. A few kilograms of gold might not mean much, even tens or hundreds of kilograms might be insignificant. But an entire beach of gold?And it wasn’t just the sand. As the seawater receded, it revealed glimmering objects—pearls, jade, and agates, all nearly flawless!

Beneath this beach lay an unimaginable hoard of treasure. No wonder the seawater shimmered with an unusual luster!

“President, Vice President Hanyang and Vice President Lai are not here…” A steady-looking man quietly reported to Daoist Baijie. “Aside from them, members from Qingcheng Mountain, Tianfu Cave, and the Five Elements Sect—nine sects in total—are also missing. But they were present in the valley before this happened.”

“I know.” Daoist Baijie nodded. “Over there… it’s not just Huang Baifu; Qu Xinghe and Xiao Shengmo are missing too. It seems we were transferred randomly…”

He fell into deep thought.

At the same time, the Demon clan members began approaching. Leading them was Ming Tushan of the Black Tortoise clan, who stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting. “Daoist Baijie, this place is too strange. I suggest we put aside our differences and work together.”

Most of the Divine Land’s Daoist and Demon forces had been transported to this mysterious island without warning. Ming Tushan felt an ominous premonition. Continuing their conflicts here would be unwise.

The initial conflict had been provoked by Huang Baifu, and it had little to do with the Black Tortoise clan. Besides, as Daoist Baijie had once mentioned, the Black Tortoise clan had closer ties to the Daoist world than any other Demon clan.

After all, the True Martial Great Emperor of Daoism had been from the Black Tortoise clan.

Although all Four Celestial Spirits were ancient divine beasts once revered in the Divine Land, only the True Martial Great Emperor’s Daoist legacy remained.

“Haha, well said, Daoist Tushan. Unity strengthens us, division weakens us. It’s rare to see such wisdom,” Daoist Baijie replied with a smile.

Ming Tushan nodded. “I noticed a towering peak at the island’s center, shrouded in clouds, radiating an awe-inspiring presence. It likely holds the secrets of this place—perhaps even a way back. While this beach is a treasure trove, gold and silver are of little importance to us. Daoist Baijie, what do you think?”

“Then let’s move out.”

Daoist Baijie nodded and instructed his people to prepare for the journey toward the island’s central peak.

Still, some Daoists couldn’t resist stuffing their pockets with the rare treasures scattered across the beach.

After all, who didn’t have descendants living in the mortal world? These riches might not be of much use to cultivators, but they could certainly benefit their families. So, of course—grab as much as possible!

“Lost contact. A total of twenty-eight people are unaccounted for.”

In another part of the island, a man wearing a Management Bureau uniform reported to Captain Hong Ling.

Meanwhile, the other three captains were investigating the area. They had arrived at the valley right after Huang Baifu’s Dominating Fist had shattered part of it.

Just as they were about to intervene to prevent the battle from escalating, a bright light had erupted from that mysterious pillar. The next thing they knew, they were here.

Currently, Ling Feng and his team found themselves in an ancient forest. The towering trees were so massive that, in the outside world, they would surely be classified as national treasures.

“No signal at all. Even satellite positioning is useless…” Captain Ling Feng sighed as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket. “Looks like we’ll have to take things one step at a time.”

His gaze landed on a team member holding a black suitcase.

Fortunately, during this strange transfer, the case had not been lost. Inside it were ‘Godslayer Bullets,’ each worth tens of millions.

This was the Management Bureau’s secret weapon, designed to suppress both Daoists and Demons.

“Glasses, take out four magazines. Each of us should carry one… This place doesn’t feel safe,” Captain Ling Feng said, looking up at the towering trees. Through the mist above, he vaguely saw the silhouette of a massive mountain.

“Are we really going to use them?” Hong Ling hesitated. “Each magazine holds ten bullets—that’s billions of dollars’ worth of ammunition. Feels like overkill.”

The captains: “Emmmmmm…”

A white figure moved swiftly through the mountain ravine, light and graceful.

Her face was cold and unreadable, but there was no doubt—she was one of those who had been transported here. Like the others, her goal was the mountain peak.

Where… is this place?

Tai Yinzi rubbed his chin, scanning his surroundings.

After completing a New Year’s event, he had sneaked some of Miss Maid’s tea to replenish his energy. But then he had stumbled upon something strange in the storage room, and before he knew it, he had rushed out in a trance, crashed into the Spiritual Energy Pillar, and—well, now he was here.

As he recalled the events leading up to this moment, his expression suddenly changed. He dropped to his knees, hands on the ground.

“This is bad! I’m doomed! I’m completely doomed this time! Last time, I only broke a dish and got strung up for seven days and seven nights…”

“Sure, this thing belonged to my old sect, and it stirred up memories, so I got carried away. But still…”

Tai Yinzi clutched his head in regret.

Although the storage room door wasn't closed, who knew if Yōu Yè was setting him up again… It wouldn’t be the first or second time!

Could it be that his Lord God Plan was too outstanding, earning the master's praise, making this maid jealous and fearful of losing her position? Was she deliberately leading him to make mistakes to lower the master's opinion of him?

Hmph! Little vixen, such petty schemes are completely transparent before my discerning eyes!

As long as I continue managing the game world and steadily harvest high-quality souls, becoming a Gold-ranked Black Soul Envoy will be within reach! Once I take the position of Black Soul Grand Overseer and reach the pinnacle of the store's hierarchy, this mere maid will have no choice but to flatter me!

Yōu Yè, you just wait! Soon, you'll be the one serving me tea, massaging my shoulders, and singing for my amusement!

“However…” Tai Yinzi finally calmed down and glanced at the small box he had tucked into his robe, frowning. “This thing… is affecting my mind.”

Just then, the small box suddenly began trembling—so violently that it seemed ready to burst open at any moment!

Tai Yinzi felt like he could barely suppress whatever was inside. With no other choice, he opened his mouth and swallowed the box whole—after all, the sudden change had to be triggered by an external force.

However, since a Black Soul Envoy’s body is a natural isolation zone, the box immediately stopped shaking after entering his body.

Tai Yinzi wiped his sweat, let out a sigh of relief, and started examining his surroundings—without a doubt, he was in a chaotic stone forest.

Just as he was about to leave, a loud boom erupted, followed by a faint tremor in the ground!

Several towering stone pillars in front of him collapsed all at once. The massive rocks crashed down, causing the earth to shake. As dust and debris swirled, a hulking figure slowly emerged from the mist.

In an instant, Tai Yinzi saw a brawny man built like an iron wall, wearing a tank top, dress pants, and leather shoes. The only other accessory was a thick gold chain around his neck. His face was both radiant and domineering.

The sight instinctively reminded Tai Yinzi of a manga protagonist he'd come across recently while binge-studying internet culture to develop new game events in Lord God Mountain.

“Jot… Jotaro?”

“Hm?”

The towering giant glanced at Tai Yinzi with an impatient and disdainful expression.

How to put it…

Bushy mustache, explosive afro, shifty eyes, leopard-print jacket, tight pants… Fifty years old, at least.

“Old man, who the hell are you?” the burly man frowned and asked.

Tai Yinzi instinctively put on a dignified expression and coughed, “Ahem, I am Lord God Taiyin, the fortunate chosen one! You have been—”

Tai Yinzi suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Out of habit, he had introduced himself like this—but it wasn’t intentional. The problem was, this giant's question was way too familiar—nearly every new player entering the game world asked the same thing.

“Enough with the nonsense! Take this punch from me!!”

BOOM—!!!

A whirlwind of dust erupted as a rocket-like punch blasted toward him with terrifying force!

Yet, despite the immense power, the punch landed on the ground instead of hitting Tai Yinzi. The brawny man looked up, only to see Tai Yinzi standing atop a stone pillar, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

“Oh? You can actually see me? Demonic Energy… Are you a demon?”

Ever since securing a stable customer base, Tai Yinzi hadn’t needed to actively recruit clients for a long time. His mindset was still stuck on his last case with Cheng Yiran—where the rule was that ordinary people couldn’t see Black Soul Envoys.

But the giant man didn’t bother replying. He leapt forward with incredible speed and launched another punch straight at Tai Yinzi’s chest!

This time, Tai Yinzi didn’t dodge. He allowed the punch to hit him directly—and something miraculous happened.

The man’s fist passed right through Tai Yinzi’s body without resistance!

Mist Form!

One of the standard abilities of a Black Soul Envoy!

The fist phased through his chest, and the remaining shockwave obliterated a large portion of the stone forest, sending rocks shattering in all directions.

“Young man, don’t be so impulsive. Haven’t you learned to respect your elders?” Tai Yinzi spread his hands and smirked. “Why not get along peacefully?”

“Get along with your mother!!” the burly man snorted coldly and immediately followed up with a vicious uppercut.

Tai Yinzi once again didn’t dodge, thinking the punch would harmlessly pass through him like before.

Unfortunately…

This time, the punch connected.

The iron-like fist slammed into his chin, sending him spiraling through the air like a ragdoll. His face contorted as he flew, before crashing to the ground like a dead fish…

(End of Chapter)