"Yes!"

Miao Dao and Miao Jian exchanged a glance and responded in unison to the command.

"The location chosen for the headquarters of the Lord of Evil is in the wilds just outside Tiannan City. With your pace, supplemented by the flying Xuan Beasts of the Illusory Mansion, I believe you can reach there in no more than five days. You have plenty of time if you depart before the fifth day of the sixth month; there’s no need to be late, but rushing ahead of schedule is equally unnecessary," Miao Jingyun instructed slowly.

"If we truly confirm it... then what course of action should we take?" Miao Dao asked.

"Everything will be decided upon our return to the Illusory Mansion!" Miao Jingyun stated calmly. "Even if it is truly confirmed, you must not act rashly! Our Ancestor's foresight is profound, and you must never forget this—you absolutely must not act impulsively and ruin things!"

"Yes!" the two replied in unison.

"Later, you two must personally go and inform the Zhan family to prepare for this journey." Just then, someone rushed in urgently to report: "Mansion Lord, something strange has happened! The unique weapon belonging to the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Hells, which was kept in the secret chamber, is gone! The on-duty guards noticed absolutely no abnormality, and the seven mechanical locks securing the secret chamber remain intact. There are no traces left inside, yet the object itself has vanished, as if spirited away into thin air..." The messenger was pale with fear. He felt that even he couldn't convince himself with his own words; the event was utterly absurd and unbelievable, yet it was the truth. He could only leave the matter to the Family Head's judgment!

"The weapon of the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Hells... is gone?"

Unexpectedly, Miao Jingyun was not enraged or prone to an outburst. Instead, he let out a long sigh, murmured a sentence to himself, then slowly lifted his head and closed his eyes slightly. After a long pause, he finally said, "I see. You may leave."

When he reopened his eyes, a look of deep worry filled his usually wise gaze: Has the world truly begun to change again?

This world had been peaceful for ten thousand years! Ever since the Three Great Sacred Lands and the Boundless Illusory Mansion were established, known alongside the Heavenly Punishment Forest as the Five Ultimate Lands of the Universe, there had never been any large-scale unrest!

But now, this balance was about to be violently shattered by means of extreme force!

The Lord of Evil was establishing his sect at this crucial juncture when the storm was brewing. Meanwhile, the weapon of the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Hells, safely stored in the Illusory Mansion's secret chamber, had inexplicably disappeared without a trace... All of this presaged something significant?

Today, Mo Junye left the Illusory Mansion!

Today, the invitation for the Lord of Evil to establish his sect arrived unexpectedly...

And on this very same day, the peerless divine weapon, the 'Divine Melody,' originally belonging to the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Hells, vanished from the most concealed secret chamber in the Illusory Mansion... As he mulled over these events, Miao Jingyun’s conviction grew stronger, and he let out a dry laugh. "This is truly quite interesting... Mo Junye! Such deep planning, such precise calculation—it seems impossible not to take you seriously! 'No wonder the Ancestor held you in such high regard! But... I wonder how this young man will explain himself to my granddaughter in the future! How will he answer to my Miao family...'

The hardest debt to repay in this world is the debt of favor. You owe so many favors, young man; let's see how you plan to repay them!"

Miao Jingyun's judgment was largely accurate; only one detail was unfairly pinned on Jun Mo Xie... Young Master Jun had only left the Illusory Mansion today and knew absolutely nothing about the Lord of Evil establishing his sect...

Unfortunately, Miao Jingyun had already laid the blame for that incident at his feet!

"Mansion Lord, since the Sixth Brother is going, why must the Zhan family accompany them?" Miao Dao pondered for a while. "Even if... wouldn't our grand procession be giving the Lord of Evil too much face..."

That Sixth Brother was of the same generation as Dao and Jian. Miao Jingyun, however, was of a lower generation, which is why Miao Jingyun referred to him as 'Sixth Uncle,' while Dao and Jian simply called him 'Old Sixth' (Lao Liu)...

"No," Miao Jingyun said, a cunning smile spreading across his face. "If my estimate is correct, the Zhan family's expedition will involve bloodshed. Dao Jian, don't you think that the Zhan family's current influence within the Illusory Mansion has become somewhat excessive?"

"The Mansion Lord is brilliant." Miao Jian was now completely convinced. The two of them were devoted to cultivation and lacked a deep understanding of these intricate power plays. However, they had also sensed that the Zhan family’s recent momentum, aiming to supplant their own house, had become far too overt...

Moreover, some minor maneuvers had been happening with increasing frequency...

It appeared Miao Jingyun was determined to curb the Zhan family's power this time...

In contrast to the relative calm of the Illusory Mansion, the Three Great Sacred Lands were practically bursting with fury...

It was rumored that the Evil Lord, Jun Mo Xie, had established his headquarters at the edge of the Heavenly Punishment Forest, officially declaring the powerful rise of this emerging force to the entire world. The three Sect Masters of the Three Great Sacred Lands smashed their cups and overturned their tables almost simultaneously.

Simultaneously, roars of extreme anger echoed through the heavens from several different locations... These high-ranking, detached figures who had always looked down upon the world and controlled its fate felt as though they had been slapped hard across the face! The sensation was scalding!

How detestable!

How arrogant!

But this was the critical moment just before the War of Heaven Seizing, an event that could not be delayed. At such a juncture, they believed that any slight displeasure shown to Jun Mo Xie would cause him to cause immense trouble during the War of Heaven Seizing... Therefore, although the masterminds of the Three Great Sacred Lands were utterly depressed by this situation, they could not take negative action. Instead, they had to prepare to attend and offer congratulations on the opening of the Evil Mansion!

Not only must they attend, but they must also prepare lavish gifts and send individuals of extreme importance from their sects to show the gravity of the occasion!

It felt like being forced to smile broadly and pretend not to notice a disgusting fly in one’s bowl, even having to treat it as a rare delicacy and devour it voraciously... The situation left them so frustrated they felt they might vomit blood! This was especially true for the members of the Three Great Sacred Lands, who had always considered themselves superior to the common masses!

But no matter what, with the War of Heaven Seizing hanging over them like a sharp blade, they could only compromise regarding the Evil Lord’s establishment—they had to compromise! Despite the immense reluctance and unwillingness festering in their hearts, compromise was now inevitable...

The nations and martial families across the continent, without exception, received these invitations from the Evil Lord to establish his domain. Even the Grassland Khanate far in the Northern Frontier received an invitation!

The scope of guests invited by the Evil Lord for this establishment spanned the entire world! Every sector!

Though the content of the invitation was identical, the quality varied significantly, divided into five categories: Gold Invitation, White Jade Invitation, Silver Invitation, Purple Bronze Invitation, and Black Iron Invitation!

A total of five colors!

It was believed that no one dared to receive an Evil Lord's invitation and refuse to attend! This man was a ruthless powerhouse who openly challenged the Three Great Sacred Lands and frequently emerged victorious! Who would dare to recklessly offend him by not showing up? To receive an invitation and skip the event? Wouldn't that be courting death? They had to go, even if it meant financial ruin!

Thus, the highest-grade Gold Invitation had now become a symbol of status! Even an honor! In the martial world today, merely holding a Silver Invitation seemed to mark someone as a figure of considerable status and strength; presenting one in public instantly attracted envious gazes!

As for the White Jade Invitation, that was reserved for idols; they were rare in the secular martial world, not many people could possess one.

And the Gold Invitation... that was something only figures of legendary status could own. This single set of invitations issued before the Lord of Evil's opening ceremony had effectively divided the world's powers into five distinct tiers! Simple, clear, yet orderly!

As the Evil Lord’s invitations were distributed, Tang Yuan, known as the 'God of Wealth of the World' and the wealthiest man in the Xuanxuan Continent, announced staggering information supporting the Evil Lord’s establishment, demonstrating his firm stance through practical action: For all guests holding an invitation from the Lord of Evil, all their food, lodging, and travel expenses on the journey to Tiannan would be covered entirely by the Noble Hall! This coverage would last until they departed Tiannan!

This move utterly stunned the world!

The invitations sent by the Lord of Evil, counting all colors, numbered at least tens of thousands! Every single invitee was a regional magnate, perhaps even a local ruler or a sovereign of a nation!

It was presumed that each guest would bring at least ten attendants or guards, with variations, but the total number of people would easily reach hundreds of thousands! Even calculating conservatively at only ten taels of silver per person per day, the daily expenditure would reach several million taels of silver! And this period would span at least twenty days!

By this calculation, the expenditure the master of the Noble Hall pledged for the Evil Lord's opening ceremony would conservatively exceed thirty million taels, or three hundred million taels of silver! This was a terrifying, astronomical figure for anyone!

Yet, Tang Yuan, the 'God of Wealth of the World,' truly lived up to his title. Faced with this horrifying astronomical sum, he seemed not to even frown, lightly making the promise with a mere flutter of his lips, as easily as passing gas—he felt only satisfaction, no trace of worry! Money and gold had become meaningless figures to Fatty Tang!

The Noble Hall remained the same as before; no new branches were established because Fatty was too lazy to travel around. Thus, the original Noble Hall was simply expanded tenfold! Its apparent footprint wasn't excessively large, perhaps slightly smaller than the area of the Imperial Palace in Tianxiang City... However, the Noble Hall also possessed underground sections, and the vastness of its underground palace seemed in no way inferior to the underground city of the Zhan family...

Now, one could even say this: an ordinary copper coin. If it passed through Tang Yuan's hands, and if Fatty Tang willed it, he could artificially inflate its price to the value of ten thousand taels of gold! Because the God of Wealth declared: It is worth it! If he says it is worth it, then it is worth it! If you insist it is not worth it, it only means you haven't understood the mystery of that copper coin. (To be continued. For future developments, more chapters, please support the author and legitimate reading!)