Myriad Daos of the Heaven

For a split second, the surroundings fell silent—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Shock, disbelief, denial, ’This can’t be real...’

All these emotions flooded their minds in an instant.

It all happened too fast, too suddenly, for them to react.

But even if it hadn’t been so sudden, the youth had struck with such speed that they couldn’t have stopped him anyway.

Even Chief Steward Yuan Feng, the only Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator present, was inwardly shaken.

Because even he hadn’t been able to clearly see the trajectory of the youth’s attack.

It was too fast. By the time they processed what was happening, the blood-red bamboo had already pierced the Junior Steward’s heart.

Normally, in that first moment of realization, Chief Steward Yuan Feng should have struck down Jiang Jichen with the force of a thunderbolt.

But he... didn’t.

Everyone’s gaze, including Chief Steward Yuan Feng’s, was fixed on the blood-red bamboo lodged in the Junior Steward’s chest.

They watched as the Junior Steward’s vital essence was slowly drained away, his skin turning pale and dry, while the bamboo itself grew more vibrant and glossy.

"Bloodthirsty Bamboo!"

Someone cried out in alarm, their voice trembling.

"And it’s a seven-section one!"

Someone else added in shock, completely indifferent to the Junior Steward’s fate.

In their eyes, these junior stewards and attendants were people without Identity Tokens; their deaths were a trivial matter.

Right now... they were completely captivated by the seven-section blood-red bamboo.

That was... a Seven-Section Bloodthirsty Bamboo!

With its Bloodthirsty Demonic Nature, it was like the soul of a divine weapon. If a Bloodthirsty Bamboo was integrated into a Half-Sacred Weapon, it could grant the effect of a Bloodthirsty Soul Stealer, greatly increasing its power!

What’s more, it was a one-in-a-million seven-section variant, whose effects were bound to be astonishing.

It could even increase the power of a Half-Sacred Weapon by twenty percent, forging it into a true Low-Level Sacred Weapon.

The Junior Steward’s eyes were wide with disbelief. His lips moved, but no words came out.

He could only feel his life force draining away at an alarming rate, his Soul Power weakening, being devoured by the blood-red bamboo in his chest.

As a Junior Steward of the Yunlai Inn, he often escorted guests to treasure showcases. How could he not know of the Bloodthirsty Bamboo?

And a seven-section one, at that!

How... how could this not be a Supreme Treasure?

"Why? Why...?"

This question echoed endlessly in the Junior Steward’s mind.

’He was clearly just a down-and-out Loose Cultivator, so why does he possess such astonishing power?’

’He looked like a feral beggar, so how could he own a Supreme Treasure like the Seven-Section Bloodthirsty Bamboo?’

He was indignant, he was furious, and finally, he despaired, until his consciousness faded completely into Darkness...

Meanwhile, the crowd was filled with complex emotions.

Even Chief Steward Yuan Feng’s mind was in turmoil, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Someone who possessed a Seven-Section Bloodthirsty Bamboo... how could such a person not be qualified to enter the Yunlai Inn?

No, he was even more qualified than the likes of Young Master Chang and Miss Guan, because not even they could produce such a treasure!

And then, to his and everyone else’s renewed shock... the youth produced another Supreme Treasure.

An intimidatingly cold aura, a crystalline translucence, and a captivating, water-blue radiance... It was a Blue Ice Soul!

It could be used for Ice Tempering Veins, to create a Refined Spirit Body, and to open a direct path to the Ice God Road...

This was a Supreme Treasure for all Cultivators with Yin Cold Spiritual Vein attributes, capable of laying the foundation for their path to the Ice God Road.

Heavens, this is insane!

To pull out two Supreme Treasures at once.

And the Yunlai Inn... was about to refuse, expel, and even kill such a person!

Amidst the crowd’s shock, the void suddenly trembled, and a snow-white figure abruptly materialized before them.

The moment this figure appeared, everyone’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to her, following her every move.

It was as if... even their thoughts couldn’t stop, their minds completely filled by the image of this white figure.

A white silk veil hid her face, but it couldn’t conceal her incomparably graceful figure or her world-toppling charm.

"What the young brother holds is, of course, a Supreme Treasure. And you, sir, are naturally our Yunlai Inn’s most esteemed guest."

Her voice had a soul-stirring quality, supremely gentle and bone-deeply charming.

The moment this woman appeared, her aura suppressed the entire room, leaving everyone stunned by her presence.

Even Jiang Jichen’s Seven-Colored Divine Soul trembled slightly, nearly causing him to lose his focus.

’This woman is terrifying!’

The very instant she appeared, Jiang Jichen had this immediate feeling.

Because... even with his Seven-Colored Perfect Realm Divine Soul, he couldn’t see through her Cultivation, let alone how she had appeared.

Without warning, without a sound, like a phantom hidden in the void.

’Who is she?’

Jiang Jichen’s eyes narrowed, a sense of dread already taking root in his heart.

This was the first truly terrifying person he had encountered since arriving in Yunshui City—perhaps even... an unbeatable foe.

Before Jiang Jichen could speak, Chief Steward Yuan Feng was already bowing slightly to the masked woman, his tone one of utmost respect as he called out, "Innkeeper!"

The other junior stewards, guards, and attendants of the Yunlai Inn also bowed their heads simultaneously, not daring to look at the masked woman.

The Innkeeper!

The Innkeeper of the Yunlai Inn!

Jiang Jichen felt that this Innkeeper, besides being alluring, was even more so terrifying and mysterious.

"Young brother, would you be willing to part with the Blue Ice Soul in your hand? I can trade other treasures for it," the Innkeeper said with easy familiarity.

With a flick of his wrist, Jiang Jichen recalled the Seven-Section Bloodthirsty Bamboo that had pierced the Junior Steward. He then put it away, along with the Blue Ice Soul.

Only then did he shake his head and say, "I have no intention of trading these two items. It’s just that some people went too far. They thought the sight of me polluted their eyes, that my ’stench’ made them want to vomit, and... they even wanted to kill me. So, I just brought these out to show off a bit. And to prove... that I am qualified to stand here, and I am qualified to challenge anyone in Yunshui City of my generation whose Realm is not weaker than mine!"

As he spoke, Jiang Jichen produced an Identity Token!

It was the kind of Identity Token only held by high-level disciples of Yunshui City’s Sects and Noble Families, or by Nascent Soul Realm Cultivators—the equivalent of being a noble scion in the city.

Everyone knew the youth was now targeting Young Master Chang and Guan Xiaojing.

Because now, holding the Identity Token, he strode right up to them. His voice was chilling as he declared, "I, Lingchen of the Seven Profound Sect, hereby formally challenge Young Master Chang!"

Jiang Jichen stood tall and proud, holding the Identity Token in one hand and pointing at Young Master Chang with the other. His voice was clear and resonant, carrying far and wide.

His voice reached not just the Yunlai Inn, but for ten miles in every direction, where all could hear.

The expressions on everyone’s faces instantly froze in astonishment.

They might not have known who Lingchen of the Seven Profound Sect was, but who didn’t know of Young Master Chang Qi, one of the ten great young masters of the Central District?

Even the mysterious Innkeeper who had just appeared was now looking at Jiang Jichen with a strange glint in her eyes.

At this moment, she discovered that she actually couldn’t see through this youth, who was merely in the Grandmaster Realm.

Lingchen of the Seven Profound Sect!

But she had already committed this name to memory.