Chapter 277 - 154: The Mortal Realm’s Lone Vigil in the Eternal Night

Chapter 277: Chapter 154: The Mortal Realm’s Lone Vigil in the Eternal Night

He’d never gotten anything good out of them.

But there were several times he’d made a small profit, or at least broken even.

Of course, he’d lost money more often than not.

The brooch before him was one such Exotic Treasure he’d gotten. He found it quite amusing, so he hadn’t sold it, keeping it for himself. Besides, its name was wild, and he liked that.

-

[Exotic Treasure Name]: Dragon-Seeking Brooch.

[Exotic Treasure Level]: White.

[Exotic Treasure Effect]: Allows the user to see the true age of any living being.

-

When he was out on patrol, his favorite hobby was to check how old everyone was.

Some guys had bushy beards and looked world-weary, but a closer look revealed they were only twenty-six.

Some women looked incredibly young, with enchanting figures, but a glance at their stats showed they were a damn forty-seven years old.

It was quite interesting.

This was especially true at the brothel. He learned that the Madam’s mouth was full of lies. She’d call women in their late thirties "in the flower of their youth." It was a total scam. When questioned, she’d just say they had "weathered many storms and matured early."

But—

For the longest time, this Exotic Treasure had been practically useless, aside from satisfying a bit of his voyeuristic curiosity.

Until...

He had just seen someone who was 179 years old.

A normal human lifespan wasn’t that long.

This meant the person either had some means of extending their life or was a High Level shapeshifting Ghost Object. Either way, he had to report it immediately and let the Domain Lord decide. This was already beyond his authority.

...

"Miss."

On a bustling street in Mortal City, the old man following behind the woman in the embroidered dress turned to look at Zhou Mo’s retreating figure. A sharp glint flashed in his cloudy eyes as he spoke in a low voice.

"I think we may have been discovered."

"Ah?"

The woman frowned. "Did we slip up somewhere?"

"No."

The old man shook his head. "But according to his normal patrol route, he should have continued forward instead of ducking into that side alley. He must be going to report something."

"Maybe he just changed his patrol route on a whim."

"That is also a possibility."

"Besides..."

The woman tilted her head, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled. "Even if we are discovered, it doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s not like we’re anything shameful. Before the Patriarch left, didn’t he tell us to get a good look at the Mortal Realm and understand how it rose to prominence so suddenly? Maybe getting a closer look at Chen Fan will help us learn more."

The old man didn’t answer right away, merely lowering his gaze and saying quietly,

"We have lived in seclusion for a long time. Re-entering the world will bring many troubles."

"If the Patriarch hadn’t been so puzzled as to why a power in Jiangbei could suddenly rise to such a degree, he would not have sent us on this trip."

"Oh, I know, I know."

The woman didn’t seem to care much. She just continued happily browsing the shops on both sides of the street, and it wasn’t long before her arms were full of bags, big and small.

She rarely experienced such lively moments.

She never got to see so many people.

Let alone so many shops.

...

「Port.」

Chen Fan stood on the shore, gazing out at the sea. He wasn’t sure how far the digging had progressed last night, nor its exact location.

Based on his time calculations,

they had probably reached about thirty kilometers.

’How long will this take to dig all the way to the New Continent?’

He looked down at Hey Hey beneath him and began to ponder. ’I wonder if I can find a mate for Hey Hey, get them to breed a few litters... Then they could all dig together. The efficiency would be much higher.’

The Copper Pipe buried under the sea last night had not gone out.

The tunnel hadn’t collapsed.

Nor had any Ghost Objects invaded.

He didn’t know what the rainy season would bring, but for now, at least, the New Continent Tunnel project seemed feasible. It was just very time-consuming and would require diligent, continuous work for some time.

Just then,

he received a message from Zhou Mo. His brows furrowed slightly.

’179 years old?’

’Has he lived so long he’s become some kind of monster?’

So far, he only knew of one person who could live to that age: the one who used to live on Nameless Mountain. Other than that, he had never seen a human live for so long.

Especially since, according to Zhou Mo’s message, the person was part of a faction.

That meant...

Living to be 179 didn’t just mean longevity.

It also meant they stayed in a relatively safe place.

A faction that could remain unbreached for 179 years was not to be underestimated.

"Qi Yue, Shao Qiu, go to Mortal City and wait for me. We have guests."

"Domain Lord, we still haven’t determined if this Qi Yue is real or fake. Should he be part of the operation?"

"No need to determine anything. He’s the real one."

"Huh? Domain Lord, how did you figure that out?"

"His Life Token isn’t broken."

"..."

...

"..."

Wang Kui stood there in stunned, expressionless silence. They had been analyzing this for ages, so how had they not thought of this method?

The Qi Yue formed from negative emotions had everything—except a Mortal Realm Identity Token. That couldn’t be replicated. The carried Identity Token corresponded to the Life Token placed in the Fate Hall.

A one-to-one correspondence.

There was no way to cheat the system.

You just had to see if the Life Token was broken to know whether the current Qi Yue was real or fake.

The others also stood there in silence.

They started trying to come up with excuses for themselves.

’Can’t just admit we’re idiots, can we?’

"But..."

Wang Kui asked, a bit lost, "If the Domain Lord knew he was the real one, why did he have us interrogate him?"

...

「Within Mortal City.」

Chen Fan looked at Lame Monkey and the others with a smile. "Qi Yue was away from the Mortal Realm for over a month without sending back a single message. It’s only natural he’d be a bit distant upon his return. I just wanted you all to communicate more."

"Qi Yue, Lame Monkey, you two come with me."

"Shao Qiu, you hide in the shadows."

"Let’s go see which guests have come to our door. It could be distinguished visitors from the Guanxi Plain."

Actually,

he didn’t want to meet guests from the Guanxi Plain just yet. He wasn’t ready. He wanted to wait until all his preparations were complete before making a grand entrance into the Guanxi Plain. Visitors from there at this time would interrupt his plans.

Soon—

Chen Fan, leading Lame Monkey and Qi Yue, came face-to-face with the woman in the embroidered dress, who was looking around with a curious expression. He stood his ground, leaning on his Jade Staff, and chuckled lightly.

"I am the Mortal Realm Lord, Chen Fan."

"And how may I address you all?"