Chapter 144: I Shall Become the God of the New Era!

"Master! Master! Who was that girl just now? What did she want?" Jun Wushang burst into the main hall, brimming with impatience.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing glanced at him and said airily, "She was drawn by my reputation, naturally."

"Keep bragging, Master. The Longevity Daoist Temple has been open in Star City for almost a year, and this is our very first customer. Drawn by your reputation?"

"What do you know?" Xuanqing scoffed. "Haven't I told you before? Back when I was shaking up the Imperial Capital, even the Royal Family had to respectfully address me as Daozhang. The nobles beneath them fought tooth and nail just to get a single glimpse of me..."

"Yes, yes, yes. You're the absolute best at talking big, Master." Jun Wushang had heard this speech so many times his ears were growing calluses.

"Rebellious disciple!" Taoist Priest Xuanqing flew into a rage. "And here I was thinking of requesting a Transcendent Tier material for you—Sword Heart Clarity. To think you'd dare doubt your master! You're asking for a beating!"

Taoist Priest Xuanqing planted a foot squarely on Jun Wushang's rear, kicking him so hard he crashed into the wall.

"Ouch!" Jun Wushang rubbed his behind, scowling. "You old geezer, getting physical just because someone called your bluff! Make your own lunch today. I'm done serving you."

Faced with Jun Wushang's threat, Taoist Priest Xuanqing nonchalantly dug into his sleeve and flicked out a hundred-yuan bill. "Disciple, a person shouldn't let a grudge get in the way of making money. Wouldn't you agree?"

Jun Wushang shot a disdainful look at the hundred-yuan note on the floor. "You think I'm as easy to fool as before? A hundred bucks to supply you with four dishes and a soup for a whole week? Let me tell you, I've already joined the Bronze Coffin Company, and my boss highly appreciates me. Even a Bronze Coffin department head calls me brother. Do you have any idea how much I make in a month?"

Swish!

Old Taoist Xuanqing flicked out another hundred-yuan note. "Two hundred. Not a penny more."

Jun Wushang was furious, feeling his dignity had been trampled upon. "Three hundred! Not a single buck less!"

...

...

The next day, Sikong Zhen and Mu Lingxi arrived at the door once again. They brought a bank card and an eight-leafed orchid. The leaves resembled sharp blades, each one glinting with a cold light as if capable of slicing through steel.

Old Taoist Xuanqing's wrinkled face broke into a smile like a blooming chrysanthemum as he warmly welcomed the two inside. He even served them tea—this was his post-payment premium service.

"Taoist Priest Xuanqing, we leave it in your hands," Sikong Zhen said calmly.

Old Taoist Xuanqing waved his hands repeatedly, his expression turning stern and righteous. "Ah, it's no trouble, no trouble at all. If it means easing the burdens of the Empire, what does it matter if this poor Daoist loses a few years of his life?"

Sikong Zhen didn't care about the priest's sudden change in attitude. He only wanted results.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing began the ritual of bathing and burning incense. He first returned to his room to shower for a full hour, then changed into a clean Daoist robe and donned a black Daoist crown. He respectfully lit three sticks of incense for the miniature Divine Statue of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity. Only as the light smoke curled upward did he finally begin his divination.

An antique Copper Coin Sword appeared in his hand. Muttering an unknown incantation, his body moved with the wind. As he performed a sword dance, he pulled a stack of yellow talisman papers from his robes and tossed them into the air.

This entire charlatan-like performance made Mu Lingxi frown. It wasn't just "like" a charlatan—it was the textbook definition of one. She even suspected that Taoist Priest Xuanqing had learned his fortune-telling methods from some trashy television drama. It was exactly the same.

Was he going to breathe fire next?

Sure enough, Taoist Priest Xuanqing unhooked the Red Gourd from his waist, took a swig, and spat the liquid directly at a lit candle on the wooden table. Boom!

A massive fireball erupted, scorching the surrounding air. Some of the fluttering yellow talismans caught the flames and ignited in midair. The scene actually looked rather spectacular.

However, as luck would have it, a gentle breeze swept through the hall, and a burning talisman landed squarely on the head of the Divine Statue of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity.

"Oh, my Celestial Sovereign!" Taoist Priest Xuanqing's face paled drastically. He practically threw himself at the statue to put out the flames. The fire was quickly extinguished, but the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity was left covered in ash and soot.

"Take no offense, Celestial Sovereign, take no offense." Looking incredibly nervous, he used his sleeve to wipe down the divine statue. He rubbed at it for a good long while, scrubbing so hard he actually peeled off a patch of red paint.

"Ah!? Celestial Sovereign, no, no, no, please don't lose your paint!"

Mu Lingxi was completely speechless. She glanced at Sikong Zhen and noticed that beneath his calm facade, the corners of his mouth were twitching.

"Daozhang, have you finished divining yet?" she asked, unable to stop herself from rushing him.

Her reward was an eye roll from Taoist Priest Xuanqing. "What are you making a racket for? Can't you see the Celestial Sovereign is angry?"

Between trying to touch up the paint and performing three kneelings and nine kowtows, he busied himself for another half an hour before finally getting back on track.

Old Taoist Xuanqing knelt before the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity. He bit his own finger and squeezed a drop of fresh blood onto the divine statue. "Disciple Xuanqing respectfully requests the Celestial Sovereign to manifest your divine power!"

Whoosh!

The Divine Statue of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity suddenly erupted with an eerie azure light. Like a projector, an image formed in midair. The picture rippled like water before gradually turning clear.

Mu Lingxi froze in shock. So this was his so-called divination—simply asking the divine statue to perform a miracle? Then what the hell was all that bathing, incense-burning, and dancing for?!

Was it purely an add-on service? Just a show to make them feel like their one hundred million was well spent?

The image in the air grew clearer by the second, while Old Taoist Xuanqing's face visibly aged several years right before their eyes. It was exactly because she witnessed this toll that Mu Lingxi gave up any intention of demanding their hundred million back afterward.

"This is... the Seven Deadly Sins!" Mu Lingxi exclaimed in a low voice, her eyes locked onto the projection. The image was now fully formed. It displayed seven men and women dressed in tailcoats. They had different builds—some tall and slender, others heavily muscled—but the one thing they all shared was the uniform Silver-White Mask worn over their faces.

The frame expanded further, allowing the viewers to fully make out the setting.

Dense dark clouds choked the sky, split by flashing lightning and rolling thunder. The earth was cracked wide open, and mountains were collapsing. A once-prosperous city had been reduced to a wasteland of rubble. Flames flickered amidst the ruins, mercilessly devouring everything in sight. The entire world seemed to have plunged into endless darkness and despair.

And within this ruined world, the seven men and women in tailcoats and Silver-White Masks stood tall and proud. They stood atop the peak of the ruins, looking like the absolute rulers of all creation. At the forefront, Pride lifted his chin slightly, gazing down at the destruction of the world with eyes that held nothing but contempt for all existence.

Mu Lingxi drew a sharp breath, while Sikong Zhen was already frowning deeply. The projection began to flash rapidly, revealing more and more details. They saw countless severed limbs and mangled corpses, the collapse of the Empire, and human civilization going up in flames.

"Everyone, the old era has ended, and the new era is upon us," Pride's voice rang out from the image.

He stood at the absolute pinnacle, as if trampling the entire world beneath his feet, and announced to the heavens: "And I... shall become the God of the new era!"

His calm words contained a profound arrogance—an arrogance that looked down upon all living things, an arrogance belonging solely to a God!