Capítulo 20: Classiest Man In Town
"Woah... Jun Zhi? I have absolutely no idea who that could be..." Xiao Nan chuckled as the group had breakfast together and the subject of the recent robbery of the Divine Phoenix Sect came up.
"Was it really you, Palace master?" Shui Wushuang asked keenly.
"I can neither confirm nor deny that statement." Xiao Jiantian managed to speak with a straight face.
"You had the Divine Phoenix Emperor shouting all night..." Xiao Kuanglei laughed. "There is no man greater than our master Xiao Jiantian, after all."
...
The note Xiao Jiantian had left behind in the Divine Phoenix Sect wasn't the only one of its kind. When morning came, the residents of the Divine Phoenix City were welcomed to the sight of countless notes littered across all of the city's notable locations. This led to everyone knowing the shockingly terrible state of the Divine Phoenix Sect, despite Feng Hengkong's best attempts to suppress the truth.
At the root of it all was one name... 'Jun Zhi'.
But... he had died three thousand, eight hundred and sixty-six years ago by bursting into lightning beyond what his weakened body could physically handle.
How could he still be alive, after all this time?
It seemed so absurd that some people thought that it was a thief pretending to be him. Using his name for even more controversy, most likely. Or so they thought.
Feng Hengkong paid a visit to a section of the Divine Phoenix Sect he did not visit often; its library. Many records of notable events had been stored there and Jun Zhi's rebellion was certainly among them. There were even written papers of personal experiences during his resistance all the way till the very end.
'A terrifying man who feared no obstacle...'
'Slain countless sect masters and fifteen Tyrant Profound Realm elders in only a week...'
Flipping to the final page, Feng Hengkong read every word.
"He laughed... the devil laughed, despite all of his severe injuries. We had the upper hand... but never did it truly feel the case. His eyes flowed with killing intent... and then he asked the question 'Do you know who I am?'. Following that, he roared and we all shuddered in fear unwillingly."
"'I AM JUN ZHI THE UNDYING! KILL ME IF YOU WISH... BUT I WILL RETURN THOUSANDS OF TIMES STRONGER JUST TO FUCKING DESTROY YOU ALL!' Once he said this, I would've normally disregarded it as nonsense due to his mad state... but I couldn't help but wonder, what if it was true?"
"Then, the Grand Sect Elder stepped in to confront him..."
Feng Hengkong finished the rest, not knowing what to think of it all. If it were true... then he knew one thing was for certain; the Divine Phoenix Empire was not going to have an easy time. Jun Zhi after four thousand years of training... he did not wish to imagine how powerful he could possibly be now. If anything, simply robbing the Divine Phoenix Sect was showing restraint.
He sighed, realising that the situation was entirely out of his control. There was no means by which he could contact 'Jun Zhi' and settle the score on peaceful terms. Nor was there a way he could retaliate or defend against him...
Unless...
His expression became hopeful as he thought of a certain burial place.
~
Meanwhile.
"Qingyue, how do you think I look for that meeting with Zi Ji?" Xiao Jiantian wondered as he flexed a pose to the mirror.
"Unique."
"Classy is the word." Xiao Jiantian smiled, putting on his aviators.
...
The Black Moon Merchant Guild's Headquarters were bustling with life which could easily be observed from the high density of people in the plaza. Yet, it would lead one to wonder... why were they all just standing right outside of the Headquarters? Well, that's quite simple! The Black Moon Merchant Guild's Headquarters don't let just anyone in.
There was a crystal stage test that one would have to go through to prove their strength, or rather potential when it came to those of the younger generation. There were thirty-six arrays, each used to tank the blows of visitors and determine their 'value', so to speak. Depending on the result, the array would shine a colour from red all the way to violet.
Xiao Jiantian decided to wear a more classy attire for this occasion, something reminiscent of his earthly past. A navy-blue 3 piece formal suit with beautiful flower patterns linked across it and a dazzling gold chain towards the bottom that intricately linked the torso together. The fabric from which it was made was softer than a phoenix's feathers, making any who wore it beyond comfortable. To his upper left pocket, near his chest, was the top of a sweet-smelling blue rose sticking out. It was a suit that would fit a rich CEO who had too much money to care about prices... in Xiao Jiantian's case, you could say that was true.
To top it all off, he wore black aviators and leather gloves.
(Though he did use the Law of Nothingness to create that suit which didn't cost him a single penny)
"Woah... what type of clothes are those? He looks fresh, I can't lie."
"Make way for this King."
Xiao Jiantian's tyrannical voice spread across the plaza, leading to many eyes turning to him. With one wave of his hand, all thirty-six arrays lit up fully purple and sent almost every person standing in the plaza flying to the side.
"You dar-"
"My condolences, I don't like to wait around." Xiao Jiantian smiled, readjusting both sides of his suit, as he saw the angered and shocked crowd. Within only the blink of an eye, a 500ml bottle of Coca-Cola appeared in every victim's hands. "I believe that the sweet taste of this drink would more than suffice as repayment... and if you want more, well, do not be shy to visit my Floating Cloud City sometime in the future."
He turned around and proceeded to enter the Black Moon Merchant Guild's Headquarters, his body shrouded in the array's violent aura.
"Floating Cloud City... heavenly talent... it can't be anyone but Xiao Jiantian, right?"
"What is this black substance... poison?"
"Smells somewhat inviting... let me try it-" One young disciple from the Sunflower Dew Nation opened the bottle and took one sip. But... after he took that one sip, it was all over. Before he knew it, the entire bottle was emptied. "This... tastes divine!"
"Anyone who doesn't want their bottle, heh, feel free to give it to me!"
"Huh... then this must be good, right?"
Although his entrance was rude at first, Xiao Jiantian managed to turn it into a marketing scheme for Floating Cloud City's growth...
Zi Ji, who had been watching from the seventh floor couldn't help but chuckle.
Afterwards, Xiao Jiantian was welcomed to the seventh floor and led to a courtyard where Zi Ji, the guild master of the Black Moon Merchant Guild, stood.
"Your fashion sense is quite intriguing, Xiao Jiantian." Zi Ji eyed Xiao Jiantian's outfit in its entirety before smiling and making a gesture towards the chair in front of him. "Please, sit."
Xiao Jiantian sat down comfortably, lifting his legs onto the table. "And you are rather strong for a merchant guild master. The eighth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm... I could use someone like you."
"Oh, how perceptive..." Zi Ji laughed nervously. "Well, it would be my pleasure to assist my wife's direct disciple..."
"Wife's direct disciple?" Xiao Jiantian's eyes widened in surprise. He had no idea...
"Ah, she didn't tell you? Our marriage has been arranged since birth, over a thousand years ago... since then, the Black Moon Merchant Guild handles most of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region's finances to ensure further growth in that department. In exchange, they help the Black Moon Merchant Guild with tasks that are beyond our strength."
"The Mighty Heavenly Sword Region must be even more influential than I thought, in that case." Xiao Jiantian stated.
"The Mighty Heavenly Sword Region's interest in merchant guilds all started with Xuanyuan Jiantian's reign as Sword Master, who created a branch of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region that acted as its personal merchant guild. Countless records state that he had a mind like no other, capable of accumulating wealth at an absurd rate whenever he felt like it. That man... was truly something else, sadly I was not born early enough to meet him."
"That being said, instead of constantly competing with the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region's merchant branch, the Black Moon Merchant Guild merged with it and both sides benefitted from the result."
'It seems that my shadow taught Xuanyuan Wentian well.'
"I see..." Xiao Jiantian nodded. "Well, in that case, what would it cost for you to... move the Black Moon Merchant Guild's Headquarters to the Floating Cloud City?"
"The Floating Cloud City..." Zi Ji raised an eyebrow, rather surprised by the offer. "Are you serious?"
Xiao Jiantian reached inside of his suit and casually threw seven profound currency cards charged with a hundred million purple profound coins each.
(How much is seven hundred million purple profound coins, you might ask? The Profound Sky Continent's average household's annual income is about 3 Purple Profound Coins. This is a very rough sketch (and probably very inaccurate) but the USA's average household income is 68,703 U.S. dollars annually. 68,703/3 = 22901, meaning that each purple profound coin is worth 22,901 U.S. dollars. Now times that by seven hundred million... and you have this number; 16,030,700,000,000 or 16 trillion dollars with spare change.)
"These are... genuine?" Zi Ji's eyes widened in surprise. This amount of money dwarfed the value of the Black Moon Merchant Guild as a whole... so it was an understatement to say that Zi Ji was surprised that a simple disciple had so much money. "Inconceivable..."
"May I ask how you accumulated this kind of wealth?" Zi Ji inquired, his expression turning to a smile as he jested. "Were you the one who robbed the Divine Phoenix Sect?"
Xiao Jiantian laughed. "No, no, I'd never do something like that. This King is simply wealthy and that's all you really need to know."
He laid back on his chair. "So... will you help me grow my humble Floating Cloud City?"
"Haha..." Zi Ji laughed. "Very well, I accept your offer. I'll begin preparations for the move immediately."
"Sweet... though, I have one question to ask. What will the Sword Master think of this? After all, the Black Moon Merchant Guild is under the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region..."
"Xuanyuan Wentian has given me some freedoms, especially concerning how I run the Black Moon Merchant Guild... so long as it leads to more profit for the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region. This is quite a profitable business venture revolving around a Mighty Heavenly Sword Region core disciple... so I highly doubt he'd object."
"Oh, I see... that's good to hear." Xiao Jiantian nodded, putting his legs away from the table and standing up. "Well, I'll be on my now if that's all."
"Hold still for just a few minutes, I have a present for you."
"Oh?" Intrigued by what Zi Ji's present could be, Xiao Jiantian did not leave the room.
It turned out to be a spatial ring filled with kilograms of Purple Veined Divine Crystal, an invaluable treasure even if it was the size of a fingernail... let alone fifteen kilograms!
"Use this to further your talents and I'm sure that you'll grow into the next Sword Master."
"Thanks, Senior Ji!" Xiao Jiantian smiled, knowing the astronomical value of what he had received. "I'll do my best."
~
Feng Hengkong approached the burial place of the old royals on his own. Upon seeing that Jun Mei's grave was especially taken care of, his suspicions were almost confirmed. The flowers... if someone pretended to be Jun Zhi, why would they go through such an effort? It was almost certainly him... reborn?
If he hadn't died, surely he would've taken vengeance earlier?
The only true attack the Divine Phoenix Sect had ever faced after Jun Zhi's supposed death was at the hands of Xuanyuan Jiantian himself, who his ancestors had never even dared to offend. He simply walked through the entrance and started trashing everything around... for no reason whatsoever.
Strangely enough, Jun Mei's grave had been taken care of the day after... but no one knew who had done so.
Feng Hengkong felt like he was onto something, but couldn't quite put his finger onto it.
Nevertheless, he was almost certain that Jun Zhi had somehow returned.
Feng Hengkong walked closer to Jun Mei's grave, stopping right as he reached it.
"So, being robbed wasn't enough for you, was it?" A masked figure appeared behind Feng Hengkong. "Should I start crippling your sons... maybe fuck your daughter, too?"
"... I did not come to fight you, Jun Zhi." Feng Hengkong grit his teeth as he attempted to sense the figure's profound strength. However, all he could see was a void of nothingness. This made him speculate that their difference was so wide that he couldn't even sense his strength...
"The valuables you took... well, they were essential to the Divine Phoenix Sect. If you return everything now, I will think nothing of it-"
"Oh?" The masked figure laughed. "Tell me something... what the hell do I have to gain from that bullshit offer?!"
"Now, if you're done being a buffoon, get the fuck out of my face before I tear yours to shreds."
"... Is th-"
"Go." The figure's tone was colder than ice as he commanded Feng Hengkong. "Also, if I return and see that this place is still in a poor state... trust me when I say this... I'll do far more than just rob your Divine Phoenix Sect."
"... Very well. I will ensure that it is taken care of."
"Farewell, my good little phoenix boy."
When Feng Hengkong left, Xiao Jiantian couldn't help but laugh. 'That man was shivering.'
...
Xiao Jiantian decided to absorb some of the profound energy from the Purple Veined Divine Crystals Zi Ji had given him, leading to him making a somewhat frightening discovery. No matter how much profound energy he absorbed... his body was never full.
His profound veins ate it all up and keenly waited for more!!
Mixed with his ability to constantly create anything around his level through the Law of Nothingness... progressing in the profound way was simply so easy it was a joke!
'This body... is crazy fucking good, basically a cheat! In that context, the Law of Nothingness is essentially a console command I simply have to type into with few limitations, of course...'
He stopped at the fourth stage of the Emperor Profound Realm, saving the massive amount that still remained for another use. For now, if he grew too strong, there wouldn't be anyone to challenge him... and that would be quite boring (boring for him, more than anything). If he wanted to be strong, he would have already meditated far beyond the Emperor Profound Realm...
In the end, he decided to give the rest of the Purple Veined Divine Crystals to Xia Qingyue as she needed them far more than he did.
~
Phoenix Perching Valley.
A floating note of the Divine Phoenix Sect's robbery fell into a young girl's hands after having gone through many waves of wind to get there. She grasped it lightly, her hand tightening with every sentence. At the very end, tears began to gather below her beautiful blue eyes.
'Zhi... is it really you?'
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