Rain sealed his hands with an incantation, flipped his palms, and the small teacup from earlier soared into the air, returning to its original glorious form—the Golden Rain Bowl. Immediately afterward, Qiao San, who had just sipped the tea, suddenly felt an icy chill rising from his abdomen, originating from the highest heavens. In an instant, he turned into a statue of ice.
“Haha… Brother Rain, congratulations! You’ve captured a traitor—Lady Wangmu will surely reward you handsomely!” The golden-armored deity quickly regained his vigor, flattering the Rain God while cautiously adding, “Add more layers of seals. Yuan Shi is no ordinary foe; we must be extra cautious.”
“Thank you for your concern,” replied the rogue trapped inside the ice. Before his words had even faded, a red glow pierced through his body. The celestial ice could not withstand the power of the Ten Suns’ energy, and the rogue quickly regained his freedom.
The Four Celestial Generals were startled. The Thunder General and Lightning General simultaneously ascended into the sky. With a strike of the Thunder Hammer and the unfurling of the Lightning Banner in the wind, bolts of thunder and lightning tore through the roof in an instant, aiming straight for their target’s crown.
“Boom—”
Surprisingly, Qiao San took the full force of the lightning with his bare flesh. A spark of lightning flickered at his fingertips, and with a flick of his fingers, a surge of electricity shot violently toward the Thunder and Lightning Generals.
Never would they have imagined that this rogue had once been “trained” by the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess. Those two, who spent their days playing with lightning and thunder, were now struck so badly they were blackened and scorched, their hair standing straight up—comically absurd.
The Rain General hurriedly doused the flames, while the Wind General gritted his teeth, spitting a mouthful of innate divine blood onto the Wind God Bag. The treasure swelled, unleashing a celestial gale from the Ninth Heaven that wildly surged within the formation.
Xuannü stood unmoved amidst the raging winds, her clothes and hair motionless, as if space itself had pulled her backward. Qiao San swiftly stepped in front of her, shielding her. Suddenly, wild energy surged outward, scattering the rogue’s flurry of punches.
Even the wind could be dispersed—Qiao San’s fist carved through the air, leaving behind a sudden darkness in space. A thin rift tore open in the void, instantly swallowing the celestial gale from the Ninth Heaven.
“Ahh!”
The heavenly soldiers nearby were all struck pale with fear. They had all heard of the mighty Yuan Shi Tianwang’s reputation, but none had imagined his power could be so terrifying—capable of tearing space itself with a single punch!
The iron fist did not stop. With Xuannü’s waist wrapped in Qiao San’s left arm, his right hand only grew fiercer. With a thunderous crash, the inn was instantly reduced to rubble, and the Four Celestial Generals were sent flying into the sky, spitting blood.
The golden-armored deity’s soul nearly left his body. His mind screamed, “Oh my god!”—and almost at the same moment the formation shattered, Yuan Shi Tianwang was already right before his eyes.
“Mercy, Great King! Mercy… please!”
Before Yuan Shi Tianwang could even move, the golden-armored deity disregarded all dignity, not caring that his subordinates were watching from afar. He shamelessly dropped to his knees, even wiping a tear as he pleaded, “Mercy, Great King! I have an elderly mother of a thousand years, and a newborn child yet to reach their first moon! Great King, have mercy on this humble servant!”
“Hmph!” Qiao San’s raised fist indeed halted just above the golden deity’s eyes. Hearing such a familiar plea, the killer intent in his heart melted away. His rogue nature involuntarily surfaced, and a pair of sly eyes darted around, scanning the golden-armored deity from head to toe.
“Great King, mercy… mercy… mercy!”
The “strange” gaze from Yuan Shi Tianwang made the golden deity’s heart shudder. Even his pleas for mercy faltered, and instinctively, he clutched tightly at his money pouch.
A different Yuan Shi Tianwang faced off against a different golden-armored deity, instantly sparking something entirely new.
“Fine, since you have an elderly mother above and a young child below, I can spare your life. But…”
The rogue grinned slyly, sending chills down the golden deity’s spine. “But, I’ve been a bit short on cash lately. Just hand over a mere ten thousand taels of silver as travel expenses!”
“Ten thousand?! No, no… I don’t have that much! Great King, my monthly salary is only a hundred taels. Please, have mercy!”
“Don’t play innocent! Those four waiters just said you’re quite the entrepreneur. Ten thousand taels is non-negotiable.”
“Great King, times are tough now. Even autumn breezes are hard to come by. How about… two-tenths of that?”
“No way! At least eight-tenths!”
“Three-tenths…”
“Seven-tenths…”
“Five-tenths! Final offer—cash only, no credit!”
With a slap, Yuan Shi Tianwang and the golden-armored deity sealed the deal with a handshake, concluding this bizarre transaction.
Qiao San couldn’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie toward the golden deity. Loosening his iron grip, he lightly patted the deity’s shoulder with a chuckle. “Golden, you’ve got potential. Don’t forget me when you’ve got business opportunities in the future!”
The golden deity flinched at the slap, his body instinctively shrinking, but his heart soared. Throughout the vast heavenly realm, among countless supreme immortals, Yuan Shi Tianwang was the only one to say he had potential. The middle-ranking celestial general was so moved he nearly burst into tears, almost kneeling again to grasp Yuan Shi Tianwang’s wrist.
“Waaah… Great King, you truly understand me! No, wait—you are my idol! My admiration for you flows like endless rivers…”
“And like the Yellow River in flood, unstoppable, right?” Qiao San smoothly continued the golden deity’s sentence. The two then laughed heartily, as if they had met a long-lost friend.
Their laughter gradually faded as they looked around, only to find a deathly silence. All the heavenly soldiers and generals had turned to statues of clay and wood. Even Xuannü looked on the verge of fainting.
With fifty thousand taels of silver notes in hand, Qiao San indulgently sniffed the scent of corruption, then leisurely stepped forward, ready to ascend into the sky.
“Great King, wait! To express my admiration for you, I’d like to share a secret about Lady Wangmu’s plan.”
Qiao San turned around, carefully observing the golden deity’s fervent gaze. After a brief hesitation, he said, “Alright then, name your price. Don’t ask for too much—I’m struggling too these days, brother!”
“Pfft!”
Even though she had already accepted her master’s unusual transformation, Xuannü couldn’t help but giggle. Deep in her heart, she mused: “Though he’s not as dignified as before, somehow this version of my master feels even more approachable.”
After another round of haggling, ten thousand taels of silver notes returned to the golden deity’s possession. Clutching his money pouch tightly, he whispered, “To be honest, I was merely Lady Wangmu’s first obstacle. Rumor has it she has prepared three trials especially for you, Great King. The next one is Chi Yuan Immortal. Great King, please be extremely cautious. I hope you’ll continue to support me in the future!”
“Huh? You actually count as one of the trials?!” Qiao San eyed the golden deity up and down, clearly doubtful of his abilities.
“Hehe…” The golden deity, unfazed by the implication, continued laughing joyfully, replying in the rogue’s favorite tone of shameless bravado: “It’s not that my powers are weak, Great King—it’s that you’re just too mighty. Besides, I’ve always been known in Heaven for my clever little schemes.”
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