Chapter 1 A Conspiracy Unfolds

Meanwhile, outside the Harem City, as Feng Bujue and the others prepared to enter the Celestial Tome World... a conspiracy was quietly unfolding.

"This rosy light... is truly beautiful..."

Above the Mang Sea, a gentle voice slowly echoed.

The man speaking appeared to be around thirty years old, with handsome and upright features and a heroic air. He wore a magnificent brocade robe, a dragon-patterned belt around his waist, and cloud-patterned boots on his feet. His long hair was tied up in a crown adorned with bright pearls. In every way... he was an extraordinary figure.

At this moment, this man was standing on a bronze-colored flying sword, floating in mid-air, seemingly speaking to another man in front of him.

And that other man... was Yin Loulan.

"The light of Yuan Shen dispersal is naturally beautiful," Yin Loulan replied without turning his head.

The man smiled slightly upon hearing this, and then said, "Mo Ruqiu was, after all, the eldest son of the Mo family. Aren't you afraid that the Mo family will come looking for you to settle the score after you killed him?"

"Brother Ji, don't you think your question is quite ridiculous?" Yin Loulan said, turning his flying sword around to face the other man.

The man he called "Brother Ji" was none other than Ji Fenglong's elder brother, the current head of the Ji family, a Yuan Sheng-level expert – Ji Xuanzong.

"Heh... you're right..." Ji Xuanzong smiled freely, touching his nose. "After tonight, Brother Yin will no longer need to hide his true strength from the world... At that time, Mo Ruqiu's death will become a very good excuse. If the Mo family comes to seek revenge, you can take the opportunity to defeat them all and make a name for yourself in the world."

"Mm~ Only Brother Ji understands me so well." Although Yin Loulan's tone was pleasant when he said this, his face... remained tense.

Over the years... Yin Loulan had meticulously and tirelessly plotted to hide his ambition. To avoid revealing his true thoughts, he simply kept his facial muscles tense, maintaining a cold expression all year round. Now... unless he was greatly stimulated or deliberately did so, his face would no longer show any obvious changes in expression.

"Heh... likewise," Ji Xuanzong replied. "Looking at the entire Sheng Yuan World, only Brother Yin can understand me, Ji Xuanzong."

At this point, the two men exchanged a smile, a smile that contained an extremely deep understanding and trust.

Clearly, they had known each other for more than just a day or two. And the grand plan they were about to unfold... had been brewing for many years.

"By the way, Brother Yin," Ji Xuanzong said seriously a few seconds later. "What is the situation in the city? Have there been any unexpected events that might affect our plan?"

"Absolutely none," Yin Loulan replied with confidence. "As in previous years, there are indeed many travelers, wanderers, and eccentrics in the city, but those who have reached the seventh level or above of Sheng Yuan Wuji are... few and far between." He glanced at the rosy light on the sea. "And now one is dead."

"Mm..." Ji Xuanzong nodded and continued, "In other words... the only people in the city who pose a threat to us are my sister, Su Xiaoxiao, and Lin Que, those three."

"I wouldn't call it a threat..." Yin Loulan said. "Once I unleash my true abilities, even if Su Xiaoxiao and Lin Que join forces, they won't last a quarter of an hour in my hands." He paused, looking at Ji Xuanzong. "As for your sister... you have a way to subdue her, don't you, Brother Ji?"

"Heh... naturally," Ji Xuanzong replied with a smile. "When I gave her the 'Celestial Tome Bamboo Scroll' back then, she would never have thought... that I had held something back..."

"So, there's nothing to worry about..." Yin Loulan's gaze gradually changed, and a flame of ambition flashed in his eyes. "After tonight, this Harem City will become our base. Starting from here, within half a month, we can devour the four surrounding countries of the Mang Sea. Within a year, we can occupy a quarter of the Sheng Yuan World's territory... Hmph... Dominating the world is just around the corner..."

…………

At the same time, in the Celestial Tome World.

At this moment, Brother Jue, Ruoyu, Huajian, and Xu Huishang, guided by Ji Fenglong, had entered the space inside the Celestial Tome Bamboo Scroll together.

The terrain here resembled a flat-bottomed bowl, with a wide, open plain in the middle, and the land was flat yellow earth. In the middle of the open space was a small house made of brick, tile, wood, and grass, and next to the house stood a black stone tablet. This area was surrounded by mountains, rivers, and clouds, and a few sparse peach groves dotted the foot of the mountains, creating a unique landscape.

"Wow, what is this place?" Huajian asked with a look of surprise, gazing at the suddenly changed scenery around them.

"Within the bamboo scroll, there is another world," Ji Fenglong replied in a deep voice. "This is the Celestial Tome World."

"Sounds very impressive..." Huajian replied with a face that seemed to understand but didn't.

"The impressive one... is your Feng Alliance Master," Ji Fenglong said, shifting her gaze to Brother Jue's face. "I still can't understand how you knew that I possessed the Celestial Tome Bamboo Scroll..."

"Ah... if I have to explain..." Feng Bujue put his hands behind his head, striking a leisurely pose, and recited, "Because the intensity of this set of data is too high, even if it is placed inside a storage space, its data light flow will still seep out, just like fireflies in a plastic bag... Naturally, I would take a closer look at something so strong. So... after carefully observing and interpreting its data, I deciphered the 'name' of this item from the data perspective, and learned that it was called [Celestial Tome Bamboo Scroll]."

He said this long string of words in one breath, but more than 50% of it was blocked by the system, and the NPCs seemed to understand but didn't. As for his three teammates... only Ruoyu could fully understand what this passage was about.

"Hmph... forget it," Ji Fenglong replied after a few seconds. "It seems that, as Feng Alliance Master said, even if you explained it in detail, I might not be able to understand."

"That's right~" Feng Bujue spread his hands.

"However... I have another question..." Ji Fenglong then said, "This celestial tome was obtained by my elder brother from a 'Pangmen (Heterodox Sect) Great Immortal' named Zuo Dao when he was young. I won't go into the causes and consequences of this rare opportunity. In short... this book should be a divine object from beyond the heavens. Logically speaking, no one in this world should be able to recognize this object except for my brother and I..." She paused, looking directly into Brother Jue's eyes, and said, "However, Feng Alliance Master not only knows the name of the celestial tome, but also knows of the existence of the 'Celestial Tome World'..." Her tone changed slightly. "Combining Feng Alliance Master's previous strange words and actions, I suspect... are the members of the Broken Sword Teahouse related to that 'Pangmen Great Immortal'?"

Feng Bujue's mind raced as he listened to Ji Fenglong's words... Of course he remembered the name "Pangmen Great Immortal Zuo Dao." After the script "Cang Ling Sword Debate" ended, Xiao Tan and Xiao Ling had told Brother Jue in detail about their experiences in the Town Bottom Maze. At that time, Brother Jue had speculated that this "Zuo Dao" was likely a powerful character who traveled through various timelines. Now, Ji Fenglong's words confirmed... that this reasoning was correct.

"Oh~ Great Immortal Zuo, I've heard of him, I've heard of him." Feng Bujue quickly put on a smile and turned on his deceptive mode, replying, "Unfortunately, this immortal is like a dragon, rarely seen. I have never had the chance to meet him." He changed the subject. "However... there are indeed two disciples in our sect who, through chance encounters, obtained spells passed down by Great Immortal Zuo... If you want to talk about 'relationships', that's probably it." He paused for two seconds and then said, "Oh, as for the information about your celestial tome... I didn't learn it from Great Immortal Zuo, but from a 'Ji Peng Immortal'."

"So that's how it is..." Ji Fenglong nodded in response. "Feng Alliance Master is indeed a worldly expert, wise in all things, and knowledgeable... I must express my admiration."

"Hehe... you flatter me, you flatter me." Feng Bujue said with a smile. "Speaking of which, I also have a question that I don't understand, and I hope you can enlighten me."

"Please speak," Ji Fenglong said.

"City Lord Ji obtained this celestial tome quite some years ago, right?" Feng Bujue continued. "What I want to ask is..." He turned around and looked around. "Why is there still only one thatched hut here?" He widened his eyes and asked, "Where are the ghost and god formations? Where is the immortal arts dojo? Where is the heavenly garment workshop? Where is the alchemy room? Where is the heavenly artisan pagoda?"

"Uh... Feng Alliance Master, I have never heard of or seen the things you mentioned..." Ji Fenglong muttered. "I did build some things here, and those... are the prototypes of the Harem City."

"What the heck..." Feng Bujue thought to himself, "This stupid woman... possesses a Noah-level production artifact like the Celestial Tome Bamboo Scroll, but instead of forging magical treasures and equipment, she's playing SimCity here..."

"And when I moved the Harem City to the outside world..." Ji Fenglong's words continued, "As you can see... this place returned to its original appearance, with only a thatched hut remaining."

"Okay... okay..." Feng Bujue shook his head and said lazily, "Plans really can't keep up with changes. If I had known this, I would have chosen to take a magical treasure..." These words were indeed heartfelt. He didn't expect that the Celestial Tome World controlled by Ji Fenglong was almost empty.

"Heh... it seems that Feng Alliance Master is a bit disappointed with the situation in my Celestial Tome World..." At this moment, a sly smile suddenly appeared on Ji Fenglong's face.

"City Lord Ji... what do you want to do?" Feng Bujue sensed something and his expression changed.

"Hahaha... hahahaha..." Ji Fenglong laughed loudly, her beauty and eccentricity captivating and intoxicating. "Feng Bujue, today you have seen through my weakness. Do you think... you can still leave?"