Chapter 2492 Disaster and Fortune

City Lord Residence.

Little bridges arched over flowing streams, forming picturesque scenes. In a lakeside pavilion, the handsome and snow-white haired Bai Jianchen picked up a chess piece and gently tapped it onto the board.

Then, raising his head with a smile, he glanced at the woman opposite him. “Your move, my dear niece.”

The woman wore a green robe and was disguised as a man. Her lips were red, her teeth pearly-white, and her brows were flawless. She held a white piece in her slender fingers but didn’t move for a long while.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

She was none other than Dugu Youran!

“You control every move on and off the board. All I can do is...”

As she spoke, she flicked her sleeve, shattering the chessboard. Pieces scattered like rain across the pavilion. Then, as if a weight had been lifted, she smiled and said, “Overturn the entire game.”

Bai Jianchen rubbed his nose and gave a wry smile, “All these years, and you’re still as radiant and graceful as ever.”

Dugu Youran gave a soft smile and blinked her bright eyes, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Bai Jianchen poured a cup of tea and handed it to her. “So tell me, why are you so concerned about Lin Xun? If your father finds out, that kid’s as good as dead. Everyone in the Seventh Heaven Domain knows your father’s biggest headache is you, girl.”

His tone was half-teasing.

“He saved my life.” Dugu Youran replied solemnly after some thought, “Is that reason enough?”

Bai Jianchen snorted, “In the Great Thousand Battle Domain, even an Ancestor of a Path would think twice before laying a hand on you. You’re calling that boy your savior? Are you trying to make me laugh to death so you can inherit my position as city lord?”

Dugu Youran chuckled, “But he did save me, so repaying the favour is only right, isn’t it?”

Bai Jianchen massaged his temples and sighed, “But because I helped you, the three Immortal Imperial Clans, Heng, Wen, and Luo, probably hate me to the bone now. Also, in order to dissuade assassin Frost from the Empty Hidden World, I even went and spoke to her personally. If Empty Hidden World learns of this, what if they send someone to assassinate me?”

He seemed to be airing grievances, grumbling without restraint.

Dugu Youran listened with a smile on her face. After a while, she said lightly, “Uncle Bai, my father was right. You act all aloof and dignified, but in truth, you’re just an old rascal. So old already and still pretending to be a teenager, aren’t you the least bit ashamed?”

Bai Jianchen coughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject, “Alright, I’ve done my part. You’d better leave Taiyi City as soon as possible.”

Dugu Youran frowned. “Why?”

Bai Jianchen pointed to the sky. “Something unknown is about to erupt from within the Dao Ruins. If my guess is correct, it will be a great catastrophe. It may even engulf all of Taiyi City. When the time comes...even this Immortal Heavenly Pass may not survive.”

By the end of his words, a grave expression appeared between his brows.

As the city lord, he had been monitoring the situation ever since the strange phenomena first erupted from the Dao Ruins. Since then, they had only grown more frequent and ominous. Even he now felt a pressure unlike anything he had experienced before.

The changes of the Dao Ruins were bizarre, ominous and unpredictable!

“Then why not evacuate the city in advance?” Dugu Youran asked.

“It’s impossible.” Bai Jianchen sighed and revealed a secret, “The path leading to the Tenth Immortal Heaven Pass has already been blocked by the mysterious power surging from the Dao Ruins. Only those at the Emperor Ancestor Stage or higher can break through and escape safely.”

Dugu Youran narrowed her eyes, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

After a moment of silence, she asked, “Then what about you? Will you leave before the catastrophe strikes?”

Bai Jianchen’s face turned serious. “I am the lord of this city, how could I abandon the city before the battle even begins? Taiyi City has nearly three million residents, not to mention the countless cultivators gathered here from across the Great Thousand Worlds. If I fled...”

At the end, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh, “What would they do?”

Dugu Youran stared blankly. “But what if even you can’t stop this disaster in the end?”

Bai Jianchen smiled, calm as a breeze. “I’ll do what I can.”

Do what he can!

Those words struck Dugu Youran. She realized that even Bai Jianchen had little confidence in withstanding the unknown catastrophe ahead.

“Do you need my help?” She asked, her voice unusually serious.

Bai Jianchen laughed. “Yes, if you leave Taiyi City now, that’ll be the greatest help you can give me.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m being serious!”

Bai Jianchen’s smile faded. “So am I.”

Dugu Youran fell silent for a moment, then she suddenly grinned. “I’ll leave when the catastrophe actually arrives.”

......

Lin Xun had relocated to a new inn. The recent bloody slaughter hadn’t left much of an impact on him, but what puzzled him was City Lord Bai Jianchen’s unexpected intervention. Before he could dwell on it for long, a visitor arrived.

“Brother Lin, you really fooled me!”

It was none other than Peng Tianxiang. As soon as he entered, he began complaining, “I thought you were Jin Duyi, then Ling Xuanzi...but no, it turns out you’re Lin Xun.”

Lin Xun invited him to sit and said calmly, “Names and identities don’t matter. What I want to know is how did you find me?”

Peng Tianxiang grinned meaningfully, “I did a little calculation and figured you must be feeling puzzled right now, so I am here to help clear things up.”

Lin Xun was stunned for a moment, then seemed to guess something, “Did Dugu Youran ask Bai Jianchen to step in?”

Peng Tianxiang slapped his thigh in admiration. “Brother Lin’s insight is terrifying. I barely said a word and you’ve already got it all figured out.”

At last, Lin Xun understood. No wonder Bai Jianchen got involved. It turned out Dugu Youran was working behind the scenes.

However, why would that troublemaker go out of her way to help him?

“You saved Youran’s life. If she doesn’t help you, who would she help?” Peng Tianxiang said with a chuckle, “Come to think of it, I didn’t know Brother Lin was so terrifyingly strong until now. No wonder you dared to kill Zhu Lin without hesitation.”

There was a clear note of admiration in his voice. When he first heard the news, he was so shocked he nearly couldn't believe it. Even now, standing face-to-face with Lin Xun, he still felt it was unreal.

“You didn’t come just to flatter me, did you?” Lin Xun said with a smile.

Peng Tianxiang explained, “I came to pass along a message from Youran. The Dao Ruins are about to undergo an unpredictable and catastrophic change. It could trigger widespread chaos and affect all of Taiyi City. She says it’s best for you to leave as soon as possible.”

Lin Xun’s pupils contracted slightly. There was no doubt that this news had come from Bai Jianchen! Unfortunately, Peng Tianxiang had no idea what this so-called catastrophe was really about. After chatting a bit more, he took his leave in a hurry.

“Leave as soon as possible, but...if I don’t complete the trial and hunt down Emperor-level evil spirits, how can I possibly leave?”

After some thought, Lin Xun made up his mind. In three days, the trial within the Dao Ruins would begin. When the time came, he would have to complete the mission as quickly as possible and leave Taiyi City before disaster struck.

To Lin Xun's surprise, not long after Peng Tianxiang left, more visitors arrived. It was Xiang Xiaoyuan and Yue Duqiu.

“You’ve both made up your minds?” asked Lin Xun.

By now, word had already spread throughout Taiyi City that he had completely offended three Immortal Imperial Clans: Wen, Heng and Luo.

Under such circumstances, for these two to seek him out could only mean they had already reached a decision in their hearts.

“Forgive my bluntness. Though I come from the Great Thousand Worlds, I’ve never been afraid of stirring up trouble,” Xiang Xiaoyuan said with a gentle yet confident voice.

Lin Xun glanced at Yue Duqiu, who smiled and said, “Fairy Xiaoyuan and I are of one mind.”

Lin Xun nodded and said, “Then tell me, what do you want me to do?”

Xiang Xiaoyuan brought out a secret map and handed it to Lin Xun. “This is a secret map drawn by my father when he explored the Dao Ruins back then. It leads to a mysterious place tied to a great fortune.”

Lin Xun examined the map. It was filled with winding, complex routes, and marked with dangerous areas. At the far end of the map were a pair of blood-red moons.

“When my father reached that place, the fortune had yet to emerge. In the end, he had no choice but to leave empty-handed. But according to his analysis, when nine blood moons appear in the sky, the hidden fortune will reveal itself,” Xiang Xiaoyuan softly explained.

Her father was a legendary cultivator who had once traversed the Great Thousand Battle Domains and left his name on the Mythic Rankings. After arriving in the Eternal True Realm, he gained tremendous fame and prestige.

It was precisely because of this that he married a woman from an Immortal Imperial Clan in the Seventh Heaven Domain—Xiang Xiaoyuan’s mother.

“Did your father ever mention what the fortune is?” Lin Xun asked, returning the map.

Xiang Xiaoyuan shook her head, “No, but according to my father’s speculation, it was likely tied to an immortal inheritance from the last epoch. He once heard a series of chanting sounds there, and they were profound and obscure. Even with his eighth realm supreme Emperor cultivation at that time, he could only endure the chanting briefly before being forced to retreat and sever the connection.”

Immortal inheritance!

Chanting sounds!

Lin Xun’s heart trembled. If this was true, then this so-called fortune was indeed something extraordinary.

Yue Duqiu added, “The Dao Ruins are full of unpredictable dangers, and reaching that place of fortune alone won’t be easy. That’s why the two of us hope to join forces with you, Brother Lin. If we succeed, we’ll split the fortune equally among the three of us.”

Xiang Xiaoyian’s gaze locked on Lin Xun.

Lin Xun rubbed his brows and thought for a moment before saying, “Are you two aware that an unknown calamity is about to erupt from the Dao Ruins, one that may sweep across all of Taiyi City?”

Xiang Xiaoyuan nodded. “I’ve just heard. But from what we understand, the outbreak of the anomalies is very likely tied to the emergence of the fortune in the Dao Ruins. Disasters may be inevitable, but fortunes can still be seized.”

“Very well, as long as there’s no fatal danger once we arrive at the Dao Ruins, I would be happy to work with you both.” Lin Xun nodded. At this point, how could he possibly say no?

As for dangers and calamities...when it came to seizing a fortune, smooth sailing was never to be expected.

Xiang Xiaoyuan and Yue Duqiu both smiled. With Lin Xun joining them, they felt far more confident about the operation ahead.