Star Trace Gate

Chapter 937 The 251 Years of Chaos and Demonic Frenzy, and the Mysterious Companion

Little Bad King truly never expected that he would encounter Daoist Chu in Tiandu City. The last time they parted ways was in Jiuli, when the fat man received guidance from Senior White-Striped Chicken to search for the eighth scene of the Eight Scenes Palace—the Fallen Star River Secret Realm.

This Fallen Star River Secret Realm is completely different from the one in the Illusionary Village. The latter is merely a man-made, astonishing phenomenon created by imitating the former; but the former is a naturally formed top-tier blessed land, and also the legendary true Heavenly Monarch's Daoist temple.

Back then, when Master Chu left, Little Bad King was fighting fiercely in the Emperor's Tomb, and the two didn't even have a farewell drink. Moreover, this fat man had been gone for almost a year without a trace, so his sudden appearance in the bustling city of Xita was indeed a pleasant surprise and a source of great excitement for Ren Ye.

When close friends reunite in the park, it's natural to have a few drinks, clink glasses, and try to scam each other whenever possible.

After packing up his fortune-telling stall in the bustling Xita area, Master Chu took Ren Ye back to the small courtyard he had temporarily rented in the backstreet. On the way, he even paid for some snacks and drinks. However, he didn't pay a single cent of the promised 50,000 Star Sources for solving the riddle; he simply reneged on the promise.

After the two were admitted to the hospital, Master Chu placed the three cold dishes and three hot dishes, along with six side dishes, on the table in the pavilion in the courtyard. Then he opened a jar of his privately treasured Drunken Immortal Wine and personally poured it for Ren Ye.

"Come on, don't be stingy. It's been so long since I've had your Drunken Immortal Brew. Give me more." Ren Ye grinned and urged.

Normally, Master Chu, who was addicted to wine, would only pour half a bowl for Ren Ye at most. However, it had been almost a year since the two last parted, and both had experienced extremely long and complex journeys through secret realms, and had faced countless perilous situations. Therefore, this meeting gave them a feeling of being separated by lifetimes.

"Damn it, when I was in the secret realm, there were several times when I really thought... we would never see each other again... but in the end, we were lucky enough to survive." Chu Daoye poured Ren Ye a full cup and said with a rare sigh, "Brother, I won't say anything more. This cup is to toast those who survived and to toast our reunion."

"Done."

Ren wasn't a particularly fond of drinking, but at that moment he felt a surge of excitement at meeting a close friend in a foreign land while enduring intense loneliness. That's why he raised his glass to clink glasses with the friend, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp, displaying a hearty and unrestrained attitude.

After downing a glass of fine wine, Ren felt a blissful, ethereal sensation. Then, while eating, he casually asked, "...You deliberately set up a wine jug containing Drunken Immortal Wine at the fortune-telling stall, letting the aroma waft out, and then you created five riddles. Was this specifically to find me?"

"Yes." Master Chu nodded helplessly: "After I left that damned Fallen Star River Secret Realm, I immediately returned to Jiuli, but the people from Haoran Sect said that you had all left, and even the young marquis had come with you to travel to the migration area. After that, I followed you all the way, but I fell behind step by step. Finally, I heard from your Qingliang Mansion that you had all gone to Tiandu together."

"After I arrived in Tiandu, I was completely lost and couldn't find your whereabouts at all. Then I had a sudden inspiration. I remembered that before each expedition to the secret realm, the park's teams would make a large purchase and would habitually go to the most bustling cultivator market to gather information. So, I decided to wait for you here and set up my fortune-telling stall at the north exit of the largest market in Tiandu, the West Tower. I also used the aroma of wine to give you a hint, hoping that you would find this place when you pass by."

"Oh, I see." Ren Ye nodded slightly. "But how do you know about the young marquis's story? We only found out about his secret of insisting on joining the team when we were at Xiao Shuai's house."

"Hehe, guess what?" Master Chu smiled mysteriously.

Ren paused briefly, then exclaimed in surprise, "Holy crap, you've already encountered Dragon Head and the others in Tiandu?! Where are they?"

"At first, I only had four riddles on my stall, and the most important one was—what is the price of becoming the chosen one of the park's destiny?" Master Chu chuckled, then shook his head and narrated softly, "About ten days ago, a group of people smelled the aroma of wine on my stall and came to see my riddles. Then a clever and quick-witted girl surnamed Ren... simply answered: 'This riddle is too easy, it's just that my brother can't do it.'"

"It's Qingning?!" Ren Ye heard the other party's words and immediately felt so angry that his teeth itched: "My reputation was ruined by this brat."

“That’s right. It was Li Yan who brought your sister and six fifth-rank members of the Protectorate to this bustling market in Xita to purchase the items needed for the secret realm. They happened to smell my wine when they left.” Master Chu explained, “We had a small gathering. Before we parted, your sister said… the team’s contact code had been changed, so… that’s why we got this fifth riddle.”

"Stop talking about your damn word puzzles, it's like they're some kind of funny joke." Ren waved his hand impatiently, then asked, "You didn't go with them?"

“Li Yan originally invited me, but during our get-together, Qing Ning said that you left after obtaining the Heavenly Grace Token’s entry-level position on your own. I… still miss you a little, so I decided to stay in the bustling city of Xita and wait for you. I also think that if you pass that assignment, you will definitely enter Tiandu. After all… don’t you still have a two-year agreement with that ancient emperor’s successor?”

"Hehe, you stinky Taoist priest, do you have a little crush on me?" Ren Ye felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this.

"I like you as a little earthworm?" Master Chu looked at him with disdain.

"Don't even mention that, let's drink!" Ren frowned and cursed, then downed another drink with the other person in one gulp.

As he put down his glass, Ren wiped his mouth, frowned, and asked, "Have Brother Wolf and Qingning already received their assignments in Tiandu City?"

"Yes, when we met, Li Yan said he had received a mission from the Divine Court, and the mission was of a very high rank... He guessed that the mission came from either the Divine Court's inner cabinet or from a powerful family within the Divine Court. But he couldn't be sure which family it was from, because the mission was still in its early stages and hadn't been fully triggered yet, and the details were still unclear," Master Chu replied in detail.

"Oh."

Ren nodded thoughtfully and guessed, "If we look at it that way, Tiandu's reopening this time may have changed some of the rules for travel. To put it bluntly, it's more like an open world now. Anyone who enters Tiandu will randomly receive various assignments, unlike before... Each secret realm is independent and closed, and the number of travelers is fixed, so large groups of travelers basically won't interact or fight each other."

"You're absolutely right." Master Chu nodded in agreement. "I've been waiting for you here for over ten days. Besides telling fortunes for women in the mortal world, I've also been gathering information about Tiandu. In short, Tiandu is now an incredibly magnificent super secret realm. In addition to the more than 45 million remnant souls evolved from the Heavenly Dao, there are at least tens of thousands of travelers. These travelers are hidden among the remnant souls, each with their own duties and tasks... Until the very last moment, you'll never know whether you're seeing a person or a remnant soul, or even their exact identity."

"The travelers are unaware of each other's backgrounds, and their respective tasks will inevitably overlap and intersect, or even be full of confrontation and competition."

"To be honest, I only now understand why the migration site has been closed for a year and a half... I've been to quite a few high-level secret realms, but this is the first time I've encountered one with such a grand story background and so many diverse travelers." Master Chu exclaimed sincerely, "The Heavenly Dao here truly has a grand vision and great methods."

After pondering for a long time, Ren asked, "Speaking of the background story of the Heavenly Capital Secret Realm, have you found out any more detailed information?"

"Yes. If I had to summarize it in one sentence, the direction and rules of this secret realm are based on the city of Tiandu in 251, gradually unfolding the decisive battle that actually broke out in Tiandu, a battle that will determine the life or death of Tiandu and will also bring about the calamity that has been rumored to be happening outside. Travelers from the Order faction will definitely receive assignments from the Divine Court; conversely, those from the Chaos faction will definitely receive assignments from the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon of Tianzhao Temple." Master Chu gave his summary.

“I’ve also felt the confrontation between the two major factions.” Ren Ye nodded in agreement after recalling his experience in the Illusion Village: “To put it bluntly, the travelers of the Order faction are helping the Divine Court, while the Chaos faction is helping the Tianzhao Temple. In addition, the Heavenly Dao previously evolved the rule setting of the Guide, so it’s not hard to guess what these two factions will gain if they win.”

Chu Daoye smoothly replied, "Whichever faction wins the final victory will have the right to control the entire Migration Capital. This reenactment of the decisive battle of the Capital 251 years ago is actually to set the stage for the struggle between order and chaos in this prosperous era."

“Hmm.” Ren also agreed: “If that’s the case, then what about the other cities in the migration destination? What roles do they play?”

"According to what I've gathered, the chaotic faction is currently led by the Wallfacers, who have used the guides of the prodigies to swallow up many cities in the migration areas, more than the Order faction. I've heard that the Wallfacers have already established Huangling City as their main base, thus controlling the entire layout of the migration areas. The Free faction has also occupied some cities, but the number is small and its impact on the overall situation is not profound." Master Chu recalled carefully, "On our Order side, the situation is more complicated. It's mainly led by the Guardians and a series of ancient clans in the migration areas. However, the forces below are too complex, with all sorts of people, and the distribution of cities in the migration areas is also quite chaotic. To put it bluntly, there is currently no force that has elected an absolute leader, and the internal situation is somewhat loose."

“There’s no need to worry about that.” Ren Ye frowned and shook his head after hearing this answer. “I understand the Guardians of the Year, and I understand the Master even more. They have definitely already made up for the shortcomings that we can see in secret. When the order needs the Guardians of the Year to exert their efforts, the Guardians of the Year will definitely be there.”

“That’s true. The Wallfacer, the New Year’s Watchman… just hearing those two names, you know they’re destined to be incompatible.” Master Chu agreed. “However, the jobs and roles that have evolved in the other cities of the migration area you mentioned are definitely all centered around Tiandu. To put it bluntly… the tasks that the entire migration area is currently receiving are definitely related to the decisive battle in Tiandu, and to the legendary calamity.”

"Hmm, if that's the case, then I guess Brother Xiaoshuai... might not have entered Tiandu yet. He might be leading the people of his city on an external mission." Ren Ye briefly guessed, and then asked, "Have you heard anything important about my Shou Sui people recently?"

As he spoke, he sipped his wine, his face flushed.

"There are too many. For example... among you year-watchers, a peerless genius named Zhang Lan has recently emerged out of nowhere. I don't know which branch of the year-watchers he belongs to, but this kid is incredibly powerful. He is only a fourth-grade cultivator, yet he single-handedly killed twenty-three chaotic individuals in the royal hunting grounds of Tiandu, most of whom were fifth-grade. He even boasted that in this battle between the two emperors, he could fight in the Divine Court on behalf of his junior brother, the Human Emperor, and personally slay the ancient prince Qi." Chu Daoye said with a grin, "I think this guy... is also the kind of person who loves to show off in front of others, and is single-mindedly trying to steal your thunder."

"Zhang Lan?!" Ren thought carefully for a moment, then shook his head slightly and said, "Damn, I really don't remember there being such a person among the younger generation of the New Year's Eve Watchers. Could it be... that he's a prodigy who's been secretly trained by some big shot for a long time and has never appeared in the world before?"

"A fourth-rank official can kill so many fifth-rank officials; he certainly has the right to be arrogant."