Chapter 220 - 170: City God Paper Kite

Words : 2117 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Chapter 220: Chapter 170: City God Paper KiteThe eye conveyed the content of the divination to Zhou Xuan in the form of images. This time, the divination was very detailed—not the usual singular image, but more like a camera with continuous zooming and photography, presenting six images to Zhou Xuan’s vision. "Mingjiang Prefecture, Rainbow South Road, a towering commercial building adorned with colorful neon signs—the Li Yuan Building." "A long corridor, with hallway lamps marked ’Li Yuan,’ leading to a room at the end—the room number is 1907." "A massive library, the open door displaying the number ’1907,’ with dozens of orderly rows of bookshelves, neatly arranged with lines of books." "Library Section Two." "Library Section Four." "Library Section Nine." The six images layered Zhou Xuan’s gaze, drawing him step by step into the answer to the divination. Unlike before, Blood Well was no longer like the fortune-tellers on the street, uttering cryptic words and leaving you to guess slowly. "In Sections Two, Four, and Nine of the library, secrets about the Ancient Tattoo Clan can be found... Hmm... Li Yuan Building, Room 1907." Zhou Xuan noted down these key pieces of information and asked Blood Well with his thoughts, "That’s all?" Master of Wine costs eight bundles of incense for a divination, yet this one only warranted six... The eye blinked again, transmitting two more images. "A seemingly ordinary stone, quietly resting on a table." This stone was the Netherworld Stone from the Ancient Tattoo Clan, picked up by Yun Ziliang amidst a "spectacle." As for how to use the Netherworld Stone, Zhou Xuan had previously inquired with Blood Well—five bundles of incense for the answer. The second image: "Zhou Xuan sitting before the Blood Tree, holding the Netherworld Stone with his left hand, pointing to the ground with his right. A fresh wound was visible on his palm, with blood drawing a ’door’ symbol on the Netherworld Stone’s surface." "It seems I still need to find the Blood Tree. The image conveys a ritual—a ceremony to activate the Netherworld Stone?" Both rounds of divination were meticulous, leaving no interpretation necessary. The eye that had locked gazes with Zhou Xuan finally closed, basking in a lazy indifference. Zhou Xuan severed the connection to the Secret Realm and exited. Outside, the rain had stopped. Zhou Xuan felt his wrist tightened again, noticing another eye fixated on him. The link between the Ancestor Tree and the Ancient Clan had reconnected. He was used to it by now and casually pulled from his pocket the "Flower-picking Handprint" tattoo crafted for Si Yuer. The tattoo returned to its normal design, no longer the twisted horn pattern, now ready for Si Yuer’s use. "Let her offer sacrifices, and this tattoo will be perfectly completed; my incense can finish burning by another two inches too." Zhou Xuan planned to burn two inches’ worth of incense before entering Totem Hall again. Although he held four remaining chances, he still felt opportunities to wash away injustices were elusive. It was more efficient to use one chance to master the Netherworld Stone and learn a new tattoo map. It was only then that he left the tower. The Forbidden Tower, earlier eerie and sinister, was now nothing more than crumbling ruins filled with decay, and the severed white strands in the sky he had cut loose lay as fragments on the floor within the tower. These strands had originally entangled Master of Wine, but with his body now vanished, the strands simply lay quietly on the ground... ... As Zhou Xuan exited the tower, he was greeted by the acrid stench of charred flesh—the blaze at Qiye Temple was still raging. Downhill in the Thousand Buddha Forest, the monks who had once indulged freely in their "desires" were now mostly like torches, their bodies burning fiercely as they sat or lay amidst the conflagration. Screams echoed endlessly. Zhou Xuan glanced around, searching for Si Ming and Si Yuer, whom he had sent out of the tower. "Those two are so unreliable; I was struggling to survive inside and yet they just ran off ahead of me?" He muttered complaints, when suddenly, two voices called out nearby. "Brother Zhou." "Young Master." Turning toward the sound, Zhou Xuan saw the father-daughter pair from the Si Family gasping for breath as they ran toward him. "Where did you two go?" "I was worried something might happen to you, but the Forbidden Tower was too ominous, so we sprinted downhill to the overseer’s quarters to get De Hai to save you." Si Ming bent over, hands on his knees, panting heavily. The Forbidden Tower was far from the quarters, and rushing back and forth in such a short time had clearly exhausted both Si Ming and Si Yuer, despite being skilled practitioners. "You went looking for De Hai? Weren’t we here to sneak around and uncover Qiye Temple’s secrets so that you’d have an excuse not to fund the place anymore? If he actually helped with his evil skills, you’d lose your pretext, and still pour a million into it every year!" "If it can save Young Master, what’s a million? Without you, the two of us would’ve been doomed inside the Forbidden Tower tonight." Si Ming quickly caught his breath. Beside him, Si Yuer picked up where he left off, "We had only just arrived at the quarters when we saw flames erupting from Qiye Temple. De Hai and the other monks were all engulfed in fire, De Hai clearly couldn’t save you, so we feared the tower might catch fire too and rushed back to find you. Brother Zhou, what kind of monstrosity was inside that tower?" "Don’t ask. The less you know, the better." Zhou Xuan mainly wanted to avoid the hassle; explaining everything would require way more than a few words. "If Young Master says not to ask, then we won’t. For the favor owed today, let us repay it in the future. If you need help from Divine Stealer Hall, just say the word." Si Ming patted his chest, making a vow. "I might need your help very soon." Zhou Xuan gestured toward the road’s intersection. Four figures were walking toward them. Each shadow was clad in a black Daoist robe. Their steps were light, but an almost imperceptible oppressive aura emanated from their presence. Si Ming turned and glanced back, straightening his posture to say, "Young Master, no worries, they’re on our side! They’re disciples of the City God." "You’re aligned with the City God faction?" "My wife is the Circle Finance for the Bone Elder Association, and when I conduct business to earn money for her, I’m indirectly earning for the Bone Elders too!" Circle Finance referred to the person managing Tangkou’s finances. The Bone Elder Association was a mysterious scholar organization that likely wouldn’t use such Tangkou-centric terms. Si Ming’s speech betrayed his habitual Tangkou slang, inadvertently referring to Duan Qinglan as Circle Finance. Meanwhile, the four figures approached. The leading figure was Zhang Yifeng, tonight’s acting enforcer for the faction. Zhang Yifeng greeted Si Ming with a cupped fist and said, "What a coincidence, Master Si, meeting you here." "You again, Old Zhang. Seeing your face always ruins my day." Si Ming joked as he nudged Zhang Yifeng before leading Zhou Xuan and Si Yuer downhill. "Master Si, such a major incident happened at Qiye Temple, and you’re just walking away? You need to leave some kind of explanation." Zhang Yifeng’s tone was stern, showing no intention of jesting with Si Ming. "Explain what exactly? The fire at Qiye Temple is raging this intensely—do you seriously think we caused this?" Si Ming countered immediately. "The extent of the blaze is of no concern to me. What matters is this: the Buddha energy from Qiye Temple is gone. Where did it go? It’s been traced." Zhang Yifeng pointed toward the sky. Zhou Xuan and his group looked up to see a paper kite hovering in the air. Its eyes, formed from two spots of vermillion, carried a vicious gaze, unrelentingly fixed on Zhou Xuan. "The City God paper kite has locked onto the energy flow. The Buddha energy from Qiye Temple is with him." One of the City Gods rudely poked his finger toward Zhou Xuan’s chest. Incensed, Si Ming lowered his stance, stepping forward swiftly and grabbing the City God’s finger before it could touch Zhou Xuan. The City God attempted to evade, sensing the sudden shadow, but it was too late—Si Ming’s grip sank into his arm, leaving five bloody indentations before letting go. Clutching his injured forearm in pain, the City God received a harsh rebuke from Si Ming, "This is Young Master! A guest of the Si Family! What are you poking at him for? Not content with being a paper kite poster child anymore? If you keep poking, I’ll tear you apart!" "Master Si, what’s the meaning of this?" Zhang Yifeng, who was typically chummy with Si Ming as drinking buddies, was surprised by Si Ming’s unusual aggression. Si Ming had never given in to losses, but it wasn’t his style to take it this far—to resort straight to physical confrontation. "What do you think I mean? If I say move aside, quit blocking the road." Si Ming’s domineering tone softened Zhang Yifeng’s resolve as he muttered, "Old Si, this situation is serious. The Buddha energy from Qiye Temple is essential for maintaining balance in this area. With the energy gone, our Qi Observation Master issued a Yellow Talisman to report it. We came rushing immediately, The paper kite locking onto the energy presence here—on your Young Master—means he must come with us to the City God Main Hall." "The Main Hall? That’s not a place for good people. Are you seriously taking him there?" Si Ming staunchly refused to let Zhang Yifeng take Zhou Xuan away. Deep down, Si Ming’s confidence wavered. The City God faction possessed many magic artifacts. As a hall deeply connected to divine powers, they relied heavily on the Bone Elder Association scholars and their artifacts, giving the hall additional prestige and might. People often debated whether the magic artifacts of the God Traveling Department or the forbidden tools of the City God faction were superior, but in Mingjiang Prefecture, both factions were evenly matched. For instance, the paper kite was one of City God’s core artifacts; if it targeted someone, it wasn’t wrong. Should Zhou Xuan truly absorb Qiye Temple’s Buddha energy, it would be a grave matter. Entering the City God hall would undoubtedly mean severe consequences, if not heavy punishment. "Whether you want to go or not, you must!" Seeing Si Ming’s determination to protect Zhou Xuan, Zhang Yifeng signaled for the other three City Gods to prepare their ink lines. "This matter is too crucial, Old Si. No face will be spared today! Take the Young Master..." Surrounding Zhou Xuan’s group, the four City Gods readied themselves for conflict. Si Ming assumed his stance, though he knew he was outmatched. Zhang Yifeng, serving as an enforcer, was seasoned in combat and command, his incense burn ranking at five, nearly six. Meanwhile, the other three City Gods held ranks of four and five incense burns. Backed by their faction’s formidable artifacts, Si Ming’s group didn’t stand a chance. Despite this, Si Ming exuded confidence, for he knew one key fact: as their financial backer—a veritable God of Wealth for their halls—they wouldn’t dare deliver a lethal blow. From this stemmed his sliver of opportunity. The tension was palpable, as blades were nearly drawn. Finally, Zhou Xuan stepped forward, ready to "mediate." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a Bone Token. "I know the truth about the Buddha energy issue, and I can explain it, but you’re not qualified to hear it. I need to speak with Mr. Li." On the token’s face was an emblem resembling a book, with "Bone Elder Association, Li Chengfeng" inscribed in the corner. Seeing the token was akin to seeing a Bone Elder. After thoroughly confirming the token, Zhang Yifeng glanced at Zhou Xuan incredulously. How could someone so young possibly possess a token from a Great Scholar of the Bone Elder Association? "Did you understand me? I said I need to speak with Mr. Li!" Noticing Zhang Yifeng’s dazed expression, Zhou Xuan coldly reminded him. Under normal circumstances, mocking defiance toward City Gods would be responded to with artifacts ensnaring the offender. Yet Zhang Yifeng could only force a smile and reply twice: "Understood, understood." Humiliated, Zhang Yifeng lamented how the enforcer of the City God hall had been insulted so unabashedly... PS: The second update is here, kisses.

Chapter 220 - 170: City God Paper Kite

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