Chapter 0461: The Horn
He Shen definitely did not give up on becoming an official just to content himself with being a mere merchant. He knew very well that if his past misdeeds were exposed, no one would dare to employ him lightly. After all, not many rulers could tolerate a great corrupt official—especially one remembered by history as one of the most corrupt. No matter the political climate, no one in power could ignore the stigma attached to such a name.
He Shen was shrewd. Faced with recruitment, he used retreat as a way to advance—putting on the appearance of someone who had seen through the vanity of officialdom. In truth, he was trying to shift the situation in a direction more favorable to himself.
Notably, in all his words, He Shen never firmly stated that he would never take up an official position again.
"Recruiting someone like He Shen, a legendary corrupt official, has both pros and cons," Jia Xu said with a faint smile. "Though history is written by men and recorded at the will of emperors, and part of his wealth indeed came from corruption, another part undeniably came from business. His talent—for making money and manipulating power—is clear. If used wisely, he could be an extraordinary asset. A great thief can also be a great genius."
To be honest, Jia Xu hadn't realized until now that He Shen had been such a massive embezzler. His wealth surpassed even the imperial treasury—equivalent to several years of a dynasty's tax revenue. Truly a crocodile among corrupt officials—so wealthy he could rival a nation.
Even Jia Xu's eyes had been fooled. That alone spoke volumes. His psychological endurance and ability to conceal himself were far beyond the norm.
"Talented, yes," Yi Tianxing said with a wry smile, shaking his head, "but we still need to observe further. This isn't a small matter. If we do use him, we must be cautious about how. To be honest, I didn't expect the person I was going to meet would turn out to be that He Shen."
"There are all kinds of people in this world. But for a monarch, the most important trait is the capacity to embrace all, to tolerate everything," Jia Xu said meaningfully.
Yi Tianxing nodded inwardly. After experiencing countless reincarnations as different emperors and feeling the full weight of a ruler's life, few could match his understanding of imperial philosophy.
If he hadn't understood that a ruler's heart must be vast, he would have walked away the moment he learned who He Shen was, rather than entering to speak with him. But some matters required deeper thought.
After meeting He Shen, Yi Tianxing no longer felt like visiting anyone else. He strolled briefly through the city before returning to the City Lord's Mansion.
He immediately entered the core space.
Inside the Qi Luck Pool, a layer of crimson liquid flowed steadily. Over the past three months, the waters of fortune had accumulated significantly—enough to fully cover the bottom layer. The golden dragon-serpent could now freely swim in the pool. From the spring at its center, strands of liquid fortune flowed continuously. The hearts of the people had brought this fortune—a never-ending stream.
Bit by bit, the qi luck continued to grow.
This alone proved that Xuanhuang City and the nearby towns and villages were stable—there had been no major issues. The people's hearts remained aligned with Yi Tianxing's rule. Stability led to unity, which brought fortune—continuously.
"The people's loyalty is stable. But this pool, spanning eighty-one zhang in radius, will take a long time to fill. It's not easy. I need a faster way to accumulate fortune. The biggest shortcut on the path of qi luck… is plunder. Stealing the fortune of other races is the fastest way. There's no risk—only the law of the strong and the weak. Survival of the fittest. That's the rule of the world," Yi Tianxing muttered.
This was how qi luck worked: big fish ate small fish, small fish ate shrimp. That's all.
The question was—where should he strike? Other races were not so easy to deal with—they weren't docile sheep.
He then looked at the Money Tree.
Its size had increased more than tenfold since three months ago. Eternal coins clustered together had formed the tree, which now shone with divine light. Endless heaven-and-earth energy continuously gathered into the tree. With every breath, it absorbed vast amounts of this energy—thankfully directly from the endless void. Otherwise, the entire Xuanhuang City would be overwhelmed by anomalies.
White and black divine light intertwined on the tree. Strange, mystical pearls flickered upon it, unpredictable and magical.
"Over a million people in Xuanhuang City, and tens of millions in surrounding areas, all use Eternal Coins. The wish power gathered is massive—countless wish pearls and demon-thought pearls are harvested daily. Looks like I can speed up the forging of the supreme artifact, the Xuanhuang Immortal City," Yi Tianxing thought happily.
This was excellent news. The more wish pearls he gathered, the faster he could build the artifact. The core structure was already largely complete—transformed from illusion to substance.
Based on calculations, over ten thousand wish and demon-thought pearls were harvested per day.
With ten million people, that number could rise to twenty or thirty thousand per day.
Three months—ninety days—yielded over two million wish pearls and another two million demon-thought pearls.
And yet, even that vast amount only allowed a tenth of the immortal city embryo to take form.
"The demon-thought pearls can't be touched—they're needed to forge Eternal Coins and maintain the currency system. As for wish pearls, even at this rate, it'll take over two years to finish the immortal city. That's a long time—especially in this chaotic era."
Yi Tianxing sighed. But there was no way around it. Whether he liked it or not, this wait was necessary. Unless the population doubled, or the reach of Eternal Coins expanded dramatically, speeding things up wasn't realistic.
He needed a turning point.
But where would that turning point come from?
He took one last look at the scene in the core space, then vanished.
Yi Tianxing's return to public life injected fresh vitality into the entire city.
Every department ramped up their efforts like a tightly wound clock springing to life.
Especially the Hunter Hall—its members continued bringing in new civilians and vagabonds daily. However, this time, many of the new arrivals were redirected to outlying towns and villages. They were registered, granted citizenship, and given equal benefits and access to cultivation methods as those in the central city.
Still, problems arose.
Beast attacks on villages and towns were common. There were daily reports of injuries and casualties. In this chaotic world, such dangers were the norm. Fortunately, thanks to Xuanhuang City's support, local defenses had been upgraded. Buildings were reinforced, and troops equipped with new armor and weapons.
This greatly reduced the casualty rate.
This kind of conflict—man versus beast—was unavoidable. There was no right or wrong, only survival. The weak died. That was the essence of their relationship.
That morning…
WOOOOO~~!!!
Suddenly, a deep and ancient horn sounded out of nowhere. It was vast, solemn, and majestic—like the call of ancient gods and demons summoning their armies to war.
"What's that sound?"
"A giant horn! It appeared in the sky! Is it some kind of relic or artifact emerging into the world?"
"That sound—it's overwhelming! I feel like I'm being summoned to battle. It's stirring something deep inside me…"
In Xuanhuang City, countless citizens instinctively looked to the skies.
The horn seemed to be far away, but every cultivator could see it clearly—as if it were right before their eyes. Carved on it were vivid images of gods and demons locked in fierce battle.
Its sound pierced through space—reaching even tens of thousands of miles away.
Some even felt their inner qi fluctuating violently, as if the horn's call was igniting their blood.
"Where did that horn come from? It's not ordinary. Its influence across such a distance… it has to be a powerful artifact. For it to appear now—something big is happening."
Yi Tianxing stood up instantly, looking toward the horn in the distant void.
If it wasn't a relic emerging, then it had been deliberately used. The former was manageable—but if the latter, it signaled something far more serious.
Who had the power to control such a war instrument?
"To all powerful warriors and cultivators who hear this horn," came a voice filled with authority, transmitted from the horn itself,"I am Qing Tianyu, Chief of the Bluewing Skyfolk. I now issue a proclamation—a grand summoning order."