Calamity of Tomorrow

Hearing Yan Shan's words, Lord Yan Zhen was firstly stunned, then frowned and asked, "What did you invest in?"

"Eh... it's... that... fundraising! Backed by West Mountain City," Yan Shan hemmed and hawed for a moment before immediately saying, "Forty percent interest per year, return the principal in two years! Double the investment after five years!"

Lord Yan Zhen asked with an expression as still as water, "Who told you to invest? To whom did you give the money?"

Yan Shan: "! "

He was silent for a brief moment before saying, "I... I didn't ask for the name, but that person looked extremely trustworthy. I'm not wrong about people."

Hearing this, Lord Yan Zhen closed his eyes, rubbed his brow with his right hand, feeling somewhat drained.

Then Lord Yan Zhen sighed and asked again, "How much did you invest?"

Yan Shan: "About five to six thousand credit points' worth of items..."

Lord Yan Zhen was about to say that it wasn't too much, but Yan Shan had already continued, "However, Yan Hai, Yan Yan, and their group also invested with me. Altogether, it's probably around forty to fifty thousand credit points."

Lord Yan Zhen opened his eyes and stared fiercely at Yan Shan, "Forty to fifty thousand credit points is nothing to me, but I cannot tolerate my son being fooled by such a clumsy scam."

Yan Shan hurriedly said, "Father! That person is not a swindler. How about I bring him over to talk to you? Once you talk, you'll understand, he is really trustworthy..."

Cold light surged in Lord Yan Zhen's eyes, and Yan Shan felt a chill envelop him, as if thousands of tortured souls passed through his body, leaving him frozen all over.

Yan Shan looked at his father with some fear. He rarely saw Lord Yan Zhen so furious, and he felt that today's Lord Yan Zhen seemed especially irritable.

Seeing Yan Shan shrink like a quail, Lord Yan Zhen coldly said, "Go to West Mountain City right now, capture the one who tricked you out of your money, and make him cough up everything."

Yan Shan: "But... but..."

"Hm?" With a cold snort, Lord Yan Zhen slowly said, "Immortals must not be humiliated. As a descendant of Immortals, being deceived by a mortal is a disgrace. Do you wish to shame me because of you?"

Yan Shan lowered his head, "I... I understand."

Lord Yan Zhen closed his eyes and lay back on his chair, "If you understand, then go." His mind once again recalled the gains and losses from his encounter with Li Xiuzhu and Christina, contemplating the plans ahead.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open again and he looked at Yan Shan, "Right, you must participate fully in the upcoming Daluo Heaven debates, and strive for a good ranking."

Hearing about the Daluo Heaven debates, initially disheartened Yan Shan due to the trip to West Mountain City, his eyes immediately lit up. It was the hottest topic in Central City in recent days. Ever since Wanxian Island announced the reopening of the Daluo Heaven debates, countless young cultivators, especially those of Immortal descent, were eager to demonstrate their strength.

Yan Shan said, "Father, rest assured, even if I don't take first place this time, I will definitely be in the top three."

Lord Yan Zhen shook his head, "Don't even think about first place. With the Human Emperor Sword as a reward, the first-place winner will surely be someone chosen by those Immortals. They have been secretly selecting and training several batches of cultivators over the years, most of whom are no less powerful than those of Immortal descent. Some of those young talents have even surprised me."

Yan Shan didn't expect his father to say such a thing. A talent that could surprise even a deity of the heavenly realm—what kind of prodigy was that?

Yan Shan couldn't help but ask, "Is the Human Emperor Sword that important? Isn't it just a Ninth Realm Magical Treasure?"

Lord Yan Zhen slowly said, "Don't underestimate a Ninth Realm Magical Treasure. The Ninth Realm Magical Treasure represents the pinnacle of the mortal world. After the distortion of Heavenly Dao, all Immortal Artifacts were destroyed, and in the past hundred years, not a single Immortal Artifact has been forged. Ninth Realm Magical Treasures have become the strongest weapons available."

Yan Shan nodded, understanding that after the distortion of Heavenly Dao, those closest to it such as the Immortals and Immortal Artifacts had been the most affected. It was said that even the divine emperor Tai Hao and the Supreme Heavenly Venerate suffered heavy losses, and other deities were wounded to varying degrees. Although they were still far superior to human cultivators, they were not at their peak of the past.

Although there has been a constant recovery over the past hundred years, no one has heard of a new Immortal Artifact being forged or repaired.

Lord Yan Zhen continued, "Furthermore, the significance of the Human Emperor Sword far exceeds that of an ordinary Ninth Realm Magical Treasure. It is the Ninth Realm Magical Treasure crafted with the collective effort of humanity during the first great unified nation, Xia, combining countless techniques. At that time, it also received the endorsement of billions of people, enduring sixty years of worship by billions of citizens along with the founder of Xia.

In the hands of the Xia leader, the Human Emperor Sword participated in the great conflict between humans and demons, combating countless demon gods and representing an invincible will.

Although the Human Emperor Sword itself did not receive recognition from Heavenly Dao or infusion from the will of heaven and earth to become a true Immortal Artifact, it has surpassed the simplicity of just being a Ninth Realm treasure.

Later, when the leader of Xia was assassinated by a Demon God and the nation fragmented, there has never again been a unified nation of all humanity. However, each time the Human Emperor Sword resurfaced, the bearer was someone whose name became eternally renowned, representing the heroic qualities of courage, wisdom, righteousness, and benevolence.

During the human-demon war, Xia's descendant 'Ji Wuchang,' wielding the Human Emperor Sword, slew Demon Gods until his own demise.

In the struggle between good and evil, the leader of the righteous sects, 'Butcher of Demons,' was recognized by the Human Emperor Sword since childhood, rapidly advancing in cultivation, and finally with the sword, he joined the deities of heaven to eradicate the leader of the Evil Gods. Then, reciting from the Immortal Ascension Book, he took his place among the Immortals.

Most recently, four hundred years ago, the Ancient Azure Dragon awoke and brought disaster to the world. Then, as a comet fell from the sky, a descendant of the Immortals, Li Zhengdao, found the Human Emperor Sword at the site of the comet's crash, suppressed the Azure Dragon, rode the dragon to ascend, and became one of the righteous gods of heaven.

Such is the significance of this sword—it has become a symbol of courage, wisdom, righteousness, and benevolence, and every bearer of the Human Emperor Sword has received the fortune of humanity, eventually having the chance to ascend to the heavens and join the ranks of the Immortals.

Now that the Human Emperor Sword has finally reemerged, the scattered Immortals of Wanxian Island must have repaired the distortions on the sword.

Whoever gains recognition from the Human Emperor Sword will also gain the endorsement of countless humans, even becoming the hope in the eyes of many to slay the Heavenly Demon and save humanity."

Listening to Lord Yan Zhen recount the history of the Human Emperor Sword, Yan Shan couldn't help but boil with excitement, wishing he could wield the sword to slay demons and be immortalized in history.

But recalling what Lord Yan Zhen had said earlier, he felt a wave of discouragement, as if doused with cold water.

Yan Shan couldn't help but ask, "Father, do I really have no chance at all?"