The Douluo Plane couldn't do without Leng Yaozhu. After discussing a few matters with Xia Yi, she also returned to the Spirit Pagoda headquarters in Shrek.
Xia Yi and Gu Yue the Demon Empress found Mu Xi and asked her to help gather some books suitable for teaching forging.
This was official business, and as compensation, Gu Yue and the Demon Empress promised to provide Mu Xi and the Forging Masters Association with some rare metals unique to the Genesis Origin.
After returning to the Forging Masters Association, Gu Yue and the Demon Empress also went back to the Origin.
Xia Yi temporarily left Lan Fozi in charge of Sky City while she and Leng Yulai went to several major cities in the Douluo Plane to establish teleportation arrays directly linking to Sky City.
As for the Genesis Origin, Gu Yue and the Demon Empress were already working on establishing teleportation arrays in various locations, so Xia Yi didn't have to worry about it.
For a while after that, Xia Yi mainly focused her energy on Sky City. Besides that, she was nurturing forging masters among the soul beasts of the Genesis Origin.
As time passed, Sky City finally began to bustle with life.
Unlike the brief excitement during Xia Yi's wedding, this time it was genuine and lasting liveliness.
Many soul beasts and humans began exchanging training resources, weapons, and other necessities within the city.
To maintain the proper operation of Sky City, both Gu Yue and Leng Yaoshu dispatched many powerful individuals to the city.
They knew that, as time went on, Sky City would only grow in importance.
The more they invested now, the greater the returns in the future.
Although there were only two vice city lords, many people were supporting them.
Gu Yue even sent the Bright Dragon King to assist Bi Ji.
As the dragon king most trusted by the Dragon God, he had managed dragon affairs during the Dragon God's seclusion.
The Bright Dragon King not only possessed immense strength but also had indisputable capabilities in other areas.
If it weren't to avoid making Leng Yaoshu feel that soul beasts were trying to dominate through force—causing unnecessary trouble—perhaps the Bright Dragon King would've been made a vice city lord himself.
Even though he resided in Sky City to support Bi Ji, he never acted directly. Instead, he advised her from the shadows, acting as her strategist.
The Bright Dragon King understood that since they were already "dead," their best hope was to regain their former peak strength. Breaking through further was unlikely. The future of the soul beasts rested on the younger generation—Demon Empress, Di Tian, Zi Ji, and Bi Ji.
So, he willingly lowered his status to assist Bi Ji.
Leng Yaozhu naturally understood the importance of Sky City too. Besides appointing quasi-god Yuanen Zhentian as a vice city lord, she also arranged many people to support him. Aside from Shenhong, she even dispatched the long-silent Ming Emperor of the Holy Spirit Cult and Qiangu Qingfeng, the Purgatory Douluo from the Spirit Pagoda, who had been under Leng Yulai's command, to Sky City.
The entire Sky City was thriving.
With such a powerful lineup, even if Xia Yi was absent from Sky City for a long time, no trouble would arise.
—
Early this morning, just as Xia Yi finished cultivating the Huangdi Neijing, he was awoken by an urgent voice.
"City Lord, My Lord, something's wrong—there's trouble!"
"Seems Vice City Lords Bi Ji and Titan Douluo have both come," Lan Fozu said, quickly helping Xia Yi dress and leading him to the main hall of the Heavenly Fox Palace.
Seeing Xia Yi, Yuanen Zhentian immediately spoke up, "City Lord, please save that child, Yuanen Yehui."
"Yuanen Yehui?" Xia Yi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Did she break through to Title Douluo?"
"No, she had a problem while absorbing a soul bone. Er Ming gave her a soul bone, and something went wrong during the absorption," Bi Ji said.
"A problem while absorbing a soul bone? How could that happen?" Xia Yi was stunned. "With her abilities and Er Ming helping her, even a hundred-thousand-year soul bone shouldn't be a problem."
"My Lord, I think you'd better see it for yourself," Bi Ji said helplessly.
"Alright then." Xia Yi, with Lan Fozi, followed Bi Ji and Yuanen Zhentian to a secluded cultivation chamber.
As they reached the door, a furious roar erupted:"You filthy thief, liar, scum! Come out now! If you don't, I'll tear you to pieces!"
Inside, Xia Yi saw Yuanen Yehui sitting cross-legged on a stone bed. Golden mist was swirling around her, continuously entering her mouth and nose.
Da Ming and Er Ming stood protectively by her side, trying to block the golden mist from entering her body.
"What's going on here?" Xia Yi asked, unable to hold back.
"My Lord, that soul bone Er Ming gave the girl—was fake," Bi Ji said helplessly.
"Fake? Soul bones can be faked? And it even fooled Da Ming and Er Ming?" Xia Yi was stunned.
Bi Ji gave a bitter smile. "He's a very special soul beast. To put it nicely, he's a 'money beast.' To be blunt—he's the dirtiest thief in the soul beast world, the most shameless, despicable thief."
Xia Yi was shocked. "There are thieves among soul beasts?"
Bi Ji continued, "Any soul beast that discovers him wants to kill him on the spot. No one knows how he reproduces or where his bloodline comes from, but he's born with strong illusion abilities and is a master of disguise. He can change into anything. Even much stronger soul beasts can be scared off by his illusions. He uses the opportunity to loot treasures, feeding on heavenly and earthly treasures, extremely greedy. Normally, we soul beasts protect such treasures and wait for them to mature before harvesting them. But if he finds one, he'll resort to trickery, deception, or illusions to steal it.
"He's extremely elusive and hard to track. Back when we were in the Star Dou Forest, he appeared once and fooled all the fearsome beasts there. He even stole a heavenly treasure that Di Tian had prepared for the Emperor Auspicious Beast. This time, it seems he even fooled Da Ming and Er Ming. If he hadn't been forced to reveal his true form when Yehui tried to absorb him, they might never have realized it."
Bi Ji gnashed her teeth. "Back then, he disguised himself as an Emerald Swan to approach the Emperor Auspicious Beast. Just as she was about to consume the treasure, he suddenly struck, stole it, and fled. By the time we noticed, he had already disappeared—transformed into something else."
Even Bi Ji, known for her gentle nature, was seething with rage at the mention of the "money beast," showing just how despised he was.
"Isn't he a soul beast? How can he be absorbed by a soul master?" Xia Yi asked curiously. "Can he just become whatever he transforms into? If he turns into a soul bone, does he really function like one and get absorbed?"
"I don't know either. Even Di Tian knows very little about this guy," Bi Ji said with a bitter smile. Though this situation involved Da Ming and Er Ming and was really a family matter of the Titan clan, they had asked her to come, so she had no choice.