Divine Convenience Store

Outside the Divine Convenience Store, atop the second ship construct that parked itself in Fanling City's airspace.

An old man in deep purple robes and veiled with misty aura had his arms clasped behind his back as he looked down at the cultivators below with his Void Refinement Stage aura pressing against everyone's shoulders, pushing them down on their knees.

"Esteemed senior, this is Fanling City. May I ask your name and purpose for this forceful arrival?"

His voice was strained under the crushing weight of the old man's aura, his Nascent Soul Stage cultivation barely holding him upright. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes burned with defiance as he hovered before the massive ship construct.

The old man in purple robes had his face etched with the indifference of someone who'd seen empires rise and fall. He glanced down at Wei Xian as if noticing an ant for the first time.

His misty aura pulsed and a swirling vortex of violet and silver distorted the space around him.

The ship behind him, a sleek behemoth of blackened iron and amethyst crystal, thrummed with forbidden arrays that could rival the Liu Family's Skystorm Ark.

His gaze settled on it for a moment before sneering.

"I am Mu Wuyan, Grand Elder of the Violethaven Temple," The old man declared alongside another burst of his pressure. "My purpose is singular: the Nine Heavens Exquisite Body. The one called Liu Xiaoyu resides within that… shop. Hand her over, and Fanling City will be spared our displeasure."

Despite the pressure pushed against them, the Viewing Jades of the store customers buzzed as new Bulletin Board threads erupted:

[A faction from the Western Sacred Lands, Violethaven Temple, Arrives! Another Void Refinement Expert?! – AncientLoreFan]

[They Want Xiaoyu! Shopkeeper is in Deep Trouble Now! – RealmSnooper]

[Two Void Refinement Experts in One Day?! Fanling's Doomed! Don't dare come here! – SkyGazer99]

—

Meanwhile, in the upper-grade sects nearby Fanling City, like the Azure Gale Sect, Crimson Vale Sect, White Ember Sect and Verdant Sky Pavilion, the slumbering ancestors in deep seclusion opened their eyes.

They all felt it. The arrival of not just one but two Void Integration Stage experts.

In the Verdant Sky Pavilion, the Pavilion Master, Yu Qingyan's grandmother, rose to her feet as the ancestor appeared in the grand hall. She dropped the Viewing Jade in her hand as she greeted the ancient figure with a deep bow.

"Ancestor, two Void Refinement Stage experts have descended upon Fanling City. The Liu Family and the Violethaven Temple… One seeks their family and the other seeks the Nine Heavens Exquisite Body. Shall we intervene?"

The ancestor, a woman whose aura flickered like a dying star yet carried the weight of a mountain range, opened her eyes fully for the first time in decades. Her voice fluttered like leaves in a storm. "The Nine Heavens Exquisite Body is a calamity and a blessing. Even I have sensed it last night. The vultures are quick on their feet to try and claim it.

"Mingrou. This Divine Convenience Store that you have transmitted to me these past few weeks… Are you certain that it is a divine nexus?"

"Yes. Qingyan, my granddaughter, is working closely with the store and its Shopkeeper as the Official Distributor. She believed that it was true. The mystical appearance of that store all points to it as well as the upcoming great unraveling."

"I see. Our Pavilion isn't one to dabble in sect politics, only trade. However, we cannot let the Violethaven Temple seize such a prize, nor can we stand on the side. Prepare the Verdant Sky Ark. We move to assist. My peak Spirit Severing Stage may be inadequate. However, if it is as you say, not even a Law Integration Stage can topple the store. Showing ourselves is enough to show our solidarity to stand behind it."

Similar scenes unfolded across the Azure Gale Sect, Crimson Vale Sect, and White Ember Sect. And it didn't stop at that, Lightning Amethyst Sect, Cerulean Cloud Sword Sect, and even the Royal Family of the Southern Wu Kingdom. Every sect and faction that had become the store's patron had their ancestors, regardless of their strength, roused by the unprecedented gathering of power. They issued orders to mobilize their elite forces as they set out to stand to the defense of the store.

The Eastern Abyssal Domain hadn't seen such a convergence of titans in centuries and the Divine Convenience Store was at its epicenter.

—

Inside the Divine Convenience Store, the first one to rise was the patriarch of the Liu Family, Liu Tianfeng.

He glanced at his granddaughter and then at Lin Mo before addressing his son and the disciples he brought with them.

"Who dares attack this city with our presence? Zhongzu. Let's go."

Liu Tianfeng's voice cut through the store like a blade, his aura surging briefly before he restrained it, mindful of Yangyang's presence.

His gray robes swished as he strode toward the entrance, Liu Zhongzu and the Liu Family disciples falling into step behind him, unafraid of the enemies outside.

The patriarch's eyes burned with both indignation and curiosity. Someone dared to challenge the city where his granddaughter resided, and in the shadow of a divine establishment no less.

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. He truly underestimated the draw of Liu Xiaoyu's heavenly physique. To think that it drew another faction with a Void Integration Stage expert… he was thinking that this might just be the beginning.

Nevertheless, despite its escalation, he's not worried. Aren't they just another faction to rope in?

"Well, that escalated quickly. Senior Liu, you're heading out to meet our new customers? Don't forget your receipt for the noodles."

Liu Tianfeng paused mid-step, his long beard twitching as he shot Lin Mo a look that could've melted a spirit crystal. "Shopkeeper, your nonchalance borders on insolence. This Violethaven Temple seeks our Xiaoyu. The Liu Family does not tolerate such affronts."

"Xiaoyu, stay here. The Violethaven Temple is not to be underestimated."

Zhongzu glanced at his daughter, his face turning soft. Like his father said, he still cannot get rid of his emotions that the Spirit Severing Stage required.

Xiaoyu puffed out her cheeks, crossing her arms. "Father, I'm not some damsel hiding in a cave! If they want me, they can try getting past Sister Yangyang and our Security Guard. Hmph, I bet they'd run crying before I even threw a card! And look at Boss, he's not afraid at all!"

Xiao Ya tugged at Xiaoyu's sleeve, her eyes wide with worry. "Sister Xiaoyu, are bad people coming?"

Lin Mo chuckled, patting Xiao Ya's head. "Don't worry, Xiao Ya. If they step into our store, they're either going to be kicked out or become our customers."

"Senior Liu, Master Liu, go handle your business. Do you have more to add to your orders? Xiaoyu's not going anywhere."

Liu Tianfeng snorted, but a glint of approval flickered in his eyes. "Shopkeeper, your confidence is either madness or divine favor. For Xiaoyu's sake, I hope it's the latter."

As the Liu Family exited, their auras flared like a storm, the Divine Guardian Construct's azure orbs tracked their movements before shifting toward the new ship construct looming over the city. Its halberd gleamed faintly, as if itching for action.

Lin Mo walked towards the door, intent on watching the event unfold before his eyes.

"Should I write a report to Zhenren Lihua? Nah. They're probably watching this as well."

—

Outside, City Lord Wei Xian reached his limits as he gradually descended. With the pressure of the Void Refinement Stage, the mortal citizens all dropped unconscious. If nothing was done, many of them would die.

It was at this moment that the door chime of the Divine Convenience Store echoed before the familiar voice of the Liu Family patriarch echoed followed by his aura that negated the pressure from the Violethaven Temple Grand Elder.

"Violethaven Temple, you dare disturb the peace of Fanling City?" Liu Tianfeng's voice boomed across the skies, his Void Refinement Stage aura clashing with Mu Wuyan's like two celestial titans. "State your true intent, or the Liu Family will teach you humility!"

The space between them crackled with spiritual energy, sending shockwaves that rippled through the clouds and forced lesser cultivators further down to the ground.

The customers inside the store also became frightened to leave as they stood next to Lin Mo, watching what was happening.

Mu Wuyan's misty aura swirled tighter as he sneered from atop his amethyst-crusted ship.

"Liu Tianfeng, so it was indeed the Liu Family. The recluse patriarch who locked his own clan after you all had been pushed out of the Western Sacred Lands with your deity."

"Good. Your family's prodigy has unveiled the Nine Heavens Exquisite Body, a treasure the realm cannot ignore. Hand her over to the Violethaven Temple, and we'll spare your crumbling lineage this humiliation."

"A mere Grand Elder dare act like this? Die!" Liu Tianfeng flicked his wrist and a blade of radiant force materialized, slicing through the air with a keen wail that seemingly shattered the space it passed through.

Mu Wuyan's sneer remained. His misty aura coiled defensively as he raised a hand, summoning a violet-silver barrier that absorbed the force. The ship trembled, its forbidden arrays flaring to stabilize the hull. Narrowing his eyes, he reassessed the Liu Family Patriarch.