The copy has 0 error tolerance, and the last words on the ground are all wrong for me.

Chapter 468: If it's not prohibited, then it's normal gameplay.

Wu Chang has found the true purpose of the Earth Worship Ritual. The question now is, where is the "Earth Gate" created by the Earth Worship Ritual?

When he thought of information about the Earth Gate, the first person he thought of was Emperor Zhaoning.

Even though the Great Xuan Dynasty and the Human Alliance were at a disadvantage in terms of strength, Emperor Zhaoning always spoke of Lü Changgeng with a subtle sense of condescension, as if he had never regarded Lü Changgeng as an opponent.

Where does Emperor Zhaoning's confidence come from? Is it from the Earth Book, which is bound to the fate of humanity, or from the "Earth Gate" recorded in the Earth Book?

Besides Emperor Zhaoning's attitude, the strong humanistic aura emanating from him was also a reason for Wu Chang to suspect him.

As chosen ones of the same plane, An Rong possesses the innate talent to communicate with animals and is exceptionally gifted in cultivation. With his powerful luck, he is able to obtain a true immortal destiny on his own and become one of the three great earth immortals of the Human Alliance.

In contrast, Emperor Zhaoning's fortune was even greater than Anrong's, but his cultivation level was only at the Grandmaster level, just one step away from becoming a Great Grandmaster.

Unless the world's alternate dimension favors the weaker younger son, Emperor Zhaoning and Anrong should not be so different.

Looking up at the starry sky, Wu Chang thought to himself that if he wanted to know more about the Earth Gate, he would have to go deeper into the Great Xuan royal family's camp.

He recorded the star array diagram of the Hai formation eye, then left the stone chamber through the exit and appeared on the water surface below the Dragon Mouth Waterfall.

Looking up from below, the waterfall looked the same as before he activated the Hai Formation Eye, but the momentum of the water flow had subtly changed.

The Longkou Waterfall previously resembled an inverted Milky Way, containing an irresistible divine power that even grandmasters would find awe-inspiring and unable to muster the will to resist.

At this moment, the Longkou Waterfall has the same width, water flow, and height difference, but its irresistible power has become gentle, as if the overflowing flood has been dredged and returned to order.

The world instance truly lives up to its reputation as the former Realm of Reason; such a scale is unmatched by any other Desolate Realm.

When Wu Chang returned from Longmen Mountain to Zhenyue City, there were less than twelve hours left before the world instance officially began.

The downside of having a large instance area is that each action consumes a lot of time running around the map.

If he were to complete all twelve Earthly Branches himself, it would take him three or four days just to travel back and forth between the twelve locations.

Not only does it take a long time, but simply activating the array's core doesn't bring any benefits, which makes Wu Chang even less motivated to activate the Twelve Earthly Branches.

That's why he was in a hurry to distribute the tasks related to the twelve earthly branches.

With all seven Immortal Mansions activated and the exploration of the Demon Realm coming to an end, the remaining twelve hours seem like a long time, but there are no suitable tasks for this period of time.

Wu Chang could only slow down the pace of conquering the dungeon and wait for the Ziwei Exorcising Array to activate before continuing his progress.

When he returned to Zhenyue City, more than ten hours had passed since the fourth batch of players entered the world instance.

Zhenyue City is one of the three major cities in Tianlan Province and the core of the Earth Worship Ceremony. It is easy to see that it is the end point of the world dungeon.

The fourth batch of players entered the world instance relatively late, but they were still among the top 1,000 in the qualification instance, and were considered experts in the entire Wilderness Realm.

Most of the players who participated in the training camps of the four major organizations were in this tier.

Their rich experience, coupled with temporary training in high-level dungeon strategies, enabled most of them to discover the unique features of Zhenyue City and rush there immediately.

Including Wu Chang, Zhenyue City had encountered three batches of Celestials. They became familiar with the process the first time, and by the time the fourth batch of Celestials arrived, the city's guardian cultivators were already familiar with it. They then led the Celestials who wanted to join the Demon-Slaying Army through selection trials.

At first, everything was normal, but as more and more celestial beings poured into Zhenyue City, the prepared Demon-Slaying Army trials were quickly completed.

Without the Demon-Slaying Army Trials, players who want to join the Demon-Slaying Army will have to take the second route.

As a guest elder, one joins a faction affiliated with a human alliance, and is introduced to the Demon-Slaying Army by a letter of recommendation from the sect leader or the grand elder.

The first three batches of Celestial Beings totaled no more than one hundred people. Moreover, the Celestial Beings were powerful, with the weakest being at the Grandmaster level. Ordinary sects didn't even have the courage to recruit them.

However, the arrival of the fourth batch of Celestials was so large that even the major gangs couldn't handle them all. This gave the smaller factions a reason to try and trick these Celestials into returning to their sects as elders.

The Celestials are powerful and possess great fortune. If they manage to deceive a few powerful Celestials, they might be able to use the Celestials' martial prowess to propel the entire sect to new heights.

Their plan was good, but the players who have made it this far are all seasoned veterans who have battled through hundreds of dungeons.

In their eyes, forces that actively try to win them over are like small hotels that block the entrances of airports and train stations to solicit customers; they are usually in poor condition and have a somewhat shady side.

This has led most players to remain in a wait-and-see mode, keeping the native inhabitants of the planes who are actively trying to win them over while trying to extract information from them to find a reliable force.

Even though it's late at night, players dressed in "strange" clothes can still be seen everywhere in Zhenyue City. Each player is accompanied by one to three cultivators carrying lanterns, which looks quite spectacular.

Wu Changgang had just returned to Zhenyue City and hadn't even had a chance to rest when he was found by a eunuch dressed in a bullfighting outfit and taken back to Zhenyue Villa.

Inside the main hall, Emperor Zhaoning sat calmly at his desk, flipping through the array diagrams drawn by the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. His gaze was on the diagrams, but he didn't really understand much of what they contained.

Every time he heard footsteps outside, he would look in the direction of the sound, only to find that the footsteps were just passing by. He would then frown slightly and look back at the array diagram.

This happened repeatedly, countless times, until he finally saw Heping's figure at the door.

Emperor Zhaoning let out a long breath, placed the array diagram aside, and said to Wu Chang:
"Sir has finally returned. I guessed that the auspicious signs during the day were a sign of the appearance of celestial beings, but I did not expect there to be so many celestial beings."

"According to reports from the secret agents of the Xuancha Division in various places, the number of celestial beings appearing in the entire Tianlan Province is close to a thousand. What is your opinion on this number, sir?"

Nearly a thousand celestial beings, not nearly a thousand civilians who escaped from the demon realm.

Based on the available information, even the weakest Celestial Being can reach the level of a first-class expert, but this level is not very common among Celestial Beings.

Many more Celestial Beings possessed strength comparable to Grandmaster-level cultivators.

It should be understood that the reason why top-tier experts are called top-tier is because they have already achieved the highest level among ordinary cultivators.

The first tier meant that the number of experts would not be large. Even after the Seven Star Immortal Mansion appeared and the cultivation level of the Great Profound cultivators rose rapidly, the total number of first-class experts was only about one hundred, not much more than the number of grandmaster-level experts.

Nearly a thousand top-tier experts appeared in one go, which is ten times the size of the Great Xuan and the Human Alliance. The influx of such a large number of powerful cultivators into the Great Xuan made Emperor Zhaoning unsure whether the Celestials had come to subdue demons and protect the Dao, or if they had other motives.

After eliminating the demon race, it's not the celestial beings who will leave Great Xuan, but rather the Great Xuan royal family and the Human Alliance.

Upon hearing Emperor Zhaoning's question, Wu Chang realized that he couldn't hide it any longer, so he said:
Is Your Majesty dissatisfied with this number?

"We attach great importance to this resurgence of the demon race. We have mobilized almost all of our available forces to complete the unfinished battle of ancient times and fight the demon race to the death."

“The most powerful cultivators will enter the Great Xuan first. The main force is still on its way and will arrive soon. The main force will be weaker, but they are all capable fighters and will not hesitate to deal with the demon race.”

Emperor Zhaoning's face turned ashen, and he was beginning to lose his composure.

He felt there were too many Celestials, far exceeding the control level of a Great Profound cultivator, and feared that the Celestials would take over.

Judging from Wu Chang's words, these thousands of top-notch experts were just the vanguard, and a much larger force was about to arrive.

After a moment's thought, Emperor Zhaoning decided to be direct and tentatively asked:

"Sir, could you give me a hint? Of all the celestial beings who have entered the Great Xuan, what percentage will actually stay and reside permanently?"

When asked this far, Wu Changcai finally understood Emperor Zhaoning's concerns. Emperor Zhaoning possessed the destiny of the human race and could manipulate Lü Changgeng at will, regarding the Human Alliance as nothing.

So many obstacles made him think that Emperor Zhaoning was fearless, but it turns out that even Emperor Zhaoning would back down when faced with enough players.

He smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"Your Majesty need not worry. The spiritual energy and environment of Da Xuan are not suitable for us. After we conquer the Demon Realm, we will not stay in Da Xuan any longer. We will either ascend to the Heavenly Gate and ascend to the Immortal Realm, or leave immediately and return overseas."

Emperor Zhaoning's concerns were somewhat relieved when he heard Wu Chang's confident and unequivocal answer.

Having learned that the Celestials did not intend to occupy the Great Xuan, another matter became the most urgent. Emperor Zhaoning said:
"I asked you before whether the Celestials were credible, but I never expected that there would be so many Celestials coming to Daxuan."

"The power of the Celestials has even surpassed that of the native cultivators of the Great Xuan. If we want to gain control of the Ziwei Exorcising Array, we must not give up this power of the Celestials."

"In terms of understanding of the heavens and the human realm, no one in Da Xuan can compare to you, so I would like to ask you to help me find a trustworthy heavenly being."

Side Quest 2: Help the Great Xuan Royal Family recruit Celestials. If you refuse the quest or fail, the side quest will be interrupted. Do you want to accept the quest?

Wu Chang looked at the pop-up notification. Emperor Zhaoning was being polite, but if he refused the mission, the side quest would be interrupted, meaning his status in the Great Xuan royal family would not improve any further, and he would soon be squeezed out of the center of power.

However, upon closer inspection, even if the mission fails, at most he will simply have to switch allegiances, and it will not result in any punishment for him personally.

He looked troubled, but his mind raced. He quickly made a decision and said, "I am grateful for Your Majesty's trust and am willing to find a suitable person for Your Majesty."

The person he found for Emperor Zhaoning was definitely a capable one, but it was hard to say for whom he would use him.

Emperor Zhaoning was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly said:

"Thanks to your presence, sir. If all the celestial beings had gathered around Lü Changgeng and the others, the original balance would have been completely disrupted. Not to mention controlling the Ziwei Exorcising Array, it's uncertain whether the Great Xuan Royal Family would even be needed to invade the Demon Realm."

"From this moment on, all matters concerning the celestial beings shall be the responsibility of the Master, and no one else shall be allowed to interfere."

"You have accepted side quest 2. The quantity and quality of the celestial beings you recruit will determine your progress. Current progress: 0/100. The higher your progress, the greater the reward you will receive at the end of the quest."

"Note: The completion rate of recruiting celestial beings will affect the completion of main quest four, so please proceed with caution."

Upon seeing the message that the higher the task completion progress, the higher the settlement reward, Wu Chang suddenly had a bold idea.

He said:
"Your Majesty, there are thousands of people who have reached the Great Profound Heaven. Even if I talk myself hoarse, I can only recruit a hundred or so at most. I need more manpower to recruit more Heavenly Beings."

Emperor Zhaoning asked, "What does the gentleman intend to do?"

Wu Changdao said, "I have some trustworthy friends, and I want to distribute the authority to recruit celestial beings to them so that they can recruit them together."

“My friends’ cultivation levels are a bit low, and I’m worried they might encounter danger when attacking the Demon Realm. I hope Your Majesty can allow me to divide the contributions and then give them my rewards according to their contributions.”

After hearing this, Emperor Zhaoning praised:

"Sir, your benevolence and righteousness are unparalleled and truly admirable, but you need not bestow such rewards upon me."

"The reward will remain unchanged. If the person entrusted by you performs well, I will prepare a separate reward for them."

Wu Chang feigned reluctance and said, "My merit is meager, yet the reward is too generous; I feel unworthy to accept it."

Emperor Zhaoning proclaimed in a loud voice:

"Whether for the world or for the Great Xuan, what you and the others have done is of paramount importance. You and the others risked their lives for the greater good, so how could I begrudge those material possessions!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Chang excitedly said:

"Peace will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations!"

Wu Changgang had just left Zhenyue Villa when he received news from Lengshan and Jianxing that the two array eyes they were in charge of, Mao and Chen, had been activated and had returned to Zhenyue City with the array diagrams inside.

After completing side quest 1 and officially joining the Great Xuan royal family, Emperor Zhaoning gifted him a house not far from Zhenyue Villa.

There was a meditation room in the house, and without the need for servants to disturb him, he decided to meet there.

He entered the courtyard, and before he could even finish touring the interior, Leng Shan and Jian Xing had already arrived.

Upon seeing Wu Chang, the two first took out the array diagram recorded in the array's core, then stood quietly in place, looking at Wu Chang expectantly.

Wu Chang was somewhat confused by their stares and asked, "What do you mean by this?"

Sword Star honestly replied, "After activating the array eyes of the Twelve Earthly Branches, what should we do next?"

Wu Chang said helplessly, "Are you treating me like an NPC who issues quests?"

Sword Star and he have been matched together quite a few times, and his ability to conquer dungeons has deteriorated somewhat, so let's leave that aside for now.

Leng Shan is, after all, the number one troublemaker in the Wilderness Realm, so how come he was also influenced by Jian Xing, instead of exploring the dungeon storyline on his own, he waited for Jian Xing to assign him tasks?

Both of them looked embarrassed, but showed no intention of leaving.

Wu Chang sighed and said to the two of them:

"Although I don't have the ability to issue tasks, I do have a task at hand this time."

Upon hearing Wu Chang's words, Leng Shan and Jian Xing exchanged a glance, their faces showing an "I knew it" expression.

Wu Chang first recruited the two into the Great Xuan royal family's camp. With their addition, the mission progress immediately became 5/100.

The world instance is a massive multiplayer online battle arena (MMORPG) instance. If the Great Xuan royal family wants to maintain a certain level of influence, they need to attract at least one or two thousand players.

Based on a compromise of 1500 players, Lengshan and Jianxing's combat power is equivalent to the value of 75 players.

All things considered, the two of them are quite capable fighters.

After bringing the two into the Great Xuan Royal Family camp, he shared Side Quest 2 with them and told them that the more players they could bring in, the higher the rewards they would receive.

The two were very tempted by the reward described by Wu Chang, but they had no idea how to complete the side quest.

This time, it was Leng Shan who raised the question, and he said:

"In about ten hours, the world instance will officially begin, and in a few days at most, the Ziwei Exorcising Array will be activated. In such a short time, without Emperor Zhaoning's intervention, how many people can we recruit on our own?"

Wu Chang shook his head slightly at the two of them, thinking to himself, "Did they manage to make themselves stupid while trying to conquer the dungeon?"

"If you can't attract strangers, can't you attract acquaintances? Every graduate who sells insurance knows that the first customer should be a relative or friend."

The two seemed to understand something and waited for Wu Chang to continue.

Seeing that the two men didn't understand, Wu continued:

"Among the fourth batch of players entering the world instance, there are quite a few players from the Administration Bureau, right? If you pull them all into the Great Xuan Royal Family camp, wouldn't you have a good performance record?"

"Not just the Administration Bureau, you can bring in acquaintances from all four major organizations. If you include them all, it won't be long before you complete the basic tasks."

"If you want to aim for higher rewards, find those among them who are popular and have strong interpersonal skills, ask me for the authority, and delegate the tasks to them at a lower level. I will take 30% of the players they recruit as part of your performance."

"If you encounter someone you have a conflict with, you can share the task with them or increase your commission rate to achieve a win-win-win situation: you get revenge, make money, and develop your downline."

"Those leeks outside the instance, before the nine thousand players came in, being able to enter the Great Xuan Royal Family's camp was a win. If they don't want to do it, there are plenty of others who do."

Jianxing frowned; this pattern sounded so familiar to him.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to do this?"

Wu Chang scoffed and patted the Xuan character waist tag on his waist.

"What's there to be afraid of? Emperor Zhaoning personally granted me this authority. Surely no one will come to investigate me?"

"As for the rules of the Abyss Game, as long as it doesn't prohibit this kind of operation, it's the normal way to play."

Lengshan and Jianxing fell silent after hearing this. While exploiting the native dungeon players, they were also fleecing the players. It was no wonder that the dungeon exploration progress was so high.

However, Heping is right. At this stage, all the players they bring in are guaranteed to make a profit. They are doing a good deed, so there's no need to overthink it.

Leng Shan and Jian Xing reviewed the mission prompts, discussed how to categorize their mutual acquaintances, and then left Wu Chang's residence.

As Wu Chang watched the two figures walk away, a simple, honest smile appeared on his face, like that of a farmer watching his crops grow strong.

He doesn't need to take a cut from Leng Shan and Jian Xing's earnings, because Emperor Zhaoning said that all the people he recruits will count towards his performance. As long as his performance is high enough, Emperor Zhaoning wouldn't mind giving Leng Shan and Jian Xing's downlines another bonus.

Each player drawn into the Great Xuan Royal Family represents more than just the combat power of a Celestial Being. It represents whether Emperor Zhaoning can control the Ziwei Exorcism Formation, and whether, after the Demon Realm is conquered, this world belongs to the Great Xuan Royal Family or the Human Alliance.

If it could give him the chance to surpass the Human Alliance, Emperor Zhaoning wouldn't hesitate to empty the Great Xuan Treasury, so why would he care about a mere double reward?

Just as Wu Chang sat back inside, preparing to piece together the Twelve Earthly Branches array, God's Tongue and Ma Jia brought news that they had returned to Zhenyue City.

A dozen minutes later, Wu Chang accepted the array diagrams copied by the two men and asked:

"Among the players who enter the world instance, do you two know many people?"

(End of this chapter)