Chapter 2690: Ominous Sign

As someone who had seen countless movies and TV shows from his previous life, Zu An knew that certain character tropes – like pulling out a photo, mentioning a lover waiting at home, or vowing to get married after one last job – were all "flag-planting" behaviors that usually meant the character was about to die.

Recalling his recent goodbyes to the women in his life, Zu An couldn't help but smile bitterly. He had certainly planted a lot of flags. At that moment, however, he couldn't afford to worry about such things; his farewells had all been heartfelt.

Yet, what happened in the academy's back mountain made him realize something was amiss. One of his soul fragments had gathered the academy's masters to delegate various matters for after his departure, entrusting the First Master, Yan Xiangu, with the responsibility.

Yan Xiangu was already the senior-most disciple among the many direct pupils, possessing the highest strength and prestige, so no one raised any objections. One by one, they presented him with their most precious items for self-defense. Even Ji Dengtu, who had always disliked him, gave him a bottle of pills: "You brat, these are new pills that Xiao Xi and I recently developed. They're better than all previous ones. I was reluctant to give them to you, but that girl Xiao Xi insisted. Fine, take them all. Just don't die out there and waste my pills."

Zu An thought to himself that old man Ji Dengtu was still a tsundere, clearly concerned about him but unwilling to admit even a bit of it. So he said, "Don't worry, Xiao Xi holds a special place in her heart for me. How could I bear to abandon her? I'll definitely come back for her."

Ji Dengtu immediately roared in anger, as if he could already envision the day his beloved daughter would be stolen away by some young punk.

Rage points from Ji Dengtu: 119119119...

Amidst the ruckus, Qi Yaoguang approached Zu An: "Sacrificial Wine, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you privately."

As soon as she spoke, everyone in the room immediately wore strange expressions. Judging by the youngest junior sister's demeanor, had she also fallen for the Sacrificial Wine? However, the Sacrificial Wine was an extraordinary talent; even Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue had developed feelings for him, so it wasn't surprising that the junior sister also liked him. With knowing smiles, they all left, giving the two some private space.

Only Ji Dengtu grew even angrier. Was this boy some kind of walking aphrodisiac? Now even the junior sister had fallen for him. No, he had to go back and make Xiao Xi see clearly, lest she be deceived by this philanderer.

Rage points from Ji Dengtu: 444444444...

Only Zu An noticed something was wrong: "Yaoguang, your qi and blood seem depleted."

"As expected, I can't hide it from the Sacrificial Wine," Qi Yaoguang coughed lightly, dropping her pretense. Her face instantly became extremely pale. "Sacrificial Wine, there's no need to worry. I merely performed an astrological divination just now."

Zu An hastily pointed his finger in the air, injecting a pure stream of heaven and earth essence into her body. Her complexion then recovered slightly. He couldn't help but feel a little confused: "Given your cultivation, even divination shouldn't deplete you this much. It seems your lifespan has even been affected."

Qi Yaoguang smiled faintly: "That would be true if I were predicting other things, but to foresee the safety of the Sacrificial Wine's journey, the price naturally has to be much greater."

Zu An was startled, never expecting her to pay such a great price for him. Qi Yaoguang did not wish to delve deeper into the topic. Instead, she waved her hand in mid-air, and a scene quickly appeared.

In the image, a massive vortex appeared, and within the vortex was a skeleton. "This is the result of my previous divination. I hesitated for a long time whether to tell you, but after much thought, I believe you need to be prepared."

"What does this mean?" Zu An gazed at the image in the air. The vortex made one feel dizzy just by looking at it, and the skeleton within was particularly stark, clearly not an auspicious sign.

"In divination, a skeleton generally represents death. As for what the vortex signifies, I'm not entirely certain. Perhaps it's related to water, or perhaps it represents a certain kind of risk," Qi Yaoguang said, her brows furrowed, clearly filled with worry.

Zu An couldn't help but sigh: "So, it seems I'm destined to die on this journey?"

Qi Yaoguang quickly shook her head: "Not necessarily. Divination cannot be perfectly precise; it only indicates a general trend, showing that your journey is extremely perilous. However, the Heavenly Dao is ethereal and always leaves a glimmer of hope. Many fates are not predetermined, Sacrificial Wine, so please don't lose heart."

Zu An smiled faintly: "I've encountered too many risks in my life. I'm precisely the kind of person who doesn't accept fate, Yaoguang, so please rest assured."

Only then did Qi Yaoguang let out a sigh of relief: "Sacrificial Wine, you won't blame me for telling you about this inauspicious prophecy now, will you?"

"You sacrificed your lifespan to warn me of danger. I'm more grateful than I can say; why would I blame you?" Zu An's expression softened. "I'm leaving soon and won't be able to help you myself. Go find Ji Dengtu and Xiao Xi, and also ask Bi Linglong for some medicinal herbs. They can help you replenish your depleted body."

Qi Yaoguang smiled faintly: "For someone like me who peeks into heavenly secrets, depleting my lifespan is not a new experience. I have experience, Sacrificial Wine, so don't worry. I wish you a smooth journey."

Zu An's countless soul fragments said their goodbyes to friends and family one by one. He had never felt time pass so quickly. Soon, the appointed time with '9527' arrived. His soul fragments returned to his main body, and he activated the invitation in his hand.

Soon, Number 9527 appeared before Zu An: "Esteemed guest, please!"

As he spoke, a cloud appeared beneath Zu An's feet. Zu An stepped onto it, and the two quickly flew towards the sky, out of this world. Looking back at the entire world from the sky, his heart was filled with reluctance. Indeed, as it had been since ancient times, what causes the most sorrow is parting.

Soon, the two broke through the clouds and entered the cosmos, where a ship floated not far away. Zu An was a little surprised. He had expected some kind of high-tech spaceship or star cruiser. Instead, its design was similar to an ordinary ancient wooden boat. Moreover, the ship didn't look very large.

After boarding the ship, Zu An was somewhat surprised: "Didn't you say there would be other guests? Why don't I see anyone?" There was no need for divine sense to scan; the cabin wasn't large, and its interior could be seen clearly with the naked eye.

"This is just a small boat to pick you up. The main ship bound for the Land of Dreams is located in a temporary world," Number 9527 continued, seemingly concerned that Zu An wouldn't understand. "Because the myriad worlds are full of various dangers, the coordinates of each world are actually top secret. Many guests don't want their world's coordinates revealed to others, so we adopt this isolation measure to ensure confidentiality for every client."

Zu An was secretly startled, realizing he indeed lacked experience in this regard and hadn't thought of it beforehand. He had only recently managed to eliminate the demon world and protect the peace here. If the coordinates were exposed and the followers of Annihilation or other dangerous entities became aware of this place, it would likely never know peace again.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but become a little wary: "But you still know the world coordinates of every guest."

Number 9527 smiled faintly: "Guest, please rest assured. Our Boundless Merchant Guild is highly reputed across the myriad worlds. For billions of years, we have never leaked a client's confidential information."

"Billions of years..." Zu An was inwardly astonished. "It seems your Boundless Merchant Guild has immense power."

A hint of pride flashed across Number 9527's face: "Across the myriad worlds, wherever starlight reaches, wherever there is civilization, our Merchant Guild is almost certainly present."