Volume One, Chapter Thirty-Four: Getting Rich While Lying Down?

Chapter Thirty-Four: Fortune Favors the Reclining?

Mu Xiulou Tu raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you mean by all this?"

Ilopona replied calmly, "Two choices. First, you may attack as you wish. I admit I am not your equal, so let's end this feud here and leave life and death to fate. Second, I sense that something significant is about to occur across the heavens of the Three Realms. This premonition often chills me to the bone. Today, learning about Dog Dog Yema's situation, I feel it may be a breakthrough for investigation. Our enmity could be resolved in another way."

Mu Xiulou Tu's gaze sparkled like stars. "Speak!"

Ilopona's spirit brightened. "Surely the Lord must have realized that, since such inconceivable things have happened to Yema, if there truly is danger, it seems to have already begun to spread and reveal its signs."

Mu Xiulou Tu nodded, waiting for Ilopona to continue.

Ilopona said, "I believe that, with my thirty-three incarnations and seven thousand two hundred dragon-elephant subordinates, investigating certain matters should yield results. I will relay all information to you as soon as I find it."

Mu Xiulou Tu replied, "Agreed!"

Ilopona added, "This matter is for our knowledge only. Investigations must be conducted secretly, so as not to attract the attention of those with ulterior motives."

Mu Xiulou Tu said, "Understood."

Ilopona continued, "Next, Lord, you may seriously injure me, shatter this space, and end this scene—so that another may begin."

Mu Xiulou Tu nodded. "Very well."

In the Hall of Virtuous Law, all the deities looked up toward the void twenty thousand yojanas away. Some hoped for the victory of the Great Dragon Elephant King; others wished for Mu Xiulou Tu's triumph; still others, wickedly, hoped both would suffer in defeat. This mixture of attitudes showed that even celestial beings were just as mundane and petty as mortals.

Indra's face was cold and stern, saying nothing.

Mara watched with amusement, as though he cared nothing for the outcome of the duel.

At last, a thunderous explosion echoed in the sky, as if countless tons of dynamite had gone off at once. The space cracked, fragments shooting in all directions. The blast was so immense that Mount Sumeru shook as if the end of days had come.

The Great Dragon Elephant King, bloodied and with torn robes, staggered out of the shattered space, transforming into divine light and swaying back to his palace.

Amidst the flying space shards, a shadow flickered—Mu Xiulou Tu, hands clasped behind his back, stood beside Mara.

Indra sighed, waved his hand, "Disperse..."

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And so, Zhuan Chi Yuan Bi Gao announced the end of the trial, and all the deities returned to their places.

On the stairway of seven-tiered, seven-jeweled platforms connecting Indra's palace galleries, a beautiful figure appeared, shrouded in clouds, lost in thought.

Inside Indra’s palace, Mara, Mu Xiulou Tu, and Lord Indra sat as hosts and guests.

Tu Zhe was summoned inside, standing in the grand hall, holding the somewhat frightened Dog Dog calmly in the radiance of the seven jewels, gazing at the three lofty figures.

Mara smiled, "A renowned personality from the Three Thousand Great Worlds has entrusted me to deliver something to you."

He produced the Sumeru Ring of the Master Thief Mani Ashu. "Inside is a vast space—I haven't dared to look at its full extent. Its contents are your personal secret. I hand it to you here, fulfilling that person's commission, haha..."

With that, the ring flew to Tu Zhe, settling onto his finger. Its light flashed, transforming into a raised scar, merging with his finger.

Mara said, "To open or inspect it is simple, just direct your divine mind upon it. Would you like to see? Just don't let it scare you, haha."

Tu Zhe, amazed, stretched out his finger, tried infusing his divine sense, and was instantly shocked—he gasped, nearly dropping Dog Dog.

Good heavens, have I struck it rich?

Tu Zhe was stunned by the space and treasures fused with his finger in the Sumeru Ring.

The space within this ring dwarfed the space artifact given by Lady Yu Yi Tianfei by countless times, and inside, there seemed to be the cycles of earth, fire, water, and wind, as if a world was about to be born.

The sky was crystal-clear, evolving gradually into a deep void; the earth was made of celestial gold, solid and steadfast; the mountains were crafted from diamonds, peaks of celestial gold, waterfalls of celestial silver, valleys of blue crystal. Rivers flowed with crystal water, beginning to bring forth fish and insects.

Sparse wondrous trees grew on the great plain—golden trees with golden roots, branches, silver leaves and fruit; silver trees with silver roots, branches, golden leaves and fruit; crystal trees with crystal roots and branches, glass flowers and leaves; glass trees with glass roots and branches, crystal flowers and leaves; red pearl trees with red pearl roots and branches, agate flowers and leaves; agate trees with agate roots and branches, red pearl flowers and leaves; giant clam trees with giant clam roots and branches, myriad gem flowers and leaves.

The entire space stretched over a thousand yojanas in length and breadth—even a Boeing 747 would need to fly continuously for twenty hours to go from one end to the other.

Tu Zhe sucked in air as if suffering from a toothache.

Good heavens, this Sumeru Ring alone was priceless. And inside stood a cloud-piercing pagoda, its body of diamond, with seven stories. Five hundred yojanas tall, three hundred yojanas wide.

No doubt, this was a treasure vault.

Tu Zhe sent his divine sense into the first floor of the pagoda. Rows upon rows of seven-jeweled shelves stood in every direction, countless in number, each holding at least dozens or hundreds of heavenly artifacts. Those heavenly treasures—he recognized not a single one.

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He tried the second floor, but his divine sense was blasted back by a flash of light, as if he'd smashed into a tree. His life was unharmed, but stars danced before his eyes for quite a while.

Heavens, he wasn't qualified to enter the second floor yet.

Tu Zhe withdrew his sense, staring blankly at Mara, his eyes glazed, his spirit adrift.

"Mine?"

Mara looked at him teasingly. "Kid, frightened? Haha, I suppose you count as a wealthy man now. The Master Thief Mani Ashu's treasure—just a fraction, but in our Three Realms, enough to make you a big shot, haha. Very good, very good, haha. Currently you can claim to be tall, rich, and handsome—I hope a fair, rich beauty becomes your wife, haha..."

Dog Dog rolled his eyes at the side. "My rogue brother isn't interested in those so-called fair, rich beauties. If he wants a wife, it must be someone like Lady Sarasvati—beauty, wisdom, knowledge, and divine power, all four qualities. Right, rogue brother?"

Tu Zhe rubbed his nose, coughed dryly, not knowing what to say.

Good heavens, the ancients were right: there's no such thing as a free lunch. Nor do pies fall from the sky.

To receive a reward without merit—perhaps not necessarily shameful. But the question is: why?

Without a suitable explanation, how could anyone sleep? What if some night, a yaksha, rakshasa, or asura comes to claim his soul, saying, "Your soul is sold to me—come with me"? What kind of situation would that be?

Mara laughed, "Enough, haha. The master thief wouldn't give you his entire fortune. At most, a thousandth, perhaps even a ten thousandth. For him, it might not even count as a hair, haha. Still, I'm curious whether your ring contains treasures from other minor or even major worlds. That... I wouldn't dare look, would I?"

Tu Zhe, upon hearing this, unhesitatingly held his finger in front of Mara. "Go ahead and look—what's there to be shy about?"

Mara, Mu Xiulou Tu, and Lord Indra all stared at Tu Zhe in disbelief.

Is this kid insane?

People say, "Don't show off your wealth." "A man without guilt, but with a jade, brings disaster."

Was he not afraid Mara might covet it? Even if Mara's greed was rarely stirred, there was always a chance.

Mara was both amused and exasperated. "You're not simple-minded, are you? You... let anyone look?"

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