Suddenly, three figures appeared above the Fanling City skies, alerting the City Guards at the walls and the numerous cultivators camped outside to wait for their turn on the Viridescent Hollow Anchor.

Their auras were suppressed, but their sudden appearance put everyone on guard. Then, whispers started among the cultivators. They pointed at their Viewing Jades, or specifically one of the trending threads in the Bulletin Board.

"Is that them?" A disciple from the Azure Gale Sect asked.

"They’re here to cause trouble, aren’t they? Don’t they know the store is already closed?" Another disciple spoke.

"The thread said they came from the west... Are they from that Violethaven Temple? They haven’t learned their lesson. Losing a heaven-grade artifact is not enough, huh?"

"Fool. If they’re from that temple, they’ll not just float out there. They would be bombarding the store right away."

"Eh? Then... are they curious customers? Someone tell them the store is closed and they should come back tomorrow! If they want Taihao Noodles, we’re selling them here, but for triple the price!"

City Lord Wei Xian, who stationed himself at the Anchor, also made a move. Although he also followed that thread and understood that the three figures brazenly appearing in the skies of his city should be no ordinary experts, it’s still his duty to probe them of their intentions.

He disappeared from his move and reappeared in the skies of Fanling City, facing the three unfamiliar experts.

He hovered a respectful distance away, clasping his hands and bowing deeply.

As the City Lord, he was no stranger to powerful cultivators. He also faced the Liu Clan and the Violethaven Temple when they showed up with their ship constructs. But these three... the moment he leveled his gaze at them, his breath caught in his throat.

He couldn’t see through their cultivations. And even though they’re clearly suppressing their aura, they all passively emit pressure strong enough for him to even look at their appearance.

The man on the left radiated a heat so intense it felt as though a second sun had descended upon Fanling City, his very presence burning the ambient spiritual energy into nothingness. The gaunt man on the right felt like a walking mountain of compressed diamond, an immovable object that anchored the space around him. And the woman in the center... looking at her gave Wei Xian the terrifying sensation of being buried alive under centuries of ancient, suffocating roots.

Nascent Soul? Void Refinement? No.

Wei Xian’s mind screamed. These were existences that had touched the threshold of the laws of heaven and earth. Law Integration Stage at most, and perhaps higher than that. A stage that cultivators in the Eastern Abyssal Region had not seen in the last three thousand years.

"Greetings, esteemed Seniors," Wei Xian managed to say as he forced his voice to remain steady despite the instinctual urge to flee. "I am Wei Xian, City Lord of Fanling, a border territory of the Southern Wu Kingdom. I welcome you to our domain. However, I must inform you that the Divine Convenience Store is currently closed for the day. If you seek an audience or wish to browse its miraculous wares, I humbly request you return at tomorrow’s dawn."

He didn’t beat around the bush. The only reason experts of their level would grace his city was because of the existence of the Divine Convenience Store.

Patriarch Jadebone looked at the City Lord, his gemstone eyes devoid of warmth. "A Nascent Soul insect being a border city lord? This is truly a wasteland. You dare ask us to wait?!"

Upon saying that, the pressure radiating from Jadebone increased slightly.

CRACK!

The invisible force slammed into Wei Xian. The City Lord grunted. He immediately circulated his spiritual energy and covered himself with it but the shield buckled instantly.

He was forced down half a meter in the air, his knees bending as if a physical weight had been dropped onto his shoulders. At the same time, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Outside the city, the bustling crowd of cultivators fell silent. The casual banter and the hawking of overpriced noodles ceased as the oppressive aura extended to them, as they naturally didn’t go unnoticed.

The reality of the situation finally pierced their ’convenience-induced’ complacency. These were not mere tourists.

Even without looking at them, the three above-Void Refinement Stage experts had long encompassed them with their spiritual senses. However, what they were most intrigued about was the foreign energy seeping out from the Anchor, as well as the peculiar structure next to it that was emitting traces of void law, which seemed to power a supreme teleportation array.

They’d seen a similar structure on the Jade Hollow Conduit Tower but since their destination was Fanling City, they only took a glance at it before continuing.

"Brother Jadebone, rein in your temper," Matriarch Deep-Root reminded. Her old voice was gentle and soothing enough, but at the same time, it also felt grating to the ear like someone was grinding timber. "We did not travel this far to bother with those beneath us. We are here for the source of the anomaly. The mysterious establishment that repelled the Grand Elder of Violethaven Temple and destroyed his heaven-grade artifact."

Patriarch Skyflame sneered, the corona of white fire around him flaring. "Have you not heard him? The anomaly is closed, Sister. Do we politely wait outside like supplicants?"

"We may be curious about this establishment but only to some extent. If this Shopkeeper does not come out of his hole to receive us, leveling this city to draw him out is an acceptable expenditure of energy."

Patriarch Skyflame finished his sentence with a dismissive wave of his hand.

As he did, the white flames dancing around his shoulders flared, instantly turning the night sky above Fanling City into an inferno. The moisture in the clouds evaporated in a blink, and a suffocating, arid heat descended upon the mortals and cultivators below.

City Lord Wei Xian gritted his teeth, blood seeping freely from his lips now. He summoned every ounce of his spiritual energy just to keep himself afloat, acting as a flimsy human shield between his city and the wrath of walking calamities. His Red Nascent Soul manifested, adding another layer of protection.

"My lords, please reconsider!" Wei Xian shouted, his voice cracking under the strain. "The Shopkeeper is not one to be threatened! If you strike, the store’s defenses will–"

"Silence, insect." Patriarch Jadebone sneered. He raised a crystalline finger and aimed it directly at the City Lord. A condensed beam of heavy, earth-shattering pressure began to gather at its tip.

But before the beam could fire, a crisp, electronic chime echoed across the night sky.

Ding-Dong!

It was a sound that immediately made three powerful figures knit their brows. After all, it wasn’t a majestic tolling of a temple bell or the roar of a beast but a cheerful, unapologetically mundane sound that they had never heard before.

The sound originated from the ground, yet it cut through the oppressive auras of the three Western titans as if their pressure didn’t exist.

Soon, they immediately noticed the unassuming store that had evaded their perception. Not only that, a giant construct that made them all clench their fists could be seen standing there. They couldn’t see through it but it was definitely not a simple one.

Furthermore, they were taken aback.

How did they miss it? They might have arrived silently, but their spiritual senses had already covered the entire city and they thought the Divine Convenience Store was one of those shops below.

Suddenly, a calm amplified voice replaced that ringing sound.

"Now, now, dear customers. Vandalizing the waiting area and harassing the local populace is a direct violation of our establishment’s Terms of Service. And I enforce a very strict ’No Troublemaker’ policy. If you are here for our store, I, the Shopkeeper, am ready to receive you as our esteemed guests and make an exception just for tonight."

The three experts tried to locate the source of that voice, and soon enough, they saw a young man walking out of the door behind the giant construct and jumping onto its hand.

A moment later, the giant construct floated up to their current height and shielded the poor City Lord.

Lin Mo flicked a packet of [Fruity Healing Tablet] and [Energy Replenishing Candy] to Wei Xian, who caught it with trembling hands.

"I apologize, City Lord. Allow me to take over." Lin Mo said while bowing slightly.

Watching him do that, the frown on the three experts deepened.

He stood in the massive palm of the Divine Guardian Construct. His green and white uniform was totally peculiar they couldn’t help but wonder what kind of fabric it was made of. His hands were clasped loosely behind his back, portraying an image of absolute serenity.

Wei Xian didn’t say anything, understanding that he truly couldn’t help the store at this point. He popped the tablet and candy, feeling the immediate, soothing surge of restorative energy before he floated back down.

"Now then, do the three esteemed guests agree to my suggestion? If not, I will have no other choice but to mark you as troublemakers, the same as that Grand Elder and his temple."

Lin Mo put on a small smile, seemingly unbothered by the pressure being emitted by the three powerful cultivators. But inwardly, his insides were already churning despite the Divine Guardian Construct blocking 99% of their pressure.