Chapter 45: Return to Reality

After reviewing all the rewards, Wu Xian prepared to worship the deities.

He inserted three sticks of rare incense into the three divine statues respectively, and immediately nine items emerged, materialized from vapor, water vapor, and blood.

Each item radiated a faint silver glow.

This gave Wu Xian another realization.

It seemed that if one used rare incense to worship a rare divine statue, the obtained items would definitely be of rare quality; whereas if one used ordinary incense to worship a rare divine statue, the obtained items could be either rare or ordinary.

Next, Wu Xian examined the nine items one by one, intending to choose one of them to take into his next blessed land.

The Heavenly Official Great Emperor offered talismans:
The "Wine-Spraying Fire Extinguishing Art" used for putting out fires, the "Flame Talisman" capable of enhancing fire potency, and the "Duplication Technique" which could replicate a talisman currently held in hand.

The Earth Official Great Emperor offered divine powers:
The "Ghost Divine Power - Shadow Art" allowing one to hide within shadows, the "Human Divine Power - Fist Technique" greatly enhancing martial prowess, and the "Demon Divine Power - Mysterious Turtle Shell" increasing defensive capabilities.

Neither the talismans nor the divine powers were what Wu Xian wanted.

He skimmed through all this information casually and then randomly selected the Flame Talisman and the Fist Technique.

Wu Xian's primary focus was on magical artifacts.

The reason Wu Xian had survived the previous blessed land was entirely due to the copper coin sword, so this time he needed to carefully select a magical artifact.

Before the Water Official's divine statue floated three wisps of swirling water vapor, shaped respectively into a golden-yellow longsword, a smooth wooden fish percussion instrument, and a small black-and-red banner.

Wu Xian looked at them one by one, and information flooded into his mind.

Yellow Death:
The personal sword of Julius Caesar, originally merely a decorative sword, yet enhanced by the faith and devotion of the masses, it could be called a divine artifact. Being wounded by this sword had a probability of triggering an "instant death" effect; the stronger the opponent, the lower the probability of it triggering.

Requiem Wooden Fish:
Crafted from the branches of the Soul-Returning Tree, striking it could pacify souls. Striking it and chanting scriptures for the deceased would accumulate immense yin virtue.

Ten-Soul Banner:
A magical banner capable of housing ten ghostly specters. The banner came pre-loaded with a wandering specter while the rest needed to be collected independently. Releasing a ghostly specter could issue a single absolute command lasting no longer than ten minutes.

After pondering for a moment, Wu Xian first abandoned the Requiem Wooden Fish.

If the conditions were right and he encountered a large-scale death event, this item could accumulate a massive amount of yin virtue.

However, in the blessed land, survival was paramount.

This wooden fish could not be used for combat, and its peculiar shape made it inconvenient to carry, rendering the holder far too conspicuous. Wu Xian feared he would earn the yin virtue only to lose his life before he could spend it.

Next, Wu Xian abandoned Yellow Death.

This longsword was breathtakingly handsome, practically the ultimate toy for a man, and its lethality was extremely high. If he got lucky and triggered the instant death effect, he could clear the current blessed land instantly.

However, just like when he had abandoned the "Roc's Eye" previously, probability was truly a most hateful thing.

Wu Xian had never considered himself a lucky fellow, so he reluctantly shifted his gaze away from the longsword and onto the final magical banner.

Firstly, this item was small in size; once the banner was rolled up, it could be easily concealed on his body without hindering movement.

Secondly, its versatility was very high, applicable to basically all kinds of blessed lands, and its effects were extremely flexible.

A guaranteed wandering specter under absolute control could accomplish countless tasks, and he could also collect souls within the blessed lands to expand the upper limit of the Ten-Soul Banner's effects.

Thus, Wu Xian fished this small banner out of the water vapor.

After the deity worship concluded, Wu Xian discovered that the incense burners in front of all three divine statues had disappeared, which meant that every time he returned from a blessed land, he could worship the deities at most three times.

Now that he had the banner, how should he bring it into the next blessed land, and how should that permanent slot be utilized?

Wu Xian looked around, and after confirming no one was watching, he began striking various poses with a chuckle, placing the banner on top of his head and even attempting to swallow it, accompanied by some second-year-syndrome-style chants.

"Swiftly as the statutes and decrees command!"
"My word is command, my command is law, go!"

However, after enduring his embarrassment to try for a while, no changes occurred, which made him flush slightly.

Suddenly, Wu Xian noticed his stone statue.

The stone statue had undergone a change different from before; it now possessed an extra arm, with the palm open as if holding something.

Could this extra arm be the added permanent slot?

Wu Xian thought for a moment and then placed the Ten-Soul Banner into the stone carving's palm. Sure enough, the palm slowly closed, and the Ten-Soul Banner also transformed into stone texture.

This meant the Ten-Soul Banner had been successfully recorded into the permanent slot.

Once this matter was settled.

Wu Xian had only one thing left to do within the Thirty-Three Heavens of Grievance.

He activated the "Fist Technique" divine power, attached the Flame Talisman to his fists, and began practicing boxing alone in the vast wilderness. His fists seemed to have an acceleration button turned on, leaving countless afterimages to any onlooker. The force of his punches far exceeded that of ordinary martial artists, and every strike carried a blazing red flame.

Since these divine powers and talismans could not be brought into the outside world anyway, he might as well waste them here.

Firstly, it would allow him to familiarize himself with their effects in advance, providing a basis for future choices.

Secondly...
This was super fun!

Do not bother imagining how great Wu Xian felt right now, because you simply cannot fathom Wu Xian's exhilaration!

Ultimately, after cosplaying a certain well-known anime character, the flames on both hands gradually extinguished, and the effects of the Flame Talisman and the Fist Technique all vanished.

Wu Xian sighed with a trace of emotion.

"Rare items are indeed far superior to ordinary ones. If I had this set in the previous blessed land, I wouldn't have been in such a pathetic state when facing the Door-Breaking Specter."

"Looking at it this way, the final True Fire Incantation I brought out having such immense power wasn't solely due to triggering a combination effect; the power of rare items is inherently formidable..."

Having enjoyed himself thoroughly, Wu Xian felt no further attachment to this endless wilderness, turned around, and stepped through the door.

...

Fresh morning light filtered through the frosted patterned glass into the Infinite Detective Agency.

The agency was very old; the walls, floors, and furniture bore the heavy weathering of time. Cluttered case files were piled high on windowsills, tables, chairs, and floors, while scattered wires connected various alarms and surveillance cameras. A makeshift bed was placed in the corner against the wall.

This was Wu Xian's detective agency.
And his home.

Wu Xian returned home through the void door.
Covering his nose, he frowned.

How had he managed to survive in this pigsty for so long before?

He checked the time; the date was March 24th, and the time was 6:00 AM. This meant that although he had experienced so many days within the blessed land, only six hours had passed in reality.

Wu Xian stretched his muscles. He had many things he wanted to do, but first...
He had to dismantle the bombs in his room!

Over the next few days.
Wu Xian did nothing else.
He devoted himself entirely to tidying up his home.

All the case files were burned, and the aged furniture and electrical appliances were sold cheaply to a scrap dealer, replaced with newly purchased, higher-end alternatives.

The mattress had to be electric, the pillow massaging, the quilt goosedown, the computer top-tier, and the toilet smart...

The wooden floors were varnished, decorative potted plants added, and the lighting and bathrooms overhauled...

Everything was renovated, and finally, a professional cleaning service was hired to scrub the entire room from top to bottom. All these modifications combined cost almost half of Wu Xian's savings.

After a few days, the previously dilapidated two-story building had completely transformed into something entirely new...