Chapter 194
[Instant Travel Talisman]
[Note: A magical item that helps you travel quickly. Using one allows you to traverse thousands of miles instantly! Multiple can be used in combination, with a maximum of 1000.]
[Use immediately? Yes/No]
Jian Yunlan clicked Yes.
In the next instant, the entire continent beneath his feet began to tremble and collapse, mountains and seas merging.
Within two or three seconds, a translucent door opened before him. On the other side lay Kunlun Province—a million miles away.
It was as if someone had taken the two ends of a long thread and tied them together.
Jian Yunlan cast aside the words of the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord and stepped through the door without hesitation.
A wondrous sight unfolded before him—
The vast land of Kunlun Province was dotted with towering divine mountains, golden light shimmering in the sea of clouds in the distance. Nine great temples were scattered across the land. This was the domain of the Golden Immortals, who governed all things in the mortal realm. Celestial beings floated through the air—some riding clouds, others soaring on cranes.
The moment Jian Yunlan crossed the threshold, the door vanished, leaving the Heavenly Prison far behind.
He landed on a cloud.
A ethereal chime rang in his ears as a purple light approached. A beautiful woman in violet robes descended before him, covering her lips with her hand as she chuckled and studied Jian Yunlan.
Violet-Robed Woman: “All who enter Kunlun require a guide. I am yours. Come, traveler, and let the land of Kunlun—”
A flash of white light.
Violet-Robed Woman: “??? Where did he go??!!!”
As the Purple Mist Daoist, she had served as Kunlun’s greeter for centuries, encountering all manner of eccentric immortals. But this was the first time someone had vanished mid-sentence!
She activated her All-Seeing Eye to track his whereabouts…
He was already a million miles away…
Later, this incident would inspire a famous math problem widely circulated in Kunlun…
*
Multiverse Livestream Comments:
[LMAO, Little Lan just interrupted her casting!]
[Demon-Subduing Prison Lord & Purple Mist Daoist: ??? Questioning their divine existence??? Even after ascension, they still have to do math???!]
[This is the first time I’ve seen Boss Jian so frantic for someone. OMG, this must be true love! He really loves him! (wipes tears)]
[Lord Taotie deserves it.]
[Can anyone explain if Boss Jian can really teleport straight to the Extinction Platform this easily? I remember the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord mentioning not just distance but also trials. If it’s this simple, wouldn’t anyone with spatial teleportation artifacts be able to roam the Mountains and Seas Plane freely?]
[Former resident of the Mountains and Seas Plane here—the trials are real, and they’re nasty…]
[No time for that! Spamming gifts to speed up Little Lan’s journey! Let’s get him and Lord Taotie to kiss! Go, Little Lan!!!]
“…”
Meanwhile, Jian Yunlan repeated the trick, using another 1,000 Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talismans to reach the next province—Barren Wasteland.
The moment he landed, without even glancing at his surroundings, he activated another batch.
In just over ten seconds, he had traversed Kunlun, Barren Wasteland, Northern Abyss, and Everlasting Separation—four provinces down. The journey from the Heavenly Prison to the Extinction Platform spanned eight provinces and eight million miles. Halfway there already, Jian Yunlan felt his spirits lift. Victory seemed within reach.
After teleporting from Drift Province, he arrived at the fifth—Cangwu Province.
Cangwu was dominated by a colossal divine tree, the Fusang. Its roots burrowed deep into the earth, piercing mountains and rivers, while its trunk stood like the spine of the world, supporting the entire continent.
Immortals and celestial beasts flitted among its branches and roots, forming a vast ecosystem.
Though the sight was breathtaking, Jian Yunlan had no time to linger. He prepared to teleport again.
…But this time, something went wrong.
The translucent door failed to open.
Instead, as he activated the talismans, the space around him warped. The next moment, he found himself transported to the tangled roots of the Fusang Tree!
Beneath the clear sky and bright sun stood a weathered stone platform.
A gray-robed elder with white hair and beard sat cross-legged upon it. His attire was plain, his eyes weathered by time. Beside him stood a stone stele inscribed with three bold characters:
[Province Keeper]
Jian Yunlan’s arrival didn’t seem to surprise him.
Without even lifting his eyelids, the elder stroked his beard and said calmly:
“I am the Keeper of Cangwu. All who wish to leave must pass my trial.”
Jian Yunlan had been thinking the journey was too smooth—nothing like the hardships described by the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord.
Turns out the challenge was waiting for him here!
——I don’t know how long this ‘test’ will take. Every minute and second is precious right now. For a moment, Jian Yunlan grew anxious.
But there was no use in panicking now. It would be better to listen carefully to what the trial entailed before making a decision.
Jian Yunlan steadied his breathing, clasped his fists, and said, “Please enlighten me.”
The old man gave him an appreciative glance, then pulled out an ancient scroll from his sleeve. His withered fingers traced the characters on the scroll as he spoke slowly:
“The Heavenly Dao is incomplete; mathematics is never whole. This is a riddle that has plagued me for ten thousand years. If you can offer even a sliver of clarity, you may pass through this gate and proceed to the next province.”
With a slight flick of his finger, the scroll floated over to Jian Yunlan.
What kind of question could stump an immortal for ten thousand years? Was it some ultimate philosophical quandary, like ‘Who am I? Where am I?’
Jian Yunlan took a deep breath and nervously looked at the scroll.
Written on it was:
[Can a certain form of the Riemann zeta function be expressed through a certain form of the gamma function? In other words, can a summation over integers be equivalent to an integration over a continuous domain?]
Jian Yunlan: “?”
Jian Yunlan: “???”
Wait, hold on.
…So you’re not a philosopher—you’re a mathematician?! Jian Yunlan shot the old man a complicated look.
As he stared at the problem, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He had studied advanced mathematics in university in his past life, but that was years ago. Besides, he had been a programmer—his grasp of higher math wasn’t that deep. The question vaguely reminded him of integral transforms, but beyond that, he was completely lost.
Just then, Jian Yunlan glanced at the floating barrage of comments and caught a line of golden text:
[Ning Sheng]: Boss Jian, I know this one—let me handle it!’
[……]
[Holy shit, if anyone else said they could do it, I’d doubt them, but baby Ning actually can! The prestige of a Beijing University top student!!! Little Lan, Little Jian, hurry up and summon baby Ning to take over!]
[But how do we summon him?]
[The system shop has a special item—[Summoning Talisman]. It can briefly summon help from another world. Boss Jian, go check it out!]
Reading the comments, Jian Yunlan’s eyes lit up, and he immediately opened the system shop.
Sure enough, there was an item called [Summoning Talisman], priced at 1,000,000 credit points. By holding the talisman and silently reciting the name and dimension of the person to be summoned while picturing their appearance, the user could briefly call them over for assistance.
Without hesitation, Jian Yunlan exchanged for one. Following the instructions, he visualized Ning Sheng’s face and chanted inwardly:
“Ning Sheng, Ning Sheng, Ning Sheng…”
A cool, clear voice sounded in his ear:
“Boss Jian, it’s been a while.”
Jian Yunlan opened his eyes.
A young man in a white dress shirt stood before him—tall, slender, and well-built, though his expression carried a hint of gloom.
Those inscrutable dark eyes and the distinctive crimson teardrop mole at the corner of his eye made it unmistakable.
Truly the quintessential scholarly beauty from an early tragic romance novel!
But the moment Ning Sheng opened his mouth, that refined image shattered.
Because before he could even speak—
A line of drool dripped down from the corner of his lips.
“Boss Jian, uh—” Ning Sheng wiped his mouth sheepishly, trying to suppress the excitement in his voice, though the glimmer in his eyes betrayed him. “I’ll solve the math problem for you. In return, could I… have some of your braised food?”
Jian Yunlan swiftly pulled out his portable spirit-field tricycle and packed him a large bag. “Of course!”
Ning Sheng’s hands trembled as he reached out, clutching the bag tightly to his chest.
He took a deep breath, inhaling the rich aroma, and for the first time in what felt like ages, a radiant smile broke through his gloomy expression.
…So long, so long, so long! He’d finally gotten to taste Boss Jian’s cooking again!!! Did anyone know how he’d suffered all these days?!
Truly, perseverance paid off—and Boss Jian would never let his loyal customers down.
Ning Sheng’s devotion to Jian Yunlan deepened even further.
“Boss Jian, I’ll hold the fort here,” Ning Sheng said, turning to face the old man. “You’re in a hurry to find Lord Taotie—go on ahead.”
Time was of the essence, so Jian Yunlan didn’t argue. He smiled gratefully. “Thanks! Come by my food stall again sometime.”
Ning Sheng nodded, his eyes shining.
With that, Jian Yunlan activated the [Thousand-Mile Shrinking Talisman] once more. This time, a translucent door materialized.
As he stood at the threshold, about to step through, Ning Sheng suddenly called out to him.
“Boss Jian!” Ning Sheng looked at him from afar, grinning. “See you next time!”
Jian Yunlan paused, then smiled back.
Then, unable to help himself, he nodded with a smile: “Alright, see you next time.”
Of course there would be a next time.
And countless more after that.
“…”
Seeing Jian Yunlan about to step through the door, the gray-robed elder on the stone platform frowned and raised his sleeve, preparing to stop him with a spell. “Impudent brat! Who allowed you—”
But a voice beside him suddenly caught the elder’s attention:
“Elder, have you considered this?” Ning Sheng sat cross-legged on the ground, pulling out paper and a pen, his voice calm yet firm. “Have you tried establishing a connection through Euler’s inversion formula and then applying analytic continuation?”
At these words, the elder froze.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if pondering Ning Sheng’s suggestion, his face cycling through expressions of confusion, frustration, enlightenment, and finally, dawning realization.
When he finally looked up at Ning Sheng again, his gaze had completely changed.
His voice trembled slightly:
“Y-You… care to elaborate?”
“…”
Seizing the opportunity while the elder was engrossed in mathematical discussion with Ning Sheng, Jian Yunlan stepped through the door and flew toward Mengze Province—a million miles away.
Right now…
He was still three million miles from the Terrace of Annihilation.
And Taotie’s execution by the Heavenly Dao was in… half an hour.
Every second counted.
