The nine-thousand-year-old Flat Peach Tree had been planted, and the Turquoise Pool had once again diverted a stream from the Eternal Spring to irrigate it.
The Flat Peach Tree emitted a luminous glow as it automatically absorbed essence.
A total of thirty-two Flat Peaches grew on the tree, their fragrance permeating the air. If it wasn't for Yang Qinglan casting an Array, all the animals in "Honey Pot World" would have gone mad.
Even so, cattle, sheep, pigs, rabbits, and other livestock breathed in the fragrance and forgot to eat.
Even the vegetables in the garden and the fruit trees in the orchard rustled audibly.
"Let's just keep these thirty-two Flat Peaches as mascots for now," Turquoise Pool said.
"It only bears fruit once every nine thousand years, will we even be able to eat it next time?" Li Qianxia approached, taking pictures with her phone.
"You all decide," Li Changzhou was indifferent to these matters, "I'm off to handle Earth's issues."
"Bro, I'll go with you!" Li Qianxia quickly returned to his side, "I want to trade the 'Unearned Wild Rice Valley'; it's completely useless!"
Yang Qinglan laughed, "It's good to trade it, leave it to the right person to bring out the effects of this S-class item."
"Exactly, I'm not the unearned type!" Initially choosing the item herself, Li Qianxia for some reason appeared as if she'd been set up.
"I should go too." Initially planning to focus on cultivation, Turquoise Pool suddenly spoke, "I'll go back to check, and maybe gather Palace Maids... Shall we look for a Daoist Arena?"
Her last sentence was asking Yang Qinglan.
Yang Qinglan thought for a moment, "Let's go, sharpening the axe will not delay the work of cutting wood, having a Daoist Arena will hasten our cultivation."
The four made up their minds and left the "Honey Pot World" together.
In the bushes, Little Radish rode a butterfly, peeking out with her large, cartoon-like eyes scanning left and right.
"No danger, go!" A monkey and a butterfly rushed towards the Flat Peach.
◇
Yafeiluna had recently been swamped with troubles.
According to Li Changzhou's original plan, there was no need for them to manage Earth's headquarters; those already skilled in management should continue to perform.
The premise was that there were no external enemies.
Li Changzhou was almost never around, the Pope was continually engaging in petty actions, spreading rumors, establishing power, and orchestrating destruction and assassination attempts on key supporters of Li Changzhou.
Zheng Qing had already faced six assassination attempts, and three more incidents couldn't definitely be confirmed as assassination attempts.
There was also the transfer of power, particularly problematic in countries with existing disputes.
Animal players were another headache.
A few were somewhat reasonable, but the vast majority of animals were already engaging in battles for survival, like birds eating their young and snakes preying on their own kind. A value system encouraging survival of the fittest hardly expected these animals to abide by human laws—it was utterly unrealistic.
Recently, more players had become Immortals and Gods.
With the Pope as a catalyst, all troubles had erupted simultaneously, like hundreds of rats bursting out of a hole, and there was simply no time to clear and capture them all.
"Redhead, has Li Changzhou returned yet?"
The door burst open.
"...Let's hold a meeting later, that's all for now." Yafeiluna turned off the video call, rubbing her temple as she faced Bi who had flown in.
"I've told you, if the boss comes back, I'll inform you. You don't need to dismantle my door every few days."
Bi, unphased, flew down and took a seat on a chair.
"Do you need my help? You look like you're about to die from overwork." Bi's face was full of schadenfreude.
"Stay put," Yafeiluna stood up and poured a cup of tea for both, "Apart from me, you, the Pope, there are six known human Immortals around the globe. We must stick together to avoid being defeated one by one."
Bi took a sip of tea, then spat it back out, tossing the extremely bitter brew aside for something more stimulating.
"Okay, okay, I get it, 'Wait for the boss to come back and then decide,' but the situation now is urgent. I still think severe measures are necessary, like destroying a few more cities."
Through the misty vapor of the tea, Yafeiluna could only see Bi's playful expression.
"About that—"
Yafeiluna stopped mid-sentence, her eyes sparkling.
"Huh? What's up? Is the tea that effective? What item is this?" Bi, puzzled, picked up the cup again—noticing no system alerts,
Yafeiluna smiled, "The boss is back!"
"What? You mean he's finally back! Quick, take me to him! This time I'll even ride his head when he goes to the bathroom; he's not getting away!"
"The boss said he'll be here in three minutes, let me get ready." Speaking rapidly, Yafeiluna fixed her appearance in the mirror.
To invigorate herself, she even took an Elixir Pill to boost her "Abilities."
Bi watched her bustling about and thought for a moment before pulling out a small mirror to tidy her blonde hair.
A Vortex opened, and Li Changzhou stepped through.
A powerful presence surged forward, making both feel as if a giant was approaching; even though he held back his aura and didn't release the Divine Body, his godlike martial presence still made him seem like a young Heavenly God.
"Maria, long time no see! Bi?! You too! You became an Immortal?!" Li Qianxia exclaimed excitedly following behind.
"Hmph!" Bi hugged her slender arms.
She had intended to ride on Li Changzhou's neck, but upon seeing him, felt a bit intimidated and didn't dare.
After the King Cobra slithered out of the Vortex, the Vortex slowly closed.
"Boss," Yafeiluna knelt on one knee.
"Stand up," Li Changzhou did not take the main seat but casually sat down on a couch meant for guests.
Yafeiluna stood up, then brought over two more cups of water.
After Li Changzhou took a sip, he said, "Tell me about the situation at the headquarters."
Yafeiluna had a lot to say; she subconsciously opened her mouth but didn't know where to start.