I Become The Richest Man With A monthly Salary of Twenty Thousand Yuan-Chapter 788 - 530: Finished Part 2

No one had expected the Tongtian Sect Master to appear, much less for a Saint like him to dare stand against the Tai Family.

"Tongtian, you don't need to lecture us. We've already deduced that the next great calamity is the Tribulation of the Saints, and none of us will escape. After toiling for countless eons, are we supposed to just willingly accept death? This young girl's appearance is our only glimmer of hope. Why shouldn't we seize it?" the Primordial Venerable bellowed.

"Get out of the way! That Liuer is about to break through the dimensional wall and send the girl away. Once she leaves, we will lose this sliver of heavenly fate, and we'll have no way to avoid the coming calamity," This Master also spoke, his voice majestic and unyielding.

"Fellow Daoist Tongtian, I suggest you act wisely. You may be a Saint, but if the few of us attack you together, we can annihilate you in an instant. Do you really think you can withstand the combined attack of several Saints?" Zhunti sneered.

"Whether I can or not is something you'll find out if you try!" Tongtian opened his right hand, and a ruler materialized in his palm.

Seeing this simple ruler, everyone's expression changed drastically.

"The Grandmaster's Ruler of Punishment!"

"You actually brought this out! Why go to such lengths?"

"Tongtian, if you stop us from seizing this opportunity, we won't help you when the calamity arrives."

The moment they saw the Ruler of Punishment, the other Saints knew they stood no chance against the Tongtian Sect Master today. This was the supreme sacred treasure Hongjun had created in the Purple Cloud Palace to punish Saints. For Tongtian to have it now, he must have received Hongjun's permission.

While the Tongtian Sect Master and the Primordial Venerable were in a standoff, the golden drill that Liuer had transformed into at Guanjiangkou, which Yang Jian was guarding, finally broke through the dimensional wall. Lingling wiped away her tears, scrambled through the opening, and vanished from the Journey to the West World in an instant.

The moment Lingling disappeared, she reappeared in a room in the city's central hospital. At the same time, the virtual screen in front of Xia Liang and the others vanished.

"Lingling! My dear child, you're finally back! This is wonderful!" Ling Er and her spouse rushed forward and embraced Lingling tightly, shedding tears of joy.

The Tai Family had watched the entire harrowing scene unfold in the Journey to the West World, where countless Saints had besieged Lingling to take her away. If not for the Tongtian Sect Master's sudden arrival, they might have never seen Lingling again. Xia Liang, however, was exceptionally calm. A being from a two-dimensional world descending into a three-dimensional one? What a joke.

"Lingling, let the doctors give you a full-body check-up. We need to see if your body has undergone any other changes during your time in the Journey to the West World," Zhu Qing said hurriedly, having come to her senses. Previously, they had all seen Sun Wukong remove Lingling's tumor and cure her cancer in that world. Everyone hoped that miracle would manifest in the real world as well.

Lingling nodded slightly. "Okay."

Xue Mei also rushed out to contact other hospital staff and begin preparations for Lingling's examination. Due to Lingling's unique circumstances, the hospital granted her priority access. A gurney was soon wheeled into the room, and she was taken away.

「Half an hour later.」

All the test results came back. Her EKG, heart rate, and blood work were all normal, including her white and red blood cell counts. There were no tumors in her body. It meant that after her trip to the Journey to the West World, Lingling's body had miraculously recovered. However, the spells she had learned there did not carry over into the real world.

Just then, a group of government officials arrived at the hospital. The middle-aged man leading them produced a badge and said, "Hello, we're from the Security Bureau. We need Miss Lingling and Mister Xia to come with us to assist in an investigation."

Xia Liang had anticipated this the moment the connection to the Journey to the West World closed. After all, Lingling entering another world and interacting with its inhabitants was far beyond normal human understanding. If it had happened in private, the authorities might never have noticed, but this was a live broadcast that no one could ignore. An event of this magnitude would undoubtedly warrant a thorough investigation by the Dragon Country's government. Not even his status as a Dragon Country Guardian could exempt him from questioning. Besides, if they could master the method of traveling between worlds, wouldn't the Dragon Country instantly stand at the pinnacle of the world?

「An hour later.」

Xia Liang and Lingling were brought to a secure, isolated room. The captain from before sat opposite Xia Liang, his face full of respect.

"Respected Dragon Country Guardian, Mister Xia, I am Longhua. This magic... uh, illusion, how exactly did you perform it? Can you open the barriers to other worlds as well?"

In Longhua's mind, if Xia Liang could breach the barrier to the Journey to the West World, he could probably do the same for others.

Xia Liang shook his head. "This magic cannot be performed at will. It requires a specific catalyst. You must have seen during the performance that the Wishing Pearl was the key. I only have one of those pearls left. It's something I stumbled upon during my travels. Without that pearl as a medium, the magic cannot be performed again. What you saw was its swan song."

He was speaking the truth. Although the System's store had more, he had no plans to buy them.

"Very well. In that case, I will naturally take Mister Xia at his word," Longhua nodded. "However, your magic has caused a worldwide sensation, Mister Xia. Many people may have their eyes on you. Would you like us to assign personnel to protect you?"

"Me?" Xia Liang pinched his chin. Send people to protect me? Good grief. If danger really strikes, who will be protecting whom?

Seeing Xia Liang's expression, Longhua remembered that the man before him held that prestigious medal.

"By the way, what will you do with the girl, Lingling?" Xia Liang asked curiously.

"I'm not entirely sure about that, but what happened to her is too bizarre. The Academy of Sciences will likely need her cooperation for research. Don't worry, Mister Xia, we wouldn't do anything inhumane. In fact, this might not be a bad thing for the girl's future. You see, someone as special as her might only appear once in several hundred years. She is of immense significance and value to our country's scientific research in related fields. She will certainly be given the status of a scientist and become a person of interest under national care. Even her family will receive special consideration," Longhua said with a smile.

"I see," Xia Liang nodded. "Alright, may I leave now?"

"Of course." Longhua nodded and had someone escort Xia Liang out.

「In the car.」

Xia Liang had already guessed this would be the outcome when he first arrived. Lingling's experience had been broadcast to the whole world. Even if the Dragon Country didn't take her in for special care, her life could never be ordinary again. Other countries would have their eyes on her as well. Therefore, being taken away by her own government, as Longhua described, was probably the best possible result for now.

「Back at his residence.」

Xia Liang called Su Yi to tell her he was safe, then went to rest. Su Yi immediately posted the news of his safety online.

「Meanwhile.」

Netizens across the country breathed a collective sigh of relief. As long as Xia Liang was alright, they could rest easy.

Subsequently, Xia Liang's latest magic performance ignited a fierce debate online. Breaking the dimensional barrier and connecting to the Journey to the West World had made everyone feel as if they had followed Lingling on a bizarre adventure. The events that transpired there—Sun Wukong's death, and Liuer taking his place to complete the pilgrimage for the scriptures—were particularly shocking. The final battle between the Saints stirred the passions of countless viewers. This incident was enough to completely overturn many people's perception of Xia Liang.