Chapter 230: A Chinese Odyssey Unfolds

“Deification?”

As president of the Director Association, Ding Xiaoping knew all too well what it meant when a film was hailed as legendary by audiences but skipped the film festival. Even more appalling, Haofang Culture had produced another legendary martial arts film before this.

How would the viewers react if two films capable of reaching mythical status chose not to participate in the festival? Would the festival still hold any credibility?

“How could this be? It shouldn’t be this way. Is this really Fang Hou’s work? What are we going to do now?”

After a long while,

Ding Xiaoping slumped back in his chair, utterly drained of spirit.

At that moment,

he finally understood why Bai Ming had reacted so strongly on the phone.

And at that instant, the once arrogant Ding Xiaoping began to feel a tinge of remorse. “If only we had publicly apologized to Haofang Culture, perhaps today’s outcome could have been avoided. And if we had let Mingsha City host the festival, the spectacle would have far surpassed any previous event.”

Ding Dong! Just then, the sudden ring of the phone startled Ding Xiaoping. He picked it up to see that it was Bai Ming calling.

“What’s the matter?”

After a brief hesitation, Ding Xiaoping answered the call.

“President, an announcement just came from Mingsha City. They say tomorrow at eight in the morning, the set for ‘A Chinese Odyssey’ will officially open its doors. Tourists are welcome for a visit.”

Bai Ming’s voice sounded unusually urgent.

‘A Chinese Odyssey’ was already a film of legendary proportions. With the accompanying real-life set, the coming days would undeniably belong to Mingsha City and Haofang Culture.

“A set? The film’s set is that fantastic?”

Ding Xiaoping rubbed his temples.

“Everything else is fine. It’s just that fleeting glimpse of Pansi Ling—if Mingsha City truly constructs that scene, it will surely become the next viral photo spot.”

Bai Ming continued.

“Pansi Ling, Demon-Locking Tower, Blood Lake…”

In an instant,

the arch-rival of Mingsha City, Ding Xiaoping, felt an unexpected pull to check it out.

In Haishi at three in the morning, the bright spots still buzzed with activity. Several pedestrians could even be seen on the main street.

Inside the car,

both Cai An and the Channel Director heaved long sighs simultaneously.

“Leader, if that’s the extent of the capability of those Mingsha City directors, then Mingsha City is terrifying! Not only can Xu Hao fight, but these folks are also unbelievably hard-core.”

The Channel Director couldn’t help but exclaim.

Though they didn’t shed tears like those heartbroken young cinephiles, the impact was deeply felt.

Overall,

the three-hour film was flawless—removing even a single scene would leave it incomplete.

“I’ve told you before—those directors in Mingsha City are no joke!”

Cai An added with a sigh.

“Leader, I’m guessing that Ding Xiaoping of the Director Association is completely flustered right now. With this mess, who even cares about the festival? A masterpiece like this not appearing in the festival is entirely their doing.”

After a brief pause, the Channel Director continued,

“As expected, the entertainment headlines will soon be dominated by the box office of ‘A Chinese Odyssey’. I have a feeling that with the backing of college students, its earnings might even break records.”

At the mention of the festival, a smirk tugged at Cai An’s lips.

“So what about us?”

“Book two tickets for the flight to Su Province tomorrow. Let’s see if there’s a chance to meet Fang Hou from Haofang Culture. And while we’re at it, check out the set over there. I’m really curious if Pansi Ling is as depicted in the film.”

“Okay, Leader!”

Soon enough, it was eight in the morning.

In Mingsha City, the parking lot was bursting at the seams.

Although the city usually attracted many tourists, the turnout this morning was exceptionally high.

The surge comprised local visitors from nearby prefecture-level cities who had already seen the film, while outsiders were still en route.

“Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to Pansi Ling? Isn’t it in the Xianxia Zone?”

After getting out of the car, numerous tourists and short-video hosts rushed into the Visitor Service Center.

Whenever Mingsha City rolled out a new attraction, the first batch of check-in enthusiasts posting photos and videos would surely garner lots of likes and views. It had become a trend to be first at a new landmark.

“Excuse me, the Pansi Ling you asked about is the newly opened tour area in Mingsha City. It’s not located in the Xianxia Zone but in the Desert Zone behind Longmen Inn.”

The staff explained quickly.

To welcome visitors on time, they had started preparations at five in the morning.

“Behind Longmen Inn?”

Many tourists were taken aback.

They hadn’t expected the set for ‘A Chinese Odyssey’ to be hidden in such an inconspicuous spot.

“Yes, once you arrive at Longmen Inn, dedicated staff will be there to serve you. Since it isn’t far, you can either walk or ride a black yak over there.”

The staff continued.

“You can actually ride a black yak?”

A cheer went up among the tourists.

Memories of Sun Wukong’s epic battle with the Bull Demon King flashed through their minds—weren’t the demon creatures in Demon King Village essentially black yaks?

“So, is there an entry ticket to climb Pansi Ling?”

Coming back to reality, another tourist asked.

“At the moment, there’s no charge for entering Pansi Ling. However, those wishing to climb it might need to have their ID scanned.”

“Alright. And do you have costumes of Zi Xia or the Sunset Warrior available?”

As they nodded, another tourist interjected.

“Yes, you do! You can rent them at the first Mingsha Ancient Costume Rental Store on Vermilion Bird Street. However, there is a fee for it.”

The staff nodded in agreement.

As for the costumes from ‘A Chinese Odyssey’, they had actually been delivered to the Vermilion Bird Street rental shop two days ago.

“Got it!”

“By the way, we recommend that you visit Pansi Ling in the evening. The experience might be even better at night.”

At that moment, the staff added.

“Evening? No way—I came at dawn, why would I wait until night?”

With that,

the tourists quickly made their way to Vermilion Bird Street.

In this world, the greatest fear is being outpaced. Some believe they’re fast enough, yet there’s always someone quicker! By the time the tourists hustled over to Vermilion Bird Street, a portion had already reached the exclusive ‘A Chinese Odyssey’ zone.

“Is this really Pansi Ling?”

Standing at the entrance, gazing at the scenery of the ‘A Chinese Odyssey’ area, the tourists were left speechless.

The film’s fleeting shots hadn’t allowed them to soak in the details—they only knew it was breathtaking. They never expected reality to be even more stunning.

Pansi Ling, supported by seven massive pillars, sat at the center of the Desert Zone. To the east was Demon King Village; to the west, the Axe Gang; and all around were sand dunes, connected by pathways paved with Qing bricks.

What amazed the tourists even more was that

each of the seven pillars was enormous—about fifteen meters in diameter and standing five to sixty meters tall! It truly felt as if Pansi Ling was suspended in mid-air over the Shadou area.

Moreover, apart from a spiral staircase on each pillar, there was also an elevator that directly reached the mouth of a giant spider-shaped structure at the top.

In addition,

where the film showed the spider spitting out dense strands of silk, in reality those ‘silks’ were actually small glass boardwalks made of reinforced concrete.

To reach Pansi Cave, visitors first had to traverse the glass boardwalk.

For those with a fear of heights, this was undoubtedly another challenge.

Coming back to reality,

many tourists immediately headed toward the support pillars!

According to staff, each of the seven pillars leads to Pansi Cave. Since they were already here, visitors planned to explore Pansi Cave first, then head on to Demon King Village and the Axe Gang.

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the ‘A Chinese Odyssey’ zone, Zhu Qiang, Luo Peng, and Fang Hou watched the queue of incoming tourists, chatting casually.

At that moment, their expressions visibly relaxed, especially Fang Hou.

He hadn’t slept a wink last night, obsessively checking the reviews and ratings posted by netizens and viewers on drama forums. Now he could finally exhale in relief.

“President Luo, your idea is simply brilliant!”

Glancing again at Pansi Ling, Fang Hou couldn’t help but give Luo Peng a thumbs-up.

“Don’t praise me; I was only inspired by Brother Hao’s Demon-Locking Tower.”

At these words,

Zhu Qiang hastily waved his hand.

Outsiders might not know, but they were all well aware of how Pansi Cave was built.

From a distance, it almost looked as though a colossal spider web held up Pansi Ling. In reality, though, it wasn’t as heavy as imagined. Most of its interior was hollow; aside from some structural reinforcements that mimicked spider silk, the rest was made with innovative materials.

Thus, while it was feasible to plant small flowers and grasses on Pansi Ling, planting large trees would likely overwhelm the seven load-bearing pillars.

Visitors could only enter Pansi Cave for sightseeing rather than climb Pansi Ling itself.

Of course, if one day the Mingsha City Construction Team truly demonstrated the skill and ability to create a levitating mountain, they’d spare no expense in building several.

Even so,

Pansi Ling was already awe-inspiring—especially at night. Once the lights came on, its beauty was simply mesmerizing. It wasn’t long before the area would be filled with visitors clad in red and purple, with even more flocking the site at night.

“By the way, isn’t Brother Hao about to return?”

After a pause, Luo Peng said,

“He should be back around the 20th or so.”

Nearby, Zhu Qiang couldn’t help but glance at Luo Peng; it wasn’t exactly a secret.

“These days, Daoist Master keeps asking when Brother Hao will be back. He wants to see him. I told him the 20th, but he insists on an exact date.”

Luo Peng smirked.

He was nearly driven crazy by Daoist Master’s incessant questioning these past few days.

“Does Daoist Master have something urgent?”

Zhu Qiang paused.

Theoretically, Daoist Master had already provided the blueprints for Wuzhuang Temple and even planned to oversee its management in the future. There was no need for him to be in such a rush—after all, there was no shortage of food and lodging in Mingsha City.

“He just mentioned he has something to attend to outside in the coming days. It seems rather sudden, which is why he wants to clarify a few details about the temple’s construction with Brother Hao.”

Luo Peng spread his hands in exasperation.

“Clarifications? You think I’d say something different?”

“Daoist Master said I can’t be in charge! He even said he’s afraid that after heading out, Brother Hao might hand over the completed Wuzhuang Temple to another priest. So he must make everything clear with Brother Hao.

In short, he’s worried that what used to be his Wuzhuang Temple before he left would become someone else’s upon his return.”