[Thousand Illusions Tree]
[Status: Weakening Period]
[Realm: Life and Death Dao Domain Realm]
[Age: 895 Eras]
[Remaining Lifespan: 3 Eras]
…
[Innate Grand Divine Ability: Thousand Illusions Eye]
[Innate Grand Divine Ability: Tree Heart Puppet]
"Only 3 Eras of life left?" Zhao Xing's expression darkened as he entered his Origin Space.
At this moment, the Thousand Illusions Tree had gone silent, its leaves drooping slightly. At its roots, a light blue disc about the size of a human palm glowed continuously—it was the Water-Origin Life Contract!
Countless threads extended from the contract, intertwining throughout the Thousand Illusions Tree's body.
"In order to resist the Spiritual Water Realm, the Thousand Illusions Tree has already pushed itself to the brink, continuously consuming its origin essence while I dragged it out for a full 100 years."
"Only in this state could the Water-Origin Life Contract succeed."
"Otherwise, subduing this ancient tree spirit would have been extremely difficult."
Even in its weakening period, the Thousand Illusions Tree had not dropped in cultivation—it remained at the Life and Death Dao Domain Realm, a testament to the tenacity of tree-type lifeforms.
If it had been a flower, bamboo, or any other plant-type combat unit, enduring a hundred years of torment in the Spiritual Water Realm, followed by the effect of the Water-Origin Life Contract, its realm would have already plummeted.
"Thousand Illusions Tree, you're already under my control. Let's discuss the terms." Zhao Xing spoke.
Although he had successfully transplanted the Thousand Illusions Tree into his Origin Space, storing it was an immense burden.
After all, it was a Life and Death Dao Domain Realm plant—the sheer mass of its existence strained the capacity of his Origin Space.
The Water-Origin Life Contract allowed Zhao Xing to dominate the tree, controlling its physical actions. However, this did not mean full authority—he could not force the Thousand Illusions Tree to unleash its Grand Divine Abilities through the contract alone.
For players, it would be clear that the Water-Origin Life Contract could only make the Thousand Illusions Tree execute basic attacks—its skills remained locked.
"What do you want to discuss?" The Thousand Illusions Tree's trunk opened an eye, revealing a humanoid figure within. Its gaze was filled with intense hatred.
The tree had never expected to escape one prison, only to fall into another pit—enslaved by a mere human.
"Don't look at me like that." Zhao Xing said flatly. "You wanted to kill me, and I wanted to control you. We're both simply fighting to survive."
"Survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle—you understand this better than I do."
"Now that things have come to this, being furious is pointless. Instead of wasting time on emotions, you should carefully consider my offer."
The Thousand Illusions Tree calmed down. It was true—rage was useless.
Zhao Xing continued, "You help me, and I help you."
"I provide you with the nutrients you need to survive, and in return, you serve as my guardian."
"When I say guardian, I mean you must fight for me with all your strength when needed."
Considering the pride of the Thousand Illusions Tree, Zhao Xing carefully chose his words. Instead of using terms like slave or servant, he used "guardian".
"Guard me for 500,000 years, and I will set you free."
"To you, 500,000 years is but a fleeting moment, is it not?"
"Too long," the Thousand Illusions Tree shook its head. "I have less than one Era left to live… I can only serve you for 10,000 years."
Still lying… Zhao Xing sneered inwardly.
A Life and Death Dao Domain Realm tree knew exactly how long it could live.
This tree clearly had 3 Eras left but was claiming less than one Era remained.
"It seems you don't know who I am." Zhao Xing's tone remained calm.
"Who are you?" The Thousand Illusions Tree scoffed.
"I am Qing Yuzi! A mighty being who has reincarnated a hundred times!"
Zhao Xing's aura changed—an overbearing presence erupted from him.
"I once ruled a vast ancient kingdom, dominating the Xuanling Star Domain!"
"I have debated the Dao with countless Reincarnation Realm experts and have even met Ancient Gods."
"This is my 101st reincarnation!"
Shhhhaa—
The leaves of the Thousand Illusions Tree trembled as if it had just heard the most ridiculous joke in history.
Reincarnation Realm? Qing Yuzi?
A hundred lifetimes of reincarnation? What a joke!
A cultivator who had reincarnated more than 100 times would be among the most terrifying figures in history, possessing the potential to ascend to godhood!
The Thousand Illusions Tree had been associated with many scholars—it could not be fooled so easily.
"You don't believe me?" Zhao Xing said indifferently. "I can tell at a glance—you have lived 895 Eras, and your remaining lifespan is 3 Eras."
The tree's leaves stopped trembling.
"The Divine Fire Turtle outside has lived 993 Eras and has 7 Eras left."
"Not all Divine Fire Turtles live this long—the one in the Heavy Water River has survived only because it awakened its innate ability, 'Millennial Turtle Essence'."
"You wanted to kill it to steal its Turtle Essence and extend your own lifespan. Am I right?"
The Thousand Illusions Tree could no longer laugh.
The eye on its trunk widened, as if in shock.
With just one sentence, Zhao Xing had seen through everything—the life span of both himself and the Divine Fire Turtle!
How could a mere Origin Realm cultivator possibly possess such knowledge?
"Qing Yuzi… could he really be a Reincarnation Realm powerhouse?" The Thousand Illusions Tree began to believe.
Its hatred toward Zhao Xing also faded.
Being enslaved by an Origin Realm cultivator was a humiliation.
But being subdued by a Reincarnation Realm powerhouse?
That was an opportunity!
If this Qing Yuzi was telling the truth, then being his guardian was actually an honor.
Perhaps… if it truly served loyally, it might break through in the future?
Even if it couldn't, wouldn't it at least be able to extend its lifespan?
"Think carefully." Zhao Xing said calmly. "Opportunities like this… don't come often."
With that, Zhao Xing didn't wait for the tree's response—his consciousness faded from the Origin Space.
"Whether it believes me or not doesn't matter—I can still use it as a Yin-Yang Dao Domain-level combatant."
After deceiving the Thousand Illusions Tree, Zhao Xing deactivated his Divine Fire Turtle Transformation.
"The Moonlight Shines Across All, The Dao Has Its Boundaries."
The Expulsion Order activated once more—Zhao Xing's figure vanished from Shangluo Dao Academy.
At the same time, at the Exploration Base of Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom, within the vast and majestic Tianji Star Land, inside the grand Tianji Mansion—
"King Tianji, you were originally an elder of my Dongyan Ancient Clan, the 'Emperor of Reincarnation.' In the 57th hundred thousandth year of the third era of the Barren Domain, one of our strongholds was discovered by the Reincarnation Divine Palace. To protect our people, you voluntarily entered the cycle of reincarnation."
A man in a black robe sat across from King Tianji, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable allure.
"You… You are Dongyan Hai?" King Tianji frowned at the person before him. Fragments of past memories began surfacing in his mind.
"That's right," Dongyan Hai nodded.
"Why am I only now recovering my reincarnation memories?" King Tianji asked.
"Because your Reincarnation Dao Soldier was shattered by the Reincarnation Divine Palace," Dongyan Hai traced his fingers across the table, and a broken black spear materialized before them. "We only managed to recover a portion of your Dao Soldier fragments."
As the broken black spear appeared, the surrounding light distorted. Its spearhead resembled a black hole, swallowing all nearby light—including King Tianji's gaze.
"Hummm—"
King Tianji's expression changed instantly. He felt a deep, instinctual tremor within his soul, as if this weapon truly belonged to him in a past life.
He subconsciously reached out—
"Clang!"
The black spear fell into King Tianji's hand.
"This really is… my weapon…"
His gaze turned dazed for a moment.
"Elder, what do you need me to do?" King Tianji asked.
Dongyan Hai's lips curled into a subtle smile.
After two whole eras of preparation, the renowned King Tianji of Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom had finally become one of them.
"The Lingyu Grand Assembly will soon be held in Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom. By then, the King of Yuanhai will host the Master of Tianxing Pavilion, King Taiyue, and other Reincarnation Realm powerhouses from various ancient kingdoms. When the time comes…"
Dongyan Hai's voice became almost inaudible.
—
"Zhao Xing, you're finally out."
Scholar Du Wen watched as Zhao Xing emerged from the Cold Pool Region. "This time, you took quite a while."
"Yes, I ran into some trouble," Zhao Xing replied.
"You Yitian and Fan Yu have already come out. Seems like you had quite the harvest," Du Wen chuckled.
"It was all thanks to the Lord of the Mansion, the scholars, and the exploration team," Zhao Xing said.
"Go on then, the Lord of the Mansion is at his usual spot."
"Understood."
As Zhao Xing flew off, Fan Yu and You Yitian had just emerged from the Enlightenment Realm.
"The Lord of the Mansion values Zhao Xing this much?" You Yitian mused. "He's even meeting him while entertaining distinguished guests?"
Being able to freely enter and exit the cultivation ground of the Lord of the Mansion was not a privilege most guest elders had.
"This time's harvest must have been immense. It's only natural for the Lord of the Mansion to be polite," Fan Yu commented. "It's honestly quite enviable."
—
It had taken Zhao Xing a hundred years to subdue the Thousand Illusions Tree.
It was now Year 1315 of the Beginning of Renewal Era.
After leaving, Zhao Xing immediately headed to Du Yun's reception hall.
Inside, aside from Du Yun, there were two other figures.
One of them wore an unusual set of armor—covered in dense vines, numbering in the tens of thousands, wrapping around his entire body. His eyes emitted a ghostly green glow, and just a single glance at him was enough to shake one's spirit.
The other was completely silver, his features blurred, as if he were a humanoid liquid metal entity seated in a chair. Inside his semi-transparent body, meteors streaked across, and thunder and fire flickered over his shoulders and head—as if his very body contained an entire star system.
Compared to them, Du Yun looked almost normal—at least his facial expressions were still human.
"The green-armored man on the left is a Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm Shennong. As for the one on the right… I can't read his information at all. That must be a mechanical construct avatar," Zhao Xing speculated.
"Greetings, Lord of the Mansion." In front of outsiders, Zhao Xing still addressed Du Yun formally.
"Zhao Xing, you arrived just in time."
Du Yun gestured toward the silver liquid entity. "This is my senior brother from Origin Heaven Palace—Zhan Ze."
"Senior Brother Zhan Ze is a master in artifact refinement. My Origin Divine Armor, Twilight Cloud Armor, was crafted by his teacher, with Zhan Ze also contributing to its creation."
"Du Yun, you flatter me," Zhan Ze waved his hand dismissively. "I merely assisted. Origin Divine Weapons are beyond my own forging capabilities."
"Greetings, Senior Zhan Ze." Zhao Xing bowed respectfully.
"Mm."
Du Yun then pointed to the green-armored man. "This is Huan Feng, from Primordial Hill, a close friend of mine."
"Greetings, Senior Huan Feng."
Huan Feng gave a slight nod.
It was obvious that Du Yun had a strong relationship with these two. Inviting them here, revealing the existence of a Dao Repository, was not something done lightly.
However, Zhao Xing still didn't quite understand why Du Yun wanted him to meet these two—it seemed like he had been waiting for him specifically.
"Zhao Xing, the Dao Repository has nearly been fully excavated."
Du Yun sent a secret voice transmission.
"As estimated from the beginning, the total worth is around 15 trillion Red Star Coins."
"The artifacts aren't something that can be liquidated immediately, so I don't have 1.5 trillion Red Star Coins to give you at the moment."
"If you have any other requests, that would be best. But if you insist on cash, you'll have to wait a while."
1.5 trillion Red Star Coins—enough to purchase a low-grade Origin Divine Weapon outright!
Even Du Yun didn't have that much money in liquid assets. Selling the rare treasures from the Dao Repository would take time—unless he sold them at a discounted price.
Even though Du Yun was incredibly powerful, he wouldn't hoard that much cash.
Thus, he had brought in Huan Feng from Primordial Hill and Zhan Ze from Origin Heaven Palace—both of whom owed him favors.
"I can't directly let you join Primordial Hill, but Huan Feng can accept you as his disciple. He is a Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm Shennong of the Earthly Advantage School. If you're willing, he can take you in immediately."
"Zhan Ze can custom-forge a Dao Weapon for you. No matter what kind you want, he can most likely craft it."
Zhao Xing listened and felt a mix of amusement and helplessness.
"Xiao Du isn't that reliable after all. He can't even take out 1.5 trillion Red Star Coins and has to resort to this kind of bartering?"
"Lord of the Mansion, I once bought the first layer of Extreme Land, but I haven't fully cultivated it yet. I do want to join Primordial Hill, but not under any single member of it."
The concept was completely different. Though Huan Feng was indeed impressive, if it had been someone else, this opportunity might have been considered a great favor.
"I don't have much need for a Dao Weapon at the moment either," Zhao Xing sent a voice transmission. "But I appreciate your efforts, Lord of the Mansion. I'm willing to wait a little longer."
"Alright then." Du Yun sighed, a little helpless.
"For now, go and rest. I'll notify you another day."
"Understood."
After Zhao Xing left, Du Yun looked at his two friends and shook his head.
"He doesn't have any pressing needs for it at the moment."
"Hahaha! Du Yun, this brat might be looking down on you," Huan Feng laughed. "He must be thinking, 'Even the mighty Lord of the Mansion can't fork out 1.5 trillion Red Star Coins? So that's all he amounts to.'"
"Acquiring sudden wealth yet being cautious with spending... This kid has some great fortune," Zhan Ze chuckled, his liquid-like silver face rippling.
—
"Xiao Du isn't that dependable. He can't even pull together this amount of money."
"How am I supposed to work with him in the future?"
Stepping out of the reception hall, Zhao Xing couldn't help but complain internally.
"Looks like I can't bring Xiao Du into my next plan. He wouldn't be able to handle it."
When it came down to it, Du Yun was just a genius at the Divine Ability Realm, but Zhao Xing had always regarded him as an Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm expert. Xiao Du was still young and lacked deep foundations.
"Maybe in another one or two eras, when he steps into the Dao Domain Realm, things will be different."
"Since Xiao Du is still growing as a genius, I shouldn't involve him any further, lest it burden him."
With the Thousand Illusions Tree now under his control, Zhao Xing had the means to explore tombs independently.
"If it comes to that, I won't even need to share all my information with Du Yun—there's always a risk of complications."
"I should divide my reports between different factions to keep things separate. Best to choose groups that aren't closely connected."
"At the same time, I need to pick reputable organizations."
"If I deal with shady ones, the worst case isn't just them denying my claims—they might even kill me to silence any leaks."
"One or two more major operations, and I should be able to leave."
The treasures within Moonfall Mausoleum weren't something he could consume alone—it would take an enormous amount of time to get through them.
In comparison, Tomb Worlds and Dao Repositories were far quicker to explore.
Du Yun had spent less than a hundred years excavating a full Dao Repository.
But other tomb types weren't so simple. Some had formations that could take over a thousand years to break through, and any self-destruct mechanisms could make the entire operation a wasted effort.
"If I leverage the Thousand Illusions Tree's abilities, I can target two easier Dao Domain Realm tombs for another big haul."
"I need 5 trillion Red Star Coins to deal with the Three Gods Destiny Palace situation. Once that's settled, I can finally head to the Red Star Empire."
"My Giant Sun Avatar will be abandoned—I'll just leave completely."
Even Avatar Techniques weren't foolproof. If he encountered someone like Kui Jiu, a rare profession expert, and his avatar was captured for curse-killing, he might still die from afar.
Now that Zhao Xing had obtained the Thousand Illusions Tree from the Scholar Dao Repository, he had no further reason to stay and explore. He quietly returned to Huirui Star Land.
"At the moment, there aren't any major wars in Southfall's No. 21 Star Land Cluster."
"I've been stationed in Huirui Star Land for over 150 years and have only encountered one invasion."
Reviewing Huirui Star Land's records, Zhao Xing noted that the incident barely even counted as a battle.
It had been a lost squad of five Third Stage Demon Clan cultivators who had wandered into Huirui Star Land after getting disoriented in the void turbulence.
They were instantly blasted into dust by the Youxu Army and the Nanhe Army, without even disturbing the farmers cultivating on the land.
"Truly an unlucky bunch."
Traveling through the void, using turbulence for acceleration, was extremely risky. A single mistake could send someone hurtling into hostile territory.
Inside Moonfall Mausoleum, the void turbulence was far stronger than elsewhere.
For many explorers, the number one cause of death wasn't battle—it was getting thrown into dangerous areas or enemy-controlled regions due to void turbulence interference.
"I need to report at least five or six Dao Domain Realm tombs, ensuring no unnecessary trouble or waste. If I excavate them myself, one or two should be enough."
"If I can exchange them for a low-grade Origin Divine Weapon, I'll give it to Du Yun, and he can hire someone to handle the Three Gods Destiny Palace issue for me. That way, I'll finally be free to go to the Red Star Empire instead of being stuck here."
Focusing his mind, Zhao Xing summoned the full star map of Moonfall Mausoleum within his consciousness.
"I have a clear record of 109 tombs that potentially contain Origin Divine Weapons."
It sounded like a small number, but in truth, it was a lot—after all, these were merely burial goods.
Only Dao Domain Realm powerhouses or those with special professions would bury such treasures in their graves.
Moreover, this was only what Zhao Xing knew of—the actual number was surely higher.
"It's already Year 1315 of the Beginning of Renewal Era. Time to act fast. This one will do."
The star map in Zhao Xing's mind shifted, leaving only two celestial bodies—one Yin, one Yang.
—
Boom!
The Thousand Illusions Tree suddenly found itself in the starry void. The moment it opened its eyes, it saw a massive fragment of a Lunar Star plummeting straight toward it!
"Wait, where did you bring me?!"
Before it could react, the Lunar Star fragment crashed onto it. Leaves scattered, and over ten thousand branches shattered.
"Hummm—"
Forced into action, the Thousand Illusions Tree activated its minor divine ability—Thousand Leaf Dao Domain.
Ninety-nine sturdy branches and their ninety-nine billion leaves flared with light, forming profound patterns that stabilized the void and instantly generated a barrier.
The barrier absorbed the Lunar Star fragment's energy while shielding itself from further damage.
Behind it, a small voidship hovered, with a lone figure aboard, watching the scene with lingering fear.
The Thousand Illusions Tree was speechless.
Again. I knew it would be like this!
The Thousand Illusions Tree felt deeply unwilling.
It didn't matter whether it wanted to cooperate or not—whenever a crisis arose, it was bound by Water-Origin Life Law Contracts and had no choice but to fight.
If it didn't activate its divine ability right now, that Lunar Star Fragment would crash directly onto its main body.
"Thousand Illusions, thanks for your help."
Zhao Xing waved at the Thousand Illusions Tree.
"Qing Yuzi, where exactly are we now?" The Thousand Illusions Tree asked.
It was now Year 1331 of the Beginning of Renewal Era. In fifteen years, Zhao Xing had summoned it three times.
Each time had been a crisis situation.
The first time, they encountered a Five Elements Dao Domain Realm Voidbone Fish Demon Beast.
That situation wasn't too dangerous—when the Thousand Illusions Tree appeared, the beast saw it from afar and fled in terror.
The second time, the voidship was suddenly caught in explosive turbulence within the void currents.
The Thousand Illusions Tree had to exert enormous effort to stabilize the ship and pull it free from the void river.
The third time, they were now encountering Lunar Star Fragments!
Each crisis was more intense than the last!
At this point, the Thousand Illusions Tree firmly believed that Zhao Xing was indeed a reincarnated expert at the Reincarnation Realm.
If he weren't, what kind of Origin Realm cultivator would dare venture into places like this?
"This is a great place," Zhao Xing said lightly. "A place where I can obtain an Origin Divine Weapon."
"I see."
"You've done well guarding me. Rest now," Zhao Xing gestured dismissively.
"As you wish." The Thousand Illusions Tree had undergone a shift in attitude. It no longer found it strange that Zhao Xing referred to himself with such authority. Instead, it even found him surprisingly approachable.
"Withdraw!"
Zhao Xing put away the Thousand Illusions Tree, smiling to himself. "That old tree spirit is easy to fool."
The first time it was summoned, it still called him Qing Yuzi.
The second time, it called him Qing Yu Daoist Friend.
The third time, it directly referred to him as Qing Yuzi Emperor!
"Words alone don't work. I had to first deceive it verbally. Then, by acting completely unlike an Origin Realm cultivator, I left the old tree spirit with no choice but to believe."
Zhao Xing patted his stomach and continued piloting the voidship forward.
By Year 1382 of the Beginning of Renewal Era, Zhao Xing had crossed one realm star after another, passing through countless star lands before finally arriving at his destination.
"This is it. Loyi Realm Star."
He checked his coordinates. "It matches my memory."
Ahead of him was not a planet, but a vast cloud of spiritual energy dust with scattered meteor fragments occasionally shooting out.
Checking the voidship's detectors, he found that the spiritual energy index was only 5, but the chaos coefficient was as high as 200.
"This place has less spiritual energy than the Xuanhuang Realm did when it first began reviving. But its chaos coefficient is high enough to crush even an Origin Realm cultivator."
"This is definitely one of the most desolate regions in the Phantom God Star System."
"But at least this place still has spiritual energy. In the Shenluo Barren Domain, space itself doesn't even allow for the absorption of spiritual energy..."
"Mountain Cat."
"Meow."
A mechanical cat immediately leaped out from the voidship's cockpit.
"Charge in," Zhao Xing commanded.
"Understood!"
Boom—
The front half of the voidship, shaped like a cat's head, opened its massive jaws and began tearing through the space ahead, accelerating into the chaotic dust clouds.
The Mountain Cat was the name Zhao Xing had given to his new voidship. Its spirit artifact, too, had been named Mountain Cat.
Traveling through the cosmos was a lonely endeavor. Since Zhao Xing couldn't bring a real mountain cat along, he had customized his voidship and its spirit artifact in the shape of one instead.
As the Meow-Meow Ship entered the spiritual energy dust clouds, it resembled a mountain cat diving into cotton candy.
But these dust clouds weren't soft at all.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Countless meteor fragments slammed violently against the voidship.
Crack!
Within the misty void, gales and lightning erupted, quickly reaching the power level of a Five Elements Dao Domain Realm storm.
Zhao Xing remained fully focused, ready to summon the Thousand Illusions Tree at any moment if things went south.
"The Meow-Meow Ship is a top-tier Lunar Dao Weapon—it should be able to handle this."
He had spent generously on himself. Small voidships were convenient for movement, and a top-tier Lunar Dao Weapon-grade ship wasn't cheap—it had cost him a full 8 billion Red Star Coins.
But you get what you pay for—the Mountain Cat could endure these void calamities without issue.
—
After navigating through the cosmic dust clouds for 25 years, Zhao Xing finally ordered, "Stop!"
His interface displayed a coordinate prompt.
[You have entered the outer perimeter of the map: Loyi Realm Star. (Coordinates confirmed)]
"Thousand Illusions."
Zhao Xing summoned the Thousand Illusions Tree once more.
"Qing Yuzi Emperor, what do you require?"
"Help me locate a realm star within this area."
Even after reaching the outer perimeter of Loyi Realm Star, Zhao Xing still couldn't see it directly.
The surrounding cosmic dust clouds were blocking all detection methods.
"As you command, Emperor."
The Thousand Illusions Tree had no choice but to comply.
At this point, it was getting used to being treated like a beast of burden by this so-called Qing Yuzi Emperor.
—
While Zhao Xing was exploring Moonfall Mausoleum, something else was happening.
Within the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom, deep beneath an unnoticed mining star, a floating pyramid lay in silence.
Inside, runes and formations covered every inch, with sacrificial offerings placed in meticulous order.
Yet, the space was completely empty—not a single person was present.
Atop the altar, instead of a spiritual tablet or memorial plaque, there lay an ancient book and a crystal pen.
The ancient book, with its dark cover, seemed to have endured countless eras, as if it had existed since primordial times.
Inside the crystal pen, a river flowed, with stars swirling within it.
Shhh—shhh—shhh—
Suddenly, the crystal pen moved on its own, hovering over the ancient book and beginning to write.
[...Qing Yuzi, as a veteran Reincarnation Realm powerhouse, after three (crossed out) fifty years, could no longer resist his curiosity and attempted to break the seal of the Holy Relic of the Dongyan Ancient Clan.]
The crystal pen moved slowly.
Each word it wrote disappeared into the book immediately after being inscribed.
[...Although he was still far from the Holy Relic, he inevitably took action, clearing away all obstacles. After fifty-three years, he finally arrived at—]
The crystal pen hesitated, as if encountering immense resistance.
After a long pause, it resumed writing.
[Qing Yuzi's state is peculiar, as if he does not belong to this world. Truly worthy of a veteran Reincarnator!]
[He ultimately arrived at a place called Loyi Realm Star, where he encountered the Holy Relic of the Dongyan Ancient Clan!]
[Upon breaking the third layer of the seal, Qing Yuzi will be bound to the Holy Relic, leading him to unwaveringly pursue another artifact that deeply calls to him.]
After finishing this segment, the crystal pen seemed to have exhausted all its energy. The river and stars within it stopped moving, as if it had died.
The glow of the pyramid dimmed slightly. A large number of offerings were poured into the altar, restoring a faint radiance to the crystal pen and the ancient book.
But in the end, it wrote no more.
Swish—
The ancient book, which had opened a separate page specifically for Qing Yuzi, snapped shut, revealing the four large words on its cover:
"Fate's Design."
The next moment, both the ancient book and the crystal pen completely vanished into the void, as if lying in wait for the next activation.
—
Purple Moon Star System, Qingyu Realm Star.
Deep beneath the planet's core, Qing Yuzi's corpse lay inside a transparent crystal coffin.
Since he had only been dead for less than an era, and his body had been carefully preserved, Qing Yuzi still looked as if he were merely asleep.
The tomb, housing Qing Yuzi's remains and belongings, was utterly silent.
The Lord of Purple Moon Mansion had cherished his disciple deeply, even holding onto the hope of reviving him one day.
Because of this, he had rejected Zhao Yuanzi's proposal to allow outsiders to view Qing Yuzi's remains and had instead buried him in the core of Qingyu Realm Star.
Inside the coffin, Qing Yuzi's eyes remained shut, his expression calm and peaceful.
But then—
A hand suddenly pressed against the inside of the coffin.
Without opening his eyes, Qing Yuzi expressionlessly lifted the coffin lid, and a powerful force began to awaken within him.
In the very next moment—
He disappeared from the coffin.
—
Year 1430 of the Beginning of Renewal Era, Loyi Realm Star.
Above a vast ocean of spiritual energy.
Swish—
Zhao Xing stared intently at the depths of the sea, eagerly waiting.
"Thousand Illusions, are you done yet?"
Beneath the ocean, a massive tree was faintly visible.
Deeper below, a crystal palace lay submerged.
"Qing Yuzi Emperor, this is a tomb of a Qi Sect Martial Artist. His tomb is ridiculously tough. I need more time."
"Alright." Zhao Xing shrugged.
Qi Sect Martial Artists even had unreasonably sturdy tombs—they truly embodied hardness in every aspect of their existence.
Forty-eight years ago, when Zhao Xing first discovered this Crystal Palace, he realized it had no defensive formations, no traps, nothing—just sheer hardness!
There were no formations or mechanisms to disable. The entire structure was built from an ancient, incredibly dense and heavy material from Moonfall Ancient Kingdom. It had been crafted solely to be an indestructible final resting place.
Zhao Xing had tried everything—but he couldn't open it or move it.
Even Mountain Cat—his top-tier Lunar Dao Weapon voidship—couldn't budge it an inch.
The Meow-Meow Ship was strong enough to drag an entire world, yet it failed to move this single Crystal Palace!
With no other options, Zhao Xing, the so-called Qing Yuzi Emperor, once again had to summon the Thousand Illusions Tree to do the work.
As a water-based species, the Thousand Illusions Tree was naturally suited for the underwater tomb.
Besides, there was no need to worry about traps or defensive formations—the only way to get to the treasures inside was through brute force!
"The Thousand Illusions Tree specializes in illusions—it's not great at pure destruction."
"Mo Yun Vine would be better suited for this, but it's too weak—it only just entered the Great Divine Ability Realm this year."
Since the Mo Yun Vine was a Void Species, it had to go through Small Divine Ability Realm → Great Divine Ability Realm before it could grow stronger.
Meanwhile, the Thousand Illusions Tree had skipped straight from the Small Divine Ability Realm to the Five Elements Dao Domain Realm.
In terms of quality, a Royal-Grade Thousand Illusions Tree should have been superior.
But the Mo Yun Vine was a Void Species, giving it unique natural advantages.
"Hurry up."
Two years passed, and Zhao Xing urged again.
Boom!
Suddenly, the ocean erupted, and something resembling a massive well cover shot into the sky.
It pierced through the realm barrier, vanishing into the cosmic dust clouds.
"Emperor! It's open!" the Thousand Illusions Tree shouted. "I finally broke through!"
It had not been easy—not at all!
The Thousand Illusions Tree wasn't built for brute force, and breaking through this tomb had cost it millions of branches ground down to nothing.
"Good. You did well."
The Thousand Illusions Tree nearly wanted to cry.
Even after all that effort, Zhao Xing still sounded dismissive, making it clear he thought the job had taken too long.
Swish—
Zhao Xing immediately leaped down through the massive opening.
The Crystal Palace was enormous—because the corpse inside was enormous.
Upon entering, Zhao Xing enlarged himself, growing ten million li tall.
But even then—
He was still smaller than a single toe bone of the tomb's owner.
"With a body this massive, this was at least an Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm powerhouse."
"They must have cultivated a Solar Tier Seven or higher Golden Body."
Zhao Xing analyzed.
"Just this golden bone alone is worth the price of a Solar Dao Weapon."
Excavating mages' tombs? Their corpses were worthless.
Excavating martial artists' tombs? Their corpses were worth a fortune!
"Collect!"
Zhao Xing grabbed a toe bone and stored it away.
Instantly, the space inside the tomb felt much larger.
He activated his Heavenly Sight of the Soul, scanning the surroundings.
Then, carrying his loot, he rushed out of the tomb.
"Mountain Cat, tally the findings."
Zhao Xing dumped out everything he had retrieved, except for the corpse itself.
"Understood!"
The mechanical cat immediately sprang out.
Its eyes gleamed as they scanned over every single item.
"Congratulations, Master! Here's what we found:"
"One Lower-Grade Origin Divine Weapon."
"Three Top-Grade Solar Dao Weapons."
"10,000 Bozhu Ancient Coins."
The mechanical cat reported each item meticulously.
"A Lower-Grade Origin Divine Weapon alone is worth at least 1 trillion Red Star Coins."
"The three Top-Grade Solar Dao Weapons should easily sell for several hundred billion each."
"10,000 Bozhu Ancient Coins… that's another 1.4 trillion."
"The total value of this haul… might be close to 3 trillion Red Star Coins."
Zhao Xing estimated.
"Almost at the 5 trillion mark."
"With Du Yun's 1.5 trillion share and this haul, I'm not far off."
If necessary, he could negotiate with Du Yun to lower the cost.
Or, he could sell some Great Divine Ability Realm tomb intelligence to the Sparks Unit and make up the difference.
"From now on, everything I earn is mine alone."
"On the way back, I can even find a couple more small tombs."
Feeling pleased, Zhao Xing turned to leave—
Only to be scared half to death.
A figure descended from the sky, rushing straight at him.
The newcomer wore a robe woven from stars and held a scepter in one hand.
Their gear was all Star Dao Weapons, not particularly high-grade.
But—
Zhao Xing was absolutely terrified.
Because this person was—
Qing Yuzi!
"Holy shit!"
Zhao Xing's hair stood on end.
He immediately jumped back.
But Qing Yuzi didn't slow down—
He dove straight into the ocean.
And just as he was about to hit the water, he abruptly changed course, charging directly at Zhao Xing!
"You… you… you…"
Zhao Xing was utterly dumbfounded.
No matter how he looked at it, this was Qing Yuzi. He had personally kept Qing Yuzi's corpse for so long—there was no way he could mistake it!
But how was this even possible?!
"Could it be that the Lord of Purple Moon Mansion broke through to the Reincarnation Realm and revived Qing Yuzi? That's impossible! The Temple of Reincarnation and the Ancient Kingdom Alliance have been on bad terms—there's no way they'd grant a revival quota right now!"
"Besides, how did Qing Yuzi even find this place?!"
"Something's wrong! This is way too strange!"
Zhao Xing's scalp tingled.
If Qing Yuzi had been alive, he could have accepted it.
But the Qing Yuzi before him was undoubtedly a corpse—and not just any corpse, but one that was clearly in the Second Realm.
Not only had the corpse reanimated, but it had somehow crossed the endless cosmic void, arriving at the Moonfall Mausoleum, a place where death was practically inevitable—and it had found him?!
"Emperor, what's wrong?"
The Thousand Illusions Tree was confused. To it, this was just another Second Realm corpse falling from the sky—nothing special.
"If you shouldn't be asking, then don't."
The Thousand Illusions Tree immediately shut its mouth.
Swish—
Zhao Xing dodged several times in succession, but Qing Yuzi's corpse continued charging straight at him.
After observing for a while, Zhao Xing suddenly stopped moving.
Swish—
Qing Yuzi halted exactly ten meters in front of him.
Then—
His eyes—which had been shut all along—suddenly snapped open, staring straight at Zhao Xing.
"Damn, that's creepy as hell..."
Zhao Xing muttered under his breath.
But those eyes were completely murky, filled with nothing but deathly stillness—there was no divine essence in them.
In other words—
This was, without a doubt, a corpse.
"But... why?"
Zhao Xing couldn't understand.
He moved—Qing Yuzi moved.
The whole situation was far beyond Zhao Xing's comprehension.
Feeling uneasy, Zhao Xing took out a stack of spirit-repelling ceremonial paper and burned it.
"Old Qing, is there something you couldn't let go of before you died? And... how did you even get here?"
Qing Yuzi remained completely motionless.
Burning the paper was just Zhao Xing's way of comforting himself—he had no clue what was going on.
Even his system panel couldn't detect anything about Qing Yuzi's current state.
After all, Qing Yuzi was dead, and his panel could only analyze living beings.
"Seal!"
Zhao Xing activated a long-unused Primordial-Sealing Technique, controlling the Lunar and Solar elements to form a sealing barrier around Qing Yuzi.
Qing Yuzi did not resist.
He simply let Zhao Xing seal him up without any struggle.
"I've seen a lot of supernatural events, but this one takes the cake."
Zhao Xing considered himself well-experienced, but even he had never encountered something like this.
A corpse—not only reanimated, but having traveled across the vast cosmic void just to find him?!
"He's only in the Second Realm—there's no way he could've traveled here alone!"
"What is controlling him?"
"And why does he keep staring at me?"
Doubts surged through Zhao Xing's mind.
Swish—
The stormy ocean churned violently.
A massive tree, a man, a corpse, and a mechanical cat—all eerily motionless atop the waves.
For three days, Zhao Xing pondered in silence.
Then, he suddenly waved his hand.
"Collect!"
The Thousand Illusions Tree and Qing Yuzi were both stored away.
"Mountain Cat, set course for immediate return!"
"Understood!"
The mechanical cat swiftly stored away all the treasures.
Zhao Xing entered his voidship.
Boom!
The feline-headed voidship shattered the realm barrier, piercing through the void.
—
Inside the cold, dark void of space, Zhao Xing sat quietly in his voidship, staring at Qing Yuzi.
On the pristine, smooth floor, lay a pile of antiques—swords, spears, halberds, bamboo-horse carvings, crystal-sculpted robes...
All artifacts inherited from Qing Yuzi's legacy, dating back to the Xuanhuang Realm Era.
Ever since Zhao Xing learned that the Dongyan Ancient Clan was searching for sacred relics, he had never discarded anything.
Even items from the national treasury had been carefully preserved.
Now, he had laid them all out.
For a simple reason—
"My connection with Old Qing has only one external factor—the Dongyan Ancient Clan."
"Qing Yuzi's sudden resurrection must be related to them, but... I don't feel any sense that they have broken their oath."
"Which means—this must have been a setup from long ago, before my non-aggression pact with the Dongyan Elders' Council."
"Or perhaps, they used some means to break their promise... or maybe even they don't know?"
"Either way—one thing is certain. The Dongyan Ancient Clan's Sacred Relic is with me. That's why Qing Yuzi's corpse is seeking it."
Zhao Xing stepped back, opened a protective barrier, and spread out the artifacts.
"Old Qing, everything's here!"
Qing Yuzi looked down and inspected each item.
Then, he lifted his head again, staring straight at Zhao Xing.
"Not here?"
Zhao Xing frowned.
"But this is everything—I didn't keep anything for myself!"
Naturally, Qing Yuzi didn't respond.
Frowning, Zhao Xing racked his brain.
Then—he suddenly realized something.
In his hand, a purple short sword appeared.
The moment it materialized—
Qing Yuzi's eyes shone with divine clarity.
He instantly reached out to grab the sword.
Boom!
He was stopped by the barrier, unable to move forward.
"Thunder Law Sword?!"
A chill ran down Zhao Xing's spine.
This was another unexpected revelation.
"The Thunder Law Sword—I picked it up as a discarded treasure from Ji Che's royal treasury. After unlocking two seals, it's already a top-grade Star Dao Weapon. Could it really be the Dongyan Ancient Clan's Sacred Relic?!"
For a brief moment—
Zhao Xing had the urge to throw the sword away.
But it was too late.
He knew—even if he discarded it now, it wouldn't change anything.
"I'm already in the game."
A deep sense of unease settled in his chest.
"If even Qing Yuzi, the Lord of Purple Moon Mansion, and I were forced to forget about it..."
"Then it's entirely possible that, a full era ago, Qing Yuzi himself obtained this artifact—and then forgot about it and simply discarded it."
"Just like how I randomly abandoned the Kun Yuan Divine Hoe in the Xuanhuang Realm."
"And eventually—it ended up in the treasury of another great dynasty—Great Zhou."
It wasn't impossible.
The Grand Dream Academy had originally been the national treasure of Great Li—yet it somehow ended up in Great Zhou's royal vault.
"Such a small realm, such a small dynasty—hiding a beyond-meta artifact? This game is too deep... I never figured it out in my past life."
Zhao Xing murmured to himself.
"Fine, then."
"This time—I'll play it to the very end. Even if I die, I'll die knowing the truth."
"Let's see what the hell you really are."
Zhao Xing gripped the floating Thunder Law Sword with both hands—
And began unlocking its third seal.