The Tianyou Ancient Kingdom bordered the former Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom. As one of the ancient kingdoms, its territory contained an entrance to the Reincarnation Divine Palace.
You could say the Reincarnation Divine Palace lay within Tianyou's borders, but that wasn't completely accurate. Only one of its entrances was located there; the palace itself existed within the Dao Ancient Layer.
The Reincarnation Divine Palace was surrounded by layers of spatial turbulence and void fissures in the Hundred-Fathom Void. The most convenient way to enter it was from within the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom.
"Gu Luohe told me to meet him in the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom. Could it be... he's taking me to the Reincarnation Divine Palace?" Zhao Xing guessed to himself.
He felt a bit uneasy about going there, since Qing Yuzi had secretly slipped him the core secret art of the palace—Reincarnation.
But then Zhao Xing straightened up. "No, why should I be scared?"
'Times have changed. I'm a Half-God now. I'm no longer some small fry people can push around.'
'So what if I learned some forbidden technique? Qing Yuzi gave it to me of his own free will. If someone's to blame, blame that old Qing!'
'Rules? Rules are all based on strength.'
'Back then I had to pay and beg just to learn a minor divine ability. That's because I was weak. Now? If I don't loot their house, I'm already being merciful!'
'Push me hard enough, I'll plant Spirit-Devouring Grass in the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom and trigger another Lixing River disaster.'
'Then I'll open the Seven-Star Fighting Cabinet and blow everything to hell.'
Thinking like this, Zhao Xing no longer feared the massive power that was the Reincarnation Divine Palace.
He opened the Star Mirror and began pulling in information, trying to find out how long he had been gone.
"The Xuanling Star Domain… nearly two thousand years have passed? That means the Third Era of the Barren Domain is about to begin."
Right now, it was the final solar year of the Barren Domain's Second Era. There were only thirty-five Realm-Star years left before the Third Era started.
"When I took over the Yanxing Ancient Path, it was the one thousand one hundred ninety-seventh solar year of the Second Era. At the time, there were two thousand five hundred eighty-five Realm-Star years left before the Third Era."
"From the excavation of the ancient path, to the Dao Assembly, the discovery of the cave mansion ruins, then exiting the ruins of the Baihan Realm—it all took a bit more than five hundred years."
"I spent ninety-eight years in the Xuanhuang Realm's time-space instance."
"So ninety-eight years inside… and two thousand years passed outside."
"That's about a twenty times time dilation."
After confirming the timeline, Zhao Xing immediately started checking the major events of the Xuanling Star Domain.
First off, the empire had expanded development into the northwest star sector, the Simoon Barren Domain. Three top-tier ancient paths had already been opened.
These included the Haitong Ancient Path, the Tongming Ancient Path, and the Xing Ancient Path.
Yes, the Xing Ancient Path had now been upgraded to top-tier status.
That happened five hundred years ago. But by that point, ownership of the Yanxing Ancient Path had already been reclaimed by the empire. It was no longer under the control of the Great Zhou Chamber of Commerce. The reports didn't mention the sale price, but Zhao Xing figured everyone who had invested early probably walked away with massive profits.
He checked through the Sparks Network and found that many of his friends had made huge leaps in their cultivation.
"Yang Baihe... now an Eight-Tribulation Emperor, second-in-command of Sparks. He's also a guest of Great Zhou, honorary dean of Shangluo, Xuanyuan, and Kunyuan... and even the Mouthpiece of Kaoshan King? How does this guy have so many Zhou titles?"
Just then, Zhao Xing's Star Mirror suddenly flared with fire, and a figure appeared before him—it was Yang Baihe.
"Zhao Xing! Why are you snooping on me? Wait—you're alive? Holy crap, you're really alive!" Yang Baihe was fired up. He rubbed his hands together, overjoyed.
"Captain, what do you mean I'm 'alive'? What, did you think I died?" Zhao Xing grinned.
His true body had indeed left, but the four Primordial Avatars had remained in the Xuanling Star Domain as independent entities. As far as others were concerned, he'd never really disappeared.
"That's not the same thing at all!" Yang Baihe's voice rose. "The avatar overseeing the Yanxing Ancient Path went into deep sleep a thousand years ago after the path was nearly finished."
"The ones at Primordial Hill and the Primordial Realm do nothing but train. They don't talk to anyone."
"Isn't there a fourth one?" Zhao Xing asked.
"You mean the traveling avatar?" Yang Baihe snorted. "That one was a bit more active and still talked to us sometimes. But one thousand two hundred years ago, it left the Four Seasons Palace and the Xuanling Star Domain, then vanished. Last trace was in the Black Heaven Barren Land."
Zhao Xing closed his eyes and sensed for a moment. Then he nodded.
He'd always known the limitations of the Primordial Avatars. So back when he split them off, he'd laid down strict conditions.
Using his powerful mind and soul, he purified the thoughts of the four avatars to absolute clarity.
And how? By enforcing absolute focus.
In other words, his true self, with superior will and soul power, placed something like a "Comprehension Restriction Ring" on each avatar.
Once their mission was set, they wouldn't get involved in anything else.
The one who trained just trained. The one who managed the path just focused on development. The one who traveled and chased Heavenly Timing followed that pursuit alone.
At first, since the avatar managing the Yanxing Path handled day-to-day matters, Zhao Xing's friends didn't notice anything wrong.
But once the path was complete and sold to the empire, the differences became clear.
"The first one to realize your true self was missing was Ji Si," Yang Baihe said. "He asked me to keep an eye on your avatars and look for your real body."
"But these years I've only been able to track the avatars. Your main body? Not a trace."
"A thousand years ago, even the traveling one disappeared."
"Zhao Xing, where the hell did you go?" Yang Baihe kept nagging.
"Don't ask just yet. Let me get caught up first." Zhao Xing closed his eyes.
"Distance-Free Teleportation!"
Zhao Xing activated the Distance-Free Teleportation of the Primordial Straw Puppet Technique.
"Whup—"
Space twisted like a flowing river. Then, two of his avatars appeared before him.
One was the avatar that had managed affairs on the Yanxing Ancient Path. When its task ended, it entered deep sleep. Zhao Xing called this one the Yanxing Avatar.
The other had stayed in the Primordial Realm. It responded immediately and was pulled over.
As for the one at the Primordial Hill, it didn't arrive right away. Instead, it sent back a mental message. That avatar was at a critical moment in its cultivation. If it showed up now, it'd disrupt the process, so Zhao Xing decided to leave it alone.
The traveling avatar didn't appear either. From what Zhao Xing could sense, that one was way too far—only a faint trace remained, and it was still in the Black Heaven Barren Land. The teleportation had no effect on it.
"Merge!"
Zhao Xing stretched out his hand. The two avatars' soul fragments got pulled into his Destiny Palace. All their cultivation memories, daily experiences, and insights instantly fused.
Because the avatars were weaker than his true self, the fusion completed in a blink.
Now, only the traveling avatar and the terrain-linked avatar had yet to return.
Even after absorbing their memories, Zhao Xing still lacked a clear picture. The Primordial Realm avatar had been in secluded training, and the Yanxing one had been asleep for years.
So Zhao Xing turned back to Yang Baihe for more answers—mainly about what happened after the Yanxing Ancient Path was sold.
"After the Haitong Ancient Path broke through to the Simoon Barren Domain, we ran into another spiritual qi star domain—the Tianze Star Domain. That place had a lot of ancient forces. We fought a pretty large-scale war that lasted about three hundred years."
"Later, the Tongming and Yanxing paths also connected. Their far ends were in different parts of the Tianze Domain, so we had to deal with war pressure on those fronts too."
"You once said that once the paths were through, it was best to return development rights to the Empire. So the rights and control of the Yanxing Path were fully handed back, and the Martial God Hall took over operations."
"It brought in an enormous return!" Even though a thousand years had passed, Yang Baihe still looked awed just thinking about it.
"Everyone who joined your investment group made over one hundred thousand times profit."
"That path created a whole new batch of Empire elites—and I was one of them! I'm an Eight-Tribulation Emperor now. Not quite a Half-God, but I'm the number two at Sparks!"
Zhao Xing nodded. The Xing Path really had been that profitable. After all, it was one of the top-tier routes to an entirely new star domain, and it was the shortest route at that. Even selling it at a discount brought in mind-blowing wealth.
Back then, Yang Baihe had the status of a lord. With that fortune, he broke into the Emperor level. He had both resources and access. As long as his talent wasn't too terrible, passing tribulations was just a matter of time.
"And not just me. Tuosen, Xu Youling, Daoist Miaosong, Yuan Qiusheng, Du Yun, Gu Ming—they all skyrocketed."
"I won't go into detail. You can check for yourself with a causal thread scan," Yang Baihe grinned.
Zhao Xing had made them rich. That kind of blessing built strong karma, and naturally their fortunes were tied to him.
"Seems like everyone's doing well," Zhao Xing smiled. Since he'd practiced Reincarnation, his karmic lines were usually retracted.
But just a light scan revealed his karmic threads connected to over a hundred strong cultivators. The weakest were all Four-Tribulation Emperors and up!
Only five were Half-Gods though.
The Ninth Soul Tribulation in the Barren Era wasn't easy to overcome. Money alone wouldn't cut it. Without strong enough talent or insight, even with rare treasures, you'd still have to wait your turn.
Zhao Xing focused on those five people. As he followed their karmic threads, they quickly sensed it. Since it was a positive karmic connection—bright and friendly rather than obscure or hostile—they didn't resist, and their figures became clear.
One of them was the Five Venom Emperor—now called the Five Venom Venerable.
"Disciple?" The voice came through their connection, full of delight.
"Master, it's me," Zhao Xing saluted across the void.
"You little brat! Where the hell have you been? You vanished for over two thousand years! Ji Si said your main body was missing and in danger. You had me worried sick!" Delight quickly turned into cursing.
Zhao Xing twitched a bit. Yep, same old tone. Even after becoming a Half-God, the Five Venom Venerable's temper hadn't changed. If anything, it got worse with power.
"Let me tell you—Little Zuo can't beat me anymore. Come to the Primordial Realm anytime you want. I'll take you to his Taixu City and see if he dares to act tough."
"Oh, you're asking about that old Hongshan? That guy broke through too. Eh, he's okay. Made it to the Eleventh Level. Still one level below your dear master here. He has to bow when he sees me."
"And that kid Bihui? Still stuck at Ninth Level. Total waste of resources. Pfft!"
Even from a billion miles away, Zhao Xing could feel the Five Venom Venerable's arrogance. Big names like the Bihui Emperor, the Primordial Envoy, and the Hongshan Emperor—he just downgraded them all by a generation.
Not surprising. The guy had reached Twelfth Level Half-God. He was already a major figure in the Primordial Realm. With wealth and merit, he naturally got first dibs on tribulation-breaking treasures.
Plus, he had the talent and insight to fully use every resource. His cultivation soared.
Even as a Venerable, he still respectfully referred to Gu Luohe as "Senior Gu." That title never changed.
The Five Venom Venerable went on and on, giving Zhao Xing no chance to speak. But in the flood of rambling, Zhao Xing still picked up some info that wasn't publicly available through the Star Mirror.
"About eight hundred years ago, the Reincarnation Divine Palace had some major internal conflict. Heh, they even lost another Derivation Tablet. What a joke," the Five Venom Venerable said, snickering.
"One of the three palace lords of the Origin Heaven Palace took Du Yun as a disciple. That kid has some real fortune. He got a big cut from the profit share and is already close to becoming a Half-God."
"You know that fragment of a divine-level technique we brought back from the Transmission Tower? The Empire and Origin Heaven Palace worked together and pieced it back together. It's a martial divine art created by Void Ancestor after his rebirth—called Calamity Devouring Technique!"
"They teamed up to train a group of fortune-path martial artists using this technique. Du Yun is the fastest among them in terms of progress."
"Four hundred sixty-five years ago, a sword god popped up in the Black Heaven Barren Domain. Calls himself the Lone Swordsman or something. No one knows if he came from the Tianze Star Domain."
"Too bad the Transmission Tower's gone. I never even got to visit it."
"By the way—kid, remember Bowe?" The Five Venom Venerable's tone turned mysterious. "Do you still have any memories about him?"
"I do," Zhao Xing nodded.
"Bowe's the one who shut down the Transmission Tower. The new Great Elder of the Learning City is Feng Chen. He stirred up enough trouble to force the Great Emperor, the Origin Palace Lord, and the divine realm experts from the Reincarnation Palace to all come down and suppress him. Wanna guess why?"
"Huh? Why?" Zhao Xing looked curious.
"Because he succeeded—but also made a huge mistake," the Five Venom Venerable said, his voice heavy. "The truth is too shocking. I only know a little, but I'm not allowed to tell you."
"Since you're finally back, hurry up and follow your master in cultivation. Try to reach Half-God level as soon as you can."
"Master, I already became a Half-God."
"You already became a Half-God?" The Five Venom Venerable froze.
"Yeah. Nine Tribulations."
"Where the hell did your real body go?"
"Master, that secret is too shocking. I only know a little, but I'm not allowed to tell you."
That line made the Five Venom Venerable completely speechless.
"You little punk! Keeping secrets from your own teacher? Don't bother coming back!" he roared, then cut the karmic connection.
Zhao Xing couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing about?" Yang Baihe asked through the mirror.
"Just remembered something funny."
"What funny—ah, never mind. I know your game. You always pull this when you don't wanna say something." Yang Baihe had been around Great Zhou long enough. He and Ji Si, and Zhao Xing too, had had this kind of conversation plenty of times before. Whenever something couldn't be talked about, they'd make a joke of it.
Zhao Xing moved on to contact the second Half-God.
"Grand Shennong, you're back?" Ji Si jumped out of the Eight Trigrams diagram, startled.
"Ji Si, you've come a long way in these two thousand years," Zhao Xing said, sensing his cultivation level.
Ji Si trained in both History and Fate. He was now a Ten Tribulations Fate Venerable. As for the path of history, he was still at the Nine Tribulations stage.
With the massive wealth from the Xing Ancient Path, Great Zhou had taken a major share.
Martial Emperor Ji Che didn't need to consume resources himself. He just had to nurture people under him. So whenever they got access to great wealth, the first person it went to was Zhao Xing.
But his avatar hadn't touched any of it. Since the main body was missing, it would've been dangerous for an avatar to break through first.
That meant the second in line to use the resources was Ji Si. He had great talent and was a core member of the Empire's Celestial Master Hall.
Zhao Xing's absence had created a strong sense of crisis in Great Zhou, so Ji Si was given top priority for cultivation support.
Among the six Half-Gods, Martial Emperor Ji Che wasn't one of them. The reason was that the fortune dynasty system had hit another bottleneck.
The cultivation method and artifacts that Wei Tiangchen had handed over were just bait. They weren't complete. So the Martial Emperor remained at the Emperor stage—unless they could get a better fortune cultivation method.
"It was all thanks to you, Grand Shennong," Ji Si said humbly. "With you gone, I got a lot of chances that would've otherwise gone to you."
If Zhao Xing had been around, he would've been the first to receive all those Half-God resources and treasures.
Not only would Great Zhou not have opposed it, even the big shareholders like the Five Venom Venerable and the Hongshan Emperor wouldn't have had objections.
Giving those resources to Ji Si, though, did stir up some resistance. If not for the attitude of Zhao Xing's Primordial Straw Puppet avatar from the Xing Path—acting as a stand-in for his will—the others like Hongshan and Five Venom wouldn't have silently approved.
"This is a good thing. No need to feel guilty. Besides, my avatar agreed. That's no different than me agreeing," Zhao Xing said, reassuring him. He could feel Ji Si's emotions.
"Alright, let's not dwell on that. What's going on with Great Zhou? I heard you're thinking of moving?"
"Yes." Ji Si nodded. "Since the Xing Ancient Path became a strategic asset of the Empire, Great Zhou plans to relocate for the third time. But we haven't made a final decision yet. We're still based in the Northern River System for now."
Zhao Xing nodded. Great Zhou had originally settled in a small constellation in the Northern River System. For a newly spacefaring dynasty, that had been enough.
But as Great Zhou's strength grew, they needed a bigger territory. They couldn't just pack up and move everything on a single worldship anymore.
Ji Che had started planning this long ago, even before the Empire officially began large-scale development of the Barren Domain.
Later, when Zhao Xing took over the Xing Ancient Path, Great Zhou's main expansion and settlement moved beyond the Empire's borders, building up around that path. They even created the Great Zhou Star System there.
Still, no one could've guessed how far the Xing Path would develop.
Now that the exploitation rights had been sold, the surrounding star zones had come under the Empire's control too. As a military zone, it was no longer suitable for Great Zhou to live in.
So the third relocation had been on the table for a while. But Zhao Xing's disappearance delayed any action.
For such a big decision, they had to consult him first.
"I think we should move to the former Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom," Zhao Xing suggested. When he entered the Shenluo Barren Domain, the Xuanling Chronicles had unsealed the secrets of Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom. All Emperor-level cultivators knew about it now, though it was still considered somewhat obscure.
"Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom?" Ji Si was momentarily stunned. There were many places Great Zhou could relocate to, and no one had considered that abandoned land in the Barren Domain.
"This area might be part of the Barren Domain now, but the spiritual qi here isn't depleted to the extreme. In fact, it's even better than the original conditions of the Xing Ancient Path."
"We can't keep living on other people's territory forever. There will always be restrictions."
"Choosing the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom lets us build gradually. Over thousands of years, several emerging realm-star-level dynasties have risen here. Integrating with them wouldn't be a bad choice."
"Great Zhou has manpower and money. We're more than capable of establishing our own territory here," Zhao Xing said, explaining his reasoning.
"And besides, it's closer to home."
Ji Si nodded, following his thought process. "That makes sense. Now that the Grand Shennong is a Half-God, if you plan to become a True God, choosing to establish your Dao here in the Barren Domain is a viable path."
Zhao Xing smiled. Ji Si really did understand him.
He was right. Now that Zhao Xing had stepped into the Half-God realm, the focus wasn't on passing more True Soul Tribulations to grow stronger, but on reaching godhood.
Tribulations were a necessary evil. After becoming a Half-God, each one got harder. The danger increased faster than the power gained.
Not everyone was like Bowe, who had survived eighteen tribulations.
Most Half-Gods couldn't make it past the fourteenth. If they couldn't ascend by then, their only fate was complete annihilation.
"With your Stacked-World Mountain Theory and the Six Laws of Xingstar, there's no doubt these are methods for establishing a Heaven-and-Earth Dao. No one understands them better than you. Rebuilding Great Zhou in the Barren Domain could also serve as a field test," Ji Si said.
"My theories aren't complete yet, Ji Si. Don't praise me like that," Zhao Xing replied, feeling a little embarrassed. These ideas were still just seedlings, but Ji Si was already calling them paths to godhood.
Still, Ji Si was right about one thing—Zhao Xing did want to use Great Zhou's move here as a way to resist Barren Domain erosion, to govern the land and prove his Dao.
His journey through the Xuanhuang Realm had been incredibly fruitful. From Wei Tiangchen's Heaven-Mending Technique, Lanchuan Venerable's Earth Refinement Method, to the soul remnants and bone body of the Bone God Domain, and even the challenges set by Yu Shen—all of it had offered new tools and insights.
Now that he was a Half-God, he needed to begin preparing for godhood.
"But, Grand Shennong… will the Empire let us go?" Ji Si asked hesitantly. "We only just rose to power thanks to the Empire's development of the Barren Domain. We've become part of its new elite."
"There'll definitely be challenges," Zhao Xing said calmly. "Once we leave the Empire, we won't enjoy the same networks or benefits. Every ancient kingdom faces pressure when establishing itself."
"As for whether the Empire will allow it—well, we'll need to find the right moment."
The third epoch of the Barren Domain was approaching—the Ice Age.
The situation would soon become unstable. After the Barren Domain was fully developed, the alliances between the great powers would be far less harmonious.
If Great Zhou wanted to secure its own territory, it would be nearly impossible during peacetime. But during the chaos of the Ice Age, they might get their chance.
After all, Great Zhou wasn't trying to oppose the Empire, just become independent. That wasn't too difficult.
And Zhao Xing himself had no plans to break away from the Red Star Empire.
"As long as I stay within the Origin Realm and you remain with the Celestial Master Hall, Great Zhou's path to independence won't face too much resistance."
Ji Si nodded. Starting out as a subordinate dynasty and slowly moving toward full independence was very doable. They just needed a trigger.
Most of their wealth still depended on the Empire for liquidity and conversion to resources, so there was no rush to make a clean break.
"Grand Shennong, did you go back to your homeland?" Ji Si asked, just like the Five Venom Venerable had. He wanted to know where Zhao Xing had gone all this time.
But unlike Five Venom, Ji Si had a few ideas of his own.
"Yeah," Zhao Xing nodded. "But not exactly. It's more like an old, old homeland… long ago."
His words were vague, but Ji Si, as someone who trained in both fate and history, understood instantly.
"No wonder. I tried to contact Wang Tianzhi in a dream, but he couldn't find a trace of you."
"You contacted Wang Tianzhi?"
"Yes. Some strange things have happened back home," Ji Si said, and he shared parts of Wang Tianzhi's Xuanhuang Chronicles with Zhao Xing.
Zhao Xing's expression grew increasingly complex as he listened.
According to Wang Tianzhi, the Xuanhuang Realm had seen a rise in powerful cultivators and new factions. Even old forces had grown stronger. New blessed lands and celestial grottos had appeared.
For instance, the White Bone Divine Sect—previously Purple Bone's sect—had gained a powerful preacher named Donghuang. A classic case of an old force rising again.
There were also new assassin organizations like Tianle Manor, along with new sects for physicians and sword cultivators. The changes weren't just in Great Zhou's enemies. Great Zhou itself had also grown much stronger.
Wang Tianzhi had even mentioned the Lihuo Dao Academy. Lihuo True Sovereign had manifested, and many secret techniques had been passed down.
'Could this be connected to the time-space instance I went through?' Zhao Xing wondered.
He had assumed the past he saw in the Transmission Tower's instance wouldn't affect the present.
But now… it seemed that rule wasn't absolute.
"If Old Wang has the ability, help him sneak out of the Xuanhuang Realm. Ji Si, you should try too. See if you can coordinate from within and get him out safely," Zhao Xing said. "You understand this better than I do, and you've been in touch with him the most."
"I'll discuss it with His Majesty," Ji Si nodded.
"I still have important matters to attend to. I'll speak with you again once I return," Zhao Xing said before cutting off the karmic connection.
As the realm boat continued toward Tianyou Ancient Kingdom, Zhao Xing contacted the remaining Half-Gods—Venerable Hongshan and Venerable Bisu—to check in and let them know he was safe. The last person he reached out to was Lord Lushan.
As for Zuo Qiyu, though technically a major shareholder, he had focused entirely on the Primordial Straw Puppet Technique and hadn't had any fortunate encounters like the Bone God Domain. In the Barren Domain era, he had no real path to becoming a Half-God—unless both Zhao Xing and Puyuan died. Even with wealth, he could only reach the level of an Emperor.
"Zhao Xing, what do you need?" For those in the Primordial Hill like Lord Lushan and Lord Hongshan, Zhao Xing's absence hadn't felt long. They'd both been focused on breakthroughs themselves.
Besides, Zhao Xing had left behind a straw puppet incarnation cultivating on the Primordial Hill. He wasn't visible every day, but could still be contacted. Lord Lushan would even occasionally offer him guidance.
Between the two Half-Gods, Lord Lushan had made faster progress. He was now at the twelfth tier, equal to the Five Venom Venerable, while Lord Hongshan remained at eleventh. The difference was due to responsibilities—Hongshan had overseen the development of the Haitong Ancient Path, while Lushan had more time to cultivate.
That said, Hongshan's talent was slightly stronger. Now that he had stepped down, he'd returned to the Primordial Hill and resumed closed-door training.
"I wanted to ask you—Venerable Meishan's master, Lan Shen, does he have a secret technique called Earth Refinement Method?" Zhao Xing asked.
He really wanted to know whether Venerable Lanchuan was actually Lan Shen.
"I'm not sure," Lord Lushan shook his head. "I've only met Lan Shen three times, and those were just to hear him lecture. We never chatted."
"As for the Earth Refinement Method, I've never heard of it in the Primordial Hill."
He hasn't heard of it? Was my guess wrong?
"Why are you asking about this, Zhao Xing? And why don't you ask him yourself?" Lord Lushan looked puzzled. "Your incarnation has met Lan Shen."
Zhao Xing hadn't retrieved that soul fragment yet and didn't know what had happened afterward in the Primordial Hill.
"I'm caught up with some business right now and can't make the trip," he replied. "But once I'm done, I'll definitely visit."
"Don't miss it," Lord Lushan said. "The Primordial Hill is about to undergo a major event in the Third Epoch."
"I'll keep that in mind." Zhao Xing nodded.
What Lord Lushan was referring to was the upcoming Mountain Chief Competition.
The Primordial Hill had three realms and twelve mountains, with gods abstaining from worldly affairs. All governance was handled by the mountain chiefs.
Venerable Meishan had been the previous chief, overseeing everything for over four epochs.
After stepping down, he'd gained the right to attempt godhood through fusing the three veins—Primordial, Yuan Origin, and Dao Manifestation.
In his past life, Zhao Xing had also been a Half-God and had thought about competing for the Mountain Chief post as part of his plan for godhood. But he'd failed before he even got the chance—only to be reborn.
'The superpowers are the only ones who hold the rare godhood methods of the Barren Domain era. Could Earth Refinement Method be one of them?' he wondered.
After flying for about one and a half years, Zhao Xing exited the Barren Domain and entered the territory of Tianyou Ancient Kingdom.
Following Gu Luohe's instructions, he went to a place called the Pangjia Star System, where they were to meet.
Pangjia housed the Empire's embassy to Tianyou. When Zhao Xing arrived at the embassy, he was surprised to see that Gu Luohe had come in person.
Now that Zhao Xing had become a Half-God, his system panel could display more information. When he looked at Gu Luohe's data, he was stunned.
[Name: Gu Luohe]
[True Soul: twenty-two tribulations]
[Primordial Sacred Body: twenty-one tiers]
[Primordial Mana: ???]
[Inner World: ???]
[Cultivation Method: Eternal Realm (Incomplete)]
[Divine Technique 1: Source Reversal]
[Divine Technique 2: ???]
[Plant Soldier Type 1: White Bone Divine Tree]
[Age: Abnormal]
[Remaining Lifespan: ???]
[Fortune: thirty-one tiers]
"This is insane," Zhao Xing thought, shocked by the data.
Gu Luohe had divine techniques, divine trees, and a fortune level of thirty-one. He had survived twenty-two Half-God tribulations—four more than even Bowe.
Zhao Xing had seen Gu Luohe's data when he was younger. Back then, he wasn't this powerful. His body was just the Primordial Dao Body, not yet a Sacred Body.
But now, every stat was overwhelming.
Even his mana and inner world values were just question marks—too vast to be measured in standard realm units?
That made sense. After twenty-two tribulations, a twenty-one-tier Sacred Body... the sheer depth of his foundation was unimaginable.
Gu Luohe was the son of a God King, so of course his body was powerful.
He had more than one divine technique. More than one divine tree.
What a monster.
But one thing confused Zhao Xing—why was Gu Luohe's age listed as "abnormal"? Age is just a number, so how could it be abnormal?
And his lifespan was still unknown. Could the Eternal Realm cultivation method allow him to live forever, until the end of the universe?
Zhao Xing's thoughts ran wild as he studied the panel.
Just then, four words snapped him back to reality.
"Sky Patrol Guardian."
Zhao Xing's eyes widened. "Gu Senior, you—"
He knew? He knew what happened in the Bone God Domain?
"Yes," Gu Luohe nodded. "The moment you left, I gained a new entry in my memory—[Temporal Memory]."
"You must have many questions."
Zhao Xing nodded.
"As it happens, so do I," Gu Luohe said, sweeping his sleeve to open a portal in space. "And there's only one person who can answer them."
"Who?" Zhao Xing glanced at the pitch-black passage ahead. It felt filled with a heavy, gloomy energy.
"Bowe," Gu Luohe said as he stepped inside. "He opened the Transmission Tower and released the incarnation of a God King, violating the temple's taboo. Now he's imprisoned in the Reincarnation Tomb."
Bowe's still alive?
Zhao Xing followed Gu Luohe into the passage.
Buzz~
The void fissure sealed behind them. A path formed beneath Gu Luohe's feet.
Everything around them was abstract, swirling with many colors. Zhao Xing understood this was a path within the Dao-Ancient Layer.
Their footing was supported by law-forged power. After just a few steps following Gu Luohe, they arrived at a solid landmass.
It was a floating piece of land within the abstract Dao-Ancient Layer, pitch black and wrapped in a suffocating gloom. Ancient palaces drifted in the shadows.
Around the land were collapsing and reforming stars—miniature worlds, it seemed.
"That's the Reincarnation Realm, a defining feature of the Reincarnation Temple," Gu Luohe explained. "The temple manages a collection of small worlds suitable for True Souls to reincarnate in. Cultivators who've reached the Reincarnation Realm can choose to enter these realms to strengthen their True Souls."
"The tribulations here are far more controlled. Their intensity is reduced. That's how Five Venom and Bisu used merit and wealth to earn a chance to break through into Half-God here."
"I've also crossed several True Soul Tribulations in this place."
"Of course, Reincarnation Realms suitable for Half-Gods are rare. You still have to wait your turn."
Zhao Xing looked around.
The Reincarnation Realm still held great power. Its core territory was even bigger than he remembered. When players flourished in the later version, the temple had already declined. This matched what Five Venom had mentioned about internal division within the temple. With that, stealing a Derivation Divine Tablet during reincarnation became possible.
But right now, the temple's formations and realm rules were solid. It was nearly impossible to steal anything—unless there was a traitor inside.
Whirr~
Zhao Xing followed Gu Luohe down to the land. Beneath the clouds, the environment was balanced between yin and yang. There were trees, green grass, and comfortable temperatures. A drizzle fell like it was mid-spring.
The surrounding streets were quiet. The buildings were simple in style. It was eerily still, with no signs of other cultivators.
Gu Luohe led him through multiple barriers and gates without obstruction, eventually reaching a desolate, gray continent.
It was a small piece of land with a humble courtyard and a bronze door.
A man stood there in armor glowing faintly with divine light, radiating divine power.
"Greetings, Lord Tu Ning," Gu Luohe bowed slightly.
"Greetings, Lord Tu Ning," Zhao Xing also bent low in salute.
This was a god-realm cultivator, at the level of a Free God General.
Tu Ning glanced at Zhao Xing and then opened the bronze door beside the courtyard. "Watch your time."
Gu Luohe gave a small nod and walked toward the door with Zhao Xing.
Zhao Xing examined the bronze door. It looked familiar.
After thinking a bit, he realized it resembled the manifestation Yang Baihe summoned when he used the Long River of History.
And remembering what Tu Ning said—"watch your time"—Zhao Xing guessed this door must be a time-related divine artifact.
As they passed through the gap in the bronze door, Zhao Xing was struck by an overwhelming pressure. Above them loomed heavy, oppressive clouds.
Beneath the clouds were countless shattered stone tablets. They leaned and twisted, like forgotten tombstones long left unattended.
Gu Luohe brought Zhao Xing before one of the tablets. It stood about one hundred meters tall and twenty meters wide.
Bowe was chained beneath it.
Eight glowing bronze chains pierced through Bowe's body and sank into the stone behind him.
'This is a Derivation Divine Tablet,' Zhao Xing thought. 'And a powerful one at that. They're using it to suppress Bowe?'
Gu Luohe didn't speak to Bowe. Instead, he conjured two vinewood chairs and invited Zhao Xing to sit beside him.
Bowe lay limply against the tablet, eyes hollow and expression blank. He had lost all his former spirit. His hair was unkempt. He looked like a broken man.
"I've also been to the place you visited," Gu Luohe finally said, answering Zhao Xing's earlier questions.
"Yuan is Void Ancestor. That place was where he achieved godhood a second time by founding a martial path to divinity."
"Yu Shen is the Emperor."
"Lanchuan is Venerable Lan Shen of the Primordial Hill."
"What?!" Zhao Xing was shocked. Yuan was Void Ancestor? Yu Shen of Moxuan was the Red Star Emperor?
"Then… what was that place?"
"I don't know," Gu Luohe replied, glancing at Bowe. "It was only after you returned that I gained a Temporal Memory. The Emperor doesn't know either."
"Before this, I didn't even have that memory."
"And you, Wei Tianchen, and the Bamboo Sword Venerable only got pulled into that timeline because of him."
Gu Luohe pointed at Bowe.
"Bowe killed his master. He traveled around giving lectures and gathered about half of the original Xuanling Chronicles, along with all of the copies."
"He used the Transmission Tower discovered in the Eighth Law Realm to draw power from infinite timelines. In an incredibly short time, he survived eighteen True Soul Tribulations."
"Then he sacrificed the Universal Insight Mirror, a key treasure of the Scholarly City, to unlock the ninth level of the tower—also known as the Ninth Law Realm of Scholarly City."
"From there, he released an incarnation of a God King. Fortunately, the Emperor, Lord Tu Ning, and the Core Heart Palace Master of Origin Heaven Palace arrived in time. The true God King didn't cross over, only an incarnation escaped."
"Bowe murdered his master, stole books, shattered a divine artifact, broke inter-realm boundaries, and released a God King's incarnation. His actions triggered a time-space anomaly. The Xuanling Chronicles issued a warning and unlocked the history of Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom."
"You were caught in the time loop of Void Ancestor's second godhood attempt."
Zhao Xing listened in silence.
When Gu Luohe paused, he finally asked, "Why was a God King sealed inside the Transmission Tower? What exactly is that place? Also, why do you remember this now? What even is a Temporal Memory?"
Zhao Xing understood why Gu Luohe had brought him here. Gu Luohe had questions, and Bowe's dead-eyed look made it clear he wasn't saying anything.
It was said that divine-level scholars were driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Curiosity was in their bones. Gu Luohe clearly intended to use that to coax Bowe into talking.
Zhao Xing's experience might just trigger Bowe's curiosity.
When Zhao Xing asked his questions, Gu Luohe didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked at Bowe.
"Aren't you even a little curious about what happened to him?"
Bowe didn't react at all.
Gu Luohe nodded slightly and turned to Zhao Xing. "Then I'll try answering your questions."
"First, why was a God King sealed inside the Transmission Tower?"
"It's not that a God King was sealed inside the tower. The Transmission Tower itself is a gateway."
"Many evil divine-level beings tried to use that opening to descend into our world."
"You probably want to ask—what's on the other side of that passage?"
"To answer that, we also have to talk about where the divine beings of the Xuanling Star Domain went."
A map of the Xuanling Star Domain appeared in Gu Luohe's hand. "Since ancient times, divine beings have lived endlessly long lives. Even Reincarnation Realm cultivators can survive for eons—just look at Wei Tianchen, who lived from the Five Emperors Era. So divine beings should live even longer, right?"
Zhao Xing nodded. That was something he had wondered about.
"Do you remember the four cosmic phases?" Gu Luohe asked instead of answering directly.
"Yes. Primordial, Origin, Myriad Phenomena, and Annihilation," Zhao Xing replied.
"Exactly."
Gu Luohe raised his other hand. Another map appeared, larger than the first. It showed almost all known star regions—brighter, more vibrant, with no large barren zones.
"The left shows the era before the Wasteland Age. The right shows the Wasteland Age."
"Now we need to talk about the three paths to divinity: cultivating origin to become a Free God, proving the Dao through heaven and earth to become a Calamity-Free True God, or seizing fortune to become a Fortune God."
"Divine beings can travel through the long river of time."
Looking at Gu Luohe's hands, a bold idea surfaced in Zhao Xing's mind.
Gu Luohe saw the flicker of realization and joined his hands, then spread them apart. A flowing river appeared between them.
"Now I'll answer your question."
"As the universe evolves, there will come a time when it enters the Annihilation Phase. All life will be destroyed. This has already been confirmed through observations of annihilated realms."
"When the first divine being grasped the origin of the Dao of Time, they saw this future—the universe's inevitable end."
"To escape that fate, they went upstream in time, choosing to live in the past."
Zhao Xing's eyes widened. So divine beings didn't disappear—they went backward in time to live in the past?
"The past had richer resources and better environments. Compared to the Myriad Phenomena or Annihilation phases, the Origin phase was the most ideal." Gu Luohe's voice was calm.
"Once that first opening was made, countless divine beings followed. Entire families moved to eras they didn't belong to—even to times before the human race existed."
"Maybe they went to the Dao-Manifestation Universe or even earlier than the Mesozoic Era."
Zhao Xing couldn't help asking, "Gu qianbei, doesn't that violate the laws of space and time?"
"Yes. That's your second question—Temporal Memory." Gu Luohe nodded.
"Let's say you're a divine being living in the Wasteland Age."
"You go back to before the Mesozoic Era in the Dao-Manifestation Universe. You find rich resources and discover you can keep cultivating and even improve faster. Naturally, you don't want to leave."
"You absorb resources from the past, which causes fewer resources to exist in the future."
"Violating the fundamental law of time comes with a price. One of those prices is that it triggered the emergence of the Wasteland Age."
"Natural disasters and chaotic changes followed, making the environment harsh."
"That's why the universe is divided into pre- and post-Wasteland Eras."
Zhao Xing shuddered. He hadn't imagined that was how the Wasteland formed.
Gu Luohe glanced at Bowe and continued, "But these effects also impact those of us living in the Wasteland Age."
"The Dao of Cause and the River of Time are one. If you're weak and living downstream, you'll feel those upstream influences."
"At the same time, some divine beings who refused to flee into the past didn't want to live downstream and have their existence altered either."
"So…"
Gu Luohe made a slicing motion along the river between his hands. The roaring river instantly split into two segments.
"Divine beings from the past and present—whether intentionally or not—built a dam in the river of time. This blocked the past from affecting the future. It can't stop it completely, but it reduced the impact to manageable levels."
From between his fingers trickled a thin stream of light. "That's where temporal memory comes from. That's how I knew you'd appeared in the Bone God Domain—because I received that memory from the river of time."
Zhao Xing's expression turned strange. "Then, senior… the Transmission Tower—is that dam? That seal?"
It was easy to make that connection. All the rules of the Transmission Tower matched what Gu Luohe described.
To exchange materials required world points. Actions within the instance didn't affect real history. Yet there were events tied to historical voids.
"Yes," Gu Luohe nodded. "The Transmission Tower is one of them. Besides the Empire, all superpowers have a structure guarding these passageways."
"The River of Time can transmit temporal memory because of these dams, but it can also become unstable—changing the present or causing memory loss."
"That's why the superpowers of the Xuanling Star Domain keep silent, hiding behind the idea that 'divine beings don't interfere in worldly matters.' It's to avoid mass panic."
Zhao Xing gave a small nod. For those at lower realms, knowing or not knowing these things didn't really make a difference. They wouldn't live long enough to matter. And even if you told them, a temporal storm could erase the memory anyway—what would be the point?
"Only divine beings can maintain independent memory across such distortions in time and space," Gu Luohe said, revealing yet another secret.
Zhao Xing's eyes twitched.
He suddenly thought of the memory palace in his mind—the burning lock, the dog licking his face, the chicken pecking rice.
'So… I wasn't sealed after leaving the Xuanhuang Realm. I was always retaining independent memory?' Then who gave him this trait? Was it some powerful figure in the Xuanhuang Realm?
Zhao Xing said nothing for a long time. He had heard too many shocking truths today and didn't even know what to say.
"Gu Luohe, you're wrong." Suddenly, Bowe spoke.
Both men turned to look at him at once.
Bowe lowered his head slightly, his tone cold and mocking. "Temporal distortions weren't caused by the dams themselves."
"They were caused by the five divine wars that broke out around them."
"These five wars gave rise to five Divine Emperors… and destroyed five Divine Emperors."
"They also triggered five waves of Wasteland expansion."
Gu Luohe seized the chance to ask, "You mean Void Ancestor, Li Huang, Luo Huang, Yu Huang, and Rui Huang… they launched wars to go into the past and wipe out the chaos-bringing divine beings?"
But Bowe didn't respond to him. He only looked at Zhao Xing.
Gu Luohe followed his gaze.
Zhao Xing understood immediately. "Grand Elder Bowe, are you saying Void Ancestor, Li Huang, Luo Huang, Yu Huang, and Rui Huang tried to launch wars to travel into the past and destroy those divine beings who caused chaos?"
This time, Bowe responded.
"Yes… but not entirely," Bowe said indifferently. "One of the human Divine Emperors started a war just to reclaim the Dao of Fortune. He knew he wasn't as strong as the other four emperors. It was all a futile effort."
"And with that, the path of Fortune-based divinity ended with the Five Emperors Era and was completely lost."
"Grand Elder, the place I visited—do you know what it was?" Zhao Xing asked.
"'Feng for heaven, Chan for earth,'" Bowe nodded. "That was the Fengchan Site of the Five Emperors. The place they used to prove their Dao and become Divine Emperors."
"Fengchan Site…" Gu Luohe tried to press further. "Bowe, what else do you know?"
Bowe still didn't answer—until Zhao Xing repeated the question.
"I don't know," Bowe shook his head. "I've wandered endless timelines via the Transmission Tower. All those were independent time-spaces. There's very little information about that place. I can only guess."
"What kind of guesses?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Gu Luohe, leave us," Bowe said, lifting his head. His messy hair fell away, and his black eyes locked on Gu Luohe.
Gu Luohe hesitated for a moment, then stood and left.
As long as Bowe was willing to talk, Zhao Xing stood to gain something. So Gu Luohe didn't mind stepping away.
Once Gu Luohe was gone, Bowe stared straight at Zhao Xing, making his skin crawl.
"Grand Elder, he's gone. Can you talk now?"
"Zhao Xing, you have to promise me—get me out of here," Bowe said through divine transmission.
"You think I have that kind of power?" Zhao Xing gave a bitter smile. "I'm just a half-god."
"I just want to see that place again," Bowe said. "Before I die for real, I want to satisfy my curiosity. I want to die understanding. I'm not asking for total freedom—just limited movement. That should be much easier."
"Senior, you'll have to tell me first. Only then can I decide if I'll help," Zhao Xing replied. "And also… why do you only answer my questions?"
"Because I'm curious," Bowe said. "I suspect the Xuanhuang Realm was built from a piece of Ultimate Land. Someone moved it and made it into a place for Dao-planting. It may also be the only place across all timelines where the Extreme Star can be seen. That's how the Five Emperors proved their Dao."
Zhao Xing had been shocked enough today, but hearing that the Xuanhuang Realm might be made from Ultimate Land still rocked him.
A being beyond even Divine Emperors? And the Extreme Star could be seen there?
He remembered the coordinate prompt on his panel. Maybe Bowe's guess wasn't so far-fetched.
"As for why I only answer your questions…" Bowe suddenly laughed. "Because you can still enter that place… can't you?"
That laugh sent chills down Zhao Xing's spine. What had Bowe become after attaining godhood?
Once Bowe's restrictions were lifted, it seemed he had access to information far beyond other divine beings. Had the evolution of the Universal Communication Technique brought him close to omniscience?
"Senior, I still have questions," Zhao Xing said. "Why did those divine beings come back to this era? They say you released a God King's avatar—"
"The two ends of the River of Time are held by two groups of gods—those fleeing the future, and those clinging to the present."
"That's the difference between becoming a god through Origin cultivation and proving the Dao through Heaven and Earth."
"As for why they say I released it…"
"Zhao Xing, I've already said enough." Bowe's voice cooled. "If you can find a way to grant me limited freedom, I'll tell you whatever you want to know."
Zhao Xing hesitated. Agreeing meant taking on a massive burden. Should he accept?
As he wavered, Bowe's voice, like a whisper from the abyss, reached him again.
"You don't want to know where Qing Yuzi went?"
"You don't want to know who that escaped God King was—or why he came to the Wasteland Era?"
"And—don't you want to know who you really are?"