The area where the yao race lived was mainly the northern wilderness zone of the Xuanling Star Domain, like the Siyue Wilderness Zone developed by the Red Star Empire. Some of it also bordered the Heavenly Yao Nation and the Wanhe Yao Nation, but the section adjacent to the empire covered only about 30 million star regions.
Bermon came from Keboyu in the Heavenly Yao Nation. Observing it from the Dao-Manifest Layer, it looked like a dense, disc-shaped area made up of realm stars, star continents, void rivers, and floating clouds.
Every ancient path in the Siyue Wilderness Zone developed by the empire had to be guarded by the Frontier Army, mainly to fend off the yao race. Back when the Great Zhou Dynasty was at Wangliang Star Region along the Wolf Yao Path, there had even been clashes with yao.
According to the human standard, a place like Xingxianguan of the old Daye Dynasty, where the spiritual energy index dropped below 10, was already considered the edge of the wilderness.
But the yao's bodies adapted better to harsh environments, so their standards for what counted as wilderness differed greatly from those of humans. Outside Xingxianguan was still considered a spiritual energy zone for the yao, a livable place. Theoretically, yao territory was much larger than human territory.
However, yao were spread out and scattered. Overall, their territory connected like a ring, surrounding the entire Xuanling Star Domain. Even the Chaotic Sea had yao presence.
But the yao's main powers were the ten major yao nations, with their supreme governing body being the Yao God Hall, which took in yao who ascended from all directions.
Because Bermon had high status among the yao, he could use special void channels and travel back and forth from the Origin Heaven Palace in just half a year.
Zhao Xing accepted Bermon's invitation and arrived in the Heavenly Yao Nation, one of the ten major yao nations.
Bermon's territory was located in the first zhang of the Dao-Ancient Layer corresponding to the Heavenly Yao Nation's capital, an artificial landmass.
Bermon was rich. In the Heavenly Yao Nation, his wealth and status were equivalent to what the Carlos Family once held in the empire.
"Brother Zhao, my place isn't as fancy as your human territories. I hope you don't mind," Bermon said with a laugh as they landed.
"Don't say that. I'm not here to seek luxury. Your place is quite impressive, Brother Bermon, with a unique style," Zhao Xing replied. But honestly, he couldn't find any genuine praise for Bermon's taste.
The style of Bermon's territory, from its architecture to its formations, was all about bigger is better, more is better. He'd somehow dug up four spirit mountains of incredibly high grade, almost reaching Dao-Manifest Vein level.
But he just piled them together carelessly, with no proper arrangement of the land veins or mountain flows. The spirit lake was the same. He had a lake named after himself, Bermon Spirit Lake, which Zhao Xing thought looked more like an ocean.
Bermon told him he dumped all the spiritual resources he gathered into the lake to let them evolve on their own into treasures over time. His plan was that with enough quantity, quality would follow. Every 10,000 years, a top-tier Reincarnation Dao Soldier-level treasure would emerge from the lake.
The sun star and moon star shining on the territory rotated entirely based on Bermon's whims. If he wanted to cultivate, both stars would rise. If not, he'd hide them underground.
Bermon even bragged that this setup avoided waste and was efficient.
Zhao Xing looked at the heavy clouds piled up over Bermon Lake to the east and was speechless. 'All the clouds gathered in the east, refusing to disperse. Spiritual energy can't circulate, so the circulation of the heavens only runs on a small cycle. How is that reasonable?'
'The yin and yang stars are forcibly driven by formations, but the interaction of the six energies of heaven and earth is only at ten percent efficiency. The westernmost spirit mountain gets no sunlight at all—how is that reasonable?'
'He clearly has excellent resources, but not a single decent plant troop has been nurtured. A bunch of emperor-grade plants have just become bloated lumps…'
Zhao Xing's current knowledge was far beyond before. In the past, he might not have noticed, but now, with mastery of Heaven's Timing, Earthly Advantage, and Self School, he saw immediately how crude Bermon's territory was.
He had money, he poured in plenty of spiritual resources, but none of it worked the way it should.
At first, Zhao Xing didn't want to say anything, but Bermon kept proudly showing everything off. Finally, Zhao Xing couldn't hold back anymore.
As an expert, he couldn't stand it. He had to correct Bermon's thinking.
"Brother Bermon, forgive me for being blunt, but your territory's layout has a few issues."
"Oh? How so?" Bermon asked.
"Take this purple-green bamboo grove, for example. The optimal planting method would expand the root-to-soil ratio to about 4. That way, you'd get four times the number of purple-green bamboos, and their quality would rise by one to two tiers."
"Then, by reducing the proportions of Yimu, Jia Metal, and Ren Water…" Zhao Xing began, but seeing Bermon's blank look, he changed tack. "Well, for convenience, you could just buy three sets of Earth-Linked Pivot Formations."
"If that's too much, dig three rivers from Bermon Lake and set them up in a nine-grid pattern around the area. That'll work too."
Bermon clearly didn't understand the details, but he realized Zhao Xing was saying his arrangements were wasteful.
Just then, Bermon's expression turned odd. "Brother Zhao, you should meet my steward."
"My territory's design was done by them."
"Pengyue, come here!" he called out.
A middle-aged woman in a gray raincoat with a bamboo section strapped to her back quickly popped up from underground.
Zhao Xing gave her a glance. Though she looked human, she was actually a yao in disguise—a "Demon Shennong."
Pengyue's cultivation wasn't weak; she was in the Eight Tribulations Emperor Lord Realm.
"Pengyue, look who's here," Bermon said.
Pengyue obediently looked up. The moment she saw Zhao Xing, she was visibly stunned. "You…you're Zhao Shennong?"
"That's right, it's me," Zhao Xing replied calmly.
"Heavenly Yao Nation's Pengyue greets the Dao Master," she said respectfully, switching to human etiquette and bowing with the disciple's salute.
Zhao Xing was a bit surprised. 'What's the meaning of this?'
Bermon smiled. "Pengyue is a Demon Shennong. She's studied your two great treatises, and because of them, she passed her seventh True Spirit Tribulation. So it's not overstepping for her to call you Dao Master."
Zhao Xing raised his eyebrows slightly.
"In the Heavenly Yao Nation, many human techniques and theories are banned from spreading. But your two treatises aren't on that list. Lots of Demon Shennongs have studied them."
"Pengyue, tell Zhao Shennong your other identity."
Still kneeling, Pengyue straightened up a bit, her voice full of pride. "Dao Master, I'm the vice president of the Extinguished Star Society and vice chairman of the Earth Change Association in the Heavenly Yao Nation."
"I've been studying your treatises for 3,200 years. In the Heavenly Yao Nation, there are over 3,000 Demon Shennongs in the Reincarnation Realm who've joined these two organizations. As for those in the Dao Domain Realm or Primordial Realm, they're too many to count."
Zhao Xing felt a bit dazed. He never imagined that after thousands of years, his two treatises would spread so widely, even among the yao, with Demon Shennongs revering him as their teacher. He'd never instructed them directly, but those followers formed their own groups to promote his work, pushing the light of his theories into many remote parts of the Xuanling Star Domain.
'Over three thousand Reincarnation Realm experts in the Heavenly Yao Nation call me Dao Master?' he thought.
Bermon chuckled. "Pengyue, my territory's environment was modified based on your understanding of the two treatises. Didn't you say it couldn't be improved any further?"
"But now Zhao Shennong himself says your methods have issues."
Pengyue didn't hesitate. "My understanding must be flawed then, not the teacher's theories."
She bowed respectfully. "Please, Master, guide me."
Zhao Xing had heard the Heavenly Yao Nation was the most open-minded of the ten yao nations, eager to absorb human techniques and martial skills. Seeing it in person left him deeply moved.
'No wonder the yao have coexisted with humans for countless years without being wiped out. There are reasons for their survival,' he thought.
"Stand up. There's no reason to listen to a lecture on your knees. Let's start with this bamboo grove."
"Yes," Pengyue said obediently, rising to stand respectfully at Zhao Xing's side.
"The six primal forces of heaven and earth, the blending of yin and yang, the circulation of land veins—it's not true that the higher the soil quality, the better," Zhao Xing explained. "Soil that's too rich prevents the veins from opening up. Earth qi can't rise, and heaven qi has nowhere to land."
"Even small imbalances, accumulating over time, will cause terrifying disasters."
"Master, but Bermon's territory hasn't had any such disasters."
"That's because disasters can be visible or invisible."
"Life in this land has long been stuck in a bloated, abnormal state. Its life essence has already changed. The problem just hasn't fully erupted yet."
"Take this purple-green bamboo. Try the Condensation Method to stimulate it and see if it can still produce offspring."
"Master, it can't—"
"Of course not. It's already started mutating naturally. You were raising purple-green bamboo, but now you've got a completely different plant. Its overall quality might not seem lower, but it's lost its original purpose. If you sold it, it'd definitely fetch a lower price."
"I see. We sold some before without issues, probably because the Demon Shennongs in the Heavenly Yao Nation have lower standards."
Zhao Xing walked Pengyue all over Bermon's territory, stopping frequently. Pengyue's face kept shifting from shock to sudden realization. She'd thought she'd mastered the two treatises better than anyone else in the Heavenly Yao Nation, but now she realized how ignorant she'd been.
Three years passed.
Zhao Xing spent the whole time pointing things out and transforming Bermon's land.
Three years later, Bermon awoke from a nap in his palace to find the entire territory had changed.
"Hiss~" Bermon took a greedy breath of the spirit energy outside. The change wasn't just cosmetic. It was a fundamental transformation of the land's energy.
A light breeze brushed his face, bringing an indescribable sense of comfort. He even felt his Demon Saint Body growing stronger. In this environment, he could fight far better than before!
"Zhao Xing really is a genius Shennong," Bermon thought as he gazed at Zhao Xing's figure by the lake, awestruck. "If he reaches the God Realm, the impact he could make would match several gods."
Thinking this made Bermon glad he'd decided to invite Zhao Xing.
"Whoosh~"
Bermon's figure flashed, and he appeared in a quiet pavilion inside the palace.
"How much longer until you finish the job I gave you?" he demanded.
Several shadows shifted inside the pavilion. "My lord, capturing Jin Yan is proving difficult. He uses a cloning technique. We need to lock onto all his avatars with karmic threads, confirm each one's location, and strike simultaneously with no mistakes."
"Stop babbling. I want results!" Bermon snapped, annoyed that his subordinates only talked about difficulties instead of progress.
"I know Jin Yan's slippery. He has a protection decree signed by three other elders of the God Hall. He's good at hiding—"
"But what do I keep you fate masters around for?"
"You have all the money, resources, secret files, and connections you could need. Use whatever it takes—I want Jin Yan in that gift box." Bermon pointed at a pitch-black chest.
A turtle demon slowly nodded. "My lord, we will capture him within seven realm-star years."
"Good. I'll be waiting," Bermon said, nodding before leaving.
Six years later, in a remote star system of the Wanhe Yao Nation, in Jin Star City.
Jin Yan's true body sat in the city, restless and uneasy. "Three years ago, I fled to this faraway Jin Star City, but this feeling of unease hasn't gone away…"
"What's wrong with me?" Jin Yan kept drinking fine wine, clutching the beauty in his arms, but nothing eased his unease. Frustrated, he shoved the woman away and set down his cup.
In the blink of an eye, a shadow suddenly appeared in the brightly lit hall.
"Whoosh."
A sliver of sword light reflected in Jin Yan's eyes. It was fast—way too fast! Before he could react, the sword light pierced straight into his life palace. His Primordial Avatar's distance-free teleportation could be interrupted if attacked at over 400,000 immeasurable moments of speed. If that happened, Jin Yan wouldn't have time to react and would be controlled instantly.
Anyone who could pull that off had to be above eleventh-stage demigod or have a divine artifact. Jin Yan himself owned divine artifacts. Using the Primordial Avatar's traits, he'd gone on countless adventures in secret realms, so it was normal for him to have picked up one or two divine artifacts.
But now he couldn't move at all! His true soul in his life palace was completely wrapped up in fine, thread-like sword qi.
"Don't move."
It wasn't until he was pinned down that Jin Yan finally got a good look at the dark figure in front of him.
"Venerable Qingyao?!" Jin Yan was shocked. Venerable Qingyao was a demon demigod of the Heavenly Yao Nation—why was he here to catch him?
"Venerable Qingyao, I don't know how I offended you. My patron, Venerable Pengbei, even attended the Demon God Banquet with you before!" Jin Yan knew he couldn't fight back. All he could do was name-drop the strongest of the three demon elders he'd pledged allegiance to, hoping it would scare Venerable Qingyao off.
"A human traitor like you dares throw Venerable Pengbei's name at me?" Qingyao's cheek fur bristled, and his vertical eye flashed with mockery. "Give it up. Even if you chant his name, he won't sense it now."
"Collect!"
As Qingyao retracted Jin Yan's true body, over 13,000 of Jin Yan's soul fragments scattered across the demon territories were captured at the same time.
Jin Yan found himself locked inside a black box with a massive inner space. He saw his soul fragments and straw puppet bodies thrown in one after another, leaving him stunned. This was practically all his soul fragments.
A month later, Jin Yan realized how serious things were.
"Who could have the power to collect over 13,000 of my fragments in such a short time?"
"I only have three fragments left, each kept by one of the three demon elders."
Those last three fragments were his lifeline. As long as they stayed safe, even if his true body was destroyed, he could resurrect from their memories.
Years ago, when he practiced the Primordial Straw Puppet Method, he'd gained this ability, something Zuo Qiyu lacked. That was why Jin Yan considered himself stronger and dared betray the empire.
"The three elders swore to protect me. My three fragments can't possibly get caught."
Though shocked, Jin Yan wasn't afraid. This was the strength of the Primordial Straw Puppet Method—even demigods couldn't truly kill him. As long as he stayed alive, he could rebuild everything.
"I want to see who dares offend three elders of the Demon God Hall at the same time—what?!" Jin Yan froze. A sliver of light swept through the darkness as the box opened and shut quickly. Two more of his fragments were thrown in—ones he'd left with two of the three elders.
"Oh no… what the hell is going on?" Jin Yan's fear finally took over.
On Zhao Xing's tenth year in demon territory—
"Whoosh~"
Bermon suddenly appeared by the lake, dragging a big black box behind him.
"Brother, I've got a gift for you."
"A gift? Bermon, there's no need—" Zhao Xing instinctively tried to refuse. He didn't want to owe anyone favors.
"Really don't want it? Because inside is Jin Yan." Bermon patted the box.
"What?" Zhao Xing was stunned. "Jin Yan?"
"Yeah. And not just part of him—every last piece." Bermon winked. "Brother Zhao, you've been here ten years. I haven't been the best host, but you spent those years transforming my land."
"So I figured I'd put in some effort too—and caught Jin Yan for you."
"All of him?" Zhao Xing felt like his mind had gone blank. "You actually caught him so easily?"
"It wasn't exactly easy," Bermon admitted with a sigh. "That little Emperor-level guy hid three soul fragments with three demon elders of the Demon God Hall."
"I paid a big price, got a master to break his divine contracts, and finally retrieved the last fragment from the final elder. Without that, he'd have revived again."
"Broke a divine contract? Bermon, that must've cost you a fortune," Zhao Xing said in shock.
"Hahaha, not too much, a small thing," Bermon said, laughing on the outside while wearing a mask of agony inside. The price of capturing Jin Yan had ballooned far beyond what he expected. Jin Yan might have been weak, but the three elders' protection contracts were signed with divine vows. To capture him, Bermon had to get the elders' approval and have the contracts dissolved. If he tried to grab Jin Yan by force, it would have forced the elders to break their vows, and they'd have fought to the death to protect him.
Only by dissolving the contracts could the elders let Bermon, a direct disciple of the Demon God, take Jin Yan without dishonor.
After that, Bermon had to ask his teacher to break the divine contract. Bermon also owed the three elders a favor each, not to mention the treasures given to Venerable Qingyao and others who took part. Altogether, this operation ended up costing him the equivalent of two divine artifacts.
Just getting his teacher to act alone was worth a divine artifact!
But since he'd already boasted, he had to grit his teeth and follow through. On the surface, Bermon looked calm and carefree, but inside, he felt like his heart was bleeding.
"Thank you, Bermon. I'll remember this favor." Zhao Xing bowed deeply. The karmic threads formed, and when he probed them, he immediately sensed just how heavy the price Bermon had paid.
If it had been Zhao Xing himself trying to do this, he doubted two divine artifacts would've been enough—even twice that might not have done it. After all, this was demon territory. How could he make the demon elders give him face and release Jin Yan? Then to find a god-level expert to break the contract on top of that—it was a nightmare. A human god couldn't just dissolve a demon god's contract; that involved authority and ownership issues, far too complicated.
Zhao Xing had stayed in demon territory looking for a chance to lure Jin Yan into a death match. But Bermon had gone and solved that problem for him outright.
"Hahaha, don't mention it." Bermon smiled broadly when he saw Zhao Xing accept the favor. In the long run, having Zhao Xing take on this karmic tie was well worth it.
"He's all yours." Bermon patted the box and disappeared without another word.
"Jin Yan…" Zhao Xing couldn't sense Jin Yan's presence at all. That proved this box was a treasure in itself.
Whoosh~
He slapped the box and slipped inside.
Once Zhao Xing entered the box's inner space, the feeling hit him immediately.
Boom~
The Primordial Straw Puppet Method triggered a manifestation of the Dao, pulling him straight toward his target. Inside the dark space, Zhao Xing saw over 10,000 Jin Yans.
"So it was you?!" Jin Yan's eyes widened the moment he saw Zhao Xing step in. He'd suspected it was either Zuo Qiyu or Zhao Xing behind his capture, but he couldn't be sure until now.
"It's me."
"Jin Yan, we finally meet." A surge of killing intent welled up inside Zhao Xing. It was so strong that even with his twelfth-stage demigod cultivation, he couldn't completely suppress it. Jin Yan's eyes were already red as he lunged straight at Zhao Xing.
"Die!"
Thousands of Jin Yan's soul fragments swarmed him like a plague of locusts, quickly burying Zhao Xing. But in the next moment, a powerful black light burst out from the heap of Jin Yan avatars.
Mind Will Technique—Great Dark Heaven!
With just a thought, Zhao Xing froze all the Jin Yans in place.
"No need to rush to die," Zhao Xing said coldly. "You still have your uses."
Boom!
Jin Yan tried to self-destruct, but he couldn't. The gap between their strength was just too big. In the end, he only managed to blow up three weaker fragments before Zhao Xing pinned all the rest in place.
"Why? Why could you become a demigod?" Jin Yan's voice dripped with bitterness. Neither he nor Zuo Qiyu had managed to advance, yet Zhao Xing had.
"By rights, once you cultivated the Primordial Straw Puppet Method, it should have consumed your entire Dao. You shouldn't have been able to find another way to ascend."
"That's because your vision is pitifully narrow." Zhao Xing sneered.
No matter how unique the Primordial Straw Puppet Method was, could it really surpass the locks set by God King Guxiao? Even the Dao of Heavenly Timing had loopholes; Zhao Xing had proven that by training the Great Sun Sea. So how could the straw puppet technique be absolutely final?
Of course, he hadn't found this loophole by himself; it was thanks to that unique secret realm he'd entered in the land of the Fengchan. He guessed Yuan's White Bone Dao took priority over the Straw Puppet Dao that Gu Tianyang created, and in that special place, the usual restrictions simply didn't apply.
"Impossible… how…" Jin Yan murmured, but soon his consciousness slipped into a deep sleep.
The Dream Inviting Technique settled in quietly, and he fell into a dream world.
A year later, Zhao Xing stepped out of the black box's inner space. By then, the box was completely empty—Jin Yan no longer existed.
As Zhao Xing emerged, he felt something stir. A Dao phantom appeared before him: Jin Yan's shadowy figure to his left began to shatter.
Buzz~
The fragments of Jin Yan's Dao phantom split, flying separately toward Zhao Xing and Zuo Qiyu.
At the same time, far away, Zuo Qiyu suddenly spun around, eyes wide as he looked in Zhao Xing's direction and saw the broken image of Jin Yan.
"Senior Zuo, step aside!" Zhao Xing roared. He grew in size, taking a powerful step forward.
As his body expanded, he began to absorb the power released by Jin Yan's shattered Dao phantom. Zhao Xing felt himself surpassing Zuo Qiyu by half a step. But as he tried to complete that step, he froze.
Ahead was only a chaotic darkness—no path forward. Zhao Xing realized the extra half-step he'd taken was formed entirely by Jin Yan's crumbling Dao phantom.
At the same time, Zuo Qiyu, who stood just half a step behind Zhao Xing, remained firm on this path. His presence created a powerful pull, tugging Zhao Xing backward.
"Still not enough?" Zhao Xing looked at the abyss ahead, shrouded in chaotic mist, and slowly lowered his raised foot. He didn't have the confidence to see what lay beyond. He couldn't be sure if leaping forward with everything he had would let him cross the unknown chaos and clear the abyss.
"Zhao Xing, go back to the Primordial Realm," Zuo Qiyu's voice called from behind. "Just using Jin Yan as a stepping stone isn't enough."
Zhao Xing turned his head, meeting Zuo Qiyu's steady gaze. But then Zuo Qiyu moved right under Zhao Xing's feet. "I told you long ago this day would come," he said. "Come on, I challenge you to a Dao battle. Please accept my challenge!"
Zhao Xing stared at Zuo Qiyu, knowing full well that if he agreed, he could kill Zuo Qiyu outright. Doing so might push the Primordial Straw Puppet Method to the next level and turn it into a god-level technique.
"Senior Zuo, I refuse." Zhao Xing shook his head gently.
Zuo Qiyu's eyes twitched, then he barked angrily, "Bastard, are you looking down on me?!"
"Yes."
Zuo Qiyu's well-prepared speech got stuck in his throat. He couldn't get a word out. 'Why does he act just like the Five Venom Emperor?!' he thought.
"Are you pitying me? Coward!" Zuo Qiyu's eyes blazed with rage.
"I'm far stronger than you now," Zhao Xing replied calmly as he turned back toward the chaotic abyss, leaving only his side profile for Zuo Qiyu to see.
"You…" Zuo Qiyu took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. He couldn't understand why Zhao Xing wouldn't choose the easier path. Zhao Xing had already seen hope; killing Jin Yan had let him step forward half a step—so why not keep going and kill him too?
"Killing the weak to complete your Dao might have been Jin Yan's path, or Gu Tianyang's path—but it's not mine," Zhao Xing's voice came quietly. "Besides… don't you think this method feels wrong, Senior Zuo?"
Zuo Qiyu's expression grew serious. "What do you mean?"
"When you were the only one here, you felt no progress, so you created a disciple. Then, once you had a disciple, you realized killing him might give you progress again." Zhao Xing lowered his gaze. "With my true spirit's observation, when Jin Yan's Dao phantom shattered, I absorbed two-tenths of it. One-tenth became the path under our feet. But you… you barely got anything."
"Where did the remaining seven-tenths go?"
Zuo Qiyu's pupils contracted sharply. He stayed silent, the thought almost too outrageous to consider.
"I'll return to the Primordial Realm to see you, but not to fight." Zhao Xing's tone was firm. "And please, Senior Zuo, don't do anything rash."
With that, Zhao Xing ended the Dao connection.
"Zhao, you're back," Bermon appeared right on time.
"Yes. Thank you, Bermon, for helping me settle this," Zhao Xing said sincerely.
"I told you—no need to thank me again. Besides, you already thanked me once," Bermon replied politely.
"You really helped me a lot." Zhao Xing remembered what he had just seen.
"Hahaha, you're too polite, hahaha…" Bermon chuckled awkwardly. He couldn't help wondering if he'd really done the right thing—Zhao Xing looked so satisfied.
And Zhao Xing truly was satisfied. After killing Jin Yan, he realized Wei Tianchen's suspicions might actually be correct.
"Gu Luohe once said his father didn't just take away his brother, Gu Tianyang, but also took the Origin of the Heavenly Timing Dao."
"How could Gu Tianyang be compared with the Origin of the Heavenly Timing Dao?"
Zhao Xing remembered asking Gu Luohe a key question once: what was the ultimate goal of the Primordial Straw Puppet? Gu Luohe's answer had been, "To return to the Primordial Universe and become an Uncalamitable True God."
Combining that with what he had just witnessed, Zhao Xing developed a new theory. "Only those who prove their Dao to the heavens and earth can become Uncalamitable True Gods. So the Primordial Straw Puppet was Gu Tianyang's method to achieve this."
"If Gu Tianyang didn't die, then every generation cultivating the Primordial Straw Puppet would offer him power."
"Those who could cultivate the Primordial Straw Puppet were always the most gifted of their age. Generation after generation, how many geniuses' Daos has he devoured? I don't know the exact method, but whatever it is, there's one key problem—if Gu Tianyang isn't alive in this era, how could he absorb the offerings? How could his plan to prove his Dao actually work?"
"Could he still be alive today?"
Zhao Xing felt certain Gu Tianyang was still alive—and if that was true, even Gu Luohe might not know it. This could be a huge secret that might earn Zhao Xing serious merit with the empire.
But first, he needed to return to the Primordial Realm to figure out where Zuo Qiyu had learned this secret technique.
"Understanding that is vital. Otherwise, even if I activate a god-level straw puppet, I won't dare use it freely." With this thought, Zhao Xing rose to his feet and bid Bermon farewell.