"Junior Brother, Junior Brother—time to drink your vine sap."
Ai Miaomiao's voice was gentle as she approached Zhao Xing, carrying a vine jug filled with murky liquid.
Zhao Xing looked up in terror. Ai Miaomiao's cheeks split open as fleshy buds bloomed into flower-like growths, subtly twitching along with her muscles, as if grinning at him.
"No—I don't want it! Senior Sister, I'm not drinking that!" Zhao Xing resisted with all his strength.
"Not drinking? You don't get a choice!" Wei Lan suddenly popped out of nowhere, blue vines sprouting from his chest and growing out of his flesh, wrapping around Zhao Xing and binding him tightly.
"Junior Sister, quick—make him drink the vine sap!"
"Nooo—!"
Zhao Xing jolted awake with a scream, eyes wide as he snapped out of the nightmare.
He looked around. No one was there. No sign of Ai Miaomiao.
"It was just a dream."
Zhao Xing let out a long breath. But then he saw several vine jugs knocked over on the ground, and his gaze hardened.
"I've had so much vine sap, it's giving me nightmares."
"I really don't know how I survived these one hundred and fifty years."
"Seriously, this Bud Technique is pure torture."
Cursing under his breath, Zhao Xing picked up the vine jugs.
It had been one hundred and fifty years since his battle with Du Yun, and two hundred and twelve years since he entered the Primordial Realm.
After that duel, following the Five Venom Emperor's instructions, he began cultivating the Five Elements Bud Technique.
This technique, created by the Five Venom Emperor himself, was his signature skill and source of fame.
"Green buds wrap the five viscera, purple qi coils around the cinnabar clouds. When essence, qi, and spirit converge, three blossoms bloom upon the crown."
Zhao Xing stood in front of a mirror. In the center of his scalp, a small tree had sprouted, and a tiny bud was beginning to bloom.
"It takes five hundred years for the first flower to form. I've nearly done it in just a hundred and fifty. The suffering's been worth it."
The Five Elements Bud Technique was a secret art from the Self School that fused a companion plant species with the user's physical form.
It was an auxiliary enhancement method. When the Three Blossoms bloomed at the crown and the user broke through into the Dao Domain Realm, their spiritual power would undergo a transformation and gain an additional force—called Three Blossom Power.
The Five Venom Emperor's idea was brilliant. The Five Elements Bud Technique was a universal method, meaning martial artists could cultivate it too. For martial cultivators, this meant forming a second golden body—the Three Blossom Golden Body.
Because inside the cultivator's five viscera were planted companion seeds personally designed by the Five Venom Emperor.
These formed a secondary set of meridians, qi seas, and spiritual palaces.
"Once it's complete, it's like a second golden body for martial artists and a second spell body for spellcasters. The enhancement bonus it brings—honestly, it's genius."
This method involved multiple magical disciplines and required deep knowledge of derivation seeds, companion seeds, parasitic mutations, and various blood-and-flesh transformation spells in order to seamlessly fuse them.
Zhao Xing had read classics from the Self School like The Canon of Living Matter and Great Tome of Vitality, which mentioned similar obscure secret arts—but none were as miraculous as what the Five Venom Emperor had created.
Because the Five Elements Bud Technique also incorporated theories from the Heavenly Timing School's Qi Theory and the Earthly Advantage School's Mystic Soil Doctrine.
To Zhao Xing, it wasn't just a Self School technique anymore.
In other words, the Five Venom Emperor was a man who understood all three schools: Self, Heavenly Timing, and Earthly Advantage.
"Compared to Zuo Qiyu, Master's knowledge is way broader. Even though it's rooted in the Self School, it's grown into branches of the other two. No wonder I'm training faster than Wei Lan and Ai Miaomiao."
Among the three disciples, Ai Miaomiao and Wei Lan had started over a thousand years earlier, yet their progress in the Bud Technique wasn't far ahead of Zhao Xing—and at times, not ahead at all.
That was because Zhao Xing had deeply studied all three Shennong branches, and his talent was just as monstrous as theirs.
"Yeah, I'm fast—but it still hurts like hell." Zhao Xing sighed and put down the mirror.
"The Five Viscera Bud Technique starts at the Mao hour and ends at You hour. The tender buds revert into seeds and return to the five viscera."
"During that time, vitality and divine sense drop so low it feels like you're dead."
"So you have to drink the vine sap made by Master to protect your spell body beforehand."
"Ai Miaomiao and Wei Lan can only do one full cycle per day—just one jug is enough for them."
"I can take ten jugs. But only the first one tastes okay. The rest are unbearably bitter and nasty."
"What a miscalculation…"
Once Zhao Xing displayed his extraordinary cultivation speed, Ai Miaomiao and Wei Lan were like explorers discovering a new continent.
To help him cultivate, they were ridiculously enthusiastic!
They claimed it was all under Master's orders—then they just started force-feeding vine sap down his throat.
Ten times a day, paired with Bud Technique training. It meant Zhao Xing had to endure ten life-and-death cycles daily, over and over, just to get the five companion seeds to fully merge with his spell body.
Zhao Xing, not the kind to complain easily, had been pushed so far over the past one hundred and fifty years that he ended up with trauma, constantly haunted by nightmares like the one earlier.
"I finally understand Xia Jing now."
Now, just seeing vine jugs made Zhao Xing want to puke.
"But… the first stage is done. These nightmare-filled days are finally about to end."
Just as he finished tidying up the vine jugs, Ai Miaomiao and Wei Lan suddenly leapt in front of him.
One held a medicine basin, while the other activated binding vines to restrain him.
"What are you doing?!" Zhao Xing was stunned.
"Junior Brother, it's egg time! Time to drink vine sap!" Ai Miaomiao pulled the cork off and poured the contents straight into his mouth.
"Wait! I already finished the first stage—glug glug glug~"
Before Zhao Xing could struggle, his real body was bound, and Ai Miaomiao moved so fast that a whole bottle of vine sap was forced down in an instant.
After pouring it down his throat, Wei Lan suddenly realized, "Junior Sister, I think Junior Brother already completed the first stage. He doesn't need to drink anymore."
Ai Miaomiao gave an innocent look. "Really, Senior Brother? Oh no, Junior Brother, I'm so sorry—let me extract it back out for you."
"You two bastards, stay away from me!" Zhao Xing was coughing so hard that tears streamed from his eyes. Vines were sprouting from his body again, and he couldn't stop the budding process.
But this time, it only took him a moment to complete a full cycle.
"Junior Sister, looks like he really has mastered it," Wei Lan said, watching the vines retract into Zhao Xing's body.
"Yeah, looks like it. Congrats, Junior Brother." Ai Miaomiao smiled—though she clearly looked more disappointed than congratulatory.
Congrats my ass. You two were grinning the whole time—it was totally on purpose!
"Senior Brother, Senior Sister, don't you two have anything better to do? Why are you constantly watching me?" Zhao Xing fumed.
"Helping a fellow disciple is my duty as Senior Brother," Wei Lan declared righteously. "Even if I'm busy, I'll send a clone. I can't forget about Junior Brother."
Ai Miaomiao nodded in agreement—she felt exactly the same.
"Well, since you've finished the first stage, we can finally relax." The two of them vanished with a swoosh, not even giving Zhao Xing time to yell.
"Having you two is such a blessing!" Zhao Xing gritted his teeth as he got up.
Just as he stood—
Swoosh!
Wei Lan and Ai Miaomiao jumped into the hall again.
Only this time, they were dressed differently.
"Junior Brother, it's egg time. Time for your medicine—!"
"Bind!"
Zhao Xing was speechless. It was their second set of clones.
And apparently, these ones were autonomous—they didn't seem to know what had just happened.
Or maybe… they were just pretending not to know?
"Stop!"
This time, Zhao Xing dodged them and managed to restrain both. "I've already passed the first stage. Senior Brother, Senior Sister, please go back!"
"Huh? Looks like it's true. What a shame—" Wei Lan and Ai Miaomiao's clones looked genuinely disappointed.
Zhao Xing: "…—"
What are you two disappointed about?!
After finally sending off the second batch of clones, the third arrived… then the fourth…
Zhao Xing had to deal with ten full waves of medicine-delivering straw puppet teams before he could finally breathe easy.
Swoosh!
Wei Lan and Ai Miaomiao once again leapt into the hall.
Zhao Xing was traumatized by their sudden leaps. He instantly jumped away.
But this time, their original bodies shouted from behind, "Junior Brother, don't run! We forgot to tell you—Master, he—"
"Insane. Only an idiot wouldn't run!" Zhao Xing didn't listen at all. He dashed off like a madman.
Ai Miaomiao and Wei Lan stood there awkwardly, unable to catch up.
"What now, Junior Sister?" Wei Lan asked helplessly.
Ai Miaomiao sniffed and said, "It's fine. He'll find out soon enough… he's been assigned a new mission."
[Coral-rank member Zhao Xing, your assignment order has been issued! Corresponding permissions have been updated!]
[You have been appointed as First-Class Haitong Envoy!]
[You have been appointed as Third-Class Yanxing Envoy!]
[You have been appointed as the Joint Patrol Inspector for checkpoints Jiachen Fourteen, Thirteen, and Twelve, concurrently overseeing the Offices of the Divine Treasury, Attendant Treasury, and Yuanfeng Treasury at all three checkpoints!]
[You have been granted the title of Imperial Three-Star Pacification Envoy!]
[You now have senior member access to the Seventh Spark Patrol Division and the Gengshi Bureau!]
[You now have exclusive access to Medical Bases for Battlefields Seven, Sixteen, and Thirty-Four!]
[...]
[You have received Level Three access to classified imperial archives for "Simoon Barren Domain"!]
[You have obtained a special directive from the Primordial Realm—Primordial Pioneering Decree!]
The star mirror burned hot, trembling nonstop. Huge amounts of information poured in and updated continuously.
Zhao Xing had only flown for a short distance when the mirror became so hot that it was impossible to ignore. He pulled it out, and the temperature dropped immediately.
"So it's finally here—an exploration mission into the Barren Domain, jointly issued by the Primordial Realm and major departments of the Empire!"
Seeing the task, Zhao Xing instantly understood.
The new version of Starriver Myriad Realms has launched!
From a player's perspective, he was among the very first to access the new content, and the status he was granted in it… was extremely high.
"This administrative decree from the Primordial Realm leaves me no room to refuse. But it's exactly what I wanted anyway." Zhao Xing dove into the details.
First on the list was the First-Class Haitong Envoy title—his first appointment, and also the most critical identity.
"Haitong Envoy… that corresponds to the Haitong Ancient Path, one of the seven massive starry sky roads excavated by the Red Star Empire in the Simoon Barren Domain."
"The Haitong Ancient Path is also one of the key projects managed by the Ancient Hill of Primordials, with Emperor Hongshan himself overseeing it."
"Because this ancient path crosses a ton of Boundary Mountains, it was given to the Ancient Hill of Primordials to handle."
Zhao Xing was very familiar with the Empire's expansion history. Ever since the Simoon Barren Domain was opened up, massive resources had been brought back through the nine starry sky roads.
That's also how the Empire managed to survive the disaster from the upcoming expansion Barren Domain: Ice River Epoch with minimal loss.
"No doubt about it—the Haitong Ancient Path is a goldmine. And I actually got appointed as a First-Class Haitong Envoy?"
"Usually, only Thousand-Star-rank members get that position!"
Zhao Xing couldn't figure it out. In the end, he could only guess it was arranged by the Five Venom Emperor.
"A First-Class Haitong Envoy holds serious authority. The only ones who can override it are high-level top brass like Primordial Envoys or special Imperial Commissioners."
"But this Third-Class Yanxing Envoy..." Zhao Xing frowned slightly.
He carefully checked its background and function, discovering that in this timeline, the Empire had already planned early on to excavate an ancient path through the Yanxing Corridor.
In the files, it was called the Yanxing Ancient Path, but its construction scale and the manpower and resources invested were minimal—nowhere near the same level as the seven major ancient paths currently being excavated.
Judging from the cost input listed in the plans, it could at most be considered a small-scale path.
"The higher-up list for the Yanxing Ancient Path includes a member of the Carlos Family!" Zhao Xing's eyes narrowed. "And now they're assigning me as a Third-Class Yanxing Envoy on top of everything else? What's that supposed to mean?"
Since this was a joint order issued by the Empire and the Primordial Realm, that also meant various departments of the Empire had the authority to select personnel from the Primordial Realm.
Zhao Xing didn't know who exactly orchestrated this appointment, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something about it was off.
Great Zhou had previously suffered major losses at the hands of the Carlos Family!
"Am I overthinking it? Or is there a scheme here?" Zhao Xing muttered to himself. "It's just a Third-Class Star Envoy. I can always send a clone to deal with it casually. Giving me such a post to try and trap me? Not even close. If anything goes wrong, I won't be the one held responsible."
Right now, he couldn't make a clear judgment. After all, the Carlos Family was one of the Empire's founding aristocratic clans, so it wasn't unusual for one of their members to serve in an ancient path's administrative team.
Looking at the bigger picture, even the Haitong Ancient Path had members of the Carlos Family involved.
"Well, since it's come to this, I'll just go with the flow. If you've got the guts, try and kill me—then I'll show you what it means to say, 'My master is Qing Yuzi!'" Zhao Xing snorted and stopped overthinking it.
As for the third appointment—Joint Patrol Inspector of Jiachen Fourteen, Thirteen, and Twelve checkpoints, as well as the official in charge of the Divine Treasury, Attendant Treasury, and Yuanfeng Treasury at all three locations—it was basically useless.
Its only function was that if any trouble broke out at those Imperial checkpoints, he would be obligated to assist.
And for logistical transport missions, he would have to help coordinate deployments.
It was purely a precautionary post to allow for rapid mobilization in emergencies, skipping unnecessary procedures. The main purpose was to guard against the demon race or other external threats.
But the Red Star Empire's defense lines were virtually unbreachable. If those checkpoints were compromised, who'd be thinking about exploration? Better stay home and defend the borders first.
"That said, having these posts does make it easier for me to assign Great Zhou's people later on," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "Five Venom Emperor really is a good guy. He even thought of that for me."
Then came the title Imperial Three-Star Pacification Envoy! This title had only one function—authority to assimilate foreign races.
Only those granted this power could integrate alien tribes or flora discovered during exploration and bring them back to the Empire.
Since conditions were still unknown in the early stages, this title was issued very cautiously.
The Empire wasn't worried about rebellion. What they really feared was the introduction of unknown pathogens.
Unfamiliar star domains often bred unfamiliar pathogens. If one slipped in, it could wipe out an entire star system of the Empire.
"Was I given this title because Teacher Five Venom specializes in poison?"
"Makes sense. Wei Lan and Ai Miaomiao are going to test poisons too—they probably have this title as well."
There had been tragic incidents in the past due to such things, which made his exclusive access to battlefield medical bases even more precious.
"The medical bases at Battlefields Seven, Sixteen, and Thirty-Four pretty much cover all the regions my positions will operate in."
"And the Seventh Patrol Division of Spark is the same. But what's this Gengshi Bureau about?"
Zhao Xing was confused. The Empire had a ridiculous number of departments. He didn't know all of them inside and out.
After reading the description carefully, he realized this bureau was composed entirely of people who also studied stellar history—either Fate Officers who doubled as star historians, or Martial Artists with the same dual roles.
They had two primary responsibilities: one, to prevent the history and memory of their own people from being tampered with. Two, to rewrite the enemy's historical memory.
"So that's what it is—it matches the assimilation authority." Zhao Xing understood.
To assimilate a foreign race, the best method was to twist their history—make them believe that, from the very beginning, they had always been a part of the Red Star Empire.
"A fast-track method of 'enlightenment,' huh…"
With the mission arriving, it also meant Zhao Xing would be leaving the Primordial Realm early.
He soon returned to the Five Elements City and, together with Ai Miaomiao and Wei Lan, listened to the final instructions of the Five Venom Emperor.
This time, the Five Venom Emperor's expression was somber, and the atmosphere far more serious than usual.
"This might be the last time you see me," he said.
"Even though I've arranged everything for you, the journey ahead crosses a region known as the Death Barren Domain. It's extremely dangerous."
"I myself might die there, with not even a chance at reincarnation."
Ai Miaomiao and Wei Lan looked solemn. Zhao Xing was just the same. Even with prophetic information, the future was ultimately unpredictable.
What's more, so many variables had changed in this life—one small deviation could be fatal.
Maintaining reverence for the universe… was essential.
The Five Venom Emperor said in a low voice, "This expedition by the Empire marks the start of a new era."
"With great opportunity comes great risk. Some of you may rise straight to the Reincarnation Realm… or never return, your bodies buried in the Barren Domain."
"But I hope all three of you will have the courage to face the unknown."
"Because a flower grown indoors can never become a towering tree that weathers storms and stands proud against the heavens."
"I've done all I can to arrange things for you. That's all I have to say. You may go now."
With a wave of his sleeve, the Five Venom Emperor dismissed them.
Zhao Xing, Ai Miaomiao, and Wei Lan immediately bowed and said, "Take care, Master! Your disciples take their leave!"
The moment the three of them left the hall, the Five Venom Emperor dropped his solemn demeanor in a split second and turned to a straw puppet hidden nearby with a grin. "Well? Didn't I nail it? Like a dignified and respected teacher giving his final advice to departing disciples—pretty convincing, right?"
The straw puppet said nothing. It just silently flipped him off.
"Bah! You don't have any disciples, so you wouldn't understand what it feels like," the Five Venom Emperor pouted. "Go play with your straw puppets."
Outside the Wandering River near Taichu City—
Whoosh—
Zhao Xing's true body appeared outside the city gates.
Ever since he had mastered the Void Straw Puppet, Zuo Qiyu hadn't let him enter again. Still, out of gratitude, Zhao Xing came to bid farewell properly.
He waited for a while, but the gates remained tightly shut. Zuo Qiyu's attitude, just like the gray-black hue of Taichu City, remained cold and unapproachable.
Seeing this, Zhao Xing didn't push it. He simply descended and kowtowed three times outside the city gate.
Then he silently turned and left.
After Zhao Xing left, beneath the grape trellis inside Taichu City, Zuo Qiyu's true body opened her eyes. Her gaze projected the scene of Zhao Xing bowing outside.
His other two teachers had fixed locations and were easy to find.
But Gu Luohe lived at the top leaf area of the Primordial Divine Tree, a place one couldn't even approach.
So Zhao Xing had no choice but to use a talisman token and enter Gu Luohe's inner world.
"Master, your disciple has accepted the Barren Domain exploration mission and is about to depart. I came to bid you farewell!"
His voice echoed through the seventh cultivation site but received no response for a long time.
Gu Luohe had already reached the half-god realm. Other than reaching godhood, almost nothing else could pique his interest. Even within his own body-world, there was no guarantee he'd hear Zhao Xing's voice.
Zhao Xing didn't press the matter either. After waiting for a few days, he quietly left.
"The Primordial Realm's mission deadline is to arrive beyond the borders within thirty years."
"With that much time, I can swap out resources, prepare troop types, Dao Soldiers, medical supplies—lots of things need to be sorted."
"Among them, I still lack one spell from the Self School's magic compendium—the Seed-Need Technique."
Zhao Xing planned carefully.
The Seed-Need Technique, also known as the Demon Seed Technique, was a brutal method that planted seeds in human hosts to extract nutrients.
It was extremely effective for surviving in extreme environments like the Barren Domain.
"It's not found in the Primordial Dao Repository, but the Five Venom Emperor does have it. It's recorded in the Five Elements Bud Art under the name Absorptive Seed Transformation Art. I haven't learned it yet, but I've already acquired the spell."
"Once the resources are ready, the next step is people."
"With forces like the Reincarnation Divine Palace, Origin Heaven Palace, Ancient Kingdom Alliance, and the Academy all heading over, the situation will be complicated. I'm only at Dao Domain Realm strength, so I'll need to pull a few top-tier powerhouses over to support me."
Mountains are high and emperors far away—the Five Venom Emperor might not be able to help in time.
As for Qing Yuzi, he doesn't play low-level games, so Zhao Xing figured he still needed a few mid-to-high-level players he could rely on.
To bring people over, they had to be nearby first. But this wasn't like the Yuanghai Ancient Kingdom situation, so Zhao Xing only needed to gather folks around the Si Yue Barren Domain.
"Hongshan Emperor is already marked on the Si Yue map, but he's got his own faction bindings. He might not help if it's something big."
"I still need some 'freelancers.'"
"Let's start by calling over Grand Physician Tianchen. Conveniently, the Taiyi Heavenly Poison Pathogen he's after just happens to be located in a source realm within the Si Yue Barren Domain."
"Mechanist Emperor Lingyuan has a fiery temper, but he holds the Ten-Thousand Demon Throne and absolutely hates the demon race."
"If the call for help is demon-related, he'll definitely be interested."
"And then there's Qingli Emperor…"
As the saying goes, people who helped you once are more likely to help you again.
Same goes for summoning allies. Zhao Xing figured that some of the cultivators from the Yuanghai Conference could be summoned again.
"Because aside from Hongshan Emperor and Meng Wu, the rest of the emperors don't retain their memories. Those I've already proven I can call over once—I'll pick a few and bring them to the edge of my operating area—"
"I just don't remember who Wang Zhiyong is or how I even summoned him last time." Zhao Xing suddenly thought of Wang Zhiyong, who had appeared out of nowhere during the conference.
He wasn't too concerned now though. It wasn't urgent, so he didn't think too hard about it. Just getting a few people over would be enough.
Inside Coral City, banquet hall—
Several figures sat among the guest seats. These were all elite cultivators from the same generation Zhao Xing had invited.
The invitation list also included Fairy Youling, Han Qianye, Master Miaosong, Puta, Yuan Qiusheng, and Han Chuchen—these top-ten Self School Shennong talents from the Primordial Assembly were now all Coral-rank members and had all been assigned exploration missions.
Thanks to Zuo Qiyu stepping in to defeat Du Yun, Zhao Xing had become the undisputed Saint Son of the Primordial Realm. And with the philosophy of "more friends, more opportunities," he had spent over a decade after the duel just making connections.
And now, quite a few had come to honor the invitation.
"Hey hey, get up! What kind of posture is that to be sitting in?" Xu Youling walked to the first seat on the left and kicked the table.
"Who the hell doesn't have eyes—how much wine have you drunk? You kicked your stinky foot right into my seat!" The bald man sitting there had been gulping wine. Getting kicked, he looked up in annoyance.
"It's me. Got a problem with that?" Fairy Youling radiated overwhelming presence.
"No, no problem." Wu Yanlin immediately sobered up.
"Then why are you still sitting? The first guest seat on the lower left—do you really think you're qualified to sit there, my dear grandson?"
"Yes, ma'am." Wu Yanlin scrambled up without hesitation.
Before leaving, he even cleaned up the seat properly so Fairy Youling could sit comfortably.
"Good boy, go sit over there," Fairy Youling pointed to the seat at the end.
"Yes!" Wu Yanlin nodded and quickly walked over without hesitation.
"Hahahaha!" The scene drew a burst of laughter from the guests around them.
Even Zhao Xing couldn't help but chuckle.
Xu Youling was combative by nature and seemed to challenge everyone she met.
Among the talented Shennong of the Primordial Realm, there wasn't a single one she hadn't fought.
Wu Yanlin, in particular, had suffered a crushing defeat at her hands and had even signed a spell contract afterward: whenever he encountered Fairy Youling, he'd have to call her "Granny."
The contract lasted ten thousand years!
This became a running joke that was brought up every time they gathered.
"Yo~"
The water-screen barrier outside the hall shimmered as a silver-haired youth walked in—Puta.
"Move it," he said directly, walking up to stand in front of Xu Youling.
"You—"
Xu Youling looked displeased, but then Puta casually revealed his current Dao Field ranking.
He had surpassed her.
"Damn it, Dandelion, you're ruthless."
"Fortunes really do rise and fall," chuckled Master Miaosong, fanning himself with a feather fan. "Last time at the gathering, Fairy Youling made Puta give up his seat. Now it's her turn."
Han Qianye shrugged and sipped his drink. "Only these few love to fight over petty things like seats. How boring. Brother Yuan, Brother Zhao, let's drink."
Yuan Qiusheng, sitting in the first seat on the right, raised his cup with a smile.
But Xu Youling didn't move. Instead, she began arguing with Puta, saying Dao Field ranking was just one aspect and that overall score rankings had to be considered too.
Just then, the water-screen barrier rippled again. A barefoot youth walked in—it was Tuosen.
Everyone, including Zhao Xing, paused and set their cups down.
"Hahaha, Tuosen is here."
"Tuosen, take a look at them!"
"If anyone should sit in the lower-left first seat, it's gotta be Tuosen, right?"
"Not necessarily. Tuosen hasn't challenged a gate in ages."
"Say something, Tuosen!"
Everyone started fanning the flames.
After understanding the situation, Tuosen smiled faintly, lifted his wine cup, and said, "Zhao Xing, stand up for a moment."
Zhao Xing didn't get it but stood up anyway, thinking Tuosen wanted to toast him.
To his surprise, Tuosen swept his gaze around the room and said, "If you ask me, all of you here—are trash."
A moment of stunned silence fell.
Tuosen's group taunt nearly made Zhao Xing lose it.
So you called me up just to say that?
"Dammit, Tuosen's too cocky! Brothers, there's no need for rules with someone like him. Let's all get him!" Xu Youling immediately grabbed a weapon and charged in the lead.
A peaceful banquet instantly turned into an all-out sparring match.
Having just left closed-door cultivation, Tuosen went one versus many and, within fifteen minutes, had everyone forced back into their seats.
"Convinced yet?" Tuosen asked, not even spilling a drop from the cup in his right hand.
"Not a chance!" Xu Youling was still yelling, "Let's compete in Food Supplement Method then! You up for it?"
"Let's do it!" Tuosen responded without hesitation.
Zhao Xing laughed helplessly. "You guys are doing this on purpose, huh? Just looking for an excuse to raid my kitchen?"
"Don't worry about it. This time, I'm definitely beating him!" Xu Youling slapped the table. "Anyone want to place bets?"
"Me!" Wu Yanlin popped up, "I bet on Granny! One thousand Yin-Yang Source Stones!"
"Good boy!" Xu Youling gave a big thumbs-up.
"I'm a First-Rank Flower Mountain Envoy now. You can tag along with me in the future!"
"Hehe," Wu Yanlin clasped his hands and bowed. "Thanks, Granny!"
"What's so great about being a First-Rank Flower Mountain Envoy?" Tuosen snorted. "The material transport channel for the Huashan Ancient Path has to go through the Mingguang Realm Transport Division. I'm a principal member there. Wu Yanlin, you don't even know who controls your food supply? Got sawdust in your head?"
"Wait, you're right." Wu Yanlin suddenly panicked. "Granny, if Tuosen blocks my supplies, I won't be able to move a single grain. I'd be stuck in Kangming Ancient Path with just the vanguard forces—that won't work. I better bet on Tuosen instead."
"Ugh, you spineless brat!" Xu Youling fumed as her "good grandson" defected.
"Hahahaha!" The room burst into laughter again.
Over the next thirty years, Zhao Xing's true body stayed in the Primordial Realm for final preparations.
Meanwhile, one of his incarnations had already arrived at Shenchen Gate Fourteen.
At the same time, two realm ships docked.
One ship bore the character "Yun," the other "Liu."
"Brother Yun, long time no see." Zhao Xing cupped his hands in greeting.
"It's been over three thousand years," Yun Tiandao replied, returning the gesture with a sigh.
"Master," Zhao Xing then turned to salute Liu Tianning.
"No need to be so formal, Grand Shennong," Liu Tianning smiled. "Now that we're on Great Zhou's turf, I should be saluting you."
Just then, Great Zhou's Human Emperor Ji Che and Grand Fate Officer Ji Si arrived in haste to welcome them.
Soon, Ji Che, Zhao Xing, Yun Tiandao of the Xia Dynasty, Liu Tianning—the former Grand Shennong of Great Zhou—and Ji Si were all seated together in a cloud pavilion inside Shenchen Gate Fourteen.
The Five Titans of the Xuanhuang Realm, reunited on this day because of the arrival of the new version.
It had been four thousand six hundred years since they left the Xuanhuang Realm.
Court Historian Sima Qing immediately pulled out a dark-yellow ancient tome to record the moment: "In the six hundred thirty-first year of Zhou Gengshi, His Majesty summoned King Zhao Xing, King Taihe Liu Tianning, the founder of Xuantiangong Yun Tiandao, and Grand Fate Officer Ji Si to meet at Yuntao Pavilion, Shenchen Gate Fourteen."
Once everyone was seated, Sima Qing continued jotting down notes.
Zhao Xing couldn't hold back and asked the first question straight away.
"Lord Ji, you once mentioned that new spell. Have you finally created it?"
A faint smile appeared on Ji Si's face. "Yes, Grand Shennong. I've done it."