"What kind of spell did you create, Brother Ji?" Liu Tianning and Yun Tiandao both looked over curiously.
"I named it the Time-Reversing Dream Technique," Ji Si replied.
"Time-Reversing Dream Technique." Liu Tianning and Yun Tiandao tasted the words carefully. "What does it do exactly?"
Emperor Wu spoke up right away, "Ji Si, why don't you give them a demonstration?"
"Alright." Ji Si straightened up, then extended his hand in a welcoming gesture. "King Taihe, Brother Yun, Grand Shennong—please, try to fall asleep naturally."
Zhao Xing, Liu Tianning, and Yun Tiandao immediately followed the instruction.
At their current realm, sleep was no longer a necessity. But once in a while, a nap helped to relax the mind.
Sleeping and dreaming were things they could fully control now.
The three closed their eyes and slipped into slumber. Ji Si closed his eyes at the same time.
One thousand five hundred years ago, in the demon race territory.
Yun Tiandao stood atop the winding Heavenly Staircase leading into the demon domain, its stone steps coated with a lingering frost from the last months of that era.
This temporary military stronghold was built into the boundary mountains. The main gate was forged from meteorite iron, its surface inlaid with bronze reliefs covered in sealing runes.
Above, the stars flickered—but the Northern Dipper Formation offered him no sense of security.
A lunar eclipse was underway. Reinforcements from the demon army were on the move. Time was running out.
He had already fought for a hundred years. This was the fifth full-scale assault.
Could he really break through this time—to save both his beloved and the Xia Emperor?
Yun Tiandao's gaze grew resolute as he stepped down from the stairs and began inspecting the barracks.
Soldiers were wiping their arrows with talisman water. War flags whipped violently in the gale. The ashes of burning charms formed watchful sigils in the air. A blood-red moon loomed above as the cloud sea surged like boiling water. Trees and grass twisted, growing backward in eerie patterns.
When the wind passed the bronze watchtower at the Demon-Sealing Pass of Southern Yuan, it carried a razor-sharp howl like blades grinding on bone.
Thirty-six black war banners fluttered across the fortress walls, each painted with cinnabar demon-sealing sigils now burning with ghostly blue fire. The ashes that fell settled on the soldiers' pauldrons, forming tiny frost-like blooms of crimson.
"General, it's time to rest. Your wounds still haven't fully healed," an old physician flew over with a medicine chest on his back.
"The demon race has already crossed the seventh ice barrier. I can't rest," Yun Tiandao shook his head.
"You must. At least accept treatment," the physician insisted. "Otherwise, I won't be able to answer for it."
"…Fine." Yun Tiandao followed him into the mobile command hall and lay down.
The old doctor began to insert needles into his head, and Yun Tiandao drifted into a dream.
In the dream, he found himself in a quiet room, joined by Zhao Xing, Liu Tianning, Ji Si, and Ji Che.
"Brother Yun," Ji Si suddenly said, "when you wake up, please repeat my gesture."
"Ji Si? Why would I dream about you? Where even is this—?"
The dream began to fracture.
One thousand eight hundred years ago, Shenhua Dao Academy, in the domain of Lord Qianhua.
"Liu Tianning, are you insane? The ninth level of the Demon-Heart Cavern is for Dao Domain cultivators only. You're walking to your death!"
"Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother. But I believe I can do it," Liu Tianning replied, gaze unwavering, as he strode into the cave.
Mind demons, dreams—
Liu Tianning now lay silently inside the dark cavern, undergoing its trials.
In the dream, he too was gathered with Zhao Xing, Yun Tiandao, Ji Si, and Ji Che in a quiet chamber.
"King Taihe," Ji Si said again, "once you awaken, please repeat my gesture."
"Ji Si? This Demon-Heart Cavern really is too realistic—"
Liu Tianning snorted coldly.
Jiachen Gate, inside the Cloud Pavilion.
Ji Si abruptly opened his eyes, and at the same moment, so did Liu Tianning and Yun Tiandao.
Ji Si first glanced at Zhao Xing, who was still asleep, then turned to Yun Tiandao and Liu Tianning. "Gentlemen, please recall—did I appear in your dreams?"
Surprise flickered through their eyes, and then they nodded together.
"Do you remember what I said?"
"We do."
Without another word, Ji Si made a gesture.
Immediately, both Yun Tiandao and Liu Tianning drew blood across their thumbs at the exact same time.
Their motions were perfectly synchronized.
"This is the Time-Reversing Dream Technique," Ji Si explained. "Through a dream, I held a conversation with both of you in the past."
"What?"
"Are you serious?!"
"It's real," Liu Tianning said, frowning in thought. "Now that I think about it, I did see Lord Ji inside the Demon Cavern."
"I'm certain this wasn't a mental illusion or dreamscape. It really happened before."
"I'm sure of it too," Yun Tiandao muttered in disbelief. "It was during the treatment session right before I attacked the Demon Gate—how many years ago was that now? It's an unbelievable technique."
"Wait… why hasn't Zhao Xing woken up yet?" Liu Tianning glanced at the still-sleeping Zhao Xing.
Ji Si sighed helplessly. "I don't know why, but I've never been able to trace any of the Grand Shennong's dreams. I've tried… but I can't form any connection. Seems like this divine power still has its limits."
"I'm awake now," Zhao Xing suddenly opened his eyes. "I had a dream too. Ji Si, this isn't your fault."
Inside Zhao Xing's dream.
Misty clouds swirled. Golden light shimmered.
That light condensed into a stone platform, with two long benches on either side.
From the fog, a figure stepped forth. When Zhao Xing got a clear look, he froze.
"Teacher?!"
It was none other than Qing Yuzi!
"Sit," Qing Yuzi—or rather, the divine being Qing Yu—gestured for Zhao Xing to sit.
"Yes," Zhao Xing obeyed like a student before his master.
"Teacher, why did you appear in my dream?"
"If you could behave for once, I wouldn't need to show up," Qing Yuzi snorted.
"I'm not behaving?" Zhao Xing blinked. "What did I do now?"
"You moved Grand Physician Tianchen and Emperor Lingyuan to the Si Yue Barren Domain. What are you scheming now?" Qing Yuzi asked, deadpan.
Zhao Xing fell completely silent.
He was starting to suspect Old Qing had installed some kind of surveillance on him. How else could he know about this?
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not spying on you," Qing Yuzi scoffed. "I was keeping an eye on Tianchen, and through him, I noticed his movements were connected to you."
Zhao Xing froze again. Grand Physician Tianchen was being monitored by Qing Yuzi?
How did Qing Yuzi end up keeping tabs on him?
"Did you forget how I became a god?" Qing Yuzi said. "Tianchen is deeply tied to the Ancient Gods. Besides, I'm from the Reincarnation Divine Palace."
Zhao Xing suddenly understood.
The Dongyan Ancient Clan had revived an Ancient God, and Qing Yuzi had seized their power to become a god himself. There were deep entanglements between them.
If Grand Physician Tianchen was connected to the Ancient Gods, then it made sense that Qing Yuzi—or rather, the Reincarnation Divine Palace—was monitoring him.
"He's a madman," Qing Yuzi said. "I've discovered that your fate is now entangled with his. You're too close. If you keep going down this path, your life may be at risk. You might die and never revive."
Zhao Xing's heart jumped.
Grand Physician Tianchen had never struck him as insane. In fact, he had a stellar reputation.
In the Xuanling Star Domain, he was known as a highly respected figure.
But Qing Yuzi's judgment was the complete opposite.
"…Alright. I understand." Zhao Xing nodded.
"Take this." Qing Yuzi pushed over a jade slip.
"What's this?"
"The follow-up to the Three Divinities Destiny Palace, the divine ability phase of the "Reincarnation" technique."
Seeing Zhao Xing's odd expression, Qing Yuzi scoffed, "Don't overthink it. The main purpose of the "Reincarnation" divine ability isn't to steal the Derivation of the Divine Spirit Tablet—it's to prevent your fate from being shackled."
"You've cultivated the Taixu Straw Puppet from the Gu Clan. Without a soul-based technique, you can't control it properly."
Zhao Xing swore sincerely, "Disciple would never do such a thing. I don't have the ability either."
Qing Yuzi chuckled. "You don't have the ability? You've got plenty."
"I've only been gone for a few thousand years, and you've already passed the test at Primordial City. You're entangled with Zuo Qiyu, formed ties with the future ruler of Study City, and now you're mixed up with Grand Physician Tianchen… What else do you plan to stir up?"
"Oh, right. You even want to return to the Xuanhuang Realm."
Zhao Xing smiled awkwardly. "Nothing gets past you, Master."
Indeed, this gathering with Great Zhou's people at Jiachen Gate was Zhao Xing's way of laying the groundwork to return to the Xuanhuang Realm.
Things were different now. He had firmly secured his standing in the Empire, and the development of the Si Yue Barren Domain was attracting attention from every direction. With the distraction in place, he figured he could slip away to visit his hometown in the Shenluo Barren Domain.
Wang Tianzhi was still locked up in the House of Eras. It was about time to "bail him out."
"Forget about returning to the Xuanhuang Realm," Qing Yuzi doused him with cold water.
"Master, it's tradition for all ascended dynasties to return to the Xuanhuang Realm at least once. Wouldn't it be strange if I never went back at all?" Zhao Xing explained his logic.
"It's too dangerous. You're not ready." Qing Yuzi shook his head.
Zhao Xing could even hear a subtle hint of fear in his master's tone.
Even Qing Yuzi was afraid? What on earth was hiding in the Xuanhuang Realm?
"If I don't go back personally, can I at least send word?" Zhao Xing tried to compromise.
"I have a friend who developed a spell called Time-Reversing Dream Technique."
Qing Yuzi pondered for a moment. "I'm no Fate Officer, nor a star historian. All I'll say is—you need to exercise caution."
"Try it once. If it fails, don't attempt it again."
"Yes, I understand."
Thanks to Ji Si's new technique, it might actually be possible to pass a message to Wang Tianzhi.
If Ji Si had been weak and insignificant before, unable to do much, now he was becoming a true force to be reckoned with!
Dual-trained in fate and history, Ji Si had the air of a founder-level grandmaster.
So when Zhao Xing woke from his dream, he asked right away, "Lord Ji, how far back can your spell reach?"
Ji Si replied, "That's a complicated question. First, it depends on the cultivation difference between the spellcaster and the recipient. Second, whether they've had meaningful intersections in history. Third is the spatial distance. Time and space are one and the same—inseparable. The farther the distance, the harder it becomes."
Yun Tiandao asked, "And what's the cost?"
Ji Si smiled. "Since the outcome isn't fixed, the cost varies too. It could be high, or it could be low."
"For example, you just cut your thumbs—that served as the anchor. The past resonated with the future. And since I only delivered a minor message, the cost was minimal."
Yun Tiandao looked at his thumb curiously. "What if Liu Tianning and I hadn't done it? Then what?"
"I would've suffered backlash," Ji Si said.
"How does the cost compare to using a Time-Sealed Letter?" Liu Tianning asked.
"About the same," Ji Si replied. "But my technique is more discreet and has a stronger effect."
"How can it be the same?" Liu Tianning frowned. "The past is fixed. The future is full of possibilities. Shouldn't changing the past cost more than changing the future?"
Ji Si explained, "That moment you just saw wasn't really the past—it was the future of a past time node. So technically, your theory also holds. Only those who've trained in both fate and history will realize that altering the past and predicting the future actually come at the same cost."
All three—Liu, Yun, and Zhao—looked slightly confused.
When it came to different fields, the knowledge gap could feel like a mountain. Now that Ji Si was talking about the logic of fate and history, they were starting to lose the thread.
Only Zhao Xing could still keep up. After all, he had always paid close attention to Ji Si's growth and had even offered some guidance on the conceptual direction of this spell.
At this point, Zhao Xing sent a voice transmission to Ji Si and Emperor Wu.
"Lord Ji, Your Majesty—I have something to say."
"Perfect," Emperor Wu replied. "I also have something to discuss with you, Big Brother."
From then on, the meeting shrank to just the four of them. Liu Tianning was excluded.
Because what remained of the Xuanhuang Realm… was a secret known only to four people.
Yun Tiandao, Ji Che, Ji Si, and Zhao Xing.
Now that Qing Yuzi had said it was still unsafe to return, there was no point in including Liu Tianning and increasing the risk.
"What do you mean it's still not time to go home?" Yun Tiandao frowned. "Why?"
He had wanted to bring his partner and the Xia Emperor back to the Xuanhuang Realm. That would help restore their memories.
But now Zhao Xing was telling him… it wasn't possible.
Yun Tiandao had no clue what all this meant, and he looked utterly confused.
"Hard to say," Zhao Xing shook his head. "Anyway, that's how things are right now. We've got one shot—one chance to try and reach out to the Xuanhuang Realm. If we fail this time, we'll just have to wait again."
"…Alright then," Yun Tiandao gave up the idea of going back.
"Ji Si, it's up to you now," Zhao Xing said.
"Understood," Ji Si nodded.
For the next one month, Ji Si dug out old items related to Wang Tianzhi and carried out a series of connected rituals.
Zhao Xing carved a wooden statue of Qing Yuzi and placed it in the room as a guardian idol for the spell.
Since Old Qing had agreed, there was no way he'd stand aside now.
Zhao Xing even suspected that Qing Yuzi hadn't entered his dream for Zhao Xing's safety—but purely for this matter.
One month later, Ji Si walked out of the room.
"How did it go?" Zhao Xing asked.
"I don't know," Ji Si shook his head. "Whether Wang Tianzhi receives the message depends on whether there's any feedback later. This method isn't suited for real-time delivery. It works slowly but is stable."
"It might take one or two years, or maybe even a few hundred or thousand years."
Zhao Xing nodded.
Afterward, the four of them sealed and archived their memories related to Wang Tianzhi. Unless they encountered a specific trigger event, they wouldn't recall any of this.
"Hmm? What are we doing here?" Emperor Wu frowned.
"What happened over the past month?" Yun Tiandao also looked confused.
That was the trouble with memory sealing—everything they'd just discussed was gone. Naturally, they wondered what they'd just been doing.
Fortunately, both Ji Si and Zhao Xing had prepared for this. A paper slip flew from each of their sleeves at the same time, reminding them that a memory sealing had just taken place.
"Looks like what Big Brother wanted to tell us is already done," Ji Che smiled. "Now it's my turn to share something with you."
The second gathering began, but this time Yun Tiandao was excluded. Instead, Liu Tianning was called in.
Zhao Xing didn't quite understand why.
Ji Si explained, "This one's an internal affair of Great Zhou."
"Yun Tiandao may be from the same hometown, but since he refuses to join Great Zhou, he's excluded."
Ji Che added regretfully, "There was still some possibility before. But now that he's found the Xia Emperor, there's no way he'll join Great Zhou."
Zhao Xing asked, "Your Majesty, what kind of matter is so serious that Yun Tiandao must be left out?"
He felt Yun Tiandao was one of them. Excluding him like this would surely hurt his feelings.
Ji Che said nothing, only opened his palm to reveal a pill-like object radiating golden mist.
"Huh? What's that?" Zhao Xing and Liu Tianning glanced at it and immediately felt a strange connection to the golden pill.
"This is a Fortune Golden Pill, condensed from the fortune of Great Zhou," Ji Che said. "The national fortune of our dynasty has four effects: First, prolonging life; second, enhancing fortune; third, protecting the heavenly soul; and fourth, raising one's cultivation stage."
"After entering the Xuanling Star Domain, the system of fortune-based dynasties hit a bottleneck. But now, there's been a breakthrough."
Zhao Xing noticed that Ji Si was in the Yin-Yang Dao Domain, and Liu Tianning too was in the Yin-Yang Dao Domain.
But Emperor Wu… was already at the Life and Death Dao Domain!
Ji Che opened his other hand. A golden palace appeared, entwined with coiling dragons. Inside the hall stood civil and military officials.
Zhao Xing even saw shadowy images of himself and Liu Tianning.
"Great Zhou has been developing for more than four thousand years. Though we suffered a crushing defeat in the Star Annihilation Corridor and faced many setbacks, we still expanded our territory, increased our population, and raised the number of powerful cultivators."
"When you entered the Primordial Realm back then, we explored beyond the region and recovered many fortune-related treasures and ancient texts from ruins."
"One of them appears to be an artifact from the Era of the Five Emperors, containing secrets of the Dao of Fortune."
"Ji Si and I studied it for three thousand years and finally broke through the limitations of the old divine dynasty system."
"Big Brother, Brother-in-law, this Fortune Golden Pill is one of the results from comprehending the Dao of Fortune."
"Either of you can consume it. You'll get to choose two effects: your fortune level will increase by three grades, or you'll break through to the next cultivation stage."
Zhao Xing and Liu Tianning were both stunned.
A three-grade fortune boost, or a cultivation breakthrough?
"Your Majesty… is this for real?" Liu Tianning asked in disbelief.
"Of course. If you don't believe me, choose one person and try it out," Ji Che smiled.
Zhao Xing's gaze shifted to the golden palace in Ji Che's hand. Sadly, he couldn't make anything of it.
His interface's detection function could only identify living beings, not artifacts.
"Your Majesty, what's the cost of creating the Fortune Golden Pill?" Zhao Xing asked.
"It consumed thirty percent of Great Zhou's national fortune," Ji Che said seriously. "If the person who takes it dies, it'll bring massive consequences to Great Zhou. Everyone's cultivation—including mine—will stagnate, and misfortune will spread."
"If the user survives, it's fine. But if they die, it's like a portion of the dynasty's fortune is gone for good."
Zhao Xing was stunned. He hadn't expected Ji Che to go this far down the path of fortune dynasties—let alone achieve a breakthrough.
He'd brought Great Zhou with him into ascension, and now it turned out to have such a surprising result.
"Truly a case of planting a willow without intention and getting a whole grove in return. Just based on the effect alone, the Fortune Golden Pill is stronger than a single Five Emperors Coin."
Zhao Xing recalled the effect of the Five Emperors Coin.
Owning one raised your fortune by two grades. With all five coins, your fortune rose ten grades.
And before Derivation Thirty, the effect remained stable!
Even a single Five Emperors Coin – Auspicious Emperor Coin started bidding at tens of billions in red star currency. And that was just a child coin. A parent coin, which boosted fortune by three grades, would be even more expensive. A full set would be astronomical in value.
Zhao Xing didn't even own a Five Emperors Coin. He only had a Bozhu Ancient Coin.
In the past, he'd never paid much attention to the fortune-based path to becoming a god. He wasn't even interested.
But now, Great Zhou's development had exceeded all his expectations.
"Big Brother, which of you is going to take this Fortune Golden Pill?" Ji Che asked.
"Let Teacher have it," Zhao Xing said after a bit of thought. "I don't really need a breakthrough right now."
He was still working on pushing the limits of his source power—two of the three schools of origin were still incomplete.
"Give it to Zhao Xing," Liu Tianning declined as well. "You can use it to raise your fortune by three grades, instead of breaking through."
"Teacher, my fortune isn't low at all," Zhao Xing said. "I'm already a First-Grade Explorer of the Sea—at Coral Rank within the Primordial Realm. I don't need any more good fortune to handle the risks of exploration."
In the early stages of the expedition, Zhao Xing had planned to team up with Emperor Hongshan to accumulate some merits while focusing on cultivation. He wasn't going to charge around recklessly—the danger level was still relatively low.
Even if there was danger, he'd just send out a Void Straw Puppet.
Liu Tianning, on the other hand, was different. He was a Lord of Shenhua Dao Academy's Qianhua Region, but in matters like this, he had almost no real authority.
There were way too many lords. Even the Northern River Lord was still just a lord—and he couldn't even get his hands on a Grade-Three command seal unless he personally went into the field.
The two master and disciple pushed the opportunity back and forth, leaving Ji Che feeling a bit helpless. "There has to be a decision. I spent a lot of effort on this—you can't just let it go to waste."
"I'm the teacher and you're the student. Are you going to ignore your master's command?" Liu Tianning finally barked. "Zhao Xing, you take the Fortune Golden Pill. I'm not going to say it twice!"
Without hesitation, Zhao Xing pulled out the Grand Shennong Seal from his robes. "Liu Tianning, hear my command!"
A flicker of disbelief passed through Liu Tianning's eyes. "You—you little brat, are you pulling rank on me?"
Zhao Xing grinned. "You might be my honored teacher, but this is a matter of state. I'm the Grand Shennong, and you're just a Lesser Shennong Envoy."
"Liu Tianning, be obedient and follow orders!"
Even as he spoke, Zhao Xing had already written up the formal order for the use of the Fortune Golden Pill.
Snap!
The Grand Shennong Seal stamped down cleanly.
Watching Zhao Xing walk away so smoothly, Liu Tianning was left gnashing his teeth in frustration.
If he'd known this would happen, he never should've given up his position in the first place!
"What an ungrateful disciple!"
The third gathering was held two years and six months later.
The five of them were assembled once again.
"The empire's exploration efforts are in full swing. The determination to develop the northwestern barren regions is stronger than ever before!"
"If we can open up the Siyue Barren Region, we'll be out of the impoverished low-spirituality zones. There's a real chance of discovering a vast and fertile new Spiritual Domain!"
Zhao Xing stood at the front, delivering a rousing speech. "The Red Star Empire is powerful, but it's running out of opportunities. After all these years of nation-building, the class system is completely rigid."
"Cultivator clans control all the lucrative businesses and territory. Whether it's an individual or a family, trying to climb higher is just as difficult as turning a barren land into a spiritual one."
"Even the ancient kingdoms go so far as to regulate their Spirit Qi index, dividing cultivation zones, and strictly prohibiting non-citizens from cultivating!"
"But if we explore these unknown territories, we might find new Origin Realms, imperial-grade military races, maybe even legendary species. Plus, there are precious, non-renewable mineral resources for forging Reincarnation Dao Soldiers. There might even be naturally occurring divine artifacts—everything is possible!"
"Any force that doesn't dare to join in, or is still hesitating, will be eliminated in the future."
"We have to leave our comfort zone and take part in this exploration. That's the only way we'll stand out in the short term!"
"—And in the long run, the trend of the Xuanling Star Domain turning into a barren realm is unstoppable. Even the four Xuanling Conventions before the Barren Realm Era made one thing clear: the superpowers of the Xuanling Star Domain are deeply pessimistic about its future."
Scholar Bowe stood before a full-length mirror, his voice filled with emotion.
On the other side of the mirror stood a figure with a partially corroded face—it was Beins of the Star Annihilation Corridor.
"All the data shows that the success rate for breakthroughs to the Reincarnation Realm is dropping year by year."
"It's not that we have fewer geniuses, or that our techniques have been lost. In fact, our professional systems are more developed than ever. So why is this happening? Because the Xuanling Star Domain is already entering an extinction phase!"
"The northern reaches of the Spiritual Domain are growing colder. Some star systems have dropped to negative three hundred and eight ke! Even the snow demon tribes, known for their cold resistance, can't bear it. They've started migrating and are being forced to attack the human race."
"The Barren Star Systems only measured 8.2 jian in length four eras ago. Now? They've expanded to 32.9 jian!"
"And those so-called divine realm cultivators of the Xuanling Star Domain, the ones who can supposedly do anything—what are they doing?"
Faced with Bowe's passionate speech, Beins simply lowered his head and whispered, "I don't know, my lord. But… I think this might not be the best place to talk about this. You know I was expelled by Elder Zhixin, and he controls the General Knowledge Mirror—"
"They've done nothing. Just sitting up high, watching it all happen," Bowe didn't seem to hear him, continuing his speech.
It wasn't until Beins reminded him again that Bowe finally calmed down. "No need to worry. I'm the master of the General Knowledge Mirror now."
"What?" Beins was stunned. "You mean…"
"Yes. I'm about to step into the Eighth Level of the Scholar's Realm," Bowe stared at his reflection in the mirror. "Beins, I've got a grand plan. Want to hear it?"
While his clones were busy outside, Zhao Xing's true self in the Primordial Realm was having a leisurely time.
There was still plenty of time before departure. One day, Zhao Xing and Ai Miaomiao rode the Thousand Star Vine to a row of icy-blue realm stars.
"Junior Brother, we've arrived at the Ice Star Prison. But why are we here?" Ai Miaomiao asked.
Zhao Xing thought of an old acquaintance, the corner of his lips lifting into a smile. "We're here to browse the talent market."