After receiving the initial draft of Zhao Xing's treatise, the Bishui Emperor immediately made two copies—one was sent to Lord Ji Shan, and the other submitted to the Five Venom Emperor and Zuo Qiyu in the Primordial Realm.
The A Theory on the Origins of the Triassic Boundary Mountains in the Mesozoic included the section: Eight Solutions to Earth Epoch Transformations: Boundary Mountain Edition.
For Lord Ji Shan and Lord Lushan, this was like a bolt of lightning striking out of the blue—they instantly recognized its importance and escalated the matter.
But as for the Five Venom Emperor and Zuo Qiyu, the reaction was... lukewarm.
Zuo Qiyu was aware of general terrain transformation theories, but not the specific Earth Epoch Transformations Zhao's treatise referenced.
The Five Venom Emperor had some exposure through his three affiliated sects, but this area of study was so niche that he couldn't gauge its value from Zhao Xing's vague and broad first draft.
Now that Lord Lushan had brought out an edited and enhanced version—one refined by the top minds at the Primordial Hill—everything became crystal clear.
Even the Emperor Tianwu, who usually didn't care much for deep theories, immediately understood its significance after a Shennong beside him explained the main points.
"The nerve of that shameless old thief! Claiming Zhao Xing is a disciple of the Primordial Hill?! I should never have agreed to let Hongshan bring him in!" the Five Venom Emperor fumed, nearly blowing his nose sideways in anger.
But he couldn't throw another fit—not when Zuo Qiyu held him back.
Zuo Qiyu's only real job in these meetings was to keep the Five Venom Emperor from losing it completely.
The Primordial Realm didn't want the Primordial Hill to be suppressed too hard. Now that Lord Lushan had brought a genuine solution to the table, no one cared who wrote it or where it came from. What mattered was that cooperation could continue.
The Five Venom Emperor shut up for once—but another person suddenly perked up with interest.
"Emperor Lushan, may I take a look?"
Scholar Bowe from the Seven Realms of Scholarly City stood up.
The Great Elder of the Scholarly City, Zhixin, was currently in seclusion and didn't attend this session. That made Bowe the de facto number two.
"Of course," Emperor Lushan nodded.
Bowe took the Dao book and immediately began analyzing it with deep focus.
Behind him appeared layer upon layer of phantom images—it looked like countless versions of Bowe were studying the text together.
Each layer shimmered like a sea of knowledge. Glimmers of wisdom flashed like rays of sunlight bursting through dense clouds.
"Bowe has grown stronger again. That phenomenon... he's not far from becoming an Eight Realms Scholar," said the King of Tianyou Kingdom in awe.
"The next Grand Elder of Scholarly City—and the youngest one in ten eras," Emperor Tianwu nodded as well.
Scholars held an irreplaceable position within human society.
Spells, martial arts, music techniques, fate arts, medicine, mechanism arrays—there wasn't a discipline they hadn't mastered.
At the core of a Scholar's path was the Myriad Dao Tree—each branch representing a different discipline, forming the foundation of human progress.
Throughout history, most major advancements in cultivation techniques had come from the Scholar community.
If not for the constraints of the universe itself, Scholars might as well be omnipotent.
"Yuu~"
Moments later, the grand illusion behind Bowe faded away.
"Elder Bowe, what's your assessment?" Emperor Tianwu asked.
Though their own Shennongs had already confirmed the treatise's value, hearing it from a Scholarly City elder would be far more reassuring.
Bowe's eyes sparkled with admiration. "The treatise isn't fully mature, but its framework is complete. It could already be compiled as an independent Dao book."
"Lord Lushan, may I have a copy of the original draft? I'd like to bring it back to Scholarly City and archive it in the Nine Canons Pavilion."
That one sentence dropped like a thunderclap.
The entire room fell silent.
Aside from Emperor Lushan, every single person looked stunned.
Even the Five Venom Emperor was slack-jawed.
Zhao Xing wrote a treatise... and it was being considered for storage in the Nine Canons Pavilion of Scholarly City?
"You may," Lord Lushan smiled and nodded.
That brief exchange shook everyone present.
"Brother Yushu," Emperor Tianwu turned to a nearby Reincarnation Realm Shennong, "is this treatise really that groundbreaking?"
"Absolutely," said the Shennong from the Origin Heaven Palace with a deep sigh. "The Boundary Mountain conundrum has troubled Earthly Advantages for generations."
"Especially since the start of the Shenluo Barren Domain Era, suppressing the domain's spread has become the central task. The Boundary Mountains have always been the biggest obstacle for us."
"The Red Star Empire and Primordial Hill have poured immense resources into just preparing the excavation of the seven ancient star paths. It's not even about moving mountains—a single Earth Stake takes massive manpower and cost."
Emperor Tianwu still didn't quite get it. "But haven't they already managed to breach a few mountains before?"
"That's different," Emperor Yushu shook his head. "Completely different!"
"If you held one of the divine artifacts from Origin Heaven Palace, you could probably carve open a tunnel through one Boundary Mountain, maybe even relocate a small one."
"But brute force doesn't work across the board."
"How many divine artifacts are there in the world? How many Emperors at that level?"
"Exploring the Shenluo Barren Domain is not something any one individual can handle. And some Boundary Mountains—divine realm cultivators can't even budge them."
"But with this treatise, a team of Dao Domain Realm experts might be able to handle them."
Now that Emperor Yushu had laid it all out, Emperor Tianwu finally understood.
"Even Du Yun, who created a divine ability like Yellow Sand Mansion Crossing, never made it into the Xuanling Dao Treasury. And now Zhao Xing, that kid... he's doing this?"
The Shennong Yushu chuckled, "Don't joke, Your Majesty. Du Yun's Yellow Sand Mansion Crossing can't compare with this treatise."
"If he'd created something like the Golden Body of the Ancestral Void—now that might be on the same level."
Meanwhile, other factions' leaders like Emperor Yuanding and Emperor Mangya were quietly asking their own aides:
"Are you saying this treatise really came from someone at the Origin Stage? That's hard to believe."
"Just storing it in the Nine Canons Pavilion might be too modest. It should have a place in the Xuanling Dao Treasury—or even be engraved on the Myriad Dao Tree itself!"
"You might think I'm exaggerating, but look—Zhao Xing didn't just present a theory on the Boundary Mountain's origin. He also added eight solutions to Earth Epoch Transformations."
"That makes this both a theory and a practical manual. It combines theoretical insight with actionable methods."
"With all the attention on Barren Domain exploration, his treatise could trigger the next major evolution in Earthly Bureaucrat cultivation techniques."
"Getting it into the Xuanling Dao Treasury is completely justified!"
"Your Majesty, now I get why Lord Lushan kept quiet and didn't argue back—Primordial Hill is definitely claiming Zhao Xing as one of their own!"
"If the Boundary Mountain problem can be solved, then maybe even the forbidden zones won't be off-limits in the future!"
Dao books, written and preserved through the ages—Zhao Xing's treatise might really reach that level one day!
Of course, for now, this was only the initial draft. It could be placed in the Nine Canons Pavilion of Scholarly City, but not yet the Xuanling Dao Treasury.
Still, that was already a massive honor.
Let alone someone at the Origin Stage—even Reincarnation Realm experts rarely had their original works accepted into the Nine Canons Pavilion.
A single technique would have to be something on the level of Xuanling Seed Borrowing, or a mid-tier chapter of the Golden Body of the Ancestral Void, to even qualify.
A person like Emperor Tianwu might not care much about those honors—he only focused on practical use and tangible returns.
But to people like Emperor Yushu, Lord Lushan, Bowe, and even the Five Venom Emperor, this was nothing short of world-shaking.
After Lord Lushan presented the treatise, the second half of the Primordial Assembly concluded early.
The original frontier development plan remained unchanged, and Primordial Hill was granted a temporary reprieve—one hundred years without being pressured or harassed.
Afterward, the Five Venom Emperor immediately used the Star Mirror to contact the Bishui Emperor.
And the first thing he said?
"Old Bi, you dumbass! Did growing crops rot your brain?!"
Faced with this sudden burst of verbal abuse, the Bishui Emperor was caught off guard.
"What now? Did something happen to Zhao Xing? He reported in a few days ago. Everything seemed fine."
The Five Venom Emperor roared, "That treatise Zhao Xing gave you—why the hell did you hand it to Lord Ji Shan first?! Are you brain-dead?!"
The Bishui Emperor was totally lost. "Your disciple asked me to show it to the Earthly Bureaucrat Shennongs—"
"So you just do whatever he says?! Why not just be his errand boy then?!"
"You idiot, couldn't you have given it to one of the Earthly Advantages in the Primordial Realm first? Why send it to someone at Primordial Hill—dammit—"
After getting yelled at nonstop, the Bishui Emperor finally realized what had happened.
"Damn... if I'd known this would happen—ugh, Five Venom, you're right. This one's on me—"
Before he could finish, the Five Venom Emperor had already hung up.
The Bishui Emperor was furious at himself.
He really got screwed over for not being well-read!
When others ask who recommended Zhao Xing's treatise, Scholarly City sure wasn't going to say it was him. At most, they'd record it under Lord Lushan or Lord Ji Shan.
He'd just handed over a chance for eternal glory!
"Ji Shan's probably already at Taoyang Base... and Lord Lushan already completed the presentation. Shameless, shameless—!"
He picked up Zhao Xing's treatise again, hands trembling.
"Hahahaha! So that's what happened! I see it now! Junior Brother Zhao, you're a genius!"
Outside Taoyang Base, in the starry void, Lord Ji Shan was toying with a jagged peak from the Boundary Mountain range, casually flipping it in his hand while Zhao Xing sat atop another crag.
"After these past few days of adjustment, I can feel it—the Boundary Mountain's suppression on me has dropped to less than twenty percent."
"Before, just being near the Boundary Mountain cut my strength in half!"
Lord Ji Shan laughed heartily.
Ever since his last meeting with Lord Lushan, he'd been ordered to come to Taoyang Base and meet Zhao Xing.
While Lord Lushan showcased the treatise at the assembly, Lord Ji Shan came here to test it out in the field.
Now, the one who recommended the treatise to Scholarly City was Lord Lushan!
And the first one to master the Eight Solutions to Earth Epoch Transformations? That was Lord Ji Shan!
And Zhao Xing had been brought in by Emperor Hongshan, meaning he was an Extreme Land cultivator.
Who dared say Zhao Xing wasn't from Primordial Hill?
With this setup, the Boundary Mountain incident wouldn't damage Primordial Hill's name—it would only enhance it!
Look at that! Primordial Hill solved the ancient Boundary Mountain problem!
What's that? You say Zhao Xing is a Self Shennong from the Primordial Realm?
What a joke! He bought the first-tier Extreme Land cultivation technique right after his ascension! The Primordial Realm was clearly a latecomer!
That's why Lord Lushan instructed Lord Ji Shan to call Zhao Xing "Junior Brother" after arriving—gotta bump up his seniority first!
Zhao Xing had no idea there was a deeper reason for Lord Ji Shan's joy. He just thought the guy was thrilled to have overcome the Boundary Mountain's suppression.
"My Eight Solutions to Earth Epoch Transformations are still rough. It's Senior Brother Ji who's amazing—he helped improve them a lot—wait, why are you recording this with a Star Mirror?"
"Haha, don't worry, it's just a habit I have while training. Makes it easier to review later, hahaha."
Lord Ji Shan laughed and stashed the Star Mirror.
Habit, my ass.
He just wanted to capture that exact line Zhao Xing said!
Did you hear that?
"It's Senior Brother Ji who's amazing—he helped improve them a lot."
Lord Ji Shan swore that was the sweetest praise he'd heard in an entire era!
As the two continued their training, a meteor approached.
When it neared the Boundary Mountain, it suddenly radiated waves of power, then twisted into a human form that dispersed the convergence force.
Zhao Xing and Lord Ji Shan turned toward it—it was Qiu Zishan.
"Uncle Zhao, Uncle Ji, all divisions of the Star Land are ready. When should we depart?" Qiu Zishan asked respectfully.
"Ask your Uncle Zhao," Lord Ji Shan smiled. "I'm not the Envoy of Haitong. He's in charge."
If the Five Venom Emperor were here, he'd be shouting in fury.
A top-tier Reincarnation Realm expert, sucking up to my disciple like this?!
Shameless!
"Alright, Senior Brother Ji, let's head out," Zhao Xing waved his hand.
"To the Seventh Boundary Mountain—begin the rescue!"
[Boundary Mountain Rescue Mission (One)]
[Details: The collapse of the Seventh, Fifth, and Fourth Boundary Mountains has left 154,323 personnel trapped inside.]
[The Boundary Mountains exhibit regenerative and convergence properties, and significantly weaken spells, martial techniques, and more.]
[According to calculations from the Great Derivation Divine Soldiers, current survival rates are: 74% in the Seventh Boundary Mountain, 52% in the Fifth, and 100% in the Fourth.]
[Mission Reward: Base reward of one hundred million merit points (final distribution determined by the number of survivors recovered).]
[Warning: Boundary Mountain rescue missions are extremely dangerous. Proceed with caution.]
"Accept."
Zhao Xing didn't hesitate—he accepted this mission, one designated exclusively for all of Taoyang Star Land.
Before this, whether it was the Empire or the other factions, they were still locked in strategy meetings, discussing possible rescue plans. A few small-scale rescue attempts had been made, but they accomplished little and only ended up trapping more people.
The reason was simple—Primordial Hill was already the most knowledgeable faction when it came to the Boundary Mountains.
Even Emperor Hongshan got trapped—so there was no better solution anywhere in the entire Xuanling Star Domain.
It wasn't just the Haitong Ancient Path; those stuck on other ancient paths were also still in a "waiting for rescue" state.
As for the survival rate estimates provided by the Great Derivation Divine Soldiers, they were based on the existing facilities and strength of personnel within each Boundary Mountain.
For example, Emperor Hongshan, who was trapped inside the Fourth Boundary Mountain, had a survival rate of one hundred percent.
That percentage came from the Great Derivation Divine Soldiers after evaluating his individual power.
But even though Emperor Hongshan was still alive, he hadn't been able to walk out of the Fourth Boundary Mountain yet.
The interior of the Boundary Mountains was too complicated. Directions couldn't be determined. Even if Emperor Hongshan could survive, escaping wasn't something that could be done quickly.
In the other numbered Boundary Mountains, while those trapped were weaker overall, many still had relatively high survival rates—mainly because back when the Boundary Mountains were first traversed, some construction work had already begun. That helped maintain limited survival space inside the mountains.
The different survival rates came from the varying strengths of those infrastructures. After all, Primordial Hill couldn't install Earth Piles—it was only effective against Earth Epoch Transformations, and not all areas of the Boundary Mountains experienced those "strange incidents."
Of course, if someone was unlucky enough to be caught in the Earth Epoch Transformation zone when it triggered, then their survival rate basically dropped to zero.
Zhao Xing looked at the Great Derivation Divine Soldiers' markings on the Boundary Mountains—everything was still clearly mapped out.
The regenerative nature of the Boundary Mountains meant that those areas were in flux. Earth Epoch Transformations could happen anywhere, and anyone trapped might be anywhere too.
Yet the Great Derivation Divine Soldiers still managed to update the trapped zones in real time, probably with support from Fate Officers working in the background.
"Now that the treatise has been published, the effects are far-reaching. Once the Fate Officers understand my treatise, they can eliminate many unknowns, and their causal predictions will become far more accurate."
"Before, when they didn't understand the Earth Epoch Transformations and mistook them for some kind of evil anomaly, there was no way they could get accurate readings—their predictions would be full of errors."
The rule for Fate Officer simulations was: the more known variables, the more accurate the outcome.
The fewer the variables, the fuzzier the result.
Zhao Xing could imagine how countless eyes across the outside world were now watching Taoyang Star Land.
If it worked here, then it meant it could work everywhere!
At the same time, this rescue mission was a field test of his treatise.
"It must succeed. Otherwise, the treatise will be called into question, and Haitong Ancient Path might have to be rerouted," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
While Ji Shan came over, the Empire didn't send any additional Reincarnation Realm experts to support him.
Breaking open the Desolate Domain was a large-scale operation. It wasn't driven by personal feelings or favors—only cost-benefit calculations.
The Great Derivation Divine Soldiers were crafted by the mechanism god, Emperor Redstar. If Zhao Xing failed this rescue mission, they wouldn't hesitate to issue a command to abandon everyone buried along the current path—and instead, recalculate the entire development route of the ancient path.
The rescue team departed in full force from Taoyang Base, located between the Sixth and Seventh Boundary Mountains.
Zhao Xing mobilized everyone at Taoyang Base—two hundred and ten thousand Dao Domain cultivators. Most of them were from the Five Elements and Yin-Yang Dao Domains, while the Life and Death Dao Domain members exceeded ten thousand.
As for Reincarnation Realm powerhouses, there was only one: Ji Shan, who came to help for free.
Departments including the Boundary Operations Division, Earthpath Division, Mysteries Division, Martial Division, and Medical Division all moved out together.
In the vast void, a long dragon-like fleet flew toward the Seventh Boundary Mountain.
At the head of the formation was the Earthpath Division, followed by the Mysteries Division. The Martial Division coordinated on the sides, and every boundary ship was equipped with its own medical personnel.
"Senior Brother, I feel a little dizzy." Gong Xiaoyuan stood at the window, rubbing her fingers.
"Junior Sister, don't be scared. We've already studied the Eight Solutions to Earth Epoch Transformations. We've got this." Qiu Zishan held her hand.
Truth was, he was scared out of his mind. For Shennongs, the Boundary Mountains were terrifying by nature—especially after personally experiencing a collapse event. The mental pressure was overwhelming.
In just over a year, Zhao Xing had ordered all departments to clear out the spatial zone surrounding Taoyang Star Land.
As a result, they could now clearly see the Seventh Boundary Mountain—it stretched out in every direction, sky above, earth below, left and right, enclosing them completely.
Being in such a tightly packed cosmic space gave them the same feeling mortals had when locked in a tiny bathroom—claustrophobic and breathless.
Worse still, that mountain wall was mobile, not some ordinary peak. With Earth Epoch Transformations that could happen anytime, it constantly made people feel like they could die at any moment.
Not just Qiu Zishan and Gong Xiaoyuan—Ji Shan felt it too.
Even someone like him, an elite-level (lord-grade) Reincarnation Realm cultivator, couldn't use Reincarnation Secret Techniques to reincarnate if he died here.
Because this was the Desolate Domain!
If you died in a Desolate Domain, reincarnation would likely fail—maybe even the Reincarnation Temple's revival system wouldn't activate!
"Junior Nephew Qiu, Junior Niece Gong, let me quiz you—are there any mountains in the wilderness of the Xuanling Star Domain that are bigger and older than the Boundary Mountains?" Zhao Xing casually raised a question.
He wanted to ease the pressure, but also didn't want the team to get too relaxed. A bit of tension was a good thing.
"Bigger and older mountains?" Gong Xiaoyuan pulled back her gaze and tilted her head. "The Twelve Sacred Mountains of the Primordial Realm's Three Domains—the Primordial Domain, Yuan Ancient Domain, and Dao Manifestation Domain—should be the largest and oldest."
"Junior Sister, Uncle said wilderness, so that rules out the Twelve Mountains of our Primordial Hill," Qiu Zishan corrected.
"Oh, right." After being corrected, Gong Xiaoyuan no longer focused on danger and started to seriously think.
"Then I suppose it has to be Shifang Mountain—the largest and oldest."
"The Five Emperors History recorded that Shifang Mountain has existed since before the Five Emperors Era. Every generation of the Five Emperors once climbed Shifang Mountain to hold grand sacrificial ceremonies."
"They say back then, Shifang Mountain wasn't as erratic and elusive as it is now—it existed right at the center of the star domain."
"Even the First Hexagram of the Shifang didn't require such difficult methods to obtain. The First Fate Officer under the Five Emperors could obtain it steadily."
Zhao Xing smiled and nodded. "According to the Five Emperors History, Shifang Mountain might be the oldest mountain, but it's not the largest."
"Please enlighten us, Uncle."
"The largest mountain in the wilderness should be the Minggu Mountain, located in the Black Heaven Barren Land," Zhao Xing said. "It appeared in the records around the same time as Shifang Mountain, maybe even slightly earlier."
"Then why do you say it's the largest, Uncle?"
"There's a legend that Minggu Mountain blocked the existence of the Polar Star. Its shadow cast across the cosmic domain, giving birth to the Black Heaven Barren Land," Zhao Xing casually shared a piece of folklore.
"That sounds way too absurd." Gong Xiaoyuan was skeptical.
Zhao Xing stood with his hands behind his back. "Not necessarily. In all the barren domains of the Xuanling Star Domain, Shennongs can usually convert small portions of a barren domain into a spiritual domain to halt its expansion. But the Black Heaven Barren Land—its boundaries haven't budged even a little. Across several epochs, it's always stayed the same."
"If a rumor has been passed down, maybe there's some truth to it."
Qiu Zishan sighed. "Mountains that huge in the universe… they're terrifying, but also awe-inspiring."
The team moved slowly. It took them a month and a half to reach the area of the Seventh Boundary Mountain.
At that moment, the Earthpath Division at the vanguard began adjusting their cultivation techniques according to the Eight Earth Transformation Methods based on the Zhao Clan's Earth Epoch Transformation Theory. Most of the Earthpath Division members stationed in Taoyang Star Land—ninety percent—were from Primordial Hill. Some practiced Extreme Earth: Mustard Seed Mountain, others cultivated Extreme Earth: Giant God Peak.
Zhao Xing had developed a new technique tailored to Boundary Mountain scenarios based on these Extreme Earth cultivation methods. Its core principle was to adapt to the Boundary Mountains by rapidly altering the body's internal earth vein frequency.
Before Ji Shan arrived, the Eight Methods could only be used by cultivators of the Extreme Earth lineage. But after Emperor Bishui sent samples of earth veins from various eras for research, the Eight Earth Transformation Methods were significantly refined and became far more versatile.
Even Earthpath Shennongs who weren't Extreme Earth cultivators could now adjust themselves using the Eight Methods.
Zhao Xing used a display panel to scan the entire Earthpath Division—every piece of data was clear to him.
"The Eight Earth Transformation Methods can be seen as a supplementary technique to the Extreme Earth system. Once practiced, the impact of the Boundary Mountains is heavily reduced."
"Qiu Zishan originally couldn't even use half of his strength inside the Boundary Mountain. Now he should be able to perform at eighty percent steadily."
"As for Ji Shan—he's at the Reincarnation Realm, so the suppression he faces is even greater. Even after cultivating the Eight Earth Transformation Methods, he can only use seventy percent of his strength."
The deeper one's mastery of Extreme Earth, the stronger the suppression in the mountains.
The Eight Earth Transformation Methods, as they stood now, could at most rival top-tier divine techniques. They didn't yet qualify as secret arts on the level of Reincarnation Realm power.
To truly perfect this new branch of magic, Zhao Xing still needed to continue his research.
In his plan, both the Theory on the Origins of the Triassic Boundary Mountains in the Mesozoic and the Eight Earth Transformation Methods for Boundary Mountain Earth Epochs had to be integrated into the Dao Manifestation Cosmological Earth Transformation Treatise.
The scripture and doctrines would have to cover broad application fields—Earth Palace Techniques, Earth-Splitting Laws, Earth Repository, Mystic Earth, Earth Communication, and more. Only then could it be considered complete—a true grand synthesis.
Only at that point could Zhao Xing be recognized as the founder of a new school of thought.
"There's still a long way to go."
Zhao Xing withdrew his thoughts and ordered the team to halt, then began redeploying personnel.
Time passed. In the blink of an eye, five years had gone by since Zhao Xing led the team into the mountain.
Most people had already entered the mountain, with only a small portion of the boundary ship fleet still stationed in front of the Seventh Boundary Mountain to assist with transfers.
Zhao Xing handed over all external communication duties to Ji Si—who had now been officially entered into the staff roster by Old Master Zhao. His title was Temporary Grade-Five Haitong Envoy and Low-Rank Fate Officer of the Taoyang Fate Division.
The title was low, but no one dared to underestimate someone close to Zhao Xing.
"Lord Ji, a message just arrived from the Fourteenth Pass of Jiachen." Someone approached behind Ji Si.
"Who's it from?"
"There are five letters. One from the Five Venom Emperor of the Original Realm, one from Emperor Lushan of Primordial Hill, one from Emperor Tianwu of the Origin Heaven Palace, one from Grand Duke Carlos of the Empire's Northwestern Army, and one from Lord Bowe of Scholar City—all inquiry letters."
"Set them aside. I'll read them in a moment."
"Yes, sir."
After the person left, Ji Si finally stopped observing the flow of the Seventh Boundary Mountain and ended his calculations.
He returned to his trust mailbox. He ignored the letter from Grand Duke Carlos and only replied to the others.
There wasn't much to say—typical inquiry letters just asked about progress. He replied as usual.
In short, the rescue was still underway. The Seventh Boundary Mountain hadn't collapsed, but no one had come out yet.
Even the previous strange incident had only occurred once, and the Martial Division left behind had already handled it.
Time flew by. The rescue plan entered its ninth year.
Ji Si finally saw the end of the long silence—because someone had finally emerged from the Seventh Boundary Mountain.
"A boundary ship! It's from the Fourth Frontier Army's Martial Division, led by Huang Wu! Look, they've been rescued!"
"Haitong Envoy is incredible! They really got them out, hahahaha!"
"Amazing! Absolutely amazing. Zhao Chen'an is about to become famous across the entire Xuanling!"
"Senior Brother, we conquered a Boundary Mountain!"
"Hahaha, who dares say my Primordial Hill is useless now?!"
"You bunch of muscleheads, where's your trash talk now?!"
Amidst the excited chatter, Ji Si flew out from his boundary ship to greet the rescued group.
He scanned the fleet and noticed several unfamiliar ships—clearly belonging to those who had originally been trapped.
Gu Ming's Mysteries Division had returned. Qiu Zishan's Earthpath Division had returned too.
But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see the Mountain Cat—the boundary ship Zhao Xing had taken.
"Gu Ming!"
Ji Si rushed straight to Gu Ming.
"Where is Zhao Xing? Why didn't he come out?"
Gu Ming, seeing how anxious Ji Si was, quickly tried to comfort him.
"Don't worry, Brother Ji. Lord Zhao is fine."
"He and Lord Ji Shan led a group to the Fourth Boundary Mountain."
"What?"
"The Fourth Boundary Mountain?" Ji Si froze. "You mean—"
"That's right," Gu Ming said with a smile. "Not only did we rescue everyone, we completely cleared the Sixth Boundary Mountain too."
"It's just that the interior of the boundary mountain doesn't allow any communication, so there was no way to send a message to the outside."
"Why would they do that! Why didn't you stop him?!" Ji Si still looked tense.
The Seventh Boundary Mountain was more familiar and lower in rank. But the Fourth Boundary Mountain? Even someone like Emperor Hongshan had gotten trapped there!
"Lord Zhao discovered four years ago that part of the Seventh Boundary Mountain's range, within the third ledge of the Dao Manifestation Layer, intersected with the Fourth Boundary Mountain. At the time, he told my mechanized puppet that he had found markings left by Emperor Hongshan."
"So, they tunneled through from the Seventh Boundary Mountain into the Fourth."
"If everything went well, he might have already met up with Emperor Hongshan and the others."
Ji Si didn't look relieved at all—his face only grew darker.
"If?"
"Gu Ming! You're the deputy, and you didn't stop your commander from doing something that risky?! If anything had gone wrong, you'd have been held accountable!"
"Ji Si, you don't know what it was like inside. Don't speak nonsense," Gu Ming said with a frown.
"We came back victorious, and you're spouting all this bad luck talk?!"
"Hmph! It had better be as you say!" Ji Si flung his sleeve and turned away, refusing to speak to Gu Ming anymore. Gu Ming didn't bother to say anything else either.
He respected Zhao Xing, but Ji Si? Not so much. Just being civil was already his limit.
The two parted on bad terms.
The news of the trapped survivors from the Sixth Boundary Mountain being rescued quickly made its way back to the Fourteenth Pass of Jiachen.
It should have been a moment to celebrate, but the revelation that Zhao Xing and Ji Shan had gone to the Fourth Boundary Mountain to rescue Emperor Hongshan diluted the joy.
Because of this, Emperor Bishui withheld the news and chose not to announce it. Only a handful—like the Five Venom Emperor and Zuo Qiyu—were informed.
If Zhao Xing died in the process, the victory would be severely diminished. Emperor Bishui wasn't about to pop the champagne halfway through.
In the fifteenth year of the rescue operation—
Inside a mountain cavern of the Fourth Boundary Mountain—
Emperor Hongshan and Taoyangzi sat cross-legged within an earth palace, cultivating.
Zhao Xing and Lord Ji Shan stood at the palace entrance, guarding it.
"In the eighth year after the operation began, Ji Shan and I followed the Earth Vein markers left by Emperor Hongshan and successfully met up with him."
"After that, I taught the Eight Earth Transformation Methods to both Emperor Hongshan and Taoyangzi. Whether or not they can break through the twelve-layer mountain wall inside the Fourth Boundary Mountain… I'm still not sure."
The place where Emperor Hongshan and the others were trapped wasn't in the manifest mountain layers, but within the void mountain structure of the Dao Manifestation Layer.
This location was in the twelfth ledge of the Void Dao Manifestation Layer!
Even under normal void conditions, Zhao Xing wearing the Golden Cicada Robe could only stay briefly in the tenth ledge.
Let alone here, beneath the Boundary Mountain, in the twelfth ledge.
Zhao Xing and Ji Shan really had taken a risk. Just the two of them weren't enough to get out of the Fourth Boundary Mountain.
If they had jumped down and failed to find Emperor Hongshan—if they'd only found his corpse—they would've been trapped for good, relying entirely on some future rescue mission.
Luckily, everything had gone relatively smoothly. Emperor Hongshan, just as the Great Derivation Armament predicted, was safe and sound.
But even he couldn't get out back then.
"Whether we get out or not depends on Emperor Hongshan now," Zhao Xing said calmly.
Taking a risk to save Emperor Hongshan and earning a karmic return—definitely worth it.
Suddenly—
"Whuu—"
The surface of the earth palace trembled violently.
"Hm?"
Zhao Xing and Ji Shan turned around in unison.
Boom—
The demonic god's palace suddenly expanded.
Covered in rippling muscles, the rugged Emperor Hongshan strode out of the hall like an ancient demonic god and stood on the palace steps.
"Uncle Hongshan, have you broken through?" Ji Shan asked expectantly.
"Yes."
At this moment, Emperor Hongshan looked completely different from his usually kind and calm self.
His presence was oppressive and brimming with killing intent.
His aura had changed, and even his appearance seemed more savage.
No wonder the Five Venom Emperor liked calling him "Old Hongshan."
This version of him totally overturned Zhao Xing's previous perception.
"Zhao Xing, thank you for risking your life to save me."
Emperor Hongshan bared his white teeth in a grin.
"Now, we can leave."
In the sixteenth year of the rescue operation, Emperor Hongshan broke through the seventh ledge of the Void Dao Manifestation Layer and, following the principles of the Earth Epoch Law—
Escaped the Fourth Boundary Mountain.
He stored all one hundred twenty thousand people, including Taoyangzi, into his World Ring and took them out together.
They returned to the First Base, where they repaired the base's communication formation and began transmitting the news step by step.
Once Emperor Bishui received word, he immediately reported it to the Original Realm.
"What?! Even Old Hongshan was rescued by him?!"
The Five Venom Emperor was stunned when he heard the news.
"Are you sure this is true?"
"It's absolutely true," Emperor Bishui replied.
"Even Primordial Hill confirmed it. I was just waiting for your authorization to make it public."
"Do it."
The Five Venom Emperor weakly waved his hand.
"Sigh… This time, I really lost big."
He could already picture the massive impact this Boundary Mountain incident would cause, and how much fame it would generate.
Unfortunately, all because of Old Bishui's blunder, the one who benefited the most from this wasn't him—the personal master—but someone else.
The rescue operation concluded smoothly with the return of Emperor Hongshan and Zhao Xing.
The news spread instantly across all Seven Great Ancient Paths, throughout the empire and beyond.
Scholar City also released Zhao Xing's Earth Epoch Law as soon as possible, helping to dispel the previous negativity caused by the Boundary Mountains.
Once public, the news swept across the entire empire.
All of the Xuanling Star Domain was set ablaze with excitement.