[Xuanhuang Chronicles · Volume Forty-Six]
[Ever since Ji Hong's ascension was destroyed by that black rain, the new Human Emperor of Great Zhou was taken up by Ji Hong's fourth son, Ji Jin. As I predicted, once Ji Hai took over, Great Zhou quickly began to decline.]
[In less than twenty years, out of the nineteen provinces, three have already been lost!]
[I had warned Ji Hong before—his consort spoiled this son too much, raising him to be arrogant and unruly. His humble and gentle demeanor in public was all an act.]
[Even before Ji Hong ascended, I reminded him that Ji Jin was not a good choice—he couldn't even summon the Human Emperor Sword, couldn't open the Book of Destiny, and couldn't wear the Five Emperors Armor. How could such a man be called the Human Emperor?]
[Watching Great Zhou continue to fall, facing joint attacks from the Southern Barbarians and various sects, I planned to act and save this nation. Though it's no longer the Great Zhou of old, it is still Great Zhou.]
[Even though I sensed someone was watching me, even though the House of Epochs might not be safe, I still decided to go through with it.]
[But then, a miracle happened. Ji Hong's fourteenth daughter, Ji Luoheng, was actually recognized by the Human Emperor Sword and even passed the Dragon King's trial. She united the Three Great Academies and the Dragon Court, and in a palace coup, sent her brother to quietly live out his days in the Dragon Court.]
[Hahaha, all those years ago, I merely had Xiaoyue leave a few books in her quarters, and she learned all my divine abilities. She even found the secret tunnel sealed by the Grand Shennong, and discovered me.]
[What a clever girl! No—now, she should be called Her Majesty, the Empress!]
[Great Zhou has welcomed its first ever Empress.]
[After Ji Luoheng arrived here, she called me Ancestor and asked me about the deeds of the Martial Emperor and the Grand Shennong during their era, and how to ascend.]
[I told her of the heroic deeds of the Martial Emperor and the Grand Shennong. After hearing them, she longed for the outside world.]
[Like Ji Hong, she invited me to ascend with her, to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors.]
[This time, I was a little shaken.]
[....]
Wang Tianzhi paused his writing, feeling a wave of exhaustion. He didn't know why, but for over a hundred years now, he'd often felt this way.
Every time he recalled the events of his youth, he'd feel this deep weariness.
Was he getting old? Was his lifespan running out?
It shouldn't be. Even setting aside the fact that he was in the House of Epochs, his lifespan alone should have been enough to last for a long time.
Why then?
Lying on his bed, Wang Tianzhi stared blankly at the stars above.
He began calculating the possibility of ascending together with Ji Luoheng, wondering if he could escape that black rain.
As time passed, the stars above grew blurrier, and Wang Tianzhi slowly drifted into a dream.
"Wang Tianzhi~"
"Wang Tianzhi~ it's me!"
Wang Tianzhi felt someone calling his name. He realized he was in a pure white space, with no up or down, no left or right. A familiar voice kept echoing.
"Who? Who's speaking?"
"Wang Tianzhi~ remember, remember~"
The voice kept echoing, and an overwhelming sense of familiarity rose within him. He felt like this was someone he knew very well.
At last, unable to resist his curiosity, Wang Tianzhi released his causal soul, sending out energy, using the ever-present lines of causality to trace the source of the voice.
At that moment, countless memories surged through Wang Tianzhi's mind.
Ji Si's Time-Reversal Dream Technique had finally worked.
Past and future resonated together, and before Wang Tianzhi appeared a familiar figure.
"Ji Si? Lord Ji? Is that you?"
"It's me." Ji Si nodded slightly. "Lord Wang, it's been a long time."
"You've come to get me? His Majesty, the Grand Shennong, are they well?" Wang Tianzhi's voice trembled.
"Lord Wang, focus and remember—the answers you seek are all in history."
In the dream, Wang Tianzhi closed his eyes, quickly absorbing everything Ji Si sent him.
Time stretched long—over four thousand six hundred years, covering every step from the Great Zhou Martial Emperor's departure from the Xuanhuang Realm to his journey beyond the Desolate Domain.
Wang Tianzhi watched it all from a third-person view.
Finally, the vision froze in an elegant private room—Yun Tiandao, Liu Tianning, Zhao Xing, the Martial Emperor, and Ji Si were all there.
"Lord Wang, we were not destroyed. We've found our footing in the universe."
"Now, follow my lead, and I'll let you speak with the Grand Shennong."
"Yes, yes." Wang Tianzhi snapped back to himself, instinctively tidying his clothes. "I'm ready."
At the Fourteenth Jiachen Pass, within an isolated cultivation space—
Ji Si, who had kept his eyes closed all this time, suddenly opened the eye on his forehead.
The Eye of Destiny—this was Ji Si's self-created dual law divine ability.
As his eye opened, a white-robed figure appeared within it, floating—Wang Tianzhi. At the same time, a faint glow also reflected Zhao Xing's gaze.
"Wang Tianzhi, pays respects to the Grand Shennong!!!"
Zhao Xing quickly stepped forward to help Wang Tianzhi up, speaking emotionally, "Brother, there's no need for such formalities. We didn't return in time to get you—how can I still call myself Grand Shennong?"
"You've worked so hard. I should be the one apologizing. The universe is full of dangers, and we had no choice but to return home. Please, forgive us."
Wang Tianzhi, eyes full of tears, shook his head, "Grand Shennong, I've not suffered, not at all—"
Watching this, Ji Si was also deeply moved, but he had to interrupt, "Grand Shennong, Lord Wang, my Eye of Destiny won't last long. You must quickly explain the situation to him—"
"Alright," Zhao Xing nodded. "Brother Wang, we're trying to return, but for now—"
Wang Tianzhi listened quietly, his expression gradually turning to shock.
Because Zhao Xing's reason for not being able to return was due to Qing Yuzi's warning.
And Qing Yuzi had already reached the Divine Realm?
At this point, Wang Tianzhi, who had some understanding of the universe's structure and the major forces, was utterly astonished by Zhao Xing's words.
"Grand Shennong, don't come back—it's too dangerous!" Wang Tianzhi blurted out.
"Hm?" Zhao Xing frowned, not understanding why Wang Tianzhi suddenly became so agitated.
"Grand Shennong, I've already reached the Dao Domain Realm! Our homeland, over the past four thousand six hundred years, has changed drastically. This isn't the place we once knew!"
"What?!" Zhao Xing's eyes filled with shock. He grabbed Wang Tianzhi's hand. "Explain clearly—what exactly is going on?"
"I can't hold on any longer!" Ji Si shouted.
The distance between Wang Tianzhi and Zhao Xing suddenly became endlessly vast.
But just as Zhao Xing grasped Wang Tianzhi's arm, Wang Tianzhi transferred everything he had recorded in the series, Xuanhuang Chronicles, directly over.
"Boom!"
Ji Si's third eye exploded. His face was a mess of blood and flesh, and his life force dropped sharply.
Zhao Xing only felt his head swell, but didn't suffer any real backlash.
Without time to check the contents, he first asked about Ji Si's condition.
"Ji Si, are you alright?"
"Grand Shennong, I'm not dead yet. I've just lost one hundred thousand years of lifespan, and my divine ability, the Eye of Destiny, is ruined." Ji Si's face quickly reformed, but his voice was hoarse.
Zhao Xing couldn't help but take a deep breath. Ji Si was already at the Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm, and just relaying a message caused such severe injury?
"Take my token and go to the Jiachen Pass medical base for treatment. Any medicines, any treasures that can help you recover—use them all, don't hold back."
"As for home, let's not make contact for now. Even a Dao Domain Realm lifespan can't endure this kind of drain," Zhao Xing instructed.
"Alright." Ji Si nodded and stepped back to heal.
After Ji Si left, Zhao Xing closed his eyes and began reviewing the message Wang Tianzhi had sent.
He wasn't expecting what he saw.
The Xuanhuang Realm had changed so much?
"Old Wang is already at the Dao Domain Realm. Ascension from the Xuanhuang Realm isn't restricted anymore, there are resurrected shamans, and even new sects—"
Reading what Old Wang had written, Zhao Xing almost thought he'd gone mad.
So much of it didn't match what he knew.
But many events still aligned with his understanding.
Even if Wang Tianzhi had lost his mind, he wouldn't just make up something like a 'version progression.'
After repeatedly sorting through everything, Zhao Xing finally came to a shocking conclusion:
"How is it that everything—big or small—seems to be happening ahead of time?"
"The Spiritual Qi Revival started early. I met Yu Tianqing early. Someone looted the treasures of the Yue Luo Mausoleum early. The empire's entrance into the Original Realm, the development and expansion of the Barren Domain, all happened early. Even the changes in the Xuanhuang Realm—"
After careful thought, Zhao Xing finally realized what had been bothering him all along: "It's like the whole world is racing against time."
No matter what, the Xuanhuang Realm couldn't be returned to now. After thinking it through, he figured a return at the Reincarnation Realm would be more appropriate.
"Seal!"
As usual, he performed a triggered memory seal.
Once everything was done, Zhao Xing left the isolated cultivation space.
At Jiachen Pass, on Crystal Island—
Zhao Xing had just stepped out of the palace when he saw two of his avatars returning, accompanied by several people.
One was Emperor Chenjiu, the other was Emperor Lushan.
He wasn't surprised to see Emperor Lushan—this old man always came to visit after the Dao Assemblies.
But why was Emperor Chenjiu here?
"Greetings, Emperors." Zhao Xing stepped forward to welcome them.
"Zhao Xing, this time Emperor Chenjiu and I have come together to settle your reward for the rescue mission," Emperor Lushan said with a smile.
Zhao Xing suddenly remembered. He had nearly forgotten about that.
The rewards for rescuing those trapped in the Boundary Mountains hadn't been settled yet.
Right after the mission, he had been pulled into one Dao Assembly after another by the people of Primordial Hill. He had barely had a moment's rest.
Now, they had finally remembered this matter.
Zhao Xing respectfully said, "Please, do instruct me."
Emperor Chenjiu, as usual, was expressionless.
"Zhao Xing, Coral-ranked member, your rank has now been promoted to Coral Ninth Tier."
"For the rescue mission, the total merit is one billion five hundred million. You alone receive five hundred fifty million, with the remaining nine hundred fifty million split among the others."
The total merit for the mission was just over one billion. Zhao Xing was irreplaceable in that mission and played a critical role.
So, he alone received five hundred fifty million merit points.
"Thank you, Emperor." Zhao Xing was delighted. This was a massive gain.
The empire had really invested heavily in the development of the Barren Domain this time. Just one hundred million merit could exchange for a top-tier Origin Divine Weapon or a slightly weaker Reincarnation Dao Weapon.
The key was that the exchange categories had greatly expanded. Some items were even limited-time offers, only available during such large-scale operations.
For example, Zhao Xing could use merit to get cultivation opportunities in the Original Realm for his relatives or borrow a Grand Derivation Divine Weapon to deduce secret techniques. Because of the empire's cooperation with forces like Origin Heaven Palace and the Reincarnation Divine Palace, Zhao Xing could even exchange for treasures from the vaults of other top-tier factions.
"If you have anything you want to exchange, just tell me now. We can process it immediately," Emperor Chenjiu said. "Otherwise, some items will require queuing."
Emperor Chenjiu was a split form of a Grand Derivation Divine Weapon, and could also serve as a massive mobile treasury.
Just like the Erliang Cliff ring worn by Emperor Meng Wu.
Having Emperor Chenjiu personally deliver items—this wasn't something ordinary people could enjoy. It was mainly because of the hidden prestige Zhao Xing had gained from his Dao theories.
Zhao Xing didn't hesitate at all and immediately said, "I want to exchange for two kinds of Origin Golden Pills from Heaven Palace."
Origin Golden Pills were a famous treasure from Origin Heaven Palace, created by the master alchemist, Palace Lord Jiu Jue.
There were two series: Origin Golden Pills and Reincarnation Golden Pills.
Origin Golden Pills were meant for those at the Great Divine Ability Realm, helping to accelerate the absorption of various Origin powers.
Reincarnation Golden Pills, on the other hand, were treasures that strengthened the true spirit. One of the ingredients was the True Spirit Fruit grown in the Original Realm.
The strongest Reincarnation Golden Pill was said to be able to dissolve calamities of the Mortal Realm.
Reincarnation Golden Pills are normally impossible to buy. This time, they were finally made available, but the merit required was insane—eight hundred billion just for one.
Otherwise, Han Chuchen's tribulation could've been resolved with one pill.
"You can have them. Which two types do you want to exchange for?"
"Twenty Life Origin Pills, and two hundred Earth Core Origin Pills," Zhao Xing said.
"The total cost is two hundred twenty million merit. Do you confirm the exchange?"
"I confirm." Zhao Xing nodded.
The Life Origin Pill corresponded to the Self School path, while the Earth Core Origin Pill was for the Earth Advantage path.
His Self School path was pretty much at its limit already. Twenty pills would be enough.
But his Earth Advantage path wasn't perfected yet, so he needed more of those.
Emperor Chenjiu tapped his chest lightly, and with a flicker of light, a red sandalwood medicine cabinet with intricate patterns appeared in front of them.
Zhao Xing recognized it at once. It was a physician's medicine cabinet, also a kind of storage artifact.
It only had nine drawers, but there were countless star-like buttons on its surface.
Each drawer could contain millions of different herbs, all meticulously categorized. Every time something was taken out, it would be different.
Even if someone stole the cabinet, without the code, they could at most take out whatever was in those nine drawers.
"This cabinet isn't locked. The upper-left and the second from the right have what you need," Emperor Chenjiu said. "But take note—the pills must be consumed immediately after taking them out, or their potency will drop. If you can't handle it, don't take too many at once."
"Thank you for the reminder, Emperor."
"Any other exchanges needed?"
"Not for now."
The Heaven Timing School's Origin Golden Pills hadn't been made yet by Palace Lord Jiu Jue.
Maybe it was because the Heaven Timing School lacked a top-tier faction.
Even if they existed, Zhao Xing hadn't yet learned any great divine ability from the Heaven Timing path, so he couldn't channel the Origin of the pills. Buying them would be a waste.
Besides, he planned to save some merit for Ji Si to study at the Royal Star Fortune Palace. The empire's fortune path was impressive. They had even won first place in the Ten Directions Mountain divinations.
Ji Si had always been self-taught. Zhao Xing had long wanted him to undergo formal training.
Now was the time. But this request didn't need to be discussed with Emperor Chenjiu.
Once Ji Si recovered, Zhao Xing would just go to the Imperial Military Department to arrange it.
"Whoosh~"
Emperor Chenjiu vanished swiftly after finishing his business.
He had plenty more deliveries to make and wouldn't waste a second.
"Zhao Xing, I was going to suggest you buy Earth Core Origin Pills," Emperor Lushan laughed, "but you sure are confident, buying two hundred of them at once."
"I just want to be prepared." Zhao Xing smiled.
"Good. Now you can properly study our Primordial Hill's secret arts." Emperor Lushan said, "Normally, our arts here in the empire all require merit to purchase."
"But I'm here today to bring you good news. All the elders of the Three Realms Twelve Mountains have agreed to grant you access to all of Primordial Hill's supreme arts, and the supporting cultivation resources—completely free!"
Free?
Zhao Xing's heart skipped a beat.
"Master-Uncle, is this true?!"
This blessing had come too suddenly.
Zhao Xing had hoped Primordial Hill might give him some benefits because of his Dao theories, but he hadn't expected this much!
Writing Dao theories and gaining fame had brought him far more than he imagined.
Back then, when he bought just the first layer of Extreme Land from Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom, the supporting resources had cost nearly all his savings.
All the techniques and divine abilities he had learned in the Original Realm were from painstaking efforts across Original Ocean, Thunderwind Valley, and more. His avatars had worked like ants, scraping together enough points to buy them.
Now Primordial Hill was giving everything for free!
It was just too much of a surprise!
"Hahaha, of course it's true." Emperor Lushan was very pleased with Zhao Xing's expression. "Whatever you want to learn, I've brought it all. All-system spells and supreme arts. Junior Brother Hong Shan and I can teach you most of them, and with the pills, perfecting your Earth Advantage Origin will be no problem."
"Of course, if you want to train in higher-level arts that need special places, you'll still have to go to Primordial Hill. We can't exactly bring over the earth veins of Yuan Ancient Realm, Dao Manifestation Realm, or Primordial Realm."
"That's more than enough, Master-Uncle." Zhao Xing was excited. "Thank you, Master-Uncle! Thank you to all the elders of Primordial Hill!"
In the Barren Domain, Haitong Envoys below the first level handled the daily affairs.
First-level Haitong Envoys only dealt with emergencies and could replace anyone in a crisis.
Now that the Boundary Mountains weren't an issue anymore, Emperor Lushan gave Zhao Xing a break from his duties, telling him to stay at Jiachen Pass and focus on cultivation, and just send an avatar to maintain appearances.
So Zhao Xing began taking Origin Pills at Jiachen Fourteen Pass to cultivate Earth Advantage methods.
Emperor Lushan had prepared thoroughly. The Earth Splitting Method, Mysterious Earth Method, Earth Palace Method, Mountain Method, Earth Connection Method, Earth Repository Method—there was nothing Zhao Xing lacked, only what he couldn't learn.
The resources were also fully prepared. Though they didn't bring over ancient earth veins from the Three Realms, they did provide a few top-grade earth veins.
Zhao Xing's cultivation setup was luxurious, enough to make any Earth Advantage Shennong green with envy.
Time flew, and before long, three hundred fifty-two years had passed.
At Jiachen Fourteen Pass, on Crystal Island—
On a uniquely shaped mountain peak that looked like a ram's horn, a massive seven-colored stone suddenly exploded, golden light filling the sky, catching Emperor Lushan's attention.
"In just three hundred fifty-two years, you've reached the true perfection of the Earth Advantage Origin. Excellent!"
"You really are the Holy Son of Primordial Hill, born under the right destiny!"