Among the barbarian tribes—or more precisely, among the tribes of Yi Prefecture—Niu Ben held a position of extraordinary status and stood at the very peak in terms of strength. At this moment, he stood beneath the domain gate, and upon spotting Yi Tianxing, he immediately grinned at the sight of his figure.
Laughing loudly, he shouted, "Brother Yi, have you come to see me off? Got any wine? Let's have one more round!"
"Wine? Of course—drink to your heart's content!"
Yi Tianxing chuckled as he took out two jars of wine. He kept one for himself and tossed the other directly to Niu Ben.
Popping the mud seal, he raised the jar and poured it straight into his mouth.
"Drinking—so satisfying!"
Gulp after gulp, a jar of spirit wine was gone in no time, prompting Niu Ben to let out a hearty shout.
"This is the domain gate leading to the Eternal Continent. The Barbarian Ancestor has sent word—we're setting off now. From now on, our barbarian brothers who remain here will be relying on you, Brother Yi."
Niu Ben said with deep emotion.
"Don't worry. Leave everything to me."
Yi Tianxing nodded with a smile, giving a firm and confident reply without hesitation.
"When Brother Yi says something, I can rest easy. Farewell, brother!"
Niu Ben let out a long laugh, then smashed his wine jar on the ground, shattering it into countless shards. With that, he turned and strode into the domain gate, laughing all the while.
The moment he stepped in, an invisible force enveloped his body, and in the next instant, he vanished completely. Simultaneously, the other barbarian cultivators followed suit, entering one after another. The domain gate resembled a bottomless abyss, swallowing up everyone who entered without the slightest change in appearance—everything disappeared without a trace.
However, as the domain gate fully activated its transmission function, a faint light could be seen beyond it.
It was as if the glow marked the exit on the other side.
"That must be the Primordial Continent."
The thought flashed through Yi Tianxing's mind. Without hesitation, he activated his Innate Yin-Yang Eyes to the maximum, pushing his vision to the limit as he gazed deep into the domain gate—trying to peer through and glimpse the world beyond.
The Innate Yin-Yang Eyes lived up to their reputation. Twin beams of black and white divine light shot into the domain gate.
In an instant, it was as though he pierced through the river of time, glimpsing another world.
He saw a vast and boundless mountain range, where countless towering peaks rose high, stretching endlessly. Ancient trees stood tall, their size unimaginable—hundreds of meters tall—and were commonly seen throughout the land. Words could not describe the grandeur of this world. Gigantic fierce beasts roamed the forests, their roars shaking the soul. Chaotic mists—likely Primordial Chaos Qi—surged in the air, easily stirring into terrifying storms that ravaged everything around, bringing destruction in their wake.
Then, his gaze fell upon a massive open area. In the middle stood a colossal altar, and atop the altar sat a domain gate. That was where Niu Ben and the others emerged.
Within the altar stood a statue—immense and wild in appearance. It had a towering body, a pair of jet-black ox horns on its head, and held a golden Tiger Soul Saber in its hand.
Its entire being exuded overwhelming domineering power and battle intent. It was as if even heaven itself, standing in its way, would be cleaved apart by a single slash. The sheer intensity of its fighting spirit was suffocating.
Even Yi Tianxing felt a violent wave of battle intent crash into his mind and soul, threatening to wound him severely and make him cough blood—if not for the protection of the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower. That alone spoke volumes of how terrifying it was.
"Chiyou!!"
Although this was his first time seeing the statue, Yi Tianxing instinctively recognized who it depicted.
Chiyou, the legendary chief of the Nine Li Tribe, a ruthless figure who dared to contest the Yellow Emperor for the title of Human Emperor.
According to legend, Chiyou led the Nine Li clans during ancient times. He pioneered agriculture, metalworking, weapon-making, arts, spiritual teachings, and education—contributing greatly to the development of early human civilization.
In his pursuit of the Human Emperor throne, Chiyou led eighty-one brothers into a fierce battle with the Yellow Emperor at Zhuolu. It was said that Chiyou had eight legs, three heads and six arms, a bronze head and iron forehead, and was invulnerable to weapons. He wielded swords, axes, and halberds with unmatched ferocity. Unable to defeat him through normal means, the Yellow Emperor had to call upon divine assistance. The battlefield was soaked in blood, and eventually, Chiyou was slain. His head was buried, and from it grew a Blood Maple Forest.
Later, the Yellow Emperor honored Chiyou as the God of War. His fierce image inspired fear, and his visage was painted on military banners to encourage bravery among troops—causing enemy lords to surrender without a fight.
"Chiyou was actually the progenitor of the barbarians."
A thought rapidly flashed through Yi Tianxing's mind. The implications were staggering—too vast to process in a moment. If this were true, then the barbarians were undoubtedly a new race born from intermarriage between the human and witch (Wu) clans, with Chiyou as their ultimate figure.
This also meant that the barbarians carry the bloodline legacy of the witch clan.
"How amusing. A human junior dares to spy on my Ten-Thousand Great Mountains. You seem to carry the aura of an emperor—so you're a Human Sovereign. Those eyes of yours are quite special."
Suddenly, the statue on the altar opened its eyes without warning. It seemed to directly perceive Yi Tianxing, and a consciousness projected itself into his mind. Every word carried a sharp and violent intent.
"You're Chiyou."
Yi Tianxing was overwhelmed, but still responded without hesitation.
"I am the God of War. No need to panic, junior. My barbarians and the humans share the same origin—we are not enemies. However, the Primordial Continent is not a place you can peer into just yet. Come when your strength is sufficient. Remember: the Primordial Continent is the true center of the Eternal World, though it is still undergoing evolution. It is not yet suitable for habitation. But it is the stage for heaven's proud sons. We will meet again. Rare to find such an interesting human—I'll give you a gift. May it aid your journey."
Chiyou's voice echoed in Yi Tianxing's mind.
Suddenly, a stream of divine light shot out from the domain gate, appearing before Yi Tianxing at unimaginable speed.
He reached out and grabbed it, not bothering to inspect it and instead immediately stored it in the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower.
No matter what Chiyou had gifted him, anything from that level of being was guaranteed to be extraordinary—not something to reveal or use lightly.
"Let's go!"
Yi Tianxing quickly withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.
Niu Ben was gone, and he had seen a glimpse of the Primordial Continent—that was enough. The rest was beyond his ability to influence at the moment. Chiyou's few words, though seemingly casual, revealed significant information.
"The Primordial Continent is still evolving, and it contains traces of Primordial Chaos Qi. Could it be that the Primordial Continent is still undergoing the transformation of creation itself? Just what is that place?"
"If it's still evolving, why are the barbarians going there? Is that region part of the Ten-Thousand Great Mountains? Is that their territory?"
Countless thoughts raced through his mind, clashing and sparking bursts of insight.
There was no doubt—what he saw was only the tip of the iceberg. The full truth could only be guessed at, and even then, he had no way of confirming anything yet.
He swiftly returned to Xuanhuang City and entered a secluded chamber.
With a flash of light, the treasure gifted by Chiyou appeared in his hands.
It was a piece of beast hide.
"The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon" (Huangdi Neijing)
Upon reading the words on the hide, Yi Tianxing's expression froze—then lit up with joy.
"It's this cultivation technique! The legendary method with which the Yellow Emperor ascended to the Dao through consorting with three thousand women. Still, what use is it to me? I already have my own cultivation method, which is not inferior—perhaps even more powerful. It doesn't benefit me much personally."
Yi Tianxing sighed slightly in his heart.
He already had his cultivation path firmly established. This new technique, at most, served as a reference. He wouldn't change paths. That said, since it belonged to the imperial Dao, it could still offer valuable insights.
"The Heavenly Emperor Dragon Sutra is unique—only one can cultivate it in the entire world. Aside from me, no one else can practice it. That's the dominance of imperial Dao techniques. But this Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon has no such restriction. It can become the imperial inheritance of the Da Yi royal family."
A thought flashed in his mind.
He looked over the beast hide carefully.
It detailed techniques for dual cultivation, profound and intricate—offering valuable insights to refine and improve the dual cultivation aspects of the Heavenly Emperor Dragon Sutra.
It was an exceptionally comprehensive ancient scripture.
It included cultivation methods, sword techniques, formation arts, alchemy methods—
—but most importantly, a body-tempering method.
This was the Yellow Emperor's Sacred Body, a method to cultivate the Earth Virtue True Body, one of the five elemental true bodies. At its peak, it would evolve into the Earth Virtue True Form, renowned for its incredible defense.
It was a top-tier physical cultivation technique.
Without it, the Yellow Emperor would never have survived in his battle against Chiyou.
"I can't go to the Primordial Continent, but the other realms might still be reachable. The Great Yi Dynasty is now on track. As long as we proceed step by step, we can continue expanding. The surrounding islands will be our next targets. But... the Vast Sea Dragon Palace definitely won't stand idly by and watch us expand unchecked."
Yi Tianxing mused silently.
He had never forgotten the existence of the Vast Sea Dragon Palace.
If there was a dominant force in the Vast Sea Region, it was undoubtedly the Dragon Palace. Though it had remained hidden and silent, there was no way it would allow Da Yi to grow unchecked.
"When sleeping beside a tiger, one cannot remain unaware."
They knew that principle just as well as he did.