Chapter 2031: Zero

Event by event, detail by detail.

Sheng Xin had almost reviewed his entire life, yet he couldn't recall a single instance where he had directly interacted with Dao Ancestor Yi Ji or Dao Qiongcang. Naturally, he truly had no idea when this "Jiong" mark, which had appeared imperceptibly, was branded upon him.

Since things had come to this, further thought was useless. Everyone branded with the "Jiong" mark had become moths drawn to a flame, merging into the Sea of Memories. Undoubtedly, the Dao Ancestor intended to seize all Daos, displaying an appetite far greater than any of the Ancestor Gods present. But how dared he set his sights on him?

Fight it out?

Sheng Xin fell into a moment of hesitation. If he were to act and fight the Dao Ancestor to the death, then the Medicine Ancestor and the Xu Xiaoshou in the Temporal Realm (who might or might not be the real Xu Xiaoshou) would certainly be freed. But if he didn't fight, this "Jiong" mark on his chest could erupt at any unknown time.

"Rather than wait to die, it's better to take the initiative!"

Just as Sheng Xin made up his mind, intending to release the Heaven-Earth Seal and first deal with the Dao Ancestor in conjunction with the Medicine Ancestor, before turning back to handle the brat in the Temporal Realm, a *click* sounded. The "Jiong" mark on his chest suddenly cracked, then transformed into specks of light and dissipated.

"What?" Sheng Xin was immediately stunned.

Multiple gazes from the Five Domains instantly fell upon him. Among them was the Medicine Ancestor's, filled with shock and disbelief, even conveying a sense of "You actually betrayed me."

*I didn't do it...* Sheng Xin almost wanted to explain. He truly hadn't removed this mark with his own power; it had just inexplicably dissolved on its own. Yet, before he could speak, the Dao Ancestor's gaze fell from afar, and he said with a smile:

"Sheng Xin, I have shown you enough sincerity. As per our agreement, I have removed the mark from your body, but you must no longer interfere in the matter of Shennong Baicao. He is mine to handle."

Agreement...

What agreement?

Sheng Xin once again scoured his memories, confirming that he had never had any communication with the Dao Ancestor, nor had there been any memory loss. His instinctive momentary stun in the eyes of outsiders, especially the suspicious ones like the Medicine Ancestor, became profoundly meaningful.

"Sheng! Xin!"

From the direction of the Western Domain, the Medicine Ancestor roared, no longer even transmitting his voice but shouting loudly in front of all Five Domains: "We agreed on a fifty-fifty split! At this crucial moment, you've tricked me again! Do you really think I'm a soft persimmon that you can just squeeze as you please?"

The Five Domains erupted in an uproar. What "fifty-fifty split" meant, they didn't understand. But the melodramatic story of the Demon Ancestor being close with the Medicine Ancestor, the Dao Ancestor intervening as a "homewrecker," and the Demon Ancestor then betraying the Medicine Ancestor after getting benefits, seemed to be understood by them. What was most disgusting was that the whole affair was out in the open, with the Dao Ancestor, the "homewrecker," openly discussing it in front of everyone in the Five Domains.

And the Demon Ancestor Sheng Xin actually wore an expression of "I haven't betrayed anyone," even loudly scolding the Medicine Ancestor: "Open your dog eyes and look carefully! He's trying to sow discord!"

Couldn't the Medicine Ancestor see if it was an attempt to sow discord? It was just that the New Heaven Realm couldn't be refined according to your wishes immediately. The Dao Ancestor had just been established, and you shamelessly sided with him. Where was your integrity as a Holy Demon? Where was your trustworthiness, Sheng Xin? Had it all been fed to the dogs?

"I told you I can refine the New Heaven Realm, but it requires time and his Dao of Memory."

The Medicine Ancestor was furious but truly dared not fall out with Sheng Xin at this moment. Pointing at the Dao Ancestor, he continued to shout, "He doesn't need your help; I can deal with him myself! Just watch!"

Just watch, huh?

Sheng Xin maintained the Heaven-Earth Seal, his heart stirring at the words. He discerned something and was no longer in a hurry to lift the blockade on the Temporal Realm. The Dao Ancestor clearly lacked the confidence to simultaneously target the Demon, Medicine, and Sui Ancestors. He had chosen a stratagem of sowing discord, forcibly pulling Sheng Xin into an alliance. The Medicine Ancestor, on the other hand, was even more afraid of him allying with the Dao Ancestor. Therefore, he did not hesitate to make promises, only asking that Sheng Xin, at the very least, remain a bystander in the Dao-Medicine war and absolutely not intervene.

In other words, he had become the uninvolved party. No matter which side ultimately succeeded, he could share in the spoils. After all, both the Dao Ancestor and the Medicine Ancestor were not weak; the worst outcome would be a mutual defeat.

So, should he choose to watch the fire from across the river? Sheng Xin's true thoughts, deep down, were naturally "willing." But with such a perfect opportunity to bargain, how could he not seize it forcefully? Thus, he glanced at the Dao Ancestor with a slight smile: "Agreement?"

His expression was subtle. Previously, he hadn't known the content of this "agreement." But since the Dao Ancestor had brought it up, this "agreement" could either exist or not exist. The key was, what good price could the Dao Ancestor offer that would make Sheng Xin abandon the Medicine Ancestor and ally with him?

"Indeed, an agreement." They were all shrewd individuals; the Dao Ancestor naturally understood Sheng Xin's shifting intentions from his meaningful expression, saying with a fake smile: "According to our agreement, once the New Heaven Realm is refined, we will split it fifty-fifty. The Dao of Life and Dao of Reincarnation will be mine, while the Dao of Arts and Dao of Thought will be yours. But you still owe me a favor."

Sheng Xin raised an eyebrow. You really dare to speak like that! I'm truly curious now, why would I owe you a favor instead?

*Adulterer and seductress...* The Medicine Ancestor gritted his teeth, almost cursing aloud. He could barely suppress the killing intent in his heart, yet he utterly refused to believe such an absurd condition, one that even included owing a favor. He hadn't even received such benefits himself; why would Sheng Xin agree to the Dao Ancestor's request after just one word?

"As for the extra favor, it's naturally because..." the Dao Ancestor drew out his words, turning his head with a sneer to look at the Life Seed in front of the Medicine Ancestor, which stubbornly refused to be refined into a World Tree, and said: "The New Heaven Realm – currently, Shennong Baicao can't refine it, nor can you, Sheng Xin. But if I take this matter on, it will be as easy as flipping a hand."

What?

Sheng Xin and Shennong Baicao were both astonished. In the next breath, the Dao Ancestor beckoned with a finger, and the "Jiong" mark lit up on the Life Seed that trapped Sui Yin's residual will.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

All the life roots on it snapped in unison, as if even the Dao of Life and the Dao of Reincarnation couldn't withstand the call of the memory mark. The Life Seed flew towards the Dao Ancestor. Just like the cultivators in the Five Domains, sacrificing themselves like moths to a flame to form the Sea of Memories.

"How dare you?!" The Medicine Ancestor's eyes were bloodshot. He leaped forward, instantly mobilizing the power of the Twin Rivers of Grand Dao beneath him. He couldn't refine the New Heaven Realm, not in the short term. But Sui Yin and the Dao of Arts had long been considered his exclusive domain by Shennong Baicao; even Sheng Xin couldn't claim them. How could something like this be something the newly established Dao Ancestor could lay hands on, let alone forcefully seize it directly in front of the Medicine Ancestor?

"Scepter of Life!" With a shout from the Medicine Ancestor, vast life energy condensed within the River of Life, and from it, a tall, dark green wooden staff emerged. The staff was entwined with flourishing vines and flowers, teeming with vitality, its top branches wrapped around and restraining a golden orb. When the Medicine Ancestor gripped the staff, the golden orb shone with dazzling brilliance. At this instant, all living beings in the Five Domains trembled simultaneously. It was as if they themselves had become a part of the Scepter of Life's power, capable of being freely mobilized, to live or die at the Medicine Ancestor's command.

"He can control us through the Scepter of Life?" All the people in the Five Domains, serving as the Medicine Ancestor's trump card, were linked through this Scepter of Life. Even the Dao Ancestor was no exception; after a tremor, his movements involuntarily paused, as if his life had been instantly controlled by the Medicine Ancestor.

However...

"Why wouldn't I dare?" In the blink of an eye, just as the Medicine Ancestor, wielding the Scepter of Life, lunged towards the Dao Ancestor, intending to strike again, the Dao Ancestor chuckled softly, forming hand seals: "Great Annihilation Art!"

Ancient characters flowed in his eyes, and subtle starlight sprinkled from above his head. This was the wind-up for casting a spell, something Sheng Xin was all too familiar with. At this instant, he grew suspicious again. Was the Xu Xiaoshou in the Temporal Realm, who wielded the Twin Rivers of Grand Dao and the Sea of Intent, truly under the control of the Named Ancestor, or would his authority eventually be reclaimed by the Dao Ancestor? Clearly, he was full of Heavenly Arts, full of marks!

As the Great Annihilation Art was unleashed, the Medicine Ancestor's hair stood on end, but he found that the spell was not directed at him, but at the Dao Ancestor himself. In an instant, the Dao Ancestor's own life force was completely annihilated. His existence, his form as a living entity, along with his own life pattern, were completely erased under this art.

*Whoosh!* The Medicine Ancestor struck with a palm, the life force collapsing and compressing, hitting the Dao Ancestor's head, but passing straight through his body. It was as if he had struck cotton, or meaningless air, with no tangible sensation. The Medicine Ancestor passed through the Dao Ancestor's body.

"Dead?" Death in terms of life form, to the Medicine Ancestor, meant demise. But to the Dao Ancestor, who had perfected the Dao of Memory, it was merely a change in form.

As the saying goes... "Flesh is weak, memory is eternal!"

Above the Five Domains, almost maniacal laughter rang out. The Dao Ancestor turned into ashes and fell into the Sea of Memories below, having completely abandoned his physical body. His existence, like the Age of Memory once led by Dao Ancestor Yi Ji, had entered the Memory Net encompassing the Five Domains in the form of memories.

Though the body dies, if memory lives, I am immortal!

"This is bad..." The Medicine Ancestor, having passed through the body, turned back and was shocked to find that he could no longer control the Dao Ancestor's life form through the Scepter of Life. But the Dao Ancestor wasn't dead! The Sea of Memories remained in place, its ripples quivering, intensifying, and finally stirring up monstrous waves. Within the waves, invisible threads of memory connected to cultivators of all kinds and various Heavenly Daos across the Five Domains, using them as his anchors.

From the Sea of Memories, a flawless, translucent Heavenly Machine physical body suddenly emerged from the water. It was a thousand zhang tall, with two dragon horns on its head, a Heavenly Dao mark etched between its brows, two glazed twin-barreled cannons on its shoulders, and a white scale armor adorned with Dao patterns. It was robust and imposing, comparable to a Void Giant.

"Skyfall Crystals?!" Sheng Xin glanced at it, dumbfounded. This Heavenly Machine puppet was actually entirely crafted from Skyfall Crystals, an ultimate extravagance.

What are Skyfall Crystals? The Heaven Realm has a supreme forbidden zone called "Meteorite Realm," filled with countless rare treasures and endless opportunities, yet also known as the Heaven Realm's foremost killing ground. This is because the Meteorite Realm periodically devours lower planes; each time it devours and digests a world, it can condense a Skyfall Crystal the size of a fingernail. Skyfall Crystals are the supreme crystals throughout the Heaven Realm, known as "ageless through time, leaving no trace in passage." Hardness was merely the most insignificant attribute of Skyfall Crystals. Its special quality also lay in its ability to absorb all Grand Dao powers, transforming them into Primordial Violet Qi from the dawn of creation, storing it within the crystal for its own use.

Which meant... "My Dao of Life power can no longer affect him?"

The Medicine Ancestor's pupils dilated. He couldn't believe such a colossal entity was truly made entirely of Skyfall Crystals. This was a display of wealth almost comparable to his eighteen Life Medicine Pools. The problem was, the Meteorite Realm had long since shattered with the collapse of the Heaven Realm. Since Dao Ancestor Yi Ji had been dormant for so many eras, how had he gathered such a vast quantity of Skyfall Crystals? Accumulated beforehand? Even a sword or a knife made from this material could incite endless slaughter in the Heaven Realm, let alone a Heavenly Machine puppet a thousand zhang tall?

"Memory..." The answer, it seemed, was still memory! The Dao Ancestor's Dao of Memory inherently possessed the ability to secretly accumulate things, unnoticed by others.

Damn it! You really deserve to die! His own Life Medicine Pools had been stolen, yet the Dao Ancestor had secretly amassed so much wealth. How could this not make one envious? It was better not to compare, but upon comparison, the flames of envy and hatred in the Medicine Ancestor's eyes almost burst forth.

"So what if it's Skyfall Crystals? External objects can't save you. Today, I want you dead; no one can keep you alive!" As the Medicine Ancestor retreated, he bit his fingertip, and with blood on his finger, he drew a life talisman the size of a human face in the air, about to inject power into it.

However, before he could continue his actions, the Heavenly Machine puppet, entirely crafted from Skyfall Crystals, that emerged from the Sea of Memories, suddenly had golden light illuminate its eyes. Without its lips moving, a mechanical, hoarse, indifferent voice echoed from within its body.

"Unit Zero, activate!"

With a *buzz*, threads of Heavenly Machine from the Sea of Memories poured into Heavenly Machine Puppet Zero, as if piecing together fragmented memories, bestowing upon Zero a "soul" representing the existence of life. Undoubtedly, this "soul" was the Dao Ancestor.

"Shennong Baicao, allow me to help you ascend." The hoarse voice resonated again within Unit Zero. Unlike the Medicine Ancestor's need to condense a life talisman, this strongest Heavenly Machine puppet seemed to have no process of energy accumulation whatsoever. As it spoke, the glazed twin-barreled cannons on its shoulders already glowed with a white light like a blazing sun. Giving no one any time to react, two brilliant beams of light, carrying immense power, shot towards the Medicine Ancestor Shennong Baicao.

At this instant, the entire world seemed to fall silent. The light was too fast! So fast that no one could react. So fast that even the Medicine Ancestor only barely managed to turn half his body. But... light, it could turn.

With a *whoosh*, the Medicine Ancestor's current body was directly annihilated by the energy beams from the glazed twin-barreled cannons. The residual force swept across the sky, plowing through the North Sea, splitting the very heavens apart.

"Hiss!" This cannon, this light, was too shocking. Everyone in the Five Domains who witnessed this art was utterly silenced, speechless. In reality, there was no trace of spell-casting; it was pure energy suppression, overwhelming the Medicine Ancestor so completely that he couldn't even let out a scream. He was instantly eliminated the moment he showed himself.

But was the Medicine Ancestor truly dead? If life doesn't die, Shennong Baicao doesn't die!

In the Southern Domain, a Krol Flower unfurled its bud, and a wild-faced old man jumped out from within. He still had lingering fear in his eyes but uttered no sound. The moment he appeared, he bit his tongue and began to write another life talisman.

"Buzz!" The talisman was still unfinished when a strong sense of death came from behind. Turning to look, a Heavenly Machine puppet with "Jiong" characters in its eyes was cutely tilting its head, staring intently at him, and holding a spear taller than a human.

"Ah, this..." Looking up, at some unknown point, millions of similar Heavenly Machine puppets had filled the sky. They came from the starry sky beyond the realm: some stood high in the sky, some rooted themselves in the Heavenly Dao, some searched spatial-temporal currents, and some patrolled on solid ground... The net of heaven has large meshes, yet nothing escapes it. Thirty million Heavenly Machine puppets, wielding the Spears of Sacred Judgment, had become Unit Zero's eyes.

Meanwhile, Unit Zero's true body on the Sea of Memories far away didn't even move. As the Medicine Ancestor stared in a daze, its gaze simultaneously fell upon him, and the twin-barreled cannons on its shoulders instantly turned, locked on, and fired.

"Become a part of memory."

*Boom! Boom!* Two beams of light directly tore open the sky, plowed through the Southern Domain's land, and instantly pierced through the Medicine Ancestor. Not just the Medicine Ancestor, but all nearby individuals were instantly annihilated by these two Ancestor God-tier, annihilating beams of light. But the people weren't dead. These people were all the Dao Ancestor's anchors, and they were also converted into the Memory Net. Their life forms were obliterated, but their memories remained, and with the help of sand and trees, they briefly assembled into Heavenly Machine puppet bodies, also becoming Unit Zero's eyes.

Argh... Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

In the Northern Domain, the Medicine Ancestor had just appeared near the Fragrant Homeland when the hoarse mechanical voice sounded in his ear again: "Where light touches, I am justice." Before he could react, he was shattered by another beam of light.

In the Western Domain, the Medicine Ancestor, hiding in the desert and not daring to show his head, hadn't even finished writing his talisman when two more beams of light descended from the sky, blasting him directly into the Nine Underworlds. "Where light doesn't reach, I am the light."

Eastern Domain, Central Domain, Spatial Rifts... Even beyond the Holy Divine Continent, the moment the Medicine Ancestor showed his head, the mechanical voice echoed in his ear, clinging to him like a maggot in bone, giving him no way to survive. Like playing Whack-a-Mole, Unit Zero hadn't even used other methods; beam after beam of light swept down, rapidly grinding the Medicine Ancestor's already poor condition to its lowest point.

"Flesh is weak, memory is eternal, Heavenly Machine ascension!"

"If memory dies not, I am immortal!"

"Great Ascension Art!"

The people of the Five Domains were completely brainwashed by that terrifying, soul-reaping mechanical voice, no longer feeling fear, but instead showing fanaticism in their eyes.

"What is this..." Too strong!

Unit Zero was unimaginably powerful, so powerful that it had cornered the Medicine Ancestor, who could only scurry about, trying to escape. Is this the Dao Ancestor's true power? If the Dao of Memory was like this, perhaps cultivating it wouldn't be so bad after all?

By the Temporal Realm portal, Sheng Xin watched the beams of light sweeping across the Five Domains, and a sense of dread inevitably arose in his heart. The Medicine Ancestor's defeat lay in the fact that his Dao of Life and Dao of Reincarnation were both ill-suited for direct confrontation. The Dao Ancestor's strength lay in clearly perceiving that the Medicine Ancestor was drawing talismans and surely had some means of retaliation, yet he gave him no opportunity whatsoever. "Dare to revive, then die. Dare to show your head, then perish."

"Three hundred beams..."

"Five hundred beams..."

"One thousand beams..."

Beam after beam of light swept down, and Sheng Xin meticulously counted them. He could guess that the Medicine Ancestor was testing Unit Zero's energy reserves, but how much power did this consume from the Medicine Ancestor himself? He could also see that Unit Zero's reserves seemed infinite but were not. Such high-intensity energy attacks must eventually be exhausted, right? At that point, with the tables turned, perhaps the Medicine Ancestor could make a comeback against the odds!

However, was that truly the case? Hunting the Medicine Ancestor like a mole was only part of Unit Zero's mission after its appearance, not the entirety of it. As the Medicine Ancestor was being driven to scurry in desperation, Unit Zero cupped its hands, and the Life Seed arrived in its grasp. It opened its mouth and exhaled mouthful after mouthful of Primordial Violet Qi. The translucent physical body, entirely crafted from Skyfall Crystals, finally revealed the truth of its internal energy storage—it was a thousand zhang tall body, completely filled with so much energy that it couldn't even exhale it all!

Upon perceiving this, the Medicine Ancestor suddenly lost the motivation to revive. Meaningless! How could a trickling stream contend with a vast ocean? The Medicine Ancestor strongly suspected that his eighteen pools of energy had actually been devoured by Unit Zero. Because what was accumulated within Unit Zero was no less than his eighteen pools of energy, and Primordial Violet Qi was even more effective than life elixirs in nurturing the birth of the New Heaven Realm. It seemed as though within the Dao Ancestor's calculations, there was also a plan to catalyze the Life Seed, accelerate the World Tree, and implant the New Heaven Realm! It was as if Shennong Baicao's New Heaven Realm plan was itself a memory implantation by the Dao Ancestor, with the purpose of helping to capture Sui Yin!

"From this moment forth, the Dao laws of the Holy Divine Continent shall ascend, transforming into the New Heaven Realm... Memory Tree, refine!"