Chapter 404: Wu Tian and Wuzhishan, Is Jisi Having Problems?

Zhao Xing was thrown into the Erliangpo prison by Meng Wu. It felt as if he had been tossed into a washing machine, his body spinning wildly while simultaneously plummeting uncontrollably. His body seemed to undergo some kind of distortion, preventing him from concentrating his spiritual energy to maintain balance. What was a casual flick of the wrist for a Divine Lord-level Reincarnation Realm expert was an immense, irresistible force for Zhao Xing.

His body, spiritual energy, and every inch of flesh vibrated violently, with all 840 million acupoints resonating together. Even his consciousness became blurred, like a scrambled egg yolk being frantically stirred. The world spun upside down, and time seemed to lose all meaning.

Finally, Zhao Xing landed. He went from extreme speed to absolute stillness, as if an invisible hand had instantly grasped him, holding him perfectly upright. However, the world before his eyes was still spinning.

"Ugh~"

His face flushed crimson, Zhao Xing finally couldn't help but lean forward, hands on his knees, and vomit.

"Ugh~"

With a violent heave, he expelled a large amount of black residue and a faint grey mist. He vomited until tears and snot streamed down his face, and black blood even seeped from his pores.

After a while, Zhao Xing's consciousness gradually cleared. Lying on the ground, he placed his hands over his head and cupped them, bowing towards the sky. "Th-thank you, General Meng."

Although Meng Wu had acted out of retaliation, his actions had also shaken away the toxins and hidden injuries Zhao Xing had accumulated from his recent 'metamorphosis' medicinal bath. There was no sound from above, but Meng Wu, who was outside, heard him.

He let out a soft snort. "Good, you know what's good for you, kid." Then he added, "But... thank me? Heh heh, let's see if you still want to thank me after you've fully experienced this..."

In Erliangpo, the prison world, Zhao Xing finally had the strength to stand steadily after his violent purging. He instinctively tried to summon wind and rain to clean himself, but to his surprise, he found he couldn't use any spells. So, he had to remain in his disheveled state for the time being.

"Ah, karma truly comes full circle," Zhao Xing mused helplessly. He had summoned Meng Wu, and Meng Wu, in turn, had given him a taste of his own 'summoning'. Zhao Xing had never spun so many circles in his entire life as he had today!

He wiped the grime from his face with his sleeve, and his vision finally cleared. As soon as he clearly saw the world before him, a figure appeared, holding a steel trident and wearing a mask with a green face and ape-like fangs.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist, I am—"

"Thwack!" The steel trident slammed hard into the back of Zhao Xing's head. His vision went black, and he immediately crumpled to the ground. As he fell, he vaguely heard the 'yaksha' say: "Bind him and take him to the execution ground. Remember, don't speak to him. The warden says this fellow is a silver-tongued charlatan, a dangerous criminal—"

"I've been wronged!" Zhao Xing lost consciousness.

Time passed. When Zhao Xing opened his eyes again, he found himself seemingly immersed in a large vat. "Sizzle... gurgle..." Boiling oil bubbled around him, and a person stood overhead, holding a steel trident. A cauldron of oil.

Zhao Xing was stunned. "What are you doing?"

The yaksha didn't reply, simply poked Zhao Xing with the trident. "Hiss~" With that poke, all his five senses immediately returned. Zhao Xing instinctively tried to leap out, but no sooner had he floated to the surface than a trident slammed down, hitting him with a clang.

"Hey, wait—" Zhao Xing reached out to grab the trident, but its heat was astonishing. He immediately released his grip and plunged back into the oil. Zhao Xing's words were instantly cut off. A sense of suffocation and searing pain assailed him. Zhao Xing felt numb.

He struggled to the surface, shouting, "I've never heard of the Empire treating prisoners like this—gurgle gurgle!"

Third time surfacing: "Prisoners also have human rights—hiss!"

Fourth time surfacing: "General, I was wrong—"

After countless brutal immersions, Zhao Xing finally became too weak to resist, completely enveloped by the searing pain and suffocation. However, his physical injuries were quickly repaired, and fine threads of black blood seeped out, just as when he had vomited earlier. This time, the process was more refined; Zhao Xing didn't even realize that he was being 'fried' clean of numerous impurities.

"Splash!" Finally, Zhao Xing was pulled out of the cauldron of oil. In that instant, he felt as if he had been reborn.

"Sir, should I be taken to a cell now?" Zhao Xing asked hoarsely.

"A cell? Not yet." The yaksha with the green face and fangs impassively put Zhao Xing's head back on.

"Then where are we going now?"

"To behead you."

Before he could ask another question, Zhao Xing was kicked. An immense force struck him, and his vision blurred. Zhao Xing found himself sliding on his knees into what appeared to be an execution ground. His head was positioned in a lower groove, exposing only his head as if he were already dead. The rest of his body lay prone behind him. Zhao Xing struggled to twist his head and just managed to see a massive, sharp, dark-gold guillotine blade descending above him.

"Damn it!" Zhao Xing's head immediately rolled with a thud to the yaksha's feet. The yaksha kicked it, then picked up the head and instructed a nearby subordinate, "Go, put him back together. After he drinks the Soul-Bewildering Soup, behead him another 150 million times."

"Yes, sir."

"Then where are we going now?"

"To behead you."

Zhao Xing was stunned. Beheaded? He had just come out of the oil cauldron, only to be beheaded?

Dazed and disoriented, Zhao Xing felt as if he was having a very long dream. It was as if he had been thrown into a cauldron of oil countless times, deep-fried in a large vat. Then he was dragged out and beheaded, a massive blade descending, separating his head from his body. After that, he was hung up, his hands and feet pulled taut by chains of lightning. Lightning continuously struck him. There were also instances of being nailed to an iron pillar mountain and bleeding to death, or being tied to a copper pillar and burned alive. His tongue was pulled out, his body was cut into pieces and then reassembled, forced by yakshas to climb mountains of blades, endure freezing cold in ice mountains, and trampled to death by countless monstrous beasts resembling wild oxen...

Zhao Xing lay on the ground, his limbs stretched out, when a mountain descended from the sky, crushing him alive. "Squish! Squish! Squish! Squish! Squish!~"

Chains lifted the giant mountain. The yaksha looked at Zhao Xing, who had been flattened into a mere hide, rolled him up, and casually tossed him to a subordinate.

"How many times has it been?"

"Sir, a hundred million times."

"That's enough. Soak him, then send him to Lord Wutian."

"Yes, sir."

Zhao Xing felt as if this nightmare had lasted for centuries, as if he had gone through all eighteen layers of hell.

"Ah!" Zhao Xing cried out and bolted upright. He then felt himself with both hands, found his body completely intact, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're awake," a gentle voice said by his ear. Hearing the voice, Zhao Xing was startled, then he surveyed his surroundings. In the dim room, there was only an oil lamp. Beneath the lamp sat a bald man wearing a striped monastic robe, resembling a kasaya. He was cross-legged on a meditation cushion, smiling as he looked at Zhao Xing.

"And you are...?"

"Wutian." The bald man introduced himself. He was elegant and handsome, giving off a warm, refreshing aura.

"Wutian?!" Zhao Xing's eyes lit up. His previous dazed state seemed to clear at the mention of Wutian's name. Wutian was the founder of the "Treasured Mountain Technique"! He had heard from Jing Yan that Wutian had been arrested by powerful individuals from the Red Star Empire for fraud and deceiving people, and then imprisoned in Erliangpo. He hadn't expected to actually meet him.

"Rumor has it that Wutian possesses a great divine ability called 'Five-Finger Mountain'. I wonder if there's a chance to learn it," Zhao Xing thought to himself. He hadn't done this quest in his previous life, only heard about it from fellow players who shared how to complete it. However, the current situation was completely different from what he knew. In a way, this was his first time meeting Wutian.

At this moment, Wutian's expression also seemed to change subtly, his eyes flickering as he scrutinized Zhao Xing. Zhao Xing, likewise, was observing Wutian.

Name: Wutian

"Hm?" Zhao Xing was somewhat stunned. Even for Divine Lord-level Reincarnation Realm experts, his detection panel could display their names and cultivation realms. Yet, when he used it on Wutian, he could only see the name, not even the cultivation realm?

"Is he a God Realm expert? Impossible. If he were in the God Realm, I wouldn't be able to see any information at all, not even his name." When he was in Qing Yuzi's palm, Zhao Xing had remotely observed the light and shadows of the five God Realm experts, but he had received no information. When the level difference was too great, the panel's detection function would fail.

"No, Wutian isn't a God Realm expert, but he's also more than just Reincarnation Realm—what's going on?" Zhao Xing was surprised; his panel flickered, and the detection box actually retracted on its own. After that, he couldn't see anything at all!

"Hiss—" Zhao Xing gasped inwardly.

"Why are you so quiet, young friend?" Wutian asked, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"My apologies, senior," Zhao Xing said, slowly shifting his posture to kneel on the bed and cupping his hands. "I seemed to have just had a nightmare and hadn't fully woken up."

"All phenomena are but consciousness," Wutian stated. "Everything in the world is transformed by the mind. Dreams also originate from the mind, merely errant movements of the mind in a state of illusion."

Zhao Xing frowned slightly. Why was Wutian speaking in such an abstruse manner?

"All dharmas are like dreams, like illusions, like shadows, like echoes, like phantoms," Wutian continued. "Young friend, you must have recently experienced a great tribulation, and your heart is unsettled, which is why you've had these illusory dreams."

Zhao Xing immediately regarded him with solemn respect, because Wutian was indeed accurate; he had just experienced a great tribulation. "Senior's words are like a sudden enlightenment, truly thought-provoking."

Wutian smiled softly, then suddenly changed the topic, saying something that left Zhao Xing bewildered: "Young friend, your eyes are filled with 'evil dharma desire'."

"Senior, what is 'evil dharma desire'?"

"'Greed arising from unblemished dharma is good dharma desire'," Wutian's voice was melodious, as if it held a certain magic. "Within the desiring mind, there is both good dharma desire and evil dharma desire. The desire to become stronger stemming from selfish greed is evil dharma desire. Often, cultivating malevolent techniques leads to qi deviation. Cultivating oneself towards goodness, the desire to become stronger born from benevolent thoughts, cultivating righteous dharma, and accumulating merit – this is good dharma desire. Both are desires that arise during cultivation, hidden within the consciousness."

Zhao Xing thought for a moment and asked, "Why do you say I possess evil dharma desire?"

"Your killing intent is too strong." Wutian's eyes were full of wisdom, as if he could see through people's hearts. "You possess a quick-mastering divine ability that centers on slaughter. Am I correct?"

Zhao Xing was immediately startled. Wutian was too powerful; in just a few words, he had discerned that Zhao Xing had cultivated the will-based divine ability "Slaughter Thought Blade"?

"Yes, I have indeed cultivated it," Zhao Xing nodded. "And I have committed some acts of slaughter, feeling deeply sinful about them." He then asked, "Might senior guide me in cultivating 'good dharma desire'?" He decided to play along with Wutian's words; after all, it was a quest, and there was no shame in that.

Wutian smiled without speaking, simply gazing silently at Zhao Xing. Zhao Xing felt a little uneasy under his gaze. He had no idea how to proceed with this Wutian quest. After all, his foreknowledge was utterly useless now, as neither the time nor the location was correct.

However, the silence didn't last long before Wutian made a move. He gently vibrated his palm, and the oil lamp beside them suddenly flickered. Zhao Xing noticed no changes, but Wutian said with certainty, "Young friend, you have come for my great divine ability, 'Five-Finger Mountain'."

Zhao Xing's heart trembled. Wutian was far too mysterious. What level of expert was he, exactly? In front of him, it felt as though his very thoughts were transparent. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond, but Wutian spoke again: "How you learned of my 'Five-Finger Mountain' great divine ability, I won't ask further. Our meeting is destiny. Your path and mine are compatible, yet different. You truly wouldn't be able to learn my other techniques, but this 'Five-Finger Mountain'... Heh, I wish to forge a good karma with you and bestow this technique upon you."

What? He's just giving it to me directly? What about the trials, the quests? Zhao Xing was shocked again. However, he quickly composed himself and bowed respectfully, "Thank you, senior."

Wutian smiled faintly. "Don't thank me so quickly. This is just the first instance of good karma."

There's more? Zhao Xing was startled. Wutian extended a hand, and the oil lamp flickered, suddenly sending out a spark. "I bestow upon you a heart lamp. As for its purpose, you will naturally discover it in due time." Zhao Xing immediately nodded. What else could he do but nod?

"Whoosh!" The flame suddenly entered his body, settling in his heart. Zhao Xing inwardly observed, and a lotus flower seemed to emerge and then vanish within his heart. Following this, his spiritual sea seemed to become even brighter. Zhao Xing felt a sense of peace and tranquility.

"Although I do not know senior's intentions, I am indebted to senior for this teaching," Zhao Xing said, cupping his hands. "Henceforth, should senior have any commands, I, Xing, will certainly heed your call without fear of danger."

With the heart flame entering his body, a great divine ability appeared in his mind. This was the first complete great divine ability Zhao Xing had obtained. It contained Wutian's explanations and the profound essence of the Dao. Both the technique and the Dao were passed on, and they were very substantial, not something that would vanish after one or two uses. In other words, as long as Zhao Xing wasn't mentally deficient, he would learn it sooner or later. It meant Wutian had bestowed upon him a great divine ability that he was guaranteed to master!

Wutian revealed a satisfied smile. "Excellent."

Seeing Wutian pleased, Zhao Xing couldn't help but ask, "Senior, the general intends to temper me. How should I account for this?" He phrased it subtly, referring to the ordeal as tempering. Zhao Xing was curious if Meng Wu had any intention behind this.

"You want to know what Meng Wu originally instructed me?"

"Yes," Zhao Xing nodded.

"He told me to thoroughly temper your character." Wutian's words were also subtle, but Zhao Xing understood. Although Meng Wu was taking out his anger on him and punishing him, there were indeed benefits. He felt that after returning to the Lesser Divine Ability Realm, he was vastly different from before. Since there were benefits, Zhao Xing didn't want to miss even a tiny bit, even if the process was a bit painful.

Wutian seemed to have seen through Zhao Xing's intentions and smiled faintly. "You'll be staying here for a while longer. Since that's the case, let's have you go through the original process once more."

"Yes," Zhao Xing nodded. Immediately after, he saw the ceiling suddenly crack. He looked up and saw a Five-Finger Mountain descending.

"Rumble!" Zhao Xing was instantly crushed deep into the ground by the mountain.

Wutian watched Zhao Xing being crushed, then immediately stood up, his dignified and solemn demeanor instantly breaking. He ripped open his robes, exposing his chest, and lay sprawled on the ground without any decorum. The oil lamp flickered, and a purplish-black figure appeared within the flame, roaring: "Wutian! Are you crazy?! You can barely take care of yourself, and you're giving the power of the divine lamp to a stranger?"

"What do you know?" Wutian chuckled. "This kid will face a great tribulation in the future. Without the heart flame, it'll be hard for him to overcome it."

"You can barely save yourself, and you're thinking of saving others?"

"Shut up! I am the master of the divine lamp!"

Time flowed by; in the blink of an eye, five hundred years had passed.

Outside, Meng Wu sat cultivating on the Sun Star. Suddenly, a majestic voice entered Meng Wu's mind. "Meng Wu." Hearing the voice, Meng Wu immediately opened his eyes, stood up, and bowed towards the source of the sound. "Master."

"Where is Zhao Xing?"

"He is still tempering himself in Erliangpo," Meng Wu replied respectfully.

"Can his after-effects be repaired?" the majestic voice inquired. "Qing Yuzi has initially digested the divine power; it's time to give him an explanation."

"Yes," Meng Wu responded, a hint of reluctance in his tone.

"What, still haven't cooled down?"

"Master, how could that be?" Meng Wu shook his head. His anger had long since dissipated because the Empire had gained enough benefits from Qing Yuzi. He had simply grown accustomed to hearing Zhao Xing's wails every day and was reluctant to let go for a moment.

"Let him reunite with his family," the majestic voice commanded.

"Yes, sir."

Red Star Empire, Northern River Galaxy, Fengdu Boundary Star.

"Whoosh~" Meng Wu waved his hand, and Zhao Xing's figure appeared in the void.

"Greetings, General Meng," Zhao Xing said, cupping his hands.

"Zhao Xing, our karma is now settled," Meng Wu stated, gazing at Zhao Xing. "This is the location of your home dynasty."

"Thank you, General Meng."

"Remember, no one but you knows about that disaster. Do not reveal it, or you'll bring trouble upon yourself," Meng Wu warned.

"I understand," Zhao Xing nodded. Meng Wu vanished with a whoosh.

"Five hundred years! I'm finally out of Erliangpo." Zhao Xing let out a long sigh. Erliangpo was indeed a unique place. Being confined there, constantly under pressure, was a form of tempering, but it was truly unbearable.

"Now I'm finally out," Zhao Xing said, greedily inhaling the surrounding air. "I hope I never have to go back in. Old Master Zhao certainly had no desire to tour prisons; only someone like Le Yao would treat a prison like a talent market."

"Wutian, the mysterious Wutian... I wonder what his true origin is. Although my cultivation hasn't advanced in these five hundred years, I can truly say I've been reborn," Zhao Xing thought to himself. Recalling the experiences of the past five hundred years, Zhao Xing felt as if it had been a lifetime ago. He could now be considered a true gem, ready to shine brightly with just a little polishing.

"It was also around this time in my previous life that the 'Cosmic Version' was introduced. My starting point is much higher than it was then." Collecting his thoughts, Zhao Xing turned and looked at the boundary star ahead. "The Great Zhou Dynasty actually has a high-grade boundary star? I wonder how everyone else is doing." The Great Zhou had migrated there a long time ago. By his calculations, it had been nearly a thousand years since their arrival.

"Whoosh~" With a thought, Zhao Xing immediately flew towards the Great Zhou's boundary star port.

"You say your name is Zhao Xing, and you're the Grand Minister of Agriculture for Great Zhou? And you're asking our Emperor to come meet you?" In the reception hall at the port, a newly-ascended official scrutinized Zhao Xing and said sternly, "Sir, please don't make such jokes!" The official suppressed his anger and said, "If you wish to conduct business, please go to the side hall on the left. If you are here for tourism, please take the path on the right."

Zhao Xing said earnestly, "I truly am Zhao Xing. If you don't believe me, you can find someone who knows me." He didn't say more because history had been rewritten; apart from a select few, no one remembered anything about the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom. The Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom itself no longer existed. So, for the people of Great Zhou, where would their memories of him stop, and what kind of 'correction' had they undergone? Zhao Xing dared not say anything more to the official.

"Very well, please wait here, sir." The official left the reception hall with a gloomy expression. Upon reaching the back side hall, he immediately reported to a mechanical puppet: "Please inform General Long of the Star Patrol Guard that a third-realm individual intends to cause trouble here."

"Understood," the mechanical puppet replied, its eyes flashing red. "The Star Patrol Guard will arrive shortly."

Meanwhile, Zhao Xing slowly surveyed his surroundings in the front hall. "Jiachen-grade spell formations, orbital sky-continents... Great Zhou now has these too. Judging solely by the checkpoint facilities, their financial resources should now rival those of the former Daye Dynasty. I just wonder how many experts they have now. Hmm? Star Patrol Guard?"

As Zhao Xing was admiring the surroundings, he saw a squad of Star Patrol Guards storming into the hall. The leading general, carrying a greatsword on his back, clearly had an aura fluctuation reaching the third realm. "Long Xiao, a Sword Master of the Lesser Divine Ability Realm?" The person who arrived was none other than Long Xiao. And the burly deputy general beside him, also of the third realm, was—Yin Xiu!

"Who, who's causing trouble?" Long Xiao asked in an unfriendly tone after speaking with the official who reported the incident. Then, following the official's pointing, he saw Zhao Xing. Long Xiao's gaze instantly froze.

"Holy crap!" The next moment, Long Xiao rushed straight over. "You, you, you—"

"Long Xiao, why are you stammering? Don't you remember me?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Zhao Xing, you're finally back!" Long Xiao embraced Zhao Xing.

"Alright, in public, this is unseemly," Zhao Xing said, pushing him away disdainfully.

"Hahaha, you're not dead!" Long Xiao patted Zhao Xing's shoulder.

"The way you say that, it's as if I was supposed to be dead?"

"We haven't heard from you in many years," Long Xiao recalled. "It's been about a thousand years since we had any news of you."

"Let's find somewhere to catch up. This isn't the place to talk," Zhao Xing said.

"Alright," Long Xiao immediately said to Yin Xiu beside him. "General Yin, I'm leaving the official duties to you for now."

"No problem," Yin Xiu nodded excitedly, then placed a hand on his chest and bowed to Zhao Xing, saying in East Dragon language, "Welcome back, Emperor Dragon!"

"Yin Xiu, no need for formalities," Zhao Xing chuckled. After all these years, Yin Xiu still performed the dragon clan's salute for him.

"Come on, come on," Long Xiao pulled Zhao Xing. "Let's go back into the boundary star. Old Chen and Xia Jing will be thrilled to know you're not dead. They happen to be in Fengdu."

Passing through the space fortress and following the passage into the boundary star's interior, it wasn't long before Zhao Xing met Long Xiao, Chen Shijie, and Xia Jing on a boundary boat. Old friends reunited, naturally there was plenty of joyful drinking.

"Brother Zhao, you're finally back! Why didn't you send any news for over a thousand years?" Xia Jing chided. "Old Chen and I almost thought you were trapped in the Lunar Tomb Garden."

Zhao Xing raised his cup. "I was indeed trapped in a place for a very long time—but let's not talk about me for now. Does anyone here have the historical records of Great Zhou? I'd like to take a look."

"Don't look at me," Long Xiao shook his head. "Why would I carry something like that?"

"I don't either," Xia Jing shook his head.

"I do," Chen Shijie said, taking out a copy of "New Annals of Great Zhou" from his spatial ring. Without a word, Zhao Xing took it and began to examine it.

"...In the 80th year of Yuanding, Great Zhou ascended into the cosmos. In the 895th year of Yuanding, Great Zhou arrived in the Illusion God Galaxy, coinciding with the opening of the Lunar Tomb Garden. In the first year of Shixin, Grand Minister of Agriculture Zhao Xing broke through to the Origin Realm and befriended Jing Yan of the Red Star Empire—"

The New Annals of Great Zhou primarily recorded significant events of Great Zhou after its ascension, and most of these were about Zhao Xing and Yun Tiandao. Zhao Xing easily found the answers he was looking for.

"History took a detour here, after leaving the desolate region. Originally, we only navigated the desolate region for nearly five hundred years, but now it's nearly nine hundred years. This means that the period of the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom is forgotten by everyone, a gap of about four hundred years. After Great Zhou left the Chenluo Desolate Region, it coincidentally encountered the emergence of the Illusion God Galaxy. And the history of Great Zhou's rise to prominence was because I excavated many treasures here," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "It seems their memories have also undergone extensive correction."

Zhao Xing then borrowed Old Chen's star mirror and browsed through Great Zhou's archives. "The secret manual 'Twelve Divine Rituals Technique' I bought for Priest Wei Hong back then, has it become 'Seven God Offerings'? The 'Wheel of Destiny' technique I bought for Ji Si is also preserved, and it still has its original name." Zhao Xing pondered, then connected to the Red Star Empire's information database to search.

"The 'Twelve Divine Rituals Technique' has not only become 'Seven God Offerings' but also only retains cultivation methods up to the Five Elements Dao Domain Realm. The 'Wheel of Destiny' only has six layers, with no cultivation methods beyond the Reincarnation Realm. The three paths: History, Destiny, and Ritual. The purchasable cultivation methods for priests are ninety percent fewer than what I found in the Yuanhai Imperial Family in my previous life. Historians' methods are seventy percent fewer, and destiny officials' methods are fifty percent fewer."

Zhao Xing couldn't help but shake his head. It was too exaggerated. So many cultivation methods and secret techniques were suddenly missing, effectively cutting the paths of the three great Daos into narrow, winding trails. One must remember, this was in the Red Star Empire! The Empire's cultivation archives should have far more extensive collections than ancient kingdom forces. If even the Empire was so lacking, one could imagine the state of ancient kingdom forces, let alone dynasties and rogue cultivators.

"The requirements have also become more stringent. For these three paths, even at the Dao Domain Realm level, one must join a faction. Private cultivation is forbidden; cultivating secretly is illegal! The current situation is now quite similar to what it was in my previous life," Zhao Xing thought to himself. Now, wanting to pursue these three paths again had become exceedingly difficult. Unless one was under the wing of a super-large power, there might still be a chance to gain access to cultivation methods leading to the Reincarnation Realm.

"What's wrong with you? Shaking your head and sighing," Xia Jing asked curiously.

"Nothing," Zhao Xing's brow relaxed. "It's a good thing."

"Truly a good thing?"

"Yes," Zhao Xing nodded. From now on, he had truly returned to the familiar version! The three paths of History, Destiny, and Ritual being cut down, what does that have to do with me, the Grand Minister of Agriculture? As long as my own path wasn't cut, that's fine. Everywhere needs food, and the Dao of Agriculture, apart from the Ego School, wouldn't incur any taboos.

"Are Yun Tiandao and Ji Si on Fengdu Boundary Star?" Zhao Xing asked. Earlier, while chatting, he had realized that many people were not on Fengdu Boundary Star, or even in the Northern River Galaxy. Emperor Ji Che himself had traveled far, leaving only a clone at home, but even that clone rarely appeared, as if his energy was tied up elsewhere. When Ji Che traveled, he also took Ye Yukong, King Luo, Wei Hong, the mechanist Lu Ying, and their entourage with him.

"His Majesty took people on an outing, directly leaving the country for an inspection tour," Chen Shijie said.

"Inspection?" Zhao Xing was puzzled. "Inspecting what?"

"To see where they can easily strike and conquer other small dynasties," Chen Shijie replied.

"Are they heading west in the Empire?" Zhao Xing asked.

"How did you know?" Long Xiao nodded. "Their first stop is indeed the 'Jiachen Fourteen Passes' in the Empire's west." Zhao Xing, of course, knew! The Red Star Empire was expanding into unknown territories. Long ago, the Empire had established numerous bases in the west. The 'Siyue' desolate region belt, surrounding the northwest of the Profound Spirit Starfield, was about to be breached by the Empire. The Grand Ministers of Agriculture from the Primeval Realm had cultivated a stable life passage! The Empire was about to discover a new cosmic territory. The spiritual energy there was very high, and it was extremely rich, with many non-renewable resources readily available! The players' interfaces had a version name: "Star River Myriad Realms," which described that new territory. Zhao Xing remembered very clearly that it was almost one-tenth the size of the Profound Spirit Starfield! Chasing version trends was the nature of players. Those who caught wind of it quickly rushed towards the Red Star Empire, willing to die and resurrect there just to get a piece of the 'version's big meat'.

"He's at it again," Xia Jing said, pointing at Zhao Xing and winking at Chen Shijie. "Old Chen, I'll bet you he's definitely found some opportunity, the kind where he can make a huge fortune!"

Zhao Xing slowly raised his head.

"Zhao Xing, don't speak yet," Xia Jing raised a hand.

"Xia Jing, what do you want to bet?" Chen Shijie didn't speak, but Long Xiao chimed in.

"If I lose, I'll eat fish for thirty years!" Xia Jing declared. "If you lose, you'll guard my gate for thirty years. Do you dare?"

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" Zhao Xing deliberately advised. "We're all brothers. I think twenty years would be enough..."

"Deal!" Provoked, Long Xiao slammed the table. "Zhao Xing, tell us. Did Xia Jing guess correctly?"

Zhao Xing covered his face. "Brother Long, you'll be guarding the Young Lord's gate."

"What?!" Long Xiao's eyes widened instantly. "He actually guessed correctly?"

"Yes," Zhao Xing nodded.

"Heh heh heh heh heh heh!" Xia Jing burst into wild laughter. "Long Xiao, you're my guard now. Get up. Pour me some wine! Fill it up!"

"Damn it!"

Along with Long Xiao, Chen Shijie, and Xia Jing, he descended into Fengdu City. Soon, a crowd of people came out to greet them. Ji Che was absent, so Zhao Xing didn't see many familiar faces. However, Liu Tianning and Ji Si were both present. His family also