Chapter 439: Eerie Threefold World Mountain, the Boundary-Setting Divine Needle Can't Stand?

When Zhao Xing participated in the Genesis Conference, he received considerable support from Lord Beihe. His cultivation methods were even taught by scholars Qiao Song and Yang Zhuo. Several territories under his command were also gifts from Lord Beihe.

A debt of gratitude must be repaid. Moreover, Da Zhou's roots are in the Wuye Constellation of the Beihe Galaxy, making it a second home.

"The Beihe Galaxy is my hometown, and the Beihe Legion is like my own army."

"Lord, please command. As long as I, Zhao Xing, can achieve it, I will spare no effort."

Lord Beihe immediately sent over an unfamiliar star map.

"The Explorer Army led by Qiao Song and Yang Zhuo is currently executing a mission in Langping Dao and Wangliang Star Zone of the Siyue Wilds."

"The military headquarters asked us to establish a stronghold, but that area has demon forces and is always under attack."

"I'm sending the rest of the Beihe Legion's divisions to reinforce them. Once they leave the Jiachen Thirteenth Pass, there are only two paths available."

"One is to fly through the 46 constellations including Shilong Jiyi Siyin Xiao Jiugong Si."

"The second is to utilize the eight orbital landmasses of the Haitong Ancient Path for teleportation using the 'Shifting Shadows' method."

"However, the Haitong Ancient Path isn't accessible to just anyone, so the Beihe Legion can only take the first route." Lord Beihe sounded quite helpless.

Zhao Xing compared it with the star map and immediately understood the problem Lord Beihe was referring to. The first path involved direct flight via a Realm Vessel. Since it was within the Wilds' affected territory, it was difficult to establish star-field teleportation arrays along this route, and even if they existed, the Beihe Legion couldn't use them.

Zhao Xing looked at the list of people in charge of this route, including officials from the Realm Transport Department, Array Department, and Dao Soldier Department, who were mostly from the Empire's Southern Frontier. These departments also lacked unified command. If Lord Beihe were to use it as a logistics supply line, there would be no other issues, but it would be too slow. This route was a public one, and naturally, as a public route, it couldn't be called very efficient. Whether transporting supplies or deploying troops, it would take a considerable amount of time. If something urgent happened, it would be at least fifteen years before they could reach Qiao Song and Yang Zhuo in Langping Dao.

If they took the Haitong Ancient Path, using the large arrays on the orbital landmasses for teleportation, they could save a lot of time, arriving in just three months—definitely a VIP route! The main authority responsible for the Haitong Ancient Path was the Primordial Hill, with Emperor Hongshan as the overall supervisor, along with some Haitong Envoys like Zhao Xing sent by the Genesis Realm to assist. The Haitong Ancient Path was not available for use by individuals or forces not on the approved list.

The Beihe Legion was not considered an 'official army' under imperial command. In this exploration, its nature was more akin to a 'private army.' Without connections, Lord Beihe wishing to borrow the path? No chance! If Lord Beihe were commanding his own army, there might be some hope, but he was currently operating alone, exploring the Blue Butterfly Path, which only Reincarnation Realm experts could venture into. That was why he came to Zhao Xing for help.

"I will handle this immediately. Please wait a moment, Lord."

Seeing Zhao Xing agree so readily, Lord Beihe smiled, "Zhao Xing, thank you. I'll await your good news."

Zhao Xing agreed to Lord Beihe's request so quickly primarily because he was a Level One Haitong Envoy, giving him room to maneuver. He also held influence with Emperor Hongshan himself.

"If it's not open to individuals or forces not on the list, then simply add the Beihe Legion. If the Beihe Legion can do some work along the way, the matter becomes perfectly legitimate."

"Coincidentally, I can also add Da Zhou's exploration team to get some benefits," Zhao Xing mused. He first notified Da Zhou's personnel, instructing Ji Che to prepare his forces and place them under the Beihe Legion's command. Nominally, they would belong to the Beihe Legion but would not be subject to its management. Then, he would formally enlist the Beihe Legion into the list of auxiliary defense forces for the Haitong Ancient Path. This way, it would both solve Lord Beihe's problem and benefit Da Zhou.

The only issue was that he hadn't yet arrived at his destination, and his position as Haitong Envoy hadn't officially taken effect.

"I don't even need to bother Emperor Hongshan with this; finding Yuan Qiusheng will suffice," Zhao Xing thought. There were many Haitong Envoys dispatched by the Genesis Realm along the Haitong Ancient Path, though at different ranks. Yuan Qiusheng was also a Level One Haitong Envoy, an auxiliary agriculturalist of the Ego School, holding a high position in the Wilds exploration efforts.

Yuan Qiusheng's teacher, 'Emperor Bisui,' was even in charge of the Splendor Spirit Project on the Haitong Ancient Path. His main responsibility was to establish spirit seed bases along the path to stabilize its spiritual energy environment. He and Emperor Hongshan were the two main figures overseeing this route. One was responsible for leading people to excavate ahead, and the other for leading people to cultivate behind. Originally, there should have been three people in charge, including a combat-oriented expert responsible for managing the army. However, Emperor Hongshan's own combat strength was formidable, and the Primordial Hill disliked having too many people interfering with projects, so Emperor Hongshan assumed the additional role.

After a burst of static, the star mirror quickly displayed an image: Yuan Qiusheng was working in a field of colorful plants on the other side.

"Qiusheng, are you busy?"

"Just busy with trivial things." Yuan Qiusheng's honest face broke into a smile. "Chen An, what about you? I heard you set off; you must still be en route, right?"

"I just passed the Triangle Constellation in the Manya Galaxy; it'll take another three years to arrive. Qiusheng, I have something I'd like your help with..." Zhao Xing went straight to the point.

After listening, Yuan Qiusheng agreed without hesitation, "It's a small matter. Just put it under my name for now. Coincidentally, I'm short-staffed here."

"You're still short-staffed?" Zhao Xing wondered. "Didn't Emperor Bisui send people to you?"

"Not enough," Yuan Qiusheng said, pointing to the field behind him. "Take a look."

Zhao Xing looked at the dense plants behind Yuan Qiusheng and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why are there so many seedlings? I can't recognize most of them. Are they all derivative species?"

"No, they're native species," Yuan Qiusheng said excitedly. "Incredible, isn't it? I've only been here seven years, and I've already discovered 320,000 unknown native species. The Explorer Army (all armies responsible for exploration are called Explorer Armies) brings many new kinds every day. I'm truly too busy to handle it all!"

"Look at this light-blue thorny plant; it can actually make demons go into heat, yet it has no effect on humans. Its potency is ten times that of an ordinary aphrodisiac pill!"

"And this sapling, it starts splitting even in its seedling stage. Do you think it's suitable as a magical material for straw effigy spells?"

"And look at this one..."

When it came to new plants, Yuan Qiusheng became incredibly verbose, as if he could talk for years without tiring. Zhao Xing and Yuan Qiusheng discussed for several hours through the star mirror. Finally, Yuan Qiusheng received a task that required him to leave, and he said with lingering enthusiasm, "Brother Zhao, hurry up and come! I've saved many native soldier species for you; you'll definitely be interested!"

"Alright, I'll get there as soon as possible."

Closing the star mirror, Zhao Xing immediately transmitted the message to Lord Yang Lin of Beihe. On the other side, Lord Beihe, having received the news, couldn't help but sigh, "The status of the Genesis Realm's foremost genius is truly high. I couldn't even make a request like that, but he did it so easily."

Closing the star mirror, Lord Beihe looked at the distorted space-time tunnel in the distance and made a firm decision: "I must also fight for it. My true spirit's potential is exhausted. If I don't give it my all in this life, I surely won't survive the calamity of the next." The Reincarnation Realm entails periods of calamity. The longer one postpones facing them, the greater the calamity becomes. These periods are major challenges for many Reincarnation Realm cultivators, and Lord Beihe was one of those uncertain of surviving his.

For the following period, Zhao Xing meditated on the secret reincarnation techniques left by Qingyuzi aboard the Realm Vessel. As the soul secret technique of the Reincarnation Divine Palace, the Great Reincarnation Divine Ability was ranked first among the "Three Thousand Divine Abilities." According to Qingyuzi, this technique had further stages, and Zhao Xing could seek him out again once he mastered the Great Reincarnation Divine Ability.

"I wonder what Old Qing's intentions are, secretly passing on the Great Reincarnation Divine Ability to me," Zhao Xing mused after his daily meditation, trying to guess Qingyuzi's purpose. "The Reincarnation Divine Palace is split into several factions, and there's a divergence of will among the high-ranking members. Are they perhaps recruiting forces to fight it out?" Zhao Xing could only assume that Old Qing thought his performance as a pawn in the last Dharma Assembly incident was satisfactory, and thus intended to continue using him.

"In any case, it's not a bad thing. It's better to deal with familiar divine realms than unfamiliar ones."

"If I accidentally die, Old Qing can at least help me out for a few rounds of reincarnation."

Zhao Xing intensified his cultivation plan for the Great Reincarnation Divine Ability, followed by the Demon God's Underground Palace, the Five-Finger Mountain, and the cultivation of the Primordial Chaos Realm.

The Realm Vessel rapidly traversed the Empire's territory, and three years quickly passed.

You have entered the Beicang System. Coordinates: Sun 14, Moon 14, Heaven's Gate 15.

A coordinate prompt appeared on his panel, and Zhao Xing awoke from his cultivation. At the same time, the artifact spirit aboard the Lynx informed him, "Master, Jiachen Fourteenth Pass is approaching."

"Hmm." Zhao Xing went to the porthole. A galaxy appeared in the starry sky ahead, with densely packed realm stars and circular planetary landmasses arranged neatly and orderly. All realm stars and planetary landmasses could serve as places for people to live, and also as foundations for arrays. The continuous galaxy formed a star-sky Great Wall, stretching endlessly out of sight.

"It's truly beautiful," Zhao Xing murmured.

"Your Majesty is right, it's very beautiful," the Thousand Illusions Tree echoed.

"Qianhuan, then tell me, what makes Jiachen Pass beautiful?"

"Uh, well..." The Thousand Illusions Tree was momentarily at a loss for words. "Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

Zhao Xing didn't make things difficult for the Thousand Illusions Tree and explained, "The Heavenly Stem 'Jia' belongs to Yang Wood, and the Earthly Branch 'Chen' belongs to Yang Earth. Jiachen Pass forms a 'wood overcoming earth' capping combination. This is used to resist the invasion of the Wilds."

"In the theory of the Geodynamics School, all realm stars and planetary landmasses, even the stars of the sun and moon, originated from the universe's initial primal landmass."

"Therefore, geomancy can be applied to the infinite cosmic territories."

"The spread of the Wilds signifies the exhaustion of the cosmic geodetic veins, and the design concept of Jiachen Pass perfectly aligns with the Geodynamics School's theory."

"The large and small star-sky fortresses are designed according to the Ego School's classic 'Treatise on Objects.' The circular planetary landmasses and numerous void plants completely integrate the star pass with the void."

"At Jiachen Pass, even void rivers are completely cut off. There's no way to smuggle through."

"Such a vast and magnificent man-made stronghold is, of course, breathtakingly beautiful."

The Thousand Illusions Tree flattered, "Your Majesty possesses unique insight. A few words from you are enough to bring profound enlightenment."

"Get out of here. Where did you learn to butter people up?"

"Your Majesty, I'm innocent! These are all sincere words!"

Zhao Xing finally understood why emperors would favor close officials and believe slanderous words. Even though he knew the Thousand Illusions Tree was flattering him, he still found it pleasant to hear.

Jiachen Fourteenth Pass, Crystal Island.

Crystal Island was a beautiful sight within Jiachen Pass, having been built by excavating a crystal ore vein from a primal realm. The island's total area was no less impressive than a top-tier realm star, with continuous crystal palaces, each containing various fundamental sources of the Great Dao. The most dazzling was the central amethyst palace, towering tens of thousands of kilometers high. Crystal Island was the office of the Genesis Realm at Jiachen Fourteenth Pass in the Beicang System.

"...The Haitong Envoy sent by the Genesis Realm is about to take office, and the higher-ups specifically instructed all three of us to personally welcome him? Damn it, this Zhao Xing, how can he be so important?"

In the grand hall, there was a large silver round table with three towering thrones beside it. On each throne sat a figure. The speaker was a man with demon horns, who was looking at Zhao Xing's profile.

"Others don't get this kind of welcome because they're not qualified!" A beautiful blonde woman with cat ears on her head, sitting nearby, set down her crimson wine glass.

"He, while still in the Origin Realm, managed to defeat Du Yun, who had already entered the Life-Death Dao Domain. He's also the disciple of the strongest demigod, Gu Luohe, and has been taught techniques by two emperors, one of which is even a legendary ultimate art..."

"Oh my goodness, no wonder we have to personally welcome him. So he's the current Genesis Saint Child, and this Level One Haitong Envoy indeed warrants a personal welcome," another silver-haired Reincarnation Realm lord exclaimed dramatically, browsing a star mirror.

"Look at the titles he's been given! I had to flip through several pages on the star mirror just to read them all. He has more titles than I have hair!"

"Lord Peng Ao, let's stop wasting time and quickly figure out how to receive him. Zhao Xing also serves as the Inspector of the Three Passes Treasury Department!"

"Lord Niu Hong is right; we must treat him well. The young man is impetuous and a peerless genius. If he decides to cause trouble for us on a whim, it'll be difficult to handle," the blonde cat-eared woman said solemnly. There are always flaws in official duties. Over thousands of years, numerous issues accumulate. If left uninvestigated, they don't affect operations, but if investigated, all three of them would be in trouble.

"Quickly set up the grand reception! Zhao Xing has already passed Xingyue Port and will arrive in just a few days."

"Understood!"

The three Reincarnation Realm lords quickly began making arrangements.

"Hmm? Why are there so few people and vessels on the path?" As Zhao Xing piloted his Realm Vessel into the Jiachen Fourteenth Pass's vicinity, he noticed that the Realm Vessels and people on the navigation channel had become sparse. Upon checking with the Lynx's detection array, he found that there was no one left on his clearance route!

"Master, three days ago, Lord Peng Ao, Lord Niu Hong, and Lord Yin Er of Jiachen Fourteenth Pass issued a restricted order, clearing all other Realm Vessels from your route," the artifact spirit reported.

"They cleared the path and restricted traffic for me," Zhao Xing said with an odd expression.

"Yes, they transmitted a message via the Immeasurable Array, inviting you, Master, to a banquet hosted by the three lords on Crystal Island to welcome you."

"Then let's accelerate and get there quickly," Zhao Xing shook his head helplessly. "If we don't hurry, people will start gossiping." How massive was the flow of people coming and going through Jiachen Pass currently? Who knew how many families had urgent matters outside the pass. Imposing traffic restrictions and clearing the path, forcing people to wait anxiously, would surely cause immense resentment.

"Yes, accelerating now."

The three lords specially prepared a manor on Crystal Island for Zhao Xing, having discovered that he preferred residing in manor-style buildings when he lived in Coral City. They also summoned prominent officials and nobles from Jiachen Fourteenth Pass to bolster the grandeur of the welcoming party. The entire banquet was incredibly lavish. Since the area was close to the border, many demoness maidens could be captured. Even among the attendants serving Zhao Xing, there were many demoness beauties with graceful figures and exquisite faces. As for those accompanying him, their demeanor was even more refined. Zhao Xing checked his panel and saw that most of them were dancers and musicians, and their cultivation realms were not low, having already reached the Dao Domain realm—truly exceptional in both talent and beauty.

"My lords, your warm reception makes me not want to leave the pass at all," Zhao Xing said, accompanied by beauties on both sides, listening to the music in the center of the hall.

"Hahaha, after cultivating for so long, it's only right for the Special Envoy to relax," Lord Peng Ao laughed.

"Indeed, we've long heard of your renown, Zhao Xing, even defeating Du Yun. How could we not extend our hospitality?" Lord Yin Er smiled.

"Seeing you today, you truly are extraordinary," Niu Hong said, raising his wine cup. "Zhao Xing, if you ever need my help at Jiachen Pass in the future, don't hesitate to ask!"

"No problem," Zhao Xing exchanged toasts with the three lords. He understood the subtext of their words perfectly. As long as he didn't mess around and suddenly investigate official matters, everyone would be happy. He had no inherent conflict of interest with the three lords, so he naturally wouldn't impulsively do such a thing. The Genesis Realm hadn't given him any assignments, and these people were warm and hospitable. There was no need for him to meddle like a dog chasing a mouse.

Seeing Zhao Xing was easy to talk to, the atmosphere became even more harmonious.

"Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Marquis Buming. He's very well-known at Jiachen Fourteenth Pass. Many people want to get a divination from him before leaving the pass."

A tall, slender man with silver runes covering his head stood up to offer a toast. His hair was coiled together, resembling entangled lines of karma. Zhao Xing's eyes lit up, and he quickly raised his cup, toasting, "I have long admired your esteemed name, Mr. Yuan. It is my honor to toast you; please forgive my discourtesy."

Marquis Buming looked somewhat surprised. "Oh? The Saint Child knows me?"

"Of course. Sir, you helped a friend resolve a lifetime of calamity with just three brocade pouches. With such renown, how could I not know?"

Marquis Buming, Yuan Xin, was very surprised. Zhao Xing cultivated in the Genesis Realm and was only six thousand years old, yet he knew of him? Yuan Xin had entered the Reincarnation Realm by helping people overcome a lifetime's calamity with three brocade pouches, an event that predated the Wilds Era. Yuan Xin's hand, concealed in his sleeve, instinctively tried to perform a divination, but it came up empty. So, he simply assumed Zhao Xing happened to be an admirer.

"I am quite interested in the art of divination. I hope, Sir, you will be generous with your teachings in the future."

"I wouldn't dare. If the Saint Child is interested in the path of destiny, you are welcome to visit me at Haihu Manor anytime," Yuan Xin said, finishing his drink and sitting down.

"Come, Zhao Xing, let me continue introducing you. This is the demon historian, Marquis Li Qing."

"Ah, Marquis Li Qing, I've long heard of your great name! I heard that Marquis Li Qing is very knowledgeable about the history of demons in the Mesozoic Era, and can even summon ancient great demons! To cultivate the Eight Forms to such a level is truly admirable!"

"Hahaha, the Saint Child flatters me."

"And this is..."

"Greetings."

The three lords acted as intermediaries, introducing everyone one by one. Zhao Xing realized that his trip hadn't been in vain. Many people at the banquet were figures whose names he remembered from his previous life. Old Zhao's old habit resurfaced. In such a setting, it was easy to gain some goodwill, so he also appeared very enthusiastic. Of course, for those whose names he couldn't remember, he simply gave a perfunctory response.

Halfway through the banquet, the conversations gradually deepened. As Zhao Xing was a Haitong Envoy, the topic easily shifted to the Haitong Ancient Path.

"...The Layered Realm Mountains on the Haitong Ancient Path are difficult to excavate. I heard many more people died last year, and there were even strange phenomena spreading, with many people at the Tianma Outpost outside the pass witnessing them."

Zhao Xing looked at the speaker; it was indeed Yuan Xin, the fate diviner.

"Where did you hear this news, Sir? I wasn't aware of it."

"Of course, the official channels won't report eerie matters," Yuan Xin said. "To avoid public panic. I just happened to be at the Tianma Outpost and saw some things... Never mind, I shouldn't say too much, lest I break taboos."

"Hey, Marquis Buming, it's just us few here. What can't you say? Young Brother Zhao is a Haitong Envoy. You bring it up but don't elaborate; aren't you just teasing us?" Lord Peng Ao said, displeased.

By this point, they were gathered in a small private lounge, and the number of people was small. Yuan Xin saw Zhao Xing's expectant expression and so delved deeper into the conversation: "Alright, then I'll just ramble a bit. The Saint Child can just listen for entertainment. Once we leave this door, I'll deny ever saying anything."

"Please speak freely, Sir," Zhao Xing said, half-raising his wine cup and nodding slightly.

"About 178 years ago, I heard rumors that in the Layered Realm Mountains along the Haitong Ancient Path, bodies and strange weapons were frequently unearthed... and then suddenly, a great slaughter began," Yuan Xin narrated.

"Some also said that as they dug, strange gases would suddenly emerge, poisoning large numbers of people, so quickly that even Reincarnation Realm physicians couldn't save them in time."

"...The most recent incident occurred three years ago. Suddenly, there was a rain of blood, accompanied by the remnants of some kind of life... Then, the people from the Primordial Hill stopped work because they couldn't even set up their realm-stabilizing divine weapons. Every time they drove one down, it would either break or simply vanish."

Zhao Xing was stunned. The realm-stabilizing divine weapons of the Geodynamics School's agriculturalists were equivalent to 'driving piles' when laying a foundation. Where to drive the piles and how deep were all carefully considered factors. One wrong move could collapse the geodetic veins, not only making their efforts futile but also triggering landslides and shattering the surrounding void. If that was truly the case, and they couldn't even drive the foundation piles, then stopping work was indeed necessary.

"Some say that the Siyue Wilds is the burial ground of a great ancient being, and the Haitong Ancient Path is its resting place. Now, the Empire's efforts to open up the Wilds have disturbed its slumber," Yuan Xin said in a low voice. Everyone present was captivated, and the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"...Aha, I'm drunk, I really can't say anymore." Suddenly, Yuan Xin stopped, slumped over, pretending to be asleep, and couldn't be roused no matter what.

Zhao Xing, meanwhile, fell into deep thought. The Layered Realm Mountains were actually so sinister? Could it be that the Primordial Hill's progress was so rapid that they had already dug to that specific location?