Chapter 475: Life Palace Fourteen Lines, Planning the Return to the Profound Yellow Realm

The door to the Memory Palace wouldn't open. Had his subconscious strengthened the memory seal? Or was there a mysterious entity controlling his destiny? Could Qingyuzi's remark that he also didn't win be an allusion to the Xuanhuang Realm?

Zhao Xing opened his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Old Qing stayed in the Xuanhuang Realm for a long time. He told me to return there after leaving the Transference Tower, saying that after the War of Karma, I've become like Tang Monk, and everyone wants a piece of me."

"But I can only trust a third of what he says!"

Zhao Xing certainly didn't fully trust Qingyuzi. Ever since he unearthed Old Qing's treasure from the Xuanhuang Realm, Qingyuzi's actions had been far from straightforward.

Initially, he disguised himself as a primordial Third Stage practitioner of the Purple God Manor, then later became a prominent figure in the Samsara Temple. He used Zhao Xing to complete a resurrection ritual, stealing the destiny and treasures of the Ancient Dongyan Clan to achieve godhood. Thinking back, this fellow even stole the Temple's God Evolution Stele himself, framing the Ancient Dongyan Clan.

Qingyuzi only achieved godhood by building upon the many treasures of the Ancient Dongyan Clan and the deaths or reincarnation of tens of thousands of Samsara Realm cultivators.

Reflecting on Qingyuzi's path to godhood, one could say he was highly skilled and daring, or deeply calculating, but his methods were certainly not honorable.

"After the Yuanhai Dharma Assembly incident, Qingyuzi promised to grant me three wishes."

"My first request was to arrive safely in the Empire."

"My second request was for a World-Splitting Stone."

"My third request was for him to intervene and save me once, thus settling our karma."

"However, after arriving in the Empire and entering the Primordial Realm, I never actively contacted Qingyuzi."

"It wasn't until the Imperial Development Office developed the Lunar Barren Domain, on my way to serve as a Sea Emissary, that I finally met Qingyuzi. Even then, he appeared uninvited in my dreams."

"First, he taught me the Samsara Law. Then, he ignored the fact that associating with Wei Tianchen would lead to trouble... Discounting his actions in the Transference Spacetime, and looking solely at his practical deeds, it was Gu Luohe and the people from the Primordial Mound of the Empire who jointly rescued me. He merely said I definitely wouldn't die."

"Since he saw more than Wei Tianchen, Bowei, and even the Celestial Master's Mansion... doesn't that mean he allowed Wei Tianchen to leave with the Seven Star Cabinet, which contained the Desolate God Poison?"

Zhao Xing didn't believe Qingyuzi was incapable of stopping Wei Tianchen beforehand, yet he did just that, watching Wei Tianchen take the Seven Star Cabinet and seeing himself poisoned with the True Spirit Heavenly Poison.

Therefore, Zhao Xing felt three parts fear, three parts admiration, three parts helplessness, and only one part trust for Qingyuzi.

His trust in the Empire far surpassed his trust in Qingyuzi.

It was only out of helplessness that he became entangled with Qingyuzi.

"Qingyuzi belongs to the faction of the Samsara Temple that actively interferes in worldly affairs. What exactly is he plotting?"

"However, no matter what he's plotting, I no longer need to fear him." Zhao Xing smiled.

In the Transference Spacetime, within the divine pattern area of Xuzu's Shedding Bone.

At that time, Zhao Xing had three choices regarding the Xuzu divine patterns.

First, his true body could take a slight risk to learn, bringing back the secret art carried by his own soul. Given that he could learn Fan Qianrou's Heart Sealing Method, protected by Blue Flower mana, Zhao Xing believed this had a very high success rate.

Second, do nothing and return directly. He was merely at the Life-Death Dao Domain Realm, couldn't bring anything out, and it wouldn't matter. The Primordial Realm wouldn't blame him.

Third, use Qingyuzi's divine statue as a vessel.

On the surface, he had no other choice, but in reality, he had long planned to use the third method.

There were many reasons, the most important being distrust and the desire not to be led around.

"No matter what your schemes or intentions, Qingyuzi, treating my life as worthless and letting Wei Tianchen escape... The previous time was bad enough; I was too weak then, and though I felt disgusted, I didn't dare show it."

"But now you're doing it a second time, truly treating me like a puppet..."

Zhao Xing wasn't afraid of displeasing Qingyuzi.

First, he outwardly prayed before acting, feigning no other choice, which was actually a test.

Second, even if Qingyuzi discovered his aversion, there was still someone else to blame.

Bowei had brainwashed him for three hundred years, and his clone heard everything clearly. He could amplify this aversion, and if any problems arose, such as being questioned by Qingyuzi, he would have an excuse.

If he truly did this, Bowei must have been very happy to see it!

"While bringing back information from the Transference Realm didn't require an exchange quota, once Qingyuzi's divine statue carried the information, the statue itself became an expensive physical treasure."

"After successful transference, Qingyuzi, being in the same spacetime, would inevitably be affected. This was a deduction based on the understanding that he would be repelled by the laws of the Transference Tower."

Whether it was Wei Tianchen, Bowei, or Qingyuzi, all of them were manipulating him... If he didn't resist at all and simply followed the flow of the War of Karma, would he still be Master Zhao?

So, he used this method to stage a silent, subtle act of defiance.

Zhao Xing didn't know the outcome, but he knew he had to do it.

"Handing the divine statue to Emperor Scarlet Star was an insurance policy for this act of defiance."

He knew that as he grew stronger, he would inevitably face a major test, a choice: would he be a person of the Samsara Temple represented by Qingyuzi, or a person of the Scarlet Star Empire?

Continuing to have an ambiguous relationship with Qingyuzi might be fine during a "honeymoon period" of cooperation, but what if their relationship soured?

If Qingyuzi asked Zhao Xing to do something for him, would he do it or not?

Zhao Xing knew deeply that unless he resolved this issue, he would never be truly accepted by the Empire.

"Between the interests of the Empire and Qingyuzi's side, I unhesitatingly chose the Empire. I believe the Emperor will certainly see this after understanding the Transference incident. This is a severance, and also a pledge of allegiance."

Zhao Xing trusted the Scarlet Star Empire more, and he trusted Emperor Scarlet Star and Gu Luohe more, because in his previous life's understanding, these two existed and he knew something about them. Qingyuzi, however, was a figure he had never encountered. Emotionally speaking, making this choice was not difficult.

Regardless of whether Qingyuzi understood or perceived it, Emperor Scarlet Star's bestowal of the Primordial Dao Pagoda upon him was true acceptance of him as a part of the Empire. In terms of strength, the Emperor was certainly stronger than Qingyuzi.

Furthermore, compared to Qingyuzi, whose intentions were unknown...

The ideals of both Emperor Scarlet Star and Gu Luohe aligned more with Zhao Xing's preferences.

The Emperor's Star Robe was a map of the Profound Spirit Star Domain; he wished to unify the entire spiritual energy territory and end wars. Gu Luohe's ideal, on the other hand, was to create an Eternal Realm to avert calamities.

These two were more to Zhao Xing's liking.

"Old Qing, after this, our karma will truly be settled," Zhao Xing thought silently. "You no longer owe me, and I owe you nothing."

"The divine statue has been handed over, and my karmic defense will surely be fully managed by the Imperial Celestial Master's Mansion. Don't come looking for me anymore, unless one day I also reach the God Realm. Perhaps then we can sit and discuss the Dao, reminiscing about the past."

After Zhao Xing emerged from the Transference Tower, Gu Luohe brought him back to the Primordial Realm, where he returned to reside in Coral City.

The first person to visit him was Ji Si.

"Grand Minister of Agriculture, has your illness been cured?" Ji Si asked.

"Yes, the True Spirit Heavenly Poison has been cleared," Zhao Xing replied, glancing at Ji Si. "Does the Celestial Master's Mansion already know?"

"They guessed," Ji Si nodded.

"Guessed?"

"Of course, they guessed. Grand Minister, do you think a Diviner's prophecy is 100% certain to come true?" Ji Si said, "Diviners don't possess such immense ability."

"No Diviner, not even one in the God Realm, can completely determine the future's trajectory. They can only see the most probable direction."

"In the Diviners' theories, cosmic space and the Grand Dao of Karma are omnipresent, interacting with other Grand Daos. Coupled with individual free will, changes in fortune, and even environmental influences, 'shifts' can occur."

"Therefore, even theoretically, any divination or prediction method used by a Diviner can at most approach certainty, but never be fully certain."

"The Celestial Master's Mansion sent me to confirm that we are not entirely sure whether the Grand Minister's illness has been completely cured."

Hearing Ji Si say this, Zhao Xing nodded slightly.

He was indeed a little wary of Diviners. He believed in human effort determining outcomes and inherently resisted the profession of Diviners.

The Empire's Celestial Master's Mansion also participated in his War of Karma, and although they were on his side, he still felt somewhat exposed.

Ji Si's words significantly eased his mind.

"Grand Minister, rest assured," Ji Si whispered. "I observed your War of Karma from beginning to end. You don't need to overthink it."

"Oh?" Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised. Could Ji Si also witness such a complex situation?

"I came here for two reasons: first, to visit the Grand Minister, and second, my Master commanded me to verify if the True Spirit Heavenly Poison had disappeared, and then to convey a few words."

Zhao Xing sat up straight. "Please speak, Lord Ji."

Ji Si began:

"My Master said: Zhao Xing, the War of Karma has concluded. The Celestial Master's Mansion has implemented targeted karmic protection for you. After this protection, even I, as the caster, cannot pry into your privacy. This was personally approved by the Emperor."

"Many thanks, Celestial Master," Zhao Xing said, cupping his hands in a salute.

Indeed, handing it over was the correct choice. The Emperor had truly accepted him, an anomaly who survived the Yuanhai Dharma Assembly incident.

Then he asked quietly, "Ji Si, what does this 'targeted karmic protection' mean?"

Ji Si also shifted her demeanor and whispered, "Grand Minister, karmic protection is like flood control."

"Allowing it to flow freely is not an option; you'd easily be exploited or attacked, just as Wei Tianchen schemed against you."

"Completely blocking it off is also unfeasible. Cultivation emphasizes diligent study and arduous practice, but also Feng Shui and fortune. If everything were completely blocked, even if you couldn't be attacked, you'd become a black hole of fortune, and all fortuitous encounters would bypass you."

"In our Diviners' theories, a completely locked-off situation is called a 'living dead of destiny.' Theoretically, this is also impossible to achieve completely, just as we cannot completely predict the exact trajectory of people and events."

A living dead of destiny.

Zhao Xing suddenly thought of a group of people.

They had no connection to the outside world, living monotonous lives day after day, acting mechanically, as if devoid of human emotions. Because their lives were the same every day, there could be no ups and downs.

"Are the people of the Samsara Temple like this?"

Ji Si pondered, "Yes, and no. This brings us back to what I just mentioned: targeted karmic protection."

"It's better to guide than to block. There are many types of karmic defense. Generally, Diviners tamper with others' karmic lines through spells, which relates to specific karmic lines within a person's fate and destiny palace."

"Broadly, spell manipulation is based on the fourteen lines of the destiny palace."

"More complex methods also distinguish between the twelve-hour karmic lines."

"Spells can have short-term effects, seizing others' opportunities, but also involve long-term strategies, such as hunting down others' destinies."

"Generally, the longer the duration and the more involvement with the fourteen lines of the destiny palace, the more such spellcasting aims to control a person's life or death."

"So-called targeted protection ensures that your fourteen lines of the destiny palace, Grand Minister, will not be manipulated by others."

"However, it won't affect your fortune and opportunities in certain secret realms, Grand Minister, and might even slightly enhance them."

Zhao Xing, who had previously learned divination, quickly understood.

"In other words, others can at most plot to gain my wealth through karmic fate spells, but they can't harm my life?"

"That's right," Ji Si nodded.

"That makes things much easier," Zhao Xing said with a smile. "As long as the fourteen lines of the destiny palace are unaffected, everything else is negligible, and can be easily guarded against by wearing a few treasures."

"Ji Si, please continue."

Ji Si switched back to a serious expression. "Zhao Xing, it's important to specifically note that the War of Karma was initiated by Wei Tianchen. It happened suddenly, and the Celestial Master's Mansion responded on short notice, so it was impossible to manage everything perfectly."

"Your capture by Wei Tianchen was due to the Celestial Master's Mansion not having enough time to react, because your karmic defense level initially was merely set up uniformly by Jing Yue, equivalent to all Coral-level members."

"Afterward, the Celestial Master's Mansion set up a karmic trap on you, luring the Demon Race Emperor into the scheme. This was also done incidentally to help you complete the spacetime law loop of the Transference Tower."

Ji Si paused, then said in a deep tone, "If, one day, the Empire requires you to make a sacrifice, you will certainly be informed in advance. Do you understand?"

Zhao Xing's expression turned serious. "Yes, this official understands."

The Celestial Master's Mansion was explaining the full story of the War of Karma to him.

This was to prevent him from harboring any resentment.

The last sentence was also very direct: if a sacrifice was needed, he would certainly be informed.

Even if it meant certain death, it would be a willing sacrifice, without any clandestine schemes.

In fact, Zhao Xing had known this about the Scarlet Star Empire for a long time.

Any Diviner who participated in battles served as a military strategist or advisor in the army. Since it was wartime, a common tactic was the "bait tactic."

Meng Wu's teacher, Yan Shen, who commanded the Imperial military, had strict regulations for Diviners: when encountering such missions, those executing them must have the right to be informed.

"What? You say this will reveal heavenly secrets? That just means the Celestial Master's Mansion is incompetent; it's not a concern for our military."

Were there any who violated this order?

Yes, there were.

There were always some Diviners who coveted merit or were coerced, but the military also investigated very strictly.

Meng Wu's Erliangpo Prison incarcerated and executed many people, including those with power and influence.

At least among the Celestial Master's Mansion's core high-ranking members, this order was well-executed.

"Mhm," Ji Si nodded, then her body trembled, ending this miraculous state.

Zhao Xing knew that the Empire's Celestial Master had ended the 'Spirit Medium Possession' method.

"Grand Minister, my mission is complete," Ji Si said, letting out a breath.

Zhao Xing suddenly remembered something. "Ji Si, you once said you wanted to take a trip with me to the Era of the Five Emperors. Now that the War of Karma is over, you should be able to tell me about it, right?"

"Originally, the plan was to go to the Era of the Five Emperors to remove the True Spirit Heavenly Poison from you, Grand Minister," Ji Si explained. "This was a backup plan my Master prepared for you, likely because he didn't fully trust Bowei."

"Oh? Why is that?" Zhao Xing asked with interest. "Bowei is renowned as the greatest scholar of the Barren Domain's 2nd Epoch, with a very high reputation."

Ji Si shook her head. "In my Master's eyes, a person is simply a person; no title influences his judgment. This is also what he taught me: the first principle for a Diviner is not to let personal emotions interfere once involved in a situation."

"My Master said Bowei had hidden intentions, whether good or bad, so he took that into consideration."

Zhao Xing couldn't help but smile.

In this War of Karma, Bowei had thoroughly defeated Wei Tianchen, using his divination to his advantage. The Celestial Master's Mansion, in turn, saw even more than Bowei and considered everything more thoroughly.

It was a case of "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." After much thought, Wei Tianchen was the weakest cicada. Anyone could kick him around.

"It's good to have powerful backing," Zhao Xing couldn't help but sigh.

Wei Tianchen fought alone, while the other three parties—the Celestial Master's Mansion had the Empire as backing, Bowei had the foundation of the Academy City, and Old Qing, needless to say, was a high-ranking figure in the Samsara Temple.

Even though Wei Tianchen had many divine artifacts, he couldn't compare to the deep foundations of these super-powers. It was laughable that he had claimed to have won the War of Karma.

"Speaking of which, I wonder how Da Zhou has developed."

Zhao Xing had been recuperating for three hundred years, yet still held many positions, so Da Zhou continued to benefit from his status as a First-Class Sea Emissary, developing along the Starry Ancient Path.

"Rapid development," Ji Si said with a smile when the topic came up. "Grand Minister, I won't go into detail. You can see for yourself when you return; it'll be a pleasant surprise."

Zhao Xing nodded. From her words, it seemed Da Zhou's development couldn't be described in a few sentences.

The word "return" once again touched a nerve with Zhao Xing.

Ji Si seemed to have thought of something too, and cast him an inquiring glance.

Zhao Xing thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Regarding the Xuanhuang Realm, regardless of Qingyuzi's intentions, good or bad, Zhao Xing always had his own considerations.

Return, he certainly would.

However, he did not plan to act blindly.

"Since the Shenluo Barren Domain was not always a barren domain, then a long time ago, its location must have been a spiritual energy territory, and it's highly probable that some prominent figures emerged there."

"Gu Luohe previously showed me historical maps of the Ancient River Domain. The Scarlet Star Empire has a long history, inheriting parts of the territory and Dao traditions from the last era of the Five Emperors. There must be historical records there."

Times had changed. Zhao Xing no longer needed to be so cautious when speaking with Ji Si. Of course, they didn't directly mention the Xuanhuang Realm, merely chatted about the Shenluo Barren Domain.

"Originally, the Transference Tower was a good option, but now Bowei doesn't seem to like me much," Zhao Xing said with a sigh. "In the short term, I won't have a chance to go to the Transference Tower."

Otherwise, visiting the historical Xuanhuang Realm region would be the most straightforward approach.

Of course, provided there were Transference entries related to the Xuanhuang Realm's story within the Transference Tower.

Ji Si said, "Grand Minister, I heard there were some issues with the Transference Tower. Bowei suddenly slowed down the release of the second batch of quotas and also increased the fees, which has somewhat damaged his reputation."

"Never mind him. If they don't allow it, I won't go for now," Zhao Xing said, guessing it had something to do with him.

The Black Sky Moon Tree and the Spirit Devouring Grass couldn't have grown to Emperor-level for no reason.

The exchange principle was the conservation of spiritual energy between the two realms. Since his two seedlings had grown stronger and the divine statue had been repaired, someone surely had to bear the cost.

It was quite possible that Bowei's actions—delaying the second batch of quotas and increasing fees—were because Zhao Xing had used up a lot of the World Spirit Value.

"After gathering information, the time will be right," Zhao Xing said. "My True Self Path is not far from breaking through to the Samsara Realm. I plan to first open up my inner world."

"Grand Minister, truly?" Ji Si's face lit up with joy.

For the True Self Path to achieve the Samsara Realm and open up an inner world is a major transformation!

She hadn't expected the Grand Minister to have reached this stage.

"Of course, it's true."

The Xuanhuang Realm had undergone drastic changes; this was something he learned from Wang Tianzhi.

Even Old Wang was already at the Life-Death Dao Domain Realm. If he rashly went back, he might just be asking for trouble.

Opening up an inner world first means stronger power.

Secondly, moving within the Barren Domain, storing items, and bringing people along were troublesome. It would be much more convenient after opening up an inner world.

"Grand Minister, have you planned how to act, alone or...?"

"Of course, everyone together."

If Zhao Xing was to return, he would certainly bring Ji Che and Ji Si with him.

Assuming, as Wang Tianzhi said, the Xuanhuang Realm had undergone drastic changes.

Then certain divine artifacts from back then must have also become stronger!

Xuanhuang treasures like the Human Emperor Sword and the Book of Destiny could only be used by Ji Che, the Human Emperor.

Therefore, in Zhao Xing's plan, he needed to become stronger, open up his inner world, and Da Zhou's strength also needed to advance to the next level.

Currently, besides Ji Si, no one else among Da Zhou's people possessed Samsara Realm combat power, though there were several weaker Samsara Realm guest cultivators.

"Da Zhou needs an opportunity," Zhao Xing said. "You don't need to get involved. This is something I, as the Grand Minister of Agriculture, should worry about. Just focus on your cultivation as instructed by the Celestial Master."

Ji Si was very eager, but with Zhao Xing saying that, she could only nod. As a Diviner of four realms, she still had cultivation in two realms to complete.

Nevertheless, she asked one more question: "Grand Minister, where do you plan to start?"

"For now, I only have some preliminary ideas, but it will definitely be in the Lunar Barren Domain," Zhao Xing replied. "Allow me to report to Emperor Hongshan first before proceeding."

"Alright, Grand Minister, if you have any commands, please inform me!" Ji Si truly wanted to contribute her strength. After all, she had always been a beneficiary, and had even been accepted as a disciple by the Celestial Master.

"Certainly," Zhao Xing said with a smile, seeing Ji Si off.

He then took out his star-mirror and contacted Emperor Hongshan.

"Zhao Xing, are you well now?"

"Thanks to your blessing, Emperor, I'm almost fully recovered," Zhao Xing nodded. "As a Sea Emissary, I feel deeply ashamed for not having been on duty for three hundred years."

"No matter, you can rest more and fully recover before doing anything," Emperor Hongshan said. "Currently, there's nothing major happening on the Sea Emissary Ancient Path; it's all just grunt work."

Emperor Hongshan truly had no tasks for Zhao Xing at the moment.

Zhao Xing, however, was displeased. He still owed debts and needed to prepare for breaking through to the Samsara Realm. How could he get rich without working?

He absolutely had to work!

"Emperor, I genuinely want to do something, even if it's moving mountains or stars."

Emperor Hongshan chuckled. "If I were to assign you tasks like moving mountains or stars, not only would Lord Lushan disagree, but the other disciples of the Primordial Mound would also accuse me, Old Hongshan, of mismanaging personnel."

"How could a dignified Saint Son of the Primordial Mound, one who cultivated the Dao Tree and founded a lineage, be assigned tasks fit for a mere warrior?"

Zhao Xing felt a little down.

How was it that he wanted to do something but had no opportunity?

If he didn't work, how would he earn money? And without money, where would he get the resources to upgrade?

He had two major military units to support, and opening an inner world wasn't as simple as just needing one World-Splitting Divine Stone.

Speaking of which, he was quite wealthy now, possessing the Primordial Dao Pagoda, two Emperor-level military units, and a World-Splitting Divine Stone.

But these were all valuable treasures for his personal use, which he couldn't sell. He still had to earn the resources needed to break through to the Samsara Realm. The Primordial Realm could provide cultivation resources for geniuses, but it wouldn't offer them for free indefinitely.

Zhao Xing was now at the Life-Death Dao Domain Realm, already considered a strong cultivator, so he had to find ways to earn money himself.

Seeing Zhao Xing's troubled expression, Emperor Hongshan stopped jesting and offered a piece of information: "If you want to accumulate merit, there aren't many places to get rich on the Seven Great Ancient Paths anymore."

"However, the development of the Starfall Ancient Path has been very difficult. Recently, several major Imperial families responsible for that area decided to give up their development rights for this path and are looking for someone to take over. Someone even approached me about it."

"The Starfall Ancient Path?" Zhao Xing's eyes lit up.