Chapter 505: Desire Dream Dual Cultivation, Flesh and Blood Rebirth

"Dual cultivation might actually be an option, provided Fu Mengzhen doesn't discover my secret." After much deliberation, Zhao Xing realized this was his only path to break free from his predicament. He began to search for a solution that would satisfy both conditions.

"I should ask the Divine Mirror if such a method exists."

Zhao Xing took out the Eight Directions Divine Mirror again and awakened its spirit.

The spirit of the Eight Directions Divine Mirror proved highly effective, quickly finding a feasible method.

"The Enlightenment Golden Band, commissioned by Wei Tianchen, will suffice."

"Huh? Can that really work?"

"The soul fusion and yin-yang harmony of the Desire-Dream Dual Cultivation method originate from the heart."

"You worry about revealing your secret because your thoughts are scattered when cultivating this secret art, which then exposes your inner hidden truths."

"If you can fix your mind and thoughts, you will be unaffected."

"Although the Enlightenment Golden Band is not a divine artifact, its special effects are comparable to one."

"It can ensure that neither you nor Fu Mengzhen have distracting thoughts during dual cultivation."

Zhao Xing took the Enlightenment Golden Band from his ruby thumb ring, surprised that this artifact, crafted by a scholar, could be useful here.

"That's right, the Enlightenment Golden Band itself is designed to enhance focus for learning and strengthen the mind. Not only can it solve the problem of leaking secrets, but it can also improve cultivation efficiency."

The fear of revealing secrets primarily stemmed from the distracting thoughts that arose in the mind during cultivation. However, the Enlightenment Golden Band could prevent such thoughts, ensuring the soul focused solely on cultivation, even when fused with Fu Mengzhen's soul.

"I can try it," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

After Wei Tianchen's death, the Enlightenment Golden Band's control incantation had been reset. It originally had two attached enchantments. One was the activation incantation: "Heart-Mind Sealing Method, from the Heart and Mind." This meant that from the moment one put on the band, they would wholeheartedly cultivate the Heart-Mind Sealing Method.

The second was a strengthening charm: "Lightning of the Five Viscera, Dispelling Soul Worries." Was it related to self-destruction? Not at all. The strengthening charm's purpose was merely to generate lightning within the five viscera, triggered by the Golden Band, to shatter any distracting thoughts that might grow in the soul. Wei Tianchen had deceived him; this item wouldn't self-destruct; at most, it would just deliver an electric shock. But at the time, Zhao Xing hadn't dared to gamble.

After learning the Enlightenment Golden Band's control incantation, he recited a new one to the band. "Desire-Dream Method, from the Heart and Mind." As for the strengthening charm, there was no need to add it, because he currently only possessed a bone body and lacked the five viscera, rendering the charm ineffective.

"The verbal spells added by that scholar are similar to the calm-mind and tranquility chants I encountered in the Xuanhuang Realm during my formal cultivation," Zhao Xing mused. "However, the Golden Band's spells, being tied to an artifact, are more potent." He felt a pang of realization. "Old Wei truly knew how to play on people's hearts. He was certain I wouldn't run."

Zhao Xing sighed with emotion, then put on the Enlightenment Golden Band. Immediately, his mind was left with only one thought: to go to Fu Mengzhen's chambers and dual cultivate with her.

"Your Majesty, you've come to see me!" Fu Mengzhen was sitting at her vanity, overjoyed to see Zhao Xing appear.

"I have come to dual cultivate with you," Zhao Xing declared, then scooped up Fu Mengzhen and tossed her onto the bed.

"Oh, Your Majesty, don't be so impatient~" Fu Mengzhen playfully chided, yet held Zhao Xing tightly.

Their bone bodies collided, grinding against each other like meshing gears. Zhao Xing's Sunstone Bone was several levels lower than Fu Mengzhen's Heavy Tax Bone. Under the pressure, his bone body quickly began to crack. However, Zhao Xing didn't resist, knowing this was a normal process for "destruction before creation, and creation after destruction."

Fu Mengzhen's bone power invaded his bone body, and then a flame erupted from his True Spirit Seed, spreading throughout his entire form. The three forces—bone power, mind power, and soul fire seed—interwove along their bone bodies, forming an illusion. Because Fu Mengzhen was stronger, she was the dominant force in the initial stages of cultivation, guiding the formation of the illusions. Fu Mengzhen was very cautious and cherished this opportunity. Initially, she gained no benefit from the Desire-Dream Illusion cultivation; her sole purpose was to allow Zhao Xing to gain power from the dual cultivation method. This approach was necessary due to their vast power difference; one party had to be the giver, and Fu Mengzhen had to expend considerable effort to maintain the balance of the dual cultivation. Only when both ascended to a similar level and had comparable progress would they truly advance together.

At first, Zhao Xing worried if the cultivation would be problematic, as Old Wei's mind-disturbing medicine was still active. But he soon discovered it had no effect whatsoever. In fact, in the Desire-Dream cultivation, the illusions guided by Fu Mengzhen, repeatedly creating scenarios of Dao-heart collapse, actually had a promotional effect.

Three days later.

*Zheng~*

By the side of the bed, Fu Mengzhen gently strummed a guqin, its sound melodious and lingering. On the bed, Zhao Xing was enveloped in true spirit flames, his form hunched and appearing on the verge of disintegrating. The true spirit flames, ignited by the zither music, grew even more vibrant, burning with an intense green glow.

Like reincarnation and re-cultivation, Zhao Xing began to experience a life of great ups and downs within the Desire-Dream Illusion. Each cultivation session was a lifetime, but the theme never deviated from cultivation. For example, in the first session, Zhao Xing was an exceptionally talented cultivation prodigy who commanded respect and enjoyed great success in the first half of his life. In the latter half, however, his cultivation was crippled by enemies, his bone marrow extracted, and his entire family annihilated. After that, he experienced a life of myriad hardships and twists. Yet, to successfully complete this cycle, he had to ultimately return to the path of cultivation. If he failed to recover and succumbed to despair, not only would the effort be futile, but he would also suffer damage.

Fu Mengzhen had initially worried her beloved would be unable to bear it and had bolstered him with her zither music. But to her surprise, the flames stabilized in just three days. This indicated that her Dao companion showed almost no hesitation; after being cast into the dust, he immediately sought re-cultivation and revenge, pulling himself together and embarking on the "correct path of cultivation" within the Desire-Dream Illusion.

"Your Majesty's cultivation speed is astonishing," Fu Mengzhen murmured, her eyes distant, gazing adoringly at the bones within the flames.

Noticing her beloved had more energy, she struck while the iron was hot, immediately initiating the second round of illusion for Zhao Xing.

In the second Desire-Dream Illusion, Zhao Xing was born as a solitary figure in a cultivation dynasty. He lost his parents at a young age, grew up on communal charity, and finally reached adulthood. He went on a business trip with his cousin from the same village, but during a severe storm, everyone else on the ship was fine, while he alone fell into the water, contracted a severe cold, and barely survived. Even after recovery, he was left with a permanent leg disability.

To heal his leg and make a living, he was forced to apprentice as a servant in a martial arts school. Yet, even for basic Qi Gathering, he had to put in ten times the effort of others and frequently endured abuse and bullying from the official apprentices. After enduring humiliation and hardship in the martial arts school, he finally succeeded in Qi Gathering and earned a chance to join the army. However, just as he arrived at the military camp, he encountered an enemy surprise attack and became a captive of a foreign race. Transported to foreign territory, he was assigned to mine underground, spending thirty years in that sunless existence. Zhao Xing quietly gathered Qi while patiently waiting for an opportunity, until the day the human army liberated the mine.

Yet, just as hope appeared, it slipped away again. Everyone else received proper resettlement, but a careless officer forgot him, leaving him behind in a foreign land. Every time he gained an opportunity, it inevitably slipped away. In this lifetime, no matter how hard Zhao Xing tried, by the time he died as a stranger in a foreign land, he had only reached the second realm of cultivation. "Is this fate?" Zhao Xing sighed, dying with resentment.

"The second lifetime passed so quickly?" Fu Mengzhen was somewhat surprised. She had personally witnessed the entire second lifetime. The key to drawing power from the second illusion was not how high one's cultivation achievement was, but the ability to quickly recover and avoid being swayed by negative emotions each time hope was gained and then lost. If the Desire-Dream Method was dominated by emotions, leading to self-abandonment, then that cultivation would be meaningless and increasingly detrimental the longer it lasted. However, Zhao Xing consistently made the correct choices for Desire-Dream cultivation, which greatly exceeded Fu Mengzhen's expectations.

Time flowed by, and in the blink of an eye, Zhao Xing and Fu Mengzhen had dual cultivated for seven years at the Eighteen Pagoda Tree Courtyard. The auxiliary effect of the Enlightenment Golden Band maximized Zhao Xing's cultivation efficiency in every session. He was a true workaholic, allowing almost no time for rest. When it became truly unbearable, Zhao Xing would rummage through Wei Tianchen's stores for medicine to counteract his fatigue.

Just after the seventh year, a trace of flesh grew on his right foot. Even Fu Mengzhen marvelled, calling Zhao Xing a genius. From the ninth year onwards, Fu Mengzhen was no longer solely a benefactor; she too began to draw power from the Desire-Dream Illusion. Their progress started to align, and they experienced the Desire-Dream Illusion together.

The difficulty for one person was greater than for two. This was because each person's True Spirit Seed and mental power were unique, with infinite variations. For example, in one particular lifetime, Zhao Xing experienced "cultivation" that felt entirely meaningless. The start was neither exceptionally rich nor poor; he lived in a small county town, his family's circumstances better than some, but not the best. His family was loving, his marriage harmonious, and their living environment completely untouched by anything related to cultivation. Until the end of that Desire-Dream Illusion, Zhao Xing and Fu Mengzhen spent their entire lives in that small county.

"Your Majesty, it was all my fault—" Fu Mengzhen immediately blamed herself upon waking. After emerging, they quickly realized that the only breakthrough point in the entire illusion was a casual mention of a cultivation method overheard in a teahouse during their small-town life. Zhao Xing had developed a desire to pursue cultivation, but Fu Mengzhen, deeply immersed in her role as his wife, had stopped him.

"You can't blame yourself," Zhao Xing shook his head. "Some people never dare to leave their hometowns. Even if they occasionally have bold ideas, those thoughts are quickly eroded by everyday domesticity and trivial matters."

"They fritter away their lives amidst local customs and sentiments." The most uneventful Desire-Dream Illusion actually became the most difficult to break through in cultivation. This was because a failed experience didn't provide new insights; the next time they entered, they would still have the mindset and wisdom of "ordinary people," not that of a demigod or emperor.

"The dual cultivation method will temporarily cease," Zhao Xing mused, leaving Fu Mengzhen's cave dwelling. Fu Mengzhen watched his retreating back, lost in thought. Now, except for her head which still showed exposed bone, the rest of her body had regenerated, full of flesh, with translucent, baby-soft skin—an unimaginable improvement compared to before. Zhao Xing's progress was also similar to Fu Mengzhen's. His flesh had grown back, and most importantly, his Dantian and Qi Sea had reappeared.

"This means I can quickly re-cultivate the Extreme Land, and at the same time, I can now open my inner world!"

Back in his cave dwelling, Zhao Xing brought out the Eight Directions Divine Mirror, then took out the Azure Water Golden Divine Gourd and activated a barrier. He didn't rush to open his inner world. Instead, he patiently spent another six years restoring the Extreme Land and re-unsealing the Heavenly Time Method. He always kept in mind the need for balance between Heavenly Time, Earthly Advantage, and Self.

"Primal Chaos World, open!"

Zhao Xing moved the sealed World Core from his pelvis to his Dantian. The nourishment of life force reactivated the World Core's seal. A projection appeared before him—the long-unseen world projection, reappearing once more!

"So much time has passed," Zhao Xing mused internally, "I wonder how the Soul-Devouring Grass is doing, and if it's caused any damage." The Soul-Devouring Grass had reached its peak stage in the Baihan Realm, a legendary troop type whose peak was the Demigod realm. If it had caused destruction, it would be extremely detrimental, even devastating, to the evolution of his inner world.

His consciousness sank, and he immediately entered his inner world. The anticipated desolate scene was not present. The primeval ocean, boundless continent, and Yin-Yang Nine Star System were still there, and the azure Divine-grade Progenitor Species was also perfectly fine.

*Swoosh!*

Zhao Xing's consciousness swept across the entire realm, finding the Soul-Devouring Grass calmly residing in the primeval ocean.

"Hmm? It's surprisingly well-behaved? It hasn't caused any damage at all?"

Zhao Xing also found that his Emperor-grade troops were still thriving.

**Liyin Tree (Mutated Species)**Status: Peak StageQuality: Emperor-gradeTrue Spirit: Eight TribulationsSecret Arts: Crimson Dot Immortal, Liyin Charm, Myriad Sound Law DomainDescription: Years of listening to celestial music from a demigod musician greatly awakened its intelligence. Subsequent learning combined with innate secret arts significantly increased its power.Remaining Lifespan: 4.3 Epochs

**Sun-Moon Vine (Mutated Species)**Status: Peak StageQuality: Emperor-gradeTrue Spirit: Eight TribulationsSecret Arts: Eight Emblems Sun Wheel, Moonlight Feather Array, Merchant RealmDescription: Years of listening to celestial music from a demigod musician greatly awakened its intelligence. Subsequent learning combined with innate secret arts significantly increased its power.Remaining Lifespan: 7.6 Epochs

The Dongming Flower, Sun-Moon Vine, and Liyin Tree were obtained in the Lingluo Realm. The Dongming Flower, a descendant of the Flower God race, had research value for extracting 'plant divine patterns' but possessed little combat ability. In addition, there were the Seven Domain True Spirit Bamboo and the Black Sky Moon Tree, both at the Eight Tribulations True Spirit level, forcibly elevated to peak state in the Transmission World Tower. All five of these troop types were controllable.

Only the Soul-Devouring Grass, an eleven-stage True Spirit at the Demigod level, was beyond Zhao Xing's control.

**Soul-Devouring Grass**Quality: LegendaryStatus: Peak StageRealm: Eleven-stage True SpiritInnate Secret Art: Nine Abysses World DevourerDescription: Originating from the Feng Star Domain, the Soul-Devouring Grass feeds on the six forms of void nothingness. At adulthood, it is equivalent to a Human Race Reincarnation Emperor-level, and at its peak, it is a Demigod. It is a combat-type troop.Lifespan: 14 Epochs

"It seems it's still suppressed by the Primal Chaos Dao Pagoda after returning to the inner world." Zhao Xing looked at the tall pagoda hovering above the primeval ocean; its presence was precisely what prevented the Soul-Devouring Grass from wreaking havoc.

"Before, it might have been possible to subdue it, but now that it's an eleven-stage demigod, it's probably unlikely," Zhao Xing thought, still sending a soul clone to brainwash it as usual, though without much hope, given he was only an Eight Tribulations True Spirit, a vast difference.

*Swoosh~*

To his surprise, as soon as Zhao Xing sent out a clone, the Soul-Devouring Grass proactively showed goodwill and accepted his soul power. "Huh? What does that mean?" Zhao Xing was somewhat taken aback. He expected his soul power to be crushed by the Soul-Devouring Grass, but instead, it accepted it and established a mental connection.

The Soul-Devouring Grass's main body projected the image of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, somewhat resembling Zhao Xing, but with an unruly expression. "I want to go out. Being trapped in the primeval ocean is too boring."

"Oh, you want me to let you out?" Zhao Xing asked curiously.

"No, I don't want to leave permanently, I just want to go out occasionally," the Soul-Devouring Grass said. "I'll help you fight, and you get me something good to eat, like last time."

It took Zhao Xing a while to understand the Soul-Devouring Grass's thoughts: the brat had grown up and realized the outside world wasn't so great. When the Soul-Devouring Grass's intelligence was just developing, its first battle was against an expert like Venerable Baihan. If it hadn't torn through the spatial barrier then, letting Venerable Bamboo Sword in, it definitely couldn't have defeated Venerable Baihan, who possessed the Heaven-Changing Divine Needle in his lair. It had intended to conquer the world, but in its fight with Venerable Baihan, it was quickly overpowered and thoroughly beaten. On second thought, the inner world was better: good food, good lodging, and safe. However, it still yearned for the outside world but didn't want to fight such powerful enemies for Zhao Xing, so to not shortchange itself, it merely proposed getting some good food.

"Like last time? No," Zhao Xing shook his head. Last time, he had fed the Soul-Devouring Grass the remaining pieces of the World-Splitting Divine Stone, a divine artifact used for opening up inner worlds. Where would he find a similar divine artifact to feed it? Even if he had one, he should feed it to the Divine-grade Progenitor Species first, not this mischievous boy.

"You won't?!" the Soul-Devouring Grass bristled.

"It's not that I won't; such rare treasures aren't common," Zhao Xing said helplessly. "How about something a bit less valuable?"

"That's more like it, but it can't be too cheap either," the Soul-Devouring Grass pondered, then agreed.

Finally, Zhao Xing and the Soul-Devouring Grass reached an agreement: fighting outside would earn it delicious food. Zhao Xing surveyed his inner world, noting that its expansion had slowed and the Divine-grade Progenitor Species was still in its gestation state. He then took out the Heaven-Changing Divine Needle and closed his inner world.

**Marquis Transformation Method: Nine Marshes God**Description: The Nine Marshes God is a naturally born deity. The divine artifact 'Heaven-Changing Divine Needle's' third secret art and the 'Nine Marshes Marquis Transformation Method' were created based on its and its descendants' life structures, with a total of nine layers.Current Progress: Third layer (3000/10000)

The Nine Marshes Marquis Transformation Method had been unsealed. Although Zhao Xing's physical body hadn't fully recovered, the Nine Marshes Marquis Transformation Method itself was designed for phased application. "The complete Nine Marshes God is a naturally born deity, and the first three layers are at the Demigod realm," Zhao Xing mused. "The other two sets of secret arts for the Heaven-Changing Divine Needle are 'Rock Star God' and 'Puluo God'."

"My physical body is still incomplete, but I can make partial transformations, which should still provide some bonus effects," Zhao Xing thought to himself. If his physical body fully recovered, he could instantly transform into a descendant of the Nine Marshes God, reaching the Demigod level! This was because he had already comprehended the Heaven-Changing Law Domain when he received the inheritance in the Baihan Realm, but Venerable Baihan's attempt to seize his body had prevented him from ever manifesting it.

"Now, I have five Emperor-grade troops, all at the Eight Tribulations level, and the Soul-Devouring Grass is at the Demigod level."

"Once my flesh and blood regenerate, I can also wield Demigod combat power by using the Marquis Transformation Method."

"Plus, there are the numerous divine artifacts left by Wei Tianchen, and Xue Rui's Destiny God Bone."

"In the White Bone Divine Domain, as long as I don't face a powerful God-level being, I have the power to protect myself."

Zhao Xing could no longer wait for his flesh and blood to fully regenerate. The Eight Directions Divine Mirror informed him that Ayiso, a subordinate of Danye Zizai, had already been in Moyuan City for nine years. He was currently undergoing the Divine Guard assessment. If Ayiso became a Sky-Patrolling Divine Guard first, or successfully bribed someone, Zhao Xing would be in great danger.

One option was to let Fu Mengzhen take the test, but this presented a conflict. If she was unaffected by the medicine, her chances of passing were high. If she was affected, her chances were slim. Once the mind-disturbing medicine wore off and she regained her senses, she would not be an asset but another problem. Therefore, Zhao Xing had to go himself.

He speculated that "God Yu Moyuan's creation of the Sky-Patrolling Divine Guards was likely inspired by Yuan's creation of the Fire Source Divine Palace, even mimicking its assessments, requiring all professions."

"As an agriculturalist, if I take the Divine Guard test, I have two choices: pure farming or pure combat."

"Between these two directions, there are fewer agriculturalists who focus purely on farming, so the competition isn't as fierce."

"This is because cultivators from the mortal realm who come to the Calamity-Free White Bone Divine Domain are all incredibly powerful fighters."

"Choosing a combat-oriented test means not just competing with my own kind, but also facing warriors, artificers, illusionists, and other professions."

"Farming, on the other hand, is not something other professions can easily compete in."

"However, the White Bone Divine Domain has merged with the Yin Realm areas of the Southern Continent. To make a name for oneself in such unique terrain requires a deep understanding of the Dao of Life and very high demands on Self-Law spells and Earthly Advantage spells."

Zhao Xing quietly thought, "I've been here for ten years, but I haven't seen many powerful agriculturalists or agricultural spells." He wasn't the only one who found things unusual; everyone kept their Dao hidden, leading to a severe lack of information exchange in Moyuan City, especially regarding cultivation. What was available on the market were mostly lower-tier agricultural spells.

"If I don't know the standard, I'll just try both," he decided. "In any case, I can take the test anytime; it only costs a little money to try."

The common currency in Moyuan City was soul crystals. Thanks to Wei Tianchen and Bamboo Sword's previous accumulation in Fugu City, Zhao Xing now had about a million high-grade soul crystals. Participating in the assessment only required a small fee.

"Xiaobai," Zhao Xing called out to Bai Lanjun.

"Sir Zhao, what are your orders?" Bai Lanjun always addressed Zhao Xing as "Sir Zhao," while Hu Qing and Yan Jun still called him "Senior Zhao."

"Take some money and go to the Dao Palace to inquire when the Sky-Patrolling Divine Guard's agriculturalist assessment opens and what its rules are."

"Yes, sir."