Chapter 522: 荒域第三纪元,降临

As his spiritual consciousness entered the merged Star Mirror and Primal Token, it felt as though he had stepped into a real space.

Zhao Xing flew through the clouds, silently thinking of Myriad Star City. Before long, he emerged from the clouds to see an ocean.

The ocean was enchanting, encompassing all things—a sea of mind. Myriad Star City lay beside this ocean, with tens of thousands of stars twinkling overhead. Zhao Xing soon descended and, accompanied by Five Poisons, arrived at the Sea of Mind Tower within Myriad Star City.

The Sea of Mind Tower was filled with silhouettes. Some faces Zhao Xing could clearly see, even sensing their aura, while others remained indistinct. This distinction arose from varying cultivation levels and the strength of one's spiritual consciousness. For example, although he and Venerable Five Poisons were both Twelfth-Tier Demigods, Zhao Xing's mental will was at least 80% occupied with official and private matters, so Venerable Five Poisons' mental power was currently much stronger than his. If Venerable Five Poisons did not wish to be seen by Zhao Xing, they too would appear indistinct, or even completely invisible.

Inside the pavilion, numerous spiral staircases moved about. Five Poisons casually pointed, and a staircase automatically appeared beneath their feet. Following the winding stairs, the two arrived at the entrance of a luxurious private room, where four individuals were already waiting to greet them.

"Disciple, the one at the very front is Venerable Wanying, a mind illusionist."

"The other three are his friends: Venerable Haoyu is a fate master, Venerable Shengyi is a martial artist, and Venerable Fuping is a mechanical warrior." Five Poisons transmitted this introduction.

As there was no concealment, Zhao Xing clearly saw the four individuals' faces and temperaments. Venerable Wanying was all smiles, while the other three were grumbling, though they instantly straightened up upon seeing the duo approach. "Is that him?" Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected to see Venerable Fuping here. He had thought he would only be meeting Venerable Wanying this time.

"Hahaha, they're here, they're here!"

"Brother Five Poisons, Chief Agriculturist Zhao, thank you both for honoring us with your presence." Venerable Wanying laughed heartily as he came forward. From the mental sensing, Zhao Xing could tell Venerable Wanying was very enthusiastic, and even felt an added joy upon seeing him. This ability stemmed from his dual cultivation of the "Desire Dream Art" with Fu Mengzhen.

"Disciple, Wanying and the others made a bet on who could get you to join this gathering. Each put up twenty units of contribution points, and Wanying won against the other three," Venerable Five Poisons said with a smile. "He and I each get half, so three hundred thousand each. When we go back, we'll split the spoils between master and disciple."

"Master, you're truly something," Zhao Xing said, giving a thumbs-up.

"Greetings, fellow Daoists." Five Poisons also managed to be serious for a rare moment, though he quickly broke character. "Wanying, my disciple's appearance fee, please."

Venerable Wanying laughed. "No problem, it's already transferred to you." Contribution points themselves could not be directly traded, but items acquired using them could be.

Zhao Xing was somewhat puzzled; had his reputation really become that high, that someone would pay to invite him to a gathering? Although it was just a bet made out of interest, it required sufficient renown to pique the interest of these four. However, since Five Poisons and Wanying addressed each other as brothers, how should he address them?

"Brother Zhao, let's address each other as we see fit," Wanying seemed to read Zhao Xing's mind. "It makes things more comfortable this way."

Zhao Xing no longer hesitated and immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Brother Wanying, Brother Haoyu, Brother Shengyi, and Brother Fuping."

"Please, have a seat." Wanying led the two into the private room. The room overlooked the Sea of Mind, offering a unique view, and the surrounding decorations were luxurious, soothing the heart and mind. Zhao Xing even felt his own mind seemed to be eased. After taking their seats, Five Poisons and Wanying initiated the conversation, with Fate Master Haoyu, Martial Artist Shengyi, and Mechanical Master Fuping joining in. Zhao Xing, however, spoke little, mainly listening.

After chatting for a while, seeing that Zhao Xing had also participated, Five Poisons did not linger. He stood up with a smile and said, "Everyone, I am busy with affairs in the Primal World and cannot be distracted further. I'm selling this disciple to you all."

"Hahaha, we can't afford him!" Venerable Wanying and the other three immediately burst into laughter.

"How would you know if you can't afford it without making an offer? If the price is right, I'd even sell myself," Zhao Xing joked.

"If there were a mechanical puppet of Brother Zhao's caliber, I'd sell everything I own to buy it," Venerable Shengyi said, raising his wine cup. "Fuping, can you make one modeled after Brother Zhao? Half his ability would be enough."

Fuping shot Shengyi a sidelong glance. "How about I also make you a Grand Derivation Divine Weapon? Since we're dreaming, we might as well dream big."

"Hahahaha," everyone laughed.

The four of them were keen to befriend a talent like Zhao Xing, and their conversation revolved around praising him. As demigods who had lived for a long time, they naturally possessed excellent social skills, though they usually found such social niceties tedious. However, with Zhao Xing, it was different. Their enthusiasm stemmed primarily from a conversation Demigod Fate Master Haoyu had with them. This demigod fate master had more details regarding the Yuanhai Dharma Assembly incident. He had used Qingyuzi, a figure well-known to Venerable Shengyi, as an example: "Zhao Xing played a significant role in the Reincarnation Divine Hall's path to godhood. I cannot disclose the specifics."

"But, if you can gain Zhao Xing's friendship, perhaps your chances of achieving godhood will increase!" Anything related to the hope of becoming a god was worth believing in, rather than dismissing. Therefore, when Zhao Xing attended the four's gathering, he was immediately met with enthusiastic hospitality. Of course, none of them acted overly deliberate, as even without Fate Master Haoyu's words, they had already intended to befriend Zhao Xing.

The conversation soon turned to contribution point missions. "...You wouldn't believe it, but the last time I was on a contribution point mission, somehow, I got bitten by a demigod from the demon race."

Venerable Fuping drank his wine, somewhat dejected. "We were getting along perfectly, not interfering with each other, but on that last trip, that fellow went mad. He insisted on a fight to the death with me."

Wanying asked, "Did you ever find out why?"

Zhao Xing also perked up his ears, feeling a little awkward. This was purely unintentional on his part. He had no idea he would later come to know Venerable Fuping.

"No, I asked Haoyu when I returned, but he couldn't figure anything out."

"I consulted Divine Marshal Xuan, he knew, but refused to tell me." Venerable Fuping still felt baffled by that battle. It was a complete case of being inexplicably targeted, and he couldn't understand why.

"How can contribution point missions be so easy? Accidents can happen at any time," Venerable Shengyi also lamented. "I once went to the Dark Star Cavern, entering through the entrance in the Pan Niu Demon Kingdom, but came out in the Celestial Demon Kingdom."

"I spent three hundred years just wandering in the Dark Star Cavern and didn't get a single Dark Star Source Stone."

"Even though I specifically asked Haoyu to analyze it before I set off, I shouldn't have returned empty-handed."

Venerable Haoyu put down his wine cup and said, "Fate is fickle. In a place like the Dark Star Cavern, everything is hard to predict."

Zhao Xing asked curiously, "What kind of place is the Dark Star Cavern?"

Venerable Haoyu replied, "The Dark Star Cavern is a unique area within the Black Sky Desolate Domain, where there's a chance to find Dark Star Source Stones."

"Its specific use is not stated by the higher-ups, it's just collected at a rate of one hundred thousand contribution points per stone."

Zhao Xing was startled. That valuable? "Why don't I have such a mission?"

Venerable Shengyi explained, "Brother Zhao, you haven't been a demigod for long. The Dark Star Cavern is quite dangerous. The higher-ups give us missions as a form of training, not to send us to our deaths. If a place is deemed too dangerous, it won't be unlocked for you. One needs to be a Fourteenth-Tier Demigod to go to the Dark Star Cavern."

Zhao Xing understood. It seemed contribution point missions were tiered. On the surface, he was still a Twelfth-Tier Demigod. Even if he used his Nine Mars Divine Transformation and possessed combat power comparable to a Fourteenth-Tribulation cultivator, he would struggle to endure long in the Dark Star Cavern. After all, transformations had a duration, and Shengyi had spent three hundred years in the Dark Star Cavern without success, indicating that such places required a long-term presence to yield rewards.

Over the next six months, Zhao Xing often met with Shengyi, Wanying, Haoyu, and Fuping in Myriad Star City. He gradually learned much information not available through official channels.

One day, Zhao Xing came to the outskirts of Myriad Star City again, to observe Venerable Wanying "building a house."

"The City of Mind is constructed from mental power. Initially, it was merely a Mind Palace built by three Mind Gods for high-level individuals to communicate."

"Later, it expanded to include more God-General and God-Soldier level cultivators, and even demigods were often summoned here. The palace alone could no longer accommodate everyone, so it gradually expanded into the City of Mind." Venerable Wanying's mental power continuously manifested matter, stacking it.

"All public areas of Myriad Star City are constructed by the mental power of God-realm cultivators. As for private areas, they are expanded by the God-realm cultivators and demigods themselves who come here, which is why Myriad Star City continues to grow in scale."

"Of course, if a demigod dies, all the structures they built in Myriad Star City cease to exist. This can also be used to determine the life and death of demigods."

Zhao Xing nodded. Among these individuals, only Venerable Wanying, as a Mind Venerable, could construct a house in the core area of Myriad Star City. The houses of others were located in the suburbs, which also served as a symbol of status. Zhao Xing's current mental will matched that of a Twelfth-Tribulation Demigod, more than sufficient to control his own power, making him quite excellent among Twelfth-Tribulation Demigods. However, when compared to Thirteenth-Tier cultivators, he would only be considered average. As for Fourteenth-Tier Demigods, he was completely out of their league. Over the past six months, observing Venerable Wanying "build his house" in the City of Mind had greatly benefited him, and Venerable Wanying was also happy to teach.

"Zhao Xing, come and try. See if you can leave something in this area." Venerable Wanying pointed to an empty space.

"Okay." Zhao Xing was eager to try. The area Venerable Wanying had chosen was so challenging that even Fourteenth-Tier Demigods, unless they possessed exceptionally strong mental will, would struggle to condense matter that could last.

"Where the mind yearns, the Dao manifests; condense!" Zhao Xing pointed at the designated ground.

A grain of sand, the size of a rice grain, appeared out of nowhere. This was the special nature of the City of Mind: as long as one's mental will was strong enough, anything could be manifested. The grain of sand gradually expanded, and Zhao Xing felt a powerful pressure, the burden growing heavier. After one breath, when the grain of sand expanded to the size of a thumb, it could no longer withstand the pressure and disintegrated.

"Still not enough," Zhao Xing shook his head.

Venerable Wanying, however, smiled, "Brother, your progress has been immense. Six months ago, you couldn't even condense a single grain of sand."

"Now you can get it to thumb-sized." Venerable Wanying had sharp insight; he could see that if Zhao Xing only maintained the sand at grain size, it could exist indefinitely by manifesting matter through his mental power.

"Even if it's tiny, as long as you can successfully condense it in this area, your mental will will have stepped into the Fourteenth Tier. You are only a Twelfth-Tribulation Demigod, which is truly rare." Six months ago, Zhao Xing couldn't condense anything, but now he could, and Venerable Wanying marveled at Zhao Xing's comprehension. He had only observed his "house building" for half a year, and this speed of progress was truly astonishing.

"It's not even a billionth of Brother Wanying's," Zhao Xing said, looking at the largely completed mansion. Wanying's mansion covered an area of a thousand acres, with towering palace walls, over ten million bricks and tiles, and within it, pavilions, towers, waterside pavilions, corridors, main halls, side halls, gardens, and lakes. In contrast, he could only condense a single grain of sand.

"Hahaha, this is my specialty, are you comparing yourself to me?"

"Brother, don't overdo it. You're a Chief Agriculturist; are you trying to leave me, a Mind Venerable, with no way to make a living?" Wanying chuckled, then led Zhao Xing into a palace hall to sit down. After some idle chat, Wanying suddenly said, "Zhao Xing, the Wilderness Era's Third Epoch is about to begin."

"I believe you are also aware of some of the Gods' predictions for the Wilderness Era's Third Epoch." Zhao Xing nodded gravely. There were now less than forty years until the Wilderness Era's Third Epoch began. Among the Gods' predictions for the Third Epoch, the most severe disaster was the chaos caused by time-space memory.

"The impact of time-space memory will cause many people to forget their relatives and friends, or even lose their minds. The most severe consequence is going completely mad, or even having their True Spirits collapse."

"Haoyu, Shengyi, and Fuping are either in seclusion or collecting mind-related treasures to prevent this from happening."

"Of course, we, as candidates for godhood, who can enter Myriad Star City, this City of Mind, will also receive some blessings. As long as you can build a Mind Palace, even in the suburbs, you will be blessed by the power of the God-realm. You will only lose some trivial memories, and if you're lucky, you might be completely unaffected."

Zhao Xing asked curiously, "Then what about everyone else? I'm not worried about myself, but my relatives and friends, will they all forget me? How tragic would that be? And how chaotic would the entire desolate domain become?"

"It won't be that severe," Venerable Wanying said. "I've experienced several large-scale time-space memory impacts."

"When the impact occurs, the Mystic Spirit Annals, as well as the historical records of various ancient kingdoms and the Scarlet Star Empire, will provide large-scale protective effects. The existence of historians will also stabilize various regions."

"The impact of time-space memory is less severe for those with lower cultivation."

"If you're lucky enough not to be in the affected area, those with lower cultivation will actually be safer." Zhao Xing suddenly understood. So, historians and the Mystic Spirit Annals had this function. No wonder Bo Wei faced little resistance when unifying the celestial historians and historical scholars back then; even the powerful hoped for the Dao of History to become stronger and more prosperous.

"The stronger one's cultivation, the greater the impact; the weaker one's cultivation, the lesser the impact."

"Ultimately, this is a premeditated flood release from the time dam, a targeting by the malevolent gods," Venerable Wanying explained.

"Faced with this disaster, many in the Samsara Realm will choose to reincarnate proactively to avoid this tribulation."

"However, by doing so, after reincarnation, their original essence returns to the universe. When the time currents surge back, the malevolent god faction can smoothly snatch away a portion of the essence and bring it back to ancient times."

Venerable Wanying waved his hand, and a river appeared. "You can imagine a scene like this."

"A flood gate opens upstream, and a surging torrent of time sweeps in, first forcing some powerful individuals to reincarnate or their True Spirits to collapse."

"At this point, a large number of powerful cultivators who followed the path of essence to godhood will return a portion of their essence to the universe and cosmos."

"And when this manipulated torrent crashes into various established channels, a backflow is generated." Venerable Wanying waved his hand, simulating the disaster scenario.

The long river of time, originally flowing calmly, suddenly had powerful divine beings appear on its banks at a certain past segment, stirring up monstrous floods. Wave after wave appeared, as if some giant beast lurked beneath. As the giant beast swept past, numerous light clusters dimmed, symbolizing the death of powerful individuals and the collapse of their essence, which returned to the cosmos.

"Boom." At a certain moment, the torrent crashed against another large dam, creating a backflow. The backflow was equally turbulent. Ancient malevolent gods stood on the banks at different river segments, taking the opportunity to collect essence from the backflow. In this way, the past faction completed an essence plunder against the Wilderness Era faction.

"Brother Wanying, what is this?" Zhao Xing pointed at the troughs in the river segment, vaguely seeing the figures of some giant beasts.

"Heavenly Dimensional Beasts," Venerable Wanying said. "Legend says they are a type of time beast, naturally divine, capable of freely traversing the long river of time. However, I have never seen one up close." Heavenly Dimensional Beasts? Is this related to the Temporal School? Was what Cloud Sky Dao witnessed at the ancient site of the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom actually a time beast? Zhao Xing pondered inwardly.

"Based on my understanding of the Dao and the methods of the God-realm, I can only describe it to you like this. Such methods cannot be used often; in my thirty-six epochs of life, I've only encountered it three times."

"The first time, I forgot many things, even my basic worldview collapsed. I was in a daze, a madman who only knew how to cultivate." Venerable Wanying sighed. "It wasn't until three epochs later, by good fortune, I became an Eight-Tribulation Mind Emperor, was discovered by Palace Master Luya, and brought back to the Primal Palace. There, with the help of the ten tables and eight books of the Mystic Spirit Annals, my memories were restored."

"The second time, I was already a Nine-Tribulation Demigod, but I still forgot that I had once been a part of the Primal Palace."

"That impact was accompanied by the descent of a God-Soldier level malevolent god. I thought I was a rogue cultivator, and that malevolent god was full of temptation; I almost became his disciple."

"However, the Palace Master appeared and slew that malevolent god. After returning to the palace, my memories were restored again." Zhao Xing listened quietly to Venerable Wanying's past. He hadn't expected the other party to have such experiences. Indeed, making more friends was never wrong. This kind of experience was invaluable.

"Brother Wanying, what about the third time?"

Venerable Wanying recalled, "The third time, I was already a Thirteenth-Tier Demigod. I was adventuring in a secret realm. Although I was powerful and had received warnings early, the warnings didn't specify the exact time, and everything happened too suddenly."

"Because I was outside the Spirit Domain, the protective power of the Mystic Spirit Annals weakened, and I was still affected."

"However, this third time, I only lost some trivial daily memories, such as what I ate on a certain day. The Mystic Spirit Annals didn't even waste power restoring those memories." "After the third time, I advanced to a Fourteenth-Tier Demigod, and my mind secret arts improved significantly," Venerable Wanying smiled. "The Palace Master said that as someone on the mind path, I have an advantage in countering such time-space turbulence, and my secret arts are also quite special. After that, I entered the list of godhood candidates, turning misfortune into a blessing."

Listening to Venerable Wanying's experiences, Zhao Xing couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Venerable Wanying had endured three major impacts and emerged as a powerful Fourteenth-Tier Demigod. Five Poisons had mentioned that Fourteenth-Tier Demigods like Wanying could fully unleash their strength without fear of triggering a True Spirit Tribulation, showcasing Wanying's exceptional talent. This usually implied they had absolute confidence in surviving the next True Spirit Tribulation, only needing to decide when to trigger it. Such individuals were rare among demigods. For example, Ice Venerable of the Carlos family died immediately after triggering his True Spirit Tribulation.

"Mental level, will-type secret arts, time-type treasures, and history-type treasures can all help you cope with this disaster and keep your True Spirit unshaken during the calamity."

"You might even make progress because of it," Venerable Wanying shared his experience without reservation.

"Secondly, hiding in certain places can also increase safety, such as the core areas of super-factions. For example, the Primal World of the Scarlet Star Empire, Yan Shen Star, the Three Realms of the Ancient Hills, or near the Mystic Spirit Annals, or the Grand Beginning Palace of an ancient kingdom."

"However, hiding is ultimately not the best strategy. The Third Epoch is so long; who knows which solar year or which world-star year it will activate? We can't always hide in safe zones."

"It's more appropriate to master powerful countermeasures ourselves. Haoyu, Shengyi, and Fuping are all preparing for this." Venerable Wanying's advice was undoubtedly important. The Wilderness Era's Third Epoch could begin in the first world-star year or the last solar year. With so many world-star years in an epoch, if they kept hiding, how would they develop?

"With less than forty years remaining, I also need to go into seclusion to prepare," Venerable Wanying said. "My purpose in inviting you today was to tell you these things."

"Thank you, Brother Wanying," Zhao Xing bowed with cupped hands.

"No need to be so polite. Even if I didn't tell you, someone in the Empire would have taught you."

"Written words can hardly convey the depth of your personal experience, Brother Wanying." Zhao Xing still bowed, acknowledging the kindness.

"I hope that in the Wilderness Era's Third Epoch, you and I will not have forgotten each other." Wanying returned the gesture.

Wanying was about to enter seclusion, and Haoyu, Shengyi, and Fuping would do the same. Their gesture of befriending Zhao Xing before their final seclusion, though somewhat deliberate, did not bother Zhao Xing. Not every friend had to be like Old Chen or Xia Jing, experiencing life-and-death trials together. Some could be like Wanying and his friends, with whom one could converse well and help each other. Zhao Xing indeed gained much from these individuals, even obtaining some clues regarding the "Polar Star Origin."

For instance, Shengyi had provided a clue that in the Mystic Spirit Star Domain, some like-minded demigods had formed a loose organization called the "Chasing Light Society." Its purpose was to pursue and explore the light left behind by the former Polar Star. However, Shengyi had been a member for thousands of years and had never found a single trace of the aurora, gradually losing contact later on. Joining the Chasing Light Society was done through mutual internal introductions, and Shengyi could serve as an introducer.

"Time is running out. Less than forty years remain in the Second Epoch. In such a short time, I cannot gather enough contribution points to achieve godhood. I should prioritize enhancing my life-saving abilities," Zhao Xing thought to himself. Ordinary wealth could not buy divine artifacts, and in the approaching Wilderness Era's Third Epoch, only divine artifacts could increase one's chances of survival.

"There are a total of twenty-one divine artifacts in the red jade ring left by Wei Tianchen. After giving the Eight Directions Divine Mirror to Ji Si, I still have twenty left."

"The Azure Water Golden Divine Gourd, the Yuan Wheel, and the White Jade Five Peaks Boat are all Great Dao Divine Artifacts, and I can use them, so they are not suitable for exchange."

"Among them, seven were divine artifacts for demonstrating Wei Tianchen's 'Mending Heaven Art'; not only should they not be sold, but it's best not even to mention them." These seven were the Three Beams Crown, Star Net Imperial Physician Robe, Glazed Emperor Jade Belt, Myriad Forms Spirit Healer Cauldron, Spirit Rhyme Rejuvenation Needle, Black Cloud Boots, and Mending Heaven Seal. All seven were Great Dao Divine Artifacts. Five of these were ultimate treasures for physicians, and Zhao Xing faintly felt that the remaining two also possessed some extremely powerful divine energy, making them impossible to exchange.

"The Seven Star Dou Cabinet cannot be exchanged either."

"The remaining nine, however, can all be exchanged; I have no use for them," Zhao Xing mused. Profession-specific divine artifacts were unusable unless one cultivated the corresponding profession. Apart from the medical path, Zhao Xing had no plans to cross-cultivate other professions. His cultivation of the medical path was primarily due to Wei Tianchen's Mending Heaven Art, which was related to temporal principles and came with a complete inheritance.

"I'll exchange all nine of them, primarily for mind-will type treasures, time-space type treasures, and history-type treasures." Theoretically, the Mystic Spirit Treasure Vault could recover divine artifacts, but he was only a demigod, and contribution points involving opportunities for godhood would not be unlocked for demigods. Contribution points could also not be traded. All contribution point missions were strictly screened, and even if there were missions to recover treasures, they would be strictly vetted to ensure they were personally obtained. If the mission materials were not personally obtained, they would not pass the Divine Heart General's approval.

Zhao Xing planned to deal with these divine artifacts, and he sought suitable buyers through Venerable Five Poisons, Venerable Hongshan, Venerable Lushan, and even Wanying and Fuping. This was where the importance of having many friends became apparent. Mind-will type treasures, time-space type treasures, and history-type treasures would be of great use in the Wilderness Era's Third Epoch. Few would be willing to part with them at this time, and it would be difficult to find someone willing to trade.

Zhao Xing waited for several years, and eventually, Mechanical Master Fuping was the first to find two potential buyers for him. As a mechanical master, he had a wide network of friends. Fuping agreed to help, even delaying his seclusion for a few years because of it. In the thirty-second year before the end of the Wilderness Era's Second Epoch, Zhao Xing met the two buyers on an ultra-class administrative planet in the Empire.

"Zhao Xing, these two are my friends, Yu Ye and Sai Yan," Venerable Fuping introduced.

"Greetings, Venerable Yu Ye, Venerable Sai Yan." Zhao Xing cupped his hands towards the man and woman seated opposite him.

"Chief Agriculturist Zhao, you are too polite." Yu Ye and Sai Yan returned the greeting in unison. One was a forging-stream mechanical master, the other a musician, and they were a married couple, both from the Ancient Kingdom Alliance. Both were relatively wealthy demigods. After taking their seats, Zhao Xing wasted no words and immediately displayed his collection.

*Om!*

Nine divine artifacts instantly appeared, radiating divine light and powerful fluctuations. "Please take a look, both of you."

"These are my treasures; four are Great Dao Divine Artifacts, and five are Power Divine Artifacts." Yu Ye and Sai Yan had already learned some basic information before arriving; now was the time to test them. Sai Yan reached out, and a dark green zither and a bronze horn flew into her hands. Both were products of the Five Emperors era and were musician divine artifacts. Musicians never found having too many exclusive divine artifacts to be a problem; they usually cultivated clones and simultaneously wielded multiple instruments, making one person an entire orchestra. Generally speaking, the more clones and divine artifacts a musician possessed, the more powerful they were. Musicians who could cultivate to the demigod level were truly among the wealthy elite.

*Miiing~*

The five tones and twelve modes emanated from Sai Yan's hands, and Zhao Xing immediately felt refreshed. He actually possessed another musician divine artifact, the Eight Desolations Scorched-Tail Zither, which he had taken from Fu Mengzhen, but Zhao Xing did not intend to sell it. Fu Mengzhen had said that this divine artifact required a secret art to activate and was unusable without it. The others, however, had corresponding mastery secret arts, allowing demigods to utilize them. As the five tones flowed, the hall seemed to transform into an ocean of music. Sai Yan performed a brief trial and was very satisfied. Even without mastering the control secret arts, just a brief test revealed that these two divine artifacts were excellent. Zhao Xing also felt it. Wei Tianchen's antique collection consisted of rare treasures. The Blazing Fire Divine Sword he had casually offered as a reward had made Venerable Bamboo Sword willing to risk his life to capture Zhao Xing. Sai Yan could hardly be anything but satisfied.

"Chief Agriculturist Zhao, I like both of these very much." Sai Yan looked up, not hiding her admiration. Divine artifacts had spirits; she would not speak ill of instruments she loved. "I just wonder if the treasures I've prepared will satisfy you."

"Please." With that, Sai Yan waved her sleeve, and a divine item moved towards Zhao Xing. It was a sky-blue robe with edges the color of dawn. Faint blue rivers flowed across the robe's lapel, and a shimmering sun phantom hung high.

"Hmm?" As Zhao Xing received the robe, a vision immediately appeared in his mind: he seemed to be in a star-filled sky overflowing with spiritual energy. Countless spiritual energy star-continents and spiritual mountains floated, with colossal star beasts and celestial maidens swimming about.

*Whoosh!*

A refreshing sensation spread, and rain began to fall. Zhao Xing looked up at the sky and instantly understood the robe's function. He ended his observation, surprised that the progress of the Great Sun Sea within his sacred body had increased by 1 point.

"The Time-Space Grain Rain Robe! This robe also recorded a cosmic great four seasons' solar term, involving such a vast scope and high intensity, it's truly a proper divine artifact." The Time-Space Grain Rain Robe was considered a half-exclusive divine artifact for Chief Agriculturists. Non-agriculturists could also use it, as it possessed the characteristics of time-space origin and the ability to resist time-space secret arts. If used by a Chief Agriculturist, it would also produce some additional effects.

First, comprehension: the Great Grain Rain solar term contained the changes of the cosmic great four seasons, holding immense research value for the Dao of Temporal Principles. The increase in the Great Sun Sea's progress was proof of this. The robe's creation itself used materials from this solar term. It was somewhat similar to the sacrificial effect of the Rain Immortal Festival in the Spiritual Void Origin World. Second, time-space travel! It was a Great Dao Divine Artifact, but the master who created this robe also left a divine power imprint. Coupled with this robe, it could lead its owner to travel back into the time-space of this Great Grain Rain solar term. However, there was only one chance. It was a one-way ticket, and once used, the robe would disappear. The Time-Space Grain Rain Robe allowed for time-space travel, and its regular functions included aiding comprehension and resisting the impact of time-space secret arts, naturally also possessing the ability to resist time-space turbulence. The ability to perform one time-space travel made it perfectly suited to Zhao Xing's preferences. He did not hide his fondness either.

"Venerable Sai Yan, Venerable Yu Ye, I truly like this robe," Zhao Xing praised.

Venerable Sai Yan smiled sweetly: "Since that is the case, Chief Agriculturist Zhao, how do you propose we exchange?"

Zhao Xing pondered, "Two for one, how about it?"

Sai Yan and Venerable Yu Ye exchanged glances, then nodded: "Agreed." Yu Ye even added a compliment: "Chief Agriculturist Zhao has great courage. We hope my wife and I can become your friends."

Clearly, Sai Yan and Yu Ye believed they were making a profit. Zhao Xing felt the same way. The value of profession-exclusive divine items couldn't be strictly defined; it depended on the buyer and seller's needs. If one truly liked an item, exchanging it for just one wasn't impossible, but the Time-Space Grain Rain Robe, after all, involved the origin of the Great Dao of Time-Space. In these special times, its value was naturally higher. A one-for-one exchange, Sai Yan and Venerable Yu Ye likely wouldn't agree to. If it were purely a business discussion, determining the exchange rate would be difficult. It was better to be generous, exchange two for one, save some haggling, and make a friend.

Seeing the two sides reach an agreement, Venerable Fuping, as the middleman, also smiled: "Both of you have such grand perspectives, I'm truly envious. I wish I could be so generous too." Venerable Fuping also possessed divine artifacts, but he only had two Power Divine Artifacts. Great Dao Divine Artifacts? Not to mention those for his own profession, he didn't even have any of other types. Zhao Xing suddenly presenting nine artifacts truly astonished him. What did it mean to be wealthy? With such a family background, Zhao Xing was a tycoon among demigods. Of course, Yu Ye and Sai Yan being able to produce a time-space divine artifact also showed their wealth.

"Two people earning money is always faster than one," Venerable Sai Yan quipped after the deal was sealed. "Brother Fuping, you should also find a Dao companion."

"I wish I could, but I haven't found a suitable one," Venerable Fuping replied with a laugh. The circle of demigods was not small, nor was it large. Dao companions had to share all secrets and face life and death together. The longer one lived, the harder it was to fall in love. For mere selfish desires and enjoyment, what kind of mechanical puppets could he not create himself?

"If only I had a biological sister," Venerable Sai Yan chuckled.

"If you did, would you introduce her to me?" Venerable Fuping asked.

"Of course, I'd introduce her to Brother Zhao; he's much wealthier than you!" Venerable Sai Yan teased.

Zhao Xing broke into an amused smile.

"Yu Ye, quickly control her! She's piercing my Dao heart!" Venerable Fuping covered his chest with one hand and pointed at Sai Yan with the other. "I won't recover without at least a hundred thousand contribution points!"

"Fuping, do you think I can control her?" Venerable Yu Ye said helplessly. "And paying you back is even less likely, as all our money is with Sai Yan."

"What a sin!" Venerable Fuping hammered the table.

"Hahahahaha."

In the time that followed, Zhao Xing did not encounter another suitable opportunity for exchange. The remaining seven divine artifacts stayed in his possession. As the Wilderness Era's Third Epoch drew nearer, Zhao Xing's contribution point missions entered a brief suspension. He no longer left the Spiritual Energy Star Domain, nor did his clones leave the Empire. He focused solely on the two extremely difficult missions left by the Boundless True God: cultivating the History Bugs and the Fangji Flower God Seed.

Zhao Xing acquired some rubbings of ancient demon historical records and ancient kingdom historical records from Grand Elder Feng Chen of the Academy City to feed the History Bugs. Simultaneously, he began cultivating the mind-will method, "Great Dark Sky," which Feng Chen had once taught him. Things were different now; this demigod will secret art no longer affected his mind or created evil split souls.

In the last world-star year of the Wilderness Era's Second Epoch. Zhao Xing stopped cultivating.

"The three realms of Great Dark Sky: Great Dark Sky, One-Thought Asura, and Immovable Wisdom King."

"I have already cultivated to the highest realm, Immovable Wisdom King."

"The Primal Straw Man's clone division has also reached 200 in these years. Excluding the traveling clone whose whereabouts are unknown, and the clone in the Ancient Hills that hasn't returned."

"I am currently 198 times a Twelfth-Tribulation True Spirit."

"I possess a Thirteenth-Tier Universal Primordial Saint Body, simultaneously combining the功 and 法 of the Temporal, Terrestrial, and Intrinsic schools."

"Thirty-first-level luck."

"I possess twenty-one divine artifacts. Among them, the Heavenly Transformation Divine Needle, Azure Water Golden Divine Gourd, Yuan Wheel, White Jade Five Peaks Boat, Time-Space Grain Rain Robe, and Primordial Dao Pagoda are all usable by me."

Zhao Xing stood on the Great Wall of Despair at Jiachen Pass, gazing out into the cosmic starry sky. He had made ample preparations to welcome the arrival of the Wilderness Era's Third Epoch. He and Ji Si had temporarily placed all important figures of Great Zhou into the Eight Directions Divine Mirror, leaving only insignificant magical power clones to manage daily operations. At this moment, the seven great ancient paths within Jiachen Pass were already under martial law, and the Great Wall of Despair, a legion divine skill and a team-type imperial divine artifact, had also been activated, making the already massive Jiachen Pass even more magnificent.

"Ji Si, is everything arranged?" A second figure appeared on the lonely city wall; it was Ji Si.

"Great Chief Agriculturist, everything has been repeatedly checked and arranged according to plan."

"Do you sense anything?" Zhao Xing asked. Ji Si shook her head. Inside and outside the pass, everything was calm, yet neither of them relaxed their guard. Ji Si did not hide in the Celestial Master's Mansion, nor did Zhao Xing hide in the Primal World. At this most crucial moment, neither of them evaded; they had to stand forth and actively protect the citizens of Great Zhou.

"An invisible enemy, with no idea when the war will begin. This is probably the most difficult war I've ever fought," Ji Si said with some emotion. "Great Chief Agriculturist, do you think this era can win?"

"Human effort can achieve anything; humans can overcome heaven's will."

Ji Si nodded, seemingly gaining confidence. The two then stood in silent companionship, quietly awaiting the passing of the final day.

*Dong!*

At a certain moment, the clock on Crystal Island within Jiachen Pass chimed. The Epoch Hand, Sun Hand, and World-Star Hand all overlapped. The clock in Zhao Xing's heart also passed the fourth quarter of the hour of Zi. Inside and outside the pass, everything remained calm, with only the bell's resonance.

"Great Chief Agriculturist, is everything well?"

"Ji Si, I am well. Are you well?" Zhao Xing and Ji Si greeted each other.

"I am also well," Ji Si let out a sigh of relief. "It seems it's not now." But at that very moment, Zhao Xing's gaze suddenly sharpened. The Boundless Sea within his body surged. The Polar Star reflection in the sea began to spin.

*Boom!*

At this instant, Zhao Xing's Great Sun Sea churned, and the Polar Star reflection, which was originally fixed, now rotated, seemingly resonating with countless sun stars. Zhao Xing could clearly feel the rotation of the suns, which instantly expanded his perception to an immeasurable extent, far wider than usual. The next moment, Zhao Xing turned his head and looked towards the southern part of the Mystic Spirit Star Domain.

*Boom!*

In the Vast Ocean Territory to the south of the Mystic Spirit Star Domain, the nine most prominent sun stars suddenly dimmed. Then, in an extremely short time, they extinguished completely. The chill in Zhao Xing's eyes deepened. Before the nine most prominent sun stars extinguished, he witnessed an unforgettable scene. Tens of thousands of star sectors in the Vast Ocean Territory suddenly froze, star-continents and world-stars all appearing as if encased in ice. Whether it was the material ocean or the chaotic void, everything rapidly solidified, with layers of ice spreading like a death line advancing towards the Mystic Spirit Star Domain.

"No, Ji Si, it has begun."