Winds howled, clouds surged, and the divine temple reappeared. Zhao Xing walked in calmly.
Just like before, the first thing he saw was the lone throne, with a clock sitting atop it.
But this time, Zhao Xing could clearly see the time markings.
He saw one thick, distinct hand on the double-layered dial slowly becoming clear, starting at the mark for "Fifteenth Epoch of Chaos River, Ninth Solar Year," and turning clockwise.
It spun rapidly, stopping at the final solar year of the Second Era of the Barren Domain.
Zhao Xing carefully recalled the whole sequence and noted three details.
First, while the thick and clear hand was turning, there was also a blurry, longer hand spinning even faster in the same clockwise direction. He guessed it represented the realm star years, but it was hard to perceive due to his current cultivation level.
Second, as the main hand turned clockwise, the second dial rotated slightly in the counterclockwise direction.
Third, the solar year hand had three noticeable pauses during its movement—different from the regular rhythm.
Zhao Xing clearly caught one of those pauses. Based on how the hands functioned, he determined that pause represented the "Baizhu 1999th Solar Year, Realm Star Year 245."
"'Baizhu 1999' marks the final era of the Five Emperors period—that's during Emperor Luo's reign."
"'Realm Star Year 245'… could that mean there was a traitor at that time?"
He came to this conclusion by referencing the time travel records in the Xuanling Treasure Vault.
During the final solar year of Emperor Luo's reign, eight hundred realm star years were under the control of the righteous gods.
For the Immeasurable True God to successfully descend a projection to this timeline, many key time barriers had to be crossed.
Year 245 should've still been within the righteous camp's hold.
Zhao Xing noted this detail. The golden ring above his head tightened slightly, clearing away stray thoughts.
Before the figure on the throne had even fully formed, he stepped forward and bowed.
"Greetings to the Immeasurable True God!"
His voice echoed throughout the grand hall. Zhao Xing felt the presence of a tremendously powerful being appear above him. Its radiance was like a blazing sun, more intense than before.
"Rise," said the Immeasurable True God, now with a more lifelike expression than last time.
"Thank you, True God."
Zhao Xing respectfully presented the refined soul essences and Yin-Yang dual cores. "Reporting to the True God—these are the soul essences and Yin-Yang dual cores I collected."
Whoosh—
The world ring containing the materials was instantly taken by the Immeasurable True God.
A quick divine scan confirmed the Yin-Yang dual cores were fine, but the soul essences caught his attention.
They were all heavy with desires and negative emotions.
Still, he only found it mildly curious. A soul was a soul—there was no good or evil in essence.
"You've done well. What kind of reward do you want?" the Immeasurable True God asked.
Zhao Xing thought for a moment, then bowed again. "True God, I would like a Heavenly Timing technique that allows one to reach the Divine Source stage."
The Immeasurable True God fell silent.
Zhao Xing didn't even dare to breathe. Asking for a Heavenly Timing technique was risky.
That was because the Dao of Heavenly Timing had been sealed by the ancient Divine King Guxiao. Even the techniques related to it were forbidden.
Not just in the Barren Domain era—across all time, Heavenly Timing cultivation was a taboo.
And the Immeasurable True God, as a Divine General, might not even have the authority to grant such a technique.
Zhao Xing knew it was bold. But he had no choice.
As his strength grew, the imbalance between the three cultivation branches within him was becoming more severe.
He used to manage it with four-color mana, but now it was getting harder.
His Earth Alignment technique, Extreme Land, was already at the fourth layer, reaching half-god level. His Self Path technique, Hunyuan Realm, was also at the half-god level.
But his Heavenly Timing path hadn't even reached the Reincarnation Realm.
If he couldn't balance them, he'd eventually have to give up the Heavenly Timing path altogether. All the effort spent before would go to waste. Even completing the Nine Swamp God technique would become impossible.
The Immeasurable True God's silence felt like an eternity. Just when Zhao Xing was about to give up hope, the deity nodded.
"Alright."
"Thank you, True God!" Zhao Xing was overjoyed.
"But I can only give you a Free God-level technique for cultivating the Divine Source," said the Immeasurable True God.
As for methods to prove the Dao through Heaven and Earth? He couldn't help there. Any technique with real potential for Heaven-Earth Dao Proving was a closely guarded secret.
Because such methods usually only worked for one person.
For example, the Red Star Emperor had created the artifact Hunyuan Dao Tower to solve the Self Path's inner-world problem.
Later, Divine General Jieluo tried to imitate him but failed.
And in the past, the Free God Danye tried to steal Wei Tianchen's path because he realized Wei Tianchen's Dao was unique and likely to succeed in Dao Proving.
"Thank you, True God! I wouldn't dare ask for more," Zhao Xing replied. This was exactly what he hoped for. He didn't expect a Heaven-Earth Dao Proving method. That kind of path was best self-created anyway.
"I must remind you," the Immeasurable True God continued, "even with a divine-grade Heavenly Timing technique, without a suitable place to cultivate the Divine Source, you still won't become a Free God."
"You've worked hard to offer all these materials. Are you sure you want to spend your reward on this?"
"I'm sure," Zhao Xing answered firmly.
The Immeasurable True God said no more. He lightly pinched the air, as if plucking a sun from the endless flow of time.
But this "sun" was dim, with a shadowy base like deep ocean water.
Once it appeared, it began to fall slowly, sinking beneath a vast sea.
"Whoosh—"
A setting sun and a dark ocean appeared behind Zhao Xing's head.
"You can only comprehend this technique within the temple," the Immeasurable True God warned. "It doesn't exist in this time-space. Once you leave the hall, the Technique Spirit will vanish."
"If you fail to learn it fully before leaving, you won't remember anything either."
Technique Spirit?
Zhao Xing nodded. He sat cross-legged on the spot and began to comprehend it.
The lightning arts he'd learned from Lady Tianji were just secret arts—not full techniques, and they were incomplete.
But this… this was a complete cultivation method.
Strictly speaking, Zhao Xing shouldn't have received such a reward for this mission.
But the chance of him learning nothing at all was high. If he failed to grasp anything, all his efforts would be wasted.
Because of this uncertainty, the Immeasurable True God believed that the risk and reward were balanced.
"The Technique Spirit lasts at most twenty years. If you can't learn it within that time, it's all for nothing. And the longer it takes, the less chance you have to succeed."
The Immeasurable True God's projection hadn't intended to stay that long, but now he silently changed his mind and waited.
Time passed. Soon, eight years had gone by.
The "sun" behind Zhao Xing was now a dim sunset, half submerged into the sea, its light fading.
The Immeasurable True God, seeing Zhao Xing unmoving all this time, gradually gave up hope.
"Once it passes ten years, it's nearly impossible to succeed. Any time after that is just wasted."
"Without the radiance of the Extreme Star Source, very few can succeed within such a short window," he thought.
Divine King Guxiao had sealed off the Dao of Heavenly Timing, and with his immense power, had also twisted the cause-and-effect across the river of endless time, making it far harder to cultivate any Heavenly Timing technique.
But even so, the Heavenly Dao still leaves a sliver of hope. Even Guxiao isn't stronger than the Dao itself.
So theoretically, someone could still achieve godhood through the Heavenly Timing path.
But that sliver of hope was razor-thin. The Immeasurable True God had granted this Technique Spirit to many Shennongs to try, even to Free Gods. None had succeeded.
Nine years and three months.
By now, the Immeasurable True God held no more expectations.
In the cultivation illusion conjured by the Technique Spirit, Zhao Xing's soul stood upon the sea, staring at the sun as it was about to fall below the horizon.
"I've been watching for nine years and three months."
"That should be enough."
In truth, Zhao Xing had figured out the core of the technique by the third year.
But he didn't want to appear too monstrous.
If the Immeasurable True God saw how ridiculously talented he was and dragged him back to the ancient timeline on the spot, that'd be the end of him.
So he waited.
"The tenth year is the turning point. After that, the shred of Extreme Star Source inside the Technique Spirit will vanish completely."
"Once that's gone, no more breakthroughs are possible. At best, it can only help with understanding a few secret arts."
"Breaking through right at the edge shouldn't shock the Immeasurable True God too much."
Month twelve of year nine.
Zhao Xing finally moved.
He shifted his gaze from the falling sun to the ocean below.
"Hum—"
As he moved, his real body in the temple also bowed its head.
The fading sun turned into a golden beam of light that sank into Zhao Xing's body.
Inside his dantian, a glowing sun appeared and began to slowly spin.
[You have comprehended "Extreme Star Reflection," absorbed one thread of Extreme Star Source, and learned the technique Great Sun Without Sea!]
[Great Sun Sea – Layer One (1001/10000)]
"That wasn't easy." Zhao Xing felt the warmth in his core and sighed.
He had finally found a divine-grade Heavenly Timing technique—only after reaching the half-god stage.
"Hmm? He really pulled it off?" The Immeasurable True God was surprised. Even if Zhao Xing had timed it perfectly to the final moment, his success was still shocking.
Pulling it off at all was insane!
Most Free Gods among the Shennongs couldn't even learn anything from the Technique Spirit.
"Loss," was the god's next thought.
He'd had this item for ages and never found anyone to sell it to.
If you didn't count the difficulty, by sheer value alone, Zhao Xing should've had to reach at least the seventh or eighth ring of service to earn it.
But the Immeasurable True God's mood quickly shifted to curiosity.
"How did you manage it?"
Zhao Xing answered respectfully, "Reporting to the True God, the one who created Great Sun Without Sea likely preserved the Extreme Star's reflection using a higher-tier ocean."
"By collecting countless layers of reflections, they managed to condense a single strand of Extreme Star Source and created this technique."
The Immeasurable True God nodded in understanding. "So that's it."
"The Extreme Star might have vanished, but it once lit up the endless cosmic realms."
"There are still ways to gather its light."
Zhao Xing took the opportunity to ask, "May the True God enlighten me?"
He had grasped the technique, but absorbing one thread of Extreme Star Source only got him to the first layer, merely raising his Heavenly Timing path to the Reincarnation Realm level. The resulting Heavenly Timing mana was only on par with a one-tribulation Emperor Lord.
That 1000-point jump came entirely from the Extreme Star Source. His own effort had earned him just 1 point.
Lacking a proper Heavenly Timing Dao Source, no matter how talented or hard-working he was, he'd never advance further.
Under Divine King Guxiao's suppression, it was extremely hard to progress in Great Sun Without Sea.
So he had to get more info from the Immeasurable True God.
The god said, "Technically, you aren't authorized to know this. But since you've answered my question, I'll share it."
"Through four dimensions containing yin and yang, the universe is governed by the Three Lights. Though the Extreme Star is gone, its light once touched all of time and space."
"In certain mirror-type Dao artifacts, you might still find remnants of the Extreme Star Light."
"Also, the Extreme Star's location lies at the center of the universe. While the star has vanished, its light might still be reachable from certain unknown regions."
Zhao Xing immediately formed a conclusion: deep seas, border zones, and certain mirror-type artifacts could all contain traces of the Extreme Star Light that could condense into new Extreme Star Source.
The creator of Great Sun Sea must have drawn from a primordial ocean and stored that source inside this Technique Spirit, waiting for someone worthy to inherit it.
The Immeasurable True God wasn't wrong. Even with suppression, the Heavenly Dao always leaves a crack. Divine King Guxiao couldn't fully seal the Dao of Heavenly Timing.
It was hard—but not impossible—to become a Free God through the Heavenly Timing path!
"Kid, would you like to train in my time-space domain?" the Immeasurable True God suddenly asked, snapping Zhao Xing out of his thoughts.
It had come at last.
After seeing that Zhao Xing had successfully cultivated Great Sun Sea, the god finally wanted to bring him back.
Zhao Xing had already caught his eye long ago. The proof? The task Zhao Xing got as his first ring mission was equivalent in difficulty to Venerable Fuping's third ring!
Still, in the rich, Dao-abundant ancient timeline, the Immeasurable True God had seen plenty of monstrous geniuses.
Zhao Xing had stood out—but not quite enough to justify the trouble of dragging him back to the time-space domain. Until now.
To truly take Zhao Xing away, the Immeasurable True God would have to gather all the imprints of Zhao Xing from various time nodes, then backtrack through countless time currents to carry him upstream. That price wasn't cheap.
But now, the god was seriously considering it.
Zhao Xing hadn't expected this choice to come so soon.
He began evaluating the True God's intent, trying to figure out if he had any room to refuse.
Soon, he made a judgment—since the Immeasurable True God was asking, not forcing him away, then he still had a choice.
"Reporting to the True God, I still have many friends and loved ones in this secondary timeline. I can't just cut everything off right now."
"Also, I'd like to continue serving the True God here for a while."
The words were polite, but Zhao Xing was nervous. No matter how nicely he said it, he was still declining.
But the Immeasurable True God just smiled. "Zhao Xing, I know the evil gods in this timeline value you. You haven't cultivated for long, so it's normal that you can't sever your ties just yet."
"In fact, maybe your approach to me is part of some mission."
Zhao Xing tensed up.
The True God waved his hand. "No need to panic. Whether you're sincere or just a spy, I don't really care."
"I'm not like those reckless, selfish divine generals who use techniques to blackmail people, offer huge bribes, or just snatch people away—what kind of talents would that bring in? At best, cannon fodder or servants."
"My domain already has plenty of servants and divine guards. Why would I go fishing for them in the Barren Era?"
"What I want are companions—those who share my ideals and can fight alongside me in the future."
Zhao Xing looked up at the Immeasurable True God. He could now see that perfect, radiant face glowing with divine light.
He had to admit, this god's vision was on a completely different level than the other evil gods he'd dealt with.
Every word revealed utter confidence in his own beliefs—and an unwavering faith in himself.
He didn't even care if Zhao Xing was a spy. That was a terrifying kind of confidence.
It was like the Immeasurable True God believed that once someone truly stepped into his domain, they'd never want to return to the Barren Era again.
"The True God's heart embraces the universe. I am in awe." Zhao Xing's words were half flattery, but also held real respect.
"You'll only get one chance. If you want me to extend another offer, it'll depend on your performance."
"Now go."
The Immeasurable True God waved a hand. A gentle force pushed Zhao Xing out of the temple. The entire structure then began to shrink, collapsing into space-time itself.
The light dimmed. The barren star continent was once again shrouded in darkness.
Zhao Xing stood there silently for a while, unsure what to feel. Could someone like the Immeasurable True God even be called an evil god?
But then he thought of Gu Luohe and the Red Star Emperor—they had similar outlooks. They'd never tried to control him.
'Is this the evil god's charm? That influence is insane.' Zhao Xing couldn't help but recall when Liu beat him so badly that he changed his name to Pang Xianyun.
He quickly left the Black Heaven Barren Domain, using distance-free teleportation to return to the empire's territory. Following protocol, he visited the Mindheart Palace again and walked through the mind channel.
Once more, he came out unharmed.
That proved the Immeasurable True God hadn't tampered with his thoughts or left any soul-imprinting tricks behind.
Zhao Xing replayed what Gu Luohe and the Immeasurable True God had said. He stored those thoughts in his mind.
'Let things flow. Just observe.'
'I'm not even at the divine realm yet. There's no need to decide anything.'
He took a deep breath.
'Now that I've obtained a Heavenly Timing technique, I have all three divine cultivation techniques I need. They're just at different stages.'
Extreme Land, Great Sun Without Sea, Hunyuan World—theoretically, all three could lead to becoming a Free God.
Extreme Land had reached layer four. The Seed Domain within had evolved. The 840 million mountain-particle peaks were starting to resonate with each other.
Zhao Xing could vaguely sense that his meridians flowed like earth veins. This enhanced the power of his Earth-Favor techniques once again.
Hunyuan World had reached the third stage. His inner world had moved beyond the primal phase, where it birthed an original species.
It had entered the origin phase, where the world's capacity expanded rapidly and spiritual potential exploded.
Now it had stepped into the phase of Ten Thousand Manifestations, where Dao source laws fully manifested.
This was essentially the limit of the half-god stage for Hunyuan World.
Unless he broke through to the divine realm, he couldn't advance it further.
Because the fourth stage of Hunyuan World would be the Silence Phase.
That phase was irreversible. If he failed to reach the fifth stage, Hunyuan Self, and become a Free God of the Self Path, the world inside him would collapse.
But if he succeeded, he could stabilize the expansion of that silent phase.
As for the fifth stage of Extreme Land, that could also lead to Free Godhood.
If he felt confident, Zhao Xing could spend contribution points to trade for either Extreme Land: Primeval Vein or Extreme Land: Ancient Vein to break through.
"To cultivate Great Sun Without Sea, even the first layer requires gathering Extreme Star Light to strengthen the Extreme Star Source."
Zhao Xing searched through the Xuanling Treasury but didn't find anything like "Extreme Star Source" or "Extreme Star Light."
"That means either the divine realm needs it too, so nothing extra makes it into the treasury..."
"Or it simply can't be found at all in the Barren Era."
Zhao Xing thought the first explanation made more sense.
It seemed unlikely that the Barren Era couldn't find it at all.
The Extreme Star once shone upon all beings. The source should be useful to more than just Shennongs.
"If the divine realm also needs it, then the moment it appears in the treasury, it probably gets taken immediately."
Zhao Xing closed the Star Mirror. Even if Extreme Star Source did show up, it probably wouldn't be his to buy.
"The mission reward from the Immeasurable True God exceeded expectations. It made the fourteen years I spent collecting across the star domain worthwhile."
"Wait... the Eight Directions Divine Mirror is a mirror-type Dao artifact, right? Could it have Extreme Star Light inside?"
Zhao Xing suddenly thought of the Eight Directions Divine Mirror.
"Shua—"
He instantly teleported to the Path of Death Stars. Over the past fourteen years, Ji Si hadn't been idle either and was working on contribution missions too.
But the tasks Ji Si took on were completely different from his.
Ji Si was involved in the war in the Tianze Star Domain. For a Fate Officer at the half-god level, fighting battles of cause and effect was always the best way to grow stronger.
But the pressure on Ji Si was intense. Just take his senior sister Jing Yue—she was doing the same thing.
Jing Yue had once handled the cause-and-effect shielding of coral-level members from the Original Realm. When Wei Tianchen first captured Zhao Xing, Jing Yue had already reached the Emperor rank. She even followed Gu Luohe and the Five Venom Emperor to the Blue Butterfly Path to rescue Zhao Xing. In the Heavenly Master Court, her status was high.
Before Ji Si joined the Heavenly Master Court, Jing Yue had been the most talented Fate Officer, with the greatest chance of inheriting the Empire's position of Imperial Fate Master.
As for the current Imperial Fate Master, he didn't compete with others. Like Gu Luohe, he was a special case.
Zhao Xing suspected this Imperial Fate Master had probably passed an extraordinary number of True Spirit Tribulations and was now undergoing a high-level Heaven-Earth Path Ascension.
What kind of ascension exactly? Zhao Xing had no way of knowing.
If it were like Gu Luohe's, it could be openly discussed because Gu Luohe didn't worry about others beating him to it.
But the Fate Master's path? That couldn't be spoken of—not even a word. Leak the secret, and someone might snatch the opportunity.
"Ji Si, Ji Si, reply immediately upon receiving this message." Zhao Xing contacted Ji Si via the Star Mirror.
Not long after, Ji Si appeared in the mirror.
"Grand Shennong, what's happened?"
"Could you ask the Eight Directions Mirror spirit if it has any 'Extreme Star Light'?"
"Extreme Star Light?" Ji Si instantly realized how serious this was. This must be something extremely important to Zhao Xing.
She left a main-record avatar to hold her place on the front lines, while her main body carried the Eight Directions Divine Mirror and rushed back.
Twenty days later, Ji Si met Zhao Xing in the Path of Death Stars.
As soon as they met, Ji Si delivered great news:
"Grand Shennong, the Eight Directions Divine Mirror has it."
It really had it?! Zhao Xing was instantly excited.
But a second later, he felt a little sour.
Damn, this artifact spirit really played favorites. While it was with him, it kept everything hidden. But with Ji Si? It told her everything.
"Grand Shennong, I'll take you in," Ji Si said, pulling Zhao Xing into the mirror's internal space.
The artifact spirit stood with hands behind its back. The moment Zhao Xing entered, it asked, "Kid, how did you know I had Extreme Star Light?"
"Senior, I guessed."
"What do you want it for? In this era, Heavenly Timing Shennongs can't accomplish much. Without a divine-grade cultivation method, you can't even use it. If I give it to you, it'll just leak out of your body the moment you leave."
Zhao Xing hesitated. He couldn't reveal that he had already cultivated Great Sun Without Sea.
"Just as I thought." The artifact spirit chuckled, loosening its hands. It seemed its earlier questions were just a test. "No need to explain."
"I do have Extreme Star Light. And quite a lot, too."
Zhao Xing's heart pounded.
Not only did the spirit have it—there was a lot of it?
Hell, his thirty-level fortune really was cheating.
"Because of Ji Si, I can give you ten thousand strands of Extreme Star Light. That should be enough to form ten threads of Extreme Star Source," said the artifact spirit.
Ten threads of Extreme Star Source? Zhao Xing was thrilled.
From the Immeasurable True God, he only got one.
But inside this mirror, he could get ten?
Wei Tianchen never figured out the mirror's potential, and even Zhao Xing didn't dig deep. Good thing he gave it to Ji Si—otherwise, he'd have missed out on a huge opportunity!
"I told you my origin last time. If you can guess my name, I'll give you another ten thousand strands of Extreme Light."
Zhao Xing blinked, remembering the verse the artifact spirit had recited last time: From mountaintop fate-stone a mirror made, through red dust guides the destined. Fate comes not with birth nor leaves with death; Heaven's way is ever-changing, yet patterned still.
The lines were vague and cryptic—how the hell was he supposed to guess a name from that?
"You don't know?" The artifact spirit shook its head. "I overestimated you. Take your ten strands and stop bothering Ji Si."
Ji Si immediately knelt and gave a deep, respectful bow. "Senior, please give the Grand Shennong another chance."
The artifact spirit looked at Ji Si, its gaze suddenly soft. "Such a good child. Get up."
Zhao Xing was still a bit stunned when the spirit added, "Fine, one more chance."
It held out its hand and said, "Five trillion."
A flash of insight shot through Zhao Xing's mind.
He got it.
Five trillion triggered his memory.
Back when he was in the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom, exploring the Phantom God Galaxy, he'd asked Du Yun for help resolving a troublesome minor divine technique from the Reincarnation Temple.
Du Yun contacted a reincarnation-stage cultivator named Han Chuchen from the Source Heaven Palace.
That poor guy took the money and did the job but was later caught and punished with reincarnation by the Reincarnation Temple.
He eventually ended up in the Red Star Empire and even joined the Original Assembly, where he crossed paths with Zhao Xing.
At that time, Han Chuchen mentioned one thing.
He had once climbed the Ten Directions Mountain and met a mysterious Fate Officer who foretold his fated calamity.
"Senior, you're the Diviner in Hemp Robes!" Zhao Xing called out.
"Take your reward and go. Let Ji Si focus on his training. Don't bother his anymore," the Diviner in Hemp Robes said, handing Zhao Xing another ten strands of Extreme Star Source before booting him out of the mirror realm.
It was obvious Zhao Xing had guessed correctly—and the clues were practically handed to him.
Clearly, the Diviner in Hemp Robes gave him this chance just to keep him from disturbing Ji Si's cultivation.
'The one who can foresee calamity and help resolve fate—the Diviner in Hemp Robes—is actually an artifact spirit?' Zhao Xing found it hard to believe.
'Was the Diviner in Hemp Robes a half-god, or a Free God Fate Officer? How did he become an artifact spirit?'
From mountaintop fate-stone a mirror made… guides the destined through red dust...
Could it be that becoming the artifact spirit was part of his Heaven-Earth Path Ascension?
Even after becoming a Free God, it was still possible to undergo ascension and become a True God beyond tribulation.
Zhao Xing figured the Diviner in Hemp Robes had likely reached the Free God stage long ago. But to go further, he chose to climb the Ten Directions Mountain and became the spirit of the Eight Directions Divine Mirror.
'He cut the peak stone of Ten Directions Mountain, shaped it into a mirror, and became the artifact spirit himself!'
Zhao Xing was deep in thought when a shadow suddenly flashed across his vision, startling him.
The Diviner in Hemp Robes' face had suddenly appeared in the mirror's frame.
"Kid, once you leave this mirror, don't start guessing things again," said the Diviner in Hemp Robes, his voice cold. "Don't let a good bond turn into a grudge."
Zhao Xing froze. He immediately sealed off his thoughts and bowed quickly. "Yes, Senior."
The Heavenly Path of Fate Officers was extremely secretive. He didn't dare guess recklessly anymore. If he leaked any secrets from his side, he'd completely offend the Diviner in Hemp Robes. Just like the warning—good karma could become a curse.
After leaving Ji Si, Zhao Xing couldn't help but sigh.
'The treasure was right next to me all along?'
Twenty threads of Extreme Star Source!
This harvest was unbelievable.
It was equivalent to completing twenty rounds of seventh- or eighth-tier True God missions.
Who knew how many years of effort that saved?
"Looking back, I supported Ji Si, even gave him the Divine Mirror. And now I've received twenty threads of Extreme Star Source in return. Good causes lead to good results," Zhao Xing sighed.
If he had been completely selfish, lacking any big-picture thinking, and only focused on his own gain, then today's huge return might not have happened at all.
'No wonder big shots always like to make "investments" along the way. You never know when you'll strike it rich.'
"I've still got a decent amount of mundane wealth. Maybe I should consider investing in some relationships too."
With that thought, Zhao Xing began teleporting back to the Original Realm.
Now that he had Extreme Star Source, with his talent and his system panel, he quickly pushed Great Sun Without Sea to the second layer. This layer already matched the half-god level.
Inside his law body's dantian, a sea spun slowly. In it floated the reflection of a sun.
"Rumble—"
The moment Great Sun Without Sea reached the second layer, the long-standing imbalance finally began to correct itself.
The reflection of the Extreme Star in the sea, the micro Ji Lu, and Hunyuan Realm—the three were finally in relative balance.
He no longer needed Blue Flower, Red Lotus, Azure Abyss, or Mystic Soul mana to forcibly stabilize the structure.
"Balance of the Three Shennong Daos..." Zhao Xing sensed the vision within him. "Each one strengthening the others."
The recently-broken-through fourth layer of Ji Lu immediately stabilized. The mustard-seed mountain peaks grew larger and stronger. His meridians flowed like ancient earth veins, brimming with vitality, naturally enhancing his law body.
"Rumble—"
His inner world, which had been growing steadily and had entered a plateau, underwent dramatic changes again.
With Heavenly Timing, Earth Advantage, and Self Foundation all backed by divine-grade techniques, Zhao Xing felt a complete transformation.
Ji Lu fourth layer—earth veins fully manifested and anchored.
Great Sun Without Sea second layer—his Great Sun Sacred Body underwent metamorphosis.
As for Hunyuan Realm, the internal world expanded once more.
Zhao Xing looked at his panel.
[Name: Zhao Xing]
[True Spirit: Twelve Tribulations (×98 Amplification)]
[Qiankun Hunyuan Body: Tier Thirteen (224/13000)]
Below that was a line of small text:
[Qiankun Hunyuan Body: Ranked fifteenth among Shennong Sacred Bodies throughout history. Possesses Great Sun Mana, Kunyuan Mana, and Hunyuan Mana.]
"Qiankun Hunyuan Sacred Body..." Zhao Xing flexed.
From his fingertips sparked the Heavy Water Divine Thunder.
Before, when he practiced the incomplete Nine-Origin Divine Thunder from Tianji Leimu, the strain had been immense. One, because he'd learned it secretly. Two, because he lacked Heavenly Timing mana.
Now, he felt completely free. No pressure at all.
Zhao Xing then tried out his Earth Advantage and Self Foundation spells.
To his surprise, the boost from all three types of mana was now on par with his previously strongest—Blue Flower mana.
Of course, the Seven-Color Mana from Heart-Seal Law still had value. In certain combat environments, it could produce surprising results.
Plus, Heart-Seal Law was key for sealing wild god poison and unlocking the Seven-Star Dou Cabinet.
"Let's test Nine Marsh God Hou Transformation again."
With a thought, Zhao Xing activated the transformation technique.
This time, he didn't need the Heaven-Change Divine Needle. He transformed instantly!
"As expected, mana from my main path is unbeatable!" Transformed into a beastly form, Zhao Xing was thrilled, moving with wild energy.
Backed by Great Sun mana, he could now maintain the third-layer transformation for three hundred days—up from the previous three.
Even without the Heaven-Change Divine Needle, his power matched his previous best with the needle.
"Sure enough, Heavenly Timing mana is the real foundation for me." Zhao Xing moved freely, completely satisfied.
No pills, no needles—just transformation. He now had the combat power of a fourteen-tribulation half-god with no side effects.
"With Great Sun Without Sea, I can now push Nine Marsh God to the fourth layer too."
Before, he had to rely on Seven-Color Mana and Heaven-Change Divine Needle to force breakthroughs. It was rough.
Now, he felt close to breaking through to the fourth layer—meaning a second transformation was within reach!
Buzz—
Just as Zhao Xing was immersed in these cultivation gains, his Star Mirror buzzed and snapped him out of it.
Very few people had emergency call access to him. Ji Si was one, Five Venom was another.
This time, it was Venerable Five Venom contacting him.
"Master, what's the matter?" Zhao Xing picked up.
"My disciple, after becoming a half-god, I made a new friend—Venerable Wan Ying," said Five Venom. "He wants to meet you in Wanxing City. Just a casual gathering."
"He wants to meet me?" Zhao Xing blinked. He had no memory of this person.
"Venerable Wan Ying is very powerful. I met him in the Reincarnation Realm. He's a fourteen-tribulation venerable and can freely fight while controlling his own True Spirit Tribulations."
Five Venom added, "Disciple, you've been buried in training since returning. It's time you meet a few fellow half-gods."
He had a point. Zhao Xing was curious about other half-gods' contribution missions too. And since this person was a friend of his teacher, it would be rude not to go.
"I'll head over now," Zhao Xing replied, splitting off a soul thread to enter the Star Mirror.