Chapter 233: Ten Days Hanging in the Sky (Part One of the 16,000-Character Chapter)

After pondering for a while within the dream, Zhao Xing formed a preliminary idea.

"If I directly report the tenth gate, I simply cannot bear such a massive karmic consequence."

"Within the Heaven Gate, using the Grotto-Heaven as a foundation, I will cast the Heavenly Mandate Profound Concealment to remove myself from the chessboard; if I report it directly, it would be equivalent to re-entering the game."

"If an ant appears on the chessboard and alters the course of the game, it will surely attract attention."

"For me, this would be a disaster, not a merit."

"But if it were Old Liu and the power behind him, they might be able to bear it; if the matter occurs, he will surely gain merit, his official career will become even smoother, and perhaps in this life, he could become the Grand Minister of Agriculture sooner."

Liu Tianning is currently his patron; if the patron is strong, then he is strong, and the benefit of doing this lies precisely there.

The drawback is that it might attract the attention of powerful figures from the Sect, the Southern Barbarians, and the Imperial Court.

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Xing still decided to do this thing, mainly driven by three motivations.

"First, the Heavenly Mandate Profound Concealment cast using the Grotto-Heaven as a foundation does not only take effect during that specific period; rather, throughout the entire matter, I do not exist, having been removed from it."

"Second, the only thing I actually know is that one mysterious palace. The rest is all guessed, including the Xuantian Sect and Liang Wang's future plotting; these were not calculated by me but are merely guesses about the future, not facts."

"That is to say, if reported, this karmic consequence would be limited to that 'mysterious palace'; whatever is calculated afterwards would be Luo Hou Wang and their business, and they would bear it."

"Third, this is the Era of Primordial Qi, not the Era of Spiritual Qi of later generations; the method of karmic deduction is not so mysterious. Even the deductions of the Creation Plate can make mistakes; the prediction of the result of the Pacification of the Barbarians War was calculated incorrectly by the Creation Plate."

More than two months ago, Zhao Xing had just obtained the advancement of the Five Fingers Heavenly Mandate, and his understanding of fate-type spells was not yet profound; now, having consumed numerous Spirit Elegances, especially the 'Dragon Whale Spirit Elegance', he has gained a deeper realization.

After deep consideration, Zhao Xing decided to flutter his wings from outside the chessboard.

"The location of the mysterious palace is in the southern area near the Crimson Lake. How can I make Liu Tianning discover that mysterious palace unintentionally?"

…………

Waking from the dream, Zhao Xing felt somewhat dazed. Because the dream had just ended, its aftertaste remained, constantly prompting him to go to Old Liu's Myriad Dharma Palace to sleep.

"It must be the decision I made while browsing the Memory Palace."

Zhao Xing pondered for a moment, then headed to the Myriad Dharma Palace; he had originally planned to go there to follow Liu Tianning to learn the Straw Man Method.

Arriving at the Myriad Dharma Palace.

Inside the palace at this moment, just as before, numerous clones were each attending to their own affairs.

Zhao Xing could feel that Liu Tianning's Fate Soul power was scattered into thousands of threads.

"Senior Brother." Ji Ji Zixuan greeted him at the door.

"Mm." Zhao Xing nodded and walked straight inside.

"Senior Brother, my lord and the Master are strolling in the garden; it seems inconvenient to disturb them," Ji Ji Zixuan said, thinking Zhao Xing wanted to find Liu Tianning's true body.

"It doesn't matter; I just came to cultivate," Zhao Xing said.

"Senior Brother, why not stay in the room next to mine?" Ji Ji Zixuan extended an invitation. "Whenever I step out, everywhere I see my lord... if Senior Brother is nearby, I will feel much more at ease."

Zhao Xing chuckled lightly: "You still haven't gotten used to it?"

Ji Ji Zixuan shook her head.

Old Zhao wanted to scare her, deliberately distorting his facial muscles, and said in a sinister tone: "Heh heh heh... then how do you know I am not a Straw Man clone right now?"

"Ah—" Ji Ji Zixuan looked at Zhao Xing's ferocious face, startled in her heart, and instinctively took two steps back.

Seeing the prank succeed, Zhao Xing returned to normal and walked straight away.

Scaring the future Shadow Assassin; if this had happened in his previous life, it would have been worth bragging about to his brothers.

…………

After settling into the Myriad Dharma Palace, Zhao Xing went to sleep immediately.

Once in the dream, he understood why he had come here.

"So I am not here to sleep, but to make Old Liu dream, to dream of that place."

"That is quite simple."

With his Fate Soul reaching the Fifth Grade, and having cultivated the Great Dream Spring and Autumn, although he could not 'Dream Walk' to jump into others' dreams and kill.

However, he already possessed the ability to make people dream.

Approaching Liu Tianning's true body directly was still quite difficult, but with so many clones, the soul power of some clones was relatively weak.

Zhao Xing packaged a series of images and cast them upon Liu Tianning's first clone.

On the first day, Zhao Xing simply made one of Old Liu's clones dream of the area of the Crimson Lake in the south.

On the second day, an additional image was added, making Old Liu dream of a desolate mountain one hundred li away from the Crimson Lake.

On the third day, the dream became increasingly clear, starting to dream of abnormal fluctuations in the earth veins. In the image stood an ancient underground palace.

This repeated for five days.

Liu Tianning's true body arrived at the courtyard next to Zhao Xing.

He looked at this clone, dressed in a long robe with a somewhat scholarly air, and pondered thoughtfully.

"Revoke!"

Liu Tianning dissolved the clone, and the soul power returned to his true body.

He then went to Zhao Xing's courtyard, checked on his disciple's cultivation, and then left as if nothing had happened.

"No reaction? Old Liu was affected by an invisible spell; even if he had a 'sudden impulse', was it ignored?"

"Indeed, there are currently several thousand people exploring the area around the Crimson Lake; by sheer coincidence, that place has also been set up with the Forgetfulness Stele."

"A plot planned for many years is indeed meticulous."

In the dream, Zhao Xing sighed.

First, an unintentional exploration; those of low realm could not discover this tenth gate at all.

Second, even if they passed by, it would be easy to overlook that place.

The Imperial Court has also set up the Forgetfulness Stele there; even if one truly saw some clue, it would be blocked by the Imperial Court's own methods.

Those of high realm would not go there at all, because the area designated by the Soldier Realm has an entry grade limit.

"It seems interfering with this matter won't be easy."

"Too much force won't work; too little has no effect."

"Do your best, and leave the rest to heaven." Zhao Xing shook his head. "Within my capacity, I've done all I can. Let Lao Liu dream a few more days."

…………

Deep in the distant southern wastes, a line of war chariots advanced across the flat wasteland.

The sky was blue, and violent storm winds raged overhead; a thick layer of storm winds formed a terrifying bluish-gray mass, only a hundred meters above the ground.

"Whinny~" Dozens of bone-white, golden-hooved beasts pulled a line of black-steel prison carts, speeding across the wasteland.

Two squads of human beings, with golden wings and silver-white hair, carefully observed their surroundings.

They were a convoy of the Jin Yu Wang Ting, escorting the captured soldiers of the Great Zhou behind them.

"Swoosh~"

Suddenly, a small team appeared ahead, blocking their path.

"Who are you?!"

The Jin Yu guard captain roared instantly, spreading his wings.

But before he could assume a battle stance, a force bound him, and he fainted.

The entire convoy, including the bone-white golden-toed beasts pulling the chariots, fell into unconsciousness.

"Crack~"

The long prison cart's door opened, and a blood-red figure slipped inside.

In one of the single-cell compartments, a sixth-rank Great Zhou military commander had his shoulder blades pierced by iron hooks, his limbs chained with iron.

"Clang~" The door was shattered, and the blood-red figure appeared inside the cell.

The Great Zhou commander, bearded and disheveled, remained motionless, head bowed, as if dead.

The Blood Spirit Elder saw this and sent a streak of red light into the commander's body.

After a bout of writhing, the commander's clothing burst open; his abdominal muscles wriggled, revealing a blurred human face.

The Blood Spirit Elder bowed his hands. "Your Highness."

"Blood Spirit Zi." The face twitched. "I have arrived. Now it is time for you to show your sincerity."

"Your Highness need not worry," Blood Spirit Zi smiled. "I shall return your fragment soul to the mountain sect, preserving the true spirit flame for you."

"I ask you about your intentions toward the Ten Yang Cave Heaven," said Liang Wang Ji Mingxian coolly.

"Everything is within our plan," Blood Spirit Zi said. "If the deed succeeds, please, Your Highness, interfere with the operation of the Creation Disc."

"The Creation Disc is held by the imperial clan's appointed officials. How do you know I possess such power?"

Blood Spirit Zi smiled. "Your pioneering efforts in opening the Nine Heavens' Response Court were foremost. Though we were at a disadvantage in the struggle of heavenly fate, we still know it was you who once held the Creation Disc."

Seeing Liang Wang remain silent, Blood Spirit Zi added: "In the third year of Dingxin, your elder brother secretly appointed you as an appointed official."

"In the fifteenth year of Dingxin, Your Highness incorporated your Life Palace into the Creation Disc and successfully refined it."

"Afterward, Your Highness endured a century of oppressive pressure from the artifact, day and night in torment, while simultaneously overseeing all military and civil authority of the Response Court—only then did the imperial court achieve its unparalleled feat of the Nine Heavens' Response Court."

Seeing Liang Wang still silent, Blood Spirit Zi pressed on: "But when the rabbits are dead, the hunting dogs are cooked; when the birds are gone, the fine bow is put away."

"You crushed the noble clans, reformed the army's ills, abolished the feudal system and the Yin Spirit system. He made you do all this—yet the blade still fell upon Your Highness."

"At the end of the Dingxin era, the Creation Disc was forcibly torn from Your Highness's Life Palace, jointly controlled by eighty-one appointed officials of the Celestial Mechanism Hall. It was as if you endured another century of torment."

"Your Highness's benevolence and righteousness are rare in the world; your brother's cruelty is equally rare."

"Enough!" the face snapped. "I make a pact with you, but that does not grant you the right to meddle in my family affairs!"

Blood Spirit Zi knew this Liang Wang had not yet decided. He quickly bowed. "Your Highness, forgive me—I spoke out of turn. I shall take you back to the mountain sect and complete the pact."

With that, Blood Spirit Zi waved his hand, and the chains binding the commander snapped.

"Shhh~"

A cold wind swept through—the entire escort convoy, men and beasts alike, vanished into dust, as if they had never existed.

…………

On the tenth day of the seventh month, Zhao Xing had decided to abandon involvement in the matter of the Ten Yang Cave Heaven.

Because Liu Tianning seemed to have ignored these "dream revelations."

He planned to leave the Wan Fa Palace and keep watch on Lao Chen, Long Xiao, and Xia Jing.

Zhao Xing had rested, but these men continued their explorations outside.

Especially Xia Jing and Ji Ji Ziyun—they had large families and vast holdings; what sufficed for themselves was not enough—they still sought advantages for their clan's power.

After waking, Zhao Xing found one Liu Tianning waiting outside his courtyard gate.

He paid it no mind at first, since Liu Tianning occasionally came to inspect his cultivation.

But recently, Liu Tianning seemed different.

"Have you been dreaming lately?"

"Master, what do you mean?" Zhao Xing blinked.

"After consuming the Dragon Whale Heart, I've had dream after dream," Liu Tianning said. "It seems the heavens and earth are giving me revelations—I sense something great is about to happen."

"What revelation did your dream show, Master?"

"The Crimson Lake," Liu Tianning hesitated. "And other things."

"I've dreamed of the Polar Night Sea several times, but felt no specific revelation," Zhao Xing shook his head. "Perhaps the Dragon Whale received the heavens' creation, and the Ten Yang Cave Heaven favors only you. Or perhaps my realm is too low, and my soul-spirit is less sensitive than yours."

Liu Tianning nodded slightly: "I plan to journey to the Crimson Lake—perhaps great fortune awaits. Will you come with me?"

Zhao Xing was about to agree, but at that moment, the seal on his memory palace in his mind-sea was triggered.

"My progress has been too rapid—I seek nothing more than to consolidate my realm."

"I can send a fragment body to accompany you and gain experience. My true body will not go."

"Very well," Liu Tianning said. "I need to make preparations. I plan to depart on the seventh day at the third quarter of the Xu hour in the evening. If you wish to go, do not miss the appointed time."

"Yes."

Watching Liu Tianning leave, Zhao Xing closed his eyes.

"Old Liu has finally gone. I wonder what fortune or misfortune this journey holds. His strength should be sufficient to handle many troubles. Even if the Ten Suns Hover in the Sky occurs, it should not be able to harm him."

Although the Ten Suns Hover in the Sky could very likely kill even a Fifth-Rank cultivator, Liu Tianning is not an ordinary Fifth-Rank.

Relying solely on his Floating Island for protection, Liu Tianning could come and go freely outside the range of Yangcheng even if the Ten Suns Hover in the Sky.

Despite this, Zhao Xing remained worried about Liu Tianning, as the risk was too deep.

If he had chosen to explore the mysterious palace instead of immediately reporting it to Luo Hou Wang, who would know what arrangements lay inside the palace?

Thus, Zhao Xing chose to send out a clone to follow Liu Tianning; this risk could not be left for Liu Tianning to bear alone.

"Old Liu, you must absolutely not act impulsively. If you discover anything abnormal, report it immediately," Zhao Xing murmured in his heart, then opened his eyes.

The main body returned to the Eighteen Huai Willow Courtyard. Zhao Xing sat on the steps, discussing matters with Chen Shijie and Long Xiao.

"Meow~" At this moment, the mountain cat chased a pair of Jade-Eyed Dragon Lions across the yard, meowing excitedly.

"Did you hear? The imperial court seems to be planning to train troops again," Chen Shijie said.

"When was this news?" Although Zhao Xing already knew this was the outcome, he still feigned surprise.

"The news came out in the seventh month, but it is not yet confirmed," Chen Shijie said. "It was the Marquis who told me, saying there was this possibility."

"What do you two think?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Of course, we want to go to the battlefield to earn merit!" Long Xiao waved his fist. "Now that my strength has increased greatly, if I go to the battlefield again, perhaps I can reach Fifth-Rank next year, and later be ennobled as a Wu Hou!"

"It is not a matter of wanting to or not," Chen Shijie said. "We are both currently at the peak of Sixth-Rank strength, and we both hold Sixth-Rank official positions. If war breaks out, we will inevitably be sent to the battlefield."

"Indeed," Zhao Xing sighed. "The army is not a place where one comes and goes freely."

"Why are you sighing?" Long Xiao said. "Isn't this a good thing? There is military merit to be gained again."

"Have you not considered the fact that the Southern Barbarians have never been conquered in history?" Zhao Xing said. "Pushing further into the future, I feel there won't be so many easy victories to fight."

Long Xiao laughed: "What are you afraid of? You are the Marquis of Yuanrang; you don't have to charge to the front lines."

"We'll see when the time comes," Zhao Xing said.

"Meow-woah~" The mountain cat cried out, being chased by two Jade-Eyed Dragon Lions.

"Aotian, what are you afraid of? Fight them!" Long Xiao encouraged the mountain cat.

"Meow~" Aotian meowed back.

I am afraid of breaking my master's mounts.

"No need to fear, hit it," Zhao Xing laughed.

Encouraged, the mountain cat immediately turned around.

Swish~

Its twin claws locked onto the neck of a Jade-Eyed Dragon Lion, and it threw it down with force.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

The two four-meter-tall Jade-Eyed Dragon Lions were both thrown so hard they sank into the ground, lying on their backs with four legs in the air, completely stunned.

"Oh ho, impressive~" Long Xiao laughed loudly.

The two Jade-Eyed Dragon Lions struggled to get up.

The mountain cat jumped onto the back of one, stood tall, and meowed.

The Dragon Lion beneath its feet obediently followed the command, chasing the other Jade-Eyed Dragon Lion, and they began to play again.

The three watched the cat and the two lions play for a while. Zhao Xing clapped his hands and said:

"Old Chen, Long Xiao, do not go out these days. Train with me. It has been a while since I had actual combat; I am almost forgetting how the Military Agricultural Bureau fights."

"If you want to train, just go to the Nine-Jointed Dojo," Long Xiao said. "There are plenty of people there."

"Within the Sixth-Rank, how many people can still be my opponent?" Zhao Xing laughed. "I am too lazy to fight for rankings. If the ranking is low, I simply won't be matched against any experts."

"There are no two people more suitable than you two."

"Fine," Long Xiao said. "I have nowhere else to run anyway. Why don't you cancel my and Old Chen's slots? Don't let them sit wasted; you can sell them to others."

Zhao Xing was the Deputy Commander of the regiment; he could kick out all the Senior Exploration Envoys in the regiment, causing them to lose their qualifications.

These vacated slots could naturally be sold to others.

"That is true," Chen Shijie said. "Since the eruption of the Spirit Elegance in the Extreme Night Sea, people from outside have become even more eager to enter. A slot for a Mid-Rank Exploration Envoy has been speculated up to a sky-high price of five million merit points!"

"Even then, if you have no connections, you still can't buy one," Long Xiao laughed. "It is truly exaggerated."

"It is exaggerated," Zhao Xing nodded.

With his current merit rank of the Sixth Grade, plus the basic salary of a Vice-Sixth-Rank official, he received an annual income of about three hundred and fifty thousand merit points.

The basic salary of the Great Zhou is very small. Of these three hundred and fifty thousand, the basic salary accounts for less than fifty thousand; the rest comes entirely from the merit rank.

A slot for a Mid-Rank Exploration Envoy has been speculated up to five million merit points! That is equivalent to more than ten years of Zhao Xing's income; of course, it is exaggerated!

As for the Senior Exploration Envoy, no one even sets a price, because no one would trade with money.

Would those holding a Senior Exploration Envoy slot be short of money?

"Don't say that; we really are short of money. The previous preparations have drained our family savings," Zhao Xing laughed. "It's a pity my master won't let me sell merit points; I can only use them to exchange for favors. Otherwise, selling a Senior Exploration Envoy slot would fetch over one hundred million merit points."

"So, if the imperial court continues to train troops, that is a good thing," Long Xiao brought the topic back. "Merit ranks are not easy to raise in ordinary times. This time, if we can raise a few grades, and if we can be like the ancestor of Tian Hou, lying down and doing nothing yet earning twelve million merit points a year."

"You are dreaming," Chen Shijie sneered. "Tian Taigong's merit rank reached the Forty-Fifth Grade. You and I are only at the Sixth Grade. To rise that high? Then you would have to become a Duke."

"Even a Duke might not have a merit rank as high as Tian Taigong's. These are not the times of the Taizu Emperor," Zhao Xing said.

Emperor Jing is famous for being stingy! To rise to a Forty-Fifth Grade merit rank is harder than climbing to the sky.

Because even being ennobled as a King might not guarantee a merit rank as high as Tian Taigong's!

A Forty-Fifth Grade merit rank is only four grades away from the full Forty-Ninth Grade.

Tian Taigong retired from the turbulent currents back then; after the state was founded, he held no power, gave up many fiefdoms, and only wished to be a wealthy elder.

Moreover, the prize money for each rank at that time was not as high as now; it increased gradually as the nation's strength grew.

"Pity it cannot be inherited after death," Long Xiao said.

"If merit ranks could be inherited, the Great Zhou's finances simply could not bear it," Zhao Xing said. "The function of merit ranks is that the longer one lives, the greater the benefit. However, after the thirtieth rank, power-holders are generally not granted additional merit ranks; instead, idle official posts receive them more often."

"One cannot be too wealthy while serving as an official; if one is too wealthy, one does not serve as an official," Chen Shijie nodded. "That is the principle."

………………

On July 17, Liu Tianning's Myriad Dharma Tower Ship set sail.

Zhao Xing sent a clone aboard the ship.

The main body remained at the Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard, sparring with Long Xiao and Chen Shijie.

As a precaution, Zhao Xing revoked the high-level explorer slots for these two, exchanging them for favors.

Now, twelve favors were counted toward Zhao Xing, while the rest were distributed by Liu Tianning.

The entire exploration team's thirty slots remained fully filled.

Only Chen Shijie and Long Xiao were no longer among them.

As for Xia Jing and Ji Ji Ziyun, these two still occupied slots while operating outside.

Zhao Xing could not even persuade these two to stop while ahead.

Because their slots were not given freely; they were transactions made with the family powers behind Xia Jing and Ji Ji Ziyun.

To demand they withdraw now and stop while ahead would be equivalent to breaking the contract.

"We can only wait until more people enter, the slaughter becomes fiercer, and then persuade them again," Zhao Xing thought.

"Haha, caught you! Old Chen and I joined forces, yet you still dared to be distracted?!"

"Take this punch!"

Long Xiao suddenly appeared before Zhao Xing and smashed a ruthless punch into Zhao Xing's chest.

Jin Guang erupted from Zhao Xing; his body was knocked backward yet remained completely unharmed, vanishing into the misty concealment.

"Damn, that kid is hidden again!" Long Xiao shook his fist. "How has his physical body become so strong?"

…………

While they sparred here, on the Myriad Dharma Tower Ship, one of Zhao Xing's straw-man clones stood beside Liu Tianning.

Within half a day, they arrived at the Crimson Lake in the south.

Only the master and disciple were on the tower ship; the others were not aboard.

Zhao Xing remained silent throughout, simply waiting for Liu Tianning to act on his own.

On July 18, the Myriad Dharma Tower Ship arrived at the 【Lake Heart Island】 area of Crimson Lake.

On July 21, Liu Tianning, having searched for three days without result, commanded the tower ship to depart.

They arrived again at the 【Pine Smoke Bay】 area on the outskirts of Crimson Lake.

On July 22, they changed locations once more.

During this period, Liu Tianning also passed through the surface area where the mysterious palace was located: 【Redwood Forest】.

However, since this place was set with the Forget-Sorrow Stele, he did not enter, merely passing by.

Zhao Xing watched Liu Tianning move back and forth, remaining unmoved.

He had made up his mind to do only this much; whether it succeeded or not depended on heaven's will.

Time arrived at July 28.

Liu Tianning, who had searched continuously without result, stood on the Myriad Dharma Tower Ship with furrowed brows.

His life soul was already late Fourth Rank, merely one step away from the Third Rank Yuan Soul realm.

He had also consumed numerous treasures that amplified the life soul and carried many soul-type divine weapons, including several of Seventh Rank.

If this cave heaven truly held a revelation for him, and he had reached the scene from his dream, he should have found something by now.

Yet why had he found nothing?

Liu Tianning drew out the Earth Mirror.

Inside the Hundred Weapons Tower.

"Vmm~"

Liu Tianning's phantom appeared in the Luo Hou Palace.

"Greetings, Luo Hou Wang."

"Tianning, what is your business?" Luo Hou Wang looked at Liu Tianning.

Liu Tianning would not come to engage in such empty formalities, such as visiting just to offer greetings.

Luo Hou also disliked such things; thus, whether Luo Hou sought Liu Tianning or Liu Tianning sought him, it was always to discuss matters.

"Luo Hou Wang, I request to temporarily close the Forget-Sorrow Great Array and Pang Yuan Feng Great Array at sixteen locations, including 【Red Pine Forest】, 【Seven Rift Valley】, 【Windless Island】, and 【Yao Guang Island】," Liu Tianning said.

"What is your purpose?" Luo Hou Wang asked.

"After consuming the Lingxiu of the Giant Whale's Heart, I received some revelations, as if a great event is about to occur," Liu Tianning said. "I wish to conduct a detailed investigation of these places."

Luo Hou Wang pondered for a moment and said, "Wait a moment."

"Yes."

Luo Hou Wang closed his eyes, then on the highest floor of the Hundred Weapons Tower, he conferred with King Tianyan.

"The Giant Whale's Heart indeed possesses divine wonders," King Tianyan said. "The Dragon Whale seizes the transformations of heaven and earth. Having consumed the Dragon Whale's Heart, and with his life soul being so strong, his earth soul may intersect with heaven and earth, producing some karmic sensations."

"However, Zhao Xing also consumed it; does he have the same premonition?"

"Liu Tianning did not mention it, so he probably does not," Luo Hou Wang said. "It must be that Zhao Xing's realm is insufficient; his life soul is far inferior to Liu Tianning's, and he has not cultivated the Tianyan Divine Art."

The Tianyan Divine Art is a top-tier secret technique!

The last one to master it was King Tianyan.

King Tianyan mastered the second layer at Third Rank, yet Liu Tianning mastered the first layer at Fifth Rank.

In terms of talent, Liu Tianning is still the stronger one.

Precisely because of this, King Tianyan attaches great importance to Liu Tianning's thoughts.

Though not as doting as Luo Hou Wang, he can still be counted as one of Liu Tianning's backing big shots.

"Proceed as he said; suspend the Forget-Worry Great Array and the Pang Yuan Feng Great Array first," King Tianyan said, "but do not suspend them for too long, lest someone become dissatisfied."

…………

July 28th, Southern Wasteland.

Inside a temple, the statue of Blood Spirit Venerable came to life once more.

Only this time, his aura was somewhat unsteady.

"Why is the difficulty greater than expected? Moreover, there are extra variables... the cost required for me to activate the Profound Heaven World-Breaking Array has increased."

Within the Ten Yang Underground Palace, an ancient god statue remains.

Long ago, before the Ten Yang Cave Heaven fell into the hands of Great Zhou, Blood Spirit Venerable had a projection staying inside, though it remained in a dormant state.

Now, he must activate the Profound Heaven World-Breaking Array, first break through the barrier, then activate his own projection, and finally trigger the arrangements inside.

Now, the difficulty has increased greatly compared to expectations.

He activated the one inside and calculated with his fingers, yet divined nothing.

"Has the difficulty of opening the passage increased?"

This speculation makes sense; the Cave Heaven's ascension caused the world barrier to fluctuate along with it.

Sometimes high, sometimes low.

For him to open the passage is not so easy.

Thus, Blood Spirit Venerable originally planned to launch in early September, because then it would be easier for him to enter, and the cost paid by the sect would be relatively smaller.

"Just before the operation, unexpected variables suddenly arose," Blood Spirit Venerable pondered, "I must prepare early and increase the chances of victory."

The temple was built on a mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, over a hundred thousand believers chanted scriptures and prayed to the temple on the mountain, with specks of Jin Guang sinking into Blood Spirit Venerable's body.

"Long Yang Zi." Blood Spirit Venerable transmitted his voice to a spot within the temple.

"Venerable." Long Yang Daoist immediately rushed over and knelt respectfully.

"Go ask Wang Ting for another five thousand boys and girls to bring here and send into the Blood Pool. Remember, they absolutely must not exceed nine years of age."

"Also request ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine yin souls who died in a yin year and yin month."

"Remember, these yin souls must reach the Eighth Rank Yin Soul Realm," Blood Spirit Venerable said indifferently.

Long Yang Daoist looked up: "Venerable, I fear the Holy Light Wang Ting will not agree."

"Just go and ask for them," Blood Spirit Venerable said coldly, "Remember, screen them clearly, and do it quickly."

"If a flaw occurs, you will find death difficult."

Long Yang Daoist's heart trembled, and he quickly agreed: "Yes, Venerable."

The Blood Spirit Venerable in the temple absorbed a wave of Jin Guang, then turned back into a statue.

July 29th.

In over a dozen regions near Crimson Lake, the rules suddenly changed.

"Strange, why did it change so abruptly? Has the effect of the Forget-Worry Great Array vanished?"

On the island in the lake's center, Xia Jing and Ji Ji Ziyun were watching the news in the Earth Mirror.

That was an announcement sent from the Soldier Realm.

Including sixteen regions such as 【Yaoguang Island】 and 【Red Pine Forest】, the Forget-Worry effect suddenly ceased to exist.

"I was just planning to go to these few places to show off my skills," Xia Jing frowned; anyway, he couldn't remember them, so he wouldn't offend anyone inside.

Nowadays, Xia Jing and Ji Ji Ziyun's power base can be described as enormous!

Because within Liu Tianning's group, over the past three months, through either wooing, or slots originally obtained, or joint cooperation.

The combat power he can now mobilize, just Fifth Rank alone, exceeds sixty-five people!

This only counts people!

In reality, most wealthy power bases bought 'mechanical puppets' as bodyguards.

Like when Ji Ye was in the Eternal Night Sea; he actually didn't have many people, but the mechanical puppets possessing Fifth Rank combat power numbered as many as two or three hundred!

Now that Xia Jing and Ji Ji Ziyun are rising, their power base is no less impressive.

This is also the reason Xia Jing and Ji Ji Ziyun cannot extricate themselves.

He has already been placed in this position.

With a whole bunch of people under his command, if they do well, naturally these personal connections can be sustained, yielding endless benefits in the future.

If he drops the ball now, the impact would not be limited to him personally, but would affect both the Xia Hou and Pingyang Commandery Prince families.

"Cousin." At this moment, Ji Ji Ziyun walked into the large tent. "Have you seen the news?"

"I have seen it," Xia Jing said, "I do not know why this change occurred."

"I heard that Liu Tianning's Ten Thousand Dharma Tower Ship arrived in the Crimson Lake area and has not left; could this be related to him?" Ji Ji Ziyun speculated. "Could there be another opportunity as great as the Eternal Night Sea?"

"If it truly is so, there is no reason Zhao Xing would not notify me," Xia Jing was somewhat puzzled.

He was still confident in the friendship between himself and Zhao Xing.

Even if it was inconvenient to let him share the meat, regarding such sudden changes, he should have been told.

Just as he was puzzled, suddenly—

"Vroom~"

The ground mirrors of Xia Jing and Ji Ji Ziyun rang simultaneously.

"It's Zhao Xing."

"I just thought of him, and he sends a message." Xia Jing smiled.

"Cousin, you take it," Ji Ji Ziyun said.

"Brother Xia, Brother Ji." Zhao Xing's phantom image appeared inside the great tent. "Have you received news from the Military Realm?"

"We have." Xia Jing nodded. "Is this matter related to Lord Liu?"

"Yes." Zhao Xing nodded. "I only just learned of it; my master did not tell me the reason."

Zhao Xing did not know that Liu Tianning had informed Luo Hou Wang.

Old Liu could not possibly tell him everything.

So the time he received the news was the same as Xia Jing's.

However, Zhao Xing guessed at once that it was Liu Tianning's doing; only he could persuade the Three Kings to change the rules of the game.

"Is there some great opportunity? This time, we surely won't be eating fish again, right?" Xia Jing complained, though Crimson Lake did indeed have fish.

"I only have one clone following." Zhao Xing said. "I do not know the specific matter either."

"But my master does not seem to be seeking a treasure, nor did he order my true body to come. Therefore, I advise you: if things are nearly settled, it is best to leave Crimson Lake."

With Liu Tianning's actions, Zhao Xing also took the opportunity to urge Xia Jing and Ji Ji Ziyun to flee.

Ji Ji Ziyun appeared somewhat hesitant: "If we leave now, the territory we just seized must be surrendered."

"Moreover, my cousin and I worked hard to gather this group of people..."

Xia Jing was equally reluctant to part.

He had already heard that the Great Campaign against the Barbarians was entering the troop training phase again.

This group of people gathered now would be of great use later.

The Heir's ambition was not small; he intended to seize the moment to be enfeoffed as a Wu Hou!

"If it truly cannot be helped, you may also return to Yangcheng first to observe the situation." For Xia Jing's fate, Zhao Xing still added one more piece of advice.

Even this extra piece of advice carried considerable risk.

After much hesitation, Xia Jing said, "Then one of us will return first to inquire about the situation."

Ji Ji Ziyun said, "Qilin'er, you return; I will hold the ground here."

"That works too." Xia Jing looked at Zhao Xing's expression but could discern nothing. "Brother Zhao, where is your true body in Yangcheng?"

"Eighteen Locust and Willow Courtyard." Zhao Xing said. "I am sparring and cultivating with Long Xiao and Chen Shijie. If you return to Yangcheng, you may come find me and tell us what you know."

Zhao Xing wanted to use this opportunity to delay Xia Jing's departure a bit longer.

He could only do these things.

"Good." Xia Jing smiled. "My experiences in Crimson Lake these past days have been quite wonderful; returning, I can chat with you about how I displayed my divine might!"

"Hahaha, we are waiting."

July 30th, July 31st, August 1st.

For these three days, Liu Tianning had been searching continuously.

At first, there were only over three thousand Dharma Bodies; in the end, the number had increased to over nine thousand!

In every area of Crimson Lake, Liu Tianning's figure could almost be seen!

In an instant, a massive number of Explorers flooded into the Crimson Lake region.

They all wanted to see what exactly Liu Tianning was searching for.

Liu Tianning paid them no mind, acting solely on his own.

August 2nd.

Liu Tianning recalled all his Dharma Bodies.

Because he had found the place.

"Dodge~"

Liu Tianning dodged into the ground. In this patch of redwood forest, many others were also searching.

However, none dared approach the area where the Ten Thousand Dharma Tower Ship had stopped. Fortunately, this redwood forest was vast; the others searched elsewhere.

It was on this day, August 2nd, that Zhao Xing, who was in Eighteen Locust and Willow Courtyard, suddenly felt a throbbing sensation.

"Snap~" As he stepped down the stairs, his leg muscles suddenly twitched, and his whole body slammed violently into the rock pillar ahead.

The stone shattered, and Zhao Xing's forehead turned slightly red.

"What's wrong with you? How can you fall just by walking?" Xia Jing, having just finished sparring with Long Xiao, happened to witness this scene.

"Nothing, perhaps the training was too tiring; I wasn't paying attention." Zhao Xing waved his hand and walked straight into the room.

He had barely sat down when the house began to shake; the bedboards broke, and sharp spikes pierced Zhao Xing.

Looking at the spikes stuck in his body, Zhao Xing fell silent.

His bad luck was about to begin.

He opened the panel to check.

Indeed, the Luck Level had changed.

【Luck: Derivation Three (Temporary)】

"Luck of Derivation Five dropped directly to Derivation Three."

Zhao Xing sighed. No matter how careful and cautious he was, no matter how covert his methods, he had ultimately been affected!

"Dropping from Derivation Five to Derivation Three proves I successfully altered someone else's fate: Chen Shijie, Long Xiao, perhaps also Xia Jing, Liu Tianning..."

"The Dao of Fortune is profound and mysterious. Perhaps the Ten Suns Hovering in the Sky was not the doing of the Xuantian Sect; the Xuantian Sect merely gave it a push."

"My fortune has not decreased because of the Xuantian Sect or the imperial court, but because of... the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven."

"The Ten Suns Hovering in the Sky was meant to happen. Who knows how many should have died in this disaster, but I interfered with fate, which is equivalent to defying the Heavenly Dao of the Grotto-Heaven... Now, the backlash has arrived."

Zhao Xing seemed to realize something.

For the coming period, he would likely become unlucky!

"The Heaven-Fortune realm and the Fate-Palace realm can also see one's own future, and can even alter others' fates."

"But they rarely do so; even if they interfere, they must pay a price."

"The imperial court is also very cautious about promoting those whose fates are troubled and whose fortune is thin."

"When promoting from Fourth Rank to Third Rank, they may even dispatch a Fate Official to specifically observe the official."

"If one's fate is thin and fortune weak, forcibly promoting an official is acting against Heaven."

"The income and expenditure of fortune must be balanced; one cannot perform large-scale acts against Heaven. If the number is small and the realm low, it is fine, but if the number is large and the realm high, especially for high-rank promotions, one must be extremely cautious."

"Thus, in history, many who clearly established great merit found it difficult to receive titles."

Zhao Xing cultivated the Five Fingers of Heaven's Mandate and, within the Heaven Gate, briefly merged with the Spirit of the Grotto-Heaven. Now, closing his eyes, he recalled everything, and his understanding of the Dao of Fate and Heavenly Calculation became slightly deeper.

"Since I have started to be unlucky, that proves Chen Shijie will definitely survive."

"Old Chen, this investment of yours is not a loss. I ate a few of your pears in Gucheng back then, and now I'm here to carry your fate." Zhao Xing sighed in his dream.

…………

In the following days, Zhao Xing's bad luck gradually increased.

Choking on food, getting a tooth stuck while drinking cold water, tripping while walking—these things were not worth mentioning.

More serious was this: his perception of Heaven and Earth became blurred, as if fog had appeared on a glass pane.

"I have been covered by the 【Obstacle of Knowledge and Vision】. Not only has my cultivation made no progress, but I cannot even fully unleash the power of my spells."

"If there were a fight at this moment, I would surely be having a run of bad luck."

Zhao Xing sighed.

At this time, his Ten Thousand Methods Straw Man clone had already collapsed.

There was no reason; the spell simply suddenly went wrong, causing the straw man to be unable to maintain itself.

The clone on the Ten Thousand Methods Tower Ship automatically disintegrated.

Fortunately, when the first straw man disintegrated, Zhao Xing had already withdrawn the Fate Souls from the other straw men.

He did not lose too much soul power.

……

By night, Zhao Xing entered a dream once again, preparing to do nothing.

He even stopped absorbing the Primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth.

He feared qi deviation.

However, just as the last wisp of soul power returned, his Fate Soul became turbulent and actually began subconsciously attempting to break through his physical realm.

Heading toward a breakthrough into the Pure Origin realm!

Old Master Zhao was truly drunk.

What was the point of breaking through at this moment? It was purely caused by bad luck.

At this time, Liu Tianning was getting closer and closer to the Mysterious Palace.

His fortune had temporarily dropped to Yan Yi!

"What a sin."

Zhao Xing sighed mournfully.

Without a doubt, the breakthrough failed.

Fortunately, protected by the Soul Armor and the Dragon Soul Jade given by Princess Youruo, his failed breakthrough merely turned him into Fatty, just like Long Xiao back then.

"Yan Yi, don't keep dropping," Zhao Xing prayed. "If it drops further, I will truly meet with great misfortune."

If it drops to negative numbers, a truly ominous sign will appear.

The kind where a person sits at home and disaster comes from the sky.

Who knows, the Heavenly Fire Dao might change its course and fire a few shots at Old Master Zhao.

…………

On August 5, Zhao Xing still maintained the temporary Yan Yi.

His bad luck was only discovered by Xia Jing, Chen Shijie, and others.

However, such matters could not trigger any other anomalies.

Because Sixth Rank is naturally around Yan Er or Yan San.

Moreover, fortune fluctuates.

For those exploring outside Yangcheng, fortune also fluctuates; Zhao Xing's phenomenon was truly nothing special.

There was even a Yan San Explorer who died in the wild!

Even if it continued to drop, as long as it did not result in something absurd like the Heavenly Fire Dao changing course to specifically bombard him.

Then it would not arouse suspicion.

Of course, if such a situation truly occurred, and the Heavenly Fire Dao specifically struck Old Master Zhao in Yangcheng, it would probably be impossible to hide.

"Zhao Xing." That day, Gao Ming suddenly sent a message: "The 'Cyan Nether Bead' you asked me to stockpile last time has plummeted in price. What should we do now? Should we sell?"

"Sell." Zhao Xing replied immediately.

At this moment, losing money was nothing to Old Master Zhao.

If spending money could dispel disaster, he would be delighted!

"Fine, brother, I'll sell it for you. Sigh, I've hoarded some myself too; this time has been truly disastrous."

"Qingyou Lake suddenly produced a massive batch of pearls, causing everyone to sell off in panic. We've lost at least forty percent. Damn it, the Military Realm doesn't even regulate this... I've worked half a year for nothing."

Gao Ming cursed and grumbled; was it easy for him to deliver goods riding a bamboo horse?

Zhao Xing felt somewhat embarrassed; he guessed he had caused trouble for Gao Ming.

However, there was no way to address this now; he could only compensate Gao Ming later.

No sooner had Gao Ming finished speaking than Chen Shijie shouted from outside again.

"Zhao Xing, all the 【Water Immortal】, 【Azure Sea Cloud Vine】, and 【Fish-Eating Grass】 we left behind are dead. Not a single seedling survived."

Previously, when they returned from the Eternal Night Sea, many seedlings remained.

Sixth-tier seedlings were quite rare, so naturally, they were being cultivated.

Two months passed, and the seedlings withered one after another recently.

"If they die, they die," Zhao Xing said. "These three types of seedlings are inherently delicate."

"Take the mountain cat far away; don't come near me."

"Oh, fine... Boom!"

Chen Shijie fell silent.

He had also fallen down.

Zhao Xing refused to visit, and every time he entered a dream, he began to have nightmares.

His Life Soul remained in a state of uneasy alertness; whenever he entered a dream, he would dream of strange nightmare content.

"I died so miserably!"

"Killing me once wasn't enough; you must kill my descendants too!"

"Why are you so cruel?!"

In the dream, turtles crawled to Zhao Xing's bedside, but these turtles had ferocious faces, with sharp, interlocking teeth in their blood-filled maws, extremely terrifying.

"What a sin..."

With a thought, Zhao Xing appeared in the dream, a large cleaver in his hand.

The turtle swarm: "..."

"I slaughtered too many turtles; my Life Soul is tainted with the resentment of the turtle race."

"I failed to notice it before; now is the perfect time to cleanse it."

How could a mere illusory dream shake the mind of Lord Zhao?

The cleaver swung down without hesitation; Lord Zhao began slaughtering turtles in the dream once more.

On the thirteenth day of the eighth month, Liu Tianning finally discovered the tenth gate of the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven.

Deep underground, he saw a vague, mysterious palace in the distance!

At the same time, a statue within the mysterious palace began to tremble.

Far away in the Southern Wasteland, Blood Spirit Venerable's face changed abruptly.

"H-how could someone discover the Profound Heaven Great Formation!"

"Even if he saw it, he shouldn't remember it. The imperial court's Forgetfulness Great Formation was all spread from our sect. Who is this person?!"

Blood Spirit Venerable calculated with his fingers, intending to divine Liu Tianning's existence.

His fingers suddenly exploded.

Amidst the splashing blood, he saw Liu Tianning underground reveal a look of shock.

Blood Spirit Venerable instantly memorized this person's face and also learned Liu Tianning's exact location.

At the same time, the statue in the palace came to life.

It charged at Liu Tianning.

He must kill Liu Tianning quickly before he leaves; otherwise, he would have to immediately activate the Ten Suns Hovering in the Sky.

"Whoosh~"

A beam of blood light flashed out from the mysterious palace; this was the Blood Spirit Needle Zhao Xing was familiar with.

Back in Gucheng, one of the Dharma Protectors had used this move on him.

On the battlefield, when he passed through the city of Chen Lu of the Zhenhai Army, he had also seen similar techniques.

Blood Kui corrupts the divine statue, turning people into puppets.

However, this needle of Blood Spirit Venerable's was clearly more powerful.

Even deep underground, it ignored the obstacle, piercing through the soil barrier and heading straight for Liu Tianning.

If the needle entered his body, he could control Liu Tianning and buy himself a few more days.

He cannot be killed; an official like Liu Tianning dying without cause would have his Life Soul enter the Yin Realm, where he would likely be summoned immediately by the Yin Realm guards for questioning.

Transforming into a Yin God body would still not buy much time.

So, he can only be controlled!

"Pfft~"

Liu Tianning was indeed hit by the needle.

But he was unaffected and quickly ascended.

Because the Blood Spirit Needle had pierced the Floating Boat, not his physical body.

"Seventh-tier Floating Boat..." Blood Spirit Venerable understood; he could not catch Liu Tianning.

"Planning since the Dingxin Era, the Profound Heaven Underground Palace, the Ten Yang Solar Crown, countless Yin Souls and Faith Power, and after over two hundred years of maneuvering various factions, allowing the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven to be successfully seized by the Great Zhou... I never expected the final kick to be thwarted by this Liu Tianning."

Blood Spirit Venerable sighed.

The Xuantian Sect had many deployments aimed at the Great Zhou, but this Ten Sun Grotto-heaven was a relatively major one.

As one of the sect's few permanent Venerable-rank elders in the secular world, he now voiced the same sentiment as Zhao Xing: "Fate is fickle, the workings of heaven are hard to divine!"

"Since we cannot achieve complete success, we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate."

Blood Spirit Venerable no longer hesitated and returned to the interior of the Xuantian Earth Palace.

…………

Crimson Lake, 【Red Pine Forest】.

Liu Tianning shot up from underground; there was a charred-black patch on his chest.

The Floating Vine Armor wriggled for a moment and spat out the Blood Spirit Needle.

Liu Tianning paid no attention to the Floating Vine at all, immediately pulling a token from his chest and crushing it.

Soldier Realm Surveillance Department, Surveillance Envoy Liu Tianning, issued a Level One alert!

The Ten Sun Grotto-heaven has an outside enemy invading!

"Hummm~"

Luo Hou Wang and Tian Yan Wang, who were inside the Hundred Soldiers Pagoda, suddenly felt their eyelids twitch.

A fifth-rank Surveillance Envoy rarely had the authority to issue a Level One alert.

But Liu Tianning happened to be one of them.

In an instant, Luo Hou Wang, Tian Yan Wang, and Ling De Wang were all alarmed.

"An outside enemy invading? And a Level One alert at that—how is that possible?!" Ling De Wang was stunned.

It wasn't impossible for an outside enemy to enter the Ten Sun Grotto-heaven; historically, low-rank intruders entering a Soldier Realm grotto-heaven wasn't unheard of.

But this was a Level One alert, proving a high-rank infiltrator had gotten in!

For such an infiltration to succeed, what a price would have to be paid?

How difficult would it be?!

"Liu Tianning, did you make a mistake!" Ling De Wang's voice was trembling: "We've been stationed at the Hundred Soldiers Pagoda for twelve years—would we not know whether a high-rank enemy had entered through any of the nine gates?"

If that were the case, the three Kings would be guilty of gross dereliction of duty—they'd be flayed alive even if they didn't die!

"Ling De Wang, immediately issue a Soldier Realm warning, order everyone to evacuate the Crimson Lake zone!"

"Whoosh~"

While he was speaking, Luo Hou Wang had already vanished from inside the Hundred Soldiers Pagoda.

He left behind only a single sentence for Ling De Wang.

Tian Yan Wang, meanwhile, headed to another level of the Hundred Soldiers Pagoda.

On this level was a fragment of the Creation Disc.

Even as a fragment, it still occupied an entire level—countless golden threads interwove across the Creation Disc, extending outward, constantly performing deductions.

At the four directions around the Creation Disc fragment sat eight emaciated, gaunt-faced elders.

"A high-rank enemy has appeared at Crimson Lake—quickly verify what their purpose is! Report any findings!"

Tian Yan Wang commanded.

The eight guardians immediately opened their eyes; there was no emotion in their gaze, and even upon hearing such shocking news, not a ripple of feeling stirred.

After receiving Tian Yan Wang's order, they all reached out their hands at once.

"Hummm~"

Golden light interwove across the Creation Disc, and the full panorama of the Ten Sun Grotto-heaven was instantly revealed above it.

Thread after thread extended outward, each one stretching into an image.

But every time a result was about to appear, the threads snapped.

As if some invisible force were intervening.

At the same time.

In the Southern Wastes, inside the Blood Spirit Temple.

"Gurgle~ gurgle~"

Deep underground, a blood pool spanning some seven or eight mu in area and over ten meters deep suddenly drained rapidly.

Above the blood pool, countless blood threads were likewise stirring.

At the center of the blood pool stood a statue as well, though this one was very small.

At the four sides of the blood pool sat forty-nine elders in Daoist robes.

They had already been seated here for over two hundred years!

"Gurgle~" "Gurgle~"

The blood pool drained faster, and the statue of Emperor Di Jun in the center began to emit a faint ghostly glow.

Blood Spirit Venerable watched this scene, a flash of vicious ruthlessness in his eyes.

"Mystic Heaven Boundless, Yin and Yang Reverse! Ten Suns Dominate the Sky—hasten!"

The blood pool drained to the bottom in an instant.

The forty-eight elders also instantly turned into withered bones.

The statue of Emperor Di Jun blazed with light.

At the same time, inside the Xuantian Earth Palace of the Ten Sun Grotto-heaven.

There was an arrangement exactly identical to the one beneath the temple.

Only here, the blood pool had no one around it.

The blood pool was also drained dry, and at the center stood not a statue of Emperor Di Jun, but Blood Spirit Venerable's own avatar.

But after the Southern Wastes temple activated.

"Gulong~"

The dried blood pool suddenly began to rapidly secrete blood.

It quickly filled the pool.

The Blood Spirit Elder now wore the Wuji Dao robe and crowned himself with the Ten-Sun Solar Crown.

He silently watched the blood climb up his body, his gaze gradually turning cold.

"Mortal fire-thief… die!"

…………

【WARNING, ALL PERSONNEL, IMMEDIATELY EXIT THE CRIMSON LAKE!】

【WARNING, ALL PERSONNEL, IMMEDIATELY EXIT THE CRIMSON LAKE!】

……

On the night of the thirteenth day of the eighth month, all personnel at the Crimson Lake received orders from the Military Realm, forcibly evacuating the Crimson Lake territory.

Luo Hou Wang appeared above the Crimson Lake in less than half an hour.

Liu Tianning also did not leave; his ten thousand clones were all released, driving away all personnel within the Crimson Lake territory.

Crimson Lake.

As soon as Luo Hou Wang arrived, he immediately asked: "Where?"

"Underground, fifteen thousand seven hundred chi!"

"Return to Yangcheng at once."

With that said.

Shhh~

Luo Hou Wang plunged into the earth like a cannonball.

Zhao Xing, among the eighteen locust-and-willow courtyards, noticed his panel flickering wildly.

It jumped to Yan Yi, then reset to zero, then suddenly showed negative numbers.

Occasionally it returned above Yan Yi.

It was practically bouncing between fortune and misfortune.

"Sss…" Zhao Xing's heart was beginning to flutter with unease.

He looked up at the sky.

Yes, he could now see the starry sky from inside the room—because the roof had long collapsed.

"Five Directions True Lord, all gods and immortals, the Ten-Thousand Li Lei Chi and the Heavenly Fire Dao—please don't change course, please don't change course… I won't dare again, don't strike me!"

All talk of "my fate is mine, not heaven's" meant nothing now—Master Zhao only begged heaven not to act.

…………

Time passed as Zhao Xing kept staring at the sky, watching for dark clouds to drift overhead.

Logically, above Yangcheng, the Ministry of Agriculture regulated the weather—this sky should have been cloudless.

Yet gusts of fierce wind and mist still blew in.

Zhao Xing's heart skipped a beat, but seeing the scope was vast—not just covering his eighteen locust-and-willow courtyards—he relaxed again.

Meanwhile, in Yangcheng's Ministry of Agriculture.

Mei Mei Zhiru, Fan Zhaoli, Lu Bang, Tian Shan, Ge Jinsong, Cheng Qingming, Gong TianSi, Li Yuanzhen, Wei Yuan… countless Ministry of Agriculture officials were jolted awake.

They swiftly acted to stabilize Yangcheng's weather.

One after another, the Solar Term Talismans hung high in the sky.

The previously trembling ground of Yangcheng returned to stillness.

"Oh no, oh no, something terrible is truly happening!" Chen Shijie, Xia Jing, and Long Xiao, ignoring Zhao Xing's orders, all rushed in.

"The Military Realm's edicts change every three minutes—first a Level One alert for the Crimson Lake, then a Level One weather alert for Yangcheng!"

"Now, the alert has spread to the entire Ten-Sun Cave Heaven!"

"Zhao Xing, did you already know something was going to happen?" Xia Jing stared fixedly at Zhao Xing.

"I didn't know." Zhao Xing shook his head. "I did calculate once, but suffered backlash—I already told you the reason."

"The Ten-Sun Cave Heaven once experienced Five Suns Overhead. This time, the cave heaven's upheaval has never once shown such an event—could it finally be appearing?" Chen Shijie speculated.

"Possible," Zhao Xing said. "And possibly of even higher magnitude."

With the moment upon them, everyone now sensed something was wrong, and Zhao Xing no longer held back—he spoke freely.

"Otherwise, such an alert would not have been issued."

Xia Jing exclaimed: "Higher still? Could it be Ten Suns Overhead again? But didn't the Military Realm's Ministry of Agriculture already declare that with the cave heaven's ascension, Ten Suns Overhead could no longer occur?"

"I already said I don't know," Zhao Xing chuckled bitterly. "Can a mere sixth-rank like me possibly know such things?"

"Prince, don't panic," Chen Shijie soothed. "Brother Ji won't be harmed."

"Right," Long Xiao added. "Brother Ji is already on his way back. Once he enters Yangcheng, even Ten Suns Overhead won't reach us."

"I hope not," Xia Jing nodded. After all, Ten Suns Overhead was exceedingly rare—only occurred once, and long ago.

Still, even a weaker version would be terrifying.

Xia Jing paced anxiously back and forth, while Zhao Xing winced in pain: "Brother, you're stepping on my foot."

"Oh, sorry!" Xia Jing quickly pulled back his foot—but bumped into a nail behind him.

As Xia Jing turned to look at the bent nail, he was sliced by Long Xiao's sword.

The nail was nothing, but Long Xiao's sword had genuinely cut him.

Long Xiao was startled and immediately sheathed his sword—he'd just been practicing and rushed in without remembering to sheathe it.

But as he retracted it, the blade's light went out of control and slashed Chen Shijie's thigh.

"What are you doing!" Chen Shijie stood dumbfounded.

"I..." Long Xiao was also stunned.

"Hiss~" Xia Jing came to his senses, sucked in a sharp breath, "We've become unlucky too. This disaster is no small matter."

"Don't move!" Zhao Xing shouted, "Stay put, stand where you are, and guard your minds tightly."

Their luck levels were not low; if misfortunes kept appearing frequently, there was only one explanation: they had entered a perilous land!

"Wait, we wait in Yangcheng." Zhao Xing looked at the sky, murmuring to himself, "We will soon know the level of this disaster."

Luo Hou Wang had arrived in the underground space; from afar, he saw the golden palace ahead.

"Boom!"

Bow drawn, arrow loosed!

A massive arrow of primal energy instantly formed, carrying the power of the earth veins, and crashed toward the palace.

Jin Guang flickered, and the barrier trembled.

"Hahahaha~ Luo Hou Wang, your name is long known!"

Laughter came from within the palace.

"Xue Lingzi, it is you!" Luo Hou Wang's face darkened; he drew the bow again and continued shooting!

"It's useless, Luo Hou Wang." Blood Spirit Venerable smiled, "Your attacks are good at the Second Grade, but you would need one hundred and thirty-six arrows to break this barrier."

"Even if you kill me, you cannot change anything."

Luo Hou Wang did not listen; he simply drew the bow and loosed an arrow.

He condensed one, shot it out, it struck the barrier, then immediately drew the bow again to pull a second.

Blood Spirit Venerable could no longer smile.

He was deceiving Luo Hou Wang; he just wanted to delay a bit of time.

At this moment, seven great suns appeared behind him; for every quarter-hour he delayed, the power of the Ten Suns Soaring the Sky grew stronger.

Unfortunately, Luo Hou Wang did not fall for it.

He did not even want to ask why he appeared here, nor did he ask what he was supposed to do.

This man had a firm will and a clear goal; among the many Great Zhou Kings, Luo Hou Wang was the one most troubling to sect cultivators.

"Boom Boom Boom!"

Luo Hou Wang shot arrow after arrow.

By the time the forty-eighth arrow was drawn, the barrier began to show cracks.

Blood Spirit Venerable stopped wasting words; the great suns behind him increased to nine.

Just as the tenth great sun appeared.

Luo Hou Wang had also just drawn his bow eighty-one times.

"Boom!"

The barrier shattered.

The eighty-second arrow instantly pierced through Blood Spirit Venerable's body.

"Pity..."

Blood Spirit Venerable looked at the large hole in his body.

Then he looked again at the light shining on the Ten Suns Solar Crown.

He sighed lightly.

"Explode!"

Blood Spirit Venerable's entire body exploded directly, merging into the Ten Suns Solar Crown.

"Vroom~"

The flickering Ten Suns Solar Crown rapidly sank into the ground.

"Swish~"

Luo Hou Wang flashed over and reached out to grab it.

"Bang!"

The Solar Crown was crushed by his grasp.

"Did I succeed?" Luo Hou Wang showed joy on his face.

But, in the next instant, Luo Hou Wang's expression changed drastically.

He saw a pillar of light shoot up from above the palace, quickly passing through layers of earth strata, and vanish.

Blood Spirit Venerable, using this clone body as a price, had indeed deceived him.

The true Ten Suns Solar Crown had always been placed at the top of the palace!

"Damn demonic cultivator!"

Luo Hou Wang was furious.

But at this moment, the earth began to tremble, and the palace began to crumble.

The entire earth vein boiled like a hot pan.

"Boom~"

Even this power shocked Luo Hou Wang; he quickly left the deep underground and returned to the sky.

The night suddenly turned into day.

In the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven, the flying stars in the east, south, west, and north all brightened.

As if they had been summoned and arrived.

In the courtyard of the eighteen Huai and Willow trees, Zhao Xing saw the starry sky suddenly brighten, and saw his luck level stabilize, gradually returning to the Fifth Derivation; he instantly flew onto the roof.

"One, two, three... seven, eight, nine."

Zhao Xing counted the stars in the sky that kept brightening.

He counted all the way to nine.

"Nine Suns Overhead? Has the history of the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven been changed?" Zhao Xing stared fiercely.

The flying stars quickly grew larger; the sky not only turned into day, but grew hotter and hotter.

"Buzzzz~"

The warnings in the Earth Mirror shook incessantly in every direction, and cries of shock came from all sides.

"Heavens~ Nine flying stars, it is Nine Suns Overhead!"

"Brother, brother, flee back quickly!"

"It's over; over a decade of construction by our Ministry of Agriculture will be destroyed in an instant."

"All of the Heaven Timing Court, immediately rush to the Boundary Marker!"

"Level Nine Uprising in the Earth Fire Plains, retreat! Retreat!"

"The range of the Heaven Fire Dao has expanded; the range has increased a hundredfold, the power, Fifth Grade Lethal!"

At the Yangcheng Ministry of Agriculture, monitoring agencies everywhere completely erupted into chaos.

What was despairing was that they had absolutely no way to mount an effective response.

Because in less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the sky had completely brightened!

The nine flying stars had completely turned into suns of immense size!

Zhao Xing activated the Heaven Eye Technique to gaze directly at the sun; after looking for a moment, his heart sank.

Ten; he discovered ten flying stars.

The moment of despair arrived one double-hour later.

Although the tenth flying star arrived slowly, it still transformed into a scorching sun, roasting everything!

In the eighteenth year of the Jingxin Era, on the thirteenth day of the eighth month, the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven turned to day at the seventh quarter of the Rat Hour.

At the first quarter of the Ox Hour, the tenth flying star appeared.

At the beginning of the Tiger Hour, Ten Suns Overhead.

To boost the average subscription, the following days will all be one large combined chapter, avoiding broken chapters and such; waiting several hours makes everyone unhappy.

There is nothing left today; I will strive to be a person of the living world.

Tomorrow and the day after, this volume will probably end.