Chapter 340: A Defective Dao Field and Bizarre Rules

"I wish to borrow the Heavenly Fortune Golden List and the Map of Mountains and Rivers," Zhao Xing said. "These two artifacts descend with the tide of spiritual energy; their efficacy grows stronger, and the area they can encompass gradually expands."

Going abroad to seize opportunities inevitably leads to conflict. Having these two items would make things much more convenient.

"The Heavenly Fortune Golden List and the Map of Mountains and Rivers? No problem!"

"Big Brother, there is no need for you to run to the treasury; I will have them brought to you directly." Ji Che reached out and beckoned. The next moment, the two divine artifacts arrived through the air.

Both divine artifacts were in the form of scrolls, only one was large and one small, one gold and one grey.

"The Heavenly Fortune Golden List." Zhao Xing took the two divine artifacts. Seeing the Heavenly Fortune Golden List, he felt quite emotional.

"Big Brother, why the emotion?"

"It was because of this very thing that the rebel prince sent people to hunt me down back then."

The Heavenly Fortune Golden List was originally in the hands of Prince Liang, Ji Mingxian, and could list all important high-grade powerhouses within a certain range.

Back when Zhao Xing wrote the *Treatise on the Three Yin and Three Yang Six Qi Great Heavenly Cycle*, Hu Yang and Zhang Tianxing of the Hou Bian faction invited Zhao Xing to calculate the strength of the cave-heaven cycle with them, so as to compete for the passage.

It was precisely because of this that Zhao Xing ended up on the list, and very high up at that, because he posed a great threat of destruction to what Prince Liang was about to do.

In other words, the Heavenly Fortune Golden List could not only display personal information within a certain range but also judge the importance of friend and foe.

The Heavenly Fortune Golden List was originally a top-grade treasure, but now, with the version updates of the spiritual energy tide, its power had also grown stronger.

"Prince Liang... Hmph, that traitorous thing." Ji Che felt a surge of anger upon hearing the name.

Prince Liang rebelled at the end of the Jingxin calendar, bringing extremely dire consequences to the Great Zhou.

Pinghai Prefecture and Lüliang Prefecture lost a massive amount of population, and to this day, the population in some places has yet to recover to pre-war levels.

Prince Liang's rebellion also allowed the Outer Alliance to enter the Great Zhou and wreak havoc; legends of evil gods still persist among the common folk to this day.

"Big Brother, are you aware that there are still rumors outside saying that Prince Liang did not die?" Ji Che said.

"Prince Liang didn't die?" Zhao Xing was stunned. "How is that possible? Wasn't he trapped in Prince Liang City back then and killed by the Ten Directions Array set up by the Hunyuan Warships?"

Ji Che: "That is indeed the case, but when the Late Emperor was alive, he once suspected as much."

"Big Brother also knows that the Corpse Puppet Sect possesses the method of 'one soul, multiple bodies'; it is hard to say whether he practiced such an evil art."

"Over these years, I have sent people to search for his tracks in the Outer Lands, and there are faint rumors that he has transformed into Mingxianzi and is hiding in the Realm of Slumber."

"You need not worry too much." Seeing Ji Che was unhappy, Zhao Xing comforted him: "Even if he is alive, what use is it? He couldn't stir up any trouble when he was Prince Liang, let alone now that he has become an Outer Lands monster."

"But having such rumors is, after all, a disgrace to the Royal Family." Ji Che said: "He was once a virtuous prince renowned throughout the world, and he even led troops across the Yinyou Mountains. His betrayal has always been a pain in Father's heart."

"Regardless of whether he exists or not, if Big Brother goes on this trip, you can help me look for him and verify the truth of the matter."

"Very well." Zhao Xing nodded. In the Great Zhou, Prince Liang was certainly dead as a doornail; it was a settled matter, and even if he were alive, he would be as good as dead. He did not take it to heart.

As for whether Prince Liang was still alive in the Outer Lands, Zhao Xing did not care. Just as he had said, when Ji Mingxian held the world's armies in his hands, possessed numerous divine artifacts, and commanded great prestige, he couldn't stir up any trouble; it was even less likely he could achieve anything in the Outer Lands.

Of course, this was a disgrace to the Ji Royal Family. If there really were a case of borrowing a corpse to return to life, Ji Che would certainly be troubled and eager to wash away this shame.

After all, if Prince Liang were truly alive, he could easily say a few bad words about Emperor Jing outside, and it would be very persuasive. As a son, Ji Che certainly could not tolerate that.

However, in Master Zhao's view, Emperor Jing... did he even need to be smeared?

The two quickly moved past this unhappy topic and returned to the main point: "How does Big Brother plan to arrange this trip?"

How to arrange it meant asking who he planned to bring, where to start, and whether he needed Ji Che to coordinate diplomatically.

"The Great Zhou is sending a small number of powerhouses abroad to compete for opportunities and seek breakthroughs. Fighting on away ground is quite disadvantageous. If we can avoid fighting, we should try to avoid it," Zhao Xing said. "Diplomatic means must be used, but we must also be prepared to tear off the mask."

"I won't bring many people; fewer people make it easier to get things done. For my contingent, three to five people will suffice, preferably those I am familiar with."

"I have a shortlist in mind: Ye Yukong, the Ministry of War's Zhonglang Commander; Luo Tian (God Luo King), the Ministry of Works' Zhonglang Commander; Ji Yun, the Fate Official; and Cui Chengzhi, the Ministry of War's Grand Physician."

Ji Che nodded. These five were all First Grade; in terms of loyalty and ability, they were reliable.

For breakthroughs abroad, the possibilities for Ritualists and Priests were very low. Currently, there was no possibility for Priests and Ritualists to cultivate and break through on their own; the only path was the elevation of National Fortune.

As for Dancers and Musicians, if there were too few, they could not fully exert their combat effectiveness, so these people were the most suitable to take out to seek opportunities for breakthrough.

"What about you, Big Brother? You aren't planning to go abroad yourself, are you?" Ji Che asked.

"My true self will naturally not go out; only a clone will go," Zhao Xing smiled.

"Once more people under Your Majesty's command break through, the Yunmeng Academy's utility is exerted, and the scale of farming expands, the National Fortune will naturally rise."

"At that time, I will ask Your Majesty to grant me a baptism of fortune so that my physical body can break through." What Zhao Xing was doing now was to improve the overall fortune of the Great Zhou. One way was to raise more Rule-realm experts.

Ye Yukong and the others were equivalent to seedlings of the Rule realm. Master Zhao was now sending a clone to take them abroad; he was playing a cultivation game.

Once the Great Zhou's fortune reached another level, he would come to absorb the Great Zhou's national fortune and make it his own—easy and safe.

This was essentially the same as the "stealing national fortune" in Zhao Xing's original plan, only one method was draining the pond to catch the fish, while the other was sustainable development.

At his level, why risk his life? Sending a clone out was enough.

Ji Che: "True, you don't need to take risks. Even if you have many life-saving skills, if the Witch Moon God doesn't follow the rules and is determined to kill you, you will still be in danger."

"The spiritual energy tide has been here for a hundred years. With divine artifacts, I can rival the Dao-Establishing realm. That Witch Moon God is likely already in the Dao-Establishing realm without needing divine artifacts."

Zhao Xing also nodded. The Dao-Establishing realm possessed a Dao Field. His Substitute Grass Man could not leap in front of Ji Che, so it was even less possible in front of the Witch Moon God.

The Dao Field was a terrifying ability. The various trials set by Qing Yuzi back then were all created based on the Dao Field.

As strong as the Five-Eight God Venerable was, he was infinitely close to the Rule realm. He said he would turn into a Heaven-Gulping Beast, and he did; his strength was suppressed to the point where even Zhao Xing could not beat him.

Even when the Five-Eight God Venerable later fully recovered his strength, Zhao Xing, with the help of Qing Yuzi's Dao Field, killed him instantly with a casual move.

Not to mention the distant ones, the 【Dao Field】 in Daoyuan Continent, a place for people to spar and discuss the Dao, had no other power; it only had recovery and protection functions.

Even though the person who left this 【Dao Field】 had been dead for who knows how many years, the 【Dao Field】 left behind still had incredible abilities.

When Liu Tianning and Zhao Xing sparred, they used their full strength, but the Dao Field could ensure that neither of them would be killed by the other. When it determined that a target was receiving lethal force, it would generate a protective shield and move the sparring party away.

There was also the Dao Field of the Lihuo God Monarch, which was bound to the Lihuo Altar and could teleport regardless of distance.

And in certain months or hours, it could strengthen the power of the Lihuo Dao Academy disciples' spells...

All these things demonstrated the power of the Dao Field. The Dao-Establishing realm was the combat ceiling of the Xuanhuang World.

Of course, a Dao-Establishing realm expert like Qing Yuzi was much stronger than an ordinary one.

"My only worry on this trip is if the divine artifacts are accidentally lost or snatched by someone..."

"That would be perfect," Ji Che laughed. "I would have sufficient reason to attack them." "Hahahaha." Zhao Xing also laughed. "Some things are indeed hot to the touch when snatched."

After the laughter, Ji Che asked: "Has Big Brother decided when to set off and where to start?" "I'll leave after the Master and the Princess's wedding is over," Zhao Xing pondered. "As for the entrance, I won't take the normal route; I'll start from the Gourd Heaven guarded by the North Star King."

"That would be perfect," Ji Che nodded. "We can also test whether the North Star King harbors any resentment."

"..." Zhao Xing was left speechless. He didn't have that thought; he purely felt that the Yuyang Heaven guarded by the North Star King was a shortcut.

Yet Ji Che had subconsciously said such words. Truly the seed of Old Jing.

Liu Tianning was the previous Grand Minister of Agriculture, and Princess Youruo was the Eldest Princess of the Great Zhou. Their happy event, of course, had to be celebrated grandly.

The wedding preparations alone took a year.

The official marriage involved multiple ceremonies and numerous sacrifices.

For example, at Zixiao Island in the East Sea, to pay respects to Princess Youruo's great-grandmother—that was one.

For example, in Liu Tianning's hometown, Taihe Commandery—there had to be another one there.

In addition, Fengjing, Nanzheng (the ancestral land of the Ji Royal Family), Shangluo Academy, the Princess's fief, Liu Tianning's fief... the places and ceremonies involved were too numerous and complex.

Zhao Xing looked at the process manual prepared by the Ministry of Rites; it was expected to take two and a half years before it was completely finished.

"No wonder the Princess has a bad temper; how exhausting is a single wedding?" Zhao Xing felt tired just looking at it, let alone the people involved.

Considering that powerhouses have a lifespan of a thousand years, a wedding lasting two and a half years was not strange.

In the cosmic version, there were even longer ones. Some citizens were born while a certain Emperor's wedding was still in progress.

Others were already holding funerals, and hey, this old Emperor's wedding still wasn't finished.

"In my past life, I managed to scrape together quite a bit of experience by sponging off meals at banquets. The flowing banquets held by long-lived people are truly a good opportunity to 'shear the sheep'," Zhao Xing stood in front of a flower bed, lost in thought.

"The Grand Minister of Agriculture is quite right; different lives utilize time differently."

"Powerhouses take a year or two to hold a banquet, while ordinary people only have a day or two."

"And some insects have lives of only a day or two; within those days, they experience growth, mating, reproduction, and death."

"What a short and brilliant life. Insects are truly a great form of life."

Zhao Xing heard this and was stunned. He turned around and, sure enough, saw Ji Yingluo.

Ji Yingluo had also come to the veranda to admire the flowers. Her long dress was made of the finest material, its color as brilliant and eye-catching as the sunset glow on the horizon. Golden threads were embroidered on the hem of the dress in the pattern of an exquisite phoenix, wings spread as if about to fly; every feather was lifelike, as if it would soar from the dress the next moment.

She wore a gauze coat as thin as a cicada's wing, dotted with countless tiny pearls. Each pearl was round and crystalline, emitting a soft luster. These pearls formed the shapes of flowers or outlined mysterious runes. When a light breeze blew, the gauze coat fluttered, and the pearls collided, emitting a crisp and pleasant sound, like fairy music playing in the ears.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Zhao Xing bowed.

"Grand Minister of Agriculture, you are too polite." Ji Yingluo returned the bow and then stood beside Zhao Xing to admire the flowers.

Only, she wasn't looking at the flowers, but at the insects in the flower bed.

Zhao Xing glanced at the ornament at Ji Yingluo's waist and couldn't help but ask: "Your Highness has entered the Creation Dao Academy?"

Ji Yingluo smiled: "Yes, I went there for a visit the year before last and found it quite interesting, so I chose a place to stay there."

Zhao Xing sensed the fluctuations in Ji Yingluo's body and couldn't help but say: "Your Highness likely didn't just go for a visit."

"The Grand Minister of Agriculture truly has eyes like torches; you saw it at a glance." Ji Yingluo extended her fingertip, and a point of blue fluorescent light drifted out: "Grand Minister, please look. I call it the 'Winged Talisman'; it is a symbiotic beneficial insect. With it, whether it is flight spells or martial arts, one can obtain a significant increase."

Zhao Xing was speechless. This thousand-year-old Princess Ji Yingluo had truly embarked on the path of playing with bugs.

He didn't want to deal with a pervert, so he gave a few perfunctory remarks and bowed to take his leave.

Watching the direction Zhao Xing left, Ji Yingluo's eyes held some happiness, but also some loss.

She was happy because of the Winged Talisman insect; Zhao Xing had finally looked at her twice more. The loss was that his gaze didn't linger on her much.

Ji Yingluo was not much older than Ji Che. When the young Martial Emperor was taken by Zhao Xing to snatch a bride, she was also at the age of a young girl's budding spring heart.

Heroism combined with a bride-snatching plot—in Ji Yingluo's eyes, there was nothing more romantic than that.

Unfortunately, she had never had the opportunity to get close to Zhao Xing. At the banquets where they had contact, they didn't talk much. Zhao Xing seemed uninterested in her.

"The Winged Talisman can only make him look at me twice more, but since he can look twice, there will be three times, four times... until his eyes are full of me." Ji Yingluo regained her spirits and also left the veranda.

Zhao Xing attended the four most important wedding ceremonies for Liu Tianning in Fengjing, the East Sea, Taihe Commandery, and Shangluo Academy.

Opportunities to chat with Old Liu were few, but he became quite familiar with Cui Chengzhi and the Fate Official Ji Yun.

The deepest impression was Cui Chengzhi. When giving gifts, in addition to the normal "Jingtai Fetal-Stabilizing Pills" and "Five-Seed Progeny Pills," he actually specially refined many aphrodisiacs, such as "Kirin Pills" and "Gui-Shao Dihuang Pills," to give to Old Liu to help him "have fun."

The gift list announcement segment made everyone burst into laughter.

It left Liu Tianning with a face full of black lines, wishing he could kick Cui Chengzhi out. Sending such trash—those who didn't know would think his body was very weak! However, only Cui Chengzhi, this military physician, dared to make such jokes.

He and Liu Tianning had both worked under the God Luo King when they were in the Military Realm.

Cui Chengzhi was now the Grand Physician of the Military Realm, skilled in both internal and external injuries, and also understood the methods of alchemy and nourishing medicine.

In the twelve-layer stage of the Gluttonous Food Method, three of the supplementary formulas were prepared by him.

As for the Fate Official Ji Yun, she was an official under Ji Si and one of the thirty-six Lesser Fate Officials.

Ji Yun was a descendant of the Martial God Ji Shuang; by seniority, she was the niece of the Heavenly Derivation King and the cousin of Ji Che.

Ji Si had no daughter, so Ji Yun was pampered by him like a daughter. She also inherited Ji Si's true teachings, and her "Time Letter" practice was perfected. She was responsible for using the divine artifact, the Heavenly Fortune Golden List.

By the time the four banquets were over, it was early spring of the 84th year of Yuan-Shou. Zhao Xing did not attend the subsequent weddings.

The clone took Ye Yukong, the God Luo King, Ji Yun, and Cui Chengzhi to the North Star Kingdom.

Since Liu Tianning and Princess Youruo's wedding began, the Great Zhou's diplomatic activities had been frequent, and they had entered a brief period of peace with their neighbors on all sides.

There were eight such teams like Zhao Xing's, all intending to go abroad to compete for the creation of heaven and earth and strive to break through to the Rule realm.

"We have arrived at Mingyuan Prefecture in Lingyuan Continent," the God Luo King reminded.

"Grand Minister of Agriculture, should we beat the drums to notify them?" Ye Yukong asked. "Let's see how the North Star Kingdom has changed in these two years and if it has improved."

Looking at his eager eyes, the God Luo King laughed: "The Grand Minister of Agriculture isn't here to audit accounts this time; what are you talking about?"

"Besides, there is no North Star Kingdom anymore; Qin Feng only has the title of Commandery Duke left." The North Star King, Qin Feng, was actually just a Commandery Duke, but of course, many people hadn't changed their habits and still addressed Qin Feng as the North Star King.

"What a pity, if I had been there back then..." Not having joined in the fun, Ye Yukong felt very regretful. "I wonder how the Shentu siblings are doing now."

Ji Yun replied: "The Queen turned into a chicken, the Prime Minister turned into a dog. The people of the former North Star Kingdom all refer to the Shentu siblings as 'Chicken Queen' and 'Dog Prime Minister'."

Speaking of this, a trace of anger appeared on Ji Yun's slightly chubby face: "Just because of these two pieces of trash, the reputation of my Ji Royal Family has been harmed."

Cui Chengzhi laughed: "Hahaha, I've heard some things too. It is said that after Shentu Ming turned into a wild dog, many people in the former North Star Kingdom's capital go to chase the dog every day, deliberately not letting him eat his fill, but also not letting him starve to death."

"I hear he's still alive, but he's probably having a harder time than a dog."

The group chatted and laughed, and soon arrived at an entrance to the Gourd Heaven.

In Shenkai Commandery of Mingyuan Prefecture, two mountain peak military camps stretched out, and between the peaks was a tall stone gate.

This was one of the entrances to the Gourd Heaven.

The North Star King came out from far away to greet them and seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

When Zhao Xing's ship arrived, the North Star King and his son jumped off the flying boat, landing at a height slightly lower than the deck, and bowed to the bow of the ship: "Qin Feng, Guardian of the Twin Gate Peaks, greets the Grand Minister of Agriculture."

Routine official business meant using official titles. Qin Feng had only been stripped of his title; his actual position had changed from Guardian of the Twin Heavens to Guardian of the Twin Gate Peaks.

Of course, he was still responsible for guarding Yuyang Heaven and Gourd Heaven, and the troops he controlled had not decreased.

"General Qin, please rise," Zhao Xing said. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, General. Please lead us into the Gourd Heaven."

"I wouldn't dare, Grand Minister, please." The North Star King's etiquette was very much in place.

Since the last incident, he had thought through many things, seen himself clearly, and seen the situation clearly.

So what if he broke through to the Rule realm? When they besieged the Sisi Kingdom back then, didn't Dieus still drink hatred in the Northwest? He dared not have any arrogant thoughts anymore.

"General Qin, please introduce the situation of the Gourd Heaven to us." Zhao Xing called Qin Feng onto his ship, while Qin Feng's son led the way in front.

"The Gourd Heaven, as the name suggests, is shaped like a gourd," Qin Feng quickly entered work mode. "With the waist pass as the boundary, our Dynasty and the Sect Alliance each occupy half."

"It's mainly because the pass is too small and easy to defend but hard to attack, and the corresponding exit in reality only has half in Lingyuan Continent, so the Imperial Court has no intention of taking it down."

Zhao Xing nodded. Taking down the Gourd Heaven was useless because it had quite a few entrances, extending in all directions, making it hard to defend.

Plus, the corresponding area on the other side was not in the Nineteen Prefectures; taking it down would just be an enclave.

It was hard to attack, hard to defend, and the resource output wasn't particularly large, so the Gourd Heaven became a situation where the Imperial Court and the Sects each held half.

However, as time passed, the Gourd Heaven would soon become a lively place. Because on the other end of the Gourd Heaven, there was a place called Jibei Dao.

A place of opportunity and creation would appear there, possessing the great opportunity to allow people to break through to the Rule realm.

"Does the North Star Army have intelligence in Jixi Dao?" Zhao Xing asked. "Yes." The North Star King's military literacy was very solid.

"The South Gourd Heaven controlled by the Imperial Court has only four entrances, but the North Gourd Heaven has thirty-six, five of which lead to Jixi Dao."

"Jixi Dao is named for its narrow and long terrain."

"Jixi Dao occupies about four commanderies. It is mostly wilderness and mountains, and it has been divided for the Corpse Puppet Sect and the Four Extremes Sect to use together."

The North Star King quickly had someone send over a detailed map.

Cui Chengzhi looked at the map and couldn't help but say: "It looks like a cave-heaven lesion, having grown a fire boil."

"Does it have any special features?"

Qin Feng shook his head: "Its value is not high. Jixi Dao has always been used by the two sects as an ordinary breeding ground, and few people go there. If you have to say it has any special features, it's that its terrain grows and shrinks."

"In the early years of Yuan-Shou, Jixi Dao only had two commanderies. By the 50th year of Yuan-Shou, it had reached eight commanderies, but in recent years it has shrunk back to four."

"Do you know the reason?" Ye Yukong wondered. "How can a place grow and shrink?" "I don't know." The North Star King shook his head.

"The world is wonderful; human understanding of cave-heaven small worlds is less than one ten-thousandth," Ji Yun interjected. "Some magical phenomena are inexplicable."

After Zhao Xing finished listening, he nodded slightly.

Hearing the North Star King describe it this way, he knew he hadn't come to the wrong place.

"In the first year of Yuanshou, the Jixi Dao only had the territory of two commanderies. By the fiftieth year of Yuanshou, it had reached the territory of eight commanderies, but in recent years, it has shrunk back to the territory of four commanderies."

"Do you know the reason?" Ye Yukong asked, puzzled. "How can a place grow and shrink?" "I don't know." The Prince of Beichen shook his head.

"The world is wondrous; human understanding of cave-heaven small worlds is not even one ten-thousandth," Ji Yun interjected. "Some miraculous phenomena are inexplicable."

After hearing this, Zhao Xing nodded slightly.

Hearing the Prince of Beichen describe it this way, he knew he hadn't come to the wrong place.

"The reason Jixi Dao has such changes is that it was once modified," Zhao Xing began. "It was the place where a certain great power from the ancient era practiced in seclusion."

"What? You mean that place is a dojo?" Ji Yun was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, but this dojo is incomplete," Zhao Xing recalled. "For some reason, it was destroyed, becoming an incomplete dojo where the Dao essence is not manifest, and many traces left by that powerful figure have also disappeared."

"Cave-heaven worlds shrink and expand with the tides of spiritual energy, and the terrain of Jixi Dao changes in size accordingly."

"That is the destination of our trip," Zhao Xing said. The Prince of Beichen was somewhat surprised; how could Zhao Xing know so much?

Could it be that Qing Yuzi had even explored this place and written it down in his inheritance? He really was diligent enough.

After entering the Southern Gourd Heaven, Zhao Xing, Ye Yukong, the God Luo King, Ji Yun, and Cui Chengzhi rested at a military base near the Northern Gourd Heaven called the Beichen Delta.

Zhao Xing was also in the middle of educating the others.

"Jixi Dao is a very strange place."

"After its dojo appeared in the world, due to its incompleteness, the Dao originally established by that powerful figure has become distorted and deformed."

"What do you mean?" Ye Yukong immediately raised his hand. "Do you all still remember the Grand Ancestor's great vow of establishing the Dao?"

"Land with an owner, do not enter without permission; those who are not subjects of our dynasty may not cultivate within the Great Zhou," Ji Yun, worthy of being a royal descendant, said subconsciously.

"Correct, and there are others like the True Monarch of Departing Fire's 'borrowing fire to travel, double the return of the Dao,'" Zhao Xing continued: "Since the dojo is incomplete, then certain rules within the dojo are also incomplete."

"Imagine, if the Grand Ancestor's great vow of establishing the Dao became 'married men, no entry after' because of incompleteness, what kind of scene would that be?"

Ji Yun: "..." God Luo King: "Ahem."

Ye Yukong suddenly realized: "So that's how it deforms."

Cui Chengzhi tried to imagine the scene Zhao Xing described, and then became interested: "Doesn't that mean only unmarried people can enter a certain place?"

"Yes," Zhao Xing nodded. "I'm just giving an example; in reality, incomplete dojos can have many outrageous changes."

"And this nameless dojo owner also established many rules for daily life. For example, starting at the Zi hour, noise is prohibited, and one must sleep. One must wake up by the Mao hour to begin sweeping the courtyard."

"By the Chen hour, one must eat supplements; by the Si hour, one must begin cultivation." "At the Wu hour, one must bathe and worship..."

Ye Yukong was stunned: "This is too much like daily life, right? How bored must that powerful figure have been to establish such a Dao?"

Cui Chengzhi laughed: "This is not strange. If this Dao-establishing realm expert taught a group of disciples in Jixi Dao, and establishing the Dao was relatively simple for him, then using the great vow of establishing the Dao to regulate disciples would be very convenient."

Zhao Xing nodded: "Master Cui is right. If it were the ancient era with abundant spiritual energy, the difficulty of establishing the Dao would be lower. Opening up a place in a cave-heaven small world makes it even more convenient to erase or re-establish the great vow of establishing the Dao."

"Many powerful figures have strange temperaments; it is normal if they establish some strange rules. Of course, some great vows of establishing the Dao do not conform to the Heavenly Dao and cannot last long."

Zhao Xing explained: "Therefore, the great vow of establishing the Dao is usually bound to certain things, most commonly bound to time, environment, the four seasons, or the fortune of a dynasty."

"Just like what I said just now, let's call him the 'Jixi Daoist' for now; this Jixi Daoist's great vow of establishing the Dao was bound to the time of day to set rules for his disciples."

"If the dojo is incomplete, it will disrupt the great vow of establishing the Dao, which will lead to major changes in the rules followed by those who enter the dojo."

Ye Yukong drew inferences: "In other words, it might become sleeping during the day, cultivating at night, and the prohibition of noise at the Zi hour becomes a requirement to speak at the Zi hour?"

Zhao Xing laughed: "If it were that easy, it would be easy to handle. I just said it was outrageous; do you think this counts as outrageous?"

"Ah? It gets even more outrageous?" Ye Yukong was suddenly a bit dazed. Could it really be to the extent of 'married men, no entry after'?

"Does the Grand Minister of Agriculture know which outrageous rules?" Ji Yun asked curiously.

"For example, sleeping and eating supplements need to be done at the same time," Zhao Xing gave an example. "For example, bathing and worship must be done at the same time."

Ji Yun: "..." Ye Yukong: "." God Luo King: "."

Eating while sleeping is strictly speaking impossible; if one is eating, one is not truly asleep.

Clearly, the rules are strict, so it is impossible to do both. The latter is even more eye-searing: bathing while worshiping?

Everyone is naked while bathing, and they still have to worship; wouldn't that be social death! "What happens if you violate it?" Cui Chengzhi asked.

"Death," Zhao Xing replied. "Hiss~"

Everyone gasped.

"No wonder they say exploring incomplete dojos is a relatively dangerous thing," Cui Chengzhi sighed.

Not to mention they are only at the first rank; even a true Rule-realm expert cannot withstand the power of the dojo.

Like the True Monarch of Departing Fire's Dao, the rule of 'borrowing fire to travel, walking to return'—if one doesn't have the corresponding permission, even a Rule-realm expert cannot violate it.

"There are relatively few incomplete Daos in the Profound Yellow Great World," Zhao Xing said. "Incomplete Daos are mainly concentrated in cave-heaven small worlds and blessed lands."

"As I said just now, if it deviates too much from the cycle of the Heavenly Dao, some functions of the dojo will also be erased, so we are basically living in a normal world and environment outside."

"It's not like you suddenly walk into a wilderness and are suddenly required to do a handstand to urinate, otherwise you die—it's not that outrageous."

"The Dao of the Dao-establishing realm must also conform to the cycle of the Heavenly Dao and cannot make life impossible to survive." Ji Yun was also speechless after hearing this: "In the secret realms discovered by the Great Zhou in the past, although there were incomplete dojos, they weren't this outrageous. Jixi Dao is too outrageous."

Zhao Xing shrugged: "You can't blame Jixi Dao for being outrageous; the tide of spiritual energy is also an important reason."

"The change from the era of primordial energy to the era of spiritual energy is a reconstruction of the principles of heaven and earth. In such a change, many of the Dao-establishing realm's tampering with the rules of heaven and earth will be cleared away."

"This process is slow, not achieved overnight, so in this process, the Dao left by the Dao-establishing realm is further distorted and becomes unrecognizable."

"Zhao Xing, how do you know so much?" Ye Yukong felt very shocked: "Could it be that Qing Yuzi has been here before?"

How do I know? Of course, it's the painful lessons learned by players through countless resurrections.

Qing Yuzi didn't have the leisure to record these things, and he might not have even been to the Gourd Heaven.

"Yes, he has visited many places in the Profound Yellow World," Zhao Xing nodded.

The God Luo King pondered: "Grand Minister of Agriculture, if we encounter that kind of impossible rule, wouldn't it be very dangerous? What should we do?"

Zhao Xing thought for a moment: "The first way to deal with it: some rules have a time buffer; we just need to exit Jixi Dao within this time and wait until it's safe to enter again."

"The second way to deal with it is to find a safe zone."

"As I said just now, since it is an incomplete dojo, some of its areas are unaffected; even a village or town could be a safe zone."

Hearing Zhao Xing say this, everyone felt that this place was extremely dangerous. But at the same time, in such a place, the probability of a breakthrough is also greater!

"Because the Dao established by the Dao-establishing realm needs to be erased, the fluctuations of the origin caused by the tide of spiritual energy are more intense in such areas."

"The probability of breaking through to the Rule realm will also be greater." "I have Qing Yuzi's inheritance, which can help you understand many bizarre rules. In addition, my original body will continuously send out clones to test for you first."

"How high is the probability?" The God Luo King was a rigorous person. "Seven out of ten break through; do you think that's high?" Zhao Xing said. "High! Too high!" Ye Yukong became excited. Seven out of ten, a seventy percent probability!

Not counting Ji Che, the Great Zhou currently only has eight Rule-realm experts; with such temptation in front of them, how could they not do it?

"The probability of death is also high."

"Grand Minister of Agriculture, if not for your reminder, what is the probability of death in Jixi Dao?" The God Luo King asked.

Zhao Xing glanced at Ji Yun; the latter had closed her eyes just now and now opened them again, her face somewhat pale: "Also seventy percent."

Cui Chengzhi shrugged and said: "Relax, if you want to seize the creation of heaven and earth, how can you not take any risks?"

"Cultivation is originally going against the heavens; even dying on the path of cultivation is very normal!" "Prince Zhao, would you say so or not?"

"Haha." Zhao Xing glanced at Cui Chengzhi and couldn't help but laugh; this guy had quite the spirit of 'taking life and death lightly, fight if you're not convinced.'

That's right, military doctors have seen too much life and death.

"Actually, even if there was only a ten percent probability, all parties would send people to try," the God Luo King said in a deep voice.

"If you don't come, and the enemy comes and breaks through, this is a great threat, which will lead to a serious imbalance in strength. If we go to war in the future, it will also cause heavy casualties."

"What's more, the probability of success here is high, and we have the Grand Minister of Agriculture's guidance." Ye Yukong asked: "Zhao Xing, can't we bring more people?"

Zhao Xing shook his head: "More people are useless. The changes brought by the tide of spiritual energy only produce enough creation of heaven and earth for a small number of people to break through."

Relying on weak first-rankers to pile up the success rate is not feasible.

Although the threshold for breaking through will be much lower in such a heaven-sent opportunity.

But not just anyone can break through; one must cultivate a domain, reach the perfection of the Life Palace realm, and satisfy some basic conditions.

"Everyone, I have already made clear what needs to be said; danger and opportunity coexist." Zhao Xing scanned the four of them. "You can choose for yourselves whether to go or not; neither His Majesty nor I will force any of you."

"If you choose not to go, no one will look down on you. Perhaps if you stay behind and wait for future development, you might go even further."

After Zhao Xing finished speaking, he quietly watched the four of them; such an opportunity is, of course, reserved for the most talented group of people.

Ye Yukong, the God Luo King, Ji Yun, and Cui Chengzhi are all peerless geniuses; if they break through, the help they bring to the Great Zhou will be very obvious.

"I'll go," Ji Yun spoke first.

Cui Chengzhi smiled and didn't speak again; he had already expressed his attitude just now.

The God Luo King nodded: "If I don't even have this bit of courage, I'm not worthy of going further."

"Me too!" Ye Yukong stood up. "Good," Zhao Xing laughed, "Let's set off."