Chapter 345

The Dao Discussion Assembly lasted from the autumn of the first year of Yuanshuo until the midsummer of the second year of Yuanshuo.

Grand Minister of Agriculture Zhao Xing's lectures were concentrated in the autumn of the first year of Yuanshuo; he only made occasional appearances during the following winter and the spring of the second year of Yuanshuo.

Afterward, it was mainly Liu Tianning, Mi Fu, Wang Tianzhi, Ling Tianchen, Qiu Yuanshan, Meng Kun, Ji Youtang, and others who took turns lecturing.

Lecturing for so long allowed more and more people to discover that it was not just Zhao Xing, Liu Tianning, and Mi Fu who practiced the Straw Man Art; even the deans and vice-deans of the Profound Heaven Academy and the Kunyuan Academy practiced advanced versions of the Straw Man Art.

Because Zhao Xing, as the Grand Minister of Agriculture, cultivated all three schools and often kept the concept of "the three schools as one" on his lips, and because the policies he promoted were consistent with his philosophy, more and more agricultural officials, influenced by him, stopped limiting themselves to a single school and began to cultivate techniques from the others.

"What those above prefer, those below will surely follow!"

"Zhao Xing is not only influencing the agricultural officials of the world with his ideological works, but he is also practicing them through his actual actions."

"The ambitious goals he spoke of to me in the Dharma Transmission Tower back then are now beginning to be realized; I truly didn't expect it."

Li Boqian was filled with emotion, then took a deep breath.

"Indeed." Xuanyuan Qingtian nodded. "With this Dao Discussion Assembly, he has first unified the thinking of the high-ranking agricultural officials; at the very least, in terms of legal theory, there is no longer a distinction of superiority or inferiority among the three schools."

"He also took advantage of the opportunity to lecture at the Yunmeng Academy to begin changing the clerk system, the Daoist official system, and the selection of military agricultural officials."

"He has listed the techniques of the Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage, and Self schools as mandatory studies."

"The Great Zhou's national fortune is flourishing, and with the Yunmeng Academy and the Profound Yellow Analysis Technique, the foundation for realizing his ideals is now in place."

The Yunmeng Academy opened up wisdom and transmitted the Dharma, which greatly increased the efficiency with which the subjects of the world could cultivate the Dharma and comprehend the Dao.

As the Great Zhou's national fortune rose, the Qi index of the nineteen provinces increased, which in turn accelerated the speed of Qi gathering.

With the difficulty of gathering Qi lowered, cultivating all three schools was no longer just empty talk.

In some Daoist academies, colleges, and agricultural inspectorates, the scope of teaching was not fixed; what one could learn depended entirely on the ratio of teachers from the three schools in those places.

But now it was different; the imperial court stipulated that the three schools of Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage, and Self must have equal teaching resources, and it standardized the technical curriculum.

The civil service examinations were the same; those who only cultivated the techniques of one school would not be able to "get ashore."

This situation would continue from the basic Daoist academy and college teaching stages all the way into the officialdom.

"The drawbacks of the Straw Man Art have also been resolved. In the future, there will be agricultural official gods of the Self school in the temples; Liu Tianning is the first agricultural official god of the Self school."

"Liu Tianning divides the world into three, Zhao Chenan unifies the rivers and mountains, hiss~" Li Boqian took a deep breath of incense.

"Just watch. It won't just be us agricultural officials who change. Once the Yunmeng Academy is out and Zhao Xing acts like this, I'm afraid martial artists and mechanism masters will all change as well," Xuanyuan Qingtian said leisurely. "What a magnificent era this is."

…………

Toward the end of the Dao Discussion Assembly, Zhao Xing's main energy was no longer on lecturing, but on meeting with some powerful figures from foreign countries.

Among them were the agricultural official Bo Hongde of the Xiangliu Kingdom, the agricultural official Pan Chang of the Fu Kingdom, the agricultural official Gaoshanyang of the Dongsang Kingdom... totaling three hundred and sixty-five small countries (tribes) and forty-two medium-sized countries.

It wasn't just about discussing the Dao; there were also substantive exchanges. For example, the Xiangliu Kingdom's agricultural official Bo Hongde requested that Zhao Xing send a group of officials to the Great Zhou to study, and as tuition, they would present some of the Xiangliu Kingdom's specialty treasures.

Zhao Xing was naturally willing; this was something he had already discussed with Ji Che.

Although the Great Zhou occupied the nineteen provinces and was rich in products, there were many good things in foreign countries. Exchanging technology for resources was definitely not a loss, and it could also spread the Great Zhou's influence to the surrounding areas, paving the way for the grand plan of ascension.

Apart from countries, there were those sects.

In the early spring of the second year of Yuanshuo, Zhao Xing met secretly with the Fog Walker and Daoist Yueying at the Cloud Courtyard of the Profound Heaven Academy.

"The 580th generation Guardian Elder of the Profound Heaven Divine Sect's Cloud Heaven Peak, Fog Walker, pays respects to the Divine Venerable."

Although the Fog Walker was the acting sect leader, he did not refer to himself as such because he was meeting Zhao Xing, so he still identified himself as an elder.

But the person beside him surprised Zhao Xing a little.

"The 223rd generation Supreme Elder of the Profound Heaven Divine Sect's Cloud Heaven Peak, Yueyingzi, pays respects to the Divine Venerable." Daoist Yueying's avatar bowed to Zhao Xing and stated his identity.

The 223rd generation? Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised.

A generation in the Divine Sect is counted by the millennium; this was an old monster from over three hundred thousand years ago!

No wonder Qing Yuzi had to go to the Profound Heaven Divine Sect to steal ice-sealing technology. Was there really someone who could wake up after being frozen for hundreds of thousands of years?

Seeing that Zhao Xing was somewhat puzzled, the Fog Walker explained, "Divine Venerable, the Grand Uncle-Master is indeed a figure from the sect's history. He was once at the perfection of the Rule Realm."

"I have met the old senior." Zhao Xing cupped his hands.

"In learning, there is no priority of age; those who have achieved are the teachers. In the Dao of the agricultural official, the Divine Venerable is the senior," Daoist Yueying said with some emotion.

That is how the sects outside the mainstream are; once a disciple's cultivation is equal to their teacher's, they no longer address each other as teacher and disciple, but as peers, and can call each other brothers.

If a disciple surpasses their teacher, they might even be called "Dao Master" by their former teacher.

The sect world is accustomed to measuring seniority by the level of one's Dao realm, rather than age or secular ethics. Such habits are even carried over into other aspects; there are even cases where disciples marry their teachers or even their grand-teachers.

Zhao Xing had originally thought the person next to the Fog Walker was a small follower, but he didn't expect the Fog Walker to be the follower.

"In that case, are there many awakened ones within the Divine Sect now?" Zhao Xing asked.

"There are fifteen people at my realm, three each for Wind, Rain, Thunder, Cloud, and Marquis's Change," Daoist Yueying said. "We are all the lucky ones of that era, having luckily awakened."

It was indeed lucky; Qing Yuzi had also given Zhao Xing a Great Ice-Sealing Spirit Coffin.

In the range of ten thousand to one hundred thousand years, there is a one hundred percent chance of waking up, with very small aftereffects.

Beyond one hundred thousand years, the aftereffects become larger and larger, and the probability of waking up becomes smaller and smaller.

People like Yueyingzi had been frozen for at least twenty thousand years, and the longest for over forty thousand years. Being able to wake up was simply a miracle, like winning the lottery.

"I luckily awakened in this world, and the Profound Heaven must have given me a mission. For the first few decades after waking up, I didn't know what to do," Daoist Yueying said in a leisurely tone. "The people I knew, those close to me, those I hated, are all gone."

"Now that I have seen the Divine Venerable, I finally know what my mission is."

"What mission does the Elder have?"

"To obey the Divine Venerable's orders, complete the grand feat of ascension, and escape the shackles of this Profound Yellow World."

Zhao Xing nodded with a smile, though he felt a bit strange inside. He felt as if he had a "kingly aura" buff on him, where strong people would bow down as soon as they saw him.

Daoist Yueying, a dignified Rule Realm expert, was actually willing to treat him as the master and listen to his orders.

"Good, I will be this sect leader." Zhao Xing nodded. "Fog Walker, Elder Yueying, after you return from this trip, you must unite the majority of people and secretly promote our dynasty's grand plan for ascension."

"However, do not be careless. You must act with caution. The Witch Moon God is in the Dao-Establishing Realm; do not attract its attention."

"Sect Leader, rest assured." The Fog Walker puffed out his chest. "We will definitely complete it!"

…………

In the third year of Yuanshuo, the Dao Discussion Assembly ended, but its influence continued to deepen.

At this time, Zhao Xing also stopped his sniping in the sect world.

"Cackle, cackle, cackle!!"

A pile of chicken souls on the Soul Banner was recovered, then constantly shrank and fell into the hands of the Soul Immortal.

"Hehe, hehe~"

Seemingly thinking of something, the Soul Immortal laughed non-stop.

"Can you stop laughing so lewdly? You've become more and more wretched ever since we fought the Joyous Sect," the Wind Immortal complained. "I feel like you'll end up serving the banner with your own body sooner or later."

"Want to come in and play? There are top-notch cauldrons inside," the Soul Immortal raised the banner.

"Okay, brother."

Flower Fairy: "..."

Zhao Xing was also used to the nature of these Heavenly Realm people. He pressed down the brim of his hat and said to the Flower Fairy, "Fairy, our cooperation has come to a temporary end. Please notify the Hall Master that the next cooperation will be at the Four Pillars Mountain, and at that time, I will give him what he wants."

The Flower Fairy nodded and said, "Good, I will notify the Hall Master."

"Many thanks."

Zhao Xing tipped his hat in salute, then his figure turned into clouds and mist, disappearing from where he stood.

…………

Whether it was the Yunmeng Academy or the Profound Yellow Analysis Technique, both required time to accumulate before results could be seen.

The general policy had been set, and Zhao Xing didn't need to worry too much about the remaining work of laying out the foundation.

His energy began to be distributed into two aspects.

One was to improve his comprehension of the Dao and refine his techniques. Although Ji Che was about to establish the Dao, he himself had to have solid strength to deal with the Witch Moon God's future assassinations.

The second was to prepare for the trip to the Dragon Court Ancient Land.

"Che, the current Dragon Court Ancient Land already has the conditions for unification. I only need to wait for the next appearance of the Heavenly Dragon Gate, and after I enter, I can begin to push this matter forward."

"I will use the Guting Kingdom as a foundation to conquer the other nine countries."

"There are two main purposes."

"First, to complete the remaining parts of the Dragon Emperor Code."

"Second, to break the rules of the Dragon Court Ancient Land and release the dragon race to join the Great Zhou's camp."

"As long as the Dragon Court Ancient Land becomes a part of our Great Zhou, then the final obstacle to your establishment of the Dao will vanish," Zhao Xing said.

The Dao Discussion Assembly and the Yunmeng Academy were not enough to allow Ji Che to quickly establish the Dao.

Ultimately, it was the sequence of the Qi tides; the speed at which the tides reached the Great Zhou was too slow.

According to the trajectory of his previous life, Ji Che would only be able to successfully establish the Dao and reach the realm of ascension in the next reign title, "Taichu," which was two hundred years later.

If he wanted Ji Che to establish the Dao ahead of time, he had to increase the Great Zhou's grand fortune once more.

Undoubtedly, the Dragon Court Ancient Land could satisfy this point.

And if Zhao Xing unified the Dragon Court and collected the parts of the Dragon Emperor Code, he could become the new generation of Dragon Emperor of the Dragon Court.

He would then be able to untie the shackles of the Dragon Court Ancient Land, allowing all dragons to come out of the Dragon Court Ancient Land!

This would be a massive force, and it could also reverse the Great Zhou's disadvantage in the early stages of the Qi tides.

Ji Che had a trace of worry in his eyes: "Big Brother, my power cannot erode the Dragon Court Ancient Land. Although the Witch Moon God cannot erode it either, the Southern Barbarians still have the Ke God, the Purple Dragon God, and the Nine Nether God. We don't know their realms. Since they are gods among totems, they will definitely not be weak. You must be careful in everything."

"I have a sense of proportion." Zhao Xing nodded. "There are still thirty-some years until the next opening of the Dragon Court; I will be well prepared."

Counting from Zhao Xing's first entry into the Dragon Court, the third opening of the Dragon Court was in the 62nd year of Yuan-shou. However, Zhao Xing did not have time to enter at that time.

The Yuan-shou era lasted a total of 120 years, meaning the 42nd year of Yuan-shou was the time for the fourth entry into the Dragon Court.

Zhao Xing planned to unify the Dragon Court Ancient Land and collect the Dragon Emperor Code during this time.

For one, it would allow Ji Che to establish the Dao earlier. When the Martial Emperor established the Dao, he could also take the opportunity to advance to the Rule Realm.

Secondly, it could make his ultimate technique, the Ancestral Dragon Transformation, more refined, and by the way, empty out the Dragon Court's treasures and spiritual energy to fill the void of the other two types of plants in the Four Seasons Divine Flower Dao Field.

"Once the Dragon Court is unified, I can begin to collect the spiritual energy of the world and prepare for the manual spiritual energy recovery. There are still thirty-nine years left; the time is quite sufficient."

Ji Che nodded. He looked at Zhao Xing: "Big Brother, before you go to the Dragon Court, have you considered getting married?"

Zhao Xing was slightly stunned: "Che, is there some discussion in the court that makes you have concerns?"

Ji Che shook his head: "No, this is just my personal concern. Big Brother, you are too hardworking and never have any time to enjoy yourself."

"You work so hard that sometimes I'm afraid the imperial historians will say that I, the Emperor, am too harsh, using one official as ten."

Zhao Xing: "I have the art of avatars to begin with. Only ten people? Who are you looking down on!"

"Call that historian over; I want to talk to him about why he wrote so little."

Ji Che laughed dumbly.

In the end, he still said: "Big Brother, are you really not considering my sister? Princess Yingluo is the most outstanding among my sisters besides the eldest."

If the Martial Emperor wanted to arrange a marriage, for anyone else, there would be no question of willingness, but this was Zhao Xing, so he had to probe the bottom first.

"If the Southern Barbarians are not destroyed, how can I have a home?" Zhao Xing said. "My energy is all here. Che, don't arrange a marriage for me."

"Alright." Ji Che also dismissed the idea. "Then at least set aside some time to enjoy yourself. It's also fine to go back to your home in Pinghai Prefecture often."

…………

Zhao Xing's family now lived in two places.

One was the old home in Nanyang County, Dayuan Prefecture, and the other was in Bixian County, Chongming Prefecture.

After Zhao Xing was enfeoffed as the Prince of Zhao, the entire Dayuan Prefecture became his fief, and Zhao Ruide and Madam Cai spent more time living in their old home.

Ji Che's rewards for Zhao Xing were very generous, always increasing the longevity of his family from time to time. Now Zhao Xing didn't have to worry about people sharing his national fortune; Madam Cai and Zhao Ruide's nominal positions had already been raised to the second rank.

Nominal positions and titles, but with glory and no real power.

Among the Zhao family descendants, only Zhao Zheng had real power; he had been staying at the border, reaching the official rank of a third-rank military officer.

His two younger sisters: Zhao Yuhuan was already a Doctor of Classics at the Bishui Daoist Academy, still single, and already had fourth-rank strength.

Zhao Yuling married in the middle of the Yuan-shou era and became the wife of Duke Wei, Wei Wuji.

His fourth younger brother, Zhao Chuanzong, had an increasingly large number of descendants after the family split.

He had average talent, but was a good hand at business. After splitting from the family, he lived quite comfortably.

After Zhao Xing was enfeoffed as a prince, the Martial Emperor's rewards did not extend to Zhao Chuanzong, who had already split from the family.

But after Zhao Chuanzong had money, he went to be a business official in the Charity Department, specializing in doing good deeds. After opening up the upward channel, he relied purely on resources to pile himself up to the late sixth rank.

However, he couldn't endure hardship; the tempering of the Earthly Fiend and Heavenly Gang was all ground out slowly over several decades.

"Zhao Chuanzong's talent is too poor; even piling up resources only got him to the sixth rank. He is much worse than the other brothers and sisters. It will probably be very difficult for him to live until the ascension. I'm afraid he won't even live for a few more decades now."

In the family, Zhao Chuanzong was the one who looked the oldest, already having white hair. Among those eating at the banquet, his branch had the most people.

Zhao Xing didn't recognize most of the younger generation; in fact, he wasn't very familiar with Zhao Chuanzong either.

Even with his sisters, he was only slightly familiar with Zhao Yuhuan; Zhao Yuling was only slightly better than Zhao Chuanzong. However, Zhao Yuling was ambitious and managed to marry a Duke's wife. "When one person attains the Dao, their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven, let alone them being my siblings. Even if I forbid anyone from opening doors of convenience for them, with these resources in hand, even a pig could live for several hundred more years," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "However, with a large family and a large business, it is inevitable that scoundrels will appear!"

Zhao Xing scanned the area and soon saw that among the Zhao family younger generation eating at the banquet in the outer hall, several had black-red murderous aura above their heads, which was clearly abnormal.

Just as he was looking, Madam Cai suddenly led a young man over: "Quick, Chen'er, call your Great Uncle."

"Great Uncle." A young man kowtowed in fear and trembling.

Madam Cai introduced happily: "Xing'er, this is your fourth brother's most outstanding grandson. His talent is quite good, and he is currently an official in Jin Prefecture."

Zhao Xing glanced at the young man in front of him; he looked honest and had a good temperament, but when his eyes met his own, he couldn't help but dodge.

"Eat." Zhao Xing said indifferently.

"Xing'er..." Madam Cai still wanted to say something, but Zhao Zheng saw that something was wrong and immediately interrupted: "Mother, eat first. Zhao Chen, you go out first."

"Yes, yes." Zhao Chen retreated from the small parlor, trembling.

Zhao Chuanzong's face was somewhat ugly; he didn't know why his eldest brother was so ungiving of face, not even paying any attention to him.

Looking one by one...

"Why are you so loud." Madam Cai felt a bit aggrieved. "I just wanted to show Xing'er the outstanding younger generation in the family."

"He looks honest, but he is actually full of bad water. In order to become a fifth-rank official, he secretly hired killers to kill his competitors." Zhao Xing glanced at Zhao Chuanzong. "I told you, you have many descendants, you must manage them well. Do you want to follow in the footsteps of the Prince of Beichen?"

"What? I, I didn't know." Zhao Chuanzong was suddenly terrified.

Madam Cai was also shocked: "This, how could..."

Zhao Xing said: "Zheng'er is not at home, the fourth sister has married out, the third sister is also in the Daoist academy, and the fourth brother is only sixth rank. If the descendants below want to hide something from you, whether they are human or ghost outside, how can you tell?"

"Chuanzong." Zhao Xing looked at Zhao Chuanzong.

"Here, here." Zhao Chuanzong trembled.

"By rights, you have split from the family, so how you develop is your own business. But you respect your parents every year and often accompany them, which is also fulfilling filial piety on our behalf. In terms of money, has the family ever treated you unfairly?"

"Yes, I owe everything I have today to the family." Zhao Chuanzong nodded quickly.

"Can I, as your eldest brother, still manage your family's affairs?"

"Of, of course." Zhao Chuanzong said seriously. "I have always respected my eldest brother."

"Good." Zhao Xing looked at Zhao Zheng: "From today on, Zheng'er, you will set aside some time to purge the scoundrels in the clan."

"Yes." Zhao Zheng accepted the order.

Zhao Xing then looked at Zhao Chuanzong: "I know you want to live, but you can't endure the hardship of cultivation. I forbade you from using the means of donating for office to open the upward channel above the sixth rank, so you wanted to cultivate descendants, which is understandable. However, your method went wrong; many evildoers have appeared among your descendants."

Zhao Xing also understood why Ji Che wanted him to go home; he was afraid that someone had impeached Zhao Chuanzong's branch.

"A long time ago, the family gave you a choice: whether you wanted money and enjoyment or cultivation and longevity. Now you still have one chance to choose. Make your choice."

Zhao Chuanzong struggled in his eyes. Madam Cai couldn't bear it, but Zhao Ruide pulled her up.

If you can't bear it, don't look; let the siblings handle it.

"I choose cultivation and longevity." Zhao Chuanzong hardened his heart.

"Don't be in a hurry to agree." Zhao Xing waved his hand, then looked at Zhao Zheng: "Tomorrow, you will donate all the money the fourth brother has earned over the years to the government, and handle all the wrongdoers in the clan strictly. As for the remaining innocent clansmen, split them up again, arrange their money properly, and those three generations later must not come to participate in the family banquet again."

"In addition, throw Zhao Chuanzong into the Shenwei Army's bitter soldier camp, change his appearance, take a pseudonym, and don't let anyone know his identity."

Zhao Xing glanced at Zhao Yuhuan, Zhao Yuling, and Zhao Zheng: "No one is allowed to give him extra help until he can cultivate to the fifth rank on his own."

Then he looked at Zhao Chuanzong: "Zheng'er also went through this. If you choose this path, don't blame your eldest brother if you die."

"If you still only want to live a peaceful life, except for the few who have committed heinous crimes, I can use the Prince's immunity to deal with the other descendants lightly, ensuring you live the rest of your decades in peace and happiness. But after that, you will have no more connection with the Zhao family."

"It is my poor discipline that has brought shame to the family. I choose to go to the bitter soldier camp to redeem my sins." Zhao Chuanzong had some ruthlessness in his bones. He grew up influenced by the heroic deeds of his two brothers, and at this moment, he made his choice.

Zhao Xing waved his hand, and a gust of wind wrapped around Zhao Chuanzong and the guilty clansmen outside, and then they went to where they should go.

After doing all this, Zhao Xing looked at Zhao Zheng, Zhao Yuhuan, and Zhao Yuling: "Go and invite your parents back to continue eating."

"Yes."

…………

Zhao Xing didn't want to play any family-style games; he only cared about Zhao Ruide, Madam Cai, and Zhao Zheng.

He had no blood relationship with these people; it was just maintained by emotion. He didn't have deep feelings for Zhao Yuhuan, Zhao Yuling, and Zhao Chuanzong; the reason he helped them was just because of the grace attached to this family.

After dealing with the messy affairs of Zhao Chuanzong's branch, Zhao Xing left an avatar at home.

The main body came to the branch academy in Tianyuan Prefecture to cultivate.

The dean of the Profound Heaven Academy's Tianyuan branch was still Lu Chunhua; he was Li Boqian's disciple and could be considered Zhao Xing's senior fellow apprentice.

However, the Great Zhou didn't pay much attention to this, and Zhao Xing just treated him as an ordinary branch dean, greeted him, and entered the top floor of the Dharma Transmission Tower to start preparing for the Dragon Court Ancient Land in thirty-nine years.

Thirty-nine years later, the 42nd year of Yuan-shou, early spring.

On the top floor of the Dharma Transmission Tower, Zhao Xing opened his eyes.

"Now my domain has fully reached the seventh rank."

"The Taiyin Purple Wind domain and the Three Lights Divine Water domain have even reached the eighth rank."

"With the breakthrough of the other domains, the Self domain also broke through, reaching the seventh rank level."

"The cultivation of the Three Divine Life Palaces has not fallen behind; the soul has reached the middle stage of the Domain Realm."

"The ultimate wind technique, 'Wind of Destruction,' is at the seventh turn."

"The ultimate cloud technique, 'Cloud Heaven Dao,' has reached the sixth turn."

"The ultimate rain technique, 'Heavenly Erosion,' has reached the seventh turn."

"The ultimate technique, 'Origin Seal,' is already at the sixth turn."

"The ultimate Marquis's Change technique, 'Ancestral Dragon Transformation,' is at the third turn; the Pig Transformation is at the fourth turn, the Morning-Calling Yellow Ear Transformation is at the ultimate fourth turn, and the Heavenly Cuckoo Transformation is at the third turn."

"Among the ultimate techniques of Heavenly Timing, the weakest is the Ancestral Dragon Transformation," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

The Marquis's Change technique is indeed the most difficult to cultivate; it involves changes in the physical life structure, and Zhao Xing's physical body is only at the Life Palace Realm. If he wants the Marquis's Change technique to make a major breakthrough, he must fully enter the Rule Realm.

"However, my ultimate soul technique, 'Soul-Devouring Spear,' has made rapid progress and is already at the sixth turn."

"At the same time, in these thirty-nine years, I began to cultivate the ultimate Earth Palace technique, 'Return to Ruins Earth Palace,' reaching the ultimate fourth turn."

"The ultimate Earth Treasury technique, 'Profound Yellow Opening the Earth,' is at the ultimate third turn."

"The mountain technique and the Profound Earth technique are still at the top-level perfection; no new techniques have been created," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Although he had Qing Yuzi's inheritance, Qing Yuzi was of the Heavenly Timing school, so it was still difficult to create new ultimate techniques for the Earthly Advantage and Self schools.

"Especially the Self school; except for the Reverse Origin Technique, which can barely be considered an auxiliary ultimate technique, it took me a long time to cultivate the other four techniques—Analysis, Foundation Strengthening, Condensation, and Bending—to top-level perfection. They are the most time-consuming of all techniques."

The techniques of the Self school are all about breaking the shackles of plant life; this is even harder than the Marquis's Change technique!

The Marquis's Change technique is internally cultivated and involves changes in one's own life level, while the four major techniques of the Self school all aim to raise the level of plant life.

Plant life structures are complex and diverse, making it difficult to master them all.

"The second level of the Soldier-Using Divine Decision is complete; I can already fully project Rule Realm plants."

"In terms of technical effectiveness, the 'Heaven and Earth Seed Soldier Scripture' and the 'Soldier-Using Divine Decision' each have their own strengths and weaknesses."

"My Soldier-Using Divine Decision has the Rule Jump move, while Old Liu's Heaven and Earth Seed Soldier Scripture has the 'Inverting the Heavenly Gang' move, allowing pure origin projections to be briefly deployed in the sky."

Zhao Xing sorted out what he had learned over the past thirty-nine years, then took a step out and disappeared from the Dharma Transmission Tower.

…………

Deep in the East Sea, golden light stretched for ten thousand miles, waves surged, and the Heavenly Dragon Gate reappeared after a century.

This opening of the Dragon Court was clearly different from before.

First of all, there were more powerful figures. Previously, the strongest combat power sent by all parties was only comparable to the Rule Realm.

But now, there were over thirty true Rule Realm experts.

The Great Zhou side also had to send multiple Rule Realm experts to suppress the formation, including the Prince of Rahu, the commander of the Divine Host Army Dong Ze, the Prince of Beichen Qin Feng, the Prince of Shenluo Luo Tian, the commander of the Wuyao Army 'Li Hao', the Grand Minister of Works Lu Ying, and the High Priest Wei Hong.

The Juzi Palace, the Sun and Moon Palace, the Divine Host warships, the Earth-Piercing Divine Boats, the Ten Thousand Heavy Mountains, and various heavy weapons of the imperial court were all sent out.

There was no other way. Benefiting from the Qi tides, the number of Rule Realm experts born in the Outer Alliance also increased rapidly. Zhao Xing had been causing destruction for decades, but he couldn't completely stop the birth of Rule Realm experts.

However, the Prince of Rahu, who was presiding over the overall situation, was not panicked at all; he even drove the warships and palaces to the center, acting in a way that was arrogant and showing off.

General Dong Ze and the Prince of Beichen were a bit panicked; it was clear that the strength of the enemy and ourselves was somewhat unequal. Why was the Prince of Rahu so calm?

And Zhao Xing was the same; he was even smiling!

"The Outer Alliance has sent a total of twenty-eight Rule Realm experts."

"We only have seven; this is a fourfold gap."

"Could it be that this is the bearing of the Grand Marshal and the Grand Minister of Agriculture?"

Zhao Xing naturally wanted to smile.

In terms of numbers, the Outer Alliance was indeed four times that of the Great Zhou, but half of them were turncoats.

"Including the Purple Bone Heavenly Venerable, the Corpse Puppet Sect's Zhangsun Kui, the Profound Heaven Sect's Fog Walker, Daoist Yueying..."

"If the Outer Alliance really dared to fight, with one order from me, half of them would rebel on the spot!"

"The heavy weapons built by the Purple Bone Heavenly Venerable would immediately turn their muzzles."

The Prince of Rahu was one of the only two ministers who knew this information, so he was not panicked at all.

With Zhao Xing here, if they really fought, the Great Zhou would definitely be the one taking advantage.

"Where does the Great Zhou get its confidence?" Tuoba Gong was also puzzled. "They only have seven strong men. Could it be that the Prince of Rahu has already advanced to the legendary Dao-Establishing Ascension Realm?"

"Impossible. The Witch Moon God once said that besides Ji Che, who could reach the Dao-Establishing Realm, it is impossible for a second person to exist in the Great Zhou now."

"Could it be that there is a backup plan?"

As the commander of the alliance, Tuoba Gong pondered for a moment and then ordered the allied forces to retreat a certain distance, allowing the Great Zhou to maintain the closest distance to the Dragon Gate.

"Don't care if the Great Zhou is playing an empty city strategy; the main purpose this time is to snipe Zhao Xing," Tuoba Gong thought to himself. "This opening of the Dragon Court is an unprecedented change. Divine Generals descend to the Dragon Court. Hmph, if Zhao Xing dies, we will have removed a major hidden danger..."

Tuoba Gong was also very confident.

The era when Zhao Xing could show off in the Dragon Court Ancient Land was about to be gone forever!

Because one of their gods would appear in the Dragon Court Ancient Land!

"Let you be proud for a moment."

"When the news of Zhao Xing's death comes back, you'll have plenty to cry about!" Tuoba Gong looked at the secret chamber door behind him, where two purple coiled dragons were flickering with a faint light on both sides of the door.

……

Inside the Juzi Palace, stars surrounded Ji Si's head, constantly flickering with fragments of the future.

There were three stable auspicious stars flickering brightly above his head, while more disordered ominous stars streaked past. These stars flashed and disappeared, making the future as elusive as a meteor.

When Ji Si finished his cultivation, he saw the Prince of Rahu and Zhao Xing appear before him.

"How is it?" the Prince of Rahu asked with concern. "Is there any problem?"

"Yes." Ji Si nodded, picked the three stars above his head, and then they turned into three words: "Purple Dragon God."

"Purple Dragon God?" The Prince of Rahu frowned. "What does that mean?"

"The Purple Dragon God is the god worshipped by the Purple Dragon Court," Ji Si said. "I suspect that their branch has a close connection with the Dragon Court, which is why the Southern Barbarians can never be killed off in the Dragon Court and can always maintain a certain number. I'm afraid there is something protecting them."

"No need to suspect; it is." Zhao Xing looked at the three star-words "Purple Dragon God," and some fragments of the future appeared on them.

Because Ji Si held a top-grade Star Fortune Strategy comparable to a World Weapon, even non-fate officials could clearly see some fragments.

Zhao Xing captured a scene. Others might not understand this scene, but he understood it.

"In the era when the last Dragon Emperor 'Jie' was born, there were three such supreme dragon eggs."

Zhao Xing recalled the scene he had just seen. It was in a huge cave, with dragon-shaped light pillars covering three huge dragon eggs.

There were mysterious secret patterns on the dragon eggs. The ones on the left and right had already hatched, while the one in the middle was floating.

Zhao Xing had taken the one in the middle back then, and it was now placed in the pure origin soil within his body.

"Since you said it's the Purple Dragon God, I understand." Zhao Xing replicated this scene with a technique. "The dragon egg on the left is Dragon Emperor Jie, and the dragon egg on the right should be the Purple Dragon God who escaped."

"What?" Ji Si and the Prince of Rahu were both stunned. "How long ago was that?"

"Although the Dragon Court was active in the ancient era, Dragon Emperor Jie was the last Dragon Emperor, so the time node is relatively close. It should have reached the ancient era."

"The Profound Heaven Divine Sect has a way to sleep for hundreds of thousands of years; the dragon race, which is long-lived to begin with, may not be unable to sleep for that long."

"In that case..." the Prince of Rahu pondered: "The reason the Purple Dragon God awakened this time is because of the Qi tides?"

"That should be it." Zhao Xing nodded. "This opening of the Dragon Court is different from the past. As long as the Dragon Court is unified, there is a chance to completely release the dragon race from the ancient land. Unifying it in other eras would be useless."

"After this time, the gate of the Dragon Court will not close after only twenty years, but will exist for a long time."

"Whoever can obtain this force of the dragon race will see their national fortune soar and their strength greatly increase. I'm afraid the Purple Dragon God is not here to kill me, but to compete for the Dragon Emperor Code."

Ji Che and Ji Si had fought the Witch Moon God back then and obtained some information. The success rate of the two assassination opportunities was the highest, and the probability here in the Dragon Court was the lowest. Since that was the case, why would the Dragon Court send people to do useless work?

When Zhao Xing said this, Ji Si understood. It turned out the real purpose was not to kill Zhao Xing, but to seize the authority of the Lord of the Dragon Court.

Smoke began to rise from Ji Si's head, and the nebula rotated above his head. He subconsciously began to deduce, but Zhao Xing stopped Ji Si.

"Lord Ji, don't calculate anymore. You only have one life; use it sparingly."

Zhao Xing stopped Ji Si confidently and calmly: "Just rest assured, he can't snatch it from me."