Chapter 528: God King Tower, Crisis Intelligence, Lord of Cold Food

"I accept." Zhao Xing made his decision quickly. Although it was strange that he could inherit Wei Tianchen's legacy, there was no reason for him to refuse something that came with benefits.

"Please follow me." The black-robed figure invited Zhao Xing into the interior of the palace.

The Shadow Sanctuary was a neutral faction; there was no reason for them to use this matter to trap him. Even if there were something strange, there was nothing to fear, so Zhao Xing walked into the palace with composure.

The interior of the palace was filled with countless boxes, resembling a massive seven-star cabinet. Drawers constantly opened and closed; countless papers flew out from within, drifting toward the unknown, while many other papers jumped in to be stored in the drawers.

"The Shadow Sanctuary is a neutral faction. We only provide a platform and never participate in the power struggles of any force," the black-robed figure introduced to Zhao Xing.

"Whether it be Evil Gods or Righteous Gods, the Shadow Sanctuary does not favor any side."

"What is the purpose of the Shadow Sanctuary, and who established it?" Zhao Xing asked curiously, since he was now a part of it.

"Self-interest." The black-robed figure smiled. "Why must there be a purpose? Well, if you must say, the original intention behind the founding of the Shadow Sanctuary was for amusement."

"Amusement?" The black-robed figure's answer caught Zhao Xing by surprise.

"The several founders of the Shadow Sanctuary neither wanted to save the world nor destroy it." The black-robed figure chuckled lightly. "

They only wanted to watch the world quietly."

"In a state of Divine Concealment, a Carefree God King can almost live as long as the universe. If there is still a Divine Tribulation, it would be the destruction of the universe itself."

"A long life must have some amusement, and it must be safe, without breaking Divine Concealment."

"And so, the Shadow Sanctuary was created?" Zhao Xing was somewhat confused.

The Shadow Sanctuary was actually a tool for the amusement of certain Carefree God Kings?

However, Zhao Xing felt there was some truth to what the black-robed figure said. How did the name 'Carefree God' come about? It was because there was a group of gods who did not want to follow any rules and only wanted to live freely and at ease.

If you stripped away the world-saving and world-destroying ends of this group of Carefree Gods, the middle portion consisted of pure 'fun-loving' gods who neither wanted to save the world nor destroy it, but only wanted to watch the spectacle.

How to watch the spectacle? The Shadow Sanctuary was the method. The tasks issued by the Shadow Sanctuary represented grudges and grievances; that was the myriad states of the world!

The black-robed figure continued the introduction: "You have inherited Wei Tianchen's six-star client status. Besides being able to post and accept tasks in the Shadow Sanctuary, you have many additional functions."

"For example, he left a reserve fund in the Shadow Sanctuary in advance, to be used for resurrection and reincarnation."

"However, the place where Wei Tianchen died was quite special, and the method was also quite unique. He essentially died in a forbidden zone, so this reserve fund could no longer be used."

"Is this reserve fund a large amount?" Zhao Xing asked curiously.

"It is large." The black-robed figure nodded. "After you reappeared in the Xuanling Star Domain, the Sanctuary discovered that the spiritual imprint Wei Tianchen left in the Sanctuary had vanished."

"As a six-star client, if a spiritual imprint disappears, the Shadow Sanctuary will actively confirm the client's status—whether they have already died or are trapped somewhere."

"If they are dead, we resurrect the client; if they are trapped, we rescue them."

"The reserve fund is consumed based on the difficulty of the resurrection or rescue."

"That time, we mobilized seven Divine Generals to travel to different space-times to search for Wei Tianchen."

Seven Divine Generals?! Zhao Xing was stunned. He seemed to have underestimated Wei Tianchen's foundation; this guy really seemed to have inherited a national treasury.

"What was the result?"

"The result was that he was truly dead."

"Could you not bring him back from a space-time where he was still alive? Reversing time to resurrect him or something?" Zhao Xing asked.

"You have some misconceptions about resurrection." The black-robed figure shook his head.

"Please enlighten me." Zhao Xing asked sincerely.

"Seeing as you are... it will be easy to understand once you reach the Divine Realm."

The black-robed figure waved his hand, and a cyan river appeared before them.

"Look, this is the River of Time. It contains the movement of life and matter within the origin of the universe; it is the complex evolution of fate, "

"causality, and space."

"This kind of complex, overall evolution is difficult to reverse because it has a clear direction."

The black-robed figure waved his hand again, and light spots appeared within the cyan River of Time: "These light spots represent Wei Tianchen's spatial positions at different time periods."

Zhao Xing looked carefully; the River of Time was motionless.

When the black-robed figure waved his hand again, the River of Time began to move.

"Wei Tianchen's cultivation in space, the things he did, and his experiences interacted with the entire cosmic space and other life forms. Can you see any changes?"

Zhao Xing looked carefully and saw countless light spots connected by three lines.

"Three extra... lines?"

The black-robed figure nodded: "You could say that."

"Among the three lines, the easiest to identify is the causality line."

"Next is the life line, and then the fate line. There are also some more obscure Daos that run through the beginning to the end, but they are very obscure and are not used as a basis for judgment."

*Whoosh*—the black-robed figure pushed forward, and the river churned with waves.

Suddenly, Wei Tianchen in a section of the river disappeared.

"In the last solar year of the second era of the Desolate Domain, Wei Tianchen disappeared. There are three possibilities for this disappearance."

"One: Becoming a god. Whether it is a Carefree God or a True God, one can gather all causality, fate, and life lines across endless space-time."

Zhao Xing understood; this was jumping out of the Three Realms and not being within the Five Elements, effectively stepping ashore from the River of Time.

They were no longer restricted by many cosmic rules, which was why divine power possessed such immense might.

"Two: Death. After death, the origin dissipates and cannot form life, returning to the universe to transform back into the origin of Dao, no longer being a manifested life form."

Zhao Xing nodded. The Dao Ancient layer, the Manifestation layer, and the Dao Manifestation layer were also talking about the manifestation of the Great Dao origin in different forms.

It was like how liquids and solids are easy to see, while air is difficult to see.

Dao manifests as phenomena; the abstract is 'Dao', which is the origin.

"Three: Being swept into another node by the River of Time."

The black-robed figure explained: "Based on some clues, we discovered that Wei Tianchen was trapped in a certain space-time secret realm, "

"but we did not act immediately."

"Because although his causality line was broken, his life line and fate line were in an entangled state; it was still possible for them to continue into the third era of the Desolate Domain."

"If he could come out in the future, that would be the client's own privacy, so we would not act immediately."

"But in the end, his three lines did not extend into the third era of the Desolate Domain, so we had to investigate."

Zhao Xing saw that at the node of the third era of the Desolate Domain, Wei Tianchen disintegrated from a human shape into lines.

This metaphorical feature represented that Wei Tianchen would die and not exist in the third era of the Desolate Domain.

"Sending Divine Generals was just to confirm the space-time territory where he disappeared."

"To save him, we must also find where this causality line of his broke, bring it back, "

"and make causality, fate, and life merge again, integrating into the third era of the Desolate Domain."

"That is what we commonly call resurrection."

"Why is it impossible to do?" Zhao Xing asked the initial question again.

"Because Wei Tianchen is not a god; his past and future are one."

"Is the Divine Realm not?"

"Hmm, the situation is different for a Divine Realm that has completed preliminary Divine Concealment. If you want to know how to kill and resurrect a god in Divine Concealment, that will require payment."

"How much?" Zhao Xing thought of Qing Yuzi's state and subconsciously asked for the price.

"Since you are a six-star client, we can give you a discount: three low-grade Dao artifacts, or one mid-grade Dao artifact will suffice."

"So expensive?"

"The Dongyan Ancient Clan bought the method from us back then, and the price was even higher."

"Forget it, I don't really want to learn it anyway." Zhao Xing shook his head.

The black-robed figure did not say much more, gently reaching his finger into the River of Time, attempting to pull out a light spot.

Soon, Zhao Xing saw countless Wei Tianchens being pulled up, as if lifting a fishing net from the water.

"Snap, snap, snap"—very quickly, the lines broke one after another, scattering into the origin.

"Look, this kind of resurrection is not feasible, because in the process of pulling, it will be snapped by the River of Time itself, which is equivalent to killing him the moment you take him away from that space-time."

"True resurrection should be like this." The black-robed figure gently reached his finger into the River of Time. "At the time point where Wei Tianchen's causality line broke, find this line and repair it successfully."

"That is to say, there must be a god who goes to the space-time node where Wei Tianchen was swept into, brings back his scattered origin to the end of the second era of the Desolate Domain, and reconnects his causality, fate, and life lines."

"Making these lines continue on the main Great Dao of time, reaching the third era of the Desolate Domain, and condensing into Tianchen once again—that is resurrection."

"Of course, this is a relatively simple situation."

"This is simple?" Zhao Xing felt as if he were listening to a heavenly book.

"Of course, he is not a god, so it is simple." The black-robed figure said: "If it were a resurrection in the Divine Realm, just collecting the scattered divine power origin would be very difficult; some have even transformed into another substance and can no longer be changed."

"However, the resurrection method I just mentioned starts from the individual." The black-robed figure said. "There is another situation, which is distorting the River of Time itself."

The black-robed figure waved his hand, and the river appeared before Zhao Xing's eyes from a bird's-eye view.

*Whoosh*—

The black-robed figure waved his hand, and the originally straight river sprouted countless branches, like a bare tree growing limbs.

"Changing the River of Time itself means locally and extensively changing a certain piece of heaven and earth, cutting it off and making it independent, like digging a river channel, and then—"

The black-robed figure's finger moved, and a certain tributary extended out, took a turn, and merged with the main trunk at some moment in the future.

"The Moon God Palace Master holds the Xuanling History Book, and the Reincarnation Palace Master uses the Derivative God Stele; they can achieve this level of change. Therefore, the resurrections they lead are large-scale resurrections, especially the Reincarnation Palace Master, who possesses the highest level of resurrection power."

"Assuming they cannot resurrect someone, then that person is truly dead beyond hope. However, the cost of this is also extremely high. If a major historical event occurs in a certain area at a certain time, it is very difficult to distort it. For example, the time when the Era Worms and History Book Worms appeared, as well as the time and place where that Cold God King descended."

The black-robed figure pointed, and a massive mountain appeared at the fork in the road, used to represent those historical events that are difficult to change.

"Of course, in terms of the distortion with the lowest cost, it is still the altar resurrection type." The black-robed figure pointed to the center of the river and zoomed in on a certain area. "Distortion and backflow occur within the main river of time, which is also equivalent to changing a fact, letting the broken line tie a knot at that time and be repaired."

"So the Reincarnation Palace Master relying on the Derivative God Stele is the strongest resurrection power? It seems the Shadow Sanctuary's intelligence is more objective." Zhao Xing was thoughtful.

Previously, chatting with Venerable Fu Ping and others in Ten Thousand Star City, including listening to Lu Ya's account, had led Zhao Xing to believe that the Moon God Palace Master, who held the Xuanling History Book, possessed the strongest resurrection power.

"Then after inheriting it, how much reserve fund do I have left?" Zhao Xing asked.

*Whoosh*—the black-robed figure waved his large hand, and the illusion of the River of Time disappeared, replaced by two small and one large miniature pagodas.

"These are Divine Power Towers; the small ones are called Divine General Towers, and the large one is called the God King Tower."

Zhao Xing looked at the black-robed figure, waiting for him to explain the use of the Divine Power Towers.

"The reserve fund is mainly used for resurrection and search and rescue. The amount of treasure stored in the Shadow Sanctuary determines the amount of power that can be mobilized to complete a resurrection or search and rescue."

"There are many ways to build a Divine Tower; the fastest way is of course to provide precious divine objects, and the slowest way is to infuse divine power origin into it."

"Occasionally there are some Divine Power Tower tasks, but this is not a conventional method."

After listening, Zhao Xing was extremely shocked. The bulk of Wei Tianchen's true treasures were actually stored in the Shadow Sanctuary!

One God King Tower, two Divine General Towers.

"Old Wei is simply... did he inherit the national treasury of the Five Emperors era?"

Hearing the black-robed figure finish explaining the rules for building the Divine Towers, Zhao Xing fell into deep shock.

Master Zhao could be considered to have seen a lot of money, but seeing Wei Tianchen's family fortune, he was still somewhat shocked.

Compared to Wei Tianchen, he was simply a pauper.

"He has so much money, yet he still couldn't be resurrected?" Zhao Xing looked at the two small and one large Divine Towers.

Logically speaking, Old Wei even had a God King Tower, so why couldn't he be successfully resurrected?

"He couldn't." The black-robed figure shook his head. "According to the information obtained by the seven Divine Generals who searched, the final conclusion was that even a God King could not descend to Wei Tianchen's death site, resurrect him, and bring him back."

Zhao Xing nodded. It seemed the specifications of the Fengchan Site in historical space-time were too high; even a God King could not touch it.

So to speak, there were originally seven Divine General Towers here, which disappeared after being consumed once.

"Old Wei really destroyed himself." Zhao Xing felt some emotion. Where couldn't he have died? He had to die in the Xuanhuang World of history.

"Wei Tianchen was only a demigod; where did his wealth come from?" Zhao Xing asked curiously.

"This intelligence will cost the first layer of divine power of a Divine General Tower. Will you pay?"

"Uh, forget it, I'm not that curious." Zhao Xing thought about it and extinguished his curiosity. Building one layer of a Divine Tower was very difficult; the first layer of a Divine General Tower would require consuming a low-grade Dao artifact.

Wei Tianchen might have had experiences similar to his own. When he obtained the Great Dream Academy in the Xuanhuang World back then, that was the rich treasury accumulated by the Li Dynasty.

Next, under the guidance of the black-robed figure, Zhao Xing checked his six-star client permissions.

He didn't look, but once he did, he was startled. The Shadow Sanctuary could even travel through space-time to save people and also provided channels for space-time travel!

As long as the Divine Power Tower built was tall enough, one could invite a God King to take action.

No wonder Wei Tianchen was so unscrupulous, daring to take such great risks to capture him twice, and still being able to remain at ease under a full-domain wanted notice.

And Pu Yan, who back then also successfully gained a foothold in the Monster Race region with the help of the Shadow Sanctuary.

Even the resurrection planned by the Dongyan Ancient Clan back then borrowed the Shadow Sanctuary as a tool.

"The Shadow Sanctuary created by a group of fun-loving gods is truly powerful." The more Zhao Xing looked, the more he felt the Shadow Sanctuary's foundation was profound.

"By the way, does the Sanctuary have the Divine Law of the Heavenly Time Faction, or things like the Origin of the Polar Star?" Zhao Xing asked.

"As a six-star client, you can post a cross-space-time bounty." The black-robed figure said: "The Sanctuary can help you broadcast this bounty, making your bounty reach countless space-times. The Sanctuary itself does not hold these things."

"The axis of these cabinets to the left is for past space-time, to the right is for future space-time, and above and below the axis is for the current space-time."

"The individual drawers to the left and right represent specific time nodes, divided into eras, solar years, and world-star years."

"You put the bounty content into the drawer, and you can wait for news."

Zhao Xing looked at the row of cabinets in front of him with great curiosity. He had previously felt that this row of cabinets was very special, and now he saw that it was actually a channel for cross-space-time bounties.

"Why are there so few cabinets representing the future?" Zhao Xing asked.

There were many eras in the past, continuous and unbroken, with hundreds of millions of rows, and countless cabinets.

To the right, however, there were only three large zones.

"Bounties heading to the future can be delayed by at most one era. This is because the future has not yet been determined." The black-robed figure said: "It is very easy to be changed."

Zhao Xing thought of the solidification and distortion of the Xuanling History Book, and immediately understood.

"Can I know about future events through this cabinet? For example, writing a letter to my future self or something."

The black-robed figure smiled: "Theoretically, it is possible, but it would not be as effective as you visiting the Ten Directions Mountain yourself. Its utility would not be stronger than the first divination of the Ten Directions. But the cost incurred might be even greater."

"Perhaps you consume the reserve of a God King Tower, and the answer you get only has a fifty percent certainty."

Zhao Xing also realized he had asked a stupid question. Wasn't this the same as divination? It would be better to seek answers from the group of Fate Masters.

"Can I know how you confirmed that I inherited the legacy, rather than seizing it?" Zhao Xing still felt that the happiness had come too suddenly, and he was somewhat suspicious, fearing he was being trapped.

"I can pay for this intelligence."

The black-robed figure was silent for a while, then shook his head: "No, this intelligence is not for sale."

Zhao Xing was thoughtful. There were a few possibilities for the Shadow Sanctuary's intelligence not being for sale. One was that it involved another high-permission holder, and the other was that it would shake the foundation of the Shadow Sanctuary.

However, looking at the black-robed figure's firm attitude, Zhao Xing could not find out.

"Fine, then I won't ask."

"Do you have any other needs, such as posting a bounty task or something?"

"Not for now. If there is any intelligence regarding me, you should actively remind me, right?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Yes, we provide some conveniences for six-star clients. If some unfavorable events are predicted, we will actively contact you and ask if you need to purchase this prediction result."

"For example, back then we predicted Pu Yan's death, and there was a thirty percent possibility, but he did not purchase this intelligence, and in the end, he was captured by someone invited by Venerable Bo Meng and sent to you."

"You possess a God of Fate Masters?"

"This belongs to non-sale confidential intelligence."

"Fine."

Zhao Xing felt that the Shadow Sanctuary must have a quite large group of gods serving it; otherwise, it would be impossible to extend its tentacles into multiple space-times.

It seems the standard for a super faction is that its influence can cross space-time barriers.

From the tip of the iceberg that Zhao Xing had glimpsed, the Shadow Sanctuary's Divine Realm might be even more complete than other super factions.

Zhao Xing stayed in the palace for quite a while, getting a general understanding of the permissions Wei Tianchen had left behind.

"As a neutral faction, the Shadow Sanctuary might be more convenient when doing certain things." Zhao Xing thought to himself. "For example, I can post treasure-hunting tasks to past space-times, searching for legendary species that are already extinct in the current space-time, "

"and even god-level species."

"The pretexts are more numerous than the Xuanling Treasure Pavilion."

Many things were considered forbidden items in the current time, such as the Ten Thousand Soul Banner; the Desolate Domain faction would never allow such demonic cultivation methods to exist.

If Zhao Xing wanted to cultivate demonic seeds, it would be difficult to exchange for them from the Desolate Domain faction. But here at the Shadow Sanctuary, there was no such thing as forbidden items; it only depended on whether you could afford the price.

Moreover, cross-space-time trading had the benefit of not suffering from causal backlash. For example, refining souls—if you refined them in the current space-time, even if you did it very secretly and were not caught by the Judicial Divine Generals of the human race's high-level, you would still bear the causal backlash of the current space-time.

If it were a cross-space-time trade, then the current causal backlash would be borne by the other party, and it would not be transmitted across space-time.

Safe, secret, numerous pretexts, capable of satisfying different needs, and even some professions that had been 'slashed', such as priests, could be satisfied here at the Shadow Sanctuary.

"Phew—it's time to go out. I can't let Divine General Xin, Lu Ya, and Yan Ao worry."

Zhao Xing prepared to leave the Shadow Sanctuary. This spiritual space could be left with just a thought.

He had already left a spiritual imprint here, so he could come anytime he wanted later without needing the black-robed figure's guidance. Just as Zhao Xing stepped over the threshold of the palace and wanted to leave, suddenly, *swish*—

The black-robed figure appeared in front of Zhao Xing again.

"Hmm? What is this..."

"I have a piece of 【Crisis Intelligence】 regarding you." The black-robed figure spoke. "Do you want to purchase it?"

Crisis intelligence regarding me? Zhao Xing's heart sank.

"How much?"

"It requires consuming the divine power accumulation of the first layer of the God King Tower."

"What?!"

Zhao Xing was startled.

The first layer of the God King Tower—this was simply too terrifying. The divine power of ten Divine General Towers wouldn't be enough to fill the first layer of the God King Tower, and the God King Tower only had nine layers.

Now there was a piece of crisis intelligence regarding himself, and purchasing it would consume one layer?

"You can choose not to purchase it. Crisis intelligence may or may not come to pass." The black-robed figure said indifferently.

"I'll buy it!" Zhao Xing gritted his teeth. Being able to consume one layer of the God King Tower proved that this crisis intelligence was very likely to happen immediately; it was the urgent kind.

*Boom*—

Zhao Xing felt that within his sanctuary, the largest of the three Divine Power Towers had its first layer erupt with golden light, and then it immediately became empty.

Immediately after, the black-robed figure pointed a finger, and a piece of 【Crisis Intelligence】 appeared in Zhao Xing's mind.

This was a scene.

A city surrounded by ten thousand stars collapsed with a roar.

Immediately following was the second scene, in which Zhao Xing saw the Heart God Palace in the Dao Ancient layer already sealed by a burst of extreme cold frost.

"Heart God General Qiluo, I am your Dao-breaker—"

A magnificent voice echoed in the scene, like a thunderclap.

Less than half an incense stick of time later, Heart God General Qiluo fell from the peak of the White Tower, crashing heavily to the ground, losing all divine charm.

The entire White Tower shattered with a roar, turning into ash.

Frost froze the ash, and a heavenly ladder descended.

*Tap! Tap! Tap! * Crisp footsteps sounded, as if someone were walking down the stairs, but Zhao Xing could not see a figure.

*Hum*—

The scene disappeared at this point.

"This, this—"

Zhao Xing widened his eyes. From the 【Crisis Intelligence】 just now, he had actually foreseen the collapse of Ten Thousand Star City and the death of Heart God General Qiluo.

Who caused the collapse of Ten Thousand Star City, and who killed Heart God General Qiluo?

"Messenger in Black, please interpret this crisis intelligence for me." Zhao Xing immediately made the request.

"As you can see, Ten Thousand Star City collapsed, and the Heart God General had his Dao broken by someone." The black-robed figure's voice was cold. "And the time node is very close. Your true self should be in the Heart God Palace right now; you will be affected."

"As for who it is, I think you should have guessed it. It is a name I cannot speak."

Zhao Xing immediately understood—it was the divine power avatar of the Lord of Cold Food!

He had personally descended into the Heart God Palace!

"How much time is left before it happens?" Zhao Xing asked.

"The crisis intelligence is too close to the current time point. This is why the early warning time is short and why it requires consuming one layer of divine power."

"However, rest assured, the Shadow Sanctuary we are currently in is in a spiritual space, and the flow of time is different. You should still have time to escape after you wake up." The black-robed figure said.

"Do you have nothing else to say? Can I ask someone for rescue?"

"Nothing else. As for rescue, it is too late for you to post a bounty now." The black-robed figure shook his head. "You can only try to escape."

Zhao Xing was burning with anxiety. After the black-robed figure finished speaking, he immediately triggered the Shadow Spiritual Imprint.

His spirit crossed the labyrinth and left the Shadow Sanctuary.

In the real world, in the Dao Ancient layer, inside the Heart God Palace.

Zhao Xing woke up.

As soon as he woke up, he immediately wanted to activate non-distance teleportation to leave this place.

But he forgot that this was the Heart God Palace, a place where a Divine General lived, which itself prohibited spell teleportation through unofficial channels.

So Zhao Xing immediately shouted the names of Yan Ao and Lu Ya.

"Heart God Palace Master, Lu Ya, Lu Ya, Senior Yan, leave quickly, this place is going to—"

Zhao Xing's words seemed to have pushed the process of an event, and he discovered that the Heart God Palace, which had been peaceful just a moment ago,

suddenly became cold.

Lu Ya and Yan Ao immediately appeared beside Zhao Xing, and at the same time, the Heart God General on the White Tower suddenly shone brightly and stood up from the peak of the White Tower.

"Too late."

Zhao Xing looked at the sky in horror. The dome barrier suddenly shattered, and a pale blue radiance instantly permeated the entire Heart God Palace barrier.

Following that, blue ice crystals drifted down like snowflakes, spreading onto the White Tower.

*Whoosh*—

An ice crystal throne radiating cold air appeared beside the White Tower.

The pattern formed at this moment was like the common arrangement in a Dharma assembly; the White Tower became the lecture platform, and the ice crystal throne became the guest seat for the questioner of Dao.

The chill was not intense, but Zhao Xing felt his thinking become somewhat stiff, and his body felt as if it had lost all sensation, frozen in place.

Yan Ao and Lu Ya were no better off. A faint golden radiance appeared on their skin, but on the outer layer of the divine power radiance, there was an extra layer of snowflake reflection.

"You think you can suppress me with a mere Divine Domain? Cold God King, you are taking us too lightly!"

The little yellow duck shrieked, its body suddenly expanding, its head held high, and bone armor appeared.

Its left eye condensed into a crimson golden sun, and its right pupil resembled a deep blue ice abyss.

The original beak shattered, and a new beak extended, resembling a divine sword, with sacrificial fire divine patterns appearing.

The down on its body burned away, blooming with cyan underworld iron feathers; the upper feathers were fused with golden cloud patterns, and the lower feathers were tempered with thunder marrow bones.

Lu Ya flapped its wings and flew, heavenly fire falling like meteors, actually breaking free from the suppression.

*Swish*—Zhao Xing's vision blurred, and he was instantly slapped by the wings into Yan Ao's stomach.

"So this is the true form of the Qu Ru Divine Duck?" Zhao Xing entered Yan Ao's stomach and instantly regained normal perception.

He saw that the little yellow duck outside had already disappeared. Its orange webbed feet resembled louse dragon claws, the reverse scales on its knees stood upright, its two feet fixed space-time, and its tail feathers reflected yin and yang—it was simply an ancient fierce god!

"Yan Ao, Lu Ya, you have a past with me; you may leave on your own." A voice came from above the heavenly ladder.

Then a cold wind blew, as if it had blown the space, and Zhao Xing discovered that his perspective had suddenly moved far away, falling from the high level of the Heart God Palace to the first level.

The White Tower now had to be looked up to; clearly, the Cold God King had excluded them from the Divine Domain, but Lu Ya was actually still able to fly forward.

"Pah, who has a past with you! Don't splash dirty water on this palace!"

"You want me to leave, so I leave?"

"Hey!"

Lu Ya's fierce nature flared, flapping its wings to attack that ice throne.

Heavenly fire fell, divine light shone, and it actually flew closer.

However, immediately after, Lu Ya seemed to have suffered a heavy blow; its speed plummeted, and its body flew back at an even faster speed, returning to Yan Ao's side.

At this time, Yan Ao and Lu Ya were already outside the Heart God Palace, in the chaotic Dao Ancient layer.

"Heart God General Qiluo, I am your Dao-breaker—"

The cold, bone-chilling voice resounded through heaven and earth.

Everything happened as predicted in the scene.

However, there was a slight discrepancy with the 【Crisis Intelligence】: Zhao Xing did not see Lu Ya being repelled, nor the conversation between it and the Lord of Cold Food.

Now he also heard more things.

"It is my honor that the Cold God King acts as my Dao-breaker; please enlighten me!" The Heart God Palace Master did not take action, and his tone was firm, because he knew that to attain Dao in heaven and earth, one must experience countless tests.

The appearance of a Dao-breaker could also be an aid to perfecting his own Dao-attainment method!

"You use the City of Heart in the Star Mirror as your Dao-attainment method, and since the eighth era before the Desolate Domain, you have been constantly expanding the City of Heart."

"You borrow the spiritual power of all the Emperors, Venerables, Divine Soldiers, and Divine Generals who enter the City of Heart to complete your Dao-attainment in heaven and earth."

"Anyone who enters the City of Heart must expand territory in the city, attempting to evolve it into a Heart Realm."

"Your Dao-attainment method is 'Heart Realm', using the Heart Realm to avoid the Great Destruction Tribulation of the universe."

After hearing this, the Heart God General said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Taking the spiritual power of all living beings, gathering the will of the people, and forging the Heart Realm—this is indeed my Dao-attainment method."

The Lord of Cold Food said coldly: "The Heart Realm is eternal, but the physical body rots. You have never told anyone who entered the City of Heart that if they stay in the City of Heart for a long time, their physical body will slowly wither."

"Moreover, everyone's mind will be assimilated by you, eventually turning into your spiritual nourishment."

"Nonsense!" The Heart God General shouted loudly: "If the Heart Realm is formed, the spirit interferes with matter, and the physical body is entrusted between the yin and yang twin stars—where does the rotting of the physical body come from?"

"Spiritual assimilation is a complete distortion of this god's theory. The spirit produces faith, just like sacrificing to gods and believing in gods produces a sense of identification. This is completely different from losing one's self through assimilation!"

"Is that so? Then look at who he is!" Beside the Ice Throne, several figures suddenly appeared on the heavenly ladder.

"I don't know them."

"They are your seven disciples."

"In the sixth, fourth, and third eras before the Desolate Domain, you killed them respectively."

"You explained to the Moon God Palace Master and the Red Star Emperor that several disciples died from qi deviation and their spirits were extinguished."

"Afterward, you erased this memory of yours using pain as an excuse."

"Of course you don't remember, because their spirits were refined by you into the bricks and stones of the City of Heart, and their physical bodies were destroyed by you."

"And I resurrected them."

"Simply absurd! Cold God King, do you think you can break my Dao heart by randomly resurrecting a few people from the past?"

A star mirror appeared on the Ice Throne, and then seven beams were pulled out from the star mirror.

Zhao Xing watched from afar and found that the star mirror was somewhat familiar; it was exactly the scene he had seen before of a building in the City of Heart collapsing.

When these seven beams appeared, they merged into the seven people on the stairs.

Zhao Xing saw the Heart God General on the White Tower swaying, as if remembering something.

Before long, the Heart God General was taken away by a golden light from the peak of the White Tower. This was different from what was shown in the 【Crisis Intelligence】.

Immediately after, the scene moved far away rapidly, and Zhao Xing could no longer see the specific situation of the Heart God Palace, only a blue light spot.

In the end, Yan Ao and Lu Ya appeared in the Manifestation layer, surrounded by a brilliant starry sky.

*Swish, swish, swish*—the Qu Ru Divine Duck flew continuously, appearing in the Origin Heavenly Palace region. It seemed to finally feel safe, so it stopped, and Zhao Xing was also released.

"Two seniors, did you hear it just now?" Zhao Xing asked cautiously.

"I heard it." Lu Ya turned back into the little yellow duck state. "I didn't expect Qiluo's City of Heart to have such drawbacks. It was a waste of all the support the human race gave him for so many years. He really has gone into qi deviation!"

"Qiluo's path went astray without him knowing." Yan Ao also sighed. As a Divine General of the Empire, he had clearly foreseen Qiluo's ending.

"So to speak, what that Cold one said is true?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Hmm, the Palace Master appeared just now and took Qiluo away." Yan Ao nodded heavily. "Those who attain Dao in heaven and earth are the most prone to qi deviation, even thinking that sacrificing others is tolerable, not knowing that this is the beginning of failure."

"Exactly, exactly. I suppress my nature now and don't really eat people." Lu Ya said. "He actually killed so many people and wanted to assimilate everyone's spirit? He really should have let me eat him!"

The two did not say much more to Zhao Xing about the aftermath; clearly, they did not think this was worth talking about.

Zhao Xing also felt some emotion. This was so similar to Bowei. If what the Cold God King said was true, then the Heart God General was simply even crazier than Bowei.

*Whoosh*—

Suddenly, a light flashed.

Zhao Xing received the major event announcement from the Xuanling History Book.

【Third era of the Desolate Domain, fifth solar year: Cold Food breaks the Dao, Heart God General falls, Ten Thousand Star City no longer exists, the Heart Realm Dao-attainment method is a fallacious method!】

"Just like that time with Bowei, this time the Xuanling History Book also issued an announcement. I just don't know how wide this level is." Zhao Xing thought to himself.

If the Heart God General's actions were widely known, it would inevitably cause panic. He didn't know how many people had entered the City of Heart.

And as the one who broke this crisis, the Lord of Cold Food's reputation would inevitably rise greatly, and more people would believe in him.

Once enough believers were accumulated, after a certain Cold Food Dharma assembly, that Cold God King would probably take the believers back to the space-time territory of the past. The loss of a batch of Divine Realms from the Desolate Domain faction would be equivalent to the loss of a large amount of resources.

"This kind of open conspiracy is unsolvable." Zhao Xing thought to himself. The Heart God General having his Dao broken was a good thing for them, these demigods and even Divine Soldier levels!

After all, no one wanted to be used as an experimental subject by a crazy guy and be sacrificed without knowing it. With the continuous progress of the Cold Food Dharma assembly, the preaching of the Lord of Cold Food would inevitably have an increasingly deep influence on this era.

"It seems this was his main purpose for descending." Zhao Xing's spirit sank into his inner world, informing Bowei of the scene that had just happened.

"Elder Bowei, when you released him back then, did you know anything about him?"

"I didn't see clearly." Bowei shook his head. "Rather than saying I pushed open that door, it's better to say I heard his voice. I just pushed it gently, and it gave him an opportunity to take advantage of the situation."

"The Lord of Cold Food's origin is mysterious. He can influence the 'Yuanji Mountain', the sect-protecting artifact of the Ancient Hill, and can also remain in Divine Concealment under the pursuit of the Moon God Palace Master, but there is very little information about him."

"In the names I have browsed while traveling through historical space-time, I have never heard of him. His hiding place is probably very ancient."

Zhao Xing thought of his own "Three Era Division Theory". If he really attained Dao in the Cold/Warm Era, then it was indeed quite a long time ago from now.

At the end of the fifth solar year of the third era of the Desolate Domain, the Heart God General incident caused a great sensation in the circles of demigods and emperors, especially Ten Thousand Star City, where no one dared to enter anymore.

The Red Star Empire was pushed to the forefront, and some even began to criticize the inaction of certain high-level Divine Realms.

In contrast, the wild shrines and hidden temples of the Lord of Cold Food rose up on a large scale, beginning to spread all over the empire.

It was not until the sixth solar year of the third era of the Desolate Domain that this disturbance slowly subsided, being suppressed by another major event—the war in the Tianze Star Domain had completely ended. It was completely designated as a part of the Xuanling Star Domain.

Due to the rich resources provided by the Tianze Star Domain and the emergence of many origin worlds and treasures, the empire had enough capital to deal with the impact of the Era Worm incident and the Heart God General incident.

For Zhao Xing, the sixth solar year of the third era of the Desolate Domain was also an important solar year.

First, the Divine Selection Division was about to open the boundary channel to transport a batch of Divine Realm candidates to the past space-time.

Second, Ji Si had gained huge harvests in the war leadership in the Tianze Star Domain, promoting to a sixteenth-order Fate Master in one fell swoop.

The most important point was that after another solar year of gestation, the god-level native species in Zhao Xing's body had finally sprouted.