Chapter 430: Secrets

Lin Chao was naturally unaware of matters concerning the Technology Dao.

He was also naturally unaware that technology had attracted the attention of quite a few gods.

To him, this matter could be either significant or trivial.

At this moment, Lin Chao was inside the Ancient God Temple, holding Xiao Bing's hand, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

After the incident occurred, Lin Chao knew that leaving Xiao Bing alone outside was not very safe.

Therefore, after some consideration, he decided to keep Xiao Bing by his side.

Moreover, based on the information he had gathered from eavesdropping last time, combined with his own extensive investigations, he vaguely felt that Xiao Bing was involved in a massive secret.

Furthermore... the things the Ancient Tang Divine Emperor had done seemed to be for the purpose of making the world remember Xiao Bing.

Nowadays, it could be said that everyone who remembered Xiao Bing was dead.

In this world, the only person who truly still remembered Xiao Bing was him alone.

He had a premonition that this matter was definitely not simple.

At this moment, Xiao Bing was also clingier and more anxious, her sweaty little hand gripping Lin Chao tightly, completely unwilling to let go.

It seemed as if she were afraid that letting go would mean a final farewell.

"Xiao Bing, follow me. I will be forging a good item in a moment, and I might not be able to accompany you for a while.

You just stay nearby and don't go anywhere, okay?" Lin Chao had entered the Ancient God Temple naturally to forge a God-Tier Puppet.

"Okay, Daddy, Xiao Bing won't wander off." Xiao Bing nodded obediently, her sensibility making one's heart ache.

Lin Chao stroked Xiao Bing's head.

"Daddy, did you smell it? A fragrant scent?" At this time, Xiao Bing suddenly asked, her little nose sniffing as she revealed a look of intoxication.

"A fragrant scent?" Lin Chao sensed his surroundings but did not discover any strange fragrance.

"Where?" he asked.

"Over there." Xiao Bing pointed forward.

Lin Chao looked ahead; there was a forest there.

Could it be that Xiao Bing had a superior sense of smell and could detect the floral fragrance inside?

In the forest, there were indeed a few rare flowers and herbs emitting a refreshing scent.

However, Lin Chao thought for a moment; there was still time, so he decided to follow Xiao Bing's direction and walk forward.

One walk lasted for three thousand miles.

"It's right here, so fragrant." Xiao Bing took a deep breath.

In front of Lin Chao and Xiao Bing was a crystal wall.

This crystal wall was the boundary area of the Ancient God Temple.

Such boundaries were very common in small worlds and even in places like the Ancient God Temple.

Xiao Bing actually said it was very fragrant here, while the crystal walls in other places were not.

This was very strange.

After all, crystal walls were considered places where space overlapped, and entering them was fraught with danger.

The crystal walls of the Ancient God Temple were vast, and no god would have nothing better to do than to go around investigating them.

Lin Chao's Divine Power surged from his body and immediately probed toward the crystal wall, beginning to inspect it inch by inch with great care.

Hmm?

Suddenly, Lin Chao's expression shifted; he had actually managed to find something on the crystal wall.

"Forging Heaven Art?"

Lin Chao was slightly stunned, and then his face changed drastically.

Back then, he had only come into contact with a tiny wisp of the Forging Heaven Art, and his Divine Soul had nearly collapsed.

There was so much of the Forging Heaven Art here; if he were to rashly receive it, he feared he would be severely injured.

But the next instant, the expression on Lin Chao's face turned strange.

He severed his connection with the Forging Heaven Art, only to discover that this Forging Heaven Art was different from what he had seen last time and would not harm his Divine Soul at all.

A remnant shadow of a Divine Soul appeared before Lin Chao and Xiao Bing.

The Divine Soul remnant was a man wearing Gold robes, majestic and extraordinary; what was most eye-catching was his right eye, which was empty, yet within the void, there was a sense as profound as the stars.

However, this Divine Soul remnant had no consciousness.

As long as the Forging Heaven Art was triggered, this Divine Soul remnant would appear.

Lin Chao immediately had a guess in his heart: could this person... be the Ancient Tang Divine Emperor?

He immediately looked at Xiao Bing: "Do you recognize him?"

According to the information he had obtained, the Ancient Tang Divine Emperor was Xiao Bing's father.

Xiao Bing looked at the phantom and shook her head: "I don't recognize him."

And at this moment, the Divine Soul remnant began to speak.

"I am the Ancient Tang Divine Emperor.

Latecomer, since you have seen this Divine Soul remnant, then presumably, my plan has already failed."

After saying this, the Ancient Tang Divine Emperor sighed leisurely.

"Since you were able to discover the Forging Heaven Art, it means you have an affinity with this art.

This is a tremendous stroke of fortune, and I shall bestow it upon you.

The Forging Heaven Art is the technique of the Father God; this world was created by the Father God.

Once you have mastered the Forging Heaven Art, you will not only be able to enter a profound realm, but you will also grasp a... special key.

However, this key may be of no use to you."

"I only hope that if, in the future, any of my clansmen come to this world, you will help me pass this key to them."

"As expected, Divine Emperor Gu Tang is not a person of this world." Lin Chao was very curious.

Then how did Divine Emperor Gu Tang enter this world?

After all, according to Lin Chao's speculation, this world and the Main World were simply not within the same boundary.

"I was originally one of the dead in the Spirit River. The Heavenly Light has been eroding the Spirit River, and perhaps before long, those of us who are clinging to life—those who should have perished in the previous era—will ultimately fade away as well.

Thus, I entered the Ancient Game, which is this world created by the Father God, to search for the Forging Heaven Art.

The Forging Heaven Art is a key, a key to finding other survivors.

Our Spirit River no longer has enough Source, and it is simply unable to resist the Heavenly Light.

Only by using the Forging Heaven Art to find other survivors and trading for... seizing Source from their hands, can we continue to survive."

In Lin Chao's mind, images of a group of people struggling to survive appeared.

The world was destroyed, and many people hid underground, or rather, in survival bases.

The resources in the bases were not enough, so they went to seize the resources of other bases.

It seemed very immoral, but in the face of survival, in the face of the clan... what did those things count for?

To their own clansmen, they were all heroes.

To their enemies, they were butchers, executioners, and robbers.

"These matters do not have much to do with you.

I will now speak of the Forging Heaven Art.

The current Forging Heaven Art has been transformed by me using Source, so you are also able to receive it.

This technique... is very unusual; it contains the secret to breaking through to the Ten-Tier."

"Ten-Tier?" Lin Chao was astonished.

His current true body had already reached the Ninth Tier, and his strength was increasing crazily every day, but the distance to the Ten-Tier was simply nowhere in sight.

"The Forging Heaven Art... is a key.

For us, it is a key to finding other survivors.

For you, however, it is a key to reaching the Ten-Tier.

The world is not just this big; once you have cultivated the Forging Heaven Art, you can cross the God Fall Land within the Pantheon, break free from the cage, and roam into the sea."

For some reason, Lin Chao saw a trace of envy on the face of this remnant soul.

It was as if he, too, lived within a cage.

Lin Chao pondered the words of Divine Emperor Gu Tang carefully.

From the mouth of the Five Ancestors of Xia, Lin Chao had already learned of the God Fall Land and the secrets of the Pantheon.

It seemed that by passing through the God Fall Land, one could reach other worlds.

And to pass through the God Fall Land, one needed to learn the Forging Heaven Art.

However, Lin Chao felt that things were not that simple.

Breaking the limit was not that simple.

After all, his Limit Breaker talent was a Purple Talent, and this talent could only be activated after reaching certain conditions, which showed how demanding it was.

"Only by reaching the Ten-Tier can you truly grasp the secret of eternal life.

Even a Nine-Tier Main God, who is said to live as long as the heavens, will still fall when encountering a powerful enemy.

But the Ten-Tier... is... immortal."

Divine Emperor Gu Tang continued: "After the transformation and baptism of Source, you are already able to accept and cultivate the Forging Heaven Art in this world.

However... the Forging Heaven Art will not increase any of your strength; it can only help you pass through the God Fall Land.

Only when you reach another world can the Forging Heaven Art truly be transformed into your own cultivation.

Otherwise, even if you were a Master in this world, upon entering our world, you would be instantly obliterated by the Great Dao."

"In other words, if I cultivate the Forging Heaven Art now... it will not be converted into my actual strength?"

Lin Chao thought of this, but he was not disappointed.

In any case, his strength improvement relied on players.

Moreover, the Forging Heaven Art seemed to be related to the secret of the Ten-Tier, which was even more attractive to him.

"I originally planned to cultivate the Forging Heaven Art and then return to my clan.

But... I encountered a god.

The Light Master!

You must be careful of him!

He is... a creature favored by the Heavenly Dao of this world.

To be his enemy is to invite the backlash of the world's destiny.

I, too, was caught off guard and suffered his sneak attack, ultimately unable to leave with the Forging Heaven Art.

I fought with the Light Master for a hundred years... yet, I do not understand him; there must be deeper secrets within him."

After the Divine Soul remnant finished speaking, it could no longer hold on and dissipated here.

Lin Chao felt somewhat melancholy as he slowly digested this information.

"Xiao Bing, did you understand what he just said?" Lin Chao asked.

He was very curious about Xiao Bing's identity.

If she really was the daughter of Divine Emperor Gu Tang, or was well-acquainted with him and of great importance, why did the Divine Soul of Divine Emperor Gu Tang not even mention a word about Xiao Bing?

"I understood, the Forging Heaven Art is very powerful, and the Light Master is a bad person," Xiao Bing said in a crisp voice.

Lin Chao smiled, then heard Xiao Bing say: "Daddy, please don't cultivate the Forging Heaven Art, okay? I don't want you to leave me!"

Lin Chao was stunned upon hearing this.

He would eventually have to leave this world.

Xiao Bing was very sensible; seeing Lin Chao's hesitation, her small hand gripped tighter: "Daddy, I also want to practice the Forging Heaven Art."

"……Alright." Lin Chao sighed softly.

After receiving the Forging Heaven Art that had undergone source conversion, Lin Chao left this place.

"As expected, the Forging Heaven Art here is only a part."

The Forging Heaven Art obtained here was still not the complete version.

It was a part of it.

Therefore, the current Lin Chao was simply unable to practice it.

"Xiao Bing, why did you think that place smelled fragrant?" Lin Chao asked.

Xiao Bing had smelled the fragrance from a thousand miles away, and subsequently found the Forging Heaven Art.

"I don't know." Xiao Bing shook her head obediently.

Lin Chao hugged Xiao Bing: "You really are my little lucky star."

Originally, Lin Chao had been wondering how to collect the Forging Heaven Art, but now with Xiao Bing, he felt the difficulty had dropped significantly.

By visiting the Ancient God Temple a few more times, he would be able to collect the complete Forging Heaven Art.

……

"Sure enough, no one can remember Xiao Bing, or even... see Xiao Bing's existence."

During these days, Lin Chao had visited many Ancient God Temples and forged seven God-Tier Puppets.

At the same time, he had also obtained more of the Forging Heaven Art techniques.

In the midst of this, he also discovered a problem.

That was that no one could remember Xiao Bing.

At the beginning, like at the Second Puppet Manufacturing Academy, those people could still remember Xiao Bing for one night.

Later, others could also communicate with Xiao Bing again, but would forget Xiao Bing after a few hours.

Now, even if Xiao Bing appeared in others' line of sight, others could not see Xiao Bing, or rather, could not notice Xiao Bing.

Xiao Bing's sense of presence had already dropped to the lowest point.

Precisely because of this, Lin Chao would stay inseparable from Xiao Bing.

He was also afraid; what if he let go, and also forgot Xiao Bing... what would happen then?

In this world, the only person who could see Xiao Bing's existence and know of Xiao Bing's existence was perhaps only him left.

If even he forgot Xiao Bing, how lonely would Xiao Bing be.

"Xiao Bing, after the matters here are finished, I will take you to Iron Stone City, okay?" Lin Chao looked at Xiao Bing and said slowly.

"Wherever Daddy goes, I go!" In the inn, Xiao Bing smiled sweetly.

Nearby, some people looked at Lin Chao, expressions of confusion appearing in their eyes.

"This person looks quite good-looking, but his brain is a bit broken."

"He keeps talking to himself."

"He's even picking up food for the air."

These words fell into Lin Chao's ears, but Lin Chao did not care.

He continued to talk to Xiao Bing with focus.

If no one remembers you, then I will remember you.

……

Iron Stone City was becoming increasingly prosperous.

Every day, an endless stream of merchant caravans arrived there.

There were also many adventurers coming to this emerging city.

Military force provided order, and order created a stable environment.

Therefore, the trade of Iron Stone City also gradually became prosperous.

At this time, in the City Lord Mansion, Diya looked at the woman in front of him, a look of deep emotion flashing in his eyes.

"When will he return?"

He had come to Iron Stone City to resolve the matter of the Technology Dao.

He had already been in Iron Stone City for one day.

At first, he did not see that son of his, but instead focused on sensing the Technology Dao in Iron Stone City.

The result was just as the Land War God had said; the Technology Dao absolutely had huge potential.

And every day, many adventurers, merchant caravans, and some people from the Church came here, causing Diya some hidden worries.

What if the matter of the Technology Dao was discovered; what would happen to his son then?

I am afraid he would be in a dangerous situation.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject does not know." Shivana did not know why King Diya had suddenly come here.

Was Diya a god?

Could it be that His Majesty had finally discovered His Highness's excellence?

Shivana felt some joy inside, happy for His Highness.

"Shivana, there is an important matter I need to tell you.

It concerns the life and death of the Nine Prince." Diya spoke, his gaze solemn.

Shivana's expression also became grave, and she listened earnestly.

"In Iron Stone City... there is a Supreme Treasure."

"If news of this Supreme Treasure leaks out, I fear it will attract gods to seize it."

"Even I would be unable to stop those gods."

"Therefore... starting from now, immediately seal the Gate, forbid anyone from entering or leaving; what is your opinion on this?"

Diya agreed with those gods' words.

News from here must absolutely not reach the other four Masters.

Otherwise, Lin will be placed in an extremely dangerous position.

Shivana was slightly stunned, her expression somewhat hesitant: "Your Majesty, before His Highness left, he told me... to maintain the operation and prosperity of Iron Stone City."

"But... if the news leaks and the gods take action, what then?"

"Iron Stone City has the ability to protect itself." A crisp female voice came through.

(End of chapter)