Chapter 82

Somewhere in the void outside the Three Realms.

Whoosh!

A fluctuation appeared, and Ji Ning's true self, who had just gone to chaos, appeared here.

"I never expected that what my master begged the patriarch to pass on to me would be this kind of divine ability." Ji Ning still felt a sigh in his heart.

"Tao Wu Eighteen Demons and Gods", a divine ability similar to the famous "Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons" of the Three Realms.

Such divine abilities are not extremely rare, but to actually cultivate them is exceedingly difficult; throughout the Three Realms, on the surface only the Netherworld True God has succeeded, showing just how hard it is.

"I have now cultivated this divine ability, with eighteen incarnations; even in the Great Tribulation, my survival rate has increased countlessfold. My master has considered enough for me." Ji Ning's thoughts raced.

At this moment——

Whoosh!

In front of Ji Ning, a tall, slender figure appeared there.

After Ji Ning became a Heavenly God, he formally inherited the Plucking Star Mansion and became its lord.

The one appearing here now is precisely the Nine Tooth Heavenly God of the Plucking Star Mansion lineage; because he is the most junior, this time Ji Ning came down the mountain, he is the one accompanying Ji Ning.

However, when Ji Ning previously went to chaos, he did not bring the Nine Tooth Heavenly God.

"Nine Tooth, weren't you supposed to go wander around? Have you been waiting for me?" Ji Ning asked at this moment.

"Lord, I went drinking, but while drinking I heard some news." The Nine Tooth Heavenly God exclaimed:

"Qian Yu Tian Shen, is he the master you took as your teacher in the mortal world?"

"What, news of my master?" Ji Ning hurriedly asked.

"Just not long ago, in the war of the Yao Emperor's domain, Qian Yu Tian Shen suddenly erupted, reportedly unleashing power not inferior to that of a topTrue God Dao Ancestor, slaying countless immortals and demons of the Netherworld Gate in one battle." As the Nine Tooth Heavenly God spoke, Ji Ning, upon hearing, also felt both astonished and delighted.

He was astonished that his master was actually this powerful, far stronger than when he was in the Great Summer World.

He was delighted that his master being this strong was naturally a great joy; the stronger, the better.

"Back when the former mansion lord was still alive, his strength was only at this level, yet a Heavenly God could erupt with such power—truly terrifying to the extreme." The Nine Tooth Heavenly God said rather regretfully:

"It's a pity we didn't go to the Yao Emperor's domain back then, so we couldn't witness that battle ourselves."

"Nine Tooth, do you know where my master is now?" Ji Ning asked.

This time coming down the mountain, he had no definite aim; he originally planned to first go see his master, and now hearing this, he all the more must go to congratulate him.

"Lord, how would I know that?" the Nine Tooth Heavenly God suggested: "Perhaps you could ask the patriarch."

"Mm," Ji Ning nodded, and he immediately contacted Patriarch Bodhi in his mind.

Patriarch Bodhi wields the "One Dream Three Realms" divine ability; as long as one is within the Three Realms, Ji Ning can always contact Patriarch Bodhi.

"Ji Ning, Qian Yu Tian Shen's true self and second primordial spirit are in the Great Yu Mortal World; if you want to see him, you can go there." Patriarch Bodhi quickly replied.

"Great Yu Mortal World?"

Ji Ning understood clearly in his heart.

This is one of the major worlds where their side has stockpiled the most troops, and it is absolutely the safest place.

"Nine Tooth, let's go, we'll head first to the Great Yu Mortal World." Ji Ning directly took the Nine Tooth Heavenly God with him, and the two sped away from the void of the Three Realms.

At the same time——

Within one extremely hidden world of the Three Realms.

This place is called the Myriad Demon Realm, the core stronghold of the Netherworld Gate, and also the seat where the Netherworld Gate's current strongest, the "Myriad Demon Lord," personally resides.

The Myriad Demon Lord, whose true name is Feng Mo, has a head of scattered blue hair, wears a red robe, and stands there with his hands behind his back, gazing at the void of the Three Realms.

Suddenly.

Behind Feng Mo, the Black Robe God King appeared there.

"Greetings, Demon Lord." The Black Robe God King bowed respectfully.

"Bu Xiu, regarding Qian Yu Tian Shen, I have discussed with Huan Mu and Mo Shou and decided to dispatch a "Myriad Things Envoy" to you." Feng Mo said:

"Let the most powerful Heavenly God command the Myriad Things Envoy, and with a few more Purple Light Puppets added, it will be enough to deal with that Qian Yu Tian Shen."

"My Lord, using the Myriad Things Envoy—won't the risk be too great? It would be better to find a chance to exterminate that Qian Yu Tian Shen!" The Black Robe God King could not help but say.

The Myriad Things Envoy is prepared for the final showdown, intended for a topTrue God Dao Ancestor like him; once he commands it, he can nearly become a leader.

Three or five Myriad Things Envoys working together are enough to deal with an ordinary leader-level opponent.

The might of the Myriad Things Envoy is beyond doubt; if all were used in the Fate Struggle, that struggle would be a rout, but they have no such intention.

Should the Myriad Things Envoy appear on the battlefield of the Fate Struggle, merely being commanded by a Heavenly God already carries the risk of being suddenly seized by Nüwa's camp.

That is indeed one of the true trump cards of the decisive battle; should anything go wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Instead, seeking an opportunity to exterminate Qian Yu Tian Shen would be a comparatively low-cost approach; although he hides in the Great Yu Mortal World, he cannot stay there forever, and as long as he dares to come out and fight, the Netherworld Gate's intelligence capabilities would give them a chance to assassinate him.

"Not yet the time." Feng Mo said: "To kill Qian Yu Tian Shen, we must prepare for the final showdown; for now, it's still too early."

"Yes."

The Black Robe God King, hearing this, could only nod.

He in his heart extremely desired to kill Zhou Yu, after all the latter has repeatedly opposed the Netherworld Gate; because of him, the Netherworld Gate's losses have been staggering, especially this battle in the Yao Emperor's domain, which truly wounded them to the core.

But the Black Robe God King also knew that relying solely on himself he lacked the ability to assassinate Zhou Yu, and the leaders on their side presently had no intention to assassinate him, so he naturally had to endure.

The Black Robe God King soon departed, and Feng Mo at this moment also secretly shook his head.

"The Fate Struggle, with Qian Yu Tian Shen as this irregular variable, has made the hope of ultimately winning even slimmer; if the Fate Struggle is lost, to win the final showdown we can only rely on another breakthrough point—the ancient ruins over there—we must speed up." Feng Mo thought to himself.

As a leader of the Netherworld faction, he knows even more clearly the disparity in strength and foundation between the two sides; to win, without resorting to some off‑board tricks, hope is indeed slim.

Great Yu Mortal World.

Zhou Yu was chatting with Ji Ning, who had come specially to see him, in the mansion specially prepared for him by the ancient royal clan.

At this moment, Ji Ning put forward the idea of wanting to follow Zhou Yu to fight on the battlefield.

On his way here, Ji Ning also heard many rumors, saying that his master Qian Yu Tian Shen had deep grudges with the Wu Jian Men, so he participated fully in the battle, not missing any.

That's why Ji Ning had the idea of going to the battlefield to lend his master a hand.

Mainly, Ji Ning currently has no clear goal; the only thing he's interested in is improving his swordsmanship, and the battlefield happens to be the fastest place to improve swordsmanship.

Zhou Yu said: "Compared to the battlefield, there's a place more suitable for you." He added: "The Moon Under Pool in the Chaos, you should have heard of it."

"Moon Under Pool?" Ji Ning nodded and said: "I heard about it on my way here; Master, your second primordial spirit brought out nearly two hundred heavenly gods who had previously been trapped there."

"The situation inside the Moon Under Pool, I can't say much, but you're very suited for there." Zhou Yu added.

Ji Ning understood upon hearing: although the Moon Under Pool is dangerous, over endless ages only the Enlightened Buddha Ancestor and his master's second primordial spirit have left from there, but since he cultivated the Tao Wu Eighteen Demons and Gods, sending out one or two avatars would be fine.

"Master, if I go to the Moon Under Pool, will it not affect my battlefield duties?" Ji Ning sent a voice transmission asking.

"With your little strength, what impact could you have on the battlefield?" Zhou Yu shook his head: "Before going to the Moon Under Pool, you still need to accumulate more within the Three Realms, such as the swordsmanship left by Dao Ancestor Fuju, hailed as the best in the Three Realms; you can certainly go learn it."

Ji Ning was somewhat speechless upon hearing, but he still nodded; compared to his master, his strength is indeed too weak.

"Master's this outbreak came only after he emerged from the Moon Under Pool." Ji Ning thought.

In that case, he will first accumulate in the Three Realms, then make a trip to the Moon Under Pool.

"When you go to the Moon Under Pool this time, if possible, bring back some ice-heart marrow; then I'll give you a surprise." Zhou Yu suddenly said.

"A surprise?" Ji Ning wondered, but he didn't think much about it.

Only two people can come out of the endless ages; he should first manage to come out before talking.

Ji Ning quickly left; after drinking a cup of tea, Zhou Yu also returned to his cultivation quiet room.

"After this outbreak, this avatar of mine has lost its freedom." Zhou Yu felt, considering it a loss and a gain.

Although he lost freedom, after all he obtained a vast amount of primordial energy and gained a simulation opportunity.

"Let's begin the simulation."

Zhou Yu quickly made a decision in his mind.

【Drawing simulation world.】

【Draw successful, target world, the Wasteland Era world!】

"Huh? Drawn again?" Zhou Yu felt surprised; this was already the third time he'd drawn the Wasteland Era world.

【Drawing initial talent—】

【Draw successful, please choose one of the following three talents.】

【One, Tranquil Heart—your spirit is more easily moved to grow.】

【Two, Talent Enhancement—at birth, a certain unique talent will be enhanced.】

【Three, Innate Outsider—at birth, there is a chance to attract the attention of certain beings.】

…

These three talents are actually not bad this time.

Zhou Yu pondered: Talent One pertains to the spirit; this kind of talent has never appeared before; if he obtains it, perhaps his mental strength could quickly reach the fifth level, but Talent One offers the least help in comprehending the Dao, and choosing it would most likely lead to simulation failure.

Talent Two, a fixed enhancement of a certain talent, is the safest choice.

Talent Three has a bit of a gamble to it, but if the gamble pays off, it could bring a big harvest, possibly helping both the simulation and reality.

"It's a pity only one can be chosen." Zhou Yu fell into deep thought.

"As for me in reality, I already possess the major talents of Potential Boost, Cultivation Genius, Celestial Dao Rewards Diligence, Fortune's Child, and True Vision; that's already quite extravagant, other ordinary talents are just icing on the cake, so I'd rather choose a special talent." Zhou Yu thought.

In that case, the safest Talent Two is ruled out.

Remaining Talent One has too small a chance of simulation success; Talent Three depends on luck…

"Let's gamble on Talent Three." Zhou Yu made a decision.

【Please choose one of the following simulation goals.】

【One, break through to become a True God or a first-rank True Immortal—after completion, obtain a True God or first-rank True Immortal avatar and the talent 'Innate Outsider' with fifty percent effect.】

【Two, break through to become an Ancestor God or a first-rank Ancestor Immortal—after completion, obtain an Ancestor God or first-rank Ancestor Immortal avatar and the full talent 'Innate Outsider'.】

【Three, break through to become a World God or a Chaos Immortal—after completion, obtain a World God or Chaos Immortal avatar and the talent 'Innate Outsider' with three hundred percent effect.】

"Even the lowest option is to become a True God or first-rank True Immortal?" Zhou Yu looked at these three options, his heart also secretly startled.

Relying on just one special talent, reaching the True God level is actually difficult; like when his Azure Avatar simulated earlier, relying on the 'Celestial Dao Rewards Diligence' talent, it took 30 billion years to become a True God; to become an Ancestor God, he'd likely need an entire Chaos Era, assuming no accidents occur within that Chaos Era.

It's easy to imagine that this simulation will only get harder.

"Ancestor God." Zhou Yu made the choice.

【You were born carrying the memories from before the transmigration.】

【You were born in an ordinary small town; your parents were also ordinary commoners, making a living from some small trades, getting by day to day.】

【You silently learned the local language and observed your surroundings; you discovered there were nine suns in the sky, knowing the world you transmigrated to is not simple; later you indeed heard that this world has cultivators, but cultivators are far removed from mortals, and ordinary people cannot access them.】

【Because you possess adult wisdom, you quickly displayed heaven-defying talent, learning the local script at a young age, gaining some fame locally.】

【At age five, a blacksmith moved near your home; you found the blacksmith knew much about the outside world, so you often ran over to ask about external matters, and the blacksmith patiently answered you each time.】

【You learned that your location is a vast continent of unknown billions of miles, where cultivators are countless, and cultivation levels range from Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, all the way to Tribulation Crossing and Ascension.】

【This is a perfectly normal cultivation level classification; you felt nothing strange about it.】

【At age six, a black-haired old man descended from the sky, claiming to be a great Core Formation cultivator, wishing to select a group of children to train and educate; your parents, upon hearing, were delighted and prepared to enroll you.】

【But after learning of it, you hesitated; you had previously seen that old man, and you felt his aura gave you an uncomfortable feeling; at this point you choose: one, continue enrollment; two, persuade your parents to refuse.】

"This simulation probably isn't taking place in a normal Chaos World, right?" Zhou Yu thought.

Like the Three Realms, although remote, the derived Qi cultivation methods are not much different from those popular in Chaos; they follow the same set from Purple Mansion to Myriad Phenomena to Primordial Spirit, only achieving True Immortal Golden Core upon reaching True Immortal.

In this simulation, cultivation starts with Foundation Establishment and Core Formation; at a glance you know it's not a normal Chaos World.

"However, the Wasteland Era world is actually vast; it's not strange for anything to appear." Zhou Yu didn't think much further.

The key is whether the chosen talent 'Innate Outsider' actually takes effect or not.

"That old man probably wasn't brought by the 'Born Different', but the blacksmith seems a bit suspicious," Zhou Yu thought, and he directly chose option two.

You chose to persuade your parents to give up the registration; your parents thought you were reluctant to leave, and after consideration they agreed, though they too were unwilling to see you go.

A few days later, a total of twelve children in the town were taken away by the old man; you, feeling rather regretful, ran to the blacksmith to vent. Although you sensed something off about the old man, this might be your only chance to step onto the immortal path, and you didn't know whether missing it now would leave any future opportunity.

At that moment, the blacksmith smiled and told you that the children who followed the old man have probably already turned to dry bones; that old man is an evil cultivator who is being hunted, and thus used this gentle method to deceive the children into following him.

Hearing this, you were shocked, realizing the blacksmith is not an ordinary person; you asked him why, having known earlier, he didn't rescue those children.

The blacksmith told you that he has many things to do, and he won't intervene in such a trivial matter.

Your heart felt cold, and you realized that the cultivation world might not be as wonderful as you thought.

You wanted to leave, but the blacksmith tossed you a ring, saying that your ability to see through the old man's identity impressed him, and the ring is a reward for you.

You accepted the ring and, with mixed feelings, left the blacksmith's shop.

You returned and discovered the ring was a storage treasure; although you are merely mortal, you can miraculously use it. The space inside the ring is vast, but contains little—a single massive stone tablet. The tablet records a method called the Nine Star Day-Week Scripture. After studying it, you found this method differs from the cultivation methods the blacksmith previously told you; it absorbs the power of the nine celestial cycles to refine the body, and its ultimate goal is to become a Heavenly God.

At first you didn't find the cultivation rank of "Heavenly God" odd, but you soon discovered that the Nine Star Day-Week Scripture later records many divine abilities, some of which match your memory of three heads six arms and the Fate of Heaven and Earth almost exactly. A bold thought arose: the place you traveled to may not be an unfamiliar world, but the Monghuang Chronicle world from your memory.

You couldn't verify your speculation yet, but that same day you began cultivating the Nine Star Day-Week Scripture. The method seemed tailor‑made for you; your practice proceeded extraordinarily smoothly, and you entered the foundation with ease.

You ran to look for the blacksmith, only to find he had vanished.

You had no recourse, so you silently continued practicing the Nine Star Day-Week Scripture.

At age thirteen, your Nine Star Day-Week Scripture reached the first tier Great Perfection, granting you a strength of one hundred thousand jin; you became the undisputed top master in the town, though you remained low‑key and showed no outward difference.

At fifteen, you were still at the first tier Great Perfection.

At eighteen, you remained at the first tier Great Perfection; you grew restless, wishing to leave the town and venture out. At this point you chose: 1) continue to settle, 2) go out to explore.

"So this is only postnatal perfection?" Zhou Yu mused.

Zhou Yu was, of course, aware that without external innate talent, he truly lacked the talent for Divine Demon Body Refinement, so his current state was entirely normal.

"Wait a bit longer," Zhou Yu chose to continue settling.

The simulation said the Nine Star Day-Week Scripture seemed a body‑refining method tailor‑made for him; perhaps it's different?

"If that's truly the case, the blacksmith would be terrifying," Zhou Yu thought silently.

To craft a complete Divine Demon Body Refinement method specifically for someone in such a short time, even only up to the Heavenly God level, is impossible for ordinary strong cultivators.

At least one must be a world‑level potent being to have hope.

You chose to continue settling at your hometown.

At twenty‑two, you suddenly had an insight, successfully breaking through to the second tier of the Nine Star Day-Week Scripture; your strength surged dramatically, and you gained the ability to control fire, which resembles the innate aspect of Divine Demon Body Refinement in your memory.

At thirty, you reached the second tier Great Perfection.

At forty‑five, your parents passed away one after another, leaving you with no remaining ties to your hometown; you decided to leave and venture out.

Relying on intuition, you traveled, eating wind and sleeping under dew; unnoticed, several years passed. After leaving home, your mind opened considerably, and many mysteries of the Nine Star Day-Week Scripture gave you fresh insights; you broke through to the third tier.

At that moment, the long‑missing blacksmith suddenly appeared before you. He told you that in a canyon ahead lies the Core Formation Evil Cultivator who once took twelve children from your town, and asked whether you wanted to eliminate this evil cultivator. You chose: 1) go, 2) refuse.

"Encountering this evil cultivator this time shouldn't be accidental," Zhou Yu said, looking at the simulation's content, guessing that this mysterious strong figure was merely bored and guiding his growth in the simulation.

"Go ahead."

Zhou Yu decided to take a gamble.

After some deliberation you chose to go, entered the canyon, and indeed found the old man from before, though his condition was clearly poor and he was already wounded.

You decided on a swift strike; using your limited divine power you unleashed the Fate of Heaven and Earth technique, and after twelve consecutive moves, you killed the old man.

At that moment the blacksmith reappeared; he was very pleased with your performance, gave you another ring, and told you you would meet again in the future.

This time the ring was again a spatial treasure, containing a plethora of rare valuables that dazzled you.

In the days that followed, just as the blacksmith said, he appeared many times to aid you.

With the blacksmith's help, you continuously grew on the place called the Thousand Star Continent. Most strong individuals there are ordinary cultivators; body‑refining elites are extremely rare. Relying on the might of your body refinement, you gradually came to dominate a region.

When you were three thousand years old, the blacksmith, appearing again, suddenly told you that he was leaving.

You felt extremely surprised; you hadn't expected the news to be so abrupt.

The blacksmith told you that he was merely temporarily settled on this continent; by chance he sensed an inexplicable familiarity in you when you were newborn, so he chose to stay and help you for a while, but all gatherings in the world eventually end.

You hurriedly asked the blacksmith's name; he said he is called "Tie Xing", and also told you that after you ascend, perhaps you will have a chance to meet again.

The blacksmith finally gave you a ring, and then he left completely.

You felt wistful and lost; over the years you had regarded the blacksmith as a master, but unfortunately he seemed to have no intention of taking disciples.

You examined the items in this final spatial ring and indeed found many treasures, but what delighted you most were some books. The books described conditions beyond the Thousand Star Continent, stating that your continent actually lies within a space called "Ancient Realm"; within the Ancient Realm there are countless such continents, but normally only mortal lives are permitted there. Once one attempts a tribulation, either the power of the Ancient Realm crushes them, or…

The books also stated that after the Heavenly God, the cultivation path splits into True God, Ancestor God, World God, Dao Lord, and Eternal Emperor Lord. You fully understood that you had indeed traversed into the Monghuang Chronicle world, and you also concluded that you were within an alternate universe.

Knowing everything, you deduced that the blacksmith was very likely a Dao Lord; a Dao Lord continuously assisting a mortal like you is truly astonishing.

You decided to stop overthinking and instead cultivate peacefully; as long as you reach higher levels, there will naturally be hope for another meeting.

Unnoticed, you reached eight thousand years old and entertained the idea of a tribulation crossing; at this point you chose: 1) cross the tribulation, 2) continue to settle.

"Dao Lord?"

Zhou Yu also felt this was absurd at the moment.

After thinking, he chose "Tribulation Crossing"; for a cultivator who grew up with a Dao Lord's help, crossing the tribulation should not be difficult.

And as Zhou Yu made his choice, numerous memories surged into his mind.

This memory wasn't very long, making it easy for Zhou Yu to digest, yet the information it contained was extremely precious.

Many powerful divine abilities and some special methods had considerable effect on Zhou Yu.

"It's a pity the Tie Xing Dao Lord didn't pass down his Dao," Zhou Yu shook his head.

Of course, he also understood not to be greedy; this gain was already ample.

(End of Chapter)