Chapter 67

A Grandmaster ranks as second-rate; a Xiantian ranks as third-rate.

Anything below that is swept into the unranked.

As for a Demigod, that would be a Wu Lin holy land able to sit as an equal with an imperial dynasty.

In other words, this illusion formation may once have dragged five super-first-rate powers down from the altar!

And the one who set it all in motion, Wu Wu Ya Zi, was merely a Grandmaster.

A crippled Grandmaster at that.

No matter how you think about it, it feels inconceivable.

Could his attainment in Formations truly be terrifying to such a degree?

Wu Wu Ya Zi saw the stunned look on Jiang Sishui's face, and, as if knowing what he was thinking, explained: "Although your master is a Master of Formations, at best I could only set up a trapping formation capable of giving a Grandmaster trouble."

"Then why?"

"Because your master possesses a treasure."

"A treasure?"

"Yes, a treasure—an extraordinarily remarkable one."

A look of reminiscence crossed Wu Wu Ya Zi's face as he recalled: "Back then, when the Star River brought me to this Leigu Mountain, in my living-death state, I discovered it."

"It is a broken weapon, yet it holds boundless might, as if it contains all the wisdom of the world."

"I spent five years and from it comprehended a Spirit-Blocking Formation called 'Severing Heaven and Man.'"

"Severing Heaven and Man—Gu Mingsiyi—anyone who enters the Formation can no longer merge with Heaven and Man, no longer draw even a single wisp of spiritual energy from the world."

"After another five years, I seemed to gain its initial approval and tried to communicate with it. And it seemed able to sense my intent, so it released a force."

"That was an illusory spiritual force. Combined with the original trapping formation and the Spirit-Blocking Formation, the three merged into one, forming this 'Zhenlong Illusion Formation' that made even Heaven and Man fall in defeat!"

Jiang Sishui's heart jolted, then he felt a measure of relief.

No wonder the "Zhenlong Illusion Formation" was so terrifying—hidden within it was such a dreadful thing.

Perhaps the world still underestimated this illusion formation.

And Wu Wu Ya Zi telling him all this now—could it mean…

Sure enough, Wu Wu Ya Zi panted heavily and said: "This treasure, your master leaves it to you."

"But obtaining it does not mean possessing it. Whether it is fated with you depends entirely on your own fortune."

"Why is that?" Jiang Sishui was puzzled.

"Because it demands an extremely high level of wisdom from its owner. Even your master only grasped a hair of it."

"I spent five years comprehending the Spirit-Blocking Formation, but afterward, when I tried to comprehend anything else, I never Found the method—it clearly grew harder the further I went."

Jiang Sishui understood at once upon hearing this.

It's just like those dungeon-clearing games from his past life—the further you go, the higher the difficulty.

How much fortune Jiang Sishui could gain from it depended entirely on his wisdom.

Without sufficient wisdom, it was like guarding an empty treasure mountain.

Even if he obtained it, it did not mean truly gaining and possessing it.

With the matter entrusted, Wu Wu Ya Zi seemed to have lost his lingering attachment; his entire being's vigor had weakened to the extreme.

He told Jiang Sishui where the treasure was hidden, then handed him the gemstone ring symbolizing the Xiaoyao Sect's Paizhang Sect leader, saying: "After your master dies, that treasure will be masterless."

"Unable to sense your master's intent, it may no longer release that illusory spiritual force. When that happens, the Formation's power will be greatly diminished, and it won't be able to trap those two."

"Disciple… look after yourself."

With that, he threw his head back and let out several great laughs.

The laughter cut off abruptly; his white-haired head drooped sharply downward and did not move again.

Jiang Sishui checked his breath—Wu Wu Ya Zi had already passed.

Jiang Sishui sighed, and with heartfelt gratitude kowtowed several more times to Wu Wu Ya Zi.

Just then, the system's prompt sounded—

【Congratulations on reaching the Realm of the Master. The first chapter, "Greenhorn," has ended. System upgrade: daily reward cap doubled.】

【The Second Chapter is opening…】

【Detected that you possess the Hegemon's Conviction. The second chapter is specifically "Path of the Hegemon."】

【Congratulations on officially opening the Second Chapter. Reward: special treasure "Hegemon's Imperial Atlas."】

System upgrade, reward cap doubled?

Greenhorn? Path of the Hegemon?

Jiang Sishui's heart stirred with joy.

So this "Diary System" could be upgraded—he had simply only just met the conditions.

Then he looked again at the description of "Hegemon's Imperial Atlas"—

Hegemon's Imperial Atlas: All under heaven is the sovereign's land. Every path you walk in reality will unlock the corresponding new map, allowing free travel between any locations henceforth.

073 The Lost Age of Gods and Demons, Mission Issued

Jiang Sishui moved Wu Wu Ya Zi, chair and all, into a corner, intending to give him a proper burial once the Zhenlongqi Society was over.

Then, channeling his thick inner force, he flipped open the bamboo pavilion, dug over a zhang into the ground, and finally unearthed an object.

It was a fragment.

At first glance, Jiang Sishui nearly mistook it for the blade-head of a three-pointed, double-edged saber, except the prongs weren't quite so sharp or long.

"Why does it feel a little familiar?" Jiang Sishui murmured. He seemed to have seen something like this in his past life.

But it was already incomplete, so for the moment he couldn't recall.

Just then, the diary within his body surfaced on its own, swept out a Bai Guang, and enveloped the broken weapon.

Immediately after, the system's prompt sounded once more—

【Detected "Lost Era of Gods and Demons" relic — Heavenly God Weapon: Ten Directions Annihilation (Incomplete)】

【Congratulations on triggering the condition. The system quest function is now officially activated. Reward: special item "Seeking Compass"】

【Main Quest: Old Memories and New Chapters of History】

【Side Quest One: Bring the Heshi Bi and Eight Dragon Pearls to the Kunlun Secret Realm (Map Attached)】

【Choice: "Accept" or "Reject"】

【Tip: Each time you complete a major or minor quest, you will receive generous rewards】

"Era of Gods and Demons? Heavenly God Weapon? Ten Directions Annihilation?!"

Jiang Sishui's mind was shaken violently, a powerful sense of suffocation crashing over him.

He never could have imagined that the treasure Wu Wu Ya Zi had obtained by chance was actually this kind of thing!

And its existence also revealed the extraordinary past of this world.

"Era of Gods and Demons…" Jiang Sishui fell silent for a moment.

Then, he looked again at the quest function newly opened in the "Diary System," and the contents of the quest.

Old Memories and New Chapters of History… the name didn't reveal much specific information, but Jiang Sishui had a vague guess in his heart.

Once he completed these quests, the Central Region would likely undergo earth-shattering changes.

When that time came, demigods might no longer be invincible!

Accept? Or reject?

Jiang Sishui hesitated.

Either choice had its pros and cons.

"Enough. What comes will come no matter how I dodge. Rather than being paranoid all day, afraid of variables descending, I'd rather personally set the variables in motion."

"With the system in hand, as long as I level up fast enough, what challenge do I have to fear?"

Jiang Sishui's mind settled. He planned to first complete a side quest and see what happened before deciding further.

If the variables became uncontrollable, at worst he simply wouldn't accept the later quests.

As for the "Seeking Compass," it really was a compass — Gu Mingsiyi, it was used to find things, a perfect complement to the quests.

He dug out "Ten Directions Annihilation." Looking at its appearance and comparing it to the image of this object from his previous life, Jiang Sishui estimated it was only a complete quarter of the whole.

"If I gather all the fragments, can this Heavenly God Weapon regain its peak might?"

Jiang Sishui pondered in his heart.

This trip to Leigu Mountain had yielded an enormous harvest!

To be honest, even now he still didn't understand why Wu Wu Ya Zi had been so good to him, a complete stranger — taking one look at him and choosing him as a disciple, then giving him all kinds of benefits.

In fact, the reason Wu Wu Ya Zi had done so was also related to "Ten Directions Annihilation."