The two worms drilled down, tearing through the earth with force, their saw-like teeth spinning rapidly.
Suddenly, it seemed as if they had collided with a wall, and a lightning-like sensation surged through them.
In an instant, two bodies fell into a pit below, but the energy did not stop them.
Upon hitting the ground, Zhang Yong opened his eyes slowly. He was lying flat, every part of his body aching and drained from exhaustion.
He pushed himself up and glanced around. Wu Ruxian was also lying on her side, her body covered in scattered wounds.
Seeing her condition made him uneasy—not because he worried for her, but for himself.
'She's injured now... this could be the best chance to get rid of her. But what if she's just pretending to be weak? She could kill me at any moment. I need to stay calm'
"Are you enjoying staring at me?" Wu Ruxian mocked coldly.
Zhang Yong didn't answer immediately. He turned his face away and looked around. Raising his head, he noticed a hole in the ceiling.
"This is strange… there's an opening above, sunlight coming through. But where did the worms disappear to?" Zhang Yong muttered cautiously.
Wu Ruxian slowly lifted her head toward the ceiling before turning back to him.
"It looks like there's a natural formation here. It blocked the worms, but we ended up falling in."
Zhang Yong's expression didn't change, but inside he cursed.
'Bad, bad, bad! What kind of luck do I have, to get stuck in a situation like this again? And this time with her, of all people!'
Wu Ruxian stood up and sighed. "Well, nothing we can do about it."
Her eyes wandered around the cave until something caught her attention—a skeleton, but its bones were purple.
She walked toward it quietly, then raised her gaze to the wall. Words were carved into the stone.
Zhang Yong, curious, got up and walked to her side. When he read the words, he was stunned.
It said:
"To whoever finds this tomb, I was once called the Emperor of Eternal Dream. But I faced an opponent I could not withstand and was fatally wounded. I was the first to reach the peak of the Dream Path, but I could not bear for my legacy to vanish. If you can inherit it, then it is your fate."
Beneath the words, a stone carving of an eye was etched into the wall—an eye that seemed to stare directly at them.
It was terrifyingly looking alive
When Zhang Yong looked into the eye, his head throbbed violently with pain. The Skull of Nightmares within him reacted once again, the second time it had done so unexpectedly.
Clutching his head, everything suddenly turned white, as if he were standing in an endless void.
Then, everything was pulled toward him, light flooding his vision in immeasurable brilliance, before an explosion hurled him back to the ground.
Wu Ruxian rushed over, appearing far less affected than Zhang Yong. "Are you hurt?"
Holding his forehead, he nodded. "What was that just now?"
Wu Ruxian glanced back at the writings and smiled faintly.
"It's the inheritance of the Emperor of Eternal Dream. The truth of Eternal Dream—it's a mental cultivation method."
Zhang Yong was shocked. "Mental cultivation?"
(Status
Name: Zhang Yong (Hijai Naoto)
Age: 16
Body:
Life and Death affinity Physique lvl3
Ice and Fire Alchemical Body lvl5
Heaven-Defying Body lvl2
Level 41× (15,000,000 / 1,471,611)
Strength: 556
Endurance: 527
Agility: 574
Intelligence: 365
Spiritual Energy: 41×
Stat Points: 18
Emotion Points: 528,075
Abilities:
Skills – Shop – Inventory – Quests
Gambling)
'She's right… my intelligence rose by twelve points. Yuni, what grade is this technique?'
(High-grade skill.)
"How long did you last inside the technique?" Wu Ruxian asked calmly, as if she wasn't surprised by its existence, as though she had expected it.
"About four seconds," Zhang Yong answered honestly.
She pondered for a moment. "I lasted seven. It seems the longer you endure, the more mental energy you gain."
Zhang Yong stood up. "Doesn't matter. Let's leave this place."
He crouched like a grasshopper, then leapt upward. But before he even neared the ceiling opening, he began to fall back down.
"The distance is too great. Let me try again."
He tried once more, this time with the support of Murasama's Aura, but still failed.
"What the hell? Even with support, I still can't do it!" he complained angrily.
"Why not compress the air to push yourself higher?" Wu Ruxian suggested.
Zhang Yong stared blankly at her, unsure how to respond.
Wu Ruxian immediately mocked, "You don't know? When you jump, gather your strength into your legs, compress the air, and leap again. Like this."
She jumped, and just as she began to fall, she pushed again, launching herself higher—purely with physical strength.
"It's like when you punch with force and release a blow that cuts through the air."
As she landed, she threw a punch, and a compressed wind blast shot out, striking the cave wall.
Zhang Yong could only marvel. "Truly… no way my short experience can compare to three hundred years of hers."
He raised his arm, punched swiftly, and felt the wind split apart. A compressed blast shot into a dark corner of the cave wall.
Rocks tumbled down, followed by a "blop!" sound—something falling into water.
They approached, but the area was dark. Wu Ruxian flipped her hand, summoning a glowing blue orb that lit up the space.
Before them was a pool of blue water. Wu Ruxian reached toward it, but quickly pulled her hand back.
"This… it's Origin Water." She was visibly surprised and warned immediately: "Don't touch it."
Suspicious, Zhang Yong asked, "What exactly is it , is it related to the pure spring water"
He searched his memory but found nothing about it.
Wu Ruxian sighed, her voice serious. "There is no relation between them, pure spring water is for use on herbs and monsters, while Origin energy is extremely pure,To the extent that it is toxic to the normal human body accustomed to absorbing mixed energy in nature, It's harmful. Touch it, and it could kill you."
Zhang Yong stepped back quickly. "Eh? That dangerous? Either way, we can't stay here."
'as much as i like to act like an idiot so she don't raise her guards , i should get out'
Purple Wings unfurled from his arms, and he tried to fly out—but was instantly struck down.
Wu Ruxian stood over him and said, "I forgot to mention, this natural formation make it impossible to leave unless it's broken , Try to leave, and it will repel you."
Zhang Yong stood up immediately. "But I don't even have a cultivation base. Shouldn't there be no resistance?"
"Every formation has its own rules. It seems we'll have to wait until it weakens before escaping."
"And how long will that take?" he asked.
"There's no set time. Maybe tomorrow, maybe a month… or even a year."
Zhang Yong shouted in disbelief, "A year?! No way! We can't stay here that long—by then, it'll be too late!" He collapsed onto his back in despair.
"There's another option. If we grow stronger, we could break through the barrier ourselves," Wu Ruxian offered.
"There's only us here. I can't train. But what about you? What level would you need to reach?" Zhang Yong asked.
"We'd have to reach the Emperor stage. I'm confident I could reach it in ten years."
Zhang Yong's shock deepened. "Ten years?! That's even worse. Fine, waiting might be the only option. Wait… I think I have an idea."
He immediately pulled out several formation flags and placed them on the ground.
Wu Ruxian watched calmly. "Planning to use a teleportation array? Don't. Without another anchor point, you'll be sent somewhere random."
Zhang Yong froze, fists clenched. "There's no other way. I know this type of array is called the 'One-Way Escape Sacrifice' for a reason. But do we have another option?"
This kind of formation, as Elder Gu Zixian explained, would teleport someone randomly if not anchored. Once it activated, it couldn't be reversed or linked back. Someone always had to stay behind to destroy it after others escaped.
A sacrifice for the group to survive. But since the destination was random, you could appear in the ocean, a volcano, high in the sky, or deep underground—completely unpredictable, often leading to certain death.
With tension in his voice, Zhang Yong sighed. "So what do you suggest?"
Wu Ruxian replied confidently, "We can use this time to grow stronger. This place is suitable for training."
Zhang Yong scratched the back of his head in irritation. "Whatever."
He walked away, sat down, and asked inwardly:
'Uni, what was that seed I swallowed? The Seed of Death'
(Are you familiar with Yggdrasil?)
Zhang Yong frowned. "You mean the world tree from my world's myths—the same one I saw on the Cosmic Path?"
(Yes. It is the World Tree, with nine realms connected to it. It's above the lower realms we usually travel through.)
"Got it. But what does that have to do with the seed?"
(Because your martial soul is tied to Yggdrasil. Your tree was ordinary, representing the mortal realm. After consuming the Seed of Life in Douluo World, it evolved to the Realm of gods which enhanced your healing capabilities .But for it to fully evolve, you must find the other seven seeds, each representing one of the realms.)
"So if I eat the rest of the seeds, my soul will grow into a miniature Yggdrasil?"
(Technically, yes. But there are limits. The seeds are scattered across realms—one per realm. It's rare to find two in the same world.)
"So I'll have to travel to six more realms after this?"
(Did you forget where we are?)
Zhang Yong's eyes lit with realization. "We're in a place where multiple realms converge… meaning the seeds could all be here!"
(Exactly.)
"If I complete the tree, maybe I can restore my dantian—or even bring back my family!"
(Host… I hate to say this, but revival may be impossible. Even the World Tree cannot revive the dead . Only the Source of the Cosmos itself could. Some realms allow resurrection, but to negotiate with their will, you'd need a very high cultivation.)
Still, Zhang Yong felt a spark of hope. "Then all I need is to subjugate the will of the cosmos."
(Impossible. It's not a living entity. It exists on a different dimensional level. You'll never find it.)
Zhang Yong sighed, his hope dimmed—but not extinguished. First, he needed to find the seeds. Everything else could wait.
"Uni, how do I track the seeds?"
(When close, you'll sense them. Their presence often causes phenomena—like the deathly aura here, caused by the Seed of Death)
Zhang Yong understood. Each seed's domain manifested its essence—volcanoes hiding the Fire Seed, glaciers the Ice Seed, and so on.
The six he needed were:
Earth Seed (Jotunheim)
Light Seed (Alfheim)
Fire Seed (Muspelheim)
Ice Seed (Niflheim)
Darkness Seed (Svartalfheim)
Wind Seed (Vanaheim)
Zhang Yong set the flags before him, performing hand seals. Suddenly, the flags shattered.
"What the—? Did I do something wrong?"
Wu Ruxian sneered coldly. "Of course it failed if you're still using that method."
Zhang Yong let out a frustrated breath, his tone filled with disdain. "And what do you know about formations?"
Wu Ruxian answered seriously, "I know plenty. The method you're trying is wrong. You're attempting to form a Fire-Killing Array. Who told you flags are the only way to use formations? Flags can be used because they are high-powered components, but such low-level ones can only implement first-class arrays, But after using it several times, the energy runs out and the flags break, and therefore it is not useful in direct combat"
She lifted a bag of spirit stones into the air, linking them with hidden light. A fiery palm burst forth, smashing into the cave wall.
Zhang Yong was stunned for the second time that day. "Just how much do you know to be able to do this?"
Wu Ruxian replied calmly, "Not that much. I just studied a little. Are you interested in learning from me?"
Zhang Yong's head was about to explode. The Heavenly Demon, offering to teach him? What kind of sick joke was this?
But he realized—while Elder Gu held great knowledge, Wu Ruxian had centuries of experience.
Still, he wasn't foolish enough to think she'd teach him for nothing. If he agreed too quickly, she'd see him as naïve. It was better to keep his arrogant façade, or she'd grow suspicious of him.
Zhang Yong hesitated, then muttered, "Who said I want to learn from you?" and turned his face away.
Wu Ruxian shrugged helplessly. "Suit yourself then." She walked off.
"Wait," Zhang Yong called after her.
She turned, smirking as if she'd expected it. "What is it? Changed your mind?"
Annoyed, Zhang Yong scratched the back of his head. "Just tell me how you did it."
Wu Ruxian smiled, lifting her finger. A thin white thread of mental energy rose, wrapping around it.
"It's just like formation flags. Instead of placing attributes into flags, try embedding them into your mental energy directly, giving it properties. The true essence of the Truth Realm is the embodiment of spiritual energy in its purest form." She explained calmly.
Then she continued, "It can also be used for instant alchemy."
She raised her hand, herbs floating around it as heat gathered. She compressed them swiftly, and when she opened her hand, three pills lay inside.
She tossed them carelessly to Zhang Yong. "Supplement pills. The weakest recipe of first-grade pills."
Zhang Yong ate them immediately.
Her lips curled into a sly smile. "Aren't you worried they might be poisoned?"
He shrugged indifferently. "They're not. You've had plenty of chances to kill me already. Why bother now? But instant alchemy? That's unbelievable. What's the point of cauldrons if this works?"
Wu Ruxian sat beside him, leaning against the cave wall. "Nothing's absolute. With greater mental energy, you can refine higher-grade pills. But fail, and your Spiritual Sea explodes. So it's far from perfect."
Zhang Yong turned away, muttering, "Fine."
Wu Ruxian teased, leaning close, "What was that? I didn't hear you."
Flustered, Zhang Yong snapped, "I said fine! I'll learn from you. But I don't want to owe anyone. What do you want in return?"
She thought for a moment, then said, "I want one action from you."
[Meaning: a deed or task. If she asked him to hunt or kill someone, he'd have to do it]
Zhang Yong's eyes widened slightly, puzzled. "Er … Fine, I agree, I guess."
'i'll just say yes and never do that action'