The world of the Great Zhou had many cave-heaven realms, but the ascension of a cave-heaven to the status of a blessed land was a rare event.
This was because the birth of a small cave-heaven world was measured in eons—millions of years!
The current three hundred cave-heaven worlds had existed for countless ages, with no one knowing their exact birthdates.
The court officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty estimated that the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven was about 500,000 years old, which made it a mere infant compared to other cave-heavens.
"The ten suns rising in the sky might really be the handiwork of the Xuantian Sect," Zhao Xing mused. "During the Two Reigns Period, the Xuantian Sect also caused a great commotion in the Guangling Cave-Heaven… But this Ten Sun Cave-Heaven is something I only discovered in this life—it's quite the discovery."
"No wonder I found that mysterious palace familiar—it bears the Xuantian Sect's style."
In his previous life, Zhao Xing had once joined the Xuantian Sect's faction, and their architectural style differed significantly from that of the Great Zhou.
Following this line of thought and drawing on his past experiences, Zhao Xing quickly reached a conclusion: "The Ten Sun Cave-Heaven was captured. During the Expansion Wars at the end of the Dingxin Era, Marquis Mingwu of the Hujiao Army and Marquis Mingwei of the Black Armor Army discovered this unclaimed cave-heaven."
"The records say it was seized from the Southern Barbarians, but… it's also very likely that the Xuantian Sect was the original owner of this cave-heaven, much like with Guangling Cave-Heaven."
"That mysterious palace might very well be a remnant left by the ancient Xuantian Sect, simply waiting to be discovered."
"Or perhaps… the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven was deliberately allowed to fall into the hands of Marquis Mingwu and his forces!"
"Why would they do that?" Zhao Xing pondered as he attempted to calculate further, but immediately felt the cave-heaven tremble.
Clearly, divining this matter required a significant cost, but fortunately, the backlash was absorbed by the cave-heaven.
Even so, Zhao Xing could not discern much more, as the divination spell itself collapsed.
However, this collapse already revealed much. Using his knowledge from his past life, Zhao Xing formulated a bold theory: "The Xuantian Sect might have set up a long-term plot around the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven. It's located near the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Prefecture, and they've always aimed to overthrow the Great Zhou. Is this a display of power?"
"Who are they showing off to? Emperor Jing? Or perhaps not just their enemies, but their allies as well…"
Zhao Xing's pupils widened in realization. "King Liang!"
With this possibility in mind, Zhao Xing's thoughts suddenly became much clearer.
"No wonder King Liang dared to rebel in my previous life!"
"This show of force by the Xuantian Sect must have given him a significant boost in confidence."
"If even the Military Realm, which maintains the Great Zhou's rule, can be shaken, then King Liang, who was already harboring rebellious thoughts, would be swayed."
"Adding in the failure of the Southern Barbarian Campaign… All these factors must have pushed King Liang into action."
In his previous life, Zhao Xing had never fully understood King Liang's rebellion.
How could someone so weak dare to rebel against his brother, the emperor?
Where did he get the courage?
If his guess was correct, that courage came from the Outer Sect factions.
Arriving at these conclusions left Zhao Xing a little shaken.
"The ancient divine sects truly lay out long-term plans. This is another form of future divination, isn't it?"
Suddenly, numerous insights about fate-related spells surged into Zhao Xing's mind.
But Zhao Xing did not continue delving into the matter.
Because he didn't dare to.
As his Five-Finger Fate Technique advanced, Zhao Xing noticed that in this starry sky, numerous "threads" were extending toward him.
His karma soul stirred uneasily, as if someone were watching him.
Seeing this, Zhao Xing's heart raced with alarm.
"I can't calculate any further—I've already alerted certain beings."
In schemes that spanned across high realms and many years of preparation, even if one couldn't fully comprehend them, attempting to divine them could still draw attention from those involved.
Thankfully, the current situation was special; otherwise, Zhao Xing would have never dared to peer into these secrets.
"Fate as the Blade—Sever!"
Zhao Xing raised his hand, and golden light flashed, severing all the threads reaching toward him.
Once the threads were cut, the unsettling feeling vanished.
"Luckily, I'm within the Heavenly Gate of the cave-heaven, and my Five-Finger Fate Technique has made a breakthrough. I can now hide my traces." Zhao Xing thought to himself.
While within the Heavenly Gate and divining his future, Zhao Xing's Five-Finger Fate Technique had advanced significantly, reaching the level of high-tier spells!
Not only that, he had also mastered two high-tier secret techniques:
[Fate as the Blade: A high-tier fate-related spell]
[Progress: High-tier mastery]
[Effect: Use fate as a blade to sever divination paths]
[Fate Concealment: A high-tier fate-related spell]
[Progress: High-tier mastery]
[Effect: Conceal one's own fate, cutting off karmic peering]
"As expected from the Heaven of Myriad Paths, my high-tier techniques have reached full mastery."
Zhao Xing immediately activated Fate Concealment.
"Buzz~"
Starlight descended upon Zhao Xing, as if draping him in a thin veil.
"With the power of the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven supporting Fate Concealment, I won't be detected by any divination, even after leaving the Heavenly Gate—unless it's something at the level of the Creation Disk specifically targeting me," Zhao Xing mused.
"But the likelihood of that is extremely low."
For the vast majority of beings, humans were no more than ants.
What had just happened was akin to two giants—the Southern Barbarians and the Great Zhou—fighting, while an ant accidentally wandered into the battlefield. The ant briefly attracted attention but quickly vanished back into the ant swarm.
At that point, the giants would have no reason to crouch down and search for that one ant.
"Still, this isn't foolproof."
Zhao Xing, ever cautious, immediately used the Great Dream Spring and Autumn to seal away the memory of this incident, setting a timed lock.
Everything related to the Xuantian Sect, King Liang, and even other potential secrets from his past life, Zhao Xing sealed them all.
The seal would lift after six months—by then, the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven incident would likely have come to an end.
Only under specific conditions or while in a dream state would he recall these memories.
"This high-level scheme is out of my league—better not to get involved."
Having learned these secrets, Zhao Xing had no intention of taking action.
He just wanted to gain some benefits and protect those he cared about, such as Old Chen, Long Xiao, and Xia Jing, who were close to him.
In the grand scheme of things, they were mere "ants." Sparing one or two ants wouldn't attract attention from the Great Zhou, the Southern Barbarians, or the sects—these towering giants.
"This is my way of stealing a glimpse of fate and altering destiny," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "In the future I just glimpsed, Old Chen appeared over thirty million times, and in more than twenty million of those scenarios, he ended up dead."
Yes, Old Chen's fortune had improved, but the calamity in the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven was severe, with even Fifth-Rank cultivators at risk of death. Even Xia Jing and Long Xiao faced a 30 to 40 percent chance of dying, so it was normal for Old Chen's odds to be even higher.
"Seal it!"
After making his preparations, Zhao Xing brushed his hands over his eyes.
Moments later, his gaze became blank.
At that point, all impressions of the Xuantian Sect, the mysterious palace, and King Liang began to fade from his mind.
"Hmm? Why do I feel like I've forgotten something?" Zhao Xing stared at his hands in confusion, furrowing his brow.
A moment later, he relaxed. "I must have predicted something and chosen to forget it myself."
Zhao Xing found that if he consciously resisted this "forgetfulness," he could recall the sealed memories.
But he didn't do so, trusting that there must have been a good reason for sealing the memories in the first place.
"Buzz~"
Just then, a faint glow appeared in the starry sky, catching Zhao Xing's attention.
"Hmm? Someone's peering at me again?"
"Wait, why did I say 'again'?"
Zhao Xing tilted his head as he looked at the distant observer in the starry sky.
The thread connecting them was thin, but when magnified, it resembled a black worm with a dragon's head.
"This is much weaker than the previous peering… Previous?"
Zhao Xing realized the seal was preventing him from recalling certain things, so he didn't dwell on it.
Casually, he cast Fate as the Blade.
On the Black Dragon Warship bound for the Inverted Peak Mountains, Ji Dan sat within, while Liang Ruohai stared at his black-and-white compass. His eyes reflected a starry sky, where a blurry figure sat cross-legged.
"That must be the one who intercepted Your Highness's fortune." Liang Ruohai focused harder, trying to see more clearly.
But it was as if a barrier shrouded the entire starry sky, blocking all attempts to peer through.
Just then, the figure under the stars raised its head and tilted it slightly.
Though Liang Ruohai still couldn't make out the figure's face, the figure raised a hand.
"Oh no!" Liang Ruohai immediately realized something was wrong and attempted to stop the divination.
But it was too late—
"Crack, crack, crack~"
In an instant, all the jade bones on the black-and-white compass shattered.
"Boom!"
A floating dragon bone exploded on the spot.
"Sss, sss, sss~" The black dragon blood beside the compass began to evaporate.
"Boom~"
The black-and-white compass disintegrated into powder.
But the backlash's aftermath was still terrifying!
"Spurt~"
Liang Ruohai grabbed the knife next to him and immediately severed his right arm, tossing it onto the area where the compass had been.
"Buzz~"
Silently, his entire right arm dissolved into dust.
However, the backlash still wasn't over!
"What? This still isn't enough?" Liang Ruohai gritted his teeth and severed his legs.
"Buzz~"
His legs disintegrated just as silently as his arm.
But it still wasn't enough!
"The backlash of fate—this wants my life…" Liang Ruohai sighed, drawing a line across his chest with his remaining hand.
Muttering under his breath, he began an incantation:
"With my heart's blood, I return heaven's life."
"Glug, glug~"
His heart's blood surged forth, forming an image of Liang Ruohai himself before falling into the shattered area of the compass.
"Sss, sss, sss~"
The blood evaporated and disappeared.
Finally, the backlash came to an end.
"Master? Master!"
Ji Dan rushed to the observation deck upon hearing the commotion, and when he saw the scene before him, his face paled in shock.
He hurried forward to support the collapsing Liang Ruohai.
"Master, what happened to you?!" Ji Dan was utterly horrified.
Liang Ruohai's legs and right arm were missing, his face was lined with wrinkles, his hair had turned completely white, and he looked like a frail old man on the verge of death.
But Liang Ruohai was only 170 years old—an age that should have been his prime for a Fifth-Rank cultivator!
How had he ended up in this state?
Ji Dan checked Liang Ruohai's pulse and sent his own energy into his dantian, but his heart sank.
Liang Ruohai's dantian was full of cracks, and his bones were in a similarly shattered state.
Everything pointed to the fact that Liang Ruohai had truly aged, not simply been poisoned or cursed by some temporary spell.
"Master, master," Ji Dan cried out in panic. "Quickly! Bring me all the herbs from the medicine vault!"
Liang Ruohai had been more than just a teacher to Ji Dan—he had been like a father. Ji Dan rarely saw his actual father, and even when he did, his father treated him more as a prince than a son. To Ji Dan, his father was as distant and cold as the ocean.
But Liang Ruohai had always been like a father figure.
"There's no need, my prince," Liang Ruohai rasped. "My time is up—I have ten years left at most."
"If I weren't a Fifth-Rank official, protected by the court's blessings, I would have already died."
"This backlash cannot be healed by any medicine."
"Master…" Tears welled up in Ji Dan's eyes as he realized that Liang Ruohai had been struck down by a backlash from divining his fate.
"Dan, listen to me." Liang Ruohai struggled to speak. "Turn the ship around immediately. Do not continue east."
"Master." Ji Dan wiped his tears, his expression turning fierce. "Please, master, tell me—who has been plotting against me? Was it the Nineteenth Prince, the Thirteenth, or perhaps the Crown Prince?!"
Liang Ruohai shook his head. "I don't know."
"Your Highness, Lord Liang…" Just then, several warriors arrived on the observation deck carrying boxes of medicine, only to freeze in shock at the sight before them.
"Do as I say," Liang Ruohai urged. "Turn the ship around."
Ji Dan quickly regained his composure and stopped losing control. "Yes, turn the ship around immediately. No one is to continue toward the Inverted Peak Mountains!"
"Escort Master Liang down to rest."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Brotherhood and kinship, yet it all falls apart in the battle for the crown…" After everyone had left, Ji Dan's face was filled with sorrow, which soon turned into an expression of murderous intent. "Thirteen, Nineteen, the Crown Prince… you all better watch out!"
Deep in the Southern Wilderness, atop a mountain bathed in golden light, a temple stood tall.
Inside the temple was a statue of a figure dressed in a red Daoist robe, holding a fly-whisk.
"Buzz~"
Suddenly, the statue came to life, gazing into the distance.
The Blood Spirit Sovereign extended his hand and made a divination, and suddenly, a flame appeared on his fingertip.
"Hmm?" The Blood Spirit Sovereign waved the fly-whisk, but the flame continued to burn for ten breaths before finally extinguishing.
"This relates to the Spirit-Sealing Palace… Could it have been discovered?"
"No, that's not right," the Blood Spirit Sovereign shook his head. "It wasn't the power of the Creation Disk."
The backlash seemed grand and on a high level, but the source was a weak, ant-like presence—too insignificant to be clearly seen.
"An ant crawls near the edge of the game board and tries to lift a stone weighing billions of times more than itself?" the Blood Spirit Sovereign mused. "Interesting. So why didn't it throw the stone into the board?"
"Everything leaves traces. Let's calculate it again." The Blood Spirit Sovereign tried once more to divine the situation, but his spell failed again.
His fingertip ignited once more.
What had brought Liang Ruohai to the brink of death only caused the Blood Spirit Sovereign's finger to catch fire.
"Poof~" The flame was extinguished, and the Blood Spirit Sovereign stared at his finger in thought.
The stone was gone. The ant was gone.
But the traces left by the ant felt faintly familiar.
"Who could it be?" The Blood Spirit Sovereign muttered to himself.
Zhao Xing had no idea that his casual use of Fate as the Blade had pushed Liang Ruohai to the point of near death.
Nor did he know that the Blood Spirit Sovereign had, on a whim, tried to calculate his fate.
However, Zhao Xing's earlier precautions had paid off, preventing the Blood Spirit Sovereign from gaining any useful information.
By now, Zhao Xing had already exited the Heavenly Gate.
He appeared in the sea of clouds.
Thoughtfully, he flew back toward the Kirin Airship.
Long Xiao was already waiting onboard.
"You're back early?" Long Xiao asked.
"My Dao heart is firm, and I'm not easily tempted. I had a clear goal," Zhao Xing replied. His sole purpose had been to master the Five-Finger Fate Technique, so naturally, he hadn't wasted any time.
Zhao Xing gave Long Xiao a quick glance. "You're not bad either. You came late, but got out quickly."
When Zhao Xing's straw puppet had brought Murong Xue and Ji Zixuan over, Long Xiao and the mountain cat had still been absorbing the energy of the spiritual hot springs.
By the time Ji Zixuan had finished absorbing it, Zhao Xing had already found the Heavenly Gate.
Long Xiao, too, had set off shortly thereafter, heading for the Cloud Gate's Thirty-Six Peaks.
By the time the Heavenly Gate opened at the seventh quarter of the hour in the early morning, Long Xiao had arrived by the second quarter of the morning, two quarters behind, only to exit quickly.
Long Xiao grinned proudly. "Hah, you think you're the only one with a firm Dao heart? Old Chen and I fought our way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood."
"Impressive, Lord Yunxiao!" Zhao Xing gave him a thumbs up. "So what did you gain?"
"I perfected the Slaughter Sword Art and even created a sword technique of my own." Long Xiao could hardly contain his excitement. "Come on, I'll show you."
"Sure!" Zhao Xing was eager to see.
"Look behind you." Long Xiao motioned for Zhao Xing to turn around.
When Zhao Xing turned, he saw three cloud-white phantom swords floating behind him.
"This…" Zhao Xing was surprised. "Is this the Divine Cloud Sword Art?!"
Long Xiao's current sword technique was already very similar to the version Zhao Xing had seen in his past life.
Though still immature, it had already broken away from the incomplete version of the Slaughter Sword Art, becoming Long Xiao's own creation.
"Wait a second—so I'm the one who named the Divine Cloud Sword Art in this life?" Zhao Xing was taken aback by the strange feeling of déjà vu.
"Hah, the name sounds good. It's strong!" Long Xiao said. "I hadn't named it yet, but now I will."
In his previous life, Long Xiao had obtained an incomplete sword art called the Slaughter Sword Art from an ancient tomb. The art contained the Gengjin Sword Control Method, sword energy condensation techniques, and four killing moves.
However, it was an incomplete version, and the sword technique Long Xiao now wielded was one he had created himself.
"In this life, I get to name the Divine Cloud Sword Art?" Zhao Xing couldn't help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction.
"Hah, you don't know how weird it was in the Heavenly Gate. There were so many swords flying around, each one stronger than the Slaughter Sword Art by ten or even a hundred times." Long Xiao controlled the cloud-white phantom swords, sending them flying around him. "I wonder if Xia Jing and Ji Zixuan can resist temptation."
"They should be fine," Zhao Xing said, glancing in the direction of the Heavenly Gate.
At this point, the Heavenly Gate was no longer visible, as each person could only enter once, and Zhao Xing had already left.
Moreover, what each person saw inside the Heavenly Gate differed. Zhao Xing had seen a starry sky, while Long Xiao had encountered a sword pavilion.
These scenes reflected the innermost desires of their hearts, giving rise to the environments they encountered.
Two more hours passed.
At the beginning of the si hour, Chen Shijie emerged third.
"Old Chen, how was it?" Zhao Xing asked.
Chen Shijie smiled. "Not bad. I've mastered nine high-tier spells, with one having reached the seventh transformation. The others have mostly reached lesser mastery."
"Wow, that's pretty impressive!" Long Xiao's eyes widened. "And you call that 'not bad'? That's really strong!"
"He's fishing for compliments—you shouldn't have asked," Zhao Xing laughed.
Chen Shijie's high-tier spells hadn't reached full mastery, but the number of spells he had learned was impressive, and his progress was balanced.
That was just Chen Shijie's way.
As a Military Shennong, he was always well-rounded.
"Zhao Xing, what about you?" Chen Shijie asked. "You can brag a little too."
"Me? Nothing special," Zhao Xing said casually. "Just three high-tier spells at full mastery."
"Shit!" Long Xiao's eyes bulged. "So you're the one who made the most progress!"
"Three spells, fully mastered?" Chen Shijie was also astonished.
Achieving full mastery of a high-tier spell was no easy feat.
Simply possessing a high-tier spell was already rare for a Sixth-Rank cultivator.
Achieving full mastery of one was even rarer.
Many Fifth-Rank cultivators hadn't even fully mastered a high-tier spell.
"I was an exception—I just got lucky," Zhao Xing explained.
He wasn't lying.
Inside the Heavenly Gate, fate-related spells were the most suited for comprehension!
Other spells and martial arts didn't see nearly as much progress!
With the cave-heaven absorbing the cost of the divinations and amplifying their power, Zhao Xing's progress was naturally immense.
This kind of opportunity was incredibly rare, and it might be thousands or even tens of thousands of years before anyone encountered such a situation again.
As for the third spell, it was Primordial Instant.
This high-tier spell from the Self School also reached full mastery.
Casting Primordial Instant revealed an internal world of plants, which had a striking resemblance to the starry sky Zhao Xing had seen within the Heavenly Gate.
Other spells had seen slight improvements, but the main ones were Fate as the Blade, Fate Concealment, and Primordial Instant.
At the end of the si hour, Xia Jing finally emerged from the sea of clouds.
"How was it, Young Lord?" Long Xiao asked, curious about Xia Jing's progress as a martial artist.
"Sigh," Xia Jing let out a heavy sigh.
"What happened?" Zhao Xing asked. "Did you waste your time in there?"
"No, I think I might have focused on the wrong things," Xia Jing replied. "I ended up mastering Gluttony Technique and Black Tortoise Shield."
"Gluttony Technique is at the seventh transformation, and Black Tortoise Shield is at the ninth transformation."
"The problem is, these aren't even my main techniques."
"Shit!" Long Xiao growled. "The way you guys brag is getting more and more creative."
"Let's beat him up!" Zhao Xing said, and he and Long Xiao began to pummel Xia Jing.
But a faint yellow glow appeared around Xia Jing's body, and when their punches landed, they didn't seem to have any effect. Xia Jing didn't even flinch.
"Please, spare me," Xia Jing smirked. "Your punches hurt so much—hahaha!"
The mockery was palpable.
But Xia Jing was able to back it up.
"Dammit, you're so annoying now," Long Xiao muttered.
"You're still going to act humble after this?" Zhao Xing gritted his teeth.
"Inner Gluttony Technique and outer Black Tortoise Shield. Saying you're invincible among Sixth-Rank cultivators wouldn't be an exaggeration," Chen Shijie said. "You two are just tickling him."
"But my Azure Dragon Transformation didn't make much progress," Xia Jing lamented. "Now I have strong defense, but my offense doesn't quite live up to 'invincible among Sixth-Rank cultivators.'"
At the first quarter of the wu hour, Ji Zixuan also emerged.
Though Ji Zixuan had made great strides, his progress was slightly less than that of Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, and the others.
This was because Ji Zixuan had been tempted by some of the "false" spells inside the Heavenly Gate, wasting some time studying them.
Ultimately, Ji Zixuan only mastered two high-tier spells, both at the third transformation.
It was rare for anyone to completely avoid temptation and fully maximize their gains inside the Heavenly Gate.
Ji Zixuan's progress was more in line with the average outcome.
"Now we just need to wait for Aotian," Long Xiao muttered, looking around. "Why hasn't he come out yet?"
"Maybe he's confused," Ji Zixuan suggested. "Beastly intelligence might not be able to comprehend the Dao as easily."
"Could it be that the mountain cat is being lured in by food?" Xia Jing laughed.
"Maybe all it's seeing in there are fish," Zhao Xing remarked, eyeing Xia Jing.
"Why are you looking at me? I no longer fear fish," Xia Jing declared.
"Oh? Then I'll grow you some horse fish fruit next time," Zhao Xing teased.
"Glug~" Xia Jing gulped, his body trembling. "Let's not, Zhao."
"Hahaha."
The five of them continued waiting on the Airship for Aotian's return.
In this era, beasts didn't have many cultivation methods and relied solely on their innate bloodline talents.
However, many beasts had stronger physical bodies and bloodlines than humans, giving them unique advantages and disadvantages.
Zhao Xing wasn't sure whether beasts could benefit from entering the Heavenly Gate.
But he did know that in the era of spiritual energy revival, beasts' intelligence would rise, allowing them to cultivate on a large scale and giving birth to a new race known as the Yao.
At that time, many cultivation methods for the Yao would emerge as well.
At the end of the wu hour, the Heavenly Gate closed, and Aotian finally emerged from the clouds with a meow.
"Meow~"
Amidst the clouds, lightning flashed.
Aotian gracefully strode through the lightning, as if it were a solid pathway beneath his paws.
"Wow, it really did change?" Ji Zixuan was amazed. The Heavenly Gate shouldn't have had much effect on beasts, but the mountain cat had clearly made significant progress.
"Incredible," Xia Jing marveled at the sight. "Controlling lightning—that's quite the powerful talent."
"Aotian is a spiritual anomaly, raised by a mountain god. It seems its intelligence is far beyond that of ordinary beasts," Zhao Xing noted, surprised as well.
"Hahaha, Aotian is so clever," Long Xiao laughed as he steered the ship closer.
"Meow~" Aotian meowed, elegantly leaping onto the ship and licking its paws to signal its hunger.
With a wave of Zhao Xing's hand, the bamboo chamber opened, and a mountain of food tumbled out in front of the mountain cat.
"Meow!" Aotian's ears perked up as it darted over to feast.
After feeding Aotian, Zhao Xing said, "Old Chen, Long Xiao, come with me."
The three of them set off, pausing at various points atop the Thirty-Six Peaks to make some arrangements.
"Are you planning to destroy the peaks?" Chen Shijie asked.
"Yes," Zhao Xing nodded. "Over the next few days, the Heavenly Gate's effects will gradually weaken, but there's still a chance others will see the portal."
"What a pity," Long Xiao lamented.
"What are you pitying?" Zhao Xing asked, puzzled. "You don't actually think we should leave this for others, do you?"
"No, I'm just sighing," Long Xiao shook his head. "If everyone gets stronger, it won't benefit us."
Zhao Xing replied, "Everyone else could be our potential enemies. We can't leave opportunities for our enemies."
"Besides, I did a few things inside the gate. I can't afford to let anyone find out, not even by chance."
Chen Shijie voiced a concern. "Many places have set up Forgetting Monuments. I fear there will be some bloodshed."
Zhao Xing looked through his earth mirror. "Some areas haven't even set up Forgetting Monuments, and they haven't banned killing either. They're designed specifically for the heirs of noble families."
Long Xiao was baffled. "Why would the court allow that? Aren't they afraid the families will hold grudges afterward?"
Zhao Xing responded calmly, "These thousand-year-old noble families already have enough power. Why should they act like friends? Wouldn't uniting them be a rebellion in the making?"
"Even without this event, families that need to feud will still feud, and those that need to ally will still ally."
"By the time they've lasted a thousand years, personal feelings can be set aside—benefits are the only thing that matter."
"That makes sense," Chen Shijie agreed. "In the eleventh year of the Jingxin Era, when I first arrived in Nanyang County, two local aristocratic families, the Yangs and the Lius, were feuding. They fought a bloody battle, and several family members died."
"By the fifteenth year, the Yangs had married a daughter to the Lius because they needed to collaborate on a trade route."
"If local families operate like that, it's even more so for families that have lasted for thousands or even tens of thousands of years."
"It's the same between nations. Today, they might ally and send hostages, and tomorrow, they might break the treaty and kill those hostages. The day after, they could reconcile and send new hostages," Zhao Xing said as he stomped the ground, channeling golden light into the earth. "Enough talk—let's get this done. Old Chen, Long Xiao, start working."
"Understood."
"Boom!"
The Thirty-Six Peaks of the Cloud Gate began to shift. Four of the peaks trembled violently.
Stones rolled down the mountainsides, and rivers of water cascaded into the abyss below.
The temperatures of the four floating sky islands soared.
"Shush, shush, shush~"
Three figures quickly fled from the peaks, boarding their Airship to move far away.
Not long after, the four peaks either exploded or collapsed.
The Thirty-Six Peaks were reduced to thirty-two, losing their mystical properties and becoming ordinary mountains once more.
Zhao Xing and Chen Shijie had drained the water veins of the mountains before using volcanic spells to trigger eruptions.
Within a short time, the four sky islands experienced a massive geological upheaval, leading to their destruction.
These peaks had never had solid foundations, floating in the sky as they were. With the destruction of the earth veins, they were easily destroyed.
"We just killed off four future spiritual mountains," Chen Shijie remarked, watching the explosions.
Had they been left alone, these peaks might have become "spiritual mountains" one day.
"Better the mountains die than we die," Zhao Xing replied. "Let's go. No need to dwell on it."
"Where to next?" Xia Jing asked, having grown accustomed to following Zhao Xing's lead.
"We can't stay in the Inverted Peak Mountains anymore," Zhao Xing said. "The Military Realm has already begun occupying land here. For now, I don't want to get involved in the bloodshed."
"Extreme Night Sea and Penglai Marsh are both options. Let me calculate it first." Zhao Xing used his Five-Finger Fate Technique, paired with the Great Derivation Qi Observation Method, to examine the pillars of fate surrounding the four of them. He would choose their next destination based on which direction seemed most auspicious.