"You think so too?" Zhao Xing was slightly surprised. "Sparks Unit came to the same conclusion."
"In that case, is it possible that you—or rather, the people of Great Zhou—misunderstood the situation?" Jing Yan asked.
"I'll ask again." Zhao Xing nodded.
His main body closed its eyes while his external clone, positioned in a nearby star system, immediately used the Sparks Mirror to contact Ji Che.
A ripple spread across the mirror, and Ji Che's projection appeared before him.
"Big Brother, why are you contacting me?"
Zhao Xing hesitated for a moment. "Che, earlier, you said you encountered an enemy in the Starfall Corridor—how exactly did you confirm it was the Carlos Family?"
Ji Che frowned. "Big Brother, what are you talking about? Carlos Family? Never heard of them."
"We were ambushed by the Rainbow Moon Dynasty, that's all."
Zhao Xing's heart turned cold.
It had only been a few days, and Ji Che already forgot?
Zhao Xing quickly calmed himself, taking a deep breath. "Hmm, maybe I was too distracted with cultivation and misremembered."
Regaining his composure, he stared at Ji Che and said, "Che, withdraw all of Great Zhou's personnel from the Starfall Corridor, and abandon the territory. We'll find a new place to expand."
Ji Che sighed. "For now, we have no other choice."
Zhao Xing thought for a moment and asked, "How is Ji Si doing?"
"He's still unconscious."
Zhao Xing's expression turned serious. "Do everything possible to save the injured. No more casualties. If anyone dares to take advantage of Great Zhou's situation, I'll make them regret ever being born."
Ji Che nodded firmly. "Don't worry, Big Brother. We've already hired the best doctors. With the funds you left behind and Great Zhou's treasury, Ji Si's treatment won't be a problem."
The transmission ended, and Zhao Xing's main body opened his eyes.
Jing Yan, who had been waiting nearby, immediately asked, "Well?"
Zhao Xing replied, "I was mistaken. Sorry for troubling you, Jing Yan. There's nothing to worry about anymore."
Jing Yan shook his head. "Come on, we're brothers. No need for apologies. Since everything's fine, let's take this chance to drink together."
Jing Yan dragged Zhao Xing into a drinking contest, and the two quickly got drunk.
After Jing Yan passed out, Zhao Xing suddenly opened his eyes, standing up swiftly and walking to the balcony.
The sun was setting over Seagrass City, the night sky slowly creeping in.
"That was fast. Ji Che just mentioned it a few days ago, and now he's completely forgotten?"
"Was this a deliberate cover-up, or was Great Zhou framed?"
"Whose interests did we threaten?"
Originally, Zhao Xing assumed that the Carlos Family's involvement was understandable. Even if Great Zhou had offended them, it wasn't a major issue.
Jing Yan's words made sense—Great Zhou only had three Dao Domain Realm cultivators. Even if they wanted to offend a big figure, it wouldn't be easy.
At worst, this was just a temporary loss. Retreating now would allow Great Zhou to avoid further trouble.
With his Primordial Realm status, he assumed they wouldn't press the issue.
But now, things had become much more complicated.
"First possibility: The Carlos Family really is behind the Rainbow Moon Dynasty. When they realized I, a disciple of Gu Luohou, was backing Great Zhou, they stopped their pursuit and instead altered history, modifying the memories of survivors like Ji Che."
"Powerful noble families often use these methods."
Killing people? Too much trouble. If it wasn't absolutely necessary, they wouldn't resort to direct violence.
Erasing memories was far more efficient.
By comparison, the Rainbow Moon Dynasty was much cruder. Instead of rewriting history, they simply killed people, seized territory, and ambushed Great Zhou's forces.
"Murder outside the borders, memory alteration inside. Two different groups, two different methods." Zhao Xing muttered to himself. "This is the power of an elder-level noble family. I don't even get a chance to negotiate—the Carlos Family has already decided how this matter ends."
"I immediately ordered Ji Che to retreat, and the Carlos Family will surely find out."
"This is something I can only endure. There's no way to fight the Carlos Family over this. Even if Great Zhou suffered losses, we have no choice but to accept them."
"Some things… are not meant to be touched."
Zhao Xing understood this reality. This situation was very different from his time in the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom.
Back then, the strongest cultivators were only Reincarnation Realm, and the Dongyan Ancient Clan operated at the same level.
But the Red Star Empire was different—it was a superpower. Emperors were everywhere, Reincarnation Realm cultivators were insignificant, and gods ruled supreme.
Calling in reinforcements wouldn't work like before.
Even Old Qing wouldn't interfere in imperial affairs—at most, he would protect Zhao Xing's life.
Besides, things hadn't escalated to that level… yet.
"There's another possibility." Zhao Xing's mind raced. "The Carlos Family might truly have nothing to do with this. Instead, someone could be impersonating their name to stir up trouble within the empire."
The reason he considered this was because of the Ancient God Revival Incident in the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom.
"So many Reincarnation Realm cultivators have reincarnated into the empire. That comes with both benefits and dangers." Zhao Xing pondered. "With so many high-level cultivators appearing at once, the empire's power structure is bound to be disrupted."
Resources and territories were limited—if some people gained more, others would lose out.
With more than 20,000 Reincarnation Realm cultivators reincarnated, each one was a brilliant mind, possessing incredible willpower and peerless talent.
Would such individuals really be content with working under the empire? More likely, they had their own ambitions. Even Primordial Realm could only absorb a fraction of them, after carefully testing their true intentions.
And what about those who failed the heart trials, or never even attended the Primordial Assembly?
"The empire must have considered the risks, yet still chose to accept them. That's because they are already exploring the Siyue Barren Domain. If their westward expansion succeeds, they will gain more territory and resources, ensuring everyone gets a share of the pie. With that, accepting 20,000 Reincarnation Realm cultivators would be worth the risk."
"As for what happened to Great Zhou, both possibilities could be true. Or maybe there's another reason that I haven't uncovered yet." Zhao Xing exhaled deeply.
Beins, the historian of the Sangqing Ancient Kingdom.
Xi Hebo, the Dark Scholar.
Fu Wei, the Lord of the Holy Shennong.
These three were no ordinary figures. At the moment, Zhao Xing couldn't completely piece together the truth behind this strange affair.
"Among these three, I have a rough idea of what Xi Hebo and Beins are planning. But as for Fu Wei, I know nothing. That just proves... I'm still too weak."
If he were already at Reincarnation Realm, he would have the authority to investigate freely. But as things stood, he didn't even dare to dig too deep.
The waters of the empire ran far deeper than those of the Barren Domain Alliance.
"I can only wait until Ji Si wakes up and ask him. Hopefully, he's still alright."
Beyond the Jiachen Pass, within the Starfall Corridor, on a man-made gray star.
Beins, the Historian of the Starry Skies, was sitting cross-legged atop an open book, whose pages emitted a faint green aura.
Strange foreign texts writhed on the paper, twisting like worms.
Above Beins' head floated a black-and-gold tome, exuding a sinister dark radiance, which engulfed his entire body in an eerie glow.
At a certain moment, Beins opened his eyes.
Reflected in his pupils was a miniature world—within it, a bustling city, carriages moving endlessly along the streets.
Inside a small, unassuming tavern, the figures of Ji Si and Beins sat across from each other.
"Ji Si, your Personal Domain is quite intriguing," Beins smiled. "Why don't you let me take a look outside? Once I've had my fill, I'll let you go. What do you say?"
Ji Si's expression remained blank. "Beins, if I let you invade my Personal Domain, that would make me your slave. Do you think I'd agree to that?"
Beins' tone was indifferent. "What's wrong with following a powerful figure? Ji Si, you've already seen it. With just a single incarnation, I destroyed the 36 star cities your dynasty conquered."
"In front of me, your power is still insignificant."
"Oh?" Ji Si remained unfazed. "If that's true, then why are you still sitting here?"
Beins replied, "Because I admire your talent. You cultivate both Fate and History, and despite fighting against my Legacy Incarnation, you still managed to break through to Dao Domain Realm."
"If you serve me, it would be far better than wasting your talent in that weak dynasty of yours."
Beins stood up and walked step by step toward the tavern's entrance.
Ji Si's face changed, his body radiating with blinding light—but it had no effect on Beins' movements.
Beins lifted his foot, standing at the threshold, and turned back. "You've learned things you shouldn't have. I won't let you go. So I'll ask one last time—will you follow me?"
Ji Si shook his head. "Beins, I advise you not to look."
"What a pity." Beins ignored the warning, shaking his head in disappointment, then stepped through the door.
He began invading Ji Si's Personal Domain.
Ji Si had just broken through to Dao Domain Realm, while Beins was at Reincarnation Realm. Even though this was merely an incarnation, Ji Si wasn't strong enough to resist.
In just five breaths' time, Beins reached the core of Ji Si's Personal Domain—the Time Archive, a place where countless secrets were recorded.
These archives contained the hidden histories of the world.
Just as Beins was about to break into the largest Time Archive, attempting to seize control over Ji Si's core—
Suddenly—
"Hummmm—"
From one of the Time Chambers, an image appeared—
Within the vision, a young man dressed in white robes sat in the main seat of a floating platform, seemingly hosting a banquet. Aside from the two men and one woman beside him, there were nine other figures present as guests.
The moment Beins focused on the image, a golden ripple suddenly emerged from within, bursting out like a raging flame.
In an instant, the Legacy Incarnation Beins had sent was completely incinerated into ash.
But it didn't stop there. The terrifying power followed the trail of the incarnation, striking straight at Beins' true body across vast distances.
"What—?!"
Beins' true form was shaken. The black-and-gold tome above his head snapped open.
A phantom of a dragon-headed, bird-bodied entity emerged from within, shielding Beins in desperation.
"Shaa-shaa-shaa-shaa—!"
Beins watched in horror as 500,240 feathers fell from the Heavenly Winged Divine Bird, one after another.
Despite its best efforts, it couldn't withstand the attack and ultimately crumbled, leaving the devastating force to land directly on Beins himself.
"Impossible… What in the world was that?!"
"Fifty thousand years of cultivation, yet I couldn't even block it—" Beins roared in fury.
A quarter-hour later.
"Hmm?"
Beins woke from his daze, feeling completely disoriented.
The black tome above his head had turned to ash. The green tome beneath him lay in ruins, barely holding together.
"What… What just happened?!" He gasped. "I was just invading Ji Si's Personal Domain…
"Why… Why am I here now?"
"What the hell just happened?"
At the same time, within Jiachen Pass, Ji Si stirred awake.
"Fool… I told you not to look—"
"Huh? Who are you talking to?"
Ji Si opened his eyes and immediately saw Zhao Xing's face.
"Grand Shennong?"
"It's me. I sent an incarnation to Jiachen Fourteen Pass to check on you." Zhao Xing replied.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Not long. Three months."
"Oh." Ji Si seemed to wake from a dream, still lost in the lingering aftershock of the experience.
Zhao Xing waited patiently. After a long silence, Ji Si finally spoke again.
"Grand Shennong, I'm fine now. I—"
"Ji Si, listen to me first." Zhao Xing interrupted, his tone calm but firm. "The ambush you suffered at Starfall Corridor was from the Rainbow Moon Dynasty. I've already confirmed it."
"Grand Shennong, there's more to this—"
Ji Si started to explain, but Zhao Xing cut him off again. "You just recovered. Don't dwell on it. This was just another battle beyond the borders—nothing more. Great Zhou simply lost this time. We lost ground, lost soldiers. That's all. Understand?"
"In the future, we will grow stronger. We will take revenge on the Rainbow Moon Dynasty when the time is right. But for now, you don't need to concern yourself with this anymore."
Ji Si stared at the medallion Zhao Xing held in his hand, then nodded, accepting it. "I understand."
He had seen this Tian Ning Medallion before.
The same thing had happened before—memories had been altered.
But this time, Ji Si didn't panic. At least this time, Zhao Xing remembered.
"Good. You've just healed, and you also broke through to Dao Domain Realm. You need to stabilize your foundation. I won't disturb you any longer."
"Remember, if you encounter anything strange in the future, tell me first." Zhao Xing instructed.
"Understood." Ji Si nodded.
After leaving Ji Si, Zhao Xing felt an overwhelming sense of unease.
In the entire Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom Incident, only two people from Great Zhou had retained their memories.
First, himself.
Now, Ji Si.
Zhao Xing knew for a fact—this wasn't Ji Si making a mistake.
That meant the devastation of Great Zhou had something to do with the Carlos Family, no matter how minor their involvement.
But for now… he had to pretend he didn't know.
"I'm only at Origin Realm now. If I truly get caught up in something huge, my only option would be to take a gamble. I can't fight for resources or power outright. I can only endure."
"At the end of the day… I'm just too weak."
"I have to reach Coral Tier as soon as possible. I need to gain favor with more powerful figures. Otherwise, if something like this happens again, I'll still be powerless."
Logic told Zhao Xing that this wasn't the time to seek revenge.
He comforted Ji Si for a while before leaving the room.
However, as his incarnation wandered through Jiachen Fourteen Pass, he saw severely wounded officials of Great Zhou everywhere.
And when he reached the medical bay—
He saw Xia Jing, barely alive, his body crippled beyond recognition inside a medical pod.
At that moment, a deep killing intent surged within Zhao Xing.
His fists clenched tightly.
"Whether it's the Carlos Family or someone else…"
"I won't forget this debt."
"Once I rebuild my strength…"
"I will come knocking—one by one—to settle the score."