After merging the Star Mirror with the Primordial Token, Zhao Xing's soul sense entered a space that felt completely real.
He flew through a layer of clouds, silently thinking about Myriad Star City. Before long, he emerged above the clouds and saw an ocean.
This ocean was illusory and encompassed all things. It was a sea of the mind, and Myriad Star City sat right next to it. Overhead, tens of thousands of stars glittered.
Whoosh—
Zhao Xing descended swiftly. He and Venerable Five Venom arrived together at Myriad Star City's Heartsea Tower.
The tower was filled with hazy figures. Some were clear enough for Zhao Xing to see their faces and even sense their auras. Others were fuzzy.
This depended on one's realm and the strength of their soul sense.
Even though he and Five Venom were both twelfth-tier demigods, at the moment, Zhao Xing had eighty percent of his willpower occupied with public and personal matters. So, Five Venom's mental strength was much stronger than his.
If Five Venom didn't want Zhao Xing to see him clearly, his figure would be just as fuzzy—or even fully hidden.
Inside the tower, many spiral staircases were in constant motion. With a casual gesture from Five Venom, a staircase appeared beneath their feet.
They rode the rotating stairs upward and stopped before a luxurious private room. Four people were already waiting outside.
"Disciple, the one in front is Venerable Wan Ying, a master of mental illusions," Five Venom explained via voice transmission. "The other three are his friends—Venerable Haoyu, a Fate Officer; Venerable Shengyi, a martial artist; and Venerable Fuping, a Mechanist Martial Artist."
Since no one hid their presence, Zhao Xing could clearly see their faces and sense their auras. Venerable Wan Ying greeted them with a broad smile. The other three had been grumbling, but as soon as they saw the newcomers, they straightened up.
"It's him?" Zhao Xing was a little surprised. He hadn't expected to run into Venerable Fuping here. He'd assumed this meeting was only with Wan Ying.
"Hahaha, here you are!"
"Brother Wuxing, Shennong Zhao, thanks for giving us the honor!" Venerable Wan Ying greeted them with laughter. From the feel of his mental aura, Zhao Xing could tell the man was genuinely warm. In fact, after seeing Zhao Xing, there was even a surge of joy.
That came from practicing the Desire Dream Technique together with Fu Mengzhen.
"Disciple, Wan Ying and the others made a bet to see who could get you to come to the gathering. Each of them put up twenty units of contribution. Wan Ying won," said Venerable Five Venom with a grin. "He and I split the winnings—three hundred thousand each. We'll divide it again once we're back."
"Master, that's classic you," Zhao Xing gave a thumbs-up.
"Greetings, Dao brothers," Five Venom said with rare formality—but immediately dropped it again. "Wan Ying, pay my disciple's appearance fee."
Venerable Wan Ying laughed loudly. "Of course. Already transferred."
Contribution points couldn't be traded directly, but items exchanged for them could.
Zhao Xing felt a little puzzled. Is my reputation really that high now? Someone actually spent money just to invite me to a party?
Even if it was just a casual bet, it still required enough prestige to make these four interested in the first place.
But since Five Venom and Wan Ying were close, what should he call the others?
"Zhao, no need to overthink it," Wan Ying smiled, reading Zhao Xing's thoughts. "Just be casual—it's more comfortable that way."
Zhao Xing didn't hesitate anymore. He cupped his hands and said, "Nice to meet you, Dao brother Wan Ying, Dao brother Haoyu, Dao brother Shengyi, Dao brother Fuping."
"Please, have a seat," Wan Ying said as he led them inside.
The room overlooked the Sea of Mind. The view was unique, and the lavish decor gave off a calming vibe. Zhao Xing even felt his spirit relax.
After sitting down, Five Venom and Wan Ying kicked off the conversation. Haoyu, Shengyi, and Fuping all joined in, while Zhao Xing mostly listened.
Once Zhao Xing began participating more, Five Venom stood up with a smile. "Everyone, I've got things to handle back in the Primordial Realm. Can't get too distracted. This disciple is all yours."
"Hahaha, we can't afford that!" The four burst into laughter.
"How would you know unless you make an offer? If the price's right, I might sell myself too," Zhao Xing joked.
"If there were a puppet like our little brother Zhao here, I'd sell everything to get it," Shengyi raised his cup. "Fuping, can't you build one based on Zhao's template? Just give it half his skill!"
Fuping gave Shengyi a sidelong glance. "Should I also make you a Divine Weapon of Derivation while I'm at it? Since you're dreaming anyway, might as well dream big."
"Hahahaha!" Everyone laughed again.
These four were clearly eager to connect with someone like Zhao Xing. Their words were full of praise.
They'd lived long lives as demigods and were naturally skilled in socializing. They didn't usually bother with small talk or flattery. But with Zhao Xing, it was different.
Their warmth came mainly from something Venerable Haoyu had once said.
As a Fate Officer, Haoyu knew more of the details surrounding the Yuanhai Assembly.
He had even mentioned someone Shengyi knew—Qing Yuzi—as an example. "During that person's ascension in the Reincarnation Temple, Zhao Xing played no small role. I won't go into details, but… if you earn Zhao Xing's friendship, your odds of becoming a god might improve."
When it came to the hope of becoming a god, they'd rather believe than not.
So when Zhao Xing arrived for the gathering, they welcomed him enthusiastically.
Of course, they didn't lay it on too thick. Even without Haoyu's advice, they had already intended to befriend Zhao Xing.
Before long, the topic shifted to contribution missions.
"—You won't believe this," Fuping took a swig of wine. "Last time I was out doing a contribution mission, outta nowhere, a demigod from the demon race just bit me!"
He sounded frustrated. "We were getting along just fine. No one bothered the other. But suddenly the guy went crazy. He insisted on fighting me to the death!"
Wan Ying asked, "Did you ever figure out the reason afterward?"
Zhao Xing perked up, listening in. He felt a little awkward—this whole thing really had happened by accident. He hadn't expected to get to know Venerable Fuping afterward.
"No. I went back and asked Hao Yu, but he didn't divine anything," Fuping replied. "Then I went to ask God Xuan Si. He knew, but wouldn't tell me."
He still felt the whole encounter was baffling. Totally random, like getting hit by a stray bullet. It made no sense at all.
"Contribution point missions are never easy. Anything can go wrong," said Venerable Shengyi. "Once, I entered the Dark Star Cavern through an entrance in the Pan Niu Demon Kingdom and somehow came out in the Tian Yao Kingdom."
"I wandered inside for three hundred years and didn't get a single Dark Star Source Stone."
"And before I left, I even had Hao Yu run an analysis for me. I shouldn't have come back empty-handed."
Venerable Hao Yu set his wine cup down. "Fate is unpredictable. A place like the Dark Star Cavern—no one can really say for sure what will happen there."
Zhao Xing asked, confused, "What's the Dark Star Cavern?"
"It's a strange zone in the Black Heaven Barren Domain," Hao Yu explained. "There's a chance to find Dark Star Source Stones there."
"As for what they do, it's not specified. But they're collected at 100,000 contribution points each."
Zhao Xing was shocked. That valuable?
"Why haven't I seen any missions like that?"
"You've only been a half-god for a short time," Shengyi said. "The Dark Star Cavern is pretty dangerous. The higher-ups give us missions to train us, not send us to die. If the danger's too high, it won't be unlocked for you. That place needs you to be at the Fourteenth Rank Half-God level to even go."
Zhao Xing nodded. So even contribution missions had different tiers.
Right now, he was still officially a Twelfth Rank Half-God. Even though his Nine Marsh God transformation could give him Fourteenth Tribulation-level combat power, he wouldn't be able to last long inside the Dark Star Cavern. After all, the transformation had a time limit. And if Shengyi had spent three hundred years in there and still came up empty-handed, clearly it required a long-term grind.
In the next six months, Zhao Xing frequently met up with Shengyi, Wan Ying, Hao Yu, and Fuping in Wanxing City. He gradually picked up on a lot of insider info not listed in official records.
One day, Zhao Xing visited the outskirts of Wanxing City again to watch Venerable Wan Ying "build a house."
"The City of Mind is constructed entirely from mental power," Wan Ying explained. "At first, it was just the Mind Hall built by three Mind Gods for the higher-ups to communicate."
"Later, it expanded to include more God Generals, God Weapons, and even Half-Gods were summoned there often. Just having the hall wasn't enough anymore. So it slowly grew into the full City of Mind."
As he spoke, clumps of matter materialized in the air and stacked atop each other.
"Wanxing's public areas are made from divine-level mental power. As for private quarters, those are added by gods and half-gods themselves. That's why the city keeps growing."
"Of course, if a half-god dies, their personal constructions vanish too. It's one way to check if someone's still alive."
Zhao Xing nodded. Of everyone he knew, only Venerable Wan Ying—being a Mind-type Venerable—could build close to the city's core. The rest had to settle for the suburbs. It was a clear status symbol.
His current mental will matched a Twelfth Tribulation Half-God. He had no trouble handling his own powers and was considered top-tier within his level. But among the Thirteenth Rank, he was only average. Compared to the Fourteenth Rank, he didn't even make the cut.
Still, just watching Wan Ying build his residence over the past six months had taught him a lot. Wan Ying was more than happy to teach.
"Zhao Xing, give it a shot," Wan Ying said, pointing to a vacant plot.
"Alright!" Zhao Xing was eager to try.
This plot chosen by Wan Ying required extremely refined mental will. Even most Fourteenth Rank Half-Gods wouldn't be able to manifest anything that could last.
"Where the heart leads, the Dao reveals. Condense!"
Zhao Xing pointed at the land.
"Li~"
A tiny speck of sand, the size of a grain of rice, popped into existence out of thin air.
That was the magic of the City of Mind. As long as your mental will was strong enough, you could create anything.
The grain of sand gradually grew. Zhao Xing felt the strain increasing, the pressure becoming heavier and harder to bear.
"!…"
After just one breath, when the sand reached the size of a thumb, it collapsed under the pressure.
"Still not good enough." Zhao Xing shook his head.
Wan Ying just laughed. "Little bro, you've come a long way. Half a year ago, you couldn't even make a grain of sand."
"Now you've grown it to the size of a thumb."
He had sharp eyes. From what he could tell, Zhao Xing could already create and sustain a grain-sized object here using pure mental will. If it could stay stable in this zone, that meant his mind was almost breaking into the Fourteenth Rank.
"You're only a Twelfth Tribulation Half-God, and you can already do this. That's rare."
Six months ago, Zhao Xing had nothing. Now he was this far along. Wan Ying was impressed by how quickly he'd caught on. All this just from watching him "build houses."
"You're not even a billionth as good as you, Big Brother Wan." Zhao Xing glanced at the half-finished estate nearby.
Wan Ying's estate covered over 1,000 acres. The palace walls were massive, the tiles numbered in the tens of millions, and it housed pavilions, towers, lakes, gardens, courtyards, and more. In comparison, all Zhao Xing could make was a single grain of sand.
"Hahaha, I'm specialized in this! You're gonna compare with me?"
"Don't burn yourself out, little bro. You're a Shennong—if you start beating me at my own job as a Mind Venerable, where's that gonna leave me?"
Wan Ying chuckled and led Zhao Xing into one of the palace halls to sit and chat.
After a while, Wan Ying suddenly said, "Zhao Xing, we're about to enter the Third Era of the Barren Domain."
"You've probably already heard the gods' predictions about what's coming."
Zhao Xing nodded with a heavy expression. Less than forty years remained until the start of the Third Era of the Barren Domain.
Among the divine forecasts, the most serious crisis involved the chaos triggered by Temporal-Spatial Memory.
"The shock from temporal-spatial memory will make many people forget their loved ones, or even who they are. It throws the mind into chaos. In the worst case, people go mad. Some even suffer complete collapse of their true spirit."
"Hao Yu, Shengyi, and Fuping are either in seclusion or out collecting mental-type treasures to guard against it."
"Of course, for us—those selected as divine realm candidates—just being allowed into Wanxing's City of Mind gives us some protection. As long as you can build even a small mental palace, even if it's in the outskirts, you'll receive some blessing from divine power. At worst, you'll lose some trivial memories. If you're lucky, you won't lose anything."
Zhao Xing asked, curious, "But what about everyone else? I'm not worried about myself. But what if my family and friends forget me? That'd be awful. Wouldn't the entire Barren Domain fall into chaos?"
"It's not that bad," Wan Ying replied. "I've experienced several large-scale memory shocks before."
"When the shock hits, the Xuanling History Books and the official records of ancient kingdoms and the Red Star Empire will all activate wide-range protective effects. The presence of Historians will stabilize various regions."
"These shocks affect lower cultivators less. If you're lucky and outside the range of influence, it's actually safer to be weaker."
Zhao Xing nodded in understanding. So that's another hidden function of Historians and the Xuanling History Books. No wonder Bowe was able to unite the historians and scholars of the star domain with so little resistance. Even powerful figures supported the strengthening of historical laws and traditions.
"The stronger your cultivation, the greater the impact. The weaker you are, the less it affects you."
"At the core, it's a calculated flood—a targeted breach of the time dam orchestrated by the evil gods," Wan Ying said.
"In such disasters, many cultivators at the Samsara level will choose to reincarnate to dodge the catastrophe."
"But when they do, their original essence returns to the universe. And when the tide of time surges backward, the evil god factions can use hidden channels to pull that essence back into the ancient era."
Wan Ying waved his hand, and a river appeared before them. "Picture it like this."
"Upstream, the dam bursts. A massive flood of time surges down, forcing some strong cultivators to reincarnate or causing their true spirits to collapse."
"At that point, many cultivators on the path of essence-based ascension will return part of their source to the cosmos."
"And when this manipulated flood slams into specially placed gates, the flow reverses."
He gestured again, simulating the disaster.
The long river of time was calm at first. Then, at some past segment, a divine realm presence stirred the waters, triggering monstrous waves.
Wave after wave rose, as if some great beast were lurking below.
When these beasts passed, glowing orbs dimmed—symbolizing the deaths of powerful cultivators. Their essence shattered and returned to the world.
"Boom."
At some point, the flood hit another dam and bounced back.
The reverse surge was just as violent. Ancient evil gods, standing along different banks of the river, took advantage of the reversal to scoop up essence and pull it back to the past.
That's how the opposing faction successfully harvested source power from the current Barren Domain era.
"Brother Wan Ying, what are those valleys in the river?" Zhao Xing asked. He thought he saw massive beasts moving through them.
"Tianwei Beasts," Wan Ying answered. "They're rumored to be time beasts—born at the divine level and able to roam the long river of time freely. But I've never seen one up close myself."
Tianwei Beasts? Do they have something to do with the Heavenly Time Sect? Back in the ruins of Yuanhai, didn't Yuntian Dao see a similar time beast? Zhao Xing pondered.
"With my understanding of Dao and divine realm techniques, this is the best way I can explain it. You can't use these techniques often. I've lived through thirty-six eras, and I've only encountered this three times."
"The first time, I forgot almost everything. My entire worldview crumbled. I turned into a mindless cultivator who only knew how to train."
Wan Ying sighed. "It wasn't until three eras later that I got lucky. I became an Eight-Tribulation Mind Emperor. Palace Lord Luya found me and brought me back to the Origin Palace. Using the Ten Tables and Eight Books of the Xuanling History, they helped me recover my memories."
"The second time, I was already a Nine-Tribulation Half-God. But I still forgot I was once part of the Origin Palace."
"A divine-weapon-class evil god descended during that shock. I thought I was just a rogue cultivator. The evil god was full of temptation—I almost took him as my master."
"But Palace Lord appeared and killed the evil god. After returning to the palace, I got my memories back again."
Zhao Xing quietly listened to Wan Ying's story. He hadn't expected Wan Ying to have gone through so much. Clearly, building connections was never a bad move—experiences like this were priceless.
"What about the third time, Brother Wan Ying?"
Wan Ying recalled, "The third time, I was already a Thirteenth-Rank Half-God. I was in a secret realm when it happened. Even though I was strong and had been warned ahead of time, the warning didn't say when it would strike. It came too suddenly."
"I was outside the Spirit Domain, where the Xuanling History Book's protection is weaker, and I still got hit."
"But that third time, I only lost some unimportant daily memories. Like what I ate that day. The History Book didn't even bother using power to restore those."
"After that, I ascended to the Fourteenth Rank, and my mental arts improved drastically," Wan Ying said with a smile. "Palace Lord told me that walking the path of the mind gives me an advantage against these time storms. My techniques are unique—so I ended up getting listed as a divine realm candidate. Misfortune turned into fortune."
Hearing Wan Ying's story, Zhao Xing couldn't help but sigh. Three great memory shocks, and he'd survived them all. Not only that—he became a powerful Fourteenth-Rank Half-God because of it.
Wu Du once said that someone like Wan Ying, a Fourteenth-Rank Half-God, could freely use his full power without fear of triggering a True Spirit Tribulation. That just showed how insanely gifted Wan Ying was.
Normally, only those absolutely confident in surviving their next tribulation would dare act that way. Even among half-gods, that kind of confidence was rare.
Take that Ice Venerable from the Carlos family—he triggered his tribulation and died outright.
"Your level of mental strength, willpower-type secret arts, time-related treasures, and historical relics all help resist this kind of catastrophe. They help you stabilize your core and true spirit," Wan Ying explained. "They can even help you grow."
"Besides that, hiding out in certain places can improve your chances. For example, the core zones of superpowers—like the Original Realm of the Red Star Empire, Yan Shenxing, the Three Realms of the Primordial Hill, or near the Xuanling History Book, or the Taishi Palace of the Ancient Kingdom."
"But hiding forever isn't a real solution. The Third Era of the Barren Domain could start in the first solar year or the last star-year. We can't stay in safe zones forever."
"Ultimately, having solid self-defense strategies is more reliable. Hao Yu, Shengyi, Fuping—they're all preparing in their own ways."
Wan Ying's advice was clearly crucial. The Third Era could begin any time. A single era contained countless star-years. If all you did was hide, how would you ever grow?
"Less than 40 years remain. I'll be going into seclusion to prepare," Wan Ying said. "I called you here today just to talk about all this."
"Thanks, Brother Wan," Zhao Xing said, cupping his fists in a bow.
"No need to be so formal. Even if I didn't say anything, the empire would eventually teach you all this."
"But nothing beats firsthand experience, Brother Wan," Zhao Xing insisted, bowing again. He truly appreciated the kindness.
"I hope we still remember each other when the Third Era begins," Wan Ying replied, bowing back.
Wan Ying was about to enter seclusion. Hao Yu, Shengyi, and Fuping too.
Their efforts to befriend Zhao Xing before retreating might've felt a little deliberate, but he didn't mind.
Not all friendships had to be forged in life-or-death trials like with Old Chen or Xia Jing. Some, like Wan Ying's, were simply built on good rapport and mutual help.
Zhao Xing really had gained a lot from them. He'd even picked up new leads about the Polar Origin.
Shengyi had once mentioned a group of like-minded half-gods in the Xuanling Star Region who had formed a loose society called the "Chasers of Light." Their goal was to follow the traces of the Polar Light left behind by the former Polar Star.
But Shengyi had been part of it for several thousand years without ever finding even a single strand of Polar Light. Eventually, he just stopped staying in touch.
Membership in the Chasers of Light was by introduction only, but Shengyi could serve as a recommender.
"Time's running short. Only 40 years left in the Second Era. There's no way I'll collect enough contribution points to ascend to godhood in time. I'd better focus on improving my survival chances," Zhao Xing thought.
Regular wealth couldn't buy divine items. And in the chaos of the upcoming Third Era, only divine items could increase one's odds of making it through.
"There were 21 divine artifacts in the red jade ring that Wei Tianchen left behind. After I gave the Eightfold Divine Mirror to Ji Si, I still had 20 items left."
"The Biyu Golden Gourd, the Yuan Wheel, and the White Jade Wuling Boat are all great Dao artifacts. I can actually use them, so I won't trade those."
"Then there are 7 items tied to Wei Tianchen's Dao of Patching the Heavens. Not only should I not sell them—I shouldn't even mention them."
These 7 artifacts were: the Sanliang Crown, the Starweave Imperial Robe, the Li Emperor's Jade Belt, the Myriad Forms Spirit Cauldron, the Spirit-Rejuvenating Needle, the Blackcloud Shoes, and the Heaven-Patching Seal. All of them were top-tier Dao artifacts.
Five were precious tools for healers. The remaining two held terrifying divine power that Zhao Xing could faintly sense. He wouldn't dream of trading them.
"The Seven-Star Dipper Cabinet is also off-limits."
"That leaves 9 items I can put on the market. I don't need them at all," Zhao Xing noted.
They were all profession-specific artifacts. If you didn't practice the related class, you couldn't use them. Aside from the healing arts, Zhao Xing didn't plan on branching out.
His reason for studying healing was mainly because Wei Tianchen's Heaven-Patching Dao had a direct tie to Heavenly Time. Plus, it came with a full, complete inheritance.
"I'll trade those 9 items, aiming to get treasures related to mental willpower, time-space, and history."
In theory, the Xuanling Treasure Pavilion did recycle divine artifacts. But as a half-god, Zhao Xing couldn't unlock the recycling function—it was tied to god-level opportunities and contribution levels.
Contribution points couldn't be traded either. Every mission awarding points was heavily filtered. Even missions to recycle artifacts had to verify that you acquired the item yourself.
If it wasn't yours, it wouldn't pass the spiritual gatekeepers.
Zhao Xing planned to offload these artifacts through his network. He reached out to Wu Du, Hong Shan, Lu Shan, and even Wan Ying and Fuping to help find reliable buyers.
This was when having many friends really paid off. Treasures linked to mental willpower, time-space, and history were crucial in surviving the Third Era.
Very few people would trade such things now. Even if you wanted to trade, finding someone willing was next to impossible.
Zhao Xing waited for several years.
Eventually, it was the artificer Fuping who found two potential buyers for him.
As a Mechanism Master, Fuping had broad connections. He agreed to help—and even delayed his own seclusion by several years to do so.
In the final 32 years of the Second Era of the Barren Domain, Zhao Xing arranged to meet the two buyers on one of the top-tier administrative stars within the empire's elite galactic systems.
"Zhao Xing, these two are my friends—Yu Ye and Sai Yan," said Fuping Venerable.
"Greetings, Venerable Yu Ye, Venerable Sai Yan." Zhao Xing cupped his hands respectfully toward the seated man and woman.
"No need to be so formal, Zhao Shennong," they replied in unison.
Yu Ye was a forgemaster-type mechanism cultivator, and Sai Yan was a musician. The two were married and hailed from the Ancient Nations Alliance. Both were wealthy half-gods.
Once seated, Zhao Xing didn't waste time. He directly displayed his collection.
"Buzz—"
Nine divine artifacts lit up at once, glowing with divine light and radiating strong energy waves.
"Please, take a look."
"These are my items. Four are Great Dao artifacts, five are strength-based divine artifacts."
Yu Ye and Sai Yan had already looked into the basics beforehand. Now it was time to try them out.
Sai Yan raised her hand, summoning a dark green flute and a bronze horn.
Both came from the Five Emperors Era and were specialized artifacts for musicians.
Musicians never minded owning more profession-specific artifacts. They often cultivated multiple clones, each playing different instruments. One person could become a full band.
The more clones and artifacts a musician had, the stronger they were.
Reaching half-god as a musician meant being elite among elites.
"Riiiing—"
The sound of a complete twelve-tone scale flowed from Sai Yan's hands. Zhao Xing immediately felt a sense of inner peace.
He actually had another musician artifact—the Eight Desolate Jiao Wei Zither—taken from Fu Mengzhen. But he didn't plan to sell it. Fu Mengzhen had said it required a specific secret technique to use, which Zhao Xing didn't have. The others here, though, came with corresponding control methods usable even by half-gods.
As the music flowed, the entire hall seemed to turn into a sea of melody.
Sai Yan gave the two artifacts a brief test and was clearly pleased.
Even without mastering the control techniques yet, she could already tell these were high-quality pieces.
Zhao Xing felt it too.
Wei Tianchen, that ancient relic, had some truly rare collectibles. Even the random Divine Sword of Leaving Flame he once put up as a bounty was enough to make Zhu Jian Venerable risk his life to chase Zhao Xing down.
Sai Yan had every reason to be pleased.
"Zhao Shennong, I like both of these very much." She didn't hide her admiration. Divine artifacts were sentient—she wouldn't speak badly of ones she favored.
"I just hope the item I've brought is something you'll be satisfied with."
"Please."
She flicked her sleeve, and a divine item slid across the table toward Zhao Xing.
It was a sky-blue robe, its trim glowing with hues of dawn.
At the collar, a light green river flowed gently, and a phantom sun hovered above it.
"Hmm?"
The moment Zhao Xing touched the robe, a vivid illusion filled his mind. It felt like he was drifting in a star-filled sky, overflowing with spiritual energy.
Spirit continents and sacred mountains floated in the air. Cosmic beasts swam across the stars, and celestial maidens danced gracefully.
"Whoosh—"
A refreshing sensation came over him as soft rain began to fall.
Zhao Xing looked up, instantly understanding the robe's power.
As the vision faded, he was stunned to find that the progress in his Saint Physique's Great Sun Ocean had increased by 1 point.
"Time-Space Grain Rain Robe! It even records a full cosmic-season cycle of the Great Grain Rain solar term. The scope and strength—no doubt about it, this thing is a divine artifact."
The Time-Space Grain Rain Robe was almost tailor-made for a Shennong.
Others could still use it due to its time-space origin energy properties. It could resist time-space-based secret arts.
But for a Shennong, it offered even more.
First, insight. The Great Grain Rain solar term contained the cosmic seasonal transitions. A deep understanding of it greatly boosted research into time-based techniques. The increase in Great Sun Ocean progress was proof.
The robe was crafted from materials gathered during that very solar term.
It felt similar to the Rain Immortal Festival rites from the Lingxu Origin Realm.
Second, time travel.
This was a Great Dao divine artifact, but it also bore a divine imprint left by its creator.
With it, the wearer could travel back to that particular Grain Rain solar term once. Just once. A one-way trip.
After that single use, the robe would vanish.
Time-Space Grain Rain. With this robe, one could gain enlightenment, resist time-space secret arts, fend off turbulent flows—and even perform a single leap through time.
This was exactly Zhao Xing's kind of treasure.
He didn't hide his joy.
"Venerable Sai Yan, Venerable Yu Ye, I really like this robe," Zhao Xing praised sincerely.
Sai Yan smiled sweetly. "In that case, Zhao Shennong, how would you suggest we trade?"
Zhao Xing considered for a moment. "Two for one—how's that?"
Yu Ye and Sai Yan exchanged a glance, then nodded. "Agreed."
Yu Ye even added with a grin, "Zhao Shennong has real boldness. I hope we can be friends from now on."
Clearly, they thought they'd struck a good deal.
Zhao Xing thought so too. The value of profession-specific divine artifacts was hard to measure—it all came down to the buyer's needs.
If you truly liked something, even one-to-one trades could make sense. But the Time-Space Grain Rain Robe involved time-space origin energy, which made it extra valuable in these times.
A single-item swap probably wouldn't have worked.
If it was just about business, the terms would've been too hard to agree on.
So Zhao Xing took the higher road—two-for-one. Less hassle, and a chance to make friends.
Seeing the deal finalized, Fuping Venerable, the mediator, laughed. "You two really know how to play the long game. I envy you both. I wish I had that kind of vision."
He did own divine artifacts—but only two, both strength-based ones. As for Great Dao artifacts? Not even one, not even from a different class.
Zhao Xing pulling out nine at once? That was wild.
Now that was wealth.
Even among half-gods, Zhao Xing was clearly a big spender.
Of course, Yu Ye and Sai Yan being able to offer a time-space divine item also showed they weren't exactly poor either.
"Two people making money is always faster than one." As the deal wrapped up, Sai Yan teased, "Brother Fuping, you really should find a dao partner."
"I'd love to, but I haven't found the right one yet." Fuping chuckled.
The half-god circle wasn't exactly big or small. But for dao partners who'd share every secret and face life and death together, the longer you lived, the harder it was to open your heart.
If it was just about desire or comfort—what kind of mechanical puppet couldn't a mechanism master build?
"If only I had a blood sister," Sai Yan laughed.
"If you did, would you introduce her to me?" Fuping asked.
"Of course not. I'd introduce her to Brother Zhao. He's way richer than you." Sai Yan smirked.
Zhao Xing let out a helpless laugh.
"Yu Ye, say something. She's stabbing my dao heart." Fuping clutched his chest with one hand and pointed at Sai Yan with the other. "I won't recover without 80,000 or 100,000 contribution points!"
"You think I can control her?" Yu Ye shrugged. "All our money's in her hands anyway."
"This is cruelty." Fuping pounded the table.
"Hahahaha."
In the following years, Zhao Xing didn't find another suitable trade.
The remaining seven divine items stayed with him.
As the Third Era of the Wild Domain approached, even his contribution missions were temporarily suspended.
He no longer left the Spirit Energy Starfield—not even his clones ventured outside the Empire.
Instead, he focused on two extremely difficult missions left behind by the Boundless True God.
The first: raising the History Book Worm.
The second: cultivating the Fang Ji Flower Goddess Seed.
From Feng Chen, the grand elder of the Academy City, Zhao Xing had exchanged for copies of ancient beast history books and ancient nation annals to feed the book worms.
At the same time, he began cultivating the soul-will technique Great Dark Sky, which Feng Chen had once passed to him.
Things were different now. This once-dangerous half-god secret art could no longer corrupt his mind or spawn evil soul fragments.
In the last Realmstar Year of the Second Era…
Zhao Xing ended his cultivation.
"The three realms of the Great Dark Sky..."
"Great Dark Sky, One-Thought Asura, Unshakable Radiant Lord."
"I've reached the final realm—Unshakable Radiant Lord."
"The puppet soul of the Primal Strawman has split into 200 clones. Aside from one missing study-travel clone and the one still in the Primordial Hill, all others have returned."
"Right now, I am 198 times the strength of a Twelve-Tribulation True Spirit."
"I have a Thirteenth-Tier Heaven and Earth Mixed Saint Body and combine the core arts and laws of Fate, Earth, and Self."
"Tier 31 Fortune."
"I own 21 divine artifacts. Among them, the Divine Needle of Change, Bihui Golden Gourd, Origin Wheel, White Jade Wuling Boat, Time-Space Grain Rain Robe, and Mixed Dao Tower are all usable by me."
Zhao Xing stood atop the Desperate Wall of Jiachen Pass, staring into the starry universe.
He was fully prepared for the coming Third Era of the Wild Domain.
Together with Ji Si, he had sealed Da Zhou's key figures inside the Eight-Direction Divine Mirror. Only minor mana clones were left to maintain daily operations.
At this moment, the seven ancient roads of Jiachen Pass were already under full lockdown. The imperial divine artifact Desperate Wall, both a legion war technique and team-based divine weapon, had been activated.
It made the already immense Jiachen Pass even more awe-inspiring.
"Ji Si, is everything ready?" Another figure appeared on the lonely wall—it was Ji Si.
"Great Shennong, I've checked everything over and over. All preparations are complete according to plan."
"Have you sensed anything?"
Ji Si shook her head.
Inside and outside the pass, everything was still. But neither of them let their guard down.
Ji Si hadn't hidden herself inside the Celestial Master Mansion. Zhao Xing didn't retreat into the Primal Realm either.
In this most crucial moment, neither chose to run. They stood their ground, determined to shield the people of Da Zhou.
"An enemy you can't see… a war you don't know when will start… This might be the hardest battle I've ever faced." Ji Si sighed. "Great Shennong, do you think we can win in this era?"
"Victory depends on people. And people can overcome the heavens."
Ji Si nodded, as if bolstered by his words.
The two fell silent, standing side by side as they waited for the last day to pass.
DONG~~
At a certain moment, the crystal island clock within Jiachen Pass rang out.
The Era Needle, Solar Needle, and Realmstar Needle all aligned.
Zhao Xing's inner clock also ticked past the Fourth Ke of Zi Hour.
Inside and outside the pass, all remained quiet. Only the sound of the clock echoed.
"Grand Shennong, all is well?"
"Ji Si, I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'm fine too." Ji Si let out a breath. "Looks like it's not happening yet."
But at that instant, Zhao Xing's eyes sharpened.
The Oceanless Sea within his body began to churn.
The Extreme Star reflection in his ocean started to spin.
Whirr—
His Great Sun Sea surged. The once-fixed reflection of the Extreme Star now moved. It seemed to resonate with countless solar stars.
Zhao Xing suddenly sensed the shift of the entire solar cluster. His perception range expanded massively—dozens, maybe hundreds of times beyond normal.
In the next moment, he turned his head sharply to the southern part of the Xuanling Starfield.
Whirr—
In the southern Pan-Ocean Region of the Xuanling Starfield, the top nine solar stars suddenly dimmed. Then, in an instant, went out completely.
A cold light flickered in Zhao Xing's eyes. Just before those nine suns went dark, he had seen something unforgettable.
Tens of thousands of star zones in the Pan-Ocean Region had all suddenly frozen over. Star continents, realm stars—everything was covered in ice.
Whether it was the material seas or the chaotic void flows, everything froze rapidly. Ice spread like a line of death, moving toward the Xuanling Starfield.
"No… Ji Si, it's happening."