Epoch Worm, 150 Million Contribution Points?!

Zhao Xing frowned when he saw the state Purple Moon Mansion Lord and Yuqing Mansion Lord were in.

However, he was not flustered, because neither of them was particularly strong. He could easily suppress them.

Yet he could only suppress them; he had no way to resolve a problem like this.

After all, the two had not fallen under an illusion. This was not something that could be solved with simple methods.

Every profession had its specialty. This would probably require a powerful Historical Scholar.

Fortunately, there was a demigod-level Historical Scholar in his Inner World.

"Heavenly Crown Venerable, please forgive me for interrupting your contemplation. I have an urgent matter to ask about." Zhao Xing pulled Heavenly Crown Venerable out.

"Please speak, Zhao Shennong," Heavenly Crown Venerable asked doubtfully.

"Brother, have you ever heard of History Book Worms?"

"History Book Worms." Heavenly Crown Venerable's expression changed. "Of course I have. Bookworms are the natural enemies of all scholars, though most bookworms are not particularly harmful."

"But History Book Worms are highly dangerous to us Historical Scholars."

"They are born within the History River. They are Dao insects, the foremost among all strange insects."

"Legend says that mature History Book Worms can affect historical space-time and can even cause an entire ancient kingdom to perish."

"However, they generally exist only within the Dao Ancient Layer, and they are difficult to grow."

"In this era, History Book Worms have basically gone extinct. Even if there are larvae, it is difficult for them to mature."

"Historically, there was once a History Book Worm disaster. It is said to have been one of the reasons for the historical discontinuity after the end of the Five Emperors Era."

Zhao Xing recalled the Dao Ancient Golden Cicada Dharma Robe that Five Poisons had once given him.

Some peculiar lifeforms would be born in the Dao Ancient Layer. These Dao insects were often directly connected to the Great Dao Origin.

Lifeforms born in the Dao Manifestation Layer and the Phenomenon Manifestation Layer were comparatively easier to comprehend and easier to kill.

Zhao Xing had some understanding of insect disasters, but he had never heard of a History Book Worm disaster.

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

"I Don't Know. I have never seen one either." Heavenly Crown Venerable shook his head.

"Take a look at these two." Zhao Xing pushed Yuqing Mansion Lord and Purple Moon Mansion Lord before Heavenly Crown Venerable. "Their memories have become distorted, as though they were affected by History Book Worms."

Heavenly Crown Venerable was uncertain and alarmed. He examined them carefully, then quickly reported, "They indeed seem to show symptoms of being affected by a Historian's spell, but I cannot see the essence of it, nor can I resolve it."

Zhao Xing continued, "Brother Heavenly Crown, open your Azure History River and take a look. You are from the Mangya Ancient Kingdom. If your kingdom's history has been affected, you should know it clearly."

Heavenly Crown Venerable promptly complied. An Azure History River encircled his body, while bronze gates rose and fell within different streams, as though separating certain historical nodes.

Some stretches of the river were clear, while others were murky.

The clarity and murkiness of the Azure History River represented a Historical Scholar's strength.

Heavenly Crown Venerable knew the river of his own kingdom's history like the back of his hand, and there were very few murky sections.

However, the great river representing the history of the Profound Spirit Star Region contained many murky stretches.

Above it was another layer of river, encompassing both the Profound Spirit Star Region and the newly discovered Tianzze Star Region, including the ancient demon race,

the human race, and all manner of life races—the "universal history."

The river representing universal history was entirely illusory and chaotic, with only a trickling stream.

Still, Heavenly Crown Venerable, who had already formed this rudiment, was among the finest in his profession.

Zhao Xing had seen Yang Baihe use his abilities. He had not even cultivated universal history.

"I have not discovered any problems with my kingdom's history," Heavenly Crown Venerable said.

But then his gaze shifted, and his expression changed.

"However, problems have appeared in the history of the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom and the ancient demon race."

"Which epoch?"

"The 452nd Solar Year of the Eighth Epoch before the Desolate Territory—I cannot see it!" Heavenly Crown Venerable's face showed some terror. "This... this is bad!"

"Brother Heavenly Crown, don't panic!" Zhao Xing shouted. "I have now received word that a group of History Book Worms is eroding the Third Era of the Desolate Territory."

"I am not sure how extensive their influence is. As a historian, you may know more."

"Now, you and I will each notify the higher-ups of our respective factions. Remember, only people we can trust."

"Alright, alright." Heavenly Crown Venerable was no longer in the mood for contemplation. He immediately summoned a winged ancient demon, mounted it, and swiftly departed Powa Star Continent.

Zhao Xing also immediately left the area.

"Judging from Heavenly Crown Venerable's reaction, what is being eroded now is only the history of the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom. It is a localized attack."

"As a Lord of the Kingdom in the history of the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom, Lao Qing knew of this covert attack. Yet for some reason, he could not effectively transmit the information back to the Third Era of the Desolate Territory."

Zhao Xing quickly speculated, The History Book Worms are only eroding the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom's history. Could they be targeting the Reincarnation Divine Palace?

What did the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom have? Naturally, the Reincarnation Divine Palace. The Reincarnation Divine Palace's headquarters was within the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom's territory.

After Zhao Xing flew out of Powa Star Continent, he immediately wanted to use the Star Mirror to transmit a message back to the Primordial Beginning Realm.

But at that moment, "Whoosh~"

The Star Mirror suddenly turned crimson and scorching hot, actually refusing to let him use it.

"What is going on?" Zhao Xing's brow jumped. The Star Mirror in his hand trembled constantly, as though it showed signs of self-destruction.

"How is that possible?" Zhao Xing was stunned.

As a Primordial Beginning Envoy, the Star Mirror he used was integrated with the Primordial Order.

Even Guluo He could not tamper with a Star Mirror of this level.

Because it was directly controlled by the spirit of artifact of the Great Derivation Divine Weapon.

It was refusing his access and was about to self-destruct?

But just then, Zhao Xing noticed that the Star Mirror was stabilizing again. A pale blue radiance surged from within it, contending against the fiery red glow.

Where the two met, a white square and a pitch-black square appeared.

Countless black and white dots emerged, and massive numbers of miniature matrices appeared before Zhao Xing.

The palm-sized Star Mirror contained hundreds of millions of trillions of miniature formations.

Only now did Zhao Xing realize that the Star Mirror in his hand was such an incredibly complex mechanism creation.

Looking at the scene, Zhao Xing felt as though they were soldiers waging war against one another.

"This is bad!"

Zhao Xing's heart skipped a beat.

One of the spirits of artifact was clearly a divided body of Zi Fang Emperor Lord, while the other was a divided body of Emperor Chen Jiu.

"Could it be that the spirit of artifact lifeforms within the Star Mirror have also been affected?"

Crack!

Zhao Xing decisively wrapped the Star Mirror layer upon layer in Azure Flower Mana, then locked it inside the black box Venerable Bo Meng had given him.

He no longer dared to take the normal route, nor did he dare to use the Star Mirror for communication.

He wanted to use Karma Threads to establish contact, but then reconsidered. The Space-Time Great Dao and the Great Dao of karma were closely connected, so that might not be safe either.

He immediately activated the Mind Will Method and used mind techniques to call out to Guluo He, Ji Si, Five Poisons, and the others.

This method worked.

Ji Si was the first to respond. She had only one simple sentence: "Grand Agriculture Official, the divided spirits of artifact of the Great Derivation Divine Weapon have become abnormal. I am fighting within the Celestial Master Mansion. Do not use the Star Mirror again."

Zhao Xing immediately asked, "What exactly is going on?"

Ji Si hurriedly replied, "It is still unclear, but it involves the empire's Spirit of Artifact System for Dao weapons."

Zhao Xing's eyes widened.

The Red Star Empire had risen through Mechanism Masters. Its highly developed Spirit of Artifact System for mechanisms was the Main Reason the empire had grown so powerful.

Spirits of artifact controlled many facilities, involving nearly every aspect: formation operations, barrier defenses, Mechanism Puppet armies...

When Zhao Xing had first entered the universe, the first person he encountered had not actually been a flesh-and-blood lifeform, but a spirit of artifact—Ayi'na.

Once the Spirit of Artifact System developed problems, the consequences would be extremely severe.

Thinking of the countless hundreds of millions of Mechanism Puppets at Jiachen Pass all rebelling and identifying their own people as "enemies," Zhao Xing shuddered.

"Could it be that the Evil God Faction has simultaneously attacked the history of the Tianyou Empire, where the Reincarnation Divine Palace is located, and the empire's Spirit of Artifact System?"

At this moment, Zhao Xing looked around and could not see a single enemy.

Yet he felt a trembling sensation, as though the whole world had become his enemy.

At that moment, Guluo He's mental response arrived as well: Do not take the original route. Before returning to the empire, do not use No Distance Teleportation. Give Up the Mechanism Realm Ship, formations, and every other method. The plants will tell you the direction home.

Whoosh~

Zhao Xing immediately leaped out of the White Jade Five Tombs Ship.

Although Wei Tianchen's warship had not shown any abnormalities, Zhao Xing readily accepted the advice and immediately followed it.

The plants would guide me home?

Zhao Xing immediately thought of something.

Green sprouts instantly grew from Zhao Xing's body surface as the perfected Five Elements Sprout Art activated.

Variant Method, activate!

All the Parasitic Seeds on Zhao Xing's body surface transformed into Void Seeds!

With a flash, Void traversal immediately changed Zhao Xing's original route. Three breaths later, he landed on the administrative planet of the Powa Star System.

As a first-rate star system of the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom, the administrative planet of the Powa Star System possessed a station of the Primordial Beginning Realm.

"Primordial Beginning restricted zone. Entry forbidden!"

The moment Zhao Xing landed at the Primordial Palace, a large number of Mechanism Puppets appeared.

"Get lost!"

Vines danced around Zhao Xing's body. Like iron whips, they created ripples in space and sent the densely packed Mechanism Puppets flying into outer space.

These Mechanism Puppets no longer recognized him. Naturally, Zhao Xing would not waste words on them.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Like a phantom, he immediately found his target in a forest space within the Primordial Palace.

A sea of dazzling flowers, their petals translucent and their roots dotted with flowing starlight.

"The Instant Flower Sea!"

When mechanism formations could no longer be used, the teleportation of miraculous plants remained usable.

Back when Zhao Xing had challenged stages throughout the Primordial Beginning Realm to earn points, Instant Flowers had been what he used most.

However, they had been individual plants then, with short teleportation distances. Now, this was a sea of flowers.

A single Instant Flower had a short teleportation range, but when a flower sea formed a life formation, it could teleport across vast distances.

"Teleport to the Red Tower Star System of the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom!"

Zhao Xing sat within the petals of the blooming Instant Flower King at the very center.

Then he pulled the stamens. Each three-meter-tall stamen was like a control lever.

Zhao Xing swiftly activated the teleportation.

"Weng~~~"

The entire flower sea lit up.

The Light Spots within the roots flowed toward the central Flower King.

The petals closed, pink and translucent.

Zhao Xing felt an intense space-time origin gathering overhead.

The next moment—

Boom!

The closed petals erupted like a volcano, launching Zhao Xing into the sky.

A stream of light shot a hundred meters upward, then abruptly stopped and vanished.

Zhao Xing's figure disappeared from the Powa Star System within the oval stream of light.

The next moment, his rising momentum turned into a descent as he appeared within another Instant Flower King.

"One, two, three, four... There are still nine stamens left. Another teleportation can be performed."

Zhao Xing counted the stamens. Half had already withered, but nine still stood tall, proving that the Instant Flower Sea could perform another teleportation.

As a long-distance teleportation method available only to the upper ranks of the Primordial Beginning Realm, not many people could use it.

After three teleports, Zhao Xing had already left the borders of the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom and successfully returned to the empire's southern frontier—Liufang Kingdom.

Liufang Kingdom was a vassal state of the empire. It was also a frontier where the demon race bordered the empire. The renowned Demon Suppression Pass had been established around Liufang Kingdom, and Cloud Heaven Dao had once earned merit here.

Having arrived here, Zhao Xing could already sense the avatar stored within the empire.

"Chaos has broken out in Liufang Kingdom."

Zhao Xing looked at the layered starry-sky ring continents. The void passages had all been sealed.

Within the formations, many people were being Pursued by Mechanism Puppets.

"I wonder how long it will take the empire to restore order to the Spirit of Artifact System," Zhao Xing thought.

Even just a few minutes of paralysis and chaos could bring terrifying disaster.

The longer it dragged on, the more horrific the damage would become.

"Freeze!"

Before activating No Distance Teleportation, Zhao Xing spread his Mustard Seed Law Domain across all of Liufang Kingdom, freezing every Mechanism Puppet in place.

However, he was an amateur when it came to the Mechanism Dao. He could only immobilize them and did not destroy every spirit of artifact. Before knowing what functions these spirits of artifact performed, destroying them recklessly would not be a good thing.

"Emperor Lord Liu Fang, do you recognize me?" Zhao Xing appeared before the Lord of Liufang Kingdom.

At that moment, he was being besieged by seven silver Mechanism Puppets. These Mechanism Puppets were like liquid, sometimes transforming into demons and sometimes into humans.

But after Zhao Xing descended, they completely solidified and could not move.

"Greetings, Zhao Shennong." Emperor Lord Liu Fang knelt to the ground.

Before Zhao Xing could ask anything, Emperor Lord Liu Fang tearfully cried out in terror:

"Zhao Shennong, we have never betrayed the empire. Never!"

"Why have the empire's pass-guarding spirits of artifact designated Liufang Kingdom as enemies?"

Zhao Xing fell silent. Since even his Star Mirror had developed problems, the situation in a vassal dynasty territory like Liufang Kingdom was likely even worse.

"What just happened?"

"The Pass-Suppressing Artifact Spirit sent powerful mechanism puppets to slaughter the elite of our Liufang Kingdom—"

Emperor Lord Liu Fang recounted it sorrowfully.

"It happened too suddenly. Tens of thousands of experts from my Liufang Kingdom were executed in an instant by the Thunder World Net and Slaughter World Net."

"Seven Great Luo Celestial Soldiers also deployed from the Pass-Suppressing Armory to surround and kill me."

As Emperor Lord Liu Fang recalled it now, it felt as though he had been trapped in a nightmare.

"Emperor Lord Liu Fang, I can leave behind an incarnation to help you clean up the aftermath."

Zhao Xing did not understand the intricacies of the situation, but since Emperor Lord Liu Fang recognized him, he must have been normal. So he left behind an incarnation to help deal with the aftermath.

He did not tell Emperor Lord Liu Fang about his suspicions, fearing it would cause even greater panic.

"Protect yourself first. Gather the empire's elite as much as possible and wait here for new orders. Remember, you must obey people's orders, not those of Artifact Spirits."

With that, Zhao Xing's main body activated No Distance Teleportation.

After activating No Distance Teleportation, Zhao Xing did not appear in the Primordial Beginning Realm. Instead, he arrived beneath a pale blue starry sky.

He stood on the right bank of the Guluo He, atop a small star continent.

There were also many Divine Realm experts nearby. Zhao Xing counted them, and there were a full thirty-six.

Among those he recognized were Mind General Qi Luo, Martial God Yan Ao, as well as another Mechanism God, Yuan Yuan, and Sword God Guo Meng.

Zhao Xing looked at the Guluo He and discovered that even Guluo He had already become a Free Divine General!

Behind these Divine Realm experts stood a great number of demigods, such as Wudu and Meng Wu. Everyone's gaze was fixed ahead. Directly in front of them was a dazzling mechanism planet, currently split between red and blue.

The two fluctuations each occupied half of the planet. Vast numbers of mechanism puppets surrounded it, while torrents of Dao Soldiers collided.

Craftsman God Yuan Yuan stood beside the mechanism planet, and he was the only one close enough to it.

Zhao Xing swallowed. This should be where the main body of the empire's strongest divine artifact—the Great Derivation Divine Weapon—was located.

Craftsman God had blocked the fluctuations ahead. Yet even from such a distance, merely watching them made Zhao Xing's soul tremble.

"Senior Gu, this—"

As expected, something had gone wrong with the Great Derivation Divine Weapon. But what had caused it?

Guluo He glanced at Zhao Xing's returning main body and shook his head.

"The Great Emperor is not in the current time-space. The nine Artifact Spirits split from the Great Derivation Divine Weapon began behaving abnormally a quarter of an hour ago."

"Zifang and Chen Jiu attacked each other. They even marked me as an enemy."

"The two Red Star Divine Weapons in the Primordial Beginning Realm ambushed me and destroyed Seaweed City. I only escaped disaster by breaking through to become a Free God." Guluo He's expression was gloomy.

"Divine General Yuan Yuan arrived and only then suppressed the further unrest of the Great Derivation Divine Weapon."

"The Celestial Master Mansion is also conducting deductions, but the cause has not yet been found."

Zhao Xing's heart tightened. He had not expected Guluo He himself to become a target.

Seaweed City had been destroyed, and Guluo He had been forced to become a Free Divine General? This was a disaster unlike anything that had ever happened before.

"Senior, I have an urgent matter to report." Zhao Xing connected the dots.

"Speak."

"On my way back..." Zhao Xing told them of his journey to the Powa Star Continent and Qing Yuzi's warning.

"What did you say?" At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing the Primordial Origin Dharma Robe and the Grand Historian Crown, with divine power blazing around him, appeared before Zhao Xing with a whoosh.

"A History Book Worm? Are you certain?"

"Reporting to Divine General Starfire, this was the revelation I received from Qing Yu God. I cannot be certain. This is only my own speculation." Zhao Xing knew this was Starfire's highest-ranking leader, a historical Free God who cultivated the current epoch.

"I understand." Starfire Divine General immediately flew out, heading straight for the mechanism planet.

As Starfire Divine General approached, the entire mechanism planet suddenly began expanding rapidly.

"Roar—"

A sharp cry, like that of some primordial beast, suddenly came from within the planet.

Seven or eight divine power incarnations of Starfire Divine General dragged a phantom from the contracting planet.

That phantom was unmistakably half of a worm. It had vicious mouthparts, rows upon rows of sharp teeth within, and scraps of paper still caught between them.

Streams of light fell like liquid, causing the mechanism planet itself to burn.

Zhao Xing felt dizzy, as if he were seeing layer upon layer of overlapping afterimages.

At the same time, the juvenile History Book Worm in his storage ring became restless as well, repeatedly crashing against its worm box.

Epoch Worm (Mutant)

Type: Book Worm

Quality: Godly

Status: Adult Form

Description: A mutant that has devoured Time Pages and a large number of special historical books. It can affect the time-space memories of Artifact Spirit lifeforms.

Zhao Xing could not help drawing a sharp breath as he looked at the massive worm beast stretching across the starry sky and writhing continuously.

He had never imagined that a mutant Epoch Worm had somehow crawled into the Great Derivation Divine Weapon.

This special type of History Book Worm specifically targeted Artifact Spirit lifeforms.

Compared to humans, Artifact Spirits possessed far more complicated and vast memories.

Who knew how many books on the History of Mechanisms this Epoch Worm had devoured?

While the Red Star Great Emperor was away, it had actually slipped into the Great Derivation Divine Weapon without anyone noticing.

It had thrown the empire's entire mechanism Dao Soldier system into chaos!

No wonder Craftsman God Yuan Yuan had been unable to repair it immediately. This was not merely an attack directed at mechanisms—it was an attack on an entirely different level.

"Roar—"

When the Epoch Worm screamed, vast numbers of Dao Soldiers began trembling. Zhao Xing saw that many experts behind him who used Dao Soldiers had also become agitated.

Dao Soldier Stream Mechanism Masters were affected the most. At this moment, quite a few Venerables had even been injured by their own Dao Soldiers.

However, after two cries, the Epoch Worm was jointly cut into nine segments by Divine General Yuan Yuan and Starfire Divine General.

"Buzz—"

More than ten thousand small nodes turned into fragments and scattered in all directions, while countless characters reflected within the flowing light.

Zhao Xing sensed that these things had no physical form, yet they truly affected time and space.

However, they were swiftly restrained by the empire's Divine Realm experts.

"Hum—"

In the next moment, the mechanism planet returned to its gentle blue color.

As the light began drawing inward, Zhao Xing saw several terrifying holes in the mechanism planet—the main body of the Great Derivation Divine Weapon.

Whoosh—

Divine General Yuan Yuan and Starfire Divine General returned.

"The Artifact Spirits of the Great Derivation Divine Weapon have recovered." Craftsman God Yuan Yuan's expression was somewhat grim. "However, the three sub-bodies Chen Jiu, Zifang, and Tianyi suffered severe damage. Chen Jiu in particular needs to be 'reborn.' If the Great Emperor does not return, it will take thirty thousand World Star Years to recover to its pre-damage state."

"What was that thing?" Yan Ao frowned as he looked toward the worm beast's corpse.

"An Epoch Worm," Starfire Divine General said. "A unique Dao Worm capable of causing deviations in Artifact Spirit memories."

"It originated from a Space-Time Territory in the forty-eighth epoch of the Desolate Territory."

"I've never seen one before." Mind General Qi Luo looked grave.

"Neither have I." Starfire Divine General shook his head. "This should be the creation of some Divine General-level Evil God who achieved Heaven and Earth Attainment."

All the Divine Generals fell silent. This was an extremely grave sign.

Any creation born of Heaven and Earth Attainment was exceedingly powerful. It was difficult to say whether attacks of this kind would follow.

Starfire Divine General's gaze settled on Zhao Xing. "If Zhao Xing had not brought back Qing Yuzi's warning, I likely would not have noticed this Dao Worm. It is something never seen before."

"One second later, and the empire's losses would have been enormous."

"It seems Qing Yuzi discovered something in that time-space."

"The Reincarnation Divine Palace will likely face trouble again. Devouring the history of the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom may trigger a great disaster."

"The Profound Spirit History Book gave no warning, likely because it too was suppressed by the History Book Worm."

"Proceed according to the plan."

Most of the conversation among the thirty-six Divine Generals had not been concealed from Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing immediately understood that Lao Qing had likely made some major discovery while working away from home.

However, transmitting messages across one time-space after another had been extremely difficult. At the very least, that efficient and rapid method had been blocked.

In the end, he could only transmit messages to minor figures such as Purple Moon and the Yuqing Mansion Lord.

Had Zhao Xing not accepted the task from the Boundless True God to cultivate History Book Worms, he likely would not have been able to understand it.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The many Divine Generals began withdrawing their divine radiance and disappearing.

Although the problem with the Great Derivation Divine Weapon had been resolved, many places in the empire possessed Artifact Spirits that were not controlled by the Great Derivation Divine Weapon.

Zhao Xing also followed Guluo He back to the Primordial Beginning Realm.

Upon returning to the familiar Great Beginning City, Zhao Xing noticed an obvious trace of exhaustion in Guluo He's eyes.

"Destruction is easy; reconstruction is difficult. For a long time to come, the empire will have to rebuild its Dao Soldier system and Spirit of Artifact System."

"Since the Profound Spirit History Book gave no warning, if Qing Yuzi's message had not been sent back, the consequences would have been extraordinarily severe."

Zhao Xing nodded. A collective rebellion by Artifact Spirits? That was indeed terrifying.

For example, the empire's legion-type divine artifacts, the Desperate Great Wall and Four Seasons Heavenly Barrier, could kill Free Divine Generals. If they turned inward, it would be a catastrophic disaster.

Fortunately, they required people to operate them. A rebellion by Artifact Spirits alone would not be enough to activate them so quickly.

"For this warning, Qing Yuzi deserves the primary credit, while you deserve secondary credit," Guluo He said.

"The empire's thirty-six Divine Generals unanimously decided to award you one hundred and fifty million Contribution Points."

One hundred and fifty million Contribution Points? Zhao Xing's heart shook.

What did that mean?

Fifty million Contribution Points could grant one chance to become a Free God, with a probability of at least thirty percent.

One hundred and fifty million Contribution Points meant three chances—heavenly timing, geographical advantage, and the self. Exactly three chances!

He had never imagined that deciphering Lao Qing's message could earn him so many Contribution Points.

"Of course, credit involving more than one hundred million Contribution Points must be reported to the entire human upper echelon of the Profound Spirit Star Region. The Ancient Hill of Antiquity, Source Origin Heavenly Palace, Reincarnation Divine Palace, and Ancient Kingdom Alliance must all unanimously approve it."

"It will take some time before it is finalized."

"I understand." Zhao Xing naturally understood. More than one hundred million Contribution Points represented an enormous amount of resources. Resources involving godhood had to be granted cautiously, no matter who received them.

He had once helped Lao Qing become a god, and now Lao Qing was indirectly helping him become one. What came around went around.

If it truly happened, he would probably owe Lao Qing a karmic debt instead.

"The Third Era of the Desolate Territory will not be peaceful over the next five Solar Years," Guluo He said in a low voice. "Most of the time, I will have no leisure to look after you."

"You must be careful."

"Senior, I have another matter to report." Zhao Xing knew Guluo He was busy, so he immediately spoke.

"I have already killed Jin Yan."

"During the process, I discovered—"

As Guluo He listened, his expression gradually became ugly. Zhao Xing could even sense a distinct trace of anger from him.

Guluo He was now a Free Divine General, yet he could not suppress his anger?

Zhao Xing found it hard to imagine. He even wondered if he had sensed it wrong.

"You may leave." Guluo He waved his hand. "Do not cultivate the Primordial Beginning Straw Man Technique for now."

Zhao Xing did not know what had happened, but he knew Guluo He must be in a terrible mood.

What exactly was connected to the Primordial Beginning Straw Man Technique? Was Gu Tianyang truly alive in this time-space?

Guluo He said nothing, and Zhao Xing knew he should not keep asking.

Before leaving the main hall, Zhao Xing gave Guluo He one last look. His figure on the seat seemed somewhat forlorn.

Whoosh—

Zhao Xing's main body vanished beyond the doors.

The destruction of Seaweed City cast a shadow over the Primordial Beginning Realm and even the entire empire.

Zhao Xing's main body split off two incarnations. One went to Great Zhou's territory, while the other went to find Ji Si.

His main body, however, arrived at Void City.

Void City was still as deserted as ever, except its walls had disappeared.

Seaweed City had been destroyed, Guluo He had suffered an attack from divine weapons, and other targets had also been within the strike range. Void City, Zuo Qiyu's city, was among them.

Yet it was the lowest-level Seaweed City that had been destroyed, while Guluo He and Void City had remained safe and sound.

Now, Zhao Xing no longer needed Guluo He present when visiting Zuo Qiyu.

At this moment, there was someone else in Void City besides Zuo Qiyu: Liu Tianning.

Old Liu had always been studying the Straw Man Art, hoping to create a method stronger than the Primordial Beginning Straw Man Technique. Over the past two thousand years, he and Zuo Qiyu had instead become fellow Daoists, meeting Zuo Qiyu from time to time.

When Zhao Xing descended, Liu Tianning was visibly stunned.

"You two, why—"

Zhao Xing did not react much, but Zuo Qiyu could not control himself and rushed toward Zhao Xing.

However, he went quickly and returned just as quickly. Zhao Xing waved his sleeve, and Zuo Qiyu was sent flying back, once again seated in the stone chair beneath the vine trellis.

Buzz—

A sacred and radiant soul body of Zhao Xing appeared behind Zuo Qiyu.

The Asura Race's secret art of mental will, the Immovable Wisdom King!

The Asura Race was bloodthirsty and warlike. This secret art had also been created by the Asura Race's demigod leader to suppress the race's innate nature. After Zhao Xing used the Immovable Wisdom King, the killing intent in Zuo Qiyu's eyes rapidly faded.

"Senior Zuo, I will teach you this art to suppress your desire for slaughter and protect your path until you master the Immovable Wisdom King, thereby ending the karmic debt from when you taught me the Straw Man Art." Zhao Xing pointed a finger and transmitted the Great Dark Heavens secret art to him.

Zuo Qiyu nodded, closed his eyes tightly, and entered a state of cultivation.

Knowing that he would soon receive an opportunity to become a god, Zhao Xing began proactively settling karmic debts and favors.

Liu Tianning waited quietly at the side. Only after Zhao Xing finished did he ask, "Zhao Xing, what change has occurred?"

"It's a long story." Zhao Xing sighed. "Most likely, Senior Zuo, Jin Yan, and I are all nothing more than test subjects for someone else's Heaven and Earth Attainment."

"Then won't you ever use it again?" Liu Tianning frowned.

"Mm. Fortunately, I have hope of finding a replacement," Zhao Xing said.

As long as the reward arrived, one hundred and fifty million Contribution Points would be enough to traverse time and space. Zhao Xing felt he had a chance to learn a god-level Straw Man Art from historical spacetime.

Liu Tianning pondered for a moment. "In that case, can you teach it to me?"

Zhao Xing paused. "Teacher, wasn't I clear enough? This technique—"

"I know." Liu Tianning smiled. "Even so, I still want to learn it."

"This used to be the path you walked, so I was too embarrassed to bring it up."

"But since you no longer intend to cultivate it, I want to give it a try."

"A Straw Man Art of Heaven and Earth Attainment—how rare is that?"

"I may never have cultivated this art, but my understanding of it may not be inferior to yours."

"Even if Gu Tianyang truly is hiding behind the scenes, I still want to compete with him."

Listening to Old Liu's sonorous, forceful voice, Zhao Xing felt as though Liu Tianning was glowing all over.

His gaze held the resolve to never regret even death, as well as the courage to contend with those of the divine realm.

Of course, there was also a layer of concern within it.

Liu Tianning perhaps wanted to help him resolve this Hidden Danger.

Just as Zhao Xing had helped him resolve the Hidden Danger of the Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppet in the Profound Yellow World back then.

Zhao Xing knew that it would be difficult for him to refuse.

"Alright."

"But Teacher, I also have one condition: you must first attain a demigod-level true spirit." Zhao Xing set forth a condition.

Liu Tianning was currently an Eight Tribulation Emperor Lord, with hundreds of millions of clones. To be safe, Zhao Xing still felt that Old Liu should wait until he became a demigod before learning this art.

"I thought it would be some serious condition." A smile appeared at the corner of Liu Tianning's lips. "Wait for me a moment."

With that, Liu Tianning closed his eyes.

"What does that mean?" Zhao Xing was stunned, then immediately realized what was happening.

Old Liu was actively triggering a True Spirit Tribulation.

"Teacher, could it be that you've already—"

Zhao Xing suddenly looked toward the sky.

Outside Void City, Liu Tiannings continuously flew over.

Liu Tianning's straw men, each with different expressions and forms, swiftly arrived before the original body.

Before long, the courtyard was filled with all manner of Old Lius.

Some carried swords on their backs; those were Sword Dao straw men. Some held hammers; those were Liu Tiannings of the Minister of Agriculture path. Some carried Seven Stars Dipper Cabinets.

Others sat in the corner playing the zither, while some carried formation diagrams on their backs. What caught Zhao Xing's attention most were four Straw Man Clones.

They were Liu Tianning in child, adolescent, young adult, and elderly forms.

Strands of time origin actually flowed within all four Straw Man Clones.

"This—"

Before Zhao Xing's astonished gaze, Liu Tianning recalled the soul bodies of roughly ten thousand straw men.

At the third quarter of noon on the fourteenth day of the seventh month, the seventeenth World Star Year of the Third Era of the Desolate Territory.

Liu Tianning consecutively triggered his ninth and tenth True Spirit Tribulations.

By the fourth quarter of noon, he was already a tenth-rank demigod.

Seeing Zhao Xing's stunned expression, Liu Tianning smiled with his eyes. "Disciple, is that enough?"

"If it isn't, your teacher can undergo another tribulation."

Zhao Xing finally understood why Zuo Qiyu and Liu Tianning got along so well.

Only geniuses could cherish one another so fiercely!

"Great Zhou has gained another monstrous genius besides Ji Si."

"What a Liu Tianning. He held back for so long just to put on a grand show before me today?"

Looking at the courtyard full of Liu Tiannings, Zhao Xing hurriedly waved his hands. "Enough, Teacher. That's enough."

Liu Tianning smiled. After so many years, he had finally seen a shocked expression on his disciple's face. His long years of dedicated cultivation had not been in vain.

Zhao Xing was completely convinced. He no longer questioned whether Liu Tianning cultivating the Primordial Beginning Straw Man Technique was a suicidal act.

Strictly speaking, back when he had mastered the Great Void Straw Man Art, it was only because of Liu Tianning's guidance that he had passed Zuo Qiyu's trial.

In terms of talent for Straw Man Arts, Old Liu was absolutely the strongest Zhao Xing had ever seen.

"Whoosh—" Zhao Xing split off two clones, one Great Void and one Great Beginning.

The Great Void Straw Man swallowed Liu Tianning.

In merely half an hour, Liu Tianning broke free from within it.

An illusion appeared before Zhao Xing's eyes. A figure had appeared behind him—it was Liu Tianning.

Immediately afterward, Liu Tianning voluntarily swallowed the Primordial Beginning Straw Man.

A month later, the Primordial Beginning Straw Man Technique was complete.

The Great Dao appeared once more, and Liu Tianning squeezed in between Zhao Xing and Zuo Qiyu.

The current situation was that Zhao Xing stood at the very front, Liu Tianning half a shoulder behind him, and Zuo Qiyu another half a shoulder behind Liu Tianning.

"Fucking amazing!" Zhao Xing had no other words to describe it now. Those were the only two words in his mind.

"I won't go any further. It's better to be cautious." Liu Tianning opened his eyes and raised his head again.

Zhao Xing examined him carefully and discovered that Liu Tianning held no killing intent toward either him or Zuo Qiyu.

"Teacher, you don't have the urge to devour Zuo Qiyu and me?" Zhao Xing could not help asking.

"Of course I do." Liu Tianning nodded. "That desire feels like an instinct of life itself, but I can suppress it."

"My hundreds of millions of clones travel throughout the universe. To control so many clones, resisting such a small impulse is quite easy."

"Zhao Xing, you were right. This art truly has a problem. This Great Dao is connected to the Way of Sacrifice—I can vaguely sense it."

At this moment, Zuo Qiyu also opened his eyes. He looked at Liu Tianning, utterly astonished. "Zhao Xing is one thing, but you truly are a monster!"

Without question, Liu Tianning's talent for Straw Man Arts had shocked not only Zhao Xing, but Zuo Qiyu as well.

Zhao Xing had surpassed him purely because some fortuitous encounter had made his true spirit incomparably powerful.

But Liu Tianning surpassing him was purely a crushing advantage in talent for Straw Man Arts!

"Senior Zuo, when I learned the Great Void Straw Man back then, it was Teacher's guidance behind the scenes that allowed me to pass that trial. At the time, Teacher had not even entered the Primordial Beginning Realm." Zhao Xing also sighed emotionally.

At Thousand Willow Dao Academy, Liu Tianning's teacher had only been Lord Level back then.

Old Liu's horizons at the time had not been as broad as they were now, and the knowledge he had access to had not been nearly as extensive.

"Enough, you needn't flatter me." Liu Tianning looked at Zhao Xing. "Disciple, leave Zuo Qiyu's protection to me. I know you are a candidate for the divine realm and have many important duties. There is no need to divide your attention here."

"Alright." Zhao Xing did not stand on ceremony.

He indeed had important matters to handle. First, he needed to retrieve that clone from the Ancient Hill of Antiquity.

Since the Primordial Beginning Straw Man Technique had to be used cautiously, he could not allow his clones to remain away from him for too long.

Other than the Study Abroad Clone that had gone to the Black Heaven Desolate Territory, which was beyond his reach, it would be best to keep all his other clones at his side at all times.

And this Bookworm Calamity would surely be accompanied by a Space-Time Impact, so he also had to protect Great Zhou.

"Whoosh—"

Zhao Xing left the Primordial Beginning Realm.

For the time being, using the Great Beginning Clone's teleportation within the empire should still be safe.

Soon, he arrived at Crystal Island of Shenchen Fourteenth Pass.

"Whoosh—"

One of Ji Si's Chronicle Clones had long been waiting in Central Pole Hall. Cloud Heaven Dao and the Wu Emperor were also there.

"Fifth Brother, Ji Si, Old Yun, how is the situation?"

"Great Zhou has not been affected." Ji Che was somewhat puzzled. "Whether it is Great Zhou's history books or space-time memories, every citizen, regardless of strength, has undergone no changes at all."

"As for artifact spirits, apart from those independently developed by Great Zhou, all have experienced abnormalities, though the degree of change is not severe."

Zhao Xing and Ji Si exchanged glances. Both saw the same answer in the other's eyes: Fengshan Land.

The Profound Yellow World during Great Zhou's era was the ruins of Fengshan Land. Whether space-time fluctuations or History Book Worms, neither seemed able to invade the Profound Yellow World.

"Ji Si, have you communicated with Wang Tianzhi?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Yes." Ji Si nodded. "Wang Tianzhi remembers everything as well. Nothing has changed."

"The Fengshan Land of the Five Emperors may no longer be as miraculous as it once was, but it seems it cannot be easily affected." Zhao Xing breathed a sigh of relief.

If his family and friends no longer remembered him, then even if he remembered them, it would be extremely painful.

"Heavenly Ji Thunder Mother has suspended my mission," Cloud Heaven Dao said. "I suspect that she too has been affected by this disaster."

"In that case, Heavenly Ji Thunder Mother, the Boundless True God, and the Evil God responsible for this disaster are not from the same faction." Zhao Xing transmitted his words to Ji Si.

"Grand Agriculture Official, I think it is time for Great Zhou to undergo its third migration." Ji Si said.

"Great Zhou's current territory is actually less safe within the empire. Since we have been affected so little, this is the perfect time to relocate to the former site of the Origin Sea Ancient Kingdom."

"As long as you and I do not leave the empire, the resistance to this timing should be at its lowest."

Zhao Xing did not immediately state his position. Instead, he asked Ji Si, "What does the Celestial Master Mansion think of this Bookworm Calamity? What is the Evil God Faction's objective?"

Ji Si glanced at Cloud Heaven Dao and Ji Che. "There is actually nothing that cannot be said. It will be announced later anyway. The more people who can remember it, the better."

Ji Si waved her hand, and a river appeared, opening the Azure Stone River as well.

"The Celestial Master Mansion has sorted out the patterns behind several attacks by the Evil God Faction. Their speculation regarding the Third Era of the Desolate Territory is roughly as follows."

"First came the attack on the Chaos Sea, causing panic throughout the Profound Spirit Star Region."

"This time, they deployed roughly three Sky-Pillar Giant Beasts, drawing the righteous god faction's attention toward resisting the Space-Time Memory Impact."

"Then came the large-scale Bookworm Calamity attack, accompanied by the Space-Time Impact."

"The Space-Time Impact was the surface plan. The hidden plan was to destroy the Spirit of Artifact System established by humanity in the Profound Spirit Star Region."

"However, Qing Yuzi leaked this plan, so it likely will not achieve its expected effects."

Zhao Xing recalled the tearful statue of Qing Yuzi. It seemed Old Qing's situation was not good right now.

Perhaps he had been beaten to tears.

But that fellow was truly fierce. He had actually obtained such classified intelligence from the Evil God Faction?

Although there had not been much time between the leak and the attack, the assistance it provided was immense. Being prepared even one second earlier could recover countless losses.

But Old Qing, having revealed such heavenly secrets, was likely suffering endless Pursuit right now. Don't Know whether he could survive safely.

"Once the Bookworm Calamity and Space-Time Calamity end, the collective cognition of the Profound Spirit Star Region will be as though it has been reshuffled." Ji Si said.

"What do you mean?" Cloud Heaven Dao asked.

"When some people no longer believe Evil Gods are Evil Gods, but righteous gods instead, it will become much easier for Evil Gods to spread their doctrine. They may even openly emerge and act." Ji Si said.

"This..." Zhao Xing, Cloud Heaven Dao, and Ji Che could not help imagining such a scene.

If a group of Evil Gods appeared before them but were regarded as righteous gods, their resistance would clearly weaken. They might even actively cover for the Evil Gods.

It would be manageable if only people at their level had their cognition distorted.

But what if someone at the level of a Mind General also believed that Evil Gods were allies?

If it reached that extent, then with the Profound Spirit History Book unable to fulfill its proper function, even if God Kings could act and kill Evil Gods, the divine soldiers and generals below them would inevitably begin to question the God Kings as well.

It was like Guluo He pointing at Venerable Five Poisons and saying, "He is a spy from the Evil God Faction. I must kill him."

What would one think?

Once hearts and loyalties were divided, the God Kings would likely find it difficult to settle matters. The Great Emperors' true bodies leaving was also for the same purpose.

They were resolving the problem at its source.

"I truly cannot imagine such a scene." Cloud Heaven Dao sighed. "When truth and falsehood become indistinguishable, and friend and foe cannot be told apart, how are we supposed to conduct ourselves?"

"The Evil God Faction has gone to such lengths. They are probably not doing this just to begin a massacre." Zhao Xing pondered. "Ji Si, what else did the Celestial Master Mansion see?"

"Yes. Slaughter is not the primary objective; bewitchment is." Ji Si said solemnly. "I saw many scenes of Dharma assemblies being held."

"Dharma assemblies will become the primary battlefield."