Big Brother, You're Really Good at Pretending—The Purple Moon Mansion Lord's Question!

"I am Ayi'na, the Fifth Artifact Spirit of Star Scatter Pass in the Great Ye Dynasty. Welcome, ascenders."

"The Great Ye Dynasty is a peace-loving, inclusive, and hospitable nation. Ayi'na will provide everyone with a comfortable and warm residence free of charge."

,

Beneath the stars, a fairy clad in a silver-white gown walked gracefully atop starlight.

Her eyes were gentle and lively, her skin like congealed cream, radiating a soft glow.

A warm smile rested on her face, as though she were filled with maternal radiance. Her voice was soft and gentle, as if soothing the weary hearts of travelers.

"Please follow my guidance and steer your Realm Boat to the location below. To avoid unforeseen effects caused by a sudden surge of spiritual energy, please deactivate the Realm Boat's defensive and weapon formations."

"I am—"

"Alright, skip it already." Zhao Xing spoke calmly, interrupting Ayi'na's second repetition in the language of the Origin Sea Ancient Kingdom.

The Fifth Artifact Spirit, Ayi'na, had deliberately been designed with the appearance of a woman.

This could minimize visitors' guard to the greatest extent.

Her appearance and words were an advanced screening protocol designed for ascenders from the Desolate Territory.

Some cultivators from the cosmic territories ventured into the Desolate Territory and could perish there. Certain native ascenders might luckily acquire knowledge of the cosmic territories within the Desolate Territory, or pick up the vehicle of some expert.

This protocol was meant to screen ascenders who knew a little about the state of the universe, but not enough.

Zhao Xing and Purple Bone were piloting the Pu Ta Vessel. This was clearly Realm Boat technology from the universe, so the artifact spirit Ayi'na followed convention and selected this protocol.

The requirement to enter a designated area and deactivate the weapon and defensive formations was intended to kill ascenders without damaging the vessel. After all, even a child holding a machine gun could kill someone.

However, this process could only deceive natives who did not know much. It could not even fool Purple Bone, let alone Zhao Xing. After Zhao Xing interrupted Ayi'na, the Ayi'na in the mirror immediately dropped her disguise and returned to her original appearance.

The silver glow of her robes contracted and transformed into battle armor. Her expression turned cold, and her voice became mechanical.

"Please state your identity."

"Purple God Mansion."

Upon hearing this, ripples spread across the water. The lines on Ayi'na's face softened slightly.

"So it is a lord from the Purple God Mansion. Please provide your entry identification code." She had found the Pu Ta Vessel's departure record in the database.

Zhao Xing glanced at Purple Bone, who immediately operated the controls and transmitted the identification code.

This was followed by three seconds of silence. Even the image vanished.

Purple Bone felt a little uneasy, while everyone else's hearts rose to their throats. Yet none of them dared make a sound, afraid of ruining things.

Old Master Zhao impatiently urged, "Hurry up! Don't waste my time!"

"Please calm your anger, my lord." Ayi'na soon reappeared. "The Pu Ta Vessel's identification code is too old. It has already exceeded one era, so I need some time."

The lifespan of a Source Origin First Realm cultivator was only one era. During that time, Star Scatter Pass had changed several batches of commanders. It really did take time to search the records; Ayi'na was not deliberately delaying them.

Star Scatter Pass, the Fifth Starry Sky Fortress, was located on a small Ring Star Continent. The Ring Star Continent had been artificially gathered by an Earthly Advantage Faction Shennong of the Third Realm from the Origin Sea Ancient Kingdom, hired by the Great Ye Dynasty.

The star rings stretching through space were strips of Earth Vein Origin. Their primary functions were twofold. The first was acceleration.

The acceleration function allowed Star Scatter Pass's defensive forces to ride Realm Boats and cross the distances of space in a short time, reaching any location within Star Scatter Pass.

It could also accelerate formation meteors and meteorites, launching them at terrifying speeds to eliminate enemies outside the pass.

The second function was to block the "Void River." Half of the Ring Star Continent was embedded within the void. It was like a dam, yet also like a fence. Slightly larger Realm Boats simply could not flow into Star Scatter Pass using the acceleration of the "Void River."

People could pass through, but if Second Realm or Third Realm cultivators wanted to save the small entry fee by traveling arduously with their physical bodies, the Great Ye Dynasty accepted that as well.

The Star Patrol General on the Fifth Star Continent was called Naland. He possessed mid-Source Origin Second Realm cultivation. Star Scatter Pass's defensive line was very long, and there were many Void Realm cultivators like Naland. However, on the Fifth Star Continent, Naland was the highest-ranking person in charge.

"Hao, how long have you been following your uncle here at the border?" At that moment, Naland was chatting with a young man in silver armor and carrying a battle saber within a cultivation dojo.

"Third Uncle, I have been at the border carrying out the family mission for five thousand six hundred and twenty-two years," Nalan Hao replied.

"Mm. Show your uncle a couple of saber techniques," Naland said.

"Yes." Nalan Hao nodded, then began displaying his prized saber technique within the cultivation dojo.

Saber light crisscrossed the dojo, and soon, whirlwinds formed from saber light rose in eight locations.

"Good, that will do."

"Please guide me, Uncle." Nalan Hao reappeared.

"Not bad." Naland smiled. "You are only fifteen thousand years old, yet you have already reached the middle stage of the Nascent Realm. You have cultivated the ancestral saber technique to the third level, and your moves resemble the dawn of the sun. You are considered rather outstanding within the family."

"It is all thanks to Uncle's excellent teaching." Nalan Hao spoke humbly, but he still felt somewhat proud. Source Origin First Realm cultivators normally had to reach the late First Realm to attain the speed of sunlight, yet he had grasped it at the middle stage.

"With such progress at Star Scatter Pass, once you complete your mission and return inland, you will have another period of explosive growth," Naland said. "You have hope of entering the Second Realm within a hundred thousand years."

Star Scatter Pass had a relatively low spiritual energy index, and the Great Dao Origin was not as apparent as it was in the spiritually abundant inland regions. Nalan Hao had broken through to the Source Origin Realm at Star Scatter Pass, so after returning to the inland star systems, his potential would be further unleashed.

Of course, even with such a release of potential, he only had hope of entering the Second Realm within a hundred thousand years.

"A hundred thousand years. Uncle truly underestimates me—" Nalan Hao was somewhat dismissive of that last statement. He felt his uncle had underestimated him, but he did not dare argue.

"If you enter the Second Realm within a hundred thousand years, the family will spend heavily to help you develop a physical-body Minor Divine Ability. Then you will be able to join one of the major powers of the Origin Sea Ancient Kingdom, such as the Purple God Mansion or the Martial God Hall."

"As long as you enter a major power, your chances of reaching the Third Realm within two eras will be very high. If you achieve the Third Realm within one era, you will become the family's sole heir." Naland looked forward to it eagerly.

"Yes, Uncle. I will certainly work hard." Nalan Hao's eyes were also full of longing. In the Great Ye Dynasty, Third Realm cultivators were true experts!

If he achieved the Third Realm within one era, it would prove that his potential was extraordinary and that he had hope of mastering a Major Divine Ability! Even the emperor of the Great Ye Dynasty would have to fawn over him. Naturally, he would become the family's sole heir.

Of course, this was extremely difficult. He was still only in the First Realm, with his Source Origin newly born. He had only just begun excavating his body's treasure world. He did not even have the slightest clue about the Second Realm's ability to cross the void, let alone the Third Realm's physical body giving birth to divine abilities.

Just as uncle and nephew were indulging in their fantasies—

Buzz—

A round disk on Naland's body suddenly trembled, and then a projection appeared. It was the Fifth Artifact Spirit, Ayi'na.

"Ayi'na." Naland stood up.

"Lady Ayi'na." Nalan Hao respectfully saluted. At Star Scatter Pass, artifact spirits also possessed consciousness.

Their status was even higher than Nalan Hao's.

That was because Ayi'na had been created by a Mechanism Master guarding the Third Realm. Ayi'na could control over a thousand Nascent Realm puppets on the Fifth Star Continent in battle. Killing Nalan Hao would be as easy as playing.

"Lord Nalan, a Realm Boat from the Purple God Mansion has appeared outside the pass," Ayi'na said.

"The Purple God Mansion?" Naland froze. He had just mentioned the Purple God Mansion to his nephew, yet now one had appeared.

Ayi'na said, "According to the database, this Realm Boat is called the Pu Ta Vessel. Its owner is Pu Ta of the Purple God Mansion. His companions are Qing Yuzi and Su Xianzi. Aside from Pu Ta, the other two are both Second Realm cultivators."

"However, this Realm Boat is somewhat unusual. According to its identification code, it has been outside the pass for more than 1.2 eras."

"1.2 eras?" Naland immediately realized what was unusual about it.

The maximum lifespan of a Second Realm cultivator was only two eras. Having spent 1.2 eras outside in the Desolate Territory meant that they had spent more than half their lives there.

They could practically be considered missing persons.

"Oh? Ayi'na, do you think the people aboard the Pu Ta Vessel are natives? That someone merely picked it up?" Naland immediately thought of that possibility.

Ayi'na said, "It cannot be determined for the moment. Negotiations are still ongoing. This is the record of my communication with him."

Naland immediately saw every record from Ayi'na's discovery of the Pu Ta Vessel to the negotiations.

This included Zhao Xing interrupting Ayi'na, as well as his later impatient reaction.

He doesn't seem like a native, Naland thought.

Normally, natives answered with extreme caution. How could they be so impatient?

"Ayi'na, guide it into the pass first," Naland said after some thought. "Connect me to the conversation and let me observe his reaction."

If anything unusual was discovered during the exchange, Naland would immediately halt the Realm Boat's entry and devour the vessel.

If there was nothing abnormal, then as a Source Origin Second Realm commander, it was entirely reasonable for him to ask a few routine questions while the Realm Boat entered the pass. It would not offend the Purple God Mansion's lords.

After all, he was also in the Second Realm. He was qualified to exchange a few greetings.

It all depended on whether there would be any issues in the upcoming conversation!

"Yes, the connection has been established."

It sounded like a lengthy process, but from Ayi'na's inquiry to Naland's image replacing hers on the screen, only a minute or two had passed.

"I am Naland, the Fifth Star General of Star Scatter Pass. Welcome back, three fellow Daoists of the Purple God Mansion." Naland's smiling face appeared on the screen. "Given that the Pu Ta Vessel has been outside the pass for so long, would Naland be so bold as to ask the three fellow Daoists for the honor of sparing a little time during the guidance process to sit and discuss the Dao with me?"

Seeing the person in the water mirror change, Purple Bone became nervous again. Hearing Naland's request, everyone's hearts leaped into their throats.

During their previous communication, they could see Ayi'na, but they themselves had not appeared.

Now he suddenly wanted them to show themselves? And discuss the Dao? Wouldn't that expose them?

However, Zhao Xing knew this was entirely normal. Qing Yuzi and the other two had been gone for a long time, effectively making them missing persons.

Now that missing persons had returned, they would naturally attract attention.

Sitting and discussing the Dao was an excellent way to verify them.

"Heh. By rights, a mere Star General like you is not qualified to receive this lord's favor, much less discuss the Dao." Zhao Xing's voice suddenly turned hoarse. "But your Great Ye Dynasty guards the borders for the Ancient Kingdom. Even without merit, you have labored hard—

"Fine, I shall give you some guidance."

Hearing Zhao Xing's grand tone, Naland did not get angry. Instead, he found it perfectly normal.

The eldest of the three, Qing Yuzi, was very likely already in the Third Realm.

After all, he had been a talented Second Realm cultivator back then. Breaking through after one era was perfectly normal.

Instead, those words frightened Purple Bone.

Big Brother, you were truly good at pretending.

You were only in the Establish Dao Realm, yet you were going to guide this Source Origin Second Realm Naland?

However, when Purple Bone looked over, he discovered that Zhao Xing had transformed into Qing Yuzi's appearance. His voice then became ancient and weathered as well.

Zhao Xing gestured for Purple Bone to take on Pu Ta's appearance and not speak from then on.

Purple Bone obediently did as instructed, and then the image connected.

Qing Yuzi, as transformed by Zhao Xing, immediately appeared before Naland.

Upon seeing Qing Yuzi's appearance, Naland was already seventy to eighty percent convinced. After all, anyone who dared agree to his request was unlikely to be a native, because they would certainly be exposed.

Thus, he immediately cupped his hands, and even his form of address changed. "Naland first thanks Lord Qing Yu. The Ring Star Continent is currently drawing you in. Please have everyone in the cabin below the Source Origin Realm enter the safety chambers to prevent accidents."

"Mm." Zhao Xing did not even raise a hand. He merely gave a faint acknowledgment.

Next, two Earth Veins within the Ring Star Continent emitted a dim glow, which traveled through the void toward the outside of the pass.

It reached Zhao Xing's Realm Boat almost instantly.

The Realm Boat had originally been traveling at low speed before entering the pass. It was estimated that it would need another ten or twenty years of flight, though the actual distance was not far. The Ring Star Continent's Starry Sky Formation opened an exclusive passage through the void.

It was equivalent to artificially creating a "Void River," like a returning tide carrying the Realm Boat toward the pass.

This way, Zhao Xing and the others only needed three days to reach the interior of the pass.

The scenery outside became blurry, but Naland's figure grew clearer and clearer.

He began his first question. "Lord Qing Yuzi, I follow the path of a 'Void Warrior.' I was fortunate enough to obtain a 'Void Ancestor Fragment.' I wonder whether you know anything about it?"

Zhao Xing replied with interest, "Oh? Your luck is not bad. Which fragment did you obtain? The Reincarnation Chapter, the Great Beginning Chapter, or the Glazed Chapter? The Yue Hai Chapter? At the very least, it should be the Monarch Fire Chapter or Minister Fire Chapter, yes?"

"Do you cultivate the Void Ancestor Pure Yang Golden Body, or the Void Ancestor Glazed Golden Body?"

Naland was stunned. "Aside from the Sun Chapter and Yin Chapter classifications, how can there also be a Minister Fire Chapter and Monarch Fire Chapter among the Void Ancestor Fragments?"

"I know of the Void Ancestor Pure Yang Golden Body. That is precisely the secret art I cultivate. But what is this Glazed Golden Body?"

Zhao Xing gave a soft laugh.

Even Purple Bone understood the meaning conveyed by that smile: country bumpkin.

Naturally, Naland understood it too, and he felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Damn it, I was looked down on the moment we started!

Yet he was soon drawn in by Zhao Xing's words. "The Void Ancestor was born in the center of the Spirit Void Star Region and was a natural Mystic Power Realm cultivator. Upon his birth, he was on the Sun Star, where he was nurtured and grew through the power of the sun."

"Later, he entered the Reincarnation Realm and created a Golden Body secret art called the 'Void Ancestor Golden Body.' Afterward, he felt that his method was not sufficiently complete, so he voluntarily entered reincarnation to cultivate anew."

"The Void Ancestor reincarnated for a total of nine lives. Each time he passed away among the stars, his body disintegrated. His left eye became a Sun Star, his right eye became a Yin Star. His hair became stars, and his breath became wind and clouds. Thus, there are tens of millions of Realm Stars and countless star continents."

"The structural diagram of the Xu Zu Star System is the cultivation method of the Void Ancestor Golden Body."

"The nine Xu Zu Star Systems are secret treasures of the human race. Three are in the Reincarnation Divine Palace, three are in the Source Origin Heavenly Palace, and another three are in the Ancient Hill of Antiquity."

"Great Beginning, Source Origin, and Reincarnation are secrets not passed down. Of these upper three chapters, even ordinary people rarely know of them."

"The middle three chapters are Grand Void, Primordial Chapter, and Annihilation Chapter. They are likewise treasured collections of the Ancient Kingdom."

"Only the lower three chapters, Pure Yang, Heavenly Yang, and Giant Sun, have spread throughout the world. These are also known as the Three Yang Golden Body Chapter."

"Since even the Three Yang Chapters are too difficult to cultivate, they were further divided into more than twenty fragments, including Primordial Yang, Primordial Yin, Glazed, Giant Cauldron, Heavenly Demon, Giant Deer, Heavenly Kitchen, South Pole, Heavenly Gate, and others."

"You say that you cultivate the Pure Yang Golden Body Chapter, yet you do not know that the Glazed Golden Body is itself one type within the Pure Yang Golden Body Chapter."

"Your Golden Body will never exceed nine thousand zhang. At the Source Origin Second Realm, you can at most undergo three transformations to enter Lunar Yin; you cannot undergo six transformations to enter Solar Yang."

"Much less can you freely switch between Lunar Yin and Solar Yang, reaching the level of nine transformations of yin and yang to comprehend divine abilities."

"The Pure Yang Chapter that has spread through the world must be the cheap version you bought. Within the Martial Practitioner's Treasure World, you have at most excavated Heavenly Kitchen, South Pole, and Celestial Hook. At best, you may have added Celestial Ship and Great Mausoleum."

"Each time you cultivate, you can remain on the Sun Star for at most one month. Any longer, and you feel your inner world becoming unbearably scorching. Am I right?"

Naland was completely stunned.

At first, he had not thought Zhao Xing would have any profound insights into this matter. After all, Qing Yuzi was merely a Minister of Agriculture.

Yet unexpectedly, he had only mentioned it casually, and the other party seemed to have seen through everything about him.

He recited legends of the Void Ancestor effortlessly and explained cultivation techniques with absolute clarity.

It was as though he had personally seen those peerless secret manuals!

"Yes, absolutely right! Senior Qing Yuzi, I... I can actually only remain on the Sun Star for half a month. The same is true in the deep void. If I stay longer, not only do I fail to improve, I even regress." Naland even changed his form of address, directly calling him Senior!

"This is because you did not buy the complete lower three chapters. Why did you not buy the complete set?" Zhao Xing deliberately asked such a question.

Naland was left speechless.

Why had he not bought the complete set? Because he fucking could not afford it!

But this was indeed the sort of question Qing Yuzi would ask. Direct descendants from the Purple God Mansion truly did not understand the hardships of ordinary people!

"Senior, I... I want to buy the complete Void Ancestor Three Yang Chapter, but... but the burden is simply too great—" Naland even stuttered as he said this.

He felt a long-forgotten sense of inferiority.

It was like someone else traveled in a top-grade Realm Star flying vessel, while he could only drive a low-end, stripped-down starship.

Even Purple Bone and the others could see this obvious inferiority.

Purple Bone's jaw nearly dropped.

Big Brother was far too good at pretending!

With just a few words, he had actually made a Source Origin Second Realm Star General feel inferior?

They are both inheritances, so why didn't Pu Ta teach me these things? Purple Bone felt immense envy. He believed that Zhao Xing's knowledge had all come from Qing Yuzi's inheritance.

Cloud Heaven Dao, Liu Tianning, Dong Ze, and the others thought the same.

At this moment, the value of Qing Yuzi's inheritance was rising even further.

"Naland, how long have you cultivated in the Second Realm?" Zhao Xing changed the subject. He could not let Naland become too self-conscious. Everything had to be kept in moderation.

"Replying to Senior, I am now more than 998,000 years old, and I have been in the Second Realm for over 60,000 years. I only came here to guard the pass after entering the Second Realm, around 60,000 years ago. It was considered a benefit granted to me by the family," Naland answered honestly.

"You have not even lived through one era yet. You still have hope of breaking through to the Third Realm." Zhao Xing's voice softened somewhat.

Naland sensed it as well, and he could not help feeling moved.

People were like this. They would disdain the flattery of those beneath them, yet a casual word of encouragement from someone above could leave them overwhelmed with gratitude.

"Thank you, Senior. However, I only have a little over thirty Realm Stars under my name, and none of them are of high quality. Supporting my cultivation to the Third Realm is likely impossible in this lifetime." Naland could not help sighing.

He was about to live through an entire era. It had taken him more than 900,000 years just to reach the Second Realm. At his age, more than half his life had already passed.

Hardly any major power would value him. Even if he barely managed to join one, he would only be a peripheral figure.

He no longer possessed the ambition for Adventuring. In other words, he could already see the end of his path. The Second Realm was his limit.

Purple Bone, Cloud Heaven Dao, and the others wore strange expressions.

Was Naland interrogating them, or were they interrogating Naland?

Why was Naland exposing his own assets instead?

A Source Origin Second Realm cultivator like Naland actually possessed more than thirty Realm Stars as personal property? Yet he still considered himself poor. It truly broadened everyone's horizons inside the cabin.

But Zhao Xing's response was even more outrageous.

"Thirty-odd is a little too few, but you may not necessarily need to rely entirely on wealth to cross into the Third Realm."

"The path of a Void Warrior requires you to travel more, experience the spiritual energy origins of different regions, and understand their effects on the void."

"If you remain in a stable place like the Desolate Territory border pass, it will likely be difficult for you to make any major progress."

"Senior is right." Naland smiled bitterly. "I very much want to visit the Xu Zu Star System, but even the nearest Xu Zu Star System requires crossing an ancient kingdom. My family has entrusted me with duties as well, so I fear it will be difficult for me to get away."

"Senior dared to explore the Desolate Territory. This junior is far inferior."

After Zhao Xing's remarks, Naland was beginning to feel depressed.

"I will not disturb Senior's rest any longer. If Senior needs to recuperate or resupply after entering the pass, Naland is willing to serve Senior like a horse or dog." He no longer wanted to ask Zhao Xing anything. The more he asked, the more stifled he felt.

He himself did not want to seek any guidance, but perhaps he could seek an opportunity for his nephew to receive some. However, this inquiry had ultimately been meant to verify certain things.

To avoid making this "interrogation" seem too prolonged, he took the initiative to end the conversation.

It would not do to flatter too excessively while handling official business. He guessed that Zhao Xing would certainly need to rest after entering the pass.

There would still be a chance to make contact later.

"Mm, I do have some matters to attend to, but we can discuss them after entering the pass," Zhao Xing said calmly.

Then he cut off the communication.

Inside the pass, Naland let out a melancholy breath.

"The gap between people truly is as vast as heaven and earth. I merely asked casually, yet only today did I learn that there were so many kinds of Void Ancestor secret arts."

"Uncle, this Senior knows so much." Nalan Hao also followed the Void Warrior path, and naturally cultivated one of the Void Ancestor Golden Bodies.

The Nalan Clan could not possibly purchase several precious secret arts. Once they bought one, even the clan's core members all cultivated that same one.

"Of course. Purple God Mansion is a major force in the ancient kingdom. The ancient kingdom has existed for however long its major powers have existed, so naturally they know much more," Naland said. "Unlike our Great Ye Dynasty, which only has a history of five eras."

"Hao'er, Uncle will visit that Senior again later and see whether there is an opportunity for him to guide you."

"If you can catch that Senior's eye, Uncle would not hesitate to give away all his Realm Stars. Ah, I am only afraid that he will not think much of this little wealth of mine."

Naland had no idea that Zhao Xing's group on the Opposite Side was even poorer than he was.

If they knew Naland was considering offering treasures, they would probably not know whether to laugh or cry.

Of course, they had no other thoughts right now. They only felt fortunate.

Fortunately, Zhao Xing was the one handling him. If it had been someone else, passing the checkpoint would likely not have been so easy.

There were too many traps in this exchange. One slight misstep, one wrong step, and they would be exposed.

"Qing Yuzi is also in the Second Realm, and this man is also in the Second Realm. Is the gap between an ancient kingdom and a dynasty really so great?" Cloud Heaven Dao recalled the entire process and realized that Naland had felt quite inferior. He had even thought that more than thirty Realm Stars were merely a drop in the ocean before Qing Yuzi.

Zhao Xing said, "The ancient kingdoms promote the Thirty-Three Spiritual Crystal Theory."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that low-level cultivators can earn roughly thirty-three cubic units of spiritual crystals a year. Meanwhile, the ancient kingdoms deliberately regulate taxation and the prices of all necessities for cultivation, ensuring that cultivators in these dynasties spend thirty-six cubic units of spiritual crystals a year."

"As a result, they go into debt every year. Low-level cultivators neither die nor live particularly well, and they can barely accumulate any wealth. That makes it easier for the ancient kingdoms to control those dynasties."

"Of course, the Source Origin Realm can no longer be considered low-level, nor can the Ascension Realm. However, the experts of these dynasty clans must also shoulder the cultivation resources of their clansmen and help them develop, so they are affected as well. Their rate of wealth accumulation is destined to be slow."

"Naland's clan should not be considered bad within the Great Ye Dynasty. Still, having only thirty-three Realm Stars as a Source Origin Second Realm cultivator really is rather poor. Those Realm Stars of his are probably modified Realm Stars without any special products."

Zhao Xing thought for a moment. "We can basically be considered safe from here on. As long as we pass the checkpoint, we can immediately send a message to Purple God Mansion."

"Purple Bone, once Zero connects to the Great Ye Dynasty's communication system, it should be able to send messages over long distances."

"Yes, Big Brother. Zero said that as long as we pass the checkpoint, it can send a message to Purple God Mansion." Purple Bone nodded obediently. "Using the Great Ye Dynasty's communication system, Purple God Mansion will definitely receive it."

"As long as they receive it, we will be ninety-nine percent safe." Zhao Xing smiled. "Once Purple God Mansion learns of this, even if we are exposed, the people of the Great Ye Dynasty will absolutely not dare touch us."

Judging from Naland's attitude, Purple God Mansion was an enormous entity to the Great Ye Dynasty, one that could not be offended.

Before entering the pass, if the message could not get through, then killing them for their treasures was still an option.

But once they entered the pass and the message was sent, no one would dare even if they had a hundred times the courage.

Otherwise, they would face utter destruction.

Of course, there was still an extremely, extremely small chance of encountering an accident, but there was no need to consider such extreme cases.

Overall, using Purple God Mansion's name to pass the checkpoint carried a relatively low Risk Factor.

Even if they took ten thousand steps back, if they encountered someone timid, then even upon learning Zhao Xing's true identity, that person would still have to weigh whether killing a native inheritor might allow Purple God Mansion to trace them through karmic calculation.

Without the treasures of the Profound Yellow World crossing the border with them, they would also need to consider whether that risk was worth taking.

Of course, the current situation was clearly even better. They had not been discovered.

Three days later, the flying boat entered Star Scatter Pass and landed on the fifth star continent.

Zhao Xing immediately had Naland provide access to the Great Ye Dynasty's communication system, and the request was quickly granted.

Zero connected to the Great Ye communication system and sent a message toward the distant Purple God Star System.

Because it had to cross several star systems, even with layer upon layer of relays, it would still take seven days for the message to reach Purple God Mansion.

Zhao Xing and the others did not disembark. They remained aboard the ship and waited for a response.

Naland also knew that "Qing Yuzi" and the others had only just returned and must have many matters to handle. Their priority was contacting Purple God Mansion, so he tactfully did not come to disturb them during those seven days.

Fate seemed to favor Great Zhou. Their team of ten passed the checkpoint extremely smoothly, and it took only ten days to establish contact with Purple God Mansion.

On the evening of the tenth day, Naland arrived in a small flying boat carrying a large instrument.

"Senior, this is a Light Matrix Communicator. There are only seven of them in all of Star Scatter Pass, and I have brought one for you to use.

"You can speak with Purple God Mansion in real time. The delay is only one hundred and eighty breaths."

A three-minute delay was already quite impressive, considering the information had crossed multiple star systems.

Zhao Xing had one of his avatars take Qing Yuzi's form and go out to receive the instrument before bringing it aboard.

Because of their preconceived assumptions, the avatar being only in the Ascension Realm did not draw any additional attention from Naland.

After delivering the instrument, Naland racked his brains for other ways to win Purple God Mansion's favor.

Inside the Realm Boat, Purple Bone had already begun using the Light Matrix Communicator.

"Bzzz—"

"Hiss—"

After a brief burst of garbled interference, the large instrument finally began to function.

"Buzz—"

The phantom of an elderly man in purple robes, bearing an immortal and refined demeanor, appeared inside the Realm Boat.

"Qing Yuzi, Pu Ta, you have finally returned," the purple-robed elder said. "Your teacher thought you had already met with disaster."

This person should be the Purple Moon Mansion Lord. He was Qing Yuzi's teacher, but not Pu Ta's or Su Xianzi's teacher.

Seeing this, Zhao Xing immediately returned to his original appearance, then respectfully bowed. "This junior, Zhao Xing, greets the Purple Moon Mansion Lord."

After the delay passed, the Purple Moon Mansion Lord's expression suddenly changed. "You are not Qing Yuzi, nor are you Pu Ta, yet Zero is in your hands. What exactly is going on? Where are my disciples?"

"This matter is of great importance and cannot be explained clearly in a few words. We do not dare reveal our identities, nor can we pilot the flying boat onward to Purple God Mansion. I ask that Senior send someone to Star Scatter Pass to receive us," Zhao Xing said.

"Five days. Give me five days!" the Purple Moon Mansion Lord said coldly. "Five days from now, I will personally arrive at Star Scatter Pass!"