The Dark Destiny Mystic Bird's Gift!

Upon hearing what the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird said, Zhao Xing was immediately startled.

How did the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird know that Great Li was gone?

In an instant, Zhao Xing had the urge to break free immediately.

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird seemed to have read Zhao Xing's mind, a hint of mockery in its eyes. "What, surprised? Isn't it a little too late for you to be afraid now?"

Zhao Xing feigned composure, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said, "It was indeed somewhat unexpected."

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird said calmly, "Don't worry, if I wanted to harm you, I could have destroyed your weak Fate Soul the first time you entered here fourteen years ago."

However, I not only did not do that, but also bestowed a bit of luck upon him.

Zhao Xing Xingmeng looked up. "Did you give Derivation Two his good fortune?"

After consuming the Dao Embryo Pill, he discovered that his fortune had changed from Derivation One to Derivation Two.

He was puzzled at the time because the Dao Embryo Pill did not increase his luck.

He thought he had inherited a portion of the fortune from the treasures within the Great Dream Academy, but over the years, he had also acquired treasures many times.

They even possessed Sixth Level Soul Armor and top-tier techniques from the Great Dream Spring and Autumn, yet their abilities did not increase further.

The reason actually lies with this bird!

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird preened its feathers. "Now that you've learned the Five Finger Heavenly Mandate and the Tortoise Trigram Coin Method, and I'm standing right in front of you, calculate it yourself and you'll know."

Zhao Xing activated the Five Finger Heavenly Mandate to reverse the past and discovered that the truth was indeed as the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird had said; that fortune was a gift from it.

Zhao Xing's heart sank. This meant that he had been targeted by this bird fourteen years ago.

Furthermore, this bird can actually break the rules?

Logically speaking, the guardian would never give the challenger special treatment—it's not a real Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird, just Mechanical Beast!

"Thank you for the gift, Guardian of Destiny." Zhao Xing bowed and said, "May I ask what you need me to do, Guardian?"

"I do have something for you to do."

"You... you don't mean you want me to restore the Great Li Kingdom, do you?" Zhao Xing couldn't help but ask.

"Restore the kingdom? Caw caw caw caw~" The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird laughed so hard it couldn't stop, its feathers trembling.

It pointed one wing at Zhao Xing and covered its stomach with the other, as if it had heard the biggest joke in the world.

That's hilarious! You actually thought I'd send you to restore the Great Li? Hahahaha~

Zhao Xing:

**

Being mocked like this by a worthless bird greatly angered Old Master Zhao.

Laugh at your grandpa!

Isn't this the normal procedure?

Since you are the guardian of destiny and know that Great Li has been destroyed, what else could you be sending your fortune if not for the restoration of the kingdom?

Is it just for fun?

After laughing for a while, the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird finally stopped.

Zhao Xing asked again, "I wonder what the Guardian needs me to do?"

He needed to figure out the bird's intentions, otherwise he would never dare to come to the Great Dream Academy again.

"Don't ask me to protect you by destiny! Protect my ass! That bastard Yang Yanzhen has made me protect him for tens of thousands of years!" the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird suddenly roared. "What's the difference between this and imprisonment?"

Zhao Xing was stunned. This mechanical Dark Bird had not only developed its own intelligence, but also developed emotions and desires.

"That senior?"

Seeing that the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird had pre-set this name, Zhao Xing said, "Please instruct me, senior."

"Your current strength is too weak," the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird sneered. "You can't help me at all."

Zhao Xing pondered for a moment and said, "At least I should know the direction in which I should strive."

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird tilted its head. "Hmm, that makes some sense."

"Very well, then I'll tell you. What I want you to do is find the supreme treasure ' One Dream World,' and then release me."

"However, you're only at the Fifth Grade now, so it's obvious you can't do it."

"How did you know, senior, that this treasure wasn't in my possession?"

"Nonsense. If you possessed the supreme treasure, what would enter wouldn't just be Fate Soul, but the true body." The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird sneered. "Hmph, if you want to trick me into revealing anything, I may tell you. This supreme treasure is currently in a heavily guarded place, where at least a dozen First-Rank experts are studying it."

One little fellow was very persistent and even poured decades' worth of vital energy into the treasure.

"There's another guy who's been solving Magic Array for two hundred years, but he hasn't even figured out the outermost, aesthetically pleasing runes."

"In short, this treasure is definitely not in your hands, but rather in the palace of a super-powerful force or a new Dynasty of Fate."

"You've only just reached the Fifth Grade, what can you do?" The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird laughed. "In the Great Li era, you wouldn't even be qualified to write a letter to the emperor. There are too many variables."

Zhao Xing was speechless. Not to mention Great Li, even now he was not qualified to write a letter to Emperor Jing. Only officials of the rank of Guangyi Dafu, which was equivalent to Tantai Ming, a Fourth Grade, were qualified to write a letter to the emperor himself. Otherwise, they would have to follow the proper procedures: first report to the prefecture, then report to the prefectural governor (if a prefecture or state was established), and then submit it to the central government, which would then report it to Emperor Jing.

The process for military generals is to report to the commander of an army, who then reports to the supervising king in the Grotto-Heaven (if there is no King Grade, then it is Martial Marquis, which is usually the case), and then reports to the thirty-three ruling kings in the Military Realm (the original Luo King, Ling De King, and Heaven Derivation King were the ruling kings, in charge of the relevant political affairs of the Pacifying Barbarians War, and were later replaced by Luo King, Xin King, Anning King).

The thirty-three chief ministers were all qualified to write letters directly to Emperor Jing or meet with him in person. Were there any other channels? Yes, but these two channels were the most common for civil and military officials; others were relatively uncommon.

If you were in Fengtian Heavenly Offering Prefecture, you could try to beat the "Heaven-Piercing Drum," but that was only for cases of serious injustice. In reality, it was just for show; there was no way you could actually beat it to see Emperor Jing, whom you met in the Heaven's Heart Palace when you were being conferred your title. You could also shout, "Your Majesty, I have important news to report," but that would be very abrupt, and whether he would even listen was another matter, because that was purely a projection of Emperor Jing's pre-arranged avatar.

In short, the legitimate, legal, and cost-free channels are the two mentioned above.

However, as the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird said, there are too many variables.

If the report reaches a prince like Luo King, that's fine. But if it reaches a prince like Liang King, it's like handing over a huge bribe.

So, the guy who was enfeoffed as Marquis Xian in his previous life was probably able to get a meeting with Wu Emperor thanks to the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird's instruction, Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"My goal is to escape this cage," said the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird. "If you control the One Dream World, you can set me free."

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird had not yet considered having Zhao Xing report this choice.

Firstly, because there are too many variables involved, making it unreliable.

Secondly, Zhao Xing is weak, and even a small favor he gives away will create a great karmic debt. Once Zhao Xing becomes powerful, he will naturally have to repay the debt.

Even if Zhao Xing successfully meets the emperor, the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird is not qualified to make a deal with the emperor. The emperor may not even be interested in this small benefit. He may even impose some harsh conditions, or even erase its intelligence and keep it here as a gatekeeper.

In short, in the current deductions of the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird, the idea of having Zhao Xing report the matter was never considered. Instead, another approach was to have Zhao Xing become stronger so that he could seize, demand, or take back the One Dream World.

Because Zhao Xing levels up quickly, he was not even at the Ranked Realm fourteen years ago, but now he is already at the Fifth Grade rank.

"It's too early to talk about these things now."

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird Dao:

"Didn't you just ask why we couldn't see the Shennong Hall?"

"Yes, please enlighten me, senior." Zhao Xing's attention was also drawn back. For the time being, he didn't think about the other matters; before the Great Li was destroyed, the Shennong Hall was naturally fine.

"After the destruction of Great Li, things changed." The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird exhaled a breath of mist, which formed an image in the air.

"At the moment of its destruction, the Great Dream Academy dispersed everyone and sealed itself away, after which Emperor Yuan of Li handed it over to Crown Prince Yang Yanzhen."

Yang Yanzhen took it with him as he fled north, hoping to rely on it to restore his kingdom.

The vast majority of these treasures were consumed within a thousand years, with the depletion of the treasures in the Shennong Hall, the Reincarnation Hall, and the Life Palace being the most severe.

Ultimately, he failed to restore his kingdom.

"On his deathbed, he passed this treasure down through several generations, and after a thousand years, it completely left the Yang Clan's possession."

The most precious treasure remains hidden. For over 30,000 years, it has remained in the same position, motionless, in the One Dream World.

I suspect it must have fallen into some extreme environment.

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird exhaled mist, revealing some blurry images. These were formed by the combination of its sensing and deduction within the treasure.

Zhao Xing initially witnessed a war scene that destroyed the heavens and the earth, but later he saw only silence, coldness, and darkness. This period must refer to those 30,000 years.

"Yang Yanzhen is a piece of trash, his strength is average." The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird said, "He consumed a huge amount of the treasures of the Three Palaces, but he couldn't make any progress. He died not long after."

"However, as I said, he's a good-for-nothing, with mediocre strength, and hasn't fully mastered this divine artifact. Therefore, the gates storing high-grade treasures in the three treasure lands— the Reincarnation Hall, the Life Palace, and the Shennong Hall— remain untouched."

"Even some mid- Third Grade treasures remain."

"Then why can I see the Reincarnation Hall and the Life Palace, but not the Shennong Hall?"

"Don't interrupt me." The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird glared at Zhao Xing. "Just listen carefully."

"I'm sorry." Zhao Xing apologized quickly, silently giving the middle finger in his mind.

"The Shennong Hall is different from the other halls," said the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird. "The treasures stored inside are mostly seeds and seedlings, which are essentially living organisms."

"Even with the best-preserved treasures, mid- Third Grade and low- Third Grade life forms simply cannot live for more than tens of thousands of years."

"Although One Dream World is a treasure made from fragments of a small world, it is ultimately not a real world."

1

After the first ten thousand years, almost all of these seeds and seedlings had died out.

"Ten thousand years later, the last Tier 6 plant died, and the rewards disappeared. The corresponding low-grade and mid-grade challenge levels also became useless."

Zhao Xing suddenly realized.

No wonder I couldn't see it; it turns out it was a low-to-medium Third Grade level, and it became invalid because the rewards were gone.

The challenge mechanism within the Great Dream Academy is also fraught with danger. If the Great Li is not yet destroyed, and someone comes to replenish and replace the prizes, it can naturally function normally.

But after it's destroyed, who can fill the void?

It has been 50,000 years since the Great Li, and all the corresponding levels in the Shennong Hall, except for the high-level ones, are no longer usable.

"If it's Seventh Order tree, living for fifty thousand years isn't unusual," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "Shangluo Academy records many Seventh Order tree-like life forms that have lived for over ten thousand years, not to mention eighth, Ninth Order, or even higher -Ninth Order beings."

According to this silly bird, there are high-grade treasures to be found Shennong Hall, but my current strength isn't enough, so this level hasn't appeared yet.

Having thought this through, Zhao Xing suddenly understood. He decided to take his leave. "Thank you for your explanation, senior. If you have no further instructions, I will take my leave now."

"Stop! What's the rush?" the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird asked. "What else do you need, Senior?" Zhao Xing felt helpless.

"No."

I

II

* * * *

Zhao Xing was speechless. Why would you tell me to stop if you weren't here?

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird glanced sideways and said, "Aren't you going to the Shennong Hall?"

Zhao Xing was taken aback. "Senior, I can't go now, can I? I'm only Fifth Grade."

"You can't go yourself, but I can help you retrieve a treasure," said the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird. "What?" Zhao Xing was shocked. "Senior can—"

It not only possesses independent thinking abilities, but also emotions and desires, and can even violate the guardian's rules to steal other treasures?

What exactly happened to this mechanical Dark Bird? The version is way ahead of its time. Shouldn't the awakening of Mechanical Beast be a phenomenon that only appears several versions after the Spiritual Energy Revival?

"Of course, my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens!" The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird raised its head. "How can mere rules possibly bind me?"

"Your skills are unparalleled, senior; I admire you greatly," Zhao Xing flattered.

"Caw caw, do you want it?" the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird asked. "If you do, I'll get you a treasure."

Can I not take it?

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird suddenly glared at Zhao Xing and said fiercely, "It's too late for you to refuse now; you have to have it!"

Zhao Xing nodded and said, "Then please state your conditions, senior."

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird spat out a scroll of golden paper, which landed in front of Zhao Xing. It then pointed at it and said, "You need to sign Dream God Contract, swearing that you will do everything in your power to help me escape this predicament!"

If you sign this contract, I will do everything I can to help you grow.

D

Zhao Xing took the Fate Soul Contract and saw that its contents were indeed only to help the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird escape its predicament, and there was nothing else.

There was no other choice but to place his hand on the Fate Soul Contract and swear. "Dream God above, I swear on my Fate Soul."

When the time is right and the strength is sufficient, I will definitely help Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird escape the Great Dream Academy! If I break this oath, may my Three Souls be annihilated!

Seeing Zhao Xing finish his oath, the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird hopped down, placed its claws on the contract, and raised its wings. "By the Dream God above, I swear by my freedom that I will do everything in my power to help Zhao Xing obtain the treasures within the Great Dream Academy. If I break this oath, I will never be able to escape this cage!"

With the contract concluded, both Zhao Xing and the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Xing was worried that this silly bird might do something bad to him, turning a perfectly good burial ground into a graveyard.

Now that there's a contract in place, at least I don't have to worry anymore.

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird was also afraid of having to wait tens of thousands of years. Ever since it awakened its self-awareness, it had truly had enough of being imprisoned.

It cannot actively contact the outside world; it can sense things but cannot communicate with them, and can only wait for people to enter the Great Dream Academy.

Now that an agreement has been reached, everyone has benefited.

"Senior, what treasure are you going to give me?" Zhao Xing asked. It would be even better if he didn't have to go through all the trouble of clearing the levels himself.

"I don't know." The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird shook its head.

.

You don't know? Are you kidding me?

Zhao Xing felt that this idiot's brain was a bit abnormal. He wondered what kind of guarantee he was making to me.

He felt like he'd been tricked.

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird said, "Although I can fly out and enter the Shennong Hall, I haven't been there for a long time."

Disobeying the Guardians' rules comes at a price.

Zhao Xing thought to himself: What happened to "my fate is in my own hands"? You were so confident earlier, saying that mere rules couldn't possibly help me since my emotions weren't completely free from constraints. But, this is a good thing.

If the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird completely breaks free from the constraints of the rules, then I really won't dare to come in again. Who knows if it can break the Dream God Contract it just made?

Now it seems that it wasn't fake.

The Marquis Xian from his previous life lived a good life in the end.

"Then please, senior, perform the spell," Zhao Xing said, bowing.

"You wait here." The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird flapped its wings and took flight. As it took off, its body continued to grow larger.

Originally, it was only the size of a head, but in the blink of an eye, its wingspan exceeded twenty meters. Its feathers were blue, and pale golden currents swirled around its forehead, making it look like it was wearing a crown. Its outstretched arms and claws were incredibly lifelike.

It's impossible to tell that it's Mechanical Beast.

However, Zhao Xing was certain that the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird was Mechanical Beast because the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird's lifespan had never exceeded ten thousand years; it was impossible for it to live longer than a plant.

Only such Mechanical Beast can last this long.

"Buzz~"

When the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird flew out, Zhao Xing could clearly see sparks flying from its body.

The heavens and earth seemed to change drastically, with clouds and mist churning as if forcing the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird to return. "Caw!"

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird opened its beak and exhaled a stream of seven-colored mist before continuing to fly forward.

Its entire body was enveloped in this mist, and it quickly flew into the clouds.

Since he was already there, Zhao Xing used his knowledge from his previous life to examine everything that had just happened. He confirmed that the opportunities outweighed the dangers, which is why he didn't immediately leave.

He was reluctant to let go of the treasure trove that was the Great Dream Academy. Some things, like the Fate Soul Pill and the Dao Embryo Pill, were things that Liu Tianning and You Ruo couldn't get their hands on. They were rare items that couldn't be made during the Great Zhou Dynasty because the methods had been lost.

Just think about the period before the Great Zhou, and you'll know what Myriad Nations War it was like! Many treasures and heritages were destroyed.

The wait was long, and even with his extensive experience, Old Master Zhao couldn't help but feel a little disheartened.

It seemed like an eternity had passed before the sound of flapping wings finally came from outside the door.

Zhao Xing looked up and saw the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird emerge from a thundercloud.

The terrifying pressure of heaven and earth from before has reappeared, and the way it chased the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird around the Great Dream Academy's treasure is truly extraordinary. "If it were used as a war machine, it could probably produce miraculous results," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "And it could also be used in education."

"Boom!"

During the pursuit of the thundercloud, the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird's body rapidly shrank, almost crashing headfirst into the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.

As soon as it entered, the terrifying pressure vanished instantly, as if the scene seen earlier was an illusion.

Senior, how are you? Are you alright?

"Caw~" The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird lay on the ground, opened its mouth, and looked somewhat listless, no longer as radiant as before. Even Zhao Xing could tell that it was injured.

It seems that it has not completely broken free from its constraints, and will be severely damaged once it leaves the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.

It took a while for the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird to recover.

"Boy, I risked my life for you."

"I will never forget your great kindness and virtue, senior," Zhao Xing said, bowing respectfully.

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird tilted its head. "I understand your great kindness and virtue, but what do you mean by 'unforgettable'?"

1

Zhao Xing cupped his hands and said, "Even when I'm old and have lost all my teeth, I will never forget your kindness."

"What you're saying is quite strange. You're already at the Fifth-Rank Pure Yuan Realm; your appearance won't be overly aged when you die." The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird flapped its wings. "It's really bizarre."

Zhao Xing cupped his hands in greeting. "Senior's advice is correct."

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird said, "I just went to the Shennong Hall and I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"Bad news."

"The bad news is that you don't have much to use right now, and I can't bring back much either. At least I can't uproot that Origin Spirit Tree," said the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird.

"The Origin Spirit Tree?" Zhao Xing was taken aback, then asked cautiously, "Is it the Origin Spirit Tree with a crystal-clear trunk, visible veins, broad branches and leaves like palm fans, and fruits like peaches, standing three thousand feet tall?"

"Hmm? You seem to have quite a bit of knowledge," said the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird. "Indeed, it is this one."

"There's actually a Origin Spirit Tree growing here?" Zhao Xing was stunned. Moreover, it had lived for tens of thousands of years, making it an absolute treasure.

Could it be that Wu Emperor obtained this tree in his previous life and gave it to Liu Tianning, which is why his Straw Man Art was able to reach the ultimate level?

"What's the big deal?" the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird said. "As long as you help me escape this predicament in the future, not only this rare treasure, but all the treasures will be yours!"

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird painted a rosy picture for Zhao Xing, and Zhao Xing actually accepted it.

Because the Origin Spirit Tree has a very strong effect, it can greatly increase the Fate Soul and even help break through the first-grade limit.

Once you reach the First-Rank Realm, there are not many treasures left that can enhance your Fate Soul, and the Origin Spirit Tree is one of them.

Furthermore, if one can live to see the Spiritual Energy Revival period, the effects of this Origin Spirit Tree will be far more than that.

"Senior, what's the good news?" Zhao Xing asked. The good news is that I have brought back three treasures for you, one of which is the Origin Spirit Fruit.

6

The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird opened its beak and spat out three pink fruits, each the size of a baby's head and resembling a peach of immortality. "These are truly the Origin Spirit Fruit!" Zhao Xing trembled as he accepted them, overjoyed. Just smelling the fragrance twice was enough to give him a mental boost.

And you get three at once!

That was incredibly lucky!

After accepting the Origin Spirit Fruit, Zhao Xing asked expectantly, "Senior, what about the other two?"