Lord of the Earth

For ordinary forces, setting foot in the "Mysterious Inn" is not easy.

This inn exists between the Eternal Land and the Outer Realms, gathering humanity while fighting against catastrophic creatures, and actively avoiding greedy individuals who intend to plunder its resources.

After all, the people in this mysterious inn are people who fight against calamities every day and struggle for survival under immense pressure!
It can be said that every single person is a qualified veteran and the best source of manpower!

Any faction that manages to subdue it will gain an unimaginable number of soldiers, enough to instantly increase its military strength by hundreds or thousands of times...

"Therefore, quite a few human emperors had already become interested in the Mysterious Inn."

Previously, the Qin Dynasty had sent Meng Tian with a million Xuanjia soldiers to forcibly deduce coordinates using "luck," but only managed to touch a void of turbulent currents; the Han Dynasty had Huo Qubing set up the "Fenglangjuxu Formation" to lock onto the location, but in the end, only a wisp of an inn's afterimage was captured.

The reason is simple: the inn has its own "anti-catastrophe screening" mechanism. Those who are not genuinely protective of humanity and capable of fighting against the catastrophe cannot even get close to it.

"Since Your Majesty knows about the connection between the Mysterious Inn and the Holy City, you should understand that your identity is the greatest 'key'."

Guiguzi stroked his beard and chuckled.

"The Lord of the Holy City can control this city and, if he is willing to expend his fortune, can connect with the Mysterious Inn... Moreover, I once saw a divine ship transporting soldiers in Qianxia. Could Your Majesty tell me the origin of that item?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Tian twitched her fingertips slightly, and a palm-sized phantom image of a vessel for crossing the world appeared.

"Sir, are you referring to the vessel for crossing the world?"

The ship's hull is engraved with patterns of China's mountains and rivers, and inside the cabin, one can vaguely see miniature scenes of human people farming, fighting, and reciting. It is one of the "treasures" that the will of the Nine Provinces specially sent down to commend the achievements of Qianxia!

"This item is indeed extraordinary. It can travel to the Eternal Land and even traverse thousands of miles of space and time to accurately locate the survivor settlement and bring humanity back. Its value far exceeds that of ordinary artifacts!"

As he spoke, Xia Tian fully unfolded the attribute panel of the Ark of Salvation, and a dazzling text floated between the two of them:
[Human Race - Ship of Salvation (Lapis Lazuli)]

[Type] Wonders of Nature - Embryo

【characteristic】

【Salvation Navigation】It can sense and locate human settlements that are in the midst of large-scale calamities (such as cataclysmic invasions, racial enslavement, and extinction crises) across time and space, and automatically plan the optimal route to provide rescue. It will have a special sensitivity to individuals with strong humanitarian luck or civilization potential.

[Phantom Navigation] consumes a large amount of luck to temporarily elevate the vessel's dimension, allowing it to sail into the unpredictable "Phantom Sea." In this state, it can evade most forms of tracking, locking, and attack, and can interfere with the flow of time to a certain extent, quickly reaching the target location.

【Civilization Ark】The ark is a self-contained world with a complete ecosystem, possessing a stable and thriving living space. Currently, it can stably accommodate up to 50 million beings, providing them with basic survival guarantees and a cultivation environment. The flow of time within the ark can be adjusted to a limited extent, suitable for nurturing talent or for recuperation.

[Passing on the Flame] The core of the hull bears the complete imprint of the civilization it originated from. It can serve as a spark of civilization, ensuring that the knowledge and spirit of the civilization it carries will not be completely severed, and can be spread and revived in new lands.

[Merit Rewards] When actively participating in acts that align with the principles of heaven and earth, such as saving the world, fighting against calamities, and protecting living beings, you can automatically gather and store the merits of heaven and earth. Once you accumulate enough, you can automatically evolve more "ships of salvation"!
[Explanation] Before a world completely collapsed, it gathered its last light and heat to create the ultimate creation to continue the flame of civilization. It is both a warning of disaster and a ferryman of civilization!

[Note] Some functions are dormant or not fully activated. Their growth and power recovery are closely related to the strength of the controller, the resources invested, and the merits gained from heaven and earth.

It must be said that this exquisite glass treasure has an astonishing effect.

In fact, the "Ark of Crossing the World" has played an indispensable role in enabling Qianxia to accumulate hundreds of billions of human beings at this stage!
"As expected, just as I predicted! This Ark of Crossing the World also possesses the abilities of 'Catastrophe Location' and 'Merit Storage,' and even the principle of 'Phantom Navigation' is exactly the same as that of the Mysterious Inn. If I am not mistaken, both of them bear the 'rules' set by the same human god!"
Guiguzi stared intently at the "Salvation Navigation" and "Merit Sensing" properties on the panel, his eyes gleaming.

"Hmm, that seems to be true..."

Upon hearing this, Xia Tian's eyes flickered. After opening the "Ark of Crossing the World" from that glass treasure chest, he had a familiar feeling that its function was similar to that of the "Mysterious Inn".

Now it has been confirmed by Guiguzi.

It seems there is indeed some connection between these things.

"good……"

Guiguzi paused, lowering his voice slightly.

"Does Your Majesty also know that this Ark of Crossing the World is not actually a unique piece? It should have been a derivative of another 'Supreme Artifact Embryo', the 'Ark of Loya,' which was created by a certain human true god in the past."

"Oh, another embryo of a supreme artifact?"

Summer's heart stirred.

Summer had naturally heard of Noah's Ark, a name that was quite famous.

In a Western legend called Genesis, God saw that the earth was full of evil deeds, violence, and lawlessness, so he planned to destroy the wicked with a flood.

A man named Noah received a warning from a "god" and, knowing this, built a great ship to save the world under mysterious instructions.

Ultimately, carrying Noah and his family of eight, along with various birds and beasts—one pair of unclean animals and seven pairs of clean animals—the entire earth was submerged by the flood when it came, except for the creatures on Noah's Ark.

In addition, there are many similar stories in other regions, making it one of the most widely circulated similar legends in the world!

"When the human race planned the supreme artifact, there were multiple directions: the City of Saints was the 'foundation of defense and education', the Ark of Loya was the 'ship of migration and survival', the Mysterious Inn was the 'station of rescue and resistance', and the Ship of Crossing the World was a 'simplified version' of the Ark of Loya, created specifically for dispersed rescue."

Guiguzi said.

"However, even if the human race had several plans for the 'Supreme Artifact' back then, it was destined that resources and effort would be insufficient to fully address all of them. In the end, only the path that best represents the will of the majority and has the greatest potential can gather enough fortune and resources to truly create that one and only 'Supreme Artifact'!" Guiguzi's words made Xia Tian understand why there was a hint on the "City of Saints - Embryo".

This "City of Saints" is currently only in its embryonic stage, and is still far from being a true "Supreme Artifact".

One important requirement is to absorb more similar rules, or even fuse with the embryos of other supreme artifacts!

"This is why, ultimately, a struggle over the Dao will arise!"

Guiguzi said, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity.

Summer can imagine that among the sages of different factions of humanity, there must have been a lot of games, disputes and even conflicts in order to make the path they upheld the ultimate "only one".

This has nothing to do with right or wrong or personal interests, but rather it is a struggle over the principles, a struggle over the future destiny of the entire human race!
This is similar to the previous "Competition for Heaven Ceremony," where many lords participated in the first phase of repairing the City of Saints, each forging their own "Glassy Vessels" belonging to their own civilization!
The clash and competition of ideas are everywhere.

The only difference is that the "treasures" forged by the various human forces were ultimately used to repair the "City of Saints," while only one of the supreme artifacts could ultimately "succeed"!
In ancient times, there were also records of a "great flood" in Eastern legends.

However, in the face of the flood, Western legends say that under the guidance of the gods, the human race built "Noah's Ark" to preserve the human race's fire and escape the disaster.

In Chinese legend, Yu the Great, as a member of the human race, relied on his own strength to meet the challenges, choosing "dredging rather than blocking," leading the people of the nine provinces to fight against and ultimately control the floods...

This may not be a coincidence, but rather a subtle reflection of ancient ideological differences in myths and legends.

One choice is to retreat from the world and perish; the other is to fight to the end.

"Unfortunately, the forging of the 'Loya's Ark' was also interrupted in the Dao struggle, leaving only the blueprints and core laws. That true god then used its principles to build the ship of salvation and separated the Mysterious Inn from the Holy City, forming a 'rescue + ferry' system."

"Now that His Majesty simultaneously holds the power of the Holy City Lord and the physical body of the Ship of Salvation, he has essentially inherited two great legacies of that true god. In the eyes of the person in charge of the Mysterious Inn, this is a signal that he is the 'legitimate successor'!"

Guiguzi continued.

That's it!

Summer finally understood.

Under normal circumstances, it would be almost impossible for any single power to forge a treasure of this caliber. Just like the "Chess Game of Heaven and Earth" and the "City of Saints," their creation was full of chance and uniqueness.

This also explains why the "Glass Treasure Chest" created by the will of the Earth could yield the "Ark of Crossing the World," a wondrous object that could only be forged by a true god.

Its essence may be that it is a creation that the Earth's will once collected, containing the scattered inheritance and rules of a certain great being of the human race in the past, which was condensed and formed under the eternal rules.

"But the Ark of Transcendence wasn't brought into the 'Mysterious Inn'... Is it because it has a hidden function that hasn't been fully activated yet?"

Summer caressed the illusory image of the ark that carried her across the world, a hint of enlightenment flashing in her eyes.

The rewards bestowed by the Earth's will are never "pointless." Now it seems that this item, which appears to have been born in a "glass treasure chest," actually has a "deep meaning" behind it!
"However, Your Majesty should also be careful."

Guiguzi changed the subject, his tone becoming serious.

"The power of the Mysterious Inn has long been coveted by various quasi-imperial dynasties. The Qin Dynasty wanted to use it to replenish its population and gain experience in resisting calamities, the Han Dynasty wanted to seize its 'population' to strengthen its army, and even Zhao Kuangyin's Song Dynasty wanted to use the inn's 'time-space channel' to conduct trade."

"The reason they have been unable to succeed for so long is twofold: first, they lack the 'key of inheritance,' and second, they have not demonstrated sufficient 'strength to withstand calamity'—the innkeeper knows that if they were to join a force that can't even protect itself, it would only bring trouble to the millions of contractors under their command."

Summer understood, her fingers lightly tapping the void.

"Therefore, I not only need to rely on my status as the controller of the Ark of Crossing the World and the Lord of the Holy City to find the inn, but also to demonstrate the potential of Qianxia."

Summer already had a plan in mind.

For example, could we activate some of the dormant functions using the "merit and fortune" accumulated by the Ark of Salvation, and then, with the newly forged divine weapon by Ou Yezi and the defensive mechanisms designed by Lu Ban, show them that Qianxia is capable of sharing the pressure of "resisting the calamity," and even leading them to acquire more merit? Only then could we truly subdue this power.

"Your Majesty is wise."

Guiguzi stroked his beard and laughed.

"Moreover, the 'Ark of Civilization' characteristic of the Ark of Crossing Worlds can just solve the problem of 'resource shortage' in the inn. Although the inn can accommodate a huge population, it is short of resources due to years of fighting against calamities. The Qianxia territory spans millions of miles, and the Merchant Alliance connects all worlds, which can provide stable material support for the inn."

"By exchanging resources for trust, merit for cooperation, and by bridging the gap as a successor, this matter is highly likely to succeed!"

Summer looked up at the void beyond the holy city, and the phantom of the Ark of Salvation was slightly warm in his palm, as if it had sensed some distant resonance.

He took a deep breath, having already made up his mind.

"I hereby order the Ship of Salvation to proceed to the border to assist in eradicating the calamities there and accumulating more merit to activate the full functionality of 'Phantom Dive'."

"At the same time, I request Mr. Ou Yezi to expedite the forging of a batch of 'anti-calamity divine weapons,' and ask Master Gongshu to help optimize the offensive and defensive arrays of the World-Crossing Ship—once preparations are complete, I will personally board the ship and head to find the mysterious inn!"

Guiguzi's eyes showed approval.

"Your Majesty's actions not only demonstrate your strength and accumulate merit, but also align with the greater good of humanity. They will surely move the innkeeper and those two prodigies. With the inn's assistance, Qianxia's population could exceed one trillion, the foundation of the imperial dynasty could be laid, and the path to becoming a celestial dynasty would not be far off!" (End of Chapter)