Shennong Daojun.

Chapter 536 God King Tower, Crisis Intelligence, Lord of Cold Food

“I accept.” Zhao Xing made his decision quickly. Although it was a bit strange that he could inherit Wei Tianchen’s estate, he had no reason to refuse something that would benefit him.

"Please follow me." The man in black invited Zhao Xing into the palace.

The Shadow Temple is a neutral faction, so there's no reason for them to use this to their advantage. Even if there are some strange things, there's nothing to be afraid of. So Zhao Xing calmly walked into the palace.

Inside the palace were countless boxes, like a giant seven-star chest of drawers. The drawers opened and closed constantly, with countless papers flying out and drifting into the unknown, while many more papers jumped in and were stored in the drawers.

“The Shadow Temple is a neutral faction. We only provide a platform and never participate in the struggle between any forces,” the black-robed man explained to Zhao Xing.

"Whether it's an evil god or a righteous god, the Shadow Temple will not favor either side."

"What is the purpose of the Shadow Temple map, and who built it?" Zhao Xing asked curiously. Now that he was a six-star customer, he should know some inside information.

"Purpose?" The black-robed man smiled. "Why must there be a purpose? Well, if we must say, the original purpose of the Shadow Temple was for amusement."

"Just for fun?" The black-robed man's answer surprised Zhao Xing.

"The founders of the Shadow Temple have neither the desire to save the world nor the desire to destroy it," the black-robed man chuckled. "They simply want to quietly observe this world."

"In his state of divine concealment, the God-King of Freedom can live almost as long as the universe. If there is still a divine tribulation, it is the destruction of the universe."

"A long life always needs some pastime, and it must be safe and not break the illusion."

"So the Shadow Temple was created?" Zhao Xing was somewhat taken aback.

Is the Shadow Temple some kind of plaything for certain free-spirited god-kings?
However, Zhao Xing still felt that what the black-robed man said made some sense. Where did the name "Free God" come from? It's because there was a group of gods who didn't want to follow any rules and just wanted to live freely.

If we remove the two extremes of this group of free gods—those who save the world and those who destroy it—then the middle group consists of gods who neither want to save the world nor destroy it, but simply want to enjoy the spectacle.

How to watch the show? The Shadow Temple is the way. The tasks issued by the Shadow Temple represent grudges and entanglements, which are the myriad aspects of life!

The man in black robes continued, "You have inherited Wei Tianchen's six-star client status. In addition to being able to post and accept missions in the Shadow Temple, you also have many other additional functions."

"For example, he left behind reserves in the Shadow Temple for resurrection and reincarnation."

"However, Wei Tianchen died in a rather unusual place and in a rather unique way. He essentially died in a desperate situation, so this reserve fund is no longer needed."

"Is this a lot of reserves?" Zhao Xing asked curiously.

“Many.” The black-robed man nodded. “After you reappeared in the Xuanling Starfield, the Holy Temple discovered that the mental imprint Wei Tianchen left in the Holy Temple had disappeared.”

"As a six-star client, if the mental imprint disappears, the Shadow Temple will proactively check the client's status to see if they are dead or trapped somewhere."

"If it's death, revive the customer; if they're trapped, rescue them."

"The reserve funds are consumed depending on the difficulty of reviving or rescuing."

"That time, we mobilized seven divine generals to go to different times and spaces to search for Wei Tianchen."

Seven divine generals?! Zhao Xing was shocked. He seemed to have underestimated Wei Tianchen's resources. This guy seemed to have really inherited the national treasury.

"What was the result?"

"The result was that he really died."

"Can't we bring him back while he's still alive? Like reversing time and resurrecting him or something?" Zhao Xing asked.

“You have some misconceptions about resurrection,” the man in black shook his head.

"Please advise me," Zhao Xing asked sincerely.

"Since you're a six-star customer, I'll explain it to you for free. You'll understand it easily once you reach the Divine Realm."

The man in the black robe waved his hand, and a blue river appeared before him.

"Look, this is the river of time. It contains the movement of life and matter in the origin of the universe, and is the complex evolution of fate, cause and effect, and space."

"This complex and irreversible overall evolution is because it has a clear direction."

The man in black robes waved his hand again, and points of light appeared in the cyan river of time: "These points of light represent Wei Tianchen's spatial location in different time periods."

Zhao Xing looked closely and saw that the river of time remained still.

When the man in black waved his hand again, the river of time began to move.

"Wei Tianchen's cultivation in the space, his actions and experiences, have interacted with the entire universe and other life forms. Can you see any changes?"

Zhao Xing looked closely and saw that countless points of light were connected by three lines.

"Three more... wires?"

The man in the black robe nodded: "You could say that."

"Of the three lines, the one that is easiest to identify is the cause-and-effect line."

"Next is the lifeline, then the fateline, and there are some more subtle paths that run through it all, but they are very subtle and should not be used as a basis for judgment."

With a whoosh, the black-robed figure pushed forward, causing waves to surge in the river.

Suddenly, Wei Tianchen disappeared from a section of the river.

"In the last solar year of the second era of the Desolate Region, Wei Tianchen disappeared. There are three possibilities for this disappearance."

"First, becoming a god, whether a free god or a true god, can bring together all causes, fates, and lifelines in endless time and space."

Zhao Xing understood that this meant transcending the Three Realms and the Five Elements, essentially coming ashore from the river of time.

It is no longer subject to many cosmic rules, so divine power possesses immense might.

"Second, death. After death, the origin disintegrates and cannot form life. It returns to the universe and is transformed back into the origin of the Dao. It is no longer a manifest life."

Zhao Xing nodded. The Dao Ancient Layer, the Manifestation Layer, and the Dao Manifestation Layer are all about the different manifestations of the Great Dao's origin.

Just as liquids and solids are easy to see, air is difficult to see.

The Tao manifests as images; the abstract is the Tao, the origin.

"Third, being swept into another point by the river of time."

The man in black explained, "Based on some clues, we discovered that Wei Tianchen has been trapped in a certain time-space secret realm, but we did not take immediate action."

"Because although his causal line is broken, his life line and destiny line are intertwined, and it is still possible for them to continue to extend into the third era of the wasteland."

“If he can be released in the future, that will be the client’s own privacy, and we will not take immediate action.”

"But in the end, his three lines did not extend to the Third Era of the Wasteland, so we need to investigate."

Zhao Xing saw that at the juncture of the third era in the desolate region, Wei Tianchen disintegrated from a human form into lines.

This metaphorical characteristic implies that Wei Tianchen will die and will not exist in the Third Era of the Desolate Region.

"Sending out divine generals is merely to confirm the spatial and temporal territory where it disappeared."

"To save him, we must find where his causal thread broke and bring it back, so that cause and effect, destiny and life can be reunited and integrated into the third era of the wasteland."

"This is what we commonly call resurrection."

"Why can't it be done?" Zhao Xing asked the same question he had at the beginning.

"Because Wei Tianchen is not a god, his past and future are one."

"Isn't it the Divine Realm?"

"Well, the situation is different once you've completed the initial stage of the Divine Realm of Concealment. If you want to know how to kill or resurrect a God who has achieved Concealment, then you'll have to pay."

"How much?" Zhao Xing thought of Qingyuzi's condition and subconsciously asked about the price.

"You're a six-star customer, so we can offer you a discount. Three low-level Dao artifacts or one mid-level Dao artifact will suffice."

"So expensive?"

"The Dongyan ancient tribe paid us a higher price to buy their methods back then."

"Never mind, I don't really want to learn anyway." Zhao Xing shook his head.

Without saying much, the man in the black robe gently dipped his fingers into the river of time, attempting to extract a point of light.

Then Zhao Xing saw countless Wei Tianchens being lifted up, like fishing nets being pulled from the water.

"Bang bang bang~" Soon the lines broke apart and scattered back into their original form.

"You see, this kind of resurrection won't work, because in the process of pulling, it will be broken by the river of time itself, which is equivalent to killing him by taking him away from that space-time."

“True resurrection should be like this.” The black-robed man gently dipped his fingers into the river of time. “At the point in time when Wei Tianchen severed the causal thread, find that thread again and repair it successfully.”

"In other words, there must be a god who goes to the time-space node where Wei Tianchen was caught up in, brings his scattered origin back to the end of the second era of the Desolate Region, and reconnects his cause and effect, destiny, and lifeline."

"If these lines continue along the main path of time, reaching the third era of the desolate region, and then coalesce again into Tianchen, then that is resurrection."

"Of course, this is the simpler case."

"Is that simple?" Zhao Xing felt like he was listening to gibberish.

“Of course he’s not a god, so it’s simple,” the black-robed man said. “If it were a resurrection of a god, it would be very difficult just to collect the scattered divine power. Some of it would have even turned into another substance and could no longer be changed.”

“However, the resurrection method I just mentioned starts from the individual,” the black-robed man said. “There is another possibility: distorting the river of time itself.”

The man in black waved his hand, and the river appeared before Zhao Xing from above.

"Wow~"

The man in black waved his hand, and the once straight river began to branch out into countless forks, like a bare tree growing branches.

"Changing the river of time itself is to locally alter a large-scale area of ​​the world, cutting it off and isolating it, like digging a river channel, and then..."

The black-robed man's fingers moved, and a tributary extended out, turned a corner, and then rejoined the main road at some point in the future.

"The Moon Goddess Palace Master holds the Mysterious Spirit History Book, and the Samsara Palace Master uses the Divine Evolution Tablet to achieve such a level of change. Therefore, the resurrections they lead are all large-scale resurrections, especially the Samsara Palace Master, who possesses the highest level of resurrection power."

"Assuming they can't be resurrected, then they are truly dead beyond any doubt. However, the cost would be enormous. If a major historical event occurs in a certain region at a certain time, it would be very difficult to distort the facts. For example, the time when the Epoch Worm and the History Worm appeared, as well as the time and place when the Cold God King descended."

The man in black pointed to a large mountain that appeared at the fork in the road, representing historical events that are difficult to change.

“Of course, the least costly distortion is still the altar resurrection type.” The black-robed man pointed to the center of the river and zoomed in on a certain area. “The distortion and reversal were carried out inside the main channel of time, which is equivalent to changing a fact and allowing the broken thread to be tied up and repaired at that time.”

"So the Lord of Samsara Palace relies on the Divine Evolution Tablet for the strongest resurrection power? It seems the Shadow Temple's intelligence is more objective." Zhao Xing pondered.

Zhao Xing's conversations with Venerable Fuping and others in Wanxing City, including listening to Lu Ya's account, led him to believe that the Moon Goddess Palace Master, who possessed the Xuanling History Book, had the strongest resurrection power.

"After inheriting, how much of my savings will I have left?" Zhao Xing asked.

With a wave of his hand, the black-robed figure vanished, replaced by two small and one large miniature pagodas.

"These are the Divine Power Towers. The smaller one is called the Divine General Tower, and the larger one is called the Divine King Tower."

Zhao Xing looked at the black robe, waiting for him to explain the purpose of the Divine Power Tower.

"The reserves are mainly used for resurrection and search and rescue. The amount of treasures stored in the Shadow Temple determines the amount of power that can be mobilized to complete the resurrection and search and rescue."

“There are many ways to build a divine tower. The fastest way is to provide precious divine objects, and the slowest way is to infuse it with the essence of divine power.”

"Occasionally there will be some Divine Power Tower missions, but this is no longer the regular way."

Zhao Xing was shocked after hearing this. The real treasure of Wei Tianchen actually existed in the Shadow Temple.

One God King Tower, two God General Towers!

"Old Wei is unbelievable! Did he inherit the national treasury from the Five Emperors era...?"

After hearing the black-robed man explain the rules of the Tower of Gods, Zhao Xing was deeply shocked.

Even though Master Zhao had seen a lot of money before, he was still somewhat shocked when he saw Wei Tianchen's wealth.

Compared to Wei Tianchen, I'm practically a penniless wretch.

"He has so much money, yet he still can't be resurrected?" Zhao Xing looked at the two small and one large divine towers.

Logically speaking, since Lao Wei already has the God King Tower, why can't he be successfully resurrected?

"No." The man in black shook his head and said, "Based on the information from the seven divine generals who were searching, the final conclusion is that even the God King could not descend upon Wei Tianchen's death ground, revive him, and bring him back."

Zhao Xing nodded. It seemed that the Fengshan site in the historical timeline was of such a high standard that even a god-king could not touch it.

So it seems there were originally seven Divine General Towers here, which disappeared after being used up.

"Old Wei really brought this upon himself," Zhao Xing said with some emotion. Of all places to die, he had to die in the Xuanhuang Realm of history.

“Wei Tianchen is only a demigod, where did his wealth come from?” Zhao Xing asked curiously.

"This information will cost the first level of divine power from the Divine General Tower. Do you wish to pay?"

"Uh, never mind, I'm not that curious." Zhao Xing thought for a moment and then suppressed his curiosity.

Building even one layer of a divine tower is very difficult; the first layer of a divine tower requires consuming a low-level divine artifact.

Wei Tianchen may have had a similar experience to mine. He obtained the Great Dream Academy in the Xuanhuang Realm, which was a rich treasure trove accumulated by the Li Dynasty.

Next, guided by the black-robed man, Zhao Xing checked his six-star client privileges.

You won't believe it until you see it! The Shadow Temple can even travel through time to rescue people, and it also provides a passage for time travel!

As long as the divine power tower is tall enough, the God King can be asked to take action.

No wonder Wei Tianchen was so reckless, daring to take such a huge risk to arrest him twice, and still able to roam freely despite being wanted throughout the region.

Jin Yan, too, only managed to settle in the demon realm with the help of the Shadow Temple.

Even the resurrection that the Dongyan Ancient Clan planned back then used the Shadow Temple as a tool.

"The Shadow Temple, created by a bunch of idiots, is truly powerful." The more Zhao Xing looked at it, the more he felt that the Shadow Temple had a profound foundation.

"Does the Temple possess any divine techniques of the Celestial Time Sect, or something like the Origin of the Polar Star?" Zhao Xing asked.

“As a six-star client, you can issue cross-dimensional bounties,” the black-robed man said. “The temple can help you broadcast this bounty, allowing it to reach countless dimensions. The temple itself will not keep these things.”

"The central axis of these cabinets extends to the left, representing the past; to the right, the future; and above and below the central axis, representing the present."

“Each drawer on the left and right represents a specific time point, which can be divided into an era, a solar year, or a celestial year.”

"Put the bounty details in the drawer and wait for news."

Zhao Xing looked at the row of cabinets in front of him with great curiosity. He had thought that the row of cabinets was special before, but now he saw that it was actually a passage for cross-time and space bounties.

"Why are there so few cabinets representing the future?" Zhao Xing asked.

There are many records from the past, stretching endlessly, numbering in the hundreds of millions, and countless cabinets.

On the right, however, there are only three large partitions.

"The bounty for going to the future can only be delayed by one era at most, because the future is not yet determined," the black-robed man said. "It can be easily changed."

Zhao Xing realized the problem immediately when he thought of the solidification and distortion of the Xuanling History Book.

"Can I use this cabinet to know about the future? Like writing letters to my future self or something."

The man in black smiled and said, "Theoretically, it is possible, but it would be more effective for you to climb Mount Shifang yourself. Its effect will not be stronger than the first divination of the ten directions. However, the cost may be greater."

"You might consume the reserves of a God King Tower, and the answer you get will only be 50% certain."

Zhao Xing realized he had asked a foolish question, which was no different from divination. He might as well have sought the answer from fortune tellers.

"Can I know how you confirmed that I inherited the estate and not that it was stolen?" Zhao Xing still felt that happiness had come too suddenly, and he was a little suspicious, afraid that he had been cheated.

"I can buy this information."

The man in black robes remained silent for a moment, then shook his head: "No, this intelligence is not for sale."

Zhao Xing seemed to be deep in thought. There were several possibilities why the Shadow Temple's information was not for sale. One was that it involved another person with high authority, and the other was that it would shake the foundation of the Shadow Temple.

However, judging from the black-robed man's resolute attitude, Zhao Xing had no way of knowing.

"Okay, then I won't ask."

"Do you have any other needs, such as setting up a bounty mission?"

"Nothing for now. If you have any information about me, you should proactively remind me, right?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Yes, we will provide some conveniences for our six-star clients. If we predict that something unfavorable will happen, we will contact them and ask if they would like to purchase the prediction results."

“For example, we predicted Jin Yan’s death with a 30% probability, but he did not purchase the information. In the end, Venerable Bo Meng had someone capture him and deliver him to you.”

"You possess the god of fate?"

"This is classified information that is not for sale."

"Ok."

Zhao Xing felt that the Shadow Temple must have a very large group of gods serving it, otherwise it would be impossible for it to extend its reach to multiple dimensions.

It seems that the standard for a super power is that its influence can transcend the barriers of time and space.

Judging from the glimpse Zhao Xing had gleaned, the Shadow Temple's divine realm might be even more complete than that of other super powers. Zhao Xing stayed in the palace for a while, getting a general idea of ​​the permissions Wei Tianchen had left behind.

“As a neutral faction, the Shadow Temple might have an easier time doing certain things,” Zhao Xing thought to himself. “For example, I can issue treasure hunt missions to past timelines to search for legendary species, or even god-level species, that are now extinct in the present timeline.”

"It has more items than the Xuanling Treasure Pavilion."

Many things are taboo at present, such as the Ten Thousand Soul Banner. The Desolate Domain faction does not allow such demonic cultivation methods to exist.

If Zhao Xing wants to cultivate the Demon Seed Technique, it will be very difficult to obtain it from the Desolate Domain faction. However, there are no forbidden items here in the Shadow Temple; it's just a matter of whether you can afford the price.

Moreover, one advantage of cross-dimensional transactions is that they will not suffer karmic backlash. For example, when refining soul spirits, even if you do it very secretly in the current timeline and are not caught by the human race's high-ranking judicial generals, you will still suffer karmic backlash from the current timeline.

If it is a cross-time and space transaction, then the causal backlash in the present moment will be borne by the other party, and it will not be transmitted across time and space.

Safe, secluded, and with a wide variety of services, it can meet different needs, and even some professions that have been nerfed, such as priests, can find their needs met here in the Shadow Sanctuary.

"Phew~ It's time to go out. I can't let Xin Shenjiang, Lu Ya, and Yan Ao worry."

Zhao Xing prepared to leave the Shadow Temple; this mental space could be left with a mere thought.

He has already left a spiritual imprint here, and can come back anytime he wants without needing the black-robed man's guidance.

Just as Zhao Xing stepped out of the hall's threshold, intending to leave, suddenly—

"Shu~"

The man in black robes reappeared before Zhao Xing.

"Huh? What are you..."

"I have a [crisis intelligence] report about you," the man in black said. "Would you like to buy it?"

"Crisis intelligence about me?" Zhao Xing's heart sank.

"How much."

"Requires the accumulation of divine power from the first level of the God King Tower."

"what?!"

Zhao Xing was startled.

The first floor of the God King Tower is terrifying. The divine power of ten God General Towers cannot fill the first floor of the God King Tower, which only has nine floors.

There is a crisis intelligence report about yourself, and purchasing it requires consuming one level.
"You can choose not to buy it. The crisis intelligence may or may not come true," the man in black said calmly.

"I'll buy it!" Zhao Xing gritted his teeth. The fact that it could consume one level of the God King Tower proved that this crisis intelligence was very likely to happen soon, and it was extremely urgent.

"Boom~"

Zhao Xing sensed that the largest of the three divine power towers in his temple, the first floor, burst forth with golden light and then became empty.

Immediately afterward, the man in black pointed, and a [crisis intelligence] document appeared in Zhao Xing's mind.

This is a picture.

A city surrounded by countless stars collapsed with a deafening roar.

The second scene followed, in which Zhao Xing saw the Mind Palace located in the Dao Ancient Layer, which had been sealed by an extremely cold frost.

"My spirit will be with you, I am your destroyer~"

A majestic sound echoed in the scene, like a thunderclap.

In less than half an hour, Qiluo's spirit fell from the top of the white tower and crashed heavily to the ground, losing all its charm.

The entire white pagoda shattered and turned to ashes.

Frost froze the ashes, and a ladder descended from the heavens.

Tap! Tap! Tap! The crisp sound of footsteps rang out, as if someone was walking down the steps, but Zhao Xing could not see anyone.

"Om~"

The screen then disappeared.

"This this……"

Zhao Xing's eyes widened. He had actually foreseen the collapse of Wanxing City and the death of Qiluo, the Mind General, from the [Crisis Intelligence] he had just received.

Who caused the collapse of Wanxing City, and who killed the Mind God General Qiluo?

"Black-robed messenger, please interpret this crisis intelligence for me," Zhao Xing immediately requested.

"As you can see, Wanxing City has collapsed, and your mind will be destroyed." The black-robed voice was cold: "Moreover, the timeline is very close. Your true self should be in the Mind Palace right now, and you will be affected."

"As for who it is, I think you can guess. I can't say His name."

Zhao Xing immediately understood; it was the divine power clone of the Lord of Cold Food Festival!

He personally descended upon the Palace of the Mind!

"How much longer until it happens?" Zhao Xing asked.

"The crisis intelligence is too close to the current time, which is why the warning time is short and it requires the consumption of a layer of divine power."

"But don't worry, we are currently in the Shadow Temple within the mental space, where time flows differently. You should still have time to escape after you wake up," the black-robed man said.

"Don't you have anything to say? Can I call for help?"

“No more. As for rescue, it’s too late for you to issue a bounty now.” The man in black shook his head. “We can only try to escape.”

Zhao Xing was extremely anxious. After the man in black finished speaking, he immediately activated the Shadow Mind Mark.

The mind traversed countless labyrinths and left the Shadow Sanctuary.

In the real world, within the Dao Ancient Layer, in the Heart Palace.

Zhao Xing woke up.

Upon waking up, he immediately wanted to activate the teleportation ability to leave this place.

But he forgot that this was the Palace of the Mind, the residence of a divine general, which prohibited the transmission of magic through unofficial channels.

Zhao Xing immediately called out Yan Ao and Lu Ya's names.

"Palace Master of Mind Palace, Lu Ya, Lu Ya, Senior Yan, leave immediately, this place is in danger..."

Zhao Xing's words seemed to have propelled the progress of some event, and he found that the once peaceful Mind Palace had suddenly become cold.

In a flash, Lu Ya and Yan Ao appeared beside Zhao Xing, and at the same time, the Mind General on the White Tower suddenly shone brightly and stood up from the top of the White Tower.

"late."

Zhao Xing looked at the sky in horror. Suddenly, the dome barrier shattered, and a pale blue glow instantly filled the entire Mind Palace barrier.

Then, streaks of blue ice crystals fell like snowflakes, spreading across the white tower.

"Om~"

A throne of ice crystals, radiating a chilling aura, appeared beside the white tower.

The arrangement that has now taken place resembles the setup commonly seen in Buddhist ceremonies, with the white pagoda serving as the preaching platform and the ice crystal throne as the guest seat for those seeking enlightenment.

The chill wasn't intense, but Zhao Xing felt his thoughts become stiff, and his body seemed to have lost all feeling, frozen in place.

Yan Ao and Lu Ya weren't much better off; a faint golden glow appeared on their bodies, but on top of the divine power glow, there was an additional layer of light reflected from the snowflakes.

"You think you can suppress me with just the Divine Realm? Cold God King, you are far too disrespectful to us!"

The little yellow duck let out a shriek, its body suddenly swelled up, its head was raised, and its bony armor was instantly revealed.

His left eye was like a blazing, crimson sun, while his right pupil resembled a deep, icy abyss.

The original beak cracked open, and a new beak extended, resembling a divine sword, with patterns of a fire-worshiping deity appearing.

The downy fur on its body burned away, revealing azure iron feathers. The upper feathers were fused with golden cloud patterns, while the lower feathers were tempered with thunderous marrow and bones.

Lu Ya flapped his wings and took flight, causing heavenly fire to fall like a rain of meteors, and actually broke free from the suppression.

With a "whoosh," Zhao Xing's vision blurred, and he was instantly swatted away by the wings and sent flying into Yan Ao's stomach.

"So this is the true form of the Divine Duck Qu Ru?" Zhao Xing entered Yan Ao's stomach and instantly regained his normal senses.

He saw that the little yellow duck outside had disappeared. Its orange webbed feet resembled the claws of a dragon, its scales on its knees stood up, its feet were suspended in mid-air, and its tail feathers reflected yin and yang. It was simply an ancient ferocious god!
"Yan Ao, Lu Ya, you have a past with me, you may leave on your own." A voice came from the Heavenly Ladder.

Then a cold wind blew, as if it were blowing through space. Zhao Xing found that his perspective suddenly shifted, and he fell from the upper level of the Mind Palace to the first level.

The White Tower was already too high to look up at; clearly, the Cold God King had expelled them from the divine realm, yet Lu Ya was still able to fly forward.

"Pah! Who has a past with you! Don't try to smear me!"

"You think I'll just leave like that?"

"Hey!"

Lu Ya, enraged, flapped its wings and attacked the icy throne.

The heavenly fire fell, dazzling with divine light, and he actually flew a little closer.

However, Lu Ya seemed to have been hit hard, his speed decreased sharply, and his body flew back at an even faster speed, returning to Yan Ao's side.

At this moment, Yan Ao and Lu Ya were already outside the Mind Palace, in the chaotic Dao Ancient Layer.

"My spirit will be with you, I am your destroyer~"

The icy, bone-chilling sound resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

Everything unfolded as expected.

However, unlike the information in the "Crisis Intelligence" report, Zhao Xing did not see Lu Ya being defeated, nor did he see his conversation with the Lord of Cold Food.

Now he's hearing more things too.

"It is my honor to have the Cold God King as my Dao Breaker. Please enlighten me!" The Palace Master of the Mind Palace did not make a move, and his tone was very firm, because he knew that if he wanted to prove himself to Heaven and Earth, he had to go through countless trials.

The appearance of a Dao Breaker may also become an aid to perfecting one's own method of attaining the Dao!
“You used the City of the Mind in the Star Mirror as the method to prove your Dao, and began to expand the City of the Mind from the eighth era before the Desolate Region.”

"You borrow the spiritual power of all the emperors, venerable ones, divine soldiers, and divine generals who have entered the City of the Mind to complete the enlightenment of Heaven and Earth."

"Those who enter the city of the mind will inevitably expand their territory within it, attempting to evolve it into the realm of the mind."

"Your method of enlightenment is the 'Mind Realm,' which uses the Mind Realm to escape the great catastrophe of the universe."

Upon hearing this, Xin Shenjiang replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "To draw upon the collective strength of all beings, to unite their wills, and to forge the realm of the mind—this is indeed my method of enlightenment."

The Lord of Cold Food said coldly, "The realm of the mind is eternal, while the physical body decays. You have never told anyone who enters the City of the Mind that if they stay there for a long time, their physical body will slowly wither away."

"Moreover, everyone's mind will be assimilated by you and eventually become nourishment for your soul."

"Nonsense!" the Mind God shouted. "If the Mind Realm is formed, the mind can interfere with matter, and the physical body resides between the Yin and Yang stars. How can the physical body decay?"

"Mind assimilation is a complete distortion of the theory of God. The mind generates faith, just like worshipping and believing in gods, which creates a sense of identity. This is completely different from assimilation and losing oneself!"

"Really? Then take a look at who he is!" Several figures suddenly appeared on the ladder next to the Frozen Throne.

"I don't know them."

"They are your seven disciples."

"You killed them in the sixth, fourth, and third eras before the Wasteland."

"Your explanation of the Moon Goddess Palace Master and the Crimson Star Emperor led to the deaths of several disciples who went mad with evil spirits, their souls extinguished."

"Then, using the pain as an excuse, I erased this part of my memory."

"Of course you don't remember, because you refined their souls into the bricks of the City of Souls, and you destroyed their bodies."

“And I resurrected them.”

"This is utterly absurd! Cold God King, do you think you can break my Dao Heart by simply resurrecting a few people from the past?"

A star mirror appeared on the Frozen Throne, followed by the extraction of seven pillars from it.

Zhao Xing watched from a distance and found that the star mirror looked familiar; it was the same image he had seen before of a building collapsing in the City of the Mind.

After the seven pillars appeared, they disappeared into the seven people on the steps.

Zhao Xing saw that the spirit atop the white pagoda was swaying, as if it had remembered something.

Before long, my mind was taken away from the top of the white tower by a golden light, and this place was different from what was shown in the [Crisis Intelligence].

The scene then quickly receded, and Zhao Xing could no longer see the specific details of the Mind Palace; only a blue dot of light remained.

Finally, Yan Ao and Lu Ya appeared in the visible layer, surrounded by a brilliant starry sky.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~" Qu Ru Shenya flew continuously and appeared in the Origin Heavenly Palace area. It seemed that it finally felt safe and stopped. Zhao Xing was also released.

"Seniors, did you hear that just now?" Zhao Xing asked cautiously.

"I heard that." Lu Ya transformed back into his little yellow duck form. "I never imagined that Qiluo's City of the Mind had such a flaw. All those years of support from the human race have been wasted. He's truly gone mad!"

"Qiluo's path has unknowingly gone astray," Yan Ao sighed. As a fellow divine general of the empire, he had clearly foreseen Qiluo's fate.

"So, what Han... that person said was true?" Zhao Xing asked.

“Yes, the Palace Master just appeared and took Qiluo away.” Yan Ao nodded heavily. “Those who prove the Dao of Heaven and Earth are most prone to going astray in their cultivation, and may even believe that sacrificing others is tolerable, not knowing that this is the beginning of their downfall.”

“Exactly, exactly. I’ve suppressed my nature now and don’t eat people much anymore,” Lu Ya said. “He actually killed so many people and wanted to assimilate everyone’s minds? I should really eat him!”

The two didn't tell Zhao Xing much about what happened next, clearly not thinking it was anything worth talking about.

Zhao Xing was also somewhat moved, realizing how similar this was to Bowei. If what the Cold God King said was true, then the Mind God would be even more insane than Bowei.

"Om~"

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared.

Zhao Xing received the major events announcement from the Xuanling History Book.

[In the third era of the desolate realm, the fifth year of the sun, Han Shi broke through the Dao, his spirit was on the verge of death, the City of Ten Thousand Stars ceased to exist, and the method of proving the Dao in the realm of the heart was a false proof!]

"Just like with Bowei, the Xuanling History Book has also issued an announcement this time. I just don't know how widespread it is," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

If the practices of the Mind God were to become widely known, it would inevitably cause panic, as countless people have entered the City of the Mind.

As the Lord of Hanshi who resolved this crisis, his prestige will inevitably soar, and more people will come to believe in him.

Once enough believers have been accumulated, after a Cold Food Festival, the Cold God King will likely lead them back to his past time and territory. The loss of a group of God Realm experts in the Desolate Domain is equivalent to the loss of a large amount of resources.

"This kind of open scheme is flawless," Zhao Xing thought to himself. His mind and spirit were about to be broken, which was a good thing for them, even for those at the demigod or divine weapon level!
After all, no one wants to be used as a guinea pig by a madman and be sacrificed without their knowledge.

As the Cold Food Festival continues, the preaching of the Cold Food Festival Master will inevitably have an increasingly profound impact on this era.

"It seems this is his main purpose in coming here." Zhao Xing focused his mind on his inner world and told Bowei what had just happened.

"Elder Bovi, when you released Him, did you have any understanding of Him?"

“I didn’t see clearly.” Bovi shook his head. “Rather than saying I pushed the door open, I would say I heard His voice. I just pushed it gently, and that gave Him an opportunity to sneak in.”

"The origin of the Lord of Cold Food Festival is mysterious. He can influence the sect's treasure artifact, 'Mount Yuanji,' of the Ancient Hill, and he can also disappear under the pursuit of the Moon Goddess Palace Master, but there is very little information about him."

"I have never heard of His name when I was browsing through historical timelines, so His hiding place is probably very ancient."

Zhao Xing recalled his "Theory of the Division of the Three Periods." If he had truly attained enlightenment during the Hanwen Period, then it was indeed quite a long time ago.

……

At the end of the fifth sun year of the third era of the Desolate Domain, the incident involving the Mind God caused a great sensation among demigods and emperors, especially in the City of Myriad Stars, where no one dared to enter.

The Crimson Star Empire was thrust into the spotlight, with some even criticizing the inaction of certain high-ranking officials in the Divine Realm.

In contrast, the shrines and hidden temples of the Lord of Cold Food Festival rose rapidly and began to spread throughout the empire.

It wasn't until the sixth sun year of the Third Era of the Desolate Region that this turmoil gradually subsided, overshadowed by another major event—the complete end of the war in the Tianze Star Region. It was then fully incorporated into the Xuanling Star Region.

Thanks to the abundant resources provided by the Tianze Starfield and the emergence of numerous Primal Realms and treasures, the Empire has sufficient resources to cope with the impact of the Epoch Worm Incident and the Mind God General Incident.

For Zhao Xing, the sixth solar year of the third era in the desolate region was also an important solar year.

First, the Divine Selection Division is about to open a dimensional passage to transport a batch of Divine Realm candidates to the past.

Secondly, Ji Si gained a great deal from leading the war in the Tianze Star Region, and was promoted to the sixteenth-level Fate Master in one fell swoop.

Most importantly, after another year of nurturing, the divine-level original species within Zhao Xing's body has finally sprouted.

PS: This volume is now finished. The next volume, "The Tree of Time," will also be the volume about Zhao Xing becoming a god.

(End of this chapter)