As Zhao Xing looked at the nine bone spikes of the Heavenly Transformation Divine Needle, three of them immediately lit up, emitting silver-glowing runes that surged into his Sea of Consciousness.
"One of the control methods for the Heavenly Transformation Divine Needle, Nine Marsh God... compared to what I comprehended on the first five layers, it's much more complex." Zhao Xing focused instantly.
"It doesn't just involve mana, spiritual will, true spirit, and Dao body—it even incorporates power and techniques from the Heavenly Timing School."
"Only by integrating all of these can one form the Heavenly Transformation Law Domain. Once the Heavenly Transformation Law Domain is born, it can unleash one-third of the needle's full might."
"If I master all three methods and fully refine the nine divine needles into my Dao body's foundation…"
"I can transform into the Nine Marsh God, the Rock Star God, and the Puluo God."
"All three are Divine Realms?!"
Zhao Xing was a bit shaken. Transforming into a god through Hou Transformation—it was truly real.
But it required mastery of all three methods, and complete activation of all nine divine needles. Only then could the full Heavenly Transformation Divine Needle be called complete. With just the Nine Marsh God, only three core needles could be activated.
If the nine bone spikes weren't fully functional, then post-Hou Transformation, whether as Nine Marsh God, Puluo God, or Rock Star God, one could only reach a demigod level.
"But there's no guide here… how am I supposed to cultivate this?"
Zhao Xing raised his question to Venerable Bai Han.
"Doesn't your era have any Heavenly Timing School techniques pointing toward godhood?" Bai Han countered.
"No," Zhao Xing shook his head.
"Without Heavenly Timing mana, how did you even use the Hou Transformation method?" Bai Han seemed surprised.
"Times have changed. In my era, Hou Transformation can be supported using mana from the other two factions. I cultivate all three."
"All three?" Bai Han frowned. "Even if that's possible, your Hou Transformation shouldn't be this powerful."
According to ancient cultivation divisions, after breaking into the Reavatar Realm, the Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage, and Self factions diverged even more.
Even the most basic mana chapters were split into distinct factions.
Heavenly Timing mana, Earthly Advantage mana, and Self mana each enhanced their respective faction's spells. Using different mana to cast spells would at best weaken them, and at worst cause failure or even backlash.
"In fact, I haven't reached the Reavatar Realm in the Dao of Heavenly Timing. I just had some unique encounters."
In the Origin Realm of Lingxu, Zhao Xing had used the Rain Immortal Festival's ritual to break through and reach the Dao Domain Realm, substituting standard Heavenly Timing spells with various alternatives, balancing cultivation across all three factions.
Later, when he broke through to the Reavatar Realm, it was only the Self and Earthly Advantage factions that advanced. From the Heavenly Timing perspective, Zhao Xing was still only at the Dao Domain level.
However, Fan Qianrou's Heart-Sealing Method and its seven-colored mana chapter replaced his need for Heavenly Timing mana.
So even though Zhao Xing lacked Heavenly Timing mana, Blue Flower Mana functioned as a universal catalyst, still allowing him to balance the three Great Daos and push forward.
"Your Heavenly Timing Dao hasn't reached Reavatar Realm, and yet you've made it this far. Seems your encounters have truly been exceptional." A flicker of admiration passed through Bai Han's eyes. "I do have a Heavenly Timing technique, but hearing what you've said… even my techniques can't compare to your fortunes. You should continue following your original plan and keep comprehending the Heavenly Transformation Divine Needle."
Zhao Xing understood now. Even in Bai Han's era, there weren't any particularly strong Heavenly Timing techniques.
The ones Bai Han had didn't even match Fan Qianrou's Heart-Sealing Method—a versatile mana cultivation secret art.
Still, he offered guidance—Zhao Xing could continue cultivating according to his previous plan. That meant using Blue Flower Mana, Red Lotus Mana, and Azure Abyss Mana to support the complete foundation of Hou Transformation into the Nine Marsh God.
"Seems like Venerable Bai Han didn't fully master the Heavenly Transformation Divine Needle either," Zhao Xing thought.
If he had, he wouldn't have asked such questions or worried about sword cultivators destroying the inheritance.
The first step in activating the artifact was to thoroughly comprehend the full version of Nine Marsh God.
The second was to resonate with the three divine needles through the Nine Marsh God technique and master the Heavenly Transformation Law Domain.
If all three Hou Transformation techniques were mastered, it would become the Heavenly Transformation Divine Domain.
Of course, the current trial from Bai Han only required Zhao Xing to master one-third.
"Full version of Nine Marsh God..." Zhao Xing's split soul began to analyze the three silver-glow runes.
Inside the Sea of Consciousness, 96 split souls circled around the three runes, deciphering them one by one.
Since Zhao Xing had already comprehended three Nine Marsh God diagrams on the fifth layer earlier, this complete version was just an advancement—not a process of starting over.
With his cultivation panel, Zhao Xing either failed completely or learned it and spent time testing.
At a certain moment, Zhao Xing's body jolted. Before his eyes, a vision emerged.
From within the silver-glow runes, he saw a colossal lifeform stretched across the heavens.
Its body was shrouded in chaotic mist, distorting and rebuilding the surrounding space-time. Countless suns, moons, and stars revolved with its breath.
At its feet stood three much smaller beings. Their forms resembled the giant, though they were only tiny by comparison.
"So that's it." Realization dawned on Zhao Xing.
"The Nine Marsh God is a naturally born divine being."
"The three Dao diagrams I saw on the fifth floating island weren't the true Nine Marsh God, but its three closest descendants."
"So Venerable Bai Han didn't create those life diagrams entirely on his own. He must've first obtained the Heavenly Transformation Divine Needle and then hunted down descendants with the Nine Marsh God bloodline based on the diagrams."
Zhao Xing glanced at his cultivation panel.
[Hou Transformation Method: Nine Marsh God]
[Description: The Nine Marsh God is an innate divine being. The divine artifact 'Heavenly Transformation Divine Needle' and the Hou Transformation Method 'Nine Marsh God' were created based on its and its descendants' life structures. Total of nine layers.]
[Current Progress: Layer Three (3000/10000)]
No doubt, this was a god-grade technique. All previous progress caps had been 1000—but this one now extended to 10000, just like the Heart-Sealing Method.
"Reaching the third layer allows me to control three of the divine needles. That meets Venerable Bai Han's requirements."
Although Zhao Xing hadn't activated it yet, he already knew that if he did, his transformed form wouldn't bear horns like the three descendants' forms.
Of course, to truly undergo the Hou Transformation into the Jiuze God, he would have to cultivate it to the ninth level and refine all nine divine artifacts.
"Right now, even if I can control three artifacts, I can only transform into a descendant of the Jiuze God. After the transformation, I'd assume the forms of the three descendants—only at the demigod level—and gain three powerful innate secret arts."
According to his internal biological clock, Zhao Xing estimated that this first step of comprehension had taken roughly five hundred years.
But as Venerable Bai Han had said, the time flow in the sixth level was different from the previous five.
Even though five hundred years had passed inside, only about ten years had gone by outside.
"Next is the second step—using the three-layered Hou Transformation Technique of the Jiuze God to activate three divine artifacts."
When Zhao Xing raised his head, Venerable Bai Han's eyes gleamed with expectation.
"You've mastered it in five hundred years and are already starting the second step, attempting to activate the divine artifacts?"
"You're truly a once-in-a-millennium genius!"
Blue flower light radiated from Zhao Xing's entire body, intertwining with the silver radiance emanating from the divine needles, slowly forming nine illusory patterns resembling swamps circling around him.
As the runes fused, the nine swamp patterns resonated with the silver glow of the divine needles.
Three of the Heaven Transformation Divine Needles began to vibrate violently and then shrank rapidly.
The other six also shrank slightly, but nowhere near as significantly as the three designated ones.
The swamp patterns circled the artifacts, making them contract layer by layer. The three bone spikes floating in the starry sky had already shrunk to half their original size.
But at that moment, Zhao Xing felt a sharp pain in his mind and sensed an ominous foreboding.
"Why did you stop?" Venerable Bai Han asked.
"Senior, it's still the same issue. My mana isn't sufficient to activate all three artifacts. I can't form the Heaven Transformation Domain, nor can I refine the three artifacts into my body," Zhao Xing said regretfully.
"My foundation is too shallow. In terms of the Heavenly Timing Dao, I've only reached the Dao Domain of Life and Death. That unique encounter I had isn't enough to sustain the activation of such powerful divine artifacts."
Venerable Bai Han nodded and was about to wave his hand, but Zhao Xing spoke again.
"However, I have an idea. Perhaps I can try it."
"Let's hear it," Venerable Bai Han said.
"Please remove the suppression within the Law Realm, so I can activate the World Projection of the Self School."
"The Heaven Transformation Domain requires internal and external harmony. I've already met all the external conditions, but I lack a Seasonal Qi Command Realm Order. Maybe I can use my internal world to sustain it. I ask you to provide protection."
"Oh?" Venerable Bai Han's eyes showed a hint of interest. "What do you mean by that?"
Zhao Xing explained, "In Heavenly Timing techniques, the Seasonal Qi Command Realm Order can manipulate the seasonal cycles of an entire world."
"In the Hou Transformation Technique, it's the foundational environment that generates the internal world necessary for the transformation."
"My internal world already has environmental modulation. It might be able to complete the union of internal and external conditions."
Venerable Bai Han sighed, "The cultivation systems of your era are far more advanced than in my time. The three schools actually share this much compatibility."
"Very well, go ahead and try." Venerable Bai Han waved his hand and altered the laws governing the realm.
Zhao Xing realized he could now open his internal world.
"I'll protect you. If danger arises, don't force the activation. Otherwise, your Dao Body will collapse, and your true spirit will be destroyed… Falling at this stage would be too tragic," Venerable Bai Han warned.
"Yes." Zhao Xing nodded.
...
After unlocking the restrictions on his internal world, Zhao Xing spent a long time attempting.
But he wasn't trying to refine the divine artifacts or master the Heaven Transformation Domain—instead, he was repeatedly trying to subdue the Soul-Devouring Grass within his internal world.
"Come on, come on!"
"If it gets detected, it'll be too late!"
Zhao Xing's true spirit continually invaded the true spirit of the Soul-Devouring Grass.
But the plant's true spirit was like a wild, rebellious child—bouncing all over and resisting at every turn.
As a legendary-ranked combat species, it outright refused to submit to Zhao Xing's commands.
After all, Zhao Xing was only at the lord level in terms of true spirit and hadn't endured a single tribulation of the true spirit. Meanwhile, the Soul-Devouring Grass was naturally powerful.
Its true spirit far outclassed Zhao Xing's. If it weren't for the Hunyuan Dao Tower suppressing it, it would have devoured him already.
"What now?"
Zhao Xing's eyes turned red as he anxiously stood beside the original ocean of his internal world.
"If Venerable Bai Han notices anything strange, he'll probably act immediately."
"To deal with him, I must completely subdue the Soul-Devouring Grass and then use the power of the World-Severing Divine Stone to push it to its peak."
"A Soul-Devouring Grass at its peak would rival a human demigod. That might be the only way to escape Venerable Bai Han's grasp."
When his brain experienced a third jolt of sharp pain, Zhao Xing finally sensed something was wrong.
He saw the 'truth' of his surroundings clearly.
He wasn't standing on a green jade slab at all—he was lying on a stone platform.
His Dao Body's forehead, abdomen, chest, and limbs had each been nailed down by nine pieces of fleshy spikes.
And at that instant of clarity, he saw Venerable Bai Han's true form.
He was lying on a stone platform beside Zhao Xing. His body was completely withered, his hair had all fallen out, and beneath his skin and flesh something wriggled nonstop. He too had nine fleshy nails embedded into his body.
Above Venerable Bai Han's withered body floated the phantom of a massive, jet-black dog. It bared its fangs, and an extreme star floated above its head. Thunderclouds loomed thickly in the air, as though a Heavenly Dog Devouring the Sun was about to unfold.
The surrounding environment had transformed into a cave-dwelling.
Countless specimens were suspended in crystal containers—not just of humans but also of many races Zhao Xing had seen in the lower five levels, including members of the Dragon Race from the Xuanhuang Realm.
Several skills appeared on Venerable Bai Han's panel.
Two of them caught Zhao Xing's attention the most.
One was Heart-Eroding Demon Seed.
The other was Heavenly Dog Demon Spirit.
The former allowed him to seize control of another's Dao Body.
The latter could devour the true spirit of others.
When the two were used together, they could completely inherit the target's knowledge, cultivation talent, and insight.
"Venerable Bai Han couldn't master the Heavenly Transformation Divine Needle himself, so he used this inheritance trial to pick out someone with the strongest talent and comprehension—me."
"Once I learn it, he'll immediately seize my body."
"Sowing the Dao, then seizing the body—this is without a doubt a demonic technique of the Shennong Path!"
Zhao Xing now knew he was dealing with a true demonic Shennong overlord.
Venerable Bai Han was also skilled in the Dao of Medicine, and had him completely under control.
If not for that sudden sharp pain in his mind, he'd still be trapped in the illusion, completely unaware.
He would've thought he was receiving the inheritance, gaining a divine artifact.
If he hadn't realized in time, everything he'd done would've been just labor for Venerable Bai Han.
The reason he'd been able to refine and shrink three of the divine needles was exactly because he sensed something was off—and he stopped just in time.
He used the excuse of insufficient mana to make Venerable Bai Han lift the spatial suppression on the Law Realm.
Only by opening his internal world did he gain even the slightest chance at survival.
Because he still had the legendary-rank combat species—the Soul-Devouring Grass. If he could just tame it…
Then stall for more time… let the Soul-Devouring Grass absorb the leftover energy from the World-Severing Divine Stone, grow to the demigod level—and he'd have a sliver of hope to survive.
It was a crazy plan. Even with the Hunyuan Dao Tower suppressing it, once the Soul-Devouring Grass became complete and reached the demigod level, could he really control it?
But he had no other choice. Venerable Bai Han's sixth-level space completely blocked communication with the outside. Even if he wanted to signal for help using his Primordial Avatar, it wouldn't work.
"Faster!" Zhao Xing roared in his heart, continuously invading the true spirit of the Soul-Devouring Grass. But the progress was still painfully slow.
…
While Zhao Xing stalled for time, he kept trying to subdue the Soul-Devouring Grass in his internal world.
As more time passed, Venerable Bai Han grew impatient.
"That sword cultivator keeps attacking my cave. His power is too overwhelming. Right now, I'm just a living corpse. If not for the protection of the sixth-level cave formation, he would've already cut me down."
"The cave formations and this Law Realm were all built around the Heavenly Transformation Divine Needle. Once the needle shifts, I must immediately devour Zhao Xing and leave."
"This is a Dao Body that cultivates all three schools. I've waited countless ages, and finally, a perfect vessel for reavatar has appeared. I must succeed. Failure is not an option!"
Venerable Bai Han's body continued to decay. His true spirit had turned into a cloud of black mist, laced with blood-red demonic markings. It took the form of a giant black dog, now standing atop Zhao Xing's stone platform, drooling hungrily.
Even at the demigod level, one still had to face the True Spirit Tribulation. For someone like Venerable Bai Han, that tribulation had long surpassed what he could endure.
No matter how he tried to reincarnate or avoid it, he couldn't run forever.
He once studied the Dao of Medicine and used a half-dead state to avoid the checks of the cosmic Dao, hiding in his cave and biding his time.
But now, that time was nearly up.
"Zhao Xing, how's your progress?" Venerable Bai Han's voice echoed through the illusion. His appearance remained that of a ruddy, graceful, and immortal figure.
"If you fail, the trial ends, and you'll lose your chance at my inheritance and the divine artifact. You'll be cast out from this space."
Hearing the pressure from Venerable Bai Han, Zhao Xing was anxious inside, but kept a calm front. "Venerable, I'm almost there. Just give me a little more time."
"Someone else is about to reach the sixth level. I can't wait forever. At most, I'll give you one thousand more years," Venerable Bai Han said firmly.
"After one thousand years, if you still haven't succeeded, you're unworthy of the divine artifact."
One thousand years used to feel endless to Zhao Xing.
But now, it felt far too short.
At his current pace, there was no way he could subdue the Soul-Devouring Grass within a thousand years.
As the deadline crept closer, Zhao Xing made one final decision.
"Soul-Devouring Grass, eat this—and I'll set you free."
"I'll raise you to maturity and return your freedom. Just don't kill me."
Zhao Xing threw the World-Severing Divine Stone toward the Soul-Devouring Grass.
After years of being drained, the divine stone's energy had grown very weak.
It had already been used to open his internal world and power its evolution. Some had been consumed by other god-grade native species.
Now its power was faint—just right for the Soul-Devouring Grass to absorb without bursting from the overload.
"Shhhh~"
The Soul-Devouring Grass's true spirit suddenly quieted down.
Like a naughty child who just saw their favorite snack, it finally calmed down, wholly focused on devouring.
Its roots grew rapidly, digging deep into the endless continent below. The nine leafy branches expanded quickly, and the abyssal patterns on the green leaves became darker and more defined.
"Shhh~"
Meteors and star fragments began falling from the skies above the endless continent. Even the previously stable void rivers started spiraling out of control, collapsing into the nine leafy branches.
The Soul-Devouring Grass was famous for consuming everything—and it welcomed all things without hesitation.
While feasting on the World-Severing Divine Stone, it even set its sights on one of the blue life planets within the yin-yang nine-star system.
But as its black aura crept toward the binary system, it suddenly recoiled like it had touched lightning—instantly pulling back.
After that, it never approached that region again.
"Boom—"
The Hunyuan Dao Tower began spinning rapidly, ramping up its suppression.
Roughly nine hundred years later, the Soul-Devouring Grass had undergone a complete transformation.
It was now a deep blackish-purple, twisting space and time around it like it was about to vanish from reality.
Its true spirit was much calmer than before—but that was only on the surface.
Zhao Xing could sense that its nature was still wild. It had simply "matured" enough to know that resistance under the Dao Tower's suppression was pointless.
"Soul-Devourer, I fed you. I freed you. Just don't attack me…" Zhao Xing kept sending it this message over and over.
He repeated this for about one hundred years.
Meanwhile, the deadline Venerable Bai Han had set was drawing closer and closer.
"Zhao Xing, time's almost up."
Venerable Bai Han's voice came again.
"It's unfortunate that you—what are you doing?!"
Suddenly, Venerable Bai Han sensed something, and his expression turned furious.
The black Heavenly Dog lunged at Zhao Xing's Dao Body.
At the same time, another black Heavenly Dog appeared inside Zhao Xing's Sea of Consciousness.
Heart-Eroding Demon Seed and Heavenly Dog Demon Spirit—both secret arts activated at once!
The sunlight above the giant dog dimmed. It opened its jaws and swallowed it whole.
That bite felt like it landed directly on Zhao Xing's soul.
But Zhao Xing had over ninety soul fragments. The dog only managed to devour one. The rest scattered and fled.
Using the spaceless leap of the Primordial Avatar, they flashed across the battlefield in his Sea of Consciousness and Fate Palace.
"What kind of technique is this?"
The black dog, which Venerable Bai Han had turned into, froze in confusion. He had never seen such a method before.
But he immediately sensed danger.
The danger came from the outside!
Boom!
Just as the Heavenly Dog from the outside lunged at Zhao Xing's Dao Body, a single leaf suddenly appeared, covering Zhao Xing's entire body.
On the leaf surfaced black abyssal markings. Its terrifying suction power forced Venerable Bai Han to stop mid-air.
He quickly retreated above his own withered body.
"Legendary-ranked species?!"
Venerable Bai Han was both shocked and furious. "How could you possibly tame a legendary-ranked species... You tricked me!"
Zhao Xing couldn't even speak. He hadn't actually tamed it. The Soul-Devouring Grass wasn't listening to him at all. He had just released it!
Bang bang bang bang bang bang!
Innate Secret Technique: Nine Abyss Devouring Realm!
Venerable Bai Han's original body, including the stone platform and all the crystal containers filled with specimens, were instantly destroyed.
The devastation spread across the entire space. The space itself collapsed, revealing a floating island.
Only the area where the Heavenly Transformation Divine Needles floated remained untouched.
Venerable Bai Han had been hiding among the other six bone needles. That was the only reason the Soul-Devouring Grass hadn't killed him.
Shhh~
Purple-black energy from the Soul-Devouring Grass spread toward the nine divine needles.
It even wanted to devour them!
Because individually, the Heavenly Transformation Divine Needles were only divine-grade artifacts, not true divine items. Only when all nine were combined would they reach divine artifact level.
"Delusional!"
Venerable Bai Han roared. The three needles corresponding to the Puluo God radiated brilliant light and began to counteract the energy of the Soul-Devouring Grass.
The two forces clashed.
Zhao Xing didn't even dare to breathe.
If even one of the grass's leaves moved away slightly and got caught in the backlash of those terrifying energies, he'd be reduced to ash.
"Needle devours grass, grass devours needle—who wins?"
As a legendary species that had caused massive natural disasters in history, the Soul-Devouring Grass was undoubtedly powerful.
But this was Venerable Bai Han's domain, one he had crafted over countless years.
The moment the Soul-Devouring Grass started wreaking havoc, the space shifted again in a terrifying Hou Transformation.
Massive rivers and vast lands emerged again, reconstructing the cave-dwelling and restoring everything to how it had looked before.
Each time the grass destroyed a layer of space, Venerable Bai Han simply regenerated another.
Through this endless cycle, Venerable Bai Han slowly gained the upper hand against the Soul-Devouring Grass.
Whoosh!
Two of the grass's leaves swayed left and right, as if they were observing something.
Slash~
A leaf sliced through space, tearing open the Law Realm and revealing a spatial rift.
"Stop!"
Venerable Bai Han paled.
But just as the two forces clashed, space collapsed with a roar. A sword light tore through the layers of space, and a sword cultivator with three bamboo swords circling around him descended from the sky!
The Bamboo Sword Venerable's gaze first landed on the area where Zhao Xing was shrouded in shadows and leaflight.
Then he looked at the giant black dog made of mist, and finally at the nine divine needles of varying size floating in the air.
After more than four hundred years of being here, the Bamboo Sword Venerable finally spoke for the first time: "No wonder they offered so much."
Wei Tianchen had put up a reward—just one Li Huo Divine Sword to capture Zhao Xing. At the time, he didn't understand why this task was so important and thought it was overkill.
But now he realized—this bounty wasn't high at all.
"Rise!"
The Bamboo Sword Venerable raised his hand and made a gesture.
Suddenly, Zhao Xing's head was filled with a sharp, piercing pain.
Inside the Sea of Consciousness and Fate Palace, a bamboo sword appeared out of nowhere.
Shhh~
The bamboo sword struck precisely at the soul-formed black dog.
At that moment, Zhao Xing finally understood the source of his pain.
It turned out this sword cultivator had hidden a "heart sword" inside his Fate Palace.
Originally, the spatial laws of the realm had blocked it, preventing the Bamboo Sword Venerable from using his heart sword.
But now that he had entered the sixth level, he immediately drove off Venerable Bai Han's illusion-born black dog.
The Heavenly Dog Devouring Sun process was forcibly interrupted. That also meant the Heavenly Dog Demon Spirit failed to devour Zhao Xing's true spirit.
"Bamboo Sword Venerable?" Zhao Xing saw the name on his panel but didn't recognize the man.
"He's not here to kill me. He came to save me? Could this be a setup by the Imperial Celestial Master's Office?"
Zhao Xing couldn't figure it out. But whatever the reason, this outcome gave him a huge shot at survival.
Of course, the Bamboo Sword Venerable couldn't allow Venerable Bai Han to mess with Zhao Xing.
Otherwise, the mission would fail.
And he wouldn't receive the Seven-Star Li Huo Divine Sword.
"You're asking to die!"
Venerable Bai Han roared and activated the three Puluo God needles, aiming them at the Bamboo Sword Venerable.
All four bamboo swords responded instantly. One struck at the black mist.
"The one I want? Not even a demonic Shennong like you has the right to touch him."
"Three Thousand Sword Realms—manifest!"
The heart sword guarded his body. The other three bamboo swords turned into billions of sword lights.
The countless lights formed a domain of swords, blocking off the divine needles.
"Break, break, break!"
Venerable Bai Han controlled the three divine needles, stabbing through layer after layer of sword domains.
But the sword realm was full of vitality. For every sword barrier pierced, another grew.
With the Soul-Devouring Grass interfering too—
Venerable Bai Han was basically fighting two demigods at once.
"Ahhh!"
The sword domain tore into his true spirit, making Venerable Bai Han scream in pain.
He started to regret it.
Even though he had mastered one of the three activation techniques—Puluo God—his physical body had already decayed.
Above his head, the tenth True Spirit Tribulation hovered. With his current true spirit and Dao Body, pairing it with the Divine Needle Hou Transformation was no different from suicide.
If only he had taken over Zhao Xing's body earlier, he could've planted the three needles directly into his body and performed the Puluo Divine Transformation.
Then, maybe even this sword cultivator could've been dealt with.
But he got greedy. He wanted to wait until Zhao Xing learned the Jiuze Divine Transformation before seizing him. That way, he could use six needles after the takeover—a massive upgrade—and stand a real chance against the Bamboo Sword Venerable.
That greed was understandable. Over the past four hundred years, Venerable Bai Han had learned a lot about the outside world.
He knew there were powerful figures like Emperor Meng Wu guarding beyond this place.
If he didn't have enough strength or hidden trump cards, even if he escaped, he wouldn't make it far.
"Could this be... my tenth tribulation? I still couldn't escape it after all?"
True Spirit Tribulations varied—some came as thunderclouds, others were karmic, or even heart tribulations.
The form differed from person to person, unknown and ever-changing.
Now being suppressed by both the Soul-Devouring Grass and Bamboo Sword Venerable, Venerable Bai Han felt his true spirit fading faster than ever before.
In that moment, he understood. This was indeed his tenth tribulation.
"After dodging it for countless eras... it still caught up with me."
"Without reaching the Divine Realm, I was always doomed. Hahaha... but you'll die too!" Venerable Bai Han cackled maniacally.
Boom!
The Heavenly Dog-form of his true spirit was cleaved apart by the bamboo sword for the first time, turning into black mist.
But Venerable Bai Han quickly reformed again.
Zhao Xing was stunned. This guy was a true diehard of the Hou Transformation path. Even his true spirit could mimic Hou Transformation-like effects.
Relying on his cave's array, he could reform again and again—dying and reviving repeatedly.
"This Heavenly Dog Demon Spirit technique is ridiculously strong... It's managed to hold its own against a sword cultivator for this long," Zhao Xing thought in awe. He was shocked by how strong both sides were.
In Venerable Bai Han's era, sects were everywhere and ancient cultivators had no limits.
Demonic techniques were everywhere. In contrast, powerful demonic arts were now rare.
The major powers had banded together to wipe out those who went mad with power, and naturally outlawed many demonic techniques.
"What a shame."
As the black mist took longer and longer to reform, Zhao Xing couldn't help feeling regretful. It seemed he wouldn't be able to force the Heavenly Dog Demon Spirit cultivation method out of Venerable Bai Han.
Boom!
After more than forty thousand cycles of destruction, Venerable Bai Han was finally annihilated.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh~
When the three bamboo swords returned, the sword cultivator fell silent.
All three bamboo swords were covered in cracks and dents.
The swords were basically ruined—that's how much it took to destroy Venerable Bai Han.
And that was a weakened Venerable Bai Han. What made the difference?
He simply didn't have the right weapons!
Normally, as a demigod, the Bamboo Sword Venerable shouldn't be this poor.
But he didn't form a sect or faction. He wandered the universe alone. In the current state of the Xuanling Star Region, there weren't many ways for lone swordsmen to gather wealth.
He had already exhausted all his resources long ago in his pursuit of the Divine Realm.
Luckily, this time... he could finally claim a divine sword.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh~
Once Venerable Bai Han's demon spirit exploded, the Soul-Devouring Grass went back to its destructive ways.
It collected everything Venerable Bai Han dropped—and even swallowed all nine divine needles into its leaves.
Without a controller, the nine Heavenly Transformation Divine Needles were just artifacts.
Clang!
Four swords pointed directly at the Soul-Devouring Grass covering Zhao Xing.
"Senior…" Zhao Xing panicked and quickly sent a voice transmission. "Senior, this isn't my doing. Everything Venerable Bai Han had should belong to you. But I really can't control the Soul-Devouring Grass."
He thought the Bamboo Sword Venerable was angry because the grass took all the loot.
"You saved me. How could I possibly try to steal treasures from you? I really can't control it..." Zhao Xing said with a bitter smile.
"Who said I came to save you?" the Bamboo Sword Venerable replied coolly.
Not here to save him?
Zhao Xing froze.
"Then, Senior, you are…"
The Bamboo Sword Venerable didn't answer directly. "I'm also not here to kill you. Zhao Xing, you have a Primordial Avatar. Even for me, trying to stop your original body from escaping is troublesome."
"So, if you don't want to suffer, you'd better cooperate with me."
Zhao Xing's heart sank.
He hadn't expected the Bamboo Sword Venerable was here to capture him.
But who could hire a sword cultivator demigod?
Jin Yan? If he wanted someone, he'd just have them killed. No need to capture. Besides, his best move would be taking action himself.
Emperor Xuan Ying of the War God Hall? All Zhao Xing did was speak on behalf of Emperor Fu Zhi once. That didn't seem enough.
Could it be the demon race? They'd been tricked in the Message World Tower before—maybe they had a reason to act. But it still felt unlikely.
After thinking it through, the only person who wanted him captured—not killed—and had the money to make it happen was…
Ancient Physician Wei Tianchen!
Realizing this, Zhao Xing could only sigh in resignation.
He was actually about to be caught by Wei Tianchen a second time.
That guy really had too much money—he could do whatever he wanted.
"Senior, I'll cooperate," Zhao Xing sighed. "But the Soul-Devouring Grass... it truly isn't something I can control."
"Simple." The Bamboo Sword Venerable launched all four swords. The Soul-Devouring Grass was instantly forced back into Zhao Xing's internal world.
Once it returned, the Hunyuan Dao Tower resumed its suppression.
But the grass's temperament seemed more mature now. It didn't resist much.
Staying in the internal world with food and safety was way better than being cut down by a sword cultivator.
And just like that, all the treasures Venerable Bai Han left behind—including a full set of the Heavenly Transformation Divine Needles—ended up in Zhao Xing's internal world.
But the Bamboo Sword Venerable didn't seem to care.
"Senior, what do you need me to do?" With the grass gone and control restored, Zhao Xing could move again. But his body still had nine puncture wounds, and his Fate Palace had been injured by the Heavenly Dog Demon Spirit.
Whoosh!
A bamboo sword entered Zhao Xing's Fate Palace, then split into ninety-six identical swords, each one suspended above his head.
"Entering the Bai Han Realm is easy. Leaving is hard," said the Bamboo Sword Venerable. "You'll leave with me."
"Once we're out, we'll immediately exit the Yanxing Ancient Path."
"If you try to leak information, or trigger distance-free teleportation—any hint that something's off—and the Heart Sword will instantly destroy all your souls." That was the Bamboo Sword Venerable's kidnapping plan.
"I only want money, not your life. If you cooperate and make it into the employer's hands, whether or not you escape later is your business."
"Alright, I understand." Zhao Xing took a deep breath. "I'll do everything as you say."
Whoosh— The Bamboo Sword Venerable cleaved open the void and stepped through.
With Venerable Bai Han gone and the barrier's structure broken, the second trial's Extreme Star Floating Island began to collapse rapidly.
Zhao Xing and the now-disguised Bamboo Sword Venerable left quickly. While others in the second trial were still scrambling to survive, the two of them had already reached the entrance of the Bai Han Realm.
They returned safely along the secure passage to the Qitian Base.
As soon as Zhao Xing stepped out, he ran into Ji Si.
"Grand Shennong, you're finally out. Your avatar said it suddenly lost connection to the Bai Han Realm checkpoint. We were all worried about you."
"I'm fine," Zhao Xing shook his head. "Ji Si, I need to go somewhere with Lord Lanshan."
"Where to?" Ji Si asked.
"Don't ask. It's important," Zhao Xing replied. The Bamboo Sword Venerable stood beside him, now in the form of a plump middle-aged man.
'Lord Lanshan'—this was the identity the Bamboo Sword Venerable had assumed.
The Lanshan Dynasty was a small kingdom in the Xuanling Star Region. It had only been around for a short time and was on the fringes of the Barren Domains, but it was still a legitimate country.
In truth, it wasn't entirely a fake identity. It was one of the Bamboo Sword Venerable's real identities. He just never bothered to run the dynasty, and its territory wasn't even as big as the Beihe Star System.
He founded it just to make missions from the Shadow Temple easier.
"Anything you want me to pass on?" Ji Si instinctively felt something was off.
It wasn't due to divination, just a deep familiarity with Zhao Xing, and a subtle sense of fate's entanglement.
"No. I'll be back soon," Zhao Xing said.
"Alright." Ji Si nodded and watched him leave.
...
Zhao Xing had spent over one thousand nine hundred years inside the Bai Han Realm, but only four hundred years had passed outside.
After leaving the Yanxing Ancient Path and escaping supervision, the Bamboo Sword Venerable took Zhao Xing aboard a realm ship. They sailed deep through the Void River.
The Bamboo Sword Venerable stood before a fog-covered bronze mirror.
Zhao Xing stayed farther behind, watching.
The Bamboo Sword Venerable didn't restrict his movements, but Zhao Xing didn't dare try anything.
His instincts told him that this was a man who killed first and spoke later. If he pulled any tricks, he'd die on the spot.
"Senior, where are we headed?"
The Bamboo Sword Venerable said nothing.
"Senior, may I use the Star Mirror? I'm not trying anything—I just want to see what happened during these past four hundred years."
"Do as you like."
The Bamboo Sword Venerable replied casually.
Zhao Xing immediately took out his Star Mirror.
His current version was limited—he couldn't send messages, only check major world events.
He wanted to see news about the Five Venoms Emperor or the Hongshan Emperor breaking through to demigod level.
But there was nothing.
It made sense. Becoming a demigod wasn't something that could happen quickly.
What he did find, though, was a lot of news about Bowe.
"Bowe started traveling around a few hundred years ago, visiting top factions, hosting dharma lectures. He even went as far as the Myriad Rivers demon territory."
"Looks like the business with Emperor Fuzhi didn't affect him at all. Bowe's reputation is unshakable—it's even growing."
"Hm?"
Zhao Xing's sea of consciousness suddenly trembled. A wave of memories surged up, and the Heart Sword in his mind also began to tremble.
The Bamboo Sword Venerable sharply turned his head to look.
"It wasn't me! I didn't do anything!" Zhao Xing said quickly.
"I know," the Bamboo Sword Venerable said, looking surprised. "The Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom, the Xuanling Dharma Assembly… so you were once called Emperor Tianning?"
Zhao Xing's heart shook. "How do you know that…"
The Bamboo Sword Venerable stared into the void. "The Xuanling Historical Record just now reflected all realms. It's been partially unsealed for all experts above the Four Tribulation Emperor level."
That period in the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom was now partially unsealed?
How could that be? Back then, several Divine Realm experts had sealed it together. Only a select few were supposed to retain the knowledge. Zhao Xing guessed they were top-level emperors or demigods from the major powers.
And yet the Bamboo Sword Venerable said it was now unsealed for everyone above Four Tribulation Emperor?
"That's strange. You seem to be receiving it too?" The Bamboo Sword Venerable suddenly looked at Zhao Xing.
But Zhao Xing didn't answer. His eyes turned blank as a flickering image appeared before him.
...
Inside the eighth floor of the Message World Tower, Bowe held half of the Xuanling Historical Record, looking up at the nebula vortex on the ceiling.
In the Universal Knowledge Realm, the figure of Zhixin slowly emerged.
"Bowe, are you sure about this?"
"Teacher, I've been ready for a long time." Bowe's voice was firm. Then he asked, "Are you ready, Teacher?"
"To hear the Dao in the morning, and die by evening," Zhixin smiled. "If that really is the Ninth Dharma Realm up there, remember to burn some paper offerings for me."
Crack crack crack—
As he finished, Zhixin's body shattered inch by inch, the fragments falling like shooting stars into the dome.
The greatest artifact of the Academy, the Universal Knowledge Realm, collapsed in that moment.
Zhixin gave up his life for the Dao, paving the final step for his disciple.
Whether or not Bowe could open the legendary Ninth Dharma Realm, Zhixin was now completely gone from this world.
"Thank you, Teacher…" Bowe whispered as he watched the beautiful meteors fall.
He tossed the half of the Xuanling Historical Record toward the dome.
Boom!
Golden light burst forth. The hall of the pavilion turned to nothingness.
Once the brilliance stabilized, a staircase appeared before Bowe. He stepped onto the golden stairs one step at a time.
With every step, he left behind a footprint.
A total of eighteen steps.
Each step he took projected scenes of the tribulations he had endured.
If Zhao Xing had seen this, he would have been utterly shocked.
Venerable Bai Han had passed his ninth tribulation and reached the demigod stage, only to perish in his tenth.
The Bamboo Sword Venerable had only endured one more than that.
But Bowe—he had passed an astonishing eighteen tribulations!
He had practically broken the record for demigod tribulations!
When Bowe reached the top, the golden light slowly faded.
At the end stood a stone gate, carved with chains and exuding a bone-chilling cold.
Clatter—
The Xuanling Historical Record in his hands flipped rapidly. Divine power surged from it, penetrating deep into the stone gate.
Bowe absorbed an immense force. His body began to transform.
Yet instead of joy, his pupils dilated in fear and terror took hold.
"So that's it. This is the Ninth Dharma Realm."
"It's a seal... a passage... but it's definitely not a legacy... Hahahahaha."
"Teacher... you died for nothing!"
White light flared from Bowe's body. A crazed smile spread across his face, but tears fell from the corners of his eyes as he laughed.
As the tear hit the ground, it reflected what was behind him.
Three beams of golden light appeared—one from the Primordial Heaven Palace, one from the Red Star Emperor, and one from a hall master of the Reavatar Temple.
From deep within the stone gate, a roar echoed.
Crack crack crack—
A crack formed in the icy stone gate, and a flash of light darted through it.
"He's mine," said the palace lord from the Primordial Heaven Palace as he chased the light.
"Bowe," the hall master from the Reavatar Temple said coldly, "you killed the previous Grand Elder of the Academy and sacrificed one of its most sacred treasures just to achieve divinity. That alone betrays the Academy's founding principles."
"Now another divine being is about to break free because of you. For all your crimes, you'll face judgment from the Reavatar Temple. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Crimes?" The tears vanished. Bowe turned around, his expression indifferent. His eyes were cold, devoid of any emotion, and locked onto the hall master.
The man couldn't help but frown under that gaze.
"Hall Master Tu Ning, you haven't even judged my current strength," Bowe said as he descended the staircase, stars sparkling from his fingertips.
"If not for that emperor showing up, you alone wouldn't be able to kill me. Hell, you wouldn't even qualify to withstand a single move."
Tu Ning continued to glare coldly, but didn't argue.
Now that Bowe had removed his restraints and stepped into the divine realm, Tu Ning truly had no way to fight him.
If Bowe had more time to stabilize his power, few would be able to contain him.
"Bowe." The Red Star Emperor suddenly appeared in front of Tu Ning. "Shut down the Message World Tower. Return the divine power of the Xuanling Historical Record…"
...
Zhao Xing blinked. The hazy scene in front of him shattered as soon as the emperor arrived.
He slowly returned to himself, only to find the Bamboo Sword Venerable watching him with a curious expression.
"I'm rarely curious," said the Bamboo Sword Venerable, staring intently. "But can you satisfy me this once? Tell me what the Xuanling Historical Record just showed you?"
"No," Zhao Xing shook his head.
He had seen Bowe reach the Divine Realm, seen the icy stone gate, and three divine beings appear.
But he truly couldn't tell the Bamboo Sword Venerable. The information had been encrypted, transmitted by the divine power of the Xuanling Historical Record.
It was just like Fan Qianrou's soul-seal technique—something that simply couldn't be disclosed.
Some Dao artifacts were soul-bound, and their knowledge was just as tightly protected.
"No?" The Bamboo Sword Venerable seemed to consider the implications and nodded slightly. "No big deal. I'm not that curious."
After that, neither of them spoke again. Silence filled the ship.
Zhao Xing knew that the Xuanling Star Region would soon be thrown into turmoil.
Bowe had reached the Divine Realm. The Universal Knowledge Mirror had shattered. These secrets might not spread widely, but the unsealing of the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom and the Xuanling Dharma Assembly was enough to cause a massive uproar.
Those Reavatar Realm friends and family who had been forced to reincarnate or die back then—once they found out, they would definitely demand answers.
But from whom? The Dongyan Ancient Clan? They were already wiped out. Qing Yunzi? The Reavatar Temple? Did they even have the power for that?
After thinking it through, Zhao Xing realized... he might be the one to take the brunt of it all.
"Old Qing said, 'If fate allows, we'll meet in the Third Era.' Like I wasn't going to make it to the Third Era. Did he foresee this all eventually coming to light?" Zhao Xing gave a bitter smile.
Bowe had ascended. An ancient god was being released. The Message World Tower turned out to be some kind of seal—a passage?
Could Bowe even survive now? Was he the one who released this information? Or was it someone else?
"An Eighteen-Tribulation Venerable finally reaching divinity—Bowe really blew up this time. But even he fears the emperors."
"Makes you wonder just how strong emperors really are."
"The Divine Descent version of history not only arrived early, it's gone completely off the rails... damn."
The flood of revelations completely shattered Zhao Xing's understanding of the world. His thoughts were a mess.
Clang!
The Heart Sword in his sea of consciousness hummed—Bamboo Sword Venerable was helping him stabilize his mind.
"Thank you, Senior," Zhao Xing said, taking a deep breath and bowing slightly.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Bamboo Sword Venerable said indifferently. "I just don't want you dying from a mental breakdown. If you die, I can't complete my mission."
Zhao Xing had no response.
But the words did snap him back to reality.
He was still in danger. What was the point of worrying about anything else?
Only if he survived could he one day uncover the secrets of the Divine Realm.
If he didn't, everything else was just empty talk.
"Senior Bamboo Sword, where exactly are we meeting Wei Tianchen? How much longer?"
Seeing that Zhao Xing had figured it out, Bamboo Sword Venerable didn't deny it. "Soon. We're almost at the Shenluo Barren Domains."