This was a shortcut that could directly enhance Xuanhuang City's combat power and defensive capabilities.
Previously, the arrow towers and magic towers in Xuanhuang City, while useful, were not strong enough in Yi Tianxing's eyes. Their defensive reach could not fully cover all areas, nor could they launch wide-area assaults when needed to completely overwhelm the battlefield.
However, Yi Tianxing didn't rush to redeem these extraordinary architectural treasures immediately.
There might be better items later on. If he spent his merit points too early and missed something truly valuable, that would be a pity. He planned to identify all desired items first, tally the total cost, and then make his redemptions rationally.
"Spirit Tree – Lantern Tree. A tree that grows lanterns, which are actually spiritual fruits."
Suddenly, Yi Tianxing's gaze landed on a peculiar spiritual tree.
This tree was called the Lantern Tree. Tiny, exquisite lanterns, known as Lantern Fruits, would grow on it—each about the size of a date. They glowed in the dark, emitting a warm light. What made them truly unique was their function: when consumed, they had to be swallowed whole, and once inside the body, they would illuminate latent Life Apertures.
In other words, they revealed the existence and location of dormant Life Apertures—apertures with the potential to awaken naturally if stimulated correctly. Though the Lantern Fruit didn't directly awaken these apertures, it helped identify how many hidden ones existed and where they were located.
This could save vast effort in cultivation, bypassing methods like manually searching, practicing awakening techniques, or refining Aperture Pills.
Many cultivators didn't even know how many dormant Life Apertures they had, so they never tried to awaken them. Thus, the Lantern Fruit was truly a guiding light on the path of cultivation.
Just one fruit could reveal hidden Life Apertures within the body.
This kind of spiritual fruit had immense appeal to cultivators at any stage. The number of Life Apertures one possessed determined the potential and structure of their Life Map, greatly affecting overall strength.
"Excellent. If I can grow this, it will be a massive advantage in nurturing strong cultivators. As a Heaven-rank low-grade spirit tree, it deserves its price."
Yi Tianxing checked the cost.
It required one million merit points. That alone was high—but worse, the Lantern Tree wasn't even mature. It was just a seedling, not yet capable of bearing fruit. It would take time and careful nurturing.
Still, the value matched the price. High demand justified the cost.
He didn't hesitate. With a thought, he redeemed the two available seedlings—there were only two left, and he didn't want others to grab them first.
Shua!!
With the deduction of merit points, a transmission portal appeared in the Divine-Demon Merit List. In a flash of light, two Lantern Tree seedlings entered his Divine Sea.
He immediately placed them into his Life Aperture Field.
These seedlings were brimming with vitality. The moment they rooted in the spiritual soil, they started drawing in spiritual energy and grew vigorously. With the presence of the Young Ruomu Divine Tree, which continuously shed vitality, the seedlings' growth accelerated, sprouting visible new segments.
The addition of two Heaven-tier fruit trees caused the origin of his Life Aperture Field to swell and expand once again. Thanks to the Ruomu Tree drawing in primordial energy from the void and integrating it into the field, the spiritual land grew larger and more stable—already resembling a miniature world.
And it continued expanding toward the threshold of a Small Thousand World.
After completing the exchange, Yi Tianxing continued browsing the redemption catalog.
And what he saw next stunned him.
"Extraordinary Building – Rainbow Fountain."
He saw a scaled-down model of a fountain, described as the Rainbow Fountain. At night, it would emit rainbow rain, not real water but light condensed from primordial energy, falling in a dazzling cascade. These rainbow droplets wouldn't soak the body, but would instead be naturally absorbed upon contact.
At night, the spectacle looked like a rainbow stretched across the heavens—colorful and enchanting. The rainbow rain bestowed blessings, cleansed bad luck, relieved fatigue, and refreshed the soul. Bathing in it swept away the weariness of the day and granted mental clarity. It also offered resistance against evil energies.
Its area of effect was vast—this was an extraordinary structure. Who could resist living in a city where rainbow rain fell each night?
"A superb item. It would boost not only morale but also the image of Xuanhuang City. As a kingdom, Da Yi must consider more than just military power. Public happiness and external reputation are crucial. This fountain would be perfect."
However, its price was steep—two million merit points.
Still, Yi Tianxing liked it. But he refrained from redeeming it immediately. He would revisit it after checking other items.
And indeed, the Divine-Demon Treasury was an overwhelming sight. The variety and sheer quantity of items were jaw-dropping—practically anything imaginable could be found within.
There were also incredibly powerful spiritual treasures and supreme artifacts.
For example, the Yuguang Sky Ark, an Innate Supreme Treasure—though not whole. It had been shattered in a great war and now existed only in fragments. Originally, it could traverse time itself, sailing across the river of time—past and future alike.
Only because it was damaged did it appear on the list. A complete Innate Supreme Treasure would never be available for a mere billion merit points. Even with its foundations, repairing such a treasure would be nearly impossible.
After a brief glance at these incomplete treasures, Yi Tianxing shifted his focus back to Heaven-Earth Treasures.
"Hm? What's this?"
Suddenly, his gaze landed on something familiar—a pocket watch. It looked like something from the Republic era: gold-gilded, refined yet understated. Neither extravagant nor ordinary.
He could almost see time flowing within it.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The hands of the watch moved ceaselessly.
"A pocket watch… time… could this be a Time-Attribute Heaven-Earth Treasure?"
A glimmer flashed in Yi Tianxing's eyes. Without hesitation, he pulled up the item's detailed record.
Indeed—it was a Time-Attribute Heaven-Earth Treasure.
Time Pocket Watch
Yellow-Rank Treasure
A Time-Attribute treasure that could manipulate the flow of time in its surrounding area. It could cause time to freeze, or accelerate. It could even drain a living being's lifespan, making decades of life vanish in an instant, leaving time's marks on one's Fate Wheel, thus terminating their life. However, it could not currently reverse time.
This was a genuine time-type treasure, innately endowed with the ability to manipulate time. However, its power wasn't yet overwhelming. After all, reversing time was no small feat. Time always moved forward; reversing it meant going against the very laws of the universe—a feat no ordinary treasure could achieve.
"Such a powerful time pocket watch… possessing it would mean wielding a formidable trump card."
Desire rose in Yi Tianxing's heart.
Time and space—these were the ultimate, god-tier laws. Innately dominant. The river of time flowed on, unceasing and unstoppable. None could easily step outside its current.
Space treasures existed—like the Space Gate, which, once fully developed, allowed for seamless traversal between realms and domains.
In perilous lands, one could come and go as they pleased.
This pocket watch, while unable to reverse time now, might achieve it someday.
Such treasures were far more precious than others of the same grade. Especially time—unseeable, untouchable, and incredibly mysterious.
Then Yi Tianxing glanced at the redemption price.
"Five hundred million merit points!!"
In that moment, even Yi Tianxing's steady heart skipped a beat.
Too much. This wasn't just a matter of being one or two times more expensive—it was orders of magnitude beyond.
The Rainbow Fountain only cost two million. Compared to five hundred million, the difference was astronomical.
"Time reigns supreme. Space rules. But this difference is absurd."
He couldn't help but shake his head.
Five hundred million… unless he destroyed a Star Gate, how long would it take to accumulate such points? How much would he have to sacrifice? It was a terrifying number.
"Still, if it's the power of time I'm gaining, then the price is worth it. Others may find upgrading time-type treasures difficult… but I might not."
Yet the Divine-Demon Treasury wouldn't negotiate. No discounts. No exceptions.