Yi Tianxing had already made his final decision.
No matter what, since such a time-related treasure had appeared—and he had the ability to acquire it—then there was no reason to hesitate. After all, these merit points had come easily, and spending them didn't sting. As long as he could obtain what he desired, that would be perfect.
"Redeem the Time Pocket Watch."
With a single thought, he made his choice.
Shua!
Five hundred million merit points instantly vanished from his merit ledger—half his total. As the points disappeared, a passage appeared, and with a flash of light, a gilded pocket watch materialized within his Divine Sea.
Opening the watch, he saw the hour, minute, and second hands clearly distinguishable—each of a different length. The hour hand was gold, the minute hand silver, and the second hand bronze. The hands continuously moved forward, perfectly synchronized with the flow of time in the great river of time itself.
Held in his hand, it felt like he was controlling time. The weight of the watch was tangible—not just a perfect work of art, but a mysterious item imbued with the power of time.
"To enhance the Time Pocket Watch, I'll need the finest time-elemental spiritual treasures. Upgrading it would be even harder, possibly requiring submersion in the River of Time itself to refine it with endless temporal energy. Too troublesome and extremely difficult. The only shortcut is to fuse it with the Heavenly Emperor's Primal Tower, and borrow the power of Heaven and Earth to temper the watch, granting it limitless potential."
Clutching the watch, Yi Tianxing had already made up his mind.
Its low grade wasn't a problem. If he willed it, any treasure could eventually evolve into a profound-grade artifact.
But with so many merit points still left, there was no reason to stop. After storing the Time Pocket Watch, he resumed his search.
Countless treasures dazzled the eyes, but his attention soon shifted to martial techniques and cultivation manuals.
"The number of techniques and battle arts here is astonishing. Compared to treasures, these are the real wealth."
Each manual was a crystallization of wisdom and effort from past masters. The quantity within this treasure vault was beyond imagination. And surprisingly, many basic martial techniques required only a modest amount of merit points to redeem.
Because they weren't unique, the vault had infinite copies—redeem as many as you like.
Many weren't even found in the Scripture Pavilion.
"Cultivation techniques and battle arts—these are the true treasures that can be passed down."
Without hesitation, Yi Tianxing began redeeming any manual not already in the Scripture Pavilion. As long as the price was reasonable, he bought them without a second thought. One after another, jade books appeared, stacked neatly inside his treasure tower.
Body refinement techniques, battle arts, even Heaven-tier skills, divine abilities, and life-map schematics—everything imaginable could be found here.
"Hm? What's this technique... Ninefold Mystic Art?"
While indulging in this mass acquisition, one particular manual caught his eye—a technique of great renown in ancient times.
The Ninefold Mystic Art was a legendary supreme body-refinement technique, said to allow its user to prove the Dao through strength upon completing all nine cycles. All who had cultivated it were titanic figures who clashed with the heavens using flesh alone. This technique was even rumored to be a legacy of Pangu the Creator himself—though the truth remained uncertain.
Examining it more closely, Yi Tianxing realized it wasn't a complete technique. Or rather, it wasn't meant to be complete. That was the point.
"The Ninefold Mystic Art, also known as Ninefold Celestial Technique, is the ultimate body-refinement path. Ten thousand people who cultivate it will each derive ten thousand different versions. It is the grand blueprint born from the very world itself. Each 'fold' requires the integration of a brand-new body-refinement technique. Its essence lies in fusing the strengths of all refined arts into one's own method. This is not a finished technique—this is a framework for creating your own Ninefold Mystic Art."
Shock waves rolled through Yi Tianxing's heart.
This wasn't the mythical Ninefold Mystic Art of Pangu. It was a universal template, enabling practitioners to craft a personalized path of body cultivation. Its greatest value lay in harmonizing the powers and blood vitality derived from different techniques into a singular, perfect force.
To any body-refining cultivator, this was a temptation beyond measure.
After glancing at the price, Yi Tianxing did not hesitate and silently redeemed it.
Then came various spiritual herb seeds, more manuals, more techniques—until eventually, every single merit point was spent down to zero.
In exchange, his treasure tower was now packed with a mountain of priceless items.
With that done, Yi Tianxing withdrew his consciousness from the merit board.
"Time Pocket Watch—fuse!"
He did not stop there. The Time Pocket Watch, resting in his Divine Sea, naturally fused into the Heavenly Emperor's Primal Tower.
Boom—!!
Divine light erupted from the tower. In a flash, a new level emerged—the tower expanded upward.
The Primal Tower now had twenty-four levels.
The Time Pocket Watch became a foundational artifact of the tower. Under the tempering of Heaven and Earth's essence, it instantly evolved from Yellow-grade to Profound-grade.
"Control time."
With those words, the golden pocket watch appeared before him. Its cover opened, and all the hands within stilled.
An invisible might surged outward—wind halted mid-air; a falling leaf outside the window froze mid-fall. Time had stopped.
Yet further away, time still flowed—winds rustled, leaves drifted normally.
Soon after, the frozen time resumed, and the leaf continued its descent.
"The Profound-grade Time Pocket Watch is much stronger than its Yellow-grade version. It can now affect an area of ten zhang (33 meters) in radius. Beyond that, the influence wanes. As expected, time is not so easily mastered."
Yi Tianxing reflected upon the brief test.
His mind entered the tower.
Within the newly opened space, the golden pocket watch floated mid-air. Suddenly, its hands began spinning much faster than normal.
One turn. Two turns. Three turns…
Previously, it completed one revolution per time unit. Now, it did ten revolutions in the same span.
He could feel the acceleration of time in the tower.
"Time acceleration—tenfold. For every year that passes outside, ten years pass within. But this also consumes one's lifespan at the same ratio. The passage of time is still recorded in one's life wheel. Still, this is an immense boon for training soldiers."
Yi Tianxing's eyes gleamed with contemplation.
A tenfold temporal acceleration—train inside for ten years, and only a year passes outside.
"With the Innocent Heavenly Melody Tree, we can purify the Eternal Night's soldiers. Once purified, if we then send them into this accelerated time space for a few years, they'll become a formidable elite force—ready to kill the enemy from the moment they step on the battlefield. These two combined form a perfect military system."
Yi Tianxing's anticipation grew. He was eager to capture more Eternal Night human puppets.
"Twenty-four levels in the tower, the star core still being refined. The tower's space has expanded to 20,000 li in radius, and it's still growing. With the Time Pocket Watch, this trip has been immensely fruitful. Now, it's time to reveal the glory of the Human Race on the battlefield."
Yi Tianxing mentally tallied his harvest.
BOOM—!!
Just then, a tremendous aura burst forth across the Divine-Demonic Battlefield.
It was overwhelming—spanning vast territory.
"What's going on?"
Yi Tianxing emerged from his thoughts and looked up at the sky.
"I feel an immense pressure descending!"
"What is that? A treasure emerging? The Divine-Demonic Battlefield was left behind from the previous era. Countless fallen powerhouses left behind legacies. With the right fate, one could obtain a legacy and soar to the heavens!"
"No! Look—it's a mountain! A mountain floating in midair, radiating divine light—it's a Spirit Mountain!"
At that moment, many cultivators across the battlefield looked up in awe.
The floating Spirit Mountain radiated divine brilliance visible across the entire battlefield.
On the peak, one could see majestic pavilions and palaces—exquisite and dazzling.
And atop the mountain stood a mighty figure.
"**I am the Stone Emperor. In this battlefield, I have obtained a Spirit Mountain. It contains orchards and medicinal gardens bearing rare spiritual fruits. I dare not hoard this fortune alone. Three months from now, I shall host a 'Rare Fruit Banquet' on this mountain. I invite all proud sons of heaven from every race to attend. Let us discuss the threat of Eternal Night together. I especially hope the Human Race's top-ranked genius will grace us with his presence.""
The voice from the Spirit Mountain—carried by some mystical force—spread across the entire battlefield in an instant.
Those words ignited a fire in the hearts of countless Heaven's Chosen.
Their eyes burned with undisguised fighting spirit.
"What a grand statement, Stone Emperor! What a Rare Fruit Banquet! This is no mere feast—this is a summit of Heaven's Chosen. How could I miss it?"
"The Human Race? Do they have a Heaven's Chosen? If they dare come, we'll make sure they know that the so-called top rank means nothing to us!"
"Good! I will attend! And if the Human Race dares to appear, I'll make sure they remember who truly stands at the peak!"
The battlefield surged with excitement—every race's genius eager for the coming showdown.