"Pity he wouldn't join me... but I've already left a spatial mark on him. The Zhulu Realm is no longer a secret to me."
Yi Tianxing stared at the slowly fading ripples in the Heavenly Lake, his eyes gleaming with calculation.
"Once I return to Great Yi, I can use this coordinate to open a realm gate. The army can march in directly. Based on what Zhang Lu said, the Zhulu Realm is full of competing human factions and talent. Rather than letting them die in endless infighting, why not bring them under Great Yi's banner? Only then can their brilliance truly shine."
A long-term plan had already begun forming in Yi Tianxing's mind.
He possessed a world-shaking treasure—the Cosmic Cube (宇宙魔方).
Its purpose: to open inter-realm gateways across vast distances.
However, to activate such a power, the Cube must be nurtured to the level of a Heaven Treasure—at minimum, an Innate Spiritual Treasure of Earth-tier quality.
The very essence of the Cosmic Cube lies in its name: "Cosmos"—Time and Space.To cultivate it, Yi Tianxing would need to gather vast quantities of space- and time-attributed materials and refine them into the Cube, empowering it with those fundamental laws.
Once achieved, he could activate realm gates from coordinates alone—allowing entire armies to descend like divine thunder, striking with overwhelming speed and precision.
"Looks like I need to focus on nurturing the Cosmic Cube..."
"With it, not just the Zhulu Realm or the Wilderness Realm, but any number of foreign realms can be connected. That will allow Great Yi to trade, expand, and accelerate its rise."
Yi Tianxing's thoughts blazed with possibility.
Now that Great Yi had become a Sacred Court, strengthening itself rapidly had become top priority.Population restrictions, oceanic barriers, and vast distances remained huge obstacles.The Cosmic Cube… might be the bridge that shattered those limits.
But cultivating it would be no small feat.
Time- and space-type materials were extremely rare—even more so than other high-tier treasures.Obtaining them would cost astronomical resources.
There was one alternative: merging the Cosmic Cube into the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower.That way, it could be nourished directly by the tower's world-origin, and forcibly elevated to Innate Treasure level.
But if he chose that route, the use of the Cube—including all gates—would be solely bound to himself.That tradeoff was still under consideration.
Yi Tianxing resumed fishing in the Heavenly Lake.
With little regard for cost, his harvests were spectacular—countless rare materials, and even world treasures. Some were so exquisite, he almost regretted already having similar treasures.
Many of them bore time and space attributes—each a rare and priceless gem.
After three full days in the Nightmare Sacred City, Yi Tianxing finally departed and returned to his Nightmare Sacred Ground.
Even now, the Sacred Ground remained busy.
From all corners of the realm, more and more human civilians and cultivators continued arriving.They entered through the space gate and took up residence within the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower.
Due to the tower's hundredfold time acceleration, the internal world had undergone enormous changes.
Inside, Yi Tianxing had already stationed large numbers of scholars and administrators, well-versed in the laws and policies of Great Yi.
Entire immortal cities—pre-built and stored within the tower—were quickly deployed.Even social order had been established.
A new law had also been implemented inside the tower.
All citizens who reached age forty would enter a designated Sleep Chamber.
This "slumber" was Yi Tianxing's contingency.Those who had served Great Yi by migrating here, by procreating and raising families, had earned their place. Their contributions wouldn't be forgotten.
Upon slumber, their aging halted, and when the time came to return to the real Great Yi, they would awaken—rested and ready to cultivate.
Forty was hardly old—still the prime of life.Their descendants would continue to grow, and the accumulated population would increase exponentially over generations.That is the true foundation of Great Yi's rise.
Was it cruel? Perhaps.But in these desperate times, extraordinary measures were needed.
Yi Tianxing had considered this thoroughly.He did not force them to marry or bear children—but everyone had to sleep once they reached forty.That rule was absolute.
The stream of new citizens continued without pause.
Yi Tianxing, however, wasn't focused solely on this.
His Nightmare Tree—his body—had grown ever more massive.It absorbed Nightmare Power in greater quantities with each passing day, fueling the growth of the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower.
Every moment, the empire's foundation deepened.
Unknowingly, the day of his deal with Altai had arrived.
Suddenly, a beam of light cut through the sky—an enormous portal appeared.
"So this is Mr. Yi's Sacred Ground, huh? Why does it look so… empty?"
"Where is everyone?"
Altai and Thousand Faces stepped through the gate.
Altai's massive, mountain-like body caused the ground to tremble with every step.The earth groaned beneath his weight.
"Altai, Daoist Thousand Faces—this is only a part of my Sacred Ground," Yi Tianxing greeted with a calm smile."The true Sacred Ground lies beyond that gate. Please, come in."
Their skepticism was natural—there were no crowds here, and it looked eerily still.
But Sacred Grounds came in all shapes and sizes. No one questioned that.
"Very well. Let's see what kind of Sacred Ground you've built."
Altai didn't hesitate. He stepped through the gate—
—and the world changed.
Before them stretched a limitless world—mountains, plains, cities.Immortal cities rose like colossi. The land was vast and majestic.
"So huge…"
"How could any Sacred Ground be this vast?! This is basically another world."
"And the rules here... They're stable, harmonious. There's no chaos or unpredictability. This land is fit for civilization, for the prosperity of countless people."
Thousand Faces was visibly shaken.
Even at a glance, he could tell:The people here had begun to recover. Their faces now held hope and vitality.
They finally believed in a future.
Now he understood why Yi Tianxing had been so obsessed with acquiring more people.
Here, unlike other Sacred Grounds, there was no limit to how many could be accommodated.
Even billions of civilians wouldn't overwhelm it.
"Very well," Yi Tianxing smiled."Now then—how many people did you bring this time? Let's tally up and settle the payment."
That was the deal: population for treasure.
"Of course. Rest assured, Mr. Yi. This time I've brought the full delivery."
"One trillion slaves. And that's not even counting the elderly and children. You can begin accepting them now."
Altai beamed with pride.
He had boasted before that he could gather one billion a day—and now, after ten days of planning and mobilizing contacts and methods, he had exceeded expectations.
With a grand gesture, Altai produced a gigantic sack in mid-air.
He opened it—and a flood of humans poured out.
Old and young, men and women, they came out by the millions, billions, trillions—filling vast areas in the blink of an eye.
"A Human-Species Pouch."
Yi Tianxing's gaze wasn't on the people—but on the bag.
This mystical artifact had an internal world vast enough to store entire populations—people would fall into a suspended sleep state within, safe and unharmed.
"Indeed," Altai said proudly."That's exactly what this is. A single pouch can carry up to ten trillion people at once. I've got a few more of these."
"Transporting slaves this way is far easier. Otherwise, how long would it take to move them one by one?"
"Here's the first trillion. The remaining nine trillion will be delivered in the next shipment."
Yi Tianxing nodded.
There was no need to count—he handed over the payment without delay.The rest would be paid when the next batch arrived.
The transaction was proceeding smoothly.