"One day in heaven, one year on earth."This saying wasn't just poetic—it was real.
The flow of time across different worlds was like a river: some stretches were calm, others rapid. No two domains flowed identically.
Just as between Minor Worlds and Middle Worlds, the time drift would grow the farther apart they were. So it was with the Eternal World and the Nightmare World.
The Nightmare World was unpredictable.Mysterious.Even time was warped there.
"Three days or three years—it doesn't matter. What matters is that we truly lived through it."
Yi Tianxing smiled calmly.
Time could be critical, and also… utterly irrelevant.
As long as it led to growth, then all that was spent was worthwhile.
And this time, it definitely was. After all, he'd brought back trillions of new citizens from the Nightmare World. And more were coming.
This was what truly mattered.
"The trouble here has been resolved," Yi Tianxing said."It's time we took our leave. Wandering merchants don't linger long in one place."
He nodded to Sang Yunyun, his tone both firm and friendly.
"But don't worry. Great Yi's envoys will return soon. Trade and friendship between our peoples shall endure for generations."
Sang Yunyun bowed with sincere gratitude.
"Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Yi. From this day on, ninety percent of our Sangsilk Tribe's rare goods will be supplied directly to the Great Yi Sacred Court."
This wasn't hesitation—it was loyalty born from lifesaving gratitude.
The Calamity Qi, the Nightmare Rift—both had nearly driven her people to ruin. Without Yi Tianxing, the Sangsilk Tribe may have perished.
"It was nothing," Yi Tianxing replied with a light smile. "A mere wave of the hand."
That evening, under Sang Yunyun's hospitality, he enjoyed an opulent feast.
The tribe's specialty—their spiritual mulberries—were a delicacy found nowhere else. Each one, grown from a different spirit tree, held its own unique flavor.
Yi Tianxing didn't let the opportunity go to waste.
He carefully snipped branches from each spiritual mulberry tree and transplanted them into his Dantian Herb Garden.
Watered by the Immortal Dew of Life, the branches quickly took root, sprouting into young spirit mulberry trees. He even designated an entire Spirit Mountain within his inner world to cultivate them.
In time, it would become a rich, flourishing forest—potentially rivaling even the Sangsilk Tribe's groves.
A day later, Zhen Deqiong resumed his journey atop the great Wandering Bird. Yi Tianxing joined him, continuing his tour as a "wandering merchant."
What followed were three unforgettable months.
They braved forbidden zones, crossed death lands, and saw wonders unimaginable. The Wandering Bird seemed to pass through all danger unhindered.
Yi Tianxing witnessed all manner of strange races:
The Bug Spirits, innately connected to insects and masters of Gu poison. They could infect a target silently and fatally. Mysterious and feared, few dared interact with them.
A true Kingdom of Tiny People.
The towering Dragonber Giants.
Each encounter broadened his horizon.
He also saw the world's chaos:
Endless slaughter, collapsing orders, lawless lands drowning in demonic fog. Entire regions had become killing fields.
Truly, the mortal world was a sea of suffering.
But where was the other shore?
Before he realized it, three months had passed.
And that meant—his time was up.
The Starry Sky Wandering Talisman had reached its limit.
In a teahouse in the Commerce City.
Yi Tianxing sat with the monkey, enjoying their last meal together.
"Monkey, I have to go," Yi Tianxing said, lifting his cup with a smile."I won't be able to accompany you anymore. You'll have to continue the journey on your own."
"You're leaving? Are you heading back to the Great Yi?"The monkey wasn't surprised—he had already sensed it.
Someone like Yi Tianxing couldn't possibly wander the world freely for long. That he had stayed this long was already extraordinary.
"That's right," Yi Tianxing nodded."The journey ends here."
And what a journey it had been.
He'd planted countless seeds, positioned numerous pieces on the chessboard of the world.
His Hongmeng Tower was filled with new populations, enough to fuel Great Yi's explosive expansion.
Now, everything was in place.
It was time for ignition.
"Hehe, well in that case… why not let me go with you?"
"There's no place more worth visiting than the Great Yi!"
"Can I come too? I've got nothing tying me down here. Wherever I go, that's home!"
"Surely you wouldn't turn me away, would you?"
The monkey grinned, shamelessly trying to tag along.
After all, the Great Yi was a realm of legend—civilized, powerful, and mysterious.
Who wouldn't want to visit?
"If you want to come, I won't stop you," Yi Tianxing said.
"But remember: once inside Great Yi's borders, you must obey our laws. No exceptions. Even I can't cover for you if you break the Heavenly Laws."
Yi Tianxing had no reason to refuse.
He had seen the monkey's true nature—mischievous, greedy, sure, but not evil.
His combat ability alone made him a valuable ally. And if Great Yi could attract powerhouses like him, it would only grow stronger.
Yi Tianxing welcomed any strong cultivator—so long as they bore no malice toward his empire.
After they agreed, the monkey entered the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower. Only inside the tower could Yi Tianxing bring him through the return portal—he couldn't survive the spatial journey on his own.
"It's time."
Yi Tianxing turned toward the void, eyes full of longing.
"I wonder how Zhaoji and the others are doing… and the unborn children."
Many of his consorts were pregnant when he left. Some of them must be nearing childbirth.
For cultivators, pregnancy could vary in length—often prolonged to allow the baby to absorb more innate essence—but still, the time was close.
Perhaps… he would make it in time to witness the birth of his child.
WHOOSH—!!
Suddenly, he felt a pull.
A Star Gate opened behind him—shimmering with cosmic light.
It was the mark left by the Starry Sky Wandering Talisman, anchoring his original coordinates.Now, the time had come to return.
He felt the power of spatial resonance tugging at him.
Yi Tianxing did not resist.
His body turned into a stream of light, vanishing into the Star Gate.
"What an incredible technique," murmured Zhen Deqiong, stepping into the tavern just a moment too late.
He had caught the final shimmer of Yi Tianxing's departure.
This was his domain—he knew something unusual had just occurred.
He smiled thoughtfully.
"Great Yi, huh? One day… I'll go there too."
At that same moment, in Xuanhuang City.
Within a silent meditation chamber, Yi Tianxing's true body still sat on a prayer mat, silently breathing in heavenly energy.
Before him, a glowing talisman floated—shimmering with starlight.
Suddenly, its radiance intensified to blinding brilliance.
A second Yi Tianxing stepped out of the starlight.
"At last… I've returned."
He looked once at the fading Star Gate, then turned and merged with his true body.
BOOM—!!
The moment they fused, a vast surge of energy erupted from within.
This was not an ordinary avatar.
The Starry Sky Wandering Talisman created a complete double—identical in cultivation, magical power, and Dao comprehension.
And now, with that same power returning to the source, Yi Tianxing's strength rose sharply.
His mana, his Dao realm, his Life Apertures, his Law Pillars—everything was enhanced.
In his ancestral Life Aperture, the Heavenly Emperor Altar blazed with purple-gold divine light.
Even the ritual inscriptions upon it had grown more profound—full of sacred, mysterious power.
This wasn't just a return.
It was an ascension.