"I'm rich. This time, I'm really rich," Yi Tianxing muttered repeatedly.
What he valued most had never been those non-renewable heavenly treasures, but things that could regenerate — that could be harvested in batches again and again. That was the long-term path: spiritual herb seeds, spiritual grain seeds — those were even more important than rare treasures. Not to mention the countless scriptures and manuals he obtained from the ancestral court — the inheritances of all the human sages and great figures — gathered together, this was the true foundation of a thriving civilization.
The amount of scriptures he obtained this time was truly massive — even Yi Tianxing himself felt his heart racing from the shock.
"No, I must leave immediately, return to Da Yi. It's not safe to stay out here."
After a brief contemplation, Yi Tianxing made his decision instantly.
Right now, he was like a child walking through a busy market holding gold. If the mighty figures across the heavens knew how much he had on him, they might risk everything — natural disasters or man-made calamities wouldn't be out of the question.
"Leave! Leave!!"
With a single thought, just as he stepped out of the Huoyun (Firecloud) Cave Heaven, he activated a domain gate and opened a portal to return to Da Yi. The next second, he stepped into it and vanished from the spot.
"What a decisive Saint King Yi, to leave so cleanly."
"He came out from the ancestral court — surely with a mountain of treasures. If we had pulled off this heist, it might've been the score of the century."
"What a pity, truly a pity."
Eyes hidden in the darkness revealed expressions of regret. Though they may not have truly intended to strike, the problem was Yi Tianxing's decisiveness. He didn't stay even a moment — just left immediately. And he used a domain gate.
They were also shocked in their hearts. To possess such a means of escape — being able to activate a domain gate and leave freely — meant no one could easily cut off his retreat.
"He left quickly indeed."
In West Kunlun, Queen Mother of the West lifted her gaze slightly, murmuring to herself. Her expression carried a trace of unresolved hesitation.
...
The sky was dim. The moon hung high.
Swish!
In the Cosmic Cube Cloud Realm, light flashed atop a domain gate. Yi Tianxing's figure appeared and, without pause, disappeared in another flash of light — returning to the Holy King Palace.
Inside the Imperial Heart Palace, Yi Tianxing held a breathtaking beauty in each arm — none other than Hua Mulan and Mu Guiying. Tonight was their night to accompany him. Both women still carried a faint blush, having clearly just experienced an intense round of intimacy.
At that moment, Yi Tianxing's eyes suddenly opened, a joyful expression appearing on his face.
"Mulan, Guiying — we've struck it rich this time!"
Yi Tianxing laughed heartily, hugging the two women and planting several kisses on their cheeks, laughing with open joy.
His avatar had just returned, and all the gains were now in his hands. The harvest this time was so massive that even he couldn't help but show visible excitement — it was simply too great to contain.
Inside his body, the [Heavenly Fate] life orifice had already been opened.
One could see that within the life orifice, the source energy had condensed into a primordial Eight Trigrams diagram. Endless Dao rhymes interwove and transformed within it.
Vaguely, it could link to the fluctuations of Heaven's secrets in the world. With a single thought, he could glimpse destiny and fortune — profoundly wondrous. This was truly one of the heaven-defying life orifices.
"Looks like husband acquired quite a few treasures. We should congratulate him properly," Hua Mulan said with a knowing smile, glancing at Mu Guiying. From his expression alone, they knew the gains must be colossal.
"My dear consorts, come. Let me show you with your own eyes the incredible wealth I've obtained this time," Yi Tianxing said with a laugh. With a wave, he dressed himself. The two women rose gracefully, donned their robes, and followed him, filled with curiosity. They only knew that Yi Tianxing's avatar had gone with Zhao Ziyan to the Primordial Continent, but they didn't know what had happened — only that the outcome was definitely monumental.
"Let's go to the Sutra Pavilion first."
With a thought, Yi Tianxing brought all three of them to the Xinhuo Realm.
In this realm, the Sutra Pavilion was the core. It could truly be called a sacred land of human civilization.
The enormous Sutra Pavilion towered into the sky, layer upon layer, inspiring awe like a sacred mountain.
It housed nearly all of Da Yi's cultivation techniques, scriptures, and classics.
Upon entering, the space inside was vast and expansive. Bookshelves stood neatly categorized. Even at night, people could still be seen inside, quietly studying and flipping through the classics.
The first floor held general books and records — travelogues, essays, various scriptures and teachings from major sects. Anyone could read here with a small fee, very affordable. However, any cultivation method or divine ability learned here required a heart demon oath, forbidding its spread under penalty of soul backlash. Even if some common techniques were hidden within basic texts, once learned, the oath still applied — enforced by the Pavilion's power. No exceptions.
Normal texts, however, weren't so strict. You could copy them and spread them — that wasn't forbidden.
The second floor contained cultivation manuals of the Yellow Grade.
The third floor, Life Orifice grade.
The fourth floor, Life Map grade.
The fifth floor, Dharma Phase grade — and so on, all the way to the tenth floor. The tenth floor already touched upon Dao Proving level cultivation methods, and even held related philosophies and scriptures.
A complete cultivation technique that led to the True Spirit Realm would be divided into sections and stored across different floors. To reach perfection, one had to climb to higher levels to retrieve the latter parts.
This was not only a method of earning loyalty, but also a way to prevent the loss of inheritance.
While the heart demon oath was powerful, it wasn't foolproof. A determined person might find a way to circumvent it.
There are no absolutes in the world.
Accidents happen.
"Every time I come to the Sutra Pavilion, I feel like I'm diving into a sea of books," Hua Mulan said with a smile, her heroic spirit shining. Though she came from the military, she loved reading. Whenever she had free time, she would come to read.
The Pavilion not only held books, but also elegant reading areas. One could sip tea while reading — what a leisurely pleasure.
"Yes, this is the foundation of Da Yi. All these years, husband has tirelessly filled the Sutra Pavilion — from scriptures found across the land, from the God-Demon Battlefield, from the Eternal Night Battlefield… I believe that in all the realms, only a few places could rival this Sutra Pavilion," Mu Guiying said with admiration.
In every military campaign, the highest-priority spoils were always the scriptures, which were gathered immediately and sent to the Pavilion.
Calling this a sea of books was no exaggeration.
"Greetings, Saint King."
A light flashed in the Sutra Pavilion. An old man in a white scholar's robe appeared — the Scholar Immortal.
"No need for formalities, Elder Shu. I've obtained some new scriptures. Record them into the Sutra Pavilion according to the rules," Yi Tianxing said with a smile.
"Yes, Saint King!"
The Scholar Immortal was so delighted his mustache curled. He was also known as the Book Mountain Elder — now merged with the Pavilion and inseparable from it.
As a Scholar Immortal, he loved books more than anything. Wandering the sea of knowledge daily — even immortals wouldn't trade places with him. Every new scripture was like a child to him — his joy needed no words.
"Come forth!!"
With a wave of Yi Tianxing's hand, countless scrolls of scripture and Dao texts appeared in mid-air.
Swish!
A white light descended from the void, enveloping the scriptures. Instantly, the scrolls began to transform — decomposing into characters that danced through the air. The scrolls themselves turned into white jade pages, upon which the characters landed line by line.
In a flash, each scroll was reborn as a complete white jade book, then placed directly onto a white jade bookshelf. The characters were clear and elegant — far easier to read than before.
Even the jade slips were converted into books.
This magical process continued.
Countless jade slips became jade books, appearing on the shelves. The scent of ink and books thickened visibly. Those reading nearby were stunned, their mouths agape. They never expected to witness such a grand influx of new texts.
They could only watch as book after book appeared endlessly.
New bookshelves emerged, and empty shelves filled up before their eyes. The scholarly aura in the Pavilion visibly increased. The Scholar Immortal breathed deeply, letting the book-scent flow into his body. A look of bliss appeared on his face — his very aura became more refined and wise.
Many cultivation methods were split into multiple volumes — a complete white jade book might become two, three, even five parts, flying into different floors.
This time, the number of scriptures entering the Pavilion was staggering.
Some cultivators in the Pavilion, with sharp eyes, caught a glimpse of the titles:
"Indestructible Golden Body…"
"Celestial River True Law…"
"Purple River Blood Scripture…"
"Seven Emotions Immortal Scripture…"
…
Each one was a profound technique. Just hearing the names made the heart yearn.