“Yushan makes a very good point,” Liu San agreed.
Li Fan also nodded. “Let’s observe for a while before making any moves. In the meantime, we should focus on producing more Endstone Plate. If possible, we should test whether it can affect the Tianxuan Treasure Record. After all, a divine artifact like that is truly tempting.”
Fang Zaiji’s eyes lit up as he carefully examined an Endstone Plate in his hand, deep in thought. “Sect Master, now that you mention it, both of these artifacts originated from the Tianxuan Mirror. It might really be possible to merge them in some way. However, to achieve that, we’d need to get our hands on the Tianxuan Treasure Record and study it directly.”
…
Meanwhile, as the members of the Medicine King Sect pondered their future, more details regarding the conquest of small worlds were being revealed within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
When a cultivator carrying the Tianxuan Treasure Record discovers the entrance to a small world, they have two choices. One option is to explore it alone—if they can single-handedly dominate an entire world, they will receive all the merit for the discovery. The rewards for this are unimaginable. However, if they lack the strength to overcome the challenges within, they can choose to share the entrance with others.
If the entrance is made public, every cultivator with a Tianxuan Treasure Record will be notified, and they will swarm to the location.
Aside from the merit earned by reporting a discovery, the original finder can also claim a share of the contributions from those who come later. Though the percentage is small, when accumulated from a large number of cultivators, it can become an enormous fortune.
In short, whether they monopolize it or share it, the discoverer of a small world is guaranteed to become rich overnight. This policy strongly encourages cultivators to explore every corner of the realm.
Every cave-heaven discovered during the campaign will be cataloged in the Tianxuan Treasure Record. As long as one has enough merit, they can directly exchange it for ownership of a cave-heaven! Moreover, the discoverer of a small world has priority in purchasing its ownership.
This announcement sent shockwaves through the cultivation world, making countless cultivators restless with excitement.
In today’s Xuanhuang Realm, the Nascent Soul stage is a clear dividing line in power. While forming a Golden Core relies on one’s comprehension, reaching Nascent Soul requires either extraordinary luck in finding a suitable cave heaven or leveraging powerful connections to acquire one. Out of a hundred Golden Core cultivators, perhaps only one ever attains the Nascent Soul stage, highlighting the immense difficulty of the breakthrough.
But now, with the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance determined to unify the Xuanhuang Realm, all existing cave heavens will be revealed. Luck and connections will no longer be the deciding factors. Anyone who puts in the effort will have the chance to “seize the essence of heaven and earth to form their Nascent Soul!”
The golden era where everyone has the opportunity to reach Nascent Soul had arrived!
Though exhilarated, cultivators also felt an urgent pressure. Everyone knew that the number of cave heavens in the Xuanhuang Realm was finite—first come, first served. If one hesitated for even a moment, they might miss their chance at Nascent Soul forever. Their only hope would be to wait for a Nascent Soul cultivator to fall so that a new cave heaven could form.
As a result, the territories of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance were soon filled with a remarkable sight—cultivators swarming across the land like locusts, meticulously searching every inch of terrain. Deep mountains, vast lakes, dense forests, and treacherous swamps—no place was left unchecked.
The once-empty wilderness was now flooded with countless cultivators.
Only then did people realize just how many cultivators the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance actually had.
Before long, the first Small World outside the Alliance’s control was discovered.
It was named Zhuo, a barren world without spiritual energy, inhabited only by mortals.
A lucky cultivator named Cheng Shi took just three days to complete a full scan of the world using his Tianxuan Treasure Record.
No one knew the exact rewards he received, but soon after, Cheng Shi purchased a secluded residence in the Daoist district of Tianyun City. He stopped venturing outside, focusing solely on his cultivation, waiting for the Alliance to allow merit exchanges—at which point he would ascend directly to the Nascent Soul stage!
With such a vivid example before them, cultivators became even more enthusiastic.
Soon, the second and third small worlds were discovered one after another.
As the entire cultivation world fell into a frenzy, Xu Bai arrived at the Tianxuan Mirror.
“Would you like to generate a private version of the Tianxuan Treasure Record?”
The prompt from the Tianxuan Mirror echoed in his ears. Compared to its previous emotionless mechanical voice, it now carried a hint of liveliness.
Xu Bai pondered for a moment before choosing “Yes.”
Within his Sea of Consciousness, a rhombus-shaped crystal, crafted using the Endstone Plate as raw material, radiated a brilliant seven-colored glow.
This was the initial plan that Fang Zaiji and his team had developed after a brief period of research.
To prevent the Tianxuan Treasure Record from secretly scanning the contents of his Sea of Consciousness, they utilized the Endstone Plate’s shielding ability to protect it.
At the same time, the rhombus-shaped crystal camouflaged itself externally, continuously emitting various thoughts.
This ensured that the Tianxuan Treasure Record wouldn’t detect anything unusual.
Of course, the thoughts being exposed were deliberately sent out—trivial and insignificant—meant for the Tianxuan Treasure Record to perceive.
Simply put, it was like placing a lock in his Sea of Consciousness to prevent the Tianxuan Treasure Record from spying on it.
Through several experiments, this method had proven effective in protecting the Sea of Consciousness. Fang Zaiji was now researching ways to safeguard the physical body.
Meanwhile, his true body remained in Longevity Valley, maintaining absolute focus. If anything went wrong, he would immediately use [Truth].
As for Xu Bai, he quietly observed the changes in his Sea of Consciousness.
It felt as if an invisible ripple swept through his body.
A moment later, a small, ancient bronze mirror appeared within his Sea of Consciousness.
The rhombus-shaped crystal floated silently above it, yet the Tianxuan Treasure Mirror remained completely unaware.
“It seems everything is fine,” Xu Bai thought to himself.
As soon as his divine sense connected with the mirror, a vast amount of information surfaced instantly.
Everything matched what he had previously learned—every function was intact and fully operational.
“This is truly convenient.”
With a mere thought, a detailed map of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance appeared in Xu Bai’s mind.
On the map, four flashing red dots and six calm green dots were clearly visible.
“The red ones indicate worlds currently being shared among cultivators and still in the midst of conquest, while the green ones represent worlds that have already been fully explored.”
Xu Bai immediately understood.
His gaze shifted toward Shilin Prefecture. Seeing that the location he remembered remained undiscovered, Xu Bai revealed a faint smile.
Exiting the Tianxuan Mirror, he rushed straight toward his destination.
That’s right—his destination was none other than the Empire created by Xu Ke!
“I wonder, what price would they be willing to pay for a treasure that grants immunity from the Xuanhuang Realm’s conquest?”
“And when they see this body, which looks identical to Xu Ke, what kind of reaction will they have?”