Chapter 545: Void Historical Relic, Invitation from the Shadow Sanctuary

The head of the Chasing Light Society in the Profound Spirit Star Domain, Chen Mian, was a Twelfth Tribulation Demigod. It was said that he had never left the Transference Realm.

He rarely used spiritual energy for combat, only for research, to maximize the delay of his True Spirit Tribulation.

At the center of the Aurora Transference Realm was a Three Light Divine Water Lake. It contained golden Sunlight Divine Water, silver Moonlight Divine Water, and purple Starlight Divine Water.

When Zhao Xing stepped into the tri-colored lake, he felt as if he were on a solid surface; the lake's surface was completely still, yet each color of water was incredibly vibrant.

Chen Mian informed Zhao Xing that they had entered the range of the Aurora Array. Zhao Xing looked around but detected no trace of an array. He asked Palace Lord Lu Ya, who was perched on his shoulder, if he could discern anything. The little yellow duck, whose head was buried in its feathers, seemed to be woken up and grumbled, "Why ask me about such a minor thing when you can just ask Bowie? I'm your Dao Protector, not your omniscient Dao Scripture. And you don't even give me your meat to eat in return for answering!"

"You don't need to ask Yan Ao either; he's a Martial God and wouldn't understand these things."

Zhao Xing: "..."Yan Ao: "..."

"Yes, it's all my fault," Zhao Xing quickly said. "I won't do it again. Please bear with me."

Even when Lu Ya scolded him, Zhao Xing still had to appease this powerful being. There was no other way; despite Lu Ya's cute little yellow duck form, he was actually a ferocious beast born in the Scorching Epoch, a mighty Quru Divine Race member. Zhao Xing dared not ask any more questions, fearing that the little yellow duck would unleash its true nature and insist on him cutting off some flesh to eat.

"The Mirror Lake Array, it's a very ancient array," Bowie observed the outside world through a skylight in his inner world. "The Three Light Divine Water Lake serves as its foundation, illuminated by 770 million celestial mirrors. The entire Aurora Transference Realm has one layer of it, with another layer in the central area."

"The Aurora allows entry but no exit; once you enter, you will be locked in."

"It's the ultimate luxury array."

"Luxury item?" Zhao Xing was puzzled. If it was a luxury item, did that mean it wasn't practical?

"If the Divine Lake were to be cut and taken away, it could fetch at least thirty mid-grade Dao Divine Artifacts. Your Spacetime Valley Rain Robe is only a mid-grade Dao Divine Artifact. Of course, it still can't compare to the Primordial Hill, which is considered a pinnacle-grade among top-tier items, a treasure that protects the sect."

"That rich?" Zhao Xing was surprised. Why did Venerable Beiyang say the Chasing Light Society was so poor they couldn't make ends meet?

"You could say they're rich, but this Divine Lake can't be taken away," Bowie shook his head. "Because it's a historical void divine item, passed down by a Divine King-level Chronicler."

"Firstly, it's between a Dao Divine Artifact and a Force Divine Artifact, solidified by a Divine King, making it very difficult to cut. Secondly, once it leaves this Transference Realm, it loses its divine essence; it only remains a divine item within the Transference Realm."

"Void-class historical divine item? Are there even divine items in this category?" Zhao Xing asked curiously.

"Of course there are," Bowie leisurely plucked a branch from a tree in his inner world's manor. Then, a hemispherical barrier appeared around him. With a casual flick, the wooden branch in his hand transformed into a long staff. After a burst of brilliant divine light, Zhao Xing even felt familiar divine power fluctuations.

"What? Is this my Earthbound Divine Needle from the Earth Advantage School?"

Bowie stepped out of the hundred-meter hemispherical barrier. "Outside this Transference Realm, it's fake. See, it's a branch again."

As Zhao Xing stood stunned, Bowie walked back in. "Now, it's real again."

"The hundred-meter area is a mini-Transference Realm I just created. With a wooden branch, it can possess some functions of the Earthbound Divine Needle because I just transformed it based on the description of the Earthbound Divine Needle in historical records. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Zhao Xing exclaimed in surprise. "I just didn't expect such nascent spells could transform into divine items."

"What, have you been deceived before?" Bowie tossed the branch away and clapped his hands.

"No."

Of course not. Lord Zhao was indeed deceived in his previous life. Some high-grade "void historical Dao soldiers" created by chroniclers were incredibly deceptive. In certain restricted areas, they were indistinguishable from real ones. In his previous life, Zhao Xing had once attended a high-end auction at the ancient Tianyou Kingdom, where he snatched a void divine item – the Seven Realms Fara. A Seven Realms Fara from the Seven Realms flow was a Reincarnation Dao Soldier. It was Zhao Xing's first Reincarnation Dao Soldier, pieced together from various sources, and he had gritted his teeth to buy it after saving for several years.

He happily bought it and used it for three years in the ancient Tianyou Kingdom. Then, this Seven Realms Fara unexpectedly degraded into an Origin Dao Soldier, then rapidly into a Sun Dao Soldier, a Moon Dao Soldier, and finally, in the fifth year, it was merely a Boundary Star Dao Soldier! Zhao Xing frantically went back to complain, only to discover that all seventy-two Dao soldiers at that auction were fakes created by a certain chronicler. Void historical Dao soldiers could maintain their effectiveness for a few years within the Tianyou Kingdom before reverting to their original form. And that chronicler? He simply vanished.

Later, Lord Zhao pursued compensation and did get his money back, but the reputation of that high-end auction house plummeted, and it went out of business a few thousand years later. Fortunately, he hadn't bought it with a loan, or he would have been even more furious.

"Void-class spells can even create divine items? That's outrageous," Zhao Xing said, looking at everything around him. So, the entire Aurora Array was a void-class historical divine item?

"Not entirely. The 770 million celestial mirrors are real," Bowie clarified. "Though they are mere magic tools, they are now out of production and impossible to recreate."

"This Aurora Transference Realm is so vast and precious, yet its sole purpose is to seal the Polar Star Origin, capture aurora, reduce transmission loss for the Aurora Array, and conduct related research. Of course, it's not practical; it's a luxury array."

"A Divine King-level Chronicler just to build this? That is indeed luxurious." Zhao Xing had asked Chen Mian, and though the Aurora Transference Realm had many research projects, few had yielded results. Synthesizing a secondary Polar Star Origin? Wasn't that just the light origin emitted by the Giant Sun Star? It was as if no one else could go to the Giant Sun Star to cultivate, and they had to buy from the Chasing Light Society.

Therefore, the Chasing Light Society truly had no profitable ventures. Most of their financial income came from charitable donations. They held Aurora Dharma Assemblies in various ancient kingdoms and factions, seeking research investments. Their largest non-donation income in the past five millennia came from selling tourist tickets.

"Administrator Zhao, we've arrived," Chen Mian suddenly stopped flying.

"Please," Zhao Xing gestured.

Chen Mian then flew back and forth over a purple section of the lake, sending golden lights into the lakebed to activate the array.

*Whoosh!*

Huge celestial mirrors, like world gates, emerged from the lakebed. There were eight of them in total, pieced together from countless small mirrors. Then, a Giant Sun Star appeared within each of the eight mirrors, and a concentrated beam of light shot out from within each mirror.

*Boom!*

A photon torrent converged from eight angles, finally forming a grand sun above their heads.

"Administrator Zhao, please behold, this is our ancestral divine item from the Chasing Light Society. It boasts a long history, with its 770 million celestial mirrors dating back to the fourth solar year of Emperor Li—"

"Stop, stop, Elder Chen," Zhao Xing interrupted. "You can tell me about this later. I've already discussed my investment; I don't have any more money to give right now."

Chen Mian was clearly accustomed to this; he would introduce the grand philosophy and history of the Chasing Light Society to anyone he met, then try to solicit more investment. Zhao Xing had already experienced Chen Mian's verbose nature when he first arrived. Even before meeting Venerable Beiyang, he had finalized the donation amounts and resource lists. Now, seeing him about to launch into another lecture, Zhao Xing grew anxious. How could he waste more time listening to him ramble?

"My apologies, Administrator Zhao. Then I'll just begin directly. I'll explain more later."

"Mhm, mhm."

Chen Mian felt a bit regretful that he couldn't "fleece" Zhao Xing this time. However, he quickly activated the array. As the Vice-President of the Chasing Light Society, Chen Mian was only a Twelfth Tribulation Demigod. Logically, he shouldn't be able to control such a powerful array, but within the Transference Realm, his strength seemed to be enhanced.

Soon, Venerables Beiyang, Ji Wen, and Kacie, three spatial historians, appeared in the celestial mirrors to the southeast, northeast, and northwest. To minimize loss, the three did not speak much after appearing. They immediately activated a mobile Transference Realm at their end, connecting it to this Aurora Transference Realm. As the three performed their spells, Zhao Xing stood directly in front of the mirrors and could see them continuously sending out streaks of light. These light streaks seemed to travel through vast space, overcoming layers of obstacles, and heading towards his location.

"Venerable Beiyang mentioned previously that five thousand strands of Polar Star Origin would be sent back in batches within a hundred years. I wonder how much this first batch will bring," Zhao Xing waited quietly.

The first activation of the Aurora Array lasted three years and nine months. Afterwards, the light within the entire array space slowly diminished. The first batch yielded 800 strands of Polar Star Origin.

"Administrator Zhao, these are the Polar Star Origins. They are contained in Radiant Bottles crafted by our Chasing Light Society. Allow me to tell you the origin of this magic tool—"

"President Chen, please give me the bottles first! I'll leave a clone here to listen to you."

"Alright then."

Outside the Aurora Transference Realm, in a cultivation chamber.

"I eat!"

Zhao Xing opened his gaping maw and swallowed all 800 strands of Polar Star Origin. The Origin was liquid-like and seemingly weightless, but upon entering his body, it immediately transformed into countless beams of light, surging through him. His bloodline boiled, his Sacred Body vibrated, and Zhao Xing felt an intense heat, as if his body were melting.

"Refine them all!"

The Boundless Sea surged, absorbing all the light instantly. The grand sun reflected in the Boundless Sea became even more dazzling. As it continuously absorbed, the Boundless Sea churned ceaselessly. For five thousand years, Zhao Xing's progress in the Heavenly Time School cultivation method had virtually stagnated. Now, he was extremely parched, almost swallowing the Radiant Bottle artifact itself.

"No more?" Zhao Xing still craved more; he digested it very quickly. After all, his True Spirit was already at the eighteenth stage, making it easy to master the second layer of the cultivation method. If the artifact had a lid, he would surely lick it clean.

Boundless Sun Sea, Second Layer: 4265/10000

"It increased by 800 points."

"Truly, you get what you pay for. 800 strands of Polar Star Origin, neither more nor less, just exactly 800 points of increase."

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait too long. The transmission batches would be completed within a hundred years, totaling at least 5000 strands.

The second transmission began eight years later, lasted two years and four months, and returned 500 strands of Polar Star Origin. Zhao Xing absorbed them instantly again, and his cultivation progress increased by 500 points. The third transmission began seven years later, lasted two years and six months, and returned 432 strands of Polar Star Origin.

Time flowed on, and Zhao Xing had already spent 88 years in the Aurora Transference Realm.

One day, Zhao Xing was casually strolling around the Aurora Transference Realm, looking at various things. Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure.

"Zhao..."

Before the person could finish calling his name, Zhao Xing turned and ran.

"Administrator Zhao, don't run!" Chen Mian pounced forward, and dozens of Epoch Clones blocked Zhao Xing's path.

"President Chen, what a coincidence! You must have something important to do. Don't worry about me, I'm just looking around," Zhao Xing feigned nonchalance and quickly retreated.

"Administrator Zhao, the Stargazing Pavilion next to you is a void divine item left by a certain divine general in history. It can observe all the stars in the world..."

Chen Mian launched into his spiel with zero-frame initiation, making Zhao Xing inwardly sigh. After decades, he truly feared this old senior, who would seize every opportunity to introduce things to him, only to follow up with a lament.

"...Administrator Zhao, our Chasing Light Society is truly struggling. At the beginning of the Wilderness Domain's Second Epoch, we had over 70,000 core members, but now only half remain. They are often scorched by instantaneous peaks of aurora."

"To treat such injuries, each time it costs between two thousand to ten thousand Five Emperor Coins."

Zhao Xing understood. He was being asked to sponsor the Chasing Light Society's medical projects, right?

"No, Administrator Zhao, I don't mean for you to invest money. I was just casually mentioning it. I heard that the Tilian Robe from the Primordial Hill can resist aurora scorching. I wonder if Administrator Zhao has verified this?"

Ah, Chen Mian was even trying to get some twin Tilian Robes from the Primordial Hill. Zhao Xing helplessly said, "I haven't verified it, nor do I have the time. However, I can bring some samples for President Chen to verify."

"Good, excellent! Administrator Zhao, you truly are our Chasing Light Society's benefactor!" Chen Mian jumped for joy. "I thank you on behalf of all our more than 70,000 core members!"

Good heavens, he wanted 70,000 pieces, did he? Didn't he just say there were only half of the core members left, around 35,000? Wasn't one for each person enough? Zhao Xing felt like he was going bald! However, looking at Chen Mian's appearance, he still couldn't bring himself to refuse.

"Alright, you're welcome."

Hmm? *You're welcome*? Zhao Xing felt he had said the wrong thing. Sure enough, Chen Mian immediately pulled Zhao Xing to another location.

"What a curse—" Zhao Xing sighed inwardly.

Bowie, inside his inner world, nearly burst out laughing. When he came to integrate the spatial historians years ago, he had also interacted with Chen Mian and had experienced his relentless pestering. "Chen Mian's strength is only at the Twelfth Stage, but his begging skills are definitely at the Eighteenth Stage!" Bowie remarked. However, he felt no pity for Zhao Xing. On the contrary, he was somewhat gleeful. Who told Zhao Xing to take hundreds of millions of his Realm Spirit points at the Transference Realm Tower back then?

"Karma is a cycle; this is retribution," Bowie silently cheered Chen Mian on. "Chen Mian, you must seize this opportunity and fully display your talents!"

In the ninety-seventh year, the final transmission was completed.

"Administrator Zhao, the three of us cannot transmit Polar Star Origin back for a short period. We trouble you to take good care of the Chasing Light Society."

Venerables Beiyang, Ji Wen, and Kacie bowed to Zhao Xing in unison from within the mirrors. Zhao Xing returned the bow:

"Rest assured, all three of you. Zhao Xing will not forget. If we meet again in the future, we shall raise our cups together."

Boundless Sun Sea, Second Layer: 8887/10000

Upon leaving the Chasing Light Society headquarters, Zhao Xing had absorbed all the Polar Star Origin. His progress had now reached close to 9000 points. Venerables Beiyang, Ji Wen, and Kacie had sent him over 5600 strands of Polar Star Origin, which was arguably Zhao Xing's greatest gain in the Wilderness Domain's Third Epoch. After all, Polar Star Origin was incredibly difficult to collect; even the Profound Spirit Treasure Pavilion didn't have it. Even if he were to travel to past timelines, the difficulty of collecting it would likely be the same, unless it was a specific limited spacetime territory.

"If I had to find it myself or exchange it for divine items, I don't know how great the cost would be. I truly owe a lot to the Chasing Light Society."

"The Chasing Light Society didn't lose out either," Bowie rarely showed a smile. "You, as the head of the Primordial Hill, helped them find several revenue streams. Their situation will greatly improve over the next few solar years. At least they won't have to be distracted by organizing Dharma Assemblies or fundraising, and they can temporarily close some visiting areas to avoid being disturbed."

Zhao Xing nodded. These ninety-seven years were probably Chen Mian's happiest time. Although he constantly complained, his smile never faded, and he thanked Zhao Xing profusely upon his departure. However, Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised that Bowie was happy about this, even showing a joyful smile in front of him. It seemed that this former grand elder of the Academy City was not entirely devoid of humanity as he appeared before the tombstone, completely indifferent to everything. Deep down, he still held a bright and soft part.

"Where are you going next?" Bowie quickly sobered up and turned to business.

"I don't have many major things left to do. I could apply to the Origin Heaven Palace next—actually, I might still have something else to do."

Now that even the Boundless Sun Sea had reached the late stage of its second layer, Zhao Xing had originally planned to apply for spacetime travel and the opportunity to become a god. However, at this moment, he suddenly changed his mind because an unexpected guest sought him out.

"Why is the Shadow Sanctuary contacting me? And through Martial Emperor Ji Che?"

The Shadow Sanctuary was the most mysterious super-faction, even more mysterious than the Reincarnation Divine Hall. Gu Luohe had once said that the Shadow Sanctuary seemed to be a completely neutral faction, founded by a certain Divine King, with no discernible roots.

"The spacetime impacts of the Wilderness Domain's Third Epoch seem to have affected the Shadow Sanctuary's operations. It's been a long time since I've heard of any astonishing bounty missions appearing from them."

"Now, suddenly trying to contact me through Ji Che, what could it be for?"

A shadow flashed across Zhao Xing's heart. Speaking of which, every assassination and capture he had experienced since entering the cosmic version had been related to the Shadow Sanctuary. Back then, Marquis Heyin of the ancient Dongyan clan had hired assassins to kill him, wanting to reclaim the holy item from the Reincarnation Altar. Later, Wei Tianchen twice bought information and hired people to capture him, also through the Shadow Sanctuary. Even Jin Yan had tried to issue a kill bounty through the Shadow Sanctuary, but by that time, Zhao Xing had already produced the Layered Realm Mountain Treatise and the Six-Pattern Star Treatise. At that point, he was already in the Reincarnation Realm. To some extent, he should no longer have been within the Sanctuary's commission scope. After all, there was an unspoken understanding between the Sanctuary and major super-factions; the Shadow Sanctuary generally did not issue commissions targeting core areas or core members of super-factions. Wei Tianchen's second commission was incredibly valuable, as it seemed to have broken this understanding between the Shadow Sanctuary and the super-factions.

"I can inherit Wei Tianchen's authority level in the Shadow Sanctuary?" Zhao Xing had never even considered this. After all, for the Shadow Sanctuary to transfer authority levels, even for master-disciple or father-son relationships, there were usually quite stringent procedures for inheritance or transfer. Back in the White Bone Divine Domain of the Xuanhuang Realm, old Wei passed it on to him simply because he didn't want to benefit Dan Ye Zizai. Master-disciple relationship? That was out of the question! Everyone knew Wei Tianchen wanted to kill him; he had even inflicted the Spirit Trapping Heavenly Poison on him once. Yet the Shadow Sanctuary recognized him as having inherited Wei Tianchen's legacy, rather than having counter-killed him?

Zhao Xing initially did not want to get involved with the Shadow Sanctuary, but Wei Tianchen's authority seemed very high, which made him somewhat intrigued. However, he also worried if there was some conspiracy involved, so he shook his head and said, "My relationship with Wei Tianchen cannot be considered master-disciple. And even if I claimed it was, I don't think you would be able to verify it."

The Xuanhuang Realm was sealed off by the Reincarnation Divine Hall, and furthermore, his experience with Wei Tianchen was in a past, sealed land. If the Shadow Sanctuary could even investigate this, it would be too terrifying.

Black Robe, however, said, "We indeed cannot retrace the time you spent with Wei Tianchen, nor have we spied on your experiences by traversing the long river of time."

"However, we have other evidence proving that Wei Tianchen was willing to pass on the Shadow Authority to you."

"Of course, you can also choose not to accept his legacy in the Shadow Sanctuary. If you choose to abandon it now, I can send you away immediately."