Chapter 557: Asking the Way, Severing Qi, Observing the Sky, Testing the Soil, Inheritance Contest

Time flowed, and in the blink of an eye, Zhao Xing had served as a guardian on Penglai Island for seven hundred years.

Inside his cave dwelling on Moon Spirit Peak, a World Core flickered twice and vanished, replaced by Zhao Xing's figure.

"Time passes so quickly. The opportunity for the Penglai God General's inheritance is almost here," Zhao Xing mused with anticipation. "For over seven hundred years, I've diligently cultivated the Ksitigarbha Method. Now is the time to verify my progress."

His role as a guardian was indeed easy; he spent very little effort on work, leaving him ample time for personal cultivation.

As a result, Zhao Xing had made significant progress in the Ksitigarbha Method.

"Don't get too happy too soon. This opportunity might not even be triggered," Bovice's voice echoed in his mind.

"Hmm? What do you mean, Elder?" Zhao Xing was somewhat puzzled.

"What, have you not read the 'Treatise on Time and Space' I gave you carefully?" Bovice reminded him. "Your understanding of the Dao of Time and History is still very shallow. You should read that book more often in the future."

"Yes, Elder, I will certainly study more in the future. But what did you mean by 'might not be triggered'?"

At that moment, Bovice, dressed in a historian's robe, slowly explained, "The historical event of the Penglai God General's inheritance has seen over 780,000 participants across countless cycles, but no one has ever successfully taken the inheritance."

"If it had been taken, starting from that successful instance, the Penglai God General would no longer appear in opportunity events; it would have completely vanished."

"Furthermore, not every entry into this time-space instance will trigger the 'Penglai God General's Inheritance' opportunity."

"It might happen, or it might not. It's not guaranteed."

"There's such a thing?" Zhao Xing found it novel. "Elder, why would this happen?"

"The reason is simple: as a God General, Penglai knows he has been continuously reincarnating for 341 epochs in the Desolate Domain. He can sense countless branches of the Dao of Time appearing on himself."

"Of course, he can only perceive them, but he cannot escape the constraints because he is deeply entangled in the major event of the Universe Ark's downfall."

Zhao Xing was somewhat confused. Even though he had studied the Treatise on Time and Space for many years, understanding and controlling the Dao of Time was a divine domain, which he couldn't grasp clearly.

"Elder, could you explain it more clearly? Aren't gods able to transcend the flow of time?"

Bovice waved his hand, creating a river within his internal world.

Bovice slowly walked into the river, the water reaching below his knees.

"See, this is how a God-realm expert typically navigates the river of time."

"Splash~"

Bovice suddenly jumped, easily landing on the bank, then walked back and forth along the upstream and downstream sections.

After the first demonstration, Bovice jumped back into the river.

The second time, Bovice swam to a deep-water area and entered a large ship deeply embedded in the mud and sand.

"Now, in this abnormal situation, I'll still jump with the same force."

"Thud!"

Bovice's head hit the ceiling.

Zhao Xing suddenly understood: "Gods can indeed jump out of the river of time, but you didn't say the river of time restrained the Penglai God General. Instead, the Penglai God General cannot escape this Universe Ark."

Bovice nodded. "Exactly. His life, fate, karma, everything is deeply bound to the Universe Ark. Caught within this major event, he cannot escape by his own power alone."

"The two God Kings left no way back when they first built the ship. Even God Kings Zhoushan and Ksitigarbha cannot escape it, let alone him."

Zhao Xing pointed at the sunken ship in the river. "So, the Penglai God General can know that Descenders have entered the Universe Ark, but saving it would be like salvaging the entire Ark. And the Universe Ark is too heavy; it's impossible to reverse the river of time and change its fate."

"Yes," Bovice nodded. "In fact, at the very beginning of the Universe Ark's sinking, the Primordial Hill, the Origin Celestial Palace, and the Samsara Divine Hall also considered reversing the entire Fushan Domain's time-space to completely save the two God Kings, but they were powerless."

"Firstly, the Universe Ark is simply too 'heavy,' a weight based on the time-space laws of the entire universe."

"Secondly, the two God Kings performed a 'divine concealment' on it, adding another layer of difficulty to any reversal."

"Additionally, it was solidified by someone at the end of the 341st epoch in the Desolate Domain. Even God Kings like the Moon Goddess Palace Lord and the Samsara Palace Lord were powerless to change it."

"Who solidified the event of the Universe Ark's downfall?" Zhao Xing asked.

"The group of gods known as the 'True History Faction'," Bovice replied. "They only acknowledge true history. Indeed, because of their existence, neither righteous gods nor evil gods could send anyone back to the Universe Ark in its first solar year. It was only later, after some unexpected events, that this became possible."

Zhao Xing had heard Bovice mention the True History Faction before. They only recognized true history, meaning they maintained historical events in their original state, forbidding anyone from going back to alter, distort, or contaminate them.

However, he hadn't realized how powerful this group was. No wonder Bovice wanted to integrate the Astral Historian lineage during the Desolate Domain Epoch; it seemed there was a good reason.

Zhao Xing was puzzled: "With so many gods traveling back and forth through the river of time, even divided into multiple factions, if that's the case, then true history simply wouldn't exist, would it?"

"And if they try to 'maintain' it, wouldn't that create what they call 'false history'? Isn't that a contradiction?"

Bovice nodded. "Yes, theories are just theories after all. The Extreme Stars and Extreme Lands are also just theories within the Diviner's practices."

"However, this organization is very powerful. It's said that the True History Faction can share a method of 'Heaven and Earth Dao Attestation,' so almost everyone within the organization is an invincible True God expert at their respective rank."

"Almost all True Gods of History?" Zhao Xing couldn't help but be shocked. How terrifying must this organization be?

No wonder Bovice said that if he saw a god from the True History Faction, he should run as far as possible.

He just didn't know what the taboos of this organization were, or what would trigger their pursuit.

Zhao Xing wanted to ask further, but Bovice didn't continue. "Let's return to the matter of the Penglai God General. A God General of Penglai's caliber, because of his profound understanding of the Dao of Time, can know how many Descenders have entered."

Bovice continued, "In cycle after cycle, if the Penglai God General finds no promising candidates or very few participants, he won't leave behind his inheritance trials. Therefore, the Descenders won't trigger the inheritance opportunity event."

"In short, he can continue to live in the cycle and is not actually in a hurry."

Zhao Xing asked, "So, does that mean the Penglai God General's inheritance trial changes every time?"

Bovice replied, "There are indeed changes, but not every time, and not entirely. For example, he always sets trials related to the Ksitigarbha Method. As for the others, they change much more, sometimes even involving the Id School and the Kairos School."

Zhao Xing thought to himself that the Penglai God General's trial wouldn't be simple. Given that so many geniuses had failed to obtain the inheritance, could he succeed this time?

He wasn't confident, but since he was already here, he had to try.

As the time for the opportunity event drew nearer, Zhao Xing stopped cultivating and instead communicated mentally with the former members of the Mountain Patrol Divine Bureau.

Inside a Mental Palace, Liu Qingci sat in the main seat, while Xu Huai, Zhuohua, and Zhao Xing occupied guest seats.

"Three fellow Daoists, the Penglai God General's opportunity event is about to begin."

"May I ask if all three of you will participate?" Liu Qingci began.

"Of course I'll participate!" Venerable Zhuohua laughed. "To be honest with you three, I'm a genuine Diviner of the Terrestrial Advantage School, and in my original time-space, I was also a Mountain Lord in the Zhoushan Domain."

"When it comes to confidence, among the four of us, if I claim to be second, I doubt any of you would dare to claim first, right?"

Venerable Zhuohua spoke these words with confidence.

There was a reason for his assertion.

Zhao Xing and Xu Huai, in their past performances, specialized in the Marquis Transformation Method of the Kairos School.

Therefore, Zhuohua believed these two were genuine Diviners of the Kairos School.

As for Venerable Yusheng, Liu Qingci, it went without saying. She was a High Priestess. Although she could also use Diviner spells, this was by simulating the core principles of Diviners using spiritual conduits, which was considered cross-domain cultivation. Compared to a true Diviner, she was probably still somewhat inferior.

"Brother Zhuohua, you're boasting too soon!" Xu Huai snorted. "Perhaps you are formidable among us, but there's no telling how many Descenders are on this Penglai Island."

"You think you're stronger than me, huh? Brother, have you ever been on the Blazing Epoch Genius List?"

Zhuohua's face darkened instantly. The Blazing Epoch Genius List was a ranking created by the Shadow Sanctuary, compiling all famous geniuses throughout the entire Blazing Epoch.

Xu Huai had once been on it, though he later dropped out of the rankings. But even this was enough for him to boast about constantly; whenever they chatted, Xu Huai would "casually" bring it up.

Zhuohua couldn't refute him, as he truly hadn't been on it. "What's a genius list? If I'm going to be on a list, it'll be the New God List!"

If it weren't for the inheritance, Zhuohua would have broken through long ago. In the Yass Sea Region, he had already gathered enough resources for breakthrough.

As a primary cultivator of the Terrestrial Advantage School, he could directly use Earth God Crystals to break through, without needing to wait until he left to exchange resources.

Xu Huai and the others likely hadn't broken through due to their different schools.

"Venerable Zhuohua is a Mountain Lord of the Primordial Hill? I wonder from what era," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"The Blazing Epoch Genius List, there's such a list?"

"It seems those pleasure-seeking gods from the Shadow Sanctuary created it for fun."

Seeing Zhao Xing remain silent, Liu Qingci proactively asked, "Brother Han, why are you so quiet?"

"Indeed, Venerable Han," Venerable Zhuohua said, "I've already revealed my background, but I still don't know yours."

"Actually, I'm also a Diviner from the Primordial Hill," Zhao Xing said casually.

"Oh?" Venerable Zhuohua was surprised. "What a coincidence."

"What coincidence?" Xu Huai chuckled. "Terrestrial Diviners originate from the Primordial Hill. Which genius of the Terrestrial Advantage School hasn't spent time there? Han Bing, what position did you hold?"

"Me? It's not worth mentioning, better not to say," Zhao Xing waved his hand, not wishing to elaborate.

But Xu Huai assumed Zhao Xing had only held some unimportant positions.

Zhuohua even consoled him, "Venerable Han's talent, in my time-space, would at least make him a Peak Master. If he focused on the Dao of Terrestrial Advantage and could write some treatises, becoming a Mountain Lord would be more than achievable."

"Since Venerable Han also cultivates the Dao of Terrestrial Advantage, do you have any scriptures or treatises? Perhaps we could discuss one or two."

"Just some mediocre theories, I wouldn't dare to present them."

In his internal world, Bovice couldn't help but chuckle at Zhao Xing's words.

"If you really told him, this Zhuohua would probably be scared half to death. Even if you dared to offer him the Ten Directions Mountain Scripture, he probably wouldn't dare to look at it."

Knowing too much isn't always a good thing; it can also be a big problem.

Time passed little by little as the four chatted idly.

Soon, it was the 354th year of the second solar year.

"Voom!"

In early 354, Zhao Xing discovered that the Xuanling Chronicle showed the Penglai God General's opportunity event had been triggered!

Simultaneously, a subtle divine oracle flew out from the temples across Penglai Mountain:

"I am the God of Penglai. All who hear me may enter the Bamboo Elephant Grotto-Heaven to participate in the inheritance trials!"

Inside Moon Spirit Peak, Zhao Xing immediately opened his eyes upon hearing this voice.

"It's here! The opportunity event has finally been triggered!"

"Bamboo Elephant Grotto-Heaven? The entrance is in the temple at the foot of Penglai Mountain."

Zhao Xing immediately set off, flying towards the entrance of the Bamboo Elephant Grotto-Heaven.

After he flew out of his cave dwelling, he also sensed countless powerful auras hurrying towards the Bamboo Elephant Grotto-Heaven.

"So many demigod-level Diviners. Most are around the fifteenth tier, with only a few exceeding it."

Demigod Tier 15 was a threshold. For example, the ancestor of the Carlos family was Tier 15, but he couldn't cast spells at full power, or he wouldn't be able to suppress the True Spirit Tribulation.

Anyone who could surpass Tier 15 was a genius among geniuses.

However, such individuals were rare. Zhao Xing hadn't detected anyone at his own Tier 18, though he did sense a few at Tier 17.

"Logically, in the past, the Dao of Time and Space was more complete, and the origin more abundant, so there should be more genius demigods. Why are there so few? Have they suppressed their auras?"

"That's true. If they are protected by Karma Tokens, then my senses wouldn't be very accurate."

"Unless I see them with my own eyes and observe them via the system panel, then it would be very accurate."

In the winter of 354, the Bamboo Elephant Grotto-Heaven closed.

This first round of screening depended on whether one could hear the voice of the Penglai God General.

Zhao Xing roughly estimated the number of participants; about ten thousand people had entered the Bamboo Elephant Grotto-Heaven.

As far as the eye could see, almost all were Descenders.

"It seems the Penglai God General indeed knows about the existence of 'Descenders,' so he simply didn't choose anyone from the Universe Ark."

"I just don't know if any God-realm beings are present."

All Zhao Xing saw were demigod-level Diviners. God-level? Not a single one.

After entering the Bamboo Elephant Grotto-Heaven, Bovice also fell silent. Within another God General's divine domain, Bovice chose to remain hidden; not interfering with the Penglai God General's trial was the greatest help he could offer Zhao Xing.

If any god interfered, even just with a casual reminder, it would be disrespectful to the Penglai God General, backfire, and possibly lead to expulsion.

"Buzz~"

The moment the Bamboo Elephant Grotto-Heaven closed, the second stage of the Penglai God General's trial began.

The ground shifted like a swamp, and Zhao Xing found himself moved to a different spot. Everyone was neatly arranged at a fixed location, as if in formation.

Each person held a seed pouch.

"This inheritance trial has a total of 13,481 participants. Each person has a territory of 1 World Yuan unit beneath their feet."

"Everyone's environmental conditions are exactly the same."

"The seeds are ordinary common bamboo, and there are only ten of them."

"The soil is Tier 1 ordinary soil."

"No personal attacks are allowed during the trial."

Everyone listened quietly to the Penglai God General's words, unwilling to miss a single detail.

"I have no sectarian biases. As long as you can make 'ordinary bamboo soar to one hundred thousand extremes,' or cultivate 'a plot of divine soil,' you can obtain my inheritance."

"If no one meets this requirement, it proves that none of you are suitable to be my successor."

"If multiple people meet this requirement, a second trial will be added."

"Begin."

As the Penglai God General's voice signaling the start echoed, everyone began to move.

Zhao Xing, however, didn't move immediately. He held the seed pouch in his hand and began to analyze the task.

"There are only ten common seeds in the pouch, all from the bamboo family."

"The soil is only at Tier 1 spiritual level."

"But now, I'm supposed to make common seeds soar to one hundred thousand extremes, or make the soil under my feet produce a handful of divine-tier soil?"

"Difficult, difficult, difficult!"

After analyzing the task, Zhao Xing realized it was almost impossible.

The others were also frantically complaining in their minds.

"The Penglai God General must have encountered countless monstrous geniuses; this inheritance trial is getting harder and harder!"

"Are you crazy? If I could achieve this level, why would I need his inheritance? I could already get a decent reward in the Xitian God King City!"

"No wonder, across so many cycles, hundreds of thousands of geniuses came here and none ever obtained his inheritance. It's clearly impossible to complete!"

"We are Diviners; we can't conjure matter out of thin air like Historians. If the total amount of matter is limited, how can we cultivate anything?"

"Hmm? These seeds have also been modified; their life essence is incredibly fragile. There are only ten seedlings in the bag, meaning only ten chances."

"Ten chances might seem like a lot, but these are common seeds, too fragile. It's easy to overwork them to death."

"Common bamboo soaring to one hundred thousand extremes? The difficulty is immense. The height of common plants is measured in 'zhang,' but a cultivator's 'extreme' is a vast unit of measurement. They are not on the same level."

Countless people silently lamented the difficulty, but some were thinking of ways, even beginning to try.

Zhao Xing didn't immediately start cultivating land or planting. Instead, he began to test methods.

"Asking the Dao, Severing Nothingness, Observing the Heavens, Testing the Soil—these are the four methods of judgment from the Primordial Ksitigarbha Sutra."

"The Penglai God General didn't forbid the use of Kairos methods and Id methods. However, the Dao of Kairos and the Dao of Id are not prominent here. If I want to cultivate using Kairos or Id methods, the difficulty will skyrocket."

Zhao Xing first performed 'Asking the Dao.' Two wisps of golden light appeared from his fingers, extending upwards to the heavens and downwards into the earth.

He quickly discovered that only the Dao of Terrestrial Advantage was most prominent here; the Dao of Kairos and the Dao of Id were noticeably weaker.

In other words, if he used Terrestrial Advantage methods to complete the trial, one effort would yield one gain.

If it were the other two Daos, it would take approximately ten efforts to yield one gain.

"Although the Penglai God General doesn't exclude the other two schools, he also believes that Kairos and Id are not as good as Terrestrial Advantage."

"They can serve as assistance, but not as the primary method for this trial."

Zhao Xing then performed 'Severing Nothingness.' Nothingness refers to the six qi: Qi of Heaven, Qi of Earth, Qi of the Sun, Qi of Flying Springs, Qi of Flow, and Qi of Haze.

"The qi of heaven alone cannot provide enough sustenance, but the underground can."

After observing the heavens and testing the soil, Zhao Xing suddenly realized.

"I understand."

"Just counting the 1 World Yuan unit of territory under my feet definitely won't be enough. But if I can plunder nutrients from a larger area, there's hope of achieving the goal."

"The Penglai God General said no personal attacks, but he didn't say plants couldn't compete for nutrients. As long as I don't hit anyone, it's fine!"

Zhao Xing flipped open the seed pouch, and ten common bamboo seedlings were immediately planted around him.

Those who acted quickly could already see their saplings shooting skyward, rapidly rooting and gripping the ground.

"There's only one trial, but two battlefields: above ground and underground."

Zhao Xing scanned his surroundings. After his seeds were planted, they grew with unstoppable momentum, wildly sprouting.

"The Qi of Heaven, Qi of Flowing Haze, and Qi of the Sun exist in the sky. The higher one goes, the stronger these qi become, and the more one absorbs, the more it benefits growth."

"The sky is the first battlefield."

He looked up at the sky, where sun and moon shone together. The Lunar Essence and Solar Divine Radiance were hidden above the dark clouds.

At this moment, the sky still seemed vast, but as the saplings grew larger, their branches and leaves would proliferate, and their canopies would eventually cover the sky, blocking other territories from absorbing heavenly qi.

Zhao Xing noticed that the edge of his territory was already shadowed by the canopies of saplings planted by Descenders to his front, back, left, and right.

It was like someone nearby holding an umbrella, blocking his sunlight.

Zhao Xing didn't immediately counterattack; instead, he looked down towards the ground.

"However, most of the bamboo plants become weak once they reach 'half-extreme' height."

"Therefore, they need to draw strength from deep underground. This strength is nutrients, the Qi of Earth, Qi of Flow, and Qi of Flying Springs generated within the earth's veins."

"The second battlefield is the root struggle deep underground."

His gaze penetrated underground. What seemed like a calm surface above ground was actually a turbulent battle beneath.

Countless roots frantically spread underground. Soon, the roots of some people's planted saplings extended beyond their own territory, beginning to encroach upon and press into others' lands.

Root systems intertwined like dragons locked in battle, coiling around each other and strangling one another.

Some roots were like needles, piercing into other root systems and absorbing their nutrients.

Zhao Xing saw the plant roots in the territory directly in front of him being drained of vitality by a territory to his front-left. It withered as it reached 'half-extreme' height, not only unable to grow further but also teetering on the verge of collapse.

"Who said the Penglai God General dislikes fighting?" Zhao Xing couldn't help but smile. "He might not like to fight himself, but he might not dislike watching others fight."

As time passed, in less than a month, Zhao Xing noticed that the Diviner directly in front of him had been eliminated.

His ten saplings had already withered, the tallest reaching only 'half-extreme' height. Although his soil had been covered in a faint glow, it was drained away by a neighboring participant after his failure.

"Thump!"

Upon his elimination, he was immediately teleported out of the Bamboo Elephant Grotto-Heaven. Without the Diviner's spell support, his completely illogical plant collapsed, turning into nutrients for the earth.

But it didn't remain long before it was absorbed by the Diviner in the front-left territory.

"Hmm? Coming for me now."

Zhao Xing felt a shadow creeping over him from the front-left. This person, having plundered from one, was now targeting him, who seemed weaker.

Because his ten saplings were only half a meter tall, just a few slender shoots, looking underdeveloped.

"Fellow Daoist, you've crossed the line," Zhao Xing sent a mental message to the silver-haired Diviner meditating on a bamboo branch in the front-left territory. "This is my territory."

The silver-haired Diviner opened his eyes and glanced dismissively at Zhao Xing's sparse territory. "Incompetent fool, why occupy land? You might as well be eliminated early, lest you hinder me."