"You each take one step to the east, west, north, and south," Zhao Xing instructed.
Xia Jing, Long Xiao, Chen Shijie, and Ji Zixuan obediently followed his direction.
All four moved toward the east, and Zhao Xing watched the pillars of fate surrounding each of them.
Chen Shijie's fate showed signs of decline, with his luck becoming scattered.
Ji Zixuan's luck was similar, though less severe than Chen Shijie's.
Long Xiao and Xia Jing, on the other hand, were unaffected. In fact, a faint purple glow even surrounded them, signaling good fortune.
"The east leads to the Inverted Peak Mountains, the place we've visited before. It's now being claimed by more and more people, making it dangerous," Zhao Xing mused. "However, Xia Jing and Long Xiao still have some favorable fortune, even though it's slightly weakening."
As for Chen Shijie and Ji Zixuan, if they stayed in the Inverted Peak Mountains, ominous signs would soon arise.
Zhao Xing then examined their fates in other directions.
"The west and north show favorable signs, but the south presents a mix of fortune and danger, requiring us to turn peril into safety."
The south led to Crimson Lake, which Zhao Xing decided to avoid for now.
After calculating, he found that the west showed the Tai hexagram, symbolizing smooth transitions and alternating good luck.
The north revealed the Nine Two of the Kan hexagram: danger lies ahead, but small gains are possible.
Logically, most people would head west toward Penglai Marsh, where fortune would consistently be in their favor.
However, Zhao Xing had his eyes set on the treasures of Extreme Night Sea, which he needed to claim early before others arrived.
The treasures in Penglai Marsh, though valuable, were too scattered compared to those in Extreme Night Sea.
"'Danger ahead, but small gains are possible'—this indicates that there's no significant danger."
"But I aim for something much bigger, which could cause trouble. However, the longer I wait, the greater the trouble becomes. It's best to head to Extreme Night Sea now."
"With the luck of the five of us combined and my past-life experience, we should be able to handle it," Zhao Xing concluded. He made his decision to head to the Extreme Night Sea first.
None of the others had any objections, so they immediately piloted the Airship northward.
"It will take at least a day and a half to reach Extreme Night Sea, so I'll rest for a while."
"Well, well, a rare sight indeed," Xia Jing said with a smirk. "I thought you didn't need sleep?"
"No need to push myself just to pick up a few treasures."
"Long Xiao, if we come across any Forgetting Monuments, remember to steer clear. Follow the map provided by the Military Realm."
"If we encounter a restricted area, just flash our pass."
"No problem," Long Xiao nodded.
Zhao Xing had deliberately not let Chen Shijie pilot the ship. Given his current luck, there was a risk he might accidentally fly them into danger.
After giving his instructions, Zhao Xing entered the cabin, closed his eyes, and appeared to sleep.
In truth, he entered a dream state to review his memories from his previous life, reflecting on the many benefits of Extreme Night Sea.
While his true self piloted the Kirin Airship northward, one of his straw puppet avatars remained at Lingxiu Hot Spring.
During Zhao Xing's entrance into the Heavenly Gate, Ji Zixuan had finished absorbing her fire luck, but Murong Xue had yet to emerge, so they waited.
When Zhao Xing was immersed in his future calculations inside the Heavenly Gate, Murong Xue stepped out of the hot spring. She glanced at Zhao Xing's silhouette on the hill with a softened expression.
Enjoying the fortune of bathing in such a spiritual place wasn't something everyone could experience.
Without Zhao Xing guiding her, she probably wouldn't have discovered such a place.
However, her gaze soon landed on Ji Zixuan, and Murong Xue's lips curled in disdain.
What a seductive vixen!
Just moments earlier, Ji Zixuan had made such loud noises!
"Earlier, she was dressed provocatively, flaunting herself, and now she's pretending to be all dignified... Hmph, typical of someone trained by her." Murong Xue couldn't hide her contempt as she distanced herself several miles away from Ji Zixuan, quietly waiting for Zhao Xing to "log back in."
The two waited in complete silence, without a single exchange.
Ji Zixuan, knowing Murong Xue's identity, had no interest in engaging with her.
Similarly, Murong Xue was well aware that Ji Zixuan was the disciple of Princess Youruo.
The tensions between their elders had been passed down to the next generation, making them naturally hostile toward each other.
It wasn't until Zhao Xing and his group finished collapsing the peaks and began heading toward Extreme Night Sea that his straw puppet avatar stood up again from the hill.
"Senior Brother," Ji Zixuan, who had been meditating nearby, greeted him.
She kept a distance that was neither too close nor too far, maintaining a balance between intimacy and respect.
"Mm. Are you both done?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Yes, thank you for your blessings, Senior Brother," Ji Zixuan said, bowing slightly.
Zhao Xing couldn't help but give Ji Zixuan an extra glance. Her demeanor and appearance were noticeably different from before.
"Thank you, Lord Zhao," Murong Xue also approached, flying over as soon as she saw Zhao Xing had "logged in."
"Mm." Zhao Xing nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"Senior Brother, where are we headed next?" Ji Zixuan asked.
"Wait a bit, I'll tell you soon," Zhao Xing said, not offering any detailed explanation.
He intended to take the two girls for a tour of the Inverted Peak Mountains. While he wouldn't involve them in the greatest opportunities, he didn't mind showing them the way to second-tier ones.
The Ten Suns Cave-Heaven had plenty of benefits, and even a small portion of them would be more than enough for these two women to gain a great deal.
However, many areas in the Inverted Peak Mountains had already been claimed and marked with Forgetting Monuments.
Thus, Zhao Xing was now waiting for his other avatars to arrive.
His Myriad Law Straw Puppet had progressed from the fourth transformation to the sixth transformation after passing through the Heavenly Gate.
The Myriad Law Straw Puppet could control more avatars as it advanced. Now, at the sixth transformation, Zhao Xing could control up to eighteen straw puppet avatars.
He had dispatched half of these avatars to their current location, meaning eight more were still on their way.
Murong Xue was suspected to be the daughter of Old Liu, while Ji Zixuan was Princess Youruo's cherished disciple.
Both women had only recently entered the Seventh Rank, so Zhao Xing needed to be vigilant and ensure nothing happened to them.
"Give me your earth mirror for a moment," Zhao Xing said as he took Ji Zixuan's earth mirror, using the waiting time to assess the current situation.
At that moment, the earth mirror displayed a map list of various locations.
Many small maps were visible on the screen.
[Yulian Mountain: Fourth-Level Rampage]
[Area: 7,000 square kilometers]
[Minimum Exploration Rank: Intermediate Exploration Officer]
[Allowed Entry Rank Limit: Sixth Rank (Top-level expedition members are exempt)]
[Warning: This area is subject to the "Exploration Crisis Ordinance." Inspectors, please assess the danger at your own discretion.]
[Forgetting Monument Set: No]
[Known Information: Yulian Mountain is suspected to contain thirty-seven types of spiritual resources.]
[Current Population in the Area: 35 people]
[Last updated on the 16th day, at the second quarter of the si hour.]
"Not too many people—only thirty-five in Yulian Mountain."
"The Military Realm has gradually started to release regional intelligence, so at least they're providing some value in exchange for the entrance fee," Zhao Xing observed.
The rampage levels referred to the degree of natural upheaval.
For example, the explosion Zhao Xing had witnessed earlier in the mountain, caused by lightning, was an upheaval resulting from the upgrading of a cave-heaven.
Zhao Xing estimated that the level of upheaval in that area must have reached the sixth level.
This was later confirmed when they discovered a giant spirit tree nearby, yielding sixth-rank fruits and lingzhi mushrooms.
Of course, the level of upheaval didn't always correspond directly to the value of the treasures.
For instance, the Lingxiu Hot Spring where Zhao Xing had bathed was only a third-level rampage zone. The phenomena around it were limited to strong winds and minor tremors.
However, the fire luck gathered in the Lingxiu Hot Spring made it a sixth-rank treasure ground.
It was a vast place, capable of accommodating a large number of people, something the Military Realm hadn't fully explored at the time.
Zhao Xing and his four companions had finished their share, and now the two women were absorbing the remaining energy. There was still more than enough for forty to fifty more people to use.
Each region had its own entry requirements.
These included minimum and maximum ranks, which didn't refer to official titles but to cultivation ranks.
Of course, Zhao Xing didn't need to worry about these restrictions. As a member of the top-level expedition team, he could go anywhere.
Within the entire Ten Suns Cave-Heaven, there were fewer than fifty top-level explorers, and the total number didn't exceed a thousand.
This was precisely why Zhao Xing had insisted on Old Liu forming a top-level expedition team.
The "Exploration Crisis Ordinance" signified that killing wasn't prohibited in certain areas. Typically, when this warning appeared, Forgetting Monuments wouldn't be set up in the region.
Forgetting Monuments were costly to establish, especially since the regions within the cave-heaven were enormous. Even small "dungeons" could span tens of thousands of square kilometers, making it prohibitively expensive to cover them with monuments.
For comparison, the entirety of Gucheng was only about three thousand square kilometers, yet Yulian Mountain alone spanned over seven thousand square kilometers.
Zhao Xing continued browsing through the various "dungeons" within the Inverted Peak Mountains.
Finally, he selected a location.
[s: Third-Level Rampage]
[Area: 3,000 square kilometers]
[Minimum Exploration Rank: Junior Inspector]
[Allowed Entry Rank Limit: Seventh Rank (Top-level expedition members are exempt)]
[Warning: This area is subject to the "Exploration Crisis Ordinance." Inspectors, please assess the danger at your own discretion.]
[Forgetting Monument Set: No]
[Known Information: Southern Clear Gardens is suspected to contain seven types of spiritual resources.]
[Current Population in the Area: 1,523 people]
[Last updated on the 16th day, at the second quarter of the si hour.]
"Southern Clear Gardens it is—lots of treasures, and while there are plenty of people, they're all small fry."
At three thousand square kilometers, it was the size of a large county.
With only a little over a thousand people, it wasn't overcrowded.
After all, the Ten Suns Cave-Heaven contained many "Junior Exploration Officers," equivalent to mid-to-high-level exploration qualifications.
Obtaining junior qualifications wasn't particularly difficult, and now that a week had passed since the cave-heaven opened, a large number of Junior Exploration Officers were beginning to act.
However, the numbers of intermediate and advanced inspectors remained relatively low.
"Even if we run into conflict, it won't be much of a problem," Zhao Xing evaluated.
His nine straw puppets, each imbued with various magical powers, would be more than enough to deal with any trouble.
The Myriad Law Straw Puppet technique could summon additional puppets, such as the Divine Strength Flying Explosive Puppet.
With nine Myriad Law puppets, Zhao Xing could effortlessly create an entire army of puppets.
Taking on a small dungeon like this would be nothing more than "carrying the girls and smashing weaklings."
"We're heading to the Southern Clear Gardens," Zhao Xing said. "We'll set off once my avatars arrive."
"Understood, Senior Brother," Ji Zixuan obediently complied.
Two quarters later, an Arrowfish Airship arrived, and eight of Zhao Xing's avatars disembarked.
"This many?" Murong Xue couldn't help but feel astonished. "He's only at the Sixth Rank, yet he can control nine Myriad Law straw puppets?"
Murong Xue herself was skilled in straw puppet techniques and had even mastered the dual-law fusion.
She knew better than anyone the difficulty of controlling the Myriad Law Straw Puppet.
Achieving the full integration of five laws might be something she could never attain in her lifetime.
Yet Zhao Xing could already control nine Myriad Law puppets!
Moreover, each puppet seemed to exude a different aura, indicating that they possessed unique magical abilities.
"Nine puppets?" Ji Zixuan, too, was no stranger to such matters. She immediately realized that Zhao Xing's earlier "disconnection" was a pretense.
Someone capable of controlling nine puppets wouldn't have a "disconnection" issue.
It was clear that Zhao Xing had been deliberately brushing her off.
This realization only fueled Ji Zixuan's competitive spirit.
"Get on the ship," Zhao Xing instructed calmly.
The nine Myriad Law avatars flew toward the Lingxiu Hot Spring.
The Myriad Law Straw Puppets could only use the Heavenly Eye Technique and the Sleep Bug among high-level spells, both of which were based on fate.
After all, the core of the straw puppets' power was rooted in fate.
However, the other techniques imbued within the puppets were all at the level of mid-level perfection.
Having completed their soak in the Lingxiu Hot Spring, Zhao Xing needed to erase all traces of their presence because he wasn't sure whose opportunity he had just seized.
Most wealthy families had fortune-tellers or fate officers, like Liang Ruo Hai, or they could consult others to investigate further.
Zhao Xing would soon take advantage of many opportunities. Even with Fate Concealment, he still needed to be cautious.
As the cave-heaven continued upgrading, the world was undergoing constant upheaval, with cycles of destruction and rebirth.
Even if Zhao Xing didn't destroy the spiritual hot spring's location, it would likely reset, possibly creating new spiritual fortunes or disappearing entirely.
If malicious individuals targeted him or those close to him, leaving this spot intact would only benefit them.
As for handing over the information? Zhao Xing had recently obtained a batch of Millennial Cold Crystals and didn't need to complete any more exploration tasks for the time being. Additionally, turning in location information wouldn't contribute much to his tasks as an explorer.
The Military Realm didn't require explorers to turn in location data. Back during the pacification of the Southern Barbarians, "intelligence" contributed the least to military merits. The logic was the same now: with the use of the Derivation Disk, the authorities already knew the fate of various places.
Now that the Ten Suns Cave-Heaven was being claimed, with killing allowed in most areas, many people would soon become desperate.
For some, this was their chance to continue their family's legacy. If they succeeded, their noble families would continue for a thousand years. If they failed, their family lines would end, and Emperor Jing would reclaim their rights!
"Five Elements Earth Splitting!"
The nine Myriad Law Straw Puppets simultaneously cast the Five Elements Earth Splitting Technique.
Though straw puppets had no luck of their own, the magical effects they produced still inherited the luck bestowed upon their creator.
With nine puppets casting the Five Elements Earth Splitting Technique, a mid-level perfected spell, the results were immediate and explosive.
"Boom!"
The valley collapsed, the hot spring boiled, and the entire landscape changed, with surging fire erupting from the ground.
In no time, the Lingxiu Hot Spring had vanished without a trace.
"What? That's the Five Elements Earth Splitting Technique?" Murong Xue gasped.
The sheer magnitude of the explosion was overwhelming!
She had never imagined that the Five Elements Earth Splitting Technique could have such power!
"If his puppets are this strong, how powerful must Zhao Xing himself be?" Murong Xue, also a Shennong, could gauge the strength of his straw puppet techniques.
Her respect for Zhao Xing grew exponentially.
No wonder he was a direct disciple of Liu Tianning!
Ji Zixuan wasn't as familiar with the technical details, but she understood the strength of Zhao Xing's abilities just by observing the scene and Murong Xue's reaction.
"He's mastered the true essence of Liu's straw puppet techniques!" Ji Zixuan's eyes sparkled as she gazed at Zhao Xing's silhouette.
Zhao Xing returned to the Airship, unfazed by the astonished looks from the two women.
In his mind, this was nothing more than a minor trick.
"Can either of you pilot the Airship?" Lord Zhao had no intention of acting as a bodyguard and a driver.
He wasn't going to handle everything himself—that would be spoiling them too much.
"Senior Brother, I can," Ji Zixuan immediately spoke up, not missing any chance to showcase her skills. "At Bihai Dao Academy, I won first place in An Airship competition."
"Oh?" Zhao Xing gave Ji Zixuan a second glance, impressed by her experience as a seasoned pilot.
"All right, then you handle it."
"Murong Xue, you're in charge of keeping watch. If anything happens or we reach our destination, call me," Lord Zhao instructed before "logging out" again, not caring whether Murong Xue agreed or not.
Controlling so many avatars took a toll on his energy, and he preferred to relax when he could.
"Yes," Murong Xue, who had no airs of a spoiled young lady, accepted her task without complaint. After all, she had chosen the path of a Shennong, and her feet were no strangers to mud.
Immediately, she soared through the skies, patrolling the surrounding area.
An hour later...
"Senior Brother, we've arrived," Ji Zixuan called back to him.
Inside the cabin, the nine Myriad Law Straw Puppets "came to life" and stepped out one by one.
After surveying the terrain and calculating from afar, Zhao Xing's avatar pointed in the correct direction: "Southeast, angled forty-five degrees, one-third of standard speed, at an altitude of one hundred meters."
"Yes," Ji Zixuan expertly maneuvered the Airship into an arc, following Zhao Xing's instructions.
She glanced back to see that Zhao Xing had gone still again.
About fifteen minutes later, Murong Xue suddenly spoke up: "There's a Bloodshadow Ship approaching us."
Ji Zixuan quickly checked behind them and asked, "How many people? If there aren't too many, we'll handle it ourselves and won't need to trouble Senior Brother."