The rescued civilians wore expressions of mixed emotions—joy, confusion, laughter, tears. In the face of death, terror reigned supreme. To survive such an ordeal, especially escaping from man-eating monsters, filled their hearts with indescribable gratitude. As for their feelings toward Yi Tianxing, there was no need for words.The reverence in their eyes said it all.He had dragged them out of hell and back to the land of the living.
"Thank you, benefactor, for saving our lives!!" someone cried out, falling to their knees in a deep bow toward Yi Tianxing.
"If not for your intervention, we'd have been torn apart and eaten alive by those monsters. Your kindness is greater than the heavens and deeper than the earth. I'd gladly become a beast of burden to repay you for the rest of my life!"
"Benefactor, I'm willing to serve you as a maid or slave to repay this great debt," a woman said, kneeling gracefully.
Every civilian looked at Yi Tianxing with fervent admiration.To them, his ability to slay monsters and rescue them was godlike. Over the past few days, they'd all realized how much the world had changed—it was no longer the one they knew. Even ogres existed now. They feared that, after being saved, they'd simply be left to fend for themselves and end up dying anyway in this brutal new world.
Only by following a strong leader could they hope to survive.This was a primal instinct for all descendants of Yan and Huang.
"There's no need to bow. Please, all of you, rise. As a fellow human, how could I just stand by and watch our people get eaten alive by those monsters? Since I had the power, I acted. My name is Yi Tianxing. I've established a village nearby. If you're willing, you may come with me. We can support each other and survive together in these chaotic times."
Yi Tianxing smiled as he helped the people up one by one.
"That's wonderful! I'm willing to join your village, Mister Yi. I'm a carpenter. I can build things."
"I'm a shipwright. I used to help build fortune ships," another shouted confidently.
People with various skills began enthusiastically offering themselves.Yi Tianxing nodded silently. These were treasures. Skilled individuals were invaluable when it came to constructing and developing a village. The more, the better. That old saying, "All professions are inferior to studying," was nonsense. Every craft was a priceless asset. You couldn't build a village or houses with scholars alone.
"Cao Zhengchun greets his master!"
Just then, a pale-faced, beardless young man dropped to the ground in a kowtow before Yi Tianxing. His voice was sharp and high-pitched, lacking the masculine energy of most men.
"Cao Zhengchun? Why do you call me master? If I'm not mistaken, you're a cultivator. I can sense true qi in your body—you're not an ordinary person," Yi Tianxing said, his eyes flashing.
Cao Zhengchun. A eunuch. He had cultivation. If Yi Tianxing remembered correctly, there was a historical eunuch by this name—and a powerful character by the same name in a modern TV series. But the young man before him looked only about twenty years old.
"I don't know how it happened," Cao Zhengchun said. "My body and appearance suddenly changed. My mind filled with memories that feel like they've always been mine. And then, a mysterious voice rang in my head:'Worlds fused. Falsehoods purged. Rebirth granted. Descend again into the mortal world. Reborn to recall the past. A new life to inherit fortune.'"
"I didn't enter reincarnation. Instead, I arrived in this new world—the Eternal Continent—with my original memories. My body was young again, as if reborn. My original cultivation technique was transformed by a mysterious power, perfected and improved. But as soon as I arrived, I was captured by those monsters. If not for your rescue, I'd be dead."
"I made a vow beforehand: whoever saves me, I will serve for life—utterly loyal, even unto death."
Cao Zhengchun told Yi Tianxing everything honestly, leaving out nothing in an effort to gain his trust.
Though he still had cultivation, his true qi had been sealed. During his rebirth, all his power was sealed by the heavens, condensed into a True Essence Pill (还真丹) hidden in his body. Once he resumed cultivation, he could refine the pill and quickly regain his former strength.
That was the qi Yi Tianxing had sensed earlier—it came from the True Essence Pill.
Cao Zhengchun's new cultivation technique had been restructured by the world's will, filling in missing parts and correcting errors. The revised method would keep him on a straight path, free from flawed progression.
He had already chosen the path of opening his Divine Sea (神海) and had worked tirelessly—even while imprisoned—to begin refining it. He had successfully reached the Divine Sea Realm (神海境).Once he fully absorbed the energy within the True Essence Pill, his growth would rapidly accelerate.
"I see," Yi Tianxing murmured, waves of realization crashing through his mind. "So the fusion of worlds… all those protagonists from countless fictional worlds… are being reborn with gifts from the heavens. Regardless of how many versions of a character existed, they've now been merged into one. Falsehoods purged. Only the true self remains."
"The Eternal Continent will have only one of each person."
The merged version would carry all knowledge, experience, and cultivation of their past selves. Even their appearance and personality might shift in the fusion process.
This revelation startled Yi Tianxing. Clearly, only those who had personally gone through the fusion could understand these truths. Just like how the secrets of the Heaven's Chosen (天眷者) were unknown to outsiders.
Normal people seemed to descend normally into this world.But fictional protagonists—those with names, stories, and identities—arrived through unique methods:
Some were directly fused into a new version of themselves, carrying all their past memories and experiences.
Others entered reincarnation, starting life anew without memories, though they retained their protagonist's karmic fortune (气运).
Those with fortune on their side would enjoy limitless potential, unless cut down prematurely.
And it all happened without choice—rebirth or reincarnation was random, unless one's power reached unimaginable levels. Those powerful beings who had acted during the fusion must have had the right to choose. But that was far beyond Yi Tianxing's current reach.
"Cao Zhengchun, are you truly willing to serve me as your master?" Yi Tianxing asked, his gaze sharp. Even with a new body, his status as a eunuch remained. The flaw had not been repaired, despite the fusion.
And Cao Zhengchun's reputation wasn't exactly noble.
"I swear to the heavens!" Cao Zhengchun replied without hesitation.
"We'll see how things go. For now, everyone here is part of my Xuanhuang Village. I'll treat you all equally," Yi Tianxing said calmly. "Gather the others. I'll take you all back to the village."
Heaven has no fixed path. Fate has no fixed form.
Originally, he had planned to search for other villages. But after stumbling upon the ogre camp and rescuing this many civilians, those plans had to be delayed. The priority was now escorting them back to safety.
A bird in hand is worth ten in the forest.Unexpected events could happen anytime. There were no certainties in this world.
Back before the cataclysm, Yi Tianxing had carefully prepared a massive supply depot with his connections and resources. Yet when the Myriad Worlds Fusion struck, everything vanished. That taught him a brutal truth: nothing is ever guaranteed.
Fate is cruelly unpredictable.
Inside the ogre camp, there was a particular tent that stood out—it was clearly important to the monsters. Now that all the ogres were dead, it was time to loot it and see if any treasure remained.
Shff!He pulled aside the flap and stepped inside.
The tent was spacious, like a Mongolian yurt, and surprisingly intact. But what lay within truly astonished him.
And then—he felt it.A strange, familiar feeling welled up in his heart.
"This is a village... Those ogres also used a Village Creation Order (建村令)!"
A powerful revelation hit him all at once.