Information regarding world consciousness is extremely scarce.
The world consciousness of the eerie realm never manifested, possibly due to contamination by an unspeakable evil god. However, signs of the eerie realm's self-salvation instincts can still be observed in its oases and world blessings.
World consciousness often exists in outer worlds.
Higher-tier worlds and above are qualified to develop and manifest it.
If a world possesses self-awareness, the most significant manifestation is its resistance against external enemies—the claws of evil gods are difficult to infiltrate the ordinary populace; they are screened out by the world consciousness at the earliest opportunity.
Evil god servants also find it difficult to descend into the world by means of divine avatar. Even if the world's barrier is only of ordinary level, under the influence of its consciousness, it can exert several times, or even ten times, its original power.
It is akin to the difference between an army led by a commander and a scattered horde.
The birth and manifestation of world consciousness is merely the beginning.
As time passes and the world grows, world consciousness will become more concrete, even capable of appearing in a specific form.
… This information was acquired not long ago from the database of the central trial grounds, which he had plundered.
Such high-level information was nowhere else to be found.
He hadn't even discovered many higher-tier outer worlds.
"In the early stages of the God-Slaying Project, the Kandara Empire conceived the idea of cultivating a powerful World Spirit. They did indeed attempt it."
"However, due to the extremely high cultivation costs and the great uncertainty of World Spirits, the Kandara Empire eventually abandoned this plan."
Fang You found several trial officials and unearthed more detailed information.
At that time, Kandara selected three higher-tier worlds and fed each of them three World Marbles.
Kandara's technology was quite advanced, and they had a considerable understanding of world consciousness prior to this. They quickly cultivated three different world consciousnesses.
"The birth of world consciousness depends not only on the world's status but also on the influence of its native civilization."
For instance, if a world's mainstream civilization is extremely dark and cold-blooded, the world consciousness born from it will also tend towards that inclination.
However, regardless of which 'personality' the world consciousness leans towards, it possesses unparalleled majesty.
In other words, unless the world faces a crisis of life and death, it is difficult to command the world consciousness.
"Did the Kandara Empire not obtain management authority over the worlds they cultivated?"
They actually did.
Feeding them World Marbles and assisting in their advancement naturally garnered the worlds' favor.
However, they could only be considered the worlds' proxies.
They held power below the world and above its people, but the gap was too wide to command the world consciousness and make it act according to their own thoughts.
"The researchers at Kandara believed this might be due to the inherent characteristics of world consciousness, and that world consciousness could fundamentally only act according to established logic. They found it difficult to treat it as a God-Slaying weapon, and thus ceased further cultivation."
Fang You had no intention of using world consciousness as a trump card.
The emergence of world consciousness was merely an unexpected bonus.
However,
He stroked his chin, then transformed his divine sense into an invisible large hand, gently stroking the world consciousness that was intimately surrounding him.
"Majestic, aloof, distant? Not really."
He flipped through some of the information on cultivating world consciousness, played with the nascent world consciousness for a while, and then, amidst the world consciousness's reluctant farewell, returned to the secret realm.
He felt like a doting father taking care of his child?
"Perhaps in the future, I'll need to interact more with the world consciousness to build rapport. The data suggests that doing so helps increase my authority… although most of the information doesn't align with my current situation."
His authority over Blue Star had already reached its peak.
If world management authority were graded, he would be at Level 10.
Because the highest authority level was ten.
The consciousness of Blue Star was only nascent, still in the babbling stage, unable to even communicate. But given Blue Star's status, the world consciousness would undoubtedly progress rapidly in the near future.
Fang You shifted his gaze to another location.
The Idora Tree of Life!
This crimson-tier divine tree, which possessed inherent law-based power, was initially just a small sapling, only two to three meters tall. However, through Liu Shang's meticulous cultivation, Fang You's continuous feeding, and the assistance of the secret realm's special soil, the Tree of Life grew exceptionally fast.
From two to three meters, to over ten meters, and then to over a hundred meters tall.
In just a few years, the Idora Tree of Life had surpassed the growth process of decades and even centuries.
However, at this stage, the Tree of Life was still far from maturity.
A truly fully developed Tree of Life would be thousands of meters tall, its canopy capable of easily covering a large city.
The law-based powers of 'Abundance' and 'Nature' emanating from the Tree of Life could even envelop an ordinary world.
And today,
"It begins."
The three withered Life Tree seeds had transmitted their final energies to this young but infinitely potential sapling within the Hearth Secret Realm.
After half a month of energy transfer, the Idora Tree of Life had grown to several hundred meters tall.
"But this is just a minor change incidental to the absorption process; the real transformation is just beginning."
Rumble—
The Hearth Secret Realm began to shake anew.
Someone looked up, astonished to find that the already magnificent Tree of Life was growing at a visibly rapid pace.
In the area near the roots of the Tree of Life, it was as if the earth was rolling, with the ground continuously heaving and churning.
However, before the transformation began, Liu Shang had already led people to transfer all the surrounding vegetation.
Sunrise, sunset.
The Tree of Life continued its rapid transformation.
One thousand meters, two thousand meters, four thousand meters…
This was approximately the Tree of Life's maximum height, yet the one planted in the Hearth Secret Realm showed no sign of slowing down its growth.
Six thousand meters, eight thousand meters, ten thousand meters…
Only after surpassing the ten-thousand-meter mark did the growth rate of the Tree of Life slightly decelerate. Concurrently, a dense life force emanated from the fully formed Tree of Life, filling the Hearth Secret Realm with countless wonders.
—Fields and medicinal crops grew continuously, maturing from seedlings to ripeness in a very short time.
The Hearth personnel within the secret realm were also bathed in the cleansing power of life, feeling invigorated. Some older Hearth members were surprised to find the strands of white hair at their temples gradually turning black.
And these were merely trivial changes brought about by the Tree of Life's transformation.
"Notification: The Idora Tree of Life has transformed into its complete form, enhancing its 'Life,' 'Abundance,' and 'Nature' laws. The Tree of Life's three major abilities have grown in sync."
"Notification: Due to the Idora Tree of Life breaking through its limits and ascending to its complete form, this Tree of Life is capable of nurturing a higher-tier 'Water of Life'—the 'Crystal of Life'."
"Notification: …"
"Notification: …"
The Tree of Life's three major abilities possess no combat power, but their importance is undeniable.
The Water of Life is a crucial strategic resource.
Growth enhancement and environmental improvement are the foundations of Hearth.
Hearth's cultivation capabilities have become stronger, which can be considered the core of Hearth.
"But the changes are not over yet."
"The mature Tree of Life, due to its ability to envelop the entire world, is also known as the World Tree. And the current Idora Tree of Life possesses a power that surpasses its mature stage…"
Rumble—
Within a month, the Hearth Secret Realm experienced a third tremor.
This time, it was more violent.
The crystal walls of the secret realm continuously expanded outward. This was a change brought about by the Tree of Life's transformation. Its third ability, Nature, could already slowly transform the environment while also expanding the secret realm.
It was just that previously, the expansion caused by this ability was negligible, only becoming apparent when viewed over a long timescale.
But now, the secret realm was expanding at an astonishing rate, even more so than when he fed it Secret Realm Stones.
It was like it had been injected with steroids.
Fang You glanced at the panel.
The Hearth Secret Realm had just advanced to Level 7, and advancing from Lv7 to Lv8 required a full 500 units of 'experience,' equivalent to feeding 500 Secret Realm Stones.
He hadn't expected the secret realm to advance another level within three years.
But at this moment, the secret realm's experience was rapidly accumulating.
(50/500)!
(126/500)!
(296/500)!
(404/500)!
The experience bar's progress noticeably slowed. By the sixth day, Fang You gazed at the experience bar, which had reached "496" but was nearly stagnant, wishing he could rush forward and give the secret realm a final push.
But he couldn't, so he could only cry out in his heart.
"One step further!"
"One step more!"
Perhaps the Tree of Life, sensing his thoughts, heard his cry. The Tree of Life, which had almost stopped growing, erupted with another surge of potent life energy.
The secret realm, just a step away from its goal, crossed the final hurdle.
"Notification: Hearth Secret Realm has advanced to Lv8. The secret realm's status has been elevated, its area expanded, and the level cap for all base buildings has been raised."
The secret realm, which had almost finished expanding and had begun to rest, let out another thunderous roar.
"Again?"
The Hearth personnel within the secret realm grumbled, but they knew this was good, incredibly good news.
However, as they watched the secret realm undergo earth-shattering changes, they still felt a "what the f\*\*\*" stuck in their throats, unable to spit it out or swallow it down.
Some Hearth members who had just returned to the secret realm widened their eyes even further.
Had they entered the wrong place?
Was this the secret realm, or some outer world?
At the center of the secret realm, atop the canopy of the Tree of Life, Fang You sat with his eyes closed, his consciousness completely immersed in the secret realm's changes.
He was experiencing, experiencing this kind of creator-like power.
As the power descended, it sculpted all sorts of magnificent natural wonders.
His realm was still shallow, making it difficult to comprehend this power that surpassed higher realms. He forcibly committed it to memory.
However,
As he was experiencing these powers, the transformation of his demigod body also began.
"This is the secret realm's reciprocation."
The Tree of Life reciprocated to the secret realm, and the secret realm reciprocated to Fang You.
His demigod body was rapidly forged, golden divine blood flowed torrentially, golden light erupted from his brow, and his skin shimmered with a golden luster.
His demigod phantasm was also uncontrollably emerging from behind him, gradually taking shape.
Fang You quickly teleported to the depths of the newly opened sea area within the secret realm, allowing his phantasm to materialize.
Boom—
A colossal figure, spanning heaven and earth, appeared between heaven and earth.
The head, hands, and torso of the giant figure were incredibly solid, with only the lower limbs remaining somewhat illusory.
This indicated that he had cultivated to the 'mid-to-late stage of the demigod realm.'
Mentor Fang was not supposed to reach this stage so quickly.
Having used up his allotted time in the Temporal Secret Realm for the year, he had only forged a demigod body and the head of his demigod phantasm, reaching the 'early stage of the demigod realm.'
His rapid advancement was due to the reciprocation from Blue Star's and the secret realm's earlier advancements.
Today marked the arrival of the second batch of reciprocation!
Fang You restrained his thoughts and focused entirely on constructing his phantasm.
The lower limbs of the heaven-spanning giant began to solidify inch by inch, flowing with sacred golden radiance.
After a long, long time.
The transformation of the Hearth Secret Realm had concluded, and everyone returned to their duties, engaged in their work.
In the depths of the sea, the heaven-spanning giant still stood tall.
Half submerged in the sea, half above the surface.
Inside the giant's head, Fang You sat cross-legged. The reciprocation had ended, but he remained in seclusion.
Half a month,
One month,
Three months.
He finally opened his eyes.
"A full three months. This is the longest I've been in seclusion."
"However, the gains have been substantial!"
The integration of the heaven-spanning phantasm into his body made his demigod body shine even brighter.
Perfect and flawless!
It could be called an invincible golden body.
This was the mark of a perfect demigod.
Of course, this was nothing extraordinary. Those who could enter the demigod realm were not fools. With sufficient resources and diligent cultivation, reaching the peak of the demigod realm before their lifespan expired was not difficult.
What was truly difficult was…
"I seem to have found my own path to a higher realm."
This intuition was profound, but he was certain of it.
Vaguely, he saw a path leading towards the heavens.
Indeed, I am formidable!
Liu Feng had struggled for nearly half a year without finding his way, only gradually discovering his path through destiny's guidance. In comparison… Fang was a little proud.
He was never a genius.
His current strength was entirely due to his own diligent efforts and the minor contributions of his subordinates.
However, his path to a higher realm was still rather vague. In layman's terms, he had found the direction, but truly clarifying the path would still require a long time.
"Power of Destiny, let me see your limits!"
"Notification: Would you like to spend 200,000 Destiny Points and 20 Divine Crystals to begin guidance…?"
The price had been reduced!
It was now two-tenths of the original price.
This indicated that the path to a higher realm he had found was in the correct direction.
He immersed himself in it.
Guided by the power of destiny, following his heart, he pushed aside the layers of mist before him.
What was his path to a higher realm?
Wu Tianzhu's path was the Martial Path, breaking through realms with martial prowess.
Liu Feng's path was the path of the sword.
And himself?
The path to a higher realm was closely related to a person's beliefs, innate talent, and combat system.
Among these, the combat system was the most significant factor.
Every demigod possessed a mature and complete combat system.
Fang, however, did not.
He could do everything, excel at everything, but lacked distinctiveness. He also lacked his own unique talent.
Only,
Fire.
In the vast darkness, a wisp of fire suddenly ignited, casting a faint light.
Following that, a second, a third, a hundredth, and a ten-thousandth wisp of fire.
These fire wisps, like fireflies, ventured into the darkness, illuminating a brilliant galaxy.