The environment of the City of Burning Flames was exceptionally stable and peaceful.
If not for the slightly dim sky and the frequent demonic roars and cannon fire heard from beyond the city walls, many might have forgotten the fact that the Tide of Calamity had arrived.
However, one change was quite apparent: the influx of residents from outer regions settling in the City of Burning Flames was steadily increasing.
During the Tide, most individuals lacked the ability to traverse between regions. But long ago, the Salvation Organization had used White Shark-class airships to conduct trade and transportation across multiple regions. Now, these White Shark-class airships, while carrying cargo, also ferried passengers.
They passed through several super oases as transit points, finally arriving at the City of Burning Flames.
These individuals were primarily nobles, great merchants, or high-level awakened beings, as otherwise, they could not afford the airfare for inter-regional travel.
They had sought refuge, bringing with them considerable wealth. Yet, upon arriving at the City of Burning Flames, they were still dumbfounded—the safety was indeed absolute; not a single demon could breach the defenses. But the housing prices here were exorbitant!
"With the demon crystals in our pockets, it seems we can only afford properties in the outer districts?"
"Damn it! I, a mere son of a count, am reduced to living in the outer districts?!"
A young man shouted in shame and indignation, but upon noticing the hostile gazes from those around him, he shivered and suddenly understood.
The outer districts weren't so bad, perhaps?
It wasn't just that the residences were built with considerable detail, nor that the outer districts were equally secure. More importantly, unlike their home oases, the majority of residents in the outer districts of the City of Burning Flames were also nobles or descendants of nobles. Living here wasn't a disgrace.
He hadn't been swindled by paying a high price for a house.
"But it's still too expensive. How can the housing prices in the City of Burning Flames be this high? Much higher than in the Ancient Moon Dynasty!"
"There are too many people! Someone who bought a property a few years ago has seen its price multiply a hundredfold by now. They've struck it rich!"
"Indeed. Like us, we are willing to pay a substantial sum to settle in the City of Burning Flames. Not only is it safe here, but it also boasts the top-tier cultivation environment. If one performs exceptionally well, there might even be a chance to join the Salvation Organization and reach the pinnacle of life."
"Actually, we could also choose to settle in other oases under the Salvation Organization's jurisdiction. The housing prices and cost of living there are significantly lower than in the City of Burning Flames."
Someone timidly suggested.
They had inquired beforehand, but after some hesitation, they still chose the City of Burning Flames.
Why? Safety!
The oases belonging to the Salvation Organization were scattered across vast distances, not within the same major region. While these oases had powerful guardians, could they be as safe as the City of Burning Flames? Clearly not!
The City of Burning Flames was located in the Starfall Great Domain. It was situated on the outer fringe of the Demonic Realm and was guarded by the Pillars of the Salvation Organization.
This was the safest place for humanity. Those with the means, even with gritted teeth, would choose the City of Burning Flames. They paid a huge sum of demon crystals to establish their residency here.
In truth, the Salvation Organization had also rescued countless ordinary people from smaller oases. However, the rescue teams had sent these individuals to the Blue Star, to new continents where they could strive and build their own cities.
The numerous housing developments in the City of Burning Flames and several other Salvation Organization oases were designed to attract wealthy outsiders to settle, thereby harvesting the wealth of successive waves of people from various regions of the Demonic Realm.
These people were quite affluent. Extracting their wealth could be considered a contribution to combating the calamity. Moreover, if it's a willing transaction, can it really be called extraction?
It wasn't just wealthy humans who had come to the City of Burning Flames for refuge; some were non-human.
The Illusory Spirits faction of the Elemental Spirit Court had established numerous businesses in the City of Burning Flames and assigned several young members of their lineage to manage them. Currently, these young illusory spirits permanently stationed in the City of Burning Flames all revered Xiao Huan as their elder sister.
The Sea Monster Empire and the Myriad Beasts Territory also had several royal families who came to establish large-scale enterprises. For them, profit was secondary; the main objective was to establish connections with the human Salvation Organization.
Furthermore, some divine scions resided permanently within the City of Burning Flames, treating it as their home.
Lady of Ten Thousand Snakes was one such individual. In fact, she was among the earliest divine scions to purchase vast amounts of real estate in the City of Burning Flames.
She owned a grand estate here, with a retinue of hundreds of servants. Some were brought from the Myriad Snakes Association oasis, while others were professional staff hired within the City of Burning Flames.
"Life in the City of Burning Flames is truly wonderful! Humans are ingenious... no, it's mainly the Salvation Organization that's brilliant."
"My past many years were practically wasted!"
The entire Starfall Great Domain was currently very peaceful. If any Grade Seven or above demons appeared anywhere, Salvation Organization powerhouses would vie to hunt them down. Even while staying at her own oasis, Lady of Ten Thousand Snakes wouldn't encounter trouble.
However, she craved enjoyment!
She had established an oasis to cultivate maidservants who met her preferences. By immigrating directly to the City of Burning Flames, she sought an even more delightful life.
It's just...
"This Salvation Organization is a bit too much like a shrewd merchant!"
"My savings from so many years seem insufficient to sustain this kind of life for much longer."
Perhaps only a little over a decade? She would become penniless.
Lady of Ten Thousand Snakes was indeed not wealthy. She lacked powerful oases, her expenses were extraordinarily high, and she hadn't accumulated much wealth over the years.
Most importantly, she spent lavishly in the City of Burning Flames.
While many here were unaware of Lady of Ten Thousand Snakes' true identity, they knew that this "Snake Lady" was a rich woman, one of the well-known tycoons in the City of Burning Flames.
In reality, with Lady of Ten Thousand Snakes' experience, power, and her earning capacity as a demigod, maintaining the highest level of enjoyment was not difficult at all... Regardless of how exorbitant the costs of these luxury items were, they were far outmatched by cultivation expenses.
It was just that Lady of Ten Thousand Snakes desired a life of leisure and enjoyment. Forcing her to work for money? That was worse than killing her.
"Whatever, I'll take it one step at a time."
"Isn't the great calamity of the Demonic Realm about to arrive soon? Forget ten years, perhaps in a few years, there won't even be a City of Burning Flames, and the entire Demonic Realm will be destroyed."
"From another perspective, spending more money to enjoy oneself now is the least regrettable thing. Otherwise, when the calamity arrives, the universe is destroyed, and I still have money left unspent—wouldn't that be a massive loss?"
To avoid such a loss, she should spend even more.
...
Lady of Ten Thousand Snakes and other wealthy tycoons indeed provided substantial funding for the Salvation Organization's development endeavors.
The wealth accumulated over long ages by divine scions, ancient families, and the like was immense.
Currently, a significant portion of the Salvation Organization's revenue stemmed from this.
Managing an oasis was not just about building a safe haven; it also created a money tree.
With this wealth, the Salvation Organization continuously nurtured numerous core powerhouses.
These powerhouses, in turn, created more resources, forming a virtuous cycle. Simultaneously, from this group of core powerhouses, emerged one quasi-top-tier and one top-tier powerhouse after another.
"With the 'Chamber of Time' artifact present, as long as the calamity is delayed by a few years, the overall strength of our Salvation Organization can significantly increase."
"And so can I."
"However, the condensation of Origin Authority is still too difficult."
It wasn't difficult to comprehend.
He was currently cultivating the origins of Lightning and Time, having achieved considerable proficiency in both root laws. His speed in condensing Origin Authority was also not slow.
It wasn't much slower than condensing the Authority of Destruction or the Authority of Flow.
However,
"My Origin Authority of Lightning has just broken through 1%, while my Origin Authority of Time is still a considerable distance from 1%."
Thunder Authority: 1.00001%
Time Authority: 0.87223%
He had cultivated for many years in the Realm of Ages, yet he had only grasped 'such a small amount' of authority.
The reason was: Origin Authority was incredibly vast.
The smallest unit of ordinary authority was a mere 0.01%, meaning any progress he made would increase his authority by at least 0.01%. But for Origin Authority? With the same progress, he could only increase his Origin Authority by 0.00001%.
It wasn't that his progress was too slow, but rather that the 'experience bar' for Origin Authority was excessively long.
Fang You understood this, yet he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. At this rate, when would he be able to wield complete Origin Authority and reach the apex of the mysterious system?
And only by cultivating to the absolute peak would he be qualified to face the evil gods, right?
Fang You believed that the power of the evil gods was beyond measure, transcending the mysterious system.
This was because the mysterious system itself was related to the evil gods.
"Breathe~"
"Calm down!"
"Haste is useless."
He suppressed his anxiety, his eyes gradually becoming as placid as a thousand-year-old frozen pond.
He sat cross-legged in the training ground. A dazzling fragment, about the size of a thumb cap and containing the supreme rules of time, materialized before him.
He extended his hand and gently waved it, as if stirring a lake, and ripples gradually appeared before his eyes.
The ripples of time.
Fang You's expression turned solemn, and a grand voice, like the very decree of heaven and earth, echoed in the secret-realm-like training ground.
"Time, flow backward!"
A faint sound of water rippling seemed to resonate throughout the heavens and earth. The ripples before him intensified, and time within the area began to rewind, frame by frame.
The rewind speed accelerated.
The ripples became more rapid, and the sound of the waves became more distinct.
It echoed through heaven and earth, and within his soul.
An invisible, indescribable power, seemingly capable of crushing the entire soul and decaying the divine body, quietly descended.
Fang You's hair visibly began to turn white.
The next moment, the power of the artifact 'Chamber of Time' also subtly emerged.
The domain of time diffused outwards!
Within the domain, the power of time returned to himself, unaffected by the river of time! This was the second primary ability of the Chamber of Time.
He manipulated the power of time, gazing at time itself.
It was like gazing into an abyss.
Time was a forbidden subject: difficult to enter, difficult to use, and with immense cost.
However, by wielding the Chamber of Time, he possessed the qualification to gaze directly into time.
Gradually, Fang You looked up and saw the very vague and omnipresent river of time. It represented supreme rules, history, and the future.
He had drifted in the river of time before.
And now, relying on his own strength, he could glimpse the existence of the river of time. He walked forward, enduring the pressure, and gradually approached the river of time.
This boundless river, he could see neither its beginning nor its end.
But he could see the temporal reflections closest to him.
The silhouettes of history appeared before his eyes.
Over a decade ago, the Starfall Oasis had just been opened.
Decades ago, the Starfall Great Domain was very peaceful.
Centuries ago, the City of Starfall had been upgraded to a Grade Seven oasis.
Fang You even felt an urge—an urge to retrieve something from the temporal reflections.
He knew he had the ability to retrieve something.
This was an intuition.
But he also knew that he could not bear the cost of retrieving it.
This was also an intuition.
He stood there, gazing at the river of time, contemplating its infinitely profound power. Until, a growing sense of unease overcame him, and Fang You stopped manipulating time, gradually receding and returning to reality.
...
"Moonlight, Light, Time..."
On the peak of Moonlit Mountain, within an ordinary yet somewhat luxurious courtyard, the Moon Lord sat elegantly.
This place had undergone a significant transformation; the courtyard was like a world within itself.
Her aloof figure sat alone at the summit of the mountain, gazing at the bright moon.
She too felt some apprehension and confusion.
Leaving the Demonic Realm and venturing beyond the universe, they would face much uncertainty. She couldn't be sure if an environment similar to the Demonic Realm, where they could survive, existed outside. Nor did she know if there were dangers in an environment of 'nothingness,' or if they could cope.
"If I could wield complete Origin Authority, even superior authorities like Time and Space, would I have the qualification to fight the evil gods?"
She was unsure.
She only wielded a certain degree of Origin Authority of Light.
She, the Great Sun Divine Venerable, the Lord of Stars, and the Lord of Myriad Radiance were the four individuals with the highest authority in the path of Light.
Combined, they did not account for more than 20% of the authority.
Moreover, the Lord of Myriad Radiance had once perished and might not have fully recovered yet.
She indeed still had room for improvement.
If she had thousands or tens of thousands of years to attempt it, she might continue to strive. But...
"There are only a few years left, at most, until the evil gods fully awaken."
"What can be done in a few years?"
Nothing.
She had already tried.
She, the Great Sun Divine Venerable, and the Lord of Stars—the three of them were the absolute top existences in the entire Demonic Realm. The Moon Lord was certain of this. While there were other great beings comparable to her, even uniting all these ancient ones would change nothing.
She herself knew this.
Other ancient beings also knew this.
Before the evil gods, they... were not qualified to bear the title of 'god.'
"In such a short time, my authority cannot be significantly strengthened, but I must still seize the opportunity to recover my strength."
"It will be even more difficult to recover after leaving the Demonic Realm."
The Moon Lord mused.
A fragment of authority, smaller than a fingernail, materialized at her fingertip.
Authority of Time!
Her share in the path of time was not large, but she was already among the foremost individuals in the entire Demonic Realm who understood time.
She accelerated time, using the power of time to slowly heal her injuries and gradually purge the influence of the evil gods.
In her leisure, she also turned her gaze towards the City of Burning Flames.
The people and events within the Salvation Organization were worth her observation.
After all, she had nothing else to do.
The Moon Lord's gaze fell, revealing a look of surprise.