Chapter 590 The Twilight and the World Tree Fighting (5200)

For the Renxian (Human Immortal) powerhouse, Jiu Xuan Feng Wang (Nine Xuan King) Hong Kun, every day of the last fifteen years has been filled with worry.

Each of the twenty-four territories of Jiu Xuan is responsible for its own profits and losses, with independent Wangfu (royal palaces), taxes, and laws. Except for nominally obeying the co-ruler Xuan Di (Mystic Emperor), the territories they govern are essentially independent kingdoms.

In times of peace and prosperity, such freedom brings only ease and enjoyment—who would like to have a superior above them, interfering in everything?

After all, this generation of Xuan Di is not fond of autocracy; He has always preferred to rule by non-action. Unless necessary, the Emperor will never interfere with other Feng Wang.

However, for the chaotic times that are about to collapse, the fact that each territory is almost independent has caused the Feng Wang a great headache.

Yes, chaotic times. Even the seemingly reckless Hong Wang can clearly understand that the Jiu Xuan Realm is gradually entering a state of chaos due to the revival of spiritual energy… but his knowledge only extends this far.

He struggles to understand why such a great thing as the revival of spiritual energy would drastically worsen the originally stable internal affairs of the territory, and he also struggles to understand why the originally docile civilians have become increasingly lazy and idle, doing no work other than cultivation.

But he does understand that to solve this situation, he needs an 'opponent'.

Hundreds of years ago, when the spiritual energy had not yet revived, Hong Wang's territory also encountered similar problems—several extremely lucky merchants joined forces to control more than 70% of the resource production of the entire Hong Wang territory. Most of the residents of the territory were their employees, and more than 90% of the wealth was occupied by less than 10% of the people.

At that time, all the employees of the merchant alliance were extremely lazy. Even if they were required to work overtime repeatedly, their production efficiency did not improve at all.

After all, all efforts, all hard work, would ultimately only increase the wealth of the 'boss', and would not benefit themselves. So why not slack off?

Anyway, it's someone else's business; there's no need to be too serious.

This realization is exactly the same as the current situation, where all civilians who have not become cultivators have no intention of working seriously at all.

—Even if I work hard, what's the point? All the resources will be taken away by the cultivator lords anyway.

As long as I don't become a cultivator, there's no point in working hard.

This was the prevailing thought in Hong Wang's territory in the past, and now, in the entire Jiu Xuan Realm.

And what reversed this trend in the past was the competition from other Wang Ling (King's Territories).

Because of technological advancements, the channels of communication between the Wang Ling became more frequent, and the flow of people and goods became easier.

Attracted by the better conditions in other territories, the residents of Hong Wang's territory began to migrate to the outside world on a large scale, and various cheap and easy-to-use goods were dumped from other Wang Ling—for a time, the local products of Hong Wang's territory were hit hard. Even the Hong Wang of that era was shocked, because most of his people wanted to escape their ancestral land and go to other Wang Ling.

This had already shaken the foundation of Hong Wang's territory.

With opponents and competition, those in power and those who held capital in Hong Wang's territory reflected deeply, began to give back profits to the people, opened up welfare, and declared other Wang Ling as economic enemies and invaders, launching a cold war, prohibiting civilians from migrating while also blocking technology and competing with other Wang Ling.

For a time, tensions rose between the various Wang Ling. If the Jiu Xuan Emperor of that generation had not mediated, war would have broken out long ago.

Although the cold war made the rulers and capital holders of the Wang Ling feel very irritable, it was the happiest era for the civilians—most of the civil facilities, the holiday system that continues to this day, and various civilian welfare programs and low tax rates have all been inherited from that era.

With competition, vested interests will loosen their grip and return some of the profits in order to defeat other 'opponents'.

At that time, social contradictions will also be alleviated, and the chaotic times of the Jiu Xuan Realm will gradually return to normal.

The war between the Jiu Xuan Realm and Xian Tian (Immortal Heaven) is nothing more than a replica of the opposition between the various Wang Ling in the past. Hong Wang understands this precisely because he has read history books thoroughly.

Therefore, he wanted to take the lead and be the first Feng Wang to launch an attack on Xian Tian and seize glory.

Of course, all this is what he was thinking—he thought it was a good idea, but the reality is not quite the same.

Now, Hong Wang has no room for thinking.

Because he has been captured by their predetermined enemy, the 'Descendants of Xian Tian'.

"I said, I'll say everything—there's no need to continue, I've said everything I need to say!"

Earth, Zheng Guo (Central Nation), Qingzhou Security Bureau Headquarters, underground secret area, interrogation room.

Late at night.

Under the seal of the Feng Ling (Sealing Spirit) formation, Hong Wang Hong Kun, who has a long horn on his head, shouted loudly. Although he is weak at the moment, and his whole body is locked on the Feng Ling chair by the Kun Xian lock (Binding Immortal Lock), his angry voice is deafening: "Is this what you descendants of Xian Tian are like?! I have already surrendered and am about to confess, why are you still torturing me!"

"Are you here to torture me, or to extract information?!"

"Ah, this..."

In response, Tang Yuan and Bai Yingxue, who were responsible for the interrogation, couldn't help but look at each other, and then subconsciously put down the torture instruments in their hands.

"That shouldn't be..."

The former Xuan Ming Bing Huang (Mystic Ice Phoenix), the divine bird lady muttered in her heart: "The Hong Wang I saw back then didn't give in so easily—I remember that after he was captured, the entire Zheng Guo Security Bureau mobilized four of the most elite interrogation experts, and only after interrogating him for days and nights did they barely pry open his mouth and get a little information..."

"What skull crushers, pulse-breaking needles, God-sealing seals, bone-scraping blades... these are just appetizers. Later, there are Soul-Devouring Gu (Soul Devouring Insect) and Spirit-Dispersing Agents to use. I've only just used the smallest bit of torture, how could you confess?"

Although she was muttering in a low voice in her heart, in fact, when thinking of torture, Bai Yingxue unintentionally said all the names of these tortures.

And every word that the girl uttered made the Jiu Xuan Hong Wang in the interrogation room gasp softly, unable to help but swallow his saliva, his whole body trembling.

"Good heavens, what do you take me for, an iron man?!"

He said in shock: "Will I still have a piece of living flesh left after this whole set? Don't give me the whole set, I should return to the Jiu You (Nine Underworlds) after one-fifth of it! If you really give me the whole set, even a Dixian (Earth Immortal) would die!"

"I've clearly confessed everything, why are you still planning to torture me?!"

"It's a bit of a pity, I haven't even used a tenth of my full strength..."

Hearing this, Bai Yingxue couldn't help but click her tongue. She looked at the Hong Wang in front of her, whose face was full of horror and incomprehension, and shook her head with some regret: "I can only wait for next time, when some ignorant Feng Wang is caught to try it on."

The girl knew that transferring her hatred from her previous life to this life was obviously a bit of a problem, but she, who had died in the past by taking down many powerhouses from the Xuan Mo (Mystic Demon) Realm, couldn't help but mock Hong Wang: "You got your life back, Hong Wang."

——Indeed, it's a good thing I've already been caught.

This was Hong Wang's true thought in his heart as he breathed a sigh of relief.

As for getting a life back... get it back, living is not shameful.

"Good heavens."

At the same time, Tang Yuan, who was watching from the sidelines, had only one thought. He was quite emotional: "I really didn't expect that this seemingly gentle and quiet little girl is actually a sadist at heart?"

"No wonder she was personally selected by the Minister, just like his students, they are all truly extraordinary!"

Obviously, Tang Yuan misunderstood Su Zhou's criteria for recruiting members, and made the young man's reputation suffer.

But in a sense, it also indirectly confirmed the rumor that the Great Existence's dependents are a bit special in the eyes of outsiders.

During the time he was captured, Hong Wang did confess everything he could confess—whether it was the current situation of Jiu Xuan, or the layout inside his Wang Ling, and the structure of the Melting Sea underground city, he told everything he knew without holding back.

This was not because he was disloyal to Jiu Xuan, and spilled everything like beans after a casual interrogation, but because Hong Wang had seen Yan Sheng (偃圣, Craftsman Sage) midway and saw that the seemingly illusory old man had the ability to easily deconstruct his soul and extract all his memories.

Since the other party has such a master in soul manipulation, why seek death?

Moreover, saying these things does not affect the overall situation of the Jiu Xuan Realm. After all, what he knows is only his Hong Wang Realm. The other thirty-two territories are still a blank slate for the Earthlings.

Although he seems reckless and rash, which is why he was captured by the Earth side… Hong Wang is not stupid.

"The Xian Tian Realm is truly full of geniuses and should not be underestimated..."

While Bai Yingxue and Tang Yuan were discussing the handover of work in the New World Exploration Department, Hong Wang, still tied to the Feng Ling chair, quietly raised his head, stared at the two people in front of him, and then pondered in his heart: "Although that young girl has an unhealthy mentality, and that young man looks very tired… but a Xiantian (Innate) cultivator in their teens, and with such a stable foundation, is enough to prove that she has a 99% chance of advancing to Dixian in the future, she is a true immortal!"

"That man is even more extraordinary. Although he seems tired, his cultivation foundation is unusually solid. He has obviously been guided by an expert, and his divine abilities are also unusually mysterious. Even if I use the realm of Renxian to observe, it is difficult to judge whether this man is currently in the Spirit Realm or the Material Realm!"

"In addition to those Xian Tian executives I saw some time ago, named 'Sacred Seats', each of whom seems to have the potential of a Dixian… Could it be that each of the thirty-six Sacred Seats can become a Dixian?"

Isn't this even more exaggerated than their twenty-four Feng Wang?!

What's even more exaggerated is that in this Xian Tian, it seems that not only are there descendants of the Central Divine Court… but also descendants of other major divine systems are squeezed together?!

Moreover, the most important thing is not this.

Taking a deep breath, Hong Wang raised his head. He looked at the ceiling of the secret room, his gaze solemnly looking at the top.

And there, above the ceiling, at the top of the sky, at the distant end of the sky.

From the bright silver moon, came a surge of spiritual energy that Hong Wang had never seen or felt before, so vast and unparalleled that it was like the ripples stimulated in a calm lake, affecting the entire Earth with layers of waves.

"What... exactly is that?!"

Just as Hong Wang couldn't believe it and couldn't be sure whether the huge spiritual energy fluctuation on the moon was a natural anomaly or some kind of 'life'.

On Earth, a temporary group that was formed on a whim officially announced its debut.

The original Shao Shuangyue was a virtual streamer of gaming discussion under the ID 'Tian Shuang' and had a certain degree of popularity. This time, she debuted with Jiu Ming and formally established the 'Tian Ming' group, began to upload related content videos.

Shao Shuangyue uploaded videos about the effects and modular components of various super robots, transcendent exoskeleton mechs, and even various creations of Tian Gong (Heavenly Craftsmen). The videos also included combat videos of various types of robots, showing the power of various weapons and the mobility of the armor, causing any viewer to exclaim 'This is the romance of men!'.

In addition, she would also introduce some common sense about other cultivation systems, letting everyone know that this world does not only have the Earth's cultivation methods. Other aliens and even creatures from other worlds have their own unique and powerful cultivation methods.

Jiu Ming's videos, on the other hand, mostly introduce the exotic customs of other worlds, and various other-worldly creatures that are either powerful or weak—with the main focus being on how he and Shao Shuangyue fought those powerful other-worldly bosses. There were both exhilarating moments and moments of being suppressed.

In short, all of these things happened in the Pioneer Space anyway, and no one else knew the specific process, so they could edit and modify it at will. It wasn't difficult to create program effects.

The Tian Ming group had only debuted for two or three days, but they attracted many fans, and the number of video views was much higher than when Jiu Ming updated videos secretly on his own in the past. This was partly due to the difference between having a plan and not having a plan, and partly because Jiu Ming had only released clips before, without any narration or explanation, so others didn't know whether Jiu Ming was releasing real experiences or movie clips.

This time, under the guidance of veteran streamer Shao Shuangyue, the two's debut videos and related content were quite exciting and eye-catching, and everyone could understand that the videos released by these two streamers were obviously the process of traveling to strange other worlds and filming them!

Putting everything else aside, it's okay to treat them as TV series and movies!

Moreover, there are too many resources that these two people can get together… After all, one is Su Zhou and Shao Qiming's younger sister, and the other is the South Sea Dragon King of Zheng Guo.

Putting everything else aside, the resources support from the Zhu Zhao (Torchlight) Group and the Zheng Guo official alone are unbelievably plentiful.

For example, using the two as image ambassadors for global variety shows and competitions, or incidentally mixing in a little relevant video information during promotion, is enough to make their popularity explode.

For a time, most of the cultivation circle, and even the entire circle of Earth Pioneer Space explorers, knew that there were two explorers who did not hide their explorer identities, but instead debuted openly and legitimately.

However, after finding out their true identities, everyone suddenly understood: Good heavens, it turns out it's these two, then it's fine.

If other Pioneer Space explorers were still worried that their identities would be specifically watched by the official authorities of various countries after they were exposed… then these two alone were not afraid at all.

Just when the story of Tian Ming's group was being serialized.

"Huh, these ghouls..."

On the moon, Su Zhou, who was directly connected to the Internet with his divine thoughts to watch his little sister's debut video, suddenly let out a soft 'huh'. He frowned slightly: "I originally thought it was a 'Curse of Immortality' world similar to the Divine Wood World—that is, similar to the Ant-Man Lich Ansonte."

"But now it seems... these ghouls seem to have a bit of Twilight aura?"

Saying this, Su Zhou observed those videos carefully again, and his tone suddenly became even more puzzled: "And that Divine Wood doesn't look like the Tree of Wisdom, the Banyan Undead Tree family, but another kind of more unfamiliar... more different Divine Wood!"

"This is obviously the World Tree! Judging from this, could it be that the two of them have already started fighting?"

Su Zhou had already communicated with Shao Shuangyue remotely some time ago.

Little Sister Shao is not like her brother, who has the time and resources to go directly to the moon, but she can still borrow an official channel to chat with Su Zhou.

The two exchanged their experiences in the Pioneer Space, and Shao Shuangyue also learned about Su Zhou's four forms. After receiving the rewards from the Pioneer Space, she also told Su Zhou about the several worlds she and Jiu Ming had experienced.

At that time, because it was just a relay, Su Zhou could only roughly know that the first world Shao Shuangyue experienced was most likely related to the Divine Wood, the second world 'Realm of the Si Chen (Time Rulers)' was related to another brand new Great Existence 'Balance' in Yala's mouth, and the third world 'Realm of the Celestial Light' was the Pioneer itself, or a world with a mixed influence from several other Great Existences.

It was not until now, when he personally witnessed Shao Shuangyue's adventure process, that the youth realized that Shao Shuangyue seemed to have unknowingly... already been to a world related to 'Twilight' and the 'World Tree'?!

This shocked him quite a bit.

"Could this be considered effortless? I was originally wondering how to get information about the World Tree and Twilight to complete the mission of the Great Dao Tree, but I didn't expect my little sister to have actually seen it!"

He sighed in his heart, and then asked Yala: "Speaking of which, can the Pioneer Space really connect to any world? How is it that the world that the Great Dao Tree can't find, and we need to wait slowly for news, seems to be easily connected by Him?"

To this, the snake spirit's answer was simple: "Who is He? He is the Pioneer!"

"Is there anything in this world that the Pioneer doesn't know? The number one peeping Tom in the heavens, the contributor of knowledge, what's yours is mine, what's mine is everyone's... especially since He gave up freedom, which makes the Great Seal's restraint on Him useless."

Shaking her head slightly, Yala complained: "Don't even mention Twilight, the Pioneer's power can even penetrate the original worlds of some existences. As long as you look carefully, you can find the Pioneer's shadow in all worlds!"

"It's just that the power of the original world is too strong, and He won't open the permissions of those powerful worlds until His Pioneer dependents have grown to a certain level."

Speaking to this point, Yala fell into deep thought.

Su Zhou also waited patiently.

After a long period of silence, the snake spirit breathed a long sigh of relief, raised her head, and said solemnly: "It seems that the situation is even worse than what the Great Dao Tree and I thought."

"The World Tree and Twilight are not intertwined and influencing each other, which is why they seem to have no news... in fact, they have already started fighting!"

"And this time, the World Tree is probably at an absolute disadvantage!"

I probably caught a cold recently, and there is something wrong with what I eat, my stomach hurts all the time... I'll go see a doctor tomorrow.