"Outland?" Qi Yuan asked, surprised.
Realm Lord Qingfeng explained, "All living beings within a Dao lineage—whether they realize it or not—have already entered the Cycle. However, if a universe has never given birth to a Dao Lord, it may be termed an Outland. That being said, any Outland lacking a presiding Dao Lord is exceedingly fragile, constantly at risk of being engulfed by the fourth tier of the Yang God realm."
The first stage of the fourth tier of the Yang God realm possessed various traits. These traits were bizarre and unfathomable, largely centered around destruction, devouring, and ruin.
Even Mingzun of the Sole Palace had severed the future with his sword, willing to transform himself into a curious treasure to be wielded by future generations. Yet across so many cosmic epochs, the Linya Molt still occurred, causing Yang Gods to fall and transform into variant spirits.
"The Universal Void Realm is different from ordinary Outlands. The tentacles of the fourth tier of the Yang God realm cannot reach in, nor can the Dao lineages of the fifth tier fall upon this place," Qingfeng said. "This place is extremely unique. Among all the research projects of our Myriad Changes Society, one is to investigate the origin and principles of the Universal Void Realm."
Qi Yuan had always been a good listener, and he listened attentively.
"If you complete these research projects or make breakthrough progress, you will receive a substantial amount of points, and you might even become a society master of the Myriad Changes Society. In this cosmic epoch, the Shamanic Dao Lord presides over the Myriad Changes Society. Once you become a society master, you may even have the opportunity to be granted an audience with the Shamanic Dao Lord." A look of awe surfaced in Qingfeng's eyes when he mentioned the Dao Lord.
Such an existence had already reached the end of the cultivation path and was practically the ultimate pursuit of every cultivator.
To be granted an audience with a Dao Lord brought countless benefits. After all, the master of a Great Dao was cloaked in the rules of ten thousand Daos. Merely observing them or conversing with them could trigger profound insights, offering tremendous advantages to powerhouses like them.
"I have a few questions of my own. Can I find answers within the Myriad Changes Society?" Qi Yuan asked.
"Naturally. As long as you can pay the price or provide sufficient merit, any answer can be obtained," Realm Lord Qingfeng said confidently. The projects investigated by the Myriad Changes Society were all exceptionally difficult, to the point of baffling even Dao Lords. Generally speaking, any request or question from the third tier of the Yang God realm could easily be satisfied by a Dao Lord. "You may take out your golden jade medallion and submit your inquiry. If it is something simple, other members who see it can answer and resolve it for you at any time."
"Really? That's great! Any question at all?" Qi Yuan beamed.
"Naturally!" Realm Lord Qingfeng was brimming with confidence. The Myriad Changes Society had existed for countless cosmic epochs; its research topics were all profoundly lofty, and it had resolved innumerable enigmas.
"Alright, I'll go in and ask right now." With that, Qi Yuan probed his consciousness into the golden jade medallion.
Very quickly, he sensed a presence akin to an internet forum or a chat group.
"A newcomer? And with a golden jade medallion?"
"It seems barely anyone with a golden jade medallion has joined the Myriad Changes Society this cosmic epoch."
"You've come to the Hall of Inquiry, so you must have a question, right? Newcomers can ask one question for free. Go ahead, ask."
Inside this place called the Hall of Inquiry, a flower resembling a tripod cauldron chattered incessantly.
"The Nine Cauldrons Flower is the artifact spirit of the Hall of Inquiry. It commands more than ninety percent of the Myriad Changes Society's forbidden knowledge. If you have a question, it can find the answer among the Hall of Inquiry's archives," Realm Lord Qingfeng said beside him.
"So it's an artificial idiot?" Qi Yuan remarked, looking rather disdainful. Wasn't this just like those AIs on the Blue Star, scouring information from the internet to answer questions?
"Hey, you're pretty rude for a newcomer! How dare you look down on this flower?" the Nine Cauldrons Flower snapped haughtily. "Pose any question you like, and see if this flower can't solve it with ease!"
"I didn't look down on you," Qi Yuan said hastily. As the saying went, all beings were equal; he never discriminated against any person—or any flower. After a moment of thought, he asked seriously, "Nine Cauldrons Flower, I want to know: is there a kind of Yang God in this world that far surpasses a Dao Lord?"
The Nine Cauldrons Flower fell silent.
"My cultivation has hit a bottleneck. If I take another step forward, I might be comparable to the fourth or fifth tier of the Yang God realm. But this fourth tier is far too weak, and Dao Lords are constrained at every turn. I really don't think much of them. I have a modest bit of talent, and after cultivating diligently through countless hardships and perils for so many years, if all I achieve is combat prowess merely on par with a Dao Lord, I won't even bring honor to my ancestors. I'd be letting down my mother, my father, and the forebears of the Qi family," Qi Yuan said earnestly, putting on a pitiful display.
As the saying went, the crying child got the milk. Of course, the prerequisite was that you had to be good-looking. If a wild boar put on a pitiful show here, it would only induce nausea.
The Nine Cauldrons Flower fell silent again. Only after a long while did it speak: "I understand your situation. Your question... is also the ultimate project that the Myriad Changes Society has been researching all along. There is currently no solution. Perhaps you could... ask something related to your daily life?"
The Nine Cauldrons Flower felt that there was something wrong with this newcomer's head. Who on earth asked such a question right off the bat? If anyone in the Myriad Changes Society knew the answer to that, wouldn't everyone in the society have already surpassed Dao Lords?
Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt disappointed. It truly was an artificial idiot, unable to answer even a question like this.
"Daily life?" Qi Yuan pondered.
"Yes, daily life," the Nine Cauldrons Flower said with renewed confidence. Questions about what lay beyond a Dao Lord were naturally insolvable, but daily life was different. The Nine Cauldrons Flower considered itself to have lived for an eternity; such mundane matters were an absolute breeze.
"I have a wife, but I haven't been able to find her or see her," Qi Yuan asked seriously, looking somewhat anxious.
"Finding people is what this flower does best!" A smile bloomed on the Nine Cauldrons Flower's face.
"My wife's name is Ruan Yixi."
"I've noted the name. Any other characteristics?"
"She exists in the past and the future, but not in the present. Is there any way for me to see her?"
"..." The Nine Cauldrons Flower froze. "Your wife is at the fourth tier of the Yang God realm?"
"As expected of the Nine Cauldrons Flower, how brilliant! She is indeed at the fourth tier of the Yang God realm."
The Nine Cauldrons Flower was utterly at a loss for words, managing only, "You certainly have unique tastes."
"Hey, don't slander me! Even though Ruan Yixi is my master, we don't live in a feudal society anymore. Pursuing one's master and defying the ancestors is no crime!" Qi Yuan protested indignantly.
Wasn't it perfectly normal for a disciple to admire his master? Human nature naturally gravitated toward the strong.
The Nine Cauldrons Flower looked at the disgruntled Qi Yuan, a flicker of pity crossing its eyes. A picture had already formed in its mind: Qi Yuan and Ruan Yixi had likely been master and disciple, as well as lovers. In the end, Ruan Yixi broke through to the fourth tier of the Yang God realm, and her true spirit vanished. Her disciple, Qi Yuan, had been desperately searching for his master ever since. Yet how could anyone find someone in the fourth tier of the Yang God realm when they didn't even exist in the present world? Even a being as mighty as a Dao Lord could not inhabit the same timeline as someone in the fourth tier. Therefore... driven by yearning for his master, Qi Yuan had ended up half-crazed, with a screw loose in his head.
"I cannot help you find this person. However... you can join the Myriad Changes Society's 'Spirit Awakening' research project. The objective of this project is to rekindle the true spirit of those at the fourth tier of the Yang God realm." Perhaps out of pity for Qi Yuan, the Nine Cauldrons Flower's tone softened considerably.
Of course, it withheld the rest. The difficulty of the Spirit Awakening project ranked among the top three of all research topics in the Myriad Changes Society, second only to breaking through beyond the fifth tier of the Yang God realm and figuring out how a Dao Lord could safely shatter the Cycle. Such topics were practically unsolvable.
"That... doesn't seem very helpful to me," Qi Yuan replied.
He could already achieve Spirit Awakening himself. As long as he used his verbal superpower to establish a connection with those in the fourth tier of the Yang God realm, bringing them back to life with his peerless eloquence was no trouble at all. Wasn't that exactly how his master, Ruan Yixi, had been talked back to life?
"It is indeed difficult to help you, but it is an opportunity nonetheless, is it not?" the Nine Cauldrons Flower consoled him, assuming Qi Yuan merely understood how difficult awakening a spirit was.
"Can't even that... be done?" Qi Yuan was now certain that this Nine Cauldrons Flower was a genuine artificial idiot. Gentle tone aside, it was still an imbecile.
"My apologies, it cannot."
"How about this, I'll ask a simple one." Qi Yuan thought for a moment and quickly said, "Back when I was in the Origin Core stage, I established a Golden Core Dao called the Stellar Golden Core Dao. It involves refining stars into Golden Cores and devouring them continuously. But I ran into a problem: there are simply too many stars in the sky, as numerous as the stars themselves..."
*As numerous as the stars themselves?*
*Was that even human speech?*
*And refining stars into Golden Cores? This kid really has lost his mind,* the Nine Cauldrons Flower thought to itself.
"Even though I can devour ten thousand stars a day, the pace is still too slow. I was wondering if there's any method that would let me devour them faster?" Qi Yuan asked.
"This..." The Nine Cauldrons Flower pondered for a moment. "When it comes to devouring, Dao Lord Heitian reigns supreme. The Devouring True Scripture created by Him is unmatched across the cosmos."
"Dao Lord Heitian?" Hearing this name, an unpleasant association stirred in Qi Yuan's mind. "I know that there is an entity at the fourth tier of the Yang God realm named Heitian. Is there any connection... between him and this Dao Lord Heitian?"
Both were named Heitian, and both were linked to devouring.
"The fourth tier of the Yang God realm? Heitian? I've never heard of such a thing," the Nine Cauldrons Flower answered directly. Dao Lord Heitian was the true pinnacle of the Path of Devouring, taking Heitian as His Dao title. That Dao title was exclusive to Him. No other entity at the fourth or fifth tier of the Yang God realm could claim that title. Of course, the third tier and below were not bound by such restrictions.
*He hasn't heard of it?* Qi Yuan mused.
Perhaps the multiverse was simply too vast, and the so-called Heitian was too far away for the Nine Cauldrons Flower to know.
"What about Dao Lord Yaoguang?" Qi Yuan asked again.
"Never heard of Him," the Nine Cauldrons Flower shook its head.
"What about Chun?"
"Never."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan asked no more. Perhaps they were indeed separated by an unfathomable distance.
"This is the Devouring True Scripture. Given your current merit and status, you wouldn't normally be qualified to receive this scripture outright, but this flower is feeling tender-hearted, so I'll grant it to you directly."
As the Nine Cauldrons Flower spoke, the knowledge regarding the Devouring True Scripture flowed into Qi Yuan's consciousness. The stream of information was relentless, profound, and unfathomable.
"The Devouring True Scripture is extraordinarily difficult. Within the Myriad Changes Society, fifteen members have studied this art, yet only three managed to grasp the basics—and even then, it took them tens of thousands of years just to cross the threshold," the Nine Cauldrons Flower informed him.
A Dao scripture like the Devouring True Scripture could not be mastered through mere grinding over time. Without talent, even spending an entire cosmic epoch or more would not suffice to grasp the basics. But with the right aptitude, the time required might be very short—taking merely tens of thousands of years.
"That slow?" Qi Yuan sounded somewhat disappointed. He considered himself an ordinary guy with zero self-confidence.
"You call that slow?" The Nine Cauldrons Flower was speechless. That was already blindingly fast! Besides, for powerhouses of their caliber, spending a hundred million years cultivating a single Dao scripture was entirely normal.
"Very well. Now that your benefit has been granted... which research project do you choose to join?" the Nine Cauldrons Flower inquired. Every member of the Myriad Changes Society was required to join a research project team.
As it spoke, a series of information flooded Qi Yuan's mind:
*Project Code: Transcending... Transcending beyond the Yang God.*
*Project Code: Seeking Change... Shattering the Dao Lord Cycle.*
*Project Code: Spirit Awakening... Reviving or summoning the consciousness of the fourth tier of the Yang God realm.*
*Project Code: Recasting Shamanic... Remodeling the Shamanic Dao to reshape a new Great Dao.*
*Project Code: Four-Five... Fusing the fourth and fifth tiers of the Yang God realm.*
...
*Project Code: Ruins Discovery... Searching for new, unknown worlds and universes.*
*Project Code: Time Machine... Constructing a time machine to return to the past of the fourth tier of the Yang God realm.*
Browsing through these options, Qi Yuan felt dazzled. Most of these research projects were questions he had pondered himself.
For instance, transcending the Yang God.
Or the time machine, which reminded him of the Lost Glowstick he had found in the Ancestral Land of the Mortal Heart Realm. That glowstick could take him back to the past. Using it, Qi Yuan had brought those villagers to the past, helping them observe the deity and raise their strength. Later, he had even encountered the Holy Mother of Inedia three times.
The function of that Lost Glowstick was extremely peculiar. Qi Yuan couldn't even be certain whether holding that glowstick would allow him to return to the past and see his master. That form of returning to the past was distinctly different from a Dao Lord traveling upstream along the cosmic river of time.
"Can I participate in two projects?" Qi Yuan asked.
"You may."
"Then... I'll join 'Spirit Awakening' and 'Time Machine,'" Qi Yuan said seriously.
This Myriad Changes Society was formidable after all. He needed to accumulate plenty of merit. With Spirit Awakening and the time machine, he had a certain degree of confidence in earning merit. As for Transcending, he currently had no clear leads, so he chose not to join it. His mind was still pure and unpolluted; if he joined and was led astray by those people, that would be terrible luck.
"Very well. Henceforth, you are a research member of these two projects." The Nine Cauldrons Flower looked at Qi Yuan with an even gentler gaze. It was obvious to the flower that Qi Yuan had chosen these two topics solely to see his master, Ruan Yixi.
After conversing a bit more with the Nine Cauldrons Flower, Qi Yuan decided to temporarily withdraw from the Universal Void Realm to cultivate the Devouring True Scripture. Once he finished cultivating, he would report back internally to the Myriad Changes Society.
The Devouring True Scripture was directly tied to the number of his Golden Cores. Wasting a single second meant losing potentially tens of thousands of Stellar Golden Cores—and those were pure strength.
After Qi Yuan left, the Nine Cauldrons Flower posted a thread in the Hall of Inquiry:
*Exposing the Secret Story of a Myriad Changes Society Newcomer: My Female Master and Lover is Actually at the Fourth Tier of the Yang God Realm!*
Chapter 573