407: Ten years of change

"The Great Dao of Time and Space!" Xiao Zhuo's eyes flashed with brilliant light, and a hint of irrepressible joy flickered in his heart.

Without hesitation, he immediately extracted the vast and profound knowledge of the Great Dao of Time and Space derived from his deductions.

In an instant, a torrent of information, as vast as a galaxy pouring in, surged into his Sea of Consciousness!

Xiao Zhuo felt his mind tremble violently, the sense of heaviness far exceeding any previous experience.

The terrifying amount of information almost instantly broke through his consciousness barrier. Even though he desperately maintained a sliver of clarity in his spiritual platform, he completely lost the ability to think.

"Such a terrifying amount of information! As expected of one of the strongest Great Dao in the Myriad Realms!" He marveled in his heart, while also feeling fortunate that this place was secret and unknown to anyone.

Otherwise, if an Immortal Lord-level existence were to peek into the zizai world at this moment, the consequences would be unimaginable.

At present, he could only cast aside all distracting thoughts and fully digest the seemingly infinite profound information in his mind.

Time and space, two interdependent entities, even when separated, are superior Great Dao that transcend many others, extremely difficult to comprehend, and even more challenging to control.

And when they merge, they are hailed alongside the Great Dao of Chaos as the two strongest Dao in the world sea!

If an ordinary Immortal were to attain a saint position through the Dao of Time and Space, he could stand undefeated in the Saint Realm, truly invincible in the saint position. Even Saints who proved the Dao with strength and broke through boundaries would find it difficult to contend with him.

If he were to go a step further and follow the path of proving the Dao with strength using the Dao of Time and Space, forcibly condensing his own saint position... that would be an undisputed pinnacle existence in the Saint Realm!

The Saint Realm does not have Early Stage, Middle Stage, or Late Stage divisions.

Its strength depends, firstly, on whether it relies on a saint position bestowed by heaven and earth, or a saint position condensed by oneself; and secondly, on the depth of the level of Dao controlled and the subtlety of its application.

However, these were still too distant for Xiao Zhuo at this moment.

His only immediate priority was to thoroughly digest the profoundness of this Great Dao of Time and Space and initially grasp the mysterious and unpredictable power of time and space.

Time and space, individually, are already superior Great Dao, and their Fusion is even more inconceivable, with infinite power.

In the slowly flowing profound memories, Xiao Zhuo even discovered the pathway to communicate with the river of time, and instantly understood the unpredictable dangers within.

As the profound memories were gradually understood and absorbed, layers of shifting, illusory light and shadow quietly emerged around Xiao Zhuo's seated body in the core of the Zizai Hall.

As the light and shadow intertwined and flowed, they seemed to divide this space into countless overlapping and intersecting fragments of time and space.

"Comprehending the Great Dao of Time and Space, can it even initially affect the flow of time?" Xiao Zhuo's consciousness began to try to extend outwards, and dots of golden sparks, symbolizing the collision of thoughts, appeared and burst around him out of thin air.

Time within the Zizai Hall seemed to have fallen into a viscous stagnation. Only the constantly flashing and flickering golden sparks remained the sole dynamic element in this frozen time and space.

Ten years passed in a flash.

In another part of the same zizai world, within a luxurious courtyard filled with Immortal Qi.

Wang Xianyu sat cross-legged by the Immortal Lotus in the Spirit Pond, her body surging with Immortal power, her aura fluctuating, as she was at the cusp of a Breakthrough.

Cloud curled up behind her, feigning sleep, her fluffy tail occasionally swaying gently.

Spiritual mist permeated the air, and pavilions and waterside structures appeared and disappeared.

At the entrance of the courtyard, two figures quietly emerged.

Their auras were restrained, returning to their original simplicity, like mortals.

"Yu'er also seems to be on the verge of Breaking through to the Profound Immortal Late Stage. Shortened name, your siblings' Aptitude truly makes this Senior Brother feel ashamed." The black-clothed youth sighed softly, a hint of imperceptible disappointment in his tone, then quickly returned to normal.

"Senior Brother is too modest." Wang Xianzhi, in white robes, smiled faintly, his gaze warmly falling on his Junior Sister. "We merely benefited from Revered Master's grace, encountering a Heaven-Defying Opportunity like the Penglai Immortal Pond, which led to our current progress. If Senior Brother has the chance to enter that Immortal Pond in the future, he will surely reach the Golden Immortal Realm even earlier than us!"

Cao Xiaochuan had been busy overseeing the Cao family's construction of the Zizai Realm for the past ten years, inevitably delaying his cultivation, and his Profound Immortal Late Stage Realm had only just stabilized.

In contrast, his two Junior Brother and Junior Sister had successively achieved Breakthroughs during these ten years.

His cultivation years far exceeded theirs by several hundred, and seeing himself about to be caught up, the sense of urgency in his heart was self-evident.

Wang Xianzhi and his/her siblings followed Xiao Zhuo and had continuous fortuitous encounters in the Immortal Realm, especially the Immortal Pond Opportunity. Coupled with Undergoing Tribulation alongside Cao Xiaochuan during the great creation of the Blood Demon Realm's advancement, such progress was only natural.

Just as the two were conversing, Wang Xianyu's aura by the Spirit Pond suddenly fluctuated violently!

The dense spiritual mist instantly liquefied, and a massive amount of Immortal spiritual Qi in the courtyard frantically gathered, forming a huge devouring vortex centered around her.

As the vortex poured down, her aura soared higher and higher!

In just half an incense stick's time, her aura had more than doubled in strength, firmly stepping into the Profound Immortal Late Stage!

Wang Xianyu slowly opened her eyes, and a seven-colored stream of light seemed to flash and disappear in their depths.

She ended her cultivation and restrained her aura, then turned her gaze to her approaching Elder Brother and Senior Brother, breaking into a radiant smile that was captivating.

"Yu'er has become even more intelligent and graceful." Cao Xiaochuan praised sincerely, his eyes clear.

Wang Xianzhi's eyes were also full of doting affection and pride.

Cloud lazily stretched, then lightly leaped onto Wang Xianyu's shoulder, her fluffy tail affectionately rubbing against her cheek, eliciting a burst of delicate laughter from Wang Xianyu: "It tickles! Cloud, stop teasing!"

The two watched the person and her pet frolic for a moment before taking their seats in the waterside pavilion.

"Ten years have passed, and Revered Master has not yet come out of seclusion." Cao Xiaochuan picked up the Immortal tea poured by Wang Xianyu, his tone filled with emotion. "Now the Zizai Realm boundary Realm is stable, the nine continents have been divided, and the one billion Human Race we purchased from surrounding boundary Realms have multiplied, their population almost doubling. I just wonder if Revered Master will be satisfied with these changes?"

"Great Master, you have done extremely well! Revered Master will surely be pleased when he comes out of seclusion!" Wang Xianyu affirmed.

Wang Xianzhi nodded in agreement: "Indeed. The Zizai Realm is taking shape, and its Luck is growing daily. Although I couldn't Breakthrough the time and space barrier of Revered Master's seclusion place to enter the Zizai Hall some time ago, I observed that the Origin Golden Dragon is much more solid and powerful than it was ten years ago! These years, Senior Brother has managed the overall situation, and if it were Yu'er and I, we would never have been able to achieve such a level."

Upon hearing this, Cao Xiaochuan's face showed a gentle smile.

Ten years of managing affairs and gaining experience had long since washed away his youthful naivete, and a calm and dignified demeanor befitting a superior had settled between his brows.

As the three were conversing, a figure sped from the horizon, landed outside the courtyard, then quickly walked in, kneeling on one knee ten steps away:

"Reporting to the Family Head! Changes have occurred in the Hundred Pagoda Realm!"

Cao Xiaochuan looked at this Tribulation Crossing Realm Cao family Elder, and said in a deep voice: "Speak!"

"The Black Pagoda Revered Master of the Seven-Colored Pagoda in the Hundred Pagoda Realm forcibly detained our dispatched caravan! They claim that our Zizai Realm caravan repeatedly evaded taxes, and not only want to confiscate all the goods from the ten cargo ships this time, but also threaten that we must pay a huge fine before they will release the one hundred and twelve members of the caravan!"

The Elder's voice was stern and clear.

As his voice fell, not only Cao Xiaochuan, but Wang Xianzhi and his/her siblings' expressions also instantly darkened.

The Hundred Pagoda Realm is a powerful Middle Thousand Realm Domain in the area neighboring the Zizai Realm, having integrated at least three Middle Thousand Origin. It is the most overbearing of the seven surrounding Middle Thousand Realm Domains.

Its dominant force, the "Seven-Colored Pagoda," possesses six True Immortal Old Ancestors and dozens of Quasi-Immortals, with strength sufficient to crush ordinary Middle Thousand Realms.

When the Zizai Realm first appeared ten years ago, the Hundred Pagoda Realm had sent people to probe, but they were easily repelled by the Cao family's Elders.

Although this boundary Realm is overbearing, it is also the most resource-rich place in this remote Star Domain. Even though the Zizai Realm now has abundant Origin and dense Immortal Qi, many high-grade Spirit Medicine and basic mineral resources still need to be purchased from the Hundred Pagoda Realm.

In recent years, the internal struggle between the Black and White Pagodas within the Seven-Colored Pagoda has been fierce.

The Zizai Realm caravan has always conducted transactions through the relatively moderate White Pagoda, which has caused dissatisfaction from the Black Pagoda, who frequently seek trouble.

However, the White Pagoda, having received benefits from the Zizai Realm, has been ambiguous and evasive in the face of the Black Pagoda's harassment, seemingly intending to use the Black Pagoda to exploit the caravan and alleviate its own conflicts.

Similar frictions were not new, but this time it was the most serious—both people and goods detained, and a ransom demanded!

"Revered Master is in seclusion, and I didn't want to cause extra trouble..." A cold glint flashed in Cao Xiaochuan's eyes. He slowly put down the Immortal tea in his hand, his voice calm, yet carrying a chilling intensity that made one's heart palpitate. "But some ants, ignorant of death, insist on rushing to their demise!"