Meanwhile, deep within a residence in the city of Chao Ge.
The window lattices were half-open, and several people sat around a table.
A projection was displayed in the air before them.
The image clearly showed a young figure holding a Golden Apple.
He was currently following a team of officials through the palace gates.
“Black has already entered the palace with the Golden Apple,” Helios said, his blond hair appearing particularly dazzling even in the dim room.
“He should be able to successfully please Lady Daji next.”
Shin Fujiwara waved the folding fan in his hand and said, “If he can win Daji’s favor, he will inevitably gain significant power in this city of Chao Ge.”
“Not only can it help us understand this world, but we can also get close to King Zhou and even become high-ranking officials in the court.”
“I hope he’s lucky enough,” another female candidate, Camilla, whispered.
“Otherwise, that Golden Apple would be a waste.”
“If you ask me, you’re all being far too cautious. It’s just a human dynasty. What does it matter if it’s destroyed?” A cold snort came from a burly man.
“This is an EX-rank Restricted Dungeon, Cassio. If you want to seek death, don’t drag us down with you,” Helios warned him with a sharp look.
Cassio closed his mouth reluctantly, though he felt that the gods were the real focus in this dungeon.
He didn’t think he was wrong.
Across the table, the woman who appeared to be the youngest said softly, “I’m more concerned about the title of the dungeon, ‘Investiture of the Gods.’ That seems to be a hint.”
Reeve said thoughtfully, “In our Norse mythos, the prophecy of Ragnarok runs through everything. Does this dungeon’s name also imply an inevitable ending?”
Helios rotated the bronze cup in his hand and said, “I’ve already sent people to gather information throughout Chao Ge. The results show that King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty is tyrannical and lawless, while Ji Chang of Xiqi is benevolent and loves his people. These are clearly two opposing paths.”
“So, choosing to support King Zhou makes us the villains, and helping Xiqi makes us the heroes? A game of thrones?” Shin Fujiwara smiled, though there was no trace of mirth in his eyes.
“That’s a bit too shallow. What if I insist on changing fate against the heavens?”
The group exchanged glances.
The Amaterasu Pantheon was the same as ever—a small place with massive ambition.
Helios brought the topic back, “I think the key lies in the word ‘Investiture.'”
“In our myths, a similar concept is the succession of divine positions. For example, Uranus was replaced by Cronos, and Cronos was overthrown by Zeus.”
He paused and speculated, “Perhaps the changing of human dynasties isn’t the point. We should look for clues related to the gods or even join their ranks.”
“I understand now!” the burly man from the Norse Pantheon slammed the table.
“Ragnarok! It must be that! This war will determine the birth of a new Divine Pantheon! We must choose the winning side!”
Helios shook his head, “I’m afraid it’s far more complex than that.”
He looked at everyone and said, “As we all know, the Great Desolation map is massive. We don’t need to rush our decision. The key right now is to hide our identities and avoid exposing ourselves too early. By the way, where was Verdandi deployed?”
The candidate responsible for reconnaissance shook his head and replied, “We haven’t been able to contact her yet.”
“Could she have been dropped in some desolate, uninhabited place?” Shin Fujiwara guessed.
“That would be quite miserable. If she can’t get out and remains isolated from the battlefield, how is it any different from being disconnected from a game?”
“We were lucky to be born directly into such a prosperous city-state where we could quickly gather so much information.”
Helios frowned, “In any case, find her as soon as possible.”
Outside the window, a sparrow flew past, spreading its wings and quickly disappearing into the horizon of Chao Ge.
***
Su Fu left Chao Ge and traveled onward.
The sky gradually darkened, and the silhouettes of distant mountains wound like giant dragons.
This was a wilderness.
The mountain wind brushed past, carrying the scent of earth and wild grass, mixed with a hint of chill.
Through the sparrow’s perspective, she saw the scene from earlier.
‘So Helios is the one planning this behind the scenes? Their talent for seeking death is truly unstoppable.’
She could see them even through their attempts at concealment.
In the eyes of a Saint, it was likely no different from playing with their cards face up.
‘The Saints have definitely been alerted now.’
Chesia asked curiously, “Are the Saints of this world really as terrifying as you say?”
Su Fu replied, “Just remember one sentence: Under the Saints, all are ants. Everyone is a chess piece in their eyes.”
Her tone turned heavier, “Moreover, the Investiture of the Gods is the third great tribulation of the Great Desolation. Anything that can be called a great tribulation involves the actual overturning of heaven and earth and the rewriting of laws. During the previous Lich Tribulation, the two hegemons—the Wu clan and the Yao clan—nearly perished together. Never mind people like us; even the protagonists of the Investiture who possess great destiny had to go through immense suffering.”
The last image sent back by the sparrow was of the young man being led into the royal palace and kneeling in the Star-Picking Tower.
Daji, with her crimson lips and white teeth, leaned against a brocade couch, her gaze falling on the glittering Golden Apple.
“It’s over,” Su Fu shook her head.
Nuwa’s gaze was about to turn toward them.
She increased her speed, concealing her aura as she hurried along.
Chao Ge was about to become the center of a storm.
***
Meanwhile, inside the Star-Picking Tower.
Black knelt on the cold floor, holding the glittering Golden Apple high with both hands.
“My Lady, this is a Golden Apple. If a mortal eats it, they will never age and will remain eternally young.”
The nine-tailed fox, Daji, was dressed in a thin red robe.
Her fingers, stained with flower juice, lightly tapped the edge of the couch.
She said softly, “Bring it up.”
A maidservant nearby respectfully took the Golden Apple.
Daji slowly picked it up and examined it closely.
Above the clouds, a pair of indifferent eyes suddenly opened.
Lady Nuwa had originally been resting in the Empress Wa Palace, but now she looked down toward Chao Ge.
Her gaze pierced through countless layers of space, falling upon the Golden Apple in the city.
Her expression shifted slightly.
“Hmm?”
At the same time, inside the Biyou Palace, Grandmaster Tongtian paused his movements and likewise looked up.
“Interesting.”
Yuanshi Tianzun gazed into the void.
The gazes of the three Saints met, and a wordless exchange was completed in an instant.
***
Chesia felt that this Great Desolation map was ridiculously large; she couldn’t feel where the boundary was at all.
“So, Su Fu, where are we going?”
Su Fu replied, “Mount Wuyi. We’re going to find a Dharma treasure that will allow us to reap plenty of benefits.”
Although there were many natural treasures in the Great Desolation, they were either related to the Saints, protected by terrifying restrictions, or hidden in unknown secret realms that were impossible to enter.
For instance, Ancestor Styx of the Blood Sea possessed two killing swords, Yuantu and Abi.
These two swords were Innate Killing Treasures of immense power that could kill without incurring karma.
She was starving for them, but that old monster had the cultivation of a quasi-Saint and countless Asuras under his command.
It was a pipe dream.
As for the Map of Mountains and Rivers or the Taiji Diagram—the supreme treasures of the Saints—it was faster to just dream about them.
However, there was one Dharma treasure she could pick up now.
“Mount Wuyi, the Coin of Falling Treasures.”
“The Coin of Falling Treasures?” Chesia tilted her head, clearly never having heard the name.
“That’s right. It’s an Innate Spiritual Treasure held by the rogue cultivators Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao. This treasure is circular with a square hole in the center. When cast, it can drop Innate Supreme Treasures. In other words, it can seize others’ Dharma treasures. Its most famous achievement was seizing Zhao Gongming’s Sea-Fixing Beads and Dragon-Binding Rope.”
One must know that Zhao Gongming once used the twenty-four Sea-Fixing Beads to send the people of Xiqi running in terror.
When Randeng Daoren went to help, he was chased and beaten instead.
In the end, it was the Coin of Falling Treasures that performed the great feat.
It was a bug-level existence.
However, Xiao Sheng died because of it.
Later, the Sea-Fixing Beads fell into the hands of Randeng Daoren.
After he fully refined them, they evolved into the Twenty-four Heavens.
This meant each bead could nurture a small world.
Twenty-four beads meant twenty-four small worlds.
One person possessing twenty-four small worlds?
Su Fu felt that this item was destined to be hers.
She had to get her hands on it and the Coin of Falling Treasures was the essential tool for obtaining the Sea-Fixing Beads.
Owning it meant owning the subsequent Sea-Fixing Beads and Dragon-Binding Rope.
Buy one, get three free—it was an incredible value.
Furthermore, once the great war fully broke out later, having the Coin of Falling Treasures would allow her to scavenge treasures on the battlefield like crazy.
To do a good job, one must first sharpen their tools.
So, this task had to be handled first.
Chesia’s eyes glowed as she listened, and she urged impatiently, “Is it really that powerful? Then we have to move faster!”
***
Mount Wuyi stretched for thousands of miles, with overlapping peaks and lingering mist.
Ancient trees reached toward the sky, streams gurgled, and the spring water was crystal clear.
Occasionally, birds flew past, leaving behind melodious chirps.
Su Fu stood halfway up the mountain and took a deep breath, feeling the rich spiritual energy of the plants in the air.
She nodded in satisfaction.
Although Mount Wuyi was not a famous immortal mountain in the Great Desolation, it was still a rare Grotto-heaven.
The mountain was full of spiritual energy, spiritual beasts roamed about, and the environment was serene.
Therefore, it attracted a large number of rogue cultivators who lived in seclusion to practice.
Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao were among them.
“Hmm, not bad. This place has abundant spiritual veins and fertile soil. It’s a good place to grow spiritual plants.”
She planned for her first persona to follow the farming path as a rogue Spirit Plant Master.
With skills in hand, she could grow spiritual plants and refine pills.
Being a rogue cultivator meant having no sect affiliation and no suspicion of taking sides.
This role was very popular in the Great Desolation.
After all, spiritual plants and pills were hard currency; everyone needed them, and no one would refuse them.
It also had a natural social advantage.
Giving spiritual tea or pills as gifts was something no one would decline.
Most importantly, this identity carried the least amount of karma.
At the end of the day, she was just a farmer.
She wouldn’t participate in any struggles.
Even if a Saint glanced at her while checking key figures, they wouldn’t think twice.
It was a perfect identity.
She also planned to use this identity to get close to Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao.
Those two rogue immortals loved playing Go and drinking tea; she could cater to their hobbies perfectly.
“So, first, I need to find a place to plant a spiritual field.”
She immediately controlled the birds in the mountain and soon discovered two figures playing Go in a pavilion within the forest.
One held a chess piece while the other held a teacup.
They were playing and drinking simultaneously, living a carefree and comfortable life.
Thus, Su Fu chose a slope with a wide view, situated right below the pavilion.
As long as those two looked down, they would be able to see this spiritual field.
“You’re really going to farm here? You’re actually going to be a farm girl?” Chesia was shocked.
“Of course.” Su Fu took out spiritual tea seeds from her Storage Pouch.
This was Cloud-Mist Immortal Tea brought from her family’s medicine garden.
The tea fragrance was crisp and contained spiritual energy, making it most suitable for cultivators.
She remarked, ‘To successfully get close to those two, I have to cater to their interests.’
Therefore, she wouldn’t just plant this Cloud-Mist Immortal Tea, but also Jade Marrow Grass (a sacred healing medicine), Nine-leaf Lingzhi (to increase cultivation), and Mysterious Yin Flowers (the main ingredient for refining Heart-Calming Pills).
As she spoke, she controlled the sowing.
She was very familiar with this work from her time at home.
Su Fu wondered if she loved farming so much that she should create another persona to find Shennong.
After burying the seeds, she took out the Sweet Dew.
The clear dew poured from the bottle’s mouth, instantly turning into a fine mist that moistened the entire spiritual field.
The moment the dew hit the earth, the soil immediately became moist and fertile, and spiritual energy steamed upward.
The seeds buried in the soil sprouted rapidly, growing branches and leaves.
In the blink of an eye, tender green shoots appeared, swaying gracefully in the cool breeze.
‘Perfect! Next, I’ll build a small wooden hut…’
After a period of busy work, a wooden hut rose from the ground.
Several acres of newly reclaimed spiritual fields were neatly arranged in front of the door.
The scene was full of vitality and looked like the real deal.
Su Fu clapped her hands in satisfaction, “Now, all I have to do is wait for those two to take the bait.”
The identity of a Spirit Plant Master was just too good.
Who would suspect a farmer?
Chesia crawled out of the Thorn Ring, not quite understanding she asked, “Since we want the Coin of Falling Treasures, can’t we just kill Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao? Why go through all this trouble?”
Su Fu paused and slowly lowered her head, her gaze complex.
Chesia: “?”
‘You really have the guts to say that.’