Chapter 459: The Heavenly Banner's Memory

[Taiping Sutra], you fucking screwed me over!

In that moment, this was the only thought left in Wang Ping's mind, along with a deep sense of relief—thankfully he had been cautious, and his main body hadn't acted recklessly this time.

His avatar still had room to maneuver.

If he had trusted the [Taiping Sutra] too much and brought his main body swaggering in here, wouldn't he have been spawn-camped by a True Monarch and sent straight to an early finale?

Countless thoughts flashed through Wang Ping's mind in a split second, ultimately settling into a heavy stillness. After a long silence, he didn't put up any resistance or make any excuses. He just raised his head, stared straight at the black-robed youth in front of him—who showed no trace of a Qi signature and looked like a Mortal—and squeezed a sentence through his teeth.

"Ugh, just kill me."

His life was forfeit!

Having said that, Wang Ping simply closed his eyes and stopped overthinking. In any case, his avatar still had the [Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Talisman], so he shouldn't be susceptible to soul searching.

Even if the other party didn't kill him and managed to imprison him instead, once the thirty days passed and the main quest failed, he would still be killed by the penalty for mission failure.

'So that's how it is. That's why this mechanic exists...' Wang Ping suddenly understood. 'It's not really punishing me, it's a failsafe. If I fail the mission or go down the wrong path, the scripture scroll's suicide mechanism will at least ensure I can safely leave this wretched place...'

Wang Ping kept his eyes closed just like that. However, after a long time, neither the imprisonment and soul-searching he had imagined, nor being snatched up and instantly refined, actually occurred. This struck him as odd.

"..."

Driven by curiosity, he slowly opened his eyes, only to see the black-robed youth sitting properly on a Meditation Mat not far away, elegantly taking a sip of tea.

"Are you done?"

Seeing Wang Ping looking over again, the black-robed youth finally smiled and said, "If you're done, come sit over here. Let's have a chat. Don't worry, I won't kill you, little friend."

Hearing this, Wang Ping gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and decided to just roll with it. He strode over to the black-robed youth and sat down cross-legged. Surprisingly, the latter actually brewed him a cup of tea quite cordially and pushed it in front of him. Wang Ping didn't hesitate either, raising the teacup and downing it in one gulp.

"Hiss...!"

As the tea entered his stomach, Wang Ping sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. Following that, he saw his sea of consciousness radiate with brilliant light, and one inspiration after another emerged from the radiance.

What kind of tea was this?

It could actually elevate perception and stimulate inspiration!

In a flash, some of Wang Ping's concepts regarding the Five Phases, as well as his previous thoughts and even doubts concerning magical power, were all unraveled.

Watching Wang Ping's mind wander beyond the heavens, the black-robed youth nodded in deep appreciation. He wasn't in a hurry and waited patiently until Wang Ping snapped back to reality.

"In a historical fragment, nothing but knowledge can be brought out. Consider this meager tea my greeting gift," he said softly.

Hearing this, Wang Ping's thoughts churned.

"...Thank you, Senior."

After a moment of silence, he cupped his hands in a salute. At the same time, he grew a little bolder. It seemed this Supreme True Monarch harbored no ill intent?

"You're too polite," the black-robed youth smiled. "It is I who have a favor to ask of you, little friend. This meager gift is just a small token of my sincerity... I know you must have quite a few doubts right now."

"Feel free to speak."

Since the other party had said as much, Wang Ping didn't stand on ceremony either. He asked outright, "May I ask, Senior, what exactly did this junior do wrong that allowed you to discover me?"

This was the part that baffled him no matter how hard he thought about it.

In terms of identity, the disguise provided by the [Taiping Sutra] should have been flawless. Furthermore, few people would actually believe Tianhou's unreasonable, pure intuition.

And even if it was Tianhou, he merely suspected I was a water qi cultivator here to spy for information. There was no reason to suspect I was actually an outsider who had slipped into a historical fragment. If I had exposed a flaw in my actions... but I hadn't even started acting yet! How could I have exposed a flaw?

It didn't make sense!

In all fairness, Wang Ping wasn't afraid of failure, but he couldn't accept failing without knowing the reason. That meant he had no way to improve. Thinking of this, he carefully reviewed all the suspicious points from the moment he entered the historical fragment.

"Could it be because of that chicken?" he asked tentatively.

Xuanzhi!

Wang Ping thought it over and over, feeling that only this chicken was relatively strange. It had suddenly talked Tianhou out of pestering him. Could it be that it had ruined his plans?

It looked completely harmless when it talked Tianhou down one second, only to turn around and snitch on him to a True Monarch the next? Knowing Xuanzhi's style, he felt it wasn't impossible.

"...Hahaha."

Watching the deep in thought Wang Ping, the black-robed youth suddenly chuckled. "Don't be too hard on Xuanzhi. Without anyone supporting it, it isn't that capable all on its own."

"In fact, just now, I met not only with you, little friend. I met with every cultivator from the outer lands who entered the Heaven Defiance Palace to participate in the Imperial Guard selection. I said the exact same thing to all of them, but you were the only one who reacted to it. That's why I discovered you."

"That... means?"

Wang Ping blinked in confusion.

The black-robed youth, however, was extremely relaxed as he said, "It means that my true self from actual history specifically left this contingency behind in this historical fragment."

"This way, no matter who it is or what method they use, as long as someone attempts to intervene in this historical fragment, I will definitely notice the clues."

"To that end, I even set a trap for every cultivator participating in the Human Emperor's Imperial Guard selection. I ensured they would experience a major event capable of establishing merit during this selection. This way, if any of them successfully attain true cultivation in the future, this historical fragment will be preserved as a critical node."

Speaking up to here, the black-robed youth took another sip of tea.

"The result is that anyone who tries to alter the history of these people will definitely appear in this time period, and thus fall into my sights."

Wang Ping: "..."

Fuck me!

At this moment, he finally understood where his earlier doubts and the sense that something was wrong had come from. So that was it! This was the inside story of the Imperial Guard selection!

This historical fragment itself was a trap!

It was just that this trap wasn't aimed at the [Present], but at the [Future]. But how could the other party have anticipated the appearance of someone like him?

"There's nothing strange about it."

Seeming to see the shock in Wang Ping's heart, the black-robed youth said calmly, "Borrowing a quasi-immortal artifact or an Immortal Decree to obliterate a True Person isn't difficult."

"Furthermore, a lot of times, this is really just a precaution. A True Person might rarely possess this awareness, but upon reaching the True Monarch level, most will consciously leave similar contingencies in important historical fragments. This ensures no one can secretly obliterate the history they value."

You could actually do that?

Wang Ping was dumbfounded, but he also roughly understood the reason for his exposure—in short, he hadn't been discovered, he had been tricked into revealing himself! How were these True Monarchs so sinister?!

Even so, these words still sounded an alarm bell for Wang Ping. They made him appreciate the terror of a True Monarch even more, and he didn't dare relax in the slightest anymore.

Before this, he still felt that absolutely no one would anticipate him traveling through history to stir up trouble. Now, however, he had lost that notion completely. Obviously, even though the [Taiping Sutra] had completed its upgrade, this profound mystery of traveling through historical fragments wasn't unique. There were plenty of methods to achieve it.

Therefore, the True Monarchs of various factions were actually all on guard against it.

'This is going to be tough.'

The only thing worth celebrating was that in suffering his first loss, at least the other party seemed relatively amiable and wasn't the sort of True Monarch brimming with malice.

On the contrary, there was a clear intent to guide him between the lines.

A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit. With this experience, the next time he encountered this kind of situation, he would be mentally prepared and definitely wouldn't be tricked again.

Thinking of this, Wang Ping's heart suddenly stirred—since he had been exposed this time, why not just exit the historical fragment and start over?

After pondering for a moment, he still abandoned the idea. On one hand, committing suicide to exit right in front of a True Monarch was a tiny bit difficult. On the other hand, he felt this was a rare opportunity. After all, a Supreme True Monarch was currently willing to chat with a lower cultivator like him, which was a massive stroke of serendipity in itself.

Right at this time, the black-robed youth spoke up again.

"You still haven't answered my question, little friend."

"May I ask your name?"

This time, Wang Ping had already made his decision. Cupping his hands, he said, "A Dao Child under the jurisdiction of the Deity Transformation Immortal Realm and the Primordial Sovereign Mingxing Xuanyi, greets Senior Heavenly Banner."

Based on what he had seen and heard on the jade wall at the Directorate of Water Works earlier, his own Sovereign should have had a cooperative relationship with the Great Rebellion and the Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch in front of him.

Furthermore, he was born as one of the Great Rebellion's black-headed commoners.

True Monarch, we're on the same side!

Sure enough, upon hearing Wang Ping's second self-introduction, the black-robed youth's tone noticeably fluctuated, and the hand holding his teacup paused slightly.

"...Senior Mingxing?"

As his voice fell, Wang Ping saw this Supreme True Monarch slowly set down the teacup in his hand and take another earnest look at him with an unprecedentedly serious attitude.

"A Manifest-World Dao Child?"

"Uh, Senior's dharma eyes are piercing..."

Wang Ping was a little anxious.

From the looks of it, his Sovereign still commanded a lot of awe. Even the black-robed youth's attitude had grown much more solemn. He didn't say a word, seeming to be pondering something. Only after a moment did he speak again:

"What is the situation in the future?"

"This..." Wang Ping said, a bit troubled. "This junior's cultivation is meager, making it hard for me to enter the grand halls of power. I don't know the details, only some widely known deeds."

"No matter."

The black-robed youth smiled. "Tell me about them."

Wang Ping gritted his teeth and boldly stated, "His Majesty the Human Emperor suddenly vanished, Senior died, and the Great Rebellion was destroyed. It has been approximately thirty thousand years since then."

As his words fell, the entire quiet room immediately plunged into silence. Wang Ping didn't dare say another word, and the black-robed youth in front of him fell silent once more. Only the faint rumble of thunder could be heard echoing outside. After an unknown amount of time passed in this manner, the black-robed youth finally spoke softly, emphasizing every single word.

"Thirty thousand years. It seems I have been plotted against."

Having said that, he looked at Wang Ping. Without getting hung up on the Human Emperor's disappearance, he asked instead, "In thirty thousand years of time, I haven't been resurrected to return?"

"...No."

The black-robed youth shook his head. "Impossible. I made calculations. I have a clear grasp on every change in every critical time period of my cultivation throughout this life."

"After thirty thousand years, I should have resurrected and returned long ago. Since a mishap has occurred, it must be that someone used a supreme treasure like a quasi-immortal artifact or an Immortal Decree to suppress a certain segment of my past, thereby preventing me from resurrecting... Most likely, it was the period during His Majesty's ascension."

After saying this, he looked at Wang Ping.

"Little friend, you also possess a quasi-immortal artifact capable of interfering with historical fragments. If you can help me break the blockade so I can resurrect and return, I will definitely reward you generously in the future."

It was a very direct request.

"In addition, I can also tell you a secret."

The black-robed youth smiled. "You can recount this secret to any version of me at any time period after Qi Refining. At that time, I will definitely become an aide to you."

"Actually, it would be best if you also devised a similar secret known only to yourself, little friend. It can be used to confirm whether you are in true history or a certain historical fragment, and whether it's your first time meeting an outsider. This will prevent schemers from deceiving you when interfering with history."

"For instance, this time, I can be certain."

The black-robed youth pointed at Wang Ping, his tone leisurely. "This should be my first time meeting you, little friend. Or, we've met before, but I didn't trust you."

Wang Ping: "..."

Damn, there were quite a few tricks!

Why did this whole thing feel so sinister? He said he was providing a secret, but in reality, God knew what this secret actually meant to the man himself.

Although the black-robed youth claimed this secret was meant to gain the trust of his other selves across different time periods, what if its true meaning was 'this brat cannot be allowed to live'? The higher cultivators had too many schemes! He wanted to fight lower cultivators!

The next second, the radiance of the [Taiping Sutra] lit up the depths of Wang Ping's eyes once again.

[Side quest anchored!]

[A Commission Across Time and Space]

[The "Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch" hopes you can help him resurrect and return. He has provided the coordinates to an extremely dangerous historical fragment. This will be perilous.]

[Do you accept his commission?]

[Acceptance Rewards: Chiming Fragment *2, Heavenly Banner's Memory *1, main quest difficulty drastically reduced.]

[Rejection Penalty: Unable to enter any historical fragment containing the Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch ever again.]

"..."

Wang Ping fell into a brief period of deep thought. An extremely dangerous historical fragment—could it be the history of the Human Emperor ascending the throne that the black-robed youth mentioned? Was it that terrifying?

To be honest, he was actually somewhat reluctant. But the penalty for failure was just too severe. After all, from the looks of it, the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] clearly ran through the majority of True Person Chiming's life. In other words, if he rejected this commission, True Person Chiming's historical fragment would be utterly ruined.

From this, it could be seen that this True Monarch had most likely planted some sort of mark on him.

'Damn it, that's too sinister!'

He was speaking nicely on the surface, but in reality, he had directly planted a mark. It was entirely possible that even if he exited and restarted, this mark wouldn't dissipate!

'This is spawn-camping...'

He could well imagine that if they met again next time and the other party sensed the mark on him, yet he couldn't produce the secret to gain his trust...

He would definitely be seen as an anomaly in the historical fragment and swatted to death with a single slap.

Therefore... he had no other choice.

He could only bite the bullet and go for it.

Looking on the bright side, at least he could use the avatar carved out by the [Taiping Sutra] to explore the historical fragment. His main body wouldn't have to take much risk.

Yeah, it would be fine!

Thinking of this, Wang Ping took a deep breath, then said in a deep voice:

"I'll go through fire and water for you, True Monarch!"

Seeing Wang Ping nod in agreement, a smile seemed to suddenly appear on the black-robed youth's blank face. He nodded slightly and offered a heartfelt remark:

"Supreme goodness."

As his voice fell, Wang Ping saw the rewards for accepting the commission lighting up one after another on the [Taiping Sutra] interface beside him. It was quite generous in this regard.

'Two Chiming Fragments... Obviously, every time I complete a side quest, I introduce a minor disturbance to True Person Chiming's history. The magnitude of the disturbance wasn't enough before, so I was only rewarded with one fragment upon completion. This time, by hooking up with a True Monarch, the magnitude of the disturbance skyrocketed instantly.'

'So just by nodding my head, I got rewarded with two fragments.'

'This proves that True Person Chiming's history has been significantly altered by me, which is why the fragments dropped.'

The flashy quest interface was just going through the motions. It was a packaging that Wang Ping was relatively familiar with; its essence remained the profound operation of the [Taiping Sutra].

Looking at it this way, as long as he completed Hanguang's side quest, he would have four Chiming Fragments in his hands. He wasn't far from synthesizing a Chiming Immortal True essence!

When that time came, he would be able to bring an item back to reality.

Moreover, if he could truly gain the trust of the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] and have the True Monarch himself cooperating with him, wouldn't he be able to farm this historical fragment however he pleased?

It felt very profitable!

Thinking of this, the slightly stifled mood Wang Ping originally felt from being forced to accept a high-difficulty quest immediately improved, and he even grew somewhat excited.

The next second, the black-robed youth confirmed his thoughts.

"You came here this time to kill Chiming, right? It seems this little Qilin becomes a True Person in the future. A Fire Qi demonic daoist—if he's killed, so be it," he said.

It wasn't until this moment that the black-robed youth finally seemed to display the indifference and majesty of a Supreme True Monarch. "The trap I originally set for this person in my plans was to have him go through an adventure first, then have a 'narrow escape from death', fail the Imperial Guard selection, and finally flee back to the Fire Qi Immortal Realm," he said calmly.

"If you want to alter this segment of the past, fellow Daoist, it's also simple."

"I won't stop you. I'll just give some private instructions to the Imperial Guard to let you in. That's also a contingency I prepared in advance."

Wang Ping: "..."

Wow! So sinister!

Even though he had lamented this many times already, hearing the black-robed youth arrange True Person Chiming's fate so clearly in just a few sentences still filled him with shock rather than joy.

Despite the black-robed youth making it sound simple, there was actually an extremely sinister operation behind this: higher cultivators casting a wide net over lower cultivators.

By artificially designing critical time periods in a lower cultivator's life, if the lower cultivator failed to attain true cultivation, nothing would happen—ants weren't worth paying attention to. But if someone struck it lucky and became a True Person or True Monarch, then this artificially engineered history would become a fatal flaw for that True Person or True Monarch!

'Holy shit, are they even human?'

Take True Person Chiming for example. This critical segment of his history had been designed. As long as the black-robed youth wished it, he could use it to heavily damage his cultivation at any time.

This bunch of bitch-born True Monarchs... were playing the game far too well!

Thinking of this, Wang Ping's expression fluctuated uncertainly.

What about him?

In an instant, Wang Ping realized the crux of the matter. 'I'm in the exact same boat, except True Person Chiming has the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch], while my side has...'

Primordial Sovereign Mingxing Xuanyi!

Thus far, whether it was his desperate struggle for survival in the Eight Trigrams Furnace or the Master of Secret Traces slaying a Dao Monarch against all odds, every single one of those events had been the handiwork of this Sovereign.

'Looking at it from this angle, it would be even easier for the Sovereign to deal with me than for the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] to deal with True Person Chiming. All she has to do is ignore me...'

Although according to the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch], under normal circumstances, there was no way to interfere with someone else's timeline, he had also mentioned that as long as one possessed a quasi-immortal artifact or an Immortal Decree, they could achieve something similar. If so, did the Sovereign hold something similar in her hands?

'In all likelihood, yes!'

After all, according to the Ancient Cultivator faction, Mingxing was an immortal's disciple back in the day. With a background like that, how could she not possess a supreme treasure bestowed by an immortal?

'Misery!'

That being said, Wang Ping was completely powerless in the face of such a helpless predicament. He could only sigh in his heart and temporarily shelve any thoughts related to it.

'It's fine, the Sovereign loves me!'

Wang Ping snapped back to reality, only to find the black-robed youth watching him with great interest.

"Your talent is very high. Just now, what did you comprehend?" he asked.

"Senior praises me too highly..."

Wang Ping naturally wouldn't answer that question. He immediately changed the subject: "I've already agreed to Senior's request. May I ask what the secret you mentioned earlier is?"

"That," the black-robed youth smiled. "When I was six years old, I fell asleep during my first time cultivating. I dreamed that I had successfully cultivated magical power, and that magical power continuously surged from within my spiritual root. Only when I woke up did I realize I had wet the bed... The next time you see me in a historical fragment, recount this past event to me."

Wang Ping: "???"

Holy shit!

Fuck me, telling a dark history like that, will it really earn your trust in other historical fragments? Won't I get secretly murdered to silence me?!

He was shivering a bit!

Watching the shocked Wang Ping, the black-robed youth didn't care in the slightest. After all, he was only a projection within a historical fragment; he wouldn't be the one embarrassed if it was spoken.

Let his other selves in other historical fragments get a headache over it.

Thinking of this, the black-robed youth even found it somewhat amusing. However, considering his image as a Supreme True Monarch, he still had to maintain a dignified front before a junior.

"Go," he said.

The next second, the black-robed youth gently waved his sleeve, took out the Four Treasures of the Study, and picked up a brush to write a brilliantly glowing talisman text on a sheet of Xuan paper. Then, he pushed it in front of Wang Ping. "Take my written order and hand it to the Imperial Guard commander overseeing the assessment tomorrow. They will naturally understand the rest."

"Get some good rest."

Having said that, the black-robed youth stood up. As a True Monarch, knowing that everything before his eyes was merely a fake historical fragment actually carried another benefit.

And that was: he could act recklessly.

Although it was a fake fragment, it was a result constructed based on destiny. It was no different from the true past; everything that should be here was here.

That being the case—

'This is perfect. There's a certain matter I need to verify.'

Previously, he had been full of misgivings, taking many factors into consideration and not daring to act recklessly. But since this was a historical fragment, it didn't matter. He could completely let loose.

If he learned the truth, he would just have this 'visitor from the outside' find a way to bring it to true history... He could also use his mouth to pass a message to Senior Mingxing.

That Sovereign should currently be trustworthy.

The black-robed youth's thoughts raced, and he quickly formed a plan. Then, with a wave of his sleeve, his figure vanished from the quiet room, leaving Wang Ping alone.

"...Phew!"

In an instant, Wang Ping fiercely exhaled a breath of stale air. The black-robed youth's departure instantly withdrew the terrifying oppressive pressure that had originally filled the entire quiet room.

Only then was he able to catch his breath.

'Too terrifying...'

This was a True Monarch with no hostile intent, who hadn't even leaked a single trace of aura and had deliberately restrained his profundity. Even so, he still carried an immense oppressive pressure.

Moreover, it was visible to the naked eye that True Monarchs also had differences in class.

'This [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] is probably not an ordinary figure among True Monarchs, and he even has a quasi-immortal artifact... if this kind of artifact exists, does this kind of person exist too?'

Quasi-immortal cultivation?

'Only the quasi-immortal tier can interfere with historical fragments... not necessarily. In the end, it's because a Great Dao related to time and karma doesn't exist yet.'

Although there were similar profound Divine Powers, they hadn't ascended to the level of a Great Dao. From Wang Ping's perspective, the way immortal cultivators interfered with history essentially belonged to the "brute force" approach. It highlighted the fact that as long as one's stats were high enough, mechanics were nothing more than toys to be shaped by hand. That was why the threshold for interfering with history was so high.

However, times were always bound to change.

'The Long River of Memory!' Wang Ping lowered his eyelids, thinking of his second Great Dao. What if he could evolve the Long River of Memory into the true Great Dao of Time in the future?

In that case, even if his strength was lacking, relying on a specialized tool like the Great Dao of Time might be able to achieve the effect of using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds!

Wang Ping was looking forward to it.

His fantasy time lasted right up until the early morning of the next day. Wang Ping woke up from his meditative state, reined in his stray thoughts, and soon sensed an aura approaching.

"Fellow Daoist Chiming!"

Wang Ping opened his eyes, immediately pushed the door open, and stepped out. He soon saw Hanguang wearing a genial smile. With a roll of his eyes, an idea came to him.

"Fellow Daoist Hanguang, this way please."

Wang Ping raised his hand to gesture for Hanguang to enter the house.

"Oh?"

Seeing this, Hanguang raised an eyebrow. Then, taking a deep look at Wang Ping, he proved bold thanks to his superior skill and simply strode right into Wang Ping's house.

The next second, the secretly vigilant Hanguang saw the person before him reach into his robes, directly pulling out a piece of Xuan paper that made even him feel an immense oppressive pressure. The talisman text written on it crashed into his sea of consciousness like a giant boulder, instantly leaving him stunned in place as countless profound scenes flowed through the depths of his eyes.

"T-This is..."

"A True Monarch's written order!"

Wang Ping's tone was grave. "Fellow Daoist Hanguang, I am actually a high-level spy planted in the Fire Qi dao lineage by the True Monarch. I have specially returned to the capital to report on my duties this time."

"The True Monarch already came to see me last night, and even left behind a written order."

"I can tell you have doubts about me, fellow Daoist. To avoid any misunderstandings, I am showing you this written order. I hope you will conduct yourself well, Senior, and refrain from acting recklessly."

Upon seeing this, Hanguang immediately said, "This lower cultivator understands."

Thump!

Without the slightest hesitation, Hanguang fell to his knees in front of Wang Ping right then and there, kowtowing in salute, perfectly displaying the professionalism of an outstanding immortal gate cultivator.

"Mm... Good that you understand."

Seeing this, Wang Ping broke into a grin. He first used his divine sense to record this scene, then coughed, signaling that Hanguang could stand up.

At the same time, the quest interface provided feedback.

[Side quest completed!]

Obviously, a True Monarch's written order trumped everything. No matter how many doubts Hanguang had, they were completely scattered to the winds at this moment, and he didn't dare entertain another stray thought.

In all fairness, the speedrun method Wang Ping had previously thought up was actually to lay his cards on the table with Hanguang. He had planned to just tell him about the future, open his eyes, and let him know this was a historical fragment. He even considered using future intelligence to cooperate with Hanguang and see if he could cling to this thick thigh.

But now, there was no need.

After all, he already had an even thicker thigh to cling to. Compared to a big shot on the level of the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch], the current Hanguang was far too thin.

It couldn't satisfy him.

'Good, the fourth Chiming Fragment is in hand!'

Soon, after seeing the True Monarch's written order, Hanguang became completely docile. Without saying another word, he led Wang Ping straight into the depths of the Imperial Guard Garrison Headquarters.

"The Imperial Guard's assessment is actually very simple."

On the way, Hanguang softly explained, "Inside the Garrison Headquarters is a Grotto-Heaven personally constructed by His Majesty. The center of the Grotto-Heaven is the Garrison Headquarters' inner compound."

"As long as all participants enter the Grotto-Heaven, manage to walk through the eight danger zones within it, and finally reach the inner compound, they will be considered to have passed the Imperial Guard assessment."

Following that, Hanguang gave a detailed description of the eight danger zones: Dream Marsh, Rosy Cloud Mountain, Fire Vein, Water Abyss, Wind Cave, Thunder Valley, Earth Rift, and Heavenly Ladder. Every stage had different difficulties, and the further one went, the more dangerous it became. Previously, there was even a Qi Refining practitioner who nearly died in these danger zones.

As for the passing requirements, they were also very simple.

Pass the Dream Marsh without getting lost, enter Rosy Cloud Mountain without being bewildered.

Walk the Fire Vein without burning, step through the Water Abyss without sinking.

Advance through the Wind Cave without moving, cross Thunder Valley without injury.

Emerge from the Earth Rift without sinking, tread the Heavenly Ladder without falling.

As long as one fulfilled these eight conditions, they would smoothly pass the Imperial Guard assessment—just by hearing them, Wang Ping could feel the difficulty and risk involved.

'However... I have people up top!'

Wang Ping broke into a grin. When running in the pugilistic world, one had to look at backgrounds and talk about factions. He was personally chosen by a True Monarch. Others might need to brave the trials, but he was already a shoo-in!

A moment later, under Hanguang's guidance, Wang Ping arrived at an extremely spacious Drill Ground. Above the Drill Ground were arc-light rifts unique to a Grotto-Heaven. Gathered within the Drill Ground was a massive number of cultivators at the Entering the Dao stage. At a rough glance, there were actually over a hundred people, and the weakest among them was at the Second Layer!

'That makes sense.'

Wang Ping thought to himself, 'The Entering the Dao cultivators of this era, whether Qi Refining or Qi Consumption practitioners, can all live forever. Over the long years, the numbers accumulated would naturally be terrifying.'

Driven by curiosity, he scanned his surroundings again.

To his surprise, he actually saw a familiar acquaintance... more accurately, a familiar dog. It was none other than Tianhou, panting continuously with its tongue hanging out.

Seeing Tianhou's dog face full of anticipation, Wang Ping finally remembered that this guy actually held quite a lot of longing for the Imperial Guard. So he had participated in the selection back in the day too?

"Woof woof!"

On the other side, Tianhou also noticed Wang Ping's gaze and immediately looked over, before a highly humanized look of hesitation appeared on its face.

However, very soon, as time drew near and the assessment was about to begin, it still wagged its tail and trotted all the way over to Wang Ping, lowering its voice to say:

"Fellow Daoist, why don't I follow you?"

"Oh?" Wang Ping raised an eyebrow. "Why? Looking at your combat strength, fellow Daoist, we're evenly matched. You're also at the Third Layer Heaven Breaking stage. There's no need for this, right?"

"How can that be the same?!"

Tianhou shook its dog head. "Although my combat strength is high, the Imperial Guard tests shrewdness, scheming, talent, and comprehension in addition to fighting power."

"How could a ferocious beast like me have as many sly schemes as you human cultivators? Rather than forcing myself to compete with you all in cunning, I might as well find someone who excels at it. In that regard, water qi has the biggest say. You look like the type who is adept at sinister plots—I won't lose out by sticking with you!"

Having said that, Tianhou even threw him a flirtatious wink.

"Fellow Daoist misunderstands," Wang Ping said with a bitter smile. "I'm really not a water qi cultivator. Look at me, with all this fire-attribute profundity on display, how do I look like water qi in the slightest?"

"Ah, right, right, right," Tianhou said, nodding hastily. "Your disguise is very convincing, and ordinary people can't tell what's going on. Don't worry, I won't blabber. We're helping each other out. If there's anyone you don't like the look of, I'll bite them for you!"

Wang Ping: "..."

He hated these unreasonable types the most. Relying purely on intuition to slander him as a water qi demon without a shred of proof was simply framing an innocent man!

Still, Tianhou had clearly made up its mind to stick to him and couldn't be driven away. Since he was already a shoo-in, Wang Ping didn't bother wasting energy on it.

After a moment longer...

Clang!

The chime signaling the start of the assessment rang out like a starting pistol. In an instant, over a hundred escape lights vaulted into the sky, rapidly vanishing into the arc-light of the Grotto-Heaven.

Wang Ping naturally wasn't about to fall behind.

Immediately, his vision spun wildly, blurring before clearing up. A vast, boundlessly immense continent came into view.

Before Wang Ping could get a clear look at the continent, his body plummeted uncontrollably, crashing heavily into a misty marsh. A strong sinking sensation tugged at his feet, making movement nearly impossible. More importantly, the surrounding mist seemed to possess a strange profundity.

'This is...'

In a flash, Wang Ping felt as if a True Monarch's hand was descending from the sky to grab him and refine him on the spot. Then he seemed to see Ancient Cultivators backstabbing him, leaving him to die in resentment.

A flood of illusions, incredibly real and stirring up the thoughts in his heart, combined with the suction of the marsh itself to restrict the intruder on two fronts.

'So this is the Dream Marsh?'

Wang Ping quickly reined in his divine sense and stopped trying to observe the outside world. Once his divine sense no longer touched the cloud mist, the piled-up illusions vanished alongside it.

Yet in this fog-shrouded marsh where he couldn't see his hand in front of his face, relying solely on eyesight meant he would surely stray into danger zones unless he possessed heaven-defying luck. But using divine sense would trap him in illusions, making every step just as grueling.

"Be careful," Tianhou said softly from beside him, having bitten onto his hem upon entering so they wouldn't be separated. "The Cloud Dream Mist in the Dream Marsh is extremely tricky and hard to handle."

At this point, Tianhou suddenly sounded a bit proud:

"However, we're in the final batch taking the test. I spent a heavy price in private to buy the assessment experiences of all the previous candidates."

"I spent three days having them write down their exact routes, whether they succeeded or failed. I've already pieced together a rough map of the Dream Marsh. I'm 70% confident we can safely walk through this danger zone, even if we can't see through the Cloud Dream Mist."

Hearing this, Wang Ping glanced at Tianhou.

This dog wasn't necessarily lying when it claimed to be a tactical officer at the Incense-Draped Hall earlier—it really did have plenty of clever tricks up its sleeve. However—

"There's no need."

Wang Ping ignored the sinking feeling beneath his feet and the illusions swirling in the mist around him, looking up toward the sky instead.

Before long, a look of realization dawned in his eyes.

"You guys are still thinking too naively... This is an Imperial Guard assessment. As you know, the minimum requirement for the Imperial Guard is a combat strength of Breaking Seven Layers."

"What about the people taking the test this time?" Wang Ping looked at Tianhou. "You and I are both at Third Layer Heaven Breaking, far below the minimum standard for the Imperial Guard. In fact, most of the candidates I saw earlier haven't broken seven layers. In theory, all of them should be eliminated."

"Impossible," Tianhou instinctively shook its head. "I asked around, and cultivators at the second or third layer from earlier batches passed the test. Combat power can be cultivated later..."

"Then why not just recruit cultivators who have already broken seven layers?" Wang Ping asked in return. "Recruiting ready combatants is much easier than spending resources to cultivate them."

Tianhou blinked. "There aren't that many cultivators who have broken seven layers..."

"That's precisely the point."

Wang Ping extended a hand, pointing at the surrounding mist. "So a simple assessment makes no sense. At its core, this is a chance provided to raise the candidates' strength!"

...

Outside the Grotto-Heaven, on the Drill Ground.

As all the candidates entered the Grotto-Heaven, a giant of a man as tall as an iron tower suddenly appeared on the spot. He wore heavy armor, holding a blade in one hand and a shield on the other.

His face was completely covered by an iron mask, hiding his expression and even his eyes. Yet one could vaguely feel the oppressive gaze beneath the mask. Through a subtle shift in his powers, he alone could clearly see the various scenes within the Grotto-Heaven, observing every candidate's situation.

Suddenly, the burly man's brow furrowed slightly.

"...Why is there a demon cultivator, and even a Tianhou? That dog isn't doing its job as a night watchman at the Incense-Draped Hall, but came here to join the Imperial Guard assessment instead?"

Right at this moment, Hanguang's figure silently emerged.

"What is it?"

The burly man glanced over, only to hear Hanguang speak in a low voice, "Among the candidates this time, there's one with a rather special identity. I ask that Lord Commander give him some consideration."

"Give him some consideration?" The burly man raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed," Hanguang cupped his hands. "I ask that Lord Commander show leniency, and preferably offer him some guidance in secret to ensure he passes the assessment."

"Preposterous!"

The burly man flew into a rage upon hearing this. "I was personally appointed by His Majesty and granted the Heaven's Will Profound Blade to form the Imperial Guard. How could I possibly bend the law for personal favors?"

At this point, he waved his hand almost without thinking. "Say no more about this. You're a cultivator of the Earth Qi tradition—did you take bribes from those demon cultivators to come through the back door? Let me tell you, the Great Rebellion doesn't play by the Immortal Gate's rules! I won't tolerate such connected freeloaders!"

"Lord Commander misunderstands," Hanguang hurried closer, lowering his voice as he pulled the True Monarch's written order that Wang Ping had shown him earlier from his sleeve. "This is Lord Heavenly Banner's intention."

"...Lord Heavenly Banner?"

The burly man's movements froze instantly.

A bit of hesitation crept into his previously firm tone. "Could it be... Lord Heavenly Banner discovered a promising seedling and wants me to train him properly?"

That was a completely different matter.

Connected freeloaders using the back door were unacceptable, but if it was a talented seed recognized by a True Monarch, offering a bit of extra care within reasonable bounds was also for the good of the Great Rebellion.

"Which one are you talking about?"

"The Fire Qi demon cultivator, Daoist title Chiming."

Hearing this, the burly man immediately shifted his gaze, bringing up the projection of Wang Ping's location within the Grotto-Heaven. Looking at the scene, he suddenly froze on the spot.

Only after a moment did he say half-doubtingly:

"Are you sure it's this person?"

Hanguang was slightly surprised. "Is there a problem?"

The burly man stroked his chin. "He has already discovered the opportunity hidden in the assessment. He's moving extremely fast and doesn't need my guidance at all. He will definitely pass."

"This kind of person doesn't need care at all..."

At this point, the burly man suddenly clapped his hands. "I get it! The True Monarch meant for me to add some weight to his shoulders and raise his assessment difficulty!"