The failure of the Candra Empire's god-slaying plan proved that path was unviable.
While their "Xin Huo" could borrow the power from it, they absolutely could not replicate it.
Furthermore, they lacked the technological prowess to forge these god-slaying weapons. Even now, the war puppet "Shallow Red" and the "Hand of the Realm Lord" were still undergoing repairs.
The "Spear of Destiny and Karma" had not sustained significant damage and only required a touch-up of paint.
As for the "Sky World Fortress," they had taken a different approach and managed to restore it to completeness. In its current state, the Sky World Fortress was a formidable weapon in the hands of Xin Huo.
However, against evil gods, this world fortress likely wouldn't be of much use.
After all, it was a lower-ranked god-slaying weapon.
"The most orthodox path is to enhance one's own power, ascend to the apex of the mystical system, and confront the evil gods with supreme might."
Regardless of the methods employed or the trump cards held, the most fundamental strength lay in the power wielded by oneself.
The Candra Empire did not have an abundance of powerful individuals.
There were only a mere four individuals at the Tenth Realm, the Origin Realm, and just over twenty at the peak of the Ninth Realm. This level of power was inferior to many ancient god factions, yet the Candra Empire, with its specialized "anti-evil god weapons," possessed the ability to injure, and perhaps heavily cripple, evil gods.
If the Candra Empire had several times or even a dozen times more powerful individuals, would the outcome of the god-slaying war have been different?
He was unsure.
This was because Chi Yan still had no memory of the god-slaying war; that memory had been erased by herself.
"In the ascent of the mystical system, we, Xin Huo, have a greater advantage than the Candra Empire."
Currently, Xin Huo possessed two beings at the Tenth Realm, Origin Realm, and over ten individuals at the peak of the Ninth Realm. However, given the current progress rate of everyone, it wouldn't be long before their high-end combat power surpassed that of the Candra Empire.
As for the intermediate combat strength like the Demigod Realm and Mythic Realm?
Xin Huo did not have a large number of Demigods yet, but the number of Mythic Realm experts had certainly far surpassed the Candra Empire's peak.
This was an advantage.
While the Seven-Awakened Mythics might not be strong enough individually, when their numbers reached a certain threshold, they could still bring about a qualitative change.
Of course, what he most desired to cultivate were still top-tier Tenth Realm powerhouses.
"However, cultivating powerhouses takes time. Even with the 'Timeless Pavilion,' a supreme treasure, at my disposal, progress in cultivation cannot be rushed."
"Moreover, how much of a gap still exists between the peak Tenth Realm and the Unspeakable Evil Gods, and whether one can continue to progress at this level… these are all unknowns."
The worst-case scenario was that the peak Tenth Realm would still be looking up at the evil gods.
Therefore, while he prioritized the orthodox cultivation path, he also needed to prepare additional "anti-god" and "god-slaying" plans.
The "Oasis Project" was one such plan.
Fang You thought, and the newspaper before him transformed, turning into a vast map.
On it, large domains, shrouded in gray mist, floated like islands in the sky. The distance between these domains was considerable, akin to scattered islands on a boundless sea. However, the time required for inter-domain travel did not solely depend on spatial distance.
The entire space of the "Grave Realm" was inherently chaotic and inverted.
Thousands of floating island domains drifted, and farther away, more floating islands were hidden within the dense gray mist.
Most of these floating islands had scattered points of soft green light, representing oases teeming with life and capable of resisting the erosion of the gray mist.
Among these, ten green light points were particularly eye-catching.
These were the oases under Xin Huo's jurisdiction!
After years of development, Xin Huo had established far more than ten oases. However, the base module could only accommodate a limited number, and he primarily managed these ten Level 8 and Level 9 oases.
Among them, several Level 9 oases emitted a brilliant green light, like pillars reaching straight into the sky.
Although these oases were located in different domains of the Grave Realm and were far apart, with the secret realm passages connecting them, traveling from Oasis A to Oasis B was a mere few dozen steps away.
The two oases were completely adjacent!
The secret realm passages also linked the various oases. This connection began when a Level 7 oasis opened a secret realm gate and reached its peak when the oasis was upgraded to Level 9.
The Oasis Great Wall was a high-end, high-end version of the "Dawn Lighthouse Defense System," constructing a world-class defense system with the Xin Huo secret realm as its core.
According to his vision, the Oasis Great Wall would not only greatly enhance the defense capabilities of each oasis but also integrate the authority of the major Level 9 oases, unleashing even greater power.
"Not only that, but oases are the Grave Realm... the original world's instinctual resistance to evil gods. As long as the power of the oases continues to grow, perhaps unexpected effects can be achieved."
He did not expect the Oasis Great Wall alone to be able to withstand the invasion of evil gods.
However, it was always wise to prepare multiple means to deal with calamities.
And it did not require much effort from him.
He created the Xin Huo organization precisely to gather the strength of more people to deal with calamities. Many plans were carried out by ordinary people and ordinary myths.
The strong should continue to grow stronger.
Fang You stood up from the lounge chair, and the newspaper dissipated into specks of starlight.
He had rested for half an hour; it was time to begin cultivating.
His consciousness shifted, focusing on his avatar, which sat before the Time Stele for twenty-four hours.
Quietly, meditating, he gazed at the profound patterns of time on the stele.
After many years, having undergone a long seclusion in the "Years Secret Realm," he, Tutor Fang, had finally mastered a complete set of time-based authority. He was a giant in the path of time, and now, when he revisited the comprehension of other time-based laws, it was several times or even a dozen times easier than before.
If previously, these patterns of time were like ethereal goddesses standing among the clouds, visible only as vague, indistinct figures from afar, then now, the patterns of time could be observed up close, but still only observed, not trifled with. And in the future…
A brilliant gemstone appeared on Fang You's divine soul.
He used the power of his authority to carefully observe the patterns of time, the flow of time, and the deepest mysteries of the path of time. He was completely engrossed.
"So this is the true law of time!"
What he was comprehending was not a specific branch of the law of time, but the progenitor of time laws—the "Root Law of Time!"
From wielding a broken authority to wielding a complete root authority, this was the great path that the Tenth Realm needed to ascend, comprising six stages.
Fang You was currently in the third stage, wielding a complete authority—a complete branch authority.
Although he wielded two complete authorities.
However, to advance to the fourth stage and wield a broken-level time authority, the prerequisite was the ability to comprehend the Root Law of Time.
He couldn't comprehend it before.
Despite his high attainments in time-based laws, he simply could not grasp the Root Law of Time. No matter what auxiliary methods he used, he was blocked outside its majestic gates.
Until today, after finally completing the "Flowing Authority," when he observed the Time Stele again, it was no longer like looking through a fog!
There was a door to enter!
"But thankfully, I have the divine artifact 'Time Stele.' Otherwise, even if I mastered a complete time-based law, it would take me years or decades to even begin to understand the Root Law. But now…"
The Time Stele was before him;
The Timeless Pavilion was in his hand;
The Combat Tower had replicated the "Tidal Flow of Time" and "Image of Evil Gods";
If he still needed years to begin comprehending the Root Law of Time, he would be utterly useless.
"Half a month is enough!"
"However, this is not something to be proud of. After gaining entry, I still need to further cultivate the Root Law of Time to a master-level comprehension to be qualified to attempt to condense authority and step into the fourth stage of the Origin Realm."
"As long as I can wield any Root Law, even a broken-level one, I should be a formidable powerhouse within the Tenth Realm, right?"
Such power was naturally far from enough to contend with evil gods, but lately, there had been undercurrents stirring in various domains of the Grave Realm, with ancient beings causing trouble, making things quite turbulent.
The power of the fourth stage of the Origin Realm would be enough to deter many ancient ones.
And that was merely the usual state of affairs for Tutor Fang.
After gaining entry into the Root Law, Fang You once again entered the Years Secret Realm for arduous cultivation.
Time flowed by quietly.
Winter passed, spring arrived, and the Dragon's Head festival came.
The undercurrents of the entire Grave Realm grew increasingly turbulent.
Oases were sometimes overturned overnight;
Oases were sometimes turned into sites of sacrifice;
Ancient beings sometimes engaged in fierce battles, causing the earth to crack and the sky to collapse;
Evil god disaster scenes sometimes collided, unleashing unspeakable calamities;
Yet, the people of the Grave Realm seemed to have gradually grown accustomed to the increasingly dangerous environment and the frequent outbreaks of evil god disaster scenes. The entire Grave Realm had fallen into a strange state of chaos and tranquility.
During this period, Xin Huo had accomplished many things.
They provided aid to oases in outer regions, recruited geniuses from all realms, and even clashed with ancient beings, repelling certain chaotic and evil ancient ones.
The Human Alliance, being the "number one force in the Grave Realm," was relatively united, possessed a considerable number of high-level experts, and controlled numerous Level 9 oases. The human faction as a whole remained relatively stable.
However, outside of humanity, smaller racial forces beyond the four dominant tribal groups had already fallen into dire straits.
Oases were often overturned, and entire races were wiped out, with no one knowing.
It was only when Xin Huo's exploration teams frequently ventured into outer regions, searching for and scavenging materials, that they discovered one oasis after another that had suffered cataclysmic disasters and had been completely wiped out.
This information, compiled and organized by Little Huan, was then published on the organization's internal network.
Cultivate diligently and become stronger to fight for a secure future for one's homeland!
However, even without these events, the organization's personnel—whether core members, elite members, formal members, or external members—cultivated with great diligence.
This stemmed from the system and the environment.
...
Time flowed by quietly.
Several years in reality, decades or centuries in the secret realm, still passed in the blink of an eye.
In the blink of an eye, two years had passed since the day the Holy Court suffered its calamity.
Fang You emerged from the secret realm, his eyes reflecting indifference and weariness. He did not continue cultivating but returned to Blue Star, to the familiar Water Marsh Main City, and rested for half a month like an ordinary young man.
He ate delicious food, traveled, watched new anime, and read novels.
This was to adjust his state of mind.
Only by doing so would he not gradually lose his humanity due to extended periods of seclusion.
After all, he was too young. Even with decades or centuries of experience, he was still a novice among the high-level experts.
He needed to experience more of life, which would also help him comprehend laws.
To this end, Fang You even condensed an avatar to wander among mortals, experiencing the myriad aspects of human life.
... But this did not prevent his main body from sightseeing.
"Huh?"
He saw in the distance, at an ordinary school that taught non-awakened individuals, a physical education teacher was urging students to run and exercise.
This teacher had an unremarkable appearance, a disguise.
However, around him, a myriad of law-like brilliant lights swirled, like a scorching sun, though ordinary people could not see it.
"Black Blade."
"He actually has an avatar too, stationed in Water Marsh City?"
"Black Blade has grown stronger again."
In fact, it wasn't just Black Blade; there were other avatars in Water Marsh City.
An Jianyou, disguised as an ordinary female university student, continued to attend school.
Yin Ling found a unit suitable for slacking off and retirement, indulging in idleness all day.
Xing Jinglei served as a fitness coach, constantly promoting his philosophy of muscle.
Everything was so peaceful and harmonious.
However, outside of peace, there was rolling darkness.
Fang You gazed toward the distant sky.
Under the bright sunlight, in the far distance of his vision, beyond the world, was a sky filled with gray mist. The gray mist surged, swallowing dim stars one by one.
He quietly left Blue Star and returned to the secret realm.
Sitting in his apostle's mansion, Fang You opened his panel.
"Xin Huo Secret Realm/Base: Lv8 (786/800)"
"Oases: Academy Secret Realm, Holy Court, 7 Level 9 Oases, 3 Level 8 Oases"
"The oases will soon all be upgraded to Level 9. However, as the base module level increases, more oases can be accommodated... Naturally, the more, the better."
Over the past two years, Fang You had enriched the organization's skill material library by continuously drawing cards and arranging exchange students to study inheritances in places like the Elemental Holy Court, the Siren Empire, and the Ten Thousand Beast Territory.
As of today, he had improved the skills of his core personnel to Crimson level, although there were still differences in strength within the Crimson level.
An Jianyou's "Netherworld Envoys" was Crimson · 2-star.
After two years, the law steles for various systems were also largely complete.
For powerhouses like Black Blade and An Jianyou, who specialized in niche categories, having specific law patterns to observe led to rapid progress.
Their respective core skills were also continuously improving.
The true power of some of these skills was even unknown to Tutor Fang himself. For skills like "Netherworld Envoys" and "Immortal Legion," even when he borrowed them, he could only exert a small fraction of their power, far inferior to the genuine versions accumulated by Black Blade and others over long periods.
Two years!
Over a hundred years in the Years Secret Realm!
Comprehending laws and condensing authority were endeavors requiring immense time and energy, like grinding stone. But after two years, the combat power of Black Blade, An Jianyou, and others had undergone earth-shattering changes.
Compared to the ancient god assembly three years ago, the difference was like night and day!
However,
In the secret realm, Fang You raised his head, sensing something.
Shortly thereafter, a sky-rending roar echoed through the skies of various domains in the Grave Realm, and one evil god disaster scene after another appeared.
After several years, the third disaster tide had arrived!