Translator: Fate Translation Checker: Silavin “Yes, Young Master.” Although the Spirit Empress was puzzled by Gu Changge’s instructions, she did not question him any further. In her opinion, Chu Lian was bound to be different since he was a Variable. He could not be given the same treatment as ordinary people. Besides, everything Gu Changge was doing right now might just be a part of his plans. On the other hand, Gu Changge was quite satisfied with the Spirit Empress’ efficiency and intelligence in carrying out her tasks. In this aspect, he was inadvertently reminded of Yin Mei. During his stay in the Upper Realm, Yin Mei had shown a similar attitude when she was helping him with various affairs. She had not required any further explanations or instructions but would carry out her tasks with excellence. That was part of the reason why intelligent women were more likely to win his favour. “I have a small amount of substance that will be of great benefit to your cultivation. Be sure to refine it thoroughly when you return. It can increase the success rate of surviving your Second Decay Tribulation by eighty percent.” At that thought, Gu Changge flicked his sleeves. A palm-sized crystal jade bottle immediately appeared in his hand. Specks of starlight filled the air, creating a mysterious and magnificent atmosphere. The bottle contained the Indomitable Matter and the Evolution Matter that he recently condensed. They could assist a Dao Realm expert in breaking free from the shackles of their bottleneck and enhancing their cultivation. It was just that both the Indomitable Matter and the Evolution Matter were very rare. Even with the abundance of the Power of Fortuity, he could only extract and condense a small amount of these substances. With his current ability, he would need to spend quite some time to refine the Indomitable Matter and the Evolution Matter. Not to mention, the entire process was very long and tedious. He only bestowed some to the Spirit Empress because he knew she was smart and would most likely be very useful to him in the future. “Young Master?” His words stunned the Spirit Empress for a moment, then she glanced over doubtfully. It was obvious that she had yet to truly understand what his statement earlier meant. Then, her confused gaze landed on the crystal white jade bottle. A substance that could increase the success rate of surviving her Second Decay Tribulation by eighty percent? She had never heard about the existence of such a mysterious substance in the world before. Any existence that could reach the Dao Realm was bound to be a terrifying figure whose peerless talents had dominated several epochs. Throughout their journey forward, they not only comprehended the essence of the Dao and realised the Power of the Transcendents. They also experienced many hardships and disasters. Be that as it may, the Spirit Empress had never heard about any mysterious substance that could aid a Dao Realm expert’s cultivation. That was because their cultivation required them to constantly accumulate energy from the world around them and then repeatedly break through their limitations and shackles. Gu Changge was not surprised by the Spirit Empress’ reaction. It was impossible for a Dao Realm expert to understand the essence and development of the Dao or the transformation of Matter. That was because these concepts themselves were a form of cognitive process and realisation when one cultivated through the Dao Realm. It was only in the Dao Realm that could they break free from the limitations of life and give birth to supreme and inconceivable wisdom. Afterwards, they would be capable of understanding the true meaning of the Dao Realm and Matter. At this time, it was impossible for them to understand these concepts no matter how brilliantly he explained to them. They would only become more and more confused instead. “The substance within the small vial is a type of matter necessary for the cultivation of a cultivator in the Dao Realm. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. You simply need to refine the substance, and you will experience the benefits for yourself. Why? Do you still think that I am going to harm you?” Gu Changge smiled and explained with a nonchalant expression. The Spirit Empress did not believe Gu Changge would actually harm her. Pursing her lips, she smiled and said, “Of course, I don’t think you will harm me. I was just touched by how patiently you explained things to me, Young Master.” She took the white jade bottle but did not open the bottle immediately. Even without making direct contact with the substance within the bottle, she could sense her body reacting almost instinctively with the urgent desire to devour the substance. The unexpected reaction made the smile on her face disappear. She stared at the white jade bottle in her hand with a mixture of shock, doubt, and incredulity. It was an indescribable feeling, almost as though a delicious feast had suddenly appeared before a starving man. Or, if she accidentally stumbled upon a bountiful lake after wandering in the dry desert for a long time without a single drink of water. The instinctive reaction that practically came from her Soul could neither be suppressed nor explained, seeming to be an innate reaction. “Young Master, just what is stored within this bottle? Why does it produce an instinctive urge in me to refine it with great urgency? My subconscious is telling me that this substance is extremely important to me…” Her voice trembled slightly, filled with pure disbelief. A Dao Realm expert could conceal their own karmic consequences so that they were not affected by destiny. Furthermore, they should have removed all instinctual thoughts from their minds. How could they possibly fail to control their instincts? However, she was currently struggling to control her instincts. She finally understood the meaning behind Gu Changge’s previous statement. There was indeed a type of substance in the world that could help the cultivation of a Dao Realm expert. In fact, it was something that could make countless Dao Realm experts fight desperately to obtain. Even if it was just a small trace, they would be willing to slaughter everything in their path until the Boundless Expanse turned scarlet and blood stained the endless Spacetime. “Even if I tell you now, you will not be able to understand what it is. You can understand it as the Spiritual Energy of Mortals and the Celestial Energy of cultivators. Spiritual Energy not only helps cultivators in their cultivation but also causes Mortals to be reborn in a new body and prolongs their lives. On the other hand, the Celestial Energy stimulates cultivators to comprehend the changes in Immortality and undergo an incredible transformation.” Gu Changge’s gaze was calm, and he simply smiled lightly. His explanation was only a simplified description. Such a simplistic version was definitely not enough to explain the mysterious nature of the Indomitable Matter and the Evolution Matter. Nevertheless, the Spirit Empress was able to vaguely understand the priceless value of the substances in her hands. The excitement surging in her heart could not be concealed. In fact, her fair and lovely face practically glowed with elation. She gratefully said, “Thank you very much for bestowing such a precious substance to me, Young Master. I am eternally grateful to you. I will definitely do my best to serve you so that I can live up to your expectations.” These words were a true reflection of her sincerity. It was very difficult for the Spirit Empress to remain calm under these circumstances. Forget the Spirit Empress, even the Ancestors and the White Bone Ancestor King would not have been able to remain calm and watch quietly. What did Dao Realm experts fear the most? It was the inability to survive the calamity of their respective Decay Tribulation. The Dao Realm experts had Nine Immortal Decays. Although surviving each Decay would allow their strength to undergo unimaginable changes, failure to survive the Decay Tribulation meant the destruction of their body and Soul. Their bodies would be obliterated, and their cultivation would disappear. Among those who experienced the Decay Tribulation, it could be said that those who were reduced to dust and subsequently vanished from existence accounted for the vast majority. For the Spirit Empress, if she did not encounter a Heaven-defying opportunity or figure out a method to change her fate in the days to come, then there was a high possibility that she would not even reach her Second Decay Tribulation even if she devoted her entire life to her cultivation. That was why she had carefully made plans to seize the treasure after she learned about the Supreme Treasure in Chu Lian’s possession. “You always work hard for my sake. It is only natural for me to treat you well.” Gu Changge smiled. The Spirit Empress was in high spirits, feeling absolutely excited. All she wanted to do was go back and refine the mysterious substances. Hence, Gu Changge did not make her stay beside him for much longer. Although it was just a small trace of the Indomitable Matter and the Evolution Matter, they were enough for her to refine for a very long time. For Gu Changge, this was just the prelude. What he truly wanted was the development and transformation that would soon follow. After the Spirit Empress refined the substances, her strength was bound to undergo an extremely impressive transformation. It might not be enough for her to survive the Second Decay Tribulation, but it was enough to greatly increase her confidence and probability of success. As long as the Ancestors of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family were not blind, they were bound to notice the changes in the Spirit Empress. In the same way, the White Bone Ancestor King, who had been pursuing strength for all his life, would also be able to notice the difference. The changes in the Spirit Empress only emerged after she submitted to Gu Changge and served him loyally. What did that mean? The White Bone Ancestor King and the Ancestors of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family were surely able to guess the answer. “So, they will definitely attempt to pry for information from the Spirit Empress. But, with the Spirit Empress’s intelligence, she will never reveal anything to them. In that case, they can only come to me. The only way is to be highly valued by me. They will have to serve me with great loyalty in order to be rewarded…” A soft but meaningful chuckle escaped from Gu Changge’s lips. Just a small trace of the Indomitable Matter and the Evolution Matter were enough to make the entire Spirit Ruin Royal Family truly subservient to him. That was much simpler and more practical than any form of threat or oppression. After all, how could extending the life of the Spirit Ruin True World be more important than improving one’s own strength? … Time passed quickly. It had been half a month since the Spirit Empress received the Indomitable Matter and the Evolution Matter from Gu Changge, and then returned to her palace to refine these substances. Gu Changge had explained such a profound matter in an extremely simplistic manner. In the meantime, he remained in the Luminary Assemblage Manor and simultaneously kept an eye on the overall movements of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family. He no longer had enough Power of Fortuity to extract and condense the Indomitable Matter and the Evolution Matter. Therefore, he could only wait until the Spirit Empress came out of seclusion to ask her to collect the Power of Fortuity that had been gathered by the Spirit Ruin Royal Family for so many years. During this period, the Spirit Ruin Royal Family continued to build their army. Streams of light blazed across the Advanced Thousand Worlds, and divine light surged into the sky. At the same time, numerous flying boats and battleships crossed the space and gathered without stopping. The mighty army was gathering to prepare for the impending war. This was an unimaginably terrifying force. With nearly a hundred Immortal Kings, the army was capable of crushing countless newly-born Civilisations with ease. Needless to say, this force was different from the army that was currently fighting against the Prosperous Dao True World. All Forces of the Spirit Ruin True World were gathered on the ancient battleship. In addition to the hundred Immortal Kings, the number of Quasi-Immortal Emperors and Immortal Emperors was also considerable. After all, the Ancestors with the highest Seniority in the Spirit Ruin Royal Family had personally issued the recruitment order. It was only natural that the powerhouses from the eight Advanced Thousand Worlds dared not disobey. On the other hand, the number of combat Clans nurtured by the Spirit Ruin Royal Family over the years had reached hundreds of millions by now. These Clans had no intelligence at all. As long as they were provided with enough food and resources, they would be able to grow and develop swiftly. It was not wrong to describe them as weeds that flourished again and again despite being repeatedly cut down. Moreover, there were countless such Clans in the Small Universes under the jurisdiction of each Advanced Thousand World. Unless those Small Universes were destroyed or the resources were completely exhausted, these Clans would rapidly develop and multiply in a short time. In the war between Civilisations, these domesticated Clans were often designated as weapons at the front lines of the war. At the moment, Gu Changge was actually quite satisfied with the overall situation of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family. He only needed to wait until the coordinates of the Immortal Spirit Civilisation in the Boundless Expanse were confirmed, then he could invade and seize control of the Immortal Spirit Civilisation on a large scale. As for the matter involving Chu Lian, he was also monitoring the situation there. Through the various actions of the other party throughout this period, he speculated that the Supreme Treasure Chu Lian obtained was probably related to the Power of Fortuity. Most of the powerful Civilisations in the Boundless Expanse would forge one or more Supreme Treasures when they reached the peak of their prosperity. By using these Supreme Treasures to suppress the River of Fortuity, they could prevent a decline from their initial prosperity. Relatively speaking, the Supreme Treasures of each Civilisation were very different from each other. They possessed distinct mystical functions with an emphasis on different aspects. Naturally, they were also divided by their level of strength. Some might focus on offence while some might prioritise defence… However, a Supreme Treasure related to the Power of Fortuity was extremely rare. For Chu Lian to obtain a Supreme Treasure forged by a Civilisation, his destiny was clearly not that simple. Based on what Gu Changge knew so far, even the Spirit Ruin Royal Family had not achieved the qualifications and the heritage to forge a Supreme Treasure. Judging by the current situation, Chu Lian and the Artifact Spirit of the Supreme Treasure he obtained had not realised the truth. They were not very vigilant toward Gu Changge. Conversely, they believed that he was probably a young disciple from an Ancient Civilisation who came here specifically to participate in training. Gu Changge did not consider playing such a role at the beginning. It was just that he had gained some understanding and made some speculations during the time he spent with Chu Lian’s Junior Sister recently. Chu Lian might not have completely relaxed his guard around Gu Changge, but his Junior Sister was extremely pure and naive. Gu Changge had simply instructed his men to bestow some items to her as a show of concern, but that was enough for her to form a good impression of him. In their subsequent encounters, Ming Xiu could not help talking about the things that Chu Lian had previously told her. Among these topics were their speculations about Gu Changge’s origins. Naturally, she was not a stupid person. It was just that Gu Changge had created a random reason to dispatch her Senior Brother, Chu Lian, on a task outside. Chu Lian had been asked to lead the other followers to eliminate the Demons causing trouble in a certain location. For that reason, Ming Xiu was forced to remain in the Luminary Assemblage Manor on her own. The only thing she could do was cultivate every day, so her daily life was very boring. Furthermore, Chu Lian recently spent great effort and heavy costs to convince the followers and guardians to recognise him as a ‘Heaven-Class Honorary Guest’. His actions directly caused his Junior Sister, Ming Xiu, to become somewhat ostracised in the Luminary Assemblage Manor, and she could not make many friends as a result. At her young age, this was the time when she should have been the most lively and energetic. Besides, she did not have much vigilance toward Gu Changge, who had bestowed enormous wealth on her and her Senior Brother. After learning everything, Gu Changge took the opportunity to play along with the speculations of Chu Lian and the Supreme Treasure’s Artifact Spirit. He also instructed his men to prepare tasks for them. They had given him an inspiration. With his current strength and the power of the mighty army under his control, it was very difficult for him to conquer an Immortal True World that had already noticed his arrival. A good example would be the Rising Dawn True World mentioned by the Grand Ancestor of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family, Wan Yanxiu. If he could not openly attack with force, then why not change his perspective and plans?