Chapter 498: Heart of Reaching the Summit (Two in One)

"Awoo."

Xiao Xin puffed out her cheeks, catching the item Yan Jing tossed and holding it in her mouth.

She chewed and chewed.

"Iya~ Iya~"

As she chewed, Xiao Xin happily narrowed her eyes into little crescents.

Clearly, this piece of Divine Source suited her tastes perfectly.

Soon, the changes began.

Faint points of light illuminated Xiao Xin's body. The green messenger bag slung across her shoulder looked much more refined, and the wings on her back had grown a bit larger. "Iya~ Iya~ Wut's goin' on?"

Xiao Xin looked down at her glowing hands, her large eyes blinking.

Suddenly, she realized something was wrong and clapped a hand over her mouth.

"How tum I tan talk..."

Xiao Xin looked up at a smiling Yan Jing, flapped her little wings, and flew over to land on his palm.

"Zhu Leng, I tan talk now."

Yan Jing smiled.

"Very good."

"Are there any other changes?"

Xiao Xin immediately lowered her head and rummaged through her messenger bag.

Soon, she held up five fingers.

"Fi'e."

Her carrying capacity had increased by two-thirds.

Yan Jing nodded. It was slightly weaker than he had expected.

However, the Dungeon reward this time had yielded another piece of Divine Source, and this piece was always meant for Xiao Xin anyway.

So he wasn't disappointed. He simply smiled and patted Xiao Xin's head.

A second later, a single word from Xiao Xin made him freeze on the spot.

"'Live."

"What was that?" Yan Jing looked at Xiao Xin.

"'Live! 'Live!" Xiao Xin's two little hands made grabbing motions.

"Alive?"

Yan Jing asked tentatively.

"Iya, iya!!!"

Xiao Xin nodded happily.

"Are there any restrictions?"

Yan Jing tried his best to keep his breathing steady as he spoke.

Xiao Xin tilted her head back in thought, then lowered it to rummage again.

"Zhu Leng, that's not 'lowed. Higher than Zhu Leng is not 'lowed. Special ones aren't 'lowed either."

After a good round of explaining from Xiao Xin, Yan Jing finally understood.

She could transport one entity at the same tier as him.

Two people who were one tier lower.

And so on, up to a maximum of five.

Furthermore, special entities like a Lord of the Domain, descendants of Deities, ancient descendants, or a Source of Mutation were not allowed.

Even so, Yan Jing couldn't suppress his pounding heart.

This was a true divine skill.

With such an ability, he could expand his network in any Domain and truly achieve interconnectedness across multiple Domains. He reached out and rubbed Xiao Xin's head.

"You've worked hard."

"Not hard at all." Xiao Xin looked up with a naive grin.

"Bein' with Zhu Leng is fun."

Yan Jing pinched Xiao Xin's cheek.

"Tomorrow, I'll find someone to buy a few complete sets of the latest photography equipment. We'll get one set produced by the Peace Heavenly Kingdom and one from Yueyin."

"Weally?!" Xiao Xin happily flapped her little wings.

Yan Jing smiled.

He had bought Xiao Xin quite a bit of photography equipment before, well aware that it was the little one's biggest hobby.

"Zhu Leng, I'm sweepy."

Suddenly, Xiao Xin yawned and rubbed her eyes.

Yan Jing blinked. The next moment, a figure emerged from his chest.

Fei Yu extended her arms and gathered Xiao Xin into her embrace.

"The little one needs some time to adapt to her new ability, probably a week or two."

"You won't be able to assign her any tasks during this period."

Yan Jing smiled bitterly. "Saying that makes me feel a bit guilty, Xiao Yu."

"There's nothing to feel guilty about. You're the one working the hardest." Fei Yu lowered her eyelids, hiding her gaze.

"You could actually take a rest."

Yan Jing smiled and shook his head.

"We'll talk about that later. Taking care of the little one will be tough on you, Xiao Yu."

"It's not tough."

Fei Yu didn't say anything more. She reached out, gently stroked Yan Jing's cheek, and burrowed back into his body with Xiao Xin in her arms.

Yan Jing stretched his back.

Now, the main tasks for each of his identities were set.

Mao Si was building the Ship here.

Wen Xu was preaching over there.

Both were preparing for the impending great cataclysm.

Luo Sheng and Yi Ji were maintaining the joint economic operations of the Peace Heavenly Kingdom and Bianliu County.

That left only the most important task remaining.

Boosting the strength of his main identity.

He didn't doubt his ability to accumulate the experience required to reach the Eighth Tier.

But reaching the summit...

He still didn't have the slightest clue how to condense his own Heart of reaching the summit.

"I need to find someone to ask."

"Why did you take consecutive shifts for two days in the Special Prison Cell?"

On his way home, Ning Wei found his path blocked by Cen Ji once again.

However, remembering the prophecy the woman had just made, his heart stirred, and he didn't act overly annoyed.

"To earn some extra cash."

Ning Wei reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold bean.

"Not everyone is as wealthy as you, Lady Cen Ji."

Cen Ji stared at Ning Wei, seemingly trying to discern if he was lying.

A few seconds later, she seemed to accept his reason and chose to drop the topic.

"I want to invite you to join my enforcement squad."

She said.

"Are you willing?"

"Why?"

Ning Wei's gaze was calm. "Because I saved you?"

"Because you're strong enough."

Cen Ji said.

"The fact that you could beat that human proves you have the strength for it."

Recalling Yan Jing's methods, a thick hatred flashed through Cen Ji's eyes, masking the fear buried underneath.

No matter what, she was going to get her revenge.

She unconsciously clenched her fists.

"Are you going to join or not?"

"The enforcement squad's monthly salary is five gold beans."

"..." Ning Wei didn't agree directly.

"But I need five days off every month."

"I heard the enforcement squad doesn't get much time off."

"Fine." Cen Ji didn't hesitate.

Ning Wei straightforwardly held out his hand.

"Please take care of me from now on, Boss Cen."

Cen Ji reached out, and their fingertips separated the moment they touched.

"Then let's go. I'll give you five minutes to pack your things."

Cen Ji said flatly.

"Right now?"

Ning Wei frowned.

"That's right."

Cen Ji nodded. "Right now."

"I just got off work."

"So now you're back on the clock." Cen Ji remained expressionless.

"You have four minutes and twenty seconds left."

"...Where to?"

"Elite City." Cen Ji's expression was indifferent.

"It seems there's a riot over in the Sky Domain tonight. The other two were dispatched there, so we're in charge of the remaining miscellaneous tasks."

"It appears there's a live human sacrifice happening over in Elite City."

Surface World.

Around a massive round table, three figures sat in a triangular formation.

"It's been a long time, you two domain lords."

Yan Jing spoke first, looking toward Wang Yu and Long Quezhou.

"For the past two days, it seems you two have been avoiding me."

Hearing this, Wang Yu and Long Quezhou both looked slightly unnatural.

Naturally, the two of them had done it on purpose.

Yan Jing had provoked [Nian].

When they learned of this news, they naturally chose to avoid the fallout.

When the time came, regardless of whether Yan Jing died or was taken away, the two of them would still have room to maneuver.

As for their previous promises to help Yan Jing make a push for candidate and provide him with resources...

That was all predicated on Yan Jing still being around.

But what the two of them hadn't expected was this.

According to information from their intelligence networks, [Nian] had been severely injured by someone at the border of the [Beast Lord] two days ago, and had then plunged headlong into the Steel Plains. Its current whereabouts were unknown.

"Domain Lord Yan, what great methods—"

Wang Yu started to speak, but Yan Jing called her out in the next second.

"You two liars!!!"

Wang Yu's face flashed between red and white.

Even back when Liu Xiaoyue was around, she had never been treated like this.

Seeing the situation going south, Long Quezhou let out two light coughs and spoke calmly.

"After all, we have the residents of our two Domains behind us. Please forgive us, Domain Lord Yan."

"Hypocritical liars." Yan Jing's voice was calm.

"..." At this point, even Long Quezhou couldn't maintain his composure. Forcing down the urge to leave the table, he said, "Even if we made some missteps previously, since Domain Lord Yan called the two of us here, you must have something you want to ask, right?"

Hearing this, Wang Yu also nodded.

"Indeed. Domain Lord Yan, just speak your mind directly, and the two of us will definitely do our utmost to help."

"As for the previous matter, it was truly a misstep. It won't happen again."

Since the conversation had naturally arrived at this point, Yan Jing cut straight to the chase.

"I'd like to ask the two of you about your experiences condensing the Heart of reaching the summit."

"That's simple."

Hearing Yan Jing's question, Wang Yu's expression relaxed significantly.

"Domain Lord Yan must already know that Tier and the Heart of reaching the summit are two different paths."

"Only by advancing these two paths in tandem is it possible to go one step further."

"In my opinion, the Heart of reaching the summit is the embryonic form of one's own 'path'."

"May I ask how much of your Heart of reaching the summit you've currently condensed, Domain Lord Yan?"

Yan Jing thought for a moment and said, "From the snatched Heart of reaching the summit, about one-third. But as for my own Heart of reaching the summit, I haven't condensed a single bit."

Wang Yu looked toward Long Quezhou and noticed his back twitch.

Clearly, both of them were somewhat confused.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

Yan Jing looked at them.

Wang Yu chose her words carefully for a moment before speaking.

"Forgive my bluntness, Domain Lord Yan. With your aptitude, comprehending the Heart of reaching the summit should logically have happened naturally."

"But right now, you haven't even touched the threshold."

"This is... very abnormal."

After speaking, Wang Yu sighed slightly in her heart. She had phrased it as tactfully as possible; if Yan Jing still couldn't accept it, there was nothing she could do.

To her surprise, Yan Jing suddenly slammed his hand on the table.

"Very good."

"Well said, Domain Lord Wang."

"Then, in your view, what should I do?"

He looked at Wang Yu with a sincere gaze.

Wang Yu's eyes flickered with hesitation.

Right now, in her mind, Yan Jing was absolutely a homicidal maniac, a king of instigation, a thorny brat, the kind of guy who would dual-wield pistols to shoot an eighty-year-old grandma. For him to suddenly act like this completely threw her off.

"Just tell him directly," Long Quezhou chimed in from the side.

Why don't you say it?!

Wang Yu shot him a glare.

Finally, she spoke up.

"The Heart of reaching the summit, according to my understanding..."

"...is exactly why you want to reach the summit in the first place."

"We all know that reaching the summit was called ascending to immortality in ancient times."

"I've read some ancient texts. In that distant era, to become an immortal, there was a trial called Questioning the Immortal Heart."

"Those who wished to become immortal needed a firm Dao heart and an exceptional will. They had to know why they were becoming an immortal and what they would do after becoming one. Only then could they ascend."

"You have to at least figure this out first."

"I see." Yan Jing nodded, lost in thought.

A few seconds later, he looked at the two of them and said, "Thank you both."

"Next, we have some other matters to discuss—"

Just as Yan Jing was preparing to bring up the outline that Shen Youran had compiled by mobilizing the entire First Ring Domain, Wang Yu suddenly spoke.

"Wait a moment, Domain Lord Yan."

"Is there something else?" Yan Jing closed the booklet he had just opened.

"I have a question." Wang Yu looked at Yan Jing.

"Have you... never thought about why you absolutely must reach the summit?"

"Well, about that..." Yan Jing tapped his index finger against the table.

"For instance, I reached the summit because I wanted to become a king."

Wang Yu pointed at Long Quezhou next to her.

"He reached the summit because he wanted to become an emperor even greater than his father."

"Even Liu Xiaoyue had a reason why she had to reach the summit back then. She grew up surrounded by a halo of prestige and didn't want others to treat her as a joke. Do you not have one?"

Wang Yu looked at Yan Jing.

Yan Jing thought for a moment.

"If you're asking if I have one, of course I do."

"Reaching the summit extends one's lifespan, makes one stronger..."

"No, no, no. What I'm talking about isn't the benefits of reaching the summit." Wang Yu's eyes were serious.

"I'm talking about a reason why you absolutely must reach it."

"A reason where, if you didn't do it, you would definitely regret it even after death."

"If you don't have that kind of resolve, then I think condensing your Heart of reaching the summit will definitely run into problems."

Listening to Wang Yu's words, Yan Jing fell into silence.

Inner World.

Elite City.

Crimson light cascaded down from a lighthouse in the night sky, illuminating more than half of the urban district.

Yet it couldn't penetrate the narrow alleyway in front of them.

Dim and damp.

That was the first impression this alley gave Ning Wei.

Faint, chaotic noises could be heard coming from within. Ning Wei looked at Cen Ji beside him and said, "This is your daily routine?"

"Collecting protection money from prostitutes and beating up their clients?"

Faced with Ning Wei's teasing, Cen Ji simply replied plainly, "This is the Great Prison. Everything you just said is fully compliant with the rules here."

"Of course. Even killing people is compliant here." Ning Wei cracked a deadpan joke.

But he was the only one who laughed.

Cen Ji said indifferently, "We received a tip from an informant that someone is holding a sacrifice here, intending to communicate with the outside world."

"A Seventh Rank criminal on the [Absurdity] pathway."

"Find him, execute him, and then move on to the next assignment."

"Sounds pretty easy." Ning Wei shrugged.

"Maybe we can stall for a bit, so at least we can reduce our workload."

"If we don't finish on time, they deduct our pay." Cen Ji took the lead, stepping into the alley. Her voice drifted back eerily, "Eighty percent."

Ning Wei quickly caught up.

Since the other two squads had gone to the Sky Domain and there were simply too many miscellaneous tasks, Cen Ji had only brought a total of three people this time, including Ning Wei. The rest had been assigned to handle incidents elsewhere.

Besides Ning Wei, there was another man who looked to be in his thirties.

He was only at the Sixth Tier.

But he belonged to a very rare pathway: [Omniscience].

This pathway was incredibly powerful when it came to gathering information.

Soon, the three of them stopped in front of an iron door that was only about a meter and a half tall.

"This is it."

The man took a deep breath, his nose twitching slightly.

"Let's go."

Cen Ji delivered a kick to the greasy iron door.

The door tore off its hinges with a clatter, tumbling down the slanted staircase behind it.

"Stay alert."

Cen Ji ordered, yet her face didn't show the slightest hint of vigilance.

The three of them headed down.

Ning Wei struck a lighter from his pocket. The horrifying scene along both sides of the staircase revealed itself.

Corpse after corpse had been bricked into the walls, exposing only their heads and small portions of their limbs.

Each of them wore attire perfectly matching the stereotypical image of their respective professions.

For example, a doctor wore a white coat with a stethoscope around their neck, holding a pen and a medical chart in hand.

A teacher held a pointer and a textbook, balding and wearing glasses.

The three of them remained completely calm.

This was the Great Prison.

Anything and everything was already a common sight here.

"This definitely fits the modus operandi of those guys from the [Absurdity] pathway."

Ning Wei remarked flatly, "But I don't understand. Why try to communicate with the outside world?"

"A prison break? Surely they wouldn't go that far."

Cen Ji sneered, "Never try to guess what a lunatic is thinking."

For the remainder of the time, the group fell into silence, simply continuing their descent.

"Do you guys feel like we've been walking down for a really long time?"

Suddenly, the man beside them spoke up.