Chapter 0468 – Minor World

"The roots of the Golden Spirit Fruit Tree are even tougher and more resilient than Wuji Fine Gold. Rather than being affected by it, they can be pulled out easily. If the Wuji Fine Gold acts as the scabbard, then the roots are the sword—they slide out effortlessly. Truly marvelous. If this tree were to be refined into a magical treasure or divine weapon, it would be an unparalleled treasure."

Yi Tianxing was filled with surprise.

Originally, he had thought it would be difficult—perhaps even damaging to the roots—to forcibly extract it. That was the last resort, since the Wuji Fine Gold was an integrated whole, impossible to break apart easily. He had no better option than to try this. But unexpectedly, the tree was even more mystical than imagined. Its roots pierced through the Wuji Fine Gold as if it were nothing. Incomprehensible.

This incident only further confirmed the incredible value of the Golden Spirit Fruit Tree—far beyond imagination.

However, once it was extracted, the tree visibly withered. Its golden glow dimmed. Obviously, without contact with the ground and without the nourishing force of the gold element, it began to decline.

Shua!!

In a flash of golden light and a single thought, Yi Tianxing stored the entire Golden Spirit Fruit Tree within his Life Aperture in the Dantian.

The tree appeared in his spiritual field, instantly taking root. Bathed in pure spiritual energy, it began to recover its vitality. The once-fading glow of the tree quickly returned, as streams of spiritual energy naturally gathered around it. This was undoubtedly one of the highest-grade treasure trees. Having already matured, it no longer depended solely on the energy of a gold-restricted area.

Especially since the Life Aperture's spiritual field within the Dantian itself contained an abundance of pure spiritual energy, more than sufficient to nurture any spiritual herb or divine tree.

And right at that moment, as the Golden Spirit Fruit Tree was planted, a powerful feedback from the Life Aperture's origin caused the spiritual field to rapidly expand outward. In the blink of an eye, it doubled in size.

Dense spiritual energy flowed through the field, and Yi Tianxing could clearly sense it growing several times more potent.

"Truly marvelous. The origin of the Life Aperture has surged dramatically—almost explosively. The more precious the spiritual herbs or divine trees planted, the stronger the Life Aperture becomes. How interesting."

Yi Tianxing smiled in quiet satisfaction. This transformation could only be welcomed.

"Fellow Daoist Fu, this is for you."

Yi Tianxing suddenly turned to Fu Hongxue, pulling out a stone box and tossing it toward him.

Fu Hongxue caught it, opened it—and inside was a gleaming, golden Golden Spirit Fruit. His expression wavered. The fruit's value had already become evident during their previous conversation. And now Yi Tianxing had casually handed him such a priceless treasure—this gesture wasn't something easily repaid.

"This…"

Accepting such a gift, even Fu Hongxue hesitated. Returning it was clearly not an option. The Golden Spirit Fruit could help him forge the perfect foundation and refine his Dao foundation to its most flawless state.

Such a chance wouldn't come again. No matter what, he didn't want to miss it.

But to accept it... it likely meant he would never be able to leave Xuanhuang City. He would owe a lifetime of loyalty.

"You've already reached the ninth stage of the Divine Sea Realm. You need this fruit to forge your perfect Dao foundation. Don't overthink it. This is a gift, not a debt. We're heading to suppress the Zerg disaster—the stronger the human experts, the greater our say among the surrounding foreign races. Strength is power. The stronger you are, the more it benefits both Xuanhuang City and the entire human race."

Yi Tianxing spoke calmly, with a faint smile.

Fu Hongxue listened silently. Holding the box tightly, he didn't argue—he just accepted it.

"Lord, what about the Wuji Fine Gold here? It seems a shame to just leave it."Yang Yanping looked around at the vast sea of Wuji Fine Gold, a tinge of regret in his voice.

If it could be excavated, countless divine weapons could be forged from it. It was a massive fortune.

"This place is a whole—without a powerful artifact or divine weapon, it can't be cut. Besides, this is a gold-restricted zone—triggering the underground forces here could lead to catastrophe. Obtaining the Golden Spirit Fruit Tree is already a massive gain. Greed is the greatest taboo. Don't forget, our goal is to suppress the Zerg. We'll have other chances to return here."

Yi Tianxing also felt it was a pity, but he had no means to extract it now.

"According to the laws of the Five Elements—mutual generation and restraint—the best way to overcome Wuji Fine Gold is through fire,"said Ye Zhiqiu.

He then outlined the Five Elements cycle:

Metal generates Water: metal melts into liquid when burned.

Water generates Wood: water nourishes plants.

Wood generates Fire: wood feeds fire.

Fire generates Earth: fire reduces matter to ash.

Earth generates Metal: metal is found in soil and stone.

But mutual restraint is even more revealing:

Metal restrains Wood: tools cut trees.

Wood restrains Earth: roots break through soil.

Earth restrains Water: earth blocks water.

Water restrains Fire: water extinguishes flames.

Fire restrains Metal: fire melts metal.

"Fire is the natural nemesis of metal. But only supreme flames, like 异火 (Heavenly Flames), can truly overcome Wuji Fine Gold. And even then, the cultivator's strength must be sufficient to wield it properly. Otherwise, it's useless."

So the only solution was to find a powerful Heavenly Flame—and grow strong enough to use it. Only then could they refine the Wuji Fine Gold.

"Let's go. We'll leave this place for now. When we're strong enough, we'll come back—and it'll all be ours."Yi Tianxing gave the order without hesitation.

No one was truly willing to abandon the Wuji Fine Gold, but without the power to claim it, there was nothing they could do.

In fact, it was better this way—out of sight, out of mind.

The army moved on quickly. The gold-restricted zone once again fell into silence. And soon, golden mist began to reappear in the air. As long as this place wasn't destroyed, it would continuously generate pure gold-element energy. In time, the region would be engulfed in golden mist again—restoring its deadly environment.

It wouldn't take long.

Meanwhile, Yi Tianxing turned his focus inward.

The Heavenly Emperor's Tower of Primordial Chaos (Hongmeng Tiandi Ta) had returned to his body, settling over his Divine Sea.

"Breakthrough!"

With a single thought, he gave the command.

The Chaotic Space inside the tower activated, and the vast stores of golden mist it had absorbed earlier were now rapidly consumed. In the blink of an eye, the space expanded beyond its former three-thousand-li limit.

At the same time, every tower floor within also expanded past that barrier—each of them breaking through the bounds of a mere cave-world and ascending into a Minor World (小千世界).

As it advanced, mystic runes emerged across the tower's surface, inscribed into its radiant body. Dao patterns formed a dazzling lattice of meaning. The tower's entire aura transformed dramatically.

This was not just growth—it was evolution.

The internal realm had transcended from 洞天 (Cave-Heaven) to 小千世界 (Minor World).

The boundaries became vastly stronger. The world essence stabilized. Yin and Yang, Five Elements, and the laws of nature began to flourish and fill each internal realm. Crucially, these worlds began to exhibit the breath of life—a sign that life could now be born and thrive within.

A true world had to support life, the cycle of growth, and the presence of complete natural laws.

Heaven and Earth essence energy now circulated freely, and the origin of the world underwent a fundamental transformation. Vaguely, one could sense that a will of the world was starting to form.

"A Minor World can grow to a maximum size of 129,600 li in circumference. Compared to the former Cave-Heaven, the difference is immense. But further evolution will be even more difficult. With this advancement, the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower has ascended to the Profound Grade. It's classified as a magic treasure—but its combat power is far beyond that level."

Joy blossomed in Yi Tianxing's heart. He could feel the tower's strength had undergone a true transformation.

The rate at which it refined golden mist had also increased. Within moments, the space inside expanded by another 300 li—completing the refining of all remaining mist.

Final internal size: 3,300 li in radius.