Take the fourth Miwu Civilization, for instance.

The reason those Inheritance Secret Martial Arts survived, rather than being destroyed, wasn’t that the Black Blood Species lacked the desire.

It was because they couldn’t.

Ultimately, the reason was Mother Earth’s manipulation from behind the scenes.

Mother Earth, the very source of the civilizations’ destruction.

As for why she did this, it seemed she had suffered severe injuries and needed to use this method to heal.

In Hu Qi’s eyes, it was like a rancher raising livestock.

Once a civilization developed to a certain point, Mother Earth would harvest it, obtaining something to accelerate the recovery of her injuries.

However, more in-depth information about Mother Earth—such as her origins, why this powerful being was so grievously wounded, and the specific details of her healing methods—was not recorded in the Food Masters’ memories.

It’s always easier to see things clearly from the outside.

After obtaining the complete memories of the two Food Masters, Hu Qi had a new perspective.

In his opinion, the creatures known as the Black Blood Species seemed less like a race and more like Mother Earth’s retainers. They were tools created to manage Earth Star and catalyze humanity’s development while she slept.

Tools. The description was a perfect fit.

Mother Earth was normally in a deep slumber, only awakening to harvest a civilization when it reached a certain threshold.

And now, less than three years remained until Mother Earth’s next awakening.

At this thought, Hu Qi’s expression hardened.

There was no way of knowing how strong Mother Earth truly was; not even the Food Masters knew.

But from the memory fragments he had obtained, he could see a few things.

Each time Mother Earth acted, civilizations that had developed for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, were incredibly fragile before her. She could topple them and start anew at will, which spoke volumes of her power.

However, these civilizations were not entirely without the power to resist.

According to the memories of the two Food Masters, Mother Earth seemed to have sustained some injuries during the destruction of the fourth Miwu Civilization.

For instance, there was a flash of Sword Light so terrifying it seemed to rip the heavens asunder.

Seeing the image of this Sword Light, Hu Qi naturally thought of the Taiqing Immortal Slaying Sword Technique he cultivated. The two were practically identical.

It was clearly the work of the middle-aged man from the Inheritance Illusion Mirror of the Taiqing Immortal Slaying Sword Technique.

Hu Qi didn’t know the man’s name, but there was no doubt that anyone capable of injuring Mother Earth had to be a top-tier Refining God Venerable, standing at the very Peak of the Miwu Civilization’s pyramid.

Although the injury was trivial to Mother Earth and she recovered in an instant, it proved she wasn’t invincible or impervious to harm.

’Perhaps, if I can just break through to the theoretical Void Realm... it might not be impossible to slay her!’

Thinking of this, Hu Qi took a deep breath, clearing his mind of stray thoughts.

He focused his attention on the panel before him.

[Host: Hu Qi]

[Status: Normal]

[Age: 22]

[Bloodline: Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent (75%) △]

[Talent: Spirit Devouring, Twisted Light, Primordial Eye]

[Divine Techniques: Water Control, Intention Sword]

[Skill: Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Spirit Devouring Map △ (Celestial Heart Chapter Sixth Layer) △ Traits: Wolf Transformation, Tiger Intent, Rhino Armor, Flash Jump, Infrasound, Frenzy...]

[Taiqing Immortal Slaying Sword Technique (Energy Storage: None) △]

...

[Modification Points: 917 (16%)]

Rows of dense text appeared before his eyes.

Hu Qi’s gaze fell on the final line: Modification Points.

After killing the two Refining God Venerables, Shi Xiao and Li Xianyu, plus the Food Master, Leng Ji, his Modification Points had skyrocketed from a mere fourteen to over nine hundred.

With so many Modification Points, he had enough for another upgrade.

However, Hu Qi did not immediately choose to use them to raise his Cultivation. Instead, he calmed his mind, sat down, and began to circulate the Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Spirit Devouring Map, his Inheritance Secret Martial Arts.

His strength had leaped too far in too short a time.

Although the Crimson Modification Panel prevented any issues with an unstable or shallow foundation, his body still needed time to adapt to the explosive increase in power.

Otherwise, if he continued to upgrade, the situation would only worsen.

This effect shouldn’t be underestimated.

It was one thing to bully those weaker than him.

But if he encountered an opponent of comparable strength, this small disadvantage could very well be the decisive factor that tipped the scales of victory.

...

「Time flowed like water. Half a month passed.」

All was calm and peaceful.

Although the Food Masters used various methods to search for any trace of Hu Qi, his Twisted Light concealed him. And since he had already reverted to his original appearance, they had no way of finding him.

What Hu Qi didn’t know, however, was that the four who had entered the Inner Earth World with him—Lei Bao, Thick Spider, Wang Jing, and Meng Ke—had been discovered.

Thick Spider and Meng Ke sensed something was wrong and used a special method to evade the Food Masters’ pursuit.

Lei Bao and Wang Jing, however, were not so lucky. They were ambushed by the Food Masters, and after a fierce battle, the two of them barely managed to escape the Earth Core, both severely wounded.

Atop a cliff, a sea of clouds gathered and dispersed.

Hu Qi opened his eyes.

After half a month of acclimatization, his body had fully adapted to his power at the Peak of the Dharma Realm. He could continue to advance.

He summoned his panel, his gaze landing on the entry for the Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Spirit Devouring Map. A glint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

’Today, I will step into the Refining God Limit—the current limit for any Secret Martial Artist.’

Even with his current state of mind, he couldn’t help but feel a ripple of emotion.

With that, his thoughts stirred.

"Crimson, upgrade the Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Spirit Devouring Map to the Celestial Heart Chapter Ninth Layer!"

HUMMM!

The panel trembled, and the Modification Points line instantly decreased by nine hundred.

Above his head, a terrifyingly cool stream of energy seemed to pour down into him.

The True Essence Power in his body began to circulate madly, following the pathways of the Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Spirit Devouring Map.

Meanwhile, within his Celestial Heart Divine Treasure, the space had become immense, yet the light within was extremely dim. The only illumination came from the faint, blood-red glow of the Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent—the manifestation of Hu Qi’s Divine Soul.

But just then, a thunderclap echoed out of a clear sky. A formless light seemed to ignite within the Celestial Heart Divine Treasure, and the entire space instantly brightened.

At this very moment, inside Hu Qi’s body, three points of light—in his abdomen, chest, and between his eyebrows—shone with brilliant light. These were precisely the locations of the three Divine Treasures: Essence Element, Qi Veins, and Celestial Heart.

Now that the Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Spirit Devouring Map had reached the Celestial Heart Chapter Ninth Layer, the three gates of Essence, Qi, and Spirit had finally reached Perfection.

Simultaneously, the source of Hu Qi’s Power of the Heart—the Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent coiled in the depths of his Celestial Heart Divine Treasure—seemed to undergo some unknown transformation.

The serpent’s entire body began to glow as its massive form gradually shrank.

Finally, it transformed into a Young Man with serpentine eyes and a handsome, almost demonic face.

The Young Man’s appearance was exactly that of Hu Qi’s original form!

The Divine Image Realm, the true form of the Divine Soul.