A single command was all it took for countless people to be willing to die for him.

These people lay hidden throughout the Federation, and even in the various small nations across Earth Star.

Every month, the intelligence they gathered would be compiled and delivered to him.

At first, there were no significant results. After all, with the resurgence of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy, there was no shortage of geniuses appearing.

But as time went on, certain disparities began to emerge.

After five or six months of investigation, the list was quickly narrowed down to a dozen or so individuals.

From that group, two were finally singled out.

One was a Longyuan man named Bowers, whose ancestors hailed from the Shahai Country.

The other was an orphan named Li Hai.

Both had been ordinary people before, but strangely, ever since the resurgence of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy...

...that is, since the time the world’s fortune fluctuated, both had undergone a massive transformation, whether in their conduct or their personalities.

Not only that, but after coming into contact with Secret Martial Arts, they displayed monstrous, unparalleled aptitude.

Bowers, in a short period, consolidated several Secret Martial Arts Schools within the Shahai Country before making a move on the nearest small nations.

It was said he wanted to declare himself Emperor.

As for Li Hai, after being rushed to the hospital following an accident, he was discharged just a few days later, full of vigor.

After starting his Cultivation in Secret Martial Arts, he demonstrated immense aptitude.

Now, he had even joined the Thunder Gate and was exceptionally taken in by Lei Bao as his youngest Direct Disciple.

Compared to the former, he was undoubtedly much more low-key.

All he did every day was cultivate and enter seclusion.

’Interesting...’

Hu Qi thought to himself.

According to the data gathered these past few days, the two of them had, at a minimum, reached the Qi Dao Grandmaster Realm.

It was a hundred percent certain that both of them, much like Li Yi, were people favored by Celestial Fate.

Even with the resurgence of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy, the Cultivation of a Secret Martial Artist could not be accomplished overnight.

There was a limit to how fast one could progress.

But the speed at which these two’s strength and Cultivation improved was simply unbelievable, almost rivaling his own.

It was clearly not normal.

The only possibility was that they were the Heaven’s Chosen Ones, selected by the world’s will.

Products catalyzed by the Power of Fortune.

What Hu Qi didn’t quite understand, however, was this.

Even if it cultivated more Celestial Fate People, could it really defeat Mother Earth? Rather than do this, wouldn’t it be more effective to concentrate all the fortune on a single person?

Helping that person break through to the Refining God realm was perhaps the only sliver of hope.

"Have our people keep an eye on them. Do not interfere!"

A flicker of flame emerged from his fingertip, enveloping the paper and instantly turning it to Ashes.

Hu Qi said coolly, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Yes!"

Xiaobai nodded.

...

「Yunhe Country.」

Its territory was primarily composed of four large islands—Divine Island, Xue Ying, Lingxiu, and Yanyang—along with several thousand smaller ones.

As the Capital of Yunhe Country, Divine Island was also very close to the Xia Federation.

Snowflakes danced in the sky.

The world seemed to be covered by a thin veil, making it hazy and dreamlike.

The distant mountains and forests were reduced to blurry silhouettes.

The nearby houses and streets were all cloaked in a layer of silvery white.

At that moment, in the Shrine’s courtyard.

A cherry blossom tree that should have bloomed only in summer was now unseasonably in full flower.

The pink petals looked exceptionally vibrant against the white snow.

Beneath the tree.

Habukawa Chisui, the strongest Secret Martial Artist in Yunhe Country, stood quietly to one side.

She reached out and caught a cherry blossom petal blown down by the cold wind, lost in thought.

"Chisui, our Yunhe Country has always been a vassal of the Xia Federation. Is it really alright to submit to that person now? What if that Lord holds it against us..."

Beside her, the elderly, graying man who served as the Lord of the Cabinet for Yunhe Country looked hesitant.

"What’s the big deal? It’s just a title."

Habukawa Chisui rubbed the petal in her palm with her fingertips.

She turned to face the man who was both a mentor and a father figure to her.

"Besides, do you really think any of this could be hidden from that Lord? I’m only doing this with his tacit approval."

As she spoke of "that Lord," a fanatical glint appeared in Habukawa Chisui’s eyes.

Hearing this, the old man was taken aback. Then, the hesitation and worry on his face vanished completely.

In its place was a bitter smile at the corner of his lips.

"Indeed. Looking at it this way, I really have gotten old. Not as sharp as you, Chisui..."

"Lord of the Cabinet, you jest. You’ve been secretly cultivating quite a few elites recently, haven’t you? I wonder, are you dissatisfied with that Lord, or are you dissatisfied with me?"

Habukawa Chisui’s calm eyes gazed over at him.

At her words, a chill ran through the old man’s heart.

But he still forced a smile onto his face.

"Chisui, don’t listen to others trying to sow discord. I’ve only done this to make Yunhe Country stronger. As for why I didn’t tell you, wasn’t I just afraid of disturbing your Cultivation?"

Habukawa Chisui ignored him.

She raised the petal in her hand to her eyes and spoke as if to herself.

"Lord of the Cabinet, there is actually one thing I’m very curious about, and I hope you can enlighten me. After you took me as your Disciple, why did my parents and all my relatives suffer one ’accident’ after another? Isn’t that just a bit too much of a coincidence?"

A muscle twitched on the old man’s face.

"What are you talking about? Are you suspecting me?"

As he spoke, his sleeve twitched.

Several thin black streaks of light flashed, shooting toward Habukawa Chisui.

But in the next moment...

...an invisible barrier seemed to materialize in front of Habukawa Chisui.

The black streaks all fell to the ground.

They were rows of fine, black needles.

Landing on the snow, they instantly dyed a patch of it black and emitted a pungent odor.

They were clearly coated with a potent poison.

Seeing this, the old man’s expression changed completely. His figure blurred.

Like an agile ape, he shot backward over ten meters, about to burst through the main gate.

The next instant.

SPLAT!

The sound of flesh exploding echoed!

The old man’s movement froze. His head had exploded!

Red and white matter splattered everywhere.

The scalding hot blood of a Martial Arts Family member landed on the surrounding snow, melting it in an instant as if it were boiling water.

The petal in Habukawa Chisui’s hand had vanished at some point.

A soft sigh could be heard.

"I’ve known about these things for a long time. I could have overlooked them all. But unfortunately, you never should have developed a disloyal heart and attempted to defy our master’s will..."

...

「Shahai Country.」

A magnificent, towering, and dark hall, obviously newly constructed, stood there.

At the entrance, burly guards with sharp gazes stood watch, holding firearms.

Inside the hall.

Bowers—or to be precise, Ji Wuxing—was seated on the throne.

He wore dark golden dragon robes and a Crown on his head.

His face was hidden in the shadows, impossible to see clearly.

Below him knelt a figure clad in armor.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Yunhe Country, Changling Country, Wind Russia, and seven other small nations, nine in total, have all pledged their allegiance to you!"

The voice, muffled by the armor, echoed in the vast, empty hall.

The air seemed to freeze, and an oppressive silence enveloped the hall, inspiring an involuntary sense of awe.

"I am aware. You may leave."

Ji Wuxing’s voice came out coolly.

The oppressive feeling in the air immediately dissipated.

The armored person felt even more reverence in their heart.

After the figure had left.

Ji Wuxing finally closed his eyes.

He activated his Secret Martial Art.

In the next moment, an invisible power seemed to flow from all directions, pouring into his body.

In the area of his abdomen, within the space representing the Qi Vein Divine Treasure...

...a pale golden True Pill, entwined with a Golden Dragon, floated, radiating a golden brilliance like the sun.

At this moment, the True Pill swelled, growing a size larger as if it had consumed a potent tonic.

After a while.

He opened his eyes, and a flash of golden light shot from his pupils, instantly illuminating the vast, dark hall.

’Condensing Liquid into Pill is at Perfection. The next step is the state of Unity of Essence and Qi.’

’The nation’s fortune... the more of it I gather, the stronger I will become.’

’If I can gather the fortune of all of Earth Star, I can definitely push my power beyond the Refining God realm and step into another level.’

’Killing that thing and quelling the calamity will be as easy as lifting a finger!’

The reason Ji Wuxing did all this—wearing dragon robes, building a palace, declaring himself Emperor—was not simply because he wanted to be an Emperor.

It was to practice a special Inheritance Secret Martial Art.

Its name was the Emperor’s Fusion Map.

This Inheritance Secret Martial Art was a byproduct from when he created the Life Map Technique.

It allowed him to use the ethereal fortune of a nation for his Cultivation.

To put it plainly, a nation’s fortune is the integrated sum of the fortune of all its people.

Compared to an individual’s, a nation’s fortune is far more powerful.

Theoretically, no matter how strong an individual’s personal fortune is, it is insignificant before the fortune of a nation.

Of course, this was assuming no interference from Extraordinary Power.

If that person were a Refining God Venerable, then everything would be different.

Originally, this Inheritance Secret Martial Art was just a concept and had not been perfected.

But after his resurrection, he was shocked to find that the Inheritance Secret Martial Art in his mind had been fully completed.

Its effects were far better than he had imagined.

Otherwise, even with his comprehension and aptitude, he couldn’t have reached this stage in such a short time.

Just now, for example, because those small nations had pledged their allegiance to him, their national fortunes had merged into his body.

This was what allowed his strength to break through once again.

Speaking of which, he had the Xia Federation to thank for being able to subdue these small nations so easily. If not for their sanctions, which resulted in a lack of powerful experts in these countries, he might not have been able to suppress them with his current strength.

’It’s a pity. If the Xia Federation were to submit to me, my strength would have long since reached the Refining God realm, or even broken through it to advance to the Void Realm!’

At this thought, a gleam of ambition flashed in his eyes.

During this period, he had naturally come to understand the situation on Earth Star.

With the development of the era, the population had multiplied many times over compared to the time of the Miwu Civilization.

Take the population of the Xia Federation, for example; it was nearly a hundred times that of the Taixuan Dynasty.

The strength of a nation’s fortune was directly related to its population.

If he could subdue the Xia Federation, the benefits he would gain would be unimaginable.

The thought flashed through his mind.

But he quickly suppressed it.

According to his understanding, the Xia Federation had several Speakers who were Refining God Venerables. Against them, with his current strength, he had no confidence.

He still needed to wait for some time.

However, as he absorbed the fortune of more nations, his power would surely grow faster.

As for whether the Xia Federation would notice him and make a move...

...he wasn’t worried. He called it "subduing" them, but all he really wanted was a nominal title, a verbal promise from the leaders of these small nations.

It wouldn’t affect their interests.

Plus, with the threat of the impending calamity, they wouldn’t have the spare energy to deal with him.

As long as it wasn’t a Refining God Venerable, he feared no one.

For now, what he needed to do was re-enter the Refining God realm as quickly as possible.