A lungful of dust-laden, frigid air was sucked deep into his core. Were it not for He Yiming’s martial cultivation having attained the pinnacle of the Divine Path, he would have choked uncontrollably just then.

Gazing upon the Divine Path senior before him, disbelief shadowed He Yiming’s eyes. He slowly inquired, “Brother Mou, you truly believe it?” Mou Zilong offered a wry smile.

“What difference does belief or disbelief make? If it were you, facing the words of the contemporary Divine Calculator, what choice would you make?” He Yiming was instantly struck speechless.

Immortality—what a tantalizing prospect. Although cultivation inherently extended a human’s natural lifespan significantly.

Upon reaching the Venerable realm in the Human Path, one gained approximately five hundred years of vital longevity. If one could advance to the apex of the Human Path, an additional two centuries could be added at most.

Seven hundred years of life, compared to the mere decades of ordinary people, felt akin to the existence of a celestial being. And upon ascending to the Divine Path, one could expect to live for at least a millennium.

Yet, no matter how formidable their martial cultivation, even the transcendent experts who reached the Pseudo-God Realm could not exceed two thousand years of vital existence. As for the True God Realm, which history recorded only two individuals achieving—that remained an unknowable secret.

For the final fates of those two were shrouded in inexplicable disappearance; no one could confirm their demise. But now, over ten thousand years had passed in the outside world.

No matter how long their lifespans, only dust likely remained. Of course, the lifespan of Divine Beasts far surpassed that of humans.

Even the weakest Sacred Beasts possessed lifespans exceeding three thousand years. As for those 'thousand-year turtles and ten-thousand-year tortoises,' there was no need to even mention them.

However, regardless of their strength, the physical functions of these Divine Beasts and Divine Path practitioners were in slow, inevitable decline. Death was merely a matter of time for them all.

And for these Divine Path experts, qualified to stand at the summit of the current age, what could possibly be more alluring than true immortality? He Yiming’s heart hammered.

He had to admit that upon hearing this secret, even he could not entirely resist its pull. He let out a bitter laugh, immensely relieved that such a situation had not transpired in his own era, for the outcome would surely have been identical.

He could perfectly envision it: if the Divine Calculator from the main peak of the Heavenly Lake one day approached the masters of the Nine Heavens, whispering mysteriously that he had discovered a place holding the elixir of immortality, but that achieving it required their unified effort. He Yiming could guarantee that whether it was the human Nine Heavens, or the strongest inheritors among Divine Beasts like the Qilin or the Dragon-Serpent, they would converge instantly around the Divine Calculator.

“Brother Mou, were all the people at that place Innate experts?” He Yiming slowly inquired. “The Divine Calculator swore to it.

He claimed to have met someone from that location, someone whose very essence held things he couldn't fathom, so there could be no falsehood. But alas, our final outcome was failure.” He Yiming maintained a placid exterior, but his mind was already reeling.

For he finally understood the origin of that Divine Calculator. A place where all inhabitants were Innate experts—there was only one such location.

It had to be the homeland of Hundred and Eight. Only in that place, capable of creating things hundreds of times more miraculous than puppets, could such an incredible reality unfold.

Though He Yiming did not know for certain if the homeland of Hundred and Eight contained the elixir of eternal life, one thing was certain: it surely held agents capable of delaying the aging process. Simultaneously, He Yiming deduced the Divine Calculator’s own origins.

Hundred and Eight had once mentioned befriending a Divine Path practitioner after arriving in this world, dwelling in seclusion within the Hohhot Mountain Range. But that individual had vanished without a trace, seemingly constrained by some binding force preventing his return.

At this moment, He Yiming was certain: that Divine Path expert who left behind the Divine Path Forging Codex in the cave was the Divine Calculator of his own era. He had received tidings from the mouth of Hundred and Eight, and witnessing the various unbelievable transformations and divine abilities displayed by Hundred and Eight, he finally undertook that astonishing endeavor.

Why he abandoned Hundred and Eight was beyond He Yiming’s comprehension. Perhaps Hundred and Eight disagreed with the path he intended to force open, and his obstinacy resulted in the passage being opened—but the realm on the other side was not a land of humanity and life, but a zone brimming with deadly peril.

Mou Zilong sighed with regret. “If only that place truly possessed the elixir of immortality, as the legends claim.” His tone was laced with deep wistfulness.

He Yiming felt a subtle stirring, sensing the aura around him, forming faint conjectures. These Divine Path experts had entered this place quite some time ago.

Although the time dilation ratio was one-to-ten between inside and out, they had still lived here for over five centuries. Such a long duration meant that unless they could advance further to the Pseudo-God Realm, their vital longevity would likely be severely limited.

No wonder that old Dragon exhibited such delight when it saw them enter. Even though their strength had not yet reached the Divine Path, it had made no hesitation in keeping them.

For the Divine Path experts here, time was equally scarce. “Brother Mou, after advancing to the Divine Path, I have longed to master the Art of Space, yet I have never grasped it.

I wonder if Brother Mou could offer some guidance?” He Yiming swept aside the torrent of thoughts in his mind, discarding them, and posed his question. After all, these were not worries he needed to carry.

Mou Zilong burst into laughter. “My dear brother, you’ve asked the right person.

My entire martial cultivation cannot compare to the Divine Path experts of the great sects, and even my Divine Weapon falls short. But regarding the Art of Space, I have conducted considerable research.” His words carried a subtle undertone of pride; he was clearly quite confident in this specific skill.

He Yiming was naturally ecstatic. While these unaligned solitary cultivators might lag behind the Divine Path masters of powerful sects in overall cultivation, in certain niche areas, they might even surpass them.

“Brother He, the Art of Space is inherently personal. Although everyone is a Divine Path expert, due to differences in constitution, cultivation methods, and the attributes of the divine power absorbed, the scope and magnitude of spatial power will vary,” Mou Zilong declared with bright enthusiasm.

He hadn't conversed in depth with someone for several centuries. Now, seeing a peer like He Yiming seeking his instruction on this matter, he couldn't help but speak freely.

He Yiming nodded slightly. “I know spatial power belongs to Divine Path experts, and I understand there are degrees of strength, but how does one attain the absolute strongest level?” Mou Zilong shook his head gently.

“The strongest spatial power is something you essentially shouldn't count on; it is not something an ordinary Divine Path expert can aspire to. You should lower your sights slightly and focus first on mastering ordinary spatial power.” Under the earnest explanations of this enthusiastic Divine Path expert, He Yiming finally began to understand some of the subtleties of the Art of Space.

Just as the outside world rumored, any Divine Path expert could create their own spatial artifact. However, the quality of that artifact depended entirely on the individual’s comprehension and fortune regarding the Art of Space.

The so-called Art of Space was essentially using an object as a vessel, within which one carved out a domain exclusively for personal use. Within this domain, numerous items could be stored; as long as it wasn't completely filled, items could be drawn in without limit.

The specific method for carving out this space was not complicated: one simply used certain metals mixed together to forge a portable item, and then poured divine power into it. This was a long and arduous process.

To carve out the largest possible space within these specialized small trinkets required prolonged input of divine power and the slow construction of the spatial structure. Mou Zilong imparted his experience and construction methods to He Yiming.

Although he held back some knowledge, he clarified all the fundamental principles. In his view, the Art of Space was not a major secret among Divine Path experts; even if he hadn't explained it, He Yiming would surely have obtained the answer from other Divine Path experts.

But he failed to realize how vastly different the current world was from the past. Divine Path experts had not emerged for millennia, and even the scrolls detailing the construction of Divine Path spaces had become exceedingly rare.

He Yiming’s ability to receive this instruction at this juncture could be counted as extraordinary luck. After explaining in detail, Mou Zilong concluded, “Generally speaking, Divine Path experts possessing Eastern Earth-attribute divine power or Western Dark-attribute divine power can ultimately expand the largest Divine Path spaces.

But as for the absolute pinnacle, that belongs only to the legendary Five Elements Body or the Light-Dark Convergence Body.” He showed undisguised envy. “Among Eastern Divine Weapons, the one with the largest space is the Five Elements Ring from the Five Elements Sect.

As for the West’s largest space, I am unfortunately unaware.” He Yiming nodded slightly, his heart surging with emotion, almost beyond his control. Mou Zilong abruptly clapped He Yiming’s shoulder, speaking eagerly.

“Brother He, what cultivation method do you practice? What is your intrinsic divine power attribute?

Let this old brother take a look and offer some insight.” He Yiming broke into a wry smile, nodding deeply, his face wreathed in genuine pleasure. Extending both hands, He Yiming circulated the divine power within him, releasing without reserve the two most potent forces from his Dantian.

On his two hands instantly manifested two perpetually spinning rings of light. One radiated the flowing brilliance of the Five Elements, while the other shone with the intertwined light and dark convergence.

“…” Mou Zilong’s eyes, which were already as large as brass bells, seemed to expand even further. His mouth gaped open, and he remained utterly silent for a long time.

Ps: Four chapters today; three chapters tomorrow and the day after. ※※※※ Regarding the virus, you can fear it, recoil from it, and the only result is being infected and turning into a monster.

If you cast the concepts of life and death aside, you will discover that the virus too can bow to your will. It can make you stronger, enable you to devour everything, control everything, master everything, and let you become a true god.

Black Sky Demon God’s new work Wasteland, registration number 1707218. Friends who enjoy the apocalypse genre should go take a look; this is a masterpiece from a titan of the apocalyptic stream!

^_^