Chapter 436: Infiltration

Endless Divine Domain.

On the outer side of the silver sphere, its smooth walls were dotted with drawer-like terraces.

Fixed tables and chairs for relaxation were arranged on the terraces. Shrouded by a faint, transparent force field, the place felt less like the edge of the Black Domain and more like a seaside resort hotel.

On one of the white jade terraces.

A middle-aged man with short, white hair held an orange-green drink, silently gazing at the meteor-like World Balls tumbling through the Black Domain.

Worlds within the Black Domain were mostly spherical. Those with life appeared colorful, while lifeless ones were monochromatic—mostly gray, black, and white.

These meteor-like World Balls, varying in size, would streak past the outer edge of the Divine Domain at regular intervals, creating a scene reminiscent of a meteor shower.

“Drinking here alone again?” Behind the white-haired man, a blonde woman in a short, purple-black dress slowly materialized and stretched her back.

“Ah, that was a good nap,” she remarked with a yawn.

“I’ve been here in the Red Simurgh Star System for a thousand years now,” the man sighed. “The long passage of time wears away all interests. I’ve found that just zoning out is the most comfortable state, the one that doesn’t tax the heart.”

“What a boring thought. You’re just too easy on yourself,” the woman said, shaking her head. “Too much of anything becomes tiresome. You indulged yourself too much in the past, so now nothing interests you.”

“Is there a way around it?”

“Of course. Work hard for a while, and you’ll want to rest again,” the woman said with a smile.

“It seems there’s trouble at the Dragon Court again. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be speaking in that tone,” the man chuckled.

“You’re right. The Dragon Court captured a hidden demigod. This time, we have no idea where this one came from. It’s not a leftover from the last incident,” the woman sighed. “So, tensions are already rising at the border.”

“Are we going to war again?”

“Possibly. This is where the advantage of being a Divine Shepherd like you shows. Magic-users don’t have to go to the battlefield; you just need to maintain supervision and order in the rear,” the woman said with envy. “Unlike us.”

“You’re overthinking it. If they really need us, we might get dragged in too,” the man said helplessly. “A Divine Shepherd’s main duty is to act as a judge in major cases, but those usually have huge implications. We’re not qualified to make the final decision alone, so in the end, our hands are often tied.”

“That’s still better than our situation… But let’s not talk about that. By the way, I’ve heard there’s been a recent spike in cases of frontline city administrators developing emotional attachments to mortals?” the woman asked.

“Yes. I usually hand those minor cases over to the adjudicators. The three under me handle them quickly—it’s all just procedure. Nothing to hesitate about,” the man nodded.

“Then who’s handling the case on Red Pattern Star?”

“Red Pattern Star? That would be Karleen. Why?”

“It’s nothing. Someone just asked my niece for a favor, so I thought I’d ask while I was at it,” the woman said with a smile.

“There isn’t much leeway in cases like that,” the man understood instantly, shaking his head with a smile.

“You have to give them a little hope, don’t you?” the woman replied.

After chatting with the man for a while longer, the woman took her leave.

Returning from the terrace to the interior of the Divine Domain, her form emerged from the illusory, simulated sky and flew toward a massive golden platform floating in mid-air.

A beautiful young woman with a spiraling golden ponytail was already waiting on the platform. Seeing her return, she immediately rushed forward.

“How did it go? How did it go?” the young woman asked anxiously.

“Divine Shepherd Huang didn’t give a clear answer, which means there’s room to maneuver, but not much. The outcome probably can’t be changed,” the purple-skirted woman said casually, pinching the young woman’s cheek.

“Is that so? That’s a shame…” The young woman had sworn to her friend, puffing out her chest and making a bold promise. Now, it looked like this was going to be difficult…

“If it really comes to it, can we swap the person?” The young woman’s eyes suddenly lit up as she thought of a solution.

“That used to be possible, but not now. It’s a critical time,” the purple-skirted woman said, shaking her head.

Swapping the person meant finding a scapegoat to take the fall.

“Then what should I do? I already boasted about it to them!” the blonde young woman said, frustrated.

“What’s so scary about losing a little face? It’s not like it’s your first time,” the purple-skirted woman chuckled.

“Wait, there’s another way…” Suddenly, the blonde young woman seemed to have another idea.

“Alright, alright, stop making a fuss. Just return whatever benefits you received for this. At a critical time like this, you can’t touch it,” the purple-skirted woman warned.

The blonde young woman pouted again.

“Honestly, I’ve always thought, it’s just forming an emotional connection with a mortal, isn’t it? What’s the big deal? Why is it such a huge crime that it warrants a death sentence? Is it really necessary?”

“What do you know,” the purple-skirted woman chided.

“I don’t get it. I just can’t stand it. By always doing this, we’ve forced so many mortals who were on our side to become Mixed Races who specifically oppose us. The loss outweighs the gain,” the blonde young woman retorted.

“The Mixed Race are merely slightly larger insects.”

“The strongest of the Mixed Race can already match a Third Ring! How can you still look down on them? If one day they produce some freakishly powerful expert, I’d like to see what you arrogant bigots do then!” the blonde young woman said, disgruntled.

“Don’t worry. In your dreams, anything is possible,” the purple-skirted woman said with a laugh.

“And the mortals, there are so many of them. You can’t say for sure they won’t produce some freakishly talented genius,” the blonde young woman continued.

“A genius is just someone who progresses a bit faster than others, that’s all. The path to true strength involves far, far too many trials. You just need to know that it’s impossible for a top-tier expert capable of influencing the Divine Domain to emerge from the Human Realm. That’s it,” the purple-skirted woman stated definitively. “Alright, this topic ends here.”

*

*

*

Lin Hui floated cross-legged outside the Heart Source Demon Palace, the stellar energy within him rising and falling in sync with the gentle oscillations of the Time Strings from the outside world.

He had collected the power of these Time Strings by acting on his earlier idea: after contacting the major Calamities, he went directly to various small worlds to gather them.

The quantity from each was small, but they were easy to find.

He didn’t need to enter in person. He simply dispatched a sacred projection from outside the small world. Once inside, it used the identification Dharma Gate taught by Fusheng to search within the society of living beings.

The results came quickly. Many of the small worlds were not large, making it easy to find individuals who could change their era. Then, Time Strings would appear, varying in size and the area they covered.

These Time Strings were weak and inconspicuous, but there were enough of them.

As soon as each Time String appeared, its primary power was absorbed, leaving it to flicker a few times before slowly fading away.

‘Looking at it this way, individuals rich in the Power of Existence overlap somewhat with key figures who change their eras. I only need to find one group to quickly locate the other.’

After absorbing the aura of the Time Strings drawn out by his sacred projection, Lin Hui slowly withdrew his technique and stood up.

‘This method of cultivation is fast, but it causes too much of a commotion.’ He felt the rapid increase in his Great Yin Yang Time Reversal Sword Technique cultivation and gently stretched his arms.

At this rate, it would probably take a few years at most to absorb enough Time Strings to bring the Third Layer of the sword technique to Perfection….

By then… after I sever the spiritual burden of my internal organs, I wonder what heights my power will reach?

He estimated that previously, in that small world, comprehending a single Time String was enough for his cultivation to leap forward, allowing him to enter the Second Layer.

Now, he was using his sacred projection to collect and witness more of these smaller Time Strings, many of which he even actively instigated himself.

Naturally, the scale of these events was far smaller than those that evolved on their own, and the Time Strings themselves were also smaller.

But the sheer quantity of them made up for it. His cultivation improved significantly as the small gains accumulated.

‘If I follow the Power of Existence Secret Technique, I could use it here on Red Pattern Star in the Endless Divine Domain to find people who can change the era. With a little guidance, I might be able to trigger an exceptionally large, out-of-spec Time String.’

But to do so, he would have to consider the influence of the major powers here: the Divine Court, the Dragon Court, and Yanwu.

These major powers were the ballast of this region, their level of strength far exceeding that of the other small worlds.

Some of the small worlds Lin Hui had manipulated before were just ordinary regional nations with populations of only a few tens of millions.

It wasn’t difficult to artificially create era-changing events in countries like those.

But to stir up trouble on a planet with a highly advanced technological civilization like Red Pattern Star, the requirements for a Time String to appear would be much higher.

As he stood up from the entrance of the Heart Source Demon Palace, Lin Hui suddenly felt something and formed a Seal Decision with one hand.

Instantly, a sliver of his Heart and Spirit from far away on Red Pattern Star was swiftly recalled, merging into his mind.

As it returned, it brought with it an update on Ding Yiran’s situation.

It had been over two weeks since Ding Yiran last pleaded with the fake Ding Luo.

During this time, Ding Yiran had been frantically undergoing so-called ‘arduous training’ with the fake Ding Luo.

Lin Hui hadn’t interfered, only secretly adding some nourishing energy to his second brother’s body to prevent him from collapsing from exhaustion.

At that moment, on Red Pattern Star, south of the Ding family estate, in a wide, open, abandoned factory.

The fake Ding Luo was explaining to Ding Yiran the gap between mortals and the Divine Army.

The weather was clear, not a cloud in the sky. A gentle, warm breeze blew through the open-air, weed-choked factory grounds.

Ding Yiran’s physique was noticeably a size larger than it had been two weeks ago. This was the result of the fake Ding Luo providing him with some free Special Effects drugs, which stimulated a beneficial reaction in his body.

“At this stage, your foundation is more or less set,” the fake Ding Luo said, circling Ding Yiran and studying him carefully before nodding slightly.

“Foundation?!” Ding Yiran trembled. That high-intensity training that had nearly killed him was just to set the foundation!?

Several times, he had thought the fake Ding Luo had gone back on her word and was genuinely trying to kill him.

But time and again, he had managed to pull through.

And now, she was telling him that all his previous training was just to build a foundation!?

“That’s right. Why else do you think we, the Endless Divine Race, have the word ‘Divine’ in our name? You didn’t think it would be a simple matter to catch up to the lowest level of my race, did you?” the fake Ding Luo said in a low voice.

“…I understand… It’s fine. I can do it. I can endure!” Ding Yiran gritted his teeth and nodded fiercely again.

“Very well.” The fake Ding Luo was unaware that Lin Hui was also secretly observing them. She then began to formally explain the legendary Cultivation Technique said to allow an ordinary person to catch up to a Junior-Level Divine Army soldier in a short amount of time.