The King of Black Fog

"Here is a token of our appreciation for the gift from the Queen Mother." Li Changzhou handed over the 'Eternal Sand World Fruit' along with a piece of the branch.

The Queen Mother looked at the simple packaging and couldn't help but smile.

With that smile, Li Changzhou's heart skipped a beat, hitting his ribs with a faint ache.

The Queen Mother was indeed beautiful, with a tall, slender, and graceful figure, and a noble aura. However, it wasn't infatuation; it was the kind of smile he had only seen on Yang Qinglan, at the Turquoise Pool, and on Li Qianxia.

That sense of intimacy...

"This is a good thing." Though not a Player, as a top-tier Heavenly Immortal who's occupied her position for quite some time, the Queen Mother could see through the essence of many worldly objects at a glance.

Li Changzhou composed himself: "Such a small thing is not even a fraction of the Queen Mother's gift. If there is anything more you need me to do, please let me know."

The Queen Mother put away the 'Eternal Sand World Fruit' and said slowly, "No need to be modest. This divine object is a priceless treasure at any time."

Even she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Times had indeed changed for such a thing to appear—compared to the Flat Peach, the 'Eternal Sand World Fruit' was incomparable.

The Eternal Sand World Fruit was indeed unique.

Originally improbable phenomena like "Rooted," "Dawn Mirror," Li Changzhou's complete Eternal Sand World, "Black Fog·Time Stop," all sorts of incredible nurturing, produced such a miraculous fruit.

"What's your plan next?" the Queen Mother asked.

"To return and enter seclusion, consume the fruit, and then continue the instance."

"Instance, is it the ship?" A Heavenly Immortal like the Queen Mother would never be an antiquated relic, having thoroughly studied the essence of value games.

"Yes, it can avoid the group of immortals from ancient Huaxia."

"I have a way to help you avoid them."

Li Changzhou straightened his posture slightly. Being able to enter ancient Huaxia would be best; they would not abandon the path of Mana.

Huaxia's history is the best soil for cultivating Mana.

As for the ship, with all its 'Great Power,' 'Cosmic People,' 'Huan Clan,' it's all a mess.

Of course, there are advantages, such as 'killing every encounter, slaying on sight,' "Rooted."

But once is enough; prolonged exposure would only hinder the cultivation of the main power system.

In the ship instance, not to mention cultivation; even usage is impossible. The Mana system is almost completely sealed off, converted to another power system.

"Please, Queen Mother, enlighten me."

"The reason I can find you is because I have the means to do so. If you delve deep enough, before these means appear, you'll naturally be safe."

"Deep enough?"

"For instance, the Barbaric Era."

"The Barbaric Era?"

The Queen Mother nodded, "The divine beings of the Barbaric Era did not know the celestial order; there were no sun and moon, no four seasons. Heaven and earth were ever-changing. The current world was transformed by the divine beings of that time.

"The divine hoped for a sun that rose and set daily; they wished for distinct seasons, avoiding the chaos of great fires, heavy rains, and gales all at once.

"Back then, to have regulated rainfall, they needed a dedicated Master of Rain.

"I was merely a Goddess on Kunlun Mountain who couldn't even manage rainfall. If you travel to that era, you naturally wouldn't be taken advantage of."

As a modern man with a quicksilver mind, Li Changzhou wanted to ask her just how old she was.

"Could one become a Heavenly Immortal back then too?"

"The Three Emperors and Five Emperors, Fu Xi and Nuwa, were all Heavenly Immortals. They didn't know many of today's Daoist methods but had their own wonders. You will understand upon going there. The world then was created by the Tao Ancestor himself, with saints' grand paths everywhere."

"But how do I get there?" Li Changzhou asked, confused. "Value games are all random."

"Chang'e has a ticket there, to go to a specified place at a specified time. The destination happens to be the Barbaric Era. You can find her." The voice lingered around his ears, but the Queen Mother had already disappeared.

In the splendor of the Turquoise Pool, every Fairy and Goddess who still wished to advance further had registered as Players, including Chang'e.

"Queen Mother!" Li Changzhou stood up, "Is there anything you want me to do?"

"Grant me the Lingxiao Palace for three months."

"Is that all? Not just three months, I'd even give it all to you!"

A soft laugh came from beyond the heavens: "You truly have the style of King Zhou."

The sound floated away.

Li Changzhou didn't want to deal with Chang'e, so he called Yang Qinglan out from the honey pot world to go instead.

Not long after Yang Qinglan left, two peerless beauties arrived riding the clouds, one elegantly serene, the other cool and aloof. Together, they outshone all the fairies and goddesses of that time.

Li Changzhou and Chang'e had nothing to say to each other. Chang'e and he even less so, so the three of them directly returned to the Honey Pot World.

The aura-surging Li Qianxia and Turquoise Pool had already emerged from seclusion.

"Why does the Queen Mother want the Lingxiao Palace?" Li Qianxia was puzzled.

"She has always been searching for the Saint Position left by the Tao Ancestor. The Lingxiao Palace was established by the Tao Ancestor, so perhaps some clues can be found there." This was the only possibility Li Changzhou could guess.

Otherwise, why would a Goddess who attained enlightenment in the Barbaric Era crave power?

Everyone was indifferent to this matter except for Turquoise Pool, who felt slightly concerned.

The Six Great Stars relate to the "King of Black Fog", and the "King of Black Fog" complements her "Favored Concubine", which is the Instinct she relies on. This relationship to something fundamental naturally made her sensitive.

Moreover, the "King of Black Fog" and the "Favored Concubine" are almost like her and Li Changzhou's "marriage certificate". How could she not be extra cautious?

"Sister Chang'e," on the other side, Li Qianxia curiously asked Chang'e, "How did you get the plane ticket?"

"Cultivators above the level of Immortal register to become players, and they each receive a plane ticket as part of the assessment."

"Hold on," Li Changzhou spoke, "Does that mean we still have to help you pass the assessment?"

"You're the ones who came seeking me."

"Is that considered seeking?"

"Coming to my door, is it me proactively helping?"

"...Can you be a little nicer?"

"I'm already talking to you, what more do you want? Don't be insatiable."

Li Changzhou pointed at Chang'e and looked at Yang Qinglan. Before he could speak, Yang Qinglan smiled and pushed him gently with her slender jade hands: "Hurry up and consume the Eternal Sand World Fruit. We'll wait here for you."

"We can find someone else," Li Changzhou said, unwilling to give up.

"Go quickly!" Yang Qinglan ordered.

Only then did Li Changzhou reluctantly enter his own Constant Sand World.

Li Qianxia placed her hand on Turquoise Pool's shoulder, smiling all over her face, but restrained herself from laughing out loud.

She said to Turquoise Pool and Yang Qinglan: "You two should learn from Sister Chang'e; this is truly not judging people by their appearance. Look at you both; you get weak in the knees when you see my brother."

"Your brother broke my leg the first time we met, of course, I'd be weak-kneed," Turquoise Pool laughed, "The only one truly weak-kneed is Qinglan."

"Alright, I'm lecherous, alright." Yang Qinglan said helplessly.

"Lechery is not a flaw; it's human nature," said Chang'e.

"I get it!" Li Qianxia suddenly said, "Sister Chang'e is someone who doesn't play by the rules, who acts and speaks based on her own preferences. If my brother is lecherous, then lechery must be a crime punishable by a thousand cuts. But if Qinglan is lecherous, then it's just human nature."

It was only then that Chang'e realized and assessed her: "You're not real siblings with Emperor Zhou?"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Li Qianxia quickly waved her hands and shook her head vigorously, "We're real siblings, absolutely real siblings! One hundred percent real siblings! Sister Chang'e, just cut me some slack because of him and feel free to dislike me, it's okay!"

Chang'e furrowed her brow slightly: "I distinguish clearly between grievance and gratitude, and I never take revenge. But I advise you to reincarnate and relive a lifetime to break off your blood relation with Emperor Zhou."

"Reincarnate? Relive a lifetime?"

For modern people, this notion is a bit advanced, or perhaps it's before ancient times?

Li Qianxia skipped the topic: ".....By the way, Sister Chang'e, why do you call my brother 'Emperor Zhou'?"

"Emperor Hong, Emperor Zhuanxu, Emperor Kuo, Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun, Emperor Yu, Emperor Yi, Emperor Xin..... During the Barbaric Era and the early Primordial period, anyone who served as a Heavenly Emperor or earthly emperor was given the surname 'Emperor'. Your brother is now the Heavenly Emperor, so naturally, he's 'Emperor Zhou'."

"That sounds kind of cool," Li Qianxia's youthful imagination was about to be ignited.

The space tore open, and Li Changzhou emerged.

"So fast?" Turquoise Pool was surprised.

"Bro, you're being dissed!" Li Qianxia's immature spirit instantly extinguished, replaced by a flirtatious talent, "I've already told you before, you shouldn't finish too quickly, or it'll become a habit!"

If it were just the two siblings, a scene of domestic violence would have started.

"How long should eating one fruit take? Let's go," he said.

Chang'e took out a plane ticket.

It indicated the seat, boarding gate, boarding time (unlike real boarding passes, it shows the deadline), and destination.

Like a time-lapse video, the five—in fact, Turquoise Pool casually grabbed the Little Radish, so the six of them—watched as the surroundings streamed by, with all colors stretching into lines.

Once the scenery stabilized, they found themselves standing in an enormous waiting hall.