The jade disc fitted snugly into the circular opening, becoming the pupil of the three-legged golden phoenix. The towering stone sculpture, several meters high, trembled violently, as though endowed with a soul, coming to life, or awakening from a long sleep. Under the expectant gaze of all present, the phoenix's pupil slowly brightened, first with a clear glow, then deepening and intensifying until it transformed into a radiant gem, illuminating the otherwise dark and shadowed pit like daybreak. Immediately thereafter, the clear, piercing light gathered and condensed within the phoenix's pupil. The very next moment, a beam of light erupted from the phoenix's eye, striking the rock walls and forming a luminous gate six meters high—like a projector beam illuminating a screen. "The great gate of the High Heaven Plain!" said Mr. Kōbō, his breath quickening, his composed and serious face now glowing with excitement and joy. Several deputy leaders behind him could no longer contain their own enthusiasm. The shrine attendant, Minoru Ogawara, said, "Please don't worry. I'll send a robot in first." As he spoke, he retrieved a half-human-height mechanical box from his inventory. With a soft hydraulic release, the lid popped open, and two small drones took flight, hovering in midair, their propellers humming continuously. "These are my reconnaissance drones—fully autonomous, requiring no signal. Equipped with powerful lighting and night vision systems," Ogawara proudly introduced his creations, donning a high-tech pair of glasses and maneuvering the drones toward the light gate. Zhang Yuanqing quietly opened his star-eyed gaze, examining each person's facial expression and seeing no signs of blood-related calamities. He then took out the ghost mirror from his backpack, looked at himself in the mirror, and found his own features normal. His hiking backpack contained various tools—ghost mirror, yin-yang ceremonial robe, small pumpkin, skateboard shoes, and wind-quick gloves. Should the officials from the Chihoko team prove untrustworthy, he would attempt to eliminate the enemy entirely. After confirming everyone's facial conditions were stable, he folded the ghost mirror and joined the group, waiting together for the investigation results. A few minutes later, wearing glasses, Koyama Yoichi suddenly murmured, "Incredible, incredible..." The impetuous Kuzunoki Koshi quickly asked, "What did you see? Is there any danger inside?" Koyama Yoichi removed his glasses, his face still filled with astonishment, and said, "Team leader, no immediate danger has been detected—we can proceed in." Then, he added with a sense of wonder, "I never realized that Takanashi is a spiritual realm." Was Takanashi indeed a spiritual realm? What's the fuss? If the High Heaven Origin is a spiritual realm, we'd never have made it in without tasks. Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brow. The ancient county of Huojin was the first to lose patience, stepping briskly toward the light gate and rushing into it. Seeing this, Godoku Ichiro led his staff members after him. Once the staff had entered the light gate, Godoku Ichiro paused at the entrance and turned to say, "To the Master, please!" He's afraid I'll seize the jade plate and trap them inside—quite cautious indeed. Zhang Yuanqing performed a star-darting technique and stepped into the light gate himself. The next moment, he found himself in a completely dark world, with only two small drones providing light. "Ahhh—" A fire ball more than five meters in diameter rose slowly into the sky, casting flickering flames and a warm, radiant heat. "Wow, it really is a spiritual realm..." Huojin, holding the fire ball, gazed around in wonder, murmuring to himself. With the glow of the fire, everyone could now make out the distant scene. Standing at the foot of the mountain, they were perched on the weathered, cracked stone steps that stretched upward toward the summit, extending all the way to the horizon. The firelight, however, was limited—beyond a hundred meters, visibility faded. Yet one thing was clear: this was not Mount Fuji, but rather an independent world, much like the spiritual realm副本. That didn’t make sense. I remember Old Bǎng saying that in ancient times, the spiritual realms were traditionally conceived as "heavenly sanctuaries" or "blessed lands"—in other words, the modern-day scenic and historical sites—distinct from the current kind of spiritual realm副本. Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brows. Yet the high heaven plain before him clearly resembled a spiritual realm副本, merely lacking the specific "spiritual realm missions." After a moment's reflection, he recalled a possibility: in distant antiquity—perhaps during mythological times, or even the pre-Qin period—spiritual cultivators had possessed the power to create the world from nothing. By the time Old Bǎng lived in the Song Dynasty, however, such capabilities had already reached their peak If this assumption proves true, then such copy realms are not unique to the spiritual realms but are instead accessible to any profession once a certain level of status is attained—something that makes it possible for them to be established. This also explains why the transportation jade symbols can reach some lower-tier copy realms, since copy realms are fundamentally a kind of spell or ability, rather than unique phenomena exclusive to the spiritual realms. "I'm still wondering whether this realm was established by Xu Fu or whether it already existed during the mythical age. Speaking of which, why hasn't this realm been included within the spiritual realms?" Zhang Yuanqing was pondering these thoughts when he suddenly heard a sharp, vibrant cry. A streak of fire surged upward swiftly and rapidly expanded in the deep darkness of the sky, transforming into a miniature sun that brought light to this world. The ancient county of Huo Jin immediately released its fire ball, conserving spiritual energy. With the light spreading across the entire world, everyone could now clearly see both nearby and distant landscapes. It was a towering, isolated mountain, more majestic than Mount Fuji. Below lies an endless expanse of wilderness, dotted with dry riverbeds and lakes, devoid of vegetation and utterly silent. The mountainside is equally barren of plants, with dense clusters of buildings visible at mid-height, becoming increasingly sparse as one ascends. The reserved and taciturn Ryuzaki Ichiro finally speaks: "This is a world that has perished. From the traces remaining, it appears that it once supported life. According to legend, the gods dwelled in the Tachihara, allowing mortals entry only during times of sacrifice." He means, perhaps, Xu Fu, the accompanying spiritual travelers, and the young boys and girls? Zhang Yuanqing speculates. Sayo Ryouta asks, "Teacher, what caused the Tachihara to vanish?" Ryuzaki Ichiro replies, "Clearly, it is related to the waning of spiritual energy." Zhang Yuanqing urges, "Let's go up the mountain and see what your Amaterasu has left behind here." Under the gentle glow of the slowly descending "sun," the group ascended step by step, moving with the strength and pace of saints, reaching the mid-slope in just ten minutes and stopping outside the complex. The buildings were constructed of brick, wood, and earth blocks—earth-brick walls, wooden beams supported by wooden rafters, and black tiles laid on top. Over time, the wooden beams had rotted, the roofs were in disrepair, and only the earth-brick walls remained, though even these were now reduced to scattered ruins with little intact. After a brief exploration, the group continued up the stone steps, and as they climbed higher, the houses grew more refined. Near the summit, they found pavilions resembling palaces—built on stone foundations, with brick walls fired in the kiln, eaves gracefully curving upward, and layered roof brackets forming a classic architectural style from the Qin dynasty. Such pavilions were few in number—only about a dozen in total—with half collapsed and half damaged; only one or two were fully preserved. The furnishings inside the pavilions had deteriorated severely over the long years, and no particularly valuable items were found. "There are no remains," Dragonzaki said, frowning. "The utensils left behind in the ruins suggest that the deities who once lived here have already migrated." As the group passed through the architectural complex and made their way toward the summit, they had grown increasingly anxious after searching so thoroughly without finding anything of value. Zhang Yuanqing could have used his star-dwelling technique to move more swiftly, but to avoid unsettling the senior members of the Chiba group, he chose to walk alongside them. Finally, after half an hour, they reached the summit. Now outside the range of the illumination flares, the gradually dimming miniature sun now lay beneath their feet. Zhang, with his night vision, was the first to clearly perceive the scene at the summit—his entire body went still. "Whoosh—!" A sharp, resonant burst of sound rang out as Konoji Yoshita launched his second flare, which ascended with a bright beam of light. The senior members of the Chiba group, now able to see clearly, stood motionless, just as Zhang had. At the summit stands a colossal bronze tree, its thick trunk resembling an unbroken city wall, its edges indistinct, adorned with intricate patterns. It has ten sturdy branches, each one so thick as to be unimaginable. Gazing directly at this bronze tree evokes a profound sense of vastness and grandeur, as though one has arrived at the abode of the gods. Zhang Yuanqing estimated that if the tree were ordinary, humans would be no larger than ants—roughly on that scale. "My goodness," murmured Minoru, the court astrologer, "what a marvel! This is beyond the reach of human craftsmanship. In comparison, even the ancient architectural wonders of human civilization pale into insignificance." "Is this the creation of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, or..." Godoku Ichiro paused, his voice low, "the very thing Emperor Qin had longed for?" Minoru shook his head. "I don't know. My heart has been deeply moved by it." As Zhang Yuanqing spoke, his gaze had shifted from the bronze tree and settled on a faint figure seated beneath it—too distant to make out clearly, even with his night vision. "There's someone beneath the tree," he said. Meanwhile, Gunkan Fukushi and Watanabe Yoshita each took up a bronze mirror and a jade pendant. Zhang Yuanqing and Konoishi simultaneously reached for the bamboo scrolls resting on their knees. "I am a scholar," said Konoishi, "so let me examine the scrolls." Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment and then withdrew his hand. Konoishi nodded in gratitude, carefully picked up the scrolls, laid them gently on the ground, and unfolded them with care. "It has no item attributes—so it must be the Ame no Murakumo," said Konoishi, his expression somewhat complex. The Ame no Murakumo appeared long before Japan's samurai swords were forged; those swords were evolved from Tang dynasty crossbows. If the Ame no Murakumo were in the form of a samurai sword, that would indeed be strange. Yet honestly, the bronze sword did not quite match his mental image of the Ame no Murakumo. Suppressing his complex emotions, he held the bronze sword and attempted to swing it out toward the distance. Instantly, a dense, white wave of sword energy surged forth, expanding for dozens of meters before gradually dissipating. The intensity of the sword's energy caused Hokuto stood stunned. Ryuzaki's eyebrows jumped high with delight, exclaiming, "The sharpness and density of the sword's aura rival that of the Master Craftsman. This is a master-level artifact." As a swordsman, he had never before produced such continuous and powerful sword aura. Hokuto brightened and said, "With this sword, even a master can stand a strong challenge. Ancient Minamoto, Watanabe—what about you?" Ancient Minamoto Koshi wiped dust from the mirror's surface, gazed at his reflection, and frowned, "How do I use this?" As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of brilliance rippled across the mirror's surface, and a golden glow emerged, settling beside Ancient Minamoto Koshi, transforming into a second version of himself. The two were identical. Ancient Minamoto Koshi blinked in surprise, unusually calm—not startled or bewildered—but closed his eyes, meditated for several seconds, then suddenly opened them, laughing wildly. "I see it now! It can create a duplicate of myself, one with equal strength, but it has no inventory space." What a powerful function! The staff members of Chikako Although the top-tier items were indeed precious, these fellows looked rather like country bumpkins… Zhang Yuanqing silently remarked. Kobayashi Ichiro was delighted, smiling, "Ancient superbeings' weapons often required gradual exploration of both their functions and their costs—this one might not have just one function." He then turned to Watanabe Kiyoshi. "There's a hint of the spirit of the wood deity—this is a powerful healing item. Also, the tendrils are hot, suggesting it may possess the strength of a fire master?" Watanabe Kiyoshi said. "Let me take a look," hurried ancient Kujō Koshiro. The Yuan Shih Tian Zun spoke with a hoarse voice: "It's not a fire master—it's the power of the Sun God." Shinoya Ryō translated in sync. The power of the Sun God? Kobayashi Ichiro's eyes instantly brightened—the Sun God's power was renowned for its commanding strength and vigor, symbolizing the blazing sun. "Show it to me," Zhang Yuanqing said, extending his hand. "Um…" Watanabe Kiyoshi cast a questioning glance toward the team leader. Zhang Yuanqing took the gourd jade passed over from the mountain god, feeling the slightly warm touch at his fingertips, and immediately knew what to expect. "Wearing this jade amulet can ward off evil spirits, protect against spectral intrusions and possession, counteract mental control abilities—including but not limited to illusions—and offers powerful healing functions. It is an exceptional auxiliary item." Zhang Yuanqing appraised it thoroughly. As for any additional functions, he remained uncertain. Nevertheless, these three items are among the very best of the best. Hikaru thought for a moment, raised his bronze sword, and gently sliced his arm, instantly creating a deep wound visible through the flesh. Zhang Yuanqing understood his intention and tossed the gourd jade toward him. Hikaru caught it, and immediately observed the jade glowing with a soft green light—within moments, the wound on his arm sealed itself, fully healed, leaving no scar. "This healing effect has surpassed even my limits," said Yamashita Jitai, the mountain deity. This item is also of sovereign quality. At that moment, Wakisaka Watanabe finally finished reading the bamboo slips and drew a deep breath.