I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

"...So what if it is?"

After a long while, the voice of the Great Evolution God Lord rang out again, but with less of a mocking tone.

It had a touch of desolation.

"I can help you."

Zhou Yuan stared directly into the empty eye sockets of the golden puppet: "I will help you fulfill your unfulfilled wish. In exchange, you will hand over the remaining techniques of the Great Evolution Technique to me."

"This is no loss for you. You fulfill your wish, I resolve my regret regarding the cultivation method, we each get what we need, isn't that a win-win situation?"

"You... will help me?"

The Great Evolution Divine Lord seemed to be moved by this suggestion, his voice filled with scrutiny and hesitation, "Young man, do you know what my wish is? How dare you make such a boast?"

"I would like to hear the details."

Zhou Yuan made a gesture of invitation.

"...Alright, I won't mind telling you."

The Great Evolution Divine Lord remained silent for a while, seemingly having made up his mind: "I have two main wishes."

"Firstly, during these ten thousand years of surviving, besides refining and perfecting the Great Evolution Technique and puppetry, I have exhausted my efforts to design an unprecedented combat puppet. If it can be successfully crafted, its combat power will be comparable to that of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!"

Unfortunately, although the method of crafting is complete, the required materials are far too rare and precious, many of which are even extinct in the human realm. Trapped here, I have no way to gather them. This is the culmination of my life's work in the art of puppetry; if I could witness its successful completion, I would die without regret!

"To create a puppet with combat power comparable to the late-stage Nascent Soul realm?"

Zhou Yuan feigned surprise in his tone.

The Great Evolution God Lord truly lives up to his reputation as a master of puppetry; his design from ten thousand years ago possesses such power.

However, the required materials are inevitably extremely expensive and hard to come by.

"I promise you. I will do my best to help you gather the necessary materials."

Zhou Yuan nodded in agreement without even thinking.

Finding rare materials is certainly difficult, but for him, it is not entirely hopeless.

Moreover, the value of a puppet with the combat power of the late Nascent Soul stage is immeasurable and worth investing in.

After all, the soul of the Great Evolution Divine Lord doesn't have much time left. In the future, when that puppet is made, the ultimate beneficiary will still be Zhou Yuan.

"You're quite straightforward."

The Great Evolution Divine Lord seemed somewhat surprised. "However, those materials..."

"I have my own plans regarding the materials. Let me tell you my second wish," Zhou Yuan interrupted.

Secondly…

The Great Evolution Divine Lord's voice deepened, carrying a complex emotion, "I... wish to find a suitable successor for the *Great Evolution Technique* and the *Great Evolution Treasure Scripture*. This person must be born with a strong divine sense, a resolute character, preferably young, with low cultivation, and high potential—a low-level cultivator. He will inherit my mantle, revitalize the Thousand Bamboo Sect, and pass on the true Great Dao of Puppetry!"

Find a suitable successor to carry on the mantle and revitalize the Thousand Bamboo Sect.

This requirement... isn't too difficult.

While cultivators with naturally strong spiritual sense are rare, they are not impossible to find.

As for revitalizing the Thousand Bamboo Sect, it is not impossible, provided that its successors grow up and the Great Evolution Divine Lord provides secret guidance.

"I can grant you that wish. I will do my best to find a suitable successor for you." Zhou Yuan nodded again.

"You...are you really willing?" The voice of the Great Evolution God Lord trembled slightly, as if he hadn't expected Zhou Yuan to agree so readily.

"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond," Zhou Yuan said solemnly. "However, Your Majesty also needs to give me some time. Gathering materials and finding a successor are not things that can be done overnight."

"time……"

The Great Evolution God Lord gave a bitter smile. "This remnant soul of mine has lingered for ten thousand years, and is already at its last gasp. Without special nourishment, I'm afraid... at most another hundred years, before it will completely dissipate into the world. You... can you make it in time?"

"century?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan showed no concern, but instead smiled slightly. "If there is any danger of the soul dissipating, Divine Lord, you need not worry too much. I happen to have something here that may be able to solve your urgent problem."

As he spoke, he reached into his storage pouch at his waist and a piece of wood, about half a foot long and as thick as a thumb, appeared in his palm. It was completely black, yet it radiated a warm luster and emitted a strange, refreshing fragrance that soothed the mind and soul.

"This is... Soul-Nourishing Wood?!"

The voice of the Great Evolution Divine Lord suddenly rose, filled with unbelievable joy and excitement, "The Soul Nourishing Wood, one of the three great divine trees in the cultivation world?!"

You...you actually have something like this?!

Soul-Nourishing Wood, a legendary divine object, has unparalleled nourishing and stabilizing effects on spirits and ghosts.

Even a small fragment is enough to allow the Great Evolution Divine Lord to maintain his remnant soul state for hundreds of years, or even longer!

"Indeed, it is Soul-Nourishing Wood."

Zhou Yuan nodded. "Using this wood as the main material, we can forge a soul-nourishing artifact, allowing a deity to reside within it. This should be enough to keep the deity's soul intact for hundreds of years. Shouldn't that be sufficient time?"

"That's enough! That's more than enough!"

The Great Evolution God was so excited that his voice trembled.

With the Soul-Nourishing Wood, he not only doesn't have to worry about his soul being scattered, but his spirit can even be nourished, and his condition will be much better!

This is a crucial guarantee for him to fulfill his wish!

Seeing that Zhou Yuan not only granted his two wishes, but even brought out a divine object like the Soul-Nourishing Wood, he was filled with sincerity.

The last trace of doubt and resistance from the Great Evolution God-King finally dissipated.

"Good! Good! Zhou Yuan, you're sincere enough! I believe you!"

The Great Evolution Divine Lord said readily, "In that case, I will not go back on my word. The fifth level of the Great Evolution Technique is yours!"

The Great Evolution Divine Lord said readily, "In that case, I will not go back on my word. The fifth level of the Great Evolution Technique is yours!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan immediately took out a blank jade slip and held it in his palm.

A flash of light appeared on the chest of the imprisoned golden puppet, from which a thin, yet incredibly refined, seven-colored ray of light slowly drifted out and disappeared into the blank jade slip in Zhou Yuan's palm.

Inside the jade slip, countless tiny characters and rune patterns appeared.

A moment later, the light filaments retracted, and the jade slip's light dimmed.

Zhou Yuan probed the jade slip with his divine sense, and after a brief scan, a look of satisfaction immediately appeared on his face.

It really is the complete fifth level of the Great Evolution Technique!

The content is profound and mysterious.

It represents a qualitative leap compared to the previous four levels, providing extremely detailed explanations of the tempering, application, attack, and defense of divine sense.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhou Yuan solemnly put the jade slip away.

"No need to thank me, it's just a fair trade." The Great Evolution Divine Lord's voice returned to calm. "I hope you can keep your promise."

"That's natural."

……

Not long after, Zhou Yuan emerged from the hidden stone chamber.

The vines behind him automatically closed up, once again concealing the entrance to the cave.

Unlike when he went in, he now had a bamboo tube on his back that was about three feet long, about the size of a bowl, light blue in color, and with distinct bamboo joints.

The bamboo tube has a simple and rustic design, with what appears to be naturally formed cloud patterns on its surface. It feels cool to the touch and emits a faint glow.

This is a spatial artifact called "Dongfutian".

According to the Great Evolution Divine Lord, this was a rare treasure he acquired during his early travels. Its internal space was quite vast, far exceeding that of ordinary storage bags. What's even more wonderful is that its internal environment was stable and its spiritual energy was gentle, which had a slight nourishing effect on the Great Evolution Divine Lord's current state of mind.

Moreover, his soul could move freely within the limited space inside the bamboo tube, without restraint, which was much more comfortable than being trapped in that small golden puppet.

The only drawback, like most spatial treasures, is that it cannot store other living things.

After that, Zhou Yuan neither returned to the Thousand Bamboo Sect headquarters nor went to see the terrified Sect Leader Jin.

Having obtained what I wanted, the purpose of this trip has been achieved.

Having determined his direction, Zhou Yuan once again transformed into a beam of light, soaring into the sky and flying towards the east from which he had come.

Months later, he once again traversed that terrifying sea of ​​death and set foot on the territory of the Righteous Alliance.

After a brief inquiry, it was learned that they were still within the territory of Fengdu Kingdom.

"The First City of Heaven... Judging by the time, that trade fair should be starting soon."

Zhou Yuan stood on a cloud, gazing at the faint outline of a huge city in the distance, pondering in his heart.

Since it's on the way, why not go and take a look?

Firstly, to witness the current prosperity of the Righteous Alliance; secondly, perhaps some clues could be found at this trade fair regarding the rare materials needed by the Great Evolution Divine Lord for crafting puppets.

They might even be able to purchase some directly.

With that thought in mind, Zhou Yuan no longer hesitated. He adjusted his direction and sped towards the center of Fengdu Kingdom, towards the magnificent city known as the "First City of the Righteous Path"—Tiandu First City.