My health recovery is incredibly fast.

"Someone once said something to me," Xia Zuo said calmly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Using the laws of spacetime to enhance one's strength will only turn one into a sharp blade. A more skillful way to use it is to control the sharp blade and make it a weapon."

“You and I both know what the Church of the Otherworld wants from the Western Continent, but I can see more.”

Xia Zuo pointed to his head:

"All the information about the future is stored here. Among them is a method to make the Church of the Otherworld turn its attention to the Temple, which can completely break the secret cooperation between the August family and the church's high-ranking officials."

"How confident are you of your success?" Natalie asked.

"One hundred percent success." Xia Zuo said with certainty.

"Are you so sure?"

"Yes."

Natalie pondered for a moment, "Your method of escalating the conflict between the Temple and the Church of the Otherworld will result in the sacrifice of many people, won't it? Just the day before yesterday, you were still lamenting the impending calamity facing the Starry Night Kingdom, so why are you so decisive and indifferent in letting another group of people sacrifice themselves today?"

"Because I'm a normal person with double standards." Xia Zuo shrugged nonchalantly.

"Kindness always belongs only to allies and companions; the tragic fate of neutrals is merely my bargaining chip; and I rejoice in the misfortunes of adversaries."

"In a tragic world where survival is the central theme, inappropriate pity is poison, not a solution."

"Moreover, in my opinion, the temple mages who died in the fight against the invasion of the alien demons did not sacrifice themselves for me; they were heroes who defended their homeland."

“Alright, it seems you’re determined.” Natalie nodded. “As long as you continue to uphold our oath, the Golden Vitex Clan will always be your ally. I hope you remember that.”

“Of course, I’m a man of principle.” Xia Zuo grinned, revealing his sincerity.

"When do you need us to store the Creation Smoke?"

"As soon as possible, the sooner the better," Xia Zuo added. "It would be best to start storing them today and continue until the Genesis Smoke is shut off."

"Starting today?" Natalie tilted her head slightly. "There are alchemical satellites in the skies above the continent of Kosi. They will detect your activities of collecting Creation Smoke."

“No, I won’t collect them here.” Xia Zuo shook his head and smiled mysteriously. “You just need to prepare the plants for collecting the smoke, and I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay, wait here for a moment.” Natalie closed her petal-shaped eyes.

After about three minutes, she opened her eyes and pointed upwards:

“I’ve made arrangements. Around noon today, a group of plants will bring over an alchemy pouch. Go to the entrance of this base to receive it. The seeds inside the pouch are plants that can absorb the primordial smoke. Watering them with nutrient potions or directly infusing them with attribute-neutral energy will make them grow quickly. I’ll have Melina tell you the specific usage.”

"Thank you, Lady Natalie." Xia Zuo nodded in greeting.

“You’re welcome. Helping you is helping ourselves.” Natalie waved to the little golden chaste tree on the desk, then disappeared in a green light, and the tree in the cultivation jar turned back into a shrub.

Chapter 59 Hidden Intentions (Part 2)

Deep within the frozen snowfields of the Eastern Continent.

A solitary figure in a cloak walks alone amidst the swirling snow.

Although he was already able to use blood magic to withstand the raging blizzards of the snowfield, Xia Zuo still wanted to use this method to reach the Pillar of Creation.

Having seen through the true nature of this tragic world, the only things that could earn his complete respect were the Pillars of Creation and the Crystal of Creation.

About three kilometers from the Pillars of Creation, Xia Zuo stopped flying and chose to walk to the Pillars of Creation on foot, expressing his awe of the wonder that protects the world through a pilgrimage-like act.

Xia Zuo's actions of breaking ties with the Temple and driving its troops out of the Western Continent were not driven by greed or the pursuit of a king's throne; he simply wanted to ensure the survival of himself and those he cared about.

How he wished that the world he had transmigrated to was a beautiful world without a hopeless future—a world where there could be setbacks and failures, as well as life and death separations and cunning and treacherous enemies. He hoped that it would not be like this world, where there were high-level alien demons like Vasaksat who were absolutely invincible.

Thinking of Vasaksat, Xia Zuo quickened his pace as he strolled across the snowfield.

That damned Vasaksat... this high-level stellar demon that cannot be observed with the [Spacetime Phase Simulator], the great lord of the stellar demons, is like an indescribable source of fear, constantly urging Shazo to protect himself by any means necessary.

..

Unbeknownst to me, the snow under my feet had lessened, and the surrounding blizzard had ceased to be violent.

Xia Zuo suddenly felt the tranquility of the blizzard's departure. He looked up and saw the Pillar of Creation, billowing with black smoke, right before him.

Nothing here has changed.

Temple elements lingered freely in the sky, hovering and wandering in groups.

The patrolling Eternal Mages flew high in the sky, scanning the land near the Pillars of Creation along their predetermined patrol routes.

Xia Zuo transformed into a blood shadow and hid under the snow, slowly and stealthily advancing towards the large volcano.

He came to the Pillars of Creation for only three things:

Take away several chaotic containers from the magma, plant seeds that absorb the smoke of creation, and take one last look at the pillars of creation that protected him and all things before breaking with the temple.

...

The outer hall teaching area.

Xia Zuo's other clone arrived here through the teleportation room.

After reaching a long-term cooperation agreement with the Temple, Xia Zuo provides the Temple with Life Essence every year, and the Temple pays hundreds of millions of citizen points in a lump sum.

Today is the annual day for renewing the agreement.

With the attitude that "getting something for free is not a waste, and wasting it is a sin," Xia Zuo decided to squeeze a good sum of money out of him before leaving the temple.

This time, it wasn't Christo who negotiated the contract with Xia Zuo. The Holy Rune Department bypassed Christo and negotiated directly with Xia Zuo. The person who contacted Xia Zuo was Celine, whom he had met once before.

As soon as Xia Zuo's clone came out of the teleportation room, he encountered the temple guards who were waiting outside the door. Under their escort, he headed to the Holy Rune Department.

..

In a reception room of the Holy Emblem Department.

Xia Zuo and Xi Lin sat facing each other across a large desk.

After a friendly conversation, it was finally time to renew the agreement.

As Celine wrote the agreement with her silvery palm, she asked casually:

“Shazo, I noticed that you applied to purchase some alchemical materials that are listed as controlled items by the Temple. Despite the agreement and Temple laws, I still have to remind you of the potential dangers of controlled items. After all, for an alchemist of your level, controlled items are more dangerous and harder to prevent.”

The implication was that Xia Zuo should not try to use the controlled goods for purposes outside the agreement.

Xia Zuo was well aware of the other party's thoughts and the hidden warning in their words.

He smiled honestly and said calmly:

“You’re right. I must be extra careful about the dangers of controlled items. Every temple territory is equally precious... If my alchemy mistake paralyzes Starry Night Academy... the temple’s preparations for war might be affected.”

After the formalities and negotiations concluded, Xia Zuo signed his name on the agreement drafted by Celine and stamped it with his temple crest.

The new year's agreement is now in effect.

Xia Zuo directly took the life essence that he had prepared in advance from the alchemy pouch.

After inspecting the quality of the Life Essence, Celine immediately issued a bill of lading for various alchemical materials and handed it to Xia Zuo, instructing him to collect the goods from the designated warehouse within the specified time.

After Xia Zuo packed up the bill of lading and thanked Celine, he was escorted away from the Holy Rune Department by the temple guards.

As the war drew near, the atmosphere of preparation within the temple was intense, with temple guards closely following anyone entering or leaving important locations.

The fountain and sculpture plaza in the outer sanctuary was bustling with people, and temple monks were everywhere, hurrying about their business.

They wished they could use magic to travel faster, but the temple guards in the sky were watching them like eagles, so they could only obey the order and walk towards their destination.

It might sound a little ironic:

More than half of the mages moving through the Hall of Creation were not there for the war against the Church of the Otherworld.

The alchemists of the Wild Hammer Kingdom secretly built several enormous alchemical airships in the northern part of the kingdom, near the frozen snowfields.

These alchemical spaceships were the vehicles that the August family used to escape the planet.

Among the alchemists of the Wild Hammer Kingdom, only members of the royal family know what they are actually building; everyone else believes they are constructing a spaceship to fight a decisive battle against the Star Demons.

The same situation occurred elsewhere in the Temple Territory—the August family, through their plan to create secret weapons, tricked the Temple alchemists into building various living and alchemical facilities, as well as food, drinks, potions, and other resources for their family's alchemical spaceships.

Do not doubt the August family's control over the Temple.

Any alchemical plan issued in the form of a secret decree from the Holy Emblem Department will be executed to the full extent by the summoned alchemists, and all alchemical products will be stored in warehouses actually controlled by the August family.

Just as Xia Zuo stood on the steps, staring blankly at the bustling square, a voice came from behind him:

"Huh? Xia Zuo?"

Xia Zuo recognized the voice as belonging to the long-lost bald Rexor.

"You've come at the perfect time, bald guy! I've been waiting for you..." Xia Zuo laughed, turned his head to look at him, and grinned as he said:

"Long time no see, Master. How's the situation at the front lately?"

Rexor wore a full set of armor made of blood magic, his entire body encased in deep red, hard metal plates. Blood magic gel perfectly filled the joints where the armor connected, allowing him to move silently without worrying about the noise from the plates colliding.

Having spent more than two months on the front lines, Rexor's every move exuded a chilling aura.

Upon seeing Xia Zuo, his fierce demeanor vanished instantly, and a smile appeared on his bald head.

"Something must have happened inside the Church of the Otherworldly Demons. They withdrew at least half of the Otherworldly Demon army from the front lines and relocated them to the church headquarters. So the pressure on the front lines has been greatly reduced, and I can finally take some time to perform some routine tasks and relax a bit."

Xia Zuo's mind raced, and he imagined a scene from a certain future timeline:

Rexor was assigned by the Arcane Guild to investigate the whereabouts of the Otherworldly Demons in the Western Continent. However, due to the August family's forced closure of the transoceanic portal, he found himself in danger when the Otherworldly Demon army invaded the Western Continent.

"Master, you're not going to the Western Continent, are you?" Xia Zuo asked after a half-second pause.

“Ha, yes.” Rexol patted his stomach:

"I'll investigate the extent of the demonic infiltration there, and while I'm at it, I'll fill my stomach at a tavern in Starry Night City and play a few rounds of cards. After the investigation is over, I probably won't be able to enjoy myself for a long time. I need to savor this before the official start of the war, so I don't regret it when I'm on the verge of death on the battlefield."

"Please wait for me a moment. I have some matters to attend to in the outer hall. We can go to the Starry Night Kingdom together later." Xia Zuo pointed to the teaching tower of the Tower Scholars:

"I need to go and have a quick chat with Christo. Would you like to see her? Or you can wait for me outside."

Merlindora orchestrated the return of Hughie and Rena to their respective mistresses.

As the head of the Golden Vitex Alchemist Guild, it's quite normal for Merlindora to have a large group of plants at her disposal as informants.

When she sent Hughie and Rena over, she didn't reveal anything about Shazo. She only mentioned that her plant informants had accidentally found Hughie and Rena sleeping peacefully in a forest within the Golden Bauhinia Ideal Country, and then sent them over.

Christo and the others knew very well that Merlindora's explanation was just a perfunctory one; she knew the truth but simply couldn't reveal it.