"Thank you for your guidance, Big Brother."
Locke sincerely thanked Hongmeng.
Although Locke had long known all of this information, Hongmeng had no way of knowing whether Locke knew it.
Yet he still revealed every one of these secrets without reservation.
Everything Hongmeng told him matched exactly what Locke already knew, and in fact was even more detailed than Locke's own knowledge.
From this alone, Locke could tell that Hongmeng had concealed nothing from him.
Locke accepted this goodwill wholeheartedly.
"Oh, right, Big Brother."
"Can Xuanhuang energy only be used to cultivate the Xuanhuang Body, the Xuanhuang Spirit, and to strengthen a universe?"
"Uh..."
Hongmeng froze for a moment before scratching his head with an embarrassed smile.
"I'm sorry, Second Brother."
"When I first obtained Xuanhuang energy, these two methods of using it simply appeared in my mind."
"After cultivating my Xuanhuang Body and Xuanhuang Spirit, I merged all the remaining Xuanhuang energy into my universe to strengthen it."
"So..."
"I'm afraid my understanding of Xuanhuang energy isn't much greater than yours."
"I see..."
Locke sighed softly, feeling somewhat disappointed.
"It seems I'll have to wait until my universe finishes evolving before I can uncover the other mysteries of Xuanhuang energy."
"Mm."
"Second Brother, the universe you've created is twice the size of the Primary Universe I created."
"It'll probably take considerably longer for it to finish maturing."
"How about this?"
"While your universe is evolving, why not come stay with me for a while?"
"If you're worried about leaving your universe behind, I can bring it along as well."
"That would be wonderful."
"Thank you for the trouble, Big Brother."
"Hahaha! We're brothers. Why bother thanking me?"
After receiving Locke's agreement, Hongmeng stepped out of Locke's universe.
As a Hongmeng Controller with absolute control over Hongmeng energy, he gently pushed Locke's universe through Hongmeng Space toward the small world he had created.
Because Locke's universe had not yet fully matured, and its cosmic membrane was still absorbing Hongmeng energy, Hongmeng moved it with great care.
He had to ensure that the Hongmeng energy under his control did not interfere with the universe's absorption while simultaneously providing enough force to move it steadily through Hongmeng Space.
Fortunately, for Hongmeng, this was hardly a difficult task.
After an unknown amount of time, Locke sensed that the universe had once again come to a stop.
Taking a single step, he exited his universe.
Then, within the endless gray expanse of Hongmeng Space, Locke saw the small world Hongmeng had created.
Hongmeng had already returned there ahead of him.
Locke stepped forward.
Passing through an invisible barrier, he set foot upon the land of that small world.
"What an incredibly stable space!"
The moment he entered, Locke was inwardly astonished.
Although the small world Hongmeng had created was not particularly large, the stability of its space far exceeded Locke's expectations.
Even with his current Space-Time Body, he might be able to inflict considerable damage upon the land itself...
...but shattering the space here would be no easy feat.
In other words...
Hongmeng's small world was a "universe" fully capable of supporting battles between Hongmeng lifeforms.
"Hahaha, Second Brother, come sit."
Hongmeng emerged from his thatched cottage carrying a purple clay wine pot, then pointed toward the stone table beneath the osmanthus tree.
"This pot of osmanthus wine..."
"...was brewed from the very first blossoms this osmanthus tree ever produced."
"At that time, I made a wish."
"The first pot of this osmanthus wine would be shared with my brothers."
"So after brewing it, I carefully preserved it."
"The wine I've drunk over all these years has been made from later harvests."
"Today..."
"...I've finally waited for your arrival, Second Brother."
"How about we enjoy together the very first pot of wine ever brewed in Hongmeng Space?"
"It would be my honor to accept your invitation, Big Brother."
Locke smiled as he took a seat opposite Hongmeng.
With a wave of Hongmeng's left hand, two golden wine goblets appeared.
Hongmeng then filled both cups.
"What an overwhelming Dao aura!"
The fragrance of the wine spread through the air.
Merely taking a gentle breath, Locke felt his mind become perfectly clear.
One had to remember that Locke now possessed a Space-Time Body comparable to that of a Hongmeng lifeform.
Yet merely smelling the wine produced such an effect on him.
If Saints from the Magic Universe were to smell this osmanthus wine, they would likely immediately comprehend an entire Profound Mystery of the Laws and become Deities.
If Prefects were fortunate enough to drink even a single sip...
...they would probably completely fuse the Profound Mysteries of one element and become Paragons.
Even Locke himself, after drinking a single cup of osmanthus wine, felt that his understanding of fusing different Laws had deepened considerably.
Of course, for Hongmeng, who had already created a universe and completely comprehended every Law within it, such effects were meaningless.
Likewise, once Locke's universe fully matured, he too would gain complete mastery over all the Laws within his own universe.
Thus, for Hongmeng and Locke...
...this pot of osmanthus wine truly served no purpose beyond savoring its flavor.
"Ha..."
"Excellent wine!"
Locke couldn't help but praise it.
This wasn't flattery.
He genuinely believed the osmanthus wine tasted exquisite.
Once it entered his stomach, the wine affected not only his body...
...but also his soul.
The soul's senses were far sharper than those of the physical body.
"Hahaha..."
Hearing Locke praise the wine he had brewed, Hongmeng naturally felt delighted.
"Oh, right, Second Brother."
Whoosh!
With a wave of Hongmeng's hand, a golden scroll instantly appeared above the small world.
"That's..."
"...the Hongmeng Golden List?"
Although Hongmeng had yet to explain it, Locke already knew exactly what the scroll was.
It was Hongmeng's accompanying supreme treasure.
At the same time, it was also the supreme source treasure of the entire Hongmeng Space.
As long as a lifeform left its name upon the Hongmeng Golden List, it would become a Hongmeng Controller, gaining absolute control over the boundless Hongmeng energy throughout Hongmeng Space.
As the scroll unfurled, Locke quickly noticed that the spaces for inscriptions were divided into three sections.
The first section contained four blank positions.
These represented the four seats of First-Rank Hongmeng Controllers.
The foremost blank position already bore a single mark.
Hong.
It was Hongmeng's own mark.
The second row contained twelve blank positions.
These represented the seats for Second-Rank Hongmeng Controllers.
The third row contained thirty-six positions.
These represented the seats for Third-Rank Hongmeng Controllers.
In other words, through the Hongmeng Golden List, Hongmeng Space could accommodate a total of fifty-two Hongmeng Controllers.
If a fifty-third lifeform—or any thereafter—appeared within Hongmeng Space...
...they could only become ordinary Hongmeng lifeforms.
They would never be able to become Hongmeng Controllers.
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