Qin Muling had a premonition that once he stepped into the Feather Transformation Realm and true Immortal Dao laws emerged within him, his destiny, innate talent, and various divine abilities would undergo a transformation as profound as a rebirth. Now, it seems his feelings were spot on.
After the ninth phantom of the Blue Lotus leaf stabilized, the divine ability it evolved was named ‘Delayed Measure of the World’s End,’ a teleportation power that defies the shackles of space and time.
As long as Qin Muling had visited a place before, he could instantly reach it without obstruction using this divine ability, and no formation or restriction could confine it. It could be used once every three days.
“…It seems that even without the jade token quota distributed by the Heavenly Human Clan, I can enter the Misty Illusion Secret Realm whenever I want?”
Qin Muling immediately thought of the best use for his divine ability. The Misty Illusion Secret Realm, with its boundless expanse and inexhaustible treasures, would allow him and a group of elders to sneak in and take whatever rare resources they wanted, wouldn’t it?
Hmm, when I go to see my master later, I must inform her and the Emperor about this and have the sect come up with a suitable plan, Qin Muling pondered to himself.
The jade token quota given by the Heavenly Human Clan only allows the Divine Soul of cultivators from the Great Void to enter the Misty Illusion Secret Realm, while the body remains in place, which is undoubtedly disadvantageous for cultivators.
Without the protection of the body, the vulnerability of cultivators in the secret realm is unquestionable. If they encounter danger, the damage will be severe and difficult to recover from.
Since ancient times, the Misty Illusion Secret Realm has opened countless times, and the number of talents from the Great Void who have suffered severe soul damage and ruined their Dao due to various accidents has long been uncountable.
This extremely unfair situation has left many powers of the Great Void, including the Dao Court, helpless to change it.
If cultivators could enter the secret realm with their bodies, the situation would be much better. Injuries would heal more easily, and if measures to conceal fate and confuse aura are in place, it might even be possible to briefly use power beyond the Ascending to Immortality realm.
Hmm… The Hidden Cave Mystical Realm left by the Mysterious Dao Venerable of the Dao Court also has many good things. I can go in and take a look when I have time, but being discovered would be a bit embarrassing, after all, this is different from taking advantage of the Heavenly Human Clan.
Moreover, there are countless dangerous places and ancient cave dwelling relics in the Great Void. Qin Muling feels that with his divine abilities, he should try his luck at these places in the future, believing he won’t come back empty-handed.
However, neither Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace nor Qinghuan Emperor of the Dao Court would likely agree to him traveling alone. If he were to encounter a major figure from a hostile power, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Qin Muling silently adapted to the sudden increase in his magical power and cultivation. With the support and enhancement of Immortal Dao laws, his actual combat strength was now incomparable to cultivators in the Destiny Realm.
For Qin Muling, his divine abilities to heal injuries, assist in Tribulation Crossing, and purify and transform floating lands had all improved significantly.
According to the numbers tallied by his master Mu Yinghua, there were nearly twenty thousand female cultivators in the sect at the peak of the True Immortal realm, needing to cross the Xuan Immortal Tribulation. From now on, Qin Muling could help them cross in batches. Once this was successfully completed, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace would gain nearly twenty thousand Xuan Immortal-level experts.
In addition, there were nearly ten thousand female cultivators at the peak of the Xuan Immortal realm needing to cross the Golden Immortal Tribulation, but this was more difficult. The number of people crossing at one time would not exceed five, to avoid causing irreparable damage to Qin Muling.
Having made up his mind, Qin Muling slowly rose to his feet, noticing that the figures of the two Emperors had already quietly disappeared. He waved his hand to deactivate all the formations and restrictions on the Ascension Platform and walked towards Xuebing Xuan and the other ladies who were watching from afar.
“Junior Brother…”
Along with the Dragon Ritual Princess, the senior sisters eagerly surrounded him, their beautiful faces shining brightly as they greeted him with chirps and chatter.
Knowing that Qin Muling would be fine, the necessary concern and greetings could not be omitted, especially with the presence of the Dragon Ritual Princess, an outsider. They had to give their junior brother enough face and not let the princess feel slighted or neglected.
“Alright, Junior Brother, now that you have successfully crossed the Tribulation, you need to adapt to the new realm and strength. Why don’t we go and fight now?”
The fiery Luo Wanqing grabbed his wrist and spoke with fervent eyes. Mu Yinghua had already agreed that this time, once Junior Brother’s Tribulation was over, she could choose him as her Dao Companion directly, without going through the drawing lots process.
“Not just yet, I still need to see my master and discuss some important matters first,” Qin Muling said.
Dragon Ritual Princess hesitated to speak. She had planned to invite Qin Muling to her Dao Court for dinner, but now it seemed impossible to invite him alone. Xuebing Xuan and the other sisters would never allow Junior Brother to be alone with her, which was quite a headache to think about.
“Let’s leave it then. Whatever matters you sisters have, we can discuss them after I return!”
Qin Muling finally said.
Atop Imperial Dao Peak.
In the abode of the Supreme Sect Master, Mu Yinghua and the two Emperors were conversing, with several Supreme Elders accompanying them, each with a noble and dignified aura, their beauty and grace incomparable.
Seeing Qin Muling enter, all eyes in the room fell on him.
“Very good, you’ve just successfully crossed the Tribulation, and your fortune has soared again. I’m afraid even we might not match you in the future!”
Qinghuan Emperor looked at Qin Muling and spoke with a smile, ripples forming in her heart as she grew fonder of this prospective son-in-law.
Qin Muling respectfully completed his greetings and then sat down next to Mu Yinghua, accepting the spiritual tea offered by a maid and discreetly inquiring with his divine sense, “Teacher, should I tell the Emperor about my divine abilities now?”
He had wanted to ask this question for a while. From his heart, he was reluctant to let Qinghuan Emperor and the Dao Court know, as these were his special trump cards and could greatly enhance the strategic strength of the sect. Any leak would cause a huge stir in the outside world.
If Qinghuan Emperor learned of it and immediately demanded a share of the benefits, sending a large number of cultivators for him to help them cross the Tribulation or heal, how should he respond? Should he also become a tool for her?
Mu Yinghua glanced at Qin Muling and responded silently, “Of course, you should tell her. We are now the closest of allies, and there should be sufficient trust between us. Moreover, even if you don’t say it, Dragon Ritual Princess will be with you for a long time and will eventually find out, which would make us seem petty.”
“Alright, I have no objections.”
Qin Muling said no more, as his master’s view was reasonable, and it seemed that Xinyu Emperor had discussed it with her in advance. Since it was impossible to keep it a secret, it was better to be generous and inform the other party now.
“…Qinghuan Sister, you probably know some of Muling’s abilities. Now that our relationship is different from before, we won’t hide them. If your side wants to share the benefits, we need to discuss and finalize the specific terms now to avoid damaging our relationship over these matters later,” Xinyu Emperor finally brought up the topic after some idle chat.
Qinghuan Emperor’s eyes flickered slightly, “I have indeed heard some things, but I’m not very clear on the specifics. It’s just that you’ve protected him too well.”
It’s no secret that as the influence of the Dao Court has expanded, there are eyes and ears within the Supreme Dao Lineages, including Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.
The higher-ups of the major Dao Lineages are well aware of this and turn a blind eye as long as it doesn’t affect their vital interests. The principle that too much purity leads to no fish is understood by all. After all, they do the same within the Dao Court. No one is in a position to criticize the other.
Therefore, the higher-ups of the Dao Court learned of Qin Muling’s existence quite early. Since he was always close to his senior sisters and rarely interacted with outsiders, and with the strict protection of the Supreme Elders, Qinghuan Emperor knew very little about some of his secret abilities.
Xinyu Emperor then detailed Qin Muling’s various abilities. Even though she had some expectations, Qinghuan Emperor couldn’t help but be astonished, her lustrous eyes intently staring at Qin Muling.
For a moment, she even felt a tinge of jealousy towards Dragon Ritual Princess. Such a heaven-defying opportunity seemed too lofty for her daughter. Could she really hold on to it?
“What do you think? If the Emperor has plans, it’s best to decide as soon as possible, and the most crucial issue is confidentiality! You should understand the weight of this matter. If word gets out, the consequences are something neither of us can afford,” Mu Yinghua said calmly, meaning that if Qinghuan Emperor wanted to reap the benefits, she must offer equivalent interests in exchange. The idea of getting something for nothing was out of the question.
Even the female cultivators of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace had to offer substantial benefits to request Qin Muling’s help. Why should outsiders get anything for free? Not asking for exorbitant prices was already a show of good faith.
After pondering for a moment, Qinghuan Emperor finally said, “This is a matter of great importance, and caution is necessary. I have a group of trusted disciples and some high-ranking strong individuals who need to cross the Tribulation or have been injured and are in deep slumber. I will send them over another day, and after everything is done, I will personally take them away.”
Since Qinghuan Emperor also came from the female cultivator Dao Lineage of the Goddess Sect, her direct power also continued this tradition, only recruiting female cultivators and not allowing them to find Dao Companions outside without her permission, basically having no entanglements with outsiders.
This significantly reduced the difficulty of keeping secrets. It was only necessary to plant restrictions in the Divine Souls of the female cultivators who needed to cross the Tribulation. Since they were all Qinghuan Emperor’s people, she would naturally face no resistance in doing so.
Then came the discussion of compensation. Qinghuan Emperor offered a staggering amount of cultivation resources, with thirty percent going to Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace and seventy percent to Qin Muling personally. Future similar cooperation requests would be handled according to this precedent.
“…As for the Misty Illusion Secret Realm, I have two Postnatal Spirit Treasure-level spatial artifacts here. I might as well give them directly to Muling,” Qinghuan Emperor said.
Xinyu Emperor nodded slightly, “All the rare resources Muling brings back, as long as it’s a type you need, Sister, we can negotiate an internal price for you. At that time, Dragon Ritual Princess can also go in with him.”
There was nothing much to argue about. The two Emperors discussed for a moment and finalized the specific terms.
The resources Qinghuan Emperor obtained in the future could be used for herself, to cultivate her trusted forces; she could also sell them at a higher price to other Dao Lineages, and Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace would not interfere.
As for Qin Muling’s Light of Dao Enlightenment, Qinghuan Emperor didn’t need it now, but Dragon Ritual Princess would surely benefit greatly from it. Being with him day and night, she might not be far from the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.
“First Evolution”
When Qin Muling returned to the back mountain of Imperial Dao Peak, in the inner courtyard’s flower hall, the senior sisters were discussing the Dao, including Dragon Ritual Princess and Su Yuanzhen. The garden was filled with beauty, like a dazzling array of flowers that could dazzle the eyes.
“Junior Brother is back?”
Seeing Qin Muling’s figure appear, the ladies all stood up to greet him, surrounding him with warm inquiries and pulling him to the main seat in the center, surrounded by a circle of charming and enchanting faces.
After briefly recounting the results of the discussion with the Emperors, Qin Muling’s gaze turned to Dragon Ritual Princess and he spoke gently:
“The master has already allocated a suitable Dao Court and blessed land for you. The people you brought can be settled there. However… you cannot move around freely within the Main Altar of the sect. If you need to enter or leave, you must be under the supervision of the elders. Do you have any objections?”
Although it was somewhat abrupt, such a fundamental issue couldn’t be avoided, so it was better to make the stance clear early on to avoid conflicts and hurt feelings later.
Dragon Ritual Princess looked slightly stunned and nodded, “It’s only right. Mother has already instructed me that since I’m in the territory of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, I must respect the rules and prohibitions here and not act on my own whims. Whatever you say, husband, is what will be.”
Luo Wanqing, who was listening, frowned. This vixen was already calling him husband, really not considering herself an outsider. Even with the master’s instructions, she still felt some resistance.