The grand hall was filled with spiritual mist, creating a hazy and ethereal atmosphere.

Qin Muling sat quietly beside his senior sisters, silently listening to the Sect Master and elders discussing various sect matters, while also adapting to the power of his new realm.

In the depths of his sea of consciousness, the lotus leaf phantom derived from the innate Harmony Spirit Seed had increased from three to four, and had stabilized. It emitted a clear and mysterious Dao Rhyme, exuding an inexplicable sense of mystery.

The chaotic spiritual light separated and increased in number within the phantom of the Blue Lotus, with each point containing subtle and profound messages. They revolved around the innate Harmony Spirit Seed and merged into Qin Muling’s divine soul, continuously enhancing his innate talent.

Using the secret method of internal observation, Qin Muling found that his luck had completely recovered after breaking through to the Divine Soul Realm. It had increased significantly, reaching more than four times the level of the Nascent Soul Realm, and was still increasing.

In the secret realm, the highest cultivation elders could no longer compare to Qin Muling in terms of luck and destiny alone.

After reaching the Divine Soul Realm, Qin Muling discovered that his original innate abilities had been significantly enhanced. For example, his ability to cultivate spirit herbs and absorb their essence had been strengthened. With just one application, he could increase the potency of the herbs by two hundred years. This ability could be used three times a day, allowing him to cultivate all the herbs in a garden into spirit herbs after five applications.

In the past, this ability had only been effective for Qin Muling himself, but now it could benefit others as well.

Qin Muling silently pondered the severe lack of high-level strategic combat power, which was the direct cause of the decline of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. During the great calamity, nearly half of the highest elders had perished, and the remaining few were all severely injured or forced to reincarnate. This had left the sect unable to resist the siege of other superpowers.

In addition to these abilities, the most surprising effect for his senior sisters was the enlightenment of the Dao Rhyme, which had increased by about thirty to forty percent.

Xuebing Xuan had previously calculated that cultivating by Qin Muling’s side for ten days was equivalent to two years of solitary cultivation.

For high-level cultivators, decades or even hundreds of years of seclusion were nothing. Therefore, his senior sisters were considering using an acceleration formation to cultivate with Qin Muling in the secret realm for a hundred and eighty years. After emerging from seclusion, Xuebing Xuan would likely reach the Elemental Immortal Realm, while only a few months would have passed in the outside world.

However, they were unsure if the Sect Master would agree, as the lifespan of human cultivators in the Divine Soul Realm was only two thousand years. The sect’s tradition did not allow cultivators below the Heart Demon Realm to use the acceleration formation for cultivation.

The breakthrough to a new realm required strict conditions to be met, so the acceleration formation was not a panacea. Many unfortunate cultivators had exhausted their lifespan within the formation without successfully breaking through, and ultimately perished.

“…Up to yesterday, the armillary sphere Star Palace, Bright Moon Sword Sect, Azure Fall Divine Sect, and dozens of other major forces in the surrounding area have sent multiple spies to observe the Main Altar of our sect. In particular, the high-level members of the armillary sphere Star Palace and Azure Fall Divine Sect have issued several strong warnings, demanding that we stop the dangerous act of repairing the giant landmass’s main body. Otherwise, they will take substantive measures to stop our actions!”Mu Yinghua’s indifferent voice echoed in the hall with a hint of sarcasm. The faces of the senior elders present all looked a bit unsightly. This was originally a matter of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, but those people dared to meddle and even resorted to threats of force. It was clear that they had not yet adapted to the significant rise in the status of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.

Yueyi Heavenly Lord fell silent for a while and said, “It seems that we will have to face a war before long. Perhaps the hostile forces in the surrounding areas will unite and declare war on us.”

Yu Lingzhou nodded and said, “Since we can’t avoid it, then let’s prepare for war with all our might! Thanks to Qing Muling, we now have such a great advantage. If we still dare not respond forcefully to their provocations, then there’s no need to talk about the plan for the revival of the sect. We might as well go back and have children!”

The restoration of the giant land body could not be abandoned halfway, and the surrounding forces would not sit idly by and watch the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s strength gradually recover. This major conflict of interest was irreconcilable, so war was the inevitable result.

Fenghua Immortal Lord, the master of the Hall of Punishment, said leisurely, “They can join forces to cause trouble. Don’t we have allies? The Great Brahman Temple, the Heavenly Shaman Dynasty, and the Lu Hua Palace have all publicly declared their support for us. There’s no need to be overly concerned.”

The elders nodded one after another. Forces like the armillary sphere Star Palace and the Azure Fall Divine Sect also had enemies. If they made a move, their past adversaries would not remain idle. Therefore, they would certainly not dare to use all their strength to target the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, which provided an opportunity to defeat the enemy.

Moreover, there was the fact of the powerful ally, the Calamity Fate Palace. Although they were not good people, at least at the current stage, they could still be used. Therefore, the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace did not need to worry too much.

“…Then it’s settled. The restoration of the giant land body must not be halted and should be accelerated. In addition, notify all the senior elders in the secret realm of the cave heaven. As long as they are still able to act, they must be prepared for battle this time.”

Mu Yinghua said at last, and the elders had no objections. It was a critical moment now. As long as the sect survived, the sky was the limit. If it did not, it would be a disaster. Therefore, there was no need to hide any trump cards.

After the meeting, the elders present each went their separate ways to carry out their tasks, leaving only Qing Muling and a few senior sisters behind.

“Master, I…”

Just as Qing Muling was about to speak, Mu Yinghua interrupted him, “You don’t need to think about anything. Just go back and rest. Even if the situation of the sect becomes more critical, there is no need for a disciple at the Divine Soul realm to go to the front lines.”

Even if Qing Muling’s aptitude was outstanding, at the current stage, he could not possibly contend with a cultivator at the Divine Soul realm, let alone the Heavenly Fate realm. The sect did not lack cultivators at this level.

Mu Yinghua thought that Qing Muling wanted to take on some tasks, so she straightforwardly refused. Her special disciple did not need to do anything. As long as he could live well and accompany the senior sisters to rest every day, it would be the greatest contribution to the sect.

Luo Wanqing got up and grabbed Qing Muling, “Junior Brother, let’s go and fight. Don’t defy Master.”

“It’s not like that,” Qing Muling insisted, “Master, I was thinking that my newly awakened innate divine ability might be useful to the sect…”

After hearing him out, Mu Yinghua remained silent for a while, and the senior sisters were also stunned.

This incredible ability was unheard of in the past, but now it appeared in a disciple who was only at the Divine Soul realm. How unfair was the Heavenly Dao?

“Are you… sure?” Mu Yinghua finally asked, and before Qing Muling could answer, she continued, “Well, given your background, this is not impossible. So now, let’s go and give it a try!”

With a wave of her sleeve, she took Qing Muling and several senior sisters, and they disappeared into the void.

The forbidden area behind the sect was a separate cave heaven secret realm, where the most concentrated Dao Rhyme of the Cloud Dream Immortal Domain gathered. Only the most senior elders with deep qualifications had the qualifications to cultivate here or go into seclusion.

Mu Yinghua led Qing Muling through a long corridor and passed through dozens of tightly guarded checkpoints before entering the depths of the secret realm, arriving at a magnificent grand hall.

The grand hall was thousands of miles wide, filled with the rich Dao Rhyme and purple aura in every inch of space. Endless light rain danced lightly, and there was a faint, profound, and vast celestial rhythm echoing on the level of the Divine Soul.

Xuebing Xuan and the other women were also here for the first time and were somewhat shocked. If ordinary disciples were to cultivate here, the effect might be dozens of times stronger than the ordinary cave heavens and blessed lands outside.

In the center of the grand hall, on the nine-tiered pure white spirit crystal platform, there were huge lotus flowers carved from richly vitalized green crystals, and each lotus flower lay a woman with a beautiful appearance and an otherworldly temperament. The total number exceeded seven thousand, with the majority being mature and elegant women, and there were also some young girls.Their eyes tightly closed, both their divine souls and physical bodies had fallen into a deep slumber, using this state to sustain their vitality, waiting for the moment their injuries would heal and they could see the light of day once more.

Over seven thousand severely injured elders in deep sleep—this number might seem large, but when one considers that this is the accumulation of the sect’s millions of years of history, it becomes understandable.

Qing Muling observed quietly for a moment and found that the best-conditioned among these women had less than a hundred years of life left, and that was under the premise of deep sleep. If they were to awaken and venture out, they might only have a few days of life remaining.

As for those in the most critical condition, their divine souls were like candles flickering in the wind, at risk of being extinguished at any moment, barely clinging to life thanks to the rich life force of this secret heavenly domain.

But their cultivation levels were terrifying. One-tenth of these women were not inferior to Yu Lingzhou or Yueyi Heavenly Lord in terms of realm, especially a few in the central area, whose depths even Mu Yinghua could not fathom now.

“This is the last of the sect’s foundation,”

Mu Yinghua’s voice carried a hint of sorrow: “They all fell into slumber due to injuries sustained in various calamities. The longest has been nearly a million years, and the most recent, several thousand. The elders who were injured and fell asleep in the great battle ten thousand years ago only make up a small part of this group.”

Qing Muling asked, “Under normal circumstances, less than five percent of these elders could recover, right? As for the rest… without some special encounter, I’m afraid they won’t have another chance to recover?”

Mu Yinghua replied calmly, “That’s right, but as long as they haven’t completely perished, they remain a part of the sect’s foundation, still an invisible strategic deterrent to external enemies. After all, many of these elders can still take action. If the sect truly faces an existential threat, they will take their last breath to drag down one or several enemies of equivalent cultivation with them.”

The fall of such powerhouses is a significant loss for any Supreme Dao Lineage, and their existence is not something that can be easily dismissed.

It is for this reason that the surrounding hostile forces dare not press too hard against Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. After all, these severely injured sleeping elders can still take action. If pushed to desperation, no one would come out unscathed.

Qing Muling then asked, “In other Supreme Dao Lineages, there must also be such individuals, right? And the number won’t be small.”

“Of course, that’s the biggest difference between the old Supreme Dao Lineages and the emerging forces. It can only be accumulated over a sufficiently long period of time and cannot be compensated for by the methods of the nouveau riche.”

Mu Yinghua explained that in the Great Void starry sky, the situation of the many Supreme Dao Lineages was basically similar in this respect, with some having more and some less. However, for various reasons, most of these deeply slumbering elders were just for show and rarely needed.

If Qing Muling could find a way to restore these sleeping elders, even if only one percent could be revived, it would be tremendous good news for the sect, meaning a significant increase in available high-end strategic forces.

At that moment, within a blue lotus in the peripheral area, a magnificent spiritual light flashed, condensing into the figure of a serene woman in white palace attire. She gazed at Mu Yinghua and asked faintly:

“You… are the current Sect Master of the sect? To bring a few junior disciples here, what is your purpose?”

Mu Yinghua bowed respectfully: “Ancestor, I am indeed the Sect Master of this generation of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. We have come here specifically to disturb you because…”

She briefly recounted the reason for their visit, leaving the palace-dressed woman surprised and bewildered. Her figure instantly floated in front of Qing Muling, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

Then, hundreds of divine consciousness fluctuations emerged from those lotuses, all locking onto Qing Muling.

“So it is…”

From the topmost nine blue lotuses, a sweet and graceful voice gently drifted down.