In the grand hall.
Nine azure crystal lotuses were arrayed in a row at the highest level, with Mu Yinghua standing before the first one. Above her, a golden seal hung steadily, from which a majestic purple-golden light poured forth, cascading into the lotus and eventually converging onto the slumbering form of Xinyu Emperor, merging with her silently.
As the vast heavenly merit continued to integrate, her once dim and waning divine soul began to undergo a noticeable transformation, regaining youthful vitality. The flame of life grew robust once more, quickly benefiting her Dao body, which became enveloped in auspicious purple mists, her aura climbing steadily.
Xinyu Emperor was a third-generation true disciple of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, a grand-disciple of the founding master, her seniority unimaginably high. When the founding master achieved Dao, taking the second-generation disciples through the void to an immense and immeasurable higher-dimensional space-time, she became the third-generation Supreme Sect Master, wielding authority for tens of thousands of years.
The records in the sect's archives about how this great being was injured and came to slumber here were not very detailed. They only mentioned that she encountered three powerful primordial beings while seeking opportunities in the depths of the chaotic void. After a bloody battle, although she managed to slay them all, she herself was gravely injured. Upon returning to the sect, she arranged her succession and has since been recuperating in this Hidden Cave Mystical Realm.
Due to her prolonged absence, rumors even circulated that this great being had long since dissipated her cultivation and passed away, emboldening the surrounding hostile forces to frequently stir up trouble. It was only in recent years, with the continuous recovery of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace's strength, that the situation began to improve.
In a moment's time, as the last stream of golden merit light poured from the seal, Xinyu Emperor's rapidly surging aura finally stabilized, and her eyes, radiant as stars, slowly opened, lighting up the entire hall.
"…Congratulations, Emperor."
Thousands of divine thoughts came through, belonging to the deeply slumbering elders who normally communicated only through a wisp of their consciousness.
Xinyu Emperor moved her limbs slightly and vanished without a sound, reappearing beside Mu Yinghua.
"So many years have passed, I never thought I'd see the day I could walk out of here again!"
She sighed softly, her sweet and elegant voice tinged with a hint of ancient weariness: "Unfortunately, ten billion merits can only restore about twenty percent of my injuries. To fully recover to my peak and possibly advance further, I would need a hundred billion merits."
Having recovered twenty percent of her injuries, Xinyu Emperor could move freely outside and intervene in critical moments, but only a limited number of times, essentially at the cost of her remaining life essence.
However, borrowing ten billion merits from the Dao Court was already the limit of what Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace could achieve, and it was only possible thanks to Qing Muling. To obtain more merits was currently impossible.
Xinyu Emperor sensed that with her revival, the fortunes of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace had noticeably increased, but due to the limited extent of her recovery, the increase was only about thirty percent. Had she been at her peak, the increase in fortunes would have been much more significant.
Mu Yinghua bowed slightly and spoke softly, "Emperor, there's no need for concern. We still have Qing Muling. As long as he can grow quickly, gathering a vast amount of heavenly merit is not an unattainable goal."
Xinyu Emperor nodded slightly, examining Mu Yinghua: "Was it you who discovered him and brought him back? From my perspective, you and your direct disciple are deeply entwined by fate. It seems you are blessed, and there is hope for you to achieve the Emperor realm!"
"…"
Mu Yinghua's face flushed slightly, unsure how to respond to such words, grateful that no familiar faces were present, or she might have felt quite embarrassed.
Xinyu Emperor smiled nonchalantly, "No matter, tell me about his origins. Don't leave out any details."
Mu Yinghua nodded, setting up dozens of protective seals around them before beginning to communicate with Xinyu Emperor using divine thoughts. She recounted how, when Origin Star Palace unexpectedly reemerged, powerhouses from the Great Void's Supreme Dao Lineages, including descendants of ancient powerful races, rushed to the scene, hoping to share in the spoils.
Among the known perilous realms and ancient ruins of the Great Void, Origin Star Palace was undoubtedly one of the most treasured, with some even arguing it should be ranked first.
Its former master was a primordial being born before the creation of heaven and earth, once recognized as the closest to the Supreme realm of a Harmony Saint.
Today, the various deeds of the master of Origin Star Palace have long been buried in the endless river of time, so much so that the stars began to forget her legend.
Thus, when Origin Star Palace opened, various forces rushed in, hoping to find extraordinary opportunities, as anything related to primordial beings in the Great Void was never simple.
The opportunities within the Star Palace were indeed plentiful, especially the Harmony Spirit Seed, which directly ignited a bloody conflict among the mighty beings, claiming countless lives.
"…At that time, I was only on the periphery of Origin Star Palace, not daring to venture deep, and had no designs on the Harmony Spirit Seed. Unexpectedly, it flew straight towards me."
Mu Yinghua still found the memory somewhat unbelievable. The opportunity that so many powerful figures fought over and failed to secure came to her effortlessly, as the Harmony Spirit Seed flew directly into her arms.
After securing it, she didn't dare linger and immediately used her divine powers to flee the contentious area, leaving behind the frenzied powerhouses scouring every corner. Those cultivators and smaller sects who were too slow to leave were slaughtered to vent their frustration, their blood soaking the Star Palace inside and out.
"So, it was a being transformed from the Harmony Spirit Seed? That explains everything."
Xinyu Emperor mused, Qing Muling's extraordinary traits were impossible for an ordinary human cultivator, but given his true origins, it was not so hard to accept.
However, they only knew so much, and only Qing Muling himself understood that his soul had traversed time and space. The perfect body formed from the Harmony Spirit Seed was merely a fortunate accident for him.
But now, with mysterious changes occurring deep within Origin Star Palace and rumors that its master was still alive, merely slumbering in a special space-time realm, this was not good news for the many forces of the Great Void. Especially those who had plundered the Star Palace, they were anxious, fearing the day the mysterious great being would come to settle old scores.
As for Qing Muling, it was even more uncertain. If that mysterious great being learned of his existence, not only his own fate would be unpredictable, but Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace might also face unforeseen disasters.
"Alright, spare no expense to protect this young one. I look forward to the surprises he will bring us after achieving the Elemental Immortal realm."
Xinyu Emperor said, "It's been many years since I've been involved in worldly affairs. Tell me about the current situation outside!"
***
Above the floating land in the void.
Qing Muling was still diligently purifying the dead zones and restoring the environment, accompanied by his Senior Sister Luo Huan. Streams of golden merit light continuously descended from the depths of the void, visibly enhancing his cultivation, bringing him ever closer to the True One realm.
After the Harmony Spirit Seed absorbed the power of the heavenly tribulation and underwent another transformation, Qing Muling's mana remained inexhaustible. Even with continuous consumption of pills to temporarily enhance his realm and the unrestrained use of his innate divine powers, his mana never seemed to run out.
Seven days later, Qing Muling and Luo Huan returned to the palace city to rest.
In the secret chamber, a lavish feast was spread out, with all kinds of exquisite delicacies available. In particular, the creamy Daxuezi and the rosy red peaches were Qing Muling's favorites, so Luo Huan had specially brought plenty to suit her Junior Brother's taste.
Ah, Daxuezi was a special spiritual fruit produced by Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, juicy, sweet, and refreshing, with a tender and elastic texture. The larger the fruit, the better the quality. Biting into one, the burst of flavor on the tongue was indescribable. Thus, Qing Muling adored it, enjoying it daily without fail.
"I've just received news that Xinyu Emperor has recovered!"
Luo Huan fed her Junior Brother the creamy Daxuezi while casually speaking, "So even if the calamity arrives soon, the sect now has enough confidence to face it, no longer as fearful as before."
Qing Muling nodded. With this great being personally in charge of the Li Feng Star Cloud Tower, there were probably few in the Great Void who could confront her directly. It was just a pity that she could only intervene a limited number of times. She could only be a strategic trump card, not to be used at will.
"This news won't be made public for now, right?" Qing Muling asked.
"Definitely not, otherwise those surrounding forces would be up in arms."
Luo Huan laughed. The Dragon Ritual Princess and the Emperor must be aware of this, but they wouldn't reveal a word to the outside world. Therefore, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace still needed to keep this card secret, waiting for the right moment to announce it, which would surely deter the hostile forces.
Qing Muling inquired, "Do the surrounding Armillary Sphere Star Palace, Bright Moon Sword Sect, Azure Fall Divine Sect, and the like have an Emperor-level existence in charge? If so, are they also gravely injured and in slumber like our Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace's Xinyu Emperor?"
Luo Huan thought carefully before replying, "Armillary Sphere Star Palace definitely has one, probably in slumber, but I'm not sure about the others. It's likely they don't, otherwise our situation in the past would have been much more difficult."
Qing Muling breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned, "It's good if they don't, but… if Armillary Sphere Star Palace's upper echelons have started a similar plan, wouldn't we…"
Armillary Sphere Star Palace had deeper resources than Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. If they also had an Emperor-level existence ready to act, the future covert and overt struggles between the two sects would be endless.
Luo Huan shook her head, "Even so, I don't think they can easily come up with the same amount of heavenly merit. They would have to borrow from the Dao Court, so they're not necessarily more advantaged than us."
The Dao Court, for the sake of overall stability, might not refuse Armillary Sphere Star Palace's borrowing request, but with the imminent crisis of the Magic Clan's descendants, Armillary Sphere Star Palace had no intention of troubling Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. Plus, there was a ceasefire in effect, so Qing Muling need not worry about this matter and should focus on improving his cultivation.
Qing Muling thought it made sense and asked, "How does the Dao Court have such a vast reserve of heavenly merit? It seems somewhat unreasonable."
Luo Huan explained, "That's because the Dao Court possesses a special innate treasure: the Holy Origin Universe State Diagram. Rumor has it that it can continuously generate heavenly merit. I'm not very clear on the specifics. Perhaps when you reach the Supreme Sect Master realm in the future, you can investigate it yourself!"
Qing Muling was inwardly shocked. If the rumors were true, that would be an incredibly powerful innate merit treasure, no less significant than the Harmony Spirit Root. No wonder the Dao Court's influence had grown over the past tens of thousands of years, not only firmly holding the position of the number one Dao Lineage power and immortal holy land but also showing a trend of unifying the entire Great Void.
Unfortunately, such a treasure was the lifeblood of the Dao Court's high echelons, absolutely not to be shared. Others couldn't even dream of benefiting from it, let alone get a glimpse, so other solutions were necessary.
After pondering for a moment, Qing Muling said, "My accumulation is almost sufficient. Perhaps in one or two months, I can attempt to break through to the True One realm. However, Senior Sister, your cultivation progress isn't as swift as before. We need to find a solution."
Luo Huan blushed slightly, placing her delicate and perfectly shaped foot on her Junior Brother's waist, gently saying, "What are your thoughts? Other than more diligent dual cultivation, there doesn't seem to be a better way, right?"
"No, hunting the descendants of the Magic Clan would be faster, and there are heavenly merits to be gained."
Qing Muling analyzed. While he benefited from using his innate divine powers to purify the dead zones, Luo Huan could only protect him, with limited opportunities to act and thus limited gains.
But hunting the descendants of the Magic Clan would allow Senior Sister Luo Huan to fully utilize her Elemental Immortal strength, yielding abundant rewards, and Qing Muling could benefit as well.
"Alright, let's do as you say!"
Luo Huan agreed.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan