"Is… is it over just like that?"
As the tribulation clouds in the sky dissipated and auspicious light enveloped their bodies, the female cultivators, now brimming with immortal energy, still found it hard to believe that they had so easily crossed the terrifying heavenly tribulation they once feared so much, all thanks to Qing Muling's assistance.
Yet, the surging power within their bodies was undeniable, especially as the successful crossing of the tribulation allowed for the condensation of new immortal laws, and their bodies underwent a transformation from the inside out. Many of the female cultivators reverted from their mature and elegant appearances back to the lively and radiant youthfulness of young girls.
This was not surprising. Due to the laws of The Great Void, the lifespan of human cultivators in the Destiny Realm was capped at ten thousand years. When their time was up, they would either perish or be reincarnated, and no miraculous pill could change that.
Only those beings with the bloodline of Ancient Divine Beasts could slightly break this iron law of heaven, but even they could not exceed it by much. To achieve a longer lifespan, one must rely on advancing their cultivation realm.
For cultivators who successfully crossed the Feather Transformation Realm tribulation, their lifespan would instantly increase to 129,600 years, which is one Yuanhui, more than ten times that of the previous realm.
Therefore, Feather Transformation Realm cultivators could serve their sects for a longer time and create more value, usually holding a status within the sect that Destiny Realm cultivators could not compare with. This was true for all Supreme Dao Lineages and clan powers.
***
"Junior Brother, we truly owe you a great debt of gratitude for this," the twenty female cultivators stepped forward and bowed deeply to Qing Muling in the center.
For Qing Muling, it was a simple gesture, but for them, it was akin to a metamorphosis, a rebirth from the ashes, a gift beyond any tangible resources.
"There's no need for such formalities, sisters. Go back and stabilize your cultivation as soon as possible," Qing Muling said warmly. In truth, to secure this opportunity, they had all paid a hefty price beforehand, with some nearly emptying their entire life's savings.
However, as long as the tribulation was successful, such worldly possessions were trivial. With stronger cultivation and over a hundred thousand years of lifespan, earning resources would not be difficult.
The female cultivators bowed once more and then retreated. Under the arrangements of Yueyi Heavenly Lord, the next group of forty female cultivators came forward, sitting in a circle within the tribulation formation, beginning to release their aura and attract the heavenly tribulation.
Qing Muling inwardly inspected himself and found that the depletion of his fortune was less than one-thousandth, a negligible expense that could be recovered with just a few days of closed-door cultivation.
Soon, the skies above transformed once again as the dispersed tribulation clouds gathered anew, and amidst the flashes of lightning, the temperature in the space plummeted.
Having already witnessed a successful example, all the female cultivators, both inside and outside the formation, were full of confidence and prepared methodically.
"I think… after this, Junior Brother's status in the sect will soar, perhaps even surpassing the Sect Master!" Yu Lingzhou communicated with Yueyi Heavenly Lord through divine thoughts.
Yueyi Heavenly Lord glanced at her, "Isn't Junior Brother's status high enough already? Who in the sect doesn't treasure him? If he wishes, the position of Supreme Sect Master will be his sooner or later."
"That's not what I mean. I'm saying that these disciples, who have received his great favor, will likely only listen to him from now on, no matter what he wants to do. If one day, his will conflicts with the Sect Master's orders, these disciples will stand by him against the Sect Master!" Yu Lingzhou said.
Having two supreme leaders in one power was never a good thing. A slight misstep could lead to internal strife and division, and a victor must emerge to settle the conflict.
Yueyi Heavenly Lord pondered for a moment but remained unconcerned, "Even so, it's not a big deal. Can't you and I see through the Sect Master's thoughts? If Qing Muling is willing, not just the position, but even she herself would likely grant his wish."
"Alright, that makes sense."
Yu Lingzhou fell silent. As long as the sect didn't engage in internal strife, there was nothing to worry about. Qing Muling was the only man in the sect, and any conflict he had with a woman wouldn't be a big deal. After all, there were too many appropriate solutions to conflicts between men and women.
***
A day and a night passed quietly.
Two hundred female cultivators at the peak of the Destiny Realm successfully crossed the tribulation in batches, adding two hundred more Feather Transformation Realm elders to the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. Coupled with the fifty-three Elemental Immortals who were about to succeed, the overall strength of the sect was significantly enhanced.
Yu Lingzhou then instructed everyone to rest for seven days, giving Qing Muling enough time to recover before continuing to assist the disciples at the peak of the Ascending to Immortality realm in crossing their tribulations.
This time, for safety reasons, no more than five disciples were allowed to cross the tribulation at a time, starting with Cheng Yulan, Qi Yalan, and Luo Wanqing, along with two other elders.
As the tribulation neared its end, Qing Muling found that his fortune had depleted by one percent, so he put his mind at ease. As long as the one-time depletion did not exceed five percent, it was not a concern and recovery would be easy.
He informed Yu Lingzhou of the result, and the Lolita Elder, with her domineering stature and pure, youthful face, adjusted the plan accordingly. Each day, only five disciples would cross the tribulation, leaving the rest of the time for Qing Muling to rest.
***
In less than a month, all the disciples had successfully crossed the tribulation and became genuine Elemental Immortals.
"By the way, Junior Brother, can you now help resist the True Immortal tribulation?" Yueyi Heavenly Lord asked.
Qing Muling thought for a moment and cautiously replied, "It shouldn't be a problem, but we should limit the number to one person at a time for now."
"That's fine. When we return, I'll discuss it with the Sect Master. There are quite a few disciples and elders in the sect stuck at the peak of the Elemental Immortal realm. As long as you can help them cross the tribulation successfully, they won't refuse any of your requests afterward," Yueyi Heavenly Lord said with a smile.
Qing Muling shook his head as if he hadn't heard her latter remark.
Since Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace needed people to stay behind, Yu Lingzhou and the others didn't linger long. After a private conversation with Qing Muling, they hurried back.
Only Qi Yalan was allowed to stay, as she was now Qing Muling's legitimate Dao Companion, and could accompany Luo Huan, the sister elder, in dual cultivation with the Junior Brother day and night.
"I plan to enter closed-door cultivation for a few more days. Once I've recovered to my peak state, I can then…" Qing Muling said to Qi Yalan. This was not an excuse; he genuinely needed time to recover his fortune and assimilate the gains of these past days. The Harmony Spirit Seed had absorbed too much of the tribulation's power, and without proper handling, who knew what adverse effects might arise?
"Alright, Junior Brother, take your time to rest. There's no rush," Qi Yalan said, suddenly becoming a bit shy, and thus more agreeable. Besides, she was now a genuine Elemental Immortal and needed time to familiarize herself with her newfound divine abilities.
Luo Huan, the sister elder, smiled slightly, "You can cultivate in seclusion to recover, but we'll do it together. Without your enlightening light of Dao, our cultivation efficiency is just too low."
Qing Muling nodded, as long as they didn't disturb him.
The three entered the secret chamber together, sealed the door, and activated multiple shielding formations.
***
Luo Huan, with an air of composure, shed her splendid robes, revealing her snow-white, exquisite body. As she was already Junior Brother's Dao Companion, her undergarments were bold and provocative, consisting of a few black straps and ribbons that left little to the imagination, stirring Qing Muling's blood.
Qi Yalan gave her a glance and also removed her more conservative black robe, soon revealing her own enchanting and voluptuous body, clad only in a transparent bright red bellyband and matching underwear, along with thigh-high stockings. She then sauntered over and sat gracefully before Qing Muling.
The three sat on the ancient cold jade cloud bed, and as Qing Muling's consciousness sank into the depths of his sea of consciousness, the mysterious and lively light of Dao enlightenment slowly emerged, stabilizing three zhang away from his body.
The two sisters didn't dare to be negligent and immediately focused their minds, entering a state of deep enlightenment.
Within the sea of consciousness, the Harmony Spirit Seed and the six derived Blue Lotus leaves were covered in a thick layer of purple-black lightning, dazzling and suffocating with an unspoken destructive pressure.
As time passed, the purple-black lightning slowly dissipated, absorbed bit by bit by the Harmony Spirit Seed. Compared to the last time, the power of the tribulation absorbed by the Harmony Spirit Seed was much stronger.
With each strand of tribulation power that vanished, the Harmony Spirit Seed released a surge of primordial Qi, which contained a robust and vibrant force that slowly merged with Qing Muling's Divine Soul.
In other words, the benefits of the tribulation power were divided between Qing Muling and the Harmony Spirit Seed. Although he received less, it was still an extremely rare and valuable gain.
Under the continuous influx of tribulation power, the Harmony Spirit Seed continued to change, expanding in size, its surface color becoming more vivid and lively. At the base of the seed, more and denser root-like filaments of primordial light differentiated and thickened.
These roots extended into the depths of different dimensions, bringing back more spiritual essence and traces of mysterious Dao Rhyme, merging with Qing Muling's Divine Soul and body.
"If the Harmony Spirit Seed fully matures in the future, wouldn't I be able to use its roots to freely enter and exit different dimensional spaces, including the high-dimensional spaces of the upper realms mentioned in legends?" Qing Muling pondered, but this goal seemed distant. Given the Harmony Spirit Seed's level, it would take billions of years to mature it fully.
Setting aside this thought, Qing Muling focused his divine thoughts on the phantom of the six Blue Lotus leaves, and soon, secret messages flowed into the depths of his Divine Soul.
"So that's how it is…"
A realization dawned on Qing Muling. His various innate divine abilities actually originated from these derived Blue Lotus leaves, and as his cultivation realm advanced, the power of these divine abilities would also increase significantly.
For example, the space within his body that could hold spatial artifacts and carry vast resources in and out of the Misty Illusion Secret Realm had now grown to a hundred li in radius.
Qing Muling had a premonition that when he reached the Quasi Holy Emperor Realm, this inner space might grow into a complete world, much like the mustard seed worlds and palm-sized Buddha lands of legendary great beings.
As for the divine abilities contained within the sixth Blue Lotus leaf phantom after advancing to the True One Realm, there were three options for him to compare and choose from.
The first divine ability offered unparalleled defense, akin to possessing the bloodline of the legendary Ancient Basalt Divine Beast, with incredibly tough skin and overwhelming vitality. Should Qing Muling choose it, his body would undergo a comprehensive enhancement, significantly boosting his resilience and survival capabilities.
The second divine ability focused on offense, akin to possessing the bloodline of the legendary Ancient White Tiger Divine Beast, granting him sharp and invincible offensive powers.
This option was particularly tempting for Qing Muling, as he currently lacked powerful offensive techniques. Despite his various innate abilities leaning towards support, and even with the compensation of magical treasures, he couldn't fully address the issue.
However, after some thought, he decided to wait and see, not rushing to make a choice.
The third innate divine ability seemed somewhat lackluster at first glance due to its exaggerated cost of using up hundreds of years of lifespan in one go. It could temporarily boost his cultivation by three major realms for half an hour. With powerful magical treasures and the right tactics, defeating stronger enemies was not out of the question.
"Such a method actually exists…"
Qing Muling muttered to himself. In The Great Void, there was no shortage of pills or divine abilities that temporarily boosted one's cultivation realm. Those that could increase it by one major realm were common, but the cost was always steep. If there was no cost, the price would be exorbitant, like the Pure Elemental Reincarnation Pill that Qing Muling had used.
Pills that could increase cultivation by two major realms were rare, and they inevitably came at the cost of a significant lifespan. Those that didn't require a cost were extremely scarce, with each pill's production cost being astronomical.
As for resources that could increase three major realms, they were virtually non-existent. Even if they did exist, no one would dare to use them, as they would surely burn through all vitality and the essence of the Divine Soul, with no chance of recovery. Except for the expendable demonic path cannon fodder, normal cultivators wouldn't consider such an option.
"Let it be this one then?"
After weighing his options, Qing Muling made up his mind.
The cost of a hundred years of lifespan was indeed steep, but compared to its terrifying power, it was still worth it.
A sense of impending danger made Qing Muling realize that he might soon face an invincible enemy, and his protector wouldn't always be there to save him. In critical moments, he needed his own means of survival.
It was just like the old saying from his previous world: it's better to have your own than to rely on parents.
With his True One Realm cultivation, suddenly bursting with the power of the Feather Transformation Ascending to Immortality Realm, he believed no peer of his generation could match him.
Moreover, Qing Muling felt that his body, transformed from the Harmony Spirit Seed, might be able to break the ten-thousand-year lifespan limit. So, using this life-saving innate divine ability a few times wouldn't have much impact, as long as he could break through to a new realm in time, the lost lifespan could still be recovered.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan