In the Mirrored Immortal Realm, at a pivotal location of the Dao Court.
Deep within a brilliantly golden-lit cave dwelling, Lan Yifei, adorned in her finest attire, emerged accompanied by an unremarkable-looking young Daoist. In her hands, she held a golden seal exuding a profound authority, her expression tinged with regret.
"…Please forgive me, my lady. The Emperor has his own unavoidable difficulties,"
The young Daoist spoke gently, "These merits are already all that the Emperor can allocate for use in the next five hundred years. Moreover, many have come before you to plead, only to leave empty-handed."
"Evolution's Beginning"
Lan Yifei nodded slightly, her delicate face breaking into a spring-like smile, "The Emperor's consideration is deeply appreciated by myself and the Armillary Sphere Star Palace. There's no need for you to see me out any further, my friend."
The young Daoist chuckled, bowed respectfully, and watched as Lan Yifei turned to leave.
Her magnificent carriage was stationed a thousand zhang away from the cave dwelling, surrounded by hundreds of maids and guards waiting in attendance. Seeing their mistress approach, they bowed in unison.
Lan Yifei boarded the carriage and indifferently ordered the return journey.
The carriage's interior was vast, with layers of beaded curtains and screens dividing dozens of rooms, complete with its own gardens and spirit spring lakes. Thanks to spatial formation arrays, arranging all this was hardly a bother.
"…Miss, how did it go?"
Lan Yifei, holding the seal, entered the inner chamber where four astute women quietly appeared, bowing and inquiring. They were her trusted aides brought from her maternal home.
"He only agreed to give half, which might not be enough."
Lan Yifei sighed softly. The seal contained five billion units of heavenly merits, which was enough to awaken the Emperor in the Hidden Cave Mystical Realm, but not enough to restore him to his peak. Another solution was needed.
One of the women suggested, "Why not ask the hall master again? Surely, he wouldn't let you return disappointed."
Lan Yifei shook her head, "With those annoying old fellows watching, even if my father is willing to help, he can't be too obvious… Well, we'll make do with whatever we can borrow."
The Shadow Assassination Hall's leadership wasn't hereditary but rotated among twelve family factions. While the Lan family was the largest, they didn't have absolute dominance over the others, so many things couldn't be done at will.
***
A month later, Yu Lingzhou and Yueyi Heavenly Lord brought another group of female cultivators facing their tribulations, including six elders ready to challenge the True Immortal Realm, totaling over two thousand.
Qing Muling had no objections. By day, he helped them one by one with their tribulations, and by night, he took turns with his Senior Sisters to restore his vitality and damaged fortune, in a continuous cycle.
By the time all the female cultivators had successfully crossed their tribulations and were ready to return to the sect, two months had passed.
"Junior Brother, with your efforts alone, you've increased the overall fortune of our sect by another thirty percent."
Before leaving, Yu Lingzhou said to Qing Muling with a smile.
Even the Dao Court couldn't create so many Elemental Immortals and Feather Transformation Realm cultivators in such a short time, no matter how many resources were invested.
In fact, in any Dao Lineage's power that has been passed down for over a million years, there are usually many disciples stuck at a certain stage, afraid to face their tribulations. Without special encounters, they can only choose to forcibly cross their tribulations when their lifespan is nearly exhausted, and ninety-nine percent of them fail and perish, shattered by the terrifying might of the heavenly tribulations.
Therefore, to the higher-ups of the major Dao Lineage's powers, these disciples are considered "inevitable losses." The path of Dao is long and fraught with danger, destined to have fewer people reach higher realms, with the majority falling by the wayside.
Only an existence like Qing Muling, who defies all norms, could completely overturn this common knowledge, protecting all these nearly doomed female cultivators and safely guiding them through their tribulations, thereby significantly enhancing the overall strength of the sect.
Qing Muling inquired, "When will the next group of disciples arrive? There's still time. Before I set off for the Dao Court, we should be able to create another batch of Elemental Immortals."
"No need,"
Yu Lingzhou shook her head, "That's enough for now. The Sect Master has instructed you to focus on your closed-door cultivation. Once you advance to the Heart Demon realm, then consider helping your sisters with their tribulations."
Not overworking Qing Muling was a consensus among the sect's higher-ups, so under Mu Yinghua's insistence, the tribulation assistance was temporarily concluded.
"Alright."
Qing Muling agreed, somewhat regretfully. To others, he seemed to be sacrificing for the sect, but only he knew the benefits of the heavenly tribulation's power to the Harmony Spirit Seed.
Although no new Blue Lotus leaves had formed, the original spirit seed and the six phantom Blue Lotus leaves had undergone surprising changes. They became more substantial, with thicker and more numerous roots, drawing in richer essences of spiritual energy and Dao Rhyme from the depths of different dimensions.
To Qi Yalan and Luo Huan, it seemed Qing Muling's combat abilities were improving at a visible rate. Even if they exhausted their Junior Brother to the brink, he would quickly recover, full of vigor once again.
Amazed, the two Senior Sisters simultaneously increased the intensity of their dual cultivation. Since their Junior Brother could keep up with their pace, there was no reason to waste the opportunity, which could benefit both parties' rapid advancement in cultivation.
"It's a pity there's no time acceleration formation array here,"
In the boudoir, the flushed Qi Yalan stretched her beautiful body and embraced Qing Muling, "Otherwise, you could quickly challenge the Heart Demon realm, and we could understand the True Immortal laws sooner. Ah, if only you could return to the Main Altar of the Sect now!"
Setting up and operating a time acceleration formation array required vast amounts of spiritual stones and crystals, so typically, Dao Court branches wouldn't have them. Only in the Hidden Cave Mystical Realm of the Main Altar of the Sect were the conditions met.
Qing Muling nonchalantly replied, "There's no rush. We can still improve our cultivation outside. It's better to return to the sect when the attention has died down."
The mysterious master of the Origin Star Palace had awakened and was now hidden somewhere deep in the starry sky. If she noticed Qing Muling's existence, it was hard to predict what would happen next.
Perhaps, according to her plans, the Harmony Spirit Seed should not have developed its own consciousness, let alone taken form. If Qing Muling fell into her hands again, she would likely erase his self-awareness, use divine abilities to revert him to his original state, and refine him back into a seed.
***
Time quietly passed, and in the blink of an eye, another two months went by, with the day to set off for the Mirrored Immortal Realm drawing near.
After repeated pleas, Senior Sister Xuebing Xuan finally obtained Mu Yinghua's permission to join Qing Muling with Cheng Yulan, Luo Wanqing, and numerous protectors, and head to the Dao Court together.
Now, the five Senior Sisters were all exceptional geniuses, with Qing Muling being a special existence that stood above all new-era elites. Therefore, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace's higher-ups placed great importance on this trip to the Dao Court, sending over a hundred protectors. Mu Yinghua even personally split a part of her spiritual consciousness, hiding it within Xuebing Xuan, ready to intervene in case of unforeseen crises.
"Senior Sisters, long time no see!"
Facing his Senior Sisters' resentful gazes, Qing Muling greeted them obliviously, feeling confident enough to face them all.
"Yes, it's been a long time. You seem to be living quite comfortably, you heartless fellow?"
Luo Wanqing said with a half-smile, "How about… you join your Senior Sister in a fight now? Any position you want, just no cutting corners."
Qing Muling tensed up, deflecting, "There's no rush for a fight. Let's focus on cultivation. It's been a long time since you've been aided by the Light of Dao Enlightenment. We have several days before reaching the Dao Court, so we can make good use of that time."
Xuebing Xuan chuckled, sparing him further embarrassment, and said softly, "That sounds wonderful. Then let's see your performance tonight, Junior Brother!"
***
Beyond the stars.
The mysterious ruins of the Origin Star Palace lay within a magnificent and profound nebula, surrounded by strange and terrifying natural prohibitions that had devoured countless souls and lives of cultivators over the years. It was recognized as a place of great peril in the Great Void.
However, since the grand and spectacular palace unexpectedly reappeared a few years ago, the news spread rapidly, attracting countless Dao Lineage's powers to explore. Some high-ranking officials even came out in full force, hoping to find a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity deep within the Star Palace to soar to the pinnacle of the Immortal Path.
What happened next was beyond all the great powers' expectations. For the invaluable Harmony Spirit Seed, countless mighty beings were severely injured or even perished on the spot. In the end, everyone left empty-handed, watching helplessly as the treasure flew away into the unknown.
Out of frustration, every corner of the Origin Star Palace was turned upside down by numerous cultivators, leaving nothing of value behind.
***
Now, in the core area of the Star Palace, a large group of uninvited guests arrived quietly.
In the spacious hall, the Thousand-Petal Merit Blue Lotus Pond had long been dried up, the spiritual liquid formed from the ancient sage's blood and countless treasures completely drained, and even the pool tiles carved from Harmony Jade were dug out, leaving only a dark pit.
All the furnishings in the Star Palace, such as the majestic floating sculptures, exquisite pillars and screens, bell towers, jade cauldrons, shadow walls, and divine beast sculptures, were gone if they could be moved.
By the pit, hundreds of towering figures wrapped in heavy black robes stood silently, observing the desolate scene.
"…The Harmony Spirit Seed was just taken away like that?"
After a long silence, a cold and authoritative voice spoke.
Another voice sighed, "The saint's painstaking efforts, the planning of countless years, all ruined by a bunch of ants… an unforgivable sin!"
With their cultivation, they could perceive every detail of the Star Palace with their divine senses. Seeing the sacred ground where the saint once preached turned into its current state, their rage was indescribable.
"Exactly who were the audacious culprits?"
"Who did it? There's no need to ask. Just look at the chaotic and mixed auras left at the scene, along with the tangled lines of fate. It seems that more than seventy percent of the Dao Lineage's powers in the Great Void had a hand in it!"
"So… should we conduct a thorough purge?"
"I'm afraid that's not possible. The task is too heavy! It exceeds our current limits. Although the cultivation world of the Great Void has declined, there are still a few tough opponents. If they join forces to fight back desperately, it would be quite unfavorable for us."
The scene fell silent again. Although these mysterious people didn't take those Dao Lineage's powers seriously, to say they could purge most of the sects in the Great Void, along with a vast number of independent cultivators, was an impossible task even for a Quasi Holy Emperor.
"This matter is difficult, but it cannot be left undone!"
A chilling voice spoke, "Let's pick a few so-called Supreme Dao Lineages and annihilate them one by one. Then issue a public decree, ordering those powers to return everything they took from the Star Palace, down to every brick and blade of grass!"
"This plan is feasible, but we can wait a bit. Right now, the Magic Clan progeny have reemerged, and we need to wait for this calamity to pass before taking action. Besides… the priority is to track down the Harmony Spirit Seed, as emphasized repeatedly by the Heavenly Punishment God under the saint's command."
"The God's command must be obeyed, but the Harmony Spirit Seed has already developed consciousness and likely taken form. Any divination or prediction methods are ineffective against her. With the vastness of the starry sea, where do we even begin to search with our limited power?"
"…"
The scene fell silent once more.
With the vastness of the Great Void, searching aimlessly for a primordial being was like finding a needle in a haystack, an unsolvable problem.
Perhaps only when the saint fully awakens and uses her bloodline secret techniques to trace the origin can they learn some clues. Other than that, there's no solution.
"But right now, the saint hasn't emerged from seclusion. Are we just going to wait? How about this: we find a few Dao Lineage's powers, take control of their higher-ups, and then order them to mobilize their forces to investigate. Maybe we'll find something?"
"Hmm, that could work. But which Dao Lineages should we choose?"
"How about the Calamity Fate Palace? Nine Spirit Proto Gate, Demon Path Ancestral Court, these can be considered. After all, their auras are the strongest here, indicating they caused significant trouble in the Star Palace. It's only right to give them their due retribution early."
"What if they refuse to comply?"
"Then we'll just wipe them out. Our current power may not be sufficient, but it's enough to deal with these few powers."
"That sounds good. I agree."
"I also agree."
"Agreed."
The many shadows quietly disappeared, and the Origin Star Palace fell into silence once again.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan