The second segment of the Grand Immortal Gathering was also something Qing Muling didn't need to participate in.
Of course, Senior Sister Xuebing Xuan was highly skilled in the Dao of Alchemy. Back in the sect, she often refined pills, and her creations were quite famous among the new disciples. This was a good opportunity for her to showcase her skills and likely secure a good ranking.
Second Senior Sister Cheng Yulan came from a family renowned for their expertise in formations. She had been exposed to it since childhood and had become a master in the Dao of Formations. Senior Sister Luo Huan, on the other hand, excelled in the Dao of Talismans, so both could participate.
As for Third Senior Sister, who was a sword cultivator, and Fourth Senior Sister, who focused on body cultivation, they couldn't join in. However, they weren't disappointed. With their senior sisters competing, they could stay at the residence and enjoy some dual cultivation with their Junior Brother, feeling quite at ease.
"…This Taiyi Tianyuan Pill is quite good. Junior Brother, can you use it now?" Luo Wanqing asked hesitantly.
Xuebing Xuan shook her head. "Impossible. This kind of heavenly-grade elixir requires at least the cultivation of an Elemental Immortal to refine. Junior Brother can't handle it yet."
Qing Muling smiled. "It's fine. You can use it yourselves. Whether I have it or not, my cultivation will still increase rapidly."
In terms of the grade of spiritual pills, nothing could compare to the grown Harmony Spirit Seed. Even the legendary immortal-grade pills couldn't match it, so Qing Muling didn't care much.
Yu Lingzhou asked, "What do you plan to do with this heavenly merit, Junior Brother? Keep it for yourself?"
Five billion heavenly merits were enough to propel other monstrous genius seeds from the True One Realm to the True Immortal Realm. Qing Muling's situation was unique, but it was enough for him to break through from the True One Realm to the Heart Demon Realm, Destiny Realm, and reach the peak of the Feather Transformation Realm.
Of course, cultivation achieved solely through external resources without any tempering would be unstable and leave hidden dangers, which would be detrimental to future growth.
Qing Muling pondered for a moment. "Should I repay part of the debt first?"
Back then, the Qinghuan Emperor had lent ten billion heavenly merits to Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, mostly because of Qing Muling. She specified that the debt could only be repaid by him. Although the repayment period was relatively lenient, the interest was still exorbitant.
Repaying half of the debt now would alleviate much of the future pressure.
Yueyi Heavenly Lord said, "I think it's better for you to keep it. Once your cultivation improves, earning heavenly merits won't be as difficult. Besides, the entire sect will stand with you."
The Qinghuan Emperor required Qing Muling to repay the debt himself, but Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace wouldn't just leave it to him. The entire sect would work together to earn heavenly merits and share the burden.
Qing Muling was slightly moved and thought for a moment before saying, "Alright, I'll go into closed-door cultivation to break through to the Heart Demon Realm first, then inform Master and see what she thinks."
"Excellent. Let's go into closed-door cultivation together," Xuebing Xuan said calmly. The other four senior sisters also understood, and as they saw Qing Muling heading towards the cultivation room, they followed him.
The Light of Dao Enlightenment on Junior Brother was something they couldn't miss.
Once the isolation formation was activated, Qing Muling suddenly asked, "Senior Sister, how far is Master from the Quasi Holy Emperor realm?"
Xuebing Xuan was slightly stunned. "I'm not sure, probably two or three major realms away? Maybe the Supreme Elders would know."
"Got it."
Qing Muling said no more. He had initially thought about letting Mu Yinghua advance to Emperor first, thinking five billion heavenly merits would be enough. But now it seemed he had oversimplified things; that amount was far from sufficient.
If it were that easy, there would be far more Quasi Holy Emperors in the Great Void.
***
Dragon Ritual Princess had just returned to her palace when she was summoned by a female official sent by the Qinghuan Emperor. Filled with curiosity, she went to see her mother.
The Qinghuan Emperor was reading a Dao scripture in her cave dwelling. When she saw her daughter, she gently put down the jade scroll and asked, "Did he decide to keep the five billion heavenly merits for himself?"
"Probably… yes?" Dragon Ritual Princess said uncertainly. Qing Muling hadn't mentioned repaying the debt after receiving the merits, choosing instead to keep them for himself, indicating he planned to use them.
Given Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace's attitude towards him, unless he was willing, no one could take what belonged to him.
"What do you think his cultivation will be after this closed-door session? Ascending to Immortality? Elemental Immortal?"
"Probably the Heart Demon Realm?" Dragon Ritual Princess pondered. "If he's smart, he won't overly rely on this to improve his cultivation; otherwise, the troubles he'll face in the future will be immense."
The Qinghuan Emperor smiled. "If he does, it means we misjudged him, and there's no need to pay attention to him anymore!"
"Is that so?" Dragon Ritual Princess mused.
Aunt Su appeared, silently presenting a jade slip that recorded the delicacies and spiritual wine Qing Muling consumed at the banquet, densely packed.
"Heh, no wonder… even before I attained the Dao, my appetite wasn't as big as his!" The Qinghuan Emperor examined the jade slip, her voice revealing no emotion.
She looked at her daughter and said, "If he really doesn't want to leave Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace in the future, what will you do?"
"Then… give up?" Dragon Ritual Princess hesitated. Although she had a good impression of Qing Muling and considered him a potential Dao Companion, she couldn't accept sharing him with others once she knew he already had a Dao Companion.
As a noble daughter of an Emperor, her status was extremely high, and she would hold a significant position in the Dao Court in the future. How could she share a man with other women? Her pride and dignity wouldn't allow it.
The Qinghuan Emperor said meaningfully, "Besides giving up, don't you have other options? Like taking him by force? The good things in the Great Void are limited. If you don't fight for them, why would you think they belong to you? Others won't give them to you willingly."
"But, but…" Dragon Ritual Princess was conflicted. She wasn't crafty enough to do such a thing, so she couldn't make up her mind.
"Forget it, think it over yourself!"
The Qinghuan Emperor waved her hand, signaling her daughter to leave.
After she disappeared, the Qinghuan Emperor looked at Aunt Su, deep in thought.
This Golden Immortal, Su Yuanzhen, had been a trusted confidant of the Emperor for many years and had raised Dragon Ritual Princess.
"This girl is still a bit indecisive. I'm worried," the Qinghuan Emperor sighed.
Su Yuanzhen smiled. "You can't blame the princess. She's used to getting everything she wants since childhood. Now, asking her to lower herself and compete with other women for a man is a hard adjustment."
"Maybe," the Qinghuan Emperor's tone softened. "But I have some guesses about Qing Muling's true identity. If it's true, it would be shocking, even making me uneasy."
Su Yuanzhen was startled. "You mean Qing Muling came from… that place? How is that possible? There's no precedent in the Great Void."
She vaguely understood the Emperor's meaning. The legend of a primordial holy being transforming was only possible in the ancient times when the world was first formed. It couldn't happen in the current Great Void.
But if it were true, Qing Muling's value would skyrocket, and the Dao Court would do anything to keep him. Dragon Ritual Princess marrying him would be a given, and even giving him an Emperor position would be justified.
"It's just a guess. I have no certainty," the Qinghuan Emperor said. "There’s a high chance of being wrong. Even if it's true, we still have to face…"
A soft, clear light enveloped them, isolating them from the outside world.
"We still have to face the original owner of the Origin Star Palace. Last time, Xuan Yin Emperor, Wei De Emperor, and I deduced that she is likely still alive, though her true form is in a mysterious temporal secret realm. She may send avatars to the Great Void to find the missing Harmony Spirit Seed."
"And she probably has many subordinates, comparable to the Supreme Dao Lineages. If the Dao Court faces such an enemy, it could be troublesome."
Su Yuanzhen frowned. "Is she a Saint Supreme? If not, we don't need to fear her. Even if she cultivated the Harmony Spirit Seed, we can still take it!"
The Qinghuan Emperor shook her head. "Quasi Holy beings vary in power. If her true form fully awakens, even the three of us combined might not suppress her. That's why it's troublesome."
Su Yuanzhen's face paled. "Then Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace will be in danger?"
The Qinghuan Emperor sighed. "If Qing Muling is her target, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace will have to fend for itself. This calamity is unavoidable."
Though she didn't know the original owner's temperament, seeing her domain ruined would anger anyone, let alone a near Saint Supreme being.
When the truth comes out, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace might face her wrath, possibly leading to their annihilation.
Su Yuanzhen asked, "Should we ignore Qing Muling then? If he really came from that place, we should try to keep him, even for a short time, to gain benefits."
"That's your task!" The Qinghuan Emperor looked at the beautiful woman. "When Dragon Ritual Princess marries, you'll serve her. Verifying Qing Muling's identity is best left to you."
Su Yuanzhen blushed. "What if he refuses?"
The Qinghuan Emperor snorted. "Then make it happen! Your Golden Immortal power isn't for show. This should be easy for you."
"Alright," Su Yuanzhen reluctantly agreed.
***
In the cultivation room.
Qing Muling was in deep enlightenment, surrounded by the Light of Dao Enlightenment. Xuebing Xuan and the other four senior sisters sat around him, also meditating.
Though they couldn't immediately break through to the True Immortal realm, reaching the peak of the Elemental Immortal realm was possible. After the Grand Immortal Gathering, they could smoothly break through upon returning to the sect.
A majestic golden seal floated above Qing Muling, pouring golden light of merit and spiritual energy into him.
As his body glowed with five-colored light, his cultivation rapidly increased from the sixth level of the True One Realm to the ninth level, with his blood and energy surging.
In his sea of consciousness, the Harmony Spirit Seed absorbed the heavenly merits, its mysterious patterns glowing brighter, forming clouds and auspicious energy, merging with Qing Muling's Divine Soul and enhancing his foundation.
However, as his cultivation increased, his dantian began to change. Violent energy surged, and dark, cold flames appeared, burning his organs and body.
The Heart Demon Tribulation had arrived.
This was the first major tribulation on the path of cultivation. Unlike previous realms, breaking through from the True One Realm to the Heart Demon Realm required overcoming this tribulation. Success meant a bright future; failure meant death.
In an instant, boundless tribulation fire engulfed Qing Muling, with countless shadowy figures appearing, emitting a chilling aura. The cold jade bed beneath him melted, and the formation in the room struggled to withstand the pressure.
"What a terrifying tribulation. How did it become like this?"
The senior sisters woke up, shocked to see Qing Muling engulfed in flames.
Such a fierce Heart Demon Tribulation was unprecedented. Their own tribulations had never been this intense.
The higher the grade of the cultivation technique and the more profound the magical power, the more severe the Heart Demon Tribulation. Qing Muling's tribulation was so intense it threatened to destroy the entire room.
"It's not surprising. With Junior Brother's foundation, this tribulation is appropriate," Xuebing Xuan said calmly, activating the formation to protect the room and notifying the elders outside. In this situation, no one could help; Qing Muling had to face it alone.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan