Within the secret hall sealed by layers of formations.

On the spacious white jade cloud bed, Supreme Sect Master Mu Yinghua sat at the center, with Yu Lingzhou, Ice Falcon Heavenly Lord, and other Supreme Elders seated on both sides. Below them were Qing Muling and the ladies, including Xuebing Xuan.

Qing Muling detailed his experiences within the Hidden Cave Mystical Realm, with his senior sisters occasionally interjecting to add information, especially regarding the Shadow Assassination Hall and the actions of several hostile Dao Lineages. He also shared the various opportunities he had acquired in the mystical realm.

Without a doubt, he had reaped the most benefits in the mystical realm, even more than his senior sisters. It could be said that the benefits any sect’s cultivators could obtain, when combined, might not compare to theirs.

“This must be the effect of supreme fortune suppression,”

Mu Yinghua’s voice carried a hint of emotion, “The leaders of those forces are all considered exceptional talents of their regions, yet they repeatedly made mistakes in the mystical realm, causing heavy losses to their disciples. They never performed to their expected standards, and must be feeling extremely frustrated!”

Yu Lingzhou chuckled, “With Muling here, those forces are no longer a concern for Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. They will have even worse luck in the future!”

As Qing Muling’s cultivation grew higher, the strength and fortune of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace also soared. Forces like Armillary Sphere Star Palace, Bright Moon Sword Sect, and Azure Fall Divine Sect could only continue to be suppressed and weakened. There was no chance for them to turn the tables.

Once Qing Muling achieves the fruit of Quasi Holy Emperor, it wouldn’t be impossible to completely annihilate those forces.

Yueyi Heavenly Lord pondered, “Regarding the Dao Court, should the Sect Master meet with Qinghuan Emperor to gauge her intentions? If someone from other forces starts causing trouble, we should be prepared to respond.”

At this grand gathering of immortals, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace was the de facto biggest beneficiary. There were no shortage of Dao Lineages that were dissatisfied in secret, and it was possible that some were fanning the flames and making false accusations in front of the Emperors.

Mu Yinghua said, “I have foreseen this matter. Before you all emerged, I had already visited Qinghuan Emperor, so there’s no need to worry. As long as we are within the Dao Court’s sphere of influence, no one can do anything to our people from Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.”

Qing Muling breathed a sigh of relief. The Supreme Sect Master had clearly considered everything more thoroughly than he had, with all necessary preparations in place. If forces like the Shadow Assassination Hall gave up and stopped causing trouble, they might enjoy temporary peace. But if they continued to provoke, what would happen next went without saying.

Mu Yinghua looked at Qing Muling, her tone gentle, “You have always performed well and never disappointed your teacher. Hmm, you’re not far from the Destiny Realm now, are you?”

Qing Muling nodded, “The Heart Demon realm is already complete. After another round of closed-door cultivation, I should be able to break through smoothly!”

“Then, your teacher will give you another helping hand,”

Mu Yinghua handed a small and exquisite golden seal to Qing Muling, saying, “Inside this is ten million merits of slaying demons from the Magic Clan that I’ve collected. Take it, and breaking through to the Destiny Realm and stabilizing your cultivation will be as natural as water flowing along its course.”

These merits were earned by her personally and were not the property of the sect, so she could dispose of them freely without anyone being able to object.

“Thank you, Master.”

Qing Muling had no reason to refuse. With the cultivation of the Destiny Realm, he would have enough confidence to face any exceptional talents from any force, even without the protection of his senior sisters. Counter-killing would be a matter of course.

“Alright, there’s no time to delay. You and your senior sisters should go into closed-door cultivation now.”

Mu Yinghua waved her hand, signaling Qing Muling and the ladies, including Xuebing Xuan, to leave. The matters that followed could be discussed by her and the elders.

Thus, Qing Muling bid farewell to his Master and switched to another cultivation room.

Once he closed the door and activated the shielding formation, his senior sisters eagerly gathered around. The enlightenment aura emanating from their Junior Brother was not to be missed.

Qing Muling sat down on the cloud bed, with the golden seal floating above his head. Streams of purple and golden merit light poured down, merging with his divine soul and body.

Entering a state of deep enlightenment with ease, Qing Muling was surrounded by a mysterious and profound aura of enlightenment, shining brightly. Xuebing Xuan, Cheng Yulan, Qi Yalan, Luo Wanqing, Luo Huan, and the newly arrived Yu Binghua also began to immerse themselves in deep contemplation.

The senior sisters were actually ready to challenge the True Immortal realm, but currently being on Dao Court’s territory, crossing the tribulation was inconvenient and could easily expose their weaknesses to outsiders. So, they decided to wait and return to the sect’s Main Altar before attempting it.

For Qing Muling, it was much simpler. Unlike when he challenged the Heart Demon realm, advancing from the peak of the Heart Demon realm to the Destiny Realm did not require crossing a tribulation. As long as he accumulated enough, he could achieve it without any disturbance.

Ordinary cultivators start from the Qi Refining Realm and embark on the path of cultivation, followed by the Understanding Mystery Realm, Condensing Elixir Realm, Nascent Soul Realm, Divine Soul Realm, True Person Realm, True One Realm, Heart Demon Realm, and Destiny Realm. In total, there are nine major realms.

For ordinary cultivators, the Understanding Mystery Realm is the first insurmountable hurdle, and the subsequent realms are even more difficult. Most cultivators often exhaust their potential and fortune halfway through a realm and find it impossible to advance further.

The path of cultivation is endless with tribulations and hardships. Only those who endure all dangers and persist through these nine major realms are minimally qualified to pursue the path of immortality.

Yes, minimally qualified.

Only when all nine major realms are completed perfectly, and one still has sufficient potential and fortune, can they attempt to provoke the heavenly tribulation, challenge the Feather Transformation Realm, condense the true laws of immortality within themselves, and take the critical step from mortal to immortal.

Senior Sister Xuebing Xuan’s talents and aptitude are considered very good. With personal guidance from Sect Master Mu Yinghua, top-notch sect cultivation techniques, and a supply of high-quality resources, it still took her over a thousand years to reach the Destiny Realm from the Qi Refining Realm, which shows the difficulty of this process.

Of course, Qing Muling, as a Harmony Spirit Seed, is an exception. Many of the cultivation world’s conventional standards do not apply to him. He is that special one, so special that the time it took him from the Qi Refining Realm to the Destiny Realm is much less than any other exceptional talent.

As the cultivation technique operated, a huge phantom of the Blue Lotus emerged from within Qing Muling, with vast amounts of spiritual essence descending from the depths of the void like water from an opened sluice, pouring into Qing Muling’s body. The chaotic light shone continuously, and the majestic blood energy surged within the cultivation room, causing the temperature in the surrounding space to rise sharply.

The breakthrough to the Destiny Realm was as natural as water flowing along its course, with no particularly special changes, except for an increase in lifespan by a thousand years, approaching the limit of ten thousand years.

For those who have not become immortals, ten thousand years of lifespan is the ultimate limit, and no life-extending pills or cultivation techniques can change this.

However, Qing Muling felt that if he wished, he might be able to challenge this heavenly rule. After all, he is considered a naturally born spiritual being, completely different from ordinary cultivators. But there was no need for that.

Deep within the sea of consciousness, the mysterious and obscure patterns on the surface of the Harmony Spirit Seed became increasingly clear. Amidst the clouds and auspicious light, a rich purple and green auspicious aura enveloped him, and the profound Dao Rhyme spread out, slowly and continuously merging with Qing Muling’s divine soul, subtly enhancing his foundation and aptitude.

Since the eighth phantom of the Blue Lotus leaf had already emerged in the Yunji Inquiry Tower, there was no new phantom this time.

But the light roots of the Harmony Spirit Seed became denser and thicker, deeply penetrating different depths of space, drawing immeasurable spiritual essence back.

Qing Muling silently used secret divine abilities to introspect. He could clearly see the length of his lifespan, and his fortune had surged by nearly five times compared to when the Heart Demon realm was complete, and it was still noticeably increasing.

This meant that top Supreme Dao Lineages like Calamity Fate Palace and Great Brahma Temple could no longer compare to Qing Muling’s overall fortune. Only the Dao Court and a few ancient clans could still surpass him.

After reaching the Destiny Realm, Qing Muling’s numerous innate divine abilities were once again enhanced to varying degrees. For instance, his ability to discern fortune, as long as the target’s cultivation was below the Ascending to Immortality realm, he could easily see through all their secrets. Only if an Emperor-level powerhouse intervened to obscure the truth and shield the secrets of heaven could this secret method be invalidated.

His innate divine ability to perceive all formations, restrictions, curses, and witchcraft had expanded from a thousand miles to a range of two thousand miles, with no one below the level of a Mysterious Immortal able to hide.

His ability to move through space had increased to a maximum distance of over three hundred thousand miles, which he could activate three times a day. No matter the perilous or restricted environment, he could instantly escape and flee far away. This divine ability could also only be restrained by Emperor-level powerhouses.

Moreover, with the ability to cultivate using the essence of spiritual herbs and grasses, Qing Muling could now increase their medicinal strength by three thousand years with just one use. Mass-producing divine herbs had become effortless.

Even if he did nothing else, just relying on this ability, Qing Muling would have an endless supply of divine herbs to squander or easily trade for other rare resources.

“If this continues, by the time I break through the Feather Transformation Realm, or at most when I reach the Ascending to Immortality realm, I should be able to cultivate and transform divine herbs, right?”

Qing Muling pondered to himself. Every divine herb contains true immortal laws, so he must reach this realm to accomplish this.

As for the innate divine ability to temporarily enhance his cultivation realm, the cost had increased to five hundred years of lifespan for each use, but he could temporarily gain the strength of an Elemental Immortal for half an hour. With Qing Muling’s current lifespan of ten thousand years, he could use it at most twenty times.

However, Qing Muling didn’t think he would be forced to that point. Once he breaks through the Feather Transformation Realm and condenses the laws of immortality within himself, his lifespan would surge to 129,600 years, which would be more than enough to indulge.

His innate divine ability to hide his presence had been enhanced. Once activated, he could perfectly conceal his form, aura, and even the trajectory of his fate, making it impossible for enemies to track or sense him, lasting for one hour. Whether used for sneak attacks or escaping, it was extremely practical.

The innate divine ability contained in the eighth phantom of the Blue Lotus leaf, named “Chrono Dial,” could cause a small range of time reversal, lasting no more than thirty breaths. After breaking through to the Destiny Realm, its duration extended to sixty breaths.

Its range was centered on himself, within a six-foot radius. Of course, once he breaks through the Feather Transformation Realm, its power should continue to increase.

The cost was a permanent loss of five hundred years of lifespan for each use, with no spiritual pills or medicine able to compensate, unless his cultivation could break through to a higher realm in the future, allowing for recovery.

A day and night passed quietly. Once he adapted to the surging mana within his body and his cultivation realm stabilized, Qing Muling finally opened his eyes.

“Are you awake?”

His senior sisters had been waiting by his side for quite some time, each with skin fairer than snow and beauty breathtaking. Their tender bodies were alluring, and their clear, bright eyes were filled with smiles as they looked at him tenderly, as if dripping with water:

“Master has sent a message. The grand gathering of immortals has ended, and all the sects and forces have begun their journey home. We should prepare as well.”

Qing Muling nodded, somewhat surprised that Qinghuan Emperor and Dragon Ritual Princess had not sent anyone to find him. He had thought they would continue to cause trouble.

Of course, Sect Master Mu Yinghua had already met with them, and they might have reached an understanding in secret, so no more troublesome matters would occur.

Qing Muling thought for a moment and asked, “The effect of the enlightenment aura has improved again, right?”

“Indeed, it has become much stronger,”

Xuebing Xuan said, “Now, cultivating with you, Junior Brother, for ten days is roughly equivalent to our own gains from 150 years of closed-door cultivation. However, we will soon be breaking through to the True Immortal realm, so by then… it should still be a standard of thirty years, right?”

Qing Muling smiled, “That’s by your standards. But for Sister Yu, the effect should be even more significant, right? She’s only at the Ascending to Immortality realm now.”

Yu Binghua nodded frankly, “That’s right. Accompanying Junior Brother in cultivation for ten days saves me at least five hundred years of hard work. If it were Qi Sister and the others…”

Luo Wanqing frowned slightly and interjected, “Since Junior Brother has broken through to the Destiny Realm, shouldn’t the choice of Dao Companion be between me and Second Sister? There’s no need to consider others!”

Yu Binghua’s face changed slightly, “But the Supreme Sect Master has already decreed that the choice of Junior Brother’s Dao Companion must be decided by drawing lots among the senior sisters. How can you, Sister Luo…”

As long as the senior sisters drew lots together, everyone had a chance, and there was no possibility of monopoly.

From Yu Binghua’s perspective, she was new and had no advantage in terms of her own cultivation or the depth of her relationship with Qing Muling. To counter the pressure from the senior sisters, she needed to quickly find some allies. If the domineering Luo Wanqing seized the opportunity, wouldn’t her life be even more difficult?

But if Qi Shuyu, Su Yunmo, and the others were chosen, the pressure would undoubtedly be much lighter when they advanced and retreated together with Yu Binghua in the harem.

Luo Wanqing glared at her, “So what? We were here first! Giving you the opportunity to participate is already a special consideration from the Sect Master. What’s the harm in waiting a little longer?”

“But…”

Yu Binghua’s eyes shimmered as she turned to Luo Huan, “Sister, do you also think this way?”

Luo Huan was not a direct disciple of the Supreme Sect Master but had become Qing Muling’s Dao Companion thanks to Yueyi Heavenly Lord’s favor. Now, the only ally Yu Binghua could seek was her.

Luo Huan was silent for a moment before saying, “Fourth Sister, we really shouldn’t make decisions on our own about this matter. Even if we don’t consider Master’s thoughts, we are ultimately Junior Brother’s women, so we should care about his opinion, right?”

“Well…”

Luo Wanqing looked at Qing Muling, her tone finally softening, “Junior Brother, haven’t I always treated you well? You wouldn’t abandon me to choose them, would you?”

Qing Muling tensed up inside and cautiously said, “Of course not. But we really should inform Master about this matter. Sister, you wouldn’t want to make Master angry in the future, would you?”