The news of Xinyu Emperor’s full recovery was not something that Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s upper echelons intended to strictly conceal.

With a sufficiently powerful strategic force suppressing the fortunes, it was only right to make it public, to deter those hostile forces nearby. Unless they possessed equivalent countermeasures, they wouldn’t dare to make any rash moves.

However, under the increasingly intense calamity of the Magic Clan, the vast majority of powers were too preoccupied with their own survival to cause any trouble.

Even if a Quasi Holy Emperor-level powerhouse from the Magic Clan were to attack in the future, Xinyu Emperor, with the home ground advantage and the power of the Innate Spirit Treasure, the Li Feng Star Cloud Tower, could easily injure or even severely damage the opponent, ensuring the utmost security for the sect’s Main Altar.

In the back mountain of Imperial Dao Peak, inside the stone cottage of Sect Master Mu Yinghua.

Upon the spacious embroidered bed, when Qing Muling once again opened his eyes, he saw a completely unfamiliar face, as exquisite as the heart of a peony, with a fair complexion blushing with health. Soft and bright pearl light fell from behind her, her hair coiled up like clouds, her skin fair as snow, her demeanor serene, her features full and delicate. Under her arched brows, long lashes dense as crow feathers, her starry eyes conveyed gentle concern and a faint blush of shyness.

Beneath the elaborate and exquisite colorful dress, her tall and plump figure undulated with curves, a slender waist, and full hips leading down to long jade legs. Beauty radiated from her entire being.

“…Master?”

Qing Muling paused for a moment before asking uncertainly. Although it was his first time seeing her true face, the familiar aura and dignity were unmistakable. This beautiful stranger beside him was indeed Mu Yinghua, who had initially brought him back to Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.

Without the veil of clouds and radiance, every smile and frown of the beauty before him naturally carried a heart-stopping charm, causing him to involuntarily reveal a look of stunned enchantment, momentarily forgetting to look away.

Now Qing Muling understood that Mu Yinghua had been using a special divine ability to conceal her true appearance and even her fate and fortune, making it impossible for any powerful being skilled in the Heavenly Secret Art to deduce or spy on her.

However, the cost of using this divine ability was somewhat extravagant, which is why few female cultivators in Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace considered it. Mu Yinghua, as the Supreme Sect Master, whose safety was tied to the stability of the sect, was thus permitted to use it.

“You’ve finally decided to wake up!”

Mu Yinghua pursed her cherry lips, her clear phoenix eyes smiling like crescent moons, her voice crisp and melodious with a hint of sweetness: “You’ve been asleep for over three months now. But this time, you really did work hard. For the revival of our sect, you deserve the greatest credit!”

“Only a little over three months? That’s not too bad. With the effect of the time acceleration formation array, it’s only been a few days.”

“Point Guard is Here”

Qing Muling breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he might have slept for years. It seemed that the recovery ability of the Harmony Spirit Seed was even better than he had anticipated.

Upon introspection with a secret technique, the nearly thirty percent of fortune that had been consumed had now fully recovered and even grown stronger. It was not hard to understand; gaining the friendship and full protection of a Quasi Holy Emperor greatly enhanced the effect on his fortune.

However, his Senior Sisters must be getting impatient outside. Setting aside dual cultivation for now, their True Immortal thresholds were within reach, just waiting for him to recover and support them in their Tribulation Crossing.

“How is the Emperor now?”

“She’s fine. She took the Li Feng Star Cloud Tower out for a spin, and along the way, she cleared out the Magic Clan that appeared in the core territories, rescuing a batch of subordinate sect powers. So now, our sect can divert more forces to support those surrounding territories.”

As Mu Yinghua spoke, she leaned forward slightly, her jade arm gently lifting the young man on the embroidered bed. The exquisite gold hairpin in her hair trembled with her movements, and a rich fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose.

“That’s good to hear.”

Qing Muling breathed a sigh of relief. The calamity of the Magic Clan was fierce, and to date, nearly seventy percent of the Dao Lineage’s powers in the Great Void had fallen. The remaining powers were mostly struggling to survive, with only those Supreme Dao Lineages having relatively better days, relatively speaking.

Unless it was a superpower with a peak Quasi Holy Emperor stationed, they could truly be at ease, watching the changes in the world while ensuring the safety of their own territories, and occasionally having the spare capacity to support allied sects in nearby immortal domains.

When the calamity of the Magic Clan first emerged, Mu Yinghua made a determined decision to borrow ten billion heavenly merits from the Dao Court at any cost, considering the stakes involved. The chances of success were not great, but thanks to Qing Muling, the most ideal outcome was achieved.

“By the way, after learning of Xinyu Emperor’s recovery, the Bright Moon Sword Sect and Nine Spirit Proto Gate sent envoys a few days ago, hoping we could lend a hand to help them resist the siege of the Magic Clan’s legions. Reading between the lines, they were essentially asking for the Emperor to make a move on their behalf.”

Mu Yinghua’s words carried a hint of mockery. With the sect’s life-and-death crisis at hand, these old enemies had no choice but to lower their proud heads and seek help from Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.

Qing Muling frowned slightly: “What’s their reason? They can’t possibly come empty-handed to ask for help, can they?”

“Of course not. The conditions they offered were to return all the territories they had occupied from Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace over the past ten thousand years after the calamity of the Magic Clan is over. They also provided a list of resources, not very many in quantity or variety, saying that their sect’s storages were depleted and their expenses tight, asking us to be understanding.”

“What’s there to discuss then? Just send them away.”

Qing Muling shook his head. These sects really didn’t know when to give up. At this point, they were still trying to get a free ride, thinking Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace was run by a naive and sweet-hearted saint. The territories they had forcibly occupied belonged to Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s interests in the first place. Even if they didn’t return them, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace would reclaim them all eventually, and they wouldn’t have the power to stop it.

If they were sincere, those sects should at least cede dozens of core territories and add a massive amount of rare resources as compensation. Perhaps then Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace would consider it. For now, there was nothing to discuss.

After all, when they couldn’t hold on any longer and fell, those unclaimed immortal domains could be incorporated into Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s sphere of influence. Why waste words negotiating with them?

Mu Yinghua beckoned slightly, drawing a bowl of steaming soup from a nearby table. She tested the temperature with a jade spoon and said softly, “Your body has been greatly weakened. This soup is made primarily with the heart marrow of a Red Whiskered Single-Horned Dragon, along with over twenty divine herbs. It’s perfect for you to take now. Let me feed you.”

Her voice was gentle, her demeanor serene and graceful, yet carried an undeniable dignity, leaving Qing Muling with no reason to object. He could only comfortably enjoy the meticulous care of his Master.

The white soup contained an unimaginable amount of vital energy. With each spoonful, a radiant glow emerged on the surface of his skin, and his internal organs seemed to ignite, slowly elevating Qing Muling’s cultivation level. Even the Harmony Spirit Seed in his sea of consciousness lit up, strands of chaotic light emerging and silently merging into his Divine Soul.

The portion of the soup seemed small, but its value was no less than that of a genuine Postnatal Spirit Treasure. In the past, such treatment in the sect would only be given to the Supreme Sect Master when injured.

After a while, Qing Muling had finished the soup without a trace left. However, he showed no signs of being overwhelmed. Apart from an increase in body temperature and a radiant glow, the vital energy that could instantly burst a Xuan Immortal was perfectly absorbed by him, with most of it being taken by the Harmony Spirit Seed.

“Truly worthy of an innate being. The foundation of your fleshly body might only be surpassed by those Supreme Elders. Perhaps once you shed your mortal coil and ascend to immortality, even I might not be able to match you!” Mu Yinghua remarked with a slight sigh.

Looking into her clear eyes, Qing Muling spoke warmly, “You were my Master before, and you will continue to be, now and in the future. That is unchangeable.”

Mu Yinghua gazed at him steadily, as if thinking of something, a blush suddenly rising on her beautiful face. She averted her gaze slightly and said softly, “You’ve recovered now. Go see your Senior Sisters; they’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

“Don’t,”

Qing Muling quickly said, “I want to spend more time with Master. Let them continue to wait. After all, they’ve already waited so long; a few more days won’t matter.”

If his Senior Sisters found out he had recovered, what would happen next didn’t need to be said. They would surely torment him in turn, giving him no peace day or night, whether in closed-door cultivation or sleep.

So, from Qing Muling’s perspective, it was more appropriate to spend more time with his Master for now, at least she wouldn’t torment him like that.

Mu Yinghua chuckled, “You now have a Dao Companion. Shouldn’t you be accompanying them instead of your Master? Or do you want me to give you guidance in cultivation? Xuebing Xuan shouldn’t have been slacking in that regard, right?”

Although Qing Muling and she had the title of master and disciple, it had always been the Senior Sister who taught him in her stead. This was also one of the traditions in the cultivation world of the Great Void. When the master was in closed-door cultivation or unwilling to handle affairs, the responsibility of teaching the younger disciples fell to the first disciple.

Qing Muling naturally said, “That’s true, but after all, we are master and disciple. It seems a bit unreasonable for you to never teach me, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm, that’s… also true.”

Mu Yinghua nodded, the reason her disciple gave wasn’t very strong, but it was still a reason, convincing herself to spend time alone with him.

It was just a lesson, she assured herself, really nothing more.

After a moment’s hesitation, Mu Yinghua reached out with her white wrist and took the young man’s hand, carefully sensing the state within his body. With the divine consciousness of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, a mere Destiny Realm cultivator should have no secrets that could be hidden from her, but she could never see through this disciple’s depths.

Not just her, even Xinyu Emperor was no exception. Or rather, unless Qing Muling was willing, no one could see through all his secrets.

“Your cultivation has increased rapidly. How long do you estimate it will take you to reach the Feather Transformation Realm?”

“It’s hard to say, it’ll probably take several years at least.”

Qing Muling pondered. During the year he helped Xinyu Emperor heal, his own cultivation had not been neglected, and the Emperor had given him quite a few pointers.

Therefore, today, after waking from his slumber, his cultivation had reached the third peak of the Destiny Realm, with the fourth level imminent.

For a monstrous genius, this was already an astonishing speed. According to conventional practice, it would take at least a hundred and eighty years to go from stepping into the Destiny Realm to crossing the Tribulation and reaching the Feather Transformation Realm. For an ordinary cultivator, it wouldn’t be surprising to spend eight hundred to a thousand years at this stage.

If a cultivator had enough confidence in themselves and was not lacking in cultivation resources, the usual choice was to use a time acceleration formation array to greatly shorten this process, reaching the Destiny Realm’s completion in just a few years. Xuebing Xuan and the others had done so initially.

Of course, the consumption of the time acceleration formation array was too great, and it couldn’t solve all problems. If a cultivator lacked the talent and fortune, they might exhaust their lifespan in the formation without breaking through, leaving them no choice but to disperse their cultivation and pass away.

Mu Yinghua sighed, “It’s unbelievable, but with your special foundation, it all seems reasonable. Hmm, I always feel that when you reach the Feather Transformation Realm, there might be some unusual changes in your physical state?”

After cultivators pass through the heavenly tribulation and successfully step into the Feather Transformation Realm, they can condense true immortal laws within their bodies, significantly enhancing their overall strength, and undergo a transformation from their fleshly body to their Divine Soul, especially with their lifespan increasing more than tenfold.

Given Qing Muling’s extraordinary origins, the transformation and sublimation at that time would only be more exaggerated. Perhaps his actual combat power would be strong enough to crush Elemental Immortals, or even True Immortals?

“It’s highly likely, but I’m more worried that when I cross the Tribulation, that person will notice something and come looking for me. So at that time, the Emperor herself must protect me!”

Qing Muling frowned, not wanting to repeat the life-and-death crisis he experienced during the Heart Demon realm. He had survived with five billion heavenly merits last time, but there might not be such conditions next time.

Mu Yinghua nodded slightly, “Don’t worry about that. The sect will definitely prepare everything properly. And I think, do you want to learn this special divine ability from me, to shield your fate and fortune from the Heavenly Secrets? From now on, apart from your close dual-cultivation companions, no one else will ever be able to see your true appearance!”

Qing Muling thought for a moment and guessed the reason, “Is someone outside thinking about me again?”

“Isn’t it?”

Mu Yinghua’s expression showed slight annoyance, “The Goddess Sect, Lu Hua Palace, Qingqiu Hall, those few sects have sent people to probe my intentions, saying that since I’ve made an exception to accept a male disciple, whether we can consider an alliance through marriage with their Holy Maidens for the long-term interests of both sides? At the very least, they could meet and spend some time together, and if suitable, make arrangements… It’s really infuriating!”

“And there’s Miao Xin, she’s been staying here for quite some time, and she claims that if she doesn’t see you this time, she won’t leave. If it weren’t for the fact that Great Brahma Temple has a good relationship with our Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, I would have turned them away long ago!”

Qing Muling was somewhat speechless. This might seem incredible, but after the gathering of immortals, some of his secrets had become known to the outside world, and attracting the attention of interested parties was inevitable. Thus, the actions of those female cultivator sects were to be expected.

To be honest, just based on Qing Muling’s ability to restore an Emperor from a severely injured state to her peak, there probably wasn’t a single sect with a sane leader who wouldn’t be tempted. Such a unique and heaven-defying ability couldn’t be measured with concrete benefits.

Which sect’s Hidden Cave Mystical Realm didn’t have a large group of severely injured elders in slumber? Even the Quasi Holy Emperors were not lacking.

Although Mu Yinghua politely declined their requests, this was not a long-term solution. They were unlikely to give up easily and would surely find other ways.

“Alright, I’ll listen to Master.”

Qing Muling said no more. He didn’t want to attract too much attention from the outside world. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to leave for a long time to come. Only the Main Altar of the sect was the safest place.