At the far reaches of the void, the main altar of the Calamity Fate Palace.

In the dimly lit secret hall, the palace master sat solemnly at the center, flanked by over a dozen core elders wielding significant authority. Holy Maiden Mei Qingfeng was also present.

After some time apart, her features had changed, now bearing a striking resemblance to the Holy Maiden Mu Yingshuang of Qingqiu Hall, and her cultivation had reached the Heart Demon realm.

A massive magical projection mirror appeared among them, displaying the vast expanse of the starry cosmos, with star clusters and celestial domains as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

Under the palace master’s mental command, the scenes within the magical projection mirror rapidly shifted, sweeping past many great celestial domains before locking onto a vast dark celestial domain deep in the starry sky.

The dark celestial domains referred to those completely destroyed in the ancient cataclysms. All the floating lands within these domains were barren, devoid of life, and shrouded in deathly stillness.

Due to the extremely harsh environment and dense negative energy, even mid to low-level cultivators couldn’t stay long in these domains, thus they remained desolate and untouched.

“Is this the place?”

The palace master’s voice echoed faintly, and the surrounding elders silently nodded, remaining speechless.

In the projection, the area didn’t seem particularly large, but in reality, it was astoundingly vast, conservatively encompassing over a dozen celestial domains.

“The alien demonic aura here is especially intense. Combining the deductions of the Heavenly Secret Art with some special methods, we can almost confirm that this is one of the core nests of the Magic Clan progeny,” said Core Elder Luo Yujue in a soft voice.

“After days of tireless exploration by the elders, we’ve discovered nine such regions. The majority of the Magic Clan individuals above the Elemental Immortal level mostly emerge from these core nests.”

The Magic Clan progeny lurking in the territories of the various Dao Lineage powers were nearly infinite in number, but in reality, they were relatively ‘weak’ individuals, with cultivation mostly limited to below the Feather Transformation Realm, and few reaching the Elemental or True Immortal levels.

However, the formidable Magic Clan individuals emerging from these core nests were alarmingly numerous. Elemental and True Immortals were as common as carp crossing a river, with Xuan Immortals and Golden Immortals not being rare, and even Taiyi Golden Immortals frequently appeared.

So far, the Supreme Dao Lineages that had their mountain protection arrays breached and their main altars destroyed were mostly due to these core nest Magic Clan individuals.

They hid within the vast armies of lower Magic Clan forces, striking suddenly when the opportunity arose. Caught off guard, many Supreme Dao Lineages, top sects, and super clans suffered significant losses.

Mei Qingfeng softly inquired, “The Dao Court must be aware of these situations, right?”

Luo Yujue nodded, “Of course. The three Emperors of the Dao Court should have even more comprehensive and detailed information than us, especially since those Quasi Holy Emperor level Magic Clan individuals all emerged from these core nest regions.”

“How many are there?”

“So far, we know of four. One was slain by the Xuan Yin Emperor, one by the patriarch of the ancient True Dragon Clan, and two were severely wounded by the Supreme Dao Lineages at a great cost and have since fled back to their nests to recuperate.”

“It seems there will definitely be more Magic Clan Emperors emerging, right?”

“Definitely. Compared to the scale of the Magic Clan progeny, the number of individuals above the Elemental Immortal level that have emerged isn’t particularly high yet. We can be sure that in those core nests, the number of powerful Magic Clan individuals in hiding far exceeds our imagination, especially those terrifying Quasi Holy Emperors!” Core Elder Yuan Xuan Kong added.

Silence fell around the room, and the expressions of all the elders darkened. This grand calamity was only just beginning, and the most perilous and challenging times were far from over.

Under this great catastrophe, no Dao Lineage power could escape unscathed, including the lofty Dao Court, let alone the Calamity Fate Palace.

The palace master finally asked, “What’s the current situation we’re facing?”

“Not too bad,”

Mei Qingfeng replied, “Although we’ve temporarily abandoned some peripheral territories, our key domains remain stable, rarely disturbed by large-scale Magic Clan army attacks, and the loss of our disciples is minimal. Most of our important commerce industries and wealth resources have been transferred to our core territories.”

The elders’ expressions eased slightly. After all, the Calamity Fate Palace was a large and well-established power, so their situation was much better than most Supreme Dao Lineages.

“However, this situation may not last long,”

Mei Qingfeng’s voice carried a hint of hidden worry: “If a large number of higher Magic Clan individuals emerge from those core nests in the future, or even a few more Quasi Holy Emperors, who knows how many cultivators will have to die or be injured before we can completely exterminate them!”

No one knew how extensive or how long this calamity would last. The Heavenly Secrets were now chaotic and entangled, making it impossible to deduce anything.

After a moment of silence, the palace master said, “I have an immature guess that this might be the last great tribulation that the Great Void must endure before its complete revival. If we survive, the sky’s the limit, and the cultivation world will welcome another era of prosperity in the Immortal Dao, just like in the distant ancient times.”

Could it be so…

The elders pondered, their expressions thoughtful. Their palace master was a Quasi Holy Emperor with a profound understanding of the Heavenly Secret Art, and his conjecture was unlikely to be unfounded.

If the Calamity Fate Palace could survive this great tribulation, it would be a joyous outcome for all. But if they couldn’t, the collapse of the sect’s foundation and the end of its lineage would render all else meaningless.

“Let’s not talk about this for now,”

The palace master changed the subject: “What’s the situation with the other Supreme Dao Lineage powers? How many of our allied forces remain? Speak up.”

Yuan Xuan Kong began to report in detail. Due to the Calamity Fate Palace’s unique status, it had a wide network of relationships in the Great Void, with numerous sects and clans allied with it, including about seventy percent of the Supreme Dao Lineage powers.

However, now that even Supreme Dao Lineage powers were beginning to fall, those sects and clans whose strength did not reach this level were even less likely to survive, with less than thirty percent remaining, most of which were vassals of the Supreme Dao Lineages.

The Dao Court, as the most powerful holy land of the cultivation world, had the broadest territories, the richest resources, and the most powerful individuals, thus it could still shelter many forces. Since the outbreak of the calamity of the Magic Clan, countless sects and clans had fled to the Dao Court’s territories seeking refuge.

The three Emperors naturally did not turn them away. As long as these forces joined the Dao Court, their cultivation techniques, resources, territories, and talented disciples could all be used by the Dao Court. In the long run, it was a surefire profitable deal.

If anyone was most likely to survive the calamity of the Magic Clan, it would undoubtedly be the Dao Court.

When the great tribulation finally ended, the Great Void would be mostly in ruins, with very few surviving forces. At that time, it would only be natural for the Dao Court to unify the entire cultivation world and become the sole ruler of the Great Void.

The higher-ups of the Calamity Fate Palace saw this clearly but were powerless to change it.

“…The Nine Spirit Proto Gate and the Bright Moon Sword Sect are in a bit of danger. It’s said that the direct descendant of Sect Master Lin, Lin Sheng Qing, has been gravely injured, his Dao foundation completely destroyed, with no hope of recovery.”

Yuan Xuan Kong continued, “Without strong external aid, they will inevitably be among the next batch of Dao Lineage powers to fall.”

The palace master asked, “Have their leaders sought help from any forces?”

“They’ve asked everyone they could, including the Dao Court, the ancient clans, even the neighboring Armillary Sphere Star Palace and Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, and of course, us. However, the Dao Court’s terms seem a bit harsh, as do those of the Armillary Sphere Star Palace, so they haven’t achieved the results they want.”

“I remember that both the Nine Spirit Proto Gate and the Bright Moon Sword Sect have Quasi Holy Emperors in charge. At this critical juncture of life and death, are they really unwilling to spend all their resources to revive their sect’s stabilizing force?”

“They have tried, but the injuries of those two Emperors are too severe, with no hope of recovery. Unless they can get the Dao Court’s higher-ups to extend a helping hand and treat them without regard for the cost, there might be a glimmer of hope, but now it’s impossible.”

“In that case, we might consider lending a hand, of course, we can’t set the terms too low. Let them weigh it carefully!”

The palace master spoke indifferently, and the elders nodded in agreement. It was only right. Although the Calamity Fate Palace was wealthy, it was not a charity. If the other party wanted to preserve their sect’s foundation, they had to present enough chips and sincerity.

“However…”

Yuan Xuan Kong’s voice carried a hint of hesitation: “Regarding the recent situation of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, something seems quite amiss. The speed of their fortune’s growth is alarmingly fast and simply defies logic.”

“Oh? Tell me more!”

“Their Xinyu Emperor has fully recovered to her peak state, and it seems that many female cultivators in their sect have recently succeeded in crossing their tribulations, significantly strengthening the overall strength of their sect.”

“Moreover, for some unknown reason, the Magic Clan progeny’s large-scale attacks on the territories governed by the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace are not frequent, resulting in minimal losses for them. This contrasts sharply with the dire situations of neighboring forces like the Armillary Sphere Star Palace, Azure Fall Divine Sect, and Bright Moon Sword Sect.”

Yuan Xuan Kong spoke with puzzlement. Such an anomaly was unique in the Great Void. Originally, the overall strength of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace was not considered strong, and before Xinyu Emperor’s recovery, it could even be said to be the weakest among the Supreme Dao Lineage rankings. Now, their performance had completely overturned their previous understanding.

The palace master’s voice suddenly deepened: “Are you sure? How did they manage her recovery? Could it be that the Qinghuan Emperor from the Dao Court lent them enough heavenly merits?”

“After messages from our spies in the Dao Court, we can almost confirm that this is not the case! Since the end of the gathering of immortals, the Qinghuan Emperor has not had any substantial contact with the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. Therefore, the reason for Xinyu Emperor’s recovery is unknown to us.”

“Then… has the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s higher-ups made any public statements?”

“They have. They claim that the Xinyu Emperor, by using the Li Feng Star Cloud Tower and a surprise attack, was lucky enough to slay a Magic Clan Emperor and refine and absorb its heart core and Divine Soul, thus fully recovering from her injuries.”

Yuan Xuan Kong said, shaking his head in disbelief, clearly not buying this far-fetched explanation.

If it were the Xinyu Emperor at her peak, perhaps she might have a chance to accomplish this, but at that time, she had only recovered two to three tenths of her strength. How could she be so lucky?

As for the recent collective tribulation crossing of many female cultivators in the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, despite the tight information blockade, the Calamity Fate Palace’s extensive network had still caught wind of some rumors.

Mei Qingfeng’s eyes flickered with changing emotions as she suddenly asked, “Could it be because of Qing Muling?”

“Him?”

The palace master’s tone faltered, uncertain: “He’s not even an Elemental Immortal yet, how could he help a Quasi Holy Emperor recover? Even I can’t do that now!”

“The Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace hasn’t recently obtained any remarkable opportunities. If there’s anyone else who could accomplish such an incredible feat against the heavens, other than Qing Muling, who else could it be?”

Mei Qingfeng spoke, men tend to be more rational in their thinking, while her judgment was based on a woman’s instinctual intuition, without any actual evidence.

However, once she spoke, she suddenly felt that this possibility truly existed. If Qing Muling really came from that place, then everything would make sense.

The hall fell silent once more.

“Is there any way to comprehensively obtain information about this Qing Muling, the more detailed, the better? Of course, the best outcome would be to capture him alive!”

After a long deliberation, the palace master slowly asked.

If even the Xinyu Emperor could recover, then in the future, could all the Supreme Elders of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s Hidden Cave Mystical Realm who were injured and in slumber also recover? By then, wouldn’t the overall strength of this female cultivator sect surpass the Calamity Fate Palace and even rival those ancient clans?

Yuan Xuan Kong looked troubled: “They’re protecting him too tightly. Unless we use all our high-level spies within the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, we might have a slim chance, but regardless of success or failure, these key chess pieces that we’ve painstakingly cultivated for tens or hundreds of millions of years at great cost will definitely be lost!”

The Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s higher-ups would not make such a low-level mistake. The protection around Qing Muling must be top-notch, and trying to snatch someone from under the Xinyu Emperor’s nose seemed like a suicidal act.

“No matter, let’s go ahead with it!”

The palace master’s voice carried an undeniable decisiveness. As long as they could accomplish this, any price would be worth it. Don’t forget that in the Calamity Fate Palace’s Hidden Cave Mystical Realm, there were also Quasi Holy Emperors and countless Supreme Elders in slumber due to injuries!

Elder Meng He hesitated: “What if he’s unwilling to cooperate?”

The palace master chuckled: “As long as he falls into my hands, is there any fear that he won’t submit? If he’s sensible, I’ll take him as my direct disciple and even promise him to Qingfeng. If he refuses, then let Qingfeng forcibly unite with him, using a secret method to drain his fortune and destiny, stripping away his root bone and Dao foundation. The result will be the same.”

Mei Qingfeng’s face flushed slightly upon hearing this, but she didn’t feel any resistance in her heart. After all, she was destined to take over the Calamity Fate Palace. If she could have Qing Muling’s support, the sect could flourish under her leadership.