Main Altar of the Sect.

The Jiaoxia Mountain Range, along with the accompanying Liyuan River, is a rare feng shui treasure land of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. Stretching over thirty million miles, the mountain range is picturesque and abundant in spiritual energy, with various superior spiritual veins and blessed lands aplenty, and treasures suitable for female cultivators can be found everywhere.

Ever since the Dragon Ritual Princess arrived, this vast area has been under the stewardship of Mu Yinghua, who was granted it as her exclusive Dao Court to accommodate the maidservants, attendants, and guards who followed her.

Under normal circumstances, even the Great Golden Immortals among the Supreme Elders would not receive such treatment. However, with the Dragon Ritual Princess bringing a massive dowry and backed by a Quasi Holy Emperor, the two families are equal strategic allies. Naturally, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace would not be petty and neglect such a distinguished guest.

After all, the personnel arranged by the Qinghuan Emperor for her are all female cultivators, which makes it convenient for them to come and go without negatively impacting Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.

Inside an exquisite and beautiful palace, the Dragon Ritual Princess and the Qinghuan Emperor were strolling in the back garden, with Su Yuanzhen attending closely by their side.

A circle of luminous light, like glistening water, emerged around the Qinghuan Emperor, enveloping the two women beside her. It not only isolated the leakage of sound and divine thoughts but also temporarily shielded the lines of fate and causality, ensuring that no outsiders could pry into their conversation.

“…So, does this mean he has truly accepted you?”

The Qinghuan Emperor asked softly.

Su Yuanzhen had reported in detail about Qing Muling’s closed-door cultivation, which surprised the powerful being and gave her a new appreciation for his potential value.

“It should… be the case, right?”

The Dragon Ritual Princess’s face blushed slightly as she spoke with a hint of shyness: “After spending some time with him, I’m fairly certain his nature is not bad. He doesn’t have any outrageous or intolerable habits, and although his Senior Sisters are somewhat hostile towards women, they are not difficult to talk to. I believe it won’t be hard to maintain good relations with them in the future.”

The Qinghuan Emperor looked at her stunningly beautiful daughter, waved her hand gently over her, and a wisp of faint purple qi, twinkling with the light of chaos stars, appeared at her fingertips.

“Is this the blessing of fortune? Truly profound and indescribable!”

Gazing at the wisp of purple qi, the Qinghuan Emperor sighed softly.

After a month of seclusion, the Dragon Ritual Princess’s destiny seemed to have increased slightly. Although the extent was not very noticeable, it was indeed the care of the Harmony Spirit Seed that brought about such a change.

As for the changes in Xuebing Xuan and the other women, there was no need to mention them. Even Mu Yinghua had such phenomena, indicating that anyone close to Qing Muling would share in his extraordinary destiny to some extent.

If he could follow the palace for a period of cultivation, wouldn’t it…

For a moment, the Qinghuan Emperor even entertained such a thought, but it was quickly dismissed by reason. After all, she was the nominal mother of the Dragon Ritual Princess. How could she disregard her status and snatch the opportunity that belonged to her daughter?

However, the allure of the Harmony Spirit Seed was incomparable to any other opportunity. If she found herself stuck at the threshold of sanctification in the future, she might have to seek Qing Muling’s assistance…

“His divine abilities are truly terrifying. If they were to be leaked, the consequences would be so severe that even the palace might not be able to withstand them.”

After much thought, the Qinghuan Emperor spoke solemnly: “All we can do is delay the revelation of the truth as much as possible, to buy him enough time to grow. Once he attains the cultivation of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, or even a Great Golden Immortal, he won’t have to fear the coveting of hostile forces from the outside world.”

The Dragon Ritual Princess nodded: “I understand, Mother. I will do everything in my power to protect him and prevent others from scheming against him.”

No matter how important a secret is, as long as more than two people know it, it’s only a matter of time before it’s no longer a secret. The difference lies only in the length of the confidentiality period.

Therefore, the Qinghuan Emperor was very pragmatic and never expected Qing Muling’s identity to remain hidden forever. Keeping it a secret for a few hundred or eight hundred years would be the limit.

Of course, with such a long time, it might be enough for Qing Muling to achieve the Great Golden Immortal Dao fruit. By then, even if the outside world knew his identity, they wouldn’t be able to do anything to him, and they would have to adopt a strategy of alliance and goodwill.

“This time, I have brought over ten thousand female cultivators, half in the Destiny Realm and half in the Ascending to Immortality realm, along with some strong individuals who are severely injured and in deep slumber. In a few days, Muling will oversee their Tribulation Crossing and healing to see the effects. If feasible, more people will be sent over later.”

The Qinghuan Emperor spoke with a grave expression. These female cultivators were personally selected loyalists who had served her for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Their loyalty was not in question, and the necessary confidentiality measures were meticulously in place.

“What about his compensation?” asked the Dragon Ritual Princess.

“It has been negotiated properly. He won’t miss out on any benefits as long as he satisfies me.”

The Qinghuan Emperor smiled. The three Quasi Holy Emperors of the Dao Court each had their own lineages and factions, including some at the peak of Daluo and even those who were half a step into the Quasi Holy level.

Since the Qinghuan Emperor was the only female among them, her relationship with the pure female cultivator Dao Lineages in The Great Void was generally closer. Of course, compared to the more numerous male cultivator Dao Lineages, her power and influence were not dominant.

If she could indeed utilize Qing Muling’s role to help these female cultivators successfully cross their Tribulations or heal their injuries, the Qinghuan Emperor’s power and influence within the Dao Court would significantly increase.

To put it plainly, Qing Muling was now a strategic force multiplier. In the eyes of the Qinghuan Emperor, his personal combat power was negligible, but he could cause the overall strength of the affiliated forces to leap forward, and this increase was sustainable.

As long as he was well protected, it might not be long before the Qinghuan Emperor became the most influential figure in the Dao Court, with both Xuan Yin Emperor and Wei De Emperor unable to compete with her.

“Let’s do it this way,”

The Qinghuan Emperor said: “For your sake, I have taken out more than half of my fortune. In the future, you must at least achieve the status of a Quasi Holy Emperor and hold a position in the decision-making layer of the Dao Court. If you can’t even achieve this step, even I will lose face.”

“Yes, Mother. I understand.”

The Dragon Ritual Princess replied bashfully. Originally, she only had a slight chance, but with Qing Muling, her hope of achieving the Quasi Holy Emperor status had increased to at least seventy to eighty percent, right?

After pondering for a while, the Qinghuan Emperor turned her head to Su Yuanzhen: “Don’t forget what I mentioned to you last time. I plan to refine a batch of Harmony Great Dao Golden Elixirs, and we’re just missing this crucial ingredient!”

Su Yuanzhen’s beautiful face flushed as she softly said: “I remember, my lady. I just need to find the right opportunity to ask, otherwise, if I ask abruptly, he might not be pleased.”

The task the Qinghuan Emperor had given her was to collect some of the sap from the Harmony Spirit Seed to use as an ingredient for refining the Harmony Great Dao Golden Elixir. Previously, there was nowhere to find it, but now that they had encountered Qing Muling, who had transformed from the Harmony Spirit Seed, it was naturally time to seize the opportunity and fulfill her wish.

The Dragon Ritual Princess was not yet ready to face this task, so it fell to Su Yuanzhen, the accompanying female official, to undertake it. After all, the Qinghuan Emperor was only interested in the results.

“Isn’t it just asking him for some blood? It shouldn’t be difficult, right?”

The Dragon Ritual Princess asked, not understanding the situation. It might be a bit presumptuous, but with the Qinghuan Emperor’s face, Qing Muling would never refuse.

“It’s not that simple,”

Su Yuanzhen spoke softly: “The innate Dao Rhyme and spiritual essence contained in the blood are limited and may not meet the requirements for elixir refinement. Otherwise, a sufficient amount would be needed, but that would certainly cause significant harm to his body, and they would never agree to it. Therefore, it must be me who…”

The Dragon Ritual Princess was taken aback and finally understood her meaning, blushing with embarrassment. To have such a matter discussed so openly was quite a shock, overturning her previous understanding.

But the Qinghuan Emperor didn’t care much about that. This was about her chance for sanctification. If there was a way, she would take it; if not, she would create one. Concerns about reputation and influence were simply not worth mentioning.

Behind Imperial Dao Peak.

“…Junior Brother, does this look alright to you?”

In the spacious medicinal garden, Second Senior Sister Cheng Yulan, having set up the array flags, asked.

“It’s enough. Leave the rest to me.”

Qing Muling surveyed the surroundings. This was a newly established medicinal garden, and the setup of various arrays had been handled by Cheng Yulan.

“Be careful. If you damage even one plant, selling you all wouldn’t cover the loss.”

Not far away, Yu Binghua instructed solemnly. A group of female cultivators skilled in cultivating spiritual herbs were scattered around the medicinal fields, carefully unlocking the seals on their jade boxes, extracting various seeds that emitted a faint spiritual light, and burying them in the spiritual soil with precise techniques.

The spiritual soil was specially prepared, mixed with a certain proportion of spiritual stone and spiritual crystal powder, along with the blood of various spiritual beasts and some special secret medicinal ingredients. Below, a spiritual vein was specially drawn to provide spiritual energy, all to promote the smooth growth of the divine herb seeds.

“One Sword Supreme”

These divine herb seeds from the Qinghuan Emperor’s Hidden Cave Mystical Realm had been in their possession for some time and could not remain idle. At Qing Muling’s request, Cheng Yulan and the other women arranged for enough manpower to create this medicinal garden spanning thousands of acres and then sowed the seeds in batches.

“Junior Brother, do you need my help?”

Luo Wanqing, radiant and dazzling, approached with a smile. Having secluded herself with Qing Muling for a few days and achieving her desires, she was now brimming with vitality from the inside out, her cultivation having caught up with the Senior Sister’s progress, reaching the late stage of a True Immortal.

Qi Yalan rolled her eyes at her: “Give it a rest! With your physical cultivation, you’re only good at swinging a stick and fighting. How could you handle such delicate work? Just stay out of the way!”

Luo Wanqing huffed a few times, but the Third Senior Sister was right. In close combat, she was a champion, but when it came to cultivating spiritual herbs, alchemy, artifact refinement, or divination, she really couldn’t do it. Any attempt would only be counterproductive.

It didn’t take long for all the divine herb seeds to be sown.

Then, under Xuebing Xuan’s command, all unrelated individuals withdrew, and the garden’s arrays were sealed, making it impossible for outsiders to detect any changes inside.

Moments later, as Qing Muling activated his divine abilities, a huge Blue Lotus phantom appeared, and billowing azure currents spread out lightly, quickly covering the thousand-acre medicinal garden. Countless dazzling starlights fell silently, permeating the spiritual soil and the seeds within.

The Senior Sisters silently observed from the side.

As vast amounts of pure qi spread, brilliant glows appeared, and countless minute strands of primordial chaos spiritual energy emerged from Qing Muling, entering the spiritual soil and the divine herb seeds, silently nurturing and enhancing their innate potential.

Shortly after, with a barely audible sound, a seedling of the Seven Luminaries Tiger Pattern Purple Star Orchid broke through the surface of the spiritual soil, slowly poking its head out and then visibly growing, sprouting branches and leaves…

Next, a Red Leaf Heavenly Cloud Vine emerged from the earth, its crystal-clear emerald tendrils slowly stretching out and intelligently winding around the nearby spiritual jade trellis, drawing suitable spiritual spring and spiritual liquid from the arrays for its growth.

Then, one after another, divine herbs of various shapes and effects sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain, growing at an unbelievable rate, with some reaching nine feet tall in just half an hour.

“…Amazing, these invaluable divine herbs will mature in just a year or so, right?”

“Of course, Junior Brother’s divine ability, with just one use, is equivalent to saving them six thousand years of growth!”

“Hmm, but they need at least three days to fully assimilate the primordial essence contained in the pure light before the second application can be performed.”

“If it’s every three days, that’s over a hundred times a year, which is equivalent to over six hundred thousand years of growth, and they’ll be ready for harvesting!”

“By that calculation, even Heavenly Medicine would only take a year and a half to produce in batches, which is truly… not even the Dao Court’s treasury has such inexhaustible resources of Heavenly Medicine!”

The Senior Sisters whispered among themselves, excitement and eagerness shining in their eyes. With an endless supply of sacred and divine herbs, they could freely concoct various high-grade elixirs or trade them for other resources needed by the sect. Either way, it was a win-win.

When Qing Muling finished his work, the once empty medicinal garden had become a small world filled with colorful divine herbs and fragrant aromas.

“Alright, let them take good care of it. I’ll come back in three days.” Qing Muling instructed.

“No problem.”

Xuebing Xuan agreed. The female cultivators in charge of the garden were reliable, and comprehensive measures had been taken to ensure secrecy.

A burst of pure light appeared beside Qing Muling, and Mu Yinghua’s figure gracefully emerged.

“Teacher!”

Qing Muling and the Senior Sisters bowed respectfully.

Mu Yinghua nodded slightly, looked around with satisfaction, and said, “Well done. Now change your clothes and follow me to Yunji Peak.”

With that, a set of dazzlingly radiant sea-blue robes appeared in her hands, along with various exquisite hairpins, jade rings, and golden hair accessories.

“Alright…”

Qing Muling’s face showed reluctance, but he agreed helplessly. It was something that had been agreed upon earlier and could not be refused.

Xuebing Xuan held back a smile and said, “Junior Brother, stop making excuses! It’s not like our sect members, where it’s relatively easy to keep secrets. If even one of those female cultivators is unreliable, the consequences would be unpredictable. So, just wear it!”

The female cultivators who needed Qing Muling’s assistance in crossing their Tribulations, brought by the Qinghuan Emperor, were not fully trusted by the higher-ups of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. Therefore, it was decided that Qing Muling would disguise himself to confuse others, as his true identity must not be known to the outside world.

The Senior Sisters gathered around and helped Qing Muling change his clothes.

In a short while, a tall and slender girl in palace attire with a jade-like complexion appeared before the women. With bright eyes and white teeth, she was breathtakingly beautiful, captivating even her fellow female cultivators with her charm.

“Junior Brother has a good foundation. If you went out, no one would suspect you were a ‘Junior Sister’!”

Qi Yalan muttered under her breath, catching Qing Muling’s displeased look and quickly shutting up.

Mu Yinghua smiled and took out a colorful veil to help Qing Muling put it on, while silently activating her divine abilities, layering various seals upon it.

Soon, Qing Muling’s figure and appearance were hidden within layers of radiant light, indistinct to the eye. To outsiders, they would only recognize a female cultivator, but her identity and even her destiny would remain unknown.