Chapter 516: Many Children

“This… this… how is this even possible…”

Upon witnessing the mountains and rivers, trees and flowers within Shui Miao’s realm, all brimming with vibrant life, Bufa was utterly stunned.

The manifestation of a world within a realm was something he had never heard of before.

Bufa, who had lived for over a thousand years and had friends across the Three Realms, had seen countless incredible things, but nothing had shocked him as much as this moment.

“Reality within illusion, illusion within reality—the essence of natural Dao lies precisely here. How is it possible for a low-level cultivator to create a world where reality and illusion are indistinguishable? What kind of Dao technique is this? Could it be that the secret to immortality lies within this natural Dao?!”

Bufa murmured to himself, his mind racing with thoughts.

Each person’s understanding of Dao naturally varies depending on their cultivation level.

Shui Miao, unable to grasp Bufa’s meaning, asked in confusion, “Senior, none of this is real. It’s merely the natural result of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements’ spiritual energy. How can it be related to the Dao of nature or the secret of immortality?”

“Shui Miao, you’re thinking too simply,” Bufa replied, suppressing his excitement and patiently explaining. “You may think you’re just cultivating the spiritual energy of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, and that these manifestations are nothing special. But do you realize that everything in the Three Realms is also formed from the energy of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements? How did this vast universe come into being? Why do we only have the Five Elemental Energies? All of this is part of an ongoing process of transformation—it’s something that demands investigation!”

“Senior, I’m afraid I still don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”

Shui Miao was confused. The principles Bufa spoke of were things he already knew, and nothing seemed particularly profound to him.

Bufa blinked, collecting his thoughts before continuing, “Throughout history, countless powerful beings have sought the secret to immortality. But have any of them truly succeeded? Obviously not. Despite their immense power, they all eventually faced the Five Decays of Heavenly Beings and were scattered into oblivion.”

Shui Miao thought of the Wujie Immortal Sovereign and nodded, “I know that. But what does this have to do with me?”

In Shui Miao’s heart, revenge was his only concern.

“Of course it does!” Bufa exclaimed, eager to pour out his thoughts but also cautious that Shui Miao might not understand. He slowed his pace and continued, “They all sought immortality by exploring the mysteries of the universe from within it. But you’re different—you can create your own world and understand its composition. Now, if I supply you with massive amounts of various spiritual energies to strengthen and accelerate the evolution of your world, perhaps we can uncover the ultimate secret of the Three Realms!”

“…”

The more he listened, the more bewildered Shui Miao became. He thought Bufa was overreaching.

To Shui Miao, it seemed absurd to imagine that even those mighty beings could achieve such a feat. If they couldn’t unlock the secrets of the universe from within their own realms, how could he possibly succeed? It all sounded like wishful thinking.

Seeing Shui Miao’s skepticism, Bufa patiently continued, “Shui Miao, you must understand—Yin-Yang and the Five Elements created the universe, so they must also hold the key to immortality. Don’t rush. Keep cultivating. Once we reach the ancient tomb and obtain the Nine Holy Elemental Spirits of the Forgemaster Lu Tong, I’m sure you’ll gain some profound insights.”

“…”

Shui Miao frowned inwardly, wondering why powerful immortals feared death so much.

After death, didn’t one still have a soul?

Couldn’t one be reborn and start anew?

Could it be that the legends were false? Or was it that after several reincarnations, even the soul would eventually dissipate?

Shui Miao scratched his head and voiced his doubts.

“Oh, you’re being far too optimistic!” Bufa waved his hands. “Yes, one can be reborn after death, but can you guarantee that your soul won’t be captured or destroyed by a powerful being? And once you die, all your hard-earned cultivation power dissipates. You’d have to start over again. Worse still, if your soul is captured or destroyed, you’re gone—forever.”

“…”

The thought of his soul vanishing forever sent a chill through Shui Miao’s heart.

Indeed!

Once a soul is scattered, it’s gone forever.

Then, what meaning would all his past struggles, hatreds, and efforts have?

It was a terrifying thought.

As he dwelled on it, a growing fear gripped him, as if he were being swallowed by a black hole.

“So… what should I do?”

After a pause, Shui Miao pulled himself out of his fear.

“Don’t worry. I’ll give you some spirit stones first—just keep cultivating. Also, it’s too distracting outside. Enter my treasure ring. Inside, there are spirit stones, treasures, pills, and herbs. Take whatever you need. Everything inside is yours. I’ll call you out when we reach the tomb.” Seeing Shui Miao’s realm, Bufa was even more determined to nurture him. If it led to the secret of immortality, giving away all the treasures of the dwarves would be worth it.

The two exited the realm.

Then, Shui Miao entered Bufa’s treasure ring.

The moment he stepped inside, he was stunned!

Inside were mountains upon mountains of spirit stones—premium-grade ones found only in the Immortal Realm—stretching for countless miles.

Truly, a master was a master—his ring space was impossibly vast.

Besides the spirit stones, there were countless medicinal herbs growing on the crystal mountains, exuding a rich fragrance.

There were also low-grade immortal artifacts and protective talismans scattered everywhere like trash.

But what intrigued Shui Miao most was a massive pill-making hall.

Inside the hall, ten winged female elves were busy refining pills.

“Servants greet our new master!”

“New master, Master Bufa has said we are now your loyal servants.”

“New master, everything here belongs to you.”

Upon seeing Shui Miao arrive, the elves quickly flew over to welcome him.

These female elves were slightly smaller than humans, with delicate skin and radiant beauty. What made Shui Miao’s heart race was that they were all dressed in sheer, translucent gowns, revealing their voluptuous figures. He blushed deeply, his thoughts wandering.

Suddenly, Bufa’s voice echoed within the ring.

“Shui Miao, these elves were purchased at great cost from the Elf Queen. They are pure-hearted and loyal, and have cultivated the Supreme Essence Heart Sutra. You can cultivate with them to enhance your power, or bring them into your realm. With them present, I believe the plant-based life in your realm will undergo miraculous changes. Well, I won’t disturb your cultivation anymore. I give you everything here. Take it all and cultivate well.”

“…”

Shui Miao had never expected Bufa to give him ten elven beauties for dual cultivation—it was an unexpected surprise.

However, with his current discipline, he wasn’t easily swayed by beauty.

Glancing at the shy elves, Shui Miao quickly sat down, focused his mind, and summoned them all into his realm.

After all, Bufa had said everything here was his. So without hesitation, he also transported large quantities of wood-element spirit stones into the realm. The elves, delighted with their new home, danced around ten great trees. To everyone’s amazement, the trees transformed into treants!

A delightful surprise indeed!

Once the trees became treants, their power surged, and they regarded Shui Miao as their divine ruler, generating faith energy.

Encouraged by this, Shui Miao transported even more wood-element spirit stones into the realm.

He also moved in many medicinal herbs and the pill-making hall.

These ten elves were naturally gifted in alchemy—having them meant he no longer had to worry about pill production.

With vitality and energy now flowing in his realm, both Shui Miao and the elves were happy.

Since there were so many spirit stones, Shui Miao also transferred large quantities into his soul pearl, along with many low-grade immortal artifacts and protective talismans. This thrilled Bai Feng and the others, who began to dance with joy.

With such an abundant supply of spirit stones, Shui Miao simultaneously cultivated his energy while transferring more and more stones into his realm and soul pearl.

Before Bufa called him out, he planned to fill up his realm, soul pearl, and Holy Elemental Ring completely.

He was generous—for the benefit of everyone.

Of course, the stronger everyone became, the more powerful the soul pearl would grow—this was beyond doubt.

Before long, two entire mountains of spirit stones were emptied.

Just as Shui Miao was happily transferring more, Bufa suddenly pulled him out of the ring.

Shui Miao’s heart skipped a beat, feeling embarrassed, thinking he had taken too much.

But to his surprise, Bufa simply smiled and handed him the ring, “Forget transferring stones one by one. I’ll just give you the Tianyuan Ring directly.”

Then, lowering his voice mysteriously, he added, “Shui Miao, why aren’t you in a hurry to cultivate with those elven beauties?”

“Uh… well…”

Shui Miao scratched his head and shrugged. What kind of question was that? Was he supposed to strip naked and perform a sensual ritual in front of Bufa?

Suddenly, he thought—maybe the dwarf was a pervert.

“Don’t misunderstand! Don’t misunderstand!” Bufa, sensing Shui Miao’s thoughts, blushed slightly and chuckled. “I made this suggestion because I want those elves to bear your children and help you establish a unique family in your realm. Then, using spirit stones, you can quickly raise them, and they will supply you with endless faith energy. You must understand, the faith from others can’t compare to the faith originating from your own offspring. A single child of yours is worth more than a million treants. Oh, and let me share a secret with you—I once purchased ten thousand elven beauties, and within one of my magical treasures, they’ve already given birth to hundreds of thousands of children for me!”

“Uh…”

Shui Miao’s mind couldn’t keep up. Curious, he asked, “Senior, why specifically elves? Is there something particularly special about them?!”