“This jade slip contains the insights and secret techniques my husband and I have summarized for breaking through to the Deity Transformation stage. With your experience, Fellow Daoist, you can easily discern their authenticity.” Wen Qing regained her smile and flicked her hand, sending a streak of emerald light flying toward Han Li.
Han Li caught it in his grasp—a palm-sized green jade slip. He nodded without ceremony, lowering his head to scan it with his spiritual sense. Inside, there were indeed seven or eight secret techniques. Han Li casually selected one and began examining it in detail.
Unbeknownst to Han Li, as he pondered the authenticity of the contents, Wen Qing exchanged a glance with Ling Xiaofeng, her eyes flashing with a hint of triumph.
“Good, it’s indeed genuine. This will be of great use to me,” Han Li said after the time it took to drink a cup of tea, withdrawing his spiritual sense from the jade slip, his expression softening.
“Since Fellow Daoist Han finds no fault with the jade slip, our transaction is complete. My husband and I have other pressing matters and won’t linger here any longer,” Ling Xiaofeng said calmly, his eyes flickering.
“Haha, this is still under the jurisdiction of your palace. It should be me bidding farewell. I’ll take my leave first.” Han Li laughed, clasping his fists toward the two before green light enveloped him, transforming into a dazzling green streak that vanished over twenty zhang away in a flash. The speed of his flight caused even the Twin Saints of Heavenly Star to momentarily change expressions.
“No wonder he’s so arrogant—he does have some skills. What do you think, husband? Will that Han kid fall for our trap?” the palace-robed woman asked, turning to the man after the green light disappeared beyond the horizon.
“As long as he desires to advance to the Deity Transformation stage, he won’t be able to resist the snare. Though the methods we gave him for breaking through are genuine, once he tries them, he’ll realize most are either ineffective or outright impossible—mere fantasies. Only the method we provided, which harnesses the power of the five elements, holds any real promise. And given his youth, now is the perfect time for him to cultivate the Magnetic Divine Light. If all goes well, he could master it before his lifespan runs out. Do you think he’d pass up such an apparently easy shortcut?” Ling Xiaofeng’s lips curled into a cold smile.
“True. We subtly hinted at the characteristics of the Magnetic Divine Light and its powers once mastered. Even without the allure of breaking through to Deity Transformation, he’d likely covet its might and refuse to let it go. And once he commits to cultivating it, he’ll have no choice but to rely on the Magnetic Mountain, retracing our steps and becoming trapped in Star City, too preoccupied to think of anything else. By the time he realizes the harsh conditions for mastering the Magnetic Divine Light, it’ll be too late—decades will have passed. By then, if Yuling succeeds in her advancement, we won’t have to fear any retaliation from him,” Wen Qing said with a smile.
“But what if Yuling fails to reach the late stage? That would spell real trouble,” Ling Xiaofeng mused, his tone suddenly grave.
“If she can’t advance to the late stage despite all the time we’ve bought her, then it’s simply her fate. She should abandon any ambitions of controlling Star Palace and leave Star City to live as an ordinary rogue cultivator,” Wen Qing sighed after a brief pause.
“Without late-stage cultivation, she won’t be able to suppress the palace elders. Even if we leave her some contingencies, they won’t last forever. For now, we must return and teach Yuling the method to refine the Magnetic Mountain. Only by controlling it can we ensure Han Li hesitates to act against her. Otherwise, if he endures a century of stagnation and storms Star City after our deaths to seize the mountain, it would be troublesome. Yuling’s aptitude isn’t poor—with the right dual cultivation partner, the power of dual cultivation, and ample pills, she stands a fair chance of reaching the late stage,” Ling Xiaofeng said indifferently.
“That’s all we can do. With Han Li dealt with, we must focus on eliminating Six Paths and Wan Sangu in the next century. But now, those outer sea demonic cultivators are causing trouble again. It seems we’ll have to temporarily cease hostilities with the Anti-Star Alliance and deal with the outer sea beasts first,” the palace-robed woman said, frowning in frustration.
“Hmph, those demonic cultivators must think our inner sea has grown weak with no Deity Transformation cultivators appearing for years and fewer Great Cultivators than in past eras. They dare consider tearing up the ancient pact. They forget—if our ancestors dared establish such an agreement, they had no fear of betrayal. After tens of thousands of years of preparation, the inner sea is now an impenetrable fortress. Even if all the tenth-grade demonic beasts attacked together, they couldn’t breach it. Besides, the outer sea demonic cultivators are far from united,” Ling Xiaofeng sneered.
“You mean the conflict between the Flood Dragon Clan and the Suanni Royal Family?” Wen Qing asked, her expression shifting.
“Exactly. The Suanni Royal Family of the outer sea was never much stronger than the Flood Dragon Clan—they only held their position due to having two tenth-grade demonic cultivators. But three hundred years ago, their elder tenth-grade cultivator perished. Naturally, the Flood Dragon Clan won’t remain subordinate. With some careful planning, I can incite a war between them. That will leave the inner sea even more secure,” the man said confidently.
“If you’re so certain, then it shouldn’t be a problem. Still, it’s a shame about the spirit stone vein on Biling Island. We’d just received word of a top-grade spirit stone appearing, but before we could dispatch reinforcements, the demonic cultivators seized the vein. I immediately sent orders to retrieve that top-grade stone and all recently mined high-grade spirit stones, but it was too late. Even Elder Gui fell to the Golden Flood Dragon King’s hands,” the palace-robed woman lamented.
“There’s nothing to be done. The outer sea belongs to the demonic beasts. Before, with no conflicting interests, the high-grade demonic cultivators turned a blind eye to our presence, not considering the mindless low-grade beasts their kin. But now that top-grade spirit stones have appeared, tempting even them, they won’t hold back,” Ling Xiaofeng shook his head.
“Abandoning the outer sea for now might be for the best. We can consolidate our forces in the inner sea and focus on stability until Yuling takes over. But our words alone won’t sway the rogue cultivators and the Anti-Star Alliance—they won’t give up the outer sea so easily,” Wen Qing said thoughtfully.
“All the better. Once we return, we’ll open all the city’s teleportation arrays to the public—anyone who can pay can go to the outer sea. Since the rise of the Anti-Star Alliance, rogue cultivators have grown insolent toward Star Palace. Let this be a harsh lesson for them! Once the outer sea turmoil settles, we’ll uproot the Anti-Star Alliance. Six Paths and Wan Sangu think we’re shackled to Star City. They’ll learn how wrong they are when they meet their end. Every hundred years, the Magnetic Mountain loses its power for a month. During that time, we’re free from its constraints. Hmph, when that day comes…” Ling Xiaofeng’s face darkened with killing intent.
“Indeed. It’s time to settle my old score with Six Paths, my so-called ‘brother,'” Wen Qing said coldly.
“What? You still can’t let go of the past?” Ling Xiaofeng frowned.
“How could I? If not for you, I’d have been dust long ago. In our last battle, if not for the Magnetic Divine Light’s restrictions, I’d never have let him escape,” the palace-robed woman’s beautiful face twisted with fury.
Ling Xiaofeng fell silent for a moment before sighing softly. “Fine. When we kill them next time, I’ll leave Six Paths for you to deal with personally.” With that, he transformed into a streak of white light, speeding back the way they came.
Wen Qing remained for a moment, her expression shifting between emotions before she finally stamped her foot and followed in a streak of light.
Meanwhile, Han Li was already on his way to Kuixing Island. Unbeknownst to him, the day after his return from the outer sea, Silver Shark Island received news that nearly all cultivators on Biling Island had been wiped out. Simultaneously, rumors spread of a top-grade spirit stone discovered in the island’s vein, shaking the entire Chaotic Star Sea.
Two days after his meeting with the Twin Saints, high-grade demonic cultivators in the outer sea issued an ultimatum: all human cultivators had three months to leave the outer sea or face extermination. This time, neither rogue cultivators nor inner sea factions could remain idle. For the Chaotic Star Sea’s cultivators, demonic beast cores from the outer sea had become as indispensable as spirit stones, affecting every sect and power. None would relinquish their vast interests there lightly.
With both Star Palace and the Anti-Star Alliance opening their teleportation arrays, countless cultivators flooded into the outer sea. Due to the high-grade spirit stone vein and the rumored top-grade stone on Biling Island, a significant portion headed for its waters. Meanwhile, the seas around Biling Island teemed with endless ranks of demonic beasts, and numerous high-grade demonic cultivators frequently appeared on the island. War between human cultivators and outer sea demonic beasts seemed imminent.
Amidst this chaos, another rumor quietly spread—the Void Heaven Cauldron had reappeared, containing an unknown spirit pill capable of elevating a Core Formation cultivator to late-stage Nascent Soul in under two hundred years. No one knew the rumor’s origin, yet it spread like wildfire, growing ever more pervasive.
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