Inside the grand palace.
True Monarch Kumu sat upon the main seat, curls of smoke from Mortal World Incense drifting before his face and obscuring his expression.
Sect Master of Floating Mountain, True Monarch Kuangjian, narrowed his eyes. "Dead? And the Soul Thought Flowers were taken by Qi Yuan?"
Below the dais, Elder Li Xiao nodded.
Kang Fulu did the same, adding as a thought struck him, "Junior Brother Qi Yuan was most likely the one who slew them. The Soul Thought Flowers he took should number around three hundred."
Upon returning from the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm, Li Xiao and Kang Fulu had hurried straight to the Sect Master without a moment's pause to report everything that had transpired within the secret realm.
"Three hundred death warriors bearing Red Demon Seeds, which meant at least a hundred Origin Cores..." True Monarch Kuangjian trailed off.
This news was simply too staggering.
Even a late Origin Core cultivator would have found such a feat impossible.
Yet Qi Yuan was merely at Foundation Establishment.
"Could it be that the Red Sword Sect never planted Red Demon Seeds in those death warriors?" The Empress of Great Shang wore a pale purple phoenix robe, a trace of suspicion surfacing on her jade-white face.
"If that were the case, it would make sense... But without the Red Demon Seeds, how could the Old Emperor's grand ambition succeed?" True Monarch Kuangjian voiced his doubts.
True Monarch Kumu remained motionless upon the high throne, silent throughout, his thoughts inscrutable.
At last, he murmured, "Has the method to enter the Land of Sunken Coffins still not been found? If we can find it, all will become clear."
Elder Li Xiao shook his head. "I fear only the Red Sword Sect and the deceased Old Emperor knew of that."
At the mention of the Red Sword Sect, a heavy weight settled on the hearts of everyone present.
That was a colossal behemoth—a terrifying sect overseen by a Purple Mansion senior cultivator.
Purple Mansion and Divine Infant were worlds apart.
At Purple Mansion, one could begin to decipher the essence of spiritual energy and wield source power.
Source power was horrifyingly formidable; Divine Infant cultivators could not evade it and had no choice but to withstand it head-on.
Were a Purple Mansion expert to descend upon the Divine Light Sect, even if all the Divine Infant cultivators joined forces, they would still inevitably fall before that master's hand.
Five or six late Origin Core cultivators could perhaps contend with someone newly ascended to Divine Infant.
However, five or six Divine Infant cultivators who had never touched upon the source power would be utterly helpless before a Purple Mansion grand cultivator.
"The Red Sword Sect is quite a distance from the Great Shang cultivation world, and they have rivals of their own. Their Purple Mansion cultivator would hardly dare leave their sect, so there is no need to worry." With a few words, True Monarch Kumu dispelled the anxiety weighing on the crowd.
Just then, Kang Fulu spoke up. "Po Lang of the Palace of Light also seems to have perished in the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm. I do not know... who slew him."
He paused briefly after speaking.
True Monarch Kumu looked at his son-in-law. "Whatever thoughts you have, speak freely."
Kang Fulu continued, "Lu Fei and Liu Xing of the Demonic Desire Sect both died at Po Lang's hands. The Old Emperor and his death warriors fell to Junior Brother Qi Yuan. Several months ago, Zhu Lianhua of the Palace of Light delivered a visiting card to Seven Colors Peak, only to be turned away. The next day, Zhu Lianhua's corpse was discovered near the Divine Light Sect. Now that Po Lang has perished in the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm, I suspect it cannot be divorced from Junior Brother Qi Yuan either."
Kang Fulu spoke calmly.
In truth, his heart was far from calm.
After all, he had personally witnessed Po Lang's terrifying might, which was certainly on par with an early Origin Core cultivator.
"Early Foundation Establishment... How interesting." A sharp glint flashed across True Monarch Kuangjian's eyes. "That master of Seven Colors Peak... Could she truly be, as the rumors say, a Purple Mansion expert in hiding from her enemies?"
Although common cultivators in Great Shang whispered that Ruan Yixi was a late Divine Infant cultivator, figures like True Monarch Kuangjian and True Monarch Kumu felt she was far more enigmatic.
She might even be an injured Purple Mansion master.
If she were at Purple Mansion and had bestowed a wisp of source power upon Qi Yuan, everything would fall into place.
"There is no need to speak further of this matter," True Monarch Kumu concluded, settling the debate.
Those present agreed with his decision.
With the matter resolved, everyone took their leave one by one.
Within the vast palace, only True Monarch Kumu and the dignified, radiant Empress of Great Shang remained.
True Monarch Kumu rose and stepped behind the empress, sliding his arm around her waist. Feeling the warm, supple contours of the mature beauty, he said softly, "Muyou, you have suffered."
A seductive glint shone in the empress's phoenix eyes. "Were it not for you back then, I would have perished long ago. What suffering is there to speak of?"
Then, True Monarch Kumu murmured, "Do you think Qi Yuan slew Po Lang and those death warriors by relying on treasures bestowed by Ruan Yixi, or by his own strength?"
Hearing this, a pained expression crossed the empress's refined, dignified eyes as though she were lost in memory. "You still haven't given up?"
A fierce, murderous aura leaked from True Monarch Kumu's gaze. "How could I ever forget? My clansmen all died at their hands! I must nurture a peerless prodigy—one who ranks within the top hundred of the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll at the very least—before we stand any chance of reclaiming what our ancestors left us! Fulu works hard, but his talent... is limited. Even touching the Lesser Heavenly Pride Roll is difficult for him, let alone the top hundred of the true roll."
The empress said no more to dissuade him. "This matter requires caution. No hasty decisions can be made."
"That is why I will send men into the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm to see what truly happened in the Land of Sunken Coffins. If Qi Yuan truly accomplished it, he is worthy of my investment!" True Monarch Kumu's face filled with anticipation.
Scraping by in a backwater place like Great Shang, the odds of encountering a peerless prodigy were minuscule.
***
The crisp clatter of a wooden tag falling echoed like mountain spring water splashing against rock.
Qi Yuan snapped awake. "Xiao Jia?"
He looked over and saw that Xiao Jia, who had been deep in slumber, seemed to have regained some consciousness.
She made no large movements, merely clutching Qi Yuan's sleeve tightly, timid and frail.
A look of tenderness flickered in Qi Yuan's eyes.
"You're awake?"
His sight told him Xiao Jia could awaken at any time, but he had not expected it so soon.
Had something changed?
Or did staying by his side allow her to slowly recover?
Or was there some other reason unknown to him?
[Xiao Jia, the Bridal Gown Imperial Princess, is also your wife. She is currently in a semi-awakened state and may fully awaken in six days.]
Learning this, Qi Yuan felt a surge of excitement.
Regardless of the reason, Xiao Jia was waking up—wasn't that a good thing?
Qi Yuan held her tightly.
Yet Xiao Jia, having tossed out the cuddle tag just moments ago, seemed to have exhausted all her strength, sinking back into deep sleep.
About the time it took an incense stick to burn passed.
Xiao Jia vanished from the bed, leaving the faint mark of a bridal gown upon Qi Yuan's chest.
Qi Yuan stepped out of his room.
Now, he possessed the modified recipe for the Soul Dividing Pill, the primary ingredient in the Soul Thought Flower, and the remaining spirit herbs were by no means rare.
He decided to head to Divine Medicine Peak to seek a physician's help with concocting the pills.
In the Great Shang cultivation world, physicians were a hybrid of herbalists and alchemists. Not only could they heal patients, but they also refined medicinal pills.
Because of this, Divine Medicine Peak was the wealthiest peak among all those in the Divine Light Sect.
It naturally boasted the greatest number of servant disciples as well.
The moment Qi Yuan set foot onto Divine Medicine Peak, a pretty female Qi Refinement disciple stepped forward. "Senior Brother Qi Yuan, what brings you to our Divine Medicine Peak? Have you suffered an injury? I am skilled in various medical arts and can treat Senior Brother privately free of charge."
On Divine Medicine Peak, servant disciples were graded into tiers. A pretty young woman like her was assigned lighter duties such as reception, occasionally earning extra tips on the side.
For servant disciples like them, the most important quality was having a sharp eye and memorizing every important figure throughout the sect.
Otherwise, shutting a major figure out of the gate would be a disastrous laughingstock.
Facing the subtle hints in the girl's words, Qi Yuan said, "Thank you for your kind offer, Junior Sister. I need to find an elder to concoct some pills. May I ask which elders are free right now?"
A flicker of disappointment crossed the girl's eyes.
Opportunities on the immortal path were scarce; whenever one appeared, one had to seize it.
Even so, she responded swiftly, "There are four elders free at the moment: Elder Baihe, Elder Xuanchong..."
She explained the four elders in detail to Qi Yuan.
"Elder Xuanchong," Qi Yuan decided. "I'll trouble you to lead the way, Junior Sister."
Toward fellow sect members, Qi Yuan was always courteous, carrying the poise of a gentleman.
The young woman led him up Divine Medicine Peak, explaining information regarding Elder Xuanchong along the way.
"Elder Xuanchong is not originally from Great Shang, but a wandering cultivator brought back by the Sect Master. He is the foremost physician on Divine Medicine Peak, second only to the Peak Master. However, this elder..."
She paused, glancing around to ensure no one was listening, before leaning close to Qi Yuan's ear and whispering, "He has quite a foul temper. I heard that once, a true disciple asked him to refine a medicinal broth. Because that disciple carelessly remarked that the broth smelled a bit foul, the elder broke his leg on the spot."
"I see." Qi Yuan thought nothing of it.
It was normal for capable people to harbor minor eccentricities.
Of the Four Sovereigns of the Divine Flower, who among them aside from himself wasn't a bit touched in the head? Yet they were still provincial-tier prodigies.
Unlike him, who had wasted so much time and was still lingering at the village tier.
Before long, led by the young woman, Qi Yuan arrived outside Elder Xuanchong's immortal cave, where the two waited quietly.
Qi Yuan glanced at her and said softly, "Your spirit root is of the water element, right? You've come into contact with too many fire crystal stones lately, causing your spiritual energy to fall into disorder. Eating cooling foods should resolve it."
Toward his fellow disciples, Qi Yuan was genuinely kind.
After all, she had served as a free guide for this long; offering a word of advice was nothing.
The young woman blinked in confusion at first, but soon beamed with joy. "Thank you, Senior Brother Qi Yuan!"
She had indeed felt something amiss with her cultivation recently, yet could not pinpoint the cause.
Just then, a shrill voice carried out from within the cave.
"How did you discern that?"
The speaker was none other than Elder Xuanchong inside.
The cave doors slid open, and the young woman excused herself tactfully.
Stepping into the cave, Qi Yuan immediately sensed a rich wood-attribute aura.
Elder Xuanchong's face was covered in black soot, and before him lay a shattered pill furnace. It appeared he had just failed a pill refinement that ended in an explosion.
"I saw it with my eyes." Qi Yuan refined the qi of the five elements and was extraordinarily sensitive to them.
Xuanchong glanced at Qi Yuan, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes, before asking casually, "I heard you killed Po Lang in the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm?"
"Wasn't me. How would I dare offend someone from the Palace of Light?" Qi Yuan denied it at once.
A flash of disappointment flitted across Xuanchong's gaze, and he asked next, "Was it you who killed the Old Emperor and his death warriors?"
"Yes!" Qi Yuan did not hide this. The Old Emperor was already dead, and he likely had no backer left anyway.
Furthermore, obtaining the Soul Thought Flowers was no secret; anyone who investigated would find out.
"Could you tell this old man how you killed them?" Elder Xuanchong looked at Qi Yuan in surprise.
"Hacked them to death, chop by chop."
Elder Xuanchong stared at Qi Yuan and burst into hearty laughter. "I believe you! What do you wish to refine?"
"The Soul Dividing Pill." Saying so, Qi Yuan brought out the recipe and the Soul Thought Flowers.
Elder Xuanchong took the recipe, a look of surprise crossing his face. "This differs somewhat from the recipe I have seen before."
"I improved it. Please refine it according to this, Elder." Qi Yuan was slightly surprised that Elder Xuanchong had seen the original recipe.
It seemed this old man's background was far from ordinary.
Yet what did that matter? The Divine Light Sect was full of leaks and secrets anyway.
Looking over the recipe and accepting the Soul Thought Flowers, Xuanchong said, "Divine Medicine Peak possesses all the other ingredients, save for the feather of a profound chicken. You will have to purchase that from the market."
Qi Yuan nodded. "How many spirit stones will the ingredients and labor cost?"
"It's free. No spirit stones required." Xuanchong's shrill voice squeezed out a genial smile, though it looked somewhat eerie.
"Why?" Qi Yuan was taken aback.
"Because you are a disciple the Sect Master intends to focus on nurturing." Elder Xuanchong gave a dry chuckle.
Qi Yuan found this baffling.
At that moment, Elder Xuanchong pulled a gourd from his storage pouch.
"I happen to have several Soul Dividing Pills here. Seeing that you need them, you may take them."
Qi Yuan took the gourd and peeked inside—they truly were Soul Dividing Pills.
He recalled the young woman's words.
Who said Elder Xuanchong had a bad temper? This man was practically a philanthropist!
"Elder Xuanchong, I'll take the pills, and I promise I'll see you into your grave when your time comes!" Qi Yuan was in dire need of Soul Dividing Pills.
Even if Elder Xuanchong harbored some scheme, so what? Only a fool turned down free benefits! Take the prize first.
"You're quite an interesting lad." Hearing the promise to see him to his grave, Elder Xuanchong showed no anger. "Go buy the feather of a profound chicken, and this old man will concoct the pills for you."
"Right away!" Qi Yuan left the cave, transforming into a streak of light and vanishing from sight.
Inside the cave, Elder Xuanchong gazed at the Soul Thought Flower, his expression shifting unpredictably.
Just then, the space rippled, and True Monarch Kumu materialized within the immortal cave.
Chapter 91