The Heaven Breaker Divine Ship pierced through the grey clouds, heading straight back to the Heaven Breaker Divine Kingdom.
Standing at the bow were the Heart Painter Divine Regent and his daughter Hua Caili.
"Finally, I can move as I want and won't have to return to that place," Hua Caili said with a delighted smile, then pouted as she wondered aloud, "It is strange that aunt Qingying didn't come to pick me up this time." Usually, her aunt was always there the moment she came out of the Cradle, never letting Hua Caili out of her sight and constantly protecting her from any harm, but this time, she was actually not there for her.
Hua Caili deserved to be called the most beautiful woman in the Abyss, her beauty even surpassing Hua Qingying, who had left an entire generation of exceptional men dreaming of her.
Her smile could melt any heart. Her pupils glistened like crystals, and her delicate face was beautiful beyond words. She seemed almost like a living work of art. Her purity and beauty felt otherworldly, and the filthy air around her could do nothing but dim her radiance.
"Your aunt has something to attend to," Hua Fuchen said, glancing at his daughter's happy face, his heart feeling a mix of relief and surprise. Finally, his beloved daughter was no longer plagued by her injuries and could live freely. Even the losses of his Divine Energy, vitality, and soul had been largely restored by the pill Hua Qingying had given him when she returned.
Everything was going well, yet he was still taken aback and had not fully accepted the sudden news Hua Qingying had told him, that she had fallen in love with someone.
He knew his sister better than anyone in the world, and he knew it was nearly impossible for her to ever give her attention to anyone other than Hua Caili. Even he, her blood brother, rarely conversed with her, and almost every time their talks were about Hua Caili.
Hua Fuchen wanted to know who this man was, the one who had broken into the fortress surrounding his sister's heart and stolen it. He wondered how his two best friends, Meng Kongchan and Dian Louhou, would react to the news. After all, the main reason their friendship had begun was that these two had befriended him when they were young to get closer to his sister.
What made him feel conflicted was the enormous change his sister had gone through. Others might not have noticed it, but how could he, as her brother, not notice? The usually indifferent Hua Qingying had become gentler, her temperament had shifted in subtle ways, and most absurd of all, she smiled.
She freaking smiled!
Hua Fuchen had forgotten the last time he had seen his sister smile. It had probably been tens of thousands of years, perhaps back when she was still a teenager.
Could falling in love have changed her so much?
"Busy?" Hua Caili blinked, her eyes puzzled and her long eyelashes fluttering. What could possibly make her aunt so busy that she would even neglect her?
"You'll know when you see her, but you need to prepare yourself," Hua Fuchen said, unsure how to break the news to her. Would his daughter react like an upset boyfriend losing his girl? After all, Hua Caili had enjoyed Hua Qingying's undivided attention and love, so it would not be strange if she reacted badly.
However things turned out, Hua Fuchen was not worried. He knew how pure his daughter was. At most, she would show some jealousy and feel a little at a loss.
"We will be passing by the Boundless Divine Kingdom, so let's stop by," Hua Fuchen said, glancing ahead.
"Ok," Hua Caili agreed to his suggestion. "I wonder how Brother Big Head is doing."
...
As the second strongest person in the Heaven Breaker Kingdom, Hua Qingying held a very special status. Despite not being involved in any of its politics, she commanded tremendous authority, though she rarely exercised it, since she seldom intervened in the Kingdom's affairs.
Her return to the Kingdom did not stir anyone's attention, or rather, no one even tried to meet her because everyone knew she did not like to be bothered and preferred her solitude.
On this day, a sudden beam of bright light shot into the sky from Hua Qingying's residence. The moment it appeared, all the Sword Sovereigns and other high-ranking officials understood that she was announcing her entry into a secluded cultivation.
That beam was a sword formation, specially designed to keep everyone away. For profound practitioners, cultivation is an extremely sensitive matter. Interruptions during a secluded cultivation could have serious consequences, so to prevent accidents, many set up formations like this or retreated into fortified isolated chambers.
In the entire Kingdom, only Hua Fuchen, a True God, had the power to forcefully enter, and Hua Caili had permission to bypass the formation.
Inside, Hua Qingying sat cross-legged, her breathing steady and her heartbeat calm. "I will succeed," she murmured.
She was not attempting a breakthrough in the Limitless Sword Art as she had done not long ago. This time, she was preparing for something far more significant. She was preparing to break through to the True God Realm.
Many people believed that if anyone in the world could reach the True God Realm through cultivation, it would be Hua Qingying. What few knew, however, was that she had long hovered at the border of that realm, deliberately holding herself back from fully stepping into the True God Realm.
She was cultivating the Ruthless Sword Path. The higher she progressed, the fewer feelings she would retain, and because of Hua Caili, she was destined never to completely sever her emotions.
To reach the True God Realm, she would have to cut off all emotions. Yet all this time, she had been forcefully clinging to mortal thoughts, all for Hua Caili.
Now, however, everything had changed. She had abandoned the Ruthless Sword Path and chosen a completely opposite path, one that encouraged her to be freer and more open to her own heart.
Normally, since she had only recently switched her path and Profound Art, it would not be wise to rashly attempt a breakthrough, especially one as extremely significant as becoming a True God. However, Hua Qingying had something that gave her confidence.
After doing the birds and the bees thing, and taking Yun Wuji's milk multiple times while practicing the Devil Emperor's Internal Classic, Hua Qingying felt certain that she could do it and reach the True God Realm.
"I wonder if he will be surprised when I meet him next time... well, he probably won't. That guy seems to know everything, which is very annoying," Hua Qingying thought, closing her eyes. Her mind lingered on Yun Wuji one last time before falling completely still as she entered a deep state of cultivation.
...
The Eternal Light Kingdom's Divine Temple had been completely renovated under the guidance of its new owner.
It was no longer the dark, oppressive place it once had been. Shenwu Youluan and Shenwu Qing had mobilized all resources to make it look more fitting for their man.
Everything in the Divine Temple had undergone a complete transformation, but one thing remained the same; only women were allowed to enter.
Yes, this strange rule had been established by Shenwu Youluan and Shenwu Qing. Not only that, they introduced another unusual rule, mandating that all women serving in the Temple wear a uniform.
This so-called "uniform" was hardly deserving of the name. It consisted of barely transparent silk draped over their bodies, leaving little to the imagination, with matching underwear underneath that provided minimal coverage of their most private parts.
Returning after killing Pan Yusheng, Yun Wuji walked through the hall, purposely slowing his pace. His eyes drifted over the women who bowed to him with zealous fascination, and he savored the scene before him.
'Sometimes women think the same way, no matter which universe they are from,' Yun Wuji thought of Chi Wuyao, who had done the same thing to his Limitless Emperor City.
Reaching his cultivation room, Yun Wuji transmitted to his women that he would be entering a secluded cultivation for a while. The first thing he did was inspect the Divine Powers he had plundered. One was a shining orb filled with starlight, another glowed with ethereal moonlight, and the third was a dark orb, darker than black.
"I'll refine the Star and Moon Divine Power and leave the other to my Devil Body," Yun Wuji muttered, scratching his chin.
His Devil Body carried the bloodline and power of the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign, and most importantly, his Devil Orb, which contained all of his power. As long as he recovered over time, he could easily return to the True God Realm in the future.
The process of recovery could be accelerated as long as he devoured items containing Darkness. If he were to devour Pan Yusheng's Divine Power, his strength would surge directly to the True God Realm and even surpass his peak. Not only that, but because it was Darkness Profound Energy in essence, his Devil Body would absorb it far faster than any other Divine Power and much faster than his main body could.
...
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