At this moment, in the Morning Star Ancient Emperor's cave not far from the Soul Palace branch in the Northwest Continent, the plaza, which was originally shrouded in starlight and divine light, was now different from before. A chilling aura permeated the plaza, raging wildly. At its center floated a huge, tangible moon, devoid of any illusion. Streams of liquid-like Yin energy swirled and emanated from the moon, radiating a bone-chilling cold.
Before the moon, Soul Changqing sat cross-legged, streams of Yin energy gushing from his slightly parted lips, rising and spreading around him. His eyes were tightly closed.
That exquisite face, seemingly existing only in imagination, so perfect it gave an ethereal, dreamlike quality, was solemn and dignified. Streams of silver light shimmered on his fair cheeks, reflecting the silvery glow of the moon behind him, making Hun Changqing appear majestic and imposing, like a celestial being from the heavens.
As the Yin True Qi within Hun Changqing grew increasingly concentrated, his aura surged, a faint, crashing sound emanating from his body. When this terrifying aura reached a critical point,
the moon behind Hun Changqing erupted with a colossal wave formed entirely of concentrated Yin True Qi, raging wildly in all directions. Hun Changqing's body trembled violently, a sound like something shattering emanating from within him. Then, his tightly closed eyes snapped open, a dazzling silver light bursting forth from them.
In an instant, the entire Starlight Hall was completely enveloped by the silvery radiance emanating from Hun Changqing, with only faint starlight visible amidst the boundless silver light.
"Whoosh!"
After this wondrous spectacle of rampant Yin energy and shimmering silver light lasted for an unknown period, a breath from Hun Changqing echoed throughout the hall, and the extraordinary phenomenon gradually subsided and disappeared. The Yin energy was slowly drawn back into Hun Changqing's body.
Once everything around him had calmed down, Hun Changqing slowly raised his flawless white hand, clenched it tightly, and, feeling the surging Yin energy within him, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"He... broke through? A three-star Dou Zun?"
Hun Changqing, currently immersed in the exhilarating feeling of his cultivation level rising and the energy filling his body, suddenly heard Xing Su's slightly surprised voice. Hearing Xing Su's voice, Hun Changqing slowly looked up at Xing Su, who had walked to his side, her face filled with shock.
It's no wonder Xing Su was so shocked; Hun Changqing's cultivation had improved at a speed far exceeding her expectations. A year ago, after recovering from his injuries, Hun Changqing directly broke through to the two-star Dou Zun level.
At the time, Xing Su hadn't paid much attention, assuming Hun Changqing had accumulated enough at the one-star Dou Zun level and was simply breaking through. However, she never imagined that in just one year, Hun Changqing would break through another level, becoming a three-star Dou Zun.
Moreover, Xing Su knew perfectly well how much time Hun Changqing spent cultivating during that year; the two of them had spent almost the entire year engaged in certain indescribable activities, with very little time devoted to cultivation.
Hun Changqing, relying on that time, broke through from the initial two-star Dou Zun to the three-star Dou Zun directly. How could Xing Su not be astonished by this? She found it unbelievable that Hun Changqing possessed talent without any Soul Clan bloodline power.
Hun Changqing looked at the somewhat flustered Xing Su, a smile appearing on his face. His eyebrows curved slightly, and he teased Xing Su with a playful tone,
"That's right, I have indeed fully entered the three-star Dou Zun level now. The pleasure brought by this physical improvement is so addictive that no matter how many times I experience it, I can't extricate myself from it. However, if I hadn't been constantly interrupted by certain things during my cultivation this past year, I should have been able to reach this level much earlier."
When Hun Changqing said "certain things," his voice became slightly more forceful, causing a startling blush to rise instantly on Xing Su's fair and smooth face. Then, she rolled her eyes at Hun Changqing, letting him experience it for himself.
Looking at Xingxiu, who was now completely different from a year ago, displaying a girlish demeanor, Hun Changqing's smile deepened.
In the past year, Hun Changqing had experienced both pain and joy. Although he enjoyed what Xingxiu did to him, his condition was extremely precarious. His soul was damaged, his Taiyin True Qi was almost completely depleted, and his physical body was incredibly weak.
Xingxiu, on the other hand, hadn't just experienced a significant increase in strength; she had practically ascended to the heavens. After successfully refining her bloodline origin, she became the person with the most concentrated Dou Di bloodline at that time, even faintly radiating an imperial aura.
Her talent had reached its peak, and her cultivation level had skyrocketed, soaring from a five-star Dou Zun to the peak of a nine-star Dou Zun, about to begin compressing her Dou Qi to become a Super Dou Zun.
Moreover, after Xingxiu refined the bloodline origin, the remnant soul of the Morning Star Ancient Emperor had reached its limit. It transformed this remnant soul into its own soul origin, directly elevating Xingxiu's soul realm from the Spirit Realm to the low-level Heaven Realm.
Although the remnant soul of the Morning Star Ancient Emperor, after so many years of erosion, couldn't directly elevate Xingxiu's soul to the Emperor Realm, it did completely break through the bottlenecks in Xingxiu's soul realm. From now on
, Xingxiu only needs to cultivate her soul step by step to break through to the Emperor Realm without any hindrance. It can be said that Xingxiu underwent a complete transformation, inside and out, a world of difference from when she fought Hun Changqing in the branch hall. Furthermore, only the initial attack would damage the bloodline power; after the bloodline power was restored, such an event would no longer have any impact. There were examples among the eight clans of bloodline power being damaged and then restored.
One can only imagine the unimaginable torment that the extremely weakened Hun Changqing endured when facing Xingxiu, whose strength had greatly increased, who showed no restraint, and whose mind was twisted like that of a wild beast. Xingxiu, having lost all reason, even mobilized its own internal energy, which surged directly into Hun Changqing's body. The
incredibly weak Hun Changqing was no match for Xingxiu's energy surge, and could only watch helplessly as it raged within him, intertwining with his remaining Taiyin True Qi. Had Xingxiu's energy not been so corrosive after entering his body, and had Hun Changqing not used his Taiyin Origin to protect himself, he feared that his Taizhen True Body would have become strangely altered afterward.
Afterwards, Xingxiu, whose inner desires had been satisfied, finally regained some of her senses. Hun Changqing also possessed Xingxiu's energy within his body. With these energy sources, Hun Changqing, relying on the assimilative properties of Ruoshui, gradually assimilated the Xingxiu's energy within him into Taiyin True Qi, and his strength was finally restored.
After recovering his strength, Hun Changqing also broke through the bottleneck in his cultivation realm that had loosened due to facing life and death, reaching the second star of Dou Zun. Having recovered and broken through his strength, Hun Changqing felt a chill run down his spine thinking of Xing Su's previous manic behavior. He strongly disliked things that offered no real challenge, but Xing Su was not someone he could resist. Since physical force was out of the question, Hun Changqing could only resort to words.
Although he had never encountered a woman with such bizarre attributes as Xing Su before, and wasn't sure if he could appease her with words, he had to try anyway, otherwise his life wouldn't be so easy.
At first, Xingxiu scoffed at Hun Changqing's sweet words, remaining indifferent. His previous cold and aloof demeanor was deeply ingrained in her mind, not easily erased. She assumed he was rejecting her, powerless to resist, and using delaying tactics. Therefore, Xingxiu continued to disregard his wishes, forcefully pursuing him.
However, later, Hun Changqing's sweet words and grand promises about their future seemed to come out of nowhere. Despite having lived for over a hundred years, Xingxiu, with no romantic experience
, was easily swayed by his sweet talk. She already harbored a terrifying obsession with Hun Changqing, and hearing his description of their future as a blissful, idyllic couple, she was completely unable to resist. Although she had initially harbored some doubts, as time passed, she ultimately succumbed to the vision he painted.
With Xingxiu's fall, Hun Changqing was finally able to turn the tables, no longer having to endure her reckless and irrational behavior. Of course, the now-powerful Hun Changqing wouldn't court disaster; he unleashed all the skills he had learned in his past life, showering Xingxiu with endless tenderness.
Xingxiu's tenderness towards Hun Changqing made her feel as if she were in a dream, an unreal, dreamlike state, as if Hun Changqing would vanish with the end of the dream.
However, with Hun Changqing's daily tenderness, Xingxiu finally succumbed, completely succumbing to it. Her heart, which had been twisted by Hun Changqing, gradually recovered. Her once dark inner world was once again illuminated by the warm sunlight, making her want it to last forever.
As Xing Su gradually returned to normal, Hun Changqing persuaded her to give him some free time to cultivate. Although this cave had been there for ten thousand years, it was still built by a Dou Di expert, and the concentration of energy inside was like a completely different world from the outside. Thanks to the abundant energy within the cave and the pills he carried, Hun Changqing was able to raise his cultivation to the third-level Dou Zun stage within a year, despite his meager cultivation time.
Sometimes he really wanted to tell Xing Su to prioritize cultivation, as indulging in such things was truly unhealthy, but he ultimately remained silent. He knew Xing Su wouldn't listen, and he could only silently bear it all alone.
"Although the energy in this cave is incredibly rich, it has been there for far too long. After supporting my advancement to the third-level Dou Zun, it's now practically indistinguishable from the outside world. We've stayed here for over a year; it's about time we left."
Hun Changqing slowly rose, shook his head in disappointment after sensing the energy within the cave, and then spoke to Xing Su, whose face was flushed.
Hearing Hun Changqing's words, the blush on Xing Su's face quickly faded. She looked around, a hint of reluctance on her face, and murmured something.
"Are we leaving?"
This cave dwelling held so many different meanings for Xing Su. It was not only the cave dwelling left by her ancestors, but it was also here that her talent and strength underwent a qualitative transformation. More importantly, it was here that she completely obtained and possessed Hun Changqing. Therefore, when Hun Changqing said that he was leaving, Xing Su was momentarily dazed, and her face showed some reluctance.
Hun Changqing noticed Xingxiu's state and a gentle smile appeared on his face. He walked to Xingxiu's side, reached out, and embraced her slender waist, pulling her into his arms. He softly comforted her,
"You don't need to be so melancholy. If you really can't bear to leave this place, you can come here when you become a Dou Sheng and completely refine this place into your own space. Although this place was refined by your ancestor, the Ancient Emperor Chenxing, you possess his bloodline, so refining this place into your own space shouldn't be difficult."
At this moment, Xingxiu, nestled in Hun Changqing's arms, felt that incredibly familiar chest and that familiar aura. Her somewhat complicated heart instantly calmed down. She completely agreed with Hun Changqing's words, slowly nodding before looking up at Hun Changqing's fair face and saying with some reluctance.
"Then we'll have to part ways after we leave here."
"Hehe... Didn't I tell you? If two hearts are truly in love, what does it matter if they're together every day? Besides, I'm just settling things over with my forces in the Northwest Continent before returning to the Central Plains. You should go back to the Central Plains first to see your brother and also handle things with the Heavenly Palace regarding this branch hall.
Then you should return to the clan. With your current bloodline talent and strength, you're absolutely capable of crushing that divine-grade bloodline Hun Feng in the clan and obtaining the position of young clan leader. After I finish dealing with things here and return to the clan, I, a powerless and bloodless person, will need to rely on you for some things."
As Soul Changqing spoke, he tightened his grip on Xingxiu, holding her even closer. With Xingxiu's current bloodline talent, once she returned to the clan, she would definitely gain a status several times higher than she had a hundred years ago. And with Xingxiu in the clan, Soul Changqing would no longer be considered a powerless person and could return to the clan ahead of time.
With Xingxiu's powerful influence and behind-the-scenes manipulation, Hun Changqing would acquire an enormous amount of resources, and his cultivation would begin a period of rapid growth.
"I'll be back soon, don't worry. Besides, you probably want to see how those who gloated over your misfortune when you left the clan will react when they see you return and display your bloodline power and strength,"
Hun Changqing chuckled softly, gently stroking Xingxiu's fair and smooth cheek.
Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in Xingxiu's eyes, as if she were thinking of some people in her clan. Originally, she wasn't particularly concerned about the affairs of the Soul Clan anymore; otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen to go to the Soul Palace instead of returning to the clan after recovering her bloodline power.
However, now, persuaded by Hun Changqing, she has chosen to return to her clan. It was Hun Changqing's words that reminded her of some people she had gradually forgotten. Thinking of these people, a strange, sinister smile appeared on Xingxiu's lips.
Previously, Xingxiu hadn't returned, feeling it was unnecessary and troublesome. But now, if she were to return, it would be necessary to settle some easily retribution, as women are known for holding grudges.
However, after thinking of some members of the Hun clan, Xingxiu remembered Hun Changqing and some things he had told her. A cold, murderous glint appeared in her eyes as she spoke to Hun Changqing.
"Some things from back then do need to be dealt with. Also... you were also seriously injured and disheveled when you left the clan, right? Hmph, that Hun Feng and Hun Yu, is that right? How dare they hurt you! Even if they are the clan leader's direct descendants, I will definitely make them pay the price! Young clan leader Hun Feng, is that right? Soon he will no longer be the young clan leader..."
Hun Changqing smiled knowingly as he listened to Xing Su's cold voice filled with boundless killing intent. He felt a warmth in his heart at Xing Su's desire to avenge him, but he still waved his hand at Xing Su and spoke under Xing Su's questioning gaze.
"Although your talent far surpasses that of Hun Feng, and you can attain a high position upon returning to the clan, you have been away from the clan for so many years, and your foundation is unstable. They are the clan leader's direct descendants, so there's no need to target them. I will avenge myself."
As his words fell, Hun Changqing's gentle expression turned cold, his eyes surging with killing intent. After a certain image flashed through his mind, a terrifying killing intent involuntarily surged within him.
Xing Su nodded upon hearing this, then reached out and grasped Hun Changqing's clenched fist. She didn't ask Hun Changqing what he planned to do; she would only unconditionally support his decisions and offer him her full assistance.
"Hoo..."
Soon, after exhaling a deep breath, Hun Changqing suppressed his killing intent, his expression returning to normal, and he spoke calmly to Xing Su.
"Let's go, let's leave this place."
But just as Hun Changqing finished speaking and was about to leave, Xing Su grabbed his hand and gently shook her head. This puzzled Hun Changqing. Did Xing Su want to come again before leaving? That was fine, but wouldn't that take up too much time? After all, each time would take at least several days.
Then, under Hun Changqing's somewhat questioning gaze, Xing Su smiled charmingly on her beautiful face, pointed to the black disc in the center of the square, and gently smiled at Hun Changqing.
"When my ancestor transformed his soul into essence for me to absorb, he told me to use my bloodline power to open that disc when I left. He left some things he had stored up ten thousand years ago inside, to be given to me."
Upon hearing this, the wicked thoughts in Hun Changqing's mind instantly vanished. He abruptly turned to look at the disc behind him, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, an intensely greedy surging within them, and a strange, evil smile appeared on his lips.
"The legacy of a Dou Di powerhouse...? Hehehe..."