Volume 1, Chapter 175 – Beginning Seclusion

Within Lingxu Blessed Paradise, time slipped quietly by.

The disciples each underwent their own trials across the vast secret realm, where opportunity and danger went hand in hand.

Liu Ruyan and Gu Luoli ventured deep into the core region, working together in perfect harmony.

Drawing on the profound mysteries of the Samsara Dao Scripture, Liu Ruyan fended off the combined assault of several Golden Core-stage demonic beasts.

Meanwhile, with the aid of her double pupils, Gu Luoli obtained an earth-rank sword art from an ancient ruin.

In the outer region, six teams advanced steadily.

After leading her team three hundred li south, Ye Ling’er encountered a pack of Foundation Establishment-stage Ironback Demon Wolves.

During the fierce battle, she combined her Lunar spiritual power with the twin Nether Moon blades, single-handedly slaying seven demon wolves and keeping her fellow disciples safe.

The battle deepened her understanding of the Lunar Canon, and her cultivation began to brush against the threshold of the Golden Core stage.

At first, A-Yao was somewhat frightened, but after weathering wave after wave of combat, she gradually overcame her fear.

She slowly learned to control the lotus platform in battle. Although her technique was still immature, she was already beginning to show real skill.

Li Zhiwei spent seven days comprehending the sword beneath a waterfall in the northeast, successfully breaking through to late-stage Foundation Establishment.

In an ancient forest to the northwest, Murong Xue led several fellow disciples in trapping and killing an early-stage Golden Core Shadow Leopard. Her cultivation was also showing signs that she would soon form her core.

Relying on the wondrous abilities of the Thousand Mechanisms Disk, Xiao Ya led her team around one natural illusion formation after another.

Eventually, in a valley thick with spiritual energy, they discovered a small patch of Dew-Condensing Flowers, which were used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills.

Zhao Ling’er and Wang Zhaojun worked together seamlessly, one attacking and the other defending. In the marshlands to the east, they harvested more than ten rare Watercloud Lingzhi.

Wang Teng, meanwhile, led his team to the edge of an ore vein in the west, where they gathered a considerable amount of high-quality Scarlet Copper Essence Ore.

The days passed.

Watching the disciples train in Lingxu Blessed Paradise, each making progress and reaping rewards, filled Gu Han with gratification.

She had no intention of sitting idle. She planned to use this time to devote herself fully to refining the Donghuang Bell.

Although this quasi-immortal artifact possessed tremendous power, she had refined only a quarter of it. She was still far from wielding it with complete mastery.

With the Central Province gathering drawing near, the inside information Qingxuan had revealed put Gu Han on guard.

Strength was the foundation for overcoming everything.

“System, activate cultivation mode and block all external disturbances.”

[Ding! Cultivation mode activated!]

[Friendly reminder: This deep refinement is estimated to take twenty days. During this period, the Host will remain in a semi-secluded state. Confirm?]

“Confirm.”

As Gu Han spoke, an invisible ripple suddenly spread through the main hall.

The entire great hall seemed to be enveloped in a transparent membrane, completely isolating it from the outside world.

She took a deep breath and formed a series of hand seals. Before her, the Donghuang Bell slowly began to rotate.

Rеad oո ΚatRеαdiոɡСаfе

“Hummm…”

The bell’s ancient peal echoed through the hall. Across its dark golden surface, images of the sun, moon, stars, earth, fire, water, and wind lit up one by one.

A vast, primordial Dao Resonance spread outward, merging with the aura surrounding Gu Han.

The refinement had officially begun.

At the same time, in the Western Courtyard guest quarters…

Empress Qingxuan leaned against the window, idly toying with a smooth jade pendant as she glanced toward the main hall.

She could sense that an invisible force had sealed the entire hall.

“Has Little Sister Gu gone into seclusion?”

Qingxuan murmured, understanding flickering in her eyes.

Gu Han’s choice was exactly what she had expected.

The disciples had entered the secret realm for training, and the Immortal Palace had no major affairs requiring attention for the time being. It was the perfect opportunity to enter seclusion.

“Just as well.”

The corner of Qingxuan’s lips curved into a meaningful smile.

“Luoshui.”

“Master.”

Luoshui appeared silently in the doorway.

“Send word back to the Eastern Region. Have the Grand Elder take charge of all affairs for the time being.”

Qingxuan’s voice remained languid, yet her decision carried an authority that brooked no argument.

“This Empress intends to remain in the Southern Region a while longer…”

Luoshui’s heart jolted, but her expression remained unchanged.

“Yes, Master. I’ll see to it at once.”

After Luoshui left, Qingxuan strolled out of the guest quarters and followed the corridor toward Yaochi.

Since Gu Han was in seclusion, Qingxuan naturally would not disturb her.

But that did not mean she had nothing else to do.

There was something extraordinary about every corner of Yaochi Immortal Palace.

She had already been here for quite a few days. Now that Gu Han had entered seclusion, Qingxuan naturally intended to take the opportunity to learn more about the place.

In another guest room in the Eastern Courtyard…

Empress Lingshuang had likewise noticed the unusual change in the main hall.

She stood in the courtyard, her ice-blue eyes fixed on the main hall, her expression complicated.

She had entered seclusion…

Rеаⅾ oո ΚatRеаԁіոɡСafe

That meant Empress Lingshuang would not see Gu Han for quite some time.

An inexplicable irritation began to stir within her. Lanxing’s words from yesterday still echoed in her ears.

“Treat her sincerely, and take things slowly”…

But for the time being, she did not even have a chance to “take things slowly.”

“Your Majesty.”

Lanling’s voice came from behind her.

Empress Lingshuang withdrew her gaze, her voice cool.

“What is it?”

“News has come from the Northern Region. There have been unusual movements around the Nether Sea recently. It appears an ancient ruin may soon emerge.”

“Several elders wish to know whether we should send people to investigate.”

Empress Lingshuang fell silent for a moment.

In the past, she would undoubtedly have gone to investigate in person.

But now…

She glanced back toward the main hall.

“Have the Third Elder lead a team there.”

Empress Lingshuang made her decision.

“If necessary, this Empress will return at once.”

“Yes.”

Lanling acknowledged the order. After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke again.

“Your Majesty, do you truly intend to remain in the Southern Region for the foreseeable future?”

Empress Lingshuang’s gaze chilled.

“What are you trying to say?”

Lanling dropped to one knee.

“This subordinate would not dare presume. But the Northern Region cannot go a single day without its ruler. If Your Majesty remains away too long, I fear unrest may arise.”

“This Empress knows what she is doing.”

Lingshuang’s voice was icy.

“Those people are incapable of stirring up any real trouble.”

Despite what she said, she understood Lanling’s concern.

She had ruled the Northern Region for more than twenty thousand years, and her authority had long since taken root in the hearts of its people.

Rеаd οո KatRеαdiոɡСαfе

But all of that depended on her presence. If she remained absent for too long, some people would inevitably begin entertaining other ideas.

After all, she was not the Northern Region’s only Immortal Ascension expert.

At that thought, a cold gleam flashed through Empress Lingshuang’s eyes.

“Pass down my decree,”

Empress Lingshuang said slowly.

“All sects in the Northern Region are to continue as usual. If anyone dares make a move, kill them without mercy.”

“As you command!”

The days passed.

On the surface, Yaochi Immortal Palace remained peaceful, but unseen currents were stirring beneath it.

Empress Qingxuan wandered throughout the Immortal Palace. She appeared to be sightseeing at her leisure, but in truth, she was carefully observing every detail.

She visited Danxia Peak and watched Yun Miaoyi’s fluid, effortless technique as she refined pills, privately marveling at her mastery of the Alchemical Dao.

She went to Snow Moon Peak and sensed from afar the pure, razor-sharp sword intent Li Hanyi displayed during her sword practice, silently assessing the Grand Elder’s true strength.

She even used “discussing the Dao” as a pretext to speak with Yun Yun, the Deputy Palace Master, subtly probing into the history of Yaochi Immortal Palace.

The more she learned, the more astonished she became.

This Immortal Palace had been established for barely more than a year, yet the depth of its foundations far exceeded her imagination.

The disciples’ foundations were frighteningly solid, while every elder possessed extraordinary cultivation. Even the weakest among them stood at the peak of Body Integration.

And that was not even mentioning the mysterious Myriad-Phenomena Tower, the Enlightenment Tea Tree with its innate spiritual root, or the Donghuang Bell in Gu Han’s possession, which made even Qingxuan’s heart tremble…

“Little Sister Gu, just which world do you come from?”

Standing beside Yaochi, Qingxuan gazed at the Enlightenment Tea Tree on the island at the center of the pool, its Dao Resonance radiating outward, and murmured to herself.

She had once traveled across the Xuanhuang Continent and knew something of that world, where experts could be found everywhere.

At first, she had suspected that Gu Han might be a Great Emperor from the Xuanhuang Continent. But the longer she interacted with Gu Han, the more she realized that did not seem to be the case.

No matter how deeply she investigated, however, she could never possibly imagine Gu Han’s true origins.

Meanwhile, Empress Lingshuang had not been idle either.

Rather than wandering around like Qingxuan, she chose a more direct approach: cultivation.

She set up a barrier around her Eastern Courtyard guest quarters and meditated throughout the day. Frigid air swirled around her, covering the entire courtyard in a thin layer of ice.

Yet anyone who observed closely would discover that she was not practicing a cultivation technique, but an extremely ancient spell that had nearly been lost to time.

The spell was useless in battle, but it could calm the mind, reveal one’s true nature, and grant insight into one’s innermost heart.

Empress Lingshuang was trying to understand her own feelings.

She had lived for tens of thousands of years, yet this was the first time she had developed feelings for someone, and that person was another woman.

Whenever she paused in her cultivation, a trace of bewilderment would flicker through Empress Lingshuang’s eyes.

Rеαⅾ oո KаtRеαⅾіոgСаfe

She recalled Gu Han’s calm gaze during their battle beyond the heavens, when she had summoned the Donghuang Bell.

She remembered how Gu Han had guided her understanding of the laws of ice when they discussed the Dao.

She remembered Gu Han in the main hall, flustered by her questioning yet struggling to maintain her composure…

Every scene remained crystal clear.

“Does this Empress… truly like her?”

“But…”

Empress Lingshuang’s thoughts drifted uncontrollably back into the distant past.

Deep within the frozen tundra of the Northern Region, there had once been a small tribe, one long since frozen beneath the dust of time.

She was the daughter of the tribe’s chief. Born with a natural affinity for ice and snow, she was regarded as an auspicious blessing by her people.

Her father had been a dignified man, while her mother had been a gentle and beautiful woman.

In her memories, her father always looked at her mother with tender, burning affection. Whenever her mother returned his gaze, a happy blush would spread across her face.

That had been her earliest understanding of “love.”

A mighty, valiant man and a gentle, beautiful woman, belonging to one another.

Later, the tribe was destroyed in an attack by a hostile tribe, and her parents died protecting her.

After that, she wandered the frozen plains alone, narrowly escaping death time and again until a chance encounter set her upon the path to immortality.

Throughout the long years of cultivation that followed, she witnessed countless sights and met innumerable people. Many had pursued her.

But she was wholly devoted to the Dao, pursuing the ultimate limits of cold and power and pouring every thought into cultivation.

For tens of thousands of years, her world had contained only cultivation, warfare, and her endless conflict with that woman Qingxuan.

Because the idea of having a Dao companion had never once figured into her plans for life.

Not until she met Gu Han.

But… if she truly did like her…

Two women…

They were both women, both rulers of their respective regions, and both stood at the pinnacle of this world.

Setting aside their identities and strength, and considering only the feelings between them…

Perhaps it truly was possible.

After all, there had been precedents for same-sex Dao companions on the Canglan Continent.

They were simply rare, and most kept a low profile, so they were not well known to the world.