Volume 1, Chapter 192 – Schemes of Their Own

The atmosphere in the palace shifted abruptly after Empress Qingxuan’s final words.

Everyone’s attention once again turned to Sovereign Longteng and Sacred Lord Yaoguang.

Sovereign Longteng’s eyes flickered rapidly, betraying the fierce debate raging within him.

Sacred Lord Yaoguang drew a quiet breath. Her gentle gaze settled on Qingxuan, and when she spoke, her voice was soft but clear.

“Qingxuan, does the Xuanhuang Continent truly offer a chance to extend one’s lifespan?”

She asked directly because this concerned both her own path of cultivation and her survival. It would also determine whether Longteng changed his plans.

Empress Qingxuan put away the Red Emperor Heaven-Scorching Lotus, her expression turning solemn.

“I can’t claim absolute certainty, but the chances are undoubtedly far better than attempting such a heaven-defying act.”

“The Xuanhuang Continent possesses a complete Great Dao, countless precious natural treasures, and many ancient inheritances and secret realms.”

“I once heard that certain divine medicines there can extend one’s lifespan or even allow someone to live an entire lifetime anew.”

“Even if such divine treasures cannot be found, the chances of discovering the path to immortality there are still far greater than on the Canglan Continent.”

Every sentence struck Sovereign Longteng’s heart like a hammer blow.

A longer lifespan! Divine medicine! A chance to live another lifetime!

Each prospect held a deadly allure.

Sovereign Longteng stared intently at Qingxuan, doing his utmost to keep his voice steady.

“Fellow Daoist Qingxuan, is what you just said true?”

The palace fell deathly silent. Even the sound of breathing was barely audible.

Every gaze converged on Empress Qingxuan.

The bait she had offered was far too tempting, tempting enough to shake even these mighty experts who had lived for countless years and long since ceased to be moved by worldly things.

Empress Qingxuan felt the gazes that seemed intent on piercing straight through her, but the smile at the corner of her lips remained unchanged.

She turned to Sacred Lord Yaoguang and asked,

“Fellow Daoist Yaoguang, may I ask whether the Canglan Continent still possesses any rare treasures capable of extending the lifespan of an Immortal Ascension cultivator?”

Sacred Lord Yaoguang faltered slightly. Then an exceedingly faint, almost helpless expression crossed her gentle features.

She shook her head. Her voice remained mild, but it carried an exhaustion she could not entirely conceal.

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“Once one’s cultivation reaches our level, ordinary treasures have almost no effect. In fact…”

She did not finish, but everyone present understood.

At the Immortal Ascension realm, a lifespan of one hundred thousand years was already the limit, an immutable law of heaven and earth.

Once cultivation reached this realm, the fundamental nature of one’s life underwent a transformation. Ordinary lifespan-extending spiritual herbs were all but useless to them.

“Precisely.”

Empress Qingxuan’s voice rang out again, pulling everyone clearly back from their thoughts.

“On our Canglan Continent, many heaven-defying divine treasures that might once have existed in ancient times have long since vanished.”

Her gaze swept over every Immortal Ascension expert present before finally settling on the contemplative Old Man Tianji.

“Fellow Daoist Tianji has studied fate and heavenly secrets extensively. You must understand better than the rest of us that Immortal Ascension experts like ourselves are nourished by this world’s spiritual energy, wield authority over an entire region, and enjoy a lifespan of one hundred thousand years.”

“But once our lifespan runs out, or we perish unexpectedly, our cultivation, the origin of our souls, and even the Dao laws we have comprehended do not simply disappear. Instead, they…”

She paused briefly, then uttered four words.

“Return to nourish the world.”

Those words exploded in everyone’s ears like a thunderclap!

It was not that they had been unaware of this fact. Rather, no one had ever stated it so bluntly.

This was an almost cruel law of heaven and earth, yet it was also one of the foundations that sustained the circulation of the Great Dao throughout this world.

“And that is precisely why,”

Empress Qingxuan said, looking directly and candidly at Sacred Lord Yaoguang,

“there is virtually no way to extend one’s lifespan and break free of these constraints in this world, other than attempting such a heaven-defying act.”

“I’m sure everyone here understands the dangers involved.”

Sovereign Longteng’s expression shifted several times as Qingxuan spoke.

He had indeed intended to downplay the backlash that would result from “mending the heavens” and emphasize only the rewards of success.

Now that Qingxuan had laid it bare, the atmosphere became even more delicate.

“But the Xuanhuang Continent is different.”

Empress Qingxuan abruptly changed tack.

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She raised her hand once more, and the radiance of the Red Emperor Heaven-Scorching Lotus again curled around her fingertips.

“The Great Dao there is complete, its laws are sound, and its lands stretch on without end. I personally witnessed mighty experts cultivating special techniques whose lifespans far surpassed those of others at the same level.”

“Some sects use secret arts to cultivate ‘Lifespan Fruits.’ They ripen once every thousand years, and consuming one can extend a person’s life by a thousand years.”

“And within that continent’s forbidden regions of life, divine medicines capable of granting nirvanic rebirth are nurtured!”

Her words carried the conviction that could only come from personal experience, and every syllable struck heavily at the listeners’ hearts.

She fixed Sovereign Longteng and Sacred Lord Yaoguang with a burning gaze.

“And the Red Emperor Heaven-Scorching Lotus in my possession is the best proof. Since I was able to bring it back, that proves a passage between the two worlds truly exists. It may be dangerous, but it is not a dead end!”

Empress Qingxuan’s argument was clear and methodical, building one point upon another.

First, she had exposed the hopelessness of trying to extend one’s lifespan on the Canglan Continent, as well as the enormous risks involved in “mending the heavens.”

Then she had painted a picture of the vast possibilities and hope offered by the Xuanhuang Continent.

Finally, she had supported her claims with the Red Emperor Heaven-Scorching Lotus, irrefutable physical evidence.

The palace fell into a long silence.

Everyone was digesting this overwhelming flood of information and weighing two utterly different paths.

One was the plan proposed by Sovereign Longteng: combine the strength of all ten of them and attempt a heaven-defying feat in this world, with risks no one could predict.

If they failed, the backlash from the Heavenly Dao would likely prevent anyone present from escaping unscathed.

The other was the path Qingxuan had revealed: find that highly unstable void node and journey to a broader yet more dangerous world.

There, the Great Dao was more complete. There was a chance to extend their lifespans, perhaps even live another lifetime, along with the hope of finding the path to immortality.

The danger lay in crossing the passage itself, as well as confronting an unknown and powerful foreign world.

“Fellow Daoist Qingxuan,”

Venerable Baiyun, who had remained silent until now, slowly began, his face grave.

“Everything you’ve described is certainly enticing, but is that void node truly stable?”

“Even if we can reach the Xuanhuang Continent, how can we be sure its local cultivators won’t surround and attack us?”

His questions voiced the concerns of most of those present.

No matter how tempting an opportunity might be, they first had to survive long enough to seize it.

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Empress Qingxuan appeared to have anticipated this. Entirely unruffled, she let that languid smile return to her lips.

“Stable? Naturally, I can’t call it stable. It is a passage leading to another world. It would be strange if it posed no danger.”

Empress Qingxuan gently stroked the petals of the Red Emperor Heaven-Scorching Lotus with her fingertips, speaking with perfect candor.

“But at the very least, it is far less dangerous than forcibly mending the heavens.”

“As for the attitude of the Xuanhuang Continent’s native cultivators…”

She paused, narrowing her eyes as a trace of reminiscence entered them.

“The ancient Liyang clan hunted me back then mainly because I took the Red Emperor Heaven-Scorching Lotus. That was why we became mortal enemies.”

Her gaze swept over the crowd, and a note of certainty entered her voice.

“Even on the Xuanhuang Continent, Immortal Ascension experts such as ourselves would be Great Emperors capable of founding sects and establishing our own domains.”

“So long as we act cautiously and do not provoke those top factions with ancient inheritances, gaining a firm foothold should not be difficult.”

“Besides…”

Empress Qingxuan’s gaze settled on the silent Sovereign Longteng, a meaningful gleam flashing in her eyes.

“With Fellow Daoist Longteng’s strength, even compared with the Xuanhuang Continent’s most powerful Great Emperors, he might not be much weaker.”

Empress Qingxuan had phrased this with exceptional skill.

Not only had she affirmed Sovereign Longteng’s strength, but she had also indirectly emphasized that their group would not be entirely without resources even if they ventured to the Xuanhuang Continent.

Sovereign Longteng’s strength in particular would make him one of that world’s most powerful experts.

Those words were not merely meant for Longteng. They were intended for everyone present.

Especially those who still harbored doubts about traveling to another world and feared being targeted as outsiders.

Sovereign Longteng remained silent. Countless emotions churned, collided, and intertwined within his eyes, which were as deep as a sea of stars.

The hand resting on his throne’s armrest tightened unconsciously, faint veins rising along its back.

Extending Yaoguang’s life had been the original purpose and very heart of his plan to “mend the heavens.”

Yet the “new path” Qingxuan had now offered showed him another possibility.

The possibility of traveling to another world where the Great Dao was complete, searching for a way to prolong her life, and perhaps even finding the path to immortality.

The thought blazed wildly in his heart like the fiercest flame!

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But beneath that enormous temptation lay equally profound doubts and wariness.

“Fellow Daoist Qingxuan,”

Sovereign Longteng slowly began. His voice remained warm, yet now carried a more probing note.

“Where is this void node you mentioned? What price would we have to pay to stabilize the passage?”

“And if we truly open the passage, how many would be willing to travel together?”

He asked three questions in succession, each cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

He had not rejected Empress Qingxuan’s proposal. The mere fact that he asked how many would be willing to travel together already revealed his inclination.

He was calculating how much support he could gain if he chose to journey to the Xuanhuang Continent, and how powerful a force he could assemble to face whatever unknown situation awaited them after the crossing.

With that question, the pressure instantly shifted onto the other Immortal Ascension experts.

At this moment, the choice became starkly real.

No matter how tempting Empress Qingxuan’s offer was or how splendid a future she had painted, someone still had to take that first step.

Inquiry, calculation, hesitation, and even a faint, almost imperceptible anticipation silently intertwined within their gazes.

Who would be the first to step forward?

Then, amid that brief silence,

“Hahahahaha!”

A burst of bold, uninhibited laughter abruptly shattered the stillness in the palace!

The Desolate God surged to his feet. His burly body resembled a small mountain, and the jade seat beneath him trembled from the movement.

“I’ve been cooped up on the Canglan Continent for tens of thousands of years! My bones are practically rusting!”

“It’s just a void node, isn’t it? Just a fight, isn’t it? What is there to fear?”

“Which of us reached this stage without surviving countless brushes with death?”

The Desolate God’s declaration was like a massive boulder hurled into a placid lake, instantly stirring up towering waves!