Volume 1, Chapter 91 – The Difference Between Immortal Ascension and the Great Emperor Realm

Empress Qingxuan…

In an instant, Gu Han recalled those eyes that held both the splendor of the stars and imperial majesty, yet had also carried mischief and seductive charm at a certain moment.

She remembered the sensation of warm, fragrant softness falling into her arms, the warmth of their foreheads touching, and that brief yet unmistakable softness and coolness upon her lips…

As well as the smiling look Empress Qingxuan had given her before she left.

The tips of Gu Han’s ears began to heat up again beyond her control.

She instinctively raised a hand and lightly brushed her fingertips past her ear, using the motion of tidying her hair to conceal that fleeting moment of discomfort.

“She…”

Gu Han’s voice remained calm, but anyone listening carefully might have noticed that she spoke half a beat more slowly than usual.

“She is… a very interesting person.”

She carefully considered her wording before offering an assessment that appeared simple yet contained far too much information.

Very interesting?

Ye Ling’er mulled over those words. The inexplicable emotion in her heart did not fade. Instead, it became even clearer.

For Master to describe someone as “very interesting”…

Just what kind of “interesting” did she mean?

Hearing their conversation, A-Yao also turned her head, her large eyes filled with curiosity.

“Master-Mother, did that beautifully dressed big sister invite you to her home just to drink tea?”

“Did she prepare anything tasty for A-Yao too?”

The child’s innocent questions inexplicably loosened the taut strings in Gu Han’s heart.

Gu Han laughed despite herself and rubbed A-Yao’s head.

“Mm. We drank tea.”

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“But she did not prepare anything tasty for A-Yao. The next time we have the chance, I will have her make it up to you.”

“Okay, okay!”

A-Yao clapped happily, and her attention was immediately diverted.

Ye Ling’er watched the fleeting but genuine smile on the side of her Master’s face.

The faint sour ache in her heart seemed to lessen slightly as well.

No matter what, her Master had returned and was taking them home.

That was enough.

As for Empress Qingxuan…

Ye Ling’er lowered her eyes, her icy-blue lashes casting faint shadows over her eyelids.

The future could be dealt with when it came.

For now, the most important thing was to cultivate diligently and become someone who could truly stand beside her Master and share her burdens as soon as possible.

She did not want to remain a burden who needed her Master’s constant protection and even brought trouble upon her.

The passage fell silent once more.

Gu Han gathered her thoughts and focused on controlling their spatial traversal.

Yet from time to time, her thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to that secluded imperial palace and the warm-jade tea table wreathed in curling tea fragrance.

They returned to those eyes only inches away, filled with boundless allure.

And to the way Empress Qingxuan’s lashes had trembled with warm breath between them when their foreheads touched.

“System.”

Gu Han called out inwardly.

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[Ding! Host, I’m here! So, how did it feel to be forcefully kissed by the empress? Did your heart race? Were butterflies fluttering everywhere?]

Gu Han: “…Shut up.”

[Oh my, Host is embarrassed! Don’t worry, don’t worry. This system will not tell anyone! But you have to work hard, Host! This system has high hopes for the two of you!]

Gu Han automatically ignored the system’s teasing and asked seriously,

“Do you know anything about the Xuanhuang Continent?”

Upon hearing Gu Han’s question, the system fell silent briefly, as though retrieving or organizing information.

[Host, the Xuanhuang Continent is one of the Ten Worlds within the Starfall Ancient Domain! Moreover, it is the oldest of the Ten Worlds, the ‘Central Great World’!]

“The Central Great World?”

Gu Han immediately seized upon the key point. “Does that mean the Great Emperor experts there are stronger than the Immortal Ascension cultivators of this world?”

[Ding! Host, there is a flaw in your understanding.]

The system’s electronic voice carried a rare note of seriousness.

[It is not that ‘Great Emperors are stronger than Immortal Ascension cultivators.’ Rather, the two are ‘impossible to compare.’]

“Impossible to compare?”

Gu Han frowned slightly.

[Yes, Host. It is like this…]

The system paused, seemingly searching for the most appropriate analogy.

[The cultivation system of the Canglan Continent begins with Qi Refinement, followed by condensing a Golden Core, forming a Nascent Soul, refining the primordial spirit, enduring ninety-nine heavenly tribulations, and finally reaching Immortal Ascension.]

[It places greater emphasis on absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, comprehending and integrating the laws of the Great Dao, and pursuing ‘unity between heaven and humanity’ and ‘coexistence with the Dao.’]

[The cultivation path of the Xuanhuang Continent, however, is more like excavating the ‘boundless treasure’ within oneself.]

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[They do not cultivate Golden Cores or Nascent Souls. Instead, they begin by tempering their qi and blood, opening their meridians and acupoints, condensing true blood, igniting divine flames, and finally opening one ‘Divine Treasury Secret Realm’ after another within their bodies.]

[Every secret realm they open brings a partial transformation of their physique and grants them all manner of unimaginable divine abilities.]

[The ‘Great Emperor realm’ is reached when both the physical body and divine soul attain the limits of that world, their inner secret realms complete their evolution, and their lifespan reaches fifty thousand years.]

Gu Han listened intently and gradually came to understand.

The fundamental difference between the two systems lay in their “direction.”

One sought outward, merging with heaven and earth.

The other excavated inward, exploring the self.

[Therefore, if you absolutely had to compare them…]

The system’s voice carried a strange note of emotion.

[Immortal Ascension cultivators can mobilize the might of heaven and earth with a wave of the hand. Laws accompany their movements, and a single thought can affect thousands or even tens of thousands of li. They excel at transforming the world across vast areas.]

[Great Emperor experts may not produce such immense phenomena of heaven and earth with every movement, but their bodies are imperishable, their qi and blood are as vast as the sea, and every punch and kick carries the power to shatter stars. They also possess all manner of formidable divine abilities.]

[Unless the two truly fought to the death, it would be difficult to determine which was stronger. It can only be said that each has its own strengths, and both are supreme existences who have reached the end of their respective paths.]

So that was how it was…

Gu Han was shaken.

Cultivating qi and blood and opening secret realms within the body…

It was somewhat similar to the settings of certain novels she had known in her previous life.

And the Great Emperor realm corresponded to the Immortal Ascension realm of this world.

“In that case, Empress Qingxuan truly possessed astonishing fortune to return safely from such a world.”

Gu Han sighed inwardly.

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[Indeed. Cultivators on the Xuanhuang Continent hold varying attitudes toward ‘outsiders.’]

[However, this is an opportunity for you, Host.]

“An opportunity?”

Gu Han raised an eyebrow.

[Host, do not forget that the Samsara Dao Body, Innate Double Pupils, and Lunar Divine Body possessed by your three disciples, Liu Ruyan, Gu Luoli, and Ye Ling’er, are all better suited to the Xuanhuang Continent’s cultivation system!]

[Should you travel to the Xuanhuang Continent in the future, this system will be able to help you gather its finest resources and cultivation techniques. They may also bring unexpected benefits to your own cultivation.]

Gu Han’s heart stirred.

The system was right.

She possessed the Immaculate Immortal Body and was cultivating the Chaos Scripture, but although the Great Dao had countless paths, they all led to the same destination.

If she could witness the Great Emperor experts and cultivation system of that world, it might truly allow her to walk her own path more steadily and travel farther.

Then there were her three disciples, who possessed the Samsara Dao Body, Innate Double Pupils, and Nine Yin Divine Body. All three were destined to become empresses in the future.

“It seems I will have to visit the Xuanhuang Continent after all.”

Gu Han murmured, a trace of anticipation flashing through her eyes.

In the future, once the time was right…

“Master-Mother, are we almost there?”

A-Yao’s voice pulled her back from her thoughts.

Gu Han rubbed the little girl’s head, raised her eyes toward the path ahead, and smiled faintly.

“Mm. We are almost there.”