Chapter 584 - 318: Qinghuan Celestial Maiden

If a Great Power were to look down from a million miles high in the azure expanse, the Qingyao Continent would appear as a polygonal gemstone inlaid upon a boundless ocean, surrounded by countless island chains of varying shapes.

In the Ancient Era, the wise and powerful ancestors of the Human Race divided the Qingyao Continent into fifteen complete grand states, including Yuzhou, Xuzhou, Xizhou, Yaozhou, and Shunzhou. Together with the vast number of surrounding island chains, this formed the continent’s current configuration.

Compared to the other grand states, the overall strength of the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm was indeed a bit on the weaker side.

This was mainly because there were too many powers, large and small, and the region had never been unified in tens of thousands of years. In this fragmented state, severe internal conflict plagued the various powers, making it impossible for them to form a united front.

For example, there was the Da Xia Divine Dynasty of Yuzhou, the Primordial Demon Palace of Shunzhou, the distant Primordial Divine Hall in Xuzhou, the Great Brahma Vajra Temple of Xizhou, and the Buddhist Pure Land of Fanzhou...

These super-powers each occupied an entire grand state. With their ancient lineages and countless powerhouses, their strength and foundation were on a completely different level from the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm.

Of course, no super-power spanning multiple states had yet appeared on the Qingyao Continent. The territory occupied by even the most powerful factions usually did not exceed a single grand state.

For these powers, unifying the entire Qingyao Continent was, for now, a distant and unattainable dream.

Over the long course of history, it wasn’t that no power had striven for this grand goal; some had even briefly neared success.

About a hundred thousand years ago, the Cangyu Immortal Dynasty, originating from Cangzhou, had been a super-power that occupied half of the Qingyao Continent, and it had an excellent chance of achieving ultimate unification.

Unfortunately, this favorable situation lasted less than a century before a series of unexpected incidents occurred within the Cangyu Immortal Dynasty. Four successive generations of the Lord of the Immortal Dynasty either mysteriously perished or went missing.

Coupled with a counter-attack from the allied remaining powers on the Qingyao Continent, and facing both internal turmoil and external threats, the Immortal Dynasty’s national power rapidly declined. Its vast foundation crumbled over the next few decades, eventually vanishing into the River of Time. Even its royal descendants were completely purged and slaughtered by an unknown, sinister force.

Since then, no other super-power comparable to the Cangyu Immortal Dynasty has ever arisen on the Qingyao Continent.

The goal of Qin Mengxuan and the other women was, for the moment, still limited to the unification of the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm.

After all, a single state was an immeasurably vast territory, with an uncountable population of mortals and abundant resources capable of supporting the growth of a massive number of cultivators.

For these powers, controlling an entire grand state required a significant number of high-grade powerhouses, a corresponding Ancient Heavy Artifact to anchor its destiny, and a line of successors to ensure the long-term, stable inheritance of their foundation.

Of course, for a state-level power to advance further and transform into a continent-level super-power, the conditions were undoubtedly even more demanding. Favorable timing, geographical advantage, and popular support were all indispensable for any chance of success.

However, from the perspective of Qin Mengxuan and the other women, as long as Ling Changqing developed successfully, this seemingly unattainable dream might just have a chance of becoming reality.

"...Normally, it would be too early to bring up this goal. But once the Primordial Demon Palace is history, the major powers around us will be considerably weakened, right?"

Ziyunxi tossed her glossy, jet-black hair, which cascaded like a waterfall, and wrapped her voluptuous, enchanting body around Ling Changqing, saying with a beaming smile:

"They’ll both suffer heavy losses. For the next few hundred years, they’ll have no choice but to lie low and recuperate. That’s when our chance in Yuzhou will come!"

A major reason the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm had been unable to unify for so long was the secret obstruction and sabotage from neighboring powers. As long as they didn’t interfere, things would be much easier.

This sudden calamity was a protracted one, with more Outer Heaven Exotic clans continuously descending upon this world, and the number of high-grade individuals among them was also increasing.

To resist this calamity and protect their own foundations and legacies, these powers in the surrounding grand states could only choose to continuously dig into their reserves and send their assets to be consumed on the battlefield.

In the future, when the curtain finally falls on this war, these major powers will inevitably be severely weakened. It’s hard to say how much strength they’ll have left.

At that time, they will no longer have the spare capacity to interfere in the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm’s war of unification.

"...My love, your Cultivation Realm is high enough now. When are you going to make another trip out and bring back the opportunities from the Doumu Immortal Palace?"

Xue Qingtan wrapped her delicate body around Ling Changqing from behind, speaking in a soft voice.

Ling Changqing mused, "That place is deep within the Qingming Continent, quite far from here! But... I suppose I’ll go. I’ll treat it as a trip to relax a little."

Xue Qingtan had mentioned this to Ling Changqing back when he was still a Golden Core Master.

The Doumu Immortal Palace was the Cave Mansion Hall of Immortal Venerable Doumu. This Great Power had achieved enlightenment during the Primordial Era and later vanished during the Ancient Era, her whereabouts unknown to all.

The Cave Mansion Hall where she had once cultivated in seclusion also vanished into the depths of the River of Time, its traces lost, only to reappear in the distant Dharma Decline Era.

According to Xue Qingtan, in her previous life, that Ancient Immortal Mansion Secret Realm had already been opened, and the opportunities inside had been completely plundered and divided up by certain Great Powers. Due to some unforeseen circumstances at the time, she herself hadn’t managed to get any of the benefits.

After the event, the specific location of the Immortal Mansion Secret Realm and the method to open it were no longer secrets, so Xue Qingtan had naturally memorized them.

In this era, the Doumu Immortal Palace was still dormant, and only Xue Qingtan knew how to open and enter it. This was an exceptionally huge advantage.

The cold and stunning Ling Qiyue furrowed her dark brows slightly and said, "If you decide to go, my love, you have to take a group of the sisters from home with you."

"Of course. All sisters whose cultivation has reached the Golden Core Master level can participate in a lottery. The winners can go with our husband."

Tang Qiu Yao said with a beaming smile.

She felt that the family still didn’t have enough Nascent Soul True Monarchs and Divinity Transformation Powerhouses, so she needed Ling Changqing to help a new batch of them achieve breakthroughs as soon as possible, thereby rapidly increasing the family’s strategic strength.

Although the Ling Family no longer lacked resources, from the perspective of the women in the harem, the fastest way to improve their cultivation was still through Dual Cultivation with Ling Changqing.

Of course, this wasn’t just true for the Ling Family itself; it was the same for the women of Lu Hua Palace, Xianyin Pavilion, the Liu Ying Clan, and the Deep Sea Dragon Race.

"Alright, then it’s settled!"

Ling Changqing agreed.

Compared to the last trip to the Qinghao Continent to explore the Hongmeng Divine Hall, the straight-line distance to the Qingming Continent this time was clearly much greater.

Of course, Ling Changqing’s cultivation had increased significantly now. He could use the Heavy Artifact, the Bian Wujian Gate, once per day, and its spatial teleportation distance was much greater.

All things considered, Ling Changqing estimated he could reach his destination in about a month at most. In contrast, his previous journey to the Qinghao Continent had taken him more than half a year.

Meng Feiyu thought for a moment, then said to Ling Changqing, "Sister Qingtan and I are both at the Divinity Transformation Peak and will soon be able to break through to the Void Refining Realm. My love, you should wait a bit longer!"

She was thinking that if they waited until their cultivation broke through to a new realm, they would be more confident on their travels and better able to handle any unexpected incidents.

Ling Changqing nodded. "No problem. We’ll set out in half a year."

Beside them, Liu Ying Ziyi pressed her cherry-red lips together, looking as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.

’She remembered that Bai Qingyi had secretly returned to the Deep Sea Dragon Palace a few days ago. When she came back, she would surely be accompanied by a group of dragon princesses, all prepared for Ling Changqing, no doubt. That guy is going to have his hands full again.’

’Then again, if they could get the entire Deep Sea Dragon Race to side with Ling Changqing, perhaps the Ling Family’s process of unifying the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm and establishing an Immortal Dynasty would go more smoothly?’

...

High above in the vast azure firmament, a nine-story White Jade Seven Treasures Buddha Tower, over thirty zhang tall and seemingly forged by nature itself, floated quietly.

Inside the pagoda’s main hall, the Qinghuan Celestial Maiden sat before a simple, ancient bronze mirror, her dark brows knitted in concentration as she quietly observed the mountains and rivers of the Yuzhou lands below.

She was surrounded by a host of peerless beauties, all dressed in different styles. There were young ladies from the great houses of mortal dynasties, noble and gorgeous women in palace gowns, valiant and heroic swordswomen, and cold, beautiful assassins in tight leather. There were even peerless female laypersons in dark monastic robes who cultivated with their hair unshorn... the variety was endless.

Moreover, their innate talent and aptitude were all first-rate, and there was no lack of them at cultivation realms ranging from Golden Core to Nascent Soul and even the Divinity Transformation Realm.

After a long while, the Qinghuan Celestial Maiden withdrew her gaze and sighed faintly, "I’ve been out searching for so long, but the whereabouts of the Child of Destiny are still unknown. I don’t even know if he’s still in Yuzhou."

Her sect, the Great Brahma Vajra Temple far away in Xizhou, had already sent multiple inquiries. If she still had no results, the Qinghuan Celestial Maiden would have to consider giving up.

At this moment, a female layperson beside her with a cool expression, dressed in dark monastic robes, parted her red lips and spoke in a soft, low voice:

"Senior Sister, since the Child of Destiny pushed forward by the Primordial Demon Palace was a fake, the real Ling Changqing must still be in Yuzhou. He wouldn’t have gone anywhere else."

The implication was that since Ling Changqing was still free and had not been captured by any major power, his best strategy now would be to remain where he first appeared and grow in peace. He was unlikely to go out looking for trouble and entangling himself in karma.

The Qinghuan Celestial Maiden nodded. "I think so too. It’s just that the Yuzhou region is too vast, with a population in the trillions. All Secret Methods of Celestial Secret Calculation are useless, so finding him is easier said than done."

It was said the Child of Destiny was fond of beautiful women, and the Qinghuan Celestial Maiden had prepared accordingly. She had brought a large group of handpicked beauties from the Buddhist Sect and was even willing to offer herself in marriage, confident that Ling Changqing would not be unmoved.

But the prerequisite for all of this was finding him. Or rather, he had to see these Buddhist beauties for himself before there could be any chance of progressing further.

As things stood now, she was completely clueless, with no idea where to even begin her search.

The female layperson’s eyes glinted as she said in a low voice, "If his disposition is truly that lecherous, then wouldn’t the ones most likely to have found him be the local female cultivator factions of Yuzhou?"

"Perhaps... one of those factions has already found him and is holed up in some corner, engaged in Dual Cultivation? It’s just that no one on the outside would know."

The Qinghuan Celestial Maiden’s beautiful eyes lit up. She pondered this seriously for a moment before nodding.

"I can’t rule out that possibility. In that case, we just need to focus our investigation on Lu Hua Palace, Xianyin Pavilion, and the Liu Ying Clan. We might just make an unexpected discovery."

A bright flash of Buddhist light flared, and the White Jade Seven Treasures Buddha Tower tore through the sky, vanishing over the horizon.