Chapter 596 - 328: 7-Luminaries Yu Dragon Cauldron

A wilderness veiled by a sea of stars.

The sudden, mysterious pull from deep within the stars did not fluster Ling Changqing. After all, Xue Qingtan had already told him the reason for it.

Besides, Ling Changqing’s Divine Soul Origin was exceptionally powerful, far surpassing even that of Divinity Transformation Cultivators, so he naturally had no fear of such a minor drain.

Sure enough, after a dozen or so breaths, the mysterious pull gradually weakened. He then felt the Restriction inside the star begin to loosen, and the pressure radiating from the Magical Treasure within grew increasingly distinct.

A few more breaths passed, and with a barely perceptible CRACK, the Restriction completely disintegrated, turning into streams of light that scattered and vanished into the air.

In the Celestial Vault above, a cluster of brilliant, orchid-blue starlight bloomed in silence. It then transformed into an exquisite, head-sized Seal that descended, trailing a magnificent, radiant streak of light as it flew directly toward Ling Changqing.

Ling Changqing executed a few gestures of the Object Control Spirit Technique, and the treasure flickered once before coming to a steady halt, hovering three feet in front of him.

The Seal was square, topped with the carving of an unknown Exotic Beast. Its entire body was covered in ancient, majestic thunder-cloud patterns, and a ring of starlight, as clear as water, shimmered faintly around it, exuding a powerful, oppressive aura.

"Hm? A Top Grade Magical Treasure? And an offensive one at that."

Xue Qingtan, at his side, took it and examined it for a moment, then smiled. "You’re truly amazing, Husband. You got something good on your very first try!"

A Top Grade Magical Treasure was perfect for a Late stage Nascent Soul Cultivator, but it wouldn’t be a step-down for a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator to use either.

High Grade Magical Treasures were difficult to refine. Not only were the materials hard to find, but the refining process was also incredibly time-consuming, especially for offensive types. As a result, Top Grade Magical Treasures were exceedingly rare on the open market.

Ling Changqing took it back for a look but wasn’t particularly satisfied. He handed it to Xue Qingtan. "Hold onto this for now. See if any of the others like it; they can have it."

According to custom, when it came to spoils from fortuitous encounters like this, Ling Changqing always took first pick, followed by the women of his harem.

Anything left over would be placed in the family headquarters’ Merit Reward Hall for the Ling Family’s Elders and disciples to redeem with merit and contribution points.

Xue Qingtan nodded. "Husband, you’re not far from the Divinity Transformation Realm now. It would be more fitting for you to have a few Early Grade Spiritual Treasures."

Magical Artifacts, Spiritual Artifacts, Magical Treasures, Spiritual Treasures, Ancient Spiritual Treasures, and the legendary, possibly-existent Profound Celestial Treasures and Innate Spiritual Treasures—such was the classification system of this world.

Of course, on certain great continents, there were also so-called Talisman Treasures, True Treasures, and Lifebound Magical Treasures, but these were all fundamentally at the Treasure Level.

The goal of this world’s Divinity Transformation Cultivators was typically a Spiritual Treasure. In reality, however, only those with immense wealth or from top-tier factions had true Spiritual Treasures to use. The vast majority of Divinity Transformation Cultivators could only make do with a few decent Magical Treasures.

Xue Qingtan knew that Ling Changqing’s total Magical Power far exceeded that of Cultivators at the same Realm. Ordinary Magical Treasures were indeed unworthy of him. Only a Spiritual Treasure would allow him to fully unleash his combat prowess.

After a short wait, the star Xue Qingtan had chosen also showed some activity. As the Restriction was smoothly broken, a brilliant streak of light shot across the space and landed in her hand.

It was a pair of ancient-style Phoenix Pattern Jade Pendants. They felt smooth and cool to the touch and radiated a faint pressure.

Ling Changqing took them for a look. The Jade Pendants were an Early Grade Magical Treasure, and a defensive one at that. The fact that it was a pair was rare, making its market value quite considerable.

"Barely passable."

Xue Qingtan shook her head and put them away. At her current Void Refining Peak Realm, she naturally looked down on such an item. ’I’ll give them to the newer sisters at the Golden Core Stage later,’ she thought.

Ling Changqing thought for a moment, then released Meng Feiyu, Qingsi, Bai Qingyi, Su Qinglian, Luo Binghu, and all the other women from his Era Star Palace Pocket World. In an instant, the area was filled with a dazzling and fragrant display of beautiful figures.

"Oh? This place is quite nice!"

The bright and lovely sisters, Zhao Wanyi and Zhao Wanqing, raised their heads. Their beautiful eyes filled with delight as they gazed at the multitude of magnificent, splendid, and mysteriously distant stars in the Celestial Vault.

"We’re here already? I thought we would have to wait longer."

His daughter, Ling Shuanghua, muttered, her excitement plain to see.

"This is a rare opportunity. Sisters, come and try your luck!"

Xue Qingtan said gently, "If you can get a suitable Magical Treasure for yourselves, then this trip will not have been in vain!"

The women all agreed and, following her guidance, each chose a star and began to make contact with it using their Divine Thought.

Instantly, the Celestial Vault lit up with flashes of multicolored light. The faint hum of fluctuating Star Force echoed as great showers of colorful light-feathers burst forth from time to time, revealing the hazy silhouettes of Magical Treasures within the stars.

Of course, the women all had different Cultivation Realms and their Divine Soul Origins varied in strength. Coupled with differences in their Life Charts and Destiny, the difficulty of opening a star was not the same for everyone.

This time, Ling Changqing selected a pale golden star with a hint of purple. He connected with it using his Divine Thought and began attempting to break the Restriction inside.

As his Divine Soul Power drained away rapidly, the silhouette of a gracefully long, blood-red Battle Saber slowly emerged from within the star.

A dozen or so breaths later, the Restriction was successfully broken. The blood-red Battle Saber transformed into a streak of light and descended gracefully, filling the space with an incomparably sharp and murderous intent.

What he obtained this time was also a Top Grade Magical Treasure, and in terms of destructive power, it surpassed the Seal.

"No way... Is Husband really that fast?"

Beside him, the sweet and innocent Luo Qingning blinked her beautiful eyes, speaking in disbelief.

At this point, even Bai Qingyi had yet to break open her first star, to say nothing of the other women.

"You’re only just realizing how fast Husband is?"

Her sister, Luo Qingyi, shot her a look and said with a hint of flirtatious annoyance.

Bai Qingyi, however, didn’t find it strange. ’He’s a Child of Destiny, so it’s perfectly normal for him to outperform all of us at a time like this.’

"Husband, you should try the biggest stars. Perhaps you’ll make a different kind of discovery," the tall, voluptuous, and strikingly beautiful Ling Bingyun suggested from his side.

"That’s... hard to say," Ling Changqing mused. He could already faintly sense that these stars were not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

’A large star doesn’t necessarily contain a High Grade Magical Treasure, and a small one isn’t guaranteed to be without something good. The difficulty in breaking the Restrictions is also completely random.’

’If my luck is good, I might open a star in a dozen or so breaths. If it’s terrible, I could have my Essence, Qi, and Spirit completely drained and still fail to even budge a single star’s Restriction.’

"Yes, for the most important Spiritual Treasures, you’ll probably have to be the one to act, Husband. I’m afraid none of us are up to the task," Xue Qingtan said in agreement.

"Then... which stars are they hidden in?" Meng Feiyu asked, blinking her beautiful eyes with a smile.

Xue Qingtan shook her head. "That I don’t know. We can only try them one by one."

In her previous life, she hadn’t obtained the opportunity within the Doumu Immortal Palace ruins. She had only acquired information about it after the fact, so she naturally wouldn’t know the precise details.

"Alright. With so many of us sisters here, it doesn’t matter if we take our time trying," Luo Binghu said nonchalantly.

Ling Changqing nodded and began searching for his next target.

In any case, there were no outsiders here. Those other Cultivators, no matter how numerous or powerful, were still wandering around the outer areas of the ruins. It was unlikely they would find their way here anytime soon.

A short while later, Bai Qingyi finally succeeded in opening a star. As brilliant feathers of light bloomed and scattered, an exquisite and delicate flower basket wreathed in crimson light fell in response, trailing a bright trajectory through the air.

"Hm? A Middle Grade Magical Treasure?"

Bai Qingyi’s brow furrowed slightly. She pursed her cherry-red lips in disappointment and casually put it away.

Her Cultivation Realm was about the same as Xue Qingtan’s, so she was naturally unsatisfied with a reward of this level.

As time passed, the women opened one star after another, each of a different size and color. Streaks of gorgeous light shot across the night sky, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

However, the disparity in their abilities quickly became apparent. Most of them had to stop after opening just one or two stars due to the excessive consumption of energy. Only after taking an Elixir and recovering for a while could they continue.

Even the ones with the highest Cultivation in the group—Bai Qingyi, Meng Feiyu, Qingsi, and Xue Qingtan—had to take a break after opening five or six stars at most.

The main reason was the varying difficulty of opening each star. Some might require only a tiny bit of Divine Soul Power, while a single star could nearly drain you dry. It mostly came down to luck.

Furthermore, the rewards they managed to obtain were mostly on the level of Spiritual Artifacts. Magical Treasures were few and far between, and they hadn’t found a single Spiritual Treasure.

Ling Changqing was, naturally, the fastest. He opened several stars in a row, each yielding a Magical Treasure of a different grade. It wasn’t until his twelfth star that he made a different kind of discovery.

In the Celestial Vault above, rings of azure-gold starlight spread out one after another. Accompanied by a suddenly intensifying pressure, an ancient Pill Furnace with three legs and two ears, suffused with Dao Rhyme, streaked across the night sky with a faint tail of light and landed in Ling Changqing’s hand.

"What wonderful treasure is it?"

Xue Qingtan asked nervously, and the other women who had been resting all gathered around.

"It’s a Pill Furnace, and it’s an Early Grade Spiritual Treasure."

Ling Changqing handed the Pill Furnace to her.

Xue Qingtan was stunned for a moment, then her expression turned to joy. "This is wonderful! With this, the family will no longer have a shortage of High Grade Elixirs!"

The other women were also overjoyed, taking turns to pass it around, admire it, and discuss it excitedly.

Elixir resources were as significant to Cultivators as food was to mortals—an indispensable strategic resource. A High Grade Pill Furnace, capable of continuously refining high-quality Elixirs, was of irreplaceable value to the growth and strengthening of a family faction.

Until now, the Ling Family headquarters only possessed a single Middle grade Treasure Level Pill Furnace, which was used by Ling Qiyue. As the women’s Cultivation grew higher and higher, this Pill Furnace was gradually becoming insufficient for their needs.

On the open market, Pill Furnaces were already a scarce resource. High Grade ones, in particular, were regarded as strategic Heavy Artifacts that could influence a Sect’s power. They were tightly controlled by the major factions and would almost never appear for trade in a Marketplace.

Therefore, for the Ling Family, the arrival of this Seven-Luminary Yu Dragon Furnace was perfectly timed. In the future, when Ling Changqing used it for Alchemy, not only would the quantity and quality of Pill Formation improve significantly, but the difficulty and time required for Alchemy would also be drastically reduced.

Only after all the women had seen it did Ling Changqing perform the refinement ritual to claim ownership before putting it away.

"Husband, help me..."

Song Xuelan’s weak voice sounded out. Her face was pale, and her Essence, Qi, and Spirit were on the verge of depletion.

Ling Changqing reached out and placed a hand on her back. A gentle, unending stream of Magical Power flowed into her, finally allowing her to recover.

"If you can’t hold on any longer, just stop. Don’t force yourself."

Ling Changqing said gently. Although this girl’s Cultivation had already reached the Nascent Soul Level, her foundation was still not as solid as Ling Bingyun and the others. This, combined with her stubborn pride, was why her strength had failed her.

Song Xuelan’s pretty face flushed red with embarrassment. She had set her heart on the Magical Treasure inside the star, which was why she had grit her teeth and persevered.

Several breaths later, the star she had chosen in the Celestial Vault finally opened. As a large shower of light burst forth, a beautifully shaped, slender Flying Sword, glowing bright red, descended gracefully and came to a stop, hovering before her.

Ling Changqing took a look and saw that it was surprisingly a Middle Grade Magical Treasure, quite suitable for her to use at her current level, so he had her put it away.

...

In the outer regions of the Doumu Immortal Palace, the many Female Cultivators of the Ye Family were scouting a path.

"...Something feels wrong. How did we end up circling back here again?"

Gazing at the familiar-looking crystal corridor before her, a puzzled Ye Xinglan furrowed her brow, her eyes scanning the surroundings with vigilance.