Chapter 615 - 345: Finally, You’re Here...

The carnage outside had yet to reach the depths of the palace hall.

As Immortal Venerable Doumu’s incarnation slowly awakened, Qingsi, Bai Qingyi, Luo Binghu, and the other women silently gathered around, shielding Ling Changqing behind them.

This incarnation had slumbered for countless eons. Even Xue Qingtan didn’t know what her temperament was like or how she would react upon awakening, so none of the women dared to let their guard down.

If she turned out to have a fierce and domineering personality and immediately turned hostile, the current Ling Changqing would surely be unable to withstand her.

Across from them, the beautiful woman in a feathered robe and starry crown slowly opened her eyes. A faint, azure starlight flickered deep within them as her aura steadily climbed, soon becoming as unfathomable as a sea of stars.

The Kunpeng Maiden, Qingsi, took a step forward to shield Ling Changqing. The black-gold Armor on her body gleamed, and her aura had reached an unprecedented Peak.

Upon seeing the many beautiful women beyond the starlit Cloud Bed, Immortal Venerable Doumu’s gaze flickered. She froze for an instant before slowly propping up her curvaceous figure.

She tilted her head. Her star-bright eyes darted about before locking onto Ling Changqing, who was being shielded by the women. A dazzling light instantly ignited in their depths.

"...So it really is you. The legendary Child of Destiny. I’ve finally awaited your arrival!"

A faint sigh, as beautiful as celestial music, echoed through the hall.

Ling Changqing looked slightly stunned. He steadied his Mind and replied in a low voice, "You... you know me?"

’From the sound of it, could she really have slumbered here for countless ages just to wait for my arrival?’

Immortal Venerable Doumu nodded slightly. "My true self left me here precisely to wait for you. Only you can protect us through the great tribulation when it befalls the world in the future."

"Where... did your true self go?"

The Kunpeng Maiden, Qingsi, couldn’t help but ask.

In the distant Ancient Era, Immortal Venerable Doumu was one of the most supreme Great Powers in the world. An ordinary tribulation could never have harmed her.

"I don’t know,"

the beautiful woman said candidly. "I was originally just a wisp of a true spirit she separated from herself. I have been slumbering here, growing and tempering myself with the world’s Star Power Essence. I could only emerge from my seclusion once the future Child of Destiny arrived in this realm."

"And if he never came? What would you have done?"

Xue Qingtan asked, her brows furrowed.

As the future Goddess Empress from the long river of time, she recalled what happened in her past life. When the Doumu Immortal Palace opened, the incarnation of Immortal Venerable Doumu had awakened, slaughtered a large number of Cultivators who coveted her, and then vanished without a trace. ’Did she go off in search of her true self?’ she wondered.

"That... I’m not sure. Perhaps I would have just kept waiting forever? It was my true self’s unchangeable decree."

The beautiful woman hesitated for a moment before answering, her gaze once again falling upon Ling Changqing.

"In any case, the Child of Destiny has arrived. My final transformation can finally be completed."

"What do you mean by that?"

Ling Changqing looked surprised. He could tell this beautiful woman wasn’t a living being in the ordinary sense. ’Does she need my Destiny, too?’ he thought.

"It’s quite simple. You take me as your Dao Companion. Aided by your Luck and Fortune, I will take that crucial step. Both my true spirit and my Dao body will be transformed, making me a true living being. From then on, I’ll be able to practice Cultivation normally and advance further."

The beautiful woman’s slender brows knit together slightly as she explained in a soft, gentle voice.

’Of course. Another one here to leech off his benefits!’

Xue Qingtan and Meng Feiyu exchanged a look, now understanding Immortal Venerable Doumu’s plans from all those years ago. Her scheme was no different from their own—it was all for the sake of waiting for the Child of Destiny to arrive.

With Immortal Venerable Doumu’s supreme power and Divine Techniques back then, she could have naturally deduced that the Child of Destiny would appear in this era, as long as she was willing to pay the price. This allowed her to plan ahead, leaving behind this true spirit incarnation to slumber and wait.

’I just wonder if other Great Powers will show up in the future? They probably will, won’t they?’

Throughout the long river of time, the number of Great Powers capable of deducing the Child of Destiny’s arrival in this era was extremely limited, but the absolute number was still by no means small.

"In that case, you’ll follow me from now on?"

Ling Changqing didn’t mince words. "I need control over this Immortal Mansion’s central Array, especially the Daoist Puppet Army. Can you give me that?"

The beautiful woman—Immortal Venerable Doumu—smiled faintly.

"This Immortal Palace, along with every opportunity inside it, was prepared for you, my husband. Once you marry me, everything here will naturally be yours to command!"

"Excellent."

Ling Changqing let out a sigh of relief.

’If I can control the Immortal Mansion’s core Restrictions through her, then any Cultivator inside the Immortal Mansion Ruins will be at my mercy.’

’At that point, aside from the female Cultivators of the Ye Family and Xuannü Palace, I can deal with the Cultivators from all other factions. I’ll either kill them or imprison their Divine Souls and make them slaves.’

Immortal Venerable Doumu rose gracefully from the Cloud Bed, holding the magnificent Seal in her hand. Her steps were as light as a lotus, and with the pleasant jingle of her jade pendants, she swayed over to them.

"Take it, my husband! This is the Heavy Artifact that controls the core Restrictions of the Immortal Palace: the Circulation Star Seal!"

she said softly, handing over the Seal, which emanated a suppressive aura and was wreathed in magnificent starlight.

Ling Changqing nodded. Just as he reached out to take it, she suddenly snatched it back, tucking the Seal into her wide sleeve.

"My husband, you should sign this first, shouldn’t you? Only then can I truly rest easy!"

Immortal Venerable Doumu flipped her fair wrist, revealing an exquisite scroll that glowed with purple qi and was wreathed in seven-colored starlight. She blinked her lustrous eyes as she spoke.

This scroll was also a type of ancient immortal contract, its function identical to the Jade Marriage Certificate that Bai Qingyi and Qin Mengxuan had produced. Signing it meant the two would become Dao Companions in the truest sense of the word.

"..."

Meng Feiyu, Xue Qingtan, and the other women stared at each other in dismay. They hadn’t expected this ancient Great Power to also... ’Well, we all did the same thing, so I guess we can’t really say anything,’ they thought.

Ling Changqing was no stranger to this sort of thing. He took the scroll, unrolled it, and imprinted his true name within it using his Divine Thought.

In an instant, a magnificent starlight flashed across the scroll’s surface. In the unseen realm, the threads of their fates had become intertwined, never to be separated again.

Immediately, space trembled. A great mass of golden-purple Destiny descended from the depths of the void above Immortal Venerable Doumu’s head and merged with her, causing her own Destiny to increase significantly.

At the same time, the beautiful woman gained an indescribable charm. Her features grew several shades more vivid and brilliant, and her previously inhuman aura faded considerably.

To put it plainly, from the inside out, from her Divine Soul to her physical form, she now looked more like a living human Female Cultivator than an incarnate Puppet.

’So that’s how it is.’ Immortal Venerable Doumu breathed a sigh of relief. ’Because I was only an incarnation, my soul and Dao body could never reach Great Perfection, even though they were created through the Refining of top-tier Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.’

’But now, with the blessing and enhancement of the Child of Destiny’s supreme fortune, I’ve finally taken that most crucial and difficult step. From now on, I can continue to practice Cultivation and improve just like a real person.’

Just then, the commotion outside the hall grew louder. The shouts of battle, the pained screams and curses, the thunderous explosions of powerful Divine Techniques and Magic, the vicious and desperate curses of dying Cultivators... all grew steadily closer.

"Wife, what should we do now?"

Ling Changqing had naturally changed his form of address.

Immortal Venerable Doumu’s lips curled into a smile that reached her eyes. She extended a jade-like hand and presented the Seal.

"Take it and begin the Refining, my husband. Then you can control the entire Immortal Palace. As for those pests outside, you can ensure that none of them leave this place alive!"

"That’s good."

Ling Changqing breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately took the Seal and began the process of Refining it to claim ownership.

By now, the figures of outside Cultivators were faintly visible at the hall’s entrance. Judging by their dress, they all seemed to have come from other continents.

SWOOSH!

A sharp Sword Aura, like a soaring dragon, shot into the hall. It circled lightly in mid-air for an instant before landing and revealing a burly Cultivator with a ferocious aura.