Yujing's long streets were paved with golden bricks. On either side, towers rose with upturned eaves and interlocking rafters, their carved beams and painted rafters dazzling to behold.
The Sixth Prince strode forward with his hands clasped behind his back, flanked by purple-robed cultivators.
Chen Qing followed half a step behind, sweeping his gaze over the streetside sights. Between the jade towers, spiritual mist curled and cranes wheeled overhead. Cultivators flew back and forth on their swords—a truly celestial scene.
"Chen Qing, what do you think of Yujing?" the Sixth Prince suddenly asked.
Chen Qing replied, "Yujing's prosperity is unlike anything I've ever seen."
It surpassed even his previous life. After all, there hadn't been any buildings that could fly.
The Sixth Prince laughed. "This is nothing. They say the true immortal realm has thirty-three heavens, each vast beyond measure. Immortal palaces stretch on for hundreds of millions of li, and spiritual springs flow like rivers of stars." A longing gleam flashed in his eyes. "Once Father attains the Dao and ascends, he'll be able to behold such splendor."
Chen Qing's heart jolted. "The Immortal Emperor is going to ascend?"
"Of course." The Sixth Prince spoke with certainty. "Father's cultivation has reached the pinnacle of the Earth Immortal realm. He's only one final step away. Once he ascends, he'll attain the rank of a Heavenly Immortal and live as long as heaven and earth."
Chen Qing recalled what he had seen at Xuan Du Mountain and asked tentatively, "When I was at Xuan Du Mountain, I heard there were immortals there. Why would they need to ascend?"
The Sixth Prince burst out laughing. "Those are rogue immortals! They've cast off their bodies and retained only their cultivated nature. They may seem carefree, but their lives are incomplete, and calamities never cease. Only by ascending to the immortal realm and attaining the Dao of a Heavenly Immortal can one achieve true freedom and great ease!"
Chen Qing was stirred to the depths of his soul, but he quickly came to his senses. In the real world, he had only just broken through to the second realm. He could listen to such lofty talk, but if he reached too far beyond his grasp, he might lose sight of his original purpose.
"Chen Qing, did you know that your fifth brother and seventh sister are currently guests at my residence?" the Sixth Prince suddenly said, changing the subject.
Chen Qing's expression remained calm. "My younger brother sent word to thank Your Highness for looking after them."
"No need for thanks." The Sixth Prince smiled. "I'm the Empress's legitimate son. In terms of bloodline purity, neither my eldest brother nor my second brother can compare to me. My mother is descended from the orthodox lineage of the ancient human race, and three True Immortals have appeared among our ancestors."
They were cultivating immortality, and still cared about family pedigree?
Chen Qing listened in silence, weighing the information in the Sixth Prince's words.
As they walked, the Sixth Prince continued, "Once Father attains the Dao and ascends in a blaze of glory, the throne of the immortal dynasty will be left vacant. Naturally, someone will have to inherit it. Chen Qing, you've already shown your great talent by devising a plan to pacify the people!" His tone was earnest. "If you're willing to assist me, your own path to immortality will surely be bright. As for Xi Yao..."
He smiled meaningfully.
"She is of foreign blood, after all. She may look human, but she isn't of our kind. For one thing, Xi Yao is nearly three hundred years old, and all her divine powers and combat strength lie in her physical body. Yet her cultivation is only at the second realm. Without success in inner cultivation, she can't attain Life's True Solution. If her bloodline reverses and she relies on her body to force her way to immortality, with life cultivation as her main path, then she'll be a demon! She'll have to be suppressed!"
As he spoke, a nine-story golden pagoda appeared ahead. Its peak pierced the clouds, and a faint pressure radiated from the entire structure.
"We're here." The Sixth Prince gestured. "This is the Treasure Pavilion. There are seven treasure pavilions in Yujing. Aside from the one in the palace, the Senluo Treasure Pavilion on Azure Dragon Avenue has the most comprehensive collection."
Chen Qing looked toward the golden pagoda and saw two golden-armored warriors standing at its entrance. Their auras were so powerful he could not fathom them!
Then again, almost everyone he had seen since arriving in Yujing had been unfathomable. He was starting to get used to it.
"Chen Qing." Seeing where he was looking, the Sixth Prince reminded him, "With your level of cultivation, getting involved in such matters is like an ant trying to shake a tree. But your cultivation was never what I valued. Devising a plan to pacify the people and turn hostility into harmony—that's real ability."
Chen Qing remained composed. "You flatter me."
"No need to be modest." The Sixth Prince raised a hand and pinched at the air. A flash of light passed, and a red jade token appeared between his fingers. He tossed it to Chen Qing. "With this token, you may freely enter and leave my residence. I'm very interested in your strategies and plans. As for cultivation... I can give you twice what Xi Yao can, and what she can't give you, I can!"
Chen Qing took the token. He neither bowed nor refused, only saying, "I'll remember that."
The Sixth Prince swept his hand through the air, and the golden pagoda's doors slowly opened.
The moment they parted, countless streams of treasure-light poured out like a river of stars.
"This pagoda has nine floors. For your service, you may choose one item from the first three. The first floor contains ordinary magical artifacts, and the second holds high-grade spiritual treasures. As for the third..."
He paused and glanced at Chen Qing. "Treasures possess spirits and choose their own masters. If fate favors you, you may gain something. Go on."
Chen Qing cupped his hands in thanks and stepped into the pagoda.
Just as the doors closed, the Sixth Prince suddenly said, "You don't need to return to Xi Yao for now. The Empress has issued an order for her to enter the palace and study the Qingqiu Secret Canon as a reward."
Chen Qing's heart tightened. He looked back, but the doors were already shut.
"The Qingqiu Secret Canon? Sounds like a bloodline manual. Isn't the Empress wary of the Qingqiu bloodline? Why would she let the Princess study it? Is she trying to deliberately provoke Xi Yao's bloodline?"
Even so, now that he had entered the vault, the formations within the building had cut him off from the outside world. After mulling it over for a moment, he set the matter aside.
He took two steps forward, and Chen Qing's pupils shrank.
In the first-floor hall, hundreds upon hundreds of magical artifacts floated like stars. An ancient bronze sword hummed in answer; a purple-gold cauldron breathed out spiritual mist. Blades, spears, swords, halberds, bells, cauldrons, seals, and jade tablets filled the place in dazzling profusion, each radiating a faint spiritual glow.
The Sixth Prince had said these were ordinary magical artifacts, but Chen Qing had never seen so many of them gathered in one place in his entire life!
"Too bad I can't send magical artifacts back to my real body..."
With that regret, he took a brief look around before climbing the jade steps to the second floor.
The second floor was somewhat smaller, but the quality of the treasures was clearly higher.
Three spiritual treasures floated at the center: a small ocher seal, a crimson short sword, and a pitch-black iron tablet. Each radiated a distinct aura and was clearly high-grade.
When Chen Qing's gaze fell on them, the three treasures trembled slightly!
"Treasures possess spirits! Once a magical artifact gains sentience, it can transform and eventually become a magic treasure with its own innate spirit! Too bad I can only use things in dreams. I wonder if there are any treasures here that I can use with my real body..."
Chen Qing didn't linger over them. He headed straight for the stairs to the third floor.
"Buzz—"
An invisible pressure descended without warning! It was like a burden of ten thousand jun pressing down on him. With every step he climbed, his bones trembled!
"There really is something strange about this place. No wonder the third floor was singled out..."
He circulated Supreme Harmony Qi, and as the starlight of his life talisman flowed, he managed to offset some of the pressure. He climbed laboriously, step by step. By the time he reached the final stair, his clothes were drenched with sweat and his breath had yet to settle. He looked up—and froze.
The entire floor shimmered with flowing light, treasure-glow hazy as mist.
The moment he stepped inside, it was as if dozens of gazes settled on him. The treasures floating throughout the floor seemed almost alive!
On a jade table to his left, a Bronze Wine Goblet poured for itself. Amber wine bubbled forth, its aroma intoxicating. When Chen Qing looked at it, two lines of golden seal script appeared on the goblet's surface: "Whoever can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk may claim me."
On a screen to his right, an ink-wash painting of mountains and rivers flowed of its own accord, brimming with the breath of time. The woodcutter in the painting suddenly stopped, turned around, and grinned. His voice rang like clashing metal. "Take a walk through the painting, and return still young."
Elsewhere, a jade flute played by itself, its melody so tricky it had to be repeated within three breaths; a Golden Bell rang softly, conjuring a maze that had to be crossed a hundred paces with eyes closed and without veering off course; a Seven-stringed Zither played itself, and could only be claimed by one who played a piece that moved heaven and earth; a jade axe hung in the air, chopping away, and anyone who wanted to claim it had to split nine thousand fathoms of mountains!
"They're all magic treasures?!"
Chen Qing's heart jolted.
In the real world, even for the great sects, magic treasures were sect-protecting treasures. Yet here there were dozens of them, each with its own spirit, waiting to choose a master!
He suppressed his excitement, swept his gaze over the treasures, and kept walking.
Whether or not he could claim one, he might as well feast his eyes!
At last, he abruptly stopped before a Green Jade Lotus Platform on the western side.
The lotus platform was crystal clear, floating several inches above the floor as it slowly turned. At its center rested a scorched red orchid, with only three withered leaves remaining, their veins faintly traced with golden lines.
Six characters, like brands seared by fire, appeared on the lotus seat:
"Revive this orchid, claim this treasure."
Chen Qing's pupils contracted!
The appearance of this scorched red orchid... it was exactly like the Fire Tongue Orchid recorded in the Record of Absolute Items!
"Cramming the book before entering the dream really paid off!" he thought, delighted.
According to the Record of Absolute Items, the Fire Tongue Orchid grew beside volcanic lava. Its roots fed on the fire poison of the earth's veins, and only then could it grow. Without it, the orchid would wither.
"In other words, I only need the fire poison of the earth's veins to revive this orchid. But this place is deep inside the pagoda—where would I get any?"
"Do I have to go out and prepare some?" Chen Qing frowned. Then, suddenly—
A flash of inspiration!
"I remember the book also mentioned an Earthfire Crystal Scorpion. It carries both fire and earth qi, making it similar to the fire poison of the earth's veins! I paid close attention to it because it could regulate imbalances between yin and yang. Could it...?"
At that thought, he held his breath and circulated Supreme Harmony Qi.
To reach the second realm, he needed to refine the Five Elements Spiritual Essence and fuse it with Supreme Harmony Qi. Now, he reversed his cultivation method, and Supreme Harmony Qi immediately split into the five elements—
In Chen Qing's mind, his late master's words on nurturing the five elements resurfaced—
"The Five Elements Spiritual Essence within the body must be kept in balance. If one element is allowed to dominate, it will gradually devour the other four and turn them into nourishment, throwing the five elements out of balance..."
Acting against this advice, Chen Qing urged the fire and earth qi to entwine. Under the impetus of the power of mountains, they gradually condensed into a wisp of dark-red Turbid Qi!
The Turbid Qi was extremely impure, but it managed to imitate some of the properties of the fire poison of the earth's veins.
"It'll have to do."
Without hesitation, Chen Qing flicked his finger!
"Pssht—"
The Turbid Qi entered the roots, and the withered orchid trembled violently!
The three curled, withered leaves began, at a speed visible to the naked eye...
to slowly unfurl!
Before you continue