From Cold Palace Princess to Heavenly Empress

At this moment.

Deep within the Imperial City, in a certain grand hall.

The Royal Family's Old Ancestor, Xia Hanbing, suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards the Savage Forest, a look of surprise in his eyes.

"Five-Colored Divine Light, illuminating all heavens!"

A month ago, he had chosen the Ninth Princess, Xiao Minghuang, as his successor and passed down his legacy. He then went into seclusion to recuperate, hoping to live a few more years to continue protecting Great Xia.

But this magnificent phenomenon made him sense something, startling him from his seclusion.

With his cultivation, he could clearly perceive that the sky, filled with colorful clouds, was brimming with extremely dense Dao charm, which even shook him.

At the same time, Emperor Xia entered the grand hall and came before Xia Hanbing. He also saw the brilliant divine clouds filling the sky and was extremely excited.

"Old Ancestor, such a phenomenon occurring within Great Xia must mean a peerless prodigy has been born. This is a sign of Great Xia's great prosperity!"

Xia Hanbing also showed surprise, stroking his beard as he said:

"A Five Elements Spiritual Root is a talent that will definitely achieve the Primal Embryo Realm. It is rare in ancient times. If it can grow, it can suppress the destiny of Great Xia for a thousand years!"

"You must find this genius's whereabouts, bring them to the capital, and cultivate them with all our might!"

"I am entrusting this matter entirely to you. I will not interfere. There can be no mistakes!"

After giving his orders, Xia Hanbing's aura subsided. His life span was nearing its end, his physical body was decaying, his spiritual energy was withered, and his Primordial Spirit was failing. He could no longer move freely and could only stay within formations with abundant spiritual energy to barely extend his life.

"Yes!"

Emperor Xia nodded respectfully.

In the outside world, he was the supreme ruler of a nation, but before the highly respected Old Ancestor, he was merely a junior.

Emperor Xia knew very well that even the worst Low-grade Yellow Tier Five Elements Spiritual Root was far superior to an ordinary top-grade Black Tier Spiritual Root.

As long as such a genius could grow, they could protect Great Xia for a thousand years in the future, which was entirely worth him, the ruler of a nation, humbling himself.

After Emperor Xia left, Xia Hanbing closed his eyes again, and the grand hall returned to its peaceful state.

In Beiyang City, within the City Lord's mansion.

Lin Zhengquan and the others had already been alerted by the Five-Colored Divine Light, but they didn't know the origin of this profound phenomenon.

Just as they were scratching their heads in confusion, they suddenly felt an astonishing spiritual energy fluctuation erupt from Xiao Minghuang's courtyard and rushed over quickly.

They saw golden lotuses blooming on the ground of the courtyard, and specks of golden light rain falling. Dao charm permeated the air, and runes flew about, making the small courtyard appear like a sacred realm.

Upon seeing this, Lin Zhengquan's pupils contracted sharply, his face filled with disbelief.

"This is... Earth-welling Golden Lotus, Heavenly Flower Rain, a Heaven-grade Spiritual Root!"

Hearing this, everyone present gasped in unison, their eyes filled with shock.

"A Heaven-grade Spiritual Root, which only exists in legends, has actually appeared today!"

"Such talent is unprecedented in history. This encounter today will likely be sung by the world!"

"The Ninth Princess actually has a Heaven-grade Spiritual Root! With such talent, not only Great Xia, but the entire Southern Territory has never heard of it!"

"It is truly our greatest fortune as people of Great Xia to have an unparalleled genius like the Ninth Princess!"

Although those present did not understand the concept of a Heaven-grade Spiritual Root, they knew that a Black Tier Spiritual Root was already a genius that was rarely seen in decades.

An Earth Tier Spiritual Root was enough to become a true disciple of the Three Great Sects and have the qualification to take over as sect leader in the future.

Then, a Heaven-grade Spiritual Root, which was above that, was likely unimaginably powerful.

Moreover, this was not just an ordinary Heaven-grade Spiritual Root, but a Heaven-grade Five Elements Spiritual Root that only existed in legends!

Perhaps one day in the future, the Ninth Princess could become a Primal Embryo Realm expert and lead Great Xia to prosperity, even surpassing the Three Great Sects, making them equals.

But all of this depended on the Ninth Princess growing up safely and not being nipped in the bud.

After all, throughout history, geniuses who died young were as numerous as rivers and sand.

Lin Zhengquan naturally understood this, but it was too late to keep it a secret now.

The colorful clouds that had filled the sky earlier had spread for hundreds of miles. It was estimated that all the martial artists within Great Xia had seen it, making it impossible to conceal.

"First the Five-Colored Divine Light illuminating all heavens, then the Earth-welling Golden Lotus and Heavenly Flower Rain. What kind of peerless monster is the Ninth Princess?!"

Lin Zhengquan gave a wry smile but did not wait idly. He ordered the 100,000 troops of Beiyang City to be on full alert to prevent any accidents.

Xiao Minghuang, who was in seclusion, knew nothing of the outside world.

At this moment, she was looking inward at her Dantian, gazing at the phantom image of the Five-Colored Spiritual Root.

Under the medicinal effect of the Five-Viscera Spirit Essence Pill, her original White Gold Spiritual Root of Earth Tier Middle-grade had evolved into a Five-Colored Five Elements Spiritual Root of Heaven Tier Low-grade.

This Spiritual Root, with its five colors of white, green, black, red, and yellow intertwined, was illusory in form, three inches long, rooted in her Dantian, and constantly absorbing the spiritual energy of the outside world.

"A Five Elements Spiritual Root..."

The corners of Xiao Minghuang's mouth curved slightly, and a smile appeared on her beautiful face.

Everyone is born with a Spiritual Root, and though their affiliations may differ, they all fall within the Five Elements.

Whether it be Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth, each has its unique aspects, but there is no inherent superiority or inferiority in the path of cultivation.

The attribute of a Spiritual Root determines which type of spiritual energy a martial artist can directly absorb from the world.

The quality of a Spiritual Root determines the speed at which a martial artist absorbs spiritual energy; the higher the quality, the faster the absorption.

The number of Spiritual Roots has a slight impact on the speed of spiritual energy absorption, but it is not decisive.

Only when the Spiritual Root possesses all Five Elements, in a state of continuous growth and regeneration, will the speed of spiritual energy absorption experience a leap, a fundamental change compared to incomplete Five Elements Spiritual Roots.

Furthermore, all things in heaven and earth are contained within the Five Elements. Possessing a Five Elements Spiritual Root, Xiao Minghuang can clearly perceive the fluctuations of spiritual energy around her. The growth of plants, the weathering of mountains and rocks—any object within the Five Elements, all its changes, cannot escape her senses.

"Let me test it out, just what kind of wonders a Five Elements Spiritual Root holds."

The Witch Redeemed, and the Heroines Became My Wings?

Transmigrated into the game's final villain, the Ice Witch Manla, she was cornered by the heroines in the Forest of Truth right from the start, her fate only to be brutally slain.

First, her eyes were gouged out by her former disciple, then her hands were severed by the Imperial Princess, and finally, her heart was pierced by her own sister's sword.

To survive, Manla could only find a way to clear her name.

Killing her own parents and then stealing her sister's elemental perception?

That was merely to prevent her sister from being harmed by the true culprit, a scapegoat she was forced to bear.

Stealing the Abyssal Codex and killing her adoptive father?

That was because he not only abused her daily but even intended to kill innocent people to summon an Evil God.

Abandoning humanity and degenerating into a witch?

That was because she transferred the evil curse from her disciple onto herself.

When these truths were exposed, the heroines wept with regret.

However, Manla discovered she had fallen into new trouble, which was that her wings... were fighting.

38. Sixth Level of Qi Refining

Xiao Minghuang circulated her Cultivation Method, and six major vortexes appeared on her body, madly absorbing the spiritual energy from the outside world. In just a single breath, the spiritual energy within a radius of several hundred zhang was completely depleted.

Sensing the change in the outside world, she let out a wry smile and reined in the vortexes, the terrifying suction dissipating.

"The absorption speed of a Five Elements Spiritual Root is too terrifying. If I were to circulate my Cultivation Method during a battle and drain all the surrounding spiritual energy, the impact on the enemy could be fatal."

But then, Xiao Minghuang chuckled and shook her head slightly.

"Even if I absorb all the surrounding spiritual energy, it won't be of much use. Who doesn't carry a few Spirit Stones or pills with them?"

In martial cultivation, if one were to rely solely on the spiritual energy from the outside world, it would take an unknown number of years to reach profound realms.

Therefore, most martial artists are accustomed to using Spirit Stones and pills to quickly improve their strength.

During battles, Spirit Stones and pills are also used to restore energy. Except for certain blessed lands, the spiritual energy from the outside world plays a negligible role for martial artists.

Xiao Minghuang took a breath, adjusted her state, and slowly opened her eyes.

At the same time.

A golden light shot out from her pupils at extreme speed, piercing the wall in front of her and creating a large hole.

The golden light in Xiao Minghuang's eyes dissipated, revealing eyes as brilliant as countless stars.

When she saw the mess in the room, she couldn't help but sigh softly.

When she lowered her head and looked at her skin, a smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

She reached out and pinched her cheek. It felt smooth and lustrous, soft and elastic, as if it could be broken by a touch, yet its defense was likely even stronger than that of a Body Cultivator practicing a body-refining technique.

However, Xiao Minghuang was not concerned about the change in her appearance.

What truly excited her was that after several days of secluded cultivation, her realm had advanced from the Fourth Level of Qi Refining Realm to the Sixth Level of Qi Refining Realm, and her Spiritual Root quality had improved from Earth Tier mid-grade to Heaven Tier low-grade.

Even more noteworthy was that her original Metal-attribute Spiritual Root had evolved into a Five Elements Spiritual Root!

In terms of quality alone, she now far surpassed the true disciples of the Three Great Sects.

This point alone might be more terrifying than breaking through a major realm!

Xiao Minghuang raised her palm, and with a thought, a beam of brilliant golden sword light materialized out of thin air from her palm.

Compared to before, the sword light was now more condensed, with specks of golden starlight flickering, no less dazzling than the stars in the night sky.

Xiao Minghuang had a premonition that she now had the strength to fight even against a Spring Gushing Realm expert!

As she pondered, she sat up from the bed and saw that the formation that had been concealing her aura had completely shattered, turning into dust.

"It seems I need to study formations when I have time," Xiao Minghuang thought. She then walked out of the room.

Those outside felt the calm within the room and then saw Xiao Minghuang, dressed in a vibrant red dress, emerge from the doorway. Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, her skin was as white as snow, and her beauty was peerless, noble, and ethereal.

Before this, her skin had already been as fair and delicate as white jade. After being shaped by the Five-Viscera Spirit Essence Pill, her bones were like ice and jade, exuding a subtle fragrance, ethereal and elegant, as if an immortal had descended to the mortal world.

At the same time, the moment everyone present saw her, they felt a profound, mysterious aura emanating from her, as if she had already merged with the Dao, become one with all things in heaven and earth, profound and unfathomable.

But this feeling only lasted for a moment before vanishing.

Lin Zhengquan was overjoyed to sense Xiao Minghuang's cultivation increase, as it meant greater certainty in the upcoming match against the Golden Elephant Kingdom.

Although, with Xiao Minghuang's original cultivation, victory should have been a sure thing anyway.

Lin Zhengquan approached with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Congratulations on your cultivation breakthrough, Your Highness!"

Xiao Minghuang smiled faintly.

"City Lord Lin is too kind. It's all thanks to your support with spirit pills and Spirit Stones; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to break through."

"Your Highness possesses a Heaven-grade Spiritual Root, unheard of in ancient times. You will surely be able to safeguard the Great Xia's fortune for a thousand years. The few Spirit Stones I offered are merely a small contribution and not worth mentioning. Your Highness need not dwell on it."

City Lord Lin was beaming with pride. His gamble this time had paid off tremendously.

A Heaven-grade Spiritual Root – such talent was unparalleled in the entire Southern Territory!

And now, such a genius was willing to accept her daughter.

With the Ninth Princess's protection in the future, Beiyang City would surely be safe and sound!

However, upon hearing these words, Xiao Minghuang frowned slightly and asked, "Has news of my seclusion breakthrough already spread?"

Lin Zhengquan understood the gravity of the situation and replied with a solemn expression, "Your Highness may not know this..."