Chapter 403
"Your Highness has kept me waiting so long!"
The Innate Osmanthus leaned against the stone table in the courtyard, looking at her with a half-smile.
"Cough cough!"
Xiao Minghuang coughed twice and quickly changed the subject, saying, "My wife is a bit too clingy... A Yue, you've come at the right time. I have some things I want to discuss with you."
"Coincidentally, I was just about to tell you something."
"Oh? Then please let A Yue speak first!"
Innate Osmanthus said solemnly, "Actually, I've come to say goodbye."
Xiao Minghuang's expression shifted slightly. "Where are you going?"
"The princess knows that I am Innate Being, not created by the Great Dao of the Five Directions One Realm. Therefore, my current cultivation level has reached the half-step Earth Immortal level, and the Heavenly Dao of this world is spontaneously rejecting me. I cannot stay here for any longer..."
The Innate Osmanthus slowly opened its mouth and explained.
"Huh? I am the ruler of the world, how come I don't feel this?"
Xiao Minghuang asked in confusion.
"This kind of rejection cannot be controlled; even World Lord cannot decide it. This is the basic logic of the operation of the Heavenly Dao."
The Innate Osmanthus said with some reluctance, "I'm going to the Heavenly Realm."
Xiao Minghuang fell silent upon hearing this.
Originally, she planned to ask Innate Osmanthus to take care of Ye Ruoshui and the other sisters during her seclusion, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
But now even the Innate Osmanthus is leaving.
She didn't fully trust figures like the Ancestor Taiwei and the Profound Gold True Immortal, so she couldn't entrust them with such an important task.
"Princess, there's no need to be so reluctant to part. With your abilities, it shouldn't be long before you can unify the Five Realms. At that time, the Five Realms, ranking among the heavens, will be directly under the coverage of the Cosmic Great Dao, and then we can meet again!"
"Innate Osmanthus," she comforted him.
"Um..."
Seeing Xiao Minghuang's troubled expression, the naturally intelligent and perceptive Innate Osmanthus had just come out of her own Dao Companion's room, that it was probably related to Ye Ruoshui and the others.
"Is the princess... worried about Ruoshui and the others?"
Xiao Minghuang nodded helplessly. "To be honest A Yue, although the Five Realms are vast, besides you, there is probably no one else I can truly entrust my heart to..."
She sighed, her expression complex.
"Fine!" Innate Osmanthus gave her a deep look and said decisively, "Since that's the case, then I will forcibly suppress my cultivation level and wait until the princess emerges from seclusion before leaving!"
"A Yue, thank you..."
Xiao Minghuang said with sparkling eyes.
"We don't need to be so polite between us!"
Innate Osmanthus smiled faintly, seemingly unconcerned.
"... Oh, A Yue, I must return this bracelet to you this time."
As she spoke, Xiao Minghuang took out a jade bracelet from her sleeve. It was the Azure Sea Azure Sea Jade Bracelet, a rare treasure from the heavens that the Innate Osmanthus had given to her. It had accompanied her for a long time and had helped her defeat powerful enemies and even save her life from danger on many occasions.
"Hehe, you still remember..."
Upon seeing the bracelet, Innate Osmanthus's lips curled into a smile, but she didn't take it. "Alright, since the bracelet has been given away, I didn't intend to take it back. No need to be so serious!"
However, this time Xiao Minghuang did not go along with her. Instead, he looked at her with a firm gaze, as if he would not give up until she agreed.
"Okay, okay, I give up!"
Innate Osmanthus was somewhat amused and exasperated, but ultimately accepted it.
The moment the bracelet touched her palm, it rippled like flowing water, circling her wrist twice and transforming into a faint, watery ripple that imprinted on her skin.
"Then I wish the princess all the best!"
Innate Osmanthus smiled slightly.
"Thank you for your kind words, I hope so."
Xiao Minghuang replied, "I'm leaving now. I'll leave this place in your care."
"Rest assured!"
Xiao Minghuang left the Princess Mansion.
Before going into seclusion, she left some contingency plans for the Great Xia.
She set up a massive array across the vast territory of the Great Xia Dynasty, covering tens of millions of square kilometers of land and billions of living beings.
During this time, she also noticed some of the current appearance of the Great Xia.
"Interesting..."
After the chaos caused by the Daoist Siming, Emperor Xia abdicated and passed the throne to his Third Prince.
Unfortunately, the Third Prince was unlucky. He only reigned for two years before Qi Deviation during his cultivation practice and dying.
The other princes within the Great Xia territory either died young or fled to distant lands, their whereabouts unknown. Therefore, the Emperor Xia had no choice but to temporarily handle state affairs as the retired emperor.
Standing amidst the clouds above the Imperial Palace, Xiao Minghuang glanced one last time at Emperor Xia, who was busy at his desk, before quietly departing.
After that, Xiao Minghuang left the Southern Border and left behind formations in several other key locations in the Five Directions One Realm.
Places such as the Holy Academy, Nanxing City in the Southern Star City, Great Sumeru Mountain in the Western Land, and Cangwu City in the Northern Sea.
After doing all this, Xiao Minghuang arrived at the former site of the Ziwei Imperial Court, which is also the current gate of the Ziwei Sacred Land.
Standing atop the clouds, Xiao Minghuang looked up and saw a continuous, majestic mountain range, towering into the clouds and exceptionally magnificent, with palaces and pavilions faintly visible amidst the swirling mist.
The entire mountain range and palaces, arranged like stars in the sky, sit on the vast land, exuding an aura of mystery and unpredictability.
Moreover, as Xiao Minghuang's gaze deepened, she saw wisps of incredibly pure starlight emanating from between the mountains.
These starlight, like rain, fell upon the earth, nourishing the mountains and rivers.
"What a massive formation!"
Even though he had expected it, Xiao Minghuang couldn't help but show a slight change in expression upon arriving at the former site of the Ziwei Imperial Court.
With her current level of cultivation, she could naturally see that such a massive amount of true hair could not be arranged by a mere Earth Immortal, and even a True Immortal of the Immortal Path would find it difficult to mobilize such a full amount of the power of the Heavenly Dao Source.
In other words, this massive formation, which spans billions of territories and covers continuous mountain ranges, must have been set up by the Five Emperors of Ziwei during the distant Ziwei Imperial Court era and has been passed down to this day!
Looking at this wondrous and mysterious array, Xiao Minghuang felt a sense of familiarity from ancient times, as if she could communicate with her ancestors from countless ages ago.
May our ancestors bless us, and may everything go smoothly.
Xiao Minghuang murmured softly, then his figure flashed and disappeared among the mountains.
Originally, the site of the Imperial Court was occupied by the Ziwei Sacred Land, but after a great battle a month ago, all the Supreme Beings and Earth Immortals of the Ziwei Sacred Land perished, and the remaining disciples scattered like birds and beasts.
This vast sacred site became history in just over a month.
The inheritances and resources within the sacred land were also scrambled for by various forces. Even Rogue Cultivator could get a share, and ordinary mortals could also get a taste of the soup.
Even when Xiao Minghuang arrived, he could still see many places where low-level cultivators were wandering around the ruins, scavenging for treasures from the remains.
Xiao Minghuang ignored this. She planned to relocate all the Great Xia back to the old site of the Imperial Court and rebuild the Ziwei Imperial Court. However, the most important thing at the moment was to integrate the Five Realms, so these things had to be postponed.
As for the so-called Ziwei Sacred Land's inheritance and resources, she didn't care about them, so she didn't stay. Instead, she found a secluded cave, set up an array, and prepared to go into seclusion.
"The former site of the Imperial Court is located in the center of the Central Heaven World, which in turn is situated at the center of the Five Realms. I intend to integrate the Five Realms, and using this as a foothold will yield the best results!"
516. The Legend of Princess Ziwei
Xiao Minghuang sat cross-legged with her eyes closed. As she thought, six milky-white orbs of light appeared neatly in front of her.
Each ball of light emanates a strong rhythm of the Great Dao, containing the most essential Dao and principles of heaven and earth.
These orbs of light are the Heavenly Dao Source in the worlds of Zhongtian Dongji, Nanhuang, Xitu, Beihai, Yuming, and Xuanjin.
Among these Heavenly Dao Source, the origins of the Southern Wilderness, the Western Land, and the Northern Sea have merged with her, but they also exist independently. Their powers have not intersected, which is why they can be evolved and manifested separately.
Immediately, Xiao Minghuang's mind raced, and he tried to bring the Middle Heaven Eastern Pole Origin, the Southern Wilderness, the Western Land, and the Northern Sea together in one direction.
As for the Xuanjin World Source, they are planned to be dealt with after the five realms are merged.
However, although the Heavenly Dao Source were constantly drawing closer, and even their radiances were intertwined, there was no sign of their powers merging.
"Looks like we need to change our approach..."
Xiao Minghuang knew that the integration between worlds was based on their proximity in a real sense, or even a substantial connection, allowing beings from both worlds to move freely without any barriers.
In this state, the origins of the two worlds will spontaneously want to approach each other and eventually merge.
Just like the Central Heaven World and the Eastern Pole World.
These were once two completely different worlds, but the impact of the Eastern Pole World drifting in was extremely strong, making it seem as if the two worlds had collided.
Xiao Minghuang didn't know how many lives were lost in the disaster, but the outcome was clear.
After that catastrophe, the two worlds of Zhongtian and Dongji were completely merged together, and the Heavenly Dao Source was truly indistinguishable from one another.
"With my current abilities, I'm afraid I can't bring the two worlds together..."
Xiao Minghuang pondered, then she only had one choice.
That is to replace the clashes between worlds with the clashes between the Heavenly Dao Source!
In other words, she wanted to let several Heavenly Dao Source clash within her body until they completely merged together!
Xiao Minghuang's mind raced, and with a swift movement, he absorbed all four orbs of light into his body, then slowly closed his eyes.
If she cannot integrate the Heavenly Dao Source with the outside world, then she will have no choice but to absorb it all and then forcibly merge it into one within her own body.
Rumble!
As the four Heavenly Dao Source entered her body, a burst of intense light suddenly erupted from Xiao Minghuang's body. Countless runes condensed and evolved in the void, outlining mysterious runes that were imprinted on her skin.
Click! Click!
At this moment, her entire body, bones, and flesh seemed to tremble as the Middle Heaven Eastern Pole Origin vied for dominance with the Southern Wilderness, Western Land, and Northern Sea Primal Origins already existing within her body.
This is a long battle, and it's unknown how long it will take to determine the victor.
Perhaps it will take days, months, years, decades, centuries, or even millennia, and the battle may never be decided until the end of this world...
Time stands still in the mountains; one is unaware of the changing seasons.
Five hundred years have passed since the chaos among the holy lands and the destruction of the Ziwei Sacred Land.
This vast mountain range is home to numerous settlements of ordinary people, scattered throughout the mountains, where they live and thrive.
After the Holy Academy was destroyed, a new force called the Imperial Court took its place and explicitly prohibited anyone from entering the former site of the Ziwei Sacred Land. However, no one was stationed there, and the original formations gradually fell into disuse and lost their effectiveness. Naturally, they could no longer stop the Rogue Cultivator who came to seek opportunities.
After all, one can find many spiritual flowers and herbs here, as well as numerous opportunities, especially in places where the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is abundant, where many rare and precious materials grow.
If one can obtain the cultivation manuals left behind by predecessors, or some rare magical treasures, one can quickly improve one's strength and gain great fortune.
This day.
The mountains were utterly silent, save for the occasional howl of a wild animal, which made the silence all the more profound.
Click!
In the desolate and silent mountain forest, a crisp sound of a branch snapping suddenly rang out. In such a tranquil environment, the sound seemed particularly jarring.
Immediately following was a rustling sound of footsteps, and three young people emerged from the depths of the jungle.
Of the three, two were men and one was a woman.
The man was about twenty years old, handsome, with an extraordinary air about him, and a hint of arrogance between his brows. He was dressed in brocade robes and had a jade belt around his waist, looking every bit the noble young master.
The woman had a slender figure, and her red dress accentuated her delicate curves. She had a pretty face, arched eyebrows, and flawless skin, making her look exquisitely beautiful.
The other man was dressed in black, with a short knife hanging at his waist, looking like a guard.
"Young master, this place is too far from Zishi Town. Shall we go back first?"