Dressed in gray robes, Moon Worshipper could not help saying when he saw Mo Caihuan, "You really do keep changing things. I went to Mo Palace to find you, only to be told that it had become the Cabinet's offices and the Empress had moved into Wealth Tower, owned by the Wealth Group. Instead of being a perfectly good ruler, you've run off to become a business owner. I really don't understand you."
"The Cabinet can handle official business, so why should it need my approval? I'm an empress in name only. I might as well do something interesting." Mo Caihuan had greater flexibility working through the Wealth Group. After explaining, she asked respectfully, "Senior, it's been years since we last met. What guidance have you come to offer?"
Moon Worshipper said, "What else but extending your lifespan? You seem to have gained a few years."
"I was fortunate enough to break through a bottleneck. My cultivation is now equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Stage, so my lifespan increased a little," Mo Caihuan answered truthfully.
"The Foundation Establishment Stage only gives you two hundred years. That isn't enough for you to cultivate Stellar Power. Come with me. I'll help extend your life."
"Senior, you aren't going to ask me to undergo Possession again, are you? If I change bodies, I'm not confident I can continue cultivating Stellar Power." She still worried that failing to accomplish Moon Worshipper's goal would turn his embarrassment into anger.
"Don't worry. This isn't possession. I spent ten years traveling throughout Great Jin and finally found a way to awaken your bloodline. Once it awakens, you may gain a Spiritual Root."
Mo Caihuan was both startled and delighted. If she could truly gain a Spiritual Root, she would certainly be willing, but she had never heard of bloodline awakening. She asked, "Can awakening a bloodline really give me a Spiritual Root?"
"Not necessarily, but even if you don't obtain a Spiritual Root, it will benefit your body tempering immensely." Moon Worshipper said, "Come with me."
"Senior, this method must come at an enormous cost. What have I done to deserve such a blessing?" Mo Caihuan still worried that she would disappoint this Nascent Soul expert.
Moon Worshipper said, "You needn't feel that you're taking advantage of me. I want to do this. A person ought to do something meaningful in their lifetime, rather than think only of themselves."
Mo Caihuan looked utterly astonished. These were hardly words one expected from a Nascent Soul expert. Even if powerful cultivators were not acting for their own cultivation, they ought to be acting for their sects. Who would do something for a stranger?
Moon Worshipper knew what Mo Caihuan was thinking from her expression. "Do you think I'm wrong?"
"Of course not, Senior." She would never dare defy a Nascent Soul expert.
"Heh. Not only was I wrong, I was utterly wrong. Now I'm merely mending the pen after the sheep have been lost." Moon Worshipper said, "There are things you needn't know. The time hasn't come yet."
He was referring to the thinning spiritual energy, which had left cultivators unable to reach the late Deity Transformation stage and ascend. Mo Caihuan actually knew about this, since she knew the plot.
"Yes, Senior," Mo Caihuan said.
Moon Worshipper said, "Make your arrangements. You'll be gone for at least twenty years."
Mo Caihuan nodded. If she could truly gain a Spiritual Root, she was willing to try. Of course, twenty years might mean parting from her family forever. Everything familiar to her would disappear, but she still decided to seize that sliver of hope.
The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. She therefore lowered her expectations. After all, Moon Worshipper had never said success was certain.
Besides, how could a human bloodline awaken? Humans were not True Spirit Creatures. The ancestors of those creatures had been mighty beings of ancient times, their bloodlines passed down from generation to generation.
Although those bloodlines grew increasingly thin, some trace remained. If chance and fortune allowed them to absorb True Spirit Blood, they could awaken their bloodlines and gain tremendous power.
Humans did not seem to have ancient True Spirit ancestors, nor was there any talk of such bloodlines among them.
Still, Moon Worshipper would not make empty boasts, so Mo Caihuan made all the necessary arrangements and departed with him.
They first passed through a hidden Teleportation Gate to reach Great Jin, then flew without pause at a speed almost like thunder for three months, arriving over the sea.
Above the boundless ocean, Mo Caihuan could no longer tell north from south or east from west. The scenery never changed.
They flew for another three months. Even a Nascent Soul expert could no longer sustain his magic power, and the two stopped over a stretch of sea.
Moon Worshipper took out a voice-transmission jade talisman and tossed it into the sky. The talisman became a phantom streak and vanished into the space below.
Mo Caihuan's eyes widened. Something was hidden in that space, invisible to the naked eye. This had to be a restriction Magic Array meant to conceal it from prying eyes.
Soon, ripples spread through the empty air, and a circular opening appeared in the restrictions, welcoming Moon Worshipper inside.
Moon Worshipper entered, and an enormous island suddenly appeared upon the previously empty sea.
Mo Caihuan stared, dumbfounded. How many Spirit Stones would it take to keep such a vast Magic Array running through all twelve double-hours of the day?
Although she did not know how advanced the cultivators here were, they were certainly wealthy.
A mountain rose at the center of the island, rich in spiritual energy, with spirit beasts roaming at leisure. Amid the thin mist stood green pines and verdant cypresses, pavilions and towers. Everything seemed detached from the mortal world.
The Flying Carriage landed in the square before a palace. Mo Caihuan saw beautiful female cultivators busily going about their tasks, but not a single man. Even the spirit beasts seemed to be exclusively female, with no males kept here.
"Senior, Master has been waiting for some time." A beautiful female cultivator in a court dress approached gracefully and bowed to Moon Worshipper.
"Sorry for the trouble of showing us the way," Moon Worshipper said politely.
Not daring to delay, Mo Caihuan followed Moon Worshipper, cautiously studying this immortal abode. Did the cultivators build these structures themselves? Did they use local materials?
Surely they had, but these were not ordinary buildings. They were more like magic treasures, created through refinement.
The palace was very quiet. The cultivators made no sound as they walked, leaving her own tapping footsteps painfully loud.
Inside the main hall stood seven chairs in a row. Only the third was occupied, by a white-haired woman. Although her face was like the radiant moon, Mo Caihuan sensed that she was already very old.
The pressure radiating from the White-Haired Fairy was more terrifying than Moon Worshipper's. Mo Caihuan's heart lurched. Could she be a Deity Transformation expert?
"Greetings, Senior." Moon Worshipper bowed with the utmost deference, confirming her guess.
The White-Haired Fairy did not respond. She merely stared at Mo Caihuan for a long time before speaking in a voice neither loud nor soft. "She stays. You may leave."
Delight appeared on Moon Worshipper's face, and he smiled. "Thank you for granting my request, Senior." He then told Mo Caihuan, "Stay here. Seven Immortal Island will arrange for your bloodline awakening. Don't worry. Seven Immortal Island never harms women, so you can remain here without fear. I'll come for you in twenty years."
Mo Caihuan nodded blankly and watched Moon Worshipper leave without hesitation. For a moment, she had no idea what to do.
Seeing her bewilderment, the White-Haired Fairy knew Moon Worshipper had explained nothing. She said, "Moon Worshipper is far too careless in handling things. This is Seven Immortal Island, established jointly by seven female cultivators. The seven shared kindred spirits, swore sisterhood, and cultivated together. Sadly, time slipped by, and the sisters fell one after another along the path of cultivation. Only I remain."
Mo Caihuan said nothing. All cultivators had to endure farewells. Perhaps only their bonded magic treasures and spirit pets could accompany them to the very end. Even a Dao Companion might die at any time.
After dwelling on her memories for a while, the White-Haired Fairy said quietly, "Age has made me rather sentimental. I have little time left, so let us get to the point. Do you know why Moon Worshipper Daoist paid such an enormous price to send you here?"
"To awaken my bloodline and gain a Spiritual Root," Mo Caihuan said.
Without confirming or denying it, the White-Haired Fairy said, "It isn't that simple. You must undergo seven rounds of cleansing with pure spiritual power. The process will be extremely painful. If you were an ordinary person, I would send you back. But you have a foundation in body tempering, so I imagine you can endure the pain. Go and rest for now. I'll notify you when everything is ready." "Cui Yi, take our guest to rest at the Colorless Pavilion."
"As you command." The woman in the court dress standing beside her answered solemnly.
Mo Caihuan settled in for the time being and immediately began cultivating the Diamond Art. Seven Immortal Island's abundant spiritual energy yielded twice the results for half the effort even in body tempering. If the Mo Kingdom had spiritual energy like this, she believed she could cultivate straight to the ninth level of the Diamond Art.
In the end, she still needed spiritual energy.