"What... what's going on?" Everyone was dumbfounded.
Tianjizi was also stunned. He carefully examined the token, and after a moment, he suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! After the three treasures were fused, not only did they generate the Power of the Heavenly Dao, but they also condensed the life force remaining from the ancient Human Emperor. This life force had been dormant in the token until just now, when it sensed that the Snow Empress's life force was about to run out, it automatically activated and surged into her body."
"Then... then is the Holy Maiden saved?" Qingyunzi asked excitedly.
Tianjizi nodded. "Not only will they survive, but their cultivation will also advance to a higher level. This is truly the will of Heaven! The will of Heaven!"
Sure enough, as time went by, Snow Empress's vitality was fully restored, and her appearance returned to its youthful state, even more beautiful and charming than before. Stimulated by her vitality, her Peak of Dragon Transformation Nine Changes and reached the legendary Dragon Transformation Ten Changes — the Heavenly Dao Realm.
The Snow Empress slowly opened her eyes, which shimmered with golden light. She stood up, looked at everyone, and smiled slightly, "I'm sorry to have worried you all."
"Holy Maiden!" the crowd cheered in unison, their eyes filled with joy.
Snow Empress looked up at the sky, the golden sunlight shining on her, warm and peaceful. She knew that although the threat from the Demon Realm had been temporarily eliminated, there was still a long road ahead. But as long as the Dao Yi was united and of one mind, there was no difficulty that could not be overcome.
"Let's go back," Snow Empress said softly. "There are still many things waiting for us to do."
Everyone nodded and followed the Snow Empress, leaving the sealed land.
Three months later.
Ziwei Sect, Ziwei Grand Hall.
The Snow Empress sat on the throne in the main hall, looking at the bamboo scroll in his hand, his brows furrowed slightly. The bamboo scroll recorded the strange events that had occurred in various places over the past three months. Although the Underworld had been destroyed and the Gate of the Demon Realm had been resealed, the spiritual energy in the human world was becoming increasingly thin, and some places had even experienced a depletion of spiritual energy.
"Holy Maiden, a message from Daoist Kunlun says that the spiritual energy of Kunlun Mountain is also declining," Qingyunzi said respectfully as he entered the main hall.
The Snow Empress put down the bamboo scroll and sighed, "The decline of spiritual energy is a major problem. Spiritual energy is the foundation of cultivation. If spiritual energy is depleted, not only will ordinary cultivators be unable to cultivate, but even some spiritual herbs and plants will wither, and the entire cultivation world will be affected."
"What should we do then?" Qingyunzi asked anxiously.
Snow Empress stood up, walked to the entrance of the main hall, and looked at the distant sky. "I'm thinking, should we open up the spiritual energy cultivation method of the Ziwei Sect so that more ordinary people can cultivate it, thereby giving back to heaven and earth and increasing the circulation of spiritual energy?"
"Open cultivation methods?" Qingyunzi was taken aback. "Holy Maiden, this... this is a closely guarded secret of the Ziwei Sect! Successive sect leaders have strictly forbidden it from being passed on to outsiders. If you were to open it up, wouldn't you be violating the ancestral precepts?"
"Ancestral precepts are dead, but people are alive." Snow Empress turned around, her gaze fixed on Qingyunzi. "Now that spiritual energy is depleted, if no measures are taken, the cultivation world will collapse once the spiritual energy completely disappears. At that time, not only will the secrets of the Ziwei Sect be lost, but the Ziwei Sect itself may cease to exist. Rather than guarding the secrets and waiting to die, it's better to open them up so that more people can benefit, and perhaps we can even find a solution to the problem of depleted spiritual energy."
Qingyunzi remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "The Holy Maiden is right. This disciple will make the arrangements immediately."
"Wait," the Snow Empress called out to him, "Not only should we open up cultivation methods, but we should also send disciples down the mountain to help ordinary people solve some practical problems. The cultivation world cannot be aloof and detached from the people; otherwise, it will be abandoned by them sooner or later."
"Yes, disciple understands." Qingyunzi replied respectfully, then turned and left.
Snow Empress sat back down in her chair, closed her eyes, and her mind was filled with thoughts. Since obtaining the Power of the Heavenly Dao, her perception had greatly improved, and she could sense the flow of spiritual energy between heaven and earth. She discovered that the depletion of spiritual energy was not a natural phenomenon, but rather that someone was secretly extracting spiritual energy.
This person is extremely well hidden; even she cannot pinpoint their exact location. But one thing is certain: this person's strength is definitely no less than that of the Great Emperor Fengdu, and may even be stronger.
"Who is it? And why is it extracting spiritual energy?" Snow Empress murmured to herself, her heart filled with doubt.
Just then, a dark figure suddenly flashed in from outside the main hall, moving with astonishing speed. The Snow Empress abruptly opened her eyes, and a golden token instantly appeared in her hand. A golden beam of light blasted towards the dark figure.
The dark figure flashed, dodging the attack of the beam of light, and landed in front of the Snow Empress.
"Don't make a move, it's me." The shadowy figure removed its disguise, revealing its true form.
Snow Empress stared wide-eyed at the person before her in disbelief, "You... you are..."
"What? Don't you recognize me?" The man smiled slightly; he was none other than the Shaolin abbot who had sacrificed himself in the battle against the Black Dragon Lord!
"Abbot, weren't you already..." Snow Empress was so shocked she couldn't speak.
The abbot of Shaolin sighed, "This old monk has indeed passed away, but my Buddhist heart, stimulated by the Power of the Heavenly Dao, has been rekindled, allowing me to be reborn. However, this old monk is no longer the same old monk. The current old monk is merely an incarnation of a wisp of Buddhist heart, without a physical body, existing only as a shadow."
Snow Empress carefully examined the Shaolin abbot and found that he indeed had no physical body; his entire being was formed from a cloud of black mist. However, his eyes remained clear and bright, filled with compassion.
"The abbot's rebirth is truly a joyous occasion!" Snow Empress exclaimed excitedly.
The abbot of Shaolin waved his hand. "Don't be too happy yet. I've come to tell you something important. I know who's behind the depletion of spiritual energy."
"Who is it?" Snow Empress asked hurriedly.
The abbot of Shaolin Temple took a deep breath and slowly uttered a name, " Demon Venerable."
" The Demon Venerable?" Snow Empress was taken aback. "Wasn't he sealed in the Demon Realm? How could he possibly come to the mortal world?"
"Although the seal has been reinforced, it is not completely sealed off," the abbot of Shaolin Temple said in a deep voice. "While the Demon Venerable's true form cannot pass through the seal, his consciousness can penetrate it. He is currently using his consciousness to manipulate demonic cultivators in the mortal realm, extracting their spiritual energy in preparation for the descent of his true form."
Snow Empress's expression changed drastically. "Doesn't that mean the Demon Venerable will descend upon the mortal realm sooner or later?"
"Indeed." The abbot of Shaolin nodded. "Therefore, we must find his consciousness before he descends and destroy it. Only in this way can we prevent his true form from descending."
"But where is his consciousness?" Snow Empress asked.
The abbot of Shaolin Temple took out a map from his robes and handed it to Snow Empress. "I have been secretly investigating these past few days and have discovered that the Demon Venerable's consciousness is hiding in an underwater cave deep in the East Sea. It is protected by powerful Demonic Qi, and ordinary people cannot approach it at all."