“Those words sound like congratulations, but why do I feel a hint of sarcasm…?”

Mu Zhian stared at Sect Master Lin’s flawless face, complaining inwardly.

He suspected she was being sarcastic, but lacking evidence, he simply excused himself and left the courtyard.

It wasn’t wise to linger at Two Polarities Peak. If other disciples saw him, it might cause gossip.

After all, a late-night meeting between a disciple with Dao Companions and the Sect Master… If seen by someone with ulterior motives, it could easily turn into rumors like ‘the Sect Master favors a certain disciple.’

Fortunately, Senior Sister Lan was also at Two Polarities Peak, so even if there were rumors, he could claim he was visiting her.

Under the hazy moonlight, Mu Zhian flew on his sword, passing several halls. After some thought, he turned back towards an elegant courtyard and quickly located Lan Mulian in a small room.

“Why is our busy little brother visiting Two Polarities Peak tonight? I think I saw you visiting Master earlier.”

Just as Mu Zhian was about to knock, a cold, haughty voice came from inside.

“Two Polarities Peak is always enveloped by formations, making it difficult to enter. I wanted to take this opportunity to catch up with Senior Sister,” Mu Zhian said.

This indirectly admitted that he had indeed sought out Shang Yanfei, but it didn’t sound so blunt.

I visited Sect Master Lin, but I haven’t forgotten about you, Senior Sister… Why else would I come looking for you?

This was the underlying meaning of his words.

After all, Lan Mulian lived at Two Polarities Peak and often played Go with the fair and impartial Sect Master Lin. The two beauties must have occasionally talked about him.

It was better to visit Senior Sister Lan proactively than to wait for Shang Yanfei to mention it during their Go games.

“May I come in?” Mu Zhian asked again, seeing that there was no response, and reached for the door.

“Wait!”

Her voice suddenly rose, a hint of panic in her cold tone.

She’s flustered. But why? Is she doing something she shouldn’t…? Just as Mu Zhian was about to push the door open, he heard rustling sounds from inside.

Mu Zhian hesitated, then his eyes widened as a thought struck him.

He calmly walked to the window, held his breath, and stood on tiptoe to peek inside.

Thwack!

A shoe flew out of the window, hitting him squarely on the forehead.

However, before Mu Zhian could register the pain, his gaze was captivated by the scene inside.

The tall, cold beauty had just put on a loose white inner robe, revealing her fair shoulders and neck. She stood with her back to him, her hair cascading down.

The thin white fabric clung to her figure, and from Mu Zhian’s angle, he could vaguely see the curve of her hips.

Perhaps because she felt his gaze, she subconsciously pressed her long, fair legs together, her expression feigning indifference. “Don’t you have anything to say?”

“Beautiful. A perfect ten,” Mu Zhian commented.

If it were […], it would be a hundred…

Lan Mulian glared at him. “Junior Brother, you’re a married man. Please behave yourself.”

“So the invitation has reached Two Polarities Peak as well…?”

Mu Zhian smiled wryly. “Actually, there’s a hidden reason behind this…”

Lan Mulian simply hummed. “Wait for me in the hall. I’ll be there after I change.”

Senior Sister’s composure is truly impressive. If it were Lingxuan or Qian’er, they would be mortified and want to disappear. But Senior Sister is still so calm… Mu Zhian nodded slightly and left the room.

Lan Mulian, covering her chest with one hand, walked to the window and closed it. She sat down at the table, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly.

Her heart raced uncontrollably.

She glanced at the bronze mirror on her dressing table. Her beautiful face was still flushed, incredibly alluring.

…

After waiting in the hall for about a quarter of an hour, Mu Zhian saw the tall, cold beauty enter.

Her long, dark hair cascaded down, slightly disheveled, and her moon-white dress accentuated her figure.

Lan Mulian looked at Mu Zhian, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly. She scoffed. “Master is quite lenient towards you, letting you in.”

Normally, disciples wouldn’t have the opportunity to meet with Shang Yanfei directly. It was only because she had mistakenly received a paper crane from Mu Zhian that their subsequent interactions occurred.

“Senior Sister seems to be very fond of your Master,” Mu Zhian chuckled.

Lan Mulian said calmly, “Who wouldn’t respect Master? Only Junior Brother would continue to send her paper cranes after learning her identity.”

Mu Zhian shook his head and chuckled. “I initially thought the person exchanging paper cranes with me was Senior Sister. Who knew that one day, she would become the Sect Master…”

“Speaking of the Sect Master, I remember Lingxuan mentioning her several times,” Mu Zhian continued.

When Ye Lingxuan was still a little girl, she had accompanied the Forbidden Zone Master to visit Shang Yanfei and had admired her ever since.

Much of Ye Lingxuan’s current elegance and composure was influenced by Sect Master Lin.

Lan Mulian smiled brightly. “I don’t think anyone in the world wouldn’t like her.”

In this world, only Shang Yanfei could rival the Jade Empress in beauty.

But she quickly suppressed her smile and glanced at him. “However, I must warn you, don’t even think about hitting on Master… If you try to scheme against her, you’ll find that even your schemes were orchestrated by her.”

Senior Sister is telling me this because she considers me one of her own. My efforts have paid off… Mu Zhian nodded slightly. “On Two Polarities Peak, the only person I like is Senior Sister.”

“It’s not about liking or disliking.”

Lan Mulian glared at Mu Zhian, tapping the table lightly. “Just remember my warning.”

Seeing Mu Zhian nod sincerely, a faint smile appeared on Lan Mulian’s face.

She actually had a question she had been pondering for a long time, one she hadn’t mentioned to anyone.

Two Polarities Peak was filled with formations, most of which were set up by Shang Yanfei in her spare time. The paper crane he had sent had been able to leave Two Polarities Peak and even reach Tianxuan City, which meant it had Shang Yanfei’s tacit approval.

The schemes he had set up were always guided by Shang Yanfei. Someone who could peer into heavenly secrets without suffering backlash, would they really mistakenly receive a paper crane from Junior Brother and even exchange letters with him for so long without knowing his identity?

Lan Mulian’s smile faded as she remembered something important. A coldness entered her clear eyes. “Speaking of which, Junior Brother, you’re about to get married. Shouldn’t I prepare a congratulatory gift?”

Here it comes, Senior Sister can’t hold back anymore… Mu Zhian had already prepared his excuse. “I told Senior Sister before, although it appears to be a marriage, in reality—”

Before he could finish, Lan Mulian interrupted, “In reality, it’s to achieve a certain goal, such as… fishing?”

Senior Sister is indeed intelligent. She’s guessed everything… Mu Zhian asked, “When did you find out?”

“Knowing your personality, how could you get married so peacefully?”

Lan Mulian chuckled softly. “If it were a real marriage, Junior Sister Bai would be the first to object.”

“Of course, if the fish don’t take the bait, there’s no guarantee that the Jade Empress won’t just go through with the marriage.”

“With the cultivators of the Nine Provinces as witnesses,” she added.

Mu Zhian immediately said, “Don’t worry, Senior Sister. I know what I’m doing.”

“Cough… By the way, congratulations on winning the Ascension Ceremony matches.”

He’s clearly changing the subject. How awkward… Lan Mulian pouted. “I was the only Nascent Soul cultivator participating. It’s nothing to brag about.”

“As for you, do you remember our agreement?”

Lan Mulian glanced at him, a beautiful smile appearing on her lips. “The three Emperor-grade herbs are the official rewards for the Ascension Ceremony matches, but there’s another reward, isn’t there?”

“If I remember correctly, you also agreed to that condition.”

She took out a talisman from her sleeve.

Mu Zhian looked at it hesitantly. “What’s this…?”

Lan Mulian smiled brightly. “No matter where you are, as long as you burn this talisman, you will be teleported back here.”

Mu Zhian’s heart skipped a beat. “Such a talisman exists? Did Sect Master Lin make this?”

“In this world, only Master is proficient in the Daos of all nine peaks and can compress a formation into a talisman.”

Lan Mulian tucked her hair behind her ear, looking at him with a playful smile. “There’s a rather secluded little room in my courtyard. Master said she used it to research formations and invent all sorts of strange items, but it’s abandoned now.”

She looked at him, smiling sweetly. “It’s quite suitable for you.”

Don’t say such cold words with such a charming smile, Senior Sister. You look cold and aloof, but your heart is dark… Mu Zhian coughed to hide his embarrassment and unease. “Senior Sister, you’re joking. With our relationship, if you need anything, just tell me, and I’ll come. There’s no need for such a talisman.”

Lan Mulian gave him a meaningful look. “I hope so.”

…

Being locked up is impossible, absolutely impossible…

Near dawn, Mu Zhian returned to the Garden of Heavenly Harmony, exhausted.

Fortunately, he was now at the Core Formation realm. With a bit of meditation, his fatigue would quickly disappear.

And he hadn’t… paid his dues these past few days, so the spiritual energy within his Innate Celestial Furnace was gradually recovering.

Mu Zhian sat cross-legged on a soft mat and meditated. After half an hour, he opened his eyes and summoned the Heaven-Asking Lock.

This Rank 1 Artifact Spirit, which he had been unable to refine before, now seemed to be responding to him, likely due to the spiritual energy he had received from the new Heavenly Dao. He could now sense the Artifact Spirit within the Heaven-Asking Lock.

“It’s a pity that the Heaven-Asking Lock is still missing something. If I could completely control it, I could escape if Senior Sister really locks me up…”

Mu Zhian sighed softly.

Suddenly, a seductive, melodious voice echoed in his mind. “When I found this Heaven-Asking Lock in the Heavenly Court, it was already missing some of its divinity. Although the Primordial Ancient Mine repaired its exterior, its Artifact Spirit was still damaged.”

“If my guess is correct, it was likely a treasure of the Lord of the Heavenly Court.”

Mu Zhian was both surprised and delighted. “Senior Ye?!”

“How did you awaken? Was the World Cleansing Green Lotus’s seal undone?”

Ye Qingxin sat in the void within the Innate Celestial Furnace, barefoot, wisps of flame dancing around her.

Her black and red dress accentuated her delicate feet. She scoffed. “Although the World Cleansing Green Lotus is powerful, the Jade Empress wouldn’t completely seal your Innate Celestial Furnace, as she needs it for dual cultivation. It was only a matter of time before I undid the remaining seal.”

“However, as long as the Jade Empress is alive, the World Cleansing Green Lotus’s seal will automatically absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth to reinforce itself when it weakens.”

Mu Zhian hesitated. “Then how did you undo the seal?”

Within the Innate Celestial Furnace, a figure resembling a fairy amidst flames silently appeared in the room. Her dress accentuated her tall, curvaceous figure, and her beauty was breathtaking.

Ye Qingxin smiled faintly. “The formations on Two Polarities Peak isolate everything from the outside world. Besides, within your Innate Celestial Furnace, my consciousness can be continuously nourished, so I was able to undo the World Cleansing Green Lotus’s seal.”

Sect Master Lin likes to tinker with formations, and Two Polarities Peak is filled with them. No wonder even the World Cleansing Green Lotus within my Innate Celestial Furnace couldn’t absorb spiritual energy once I entered Two Polarities Peak… Mu Zhian thought to himself.

But come to think of it, if Senior Sister Lan used that talisman to teleport me to Two Polarities Peak without anyone knowing, wouldn’t I be impossible to find?

Senior Sister is a Nascent Soul cultivator, her strength proportional to her… bosom, unfathomable. If she really locks me up…

Mu Zhian shuddered.

Seeing his troubled expression, Ye Qingxin asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

Mu Zhian waved his hand weakly. “Nothing. Just thinking about my future…”

“What did you mean by ‘divinity’ earlier, Senior Ye?” he asked.

Ye Qingxin knew he was changing the subject, but she didn’t press him. Although she hadn’t been back to the Heavenly Court for a while, staying within the Innate Celestial Furnace was no different, and the spiritual energy here was even richer…

This ancestor of the Ye family was reluctant to leave.

She finally understood the Jade Empress’s joy.

Go ahead and get married. On your wedding night, while you’re outside entertaining guests, this child will be mine…

Ye Qingxin’s alluring red eyes sparkled with amusement as she looked at Mu Zhian. “If my guess is correct, the Heaven-Asking Lock once possessed divinity, but it was damaged for some reason. Although its Artifact Spirit remains, it lacks divinity.”

“If you nurture it well, it might regain its divinity.”

“The Heaven-Asking Lock’s divinity…”

Mu Zhian repeated, then mused, “The Heaven-Asking Lock might have been a treasure of the Lord of the Heavenly Court. Since I’m the one who modifies the rules of the Heavenly Court, its reaction to me, its lack of resistance, might be instinctive?”

“If I can restore its divinity, the Heaven-Asking Lock might become a true ancestral artifact…”

Mu Zhian looked at the Heaven-Asking Lock, which had transformed into a long sword, his eyes flickering. He circulated his cauldron.

A wisp of spiritual energy, emitting a faint, multicolored glow, silently emerged from his cauldron.

A wisp of the new Heavenly Dao’s spiritual energy!

He had obtained this incredibly rich spiritual energy after Yao Meng achieved Dao Integration with the new Heavenly Dao.

If he used this spiritual energy to nurture the Heaven-Asking Lock… it might work.

The spiritual energy enveloped the Heaven-Asking Lock, and a miraculous scene unfolded.

The rusty surface of the Heaven-Asking Lock seemed to be rejuvenated, emitting a faint glow.

Then, it seemed to come alive, its shape shifting.

Ye Qingxin’s eyes widened in surprise. “The spiritual energy you infused is working. It’s being nourished.”

“It seems treasures from the Heavenly Court require the new Heavenly Dao’s spiritual energy to be nurtured.”

Mu Zhian murmured, “But why did it turn into a ruler…?”

Ye Qingxin frowned slightly. “It’s based on your personality. The Heaven-Asking Lock can transform into any weapon. My personality is most compatible with a sword, so it took the form of a sword.”

“If I use it in its sword form, I can unleash its full power.”

“It seems your personality is related to a ruler.”

Even Ye Qingxin’s eyes were filled with doubt as she looked at Mu Zhian strangely.

A ruler, in a sense, represented fairness and justice.

The fact that it took this form meant that Mu Zhian was righteous and impartial.

Mmm… Although he’s a good boy, I don’t think he has anything to do with fairness and justice.

Under Ye Qingxin’s subtle gaze, Mu Zhian stared at the Heaven-Asking Lock in his hand and murmured, “A ruler is the standard for measuring all things in the world. It is said that one end represents heaven, and the other represents earth.”

“In that case, I’ll call it the Heaven-Measuring Ruler.”

The Heaven-Measuring Ruler emitted a faint, multicolored glow, seemingly satisfied with the name.

Ye Qingxin’s eyes flickered, and she chuckled softly. “If you really go through with the marriage, your Dao Companions might get angry. If they lock you up, you can use this to escape.”

Mu Zhian paused, then smiled and waved his hand. “It won’t come to that. Ruoxi and the others wouldn’t go that far. No one understands them better than I do.”

Besides, I’m the one who wrote the rules of the Heavenly Court. With the help of Ye Qingxin and the Primordial Witch’s consciousness within me, I can easily suppress Ruoxi and Lingxuan.

…If all else fails, I can just hide in the Heavenly Court. They can’t chase me there and… do unspeakable things to me, can they?

Mu Zhian smirked and put away the Heaven-Measuring Ruler.

Ye Qingxin looked at him. “When are you planning to go to the Jade Pool Holy Land?”

Mu Zhian pondered for a moment. “Half a month later. I’ll use this time to try and break through to Core Formation Rank 7.”

Even with the enhancement from the Heavenly Dao Energy, it would be impossible to advance so quickly through normal cultivation.

But the pills in his storage ring were enough for him to advance another rank in a short time.

This is the benefit of being a kept man… no, this is the benefit of… pleasing Sister Jade Empress.

These pills were gifts from the Peak Masters and even some ancient clans, countless in number.

Just consuming these pills was enough for him to advance.

Ye Qingxin nodded slightly. “In that case, I’ll return to the Innate Celestial Furnace to rest.”

Mu Zhian hesitated, looking at her beautiful figure. “I’m quite mentally exhausted from cultivating today. I might need to rest for a night. Can you stay with me, Senior Ye?”

A faint smile appeared in Ye Qingxin’s eyes. “Just stay with you?”

Mu Zhian nodded immediately. “I swear by the Heavenly Dao, just stay with me. I’m so lonely…”

A stick of incense later.

Mu Zhian embraced Ye Qingxin’s slender waist, burying his face in her hair, inhaling her fragrance and the scent of the golden flames dancing around her.

Just like Sister Jade Empress, a beautiful ancestor… Yao Meng is an ethereal celestial maiden, while Ye Qingxin is a charming fire sprite, flawless… Mu Zhian sighed inwardly.

“This is what you meant by ‘just stay with me’?” Ye Qingxin asked, her back to Mu Zhian, her black and red dress slightly disheveled, revealing her delicate collarbone.

“I thought about it, and meditation is quite tiring. Lying down and resting is also good for mental recovery.”

“Don’t worry, Senior Ye. I’ll just hug you. I won’t do anything,” Mu Zhian chuckled.

Ye Qingxin turned slightly, giving him a playful glare. “Although I know your feelings, before our relationship is confirmed, don’t even think about doing anything more.”

Mmm… In other words, being ambiguous is fine, but nothing more.

Mu Zhian wasn’t bothered, content to hold Ye Qingxin in his arms.

After all, this beautiful ancestor had been quite hostile towards him before, and now she was in his bed… Women just needed to be coaxed. With a bit more… effort, he could soften her heart.

Besides, she was within his Innate Celestial Furnace. Where could she run?

While Mu Zhian was enjoying the embrace of the beautiful ancestor of the Ye family, the Holy King City near the Jade Pool Holy Land was being decorated under the Jade Empress’s orders.

Cultivators from the Eastern Continent came to investigate, seemingly unable to believe the news.

But regardless of their doubts, a grand wedding was being prepared…

Countless eyes throughout the Nine Provinces were watching.

The news that the Jade Empress had reached the threshold of the Transcendence Realm had caught the attention of all Dao Integration experts… If a Dao Integration expert from the Eastern Continent truly reached the Transcendence Realm, no one knew how the current balance of power in the Nine Provinces would change.

Regardless of the Jade Empress’s intentions, no one wanted a Transcendence Realm expert to surpass them.

Although they didn’t know that even if the Jade Empress reached the Transcendence Realm, she had no interest in ruling the Nine Provinces… Dual cultivating with Mu Zhian was much more interesting.

But regardless, the news of the Jade Empress’s wedding caused a sensation throughout the Nine Provinces.

Many factions sent their representatives to the Eastern Continent.

Whether the news of the Jade Empress reaching the Transcendence Realm was true or not was unknown.

After all, when she had glimpsed the Transcendence Realm, the shackles of heaven and earth had bound her, and the aura had vanished instantly, making it difficult even for Dao Integration experts to determine the truth.

Therefore, this grand wedding was the best opportunity to approach the Jade Empress.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay