Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation

Chapter 424 - 246: Shangguan Qingying: Shameless Little Thief...

With Ling Qiyue’s successful Crossing of the Tribulation, the many prying eyes outside the Cave Mansion Hall quietly vanished.

On Feiyun Sect territory, a Golden Core Master ascending to the rank of Nascent Soul True Monarch wasn’t a particularly rare event, so it naturally didn’t warrant excessive attention.

Thus, after three months, once her Realm was stable, Ling Qiyue accompanied Ling Changqing and departed from the Feiyun Sect. They used the mighty power of the Bian Wujian Gate to quietly return to the Changqing Continent.

At the family headquarters, inside the Women’s Embroidery Tower.

"...Sister, you’ve finally succeeded?"

Seeing Ling Qiyue again, Tang Qiu Yao was both shocked and delighted. Ling Qiyue was radiant and demure, her beauty breathtaking, her very presence and aura having undergone a near-total transformation. Tang Qiu Yao threw her arms around her, looking her up and down incessantly.

"Mhm, I suppose it’s mostly thanks to my husband. It wouldn’t have gone so smoothly otherwise!"

As the women’s gazes focused on her, Ling Qiyue’s lovely face flushed red, and she spoke with some embarrassment.

"Did anything happen in the surrounding sea regions while we were away?" Ling Changqing asked gently.

"Nothing to worry about. The surrounding powers have all been behaving themselves!"

Tang Qiu Yao said with a radiant smile. She had been in charge of watching over the family in their absence, acting as the Patriarch.

"From now on, the Ling Family is the de facto ruler of this region of the sea. The unification of our surroundings is within reach."

Ling Qiyue mused with a sigh.

She recalled how just a few decades ago, the Ling Family was merely an obscure Foundation Establishment Clan in the Feiyu Sea Region, lacking resources and talent. Now, they had emerged from their chrysalis like a butterfly.

They had gone from a Foundation Establishment Clan to a Golden Core Family, annexing several long-standing rivals, and eventually sweeping away all hostile forces to take control of the entire Feiyu Sea Region. And now, they had taken yet another step forward, becoming a true Nascent Soul Clan!

From this day forward, the Ling Family’s history would turn a new page, entering a completely new era.

Ling Qiyue was the first, but she would by no means be the Ling Family’s last Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Next, Ling Changqing and the women of his harem would all, one after another, step into the Nascent Soul True Monarch Realm, making the family’s overall strength grow ever greater. Tang Qiu Yao was deeply convinced of this.

"Alright," Qin Yun asked gently, "since the Patriarch’s Sister has become a Nascent Soul True Monarch, should the family invite guests and hold a grand celebration?"

This was, in fact, standard practice in the Cultivation Realm. The emergence of a Nascent Soul True Monarch was no small matter anywhere, let alone in a place like the Feiyu Sea Region, which had never had one before.

Ling Qiyue shook her head. "Not for now. It’s better if we just celebrate amongst ourselves behind closed doors."

Although this important news couldn’t be kept secret forever and would sooner or later become known to the outside powers, delaying it for a while was still for the best.

In Ling Qiyue’s opinion, it would be best to wait until Ling Changqing also reached the Nascent Soul True Monarch Realm. Then, they could publicly announce that the Ling Family was a Nascent Soul power. At that point, they wouldn’t have to worry about interference from other Nascent Soul powers.

As for the powers at the Divinity Transformation Level, they wouldn’t deign to notice a place like this, so there was no need to consider them.

"That works. Then it’s settled!"

Tang Qiu Yao and the other women no longer insisted on the matter.

That night, Ling Changqing and the women drank and feasted to their hearts’ content. After they were full, they engaged in Dual Cultivation together, indulging in the utmost pleasure.

Her wish finally fulfilled, Ling Qiyue was exceptionally eager to please, perfectly playing the role of a Dual Cultivation Companion. She even let Ling Changqing try certain rather shameless positions on her that she had been too inhibited for in the past.

A few days later, Ling Qiyue began to oversee the comprehensive expansion and upgrade of the family headquarters, focusing especially on the installation and calibration of the Grade Four Protection Array.

In addition, the Marketplace on the Changqing Continent also had to be expanded, its Protective Array and Restrictions upgraded. Other important locations like mines, ports, and the Medicine Mountain Spirit Field also needed their defenses strengthened.

Once these projects were complete, the family headquarters could withstand a siege by multiple Nascent Soul True Monarchs for a considerable amount of time.

Then, Ling Changqing resumed his work in the sea, gathering rare resources from the ocean floor.

The main reason was that their last procurement trip had been too expensive, completely wiping out the family’s surplus funds. Even Ling Changqing’s personal savings were nearly depleted, so they had to earn it all back as quickly as possible.

With Ling Qiyue now a Nascent Soul True Monarch and he himself possessing a Late Stage Golden Core Cultivation, their safety while operating underwater had increased dramatically. They could now move freely even in waters exceeding two thousand zhang in depth.

The dark, frigid seabed.

Beside a rugged, craggy underwater cave, Ling Changqing was harvesting a type of Yunmu Mushroom that was earthy-yellow and shaped like a lumpy stone.

A mature specimen of this thing was only the size of a fist, yet it was exceptionally heavy, with a single piece weighing several hundred jin.

Furthermore, it was a Quasi Rank Four Spirit Medicine. Certain Elixirs made with it as the primary ingredient could fortify the body, significantly enhancing a Cultivator’s physical strength, vitality, and post-injury recovery capabilities. It was one of the indispensable resources for cultivators on the Body Cultivation Path.

However, this item had always been known to grow only in the Deep Sea Region, and specifically on seabeds where the water depth exceeded twenty-five hundred zhang. One could only imagine how precious it was.

At such depths, various ferocious Third Grade and Quasi Rank Four marine beasts were commonplace. There were even some particularly troublesome species that not even a Nascent Soul True Monarch would willingly provoke.

"...Husband, perhaps we could go a little deeper?" Ling Qiyue said to him in a low voice.

With enough strength came greater confidence. And with Ling Changqing’s supreme Luck and Fortune, the deeper they went, the more likely they were to find something good.

It was said that in the deepest parts of the ten-thousand-zhang oceanic abyss, there existed certain Heavenly and Earthly Treasures that had long since vanished from the outside world—treasures capable of allowing a Cultivator to defy their fate and soar to the heavens in a single bound.