Cangzhou territory.
Thousands of li of desolation, with scattered sparks rising from the ground, was the tragic scene left behind after the battle between Wang Xuanyi and a group of Nascent Soul cultivators.
It would take decades for this place to regain any semblance of life.
Yet, in this very desolated land, a white-robed figure strolled along, holding several bone-carved doors of varying lusters in their hand.
Looking closely, these were identical to the entrance gates of the Ancient Immortal Realm, except that the original gates stood hundreds of zhang tall, looming between heaven and earth like giant mountains.
“Hehe, this epoch has only been open for a few thousand years, yet a golden age has already emerged, and even the Twin Netherworld Eyes, which had been dormant for endless eons, have been born.”
The ancient immortal smiled faintly, their body shrouded in a dim glow that obscured their true appearance.
“Oh well, it is not good to harbor too high expectations of you all, and excessive interference is not my wish either. I shall simply watch in silence.”
As the ethereal voice faded, the ancient immortal's figure dissipated as well.
At the same time, in the territories of the demon race, evil cults, and demon sects, ancient geniuses and contemporary geniuses alike had also obtained immortal path inheritances within the Calamity Immortal Realm.
Each millennial realm opening was not only a carnival for human cultivators but also for them.
...
Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect.
More than two months had passed since the end of the Ancient Immortal Realm.
For everyone, these two months had been a rare, happy time.
Compared to the ferocity and cruelty within the Ancient Immortal Realm, most cultivators were more accustomed to this ordinary life, even if it carried a slight touch of mortal danger.
On Tianzhu Peak.
“Brother, I want to eat... food!!!”
“Big Brother, I want to eat... food too, ya!”
“Junior Brother, I want to eat too!”
“Little Yi-Yi, Big Sister wants some too.”
“I know, I know. Stop shouting.”
Inside the kitchen, sweat constantly dripped from Wang Xuanyi's forehead, and the spatula in his hand never stopped for a single moment. He had no idea how many dishes he had cooked, yet he still could not fill the bellies of these gluttons.
In the bamboo forest, the original small stone table had been replaced with a large stone table, and those stone and bamboo stools... had all been swapped by Wang Xuanyi for more comfortable, custom-made chairs tailored to each individual.
Murong Qing, Huo Huang, and Wenren Jing had all put forward their own demands, wanting this changed and that modified, much like unreasonable clients demanding revisions from a contractor.
Wang Xuanyi was completely helpless against this.
“Coming, coming, you bunch of piglets.”
Wang Xuanyi dragged out over a dozen dishes and brought them to the bamboo forest. Looking at the group, he let out a helpless sigh.
Such was time, such was fate.
He was truly born to be a cook.
“Brother, thank you for your hard work! After we finish eating, I'll massage your shoulders and knead your back, okay?” Huo Huang blinked, revealing her sharp little canine teeth.
“At least you have a bit of a conscience,” Wang Xuanyi said, amused but exasperated.
Huo Huang had woken up three days ago. With the assistance of the Immortal Phoenix and the Phoenix Blood Pool, her ancient phoenix bloodline had been completely activated.
This little girl had also successfully cultivated the Emperor Phoenix Body from the original novel, one of the most powerful constitutions throughout history, fully comparable to the Unblemished Body.
Not only that, during her deep sleep, Huo Huang had accepted the inheritance of the Immortal Phoenix, using her immortal path bloodline to construct a perfect True Phoenix foundation platform.
As for Wenren Jing, her realm had already broken through to the Violet Palace Realm, and she had constructed her own unique "mansion" between her brows—the Mark of All Things.
This was a unique mark of the Unblemished Body, capable of accepting the spirits of all things in the world and absorbing the most refined essence of heaven and earth for cultivation.
It was practically monstrous.
As for Zhu Huai and the old geezer, those two had gone into secluded cultivation.
The former had accepted the immortal path inheritance of the Peach Blossom Immortal and was currently learning how to control her Peach Blossom Eyes and suppress the natural charm she emitted, while the latter was grinding away the ghost immortal's soul brand.
For now, the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect was relatively peaceful, and Tianzhu Peak was much livelier than before.
“Little Xuan, where is my wine?”
At this moment, a red-haired little girl of about three or four years old dropped from the bamboo tips onto Wang Xuanyi's head. Her tender hands were crossed over her chest, and her legs were crossed, giving her the appearance of a tiny adult.
This creature was the reincarnated Immortal Phoenix. She had returned to life through Huo Huang's body and that active phoenix blood, though she had lost all her magic power and cultivation realm.
According to her description, every time a phoenix underwent nirvana, they would return to the starting point of cultivation. However, each cycle would be faster than the last, and they did not even need to worry about suppressing their realm.
Because they were inherently nurtured by heaven and earth and possessed primitive accumulation, they did not need to cultivate as desperately as human cultivators.
“Here, the wine I promised you.”
Wang Xuanyi handed a storage ring to the Immortal Phoenix and informed her, “Inside are thirty jars of one-month-aged Green Bamboo Wine, thirty jars of three-year-aged Green Bamboo Wine, and forty jars of Peach Blossom Brew that was finished yesterday. This is your allowance for this month. Once you drink it all, you'll have to wait until next month.”
“A hundred jars? Are you treating me like a child? Give me a thousand jars!” The Immortal Phoenix expressed her dissatisfaction after taking the storage ring. They had agreed back then that there would be an unlimited supply of wine.
“Do you think my wine grows on trees? You, Mo Yan, and the ol—” At this point, Wang Xuanyi felt Su Qian's false smile and quickly corrected himself, “Fairy Sister, the three of you drink at least seven hundred jars of my wine every month. My private stash is almost depleted, and gathering the raw materials for brewing is painstakingly slow.”
“I don't care.”
“If you keep being stubborn, you won't even get these hundred jars.”
“A hundred jars it is, then. I'll take them.”
As the Immortal Phoenix spoke, she pulled a jar of Peach Blossom Brew from the storage ring and downed it in one go, a blissful expression instantly appearing on her face.
“Sigh.”
Wang Xuanyi shook his head. What a mess this was.
A little girl like Murong Qing who needed constant care, a disobedient sister like Huo Huang, a child-like Wenren Jing, and a punchable Immortal Phoenix on his head.
Every eccentric person that could possibly exist had gathered in this one place.
“Oh my, Little Yi-Yi, how many times have you sighed today? Is Big Sister not beautiful enough?” Su Qian spoke in a seductive tone, her voice dripping with allure and charm.
Oh, he almost forgot. There was also a thousand-year-old mature woman who spent all day trying to seduce a nineteen-year-old boy, truly trying to graze on young grass.
“Beautiful, beautiful,” Wang Xuanyi replied perfunctorily.
Compared to the liveliness of Tianzhu Peak, Tianyun Peak was much quieter.
Since Huo Huang woke up, she and Murong Qing went to Tianzhu Peak every day to play with Wang Xuanyi. Because of this, the number of people on Tianyun Peak had dwindled from six to four.
Xiao Hongye, Leng Ning'an, Wen Sining, and Long Zitian.
At the cultivation grounds, Long Zitian suddenly said, “Master, I believe we should establish a rule.”
“What rule?”
“Cultivators should take cultivation as their sole duty. Has Master been too indulgent with Huo Huang and Junior Sister?”
Long Zitian said with a calm expression. Although those two were supposedly Xiao Hongye's disciples, they practically ran to Tianzhu Peak every day, almost becoming its disciples instead.
Was this not a violation of the way of respecting one's master?
“Indeed, Master. Fourth Junior Sister and Fifth Junior Sister are indulging in play and neglecting their cultivation. This is not a good thing for them,” Leng Ning'an chimed in.
She did not know what Huo Huang and Murong Qing were thinking; she only knew that those two were Master's disciples, not people of Tianzhu Peak.
Especially... people close to Wang Xuanyi!
Leng Ning'an subconsciously touched her neck. It was as if the warmth of that palm still lingered there, and her gaze grew cold and dark.
From childhood to adulthood, she had never suffered such humiliation.
“Master, I do not believe there is anything amiss,” Wen Sining explained. “Junior Sister Huo Huang has just awakened, so it is only reasonable for her to rest for a period to stabilize her cultivation. As for Junior Sister Qing'er, she is still young and this is simply her nature, so why force her?”
“Furthermore, Senior Brother Wang is not someone who does not understand cultivation. With Junior Sister Huo Huang and Junior Sister Qing'er by his side, they might be much more obedient than they would be with us.”
Hearing Wen Sining's differing opinion, Xiao Hongye also found it reasonable.
Huo Huang and Murong Qing rarely interacted with Leng Ning'an and the others on Tianyun Peak. They would only exchange a few words occasionally before falling silent, and they preferred spending most of their time discussing the path of cultivation with Wen Sining.
For a cultivator, besides blind, bitter cultivation, balancing work and rest was also of paramount importance.
“Master...”
“Enough. This matter ends here.”
Xiao Hongye interrupted Long Zitian, who wanted to keep speaking. She understood his worries as a senior brother, but they were only one-sided.
With that, Xiao Hongye resumed her meditation.
Seeing this, Long Zitian silently clenched his fists.
Murong Qing possessed the Extreme Yin Body, and Huo Huang had even awakened the Emperor Phoenix Body. Either of these was an extremely powerful constitution. If they were to engage in dual cultivation, they might even be able to touch the extreme limit of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
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