The gathering in the great hall did not last long. The Nine Heavens Dao Sovereign had no way to determine who the true Dark was, so the original plan had to be temporarily changed. Now, they could only wait and see if using Great Yi as bait would lure the enemy out. If not, they would have to wait until the moment Great Yi officially ascended to the Immortal Court—that would be the time for a true decisive battle.
Before long, the gathering concluded.
Yi Tianxing returned to Xuanhuang City together with Queen Mother of the West.
"Now that you're attempting to evolve a Supreme Ancestral Vein, it will inevitably attract the attention of many powerful figures. The value of an ancestral vein surpasses any precious treasure. Before it actually evolved, even if others knew you had the resources to nourish a spirit vein into an ancestral one, few would act, because it was still just potential. But once it becomes reality—a living, breathing ancestral vein in front of them—the temptation becomes unbearable for many."
The Queen Mother of the West spoke calmly.
"Possible" and "has become"—these are two vastly different concepts, with vastly different consequences. One should never test the limits of human desire, for it is the most unpredictable of all.
The aftermath of this move would be significant. Whether Great Yi could withstand the prying eyes of the world remained to be seen. Those itching to act were not limited to the Nine Heavens Dao Sovereign. To many Destiny Dynasties, a Supreme Ancestral Vein was the threshold to becoming an Immortal Court. As long as it existed, conflict was inevitable—no one would easily give it up.
"If anyone dares reach out their hand—chop it off. One hand? Chop one. Two? Chop both. Great Yi's things aren't for others to covet."
Yi Tianxing sneered.
Great Yi was never one to suffer silently.
To dare attempt evolving a Supreme Ancestral Vein at this moment, of course he had the confidence to back it up.
There was no relying on others. The only thing he could count on was his own strength.
Xuanhuang Immortal City, formed from the fusion of the Eternal Heaven Ark, Immortal Destiny City, and the Supreme Artifact, was forged from countless heaven-and-earth treasures and oceans of pure willpower. Though nominally a Holy City, it had already reached the level of immortality, capable of contending with Saints. Anyone who dared make a move—Yi Tianxing would welcome it.
Without such a foundation, how could he possibly face the Nine Heavens Dao Sovereign?
The Innate Spirit Veins were located within Xuanhuang City. Once they advanced into Supreme Ancestral Veins, the greatest beneficiary would naturally be Xuanhuang City itself.
"Since you've already decided, let's begin. I am also the Empress of Great Yi's Western Palace."
The Queen Mother of the West nodded decisively.
"Then let me show you Great Yi's Innate Spirit Veins."
Yi Tianxing smiled faintly, then appeared with her in the central plaza of Xuanhuang Immortal City.
In the plaza, a massive Palace Tree rose skyward, supporting layers of cloud realms. Surrounding the base were twelve colossal statues, each towering over a thousand zhang. These were none other than the Twelve Zodiac Statues, standing like divine mountains encircling the plaza. From just a glance, one could feel the awe-inspiring majesty radiating from them.
These statues were the twelve Innate Spirit Veins of Great Yi.
They had long since merged completely with Xuanhuang City, becoming inseparable. The spirit veins were rooted within the city itself. As Xuanhuang City grew, so too did the twelve spirit veins. Every moment, vast amounts of willpower from sentient beings poured into the veins, acting as nourishment. Through the Well of Eternity, this energy was refined into eternal divine power, tempering the spirit veins.
Unknowingly, the twelve spirit veins had been growing rapidly.
They maintained the operation of the entire city, including the many cloud realms above the Palace Tree. At this point, the essence of these spirit veins had reached an astonishing level.
Of course, one couldn't see their true forms from the exterior of the statues. Their existence was a tightly held secret within Great Yi. Even those who knew of them had no idea how they had been formed or where they originated.
"Come on, let's go in."
Yi Tianxing smiled, gently holding the Queen Mother of the West's jade hand as they approached the Zodiac Dragon Statue. To those around them, it was as if they didn't exist—no one could see or sense them, as though they had become invisible.
In the next instant, the two entered the Dragon Statue. Inside, it was like a separate space entirely.
There, an immense Innate Spirit Vein appeared before them.
It took the form of a massive true dragon, coiling through the void. At a glance, its length exceeded 13,000 zhang—far from the peak of 90,000 zhang that defined the limit of Innate Spirit Veins, but it was still growing.
"It truly is an Innate Spirit Vein."
One look was enough for the Queen Mother of the West to confirm it. The innate Dao rhythm it exuded was impossible to fake. She had seen even Supreme Ancestral Veins—there was no mistaking this one. What shocked her the most was that there were twelve such veins in Great Yi—all hidden inside Xuanhuang City. Even she had not known this until now.
If not for her status as the Empress of the Western Palace, Yi Tianxing might never have brought her here or shared this secret.
"What do you plan to use? That divine source you obtained earlier could probably boost the vein."
She took a deep breath and asked.
"Divine source? No. I want something better."
Yi Tianxing smiled calmly.
With a wave of his hand, countless willing power pearls—pure willpower condensed into bead-like forms—poured forth like a river and surged into the spirit vein.
Boom!!
As the willpower pearls merged into the spirit vein, its massive body began to tremble and rapidly expand. Its growth was visible to the naked eye. To the spirit vein, those pearls were the most delicious and nourishing feast imaginable.
"So many willing power pearls?! Where did these come from? Great Yi hasn't built temples or shrines for mortals to pray or worship, so how do you have so much? And the willpower in these pearls—it's unbelievably pure, without even the slightest impurity. This is an unbelievable treasure. Using willpower pearls to cultivate spirit veins is even more extravagant and refined than using divine sources."
The Queen Mother of the West was truly shocked by what she saw.
In the cultivation world, willpower—derived from mortal prayers and wishes—was not uncommon. However, ordinary incense power was dangerous to cultivators, full of mortal delusions that could poison the mind, forcing one to become what the masses wanted them to be. It required extreme refinement to become pure willpower—untainted by mortal thoughts.
Willpower was one of the most mystical forces in existence.
It could turn the impossible into reality, make dreams come true, reshape heaven and earth, and even reverse the sun and moon. In a sense, it was almost omnipotent. Eternal Coins only became miraculous after absorbing these pearls.
Pure willpower pearls were therefore incredibly valuable.
Having a few wasn't strange, but to have them form an entire river like this was astonishing. The biggest mystery was: How had Great Yi achieved this, and kept it hidden from the world?
"If used properly, willpower pearls can transform directly into innate essence, allowing the spirit veins to grow rapidly. Sadly, most of them are normally used to temper Xuanhuang City, so we don't have much excess. Otherwise, I could have elevated all twelve spirit veins at once to their peak. But given time, each one will be raised in turn."
Yi Tianxing remained calm, giving no clue as to their source—this concerned the Eternal Coin, and for now, only he should know.
Fast.
Very fast.
The pearls required no digestion, converting instantly into innate essence.
20,000 zhang.
30,000 zhang.…In the blink of an eye, it had swelled to the maximum—90,000 zhang, the limit of Innate Spirit Veins.
Of course, this had consumed a vast ocean of willpower pearls, vanishing into the vein like pebbles into the sea.
"This is the limit of an Innate Spirit Vein. It can't grow further unless it breaks its shackles and evolves into a Supreme Ancestral Vein. Willpower pearls can nourish it, but not push it past the bottleneck. You'll still need that rare world-spirit treasure—Innate Xuanhuang Primordial Qi."
The Queen Mother of the West was awestruck by the rapid growth she had just witnessed.
"That Primordial Qi is rare, yes. But what must be sacrificed, must be sacrificed. Compared to a Supreme Ancestral Vein, the Primordial Qi is insignificant. There's no hesitation in this choice."
Yi Tianxing smiled again.
As he spoke, he took out a jade box, sealed tightly with countless runes.
Click—
The seal opened, and inside the box, a strand of xuan-yellow primordial mist floated, glowing with eternal light.
With a flash, the Innate Xuanhuang Primordial Qi flew toward the spirit vein...