Liu Xi didn't get too close to Ling Qingzhu. It was Qing Yanjing, instead, who chatted warmly with her—before long, the two were addressing each other as sisters.
"So what you mean is," Ling Qingzhu murmured, her brows gently knitting together, "that since I've ascended from the Lower Plane, if I want to regain my strength, I must first abandon my original energy and then re-cultivate by absorbing Spiritual Energy through a new method?"
Qing Yanjing nodded softly. "That's right."
Ling Qingzhu's frown deepened. To voluntarily release one's original power was perilous beyond measure. Once her energy was gone, she'd be defenseless; if anyone around her harbored ill intentions, she'd have no way to resist.
But as her clear eyes turned toward Qing Yanjing, then to Liu Xi, she saw the overwhelming might radiating faintly from their bodies and felt her worries fade.
Qing Yanjing was a Spiritual Grade Heavenly Sovereign.
Liu Xi, an Immortal Grade Heavenly Sovereign.
Both were beings who stood at the absolute peak of the Great Thousand Worlds—existences she might not have matched even in her prime. Now, with her power nearly gone, there was little room for doubt.
After a brief silence, Ling Qingzhu looked at Qing Yanjing with rare humility. Her normally cool voice carried a faint trace of entreaty.
"Elder Sister, please help me convert my energy into Spiritual Energy. Qingzhu will be forever grateful."
She wasn't alone in this world—she had come with Lin Dong and Qing Tan. To find them quickly, she needed her strength back as soon as possible. Her loss of power meant theirs was likely gone too; who knew what dangers they were now facing?
Qing Yanjing turned to Liu Xi for confirmation. Seeing him give a small, permissive nod, she smiled gently.
"Very well. Come with me."
The two stunning women walked toward an open glade nearby. With Liu Xi standing guard outside, the area instantly became the safest place in the Great Thousand Worlds.
Liu Xi gazed across the tranquil lake. Beneath the quiet surface of his aura, every Spiritual Beast within miles shivered in terror, retreating deep into the forests, not daring to show their heads.
And in that silence, his thoughts began to turn.
'So, Lin Dong came to the Great Thousand Worlds to resurrect Ying Huanhuan. Her remnant soul should've returned to the Ice Spirit Clan by now.'
'If Ling Qingzhu is here, then it won't be long before Lin Dong heads there. By then, the Battle Emperor should appear too… wanting to take Huanhuan as his concubine. That's when Lin Dong will chase him all the way to the West Heaven Continent.'
'Aha… if I follow Lin Dong to the Ice Spirit Clan, I can find the Battle Emperor easily. And when that fellow tries to steal Lin Dong's wife, well—how could I, as Lin Dong's friend, possibly ignore it?'
'I'll save the beauty, humiliate the Battle Emperor, and earn Lin Dong's gratitude in one move. Two birds with one stone. Perfect.'
A sly grin curved his lips.
'Poor Battle Emperor. I've already stripped the West Heaven Continent bare, and now I'm coming for you. You'll be lucky if there's even a hair left on your head after I'm done.'
Liu Xi turned his gaze back toward the two women. This transformation of Ling Qingzhu's energy was the key to gaining Lin Dong's trust later.
Ling Qingzhu sat cross-legged atop a massive boulder, her figure serene and graceful. Qing Yanjing's hands formed a series of complex seals, Spiritual Marks pouring from her fingertips to etch glowing patterns into the air.
A Spiritual Array formed—a Spirit Gathering Array. Boundless Spiritual Energy surged in from every direction, coalescing into thick mist that rolled across the lake like clouds.
Then Qing Yanjing spoke calmly:
"Qingzhu, I'll help you release your old energy first. Remember—don't resist it. If you do, not only will you fail, but you could also severely injure yourself."
Ling Qingzhu bit her lip, then nodded. "Understood."
Qing Yanjing pressed a jade-like palm gently to Ling Qingzhu's lower abdomen. At once, majestic Spiritual Energy burst forth, flooding into her dantian.
The superior Spiritual Energy began pulling at Ling Qingzhu's original power, drawing it out like water surging through a broken dam.
Ling Qingzhu trembled as wave after wave of strength drained from her body. A chilling emptiness replaced it, making her instinctively want to resist—but she forced herself not to.
Her teeth sank into her lip, her body taut and trembling as torrents of energy bled away, dissipating into violent storms that quickly dissolved into nothingness under the overwhelming purity of the surrounding Spiritual Energy.
Moments later, her energy was gone.
Ling Qingzhu's chest rose and fell rapidly, her pale skin glistening with sweat that clung to her robes, making her beauty seem almost unreal—an intoxicating blend of grace and allure.
A mature charm indeed… a goddess who'd given everything—quite literally.
Fortunately, Qing Yanjing was a woman herself—and one no less breathtaking than Ling Qingzhu—so she wasn't distracted by the sight. Her focus remained steady as she called out:
"Qingzhu! Now—circulate your technique! Absorb the Spiritual Energy! Don't lose focus!"
Ling Qingzhu's expression sharpened with determination.
"Understood!"
After a brief pause, she began to operate her Nine Heavens Celestial Art—the same Qi Method she had once cultivated in the Lower Plane.
Back then, she'd abandoned it, switching to the Zenith Sensing Art, a dual-cultivation method born from the will of the World itself. With it, she'd reached half a step into the Ancestor Realm—roughly equal to a Perfect Earth Sovereign here in the Great Thousand Worlds.
But now, under the clash of different systems, that strength has been reduced to almost nothing.
Having made up her mind, Ling Qingzhu began anew. Threads of pure Spiritual Energy gathered toward her, slowly weaving into her meridians.
Left alone, it would've taken ages for her to recover—but Qing Yanjing acted again.
With a graceful sweep of her hand, torrents of Spiritual Mist condensed and surged into Ling Qingzhu's body.
Under her assistance, Ling Qingzhu's cultivation soared like a river breaking through a dam—past the Sensing Stage, the Spiritual Movement Stage… and soon into the Sovereign Realm itself.
With her former foundation, reaching that height wasn't difficult. After opening her Sovereign Sea, she fully stabilized her power at the Sovereign Realm.
Qing Yanjing didn't stop there. Her slender hands danced through the air once more, gathering the mist into a storm. Within that storm, drop after drop of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid materialized, raining down around Ling Qingzhu.
Those glowing droplets flowed together into a shining river, encircling Ling Qingzhu's body and surging with vast energy. The radiance tempered her flesh, refined her meridians, and solidified her new foundation.
Her white robes fluttered lightly amidst the shimmering mist, her beauty transcendent—like a celestial goddess reborn through purification.
When the final waves of Spiritual Energy calmed, Ling Qingzhu had stabilized her cultivation at 9th Grade Sovereign.
That was already the limit Qing Yanjing allowed her to reach; had she not deliberately restrained it, Ling Qingzhu might have broken through directly to the Earth Sovereign Realm.
But forcing that growth would've harmed her. For now, this was perfect.
(End of Chapter)
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