Unwillingness, desire, vigilance, hesitation... all sorts of emotions intertwined in everyone's eyes.
Gu Han listened quietly, her heart perfectly clear.
Emperor Lord Long Teng did not mention a single word about extending Holy Master Yaoguang's Lifespan.
He only linked "Mending Heaven" with the "immortal path" and the "Dao path," using the general trend to coerce them and promising benefits to lure them.
A fifty percent chance? He probably doesn't even have thirty percent.
If he truly succeeds in opening the immortal path, he can directly take Yaoguang to the Immortal Realm.
As for whether the Heavenly Dao would be enraged afterward, or if the Canglan Continent would suffer any consequences, he didn't care in the slightest.
Even if he failed, since he is the Son of Destiny, the Heavenly Dao naturally wouldn't punish him, but the others might not be so lucky.
What a brilliant scheme... Just as everyone's thoughts were stirring and they were weighing the pros and cons.
Empress Qingxuan suddenly let out a light laugh, breaking the slightly heavy atmosphere.
"Fellow Daoist Long Teng's proposal is indeed tempting."
She leaned languidly against the back of her chair, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"Working together to Mend Heaven and reopen the immortal path sounds excellent."
Her tone suddenly shifted, carrying a hint of playfulness:
"However, I have traveled extensively and heard and seen many strange and unusual things."
"I suddenly recalled some interesting matters."
"Oh?"
Emperor Lord Long Teng raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Fellow Daoist Qingxuan, what profound insight do you have?"
Not just Long Teng, but everyone in the hall focused their attention on Qingxuan.
This Empress of the Eastern Domain has always been mysterious; since she spoke now, she must have a specific meaning.
Empress Qingxuan, unhurried, flashed a light on her fingertip.
The "red emperor burning heaven lotus" reappeared in her palm.
A hot, ancient, and tyrannical Emperor Weapon aura instantly spread, dissolving the heavy atmosphere in the hall and causing everyone's pupils to contract!
"This item, named the red emperor burning heaven lotus, was obtained by me twenty thousand years ago when I traveled to a place called the Xuanhuang Continent."
Empress Qingxuan's voice rang out clearly.
"And this item is called an Emperor Weapon by the Cultivators there."
The moment her voice fell, the entire Soaring Dragon Palace plunged into a near-solid silence!
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the slowly rotating, crimson lotus platform in her palm, which emitted astonishing Imperial Might!
"Xuanhuang... Continent?"
Desolate God put down his wine gourd, his eyes wide, staring at the red lotus, and swallowed hard.
Just moments ago he was drinking heavily, but now he felt completely parched.
Although the hot and tyrannical Imperial Might was contained, those at their level could perceive it even more clearly!
That was not the aura of any known Magic Treasure on the Canglan Continent!
It was ancient, vast, and carried a completely different dao rhyme!
"Emperor Weapon..."
Venerable Bai Yun put down the scroll in his hand, and for the first time, an unconcealable look of shock appeared on his refined face.
"Fellow Daoist Qingxuan, is this true? Does this item truly come from another continent?"
His voice carried a barely noticeable tremor.
Wufa Buddha Lord stopped moving the prayer beads with his fingers, and a sharp light flickered in his eyes.
Demon Lord Wu Tian narrowed his eyes, and the Evil Qi around him fluctuated, clearly indicating his inner turmoil.
Star rivers flowed in Old Man Tian Ji's eyes, as if he were calculating something, and a rare look of astonishment and doubt appeared on his face.
Even Emperor Lord Long Teng, who had been sitting calmly atop the high platform, had his pupils slightly contract at this moment!
His gaze lingered on the red emperor burning heaven lotus for several breaths before quickly turning to Qingxuan, his eyes profoundly deep.
A trace of surprise also flashed across Holy Master Yaoguang's gentle face, but it was mostly replaced by contemplation.
Only Empress Ling Shuang and Gu Han, who sat quietly beside Qingxuan, remained calm, as if they had anticipated this.
Empress Qingxuan felt the shocked, scrutinizing, and disbelieving gazes in the hall, and the lazy smile on her lips deepened.
This was exactly the effect she wanted!
"Why would I speak carelessly?"
Empress Qingxuan's voice was clear and resonant, carrying an undeniable certainty.
"This item truly and absolutely comes from the Xuanhuang Continent."
"Back then, it was also through an Opportunity that I managed to reach that place, via an extremely secretive 'void node'."
She gently stroked the lotus petals with her fingertip. The fiery red light illuminated her exquisite profile, and her voice softened, tinged with recollection and emotion:
"The Xuanhuang Continent is completely different from our Canglan Continent."
"The Great Dao Laws there are complete, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is rich and pure; it is a true 'Central Great World'."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone, especially Emperor Lord Long Teng and Holy Master Yaoguang:
"And their system of Cultivation is also completely different from ours."
"Here, Ascension to Immortality is the peak, and the path forward is severed."
"But on the Xuanhuang Continent, perhaps not..."
"Perhaps not?!"
Desolate God suddenly stood up, his face full of shock.
"Qingxuan, what do you mean? Does that Xuanhuang Continent truly have Immortals?"
Everyone unconsciously held their breath at that moment!
For them, who have been trapped in this realm for a hundred thousand years, desperately searching for a path forward without success, the impact was simply too immense!
"And according to what I learned, the records of the Xuanhuang Continent show that someone successfully achieved Ascension as recently as ninety thousand years ago."
Empress Qingxuan's voice still carried its characteristic laziness.
Yet the weight of her words made the air within the Soaring Dragon Palace seem to solidify.
"Ninety thousand years ago... someone still achieved Ascension?"
Demon Lord Wu Tian's voice was dry and hoarse.
This number held extraordinary significance for them!
The immortal path of the Canglan Continent was severed eight hundred thousand years ago; after that, Ascension became completely relegated to legend.
Only fragmented records remained in the oldest and most incomplete ancient texts.
And the long span of eight hundred thousand years was enough to erase too many truths, making the existence of the "immortal path" seem illusory.
But the time frame of ninety thousand years... For them, who are Ascension to Immortalitys, ninety thousand years, while still distant, was no longer the untraceable "Ancient Era"!
If someone on the Xuanhuang Continent successfully achieved Ascension ninety thousand years ago, it meant that the path was still open, at least at that time!
"Qingxuan! Where is that void node?"
Desolate God's face was a mixture of ecstasy, shock, and an indescribable urgency.
"Fellow Daoist Desolate God, please calm down."
Empress Qingxuan gently shook the red emperor burning heaven lotus in her hand.
"I just said that I only went there by chance through an Opportunity, and I returned hastily because I encountered trouble."
"That void node is extremely unstable, and traversing it is fraught with peril. Even I barely survived back then."
She paused, her gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over Emperor Lord Long Teng, then passing over Holy Master Yaoguang's slightly pale face.
Her voice slowed, carrying a tone of heartfelt honesty:
"Although the Xuanhuang Continent is marvelous, it is by no means a safe place."
"Sects stand numerous there, aristocratic families are entrenched, experts are as common as clouds, and the cruelty of the conflicts far surpasses that of our Canglan Continent."
"In order to obtain this red emperor burning heaven lotus, I provoked a force called the 'Liyang Ancient Clan' and was pursued by two Experts of the Same Rank, barely managing to return."
She casually stated the terrifying fact of being "pursued by two Experts of the Same Rank."
This immediately cooled the fervent atmosphere that had just risen in the hall.
Two Experts of the Same Rank—meaning two Ascension to Immortality Rank experts—and they both came from the same Aristocratic Family!
Although no one present had truly fought Qingxuan, they had all heard assessments of her strength.
The foundation of a force that she found troublesome enough to require fleeing to avoid disaster is unimaginable.
"Opportunity and danger coexist; this is common sense."
Venerable Bai Yun spoke slowly.
He picked up the scroll again, but his fingertips unconsciously rubbed the pages, revealing his inner turmoil.
"Fellow Daoist Qingxuan, do you mean that even if there is a passage, rashly going there could lead to self-destruction?"
His question was tactful, but it actually highlighted another hidden worry in everyone's hearts.
If they truly went there, what would happen if the experts of the Xuanhuang Continent discovered them?
Would they be besieged?
"It's hard to say,"
Empress Qingxuan admitted frankly.
"But compared to Fellow Daoist Long Teng's 'Mending Heaven' method, the risk of this path might be slightly smaller."
She skillfully placed the risk of Mending Heaven and the risk of traveling to another realm on opposite ends of the scale.
"Furthermore,"
She changed the subject again. The red emperor burning heaven lotus resting on her fingertip glowed; although its Imperial Might was contained, it was still eye-catching.
"If we can truly reach the Xuanhuang Continent, Holy Master Yaoguang's predicament might find a safer solution."
"The Heaven and Earth Great Dao there is complete, and there are countless Heaven And Earth Treasures; there might be items capable of extending Lifespan."
This sentence was like a precise arrow, aimed directly at the softest, yet most stubborn, part of Emperor Lord Long Teng's heart!
Emperor Lord Long Teng's eyes, which had been as calm as a deep pool, finally showed clear ripples upon hearing these words!
He abruptly looked at Qingxuan, then quickly turned to Holy Master Yaoguang beside him.
Holy Master Yaoguang's gentle face also showed surprise, but it quickly turned into complex contemplation.
She knew her own situation best. In this realm, the hope of extending her Lifespan or achieving a Breakthrough was slim, and the cost was hard to estimate.
If there truly was another world with a complete Great Dao, even a sliver of hope would make all the difference!
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