…


    After everyone left, the Jade Empress took Mu Zhi’an to his room.


    He hadn’t been faking his collapse earlier. He was truly weak.


    After all, relying on a single wisp of consciousness to support his body and maintain his Vessel’s operation was incredibly difficult.


    Before his consciousness fully recovered, it wouldn’t be easy for him to move freely.


    Ye Lingxuan had misunderstood the Empress. She wasn’t planning to do anything malicious to Mu Zhi’an. In his current state, he couldn’t do anything anyway.


    The Jade Empress simply wanted to nourish his consciousness.


    In the past, she had resided within his body, slowly recovering her own consciousness with the help of his Innate Celestial Furnace’s Spiritual Energy. She had even absorbed a large amount of his energy later on.


    Since she could receive Spiritual Energy from him, she could naturally give it back to him now, nourishing his consciousness.


    As for the method…


    Although it was somewhat shameful, no one was watching… so it didn’t matter.


    The Jade Empress’s eyes softened with affection as she walked towards the bed.


    Suddenly, she sensed a paper crane landing outside the window. She turned her head slightly.


    A medicinal pill, emitting a faint glow, was attached to the crane.


    “The Nirvana Pill?” the Jade Empress murmured, her eyes flickering.


    The Nirvana Pill had strict usage requirements. It could only be used by the ‘deceased’.


    By ‘deceased’, it didn’t mean truly dead, but rather, a state where the consciousness remained while the body had perished.


    Its effect was simple: to completely transform the body.


    Mu Zhi’an’s current state was essentially the same as being dead. He was only able to move because of that single wisp of consciousness.


    Shang Yanfei had even prepared this…


    The Nirvana Pill was an eighth-grade pill, requiring at least one Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herb to refine.


    It wasn’t like that woman to go to such lengths for a mere disciple.


    “This is not the time to think about this…”


    The Jade Empress murmured to herself, walking towards the window. She retrieved the fiery red pill, with its red veins resembling a reborn phoenix.


    Then, she turned to look at the unconscious young man on the bed.


    She sat down beside him, her skin fair and flawless, her shoulder bare.


    She picked up the pill with her slender fingers and placed it in her mouth. Gazing at Mu Zhi’an’s handsome face, she slowly leaned down.


    …


    “Sister, what’s bothering you?”


    After returning to the courtyard with Ye Lingxuan, Ye Qian noticed her sister’s worried expression and couldn’t help but ask.


    Ye Lingxuan snapped out of her thoughts and smiled faintly. “It’s nothing. Just some trivial matters.”


    Ye Qian simply replied, “Oh.”


    Knowing that Mu Zhi’an was alive had significantly improved her mood.


    “By the way, Sister, when are you planning to start your inheritance?” Ye Qian suddenly asked.


    Due to Mu Zhi’an’s ‘death’, Ye Lingxuan had left the ancestral land before completing her inheritance. However, unlike others, her inheritance was conducted through the puppet. As long as the puppet was with her, she could start at any time.


    Ye Lingxuan pondered for a moment. “After the Soul Returning Pill is refined.”


    She wouldn’t be able to focus on her cultivation until she saw Brother Mu recover.


    “Are you planning to participate in the Ascension Ceremony, Sister?” Ye Qian asked.


    The upcoming Ascension Ceremony would gather talented individuals from all over the Nine Realms, and the final victor would receive three rewards, including an Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herb.


    Such rewards were tempting not only to talented disciples but even to Earthly Immortals at the Nascent Soul Realm.


    In fact, some disciples participated in the Ascension Ceremony for the sake of the old monsters in their clans.


    These old monsters in seclusion might be nearing the end of their lifespans, and an Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herb could extend their lives by another five thousand years.


    Five thousand years was enough to live another lifetime, even if they couldn’t reach the Dao Integration Realm.


    Perhaps in their next life, the laws of heaven and earth would change, allowing Nascent Soul cultivators to comprehend the Dao and ascend to the Dao Integration Realm.


    “I will participate in the Ascension Ceremony. Consider it a trial,” Ye Lingxuan nodded slightly.


    The Southern Wilderness and the Western Regions had played a role in this incident, even if they weren’t the main culprits.


    They were partly responsible for Mu Zhi’an’s ‘death’. Even though they had each offered an Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herb as compensation, it wasn’t enough to satisfy Ye Lingxuan’s sense of justice.


    “The Southern Wilderness and the Western Regions will definitely send their most talented disciples to compete for the Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herb. This Ascension Ceremony will be difficult,” Ye Qian said worriedly.


    Ye Lingxuan held her umbrella, her embroidered shoes stepping on the rain-soaked stone path. “Let them come.”


    “We’ll deal with them all.”


    Ye Qian looked at her sister with admiration.


    Ye Lingxuan noticed her sister’s gaze and pursed her lips, maintaining her composure as the older sister.


    Ye Qian stared at her for a moment, then suddenly said, “I wish you could be this cool when you’re with Brother Mu.”


    Ye Lingxuan: “…”


    “What nonsense are you talking about?!” She glared at her sister.


    “But it’s true. I’ve seen you being bullied by Brother Mu several times…” Ye Qian’s eyes sparkled.


    “That’s just because—”


    “Because you’re shy around Brother Mu?” Ye Qian asked.


    Ye Lingxuan blushed and lightly slapped her sister’s shoulder, pretending to pinch her cheek.


    “Ah… Stop it!”


    Ye Qian giggled and ran out from under the umbrella, dodging her sister’s playful attack.


    The two sisters chased each other around the courtyard, not using their Spiritual Energy, until they were exhausted and out of breath.


    Meanwhile, someone else was also panting slightly…


    Mu Zhi’an felt like he was in a dream. He was falling into an abyss, endlessly plummeting without seeing the bottom.


    He could faintly hear a sweet voice and feel soft strands of hair brushing against his cheek, tickling him with their delicate fragrance.


    He opened his eyes, vaguely seeing the Jade Empress’s figure, her body covered in sweat, her hair disheveled. sea??h thё N??elFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    “A dream…?”


    Mu Zhi’an drifted back into unconsciousness.


    Two days later, a thunderous tribulation shook the Two Polarities Peak, attracting the attention of cultivators from all over the Eastern Realm.


    Powerful beings throughout the Nine Realms awakened, their gazes fixed on the Two Polarities Peak with a hint of apprehension.


    The Soul Returning Pill had been refined.