Chapter 794: Triumphant Return

Chapter 794: Triumph

Sanniang's breakthrough into the second level of the Imperial Realm provided an even greater boost to her dual cultivation with Zhao Changhe.

Energy absorption possessed its own laws of efficiency. Previously, within the mystical realm of the Longevity Heaven, the vapor of faith energy had been so dense that the God of Longevity Heaven himself had failed to fully digest and absorb it despite the immense time he spent. He possessed a rather tragic attribute: the grassland people placed their faith in the "Longevity Heaven" rather than the "Heavenly God." As a result, the power of faith primarily gathered in this specific space regarded as the Longevity Heaven, and he had to pass it through an extra medium to benefit from it personally.

This made his recovery efficiency significantly slower than that of the Sea Emperor, leaving such a massive hoard of stagnant energy here.

Dual cultivation could vastly increase the efficiency of energy absorption and circulation. However, even though Zhao Changhe had previously engaged in dual cultivation here in turns with Yue Hongling, Huangfu Qing, and Sanniang, they had not even consumed half of the energy, given that only a few days had passed.

Once Sanniang, now at the second level of the Imperial Realm, took the lead, the efficiency doubled once again.

The shamans and guards surrounding the temple were struck with horror as they felt the external energy being violently drawn away in a spiraling vortex. They could practically sense how tempestuously the energy was swirling within the isolated realm of the Longevity Heaven. The shamans, who had previously sensed the God of Longevity Heaven digesting and cultivating inside, were utterly aghast.

No wonder the Heavenly God died at their hands... If this raging vortex of energy were to truly spill out into the mortal world, it could probably wipe out thousands of miles. How could the two of them endure it inside?

If they knew that the duo endured it by constantly shifting and channeling it through their physical connection, they would likely question the very nature of existence, wondering what kind of material those two bodies were forged from.

In a mere two days, Sanniang's realm became thoroughly stabilized, even advancing a fraction further, while the remnants of Zhao Changhe's internal injuries vanished entirely, pushing his cultivation directly to the threshold of the second level.

"It seems I also need to wait for a specific opportunity; it isn't purely a matter of quantitative change leading to qualitative change." Zhao Changhe turned his head to gaze at the thinning mists within the Longevity Heaven realm, suddenly smiling. "Every time it involves Xuanwu, things are remarkably direct. The stone left by the ancient Xuanwu contained highly concentrated energy crystals that seeped out and congealed like jelly, allowing for direct absorption and use, which granted me a massive fortune back then. This time, together with the present-day Xuanwu, it's another crude and simple absorption of energy, pushing my first-level Imperial Realm cultivation to its absolute peak... Does this count as the Xuanwu destiny? Thick, heavy, and steady?"

Sanniang leapt onto his back, comfortably letting him carry her outside as she spoke, "The one researching faith, spiritual veins, and karma right now is you. It should be me consulting you about matters of destiny. Tell me, how do you view my karma?"

Zhao Changhe walked out with Sanniang bouncing slightly on his back, laughing, "Who wastes energy looking at those things during normal times? And besides..."

"Besides what?"

"Besides, when we're doing the things we love to do, seeing all kinds of lines and auras swirling around... what's the point of that? It's obviously better to shut it off."

Sanniang burst into a giggle. "I don't care, tell me about my karma."

Zhao Changhe turned his head to look at her pretty face, smiling. "If I tell you, will you pinch me?"

"Speak first."

"You're in the palm of my hand for the rest of your life, you can't run away..."

"Is that what I wanted to know? I want to know how many big, fat sons I'll have."

Zhao Changhe bounced the roundness he was holding, hoisting her up a bit. "There will be five, six, seven, or eight of them. Who else is as fertile as my little turtle?"

"Heehee." Sanniang leaned

During this time, she had only marched to battle once—defending Yanmen and driving away Feng Yin—and that single engagement left her wounded. Later, she led her forces to reclaim southern and northern Jin, erasing one by one the lingering troubles left behind by Zhuque’s so-called “martial world methods,” that unreliable approach, and established a new system of governance.

This was also a painstaking, slow grind; by the time the great prairie war ended, she still hadn’t tied up all the loose ends…

And there was the constant worry over logistics. Though the supply model had changed, the army could only carry so much materiel, and the front lines still needed a steady stream of reinforcements—especially cannons, which could be shipped as fast as they were forged. Tang Wanzhuang shuttled between the Three Jin and the capital, so busy she neglected to tend her wounds.

When the Chronicle of Chaos flashed, Tang Wanzhuang felt utterly drained, and sighed inwardly: when Zhuque returns, she’ll likely be strutting with her tail feathers to the sky, because on the surface, I haven’t done enough—certainly not as much as her glorious Zhuque.

But how could these matters be rushed? Especially the affairs of the Three Jin and the Yanmen incident—weren’t they the stinking tail you, Zhuque, left behind?

Yet that couldn’t be blamed on Zhuque; at the time, it was the only way.

Regardless, winning this battle was what mattered. At today’s court assembly, everyone was jubilant, discussing how to reward the three armies, bestow honors, and celebrate. Tang Wanzhuang was naturally happy too—even if that silly bird mocked her to death, what did it matter? Victory was what counted.

From now on, the Great Han would have no external threats; even the Longyou matter was no longer a challenge for the present dynasty. After years of painstaking effort, a good outcome was finally in sight.

Tang Wanzhuang’s smile bloomed like a flower as she entered court, but when she saw Cui Wenjing appearing for the first time, her heart skipped a beat, and her smile froze.

The Battle of Hangu had already been reported, and the Chronicle of Chaos had recorded the outcome. Yet Cui Wenjing still came to court in person, his expression not one of seeking credit but gravely serious—clearly something major had happened. What was it?

Cui Wenjing did not breach etiquette; he clasped his hands in a solemn bow all around and said with a stern face, “My daughter’s cultivation suddenly surged, and she slew Huangyang with a single strike. She then took part in a battle between two demons of similar appearance, and afterward departed hand in hand with one of them—I know not where.”

The entire court turned pale.

Cui Yuanyang missing?

Xia Chichi was asking, “Two demons of similar appearance—do you mean…”

“The place where they fought was in the highest void, and their aura was so strong it blocked my sight and hearing—I could not discern the details, but…” Cui Wenjing’s face was ashen, and he spoke each word deliberately: “Before Huangyang died, the name he called out to Yuanyang was… Piaomiao.”