Upon hearing that his son would not die, Heavenly Monarch Qingmu felt a momentary wave of relief. However, as he processed Ye Wuchen’s words, he cursed the man’s shamelessness in his heart. To use a Xingtian Divine Artifact to imprison a mere Immortal and then speak of it so brazenly was truly appalling.
"Palace Master Ye, it was my failure to discipline that scoundrel. I ask that you show mercy for my sake and forgive him this once," Qingmu pleaded again. He knew that when one is under another's roof, one must bow their head.
Seeing Ye Wuchen remain unmoved, Qingmu’s mind raced. He quickly added, "Of course, the Qingcheng Sect will provide double compensation for any losses caused!"
Only then did the corners of Ye Wuchen’s mouth twitch slightly. He spoke, "Golden Sovereign Immortal Fruit, Immortal Nether Water, Flame Immortal Water Chestnut, and Earth Spirit Immortal Mother."
Qingmu felt a sharp jolt in his heart. *Damn it, he really knows how to ask for the moon!* These were all incredibly rare materials in the Immortal Realm. The cultivators of the Hundred Flowers Palace practiced Wood-attribute immortal energy; what use did they have for materials of all five elements? This was truly a headache.
"Our Qingcheng Sect only has the Golden Sovereign Immortal Fruit and the Flame Immortal Water Chestnut in our stores. We do not have the other two. Furthermore, our stock is quite limited," Qingmu began to haggle.
Ye Wuchen curled his lip. As long as he had the raw materials, he had plenty of ways to cultivate more. Seeing Qingmu’s calculating expression made him incredibly annoyed. He said coldly, "Then give me ten of each!"
Qingmu nearly stumbled. He glared at Ye Wuchen. *Why don't you just go and rob someone?* Even with the Qingcheng Sect’s strength, they only possessed four or five of each.
After a round of intense bargaining, they finally settled on two of each item, along with a significant amount of immortal stones, immortal artifacts, and various other materials. The Qingcheng Sect was truly suffering a heavy loss this time.
Ye Wuchen smiled with a lack of grace that made Qingmu want to punch that beautiful face twice just to see if it would swell up like a pig’s head. With a wave of Ye Wuchen’s hand, a red light flashed from "A Single Petal of Falling Flower," and two figures tumbled out.
Qingmu quickly caught one in each hand. Qingyan and Old Chen were pale, their eyes tightly shut. Qingmu swept them with his divine sense and realized they had been tortured severely. Their lives were not in danger, but it would take at least a century of secluded cultivation to restore their power. Within a Xingtian Divine Artifact, this was considered the lightest possible punishment. At the thought of such an artifact, Qingmu’s heart trembled. He hastily took his leave and departed the Hundred Flowers Palace.
"Hmph, they got off easy," Ye Wuchen murmured, stroking the petal in his hand.
Fairy Qinglian remained expressionless, clearly accustomed to her Palace Master’s antics. She heard him command, "Send a message to the Qingcheng Sect immediately. Tell them they must deliver the items as quickly as possible!"
"Yes, Palace Master," Fairy Qinglian replied, her lips twitching as she went to carry out the order.
***
Mount Qingcheng, Elder’s Hall.
Three elders were seated: two Heavenly Monarchs and one of the Ten Great Luo Heaven High Immortals. Heavenly Monarch Qingmu sat in the primary seat, while Qingyan and Chen Wuji knelt below him.
"Father, that Ye Wuchen has ruined me! we cannot let him get away with this!" Qingyan’s pale face twisted with hatred.
"Cannot let him get away with it?" Qingmu stood up in a rage and kicked Qingyan over. "Are you tired of living? Do you want to go through seven cycles of reincarnation to temper your temperament? Is that it?!"
Qingyan lay on the floor, his face full of defiance.
"You still aren't convinced? Do you know your life was barely snatched back? Do you know what you were imprisoned by? You ignorant fool!" Qingmu shouted.
Heavenly Monarch Qingfeng asked curiously, "What immortal artifact was it?"
Qingmu calmed his tone and sighed. "A Single Petal of Falling Flower."
"What?" Heavenly Monarch Qingfeng and Heavenly Monarch Qingyun stood up in shock, looking at Qingyan and Chen Wuji with pity.
The Luo Heaven High Immortal, Immortal Qingwei, asked in confusion, "A Single Petal of Falling Flower? What kind of immortal artifact is that?" He didn't recall seeing it on the rankings.
Heavenly Monarch Qingfeng explained, "It is one of the famous Xingtian Divine Artifacts of the Divine Realm."
At this, everyone except the three Heavenly Monarchs was stunned.
Immortal Qingwei couldn't help but ask, "Ye Wuchen is only one of the Ten Great Luo Heaven High Immortals!" His implication was clear: why hadn't a Heavenly Monarch seized such a divine artifact?
Qingmu said gloomily, "Ye Wuchen is the reincarnation of a Heavenly God. Who would dare to seize his artifact?"
Qingyan finally realized how foolish his mistake had been. He was a clever person—otherwise, his cultivation wouldn't have progressed so quickly—but he still had doubts. "But he is only a Luo Heaven High Immortal now. Becoming a Heavenly God is no easy task. Besides, the Gate to the Divine Realm is currently closed!"
"Hmph!" Qingmu sneered. "He is indeed only a Luo Heaven High Immortal now, but his father is an Ancient God. An Ancient God can destroy the entire Immortal Realm with a single finger. Who would dare take that risk? If anyone even had the thought, the Immortal Emperor would probably execute them before his father even had a chance to descend!"
Qingyan, Qingwei, and Chen Wuji all shuddered. Any lingering thoughts of revenge against Ye Wuchen vanished instantly. The man was a walking disaster; who would dare provoke him?
Seeing their expressions, Qingmu’s anger softened. "Qingyan committed a grave error and caused the sect a great loss. He is to be confined for five hundred years! Wuji failed to stop him in time, so he shall be confined for three hundred years!"
Hearing this, Qingyan and Chen Wuji were overjoyed. This didn't sound like a punishment at all; it was more like a chance to heal in seclusion.
"You shall be confined within Mingfu Cave," Qingmu added coldly.
Qingyan and Chen Wuji instantly wilted. Immortal Qingwei’s mouth twitched. Mingfu Cave contained ten lethal immortal arrays; the danger there was no less than that of the Immortal Domain Battlefield. Given their injuries, they would likely spend a century recovering, which meant they would have to spend the remaining centuries fighting through the arrays just to survive.
As he was being led away, Qingyan seemed to remember something. "I saw a very strange divine beast in the Hundred Flowers Palace. It had the cultivation of a Golden Immortal, but its aura was something I’ve never seen before!"
Qingmu roared in fury, "He is a reincarnated Heavenly God! Forget one divine beast—even if he had a whole nest of them, what would be strange about it? You ignorant brat, you disgrace! All you do is stir up trouble. Get out! Get to Mingfu Cave right now!"
Qingyan shrank his neck and hurriedly left the hall with Chen Wuji.
"Sect Leader Junior Brother, how do you view this matter?" Heavenly Monarch Qingfeng asked with a complex expression. Ye Wuchen using a Xingtian Divine Artifact was clearly meant as a deterrent. There was surely more to it.
Qingmu waved his hand. "Ye Wuchen’s affairs are clearly related to the Upper Realm. It is not something we can interfere with. Although our Qingcheng Sect has five Heavenly Monarchs on the power rankings, we are nothing compared to those true heavyweights. We only need to mind our own business." As the leader of a sect, Qingmu possessed a broad vision and understood what should be done and what should be avoided.
Qingfeng and Qingyun nodded, understanding his point.
"Qingwei, pass down the order. Tell everyone to behave. Do not provoke anyone they shouldn't, lest they bring disaster upon the Qingcheng Gate!" Qingmu commanded.
Immortal Qingwei nodded in agreement.
***
Within the Dream Realm, Ye Wuchen said to Li Xue, "With the Golden Sovereign Immortal Fruit and the Flame Immortal Water Chestnut, the Gold and Fire Spirits can advance! I will find the other two as soon as possible."
"Good. There's no need to rush. I need to enter seclusion first; I'll leave the Dream Realm to you all." Li Xue prepared to enter the divine array. She had made a silent vow: she would not emerge until she reached the High Immortal realm.
A hundred years later, Ye Wuchen was teaching Li Xiaoyin the Hundred Flowers Array technique amidst the sea of flowers. Suddenly, a golden light flashed outside the valley, and an ancient, primordial aura permeated the entire Dream Realm.
"Eh? This is... the Snow God Temple!" Ye Wuchen’s eyes widened, his face filling with joy.
Everyone in the Dream Realm emerged from their seclusion and appeared in the valley. Jin Sang, Huan Xi, Feng Yan, and Lei Yan were particularly excited. The Snow God Temple had finally appeared; did that mean the day they returned to the Divine Realm was not far off?
Li Haoran and Li Lin also returned to the Dream Realm from the Immortal Domain Battlefield. Seeing the Snow God Temple, Li Haoran felt a surge of dazed excitement. Finally, he saw the temple again. And now, the Sovereign was his wife. He clenched his fists, his heart full of passion.
He looked toward the Yin-Yang Creation Divine Array. His wife was there in seclusion. She must have reached the Heavenly Monarch realm; otherwise, the Snow God Temple would not have appeared.
Just as everyone’s gaze shifted from the temple to the divine array, a flash of white light erupted. Several snowflakes drifted into the air.
The eyes of Li Haoran and Ye Wuchen flickered with shock. That was the third stage of the Snow Dance Divine Art—the natural phenomenon of dancing snow, a unique power of the Snow God.
Li Xue emerged from the array, snowflakes swirling around her. Indeed, she had finally comprehended the third stage of the Snow Dance Divine Art, and the Snow God’s seal had been partially undone.
Looking at the Snow God Temple in the distance, it looked exactly as it did in her fragmented memories: ancient and simple. *Ugh, this is probably the most basic Ancient God temple in the Divine Realm,* she thought, if her memory served her right. She couldn't help but mock her previous incarnation in her heart. To think she had been so isolated that she had spent her time crafting such a simple temple all by herself.
"Wife, congratulations on advancing to the Heavenly Monarch realm!" Li Haoran stepped forward and affectionately took Li Xue’s hand, his eyes shining.
"Thank you. And congratulations to you as well; you’ve reached the late stage of the High Immortal realm so quickly," Li Xue said naturally.
The brows of everyone around them twitched simultaneously. *What do you mean 'so quickly'? No matter how fast he is, he can't compare to you!* She had jumped from an Ordinary Immortal straight to a Heavenly Monarch. That wasn't just skipping one or two realms.
Li Xue saw that her son, Li Lin, was now a Luo Heaven High Immortal, and everyone else had made progress. She was very satisfied.
Ye Wuchen curled his lip, clearly stimulated by her progress. He said somewhat dejectedly, "I’m going into the divine array for seclusion."
Li Haoran looked at him and added, "Me too."
"Alright, everyone can enter the divine array. I’ve reached the third stage of the Snow Dance Divine Art, and there is an array within that can be powered by the strength of the Ancient Divine Realm. Everyone come in; there will be no problems!" Li Xue said happily.
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Ascended Without Me: Cultivating with a Genius Son | Chapter 177 | The Snow God Temple Appears | Novela.app | Novela.app
