As the gate creaked open, the demoness unfurled a massive scroll. Strange crimson symbols shimmered across its surface as an invisible barrier materialized around the gate, forming a small dome that sealed the area in a small bubble.
"It won't be long now," she said, her crimson eyes narrowing. "A few more months, and the true Exhales will pour forth. But even now, one or two demon emperors should breach the boundary."
Her words had barely settled when an eerie voice emanated from the portal. "You have done well young lady of the Silk Valley."
The air trembled as an old man stepped out of the swirling darkness. His pupils were pure black and his eyes glinted with malevolence, an aura of decay clung to him like a shroud.
As he stepped out, he examined the gate with a twisted smile. "Finally," he rasped, his voice resonating. "Centuries of waiting… and it begins."
The demoness inclined her head slightly. "Welcome, Elder Yao. The gate has yet to stabilize, but your presence will ensure the preparations are completed."
"Indeed," Elder Yao replied, his dark gaze scanning the barrier.
****
Far to the south of the continent, within the imposing halls of the Scarlet Demon Sect, three overwhelming presences stirred to life.
"Finally!" A booming laugh echoed through the grand hall, shaking its crimson pillars. A figure clad in blood-soaked robes stood at the center of the hall. his long hair flowing like dark flames. A cruel smile twisted his face as his gaze burned with madness.
"The Demonic Gate has opened," declared Demon Ancestor Bloodshade, his voice filled with a malevolent glee. "The time of reckoning is upon us."
From the shadows, another figure stepped forward. His presence was a suffocating, black abyss that threatened to devour the light. His crimson armor glinted ominously as he spoke.
"Now is the perfect time then," Emperor Crimson Abyss said, his voice a deadly whisper. "The fools of the Soul Shattering Sect won't know what hit them."
Bloodshade chuckled darkly. "Yes, indeed. Send word to NightFang. Mobilize the entire sect. This is our time to run rampant."
***
Elsewhere, in the Configuration Sect, a solitary figure sat cross-legged in a chamber filled with mirrors. Emperor Thousand Face gazed into his endless reflections, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he felt something.
"Ah… faster than expected," he murmured, his tone almost amused. "The demoness must have grown stronger. Lucky for me, I tainted the earth veins long before this day."
He chuckled softly, his eyes gleaming with dangerous anticipation.
---
At the same time, within the Spiritual Sea Regions, a few hundred miles away from the Scattered Islands Region.
At a small lake within the depths of the Divine Soul Sect, Emperor Ethereal Mirage stood alone next to the lake. His translucent form seemed to fade into the mist, blending with the very air around him.
His ethereal gaze turned toward the south, his expression shifting to confusion. "What was that just now?" he whispered, narrowing his eyes as though trying to pierce through the distant shadows. "It's something I can't perceive."
****
Back at the palace of the undisclosed island. Within one of the cultivation chambers, Li Yu's serene expression turned cold as her eyes snapped open. she scoffed, her voice sharp and laced with disdain.
"The Demon Realm," she muttered. "Still up to no good, they aim to turn the entire Blood Realm into a battlefield between them and the Immortal Planes. How predictable."
She turned her gaze towards one of the walls, her gaze penetrating it easily and landing on the figure of her disciple, her gaze turned contemplative as thoughts surfaced in her mind.
In the end she closed her eyes and continued to tend to her injuries.
***
Within the alchemy room, the alchemy furnace chimed once again, the Rootless Flame flickered with a golden intensity as Meng Lin worked methodically.
Her hands moved with precision, selecting ingredients, purifying their essences, and merging them with focus. Each refinement brought her closer to mastery, her proficiency slowly growing with each attempt.
[Alchemy (Expert) 20% → 25%]
By the time the fifth and final batch of Spirit Rejuvenation Pills was complete, she had crafted ten flawless pills, each imbued with radiant spiritual energy. Meng Lin leaned back, a sheen of sweat glistening on her brow.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Despite her elevated cultivation and the enhanced spiritual environment of the palace, it took her three hours to complete all five batches of ingredients; the mental effort was very taxing.
Staring at the ten shimmering pills in her palm, Meng Lin allowed herself a rare moment of pride. "These alone would fetch a fortune in any auction," she thought, placing them securely before her. Yet, wealth was not her goal.
With anticipation, her fingers trembled slightly as she took the first pill, raising it to her lips. The pill dissolved almost instantly as soon as it touched her tongue, sending a surge of cool, medicinal energy rushing through her system.
The pill sank into her body, its energy merging with her Qi, stitching together the faint cracks that marred her spiritual veins. A dull ache spread through her body as the healing process began, but it was far from painful—rather, it was a gentle, almost soothing sensation, like a balm applied to a wound.
She swallowed another pill, and then another, each one dissolving with ease, flooding her body with more revitalizing energy.
Her spiritual veins were starting to knit together with greater strength and speed. The fine lines of her veins, once cracked from strain, now felt clear and smooth.
Her Qi began to flow more freely through them; the sensation was exhilarating as she could feel the Qi within her spiritual veins moving, floating in her body, more freely.
By the time she reached the fifth pill, the sensation of healing was complete. Her spiritual veins were now whole, completely back to the way they were before.
She could feel them pulsing with vitality, her Qi flowing like an unstoppable river. But Meng Lin knew this wasn’t enough. The transformation wasn’t over yet.
"This might be a waste, but..." she muttered to herself. She reached for the remaining pills and popped them into her mouth one by one.
With each successive pill, her spiritual veins not only grew stronger, but the flow of her Qi surged. It was as though the pills were stretching her already strained spiritual veins.
The more pills she consumed, the more she could feel her cultivation deepening. Her insides felt alive, crackling with energy. Her Qi had turned into a torrent, filling every part of her being with power.
Her heart raced as the rush of energy coursed through her veins, enhancing her body’s ability to channel and store Qi.
Her internal organs pulsed with the energy, her dantian expanding to accommodate the growing flow of power. Her muscles, too, felt tighter and stronger, as though the Qi was seeping into her very bones, reinforcing them from the inside out.
After five hours, she finally absorbed the last remaining essence from the pills; her body no longer felt healed—it felt transformed.
Meng Lin could feel the difference down to the deepest part of her being, everything imbued with the very essence of the pills she had consumed.
And yet, she did not stop there.
With a quiet, determined breath, she took out her last two remaining bottles of Soul Strengthening Booze. She uncorked the first bottle and drank it in a single, fluid motion.
The potent alcohol burned its way down her throat, searing her insides with its fiery heat. But this heat was invigorating, sharpening her senses and quickening her Qi.
Without hesitation, she downed the second bottle. The second rush of heat was even more intense, flooding into her body. The Qi inside her surged once more, as if the booze had acted as a catalyst, speeding up her spiritual growth.
Her veins practically hummed with power, and her dantian rushed with energy; the pressure of it all was nearly overwhelming.
Meng Lin's Qi now radiated fiercely from her body, the air around her shimmering with the intensity of her cultivation.
As she opened her eyes, an even fiercer determination burned within them; she wasn't finished.
She reached out with her arm, and a small bottle with multiple pills appeared in her hand. The pills gleamed with a blue hue. It was the Soul Fortification Pills that she had refined before.
Without hesitation, she opened her mouth and swallowed them one by one. Each pill sent waves of unique energy through her, strengthening her soul again and again until the bottle was empty.
"Huff," Meng Lin exhaled deeply, her chest rising and falling as the last traces of the Soul Fortification Pills' effects settled within her.
She continued, quickly losing track of time as she took out a bottle of Qi Harmony Pills. Each pill was consumed at a fast pace, quickly syncing her Qi with her body, expanding its reach within her dantian.
Then she took out the Soul Heart Pills, popping each pill into her mouth as it deepened her cultivation, strengthening her soul and increasing its size, flooding her with an overwhelming sense of strength and clarity.
Then the Qi Heart Essence Pill, which dissolved in her mouth, causing a massive pressure to build within her. She felt a huge strain in her spiritual veins as the pill's energy surged through her, pushing against her limits.
The pressure intensified as her body struggled to accommodate the overwhelming influx of power. Her spiritual veins throbbed in protest, threatening to snap under the strain. But Meng Lin grit her teeth and took out a flawless pill with potent energy.
The Essence Fusion Pill. Slipping the pill into her mouth, Meng Lin heard a massive boom in her head, as if the very fabric of her dantian was being torn apart.
Her body trembled, and for a moment, everything went dark. But then, the darkness receded, replaced by an intense, brilliant light that illuminated her entire being.
The forces of the pill's energy seemed to settle into her, and she could feel her cultivation soaring, like a vast, unrestrained river that had finally burst its banks.
Meng Lin gasped for air, her body trembling but no longer in pain. The rush of energy began to subside, leaving behind a profound stillness. Her heart beat steadily, and as she took a deep breath, she felt an unfamiliar yet exhilarating sensation of complete unity within herself.
Her Qi, her soul, her very essence—they were all in perfect harmony now; her spiritual veins felt limitless, flowing effortlessly through her body with an abundance of power. The energy inside her was dense, so concentrated that it radiated from her very being, almost visible to the naked eye.
Her senses were sharper, her control over her energy now more refined than ever before. The air around her seemed to crackle with the intensity of her newfound power, as though the world itself could feel the shift.
It was as though she could reach out and bend the fabric of the universe, but of course, Meng Lin knew that was just the illusion she felt after her breakthrough.
Meng Lin breathed a sigh of relief. "It's been two whole days," she thought to herself. She was about to stand up when she was startled by a panel that appeared before her eyes.
[Congratulations on having experienced a moment of enlightenment]
[You have received a reward for breaking through to a pseudo realm for the first time]
[Congratulations! You have received a Taoist Gacha Wheel Ticket.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained a Pseudo-Realm Insight Crystal.]
[Would you like to claim your rewards?]