There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

Upon hearing Yu Lian's voice, Wang Ping felt a surge of joy. He leaned over and gently stroked Yu Lian's head, communicating with her about what Tongyu Daoist had just said.

Has Tongyu woken up yet?

The first question Yulian asked after hearing this was this.

Wang Ping smiled and replied, "Yes."

Yu Lian looked expectant and asked, "Is he still as talkative as before?"

Instead of getting down to business, they started chatting.

Half an hour later, Wang Ping sensed that the spiritual sea was loosening, and then asked about the important matter: "What should I do so that you can absorb the blood of the Asuras?"

Yu Lian said, "Just place it next to my body and I will automatically absorb its spirituality. Its greatest function should be to nourish my body and make my physical spiritual veins evolve again."

Wang Ping nodded and asked again, "How long will it take you to wake up?"

"It should be soon. The spirituality of the Asura blood will accelerate my digestion of the inherited memories."

Yu Lian was unable to provide a specific time.

After chatting for a while, Wang Ping withdrew from the spiritual sea amidst Yu Lian's reluctance to leave.

Wang Ping, having regained his consciousness, stared at the river for a few breaths, then took out the glass bottle given to him by Tongyu Daoist. As a wisp of wood spirit energy appeared, the glass bottle slowly descended above the river, disappeared into the middle of the river, and sank to the bottom next to Yu Lian's body. During this process, the calico cat nearby kept its eyes fixed on the glass bottle, its ears twitching occasionally.

The moment the glass bottle sank into the mud, the mud churned silently. The glass bottle hovered beside the coiled snake body of the rain lotus, and fine silver runes appeared on the surface of the bottle. These were the unique sealing formations of the Taiyin Sect, which firmly imprisoned the blood of the Asura within.

Suddenly, the spiritual energy gathered by the spirit-gathering array converged on the bottle. After a few breaths, the bottle trembled slightly, and silver runes began to light up one by one, like burning silver threads, spiraling up from the bottom of the bottle to the mouth. Each rune that lit up was accompanied by a very soft "click" sound, as if some ancient lock was being unlocked.

When the last rune was activated, countless fine cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of the bottle, from which a dark red glow seeped out, indicating that the sealed Asura blood was awakening.

As the cracks reached their limit, the glass bottle silently disintegrated. The silver light of the sealing array erupted at the last moment, turning into countless tiny specks of light that dissipated into the water. The bottle fragments turned to dust before they even sank, and the Asura blood sealed inside was finally released completely.

The dark red blood did not spread in the water, but was affected by the spirit-gathering array at the bottom of the river, and condensed into threads like living things, slowly wrapping around Yu Lian's snake body.

The moment the blood touched the scales, the scales of the Rain Lotus Serpent lifted slightly on their own, like parched land welcoming sweet rain. Every drop of Asura blood seeped precisely into the gaps between the scales, flowing along the spiritual veins within the serpent's body.

Yu Lian's serpentine body swayed slightly, and the originally slowly flowing spiritual light suddenly accelerated. The spiritual matter of the Asura's blood was rapidly decomposed within her body, transforming into pure energy that nourished Yu Lian's physical body. Then, a dark red halo appeared on the edges of her scales, as if she were being imbued with some ancient power, but it returned to normal in the next moment. This was a sign that her physical body was evolving.

However, the greatest effect of the Asura's blood is not to strengthen the physical body, but to accelerate Yu Lian's absorption of inherited memories.

Deep within Yulian's consciousness, fragments of ancient memories that were originally blurry are rapidly becoming clearer, like a mural being washed by rain, gradually revealing its true form.

At this moment, the water flow at the bottom of the river underwent some strange changes. The originally gentle undercurrent suddenly twisted and formed countless tiny whirlpools. At the center of each whirlpool, a dark red light flickered, like countless eyes opening in the darkness. This caused fine blood-red patterns to appear on the surface of the riverbed rocks, as if they had been branded by some invisible force.

Yu Lian's snake tail swayed unconsciously, each time it touched the riverbed, it would stir up a circle of blue ripples. Wherever the ripples passed, the river water would freeze briefly, as if time was slightly distorted. A thin slit appeared on the scales on her forehead, and a dark red spiritual light could be vaguely seen flowing inside. It was a sign that the blood of the Asura had completely merged with her primordial spirit.

When the last drop of blood was completely absorbed, the riverbed suddenly fell silent, and all the strange phenomena receded like the tide. Only Yu Lian's serpentine body still shone with a faint blue halo, proving that what had just happened was not an illusion.

Her consciousness was still racing, and the fusion of inherited memories was still ongoing, but the transformation of her physical body and primordial spirit was already complete.

In Wang Ping's vision, he saw that the rule network connecting Yu Lian's upgrade was more than twice as thick as before, the spiritual veins in her body were more robust, and there was a layer of surging water spirit aura on the surface of her inner core, as if it was fusing with some kind of water spirit rule.

"The integration process took only six months, which is faster than expected."

Wang Ping extended his left hand and began to deduce the problem.

Half an hour later, Wang Ping made sure Yu Lian was alright before getting up and walking back to the courtyard. Looking at the quiet courtyard, he didn't go in, but sat down in front of the spirit tree. At that moment, Wang Ping suddenly felt a sense of loneliness with nothing to do.

This feeling is not a bad thing for him now, because his life before was always in a rush, and now he finally has the opportunity to relax.

After several hours of silence, as the sun set on the horizon, he lightly pointed his finger, and a magnificent divine palace immediately unfolded around him.

When the divine kingdom was formed, Wang Ping casually flipped through the divine magic map in front of the throne, examining the unchanging lives of the believers. When he found something interesting, he would stop and observe for a while.

After this state lasted for several days, Wang Ping used the mirror array to observe the struggles of various parties in the universe, mainly focusing on the underground cave gate. At this moment, deep down, he was actually hoping that Earthly True Lord would cause some trouble and bring some different brilliance to his silent cultivation.

Although Wang Ping knew that such emotions were not good, he did not suppress them immediately. Instead, he let his thoughts wander until several hours later when he finally suppressed them. After that, he adjusted his emotions and began to meditate and cultivate.

Just one month after Wang Ping entered into meditation, Zhu Wu and Zang Yi finally appeared as representatives of the Dao Palace headquarters ecological zone located in the outer starry sky of Zhongzhou Star.

This ecological zone has grown to a considerable size over the past thousand years. In terms of area, it is one-third the size of Zhongzhou. It has a main city, ten satellite cities around the main city, and the rest are mountains and forests, nurturing countless natural treasures.

The main city of Dao Palace was given a rather common name, yet it suited its identity: Central City.

The city is located in the center of the ecological zone, backed by a majestic green mountain. The mountain's shape is like a dragon's spine, and amidst the swirling clouds and mist, one can vaguely see a cluster of palaces with flying eaves and brackets embedded in the mountainside, which is the cultivation place of the core cultivators of the Dao Palace.

At the foot of the mountain, a magnificent city unfolds, its walls constructed from whole blocks of jade, their surfaces covered with intricate runes that shimmer with a faint spiritual light under the sunlight.

The city gate was over a hundred feet high, entirely black, and a jade plaque hung above the gate with the words "Dao Shu" (meaning "pivot to the Way").

Two Taoist statues stood on either side of the city gate. One held a whisk and had a peaceful expression; the other carried a long sword and had sharp eyes. These two statues seemed to have some connection to something, but no source could be found.

Upon entering the city, the first thing that catches the eye is a straight bluestone avenue, the ground of which is made up of countless crystal pieces engraved with miniature arrays. Walking on it, one can feel a slight flow of spiritual energy underfoot.

At the end of the avenue stands a nine-story octagonal jade tower. The tower is pure white, with upturned eaves and a bronze mirror hanging from each corner. The mirror reflects all directions, and if any cultivators are fighting in the city, the mirror light will immediately lock onto them.

This building is called "Guan Tian Ge" (Observing the Heavens Pavilion), a place where the Dao Palace deduces heavenly secrets and formulates laws and regulations for the cultivation world. Ordinary cultivators are not allowed to enter.

The buildings surrounding the main road are scattered across the mountain's spiritual veins in a well-organized manner. Each palace, pavilion, and tower is either built against the mountainside or stands by the water, and some even float in mid-air connected by chains. At the top of the green mountain that the city relies on, there is a pavilion that blends into the mountain's shape. This is the true central hub of the Dao Palace headquarters, usually guarded by ten orthodox cultivators from the Xuanmen and Tianmen realms.

Zhu Wu and Zang Yi had clearly informed the Dao Palace beforehand, which resulted in a large gathering of welcoming cultivators outside the pavilion. They were all dressed in magnificent, wide-sleeved Daoist robes, and the nearby Ascension Platform was filled with celestial music.

Standing at the very front of the many cultivators was none other than Hong Ze, the personal disciple of the Seventh Prince of Linshui Prefecture.

Zhu Wu and Zang Yi did not refuse the grand welcoming ceremony. They followed the ritual, first worshipping the statues of the two saints, and then patiently listening to Hong Ze's congratulatory words before officially entering the headquarters pavilion.

The layout of this pavilion was almost identical to that of the council pavilion at the Dao Palace's headquarters in Zhongzhou Star. When Zhu Wu and Zang Yi went up to the top floor, Hong Ze immediately brought out a pile of case files for them to look through.

"You should step back first."

Zang Yi looked at the case file being pushed up and immediately waved Hong Ze away.

Zhu Wu casually picked up a case file and said with a smile, "This Seventh Prince of Linshui Prefecture is really resourceful. Knowing that we were coming, he even arranged for his disciples to welcome us."

Zang Yi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Was that cultivator from Linshui Prefecture just now Ao Hong's disciple?"

Zhu Wu chuckled and retorted, "You're here to investigate them, but you don't even bother to find out their situation first?"

Zang Yi said matter-of-factly, "Why make it so complicated? Our task is very simple. We just need to find out the cultivators who destroyed the ecological zone and deal with them according to the rules of the Dao Palace."

"How will you investigate? Will it just be the two of us investigating?"

"Didn't you True Lords order the Xuanmen and Tianmen to each send two cultivators of the fourth realm to assist us?"

“You’re wrong. We’re the ones assisting, while they are the ones actually handling the case!” Zhu Wu stared at Zang Yiyan and said, “Perhaps you should go and see True Lord Changqing.”

"Why do you say that?"

“Fellow Daoist, there are no outsiders here. You don’t need to play dumb. Now that all seven True Monarchs of Xuanmen and Tianmen have been revived, what they need to do next is obvious, but their conflicts will also erupt.”

“True Lord Changqing does not want chaos, and his thoughts are the thoughts of my Star God Alliance.” Zang Yi’s tone was firm, clearly indicating that he had already considered his future allegiance.

Zhu Wu stared at Zang Yi intently for a moment, “The only way to end the chaos is to determine the winner as soon as possible. We are here to confirm the outcome of this battle, but before we win, all the True Lords need to make a statement. Their disciples can represent them in making that statement.”

Zang Yi nodded, "Then let them investigate each other."

Zhu Wu smiled broadly, "That's exactly right!"

At this moment, Zang Yi walked to the window and looked out at the green mountains and clear waters. "I really should pay my respects to the True Lord Changqing first."

After he finished speaking, he transformed into a streak of starlight and disappeared into the sky.

Zhu Wu did not stop Zang Yi. He sat down at the table where the case files were placed, put down the case file in his hand, picked up another case file, but his gaze was fixed on the closed door.

At this moment, Hong Ze returned and stood respectfully outside the door, his hand outstretched as he hesitated whether to knock.

Zhu Wu found it amusing. After waiting for more than ten breaths, Hong Ze gently knocked on the door three times. Zhu Wu suppressed his smile and let him in.

Hong Ze bowed slightly, his gaze subtly sweeping across the empty window before cautiously speaking, "Senior, I apologize for disturbing you, but the monitoring array at the base detected that Senior Zang Yi has already left. I wonder if Senior Zang Yi is…"

Zhu Wu didn't even look up, his fingers lightly flipping through the case file, his tone indifferent: "He had something to do and left. What, you have a problem with that?"

Hong Ze quickly lowered his head: "I wouldn't dare! But..." He carefully chose his words, "With Senior Zang Yi's sudden departure, is it necessary for me to arrange for others to assist you? After all, the affairs of the Dao Palace are complex, and if needed..."

"Snapped!"

Zhu Wu suddenly closed the case file and looked up at Hong Ze. In that instant, Hong Ze felt an invisible pressure enveloping his entire body, as if he were being stared at by some ancient ferocious beast, and even his breathing became labored.

"Junior!" Zhu Wu's voice still carried a smile, yet it was chillingly cold. "By what right do you question me? A personal disciple of Linshui Prefecture? One of the three seats in the Dao Palace?"

Cold sweat instantly beaded on Hong Ze's forehead, and he quickly prostrated himself on the ground: "Senior, you are wise! This junior had no intention of inquiring; I was merely worried about neglecting you two seniors..."

"Worried?" Zhu Wu scoffed. "Didn't your master teach you any manners?"

Hong Ze said loudly, "It was this junior who overstepped his bounds..."

Zhu Wu stood up and walked over to Hong Ze.

Hong Ze kept his head down and could only see the pair of boots embroidered with star patterns stopped in front of him, the toes of the boots lightly touching the ground.

Listen…

Zhu Wu's voice suddenly softened, but this only made Hong Ze more nervous. "Go back and tell your master that we are under the orders of the True Lords to oversee the cases of the destroyed ecological zones. We don't need anyone else to interfere. As for where Zang Yi went..." He chuckled, "You can guess whether he went to see True Lord Changqing or to investigate the shady dealings of your Linshui Prefecture."

Hong Ze suddenly looked up, his face deathly pale: "Senior! Linshui Prefecture is absolutely..."

"Go back."

Zhu Wu waved his hand.

Hong Ze felt as if he had been granted a pardon and bowed as he left the room.

Inside the attic, Zhu Wu sat back down at his desk, a faint smile playing on his lips. He casually flipped through a new file and muttered to himself, "The Seventh Prince of Linshui Prefecture is truly arrogant. A mere third-realm cultivator dares to come before me and question me. But the more arrogant you are, the more interesting this matter becomes." (End of Chapter)