Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 568 Seclusion, Current Affairs, and the Tragic Saintess

Upon hearing this, Elder Qingshan's lips unconsciously curled up slightly, revealing a humble yet undeniably proud smile.

"Haha!" Elder Qingshan laughed heartily, saying, "Your Highness flatters me! My achievements today are entirely due to Your Highness's assistance and His Majesty's grace. If it weren't for obtaining that Thunder Tribulation Pill and the Dragon... cough cough..."

At this point, Elder Qingshan suddenly coughed violently, as if he had choked on something.

After suppressing the slight panic in his eyes, he continued, "I'm afraid I'm still struggling at the two-star Dou Sheng realm. I'm truly grateful to you and His Majesty the Dragon Emperor!"

After speaking, Elder Qingshan bowed slightly, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and respectfully greeted Lin Yuan.

However, he felt a little flustered, because he could vaguely sense that many of his fellow clansmen were looking in his direction... He had almost let slip in his excitement, but thankfully he managed to stop himself in time.

The blood of the previous Dragon Emperor is of great importance, and among the many elders currently stationed on Dragon Island, only he vaguely knows about it.

This is both an honor and a responsibility.

When Zi Yan bestowed the blood, she repeatedly instructed that this matter should not be revealed lightly without her order or unless absolutely necessary!
She accepted Lin Yuan's suggestion and, though she didn't say much openly, secretly rewarded the old officials of Donglong Island.

Even if these loyal individuals, who have withstood the test of time, are slightly less capable, we must do our best to support them so that we can firmly control the giant ship that is Dragon Island.

Only when loyal people are rewarded can she and Lin Yuan mobilize smoothly!
"Elder Qingshan, there's no need to be so modest!" Lin Yuan waved his hand gently, looking at Elder Qingshan with a warm expression, and said, "Your accumulation over the years is the fundamental reason for our rapid progress. By the way, is the venue you helped me prepare ready?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Qingshan nodded and said solemnly, "Your Highness, rest assured, a suitable place for your seclusion has been arranged. I will take you there."

However, in his heart at this moment, he felt a chilling aura, filled with unbelievable horror.

It's only been a few years, and this guy is already about to break through to the Dou Sheng level?!

Such a terrifying cultivation speed was unheard of even in his long dragon life. Could it be that his cultivation as a three-star Dou Sheng would soon be surpassed?!
At that time, will this sir be able to refine even higher-grade pills?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a surge of relief and emotion... His persistence and loyalty all along had finally paid off!
Now, I can finally hope to become a mid-level Dou Sheng with four or five stars.

As the two talked, news of Lin Yuan's return gradually spread to many Dou Sheng on Dragon Island. Although they did not choose to show themselves directly, they all took action, sending respectful greetings or offering warm and friendly glances...

This is another natural gain for Lin Yuan over the past year—his status on Dragon Island has been significantly elevated compared to before!

He is no longer a "son-in-law" of Dragon Island, but a esteemed Grandmaster of the Ninth Rank.

Even without the added prestige of being Zi Yan's husband and the Ancient Dragon Prince, Lin Yuan, based solely on his status as an alchemist elder, is undoubtedly the number two figure on Dragon Island.

His status and importance even far surpass those two four-star Dou Sheng.

After all, while the combat power of two four-star Dou Sheng is indeed very strong, they cannot help others significantly improve their strength like he, a Grandmaster.

Having witnessed Elder Qingshan's cultivation improvement, all the powerful figures on Dragon Island, including the two four-star Dou Sheng, stood respectfully before Lin Yuan, eager to obtain a ninth-grade pill from him to break through the bottleneck that had bound them for many years.

Grandmasters are extremely rare across the entire continent, and within a magical beast race like the Ancient Dragon Clan of the Void... their status is even more extraordinary, in no way inferior to a high-level Battle Saint!

Moreover, they had personally witnessed Lin Yuan's success rate in alchemy over the past six months.

With Grandmaster Lin Yuan, the unique treasure-hunting talent of the ancient dragons will be able to play a greater role in the entire Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan.

Lin Yuan glanced around, greeted the ancient dragon clan saints, and then looked back at Elder Qingshan beside him.

"Elder Qingshan, let's go!"

"Your Highness, please follow me." Elder Qingshan nodded slightly, then moved and rushed towards the core of Dragon Island. Lin Yuanjin followed closely behind. After passing through valleys shrouded in clouds and mist, the two finally arrived at a cave dwelling.

The cave was shrouded in a faint spiritual light, clearly indicating that it had been carefully arranged and reinforced to prevent external interference.

"Where is this?" Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow, looking around.

Elder Qingshan smiled slightly and introduced, "This place is located near the core of Dragon Island's geomantic veins—the Dragon Vein itself, the place with the most abundant energy on the island."

"This cave, though small from the outside, is actually created using our clan's secret technique of folding space, making the interior a vast world of its own. It also has an array set up to absorb the energy of the dragon vein, which is more than enough to break through to the Dou Sheng realm."

"Both inside and outside the cave, there is a barrier personally set up by the Dragon Emperor, which can isolate all prying eyes and disturbances, ensuring that Your Highness can cultivate without worry!"

"Once you enter, you can go into seclusion with peace of mind. I will personally guard the outside."

Although this place is an extremely safe Dragon Island, and there's not much need to guard it, opportunities to build closer relationships are rare, so we should seize any chance we can...

Moreover, for their own Dragon Emperor, protecting this one is the most important thing.

"In that case, I'll have to trouble Elder Qingshan." Lin Yuan took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the gentle-looking old man, and then, without any hesitation, turned around and slowly walked into the thick stone door.

After he entered the cave, the heavy stone door slumped down and crashed to the ground with a loud bang, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Looking at the massive stone gate, Elder Qingshan sat down cross-legged on the spot and began his cultivation.

He hasn't fully digested the blood of rebellion bestowed upon him by Zi Yan.

Even though Lin Yuan's cultivation has reached the high-level half-saint realm, it will still take him quite a while to fully break through to the Dou Sheng realm.

As Elder Qingshan closed his eyes and entered a deep meditative state, this place once again became deathly silent. In this desolate atmosphere, time slipped away like sand through one's fingers. Time flies like an arrow, and half a year had passed in the blink of an eye…
-
Half a year is not a short period of time; it is enough for the political landscape of Zhongzhou to change dramatically.

In the past six months, many things have happened in Zhongzhou. If we had to choose the most talked-about event, it would be the recent grand opening ceremony of the Starfall Pavilion for the third time... no, it should be the grand opening ceremony of the Four Directions Pavilion for the first time!

At that ceremony, countless people saw a Dou Sheng powerhouse for the first time—not a half-saint powerhouse, but a true Dou Sheng.

Yao Chen, the master of the Four Directions Pavilion, the number one alchemist on the continent, and the Medicine Saint!
With the help of the Fire Saint Mirror and the Profound Spirit Saint Pill, Yao Lao spent more than half a year and finally succeeded in breaking through two levels from the peak of the intermediate half-saint realm to the Dou Sheng realm, making his title of Medicine Saint truly deserved...

Besides having a Dou Sheng powerhouse as its foundation, the Four Directions Pavilion also has a half-saint named "Ancient Flame Saint".

Although no one saw his face, his aura as a half-saint was unmistakable.

The Four Directions Pavilion, which merged with the Starfall Pavilion, Thunder and Wind Pavilion, Myriad Swords Pavilion, and Yellow Springs Pavilion, has as many as thirty Dou Zun level experts on the surface, in addition to two Saint Realm experts, and countless Dou Zong and Dou Huang level experts.

Even the young master of the Starfall Pavilion, a junior in his early twenties, is a Dou Zun-level expert.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Yao Chen was hiding a powerful force—the Anti-Soul Hall organization called the "Reverse Soul Alliance." Through his own appointments and the connections made by the Pill Tower, dozens of Dou Zun powerhouses had gathered within it.

However, these people all went beyond the Central Plains to begin attacking the border branch of the Soul Palace.

Returning to the opening ceremony of the Four Directions Pavilion, given the pavilion's formidable strength and Yao Chen's extensive network of connections, the ceremony was exceptionally grand, attracting numerous powerful figures from major forces in the Central Plains.

One tower, two sects, three valleys, the heads of the six top forces in the open, as well as many hidden sects and families, all participated in the opening ceremony of the Four Directions Pavilion.

There are even rumors that people from ancient clans participated in the ceremony.

Many of these people were intentionally trying to build a relationship with Yao Chen... After all, after the latter advanced to Dou Sheng, the possibility of him becoming a ninth-grade Grandmaster in the future was not low.

After this ceremony, Yao Chen and Sifang Pavilion's reputation soared even higher in Zhongzhou!
But it was during that opening ceremony that countless people suddenly realized that there were so many powerful figures in Zhongzhou, and the power structure had undergone a dramatic change without them even noticing.

Especially Ice River Valley and Heavenly Nether Sect, these two major forces have quietly changed hands?!
The situation at the Tianming Sect is relatively manageable, within reasonable limits. It seems the former sect leader encountered a problem in his cultivation, showing signs of qi deviation, and was forced to step down to recuperate.

The new sect leader, Senluo Ghost Lord, is a senior elder of the Tianming Sect, which is somewhat unexpected but also understandable.

However, Ice River Valley, one of the three valleys, has truly undergone earth-shattering changes. It has even lost its sect name, "Ice River Valley," and has been directly renamed "Calamity Valley." This "Calamity" is precisely the "Calamity" of the Calamity Poison Body!
The newly formed Calamity Valley is led by a white-haired woman in a purple dress named "Heavenly Poison Woman," who possesses the legendary special physique—the Calamity Poison Body.

Logically speaking, even if the Calamity Poison Body is not annihilated by the enemy, it will die from the outbreak of the poison body at the Dou Zong or Dou Zun stage.

But this "poisonous woman" defied common sense and changed her own destiny.

Not only did she not die from the outbreak of the Calamity Poison Body, but she also completely mastered it and reached the level of Dou Sheng, a level that no previous poison body had ever reached!
The reason everyone was certain of her cultivation level was because after the Heavenly Poison Woman arrived in the Star Boundary, she exchanged a palm strike with the Medicine Saint.

In front of all the powerful figures, the two exchanged a casual palm strike, yet that strike possessed earth-shattering power, tearing a thousand-foot-long spatial rift in the sky.

In that instant, all the guests present suddenly understood just how immense power a Dou Sheng expert possessed!

Through this public exchange, the strength and status of the Medicine Saint and the Heavenly Poison Woman as Battle Saints were confirmed in front of all the powerful figures present.

Some sneaky ideas were nipped in the bud before they could even take shape.

After receiving that palm strike, the Heavenly Poison Woman used its power to announce the Ice River Valley's change of course and declared in front of the leaders of all sects that she would protect all those with calamity-related poison bodies.

From that date on, all those with calamity-inducing bodies can enter the Valley of Calamity for cultivation and become candidates for the next Valley Master!

Everyone understood perfectly well that the Calamity Poison Body could no longer be targeted casually.

In addition, although the Lord of Calamity Valley calls herself "Heavenly Poison Woman", everyone is quite sensible and bestows upon her the title of "Saintess of Calamity".

After the opening ceremony of the Starfall Pavilion, the Calamity Saintess became a top figure in the Central Plains, whose popularity rivaled that of the Medicine Saint, due to her powerful strength and stunning beauty. Some even rated her as the "Number One Beauty in the Central Plains," a title that garnered considerable approval.

When a woman's appearance reaches a certain level, the competition is no longer just about looks, but also about many other factors such as strength, temperament, and background.

Unfortunately, the Virgin of Calamity possesses all of these qualities!
Especially her strength... In the Dou Qi Continent where the strong are respected, the terrifying strength of the Heavenly Poison Woman at the Dou Sheng level is the best accessory to embellish the word "beauty." This alone is enough to make her stand out from many stunning beauties.

The accolades for the Holy Maiden of Calamity, proclaiming her as "the most beautiful woman in the Central Plains," are growing louder and louder throughout the Central Plains.

The main protagonist of the ceremony—the Four Directions Pavilion—also began to expand rapidly after the ceremony, especially in the Southern and Northern Regions, where its power grew at an alarming rate.

Along with this, many powerful individuals chose to join the Four Directions Pavilion, including many Dou Zun level experts.

Many powerful figures believe that the Four Directions Pavilion has immense potential, its strength has surpassed that of the Two Sects and Three Valleys, and its momentum is very strong. It has the potential to become a top-tier force like the Pill Tower and the Soul Palace. Joining it now will surely bring huge benefits in the future.

After all, there were precedents—the Thunder Venerable, Sword Venerable, and Yellow Spring Venerable, who agreed to merge the pavilions, all gained considerable benefits.

These three Venerable Ones were not only appointed as one of the seven Deputy Pavilion Masters, but their progress in strength was also remarkable—in just one year, their strength increased by two or three stars!
Lei Zun Zhe has broken through to the Nine-Star Dou Zun level and is now in charge of the Feng Lei Branch of the Sifang Pavilion, fully promoting the expansion of the Sifang Pavilion in the Northern Region.

Helping a Dou Zun improve his strength is no problem for a Medicine Saint like himself.

Thanks to the effect of "spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones," more and more independent cultivators joined the Four Directions Pavilion, causing its strength to expand at an alarming rate, directly catching up with the two major forces, the Pill Tower and the Soul Palace.

All the powerful figures sensed that perhaps soon, the Central Plains would undergo even more dramatic changes...

(End of this chapter)