Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

After the cultivators' conference ended, Lu Chen immediately ordered the annihilation of all the forces that had betrayed the Great Xia Dynasty, and he himself began to cultivate in seclusion.

Mu Qinglan only killed one of Jiang Tianrui's clones. Although Mu Qinglan used her holy power to seal the space before she made her move, preventing the events in the Chaotic Star Sea from being transmitted back to the Canghai Sect through their clones' divine senses, the death of the clones must have made Jiang Tianrui realize that there were saintly experts in the Chaotic Star Sea.

The Canghai Sect has failed this time, and there is a high probability that they will spread the news of the Chaotic Star Sea, which will attract more Saint Realm cultivators.

Therefore, Lu Chen must become stronger before those Saint Realm enemies arrive, otherwise Mu Qinglan alone will probably not be able to withstand those enemies.

For the next six months, Lu Chen meditated and cultivated, but perhaps because he was too anxious, his cultivation not only did not improve, but he also felt that his cultivation seemed to have regressed.

What's going on?

Inside the underground palace, Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes and, somewhat incredulously, sensed the condition of his body. This was the first time he had encountered a situation where his cultivation had not only failed to improve but had actually decreased.

Logically speaking, even if he didn't cultivate himself, his cultivation level should have improved by relying on the feedback from the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Technique. After all, as long as his wives and concubines improved their cultivation, it would benefit him.

Lu Chen couldn't help but wonder if the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Technique had side effects, such as his wives and concubines' cultivation levels decreasing, which would also cause his own to decrease.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen frowned. He had never heard the system mention such a side effect, so he asked the system in his mind.

"System, will the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Technique have any side effects?"

As Lu Chen's personal system, it naturally knew what Lu Chen was thinking. The system replied, "The Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Technique has no side effects, so the host need not worry."

Lu Chen continued, "Then why hasn't my cultivation improved? In fact, it seems to be slightly declining?"

The system replied, "The host's cultivation level improved too quickly in the past, making it somewhat superficial. Now that the host has stabilized their cultivation level, it has become more solid, so it may appear that the cultivation level has decreased somewhat. However, the host's strength has actually increased to a certain extent."

Upon hearing the system's explanation, Lu Chen was taken aback. So that's how it is. He had thought his cultivation level had declined.

However, even if his cultivation level hadn't declined, the rate at which it was improving was far too slow. Half a year had passed, and his cultivation level still hadn't improved at all. It would take forever before he could break through and become a saint.

Lu Chen knew he was being too hasty, but given the current state of the Chaotic Star Sea, he had no choice but to act quickly.

If the Canghai Sect were to spread the news of the Chaotic Star Sea, attracting even more Saint-level experts, Mu Qinglan alone might not be able to withstand it.

However, cultivation cannot be rushed. For ordinary cultivators, even those with exceptional talent, it takes tens of thousands of years to break through to the Returning to the Void Realm.

Lu Chen broke through to the Saint Realm at the age of several decades. It can be said that there are few prodigies like Lu Chen in the entire universe. Even the other sons of the Divine Martial Emperor cannot keep up with Lu Chen's speed of cultivation improvement.

Lu Chen sighed slightly. Well, there's no use in being anxious now. He hasn't been out for half a year, and his wives and concubines must be missing him. He should go out and see them.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen slowly got up and then teleported to Mu Qinglan's room.

At this moment, Mu Qinglan was also in seclusion cultivating. After sensing Lu Chen's aura, Mu Qinglan opened her eyes immediately. She looked at Lu Chen with a puzzled expression, "Your Majesty, you...you've emerged from seclusion?"

Lu Chen emerged from seclusion after only half a year. Generally speaking, the higher a person's cultivation level, the longer they can go into seclusion. For a cultivator like Lu Chen at the Guixu Realm, once he goes into seclusion, he won't emerge for at least ten or even several decades.

Having only been in seclusion for half a year, it was highly likely that his cultivation level wouldn't have changed much. Thinking of this, Mu Qinglan sensed Lu Chen's changes in cultivation level and found that Lu Chen's cultivation level had indeed not improved; it was still about the same as before, or even slightly lower.

Lu Chen sighed slightly and said, "I've hit a bottleneck in my cultivation. I've been cultivating for half a year without any improvement. Continuing to cultivate would be a waste of time, so I came out for some fresh air."

This……

Mu Qinglan was at a loss for words when it came to Lu Chen. If it were anyone else, Mu Qinglan would have definitely retorted directly: "You've only been in seclusion for half a year and you already want to improve your cultivation? That's just wishful thinking. No one cultivates that easily."

However, the person in front of him was, after all, the Heavenly Emperor, whose talent was unmatched by ordinary cultivators.

However, no matter how high one's talent is, it's still too hasty to expect to improve one's cultivation level in just six months.

Mu Qinglan understood why Lu Chen was in such a hurry. Half a year had passed since the Canghai Sect incident, and now the Canghai Sect had probably spread the news of the Chaos Star Sea. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before another Saint Realm enemy entered the Chaos Star Sea.

Mu Qinglan then said, "Perhaps it's because Your Majesty is under too much pressure that your cultivation has stagnated. Perhaps Your Majesty should relax for a while."

Cultivation is about cultivating the mind. The higher the realm, the higher the requirements for one's character. If the psychological pressure is too great and the mind is not firm enough, then not only will one's cultivation not improve, but there is even a risk of going astray in cultivation.

Therefore, cultivation also requires a balance between work and rest. Many cultivators will do things to relax when they encounter bottlenecks in their cultivation, such as going to the mortal world for training.

Of course, Lu Chen doesn't need to go to the mortal world for training, so it's very easy for him to relax.

At this moment, a slight blush appeared on Mu Qinglan's cheeks. She told Lu Chen to relax, so she naturally knew what Lu Chen was most relaxed about.

She was a little worried. Would her directness make the Heavenly Emperor think she was giving him a hint?

Hearing Mu Qinglan's words, Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then his gaze swept over Mu Qinglan.

Today, Mu Qinglan was dressed in a light blue gauze dress, which hugged her graceful figure. A brocade belt was tied around her slender waist, perfectly showcasing her curvaceous figure.

In addition, the saintly aura she exuded made Mu Qinglan look incredibly alluring and full of charm.

Seeing Lu Chen staring intently at her, Mu Qinglan suddenly felt nervous. After a moment, Lu Chen smiled and said, "You really should relax a bit."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Chen slowly walked towards Mu Qinglan. As Lu Chen got closer and closer, Mu Qinglan's heart beat faster and faster.

Having not seen Lu Chen for more than half a year, nor having cultivated with him, Mu Qinglan actually had some longing in her heart. However, as a saint, she was usually able to restrain such thoughts.

But when Lu Chen appeared in front of her, she couldn't control her impulse.

After Lu Chen came to Mu Qinglan, he did not hesitate at all. He leaned down, pinched Mu Qinglan's delicate chin, and kissed Mu Qinglan's red lips.

Then, following the procedure, we proceeded step by step.

Just as Lu Chen finished the first round, a burst of spiritual energy suddenly exploded from his body. Immediately afterward, he felt his inner world expanding rapidly, and his body was frantically absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.

This… (End of Chapter)