NOVEL NEXT Chapter 367: Rising Together
Chapter 367: Rising Together
Having successfully refined Metamorphosis Elixir , it was customary to take a break for some well-deserved rest.
The Empire’s supply of Metamorphosis Elixir was critically low, far from sufficient to meet demand. Ideally, they wanted Xu Lian to continue refining without a break. However, overworking him wasn’t a viable solution either. If he grew too fatigued and accidentally ruined a batch… the loss would be catastrophic.
Given the scarcity of raw materials, the Empire could no longer afford to take such risks. Reluctantly, they agreed to a one-month break.
So Xu Lian made the announcement: “Everyone will be granted a one-month vacation. You can go to the Ministry of Revenue to collect your rewards.”
Tens of thousands of alchemist apprentices and hundreds of thousands of gardeners erupted in cheers. It was tradition to celebrate whenever a Metamorphosis Elixir was successfully refined.
Two Quasi-Supremes escorted the two elixirs to the imperial capital, while the remaining three stayed behind to vigilantly guard the zone.
Seeing no opportunity to act, Xu Lian had no choice but to return to the Grandmaster’s residence in the capital with Ning Meixue and Huangpu Shuyi. After decades of relentless work, this one-month break was a chance to truly relax.
Since Ning Meixue and Huangpu Shuyi had been by Xu Lian’s side throughout their time in the exclusive cultivation resource zone, it was only fair to give the other concubines a turn now that they were back at the residence. Otherwise, it would be impossible to maintain peace in the Grandmaster’s household. These concubines weren’t ordinary women – each of them came from an influential background, and suppressing them too harshly was not an option.
Xu Lian looked at the array of beautiful wives and concubines, his eyes dazzled by their charm. In the end, he took Zhao Qiqi into his room. A few heartfelt words were exchanged, followed by actions to strengthen the bond between them-he couldn’t neglect her after all.
In his younger days, he had harbored a fixation on noble-born daughters. Now, he realized that the daughters of concubines were just as wonderful – less troublesome and more comforting.
Living under this secondary identity in the Qian Dynasty was quite pleasant. He had almost forgotten who even his primary self was.
But Xu Lian knew how to wisely manage his time. After spending half a month at the Grandmaster’s residence, he crossed through space, resuming his original form, and headed straight for the “Central Sacred Land” of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands-the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land .
At the thirty-third stage above.
“O, I’m back,” Xu Lian said urgently. “It’s been so many years. How many Metamorphosis Elixirs have the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands managed to refine?”
Time Supreme, who had been cultivating amidst the chaotic mist, opened her beautiful eyes and tossed five glowing Metamorphosis Elixirs at him .
Xu Lian caught them, feeling slightly surprised. “Only five?”
The Qian Dynasty alone had once possessed sixty-seven zones capable of producing Metamorphosis Elixir . Even at a normal refining rate, they should have produced far more than five over the years. The Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, with their superior resources and greater number of production zones, should have yielded even more. How could they have refined only five?
The Time Supreme explained, “A few of my senior uncles and senior brothers were responsible for guarding the zones that produce Metamorphosis Elixir . When I wasn’t paying attention, they embezzled some of the elixirs for their own use, claiming that they needed them to break through to the Supreme Realm and couldn’t wait”.
“What audacity!” Xu Lian exploded in anger. “I explicitly stated that my priority comes first! How dare they arbitrarily withhold the Metamorphosis Elixir ! According to the rules of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, defying the command of the Holy Son of the Nine Heavens is tantamount to treason!”
Time Supreme sighed, a hint of helplessness in her voice. “They are, after all, my elder uncles and elder brothers. I can’t exactly punish them severely. They know that, so they act without restraint.”
Xu Lian’s lips twitched. This was utter shamelessness. These Quasi-Supremes didn’t play by the rules – they simply could not be reasoned with.
Time Supreme continued, “I’ve already reassigned them from the zones that produce Metamorphosis Elixir . Such incidents will not happen again. I’ll make sure you get priority access to the elixirs as soon as possible.”
Xu Lian didn’t push any further. Those who had embezzled the Metamorphosis Elixir were all senior uncles and senior brothers of the Time Supreme and the Goddess of the Nine Heavens-it was indeed difficult to punish them.
“O, take a look at this,” Xu Lian said, waving his hand to reveal piles upon piles of medicinal herbs and exotic beasts – all raw materials for refining Metamorphosis Elixir .
At the Sage Realm level, storage bags were practically obsolete. One could create their own personal storage space with immense capacity, capable of holding vast quantities of items.
He grinned. “Find me a few loyal and reliable alchemists capable of refining Metamorphosis Elixir . Have them secretly refine these for me.”
The Time Supreme wasn’t surprised. “When the three zones in the Qian Dynasty that produced Metamorphosis Elixir were completely ransacked, I suspected that it was your doing. Such a brazen act – no one else would dare attempt it.”
Xu Lian smirked, satisfied with his “spoils”. “Of course it was me. Why else would I have infiltrated the Qian Dynasty? Naturally, it was to seize their cultivation resources. Being the Holy Son of Nine Heavens is exhausting-I have to take risks to secure my own cultivation resources.”
The Time Supreme shook her head. “That’s because of your insatiable consumption of cultivation resources. If you were like everyone else, the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands wouldn’t struggle to support you. Raiding the Qian Dynasty’s resources to such an extent is extremely risky. If the Qian Dynasty finds out that the Nine Heavenly Holy Sons are behind it, they won’t rest until they destroy you. Then you’ll really be in trouble.”
Xu Lian shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “As long as the Divine Kingdom exists, I will exist. I’m practically immortal anyway. Taking some risks isn’t a big deal, is it? Besides, with your mastery of the Time Laws and my mastery of the Divine Kingdom Laws, we’re not exactly defenseless. At the very least, the two Supremes of the Qian Dynasty can’t touch us.”
The deep, profound eyes of the Time Supreme looked at Xu Lian as she spoke. “Do not underestimate the top tier factions. Every one of them is beyond your imagination – otherwise, they wouldn’t have stood tall for countless years. If you really provoke the Qian Dynasty to the point where they unleash their hidden reserves to deal with you, even your so-called ‘immortality’ might not be able to save you.”
Hidden reserves? Xu Lian’s heart stirred. The mutual wariness between the top tier factions stemmed from these very reserves-their deepest secrets and ultimate trump cards. This was also the reason why none of the major powers could be easily destroyed.
Out of curiosity, he asked, “What are the hidden reserves of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands?”
When O was just the Goddess of Time, she certainly wouldn’t have known. But now, as the reigning Supreme of the Nine Heavens, who is charged with overseeing the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, the previous Supreme must have confided in her about the hidden reserves before he passed away.
The Supreme of Time replied, “The Hidden Reserves are the highest secret of any top-tier faction. Only the Supreme can know, and only the primary Supreme. Even ordinary Supremes are not privy to this information. If the reserves were ever revealed, they could lose their deterrent power, possibly leading to the downfall of the entire sect or holy land.”
“The Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands are no exception when it comes to guarding this supreme secret with the utmost vigilance. I cannot tell you. Perhaps one day, when you ascend to become the Nine Heavens Supreme, you will learn about it.”
All right… Xu Lian didn’t push any further. The secrecy surrounding the hidden reserves was paramount – in fact, it was best that as few people as possible knew about it. Even the closest and most trusted were not allowed to know.
He pointed to the piles of rare herbs and exotic beasts. “These materials can refine over a hundred metamorphosis elixirs. O, have a few loyal and reliable alchemists refine them for me as soon as possible. Be sure to do so discreetly. If word gets out about such a large amount of untraceable materials, the Qian Dynasty might become suspicious.”
The Time Supreme waved her hand and gathered everything up. “I understand. Are you going to teach me how to do my job?”
Xu Lian chuckled. “You and I – we are practically family.”
Just as he was about to say something more intimate, an overwhelming surge of supreme-level energy erupted from the thirty-second stage of the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land, shooting straight into the sky!
Xu Lian was surprised, but not shocked. Obviously, one of the Quasi-Supremes of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands had finally broken through to the Supreme Realm. It was only natural – many had reached the Quasi-Supreme level years ago and were on the verge of ascending at any moment.
However, what followed truly astounded him. Another surge of Supreme-Level energy exploded!
As if spurred on by the first breakthrough, another wave of Supreme-Level energy rose to the sky!
My goodness! There had been no breakthroughs for ages, and then three Supremes ascended at once.
“With the Time Supreme, these three newly ascended Supremes, and my laws of Divine Kingdom, which is capable of raising or lowering a realm by one tier, the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands have truly returned to their peak strength,” Xu Lian thought silently.
“Elder Supreme, the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands are flourishing again. You can rest in peace.”
“Hahaha! I’ve become a Supreme! Finally, after all these years, Meng Hao has become a Supreme!”
From the thirty-second level stage, a thunderous, joyous laugh came out that echoed across the heavens.
“…” Xu Lian’s gaze turned strange. Who was this guy? How many centuries-or millennia-had he cultivated? Was he really this clumsy?