The Immortal Empress, Unrivaled Through Eternity

When they returned to the Shang residence, it was just noon.

Xiao Lan, supporting Li Yunqing's arm, stepped across the front yard and heard the sounds of swords clashing and slashing.

"Are they practicing their martial arts?"

Seeing two figures darting and shifting in the courtyard, Li Yunqing suddenly realized what was happening.

There's too little entertainment in this era. Young ladies from noble families spend their days attending various banquets, while those in the martial arts world are not used to those banquets and instead prefer to practice martial arts.

As Li Yunqing stopped, everyone saw her.

Especially Lu Xingzhou, who was holding a sword, and Qi Feihong, who was holding a knife, both froze on the spot when they saw Li Yunqing.

Their gazes were fixed on Li Yunqing.

A white cloak fluttered in the wind, and the sleeves and hem of the purple dress that enveloped her alluring figure also swayed gently.

She exuded an ethereal, otherworldly aura.

Her hair was styled into an elegant, flowing bun, held in place by a carved jade hairpin. Strands of hair framing her forehead and temples danced lightly on her exquisitely beautiful face.

For a moment, their eyes were filled with amazement.

"Junior Sister Yunqing, you're back."

Xun Fei whispered as he approached Li Yunqing's side, his gaze sweeping over her as he exclaimed, "Junior Sister, your figure and beauty are simply stunning. Even in an ordinary purple dress and cloak, you exude the aura of a fairy."

Upon hearing this, Monk Wunian, Qi Feihong, and Lu Xingzhou all nodded in agreement.

With such beauty and figure, coupled with that ethereal and tranquil temperament, even a celestial being would find it hard to surpass her.

"Thank you for the compliment, senior sister!"

Li Yunqing responded without any hesitation, precisely because of her appearance; she had just beaten up a disciple of the Divine Realm.

"Since we have nothing else to do, and Senior Brother Lu and Fei Hongdao are sparring, why don't you play a tune on your zither, Junior Sister?"

Xun Fei smiled and made the suggestion.

As a woman of the martial arts world, she wanted to play the zither, but her skills were not up to par.

As a young lady from a prominent family, Li Yunqing must be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. This is probably the difference between a woman from the martial arts world and a young master from a noble family.

People from the martial arts world are unconventional and often roam the land, mostly wielding swords and staffs.

Young men and women from aristocratic families, on the other hand, are expected to follow proper etiquette in their social interactions, and are generally quite proficient in the Six Arts of a Gentleman and the Eight Elegances of a Woman.

"OK!"

Li Yunqing did not refuse. It was a rare opportunity for the group to get together, and since they had no other entertainment, she naturally wouldn't make things difficult for them.

This situation is probably like a group of close friends from a past life, enjoying barbecue, drinks, and chatting.

"Xiao Lan, go find the housekeeper and ask for Zhang Qin."

"Since I have some free time, I'll play a piece on the zither for everyone!"

Li Yunqing smiled and said, then looked at Lu Xingzhou and Qi Feihong, "You can continue, don't worry about me."

As she spoke, Li Yunqing took Xun Fei's hand and led him to a pavilion on the side.

Even though women of the martial arts world are not bound by formalities, she did not want to get too close to men and cause misunderstandings.

"Brother Qi, take another sword strike from me!"

Lu Xingzhou gave a soft shout, and his aura suddenly surged.

Unlike his previous domineering stance under Qi Feihong, the moment he unleashed his longsword, it exuded an indescribable purity and vastness.

"Clang!"

The sound of a sword rang out piercingly. Lu Xingzhou's longsword flashed by, almost instantly closing in on Qi Feihong.

"This is?"

Qi Feihong paused, his expression instantly turning serious. He drew his sword with a clang, and in a flash, it was held horizontally in front of his chest.

Having just sparred with Lu Xingzhou, he used his Qi Realm Perfection, which was close to the Profound Realm, to almost completely suppress Lu Xingzhou, who was only at the mid-level of the Qi Realm.

But at this moment, Lu Xingzhou's sword strike had almost surpassed the ordinary Qi Realm Perfection, and seemed to touch the edge of the Profound Realm as well.

The changes were so dramatic that they caught everyone off guard.

"Bang!"

As the swords clashed, both figures trembled simultaneously, and then, as if by unspoken agreement, they took quick steps backward.

The bluestone paving stones on the ground now bear the footprints of two people.

"Is this your true strength?"

Qi Feihong stared at Lu Xingzhou in shock.

But she found that Lu Xingzhou's eyes were full of focus and purity, brimming with tenderness, and always on Li Yunqing.

"Could it be a path of emotion?"

Qi Feihong was stunned when he saw this scene.

Upon hearing this, Xun Fei and Monk Wunian both paused, their eyes flashing between Li Yunqing and Lu Xingzhou.

"The Way of Sentiment?"

Li Yunqing asked in confusion.

She had heard Sister Yuanqing talk about the Path of Ruthlessness, which teaches that one must first enter into emotions and then sever them; with each emotion severed, one's strength will increase exponentially.

But what exactly is this path of affection?

Does it mean the more people you love, the more powerful you are?

This doesn't seem to suit her either.

"Amitabha Buddha, there is a proverb in the Way of Love: To meet one person and grow old together, to be bound by love for a lifetime, one envies not even the immortals, but only the loving couple!"

"Love stronger than gold, capable of breaking even immortality—this is probably the meaning behind it!"

Without reciting the Buddha's name, he began to explain.

The path of love is such that the deeper the love, the stronger the sword becomes, for it is all about one's heart.

But at that moment, almost everyone's eyes fell on Li Yunqing.

Even Xun Fei was somewhat taken aback at this moment.

She didn't notice much change in her senior brother Lu Xingzhou; he remained as sincere and pure as ever.

However, I never expected that Senior Brother Lu's sword heart was no longer as sincere as before.

Instead, he is only sincere to one person.

This person was Li Yunqing, who had only recently joined the sect.

What she found even more unbelievable was that Li Yunqing seemed unaware of the care and affection Lu Shixiong showed her.

So this is all just a one-man show by Senior Brother Lu?

"So this is the path of compassion!"

Li Yunqing nodded slightly upon hearing this, as if she had just realized something.

But feeling everyone's gaze fixed on him, his heart skipped a beat.

Thinking of how Lu Xingzhou's sword heart almost shattered, and then rose again, could it be because of me?

For a moment, she was speechless. Did cultivating this path of affection not require the other party's consent?

"Miss, the zither is here!"

At this moment, Xiao Lan arrived carrying a zither and gently placed it in front of Li Yunqing.

Li Yunqing didn't want to think too much, nor did she want to get involved, and she couldn't say anything more. She could only pretend not to know and said, "Please listen to the zither."

After speaking, she gently stroked the strings with her ten fingers, and the flowing music immediately resounded throughout the courtyard.

"It's just someone else's preference, it's none of my business!"

Li Yunqing was immersed in playing the zither, her thoughts rising with the music.

With the added advantage, she forgot everything and focused on it almost instantly.

Although I haven't played the zither for a long time, the soundboard remains firmly in place, and I haven't become rusty at all. On the contrary, I've become even more skilled, letting my thoughts flow freely and blossoming from my fingertips.

Unbeknownst to them, a peculiar artistic conception spread outwards along with Li Yunqing's zither music.

The servants and maids who came and went were completely immersed in the music.

As a result, more and more people stopped around the courtyard.

Even the monk Wunian, Qi Feihong, Lu Xingzhou, Xun Fei, and Xiao Lan all felt as if they were in a dream.

All I could see was an endless ocean, serene and tranquil.

As the music changed, the ocean dissipated, and endless vegetation sprang up from the ground, lush and verdant, teeming with life.

At times, there are babbling brooks, scorching sun baking the earth, and snow covering the sky.

In a short moment, everyone seemed to have undergone an indescribable spiritual baptism and witnessed the changing seasons.

I saw the sun and the sea turning again.

It was an indescribable feeling, as if one were actually there, truly experiencing the changes of heaven and earth, the rotation of the five elements, and the alternation of hot and cold.

It seems that everything in the world is contained within the sound of the zither.

When the music stopped, everyone snapped out of their reverie and looked at Li Yunqing in the pavilion.

"This is?"

Everyone was startled the moment they saw Li Yunqing.

Li Yunqing closed her eyes slightly, as if she had entered a state of enlightenment, and her whole body was radiating a rich vitality.

Surprisingly, at this time of year, all the flowers and plants around the pavilion sprouted new buds and grew rapidly.

In a short while, colorful petals swayed and their fragrance filled the air.

Monk Wunian and Qi Feihong exchanged a thoughtful glance.

Before entering Beijing, this scene could be seen almost every morning.

Lu Xingzhou and Xun Fei, on the other hand, were both stunned and stood there, witnessing such a fantastical scene for the first time.

"What on earth happened?"

"How could a single melody produce such a strange phenomenon?"

Xun Fei and Lu Xingzhou whispered to each other, seemingly afraid of disturbing Li Yunqing inside the pavilion.

Because at this moment, Li Yunqing seemed like a goddess who controlled the moon, spreading endless vitality between heaven and earth.

Wearing a purple dress and a white cape, amidst the tender green grass and colorful petals, she looked like a celestial being descended to earth.

It makes people dare not disturb it lightly.

For a moment, the entire courtyard was deathly silent, and almost everyone's eyes were fixed on Li Yunqing.

With her eyes closed, Li Yunqing seemed to be filled with endless insights.

There is the flow of the five elements, the alternation of ice and snow and scorching heat, the successive performances and collisions of the four seasons, and finally they merge into one.

"Frosty Sword Intent: Mastery (3% → 10%)"

"The True Meaning of the Five Elements: Minor Success (10% → 50%)"

"You have suddenly grasped the true meaning of pure Yin."

"The True Meaning of Pure Yin: Introduction (1%)"

"Pure Yin's true meaning?"

Looking at the words before her, Li Yunqing paused slightly, feeling the power of immortal martial arts surging within her chest, blending seamlessly with the pure Yin true meaning.

Yet it also subtly contains the frost-covered sword intent of the lower dantian and the true meaning of the five elements of the upper dantian.

Or perhaps it can be said that the Frost Sword Intent and the True Intent of the Five Elements are all part of the Pure Yin True Intent.

Once perfected, it will likely be completely absorbed into the pure Yin essence.

Li Yunqing even felt that her three dantians—upper, middle, and lower—were connected by an invisible force, forming a single entity.

In particular, the power of immortal martial arts, when combined with the pure Yin true meaning, seems to have undergone an invisible transformation.

The sphere of light at the Tanzhong acupoint became increasingly solid, like a real bright moon hanging high in the sky, rotating silently.

The aura of extreme yin and gentleness grew increasingly intense.

"What is this?"

"His immortal martial arts power has evolved from the beginner level to the intermediate level?"

For a moment, Li Yunqing was somewhat unable to understand the mystery behind it.

But she could sense that as the pure Yin essence grew stronger, her immortal martial power would also continue to evolve.

"A method for cultivating the power of immortals and martial arts?"

"No! It should be the combined power of Yin magic and Yin true energy, which can only be enhanced by pure Yin true intent?"

At this moment, Li Yunqing had a vague guess.

The Way of Pure Yin is like the mother of all things, encompassing and nourishing all living beings. Ordinary true meanings cannot naturally be in harmony with it, thus causing it to change.

On the contrary, only pure Yin essence can be compatible with it.

As she comprehended the true meaning of pure Yin, she could feel that her pure Yin body seemed to have taken another step closer.

Before long, it may become a purely vaginal body.

"It's quite an unexpected surprise... no! Or rather, the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting can, to some extent, cultivate one's true essence!"

"Furthermore, after cultivating with a pure Yin body for so long, I accumulated enough energy, and only then did I suddenly achieve enlightenment!"

Li Yunqing seemed to realize something.

Just as she can draw the fundamental diagram, if calligraphy and painting skills are also guided by true meaning and sword intent, they can naturally be honed little by little.

Thinking of this, she slowly opened her eyes, only to find that everyone's eyes were on her.

"Sorry, I just had a sudden realization!"

Li Yunqing stood up and gave a slight bow to express her apology.

Every move she made was like flowing water and graceful clouds, becoming increasingly gentle and beautiful, almost captivating the eye.

That body seemed to possess an indescribable charm.

It evokes a deep longing in people, a desire to get closer, or even to embrace it.

It's not seduction, but an attraction that comes from the soul and from instinct.

"It's alright!"

Upon hearing Li Yunqing's voice, everyone snapped out of their daze and responded.

He quickly averted his gaze.

Yet they could still sense the gentle beauty emanating from Li Yunqing, which held an unparalleled attraction for them.

Even just looking away leaves one with a sense of loss.

Even Xun Fei, Xiao Lan, and the maids and servants couldn't take their eyes off them at this moment.

It seemed that even they couldn't resist that gentleness and wanted to get closer.

Just then, the voice of a servant rang out from outside the courtyard.

"Miss Yunqing, an old woman claiming to be your master has come to visit!"

Li Yunqing was taken aback, and quickly said, "Please come to Guanyun Pavilion... No! I'll go myself."

After she finished speaking, she didn't forget to nod to everyone.

Excuse me for a moment.