What does my ancestor's pregnancy have to do with me, a mere servant?

Early stage of Golden Core cultivation.

Lin Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

The last time I saw her, this woman was still in the late Foundation Establishment stage. I never expected that after so long, she would have already condensed her Golden Core.

"That's Gu Jiusi, Ji Qingying's personal disciple." Li Yang glanced at her, his voice extremely low. "This woman has a mysterious background. She was secretly trained by the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect for many years. Not only did she leapfrog several realms to form her Golden Core in just a few years, but it is also said that her combat power is unfathomable, far surpassing those of others of the same level."

Li Yang paused, then added, "Moreover, this woman is extremely skilled at disguise and infiltration, and has a deep and cunning mind. If you encounter her in the secret realm, be extremely careful."

Lin Yuan held his teacup, his expression unchanged.

Deeply scheming?

He knew better than anyone how cunning Gu Jiusi was. She had infiltrated the Xuan Yin Sect for years, deceiving everyone. If it weren't for him, she would have taken the Myriad Manifestations Compass back to the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect long ago.

On the opposite mountain peak, Gu Jiusi seemed to sense something and slowly turned his head.

Those gentle and beautiful peach blossom eyes swept across the Xuan Yin Sect's camp from afar, casually glancing over each face.

next moment.

She was as if struck by lightning, her delicate body suddenly stiffening.

In an instant, a monstrous storm surged within those once cool and gentle peach blossom eyes.

stunned.

Horrified.

Resentment and malice.

There were also complex emotions that she herself was unwilling to admit.

She vividly remembered her encounter in the Crimson Forbidden Land. That man not only stole the All-Encompassing Compass she had painstakingly acquired, but also…

A faint blush rose uncontrollably to her cheeks.

However, it was precisely because of the arduous face-to-face training that the quality of her spiritual root was greatly improved.

Her already superior spiritual root became even purer and more solid, just a hair's breadth away from becoming a legendary earth spiritual root. This was the fundamental reason why she was able to successfully condense her core in such a short time.

But this misfortune turned into a blessing in disguise.

Lin Yuan stood at the back of the crowd, looking directly at her from afar.

His expression was calm as still water, and the corners of his mouth even curved slightly upward.

That smile was gentle and harmless, like greeting an old friend.

Gu Jiusi's delicate body trembled violently, and she subconsciously shrank back half a step behind Ji Qingying.

"Jiu Si, what's wrong?" Ji Qingying keenly noticed her disciple's unusual behavior. Her light blue pupils narrowed slightly as she followed Gu Jiu Si's gaze toward the Xuan Yin Sect.

"No...it's nothing, Master." Gu Jiusi suppressed the turbulent emotions in his heart and forced a smile. There was a slight, almost imperceptible tremor in his voice. "It's just that seeing the people from the Xuan Yin Sect reminded me of the days when I was an undercover agent. That experience...it's inevitable that my state of mind would be a little turbulent."

Ji Qingying coldly swept her gaze across the Xuan Yin Sect's camp, her eyes like knives.

"A bunch of lowly demonic cultivators." Her voice was filled with undisguised disgust and killing intent. "Once you enter the secret realm, if you encounter anyone from the Xuan Yin Sect, just kill them without hesitation. No need to hold back, no need to hesitate."

"Disciple... obeys." Gu Jiusi lowered his head, his long eyelashes concealing the complex emotions surging in his eyes.

Rumbling--

A muffled rumble of thunder suddenly echoed across the sky.

The thick clouds were forcibly torn apart by an extremely tyrannical force. A huge golden-red scaled dragon broke through the clouds, its body tens of feet long, its scales reflecting a dazzling golden-red light in the sunlight.

Behind the dragon, a massive golden chariot was being dragged along. The chariot was made entirely of pure gold, with tassels and banners hanging from its four corners, and a nine-clawed golden dragon carved on its roof, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, exuding majesty.

The royal family of Chu made their grand entrance as the final act.

With a long roar, the dragon's chariot landed steadily on the summit of the last mountain.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and three figures stepped out one after another.

The leader was dressed in silver armor, the surface of which was covered with intricate spiritual patterns that shimmered with a cold metallic luster in the sunlight.

Although she wore a silver mask that covered most of her face, her shapely figure beneath the armor could not be concealed.

With a slender waist and long legs, and well-defined curves, she was clearly a female cultivator.

A trace of the pressure of the Nascent Soul stage was inadvertently leaked from her, making the air within dozens of feet around her feel heavier.

She was the Nascent Soul cultivator leading the Chu royal family on this mission.

Two people followed behind him.

Princess Chu Mingyue, the third princess, was dressed in crimson armor and wore a fiery red cloak, looking heroic and valiant.

Her face possessed a resolute beauty tinged with a sharp edge. Her phoenix eyes swept across the entire area, and the oppressive aura of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator spread out unrestrainedly, without any restraint. Her aura was arrogant and domineering.

The Fourth Prince, Chu Jingfeng, stood beside her, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe embroidered with gold dragons, and holding a white jade folding fan in his hand.

He had a handsome face, a half-smile playing on his lips, and an innate air of superiority and arrogance in his eyes.

Five forces have gathered.

One thousand and fifty cultivators gathered between the five peaks.

The air was filled with fluctuations of magical power of various attributes, which collided, squeezed, and confronted each other.

The spiritual energy above the entire basin became restless, as if even heaven and earth were trembling with fear at the impending battle.

Lin Yuan stood at the rear of the Xuan Yin Sect's camp, taking in the entire lineup of the five forces.

His mind raced, matching the information of each key figure with the intelligence Li Yang had given him.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Sima Lingbo, who was facing the main peak, vanished into thin air.

In an instant, she appeared steadily above the center of the basin surrounded by five mountain peaks. Her gray Daoist robe fluttered in the gale, and the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator pressed down in all directions as if it were a tangible force.

Almost simultaneously, atop the other four mountain peaks, four figures radiating terrifying Nascent Soul stage power rose into the air and hovered in the center of the basin.

Five Nascent Soul level experts stood side by side, their magical powers intertwining, causing the heavens and earth to change color.

Thousands of cultivators in the basin looked up in unison, involuntarily holding their breath.

Sima Lingbo remained expressionless, and with a gentle flick of her right sleeve, an object flew out and hovered silently in her palm.

It was a lotus flower that was entirely black.

Nine lotus petals slowly unfolded, each as thin as a cicada's wing, yet exuding an extremely rich aura of the netherworld.

The moment the lotus appeared, the temperature within a radius of several dozen feet plummeted. Moisture in the air condensed into tiny ice crystals.

Lin Yuan stood at the back of the crowd, his eye suddenly twitching.

As a fifth-grade alchemist, his ability to identify spiritual objects of heaven and earth far surpassed that of ordinary people. He recognized the origin of this object at a glance.

The Nine Netherworlds transformed into a lotus.

A supreme treasure of heaven and earth. Legend has it that it can only take shape after being nurtured by the yin energy for tens of thousands of years at the confluence of the earth's veins in an extremely yin place.

If a late-stage Golden Core cultivator consumes this item after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, it can greatly solidify the foundation of their Dao Infant. With good luck, it can even directly upgrade the grade of their Dao Infant.

For cultivators who practice Yin-attribute techniques, it is an invaluable treasure.

On the opposite mountain peak, the burly old patriarch of the Myriad Laws Sect, with his beard and hair standing on end, snorted coldly. With a flick of his large, fan-like hand, a gleaming silver fruit flew out and hovered in mid-air.

Silver Gang Thunder Essence Fruit.

The fruit is silvery-white all over, about the size of a fist, with lightning arcs dancing and jumping on its surface, emitting a dense crackling sound.

Each arc of lightning contained extremely pure power of heaven and earth thunder; merely hovering there made the surrounding air scorching and acrid.

This substance, when consumed raw, can draw upon the power of heaven and earth's thunder and lightning to cleanse and refine the muscles, bones, and meridians, resulting in a qualitative leap in physical strength. For body cultivators, it is a coveted treasure.