42: Awakening of the Innate Dao Embryo

The night was as dark as ink, and the candlelight flickered.

Su Xuanchen sat on a grand armchair, his gaze directed toward Gu Lingshuang, who was flipping through an ancient text across from him.

“Wife, there's something I need to ask you.”

Gu Lingshuang didn't even look up as her slender fingers turned a page of yellowed paper.

“Speak.”

“How do you activate the Samsara Dao Pupil?”

Su Xuanchen got straight to the point.

“The Innate Primordial Dao Embryo is easy to handle; as long as there's enough Spiritual Qi, I can just pile up resources. But these eyes...”

He pointed to his own eyes.

“They involve the Law of Reincarnation. I'm afraid Spirit Stones alone won't be enough to smash them open.”

Gu Lingshuang's fingers paused.

She slowly closed the ancient book and looked up, a hint of solemnity flashing in her black-gold Phoenix eyes.

“That ‘sister’ you picked up is quite the hot potato.”

“The Samsara Dao Pupil is a taboo.”

“To activate it, you not only need a massive amount of energy but also a primer.”

“A primer?” Su Xuanchen's brow arched slightly.

“A Rank Nine Divine Object—reincarnation divine water.”

Gu Lingshuang spoke those words with a heavy tone.

“This water is born at the end of the Yellow Springs, and it takes ten thousand years to condense a single drop. It can wash away the mortal impurities in the eyes, communicate with the underworld, and see directly into the Origin.”

“Without it, if you force the opening of her Dao Pupil, her Divine Soul will be instantly crushed by the power of Reincarnation, turning her into a lunatic who only knows slaughter.”

Su Xuanchen fell silent.

A Rank Nine Divine Object.

In a place like the Sacred Ruins Continent, such a thing was basically a legend.

Even if he turned the entire Sacred Ruins Continent upside down, he probably wouldn't find a single drop.

“Where can it be found?”

Su Xuanchen didn't give up.

Gu Lingshuang pondered for a moment, her gaze looking out toward the vast starry sky outside the window.

“In my past life, I heard that within the next hundred years, reincarnation divine water might appear in an ancient Secret Realm near the Sacred Ruins Continent.”

“Also...”

She paused, a trace of wariness flashing in her eyes.

“In the treasury of the ‘Yongyao Imperial Court’ that rules this celestial realm, there might also be some.”

“But those guys are ten thousand times more troublesome than the Lingxiao Sword Sect.”

“If you want to pry something from their hands, you'd have to beat that Great Emperor Yongyao into the ground.”

Yongyao Imperial Court.

That behemoth again.

Su Xuanchen's finger lightly tapped the armrest, making a crisp 'thump, thump' sound.

He weighed the pros and cons.

Although the current Su Family acted as kings and tyrants in the Sacred Ruins Continent, they were still a bit too green to go head-to-head with a behemoth like the Imperial Court.

Develop steadily and don't be reckless.

“Fine then.”

Su Xuanchen stood up and stretched.

“Rice must be eaten bite by bite, and the road must be walked step by step.”

“First, I'll deal with that Innate Primordial Dao Embryo.”

“As for the eyes... we'll talk about that later.”

“Anyway, even if it's a semi-finished product, it's enough to slaughter those little brats.”

...The next morning.

Just as dawn was breaking, Su Xuanchen brought Gu Lingshuang and Bai Lingxi in a grand procession to Su Zining's residence.

It was a side hall that had just been vacated. Although not as luxurious as the Old Ancestor's bedchamber, it was equipped with a Spirit Gathering Formation, and the Spiritual Qi was dense enough to form mist.

“Old Ancestor Brother! And... the two sisters!”

Su Zining had been waiting at the door for a long time.

She had changed into a clean, moon-white dress. Although she was still somewhat thin, her washed little face was so exquisite it made one's heart ache.

Seeing the two peerless beauties behind Su Xuanchen, her eyes were filled with awe and envy.

Are these the Old Ancestor's wives?

One was cold, elegant, and noble like an empress, while the other was charming and lovely like an elf.

Only such women could be worthy of Old Ancestor Brother.

Gu Lingshuang crossed her arms, scrutinizing Su Zining. Her gaze lingered for a moment on those slightly dim eyes.

“Aptitude is acceptable.”

“But her physical frame is too weak; a gust of wind could blow her over.”

She glanced at Su Xuanchen with a playful expression.

“Su Xuanchen, when are you going to fix this habit of picking up sisters everywhere?”

“Such an innocent little girl is about to be led astray by you again.”

Su Xuanchen acted as if he hadn't heard.

He strode into the hall and waved his large sleeve.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Hundreds of jade boxes appeared out of thin air, neatly stacked around the hall.

The lids opened.

Treasured light soared to the sky!

Ten-thousand-year Spirit Milk, Top-Grade Spirit Stones, Rank Seven Saint-Grade Medicine... the rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the entire hall, even condensing into visible droplets of spiritual liquid that went drip-drop onto the floor.

Su Zining was stunned.

She had never seen so many treasures in her life.

Even when the Ninth Branch Lineage was at its Peak, all their possessions combined wouldn't equal the value of a single one of these jade boxes.

“Sit inside.”

Su Xuanchen pointed to the large Spirit Gathering Formation already inscribed in the center of the hall.

Su Zining took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in her heart, and obediently sat down cross-legged.

“It might hurt a little.”

Su Xuanchen stood at the eye of the Formation, his expression becoming serious.

“The Awakening of the Innate Dao Embryo is a leap in the level of life.”

“It's like crushing your bones to restructure them, tearing your flesh to regenerate it.”

“If you endure it, it's a single step to heaven.”

“If you can't endure it...”

He didn't state the consequences.

But Su Zining understood.

She looked up, a flame called 'ambition' burning in her eyes.

“Don't worry, Old Ancestor Brother.”

“As long as I don't die, Zining can endure it!”

“Good!”

Su Xuanchen wasted no more words.

His hands formed seals, and a brilliant starlight erupted from his fingertips, striking hard into the eye of the Formation.

“Activate the Formation!”

Rumble!

The entire hall shook violently.

The mountain-like pile of resources around them ignited simultaneously, turning into a rolling torrent of spiritual power. Like a river breaching its dam, it surged frantically toward the thin figure in the center!

“Ah—!”

Su Zining let out a shrill scream.

The pain was too much.

The sensation was as if countless ants were gnawing at her bone marrow, and like lava was rushing through her veins.

Her skin instantly cracked, and blood stained her white dress red.

But in the next second.

An even more majestic vitality erupted from within her body. The wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and her new skin was crystal clear, with faint Dao patterns flowing through it.

Destruction.

New life.

The cycle repeated.

“So this is the Innate Primordial Dao Embryo...”

Gu Lingshuang stood to the side, watching the spiritual power vortex that had almost taken physical form, a strange look flashing in her eyes.

“It's simply a bottomless pit.”

“This speed of devouring is even more exaggerated than when I awakened the Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Body.”

Su Xuanchen did not speak.

He focused entirely on controlling the Formation, constantly throwing more resources into it.

“Not enough! Still not enough!”

“Again!”

He waved his hand again.

Crash!

Another ten million Top-Grade Spirit Stones were crushed, turning into pure Spiritual Qi that was injected into the great Formation.

At this moment.

Above the Su Family, the winds and clouds changed color.

The originally clear sky was suddenly filled with ten thousand rays of auspicious light.

Purple Qi came from the east for thirty thousand miles!

Countless Dao Golden Lotuses bloomed in the void, and waves of celestial music drifted through the air, as if gods were whispering.

Although Su Xuanchen had already activated a concealment Formation to limit the phenomenon to within a hundred thousand miles,

that fluctuation originating from the source of the Great Dao still acted like a giant rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves... Hundreds of thousands of miles away.

High in the firmament.

A giant divine ship, ten thousand feet long and made entirely of divine gold, was breaking through the clouds and slowly sailing forward.

Aboard the divine ship, banners fluttered in the wind.

On that massive golden flag were embroidered two bold, flowing characters—

【Yongyao】.

This was the Sky-Patrol Divine Ship of the Yongyao Imperial Court!

On the deck at the bow.

Dozens of powerful experts wearing golden armor stood solemnly.

Every one of them had a cultivation at the Peak of the Void Breaking Realm, and the leading middle-aged beautiful woman even radiated the pressure of a Quasi-Saint level.

“That is...”

The middle-aged woman suddenly stopped, her gaze piercing through layers of mist to look toward the distant horizon.

There.

Purple Qi surged, and Golden Lotuses bloomed.

A faint but extremely noble aura was vibrating between heaven and earth.

“A Divine Physique is being born?”

The woman frowned slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

“In such a remote place like the Sacred Ruins Continent, such a phenomenon can actually be born?”

“Looking at that direction... it seems to be Tianyan City?”

She turned around and quickly walked into a luxurious palace inside the divine ship.

Inside the palace.

Pearl curtains hung low, and incense smoke curled in the air.

A young girl dressed in pale gold palace attire was reclining lazily on a soft couch, playing with a snow-white spirit cat that had three eyes.

The girl looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old.

But the aura on her was unfathomable.

Especially those eyes—indifferent, noble, as if everything in this world was but dust to her.

The Ninth Princess of the Yongyao Imperial Court.

“Your Highness.”

The middle-aged woman bowed outside the pearl curtain.

“In the direction of Tianyan City ahead, a Divine Physique phenomenon has appeared.”

“Judging by its momentum, I'm afraid it's not inferior to the top hundred ranked Physiques.”

“Oh?”

From behind the pearl curtain came a voice that was youthful yet full of majesty.

“Tianyan City?”

“Isn't that the Su Family that's been making a lot of noise lately?”

The Ninth Princess lightly scratched the spirit cat's chin, a playful smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

“First, there was a Su Xuanchen who became a Saint at six thousand years old.”

“Then he crushed the Lingxiao Sword Sect with one foot.”

“Now, another Divine Physique has popped up in the family?”

“The Luck of this Su Family is quite interesting.”

She slowly sat up, and the spirit cat in her arms let out a 'meow' and jumped to the floor.

“Since we've encountered it, let's go take a look.”

“This princess wants to see if this Su Xuanchen, who is rumored to be insanely arrogant, really has three heads and six arms.”

“Pass the order.”

“Turn the divine ship and head to Tianyan City.”

“Yes!”

The middle-aged woman took the order and withdrew.

The massive divine ship drew a graceful arc in the air, turned its bow, and roared toward the direction of the Su Family.