236: The Thunder Empire where everyone possesses a spiritual energy!

Gu Yue giggled and said to the sisters, "Why don't you try it and see? Kaina, why don't you go first."

Su Yang smiled and said, "That works. Kaina, you come up first to be a pendant, and after a day, we'll switch to Kailin. And you guys, don't laugh. The journey to the Thunder Empire is long; we'll rotate every day, and none of you can escape."

"What about me?"

Crimson Phoenix looked at Su Yang expectantly.

"Except for you!"

"Hmph!"

Crimson Phoenix pouted huffily.

"What exactly is a pendant?"

Kaina and Kailin were even more confused.

Su Yang went over and picked up Kaina, and she subconsciously wrapped herself around him.

"I'll help."

Gu Yue giggled; she was already as familiar as could be with this. Without needing Su Yang to do it himself, she assisted in completing the connection.

"How... wait a minute..."

Kaina immediately realized something was wrong, but before she could react, Gu Yue had already helped them complete the connection. She instantly understood what it meant to be a pendant.

"How can it be like this..."

Kaina buried her head in Su Yang's shoulder, overcome with embarrassment.

Su Yang took a deep breath; such nourishment was naturally refreshing for both body and mind.

He said with a smile, "The journey is long, so seize every moment possible to Cultivate. This is the only way to better improve your cultivation base. Furthermore, I need you all to help me clear my head right now so I can properly think about how to deal with the situation in the Thunder Empire."

"Alright~~"

Gu Yue giggled.

The others were naturally looking forward to it. Kailin blushed, but... her sisters were all willing, so how could she refuse? She would just treat it as... intimate cultivation with her husband!

Kaina remained deeply locked and hung on Su Yang like a pendant.

The others stayed by Su Yang's side, and everyone advanced rapidly toward the Thunder Empire.

Along the way, they rotated once a day, day after day.

About a month later, they finally saw the border of the Thunder Empire.

During this month, Su Yang had also mapped out a roughly feasible plan, waiting to see how to specifically operate after meeting the Thunder Empress... The horizon in the distance was no longer a continuous stretch of green mountains or plains.

Instead, it was a gloomy sky perpetually shrouded in heavy, leaden clouds.

Deep within the cloud layers, silver snake-like flashes of lightning darted from time to time, followed by the sound of muffled, rumbling thunder.

This was already the border region of the Thunder Empire.

Su Yang did not rashly fly into the Thunder Empire, but chose to land outside a major border town.

The town's walls were towering, and the material was not ordinary brick and stone, but a special metallic Ore that was dark blue with faint, subtle electrical patterns flowing through it, appearing cold, hard, and sturdy.

Stepping into the town, Su Yang immediately noticed the difference.

Almost every person here, regardless of age or gender, was surrounded by spiritual energy fluctuations of varying strengths!

These fluctuations were not the True Essence spiritual energy of an orthodox Cultivator that had been refined through a Cultivation Technique to be perfectly in sync with oneself. Instead, it was more like... the external Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had directly combined and lingered within their flesh and bones in a simple and crude manner.

A playing child could bring forth a faint electric arc with a wave of their hand.

A strong man carrying a shoulder pole had long, steady breaths; no matter how heavy the load, his steps were firm, and a faint current of air surrounded his body.

Even the old men sunning themselves by the street, though their blood and Qi were declining, had Spiritual Qi settled deep within their silent bodies that could not be underestimated.

Moreover, the older they were, the deeper and more stable this settled Spiritual Qi seemed to be.

This feeling was extremely similar to what he had seen when he first entered the Kaiyue Empire.

But Su Yang could also clearly feel a difference: the spiritual energy fluctuations on these commoners of the Thunder Empire showed obvious signs of human intervention, unlike the long-term natural nourishment found in the Kaiyue Empire.

The women naturally felt it too.

Wen Yunyao said in a low voice, "These people in the Thunder Empire actually all have spiritual energy fluctuations on them."

"But this Spiritual Qi is mixed and impure, lacking guidance and refinement. It's more like the result of passive absorption from living in an environment with specific elemental Spiritual Qi for a long time," Luo Luo said after sensing it for a moment.

Crimson Phoenix also nodded and said, "This is beneficial to their physique and lifespan, but for the true Great Dao of Cultivation, it might actually form an obstacle. Because their bodies are filled with untamed natural Spiritual Qi, they are more like another vessel for the Spiritual Qi rather than its master."

Su Yang nodded.

This vaguely matched what Sword Master had said about the Thunder Empress attempting to transform her subjects into Cultivators with power. Although these people didn't look like true Cultivators.

Crimson Phoenix's description was more accurate; these people seemed more like living vessels for Spiritual Qi.

Su Yang thought for a moment and said, "Since we've arrived, let's understand the situation first. Let's find a place to stay."

"Mhm."

The women nodded.

They found a tavern to stay in.

The tavern's interior decoration was rugged, with the bones of unknown Yao Beasts and shimmering Ores hanging as ornaments.

The main hall was quite lively, with many traveling merchants, travelers, and local residents sitting there.

The air was filled with the aroma of wine and meat and the noisy sound of talking and laughing.

After settling into their rooms, Su Yang said to them, "You all rest well in the rooms. I'll go down to ask around about the situation."

"I'll go with husband."

Kaina said, hugging Su Yang's arm.

"I'm going too."

Crimson Phoenix also ran over, wanting to go down and play.

Su Yang said to them, "There are rough men coming and going here. Didn't you notice the way those people looked at you when you entered the tavern just now? They looked like they wished I would share one or two women with them. Your presence below might cause unnecessary commotion, so it's better to stay here and rest. It's more convenient for me to go alone."

That was true.

Thinking back to the eyes that followed them as they entered the tavern, they felt uncomfortable just thinking about it.

"Alright then."

"Be careful."

The warm and uninhibited Kaina gave Su Yang a kiss on the cheek.

Su Yang smiled and went downstairs to gather information.

Su Yang ordered a table of food.

Mostly roasted beast meat.

When inquiring about things in a tavern, it would be too obvious if one didn't have some wine.

So Su Yang also ordered a jar of wine.

"Manager, may your business prosper."

When the manager passed by him, Su Yang seized the opportunity to speak.

"Thank you for your kind words."

Hearing the wish for prosperity, the manager smiled and poured wine for Su Yang.

Su Yang said, "I am a practitioner traveling through various countries. Arriving in your noble country for the first time, I feel that the landscape here is quite different from other nations. Everyone seems to have a cultivation base, which is truly amazing."

Su Yang's smile was gentle, and his tone carried just the right amount of curiosity and flattery.

The manager laughed heartily upon hearing this, sounding quite proud. "The guest must be in the Thunder Empire for the first time! This is the blessing of our Thunder Empire! Thanks to Her Majesty the Empress's great fortune, our Empire's territory is filled with abundant and unique Spiritual Qi. Over time, even ordinary commoners can become healthy, possess immense strength, and live a long, long life!"

"Her Majesty the Empress?"

Su Yang followed up, "I have long heard of the Thunder Empress's illustrious fame. I wonder what kind of legendary figure she is? To be able to create such a miracle?"

At the mention of the Empress, the manager's expression immediately became incredibly respectful, and he even subconsciously lowered his voice. His eyes held a type of reverence reserved for a deity...