Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 183 - 148: Where is the Anomaly in the River of Time?

Chapter 183: Chapter 148: Where is the Anomaly in the River of Time?

Deep within the Dragon Palace.

Inside a newly constructed, modest-sized Pill Hall, the Earth Fire Spirit Flame blazed fiercely. Layers of array patterns on the four walls and the floor shone with a brilliant Spiritual Light.

A gleaming, brass-colored Pill Furnace, about ten feet tall, stood in the center of the hall.

A handsome young man in magnificent purple robes sat before the furnace, his expression focused as he controlled the intensity of the flames.

Seven or eight stunningly beautiful Palace Maid guards in ornate dresses stood by, waiting patiently. They were all Luo Qingxuan’s trusted confidantes.

A moment later, a low rumble came from within the Pill Furnace, and a great plume of milky-white Spiritual Qi billowed out.

As Ling Changqing skillfully formed a Seal Technique, the heavy lid of the Pill Furnace slowly rose. More than twenty fragrant Heavenly Flower Rejuvenation Pills emerged, held aloft by a cloud of vapor and shimmering with a faint Spiritual Light.

A Palace Maid stepped forward and, with practiced ease, formed a Spirit Technique to retrieve this newly refined batch of Second Grade Spirit Pills, storing them in a Pill Bottle.

"Congratulations, Young Master, on successfully refining another furnace of Spirit Pills."

The surrounding Palace Maids all smiled and offered their compliments.

Ling Changqing nodded and said gently, "Each of you can take one. Consider it a reward."

"Thank you, Young Master!"

The Palace Maids were overjoyed. To them, an elixir that could extend one’s life by twenty years was quite a treasure. Even if they didn’t need it right away, they could sell it for a good sum of Spirit Stones.

The leading Female Official thought for a moment before asking, "Young Master, will you be resting for a while now, or will you continue with Opening the Furnace and Refining Pills?"

Ling Changqing replied, "I’ll rest for a bit and then continue. There are still plenty of spare materials, anyway."

The Palace Maids acknowledged and helped him to a nearby seat. A variety of Spirit Wine and snacks were already prepared on the table, ready to help him quickly recover his Magical Power.

Ling Changqing picked up the Bronze Wine Jar from the table and drained it in one gulp. As the lukewarm Spirit Wine went down his throat, his nearly depleted Magical Power began to gradually rise.

Within his sea of consciousness, a message exuding a mysterious Dao Rhyme silently appeared:

[Master of the Era Star Palace: Ling Changqing]

[Bone Age: 34/327]

[Cultivation: Middle stage Foundation Establishment]

[Destiny: 113+255]

[Blessed Fortune: 109+223]

[Physique: 50]

[Root Bone: 50]

[comprehension: 63]

[Divine Soul: 139]

[Alchemy Dao: 27093/30000 (Second Rank Low Grade)]

[Primary Cultivation Technique: Supreme Profound Oceanic Soft Water Technique (1st Floor) 3394/20000]

[Primary Cultivation Technique: Taiyin Moonlight Divine Heart Refining Scripture (1st Floor) 17187/30000]

[Sword Cultivation Technique: True Understanding of the Sword Dao (1st Floor) 2813/30000]

[Primary Cultivation Technique: Langhuan Celestial Essence Secret Manual (1st Floor) 2795/30000]

[Body Cultivation Technique: Long Xiang Fan Brahma Scripture (1st Floor) 2491/12000]

[Spirit Root: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Bottom rank Earth Grade 13980/30000]

[Noble: Ling Qiyue/Fu Yin Xue/Shentu Hong/Xue Qingtan]

[Noble: ?]

[Dao Companion: Tang Qiu Yao/Ling Qiyue/Ling Bingyun/Luo Qingxuan]

More than half a year had passed since Luo Qingxuan entered the Dragon Transformation Pool to undergo her Thunder Tribulation Baptism.

Because the gap in their Cultivation was too great, they were temporarily unable to continue their Dual Cultivation. As a result, Ling Changqing had much more free time on his hands.

Besides his daily cultivation routine, he spent his days eating, drinking, and enjoying himself, getting an early taste of the blissful life of a kept man.

Growing restless from the quiet life, Ling Changqing suggested to Luo Qingxuan that he wanted to continue improving his Alchemy Mastery.

Luo Qingxuan immediately agreed. Since the rank of the Pill Halls in the Dragon Palace was too high for Ling Changqing to use at his current level, she specially ordered a Craftsman to build him a new one, complete with a Top Grade Spiritual Artifact Level Pill Furnace.

The Dragon Palace’s collection of Pill Scriptures and Alchemy Dao Scriptures was also incredibly vast. As long as Ling Changqing wanted to read them, he could freely peruse and comprehend most of them.

So, for the next half a year, apart from spending time with Luo Qingxuan, Ling Changqing spent most of his days here, Opening the Furnace and Refining Pills.

The resources in the Dragon Palace’s storerooms were abundant beyond measure, with every kind of Medicinal Herb and raw material imaginable.

Even if certain types weren’t currently in stock, a single command from Luo Qingxuan was all it took for her subordinates to go and procure them from the territories of the Human Race’s major powers.

With so many opportunities to practice, Ling Changqing’s alchemy skills improved by leaps and bounds. He was now not far from the threshold of a Middle Grade Second Rank Pill Master and would likely advance in a few more months at most.

As for the four new Earth level Techniques he had chosen, Ling Changqing had not neglected their cultivation either, and his progress was smooth.

"...Young Master, the Princess will be here shortly!"

A tall, beautiful Female Official in a colorful dress entered, bowed, and reported.

Ling Changqing looked slightly surprised and immediately put down the Wine Jar to stand up.

"It’s fine, my love. Please, be at ease."

A clear and pleasant voice came from outside, and a stunningly beautiful figure appeared, dressed in a fiery red gown. Bright and sizzling, she was like a scorching flame rushing toward Ling Changqing.

"My love, have you stabilized your Nascent Soul True Monarch cultivation?"

After the two shared a tender moment, Ling Changqing wrapped his arm around the beauty’s smooth, firm waist and spoke gently.

"Yes, it’s all fine now."

Luo Qingxuan, her smile radiant, pulled Ling Changqing back down to sit.

For the past while, Luo Qingxuan had also been in frequent seclusion to stabilize her Nascent Soul True Monarch Realm.

Furthermore, according to the analysis of the Dragon Race’s Elders, the benefits Luo Qingxuan had gained from the Dragon Transformation Pool this time were so great that she wouldn’t face any significant bottlenecks when she attempted to break through to the Divinity Transformation Realm in a few hundred years.

As such, the possibility of Luo Qingxuan becoming the next clan leader had increased significantly.

Although the upper echelons had not yet made a formal announcement, in the eyes of the various factions, it was only a matter of time.

Therefore, Luo Qingxuan’s status and authority within the clan had already risen by a large margin. Not only had she received a Magical Treasure from the clan leader, but she had also been given command of several elite legions.

This was naturally not good news for her siblings, but unfortunately for them, no one cared about their opinions anymore.

"Has anything happened recently?"

Luo Qingxuan asked, grabbing a Fire Date from the table and taking a bite.

Ling Changqing hesitated for a moment, then took out a stack of exquisitely designed invitation cards and some secret letters from his Storage Pouch, handing them to Luo Qingxuan to look over.

While Luo Qingxuan had been busy stabilizing her cultivation, many influential figures within the Dragon Race had spent the last few months trying all sorts of ways to invite Ling Changqing to banquets in their territories, using every excuse imaginable.

Along with the letters and invitations came all kinds of valuable gifts, including some rare Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, all of which Ling Changqing had chosen to decline.

He was completely unfamiliar with the Dragon Race’s internal power structure and had no intention of getting involved, so he naturally refused to take a side.

In any case, besides Luo Qingxuan and Bai Qingyi, he wouldn’t acknowledge anyone else.

Later, when some of them saw that Ling Changqing was unyielding, they decided to visit him in person.

Among them were the Long Nu Luo Qingyi, Luo Qingyu, and Luo Qingning. Their true intentions were obvious without even asking.

Ling Changqing chose to avoid them as well, and no matter how they threatened or tempted him, it was all to no avail.

Eventually, seeing that they couldn’t persuade Ling Changqing himself, they tried to use the secret spies planted around Luo Qingxuan to indirectly coax and lure Ling Changqing into leaving the palace to tour their territories.

The intention was simple: as long as Ling Changqing left the heavily guarded depths of the Dragon Palace, they would have a chance to make their move.

Unsurprisingly, Ling Changqing still refused and informed Bai Qingyi of the matter.

Upon learning this, the Queen was undoubtedly furious. She immediately reported it to the clan leader and sent people to strengthen the Defense of Luo Qingxuan’s territory, ensuring those people wouldn’t have any chance to cause trouble.

"Those damned bastards! Every last one of them is up to no good..."

Luo Qingxuan was instantly fuming with anger. Her dark brows shot up as she gritted her teeth and sneered:

"My Nascent Soul Realm is stable now, which is perfect. It looks like I’ll have to pay them a visit one by one and teach them a lesson!

That’ll stop these shameless hussies from causing endless trouble in the future. They may not find it annoying, but I can’t stand it!"

Aside from the Eldest Princess Luo Qingyi, the rest of her siblings were only at the Golden Core Master Realm, so Luo Qingxuan naturally wasn’t afraid of them.

After experiencing Dual Cultivation with Ling Changqing and learning of the many benefits he offered, Luo Qingxuan would have to be out of her mind to tolerate anyone else trying to get their hands on him.

Her entire path of cultivation was at stake; she wouldn’t back down even if the heavens themselves demanded it.

Ling Changqing looked slightly worried. "My love, are you really going to beat them up? Won’t things get out of hand?"

"Let them get out of hand! What do I have to be afraid of?"

Luo Qingxuan said fiercely, "They’re trying to steal my Dao Companion. You think they’re in the right?"

With that, she turned to a guard beside her and ordered:

"Go. Tell them to get ready immediately. We’re going to make a huge scene this time!"

The guard’s expression tightened slightly. He accepted the order and departed.

「...」

「Changqing Continent.」

Night had fallen. Aside from a few lights within the Marketplace and at the family headquarters, most of the region was shrouded in darkness.

There was no moon tonight. A thick layer of clouds covered the Celestial Vault, and a dead silence fell over the pitch-black land.

Ling Changqing’s Cave Mansion Hall was also silent at this moment. Song Xuelan, dressed in a pale green gown with a calm gaze, was patrolling the estate.

In the days Ling Changqing had been away, Song Xuelan, in her role as steward, had kept the place in perfect order, personally overseeing matters both large and small.

’I wonder when the master will return...’

Song Xuelan mused silently, her slender figure moving at an unhurried pace along the covered corridor.

A night breeze blew, causing the lanterns hanging from the eaves to sway gently.

At some unknown point, two indistinct, almost incorporeal shadows had silently appeared several dozen feet behind her, tailing her from a distance.

Song Xuelan remained completely unaware, continuing her patrol along a fixed route, while "they" followed silently, watching her every move.

Obscure Divine Thoughts were exchanged:

"...This should be the place, right? There can’t be a mistake!"

"It doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t match the latest Celestial Secret Calculation. This might be another wild goose chase!"

"How could that be? If the anomaly hadn’t stopped here, how could such a distinct aura have been left behind?"

"It’s too easy to fake this kind of aura. You know that certain... existences... don’t want us to find it."

"But our operation is absolutely secret. It’s impossible for them to have caught wind of it, and even if they did, they couldn’t stop us!"

"That makes sense. It’s incredibly difficult to lock onto a specific sentient being in the River of Time, let alone a rare anomaly."

The shadows fell silent, quietly observing as Song Xuelan walked through the last courtyard and activated the Array Restriction.

Then, she returned to her room.

"Looks like we really were wrong. Even if the anomaly did stop here, it must have left long ago!"

"Then... we keep searching? In our current state, we’re under too many restrictions. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be this troublesome!"

"Fine. We’ve returned empty-handed countless times already. What’s one more..."