Their union carried enormous weight for the Gamma Empire.
For a long time to come, the Yun Lan Sect and the royal family would present a united front, with no barriers between them.
Following the ceremony, Ice Emperor Hai Bo Dong finally bid Ye Chen farewell and left the capital.
The elder generation of the Mitel family felt a deep reluctance as he departed.
None had expected that even at his age, Hai Bo Dong could still exude the vitality of youth.
Ye Chen himself had thoughts of traveling beyond the Jia Ma Empire to broaden his horizons, but one crucial matter still remained unresolved.
Until it was taken care of, he could not feel truly at ease.
In the inner palace.
As Yun Yun settled into her new quarters, Nalan Yanran felt a swirl of emotions.
Previously, she had accepted Ye Chen marrying Yafei and Princess Yaoye. But now, her revered teacher, Yun Yun, had also become his wife, leaving her uncertain how to address her.
Yun Yun, however, took it in stride. She clearly understood the dynamics between them and mostly maintained a teacher-student rapport with Nalan Yanran, easing any awkwardness.
One day, Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran were walking through the garden and entered a pavilion in the center of a pond to rest.
Yun Yun glanced at Nalan Yanran's belly and smiled.
"Yanran, it seems your baby will be born soon, right?"
Nalan Yanran gently placed a hand on her belly, smiling.
"Teacher, the baby has been moving more and more lately, kicking constantly. Maybe less than a month, it will be born!"
Yun Yun laughed softly. "Kicking even before birth?"
"Yes, it's been happening for a while now," Nalan Yanran nodded.
"Once the baby is born, I'll have to teach him a proper lesson!"
As they spoke, Ye Chen's voice suddenly sounded nearby.
"Husband, when did you get here? I didn't notice at all!"
Seeing Ye Chen appear, Nalan Yanran was curious. Yun Yun was equally surprised; even with her cultivation, she hadn't sensed his approach.
"You were simply too focused," Ye Chen explained casually, gently brushing Nalan Yanran's hair.
Then he continued, "Yun'er, Yanran, I need to go out for a while....probably seven or eight days."
"Mm." Nalan Yanran didn't ask any questions, smiling and nodding.
"Husband, handle your matters. We'll take care of ourselves."
During this time, Ye Chen's cultivation remained at the peak of Nine-Star Dou Wang, yet he felt the Dou Qi within his body surging uncontrollably....he was about to break through to Dou Huang.
After giving instructions to Yun Yun and the others, he left for a secluded area to focus on this breakthrough.
Soon, Ye Chen departed the palace and traveled to a remote mountain range.
He had chosen this place because breaking through to Dou Huang would create a tremendous disturbance, and he did not want anyone else to notice.
Inside a cave, he lifted the restrictions on the Soul Control Talisman, had Yaocen serve as his guardian, and took out a cyan lotus. Sitting cross-legged upon it, he entered a deep state of cultivation.
The cyan lotus not only increased the speed of energy absorption but also helped refine the energy...making it an ideal aid for his training.
The next day, the surrounding natural energy in the mountains began to surge violently, spinning rapidly.
It formed a massive spiral funnel in midair above Ye Chen, with the small end connected to his crown, pouring immense energy into his body.
Ascending from Dou Wang to Dou Huang was no ordinary feat; it required an enormous amount of energy.
Ye Chen already possessed the qualifications to break through; he merely needed sufficient energy. Once fully gathered, his ascent to Dou Huang would be inevitable.
His Swallowing Yuan Technique absorbed energy with ruthless efficiency, like a whale devouring the ocean.
Nearby, he placed unused Earth Fire Lotus seeds and high-grade magical cores as backup.
"Boom!"
Several days later, natural energy from tens of miles around converged on the cave, growing faster and faster.
Eventually, a ten-zhang-wide energy vortex formed above, precisely over the cave.
"The energy required for Master to ascend to Dou Huang is truly enormous!"
Outside, Yaocen gazed at the massive vortex in shock, unable to tear his eyes away.
Though he had witnessed Dou Wang breaking into Dou Huang before, he had never seen anyone absorb natural energy with such near-crazed intensity as Ye Chen.
Ordinarily, a Dou Wang ascending to Dou Huang would not need to absorb natural energy so frantically.
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