Rumble—
Inside her Dantian, thunder roared.
As the Myriad Demon Swallowing Heaven frantically circulated, the nine Dragon Qi were completely swallowed by that green hue.
With every bit swallowed,
the sprout grew an inch taller.
The nine rampaging Dragon shadows let out cries of sorrow.
Finally, they transformed into the purest golden flowing light, merging into that green lotus.
In a trance,
an extremely profound incantation flowed through her heart.
Shattering the Golden Core, sinking into the abyss, turning into ash; a speck of spiritual light nurtures the verdant.
In the past, the Ink Pool surged with clouds and mist; today, the lotus blooms, transforming into jade marrow.
Om—!!!
As the last word fell,
the green lotus in her Dantian Qi Sea finally stopped growing.
It rooted itself in nothingness, its stems and leaves unfurled, its entire body crystal clear, like it was carved from the finest jadeite.
And at the top of that lotus stem,
a flower bud quietly emerged.
Although it was only a closed bud, about to bloom, the aura emanating from it was many times more terrifying than the previous ten-pattern Golden Core!
Drip.
A soft sound echoed in the empty Dantian.
A drop of golden dew condensed on the green lotus bud.
Then, it slid down.
Dropping into the already dry Qi Sea below.
True Qi liquefaction!
Jiang Yuechu understood.
In the Ink Dot Realm, the True Qi in her body was like mist and smoke.
Though vast and mighty, it ultimately felt ethereal.
Seed Lotus Realm was about purifying and compressing this gaseous True Qi through the Dao Lotus, transforming it into liquid True Essence.
The energy contained in a single drop of True Essence was enough to rival a hundred strands of True Qi from before!
This was why, in the eyes of ordinary people, Seed Lotus could easily crush Ink Dot Realm cultivators.
Drip, drip... As the Dragon Qi was continuously refined, more and more golden True Essence dripped from the flower bud.
In just a moment,
a shallow pool of golden water had accumulated at the bottom of her Dantian.
Although it was only a shallow layer,
Jiang Yuechu could feel the terrifying power within it, enough to destroy mountains and break peaks.
Moreover... Jiang Yuechu introspected her Dantian, her gaze falling upon the tightly closed flower bud.
Seed Lotus is divided into nine grades; the blooming of the flower reveals the true meaning.
Currently, this Dao Lotus was only a bud about to bloom, signifying her initial entry into Seed Lotus.
As her cultivation advanced in the future, this flower bud would open petal by petal.
Each opened petal represented one layer of heaven.
When all nine petals opened and the lotus platform appeared... that would be the day the Dao Lotus fully bloomed, and she would glimpse the scenery of Mountain Gazing.
Whoosh—
Inside the side hall, the strong wind suddenly ceased.
The flying Dragon shadows vanished, and the golden light on the green jade stone wall slowly receded, returning to tranquility.
Jiang Yuechu slowly opened her eyes.
Deep within her dark eyes, a faint phantom of a green lotus flashed and disappeared.
"Is this... Seed Lotus?"
Jiang Yuechu clenched her fist.
Feeling the terrifying power surging within her like a great river.
If her current self were to encounter that great demon from Taihu Lake again,
she wouldn't need to exert herself with such intricate schemes, nor would she need to burn thousands of years of Dao Cultivation.
Perhaps she could contend with it using only her Physical Body!
Clap, clap, clap—
A round of applause echoed in the great hall.
Jiang Yuechu regained her senses and turned to look.
She saw the Imperial Ancestor looking at her with an appreciative expression, his shriveled old face full of smiles.
"Good girl, shattering your Golden Core with Dragon Qi, such courage, such means..."
The emperor beside her was trembling with excitement.
The Nine Dragons of Lingbi can only be drawn by direct Bloodline.
The Dragon Qi infusion can only be borne by imperial kin.
If this girl wasn't his sister, he'd eat this Imperial Ancestral Temple on the spot!
The emperor waved his hand grandly, full of heroic spirit.
"Since Lingbi has responded, then you are my own sister, the Grand Princess of my Great Tang!"
"The case of Jiang Xun, I will issue an imperial decree tomorrow morning to thoroughly investigate it!"
"Not only will it be investigated, but it will be investigated with great fanfare!"
"I want everyone in the world to know that anyone who dares to touch my sister, anyone who dares to touch a meritorious official of my Great Tang, is an enemy of me and an enemy of the Great Tang's national destiny!"
Speaking of this, a chilling Killing Intent flashed in the emperor's eyes.
"As for those demons and monsters stirring trouble behind the scenes..."
"I will not let a single one of them go!"
Jiang Yuechu nodded slightly.
"Thank you, Imperial Brother."
This address, Imperial Brother, was spoken very naturally.
Neither fawning nor fearful.
As if she inherently belonged in this position, receiving this honor above ten thousand people.
Hearing this address, the emperor felt all his pores open up.
He almost climaxed.
"Good! Good!"
He stepped forward, seemingly wanting to say more.
"Princess Guyue, these years you've been outside..."
"That's enough."
A voice interrupted the emperor's impending lengthy discourse.
The Imperial Ancestor waved his hand, giving an annoyed glance.
"There's still a long time ahead, what's the rush? Don't you see what time it is?"
With that, the old man pointed at the girl and added, "Moreover, this girl just shattered her Golden Core and formed a lotus with Dragon Qi; it's a critical moment for consolidating her Realm."
"Are you trying to ruin her newly acquired good fortune by pulling her into reminiscing?"
The emperor's body stiffened.
She's not your sister, so of course you're not in a hurry!
But he dared not say that.
Besides, Princess Guyue had just entered Seed Lotus and indeed needed some peace and quiet.
Thinking of this,
he quickly turned and pushed open the door of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
"Guards! Guards!!! Are you all dead?!!!"
The Old Eunuch, who was shrinking by the door, was startled by the roar and almost tumbled down the steps.
Before he could recover,
"Go clean up the Golden Jade Palace, all the furnishings must be replaced with new ones! If there's even a speck of dust, I'll chop off your heads!"
The Old Eunuch was bewildered.
The Golden Jade Palace has always been where the Grand Princess resides... Could it be... that Inspector Jiang... Before he could figure it out,
the emperor glared, full of Killing Intent.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up?!"
"Yes, yes, yes! This servant will go! Right away!"
The Old Eunuch scrambled away, yelling in his high-pitched voice, running at full speed.
"Everyone—!!!"
"Get up, all of you! Something big has happened!!!"
...This night.
Was destined to be a sleepless night.
Countless palace lanterns were lit one after another.
Eunuchs and palace maids who had already fallen asleep were forcibly dragged out of their beds.
Without even having time to button their clothes, they grabbed their lanterns and rushed frantically towards the Golden Jade Palace.
"Quick! Quick! Quick!"
An Old Eunuch stood on the corridor, wishing he could whip people to make the palace maids and eunuchs move faster.
"Bring out that cloud-silk brocade quilt! Yes! The one presented from Jiangnan!"
"Underfloor heating! Is the underfloor heating hot? If the noble one gets cold, this servant will skin you alive!"
A group of people, like headless flies,
ran through the corridor, carrying vases, bedding, and incense burners.
In a corner,
two young palace maids who had just entered the palace, clutching stacks of new clothes, huddled in the corner, trembling.
"Sister... what big event has happened?"
The younger one's face was pale with fright.
"This commotion... could it be that His Majesty is taking a new concubine?"
The older palace maid also looked terrified, lowering her voice.
"Hush! Don't guess wildly! I just heard Godfather say it's not about taking a concubine."
The older palace maid looked around, then leaned close to her companion's ear, her voice trembling.
"I heard... the Grand Princess is back."