CHAPTER 322: CHAPTER 318: DISASTER_1

What troubled times! I hope there’s a valuable reward this time!

In the Imperial Study, Qin Wudao wore a serious expression. He could sense the atmosphere of the continent quietly undergoing a significant transformation. The air reverberated with the aura of the powerful. He knew that the sleeping powerhouses were awakening. The continent was about to witness a scenario where numerous sovereigns vied for dominance, and the slightest misstep could lead to annihilation.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have journeyed through this continent for twenty years. Your sign-in reward for your twentieth birthday is a Secondary Spiritual Treasure, the ’Camouflaging Pearl.’ Would you like to use it?"

Camouflaging Pearl?

Qin Wudao’s eyes lit up with interest, and he quickly examined its information.

Name: Camouflaging Pearl!

Level: Secondary Spiritual Treasure!

Type: Auxiliary Treasure!

Function: Conceals your aura, allowing you to evade detection by stronger individuals. The best choice for pretending to be weak to ambush the strong!

What a wonderful treasure! I wonder if it can evade the Immortal Stele’s detection!

A flicker of joy crossed Qin Wudao’s eyes. He immediately used the Camouflaging Pearl and felt a mysterious energy envelop his body, allowing him to conceal his aura at will. Because of the Immortal Stele, Qin Wudao suppressed the urge to test the Camouflaging Pearl’s capabilities. If any fluctuations in his cultivation attracted unwanted attention, it would be disastrous.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Emperor has arrived!"

While Qin Wudao was reveling in his joy, Dian Wei, who was acting as a door guard, secretly transmitted the message.

Father is really persistent!

The smile vanished from Qin Wudao’s face instantly, as if something troublesome had come to mind. He rubbed his temples and rose to greet his father.

CREAK...

Before he could even move, the doors to the hall were pushed open. Qin Ying strode in and announced loudly, "Wudao, I’ve selected another three hundred young ladies from distinguished families across the nation for you. When will you go and see them?"

"Father Emperor, not this again!" Qin Wudao said, shaking his head. "The Spiritual Energy Tides are imminent, and the dormant experts are re-emerging one after another. The current balance of power will surely be affected. At such a critical time, how could I have the leisure to choose consorts?"

This was already his third refusal. He had declined twice before, citing wartime chaos and being in seclusion for cultivation.

"Busy? Is that your excuse? Can’t you squeeze in a little time? When I was your age, your elder brother was already old enough to wear split-crotch pants!" Qin Ying huffed, his beard bristling and eyes glaring. He didn’t leave as usual but plopped himself down onto a chair.

"Father Emperor, I truly don’t have the time right now. The Qin Dynasty has yet to be fully stabilized..." Qin Wudao said with a wry smile. He sensed that his old man was serious this time and wouldn’t be easily swayed.

"There are three major unfilial acts, and having no descendants is the gravest!"

"You’ve been Emperor for five years, yet you still sleep alone. What kind of message does that send?"

"Having no heir is the greatest crisis for the nation! Today, no matter what, you must give me a clear answer!"

Qin Ying’s stubbornness flared, his face darkening. He had once been the ruler of a nation, after all. Being rejected repeatedly was a blow to his pride!

Seeing Qin Ying’s determined, "won’t-give-up-until-I-get-what-I-want" expression, Qin Wudao felt a headache coming on. After a moment of deadlock, he reluctantly said, "Alright, then. How about this: I will select consorts after the Spiritual Energy Tides have passed?"

"A gentleman’s word!" Qin Ying’s grim face instantly broke into a wide smile.

"Is as good as gold!" Qin Wudao replied helplessly. After avoiding it for so long, I still couldn’t escape.

He didn’t understand why he felt such a strong aversion to choosing consorts, as if some invisible force was stopping him from making such a decision.

"Good! You carry on with your work. I’ll be off then. No need to see me out. Just remember to attend the consort selection!"

Afraid that Qin Wudao might go back on his word, Qin Ying, having achieved his goal, immediately stood up and strode towards the door, quickly disappearing around the corner.

SIGH!

Qin Wudao sighed and turned to his memorials, but his mind was in turmoil, and he couldn’t focus on them at all.

「The seasons turned, and time flowed on.」

Amidst the anticipation of numerous powerful factions, the first wave of Spiritual Energy Tides finally descended. It brought with it apocalyptic weather and a downpour of turbid rain.

Once the torrential rain ceased, the dark clouds slowly dispersed, revealing an exceptionally clear sky.

From the eastern horizon, a mass of purple energy appeared, majestically drifting towards the continent and gathering in the firmament.

DRIP...

DRIP...

DRIP...

Crystal-clear drops of spiritual rain, shimmering with a purple glow, fell from the sky. The moment they touched the ground, they transformed into Spiritual Energy, which then dispersed between Heaven and Earth.

Vegetation grew with frantic abandon, glowing with green light and releasing the essence of wood.

Mountains trembled violently, as if an earth dragon were turning over beneath them. They rose continuously, soon towering above the clouds.

From a volcano that had been erupting for days, a fire beast flew out, transforming the area into a Grotto-Heaven, a blessed land suitable for fire-attribute Martial Artists to cultivate.

In the extreme-cold regions, glaciers emanated a profound light, turning into Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice.

However, behind these world-altering changes often lurked disaster.

The frantically growing vegetation swallowed entire villages.

The continuously rising mountains sent countless rocks and debris tumbling down, crushing many people to death.

The roar of the fire beast brought a rain of fire from the sky. Temperatures soared, and innumerable people were scorched.

In the extreme-cold regions, the temperature plummeted, instantly turning the living creatures there into ice sculptures.

Even the earth itself fractured, with long fissures appearing. Small mountains pushed up from the ground, while other areas split open into chasms hundreds or even thousands of zhang wide, forming bottomless canyons.

"Run!"

"Earthquake! Everyone, run!"

Trying to escape the calamities, countless beings began to flee. They would escape a torrent of fire from the sky only to run into a flood. A moment of carelessness could send them plummeting into a newly formed chasm.

The entire continent descended into chaos, filled with screams of panic, roars of beasts, and cries of despair.

The leaders of the major powers had no effective way to deal with this. Only exceptionally powerful Martial Artists could possibly stop such natural disasters.

Yet, the factions that possessed such powerful Martial Artists knew these calamities were triggered by the Spiritual Energy Tides. Instead of intervening, they retreated into their own pocket dimensions to cultivate, seeking breakthroughs in their realms.

Across the entire continent, the only major power seemingly unaffected by the disasters was the Ancient Court of the Qin Dynasty.

High above the Imperial Capital, the Five Elements Spirit Beads hung suspended, rotating rapidly. They emitted a profound energy that continuously transformed the earth veins of the Qin Dynasty’s Ancient Court, thereby minimizing the disasters.

In barren regions, Spirit Mountains emerged one after another. In deep forests and old woods, vegetation grew explosively. Even erupting volcanoes did not unleash rains of fire.

When the ground did crack, the fissures miraculously avoided human settlements, resulting in no casualties whatsoever.

The vast majority of the common people were at home cultivating, sensing the changes in Heaven and Earth, completely oblivious to the cataclysms unfolding outside.

BOOM!

A massive tremor shook the world, and the clear sky once again turned dim. This time, however, the dimness was not caused by clouds but by the Spiritual Energy of the tide itself, gushing out from spatial rifts and hanging suspended in mid-air.

The Spiritual Energy in the Void grew increasingly dense, eventually forming a spiritual mist.

If the earlier purple spiritual rain was meant to transform the continent, then this current wave of Spiritual Energy was meant to nourish its living beings.

Furthermore, faint Rhymes of Dao permeated the entire continent. Even those in ordinary Dao Domains could now experience a cultivation environment comparable to that of a Saint-level Dao Domain, perhaps even surpassing it.