CHAPTER 51: A WEARY QI YUAN

Jin Li watched Duke Yu and Kong Qi depart, then slumped back, exhaustion weighing heavily on her shoulders. She still wasn't fit to be an empress.

If...

If the chaos in Southern Qian ever settled, she wanted to leave it all behind—to sit beneath the Ancient Qichun Tree and see Qi Yuan again.

If only...

"Your Majesty." Aunt Qin lowered her voice, leaning close to the empress's ear. "This altar... is it truly at his instructions?"

Jin Li faltered for a moment, then answered quietly, "Aunt Qin, you only need to do as I say."

Aunt Qin fell silent, though a flicker of unease crossed her eyes. She’d recognized the design on the drawing, and she knew Duke Yu had as well.

Afterward, Aunt Qin withdrew from the hall. Outside, she noticed Duke Yu standing alone some distance away, leaning heavily on the pale stone railing.

When he saw her, he said clearly yet gravely, "Lady Qin, you must’ve recognized what that drawing was."

Aunt Qin tilted her head."Yes. It’s a sacrificial altar. Legend says that when the Moonwatch Continent was united in ancient times, a Divine Court ruled all under heaven. Building that altar could summon the Divine Court Army. Alas, such tales are nothing but myths now. Where could one find an army now? Twenty years ago, when demon beasts besieged Jingzhou of Qing, the governor raised the very same design. And what came of it...?"

Duke Yu sighed. "Indeed. I do not know from where Her Majesty obtained that blueprint. Still, to pin one’s hopes on that altar... is it not as faint a hope as trusting she can safely escape the capital?”

His skepticism about the altar’s ability to summon a Divine Army was palpable.

Aunt Qin's expression dimmed. "We do all that we can, and leave the rest to heaven."

***

When Sima Ting heard the news, his lips curled scornfully. "Building a sacrificial altar? What a joke!"

Beside him, the Emperor realm demon studied a copy of the blueprint, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Using ancient Divine Court’s relics against modern demons... Empress Jin Li is rather adorable, don’t you think?"

He, of all beings, knew the Divine Court best. Long ago, when demons and humans clashed, an elite rose within the human race. Known as the Celestial God, he founded the Divine Court and commanded the Four Divisions. With a sacrificial altar, the Divine Court Army itself could be summoned.

In fact, it was the Divine Court that had driven the demon’s kin into the Icy Snowlands and Frozen Wastes. The records still remained in the Ancestral Demon Court, and no one knew them better than him.

The Emperor realm cultivator from the Heaven-Fate Holy Sect sneered. "Let her build it. It’s nothing more than the last throes of the dying."

The demon narrowed his eyes. "What matters most is forging the Peak Emperor realm artifact, the Bloodless Scepter. Everything else can wait."

The cultivator reminded, "Just don’t forget to watch her. Don’t let the empress escape."

Sima Ting bowed quickly. "Rest assured. The palace is sealed tighter than an iron cauldron. She can’t possibly escape."

The demon said with confidence, "Seven Emperor realm demons stand guard outside the walls. Even with wings, she cannot fly free."

They’d come with overwhelming force, all to refine the supreme weapon. Seven Emperor realm demons, along with a horde of King realm cultivators. They could even burn the entire capital into cinders if they wanted.

Oblivious, the ministers and generals were still celebrating, thinking they were about to ascend to power. When in truth, they were just cattle fattened for slaughter for the Demon Race.

***

Qi Yuan woke with a groan, every limb felt heavy as lead. "So tired..."

Although battling against the Tattered-Cloth Emperor had inflicted no flesh wounds, it had drained his spirit dry.

With a wave, a water mirror shimmered before him. His reflection stared back—pale and wan, as though hollowed out.

"It feels like I’ve been wrung dry. What I wouldn't give for a bottle of kidney tonic. [1] Or at least some Rehmannia pills..." [2]

The fight had taken its toll, but it had also given him much in return. His level had soared past 90 in the game, which was also reflected in reality. His cultivation had climbed yet another rung as a result.

Before, without his trusty vegetable knife, he’d relied on combat skill and game-learned techniques to reach Foundation Establishment strength. Now, with his cultivation alone, he could defeat an average Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. Such a tremendous leap it was.

Still, the spirit drain is too much. Is it because my soul is too weak? He wondered.

Unfortunately, at Qi Refinement realm, he still couldn’t sense the soul. If he wanted to do something about it, he’d need to reach the Foundation Establishment realm first.

"When I reach Foundation Establishment, I must find secret arts to refine my soul. Then, I can stay in the game longer."

With that thought, he pulled a book from his storage pouch, only for his head to throb—the price of gaming all night.

"No good. I can't even read. Better get a massage."

If I keel over from sudden death, that'd be one hell of a joke.

Yawning, he strolled down from his straw hut, only to find Jiang Lingsu nearby. She was dressed in flowing, icy-blue silk, flipping through a text.

She glanced up, frowning. "Senior Brother, did you hit a roadblock in cultivation?"

"Nah, just stayed up too late gaming. My body can’t take it. Though, with a massage, I’ll be as right as rain. Actually, Junior Sister, why don’t you give me one? I’ll even pay you three spirit stones."

"...Scram!" Jiang Lingsu snapped, her brief flicker of concern gone.

Qi Yuan chuckled, ambling off down the mountain. Thank god she refused, or he’d be forced to pay. A proper massage in town cost far less. He was only being generous because his junior sister was technically a walking fortune.

Watching his leaving back, Jiang Lingsu furrowed her brow with guilt. Was her tone too harsh?

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan had a proper full body massage with none of the shady stuff. He even splurged on a rich spirit broth with a spirit stone. By day's end, he finally felt restored.

"My soul's still too weak. Too bad soul cultivation techniques and medicines are rare."

Despite having combed through the Black Mountain Sect's massive libraries, he’d found nothing of use. There wasn’t a single spirit herb to be found, either. Everything to do with the soul was highly coveted.

To reach the Violet Palace realm, a Nascent Soul realm cultivator required vast resources to temper their soul. Hence, soul spirit herbs were sought after by Nascent Soul realm elders.

"Doesn’t matter. I’ll worry about the soul when I reach the Foundation Establishment realm."

Qi Yuan wasn’t in a rush. He’d obtained his unique eye ability through reaching Qi Refinement realm in-game. Perhaps, something new would awaken when he broke through the Foundation Establishment realm.

Afterward, he returned to Seven-Colored Peak, intending to rest more before diving back into the game. Halfway up the slope, a peculiar little tuft of grass caught his eye. He stopped, gazing down at it.

[This is no ordinary grass. It has caught the scent of moonlight aura again.]

Qi Yuan tilted his head at the heavens. "Moonlight aura... What's that supposed to mean?"

Looking back at the grass, he crouched. "Tell you what, tomorrow, when I see you again, won’t you say you've caught the scent of Qi Yuan aura instead?"

He grinned to himself. If only he could find someone without diabetes to feed it some sugar water, maybe he could wake this strange little thing up. Then, perhaps, it could tell him how it’d turned from ordinary to extraordinary.

And maybe, just maybe, he could learn how to do the same.

1. "肾宝" actually refers to 汇仁肾宝片 (Huiren Shenbao Pian), a well-known Chinese patent medicine. It's marketed as a kidney-tonifying supplement in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and mostly targeted at men with fatigue or general weakness. In TCM terms, it's framed as kidney deficiency. ☜

2. Another famous classic TCM pill, also to treat kidney deficiency ☜