Chapter 791- Their Loyalty
The reference to the main emperor, the patriarch of the Long Dynasty, the man whose illness was the worst-kept secret in the immortal world, was there. The implication, the "my brother is dying and I need to return" implication, was clear.
Emperor Yun, his kind face, the nod, was there. "Indeed, indeed. The Immortal Emperor’s health is really not good. You need to—"
The energy spike hit.
The air, the ambient spiritual energy, shifted. The qi, the massive, overwhelming, golden qi, erupted. The shockwave, the spiritual shockwave from the breakthrough, hit everyone in the corridor. The emperor, the guards, the attendants — all felt it.
Emperor Yun, his eyes widening, turned. "What happened?"
The question, the sharp, urgent question of a ruler sensing a massive spiritual event in his own palace, was there.
They moved. Back toward the banquet hall. Through the corridors, through the doors, into the hall.
They saw.
The princess. Yuexin. Hovering. In the air. Three feet off the ground. Her body, the slender frame, was suspended. The golden light, the blazing, radiant, overwhelming golden light, emanated from every pore. Her hair, the dark, imperial hair, floated. Her robes, the violet and white silk, billowed. Her face, the beautiful, composed face, was serene. Her eyes, closed, were there.
The cultivation, the qi, the pressure radiating from her body, was unmistakable.
Early Divine Integration.
The realm. The impossible, world-shattering, prodigy-defining realm. Divine Integration. The realm that separated the gifted from the legendary. The realm that most cultivators, even the talented ones, the hard-working ones, the resource-rich ones, never reached. And she, Princess Yuexin, at the age of one hundred and twenty — young by cultivation standards — had broken through.
"Early Divine Integration," a minister whispered. His voice was awed. "She... she actually broke through."
"She is really a prodigy!" another said. His voice, the genuine, admiring voice of a courtier witnessing history, was there. "Congratulations! Congratulations to the princess! Congratulations to the emperor!"
The congratulations, the chorus of formal, diplomatic, genuinely impressed congratulations, filled the hall.
Emperor Yun, his kind face, the confusion, was there. The narrowing gaze, the sharp, political, calculating narrowing of a man who understood that breakthroughs did not happen without cause, was there.
’How could she suddenly...? She has been stuck for a decade. Ten years. The bottleneck was immovable. I have tried everything. Pills, resources, training, meditation. Nothing worked. And now, suddenly, at a banquet, she breaks through?’
He looked. At the golden light. At his daughter. At the impossible, miraculous breakthrough that had occurred during a banquet honoring a man known for advancing women’s cultivation through sexual congress.
His eyes found Tianlong.
The Emperor, the guest, the Breeding Immortal, stood. His gold-crimson eyes, on the princess, held the satisfaction. The small, knowing, satisfied smile was there.
Empress Lihwa, the queen, her mature face, the shock, followed the emperor’s gaze. Her eyes, on Tianlong, on his smile, on his satisfaction, saw. The realization, the horrible, impossible, undeniable realization, hit.
’He did this. He did this to her. The same way he... the same way he advances women. The dual cultivation. The divine seed. The spiritual energy transferred through...’
Her hand, on her mouth, was there. The gasp, the silent, shocked, horrified gasp, was there.
Tianlong, his gold-crimson eyes, on the emperor, spoke.
"Thank you for helping my daughter break through, Emperor Tianlong," he said. His voice was calm. Conversational. The words, the acknowledgment, the public acknowledgment of what everyone was already thinking, were there.
The hall erupted. The whispers, the shocked, awed, scandalized whispers, spread like fire.
"Emperor Tianlong helped her break through?"
"How? When? At the banquet? On the balcony?"
"He gave her enlightenment tips, he said. Enlightenment tips."
"Enlightenment tips? That kind of enlightenment?"
"The Breeding Immortal. They call him the Breeding Immortal. Now I understand why."
"I heard he advanced dozens of women in the lower realm. Queens. Princesses. All through dual cultivation."
"And now our princess? At a banquet? In our own palace?"
The whispers, the scandalized, awed, horrified, jealous whispers, filled the hall.
Emperor Yun, his kind face, the complexity of emotions — the pride in his daughter’s breakthrough, the suspicion of the method, the political calculation of the advantage — was there. His eyes, on Tianlong, narrowed.
’This Tianlong has too many secrets. I cannot let him just go like this. If he can advance cultivators by full realms, by entire stages, through... whatever method he uses... I need him. The province needs him. My other children need him.’
"How about organizing a tournament?" Emperor Yun said. His voice was careful. The suggestion, the strategic, politically motivated suggestion, was there. "A tournament for breakthrough toward the hidden realm. A competition. Would you want to participate? Be the guest here. At least for the duration."
The proposal, the transparent, opportunistic proposal of a ruler trying to keep a valuable resource close, was there.
Tianlong, his gold-crimson eyes, the amusement, was there. "I don’t know. But I don’t think the princess wants me to stay here."
The words, the pointed, knowing, slightly provocative words, were there. Emperor Yun, his eyes, went to his daughter.
Princess Yuexin, her body descending, the golden light fading, landed. Her feet, on the jade floor, were there. Her cultivation, the early Divine Integration qi, radiated. Her face, the beautiful, composed face, was there. But her eyes, the dark eyes, were wet. The tears, the falling, silent tears, were there.
She looked at her hand. Her own hand. The hand that now contained Divine Integration qi. The hand that had been unable to break through for a decade. The hand that was now, suddenly, impossibly, miraculously, at a realm she had never expected to reach.
"Did I just break through?" she muttered. Her voice, the whispered, dazed, disbelieving voice, was there. "It has been... a decade. Ten years. I thought... I thought I would never..."
Emperor Yun, his kind face, the warmth, was there. "Yuexin," he said. Her pet name, the childhood name, the intimate name, was there. "Is it true?"
The princess, her dark eyes, on her father, blinked. The tears, the falling tears, were there.
"Father?" she said. "What happened?"
Emperor Yun, his eyes, the complexity, asked the question. The real question. The question that was not about the breakthrough but about the man who had caused it.
"Do you really want Emperor Tianlong to leave?" he asked. His voice was soft. The question, the loaded, political, layered question, was there.
The princess, her dark eyes, went to Tianlong. The man, the golden, handsome, smirking man, was there. His smile, the small, knowing, satisfied smile, was there. The same smile he had worn on the balcony. The same smile he had worn while stripping her. While fucking her. While filling her with the seed that had just broken her through.
The realization hit.
’He fucked me. His seed. The spiritual energy. That is how. That is why. He is a dual cultivator. He advances women by... by...’
The linking, the connecting, the putting-together of every piece — the rumors, the whispers, the title "Breeding Immortal," the queens and princesses collected from the mortal world, the concubines, the cultivation breakthroughs — all of it, connected. All of it, pointed to one truth.
’He fucks women. His divine seed advances their cultivation. That is how he collects them. That is how he makes them loyal. He gives them what they cannot achieve on their own. Power. Strength. Advancement. In exchange for... their bodies. Their loyalty. Their everything.’