Emperor's Peacock Carriage, Ultimate Grandeur

You only felt a blur before your eyes as Li Lingyue took you flying into the sky.

The speed was astonishing.

Soon, the two of you landed amidst a massive cluster of flowers.

The flowers here were incredibly huge, packed tightly together like a natural trampoline.

Formations rose all around, isolating the area from any probing or prying eyes.

What happened next felt a bit sudden, yet somewhat natural.

For three whole days and nights, you completely lost track of the world around you.

"Lingyue, we should get down to business."

Li Lingyue pressed her jade-like finger against your lips.

"Say no more. I will do whatever you ask of me. If you hadn't brought me to the Southern Border back then, how could I have everything I do today? I believe in your prophetic abilities."

Li Lingyue still believed that you had the ability to foresee the future.

Thus, she firmly believed everything you said without a shred of doubt.

After returning to the military camp that day, Li Lingyue immediately issued her orders.

She appointed the highest diplomat of the Hundred Nations Alliance as the imperial envoy to lead a peace delegation. Bearing generous gifts, they were to head to the Great Qian Dynasty, explain the stakes, and propose a temporary truce.

She decreed that the supreme generals of fifty nations were to lead their respective troops, bringing massive amounts of martial arts resources, and march to the Azure Heavens Ridge. They were to assist the Limitless Sword Sect in setting up early defenses to resist the impending demon race invasion!

She issued a Hero's Decree, broadly broadcasting the news of the demon race's imminent attack on the Five Domains. It called upon the martial sects, martial aristocratic families, and all martial forces of the Southern Border to join the resistance. Those who performed exceptionally well would be heavily rewarded by the allied nations.

Messengers dashed out from the central command tent one after another.

Although the Hundred Nations Alliance was loosely structured, it displayed incredibly high execution capabilities when centered around the Empress.

Li Lingyue had long since adapted to her identity as the Empress; she handled these policy decisions with effortless ease.

After the decrees were dispatched, Li Lingyue began to help you solve your problem.

Knowing that you needed resources to break through to the Mind Condensation Realm, she didn't hesitate for a second. She exchanged all her resource reserves accumulated over the years for the spiritual plants you required.

This was so you could refine pills to increase your cultivation in the Spirit Sea Realm.

Knowing that you needed the pill recipe for the Five Domains Holy Pill, she took you to the Pill Fragrance Valley without leaving any room for argument.

The Pill Fragrance Valley was one of the Eight Pillars of the Five Domains. This sect specialized in alchemy and was located in the hinterlands of the Southern Border.

The Southern Border was highly mountainous, with many treacherous areas that remained untouched by humans all year round. It was highly likely that rare, age-old spiritual plants grew there.

The Pill Fragrance Valley was situated in the Southern Border precisely for the convenience of harvesting these precious spiritual plants.

When Li Lingyue took you to the Pill Fragrance Valley, she specifically summoned the Peacock Imperial Carriage.

This was a flying carriage pulled by nine mutated five-colored peacocks.

As it soared through the sky, it looked like a broad rainbow cutting across the heavens. Combined with the natural iridescent light emitted by the five-colored peacocks and their melodious cries.

It was absolutely magnificent and brimming with an immortal aura.

This was the grandeur of an Empress.

She did this on purpose to back you up, making it much easier to ask for the pill recipe at the Pill Fragrance Valley.

Sure enough, upon seeing the arrival of the Peacock Imperial Carriage, the Valley Master of the Pill Fragrance Valley personally came out to welcome them.

"The Empress's visit brings light to our humble sect; this is truly a joyous occasion! We respectfully invite Your Majesty to enter the valley for a banquet, so that we may entertain you properly."

The Valley Master looked like quite a serious person.

But in front of the Empress, he was extremely respectful, heavily laying on the flattery.

"As the sect master of one of the Eight Pillars of the Five Domains, isn't this old Valley Master a bit too respectful towards you?"

"What do you think I rely on to gather the incense offerings of the Southern Border?"

"Martial force, of course. Those who don't offer me incense will definitely suffer a bloody disaster!"

Li Lingyue burst into laughter and shook her head.

"This is the Martial Dao, not the Dao of Incense."

Li Lingyue explained to you.

After she awakened her Incense Holy Physique at the Soul Severing Cliff, she first followed her master, the old woman you had met, and practiced martial arts and medicine for a few years.

After that, she traveled across the Southern Border.

Relying on her martial arts, she eliminated threats for the people, subduing demons and vanquishing monsters.

Relying on her medical skills, she helped those in danger and distress, healing the wounded and rescuing the dying.

Throughout this process, the old woman accompanied her all along, helping her continuously refine her abilities and cultivation, and develop her Holy Physique.

Therefore, there were no problems that Li Lingyue couldn't handle.

If Li Lingyue couldn't handle something, the old woman would step in, and all the merit would be credited to Li Lingyue.

When the number of people Li Lingyue helped reached a certain level, the people, grateful for her kindness, built temples and offered incense to her.

It was just like how the commoners of Divine Weapon County built a temple for the Fiery-Eyed Golden Monkey.

After that, a snowball effect took place.

As Li Lingyue got more and more temples, she became stronger and stronger.

The level of problems she could solve and the people she could help became increasingly higher.

Even the Pill Fragrance Valley owed her a debt of gratitude.

When Li Lingyue's prestige among the people and her supporters grew so numerous that they could be found in every one of the hundred nations of the Southern Border, naturally, a single call from her would rally hundreds of responses, leading to the situation today.

The Valley Master's respect for the Empress was both because of her status and because of the favor he had once received.

"That old woman is really good to you. She's fully elevating you."

"I won't be able to repay my master's kindness in this lifetime."

You and Li Lingyue went to the Pill Fragrance Valley as guests.

During the banquet, seeing the intimate behavior between the two of you, the astute members of the Pill Fragrance Valley naturally understood what was going on.

"For many years, Your Majesty has not taken a single person into the imperial harem. It seems that this time, you have finally found your destined partner."

Li Lingyue acted very openly and naturally.

"Chen Yi and I have known each other for over forty years, so it's not exactly a 'recent' discovery."

Hearing these words, the eyes of the people from the Pill Fragrance Valley held a bit more respect when they looked at you.

Look at how well the Empress protected her lover! She kept him hidden and nurtured him all the way to the Spirit Sea Realm before bringing him out in public, clearly afraid that he would be targeted when he was weak!

"I won't beat around the bush. Valley Master, Lingyue and I came here this time because we wish to borrow a pill recipe from your esteemed valley."

"Please, go ahead and say it."

"The Five Domains Holy Pill!"

"This."

The higher-ups of the Pill Fragrance Valley looked at each other in dismay.

Li Lingyue spoke up and asked.

"Valley Master, is it inconvenient?"

The Valley Master hastily cupped his fists.

"It's just a pill recipe. What inconvenience could there be in taking a look? Besides, this pill recipe wasn't created by our Pill Fragrance Valley. It is merely kept in our valley for us to study."

Saying so, the Valley Master arranged for someone to fetch it.

"We are just curious. For Your Majesty to personally come and ask for it, could it be that the five supreme treasures required to refine the Five Domains Holy Pill have already been gathered?"

Li Lingyue smiled faintly.

"The Valley Master does not need to worry about that. I have my own plans."

Soon, the pill recipe was brought over.

It was a jade slip, with the pill recipe engraved within.

"This pill recipe is extremely complex. The five supreme treasures are merely the five main ingredients. There are also many auxiliary materials and unique refining techniques. If you truly wish to refine it, you must carefully compare it against the recipe and proceed with utmost caution."

According to the Valley Master, not only were the raw materials for this pill difficult to obtain, but the crucial point was that it was incredibly hard to refine, requiring miraculous alchemy skills.

However, for you, the latter problem didn't exist. The Nine Provinces Cauldron guaranteed a one hundred percent success rate in pill refinement!

[As long as you have a basic understanding of alchemy, can read pill formulas, and use the correct ingredients, that will do.]