"Abbot...I would do anything for you. But where...can I find him?" Her scarlet eyes sparkling at Xinzi's touch, Tusha asked. Had she known that she could enjoy such warmth and care, she'd have endeavored to sneak into Xinzi's bed way sooner. As for Qiu Meng, she cared very little.
Even Tusha couldn't believe that Qiu Meng's return would affect her so little. She only cared based on how it affected Xinzi's goals, not for any loyalty to the Eunuch Immortal.
"I already know where he is. I also know where Miejue, Haoyou and Nieyuan are. If you want to, you can go find them first. But they're not like you. With Qiu Meng back, they would never accept to join our side. So help them join him, as a show of goodwill. Let Qiu Meng get the Divine, Spirit and Holy Tomes. Let him rebuild his power base. He's likely very prejudiced towards me, so even for an alliance of mutual interests, we will have to make generous concessions," Xinzi said, stroking Tusha's fiery red hair.
Tusha didn't want Xinzi to miss out on the three tomes that'd enable him to complete the Codex of Heaven's Will. Hiding secrets that'd provide massive boons on his cultivation path, for Xinzi, that artifact could offer much more than ancient techniques. But since Xinzi was willing to give it up for an alliance, Tusha couldn't stand in the way.
"Abbot, if that's what you want, I will do my best to fulfill your orders. But why seek an alliance with Qiu Meng? Though the Eternal Night Dynasty had nothing to do with the destruction of the Celestial Hall, you are, after all, divines. Due to Hell always selecting its Demon Monarch from Ancient Spirits, Divines and Ancient Spirits became the worst of nemeses.
It's the Heavenly Emperor, Shenzhuo himself, that led the extermination of that ancient race. On that expedition, he had Yongye as his Left Protector and Yanglong as the Right Protector. The left, in the divine hierarchy, is more honorable than the right. It is Yongye who helped Shenzhuo locate the Ancient Spirit's hiding spot. So the role that Yongye and the Hengye clan played in the extermination of the Ancient Spirits is even greater than that of the Taiyang clan.
Abbot, I know that there are things you'd rather not say, but I can tell that your position in the main Hengye clan is extremely high. Why would Qiu Meng...ally with you? If anything, he might pretend to, and still plot your ruin." Tusha made a valid point.
Qiu Meng and Xinzi had yet to have any direct conflict, but on his list of "To Kill at All Cost," the Celestial Grandmaster at least put Xinzi on the same tier as Taiyang Yuan—higher if he had some common sense.
More importantly, Qiu Meng wasn't just Qiu Meng anymore. He also had a lot of Qiu Chen in him, the boy that watched Hengye Zhen obliterate his clan. Now granted, they were going to commit ritual suicide anyway, but there is a difference between a willing sacrifice for a "greater cause" and getting exterminated by an invincible enemy.
But strangely, Xinzi wasn't worried.
"Qiu Meng has spent thousands of years watching the River of Time and knows countless futures. This should have been an advantage. But none of those futures take Qiu Meng into account. As soon as he enters the picture, those futures become unreliable. There is still a lot that he knows, a lot that he can predict, but in my original body, I have something that's even more valuable than all of Qiu Meng's knowledge. I believe that he is aware of it, afraid of it, and if only for his temporary safety, will consider allying himself with me.
I need him to get access to the River of Time. He needs me to protect himself from me. With the right words, I'm sure we can establish a temporary alliance. As for where it will lead in the future, only time will tell."
Xinzi wasn't lying. If he could get Qiu Meng's Ancient Origin without harming him, he would. A pity that things would likely not happen that way—a pity for Qiu Meng.
While rubbing her temple on Xinzi's chest, Tusha nodded at his words.
"Abbot, I will do my best."
"Thank you, beautiful," Xinzi said, before pulling Tusha into another 24-hour dual cultivation session.
By the end of that session, Xinzi broke through to the late stage of Pulse Condensation. Meanwhile, though she didn't cultivate Spiritual Qi, Xinzi's peerless Yang Qi and the lingerie set helped Tusha increase her Blood Energy substantially.
Afterward, Tusha's main body entered secluded cultivation, producing a succession of Bloodsoul Avatars that scattered throughout the Great Desolation World. Some headed to the Gorge of Thousand Stones—coordinating with Bloodstone-Xinzi and Xue Yuanshao to build a new Evil Blood Tree and kickstart the construction of Xinzi's Yellow Spring Formation.
Others, following Xinzi's coordinates, tracked down the hiding places of the three other Infernal Nuns: Miejue, Haoyou and Nieyuan.
But as Tusha got to work, Xinzi too entered seclusion, floating above a lotus throne as his hands fiddled with the Nine-Jade Crown.
"Mhm...Yun Canghai, you were not worthy of this artifact. Don't worry, My Divine Self will make much better use of it than you ever could," Xinzi said, put the Nine-Jade Crown on his head, and closed his eyes.
Immediately, Xinzi saw himself drift through a spiral of clouds, rising through the sky as he stepped into the Highest Heaven Palace. Yes, Highest Heaven Palace—more precisely, the Highest Heaven Palace's Grand Tribulation Platform.
An ancient divine artifact that predated the creation of the Celestial Assembly, the Nine-Jade Crown enabled its wearer to project a copy of themselves onto the Highest Heaven Palace's Grand Tribulation Platform—and that, regardless of where they stood.
The copy would sit on the platform to cultivate for as long as the crown owner wanted to, and all benefits that it gained transferred to the original body. There was only one catch: Tribulation Lightning.
Each day, Heaven would send a tribulation lightning bolt to strike the platform. The bolt scaled to the practitioner's cultivation and got slightly stronger with each passing day. That Tribulation Lightning tempered the flesh, bones, blood and soul, but got unbearable so fast that most Crown Princes couldn't spend extended periods of time on the Grand Tribulation Platform.
Shenzhuo himself never managed to resist over 999,999 consecutive bolts. For that reason, there was a legend in the Celestial Paradise that, if one could endure one million tribulation strikes in a row, they'd have no rivals under the heavens.
Xinzi didn't believe in that legend. But that wouldn't stop him from trying to get as much benefit as he could from the platform. Without a sound, he landed on the oval surface. Carved in heavenly crystal and surrounded by an electric force field, the Grand Tribulation Platform shone with dazzling Divine Power and Immortal Qi.
Xinzi sat crossed-legged, entering meditation as he waited for the first bolt to strike.
It didn't. Instead...
'You do realize that you haven't received all the gifts that the Supreme and Unfeeling Grand Dao owner should possess, right? The first time on the Grand Tribulation Platform is always the most profitable. Why start your secluded cultivation now and waste a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to harvest unprecedented benefits?' A deadpan voice pealed in Xinzi's mind, marking the first interaction between Heaven and him.
