"The Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar simply refuses to behave; it always likes to run amok. I truly can't help it~"

Facing the Empress's questioning and looking into those large, innocent eyes, Chu Chen's mind wavered. He casually shifted the blame to the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar inside his body.

Buzz, buzz, buzz~

The Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar within his body vibrated violently, its mouth constantly spewing large swaths of dark light in silent protest.

As if it were saying:

It wasn't me!

I didn't do it!

He's lying!!

An Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon possessed a spirit. The Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar was terrified that Chu Chen would give it away again just to woo a woman, so despite its indignation, it only dared to protest in silence.

Completely under his thumb~

"Let's... let's not worry about these trivial matters."

Wrapping his arms around the Empress, he walked to her exclusive imperial throne. Chu Chen sat down with a heavy plop, letting the Empress lie in his embrace as he adjusted into a comfortable position:

"Wife, wha... what do you plan to do next? How do you need me to assist?"

By borrowing the might of the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, he had created an illusion for the five sub-palace masters and the Supreme Elders of the Divine Flame Imperial Palace. They now believed the Empress had gained the recognition of the Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon, perhaps even achieving initial refinement. With this deception in place, those harboring ulterior motives wouldn't dare act rashly in the short term.

But a threat was still a threat. As long as it wasn't completely uprooted, there was always a risk of it erupting.

How could one allow others to slumber soundly beside their bed?

People like Geng Yan would either bide their time, or the moment they struck, it would be a swift, thunderous assault.

A complete fight to the death!!

"There is no rush. This Emperor is already at the Ninth Heaven of the Great Saint realm, merely a single step away from the Great Saint peak."

Speaking of serious matters, the Empress immediately reverted to her usual noble, icy, and domineering demeanor, her girlish frailty vanishing in an instant.

If she weren't still lying in his arms, Chu Chen wouldn't have believed the Empress could switch roles so seamlessly~

"Those palace masters, and even the Supreme Elders, do not know this."

"For anyone else to gain the recognition of my Divine Flame Imperial Palace's Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon, they would need at least a Saint King realm cultivation. But for this Emperor, breaking through to the Tenth Heaven of the Great Saint realm is enough to receive its acknowledgment."

"If I can break through to the Saint King realm, this Emperor is entirely confident in achieving the initial refinement of this Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon."

Hearing this, even Chu Chen couldn't help but give the Empress a thumbs-up.

An Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon was the absolute pinnacle of the mortal path, containing a trace of true Extreme Dao power.

To refine an Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon-even just an initial refinement-theoretically required at least a Quasi-Emperor cultivation to have any hope of success.

Yet, the Empress only needed to reach the Saint King realm. Even at the First Heaven of the Saint King realm, she possessed absolute certainty.

If word of this spread...

It would shock the world!

Of course, Chu Chen being able to refine the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar at the mere Qi Gathering realm was an anomaly altogether.

Rather than saying Chu Chen refined the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, it was far more accurate to say the jar had chosen him.

The word "refinement" was grossly inappropriate when applied to his relationship with the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar.

After all, even now, Chu Chen couldn't awaken the weapon spirit of the Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon.

However, as his strength grew, Chu Chen could clearly sense a profound, mysterious power lurking within the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, a power that always lent him a hand at critical moments.

He suspected he would need to break through to the Sea Cleaving Realm before he could truly achieve initial refinement and awaken its weapon spirit.

"Therefore, this Emperor plans to enter the Divine Flame Imperial Palace's Inheritance Ground next to accept the legacy, striving to break through to the Tenth Heaven of the Great Saint realm in the shortest time possible."

Mentioning this, Empress Lin Shuwang looked up at Chu Chen with deep reluctance.

Entering the Inheritance Ground meant returning to Secluded Cultivation, and once the doors closed, they wouldn't see each other for a long time.

Having just solidified their relationship only to be immediately separated, the Empress felt a pang of sorrow and a lingering sense of guilt toward Chu Chen.

After all, the picture books she had read clearly stated that a wife was supposed to do this and that for her husband~

"Secluded Cultivation again? What if I miss you?"

Chu Chen was genuinely reluctant. He couldn't force himself to spout hypocritical nonsense about the greater good while burying his own feelings.

With a delicate and gorgeous Empress right by his side, claiming he wouldn't want to see her was a blatant lie.

"Then, wife, how long will this seclusion of yours take?"

"..."

Empress Lin Shuwang pondered for a moment before answering with a troubled expression:

"Half a year at the shortest; a year at the longest!"

That long???

Chu Chen froze. Deep down, he knew that for someone of the Empress's aptitude, breaking from the Ninth Heaven to the Tenth Heaven of the Great Saint realm in a single year was already a divine speed.

The path of cultivation was inherently an act of defying the heavens. The further one walked, the harder it became to shatter the realm bottlenecks, facing layers upon layers of harrowing tribulations.

For an ordinary cultivator, advancing from the Ninth Heaven to the Tenth Heaven of the Great Saint realm would take anywhere from five to ten years.

For those with duller talent, it was unknown if they could ever break through at all; time became a meaningless luxury.

To cultivators who commanded lifespans of thousands or even tens of thousands of years, a year of seclusion passed in the blink of an eye.

But because they had just found each other and cemented their romance, a single day apart felt like an entire year.

"This is the token to access the Divine Flame Imperial Palace's Inheritance Ground. This Emperor... although this Emperor will be in Secluded Cultivation, I..."

The Empress retrieved a token from her Storage Ring, her cheeks flushing crimson as she stuffed it into Chu Chen's palm, stammering:

"But if you... if you miss this Emperor, you can... you can use this token to quietly slip into the Inheritance Ground."

"Although this Emperor is in Secluded Cultivation, I... I can occasionally wake up~"

Whoosh-

The moment those words fell, the melancholy and reluctance plaguing Chu Chen evaporated, replaced by a radiant grin.

If they could still meet face-to-face, it wasn't a real separation.

Even if the Empress was in Secluded Cultivation and her body couldn't move...

Hmm?!

Jiejiejie, didn't that mean he could~

Why did it sound like her going into seclusion was even better than her staying out...

As if picturing something delightful, the corners of Chu Chen's lips curled upwards, sending Empress Lin Shuwang's heart into a frantic rhythm.

"Alright, rest assured, wife. I definitely won't disturb you."

Stowing away the token to the Inheritance Ground, Chu Chen began calculating in his heart.

Following his initial refinement of the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, he could activate [Grasping Heavens] once every ten days to randomly pluck supreme treasures.

Armed with this heaven-defying ability, Chu Chen was convinced he could hasten the Empress's breakthrough to the Tenth Heaven of the Great Saint realm. Forget half a year...

He might be able to give everyone a massive surprise!!

"Chu... Chu Chen, you have just broken through to the Essence Condensation Realm, which means you can finally cultivate martial techniques."

"This Eight Desolations Flame Palm is an unpassed secret of my Divine Flame Imperial Palace. Possessing a Top Grade Five-Element Full Spiritual Root, you are perfectly suited to cultivate this technique."

While speaking, the Empress lightly raised her fair hand, gently tapping the center of Chu Chen's brow.

A radiant speck of light sank into Chu Chen's mind, blooming into a vast ocean of arcane knowledge.

"Furthermore, this Emperor notices you lack proper Dharma Treasures."

"I shall gift you one Sacred Artifact flying sword Dharma Treasure! Ten Divine Fire Realm flying sword Dharma Treasures! One hundred Spirit Communication Realm flying sword Dharma Treasures! Five hundred Heaven Opening Realm flying sword Dharma Treasures! One thousand Sea Cleaving Realm flying sword Dharma Treasures!"

"As for flying sword Dharma Treasures below the Sea Cleaving Realm, their grade is far too low. This Emperor... this Emperor truly cannot bring herself to offer them~"

"..."

Empress Lin Shuwang casually waved her hand. Swathed in terrifying spiritual power, over a thousand flying sword Dharma Treasures materialized out of thin air within the sprawling imperial palace, forming a colossal sword array that whistled past Chu Chen at blinding speeds.

The razor-sharp sword qi mercilessly slashed through the void, its sword intent piercing the heavens.

At the forefront, a single Sacred Artifact flying sword Dharma Treasure pulsed with the suffocating Pressure of the Saint realm, shuttling seamlessly through the boundless void and subjugating the surrounding space with its terrifying might.

The rest of the flying swords trailed closely behind it, like loyal ministers trailing their monarch, not daring to overstep their bounds by a single inch.

A Sacred Artifact!

A Sacred Artifact that had grasped a sliver of spatial law, capable of shattering the very void!

...

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