Lin Jing followed Zhang Yuan, walking within this space.
As he walked, he looked around.
Lin Jing discovered that this space actually bore some resemblance to the Demon Race Secret Realm.
At this time, Zhang Yuan also began to explain,
"This place is actually also part of the Demon Race Secret Realm."
"The Demon Race Secret Realm is essentially a small world, deeply connected to the Emperor. For some unknown reason, this small world shattered, part of it falling into the Nanming Domain."
"Another part has been drifting in this void. After awakening, the Emperor found her memory incomplete, having lost many important memories."
"That’s why she came to this void, to look for remnants of the small world of the Demon Race Secret Realm, hoping to find clues to retrieve part of her lost memories."
"So that’s it, no wonder you were here..." Lin Jing suddenly realized.
Lin Jing had seen Huang Qingling’s memories in the Illusion Realm before, sealed by her father, the emperor of the Divine Phoenix Clan, not wishing her to live in the pain of those past memories.
However, Lin Jing hadn’t expected that Huang Qingling would be so obsessed with recovering the lost parts of her memory.
Then, Zhang Yuan sized up Lin Jing and spoke,
"Brother Lin..."
"Who would’ve thought your cultivation progress would be so miraculous, reaching the Mahayana Realm in just over three hundred years."
Lin Jing looked at Zhang Yuan and replied,
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"While cultivating, I encountered many fortuitous events, and my family is also from the Xuanqing Realm’s Ancient Alchemy Family—something I only found out later."
"Even though my family is no longer around, they still provided me with a great deal of help."
"It is you, Brother Zhang, who has also reached the Mahayana Realm in cultivation, and even higher than me."
Zhang Yuan shook his head and said,
"Elder Bai, Elder Yu, and I are different from you all."
"In fact, we had already died. Although we retain our memories and emotions, we are actually bound to the Emperor and could be considered a kind of puppet."
"Our cultivation naturally comes from the Emperor, so without any cultivation, we can still reach very high realms."
Upon hearing this, Lin Jing was momentarily stunned.
After the momentary pause, Lin Jing hurriedly spoke, asking Zhang Yuan,
"Isn’t there a way to truly revive you?"
Zhang Yuan heard the question, stopped in his tracks, pursed his lips, and frowned as he spoke,
"It’s possible..."
"Only, truly reviving us is not easy. At the very least, the Emperor herself must become an immortal, reaching the True Immortal Realm or higher."
"Only when her cultivation reaches above that of a True Immortal and she comprehends the innate divine skills of the Divine Phoenix Clan, can we be truly revived and separate from the Emperor to become real cultivators."
"The True Immortal Realm..." Lin Jing murmured.
If Huang Qingling were to reach the True Immortal Realm, it seemed not too difficult, simply letting her achieve the Void Immortal Realm, then taking the Transcendent Celestial Golden Lotus from the System Space, allowing her to cultivate beside it, absorbing its transcendent power, and thus attaining True Immortality.
Now it seemed that the Immortal Dao Realm had collapsed, and even if the barriers of the Immortal Realm were truly broken, entering the Immortal Dao Realm might not make it possible to cultivate.
At present, the only plausible way to cultivate to True Immortality seemed to be to use the Transcendent Celestial Golden Lotus.
Zhang Yuan, meanwhile, smiled and continued,
"In fact, this isn’t bad..."
"The Emperor’s cultivation might only be at the peak of the Mahayana, but her combat power is unmatched, invincible. There are no dangers for us under the Emperor’s command."
Lin Jing nodded and said,
"Yes."
"It’s good this way..."
...
...
Soon, the two of them arrived at the place where Elder Bai and Elder Yu were.
Both were also very pleased to see Lin Jing.
They were equally shocked by Lin Jing’s current level of cultivation.
So...
Lin Jing shared his experiences with the two of them.
After listening to Lin Jing’s experiences, they also couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. The first time they met Lin Jing, he was just a Junior Cultivator at the Qi Refinement Realm.
Yet in just over three hundred years, Lin Jing had grown from an Energy Refinement Cultivator to a powerful being at the Mahayana Realm.
Although only three hundred years had passed, Lin Jing’s experiences seemed as vast as going through epochs of changes.
After finishing his story, Lin Jing then inquired about what had happened to them after their awakening.
Through their recount, Lin Jing learned that shortly after he left, they had been awakened.
After awakening, Huang Qingling went through a period of recuperation, then took them out of the Demon Race Secret Realm and into this void.
The subsequent events became clear.
Huang Qingling subdued the Heavenly Peng and then, within this city of the Demon Emperor, searched for the fragments of the small world of the Demon Race Secret Realm, while also cultivating.
After finishing the story, recalling what Zhang Yuan had said, Lin Jing spoke up,
"Elder Bai, Elder Yu..."
"When I just came in and saw Zhang Yuan, I asked him, and from what Zhang Yuan said, the Demon Emperor is Qing Ling, but also not Qing Ling..."
"What does that mean?"
Elder Bai and Elder Yu heard the question, glanced at each other, then turned back with a sigh and said,
"Alas...!"
"In fact, it should be said..."
"Huang Qingling is indeed the Demon Emperor, but she is no longer the Qing Ling we knew."
Hearing this, Lin Jing couldn’t help but think of what he had heard the first time he visited Qinghuang Palace. They had been living with Huang Qingling’s avatar all along, while Huang Qingling’s true self had been in slumber.
Now, hearing what they said, it was very likely that in this awakening, it was Huang Qingling’s true self that had taken the lead, while the avatar of Huang Qingling had completely disappeared.