In the end, the demonic army retreated in defeat.
No one gave chase. Instead, Imperial Clan Elder Liu Ning immediately approached Ye Wushuang.
“How are you? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine—just drained. If the fight had dragged on any longer, I might’ve been completely spent!”
“Hahaha! They lost a Supreme expert. They wouldn’t dare keep fighting anyway!”
“Even Supreme experts fear death, after all!”
The higher one’s cultivation, the more they valued their life.
Reaching such heights was no easy feat, so naturally, they wanted to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Throwing their lives away in reckless battles? That wasn’t their style.
With the Vermilion Bird dead, continuing the fight against the Divine Dragon Royal Family was too great a risk.
What if Ye Wushuang’s next sword strike targeted them?
With that in mind, retreat was the demons’ only logical choice.
But just because they withdrew didn’t mean this matter was over.
“For now, let them go. In time, I’ll personally lead you to settle the score with those demons—they’ll repay us tenfold!”
“Good. Actually, I’ve found the key to my breakthrough. I’m ready to advance.”
“What?! You’ve found your breakthrough opportunity?!”
“Wait—you’re about to advance?!”
Two voices rang out in shock—one from Liu Ning, the other from the Divine Dragon Imperial Seal.
The seal had no idea Ye Wushuang had been on the verge of a breakthrough.
Hearing that he was now ready to ascend to the next realm left it utterly stunned.
If this had been the original Divine Dragon Empress, reaching the next stage would’ve taken who knew how long.
But now…
“That’s right. I can feel it—I should be able to step directly into the Immortal Emperor realm. Is there a problem?”
“No, no problem at all! A breakthrough is excellent news! The sooner, the better—it only proves your potential is even greater!”
Ye Wushuang’s impending advancement was a boon for everyone.
Even the Divine Dragon Imperial Seal didn’t object.
Once he truly became an Immortal Emperor, countless benefits would follow.
Even if the Divine Dragon Empress reclaimed her body later, she’d be overjoyed.
After all, reaching the Immortal Emperor realm meant only one step remained before the Supreme realm.
If she then mastered the Ancestral Dragon Scripture, becoming a Supreme would be a matter of time.
Thus, Ye Wushuang’s breakthrough would save her years of effort—and spare the empire countless troubles.
For the Divine Dragon Empire, this was electrifying news.
The world would know their empress had grown stronger, heralding an even mightier future for the empire.
And so, they practically coddled Ye Wushuang as they escorted him away.
Only Liu Ning lingered behind, muttering under his breath:
“Immortal Emperor realm already? Give her another year or two, and she might surpass me—maybe even reach the Supreme realm before I do!”
“Wouldn’t that make me, her master, look utterly pathetic?”
The thought made his teeth itch.
Having a disciple too talented was its own kind of headache.
Of course, he’d never say such a thing out loud.
…..
Upon returning to the Divine Dragon Heavenly Palace, Ye Wushuang immediately entered seclusion.
Thanks to the Divine Dragon Imperial Seal, he had briefly experienced the power of the Supreme realm.
That glimpse had flung open a door within him—the Immortal Emperor realm was no longer an insurmountable barrier.
Moreover, when he slew the Vermilion Bird, his sword hadn’t just extinguished its life—it had also drawn in a portion of the bird’s rampaging energy.
That power, fused with his sword intent, had merged into his body.
The moment it entered him, his Undying Heavenly Art surged toward a critical juncture.
The eighth nirvana was imminent.
Ye Wushuang didn’t suppress it.
The instant he began closed-door cultivation, the transformation commenced.
Tremendous energy, guided by the Undying Heavenly Art, seemed to reconstruct his body from the ground up.
The changes were so profound he might as well have become a different person.
But Ye Wushuang was accustomed to this process—and felt little pain.
Thus, he remained perfectly composed.
He even cultivated the Eight-Nine Heavenly Art simultaneously.
Practicing two supreme arts at once demanded staggering amounts of energy.
Within the Divine Dragon Heavenly Palace, boundless spiritual power converged toward his retreat.
Seeing this, Liu Ning knew Ye Wushuang had entered a critical phase—one requiring vast resources.
Without hesitation, he issued an order:
“Quickly! Bring out all our spirit veins! Her Majesty needs immense energy to break through—now!”
The royal family had amassed countless spirit veins over the centuries.
Though they couldn’t compare to dragon veins, their spiritual energy was still immense—reserved precisely for breakthroughs like this.
Ordinary cultivators might rely on spirit stones, but advancing to the Immortal Emperor realm was an entirely different matter.
Without a massive supply of spirit veins, success was impossible.
Knowing Ye Wushuang’s cultivation was uniquely profound—and thus required exponentially more energy—Liu Ning prepared accordingly.
Sure enough, the nirvanic Ye Wushuang became a bottomless abyss, devouring energy at a terrifying rate.
In moments, the spiritual energy across the entire 100,000-mile Heavenly Palace was drained dry.
Had Liu Ning not prepared the spirit veins in advance, Ye Wushuang’s breakthrough might have stalled entirely.
Even so, his body consumed every last vein the royal family had stockpiled before the eighth nirvana finally completed.
When it ended, Ye Wushuang felt the transformation immediately.
Not only had he reached the Immortal Emperor realm—he could now truly regenerate from a single drop of blood.
More importantly, his Eight-Nine Heavenly Art had naturally progressed to the eighth layer.
Now, even without employing any other techniques, his combat power rivaled Liu Ning’s former peak.
Yet these weren’t the only changes…
