96: Bixiao Breakthrough

News of the great victory on the front lines spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the Star Palace headquarters. The disciples were overjoyed, and morale soared to its peak. As vast resources from the recaptured territories and spoils of war were transported back, the Star Palace, this war machine, began a new round of frantic operation and enhancement.

Amidst this flourishing prosperity, two core high-ranking members of the Star Palace also achieved crucial breakthroughs.

On the outskirts of the Star Palace, within a distorted void designated as a forbidden zone, Bi Xiao, Elder of the Void Palace’s figure floated silently, exuding profound void fluctuations. Unlike Lin Xuan and Bai Li’s breakthroughs, which involved drawing upon the mighty power of heaven and earth with grand momentum, his breakthrough focused more on a deep awakening of his own bloodline and the origin of the void.

As an Immortal Kun from primordial times, his power inherently stemmed from the endless void. Having recovered a portion of his origin in the Divine Wilderness Realm and obtained a fragmented inheritance of the Void Kun Peng, his accumulation was already sufficient. What he lacked was merely an opportunity to integrate all of this, thoroughly awakening the power slumbering in the deepest parts of his bloodline.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness completely sinking into his body, merging with the surrounding void. His body began to turn ethereal, as if becoming a part of the void, and as if the void was an extension of his body.

Innumerable ancient inherited memory fragments concerning spatial folding, dimensional travel, and the creation and destruction of the void surged into his consciousness as if a seal had been broken. His understanding of the void increased at an unprecedented and insane speed.

No longer was it a simple tearing of space for jumps, but he began to understand the textures, nodes, and curvature of space, even vaguely perceiving the existence of higher dimensions.

The Immortal Kun bloodline within him was as hot as boiling water; every cell cheered and evolved towards a more ancient, more perfect form.

After an unknown period, the already vast aura around him began to undergo a qualitative transformation! It became more profound, more ethereal, and more unfathomable! It was as if he stood there, yet also existed in every inch of space.

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, only a silent change. But the void around him became incredibly docile, like subjects encountering their monarch. With a slight thought, scenes from within the Star Palace, hundreds of millions of miles away, were reflected in the void before his eyes like reflections in a mirror or the moon in water; he could even vaguely sense the vaster, colder, endless star sea beyond the Immortal Realm!

Immortal Venerable!

He achieved the position of Immortal Venerable by proving the Dao with the laws of the void! From then on, the void held no more secrets for him! His combat power might not excel in direct frontal assaults, but in terms of spatial control, mobility, reconnaissance, enemy containment, and support, he would reach an unimaginable realm!

Bi Xiao, Elder of the Void Palace slowly opened his eyes; in them, billions of stars seemed to revolve and perish, then receded, restoring his usual slightly lazy calm. He felt the changes within himself, a faint smile gracing the corner of his lips.

“Brother Lin, Fellow Daoist Bai Li, now, I, this Immortal Venerable expert, am truly worthy of the name,” he murmured softly, his figure slowly merging into the void and disappearing.

Within the Merit Hall, Liu Ruyan broke through.

Compared to the breakthroughs of the previous two, Liu Ruyan’s breakthrough seemed much more ordinary, yet it was equally significant.

She presided over the Merit Hall, handling a massive amount of resource allocation, merit calculation, and personnel placement. These tasks were extremely tedious and mentally taxing, but Liu Ruyan managed them in an orderly fashion, making the vast logistical system thrive.

It was through this day-to-day busyness that her understanding of resources, her ability to allocate personnel, and her grasp of the overall situation reached a new height. This was not a combat-related insight, but rather a grand Dao akin to governance and coordination.

At the same time, as one of Lin Xuan’s followers, her resource supply was never lacking. Various top-tier immortal pills and chaos spiritual rice were always available, and she even occasionally received guidance from Lin Xuan.

Quantitative change led to qualitative change.

One day, as she was calculating a batch of divine ores newly transported from the Obsidian Star Belt, she suddenly felt a sensation, and her long-standing bottleneck instantly shattered!

She did not leave her post; she simply closed her eyes slowly, and the immortal power within her circulated, compressed, and transformed on its own, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea! Her aura steadily increased, and her divine sense expanded outwards at an unprecedented speed, as if she could encompass every subtle change within the entire Star Palace’s ten-thousand-mile dojo in her mind.

Golden Immortal!

A breakthrough that came naturally! There were no earth-shattering phenomena, only a calm, capable, and controlling demeanor that naturally radiated. Her immortal soul became even more resilient, and her control over immortal power became more precise and intricate.

Opening her eyes, Liu Ruyan’s eyes flashed with joy, but she quickly regained her calm and continued to attend to official duties, though her efficiency seemed to have increased.

Palace Master’s Edict, New Important Responsibilities

Soon after, Lin Xuan emerged from seclusion and was overjoyed to learn that Bi Xiao, Elder of the Void Palace and Liu Ruyan had both broken through.

He immediately summoned all high-ranking officials and issued new appointments.

“Effective immediately, Fellow Daoist Bi Xiao, Elder of the Void Palace shall be the Grand Elder of my Star Palace! He shall take charge of the Void Palace, overseeing all spatial arrays, long-distance teleportation, cross-realm reconnaissance, and strategic mobility matters! His status shall be equivalent to that of a Deputy Palace Master!”

“Liu Ruyan, having advanced to Golden Immortal and rendered meritorious service, is promoted to Sky Patrol Commander! She shall command the newly formed million-strong Sky Patrol Army! She will be responsible for patrolling the Star Palace’s territory, border defense, and eradicating residual Asura Clan members and unstable elements within our borders!”

“Sky Patrol Army personnel shall be optimally selected from all True Immortal realm disciples! Equipment and resources shall be prioritized for their supply!”

Once the orders were issued, everyone was convinced.

Bi Xiao, Elder of the Void Palace’s strength and contributions were worthy of the Grand Elder position. With him in charge, the Star Palace’s mobility and defense would be elevated by several levels, truly making it impregnable.

Although Liu Ruyan did not directly participate in frontline assaults, her excellent logistical management and coordination abilities were evident to all. Having her command the million-strong Sky Patrol Army, responsible for internal security and patrols, was perfectly suitable. This army did not require her to personally engage in combat, but rather her ability to coordinate and control.

Soon, a massive patrol army, composed entirely of True Immortal realm cultivators, well-equipped and disciplined, quickly took shape under Liu Ruyan’s integration. A million True Immortals! This force, if unleashed, would be enough to sweep through most powers in the Immortal Realm! Yet, it was merely the Star Palace’s internal patrol force, demonstrating its immense strength.

Bi Xiao, Elder of the Void Palace’s Void Palace also began to operate; he improved all of the Star Palace’s teleportation arrays, making them more stable and efficient; he began to construct a void monitoring network covering the entire sphere of influence of the Star Palace; and he even began to train a group of disciples with spatial talent.

The structure of the Star Palace became more complete, and its foundation grew increasingly solid.

Lin Xuan sat in the main seat, looking at the renewed core leadership below:

Deputy Palace Master Bai Li, early Immortal Venerable; Grand Elder Bi Xiao, Elder of the Void Palace, early Immortal Venerable; Sky Patrol Commander Liu Ruyan, early Golden Immortal. Senior Sister Yun Qingyao, late Heavenly Immortal; Leng Yuechan, Ye Chen, Mo Sha, Kong Ming, Ling Long, You Ye, Su Yuan, Feng Qiqi, Qing Xuan, Mu Ling Nannan, Jin Bao, A Zi, and others, each possessing divine abilities and extraordinary combat power... as well as several million elite troops under command!

Today’s Star Palace was rich in talent, with strong soldiers and horses; high-end combat power and mid-level forces formed a perfect complement.

“Very good.” Lin Xuan nodded with satisfaction. “The interior is stable. Next...”

His gaze once again turned to the star map, looking at the vast areas still occupied by the Asura Clan, and the direction where Old Dog Xuan Gu might be hiding.

“It’s time to continue our path of expansion.”

The Star Palace, this sharp sword tempered by blood and fire, had been polished; wherever its blade pointed, it was bound to shake the heavens!

The landscape of the Immortal Realm was destined to be completely changed by it!