Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth

Su Qing was slightly stunned upon hearing this.

She then looked at the frozen surface of the lake and nodded.

"I promised you before that I would go with you to celebrate your father's birthday. Now that it is approaching, I naturally won't break my word."

She hadn't forgotten the promise she made...

It was simply that she didn't enjoy tracking the years and couldn't quite remember which year it was currently.

Now that Ao Ying had brought it up, she naturally wouldn't refuse.

Seeing Su Qing agree, Ao Ying couldn't help but smile, then sat down by the edge of the platform and said:

"I knew you wouldn't go back on your word, Sister. However... coming with me to celebrate my father's birthday won't just be for show; you'll even get some great benefits."

Su Qing was surprised by these sudden words.

She couldn't help but turn to look at Ao Ying, her expression puzzled as she asked, "What do you mean by that?"

It was just a birthday banquet; it was impossible for her to lose out on anything.

But as for benefits...

Su Qing hadn't really given it much thought.

After all, a Dragon Palace banquet usually just meant eating some rare delicacies.

Aside from that, what other benefits could there be?

Oh, right—getting to know some people could be considered a benefit. After all, networking was a major resource!

At this moment, Ao Ying chose to keep her in suspense, saying with a beaming smile:

"In any case, just trust me, Sister. You'll understand once we get there."

"Alright, alright. If you don't want to say, then I won't ask any further."

She smiled, looking up at the heavy snowflakes filling the sky, and said:

"The snow came earlier this year than last, and the weather is colder too. I fear it might be a bit difficult to endure..."

Ao Ying looked slightly confused upon hearing this and said, "Sister, your strength has already reached the Earthly Immortal realm, and you are even a powerhouse among them. Why would you fear a mere winter?"

Ao Ying didn't doubt her, as she herself was unaffected by heat or cold at the Divine Immortal realm. Su Qing, being an Earthly Immortal, should naturally be even less afraid of the cold.

"This... well, life is about the experience. If one can no longer feel the chill of winter or the warmth of summer... then it's somewhat of a pity. Sometimes, I want to live like I used to."

Su Qing thought for a moment and gave a casual explanation.

Whether Ao Ying understood or not, she wasn't sure... she just felt that her explanation was sufficient.

"Xiao Qing, you always fixate on the oddest things..."

Sometimes Ao Ying didn't quite understand Su Qing.

Because she always liked to do things that seemed quite unnecessary.

Su Qing smiled slightly and said, "You don't need to worry about it... just consider it one of my simple pleasures in life."

"Fine, I really don't understand some of your strange ideas."

Seeing this, Ao Ying didn't ask further and only said:

"However, if you find it cold, Sister, how about coming with me to soak in the hot springs?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Su Qing nodded with a smile.

She considered it an agreement.

The two continued to chat for a while...

As they saw the snow getting heavier, they each headed back.

Su Qing returned to the courtyard and instinctively walked into the alchemy room...

She certainly couldn't remain idle, so she decided to continue improving her alchemy skills.

"Today, I'll continue practicing some alchemy techniques and find some time to meditate on the Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra left by Guanyin Bodhisattva," Su Qing thought.

Although life on the mountain was quiet, she could always find things to do.

The days passed quickly...

Before they knew it, the cold winter had come to an end.

As winter faded and spring arrived, the Changbai Mountains were revitalized once more.

The trees that had lost all their leaves were now sprouting new buds.

It made the Changbai Mountains a scene full of vibrant life.

Su Qing stood atop the mountain, gazing at the distant town.

A winter had passed, yet the town remained the same... it seemed nothing had changed.

But Su Qing knew that the common people had not fared well this winter.

"Whatever. I've done all I can; the rest is up to the efforts of the mortal officials," Su Qing sighed softly.

What she could do was limited...

Even if she was a mountain god.

As a mountain god, she was also bound by the current rules...

Just as she was sighing, a fine, misty rain began to fall.

Spring rain was never unpleasant, as it signified the revival of all things.

"Is it raining again? There is quite a bit of rain in spring."

Su Qing shook her head and reached into her Sleeve Universe to pull out an umbrella.

But before she could even open the umbrella, she suddenly felt something strange.

"Eh?"

"Why has the spiritual qi suddenly risen? And it's not a small amount... it's an increase of about ten percent."

"Could it be the backflow from the Bodhi Tree? No, I'm quite far from it; I shouldn't be within its range of influence. Has something happened to the Changbai Mountains? Or has the spiritual qi of the entire world risen?"

After consuming so many golden elixirs and Peaches of Immortality, Su Qing's perception of the spiritual qi of heaven and earth was incredibly acute; she could clearly detect even the slightest change.

This sudden surge in spiritual qi left her momentarily puzzled.

Normally, spiritual qi would rise or fall gradually, and minor fluctuations were perfectly normal. However, such a dramatic surge was extremely rare and bizarre.

A sudden explosion like this, in her memory, had only occurred during the Bodhi Tree's spiritual qi backflow, and even then, the range was limited to the area around the courtyard.

Further away, the levels of spiritual qi would return to normal...

Because of this, the sudden rise in spiritual qi didn't bring Su Qing any joy; instead, it left her with a faint sense of worry.

Su Qing's brow furrowed as many doubts filled her mind.

"Could it be that my senses were wrong?" Su Qing couldn't help but wonder.

"Xiao Qing, so this is where you were!"

Just as Su Qing was pondering, she heard Ao Ying's voice behind her, interrupting her thoughts.

She wasn't annoyed, but simply turned and asked, "What is it?"

"Grandpa Turtle is here..."

Su Qing was startled and asked, "What is he doing here? Could it be that tomorrow is your father's birthday?"

Ao Ying nodded slightly and said, "Yes, Grandpa Turtle has come to invite you to the East Sea."

Su Qing's mouth twitched upon hearing this, and she said, "I promised to accompany you to the Dragon Palace for the celebration; didn't you tell your father?"

"I've been at the Changbai Mountains' Heaven Lake this whole time and haven't gone anywhere, so naturally, I didn't tell him," Ao Ying said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"..." Su Qing felt helpless and said, "I suspect you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Ao Ying smiled and didn't admit it, only saying, "Let's go, Grandpa Turtle has been waiting for a while. If we don't go back now, he might think you don't want to go, Sister."

Seeing this, Su Qing could only nod and say, "Alright, alright, I'll go back with you now."

"Mhm!"

Seeing Su Qing agree, Ao Ying pulled her back toward the courtyard.

Along the way, Su Qing didn't say anything, nor did she mention her discovery to Ao Ying.

She simply set aside her thoughts on the matter for the time being.

Because she knew that even if she kept thinking about it, she wouldn't reach any useful conclusion.

Rather than continuing to trouble herself, it was better to let it rest for now.

She would see how things were elsewhere once she left the Changbai Mountains.

If the Changbai Mountains weren't an isolated case, she would stop by to talk with the Old Mother of Mount Li on her way back.

After all, if this was happening across the entire world...

Then with the Old Mother of Mount Li's capabilities, it was impossible for her not to have noticed.

And a being like the Old Mother would surely know something.

Of course, whether she would share that knowledge was another matter entirely.

After all, seniors like the Old Mother always enjoyed being enigmatic... she loved making Su Qing guess.

In the courtyard.

The old turtle sat by the stone table, holding a teacup, quietly waiting for Ao Ying and Su Qing to return.

Having arrived a day early, he was naturally in no rush.

Whether Su Qing went or not, they would return sooner or later...

He would simply wait here.

As he was drinking his tea, the courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open.

At the same time, Ao Ying's voice came from outside: "Grandpa Turtle, we're back."

Hearing this, the old turtle hurriedly set down his teacup and rose to salute Ao Ying and Su Qing, saying:

"Greetings, Bi Ling Yuanjun!"

"Greetings, Princess... thank you for your hard work."

The old turtle had originally planned to call her 'Immortal' or perhaps 'Consort'.

But after careful thought, he quickly changed his address.

Firstly, Su Qing's status was no longer what it once was, and secondly, since the wedding banquet hadn't been held, she couldn't yet be considered a consort.

Su Qing didn't know how much was going through the old turtle's mind; she simply nodded slightly and returned the greeting: "Greetings, Turtle Prime Minister! I have kept you waiting."

"Not at all, not at all, I only arrived a short while ago." The old turtle shook his head with a smile and continued: "I presume the Princess has already told you why I have come today..."

"Yes, she has told me."

"Then, are you willing to go, Bi Ling Yuanjun?"

Su Qing nodded and said:

"Since it is the Old Dragon King's birthday, as a junior, I naturally should go to offer my congratulations. However, I must ask the Prime Minister to wait a moment. I will gather my other friends, and then we will head to the East Sea together."

The old turtle replied respectfully, "I shall follow your lead, Bi Ling Yuanjun."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing nodded and then turned to find the rest of the little ones.

Gongsun Zhixue and the Little Sparrows couldn't stay idle and enjoyed roaming the mountains; today was no exception.

Su Qing usually didn't say anything about it, for as they wandered the mountains, they would occasionally help people who were injured or in distress, as long as they weren't seen by mortals...

For Su Qing, this was also a very good thing.

For one, it meant fewer deaths, and for another, it helped gain more followers.

Finding these little ones wasn't difficult; she could pinpoint their location with a bit of divination.

Furthermore, once she found one, she could quickly find the rest.

In a short while, Su Qing found Gongsun Zhixue and the others.

After explaining where they were going, the group immediately followed Su Qing back to the courtyard.

If nothing else, these restless characters would certainly not miss out on a trip.

Even the Little Sparrows, who used to claim they hated the sea, followed along.

Back at the courtyard.

Su Qing didn't waste any time. She saluted the old turtle and said, "Prime Minister, we can leave now."

Seeing this, the old turtle hurriedly returned the salute and said, "Then please join me on my mount! With so many of you, it will be much faster to travel by mount."

Su Qing shook her head slightly upon hearing this and said:

"There's no need for such trouble; I can take everyone on a cloud. A mount cannot compare to the speed of my cloud."

"This..."

The old turtle could only nod obediently upon hearing this.

Though he was somewhat skeptical, since she was so confident, saying more would only be seen as intentionally disrespecting her.

It wasn't worth offending the immortal for the sake of a moment's argument.

Regardless of what the old turtle thought, Su Qing simply performed a hand seal and silently recited a mantra.

Then, a cluster of red auspicious clouds rose from the ground, carrying everyone as they transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the East Sea.

The scenery along the way reversed at high speed, so fast that the old turtle was left speechless with shock.

"What kind of technique has this Bi Ling Yuanjun cultivated? How can a simple cloud-soaring method be so fast? This speed is likely comparable even to the legendary Golden-Winged Great Peng, famous for its speed."

The old turtle inhaled a cold breath in shock...

He hadn't expected that despite living for so many years, his knowledge was still so superficial.

"I truly underestimated the younger generation..." The old turtle felt a bit helpless; he truly was getting old.

And while the old turtle was still lost in his thoughts.

Su Qing's calm voice came from the side:

"We've arrived..."

"Arrived?" The old turtle was stunned for a moment and turned to look around.

Only then did he realize they had already reached the East Sea.

"Yes, Grandpa Turtle, we've arrived." Ao Ying couldn't help but smile slightly at the old turtle's dazed expression.

"Bi Ling Yuanjun's magic is truly profound; I am deeply impressed," the old turtle said, taking a deep breath and bowing to Su Qing.

Su Qing shook her head slightly and replied, "It's not that my magic is profound, but rather that the technique my master taught me is profound."

The old turtle gave a helpless, bitter smile but didn't argue or flatter further. He simply nodded and led Su Qing and the others into the water, heading toward the East Sea Dragon Palace.

The old turtle had lived a long time, after all, and he quickly regained his composure.

He began to tell Su Qing about the recent events at the Dragon Palace.

"Many guests have arrived recently, including rogue immortals from all over the world and heavenly immortals from the Heavenly Court. If you see someone you dislike, Bi Ling Yuanjun, please show some respect to the Dragon Palace... and do not start a conflict."

Although the old turtle knew Su Qing wasn't an impulsive person, he still gave her the customary warning.

After all, it was better to be safe than sorry...

Su Qing nodded slightly and said, "Don't worry, I don't have any enemies. I am, however, curious—who are the guests coming to the Dragon Palace this time?"

Seeing Su Qing's inquiry, the old turtle listed all the guests he could remember.