Grand Dominance. Qin Manor.
Yi Xiao was drawing in the tea room, but her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts.
"I wonder what urgent matter it was for Ancestral Master Zhang to suddenly summon Brother Yun to South Sea Prefecture." Yi Xiao pined for her husband.
Sou!
A stream of light appeared on the distant horizon before charging right into Qin Manor.
"Brother Yun." Yi Xiao immediately put down her brush and came out of the tea room to welcome him. It had stopped snowing but the ground was still covered with a thick layer of snow.
"Xiaoxiao." Qin Yun walked over beaming. He left footsteps in the white snow as he came to her and said, "I have great news for you."
"Great news? What great news could come from Ancestral Master Zhang"s summons?" Yi Xiao was puzzled.
Qin Yun was taken aback as he said immediately, "No, Ancestral Master Zhang"s summoned me to help with a terrible thing! Well, it started with…"
The couple went to the tea room and he explained the whole battle with the mysterious fiendish demon.
"So that"s what happened." Yi Xiao was enlightened. Following that, she asked, "Then, what is the great news? Is it that you averted the disaster?"
"No, no." Qin Yun smiled. "After I averted the disaster, His Majesty gave Hong Lingtong and me the t.i.tle of marquis. That"s actually not important. What"s important that he also gave me a mystic art. This mystic art is the great news."
"Mystic art?" Yi Xiao was puzzled.
"His Majesty has cultivated to the SkyG.o.d realm," explained Qin Yun. "However, after he began his reign over the world, he has taken many concubines who had numerous children. If you think about it, for a SkyG.o.d like him to have children… it should be tens, if not a hundred times, harder than a Connate Golden Core sword immortal like me. But in fact, His Majesty has a bunch of children."
Yi Xiao nodded immediately.
She made an immediate guess.
"And it"s because His Majesty knows a mystic art," said Qin Yun with a smile. "His Majesty said that fewer than five people in this world know of this mystic art, but he bestowed it upon me. I have read it and learned it! Thanks to this mystic art, we will soon have a child."
"Yes." Yi Xiao nodded. She was long anxious about their lack of children despite being married for more than a decade.
"Is there any cost to casting the mystic art?" asked Yi Xiao.
"It cannot be cast a second time within ten years after the first," said Qin Yun. "That way, it doesn"t overburden the body. If it is cast repeatedly, it will put a huge burden on the body and drastically reduce a person"s lifespan."
Yi Xiao was enlightened.
"Don"t worry. We will definitely succeed the first time we cast it." Qin Yun smiled.
That night, the couple attempted it. The feeling of casting the mystic art was indeed unprecedented. The next day, Qin Yun"s face was slightly pale. Thankfully, he could easily recover with time. As long as he did not cast it again within ten years, it did not do any harm to his body.
The couple thus began to await the good news of a pregnancy.
Of course, Qin Yun also made a trip to the East Sea Dragon Palace during this period.
He handed over the Essence Soul realm Water race corpses and dragon corpses he obtained from the Ancient Skydragon Palace to the East Sea Dragon Palace. The East Sea"s Skydragon was very grateful! After the dragon corpses were interred in a Dragon Tomb, the rest of the Water race corpses were buried properly.
On the nineteenth day of the new year, the imperial government decreed that Qin Yun would be made Serene Marquis with his fief being Serene Province. Hong Lingtong was made Heightened Marquis with his fief being Heightened Province.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, a marquis was named after their fief.
A county with two marquises!
The news immediately caused a stir in Grand Dominance County. Soon, it spread throughout the world, causing a furor.
It was very rare for marquis t.i.tles to be bestowed. Furthermore, two marquises were made in the same county together? What was more shocking was that Hong Lingtong had been made one too. After all, Qin Yun was recognized as the best sword immortal in the world. In addition, he had done many great meritorious deeds. As for Hong Lingtong, he had kept a low profile and had nothing to show for his work. Even his ident.i.ty as a reincarnated immortal and the whole ordeal with the World Entrance at South Sea Prefecture was not known to most Connate Golden Core cultivators.
After the announcement, Qin Manor and Hong Manor made an agreement.
Qin Manor would have its celebratory banquet on the twenty-second while Hong Manor would have it on the twenty-fifth. Being conferred the t.i.tle of marquis deserved a joyous celebration!
"Arrival of Scenic Mountain Sect"s Grand Elder Immortal Winterdawn!"
Scenic Mountain Sect"s only Essence Soul expert, Immortal Winterdawn, brought with him an entourage that included Palatial Lord Essence Charm.
"Congratulations, Sword Immortal Qin."
"Arrival of Magistress Mountain"s Matron Gu!"
A wizened old woman came with Chen Shuang.
"Arrival of Sand Sect"s Blackheaven Grand Protector!"
"Arrival of Numinous Treasure Mountain"s Elder Baiqing!"
"Arrival of Skydemon Palace"s Patriarch Myriad Demon!"
"Arrival of Nine Caves Water Abode"s Lord Nine Caves!"
"Arrival of North Sea Dragon King!"
"Arrival of East Sea Dragon King!"
One figure after another arrived on clouds. Truly mighty powerhouses from all over the world came to give their well-wishes. After all, Qin Yun, who had at least five hundred years to live, was not even fifty years old but his strength was already at the third Firmament Essence Soul realm! Who could say for certain how strong he would eventually become? In addition, with his status as a mortal sword immortal and an aegis of Merit Glow protecting him, who would truly dare to offend him? Which faction wouldn"t want to be on his good side?
They naturally came to befriend him.
Furthermore, even if Qin Yun failed to condense an Essence Soul in the future, he might be thought highly of by a mighty powerhouse if his realm reached amazing heights. That mighty powerhouse could at least help Qin Yun reincarnate and become a reincarnated immortal.
Nothing was certain! After all, he was the most impressive sword immortal in history. And his story was only beginning.
"Wow, so many immortals and G.o.dfiends are here?"
"Even the imperial government has sent three G.o.dfiends?"
Even top sects like the Yue Chapter, Sword Tower, Black Turtle Palace, and Wood Dragon Manor did not have existences at the Essence Soul realm. All of them kept a low profile.
After all, the three Daoist sacred lands, the imperial government, Mahākāśyapa Monastery, Skydemon Palace, Four Seas Dragon Palace, and even a few itinerant Essence Soul experts had come to congratulate Qin Yun! There was also no lack of hegemon existences like Patriarch Zhu, Patriarch Yi, Patriarch Myriad Demon, and Lord Nine Caves. They were only second to SkyG.o.ds and Skyimmortals like Human Emperor and Ancestral Master Zhang.
"All the powerhouses of the cultivation world, gathered in one place."
"Just a t.i.tle conferment has gathered so many important figures."
"What did Sword Immortal Qin do that even the Primordial Chaos Sect"s Patriarch Zhu came?"
Many Connate Golden Core cultivators were astounded.
Existences that they had difficulty meeting even once their entire lives had appeared in large numbers that day.
"Too many people came." As the host, Qin Yun was busily receiving the guests that came from all over the world.
"Ninth Hong, Eighth Zhu, chat amongst yourselves for the moment. I can"t entertain you now," said Qin Yun when he heard the announcement of Mahākāśyapa Monastery"s Arhat Fiend Vanquisher. He rushed to receive the new guest.
"Haha, Brother Qin Yun, you look so busy like you might take off into the sky anytime," teased Hong Lingtong.
"Are you teasing me? You"ll be the one receiving guests in another three days," said Qin Yun.
"Yes, yes, yes. Daoist Liu, you will be busy soon. As for me, I"ll be the most carefree," said Eighth Zhu leisurely.
"We are both marquises. You don"t have any n.o.ble t.i.tle," said Hong Lingtong deliberately.
"My patriarch has been conferred with kings.h.i.+p," said Eighth Zhu as he ate a fruit.
Both of them pouted.
Qin Yun chuckled as he left them to their squabble. He immediately went out to receive Arhat Fiend Vanquisher from Mahākāśyapa Monastery.
This was because they had a common enemy—the Nine Lineage Fiendish Demons!
Therefore, the world"s cultivators were rather united. The humans, Four Seas Dragon race, and the Skydemon Palace all had good relations.h.i.+ps. Although there were minor conflicts occasionally, all of them appeared very friendly and genial at Qin Yun"s celebration.
After the two celebrations at Qin Manor and Hong Manor, peace gradually returned to Grand Dominance County.
On the thirtieth day of the month, Qin Yun was accompanying Yi Xiao as they strolled by the side of the mirror lake.
"They are finally all gone. The past few days were really hectic. That Patriarch Myriad Demon only left today. Despite being a demon, he was extremely interested in sword arts," said Yi Xiao exasperatedly. Some of the fellow Daoists that had visited had stayed for many days but as the new year approached, all of them began to leave. Patriarch Myriad Demon was the last to leave.
"Patriarch Myriad Demon enjoys an extremely high status in Skydemon Palace. I wouldn"t dare slight him in any way. Thankfully, this busy period is finally over for us," said Qin Yun with a smile.
"Yea." Yi Xiao nodded.
The couple strolled and enjoyed the silence.
Suddenly, Yi Xiao frowned.
A sudden pain struck her before she could take another two steps but eventually stopped. She could not help but hold her abdomen.
"What happened?" Qin Yun looked at Yi Xiao.
"My tummy hurts a little." Yi Xiao"s face began to turn pale as cold sweat seeped out of her forehead.
"What"s happening? Xiaoxiao, you are a Connate Golden Core cultivator. How can your tummy hurt?" Qin Yun panicked. At their realm, they had immense control over their bodies. Such a thing was almost impossible.
"I… I…" Yi Xiao held her tummy as her body trembled. Her skin flushed red as the surrounding temperatures rose rapidly. The air around her even distorted to the point that the water in the nearby lake began to boil.