The Automaton carefully poured tea into delicate porcelain cups as he began to explain the situation in a calm, measured tone.
"Lord Shen Bao has competed against a great many cultivators, ultimately earning himself the revered title of *Strongest Under the Heavens.* This title, while prestigious, came with both a significant reward and an immense burden of responsibility, a responsibility that Lord Shen Bao chose to undertake willingly."
Liang Yu, her eyes narrowing with curiosity, asked, "This territory—is it part of that reward?" her expression betrayed her words, she knew fully that this entire area is nothing but problems and a heap ton of issues packed in a gift paper. Nothing about the sea of demons spelled 'Reward' all of it was nothing but a pain in the ass.
The Automaton nodded solemnly. "Indeed, it is a part of the reward. However, Lord Shen Bao never anticipated that such an assault would occur here. Now that he has earned and conquered this territory, it is his duty to protect it."
Liang Yu's expression shifted to one of frustration. "Why? Aren't there eight Suns who are more than capable of handling such a responsibility? Why dump all of it onto Shen Bao's shoulders?"
The room fell silent; no one had a definitive answer for her. The tension in the air thickened, and Liang Yu groaned in exasperation. "He's been tasked with protecting a land as vast as any of the territories commanded by the eight Suns, but without adequate forces. The commanders and generals here are weak—barely competent.
We have only three Heaven Stage cultivators, one of whom just lost an arm, and his puppets. It's like asking him to walk into certain death," she complained, her voice tinged with despair.
"And that's not even the worst part," she continued, her frustration growing. "The territory he was given is a complete wasteland! Who could possibly cultivate here? The place is plagued by Qi-sapping seawater, barren of vegetation as far as I can see, and now it's submerged under endless waves. It's as if this entire land is cursed to fail."
Tao Yang, who had remained quiet until now, finally spoke, her tone carrying a weight of seriousness. "Abandoning this territory would condemn the entire Beyond."
Liang Yu's eyes sharpened as something more personal crossed her mind. "And who are you to Shen Bao?" she demanded, her voice stern. "No lies," she added, a fierce protectiveness flashing in her eyes. For Liang Yu, cultivation levels didn't matter—anyone wanting a piece of Shen Bao would have to go through her first.
Tao Yang smiled softly, her demeanor calm. "Shen Bao is my benefactor. He saved my life, and I owe him a great debt. That is all there is to it."
YuYu sighed, her mind racing as she tried to grasp the situation. "We need to find ways to help him. I didn't expect to be thrown into the fire right after surviving the pan. The Vast Expanse hasn't been peaceful, but this... this is a whole different kind of mess."
"What can we do?" Liang Yu interjected, her frustration evident. "Cultivating here is nearly impossible. The best spot I've seen is the pagoda, but using it would drain Shen Bao's resources, resources he needs to build an army to protect this land."
"I recognize that," YuYu agreed. "Then we'll need to find somewhere else to cultivate."
"Oh, pardon me," the Automaton quickly clarified. "What I meant is that he practices two different cultivation methods simultaneously—his unique Poison Qi and the Heavenly Qi, which is only absorbed by the Primordial Serpent God. Shen Bao himself cannot absorb the Qi from this reactor, and the Serpent God refuses to absorb it because it's too pure for her."
"I sure missed a lot... Did you just say the Primordial Serpent God?" Liang Yu asked, still trying to wrap her head around the situation.
The Automaton realized that they were unaware of much of Shen Bao's recent progress, so he patiently explained as much as he could.
"I see..." Liang Yu finally said, her mind racing with the new information. "So, this Serpent can't use this Qi? Does that mean it's dangerous for us if a heavenly creature refuses it?"
"Not at all," the Automaton reassured her. "The Primordial Serpent God cannot absorb it because it would interfere with Shen Bao's Poison Qi. She requires a lower quality Qi so that it doesn't compete with Shen Bao's cultivation."
Nodding as they processed the information, YuYu asked, "So, how does this work?"
The Automaton carefully placed a Saint Qi crystal the size of a fist inside the reactor. "Try absorbing the Qi that the reactor will generate," he instructed.
Soon, a powerful wave of Qi erupted from the reactor, engulfing YuYu in its pure energy. To her surprise, she didn't even need to consciously rotate her cultivation base—the Qi flowed into her as naturally as breathing or drinking water. It felt effortless, comforting, and invigorating.
YuYu's cultivation base, which had been stagnant at the lower levels of the Emperor Stage, began to rise, albeit slowly at first. The reactor continued to generate Qi, which YuYu eagerly absorbed. After several seconds, the flow of Qi ceased.
Waking from her stupor, YuYu asked, "That's it?"
"Check your cultivation base," the Automaton advised. "Remember, it was only a small piece of Saint Qi crystal, and the concentration wasn't fully focused on you."
YuYu closed her eyes and checked inwardly. To her amazement, the Automaton was right. With just that small amount of Qi, her cultivation base had increased by about one-hundredth of its total. A hundred of those crystals would elevate her to the next stage... and that was only with a hundred Saint Stones.
She had used far more than that just to reach the Emperor Stage, scouring the Vast Expanse for any trace of Saint Qi she could find.
This method could potentially allow her to reach the Void Stage—or maybe, with enough luck, even surpass it. She entertained the thought of surprising Shen Bao, perhaps even surpassing him and being the one to protect and help him for a change. The idea brought a small, fleeting smile to her usually cold demeanor, a rare glimpse of her inward thoughts.A