Great Yi Imperial Palace, Palace of Forgetting Worries.
The palace maids here were all attendants brought from the Bohai Dragon Palace. This residence was situated in the center of a lake—after all, dragons were inherently fond of water. They naturally preferred aquatic environments. The attendants, having transformed from aquatic beings, couldn't stay away from water for long—not fatally so, but enough to make them extremely uncomfortable.So, naturally, when choosing a place to live, they picked one that brought them comfort.
Not just Ao You, but Ao Qing as well had chosen a palace within the lake. A shared preference, evidently.
Soon, Yi Tianxing arrived at the Palace of Forgetting Worries.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," the palace maids greeted respectfully, none daring to show the slightest disrespect.
"I welcome Your Majesty," Ao You stepped out and greeted him solemnly at the palace gates.
"It's fine, Consort You. No need for formalities. Let's speak inside."
Yi Tianxing nodded and helped her up. When his fingers brushed her arm—even through the fabric—he could feel her delicate softness. Ao You shuddered slightly as though touched by electricity. Her eyes trembled, and a trace of shyness surfaced on her face.
She knew very well what Yi Tianxing's arrival meant.
This meant… they were about to become true husband and wife.
Inside, the palace had already been decorated. Some ornaments came from the Great Yi Dynasty, others from the Dragon Palace—coral, shells, and other underwater treasures that lent the palace a distinct marine style. It felt as if the ocean breeze echoed through the hall.
They sat together on a cloud-bed.
Looking at Ao You's bashful face, Yi Tianxing smiled gently."Our union, be it for alliance or other reasons, I hope that from today on, we are truly family—husband and wife, bound together. I am the Emperor of Great Yi. You are my imperial consort. Nothing else matters."
There was a quiet hope in his words.
Though theirs had been a political marriage, he wished that every woman beside him could feel like family. No matter what her past or origin, he hoped for a happy ending—for all of them.
"I am your wife, and you are my husband," Ao You said with firm conviction.
"You'er… Let's rest."
Yi Tianxing smiled, reached out, and embraced her slender waist."A night of spring is worth a thousand gold—this beautiful moment must not go to waste."
As his words fell, he lifted Ao You into his arms and gently lay down on the cloud-bed.
A pained cry echoed, followed by soft gasps and moans. Yet none of these sounds left the palace. An invisible force sealed them within, preventing even a whisper from escaping.
During the night, Yi Tianxing briefly stepped out but soon returned—this time carrying another woman in his arms. Soon, a new wave of passion surged as battle resumed.
That night, crimson waves surged. It was a night of indulgence and tenderness.
Time passed unknowingly. As dawn approached, the battle finally ended with two high-pitched moans echoing into silence.
On the bed, covered with white silken sheets, lay two flushed, flower-pink bodies—Ao You and Ao Qing. The sight was nothing short of divine temptation.
Especially Ao Qing—her beauty was enough to enrapture any man. A body sculpted with seductive allure, bone-deep charm that could melt the soul.
But at that moment, Yi Tianxing's mind was immersed within his own body.
In his Divine Sea, within the Transcendent Dragon Pool, the image of the Ancestral Dragon had fully manifested—vivid and lifelike.
Having dual cultivated with the two dragon women, the Yin and Yang forces within him merged into Creation Power, which the Ancestral Dragon devoured greedily.
The Creation Power didn't fuse into one but split into two distinct energies.
In the blink of an eye, two dragon pearls began to form.
"Creation Dragon Pearls… I wonder what surprises they'll bring this time."Yi Tianxing watched with eager anticipation.
Both Ao You and Ao Qing possessed unique constitutions, producing marvels during dual cultivation, giving birth to Creation Dragon Pearls.
Once formed, the two pearls shot out from his Divine Sea and began rapidly darting through his body.
One Creation Dragon Pearl traveled through his flesh, skin, bones, meridians, and blood, finally settling at his chest—where it suddenly exploded.
From that burst, a new Life Aperture was born, glowing with silver-white runes, rapidly constructing a mystical space. A sensation of merging with the void filled his senses. He felt as though the heavens themselves became close friends, and spatial force began to stir within his blood.
The second pearl exploded at his Zhongdan acupoint, unleashing gray runes. A new Life Aperture emerged.
A sculpture formed within this aperture—a lifelike statue identical to Yi Tianxing himself. It looked just like a wooden puppet, but perfect in detail, down to his bloodline and aura.
Space Life Aperture➤ Grants access to space-based divine powers, including mastery over void, teleportation, spatial collapse, and more. With enough mastery, one could become a Space God, tearing rifts in the void, collapsing the heavens, reversing sun and moon.
Substitute Death Life Aperture (替死命窍)➤ The puppet formed is a Death Substitute Doll, capable of taking any lethal blow in Yi Tianxing's place—even instant death. This substitution is absolute:• Cannot be detected.• Not negated by divine powers.• Leaves behind a realistic corpse, indistinguishable from Yi Tianxing's real body.
Yi Tianxing trembled with excitement.
The Substitute Death Life Aperture was the true treasure.
Once activated, the doll would die in his place, leaving a body that even supreme beings couldn't distinguish from the real one. He would enter a state between life and death, becoming imperceptible.
The only limitation: only one Substitute Doll can exist at a time. Once used, the next takes a long time to cultivate:
Yellow Tier: 3000 years
Mysterious Tier: 1000 years
Earth Tier: 500 years
Heaven Tier: 100 years
"This… is a precious trump card."
He hadn't forgotten the scene where the Nine-Child Ghost Mother had slain him in the Underworld. Who could guarantee another similar threat wouldn't appear in the living world?
He decided—this Substitute Death Life Aperture would be kept secret, shared with no one.
"You two are truly my lucky stars. Most cultivators couldn't endure your power, but my "Heavenly Emperor's Dragon Sutra" suppresses it easily. Let's hope you're wise enough not to push too far."
He glanced at the two women in his arms and, seeing it was still early morning, laid down again and drifted into sleep.
Morning.
Ao You and Ao Qing awoke at the same time. Seeing each other, their faces flushed with embarrassment. They dressed and headed to the Xianhuang Palace.
As newcomers to the harem, their first task was to pay respects to the Empress—a rule that marked their formal entry into the royal household.