565 Chapter 564: Five Dou Gods
Five years later, Central Plains.
After the Heavenly Court announced its jurisdiction over the entire continent, the Central Plains experienced an unprecedented rise in prosperity.
Numerous sects and factions joined the Heavenly Court. As a result, the region flourished like never before.
The transition was not entirely smooth during this time. Not everyone agreed with the order established by the Heavenly Court, especially those evil factions that were the targets of its harsh crackdowns.
However, with the Heavenly Court's many powerful supporters and Xiao Ming's backing, no faction, no matter how sinister or powerful, could stir up any significant trouble.
Of course, to maintain the integrity of the Heavenly Court, Xiao Ming, inspired by the characteristics of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's 'Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation', created an assessment illusion known as the "Red Dust Questioning Heart." This test directly weeded out those with impure intentions from the power structures of the Heavenly Court.
At the same time, the Heavenly Court deployed Dou Venerate experts to open wormholes throughout the Dou Qi Continent. This facilitated closer communication and interaction between different regions.
In addition to these measures, Xiao Ming implemented several initiatives that kept him busy for a while.
However, once the framework was successfully established and the Heavenly Court was on a path of healthy development, Xiao Ming stepped back from managing the day-to-day affairs to spend more time with his family.
...
Heavenly Realm.
This was a newly formed small world created by the Heavenly Court. The natural energy here was rich and dense, while precious materials that were rare in the outside world could be easily found everywhere.
In the central area of the Heavenly Realm stood an exceptionally tall mountain. There seemed to be a special energy barrier at its peak. No one, regardless of their strength, could forcibly break through this barrier.
All the high-ranking members of the Heavenly Court residing in the Heavenly Realm knew that this place served as the office of the Heavenly Emperor, Xiao Ming. Therefore, it was a place off-limits to ordinary individuals.
At the top of that majestic peak stood a grand mansion. Within this mansion, a figure clad in white robes stood with hands behind his back, gazing into the endless expanse of space. Though no visible energy fluctuations surrounded him, under his silhouette, even the sky and earth seemed to pale in comparison.
A graceful figure dressed in purple suddenly appeared behind the white-robed man. She smiled sweetly and inquired, "Father and Senior Xiao Xuan should be arriving soon, right?"
"Mhm."
The man in white turned around. His face broke into a slight smile as he looked at the lovely figure beside him.
"Did you succeed?"
"Nnn, thanks to the pills you have refined for me, Xiao Ming. It would have been quite challenging otherwise."
Zi Yan nodded gently before raising her delicate hand, causing the courtyard to burst into a profusion of flowers brimming with life force. Such a kind of fluctuation was clearly beyond the ability of any peak Dou Saint expert.
Xiao Ming chuckled softly in response.
"The potential of the Supreme Dragon-Phoenix is truly immense and should not be underestimated. Even without those pills, you could have naturally reached the Dou God realm within a few years."
After the grand wedding, Zhu Kun immediately entered seclusion with the Origin Qi that Xiao Ming had gifted him. A year later, he successfully achieved a breakthrough and reached the Dou God realm.
During the same period, Zi Yan, already possessing a high cultivation level, also reached the advanced nine-star Dou Saint stage.
With the supply of Origin Qi becoming abundant after Xiao Ming broke the seal on the Dou Qi Continent's pathway to the outside world, Zi Yan, who possessed the Supreme Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline, found it relatively easy to advance to the Dou God realm over the past few years.
It was worth noting that the Dragon-Phoenix was ranked as the number one divine beast in the Great Thousand World!
However, such births were extremely rare. The Great Thousand World had not seen a Dragon-Phoenix for tens of thousands of years. The Dou Qi Continent was uniquely blessed to witness the birth of one.
Among Xiao Ming's wives, Zi Yan undoubtedly possessed the highest talent.
"Ha ha ha, my dear daughter's potential doesn't need to be mentioned. It's a boon for you, kid! Now, you two hurry up and give me a grandchild to dote on, and let that extraordinary talent continue!"
As Xiao Ming finished speaking, the space in the sky suddenly twisted, and three figures emerged from it. They were Zhu Kun, Xiao Xuan, and the Di Tier Embryonic Pill.
After Xiao Ming broke through to the Dou God realm, he managed to gather the final ingredient for the Di Tier Resurrection Pill and successfully refined it. This allowed Xiao Xuan to resurrect in his full glory.
Having already attempted to break through to the Dou God realm once and now having Origin Qi at his disposal, Xiao Xuan naturally chose to attempt the breakthrough again.
Before refining the Di Tier Resurrection Pill, Xiao Ming used the Di Tier Embryonic Pill as a practice subject, helping it complete its final transformation and step into the Dou God realm, where it named itself the Pill Emperor.
This meant that there were now five Dou Gods present at this moment!
Dou God, once thought to be extinct on the Dou Qi Continent, had now astonishingly reappeared with five at once!
This news, if spread, would undoubtedly shake the entire Dou Qi Continent to its core.
"Father, do you know how to speak human words?" Zi Yan placed her hands on her waist and grumbled upon hearing Zhu Kun's words. The elation she had felt from her recent breakthrough suddenly faded.
Who knew better than them how many times they had tried? But ever since Xiao Ming had broken through to the Dou God realm, even without taking any protective measures, he had not been able to father any children.
This wasn't limited to Zi Yan; not to mention a second child with Medusa or Xiao Yi Xian, even Qing Lin and Cao Ying had failed to conceive.
Xiao Ming suspected it might have something to do with their immense strength, as well as the rules of the Dou Qi Continent itself, where stronger individuals found it more difficult to have offspring.
In other words, it wasn't entirely impossible, but they had simply been unlucky.
Zhu Kun's earlier words had touched a nerve with Zi Yan, as she harbored the strongest desire among Xiao Ming's wives to bear his child.
Xiao Ming could tell that beneath Zi Yan's annoyance, there was also a hint of sadness hidden in her golden-purple eyes. Therefore, he approached her from behind and gently wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Father-in-law, I'm afraid that fulfilling your wish for a grandchild is beyond our control..." Xiao Ming replied to Zhu Kun, shaking his head helplessly as he continued to comfort Zi Yan.
"Ah, you kids..." Zhu Kun realized that he had misspoken. He sighed and struggled to think of a way to change the subject.
Fortunately, it was Xiao Xuan who decided to speak up at this moment.
He looked at Xiao Ming with curiosity and asked, "Your aura has grown stronger. Have you made another breakthrough?"
"Just a minor one," Xiao Ming replied with a smile. Over the past few years, besides spending time with his family, he had been far from idle.
Using the Heavenly Flames from Flame Square, he searched for their origins to replenish them, nourished them with the energy of the world, and finally devoured them. He now possessed the highest-ranking Heavenly Flame on the continent, the Emperor Flame!
"The talent of the Heavenly Emperor is exceptional indeed," the Pill Emperor said, his smile tinged with a hint of bitterness. "For us, advancing further after reaching the Dou God realm has been a greater challenge."
"He he, I called you all here today for this very reason. I'm planning to leave the Dou Qi Continent. I believe cultivating in the outside world will be easier than here," Xiao Ming said, looking up at the endless space.
"Have you decided to join me?" He then asked.
There was no surprise among the others; Xiao Ming had previously discussed the idea of venturing into the outside world with them.
"I'm definitely going with you!" Xiao Xuan said with a smile.
Xiao Ming had already fulfilled his dream of restoring the Xiao Clan to greatness. He had no particular attachment to staying in the Dou Qi Continent. Instead, he was curious about the outside world. In this world, they were already the strongest, but in that mysterious realm, this might just be the beginning of a greater journey.
"And what about the rest of you?" Xiao Ming turned to the others.
Zhu Kun had made up his mind beforehand and responded, "I'll go as well. I'm quite curious about the outside world."
"Count me in!" the Pill Emperor eagerly exclaimed.
"Xiao Ming, I'd like to go as well…" Zi Yan, nestled in Xiao Ming's embrace, spoke softly.
"Cough, my dear daughter, remember our agreement. You won't be joining this time. The Heavenly Court requires absolute strength to maintain stability, and you are best suited for that role given your cultivation and your status as Xiao Ming's wife," Zhu Kun coughed and interjected, trying to reason with her. He preferred that his daughter stay at home while they were the first to venture out into the unknown dangers of the outside world.
"Hmph!" Zi Yan snorted and ignored Zhu Kun, still annoyed with him.
She then turned around and gazed up at Xiao Ming with hopeful eyes.
"Can't you stay with us a little longer? Maybe after a few years, you can take all of us sisters to explore the outside world. Why are you in such a rush to leave, anyway?"
Xiao Ming gently stroked the long, purple hair of his beloved wife, enjoying the softness beneath his fingers.
He did desire to stay on the Dou Qi Continent. Although cultivation had become more challenging after reaching the Dou God realm, it was not an insurmountable obstacle. The Dou God realm was not the ultimate limit in this world.
However, for the sake of his family's future, he had to heed the message in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host on breaking through to the Dou God realm. The Life Simulator has been successfully updated. Proceed to the Great Thousand World to start the 2.0 version. Enjoy your experience!]
(End of Volume 4)
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//We are finally at the end of the BTTH storyline, and the next chapter will be the beginning of the next world! Do you remember which one it will be?
I'm truly grateful for the overwhelming support this story has received over time. A huge shout out to the readers who have contributed regularly with their PS, and to all of you who have commented on every chapter.
A big thanks to the Patreon folks who make the regular release of chapters possible. I hope the quality of this last arc was satisfying for everyone and that you all enjoyed it.
The next arc will introduce many new characters and lots of new lore stuff. I hope everything is clear and easy to follow, but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask in the comments!
In parallel to this story, I am already working on the next BTTH fanfic. Hopefully I will make some good progress in the next few months.
Name of the Next Volume: 'Dimension Fetus, Don't Be Shy~'
