Spirit Power

In the sky above the Star Continent, Li Huang gently patted the head of Li Qing, the Fourteenth Princess of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty, before posing a question that cast a heavy silence over the three princesses.

"Do any of you remember our father's name?"

Li Ting, the Sixth Princess, who knelt before Li Huang, answered in a trembling voice, "The Twelfth Emperor… His name was…" She paused, her eyes clouded with confusion as though searching for an answer that wasn't there. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, I… I cannot remember."

Li Xian, the Seventh Princess, echoed, "I do not remember either, Your Majesty."

Still clinging to Li Huang, Li Qing looked up with sadness in her eyes. "I've never even seen him… not once, Elder Brother."

Reflecting on this revelation, Li Huang posed another question. "And your mothers… do you remember their names or faces?"

A heavy expression clouded the faces of the three princesses as they tried to recall their memories. But it was as if a veil had been cast over their minds, making it impossible for them to see any details.

"We can't remember anything about our mothers…" Li Ting's voice wavered.

Li Huang thought for a moment, then made a decision. "Would you allow me to search your spirits?"

Though fear flickered in their eyes, they all agreed without hesitation. Li Qing, still hugging Li Huang tightly, said softly, "All right, Elder Brother…"

Li Ting and Li Xian bowed their heads quickly. "We're willing, Your Majesty."

Closing his eyes, Li Huang began to release his spiritual energy gently, letting the soft flow of energy enter their minds. Deep within their memories, blurred images began to emerge—a shadowy vision of beautiful women, their faces and features obscured, as though cloaked by a mysterious power.

However, as he probed deeper into these hidden memories, a force erupted from Li Qing, the Fourteenth Princess. A surge of power struck against Li Huang's spirit energy unexpectedly, forcing him to cough up blood. The search stopped immediately, with this strange force not only preventing him from delving further but also sending a clear warning, as though someone or something didn't want these memories to be uncovered.

Li Huang gained little more than vague, incomplete memories from the three princesses, as if those memories had been deliberately sealed. However, he had already begun to form some ideas.

After considering it for a moment, he asked the system internally, "System, can you explain why I'm unable to see their faces? Could you help me see them?"

The system responded promptly, its tone steady and detached. [Your cultivation level is too low to break through the force sealing these memories. If you seek assistance from the system, you must upgrade it to at least Level 7.]

Li Huang wiped the blood from his lips, then turned to the three young women. Taking out the Imperial Book, he held it out to them and spoke decisively, "Write your names in this book using your blood."

The princesses exchanged puzzled looks, but Li Qing, without hesitation, stepped forward first. She bit her finger, letting her blood flow onto the book as she inscribed her name. She then passed the book to Li Ting and Li Xian, who also bit their fingers and followed suit. Once they were done, the Imperial Book returned to Li Huang's hand.

Nodding slightly, Li Huang asked, "How would you like to live from now on?"

Li Ting, the Sixth Princess, answered confidently, "I wish to join the army, Your Majesty."

Li Xian, the Seventh Princess, spoke with determination. "I wish to use my knowledge to serve the dynasty, Your Majesty."

Li Qing, the Fourteenth Princess, who was still clinging tightly to Li Huang, answered with unwavering resolve, "I want to grow stronger. I want to protect everyone, especially you, Elder Brother."

Li Huang listened with a gentle smile. He nodded, contemplating something before speaking, "When we return to the capital, I'll assign each of you to various departments."

Just then, a powerful tremor shook the sky and earth, as if the entire world were about to explode. Li Huang and the three princesses turned quickly to locate the source of the tremor. The sky and ground pulsed with the purest, most abundant spiritual energy they had ever felt—an intensity even beyond that of the high-ranked Lunar White Continent.

"An immense spiritual energy… it's a sign of something," Li Huang muttered, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Star Continent, where this energy eruption originated.

Sensing the overwhelming power surging from the Star Continent, Li Huang immediately decided to rush toward the source without hesitation, leaving the carriage and the three young women behind. The three princesses looked at each other in confusion until the carriage driver, a member of the Golden Throne Army, turned to them with respect.

"His Majesty has an urgent matter to attend to. I will escort you all to the capital of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty, where you can meet Lord Zhiyuan. Please cooperate."

The three women nodded, expressing their gratitude to the man. Meanwhile, deep within the Sacred Land of the Violet Moon, a secluded place where time seemed to stand still, dozens of coffins lined the area, each shrouded in an intense divine aura. Inside one coffin, the dry laughter of a man echoed, full of anticipation.

"Hahaha… Finally, it begins. At last, I can leave this coffin… the time is near!"

Suddenly, a powerful voice interrupted him, "If you speak one more word, and I'll ensure you remain in that coffin for eternity."

Silence immediately fell over the voice in the coffin, which then responded in a fearful tone, "Forgive me, Senior Brother. I got too excited."

Across the Violet Moon Empire, numerous leaders and powerful forces sensed the eruption of the spiritual energy. As they attempted to trace the origin of this sudden surge, it vanished as mysteriously as it appeared.

An elder from an ancient sect spoke in confusion, "How can this be? I felt it so clearly, yet now I can't pinpoint its location!"

In a prominent family, a half-emperor-level elder gave strict orders to his kin. "Send our people to investigate the origin of that spiritual energy immediately. I want to know where it came from."

On a towering peak within the Violet Moon Sacred Land, a chilling wind swept through as a disciple and master conversed in the quiet stillness.

"Master, do we truly not need to fight for the spiritual vein?" the young disciple asked, his voice tinged with eagerness and curiosity.

The old man, meditating calmly in dark robes, slowly opened his eyes and answered with a voice steady yet powerful, "Such a trivial item is best left to the weak and insignificant to quarrel over. We need not lower ourselves to compete with them for such things. Prepare yourself. Soon, the real chaos will begin."

Hearing this, the young disciple let out a low, disdainful laugh. "I am the strongest genius of all. Those ants aren't even worth my notice, Master." His eyes gleamed with pride, as if nothing in this world could compare to him.

The old man looked at his disciple with a faint smile, full of pride. "You have earned your right to be proud. But be cautious not to underestimate the unknown."