My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

Chu Lengyu released her hand, her face now showing even more haggardness.

She gently touched her forehead, her expression showing some pain, but even so, she still forced herself to stay focused and think.

By searching the souls of several surviving (unlucky) cultivators, she learned the basic information about this world.

This realm is called the Minghai Realm, belonging to the Biyuewu Star Domain of the Twenty-Eight Mansions. It is a vast realm, known as the source of all seas.

In this realm, the Sea King Palace is the most powerful force, with Mahayana cultivators residing within, making it extremely powerful.

But this place is just a corner of the Minghai Realm, unknown and obscure.

The area near Jinghonghai belongs to a sect called Hundred Swords Pavilion.

According to the classification of this realm, the Hundred Swords Pavilion is only a second-rate sect, which only controls a hundred islands. Its sect leader is only at the late Nascent Soul stage. Although its strength is not weak, it is still quite ordinary in the Minghai Realm where there are many powerful people.

As for the results of the soul-searching of those sea monsters, they were even more fragmented and incomplete.

Low-ranking sirens have extremely limited range of activity. Apart from special cases such as breeding migration, they usually only move within a few dozen miles around their race's community and know almost nothing about other places.

Their lives are incredibly simple: eating, sleeping, and obeying the commands of higher-ranking demons—that's all they do.

Chu Lengyu learned about the strange changes that had occurred in Jing Honghai from the chaotic memories of the sea monster.

The root of all these strange changes actually came from herself.

She knew her body inside and out, and was aware that there was nothing special about her blood, except that it contained a slightly more abundant spiritual energy.

Upon closer examination, the root cause of these sea monsters' mutations must lie in the mysterious power contained within that jet-black arrow.

This power was diluted and dissipated through her blood, like a drop of ink falling into a clear spring, gradually spreading and eventually triggering an unprecedented mutation.

Those sea monsters, under the corrosive influence of this power, endured painful torment, but were also able to transform and become even stronger.

Chu Lengyu frowned, lost in thought.

……

The Great Xia World.

After a period of darkness and turmoil, everything eventually returned to calm, and order was rebuilt on the ruins.

Those who once hid in the shadows and were followers of the plague god have now stepped into the limelight, established a huge sect, and become the new rulers of this land.

Many kingdoms, including Great Xia, still retain their former territories and basic systems, but they can only let the Plague God Cult run rampant.

The shadow of the parasitic race still looms over this land.

Even now, the Star Lock Network remains locked down, trapping this world in place, allowing entry but not exit, turning this world into a giant prison.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, more than three years have passed quietly. The spring breeze has once again swept across the land, bringing vitality and hope.

However, for those trapped in their cages, spring seemed to have lost its former vibrancy, and their state of mind was no longer the same.

The emperor slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on the peach tree in the corner of the wall, its petals drifting in the wind and settling into the mud.

He sighed softly and slowly walked into the imperial study, his back view showing a hint of loneliness.

Although he still holds the highest position, he has been sidelined by the Plague God Cult and is now like a puppet, with only his life remaining intact.

He knew in his heart that this was only a temporary reprieve, and the future was full of unknowns.

Even so, he still wanted to find a glimmer of hope in this predicament.

For more than three years, the parasitic race has never given up its pursuit of Chu Lengyu. The mortal world is insignificant to them, which is why this world has been able to maintain its broken order.

The Great Xia Dynasty was already teetering on the brink of collapse under the iron fist of the Plague God Cult.

The emperor's throne was merely a formality; he alone lived a leisurely life like that of a retired emperor in this magnificent yet cold and lonely palace, enjoying flowers, walking birds, playing chess, and watching fish every day. He seemed carefree, but in reality, he was helpless.

The reason why the Plague God Cult did not kill or depose him was twofold: firstly, because he was pragmatic and knew how to cooperate; and secondly, because they had their own plans to use him to lure out Chu Lengyu or find other clues in order to gain merit in front of Lord Sique.

Inside the imperial study, the familiar wooden chair was still there. The emperor slowly sat down, his eyes vacant and his mind blank.

The memorials on the desk were old items from long ago, which he had repeatedly read, and the edges were worn.

Today was just as uneventful as any other day.

The emperor sat on the wooden chair, unaware of what he was expecting.

Lost in thought, the emperor's gaze inadvertently fell upon the memorial.

There, a book with a pale yellow cover lay quietly.

The emperor reached out and picked it up, examining it closely.

On the cover, the four characters "Cultivation Diary" stood out prominently, like a bolt of lightning that instantly awakened his dormant memories.

The emperor's gaze became unfocused for a moment, then quickly sharpened and became solemn, as if he had returned to his appearance three years ago.

He eagerly flipped through the diary, page after page, until the very last page.

The familiar handwriting caught his eye, like a reunion with an old friend, filling him with an indescribable excitement.

"Although it was tough, I was lucky enough to escape death."

"Now I'm in another world and still need to recuperate. I've been ill for ten years. I wonder how things are in Great Xia?"

The emperor felt a huge weight lifted from his heart at that moment, finally finding peace, and his excitement was overwhelming.

For more than three years, this long, dark night of waiting has finally brought a glimmer of hope. He has finally received news about Chu Lengyu!

Even though it's just a few lines, it's like a long-awaited rain after a drought, an oasis in the desert, soothing the heart and relieving worries.

He had previously learned from the Plague God Cult that Chu Lengyu was seriously injured and her whereabouts were unknown, and this diary had not been updated since.

Over time, he almost forgot about it.

At this moment, the emperor read these few lines repeatedly, and almost shed tears.

But he quickly realized something was wrong, and swiftly composed himself, trying his best to control his emotions so as not to give the plague god's henchmen who were secretly watching him a clue.

He pondered to himself what Chu Lengyu meant by "a ten-year illness".

He recalled it carefully, and indeed, only about three and a half years had passed in the Great Xia Dynasty since the day she underwent her tribulation at the age of sixty-nine.

Could it be that time flows at different rates in these different worlds? The emperor was filled with doubts, but had no answer for the time being.

But in any case, the new diary gave him a glimmer of hope.