"Mom!"

The Little Black Dragon couldn't help but flap excitedly inside Shion's body. If not for the Emperor holding her back, she would have rushed out. "News about Mom Lu Ya! Dad!"

But Shion didn't seem to care at all. She merely nodded without saying anything.

The Little Black Dragon immediately grew anxious.

"Ask about it, Dad! Ask her where she saw Mom!"

"Why should I ask?"

"We have to go find Mom!"

Shion just gently twisted her ring, speaking casually, "There's no need."

Seeing that her boss wasn't anxious at all, the Little Black Dragon turned around and hugged the Emperor, tears in her eyes as she looked at her second mother. "Mom, look at her. She said it before—we were going to find Lu Ya together..."

The Emperor helplessly patted the Little Black Dragon's head, then asked gently, "There's no harm in asking, is there?"

But Shion let out a cold laugh. "Ignorant Lower Cultivator."

"Why is it such a coincidence that she reveals news about Lu Ya at this exact moment?"

"Why is she so familiar with everything in this world, but when she deliberately mentioned Lu Ya's name, she acted as if she had no idea about our relationship?"

"Remember, she's the leader of the Dream Incubators—Xiao Qi's direct boss!"

"How could she not know Xiao Qi's intelligence? All of this is nothing more than bait set by an Upper Cultivator!"

"To eagerly bite down on that hook is truly laughable."

The Little Black Dragon was momentarily stunned, and even the Emperor couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

But after thinking it over, both of them actually found themselves convinced by Shion's reasoning.

Yeah, it really was suspicious...

The timing was indeed a bit too convenient—suddenly starting a joke about Tang Dynasty Lu Ya to grab their attention.

Could it be that this girl was a deep-thinking, scheming old fox?

So the Little Black Dragon and the Emperor both carefully studied the girl again.

There was Fengqin, kneeling on the ground, with a rather idiotic, foolish grin on her face, looking like a genuine disciple of the Tang Sect who had been malnourished since childhood.

She was practically drooling.

It was really hard to connect her to any kind of scheming old fox!

"Remember, never judge by appearances."

That's not even the issue with judging by appearances, is it?!

Fengqin had been pathetic from start to finish—lacking intelligence, dull-witted, timid, submissive, groveling, sycophantic, spineless, and cowardly. Even if she had a decent exterior, her insides were empty, and her body was full of weak joints. Calling her a deep-thinking old fox...

It was like taking a friend with a broken leg to play football, throwing him in goal, and saying not to judge by appearances.

A physical defect that's obvious at a glance has nothing to do with judging by appearances!

It's like seeing a whip and immediately thinking of a plantation owner, then Black people, then cotton—it's a normal association, not prejudice, let alone discrimination...

"So what do we do?" the Little Black Dragon asked quietly.

"Asking directly would only lower our standing." Shion sneered. "We have to firmly control the rhythm ourselves and not let her lead us by the nose."

The Little Black Dragon instantly looked at her father with admiration. "Dad, you're amazing! Truly, there's nothing Dad can't do!"

"So how do we ask?" the Emperor pondered. "Should I probe indirectly? I can handle that."

Even though she was a last-generation emperor, she didn't really think she was anything special.

But when it came to guiding a conversation, she felt she had some experience.

Unexpectedly, Shion shook her head. "You're still too green. You'd give yourselves away the moment you open your mouths. When dealing with this kind of Upper Cultivator, you have to be tactful, probe indirectly. Without some communication skills, it won't work. Hiding your true intentions and making the other party voluntarily reveal theirs is the best move."

The Little Black Dragon and the Emperor both nodded in agreement.

After all, considering the information gap between Upper and Lower Cultivators, the Emperor, upon hearing this, felt that the situation wasn't like the court back then and didn't dare to confidently offer help. So they quietly watched their master operate.

Then they saw Shion, confident and composed, staring at the dazed Fengqin:

"Go on. What do you want in exchange for news about Lu Ya?"

The Little Black Dragon and the Emperor both stumbled, nearly losing their balance and falling inside Shion's body!

Inside Shion's body was like a vast universe. They sat on a Golden Core that resembled a sun. The Little Black Dragon flapped her wings and was the first to cry out, "Where's the tact?!"

But Fengqin was still looking at Shion with a blank expression. "Huh? In exchange for what?"

"What do you want in exchange for telling me Lu Ya's whereabouts?"

The Emperor also covered her forehead.

She felt a little stupid for genuinely expecting some kind of negotiation art from Shion just now...

Then they heard Fengqin suddenly cheer up. "R-really? I can actually get something in exchange for news about Lu Ya?"

Shion let out a cold laugh, speaking inwardly to her two companions: "See that? That's the art of conversation. It saves a lot of detours."

The Little Black Dragon, with the Emperor holding her head down, both nodded repeatedly.

"Watch closely, learn well. Remember my approach, and you won't feel out of your depth when facing Upper Cultivators."

After imparting this heartfelt advice, Shion continued speaking to Fengqin: "If you don't talk, I'll slice you into a thousand pieces!"

Fengqin immediately raised her hand excitedly. "Then, after that, when I kowtow, Miss Shion can't get angry!"

"..."

In the dead silence, the Little Black Dragon still asked quietly: "Boss, is she really just pretending to be dumb?"

Clearing her throat, Shion ignored her and just looked at Fengqin, sizing her up before nodding.

"Fine."

Fengqin, without any suspicion, immediately said, "I saw Sister Lu Ya back in Chongxu. Later, I had to come back and save the world with everyone, so I parted ways with Sister Lu Ya. But that was a long, long time ago. I don't know if Sister Lu Ya is still in Chongxu..."

"What were you doing in Chongxu?"

"The technology for piecing together the world came from Chongxu." Fengqin held nothing back. "With money, you can buy anything in Chongxu!"

So it was indeed an upper realm?

Shion then asked more about Chongxu, but the more she asked, the less it seemed to have to do with Lu Ya.

The Little Black Dragon listened nearby, pacing in frustration. "Why isn't she asking about Mom Lu Ya anymore?"

The Emperor shook her head and just sighed.

"Is it possible that she never really cared about Lu Ya from the start?"

"That's too cold, isn't it? Mom Lu Ya liked her so much and did so much for her..."

After a moment of silence, the Emperor suddenly asked, "Do you think Jiang Si let Lu Ya down?"

The Little Black Dragon froze. Her frantic flying and circling suddenly stopped, and she became docile.

Shion only cared about those who had been around her long enough.

As for Lu Ya, the biggest problem was that she had been separated from Shion for too long.

Moreover, both the Little Black Dragon and the Emperor knew one thing.

That one strike back then had essentially settled their debts. If there were no further interactions—it was likely that Shion truly didn't think much of it anymore.

Even if Lu Ya had been Shion's only friend at one point, their time together hadn't been that long. And then they were separated for so long. Honestly, if not for seeing Lu Ya a few times in her Mental Landscape, Shion would probably have forgotten about her long ago.

Lu Ya might have done a lot later, but it really had nothing to do with Shion.

The Little Black Dragon, who had been so excited about finding her mom, suddenly felt down. "Mom is going to be so sad..."

The Emperor patted her head. "It's okay. Since we know she's in Chongxu, we'll have a chance to find her later. And once we do, with your past relationship, as long as you get along well, you'll be close again soon."

The Little Black Dragon immediately perked up and nodded vigorously.

"And also," the Emperor suddenly smiled mischievously, "you keep calling us both 'Mom.' So between me and Lu Ya, who's the better mom? There has to be a ranking, right?"

The Little Black Dragon suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. "You're both equally good, equally good!"

The mischievous smile gradually took on a hint of pressure. "Is that so? I've given so much, and I'm only as good as Lu Ya? If Lu Ya comes back and spends a little more time with you, will she be better than me?"

The Little Black Dragon suddenly found it hard to breathe!

"No, absolutely not. Now, now you're better, Emperor Mom!"

"Hmm." The Emperor chuckled lightly. "I'll make sure to brag about that to Lu Ya later."

"No!"

...

The chaotic world was as silent as a grave.

Shattered stars drifted like scattered leaves, but most of it was darkness—an endless, boundless darkness, as if it would never end.

Guided by her connection to Dragon Lord Shion, she constantly adjusted her direction, not knowing how long she had been flying.

Maybe several days.

According to Fengqin, the only way to reach Chongxu was to traverse through hyperspace. But after defeating the Mirror Queen, Shion discovered that this chaotic interstitial space seemed infinitely vast.

"How can we get to Chongxu through the interstitial space? No, no..."

Fengqin's head wriggled on the ground. "No way. It's too far. I don't know how long it would take. The best way is to Full Bloom and then reach the highest layer of the world—[Hyperspace]..."

"Then I'll Full Bloom now."

"No, you can't. If you Full Bloom now, the new world will become fragmented..."

Snapping back to reality, it seemed the sound of Fengqin's crying and kowtowing was still beside her.

The flow of time outside the world seemed different from below. Fortunately, she was controlling three bodies, so she didn't worry about getting lost or running into trouble.

At worst, she could dissolve her body and rebuild a new immortal one.

With her consciousness split into three, she handled things below—discussing wedding best man arrangements with Bingtang—while simultaneously learning all sorts of things about Chongxu from Fengqin.

It wasn't boring. She was just thinking about how to find Keke and arrange her affairs so she could focus on ascending, when—

The endless space ahead suddenly flickered.

The pitch-black, directionless chaotic interstitial space suddenly erupted with blinding light!

When she closed her eyes, she could hear the rustling of leaves blowing in the wind.

Witch Shion didn't hesitate for a moment.

The instant she opened her eyes, she spread out a vast amount of ink-black demonic fog ahead, while simultaneously summoning countless blood-red lotus flames, forming eighteen layers of hell—

[Chaotic Qi]! [Red Lotus Karmic Fire]!

Chaos grinds the body; karmic fire burns the soul. At this moment, she had turned her own worldly karma into endless karmic fire.

The deeper the karma, the fiercer the burning!

It was as if the Heavenly Emperor Ye was tempering his body and soul with Red Lotus Karmic Fire!

What a great fire;

What a great sin.

Never did she imagine that saving the world and protecting people so openly would actually be seen as such a grave sin in the eyes of Heaven!

Then today, she would once again defy Heaven!

The moment the thought arose, mana surged wildly, gathering into vast, rumbling thunderclouds above her head.

[Chaotic Heavenly Tribulation]!

The might of Heaven rolled forth, bringing with it a terrifying sense of utter annihilation.

In an instant, the ascension tribulation crashed down like a waterfall, striking her body endlessly!

She hadn't undergone tribulation earlier because she didn't know when she would find the right place to ascend.

If Fengqin's directions were wrong and there was no upper realm in this direction, wouldn't she have gone through the tribulation for nothing?

Everything must be thought through carefully. Never pop the champagne early.

But now, charging all the way here, her demonic sense had detected some presence ahead—regardless of what it was.

Better to undergo the tribulation first!

Otherwise, if she waited until she reached the Immortal Realm to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation, it would be too late!

Bathed in lightning, charging headfirst into the burial ground of chaos and karmic fire, Witch Shion showed herself no mercy.

Harsh, terrifying lightning coursed through her body, and the endless karmic fire seemed intent on forging and annihilating her very soul and thoughts. Even her pitch-black Magical Outfit showed signs of melting!

Enduring the tribulation by sheer force, she stepped closer and closer to the true Immortal Realm...

Until she saw the source of the light, flying straight toward her from the space behind the chaotic Qi!

It was— 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

A giant white bug!

An upper-realm venomous insect!

The Immortal Cultivation Realm had once received dreadful news: an Immortal Emperor named Ni Yang loved walking barefoot on the streets, stepped on a dead bug from the Divine Realm, unfortunately died from poison, and was reborn on an ordinary mortal planet...

Shion's face turned solemn.

The Divine Realm had a great bug, determined to poison all those who ascended. It was the final trial of ascension!

Then she let out a cold snort.

So what if it was a divine bug's poison? She wasn't Ni Yang. There was no way she would die from a bug piercing through the sole of her shoe!

Following the mortal path makes one ordinary; defying it makes one an immortal; mining makes one a god.

Would she avoid its sharp edge?

Today, for the sake of mining, she would challenge this venomous bug!

No stopping her from ascending!

So Shion stepped on the giant bug, and it instantly exploded.

But then she found debris scattered all over the ground—all mechanical.

Mechanical ascension?

After the explosion's aftermath faded, the first thing Shion felt was immortal energy.

Immortal energy—that intoxicating, ethereal fragrance—along with the sound of soothing bells echoing around. When her vision stabilized, Witch Shion, having just passed the deadly trial of ascension, looked around with a hint of anticipation.

A massive garbage dump spread out before her.

The drifting smoke was from burning trash. The intoxicating fragrance was some kind of disinfectant. The soothing bells were the clashing sounds of garbage colliding...

Not to mention anything else, it was indeed overwhelming.

All sorts of machinery, household waste, severed limbs, and bizarre creations were piled up in the dump.

After a long silence, Shion mentally prepared herself.

It's fine. It's a bit shabby, but who said the Immortal Realm had to have a good environment?

And this might just be the outskirts. If the outskirts are barren, maybe things will get better inside.

But looking around, there was nothing but these massive trash piles.

She couldn't see anything else.

In every direction—north, south, east, west—there was only pitch-black emptiness.

Lower cultivators had the worst cultivation; they couldn't use Divine Sense, and when she swept out her demonic sense, she couldn't detect anything.

So the status of the Immortal Realm was indeed higher...

Just as she was thinking this and preparing to search around slowly, two mechanical dogs approached.

Both had a cannon on their backs, slowly lighting up as they aimed at her.

Witch Shion was slightly surprised.

Because inside that cannon was—mana!

"Illegal intruder! Surrender immediately!"

They could even speak human language.

Interesting. But Shion just obediently raised her hands. "I won't resist."

"I can mine."

Starting her ascension life as a miner.

Shion had prepared for all sorts of scenarios and was just waiting to start mining after ascending.

She didn't know the power structure here yet. Although there was no divine energy infusion to forcibly transform her body into a "divine body" suited for the Divine Realm's environment, the spatial structure, energy density, and laws of Heaven and Earth here should be far more complex and advanced than she imagined... probably.

Remember, Ancestor Yang Qi's handwritten "True History of the Divine Realm" recorded that a single wisp of air from the Divine Realm, when taken to the lower realm, would instantly transform into a divine mountain capable of crushing all heavens!

There was no need to immediately fight the entire Divine Realm. She could first humble herself and mine for a few days, observe the situation, and then decide.

According to Fengqin, she couldn't directly ask about Chongxu; it would make her an enemy. So Shion just raised her hands and said, "Take me to the mine. I can start work today. You can start counting my hours early."

Both mechanical dogs froze.

They had probably never seen an ascender cooperate so willingly—not resisting at all, even volunteering to work.

After glancing at each other, one of the mechanical dogs threw a control collar toward her.

"Wear it."

Shion immediately put it on her wrist. Before she could admire it, a "crack" sounded.

The entire control collar snapped and broke.

Both mechanical dogs immediately started hissing!

"It wasn't me." Shion looked innocent. "Try another one."

So the other mechanical dog took out another control collar and handed it to her.

Shion took it with her index and middle finger, like a magician avoiding suspicion, and under the watchful eyes of the two dogs, slowly hung it on her wrist.

When she let go—

The control collar broke again with a "crack"!

Shrugging, Shion casually tossed the broken collar into the trash pile. "Got any more? Try another one."

One of the dogs said sullenly, "That was the last one."

"Poor workmanship."

Both dogs looked at her with what seemed like speechless expressions.

That thing could restrain a hundred-ton A-level Disaster Beast, yet it was useless on her!

After a long silence, one of the dogs turned and ran off. "I'll get another one..."

Before it could finish, a little girl in a black raincoat poked her head out from behind a trash pile. "Want to try mine?"

The two dogs immediately went on alert, staring intently at the little girl in the raincoat. "We found her first!"

"It's not about who sees her first, but who controls her first." The little girl giggled. "That's the rule in Chongxu, isn't it?"

Shion raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded.

At least she hadn't come to the wrong place.

One of the dogs immediately turned to Shion. "Come with us first."

"No can do. An outsider without a control collar running around will be killed very easily."

The little girl immediately trotted over to Shion's side.

Shion realized she was actually a little taller than herself. Looking down, she saw the girl was wearing boots with thick soles.

Under the black raincoat, she wore nothing, but on some small wounds, Shion could see peeling wires.

Was she also a machine?

The little girl hopped and skipped in front of her, revealing a pair of small fangs and smiling sweetly. "Big sis, big sis, bend down. Let me put it on your neck?"

The two mechanical dogs immediately barked anxiously, "Don't listen to her! Once you put on the control collar, you can't take it off! Come with us, and we'll give you better treatment!"

The little girl in the black raincoat just shook Shion's wrist. "Let me put a necklace on you, pretty big sis? Control collars are all the same, you know. They're your pass here. Ours are safer."

"Bullshit!"

Watching them argue, Shion felt a slight satisfaction in her heart.

Classic scene after ascension—being noticed by two powerful figures, then watching them tear into each other to claim her!

Even though she wasn't strong enough, she was still the center of attention, influencing the situation.

After being fought over, she could go mine. It was as comfortable as a massage...

"Whoever offers better conditions at their mine, I'll go with them."

Upon hearing this, the two dogs naturally backed off.

The girl in the raincoat immediately clapped her hands happily. "Great, big sis! Our treatment for newcomers is always the best!"

Yeah, right. Why didn't they keep fighting?

Fight a little longer—I haven't had my fill of being fought over...

Watching the mechanical dogs run off, Shion had no choice but to bend down slightly and let the little girl in the raincoat fasten the control collar around her neck.

Once it was on, the little girl's expression changed instantly!

"Follow me."

Her voice was suddenly ice-cold.

So once the competition ran off, the treatment took a nosedive...

Ah, the warmth and coldness of human relationships—there's nothing like the free market and competition, Hayek's warm hand, to make you feel it...

Shaking her head, Shion wasn't surprised. She just touched the dog collar and followed.

The inside of the dog collar was very rough, with many protrusions pressing against her neck. A strange, icy coldness spread continuously from her neck.

Even her Magical Outfit began to turn pale white.

Truly worthy of being a Divine Realm technique!

This dog collar could actually change the nature of mana, and the way it did so was by reacting with mana according to the laws of the magical element's periodic table...

She never expected Chongxu to be able to sever karma and plagiarize the Azure Cloud Grand Ceremony first.

With such methods and scheming, she should plan carefully and avoid being reckless.

The situation was different now. Perhaps she should emulate the ancestor of the Path of Patience...

"Follow me. I'll take you to the mine."

Following the girl in the raincoat, Witch Shion's Magical Outfit, now pale white, looked a bit like a prison uniform.

Her black hair naturally loosened, making her seem somewhat destitute.

A miner shouldn't be too conspicuous.

But she had already used her own magical element periodic table to react with some Dregs' Polluted Magic, silently infiltrating the collar.

She ensured she could break free at any time.

The temperature here was extremely low, and a layer of cold mist hung over the ground. Just stepping on it gave a bone-chilling coldness.

There were many living things in the dump. As they walked, things would occasionally splash out, but they all seemed to avoid the little girl.

Then they arrived at an open area.

The little girl in the raincoat jumped and spun around, and after a long time, even rubbed against the ground.

Then the ground slowly became transparent, revealing a massive pit!

It was a funnel-shaped pit, so enormous it was hard to imagine, and it was bottomless. Shion then realized why there was nothing on the surface.

Perhaps Chongxu and all its buildings were below!

If she had been reckless and fought, she would have had to expend a lot of effort and even sink the ground to find this place. After all, her demonic sense couldn't scan it, and her eyes couldn't see it. It must have been hidden using some special method...

The Path of Patience was correct.

But the platforms and corridors layered under the pit were too blurry to see clearly. Wearing the dog collar and pretending not to be able to use mana, Shion didn't intend to release her demonic sense. She could only follow the little raincoat girl like an ordinary little girl, obediently sticking close.

Sometimes she even had to jog to keep up.

Finally, they reached a platform. The little raincoat girl stopped and said coldly, "This is your workstation."

Shion immediately stretched her body.

Time to dig!

"Put this on first."

Taking the safety helmet the girl casually handed her, Shion couldn't help but nod.

At least the safety awareness was good. This Divine Realm mine was very professional.

It made her want to recite a poem.

A safety helmet is a protective charm; wearing it fends off all kinds of hardships; safe work, no carelessness!

"Then go lie down over there."

"I can start work anytime. I don't need rest."

"You need to ensure your stamina before mining."

Shion nodded and lay down on the bed.

Then, the next second, the entire platform lit up.

Neatly arranged, like medical pods, they filled the entire platform.

Above were dense cables. The helmet connected to the cables, and then the collar came off. The medical pod completely sealed.

Shion was slightly stunned.

"Wait, where's my ore?"

"Isn't it right here?"

Then a strange force transmitted through the helmet, and her consciousness immediately began to change.

All her thoughts, calculations, and reasoning abilities were mobilized, like a river channeled into a path.

A line of text even appeared in the corner of her vision:

"Computational power connection complete. Welcome to node #40721.

Next block reward: 0.00000012 BTC."