You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?
Chapter 626 - 626: 121. The Divine Power Within the Empress_2

The only thing he could be certain of was that she had once loved Xiahou Shou and also felt guilt, but the person she hated most in this world was undoubtedly Xiahou Shou, who had annihilated her entire clan and nation.

The human heart was indeed complex, and a woman who had experienced such ups and downs had an even more intricate one.

...

That night.

After comforting Baili Fengzhi to sleep, Lin Yue went to a separate courtyard nearby.

Deep into the night, under his guidance through the mansion's array, no one noticed when a woman quietly entered the estate.

The Empress was dressed in very ordinary clothing tonight, in a simple and plain cyan gown, her long hair simply tied together with an ordinary wooden hairpin, yet her beauty remained unchanged.

"So late?" Lin Yue scrutinized the Empress.

The Empress stood at the threshold of the eaves, not entering the room, and only asked: "Have you set up the barrier?"

"Of course." Lin Yue nodded slightly.

"...Turn off all the lights." The Empress took a deep breath and said, "From now on, you are not allowed to do anything unnecessary."

"What do you mean by unnecessary things?" Lin Yue asked with a half-smile.

"You know well enough." The Empress glanced at him, "I... I'm only doing this to transfer the divine power within me to you. I have no choice. It's what I owe you, and it doesn't mean there's any special relationship between us, do you understand?"

"So it really is this method."

Lin Yue shook his head slightly and asked, "Can't you transfer it to me directly?"

"If I could, do you think I would be doing this?" The Empress couldn't help but bite her lip, speaking in a low voice, "I have the Taiyin Body, the Innate Water Virtue Body, and I master the True Water Path. That divine power is fused with the essence of the Taiyin True Water in me. It was intended to be passed down to descendants through bloodline inheritance, so, naturally, it can only be done this way."

Lin Yue naturally understood what she meant.

The Taiyin Body and the Innate Water Virtue Body, both these constitutions can naturally generate a trace of Taiyin True Water within the body. This supremely pure essence was inherently linked to the pure yin of a woman, and the Imperial Family of Great Yu intended for her to pass down this divine power to her progeny through bloodline, so it could only be transferred via reproduction.

"It's troublesome for you, Empress. Please come in."

Lin Yue extended a hand to the Empress.

"I can walk myself, don't be rude." The Empress glanced at his hand, ignored it, and went inside the room.

Is this what counts as being rude?

Lin Yue was taken aback, silently muttering to himself, if holding hands was considered rude, what would come next?

However, since he needed her help, he naturally didn't say anything more.

He immediately followed the Empress into the room, and the door shut tightly behind them.

The room was engulfed in darkness.

But he naturally could see everything clearly.

The Empress stood by the bed, glanced at the neatly made bed, awkwardly looked away, then turned to Lin Yue, and said softly, "Close your eyes, don't release any divine thoughts."

"Alright." Lin Yue nodded slightly, "Empress, come by yourself, should I lay down first?"

"...Shameless."

"Hmm?"

"...Hmph, go lie down, eyes closed."

"Alright."

In the darkness, he could only hear the soft rustling of clothes being taken off, followed by a faint fragrance wafting through the air.

As a slightly cool and slender hand brushed over him, his clothes were also shed.

Who knows how much time passed, and in the darkness, a muffled groan laced with pain sounded, then came an awkward and restrained movement, and only then did the room heat up a bit.

...

The next day.

"This divine power... requires several transfers to complete, I'll come again tonight."

With the sound of the door opening, Lin Yue opened his eyes and watched the graceful departing back, shaking his head slightly.

Cultivators were truly different.

Although lacking any experience, this Dao Heart Will, nurtured over so many years, could separate emotions so calmly, dress, and leave, making him feel like he encountered a purely business-oriented client in a brothel.

Yet, despite the prohibition on opening his eyes last night, she did not resist when he cooperated proactively.

"Ah, women..."

Lin Yue sighed to himself and began to sense the situation within his body.

At this moment, there was a mass of Taiyin True Water essence given to him by the Empress last night within him.

And deeply encased within this essence was a strand of pure, pitch-black mysterious power, seemingly dormant within the Taiyin True Water, drifting gently with no leakage at all.

"It's the aura of Taichu..."

Upon sensing this, Lin Yue immediately confirmed—

This must be Taichu Divine Power!

He had formed the prototype of the Ultimate Path, so he was utterly sure that this was a strand of divine power of Taichu origin, albeit weakened.

"In theory, I have a chance to refine it."

Lin Yue's heart stirred, and he immediately mobilized the essence of the Eternal Night Holy Grade previously fused, using the prototype of the Ultimate Path to try to contact this strand of pitch-black divine power.

He had already obtained the method and key points of refining divine power from the Second Prince ahead of time.

The Ancient Divine Power, any type of refinement was exceedingly difficult.

Firstly, it depended on the realm of the refiner.

Secondly, it depended on the compatibility between the refiner and the divine power.

Normally, at least after Proving and Transcending, one could begin to attempt to refine similar Ancient Divine Power.

In the past, the Demon Clan's compatibility with the Ancient Divine Power was mostly low, and even Demon Gods who had Proved and Transcended rarely managed to refine Ancient Divine Power.

Only the twelve Demon Clan ancestors could barely refine it initially, but even then, far inferior to the Human Clan.

However, things were clearly different now.

And the strength of Xiahong bloodline lay not in talent or potential, but in the astonishingly high compatibility with the Ancient Divine Power.

The purer the bloodline, the higher the compatibility with the Ancient Divine Power, surprisingly suitable for most types of divine power.

Especially the princes, who could begin refining the Ancient Divine Power after Harmonization, which was terrifying.

Nobody truly knew which Ancient God the Divine Emperor reincarnated from, to pass down such a bloodline.

"The first step, attune to the Ancient God Will within the divine power..."

Lin Yue cautiously tried to separate a strand of this pitch-black Taichu Divine Power with divine thought and then attempted to connect it spiritually.

It went smoothly.

Perhaps because he was a favored Ancient Human Clan by Taichu, he felt he easily attuned to the will within this strand of divine power.

Ancient Divine Power always bore the will of Ancient Gods. If the Ancient God did not approve or wished not to attune, there was indeed no chance.

Race, talent, and Dao all affected the attunement.

Lin Yue passed this stage effortlessly.

"The second step, gradually integrate divine thought and make it your own..."

"The third step, begin refining..."

Perhaps due to the contribution of the Eternal Night Holy Grade essence, or Taichu's favor towards the Ancient Human Clan, or even that this strand of Taichu Divine Power was weakened...

All in all, despite feeling a little powerless, Lin Yue's refinement of this strand of Taichu Divine Power went relatively smoothly.

Who knows how long time passed.

A pure black droplet finally appeared within him, a perfectly spherical droplet, silently residing in his heart.

"Finally... it's partially refined." Lin Yue felt a surge of excitement.

According to records, even for those who had Proved the Dao, attempting to refine Ancient Divine Power, even a basic refinement, was extremely challenging. The deeper the refinement, the closer the divine power came to the Ancient God itself.

Of course, to unleash the hidden might within divine power, one also needed to possess a sufficient realm.

In the initial refinement, divine power manifested as perfect droplets.

Further deep refinement allowed divine power to truly meld into oneself, and it was even rumored that once divine power transformed into a Divine Heart, it could endlessly produce new divine power.

But even the basic refinement was already astonishing.

"What terrifying power, the force contained within this weakened strand of Taichu Divine Power. If unleashed..."

Lin Yue felt how frightening the power within this drop of divine power was.

Despite being a mere insignificant strand of divine power, if he tried to unleash it before refinement, the eruption would directly shatter his divine soul!

Now, after the initial refinement, he could guide the intrinsic might gradually, ensuring the eruption didn't exceed his divine soul's bearing limits.

"Though holding for long is difficult, if I procure a few more drops, coupled with the divine artifact battle saber..."

Lin Yue took a deep breath, his gaze radiated with a sharp edge, "Now there is finally hope to kill the Twelfth Prince..."