When they decided to go to the Sixth Domain first, Qin Ruqing felt both surprised and unsurprised.

This choice was, of course, not in line with her own thoughts.

But she understood why they made this choice.

In times of desperation, it’s natural to seek the help of deities.

The blow from failure is great, and the glimmer of hope that reignites is intensely captivating.

With no better solution in sight for their current predicament, searching for the Dao Ancestor became a meaningful and evasive outlet.

Qin Ruqing watched as they discussed, their eyes even growing fervent.

They hadn’t forgotten her yet.

Now, no one dared to ignore Qin Ruqing.

“Elder Six, what do you think?” Fifth Sheng asked.

Qin Ruqing, with a half-smile, said, “It seems you’ve already reached a conclusion. Does my opinion even matter?”

The shadowy figures in the virtual realm began to shake their heads.

“Oh, you shouldn’t say that.”

“Elder Six, as the Dao Ancestor’s successor, the search for the Sixth Domain still relies on you. Your opinion is, of course, important.”

“Yes, this matter, of course, requires Elder Six’s approval.”

They even began addressing her as “you.”

Sometimes, Qin Ruqing couldn’t help but admire the flexibility of these old-timers.

Her smile deepened, and she responded lightly, “I think it’s fine.”

Qin Ruqing didn’t want to be a leader.

She had long said that the fate of the cultivation world was to be decided by the cultivation world itself.

She couldn’t bear the responsibility for the entire cultivation world.

Besides, searching for the Dao Ancestor wasn’t exactly a wrong choice.

Throughout the meeting, Fifth Lingyu had not spoken.

The direction of events aligned with his expectations.

He preferred to go directly to the Sixth Domain.

Whether the Beast Clan’s blood pool was involved or not was irrelevant to him.

What surprised Fifth Lingyu was Qin Ruqing’s status in the virtual realm.

He hadn’t expected that Qin Ruqing, who once used to steal oil from him like a small mouse, now held such authority.

Fifth Lingyu was certainly aware of the influence of the title “Dao Ancestor’s Successor.” But seeing it in person was quite different from just imagining it.

He cast a discreet glance at Fifth Sheng, his uncle, who was steadfast and rigid, holding tightly to the honor of the Celestial title.

This attitude was unusual for him.

Fifth Sheng didn’t even realize how strange it was for him to actively seek Qin Ruqing’s opinion and address her as Elder Six.

It was almost as if saying that the highest honor in the cultivation world was now left to a young girl to decide.

Fifth Lingyu silently smiled, his gaze returning to its usual coldness.

It had nothing to do with him.

Later, they asked Qin Ruqing for the specific details on searching for the Sixth Domain.

They wanted to know how she intended to proceed.

Qin Ruqing said, “The Starfall Universe Instrument we made last time can still be used; it just needs some modifications and to be combined with the Clue-Connecting Technique. The problem before wasn’t the method, but the direction. If the direction is corrected this time and it still doesn’t work, then it’s best to abandon it early.”

She wasn’t trying to discourage people.

Rather, she was stating an objective fact.

Two previous attempts had exhausted considerable resources.

If there were still no results, continuing to waste time on this would be self-destructive.

This time, it was worth a try.

The group decided to schedule the next attempt for about two days later, and this time the scale of the operation would be less grand than the first.

The number of people providing energy for the Starfall Universe Instrument was set to half of the first attempt.

This result, on one hand, was due to the shadow of the previous failure, with many noble families remaining cautious.

On the other hand, there are the objective factors caused by the war—the border areas still require a large amount of personnel for protection.

The Beast Clan’s war won’t wait for you to be free; you must allocate enough personnel in advance.

Although many of those involved in the defense are lower-tier cultivators, it is still necessary to have higher-ups overseeing the operation.

Given this, it is already quite difficult to allocate so many people to provide energy for the Starfall Cosmic Instrument.

Moreover, this time, neither of the two Supreme Elders has come.

It’s not that the Celestial-grade figures don’t value the situation or are unwilling to dispatch the Supreme Elders; it’s just that Qin Ruqing does not need them.

She believes this time’s approach differs from previous ones.

Instead of searching the entire Four Domains with the Starfall Cosmic Instrument, she intends to focus on the Eastern Sea region.

“Why the Eastern Sea?” Fifth Sheng asked, puzzled.

Qin Ruqing pointed to the person next to Fifth Sheng and said, “The Second Generation Azure Lutos Dao Physique that he devoured was found in the Eastern Sea. Mount Buzhou, which was once the site of the Divine Assembly, is also in the Eastern Domain. I think this place is special; perhaps the chances of finding the Sixth Domain are greater here.”

“Oh… oh!” Hearing the words “devoured Azure Lutos Dao Physique,” and standing before him was the genuine Dao Ancestor’s successor, Fifth Sheng felt inexplicably embarrassed and answered vaguely, not daring to ask further.

Fifth Lingyu, however, glanced at Qin Ruqing several times with a subtle look.

Qin Ruqing pretended not to see.

“If we can’t find it in the Eastern Domain, we will inevitably need to search the other domains. Is it really appropriate not to call upon the Supreme Elders?” Feng Qinxue asked.

“If we can’t find it in the Eastern Domain, we’ll spend more effort in other areas. Previously, we called the Supreme Elders to oversee the situation mainly because ordinary people couldn’t handle such massive energy. Now… with just these people, Tang Zifeng and I can handle it,” Qin Ruqing responded.

Feng Qinxue glanced at the Starfall Cosmic Instrument’s direction with the corner of her eye…

Indeed, there were only about half the number of people as before.

Finally, she stopped speaking.

Without the Supreme Elders, Qin Ruqing would naturally lead the operation entirely.

She remained calm, as she could accept any outcome.

Instead, she was more concerned about Tang Zifeng’s condition and asked gently, “Is everything alright?”

Tang Zifeng was always a reliable figure. He replied, “The Starfall Cosmic Instrument has been improved as you requested. It will help expand the range of spiritual vision.”

Spiritual vision is different from divine perception.

Simply put, it is the view seen when the soul is separated from the body.

It is naturally more precise and expansive, but its stability depends on the individual’s soul refinement level.

The range of “spiritual vision” varies greatly among individuals with different soul thickness.

Fortunately, Qin Ruqing had exceptionally high levels of soul strength.

Tang Zifeng explained in detail, his voice warm and smooth, even more so when in front of Qin Ruqing, which made Fifth Lingyu glance in that direction several times.

He unconsciously raised the corner of his mouth, showing a hint of mockery.

He turned his gaze away and stopped looking.

The huge spherical instrument began to rotate slowly.

As before, Qin Ruqing and Tang Zifeng synchronized their minds, with Tang Zifeng controlling the artifact to assist Qin Ruqing in the search.

The others surrounding the artifact provided energy as needed.

They were currently positioned on the small island in the Eastern Domain where Fifth Lingyu had found the Qinglian Dao Body.

The island was now heavily fortified and surrounded by a tight formation.

Qin Ruqing floated above the artifact and reiterated to everyone, “Everyone, this is different from before. We need to separate our souls and activate spiritual vision. Activating spiritual vision will consume your mental energy during the process of supplying energy to the artifact. If your mental energy is exhausted, it will deplete your soul. Therefore, if anyone feels their energy waning, please withdraw immediately and let the substitutes take over. Do not risk your own well-being.”

Everyone agreed.

“Elder, don’t worry. We have substitutes if we get tired, but if you and Master Tang become exhausted, what will we do?”

“Thank you for your concern,” Qin Ruqing smiled slightly. “My soul power and mental strength should be sufficient to sustain this search. As for Master Tang, the Fifth and Feng families, as well as our Qin family, have already prepared supplemental pills for him in advance.”

The pills were securely kept in the chest pocket of Tang Zifeng’s attire.

Qin Ruqing and Tang Zifeng exchanged a glance, and both closed their eyes simultaneously.

At the same time, the massive spherical artifact began to rotate slowly.

Everyone focused intently.

The search began.

The perception of spiritual vision and divine sense, though similar, is fundamentally different.

For Qin Ruqing, one is a first-person perspective, and the other is a 360-degree omniscient view. Spiritual vision is the latter.

Her vision drifted over the calm, azure sea, stretching out like the wind.

Qin Ruqing remembered her task and immediately focused, feeling the pull of her divine soul.

She expanded her “body” so that it almost covered the entire sea.

However, apart from hearing the mysterious sound waves of large sea creatures, she didn’t sense anything special.

While searching, Qin Ruqing pondered like a drifting cloud.

She felt that the effort would fail.

Not this action, but the method of using the divine soul to search.