My Crazy Upgrade System

Everyone was stunned by the Little Phoenix’s words, at a complete loss for what to say. Could it be that Yi Tianyun and Shi Xueyun were secretly together? But that couldn’t be right. Their feelings were mutual, so there was no need for secrecy.

Was it because of her status as Palace Master? That rigid rule could be changed at any moment. Nothing was set in stone. The rule that the Palace Master could not have a partner was only established because the first Palace Master had resented the Ancestor.

People are living, but rules are dead; changing them would be no problem at all. Still, this sudden development was truly astonishing.

They didn’t know what to say. Witnessing the scene, they all felt a bit awkward. Were they supposed to just accept the situation?

"This is a genuine misunderstanding..." Yi Tianyun said with a wry smile.

"Tianyun, what is going on? You need to explain this properly..." Shi Xueyun didn’t know what to say. Anyone would be shocked to suddenly be hugged and called "Mommy."

"It’s a long story. Before this gets out of hand, I should probably explain it to you all."

Yi Tianyun led them to a meeting room where he explained the general situation, revealing the Little Phoenix’s identity. There was no reason to hide it; everyone present was a trusted acquaintance who would never betray him.

After learning the truth, their expressions grew even more complicated. They never imagined this little girl was actually a phoenix.

Yi Tianyun pulled her clothes aside slightly, revealing a few phoenix feathers. He looked up at everyone innocently and said, "See? When I first found this Little Phoenix, she was still tiny. Who knew that after eating too much Netherworld Fire, she would turn into this and even start calling me ’Daddy’?"

"So that’s what happened..."

It dawned on them, but they were still deeply shaken. To think a living phoenix would appear right before their eyes, even transformed into a human.

"Yan’Er, it’s fine for you to call me Daddy, but don’t call her Mommy, okay?" Yi Tianyun tried to teach Yan’Er. He didn’t know the Little Phoenix’s name, only that the Fire Phoenix had called her Yan’Er when entrusting her to him.

"No!" It wasn’t Yan’Er who objected, but Shi Xueyun. She pulled Yan’Er close and glared at him. "Let her call us whatever she wants. There’s no need to correct her. She’s so cute, I’ll just adopt her as my goddaughter. Is there a problem with that?"

"Well..." Yi Tianyun gave a wry smile. He was just afraid of misunderstandings. It would be troublesome if people thought she was their biological daughter. After a moment’s thought, he could only nod. "Alright then. We’ll just have to explain it. Let’s not expose Yan’Er’s identity. We’ll just say I brought her back from my travels and adopted her as my goddaughter."

Only then did Shi Xueyun nod in satisfaction, her face filled with delight.

Yi Yuwei and the others looked on with envy. After understanding the situation, they breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn’t so sudden anymore.

After the others had left, Yi Tianyun leaned in and whispered in Shi Xueyun’s ear, "If you want one, we can have one of our own in a little while, okay?"

The moment he said that, the tips of Shi Xueyun’s ears turned bright red. She never expected Yi Tianyun to say something so bold. She couldn’t help but give him a light push. "What nonsense are you talking about... I’m going to take Yan’Er out to play!"

With that, she led Yan’Er outside. "Godmother will take you to get something tasty to eat, okay?"

"Yay, yay!" Yan’Er immediately followed, without a hint of hesitation.

Yi Tianyun rubbed his nose as he watched the two of them leave, a faint smile on his face. ’You are mine...’

Shi Xueyun was already deeply ingrained in his heart, irreplaceable by anyone. Once everything was settled, he would definitely make Shi Xueyun his partner! He’d had this thought for a very long time, and it had never once changed.

They weren’t related by blood, and they got along so perfectly. That fervent emotion had long been on the verge of erupting. If it weren’t for having too many things to deal with, he would have been with Shi Xueyun long ago.

He was now just waiting for the Empire to be established. When the time came, he would formally declare Shi Xueyun a Goddess and have her rule the Celestial Cloud Empire alongside him!

Immediately after, he went alone to find the Spirit Race Ancestor and found him looking at a map. When he saw Yi Tianyun arrive, he smiled. "Spirit King, you’re here. I’ve already selected a few potential locations for the Imperial City. You can come take a look."

Yi Tianyun walked over, looked at the map for a moment, and quickly settled on one spot. "Let’s go with this one. It’s more or less in the center."

"I also think this place is quite good. It seems to be the best option for now. There’s a Spiritual Vein underground, which is perfect for establishing the National Guardian Array!" The Spirit Race Ancestor nodded. He had already had this location in mind, but the decision on where to build the Imperial City had to be made by Yi Tianyun himself, so he had of course waited for his return.

"Then let’s choose this place. I don’t know much about this, so I’ll leave it to you, Ancestor." Yi Tianyun glanced at it casually, but his gaze suddenly focused on another area. He pointed at the map and said, "This is called the Netherworld Passage?"

"That’s right. This is the Netherworld Passage, a perilous region on the Netherworld Continent. It’s somewhat similar to the Coiling Dragon Cave in the Celestial Dragon Empire." The Spirit Race Ancestor asked doubtfully, "Spirit King, are you thinking of building the Imperial City near here? That won’t do. The surrounding environment is extremely treacherous; building the Imperial City here would be incredibly dangerous."

"No, it’s not that. I just remembered something."

What he remembered was simple: the two Treasures that had dropped from the Dragon Chancellor and Ming Chen made him focus on this location.

Netherworld Passage Map: Detailed information on the Netherworld Passage, with dangerous areas marked (Recommended for cultivators at the Void Spirit level or above).

Netherworld Treasure Map: Shows the location of treasures in the Netherworld. This Treasure Map can only be used after passing through the Netherworld Passage and arriving in the Netherworld (Recommended for cultivators at the Void Spirit level or above).

He had examined these two items before, but they had provided little useful information. If he didn’t even know where the Netherworld Passage was, how could he use them? So, there was a Netherworld Passage here. ’Does it lead to the Netherworld?’ he wondered.

"Does this Netherworld Passage really lead to the Netherworld?" Yi Tianyun asked.

"That’s what the legends say. Some have gone to explore it, but rumor has it that none have ever returned. It’s far more dangerous than the Coiling Dragon Cave," the Spirit Race Ancestor said. "Why? Spirit King, are you thinking of making a trip there?"

"I’m considering it." A glint flashed in Yi Tianyun’s eyes. Possessing these Treasure Maps, he was more than a little tempted. The items he obtained from the Coiling Dragon Treasure Map had been quite good. He urgently needed to become stronger now, so obtaining some good things would definitely be a great help.

"Spirit King, I know your cultivation is very strong right now, but you still must be cautious when going to such perilous places. You are the backbone of our entire Empire. If something were to happen to you, our Empire would collapse!" the Spirit Race Ancestor warned.

"Of course, I know that. But there are some places I have to go. If I don’t increase my strength, how can I resist the Divine Kingdoms?" Yi Tianyun was naturally aware of the issue, but if he didn’t improve his strength, it would be no different from waiting for death.