Magic Card Era: Infinite Deck Enhancement — Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Dream Consort Meng

Space-time transmission was a privilege reserved exclusively for Magic Card Masters who had ascended to the Emperor Realm and beyond. By reaching out with immense spiritual power and violently distorting two distinct spatial coordinates, a stable channel could be torn open through the void. This allowed objects from one end to be instantly deposited at the other. It functioned much like a localized courier service, albeit infinitely more secure. For an expert of Cang Ao’s caliber, executing such a technique was as effortless as breathing.

“Regarding Luke’s identity as an Original Magic Card Creator, keep it strictly under wraps for now. Drawing too much external scrutiny will only hinder his growth.” Cang Ao’s voice carried a heavy weight as he delivered his final instructions to Cang Fenghua. “The college entrance examination is right around the corner. Do not let irrelevant matters break his focus.”

Naturally, Cang Ao kept the deeper, more terrifying implications to himself, hiding them even from his own grandson.

“Understood.” Cang Fenghua nodded. He sensed a faint trace of nervous urgency in his grandfather’s tone but attributed it entirely to Luke’s unmatched talent. The communication channel snapped shut.

Even without the stern warning, Cang Fenghua had zero intention of broadcasting Luke’s secrets to the world. Hoarding this knowledge for himself yielded the greatest advantage. He wanted Luke completely isolated from outside interference during this critical juncture. Once the exams concluded and the boy spread his wings, there would be even less reason to speak of these hidden truths.

Back in his private study, the projection of his grandson faded into motes of light. Cang Ao leaned back, his eyes narrowing in deep thought. ‘A Millennial Powerhouse… I never expected one to manifest within our Cang Capital.’He tapped his fingers rhythmically against his desk.’It remains a mere hypothesis, but this is the perfect opportunity to forge a bond with him. Even if the ancient texts are wrong, an Original Magic Card Creator is an existence worth courting at any cost.’

Legends were, after all, just legends. No one could verify their absolute truth; they were simply fragments of experience passed down through generations.

A sharp knock broke the silence. The heavy oak doors creaked open, revealing the elderly butler bowing deeply. “Capital Lord, Dream Consort Meng has arrived. She is currently waiting in the main living room.”

“Little Meng is here?” A flash of genuine surprise crossed Cang Ao’s weathered face. He had just been contemplating the shifting tides of power, and now she appeared at his doorstep. He quickly dismissed any notion of a connection. Meng Ningdie’s sudden visit to Cang Capital had to be driven by a completely different motive.

Though Meng Ningdie hailed from Lan Du, she maintained excellent relations with the other two capitals. This diplomatic grace was largely due to her status as the direct student of the Night Queen, granting her a friendly rapport across the entire Eastern Region Three Capitals. She frequently served as the personal envoy between the Night Queen and the three Capital Lords.

“Lead the way.” After a brief moment of calculation, Cang Ao rose and followed the butler down the sprawling corridors. Her unexpected arrival sparked a new, temporary scheme in the back of his mind.

Inside the grand hall of the Cang Capital City Lord’s Mansion, Meng Ningdie sat with immaculate grace. An ethereal, dreamlike aura clung to her skin, making the air around her feel soft and distant. She wore a flowing water-green brocade dress paired with elegant leather boots. A silver-white trench coat rested over her shoulders, accented by a rich red fox stole that framed her delicate neck.

Her dark hair was swept up into a simple, elegant bun, pinned in place by an eight-treasure jade chrysanthemum hairpin. She looked like a drifting cloud pulled down from the heavens. Sunlight spilled through the towering stained-glass windows, catching the soft contours of her face. Her skin glowed like polished jade lotus petals, and her bright eyes held a quiet, piercing intelligence.

“Little Meng, what brings you all the way out here to visit this old man?” Cang Ao offered a warm, welcoming smile as he stepped into the hall. “It has only been a few years, yet you have already broken through to the Emperor Realm peak.”

“Elder Cang, it has been too long. You look as spirited as ever.” Meng Ningdie offered a polite nod, completely unbothered by the casual nickname. As the Night Queen’s student, she commanded immense respect, but Cang Ao possessed the seniority to address her so informally. Long before she matured into a powerhouse, the three Capital Lords of the Eastern Region had offered her extensive guidance and protection. Much of that favor stemmed from her teacher, but the bonds were genuine.

As for her cultivation realm, she made no effort to conceal it. Before an expert like him, hiding was impossible anyway.

Taking his place at the head of the hall, Cang Ao bypassed the pleasantries. “You always know exactly what to say. Now, tell me, what is the true purpose of your visit to Cang Capital today?”

“Aside from paying my respects to you, Elder Cang, I am here on an errand.” Meng Ningdie straightened her posture, her tone shifting into a professional cadence. “My teacher has entrusted me to retrieve a specific item from the Cangming Dimensional Plane.”

The Cangming Dimensional Plane was one of the absolute highest-tier restricted zones under Cang Capital’s direct control. It was a brutal, unforgiving world swarming with Nine-Star and Ten-Star Extraterrestrial Beasts. Deep within its core, even terrifying Eleven-Star entities roamed freely.

“An errand from the Night Queen?” Cang Ao’s relaxed demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by sharp, absolute focus.

The Cangming Dimensional Plane was strictly sealed off from the public. This was not merely due to the apocalyptic danger lurking within its borders, but because the resources it produced were astronomically rare. The sheer volume of high-grade materials harvested from that single plane sustained one-fifth of Cang Capital’s entire annual resource consumption. Under normal circumstances, only Magic Card Masters who had made monumental contributions to the city, or those holding special high-level clearance, were permitted entry for strictly timed hunting expeditions.

But a request from the Night Queen bypassed all normal laws.

Above the Immortal Realm stood the Undying Realm.

While Immortal Realm Magic Card Masters possessed the terrifying ability to resist the natural erosion of time, reaching the Undying Realm meant that even death itself struggled to claim them. The title of Undying was not a metaphor. For an expert at that absolute pinnacle, having their physical body obliterated meant nothing. As long as a single drop of blood remained, they could reconstruct their flesh and bone perfectly. Blood-drop regeneration was the defining hallmark of the Undying Realm.

Even if their physical form was entirely erased from existence, a lingering trace of spiritual power could slowly rebuild their body over decades. This was the critical distinction between human Undying Realm Magic Card Masters and Undying Realm Extraterrestrial Beasts. To slaughter a beast of that caliber, one only needed to annihilate its physical vessel. To kill a human Undying Realm expert, their soul had to be completely and utterly eradicated. Without a soul, the regenerating flesh was nothing more than an empty, mindless corpse.

Such apocalyptic power dictated extreme rarity. Across the vast expanse of the Ancient Kingdom, the number of Undying Realm experts could be counted on one hand. Publicly, only the Night Queen and the other four Territory Lords had reached this mythical threshold, each ruling over one of the Four Great Regions. Cang Capital sat squarely within the Eastern Region, placing it directly under the Night Queen’s absolute jurisdiction. Even factoring in hidden hermits and the Night Queen’s personal shadow guard, the total number of Undying experts in the nation likely failed to reach double digits.

“Yes.” Meng Ningdie’s voice softened with deep reverence at the mention of her master. “During the last major Extraterrestrial Beast invasion, Da Ji sustained severe combat injuries that have yet to fully heal.”

She met Cang Ao’s gaze. “This time, my teacher intends to reconstruct Da Ji’s Magic Card entirely. She wants to use this opportunity to push the card to an even higher quality tier. To achieve that, she requires the Extreme Cold Ice Spring from the Cangming Dimensional Plane to act as the primary catalyst.”