The beast tide arrived swiftly and dissipated just as quickly.

Under the crushing force of the massive killing array formed by a hundred thousand female cultivators, it took merely two hours for the last group of spiritual beasts and birds that failed to escape to be slaughtered to extinction. Their remains were collected by the female cultivators and stored in the ice-sealed storage area, prepared to provide Junior Brother with extra meals later on.

Then, under the direction of the elders, the female cultivators returned to their respective duties, continuing to scavenge for resources. Qing Muling, surrounded by his Senior Sisters, entered the floating behemoth.

“If I hadn’t come over, I’m afraid this beast tide would not have ended so soon?”

Qing Muling pondered aloud.

Yu Lingzhou nodded: “Of course, if it weren’t for you, the beast tide would have been endless and increasingly terrifying, with more high-level ferocious beasts appearing in large numbers, launching relentless attacks.”

The spiritual birds and beasts deep in the wilderness, due to their innate power, were not lacking in intelligence. Hence, they had a strong concept of territory. It was impossible not to provoke their fierce counterattack with so many foreign cultivators brazenly intruding.

In the past, it was only because of Qing Muling’s supreme fortune that suppressed the local beast tides, preventing them from escalating. Occasional small-scale outbreaks were quickly settled by the elders.

This time, however, due to Qing Muling’s slightly prolonged absence and the loss of fortune’s protection, a large-scale beast tide immediately gathered around the mining base. If it had been delayed for a few more days, the situation would likely have deteriorated beyond control.

“Alright, I’ll try not to delay when returning in the future.”

In the end, Qing Muling said this. In this round of the beast tide, no female cultivator perished, only a few dozen suffered minor injuries, which could be recovered from with a little rest. But if there had been a few more days of delay, the number of female cultivators lost would have been difficult to estimate.

Dragon Ritual Princess suggested, “Should we conduct a large-scale sweep of the surrounding area? Clear out all the powerful beasts and spiritual birds, and we won’t have this trouble in the future, right?”

Yu Lingzhou shook her head: “A sweep might be feasible, but the area is too vast. We would need to clean up a territory spanning a hundred million miles, and there are definitely many True Immortals and even more formidable beings inside. With our current strength, it’s simply impossible to cover it all.”

Foreign cultivators in secret realms could only exert the peak strength of the Ascending to Immortality realm at most. Exceeding this limit could alert the higher-ups of the Heavenly Human Clan. Therefore, Yu Lingzhou could not take the risk.

Moreover, even if they managed to clear the area with great difficulty, it wouldn’t be long before new groups of ferocious beasts would migrate there, rendering such actions meaningless.

Xuebing Xuan also agreed: “Elder Yu is right. We came here just to transport resources. These battles and killings, if we can avoid them, we should.”

The matter was settled. Qing Muling made two trips, transporting all the spatial artifacts filled from the storage room back to the Main Altar of the Sect, and brought back the emptied massive spatial artifacts.

With the efficiency of these female cultivators, it would take about three to five days to fill all the spatial artifacts again.

“Alright, Junior Brother, everything is taken care of. Shall we go practice for a while now?”

Luo Wanqing eagerly took hold of Qing Muling, saying that the Senior Sisters had already consolidated their Xuan Immortal cultivation, while she and Yu Binghua were still True Immortals. How could they feel balanced in their hearts? They must catch up as soon as possible.

Qing Muling nodded, then expressed some regret: “It’s a pity that this floating behemoth doesn’t have a time acceleration formation array; otherwise… your cultivation speed would surely advance by leaps and bounds.”

Su Yuanzhen smiled: “Time acceleration formation arrays are too cumbersome and complex, and they consume an enormous amount of spiritual energy. It’s unlikely that this floating behemoth could even accommodate one, so it’s probably not feasible for the time being.”

Dragon Ritual Princess pondered: “Not necessarily. My mother has an Innate Spirit Treasure-level small world that should meet Junior Brother’s needs. Next time I return, I can consider borrowing it from her…”

“Consider?”

Qing Muling looked at her exquisite features, knowing that the princess was about to set conditions.

“Yes, consider!”

Dragon Ritual Princess smiled charmingly, her bright eyes narrowing slightly: “That item is one of my mother’s most cherished collectibles. Without a sufficient reason, I’m not sure I can persuade her to relent.”

In other words, your Senior Sister can certainly help you, but where is your sincerity, Junior Brother?

Qi Yalan secretly pursed her lips, Luo Huan blinked her moist starry eyes, and upon seeing Kong Yuhuan beside her, elegant and cold in her ornate dress, she understood most of the situation and gained a new understanding of the princess’s craftiness.

Fengxia, the little phoenix, gave Kong Yuhuan a cold glance, thinking that she hadn’t even had a taste of the meat yet, and here she was, trying to reap the benefits through her master’s face? There was no such good deal.

Qing Muling frowned: “We are Dao Companions; is it necessary to be so formal?”

Dragon Ritual Princess looked at him with a touch of grievance: “You know we are Dao Companions, so it should be perfectly justified for me, your Senior Sister, to make some requests, right?”

“…What do you want?”

Qing Muling asked somewhat helplessly: “Let’s be clear, if it’s beyond my current capabilities, I can’t promise you.”

“That won’t be necessary,”

Dragon Ritual Princess was waiting for his response, smilingly pulling Kong Yuhuan over: “Since I can’t serve Junior Brother right now, how about letting Yuhuan take my place for a while? She has been personally trained by my mother and won’t disappoint you in any aspect.”

Kong Yuhuan’s face flushed with a hint of shyness in her eyes, clearly prepared for this moment, she bowed her head without a word.

Qing Muling shook his head: “There’s no rush for this; let’s talk about it another day.”

Xuebing Xuan chuckled: “Some things are better not rushed, Sister. Otherwise, if you start this bad precedent, it’ll be difficult to handle similar situations in the future.”

Dragon Ritual Princess seemed to have anticipated the refusal and changed her request: “Even if that’s not possible, when Junior Brother goes into closed-door cultivation next time, can Yuhuan come and accompany you in your practice?”

Qing Muling sighed: “Let’s settle on that then.”

Fengxia glanced at Dragon Ritual Princess, thinking that this was her real intention. Initially, she promised only to rub a little, but as she rubbed, she went all the way in! That’s a bit too shameless.

Thus, the women escorted Qing Muling into the chamber, and the ensuing romantic scenes were not for outsiders to know.

…

Origin Star Palace.

In the majestic and imposing hall, the huge Thousand Petal Merit Blue Lotus Pond had returned to its original state. The pond was filled with chaos-colored spiritual liquid, dazzling with light and rising auspicious colors, the crystal-clear radiance and pure spiritual energy filled the air, comparable to the most top-notch blessed land in the Great Void.

The only difference from before was that the Harmony Spirit Seed at the bottom of the pond had disappeared without a trace.

Ice Toad Emperor stood quietly by the Blue Lotus Pond, her deep, beautiful eyes staring at the surface of the pond for a long time, silent.

The girl in the purple dress, holding a flower basket, and more than a dozen high-ranking female immortals of various attire and temperaments stood by, each with stunning beauty and grace, their expressions revealing a sense of melancholy and loss.

“…Alas, without Little Junior Sister, the creation and life force here, the supreme fortune, can be said to be almost non-existent. Those scoundrels who plundered the sacred land are truly detestable!”

Ice Toad Emperor sighed deeply. The previous Origin Star Palace, able to hold the position of the number one immortal sanctuary in the Great Void for countless eons, owed much to the Harmony Spirit Seed.

Now, without it to suppress the fortunes, and the Master yet to return, the current state of Origin Star Palace was far from its past glory.

The girl in the purple dress gave her an annoyed look, correcting her: “Ice Toad Senior Sister, although the Harmony Spirit Seed is chaotic in form and genderless, Sleeve had promised us that once it transformed, it would walk the world as a man. So, we should have gained a Little Junior Brother, not a Junior Sister. Don’t get that wrong!”

Ice Toad Emperor was somewhat dissatisfied: “Perhaps! But I think a female form would suit him better. Don’t forget the Master is also a woman. If the Harmony Spirit Seed could transform into a female, it might bring even greater benefits to the Master and us on the path of proving the Dao and ultimate transcendence.”

Ice Toad Emperor was well aware of her Junior Sister’s thoughts. However, compared to matters of Dao Companions, the pursuit of one’s own Dao was clearly more important.

Moreover, Dao Companions in the Great Void were not limited to male and female relationships; female immortals could also become Dao Companions. Therefore, the Junior Sister’s thoughts were not of great significance. Wouldn’t it be better if the Harmony Spirit Seed took a female form?

The girl in the purple dress huffed a few times, turning her gaze to the other Senior Sisters: “You all judge for yourselves, is a Little Junior Brother better, or is a Junior Sister better?”

The female immortals laughed, their expressions relaxing.

A seductive and dignified beauty gently stroked the Dragon Tiger Three Treasures Jade Ruyi in her hand and chuckled: “Of course, Little Junior Brother is better. Since he promised before… he must transform into a male form to fulfill his promise!”

With that said, the women felt the same. Although the Harmony Spirit Seed had not transformed at that time, the promise was also a kind of oath of the Dao. Since it was made, it had to be fulfilled.

A pair of bright and youthful twin sisters spoke: “Ice Toad Senior Sister doesn’t need to dwell on this. I believe that with the mystical wonders of the Harmony Spirit Seed, it should be able to switch between male and female forms at will. As long as he is willing, of course, we still hope he is male…”

“Enough, what’s there to argue about? Whether he is male or female, isn’t he ultimately our designated Dao Companion?”

A cold and harsh voice came through, belonging to a woman dressed in pure white Daoist robes, even her long hair as white as snow. She sat by the pond, holding a long sword, her stunning face as unchanging as ancient ice. Within three feet of her, there was a bone-chilling cold sword intent, with countless sword shadows faintly visible behind her, exuding a terrifying pressure capable of easily annihilating Daluo powerhouses.

Ice Toad Emperor exhaled lightly: “Indeed, this issue isn’t that important. The urgent task now is to find him as soon as possible. If those scoundrels outside discover him first, the consequences are unimaginable!”

As this topic was brought up, the expressions of the women became serious. The super families, top sects, and Supreme Dao Lineages’ powers in the Great Void were ruthless in their actions. If they truly traced the Harmony Spirit Seed, they would pounce like starving wolves, fiercely fighting to snatch it.

Thinking of how Origin Star Palace was once ravaged by them, no matter who the Harmony Spirit Seed fell into, it would not end well. It was an opportunity to prove the Dao and become a saint, and even a hundred Innate Spirit Treasures combined could not match its value.

Ice Toad Emperor took out the crystal-clear jade ring, fondling it gently in her hand: “The envoys of those powers have already visited us, not only returning the plundered treasures of the sacred land but also bringing many additional gifts. Therefore, I’ve decided to temporarily let them off. What do you think?”

The girl in the purple dress nodded: “That’s appropriate, for now, that’s all we can do.”

With the current strength of Origin Star Palace, although they easily destroyed two greatly weakened Supreme Dao Lineages, they were not yet capable of confronting all the Dao Lineages’ powers in the Great Void at once, especially with the Dao Court watching from the sidelines. It was indeed not advisable to start another war.

Regardless of their thoughts, it was best to stay put for now and wait for the Master and other Senior Sisters to return.

“So now, the first and foremost task before us is to find the whereabouts of Little Junior Brother!”

Ice Toad Emperor said solemnly: “Since he has already transformed, there’s at least a seventy to eighty percent chance he’s male. With all the Heavenly Secret Arts unable to deduce anything, Zhihan, what do you think we should do?”

The Destiny Ring bestowed by the Master could only detect clues when in close proximity; it was useless from afar, which was why she found it difficult.

The girl named Zhihan, in the purple dress, pondered: “How about… we also hold a grand assembly of immortals like the Dao Court did? Invite all the renowned and talented individuals from the Great Void, without limiting to good or evil, race, or family background. Then, find an opportunity to screen them one by one, and we might be able to find Little Junior Brother?”