In the vast and boundless depths of the Great Void starry sky.
Countless broken land masses float in the deep space, strange and lifeless, with no visible traces of life.
The void environment here is extremely harsh, and there are no valuable resources to be exploited. It may take hundreds of years for a cultivator to visit, belonging to a forgotten corner in deep space.
Inside a dark land mass with a radius of thousands of miles, an unknown powerhouse has opened up a hidden paradise with great magical powers. Inside, it is beautifully arranged, with magnificent palaces and courtyards, resembling a paradise with green waters and blue mountains.
This is the black market in the Great Void starry sky, where all resources of unknown origin, including elixirs, magical treasures, territory cultivation methods, confidential information, and even cultivators themselves, can be traded. As long as you are willing to pay the corresponding fees and abide by the rules here, the behind-the-scenes managers of the black market will ensure your safety and interests.
Similar places exist in many other locations in the Great Void starry sky. After all, where there are intelligent beings, there is a world of jianghu and darkness, so such things cannot disappear. At certain times, even the so-called righteous forces cannot do without this industry.
In a heavily guarded palace in the black market, more than twenty dark figures are gathered, exchanging the information they each hold.
Most of them are not physical, only magical projections, and their true identities are unknown, as they do not want others to know their true identities.
“…Just ten days ago, the Dao Court’s ceasefire order was officially issued and took effect, covering the entire Cloud Dream Immortal Domain and several adjacent immortal domains. All Dao Lineage forces listed in the order are prohibited from launching any large-scale direct wars. The ceasefire order lasts for…one hundred and fifty years!”
A gloomy voice spoke slowly and unhurriedly, with a hint of resentment and unwillingness in its tone.
Those with discerning eyes could see that the Dao Court’s move was to protect the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, thus using this method to restrict all surrounding Supreme Dao Lineage forces from directly interfering with the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s plan to restore the sect’s main altar.
There was a moment of silence in the room, and then another voice spoke, “It seems that the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace still has some influence in the Dao Court. But to accomplish this, they need to pay a considerable price, both openly and secretly. Can they still afford it? If I remember correctly, they seem to have not paid tribute to the Dao Court for several hundred years.”
“Unfortunately, just a month ago, they paid off all their outstanding tributes and applied for the resources needed to exchange for the ceasefire order, including the benefits for those bigwigs in the Dao Court, all paid in one go. If not for this, how could they have so easily achieved their goal?” explained a hoarse voice.
Tribute is the various resources that the major Dao Lineage forces and aristocratic families need to pay to the Dao Court every year. Depending on their own strength and status, they need to bear different amounts of tribute. The Supreme Dao Lineage naturally pays the most.
The Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace was at its peak tens of thousands of years ago, so this tribute was naturally not a big deal. But after it began to decline, these tribute amounts became an unbearable burden.
According to the Dao Court’s rules, responsibilities and obligations are equal to rights and status. If a Dao Lineage family defaults on its tribute for a long time, many of its rights will be temporarily frozen and can only be restored after the tribute is paid.
Most of the dark figures present were somewhat surprised, and one voice questioned, “This is not a small amount. The Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace has been declining for a long time. How can they still afford this huge amount of resources? Could it be… that they have borrowed heavily from some powerful forces?”
As a Supreme Dao Lineage, it is easy to borrow externally, and there are many powerful forces willing to lend a hand, although the cost of interest is high. But everyone encounters difficulties from time to time, and it is understandable to occasionally use this method to get through a difficult period.
An old voice replied, “The major trading companies I have shares in have not received any loan applications from the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, nor have they heard any rumors in the industry about this. Obviously, this is not the case.”
“That’s strange. Where did they get the resources? Could it be that they have used their strategic reserves? Or is there another reason?”
“I don’t know. This issue can be investigated for the truth later. It’s just that now, any tough actions against the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace are impossible. What should we do?”
“Direct warfare is not allowed, but those means that are not on the table can still be used, right? We can also mobilize our vassal forces to cause them trouble, so that they cannot easily restore the main body of the giant land.”
“The effect is not great. The Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace now has the Taiyuan Infinite Soft Water Flag and the Li Huang Star Cloud Tower, two heavy treasures guarding it. It is said that several Supreme Elders who have been in deep sleep for many years have also recovered, and their strength has greatly increased. Those small and medium-sized sects cannot stop them. Even if we personally intervene, we will have to pay a hefty price.”
“So it seems that we are unable to do anything to them now? This feeling is too suffocating.”
“It’s fortunate that the ceasefire order only lasts for one hundred and fifty years. We can just wait and then join forces to settle the score with them!”
One hundred and fifty years is equivalent to a lifetime for ordinary people, but for high-level cultivators, this amount of time is not worth mentioning. A period of seclusion to comprehend the Dao may be longer than this.
Including the armillary sphere Star Palace, many Supreme Dao Lineage forces currently have no intention of challenging the authority of the Dao Court. The cost is too high, and it would be a great loss to destroy the established rules of the Great Void starry sky that have lasted for millions of years just for the sake of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.
After a moment of silence among the many dark figures, no one questioned the matter, and it was considered accepted.
“Alright, let’s move on to discuss another issue, still related to the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, which is their Sect Master’s newly accepted direct disciple, Qing Muling.”The old voice continued, “Now there are forces outside offering a very high reward to obtain the secrets of this disciple. It can make a pure female cultivator of the Supreme Dao Lineage break tradition and accept him as a disciple. This is not something that can be achieved by just any extraordinary genius. Although they later released a message, intending to recruit male disciples in large numbers at the next grand opening of the sect, everyone is a discerning person. This kind of blatant means of deception cannot fool us.”
A cold and arrogant female voice sounded, “We are also very interested in the secrets of that little guy. If anyone can provide it, we are willing to reward them with a post-heavenly spirit treasure!”
There was a moment of silence in the field, and a deep and steady voice spoke, “Post-heavenly spirit treasure? We are not lacking, but is it really worth offering such a reward just for a new junior disciple? Could it be a deliberate target set up by the high-level members of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace? Carefully setting a trap to mislead us?”
Similar situations have occurred in the past, so his suspicion was reasonable.
Everyone present was a sly old fox of thousands of years, and they had fought many rounds of open and secret battles. Who didn’t know each other?
“But I heard that Qing Muling is indeed extraordinary. Not only is his luck exceptionally strong, but his aptitude is also extremely rare, perhaps even surpassing the so-called extraordinary genius seedlings.”
“Heard? Can it be confirmed?”
“Not yet. The women of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace have protected him very well. Even the hidden lines we arranged inside have not been able to get close to him, not even the people around him. So the information we have been able to collect so far is extremely limited.”
“Such an important figure surely needs someone to serve him, right? Can’t we find a way to place a few capable people around him?”
“This can be considered, but it can only be done slowly. It won’t be effective in the short term.”
After discussing for a moment, the many shadows were still undecided about the matter. After all, there was too little information available for them to make a decision, and they didn’t know how to proceed.
If they paid a huge price and went to great lengths to find out the truth, only to discover that it was just a trap set by Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, they would truly lose face.
At this moment, a cold voice suddenly sounded, “My intelligence network has just received a message: it is said that someone from Calamity Fate Palace has offered a new reward. Whoever can capture Qing Muling and hand him over will receive two post-heavenly spirit treasures.”
“Calamity Fate Palace… I see!”
Amidst the astonishment and shock of the crowd, they all felt relieved. Since it was a superpower like Calamity Fate Palace making a move, everything seemed to have a reasonable explanation.
After a long time, a voice asked, “Is it better to keep him alive or dead?”
“Of course, it is more valuable to keep him alive, and there must be no harm. If he dies or is injured, the reward will only be half.”
“Alright, it’s settled then.”
“Now let’s discuss how to lure that little guy out of the sect’s main altar.”
No one would be so arrogant as to break into the main altar of a Supreme Dao Lineage to capture someone, even if it was Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, a sect with relatively weak strength. The power of the Phoenix Nebula Tower was not just for show, so if they wanted to accomplish this, they could only do so through clever tactics.
…
On Yudao Peak.
“Alright, Senior Sister, the people you wanted are all here. How do you want to arrange them?”
Qing Muling, who still looked a bit listless, said.
In front of Xuebing Xuan, two hundred inner disciples stood neatly, each one a beautiful woman with bright eyes and white teeth, and radiant skin. They all wore a surprised and puzzled expression.
They were the candidates who failed in this assessment, and their performance was not too bad. They had planned to go back to continue their cultivation and wait for the next opportunity. Little did they know that Qing Muling had arranged for them to be stopped and quietly brought to Yudao Peak.
The reason for notifying them separately, without doing it in front of the elders, was naturally to avoid causing trouble. Otherwise, if they saw it, they would definitely want to get to the bottom of it.
In Qing Muling’s spiritual sense, the fortunes and destinies of these female disciples were all good, with deep hidden blessings. Even a few of them, even without external help, would have the opportunity to cultivate to the level of a True Immortal in the future. Therefore, giving preferential treatment to the core disciples in advance was not excessive.
Even if they failed this time, it was only because their cultivation time was short and their potential was still lacking, or they had not yet reached the time of great fortune. By practicing under Senior Sister, these shortcomings could naturally be made up for.
Given time, when these two hundred disciples grew up, they could become the backbone of the Sect Master’s lineage.
“You’ve worked hard, Junior Brother. I’ll reward you well tonight!”
Xuebing Xuan threw a flirtatious look at him without leaving a trace, saying quietly with her spiritual sense.
Qing Muling’s spirits lifted, and he looked at Senior Sister seriously. The fiery figure under her beautiful dress was as alluring as ever, and he wondered what she was wearing today – leopard print, transparent, passionate, or absolutely bare… But there was no rush; he could verify it thoroughly tonight.
Seeing the look in his eyes, Luo Wanqing knew that Junior Brother was thinking of something bad again, and couldn’t help but pinch him hard. She thought about whether she should add a little more force the next time they fought, so that he wouldn’t be able to climb out of bed the next day.
Qi Yalan silently tightened the hilt of the sword around Junior Brother’s waist, the meaning was self-evident. Cheng Yulan’s expression was ambiguous, probably meaning: dare to favor one and discriminate against the other, just wait for the next game of hide and seek!
Qing Muling sighed quietly and said nothing. Among the Senior Sisters, only Luo Huan truly cared for him and wouldn’t go out of her way to torment him.As for Yu Lingzhou, Yueyi Heavenly Lord, and Ice Falcon Heavenly Lord, given their status, they would not trouble Qing Muling. Therefore, when given a choice, Qing Muling preferred to interact with them.
Xuebing Xuan gave the group of female disciples some brief instructions before announcing that they could stay and cultivate in her Daoist temple. Although they still held the status of inner sect disciples, they were actually granted resources comparable to core disciples. They could often listen to the eldest senior sister’s explanations to resolve doubts and receive guidance on cultivation techniques, a privilege rarely afforded to other core disciples.
The female disciples were overjoyed and unanimously agreed. Even though they would be part of the Sect Master’s faction from now on, this was quite normal.
After all, the Sect Master’s faction was the most powerful within the sect, the sturdiest support to rely on. When given the opportunity, why would one not choose the Sect Master’s faction and instead seek help from afar?
“By the way, Junior Brother, do you need someone to take care of you? Would you like to pick a few suitable ones from here to serve you? Even if you want to choose more, it’s not a problem.”
Xuebing Xuan suddenly turned her head and said to Qing Muling with a smile.
“That’s right, Junior Brother, although you are a direct disciple of our master, you still don’t have anyone by your side, which is a bit undignified,” Qi Yalan said with a smile, echoing the sentiment.
“Traversing the Stars”
Among these two hundred female disciples, there were many stunning beauties with enchanting allure, a variety of charming and graceful types, indeed a feast for the eyes.
But Qing Muling shook his head without hesitation: “Whether it’s dignified or not is irrelevant. Having my senior sisters take care of me is enough. How could they compare to my senior sisters? Let’s forget about it.”
He was certain that if he agreed to such a life-threatening proposition, he really wouldn’t be able to maintain his dignity that night.