The Xuanji Immortal Domain, the main altar of the Xuanji Star Palace.

On a temporary plain, a formation with a diameter of thousands of feet has been set up. The base stone of the formation platform is densely covered with lines of magic, forming a complex and mysterious ancient celestial script.

Under the command of the elders, a large group of core disciples are busy at the edge of the formation platform. Components made of spirit crystals, spirit jade, and various rare materials are being transported over, and the main formation is being pieced together and perfected bit by bit.

On a platform not far away, the Sect Master Yan Qinyang frowned as he watched the gradually completed formation, pondering for a while before asking, “Will this method really work?”

Beside him, the gray-robed man who had once persuaded Luo Huan chuckled and said, “Sect Master, you can rest assured. Our organization has always been cautious in its actions. You’ve also seen the formation diagram of this large formation, so there should be no doubt about its power. As long as the formation is activated and operates at full capacity, it can even suppress multiple experts at the Immortal level.”

“Even if the younger generation has some elders protecting them, once they are teleported to this large formation using the Void Teleportation Seal, they won’t be able to escape in a short time. We can take advantage of the power we’ve arranged around them and secure victory.”

Several senior elders present also agreed. With such a high-level arrangement, theoretically, it would be enough to deal with the Sect Master of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, especially since the target was just a junior with low cultivation.

Yan Qinyang nodded slowly. “I hope so. Now we just have to see how the person you’ve bribed performs. As long as her actions are successful, we won’t have any problems on our end.”

The gray-robed man pondered for a moment and said, “I only gave her the items a few days ago, so it’s unlikely to happen so quickly. But at most, it will take about half a year. We don’t need to wait too long.”

For high-level cultivators, a year or two was like a fleeting moment, not worth mentioning at all. As long as they could capture Qing Muling alive, it would be a great profit.

Elder Xie Changqing glanced at the gray-robed man and said, “There’s something that needs to be made clear in advance. In addition to Qing Muling, if there are any other outstanding young talents or senior elders who are teleported here, regardless of whether they are alive or dead, they will ultimately belong to our Xuanji Star Palace! Any problems with that?”

He was thinking of Luo Huan and Xuebing Xuan, both of whom were outstanding among the new generation of disciples of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. If they could be captured alive and controlled using secret methods, and then combined with the outstanding young talents of their own sect, the offspring born from them would surely be outstanding.

The gray-robed man hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly agreed, “Since you want it, then it’s settled. But you’ll need to prepare more capable people. Don’t capsize in the gutter.”

“We don’t need to worry about that.”

Xie Changqing said darkly, looking at the expression of their Sect Master. In his heart, he was considering whether to take advantage of the situation after the matter was settled and engage in some internal strife. This way, the Xuanji Star Palace could take all the benefits for themselves.

Regardless of what secrets or opportunities Qing Muling had, they would all belong to the Xuanji Star Palace in the end.

…

Yudao Peak.

In the cave sealed by layers of formations, Qing Muling sat on a cloud bed, surrounded by a mysterious, profound, and lonely spiritual light of enlightenment that enveloped the five senior sisters around him. The essence of spiritual energy swarmed from the depths of the void, continuously merging into their bodies.

This time, the seclusion had been quite long, and soon a hundred days had passed.

After taking two Phoenix Sky-Replenishing Pills and completely refining and absorbing them, it was equivalent to saving 1,200 years of arduous cultivation. For Qing Muling at the moment, even with a solid foundation and deliberately suppressed realm, it was enough to advance his cultivation to the later stage of the Spiritual God realm.

And because the senior sisters had the assistance of the spiritual light of enlightenment, their cultivation growth rate far exceeded Qing Muling’s own. Among them, the strongest, Qi Yalan, should be able to attempt to break through to the Elemental Immortal realm after this seclusion ended.

At some point, a tall, plump, and slender figure appeared outside the cave, and as she passed by, the formations along the way closed one after another, allowing her to walk in calmly.

“…These are really a few lucky girls.”

Mu Yinghua examined their condition, silently pondering. With the unprecedented assistance of the spiritual light of enlightenment, their future paths would basically be free of bottlenecks, and their future cultivation achievements had the potential to surpass her own. It was not easy to come across such a group of people, even in the vast and boundless starry sky of the Great Void.

Her jade-like hand gently reached into the range of the spiritual light of enlightenment, and after a slight sense of its effect, Mu Yinghua easily concluded that when Qing Muling’s cultivation reached the True One realm in the future, this spiritual light of enlightenment would be able to benefit her as well.

If she reached the Perfect Destiny realm and stepped into the Feather Transformation realm, the effect of the spiritual light of enlightenment would probably allow her, as the Supreme Sect Master, to break through to the next realm without any pressure.But…

Mu Yinghua looked at the five women including Xuebing Xuan. Their current attire was too revealing, more like a few ribbons and cloth strips wrapped around their voluptuous bodies. The bold and daring style of their stockings was simply…simply vulgar.

“Dead girl, how can you dress like this?”

Mu Yinghua was somewhat annoyed. As the saintess of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace and a monstrous genius, it was shameless for her to dress like this in front of men. If this spread, it would tarnish the dignity of the sect. Even she, as the Sect Master, would feel ashamed.

Calculating the time, Mu Yinghua decided to sit down on the cloud bed as well.

After a day and night, as Qing Muling gradually finished his cultivation, the enlightenment gradually faded, and the five women around him also ended their deep contemplation and opened their eyes one after another.

Qing Muling reached out and embraced Qi Yalan, who was closest to him. Just as he was about to touch her, he turned his head and saw the familiar and dignified figure sitting not far away. He was instantly frightened, and his whole body froze.

“Disciple, disciple greets the Sect Master!”

In an instant, Qing Muling realized and quickly rolled off the cloud bed to bow.

The faces of Xuebing Xuan and the other four women turned red as they hurriedly took out their robes from the Space Bracelet and put them on. Being seen by the Sect Master in their current attire made them feel extremely embarrassed.

Mu Yinghua’s face turned cold, and her tone was icy, “You…all of you, very, very good! You really know how to have fun! If people didn’t know any better, they would think you are the saintesses of Huaqing Divine Palace! It’s simply shameless. How did I end up taking you crazy girls as my direct disciples?”

Qing Muling felt indescribably embarrassed. If possible, he felt like he could dig a hole with his toes right now.

Is this the feeling of social death as the legends say?

Taking a deep breath, Qing Muling decided to take the blame, “Master, this matter has nothing to do with the senior sisters. It’s all because of my reckless behavior and my insistence on forcing them. It’s all my responsibility. Please punish me, Master.”

“You…”

Mu Yinghua’s voice choked, and the reprimand she had been brewing couldn’t come out.

With her Sect Master’s insight, it was not difficult to guess the cause and effect. Xuebing Xuan and the other four women had followed her for many years and had always been well-behaved. If it weren’t for the junior brother’s preferences, would they have behaved so recklessly?

Sighing, Mu Yinghua finally said, “Muling, you are extraordinary, and it’s not easy for me to restrain you. Anyway, they are all yours from now on. How you get along with them is not something outsiders can question.”

“Just remember, the sect has never mistreated you. I hope you will remember your responsibilities in the future, repay the sect, treat your senior sisters well, and don’t forget your original intentions.”

Is that it?

Qing Muling felt relieved and quickly said, “Master, please rest assured. I will definitely remember your teachings, revitalize the sect, and never abandon my senior sisters.”

“Very well.”

Mu Yinghua’s tone finally softened a bit, with a hint of warmth, “You seem to be enduring quite a bit. But with your current state, it shouldn’t be like this…Could it be that my estimation was wrong? I didn’t consider this beforehand, and there’s no precedent to follow. Perhaps it’s necessary to make a change?”

“???”

Xuebing Xuan and the others were puzzled, but they dared not ask more at the moment. It seemed to involve the junior brother’s mysterious background, and besides the Sect Master, there seemed to be no one else in the sect who knew.

After weighing it in his heart for a moment, Qing Muling decided to be straightforward, “If Master doesn’t mind, I can do it now. If they don’t object, then…”

Qi Yalan’s body trembled slightly, instantly understanding Qing Muling’s meaning, and nervously watched the Sect Master’s reaction.

Fortunately, Mu Yinghua showed no signs of anger, “Alright, you can choose one of them as your Dao companion! I will preside over the ceremony for you, and from now on, you can openly cultivate together without hiding.”

With these words, the senior sisters instinctively tensed up, their five pairs of beautiful eyes fixed on Qing Muling.

Qing Muling looked slightly stunned, “Can’t I have all of them?”

Only children make choices, and I…am no longer a child.

Moreover, when the Sect Master decided to keep them all by his side, wasn’t she thinking the same thing? How come now, he could only choose one?

Mu Yinghua sneered, “You have quite an appetite. Have you forgotten the huge gap in cultivation between you and them? If you take all five, do you want to be drained by them together?”

“This…”Qin Muling touched his nose in a somewhat disheveled manner. Mu Yinghua’s words were unpleasant to hear, but they spoke the truth. The dual cultivation technique of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace was indeed mutually beneficial, but when there was a significant disparity in cultivation between the partners, it was inevitable that one would be at a disadvantage while the other profited.

Especially since Qin Muling, as a man, was naturally at a disadvantage in such matters. If it were all five Senior Sisters together, Mu Yinghua believed he might as well start arranging his own funeral.

“With your current level of cultivation, even choosing one is a bit of a stretch,”

Mu Yinghua stated unequivocally, “If you want more, then you must quickly improve your cultivation. With each major realm you advance, you can add one more partner. By the time you reach the Destiny Realm, all five of them will be yours.”

“As for who goes first, that’s for you to discuss amongst yourselves.”

“……”

Xuebing Xuan and the other ladies exchanged glances, truly not expecting such an outcome. Whether they liked it or not, they now had to compete for their order of precedence.

“Junior Brother, you see…”

Cheng Yulan had just started speaking when Qin Muling interrupted her: “All the Senior Sisters are wonderful, and I like them all. However, as for the matter of who marries first, I think it’s better for you to discuss it amongst yourselves, to avoid any hard feelings. What do you think?”

If Qin Muling were to choose himself, no matter who he picked, the remaining four Senior Sisters would be dissatisfied. They would surely find ways to torment him during their nightly lessons, so this life-threatening question was one he definitely couldn’t touch.

Better to leave the choice to them!

Xuebing Xuan looked at her Junior Brother and steeled her heart: “Since that’s the case, I’ll go first.”

Luo Wanqing’s expression turned cold: “Why you? Junior Brother is clearly closest to me; it should be me first.”

Qi Yalan gave her a sidelong glance: “Have some shame, will you? When has Junior Brother ever been close to you? Don’t forget, when he first came to the mountain, he wore my clothes. All this time, we’ve shared clothing, and I’ve spent the most time with him. Right, Junior Brother?”

Qin Muling simply sat to one side: “Sisters, you discuss it amongst yourselves, or you can ask the Sect Master to decide fairly. I’ll just watch and not speak!”

Cheng Yulan was exasperated, thinking this guy was shameless. So this matter has nothing to do with you, huh?

Luo Huan looked at the eager Senior Sisters, then at Mu Yinghua, who was as silent as still water, and hesitated: “Since we can’t come to an agreement, let’s have the Supreme Sect Master make the decision!”

After all, they would all be serving the same husband in the future, so they needed to maintain good relations. It wouldn’t do to fight to the death over the order of marriage and become a laughingstock to outsiders.

Luo Wanqing thought it over and finally nodded.

Thus, the five ladies bowed to Mu Yinghua: “We respectfully ask the Sect Master to decide!”

Mu Yinghua nodded slightly: “In that case, let’s determine the order by drawing lots. No one is allowed to regret their choice afterward!”

With that, a cylinder made of azure jade appeared before her, containing six lustrous black ivory talisman lots.

Qi Yalan looked at the cylinder in surprise. There were clearly only five Senior Sisters present, so why was there an extra talisman lot? Who was it prepared for?

Mu Yinghua offered no explanation: “Alright, who will go first?”

Luo Wanqing, anxious, stepped forward and drew a talisman lot: “I’ll do it!”

Then, Cheng Yulan, Qi Yalan, and Xuebing Xuan drew in turn, leaving Luo Huan to draw last. The remaining talisman lot lay untouched in the cylinder.

“Open them yourselves!” Mu Yinghua said impassively.

After a moment of hesitation, Luo Wanqing could no longer contain herself and was the first to open her talisman lot, followed by the others.