Nine Spirit Proto Gate Main Altar.
In front of the Council Hall, on the spacious square, Supreme Sect Master Luo Fuyou gazed upon the thousands of disciples before him, their faces alight with excitement and readiness, and he sighed softly to himself.
Heaven knows, the frenzied onslaught of the Magic Clan progeny had finally been repelled. The previously desperate situation both inside and outside the sect had eased, and now there was a chance to recuperate and recover for a while.
Regrettably, the sect had lost too many of its elite disciples. Most of the current core disciples had been hastily promoted from the ranks of the inner disciples. Their overall quality was noticeably inferior to that of the previous core disciples, and it was uncertain how many would truly make their mark.
But in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken. For the greater good of the sect, this was the only option.
Now that the Misty Illusion Secret Realm had reopened, and the entry requirements were much more lenient than before, many cultivators who previously had no chance to enter could now broaden their horizons.
After several rounds of discussion, the higher-ups of the Nine Spirit Proto Gate decided to send a sufficient number of disciples to try their luck. If even a few prodigious seeds could seize the right opportunity to rise, it would not be a loss.
"The time has come, everyone prepare to depart!"
After a while, Luo Fuyou finally spoke, "In the secret realm, try to avoid conflicts with disciples from other sects. Focus on finding opportunities, especially be cautious around Calamity Fate Palace disciples…"
The special relationship between Calamity Fate Palace and the Heavenly Human Clan was no longer a secret in recent years. The higher-ups of other top sects, super clans, and Supreme Dao Lineages were more or less aware of it. Following the principle of 'better safe than sorry,' no one was keen on provoking this powerful force.
Of course, if it came to competing for some peerless opportunities, neither Calamity Fate Palace nor any other power would back down.
As the Sect Master personally channeled his magic, a circular light gate, ten meters high, slowly appeared in mid-air and soon stabilized, exuding a misty and mysterious aura.
The disciples below sat cross-legged on the ground, their divine souls leaving their bodies and transforming into streaks of light that disappeared into the light gate.
Similar scenes were unfolding in the sacred grounds of most Dao Lineages, with the exception of Dao Court.
The higher-ups of Dao Court clearly weren't interested in the Heavenly Human Clan's tactics, so they never publicly participated in the opening of the Misty Illusion Secret Realm, though they didn't forbid their cultivators from entering on a personal basis to try their luck.
…
Inside the secret realm.
Above the vast ocean, a beautiful and majestic cloud platform with a diameter of over a hundred meters floated in mid-air.
The intricate and dense array patterns on the surface of the cloud platform emitted a faint glow, concealing any trace and aura. Unless a Quasi Holy Emperor happened to pass by, it would be impossible to detect any sign of it.
Qing Muling reclined in a luxurious chair, with a large table in front of him filled with rare delicacies and spiritual wine and nectar, all top-notch items taken from the sect's treasury for his enjoyment. The enticing aroma drifted far away.
Yu Binghua, Su Yunmo, Qi Shuyu, and a group of familiar senior sisters were now dressed in thin, transparent, and incredibly alluring dresses, dancing gracefully.
Qing Muling held a wine cup adorned with spiritual pearls and jade, contentedly watching the exquisite dance of his senior sisters. As a sect of purely female cultivators, their standard in this regard was truly unmatched, far surpassing that of male-dominated Dao Lineages.
Luo Wanqing and Luo Wanqing sat on either side of him, wearing scandalously little, their fair and enchanting bodies dazzlingly white. Xuebing Xuan, Cheng Yulan, and Luo Huan were seated a little further away, while Yu Lingzhou, Yueyi Heavenly Lord, and Ice Falcon Heavenly Lord were also present.
"Junior Brother,"
Luo Wanqing took the nearly empty wine cup from his hand, refilled it, and then lightly sipped with her lustrous lips before feeding Qing Muling directly, unconcerned with the jealous gazes of the other women around her.
After feeding him a few sips of spiritual wine, she continued, "We plan to stay here for ten days before moving on to another location to scavenge. As for where to go next, we'll rely on your Heavenly Secret Art to deduce the outcome."
Qing Muling nodded, "I understand."
Although Qing Muling's cultivation wasn't high, and his proficiency in the Heavenly Secret Art wasn't exceptional, backed by supreme fortune, his deductions were almost always accurate. As long as it didn't involve other powerful beings, there were few secrets that could escape his calculations.
Not only did he need to find resources, but he also had to avoid encountering cultivators from the Heavenly Human Clan and other sects. It was crucial not to cross paths with them, or the consequences would be unpredictable.
During the last venture into the secret realm, Qing Muling was responsible for this task, and it was certainly no problem now.
With a light-headed feeling from the wine, Qing Muling's consciousness spread out in all directions. Deep in the ocean, twenty thousand female cultivators divided into two hundred teams, each marking their territory, were hunting sea creatures and collecting spiritual herbs and treasures from the seabed. Anything of value was crammed into spatial artifacts.
In just a few days, with the relentless scavenging of the female cultivators, countless pits, tunnels, and ravines appeared on the seabed within tens of thousands of miles. Several massive underwater mountain ranges were nearly hollowed out because they contained rare spiritual ores.
Similarly, the aquatic species in this vast area were doomed, with billions of spiritual fish and sea creatures slaughtered and stored in spatial artifacts. However, considering the vastness of the secret realm's ocean, this number was insignificant.
Approximately every day and night, the female cultivators' spatial artifacts would be filled to the brim, then handed over to Qing Muling to take back to the Main Altar of the Sect. There, Mu Yinghua and a group of Supreme Elders would be waiting to transfer the resources into the Hidden Cave Mystical Realm.
Qing Muling roughly estimated that each round trip he made could satisfy the needs of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace for at least fifty years. Given the increased number of high-ranking female immortals in the sect, and the upcoming onslaught of the Magic Clan progeny, expenses were naturally skyrocketing.
Speaking of which, resources were also a manifestation of fortune. Transferring such a vast amount of rare resources from the Misty Illusion Secret Realm to Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace could cultivate a massive number of new disciples, create more high-level magical artifacts and high-grade pills, construct powerful Mountain Protection Arrays, and create more high-ranking powerhouses… All these measures could directly or indirectly boost the sect's fortune, and not just by a little.
Therefore, from the perspective of the Heavenly Human Clan's higher-ups, an individual like Qing Muling, who was shamelessly undermining their foundation, would be relentlessly pursued to the death once discovered.
"Junior Brother, since we have some free time now, why don't we… go rest in the heavenly boats for a while?"
Luo Wanqing's face flushed slightly, and she whispered to Qing Muling with her divine sense, glancing around.
Qing Muling looked at her speechlessly. With so many senior sisters watching, could you be a little more restrained?
However, he understood the fourth senior sister's thoughts. Being the last to join, her cultivation progress was clearly lagging behind Xuebing Xuan and the others. Naturally, she was eager to catch up as soon as possible.
"Serious matters come first, no fooling around!"
Qing Muling spoke sternly. Whether outside or in the privacy of their rooms, the combat power of body cultivators was too overwhelming to handle, so it wasn't a bad thing for the fourth senior sister to progress slower in her cultivation.
"Hmph! Stingy!"
Luo Wanqing huffed in frustration but didn't insist any further.
If it were for cultivation, the other senior sisters would definitely follow, and Qing Muling couldn't refuse. After all, he couldn't show favoritism. Under their combined pressure, he wouldn't be able to finish in a short time.
At that moment, a huge whirlpool suddenly appeared on the sea surface below, and within a few breaths, the figures of more than a dozen Xuan Immortals emerged in the light and landed on the cloud platform in a flash.
"Junior Brother, these spatial artifacts are full!"
They said excitedly, raising their hands slightly, and countless large-capacity spatial artifacts poured onto the empty area of the cloud platform, each one packed to the brim.
"Alright."
Qing Muling responded, sweeping them all into his internal space, then released tens of thousands of emptied spatial artifacts for them.
The Xuan Immortal senior sisters didn't linger, quickly distributing the artifacts and hurriedly departing, disappearing into the depths of the sea.
The opening of the Misty Illusion Secret Realm this time was set for nine years, which translated to three years in the Great Void's time flow, indeed longer than in previous years. However, in the eyes of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace's higher-ups, it still wasn't quite enough.
No power would ever complain about having too many resources. The Misty Illusion Secret Realm was simply too vast and rich. Even after a hundred or a thousand years, it would be impossible to exhaust all the treasures inside.
"For safety's sake, we should avoid operating within the territory of the Heavenly Human Clan,"
Yu Lingzhou suggested, "Shall we go directly to the barbaric regions? There are more treasures there, and the likelihood of encountering other cultivators is lower, so we can scavenge with peace of mind."
Qing Muling had no objections, "Okay, that's settled."
In the conventional understanding, the barbaric regions were synonymous with danger and lurking death, even the Heavenly Human Clan knew little about those areas.
Ordinarily, cultivators without sufficient confidence wouldn't dare venture into those places, despite the unknown opportunities in those unfamiliar regions. The prerequisite was that you had to be able to return alive.
However, with Qing Muling's abilities, it wasn't difficult to deduce a relatively safe path in advance using the Heavenly Secret Art, avoiding dangerous areas and finding as many treasures as possible.
…
Calamity Fate Palace Main Altar.
Inside the bronze secret hall, the divine envoy Zihuang, deputy envoy Lingxi, the palace master, and over a dozen high-ranking members of Calamity Fate Palace were gathered around a huge magical projection mirror, discussing.
As for Holy Maiden Mei Qingfeng, she had already led a team into the Misty Illusion Secret Realm. Given her special status, she was unlikely to encounter any danger inside.
"Ten days have passed since the secret realm opened, and the number of cultivators seeking fortune has reached several millions, with the possibility of further increase. Divine Envoy, I haven't broken my promise, have I?"
The palace master said with a smile, proud that so many cultivators had entered, a feat that was undoubtedly credited to Calamity Fate Palace. If it weren't for their covert efforts to incite and create momentum, such an achievement wouldn't have been possible.
Zihuang nodded slightly, then expressed some regret, "The number is sufficient, but the quality is somewhat disappointing. The average cultivation level is significantly lower than in previous years. Can't we think of another way?"
Elder Yuan Xuan Kong replied with a hint of helplessness, "Your Excellency, the calamity of the Magic Clan has been devastating. Nearly all Dao Lineages in the Great Void have suffered considerable losses, with heavy casualties among disciples. It's really not possible to mobilize too many high-ranking cultivators."
This was the truth, and a reason so compelling that Zihuang couldn't argue further.
A possible solution might be to increase the quantity to compensate for the lack of quality, finding a way to allow more cultivators to enter the Misty Illusion Secret Realm. This would ensure that the Heavenly Human Clan could harvest enough fortune.
"By the way, have all the disciples of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace entered the secret realm?"
The palace master suddenly asked, "Our elders have already sent them the jade talisman quotas. Is it time to start locating them?"
He was still concerned about Qing Muling's movements. After such an extravagant effort last time, they had failed to capture him, and it was unknown what secrets he possessed.
The thought of such an incredible opportunity being taken by the Heavenly Human Clan was naturally unsettling to the palace master. Unfortunately, the situation was beyond his control, and it was impossible to back out now.
If that young man was clever enough to make the Heavenly Human Clan suffer a significant loss, that would be ideal.
Zihuang nodded lightly, "I understand. Let's see where he is and notify our patrolling legions to prepare for the capture."
With that, she produced an ivory white scepter about a foot long, both ancient and exquisite, and lightly tapped the magical projection mirror. A golden light entered the mirror.
In an instant, the magical projection mirror vibrated slightly, and the scene inside rapidly changed. After dozens of breaths, it stabilized, and thousands of golden light points slowly emerged.
These light points represented the female cultivators of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, with each one's location clearly marked, none missing.
"…Hmm, it seems they are all female cultivators, with no presence of male cultivators."
After sensing for a moment, Zihuang spoke with some confusion.
The palace master's eyes flickered, "Are you sure?"
Zihuang glanced at him, "Our clan's secret divine abilities can easily discern their identities and origins. How could a young man who isn't even a True Immortal escape our notice? As long as he entered the secret realm, he would inevitably fall under our gaze."
Her implication was clear: if Qing Muling used the jade talisman quota, he couldn't escape the Heavenly Human Clan's detection unless… he chose not to enter the Misty Illusion Secret Realm.
"So, does the number of quotas match?"
"There are two thousand five hundred thirty-nine people currently, which seems to be over two hundred short of the jade talisman quotas you sent. It appears that not all the quotas have been used."
"What are they waiting for?"
"That's unclear. Perhaps… they have become suspicious? So they dare not risk Qing Muling's life?" Zihuang's expression darkened.