Despite Dragon Ritual Princess’s eloquent persuasion and Su Yuanzhen’s support, Xuebing Xuan remained unmoved, stating that she needed to consult her Master and the two Quasi Holy Emperors for a decision.

However, Senior Sister knew the Sect Master well enough to predict that this matter was likely to be rejected. The stakes were simply too high.

Once a precedent is set, it’s nearly impossible to reverse course. The consequences are unpredictable. For Qing Muling’s safety, this could not be tolerated.

Junior Brother… you wouldn’t want to be used as a tool, right?

Thinking of this, Xuebing Xuan felt an odd sensation. It seemed that her sisters had always been benefiting from Junior Brother’s presence, even though they were all his Dao Companions.

“…Fine, let them decide then.”

After some debate, Dragon Ritual Princess began to grasp the gravity of the situation. She wavered on her initial thoughts, considering it might be best for the two Emperors to make the call. With their insight and cultivation, they would surely offer the most appropriate advice.

Looking at the expressions of the women present, Cheng Yulan, with her elegant beauty, put down the jade slip in her hand and abruptly asked, “What do you think… how many Dao Companions will Junior Brother have in the future? Or rather, how many sisters will we have?”

Dragon Ritual Princess: “???”

Xuebing Xuan: “???”

The women exchanged glances, their expressions indescribably complex. This question… was a profound soul-level inquiry.

Many eyes outside were fixed on Qing Muling, with various seductresses lying in wait, plotting to share in his fortunes or even replace others. Even with two Quasi Holy Emperors present, absolute safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

Little Phoenix Fengxia silently counted on her fingers. Not to mention the close Supreme Elders like Yu Lingzhou and Ice Falcon, there were others like the domineering nun from the Great Brahma Temple, the scheming princess from the ancient Kylin clan, the sanctimonious Saintess from Qingqiu Hall, and even Yun Tianyi from the Dragon Tiger Pill Cauldron Sect, who had promised to introduce his sister to Qing Muling.

Oops, almost forgot, even the Supreme Sect Master had… Stop, stop, can’t think any further, or I’ll lose my mind.

This was only the current situation. As time passed, more eyes would inevitably turn towards Qing Muling.

Once he steps into the Golden Immortal realm, allies from various Dao Lineages will be eager to forge closer ties. Within the sect, seductresses seeking to improve their cultivation would naturally flock to him, too numerous to count.

“Compared to this, I’m more concerned about whether Junior Brother can achieve the Quasi Holy Emperor realm. Do you think it’s possible?” Luo Wanqing asked expressionlessly.

Xuebing Xuan gave her a look: “Isn’t it obvious? It’s only a matter of time! If even Junior Brother can’t achieve the Quasi Holy Dao fruit, then no one in the Great Void will ever become a Quasi Holy Emperor.”

Luo Wanqing sighed: “So, how many Dao Companions can a Quasi Holy Emperor have, and should have, you all must have an idea, right? Even my father, who is not yet a Quasi Holy Emperor, has taken hundreds of concubines.”

Silence fell over the room.

“I think, with Mother around, this won’t happen!”

After a while, Dragon Ritual Princess spoke softly. As a woman herself, Qinghuan Emperor surely wouldn’t tolerate such absurdity from her chosen son-in-law. If she sensed something amiss, she would definitely stop those seductresses in their tracks.

Little Phoenix Fengxia chuckled to herself, thinking that her mother was probably not so simple either. When Qing Muling’s cultivation rose, would she first inspect the goods for her daughter, or would she take him for herself? Who could say for sure?

Even Qinghuan Emperor was like this, let alone the others…

…

At the Main Altar of the Sect, within the Hidden Cave Mystical Realm.

Mu Yinghua, dignified and majestic, escorted by a group of high-ranking elders, passed through the heavily guarded entrance to the central area of the small world. Here, a massive Formation Array spanning three thousand miles in diameter had been running at full capacity for days.

The main keystones of the array, various rare materials, and the massive amount of top-grade spiritual crystals required to operate it all came from the wild areas within the Misty Illusion Secret Realm.

Previously, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace couldn’t afford to set up such a top-tier array, even if it meant depleting the sect’s strategic reserves, and it was an unthinkable option.

Only now, with Qing Muling shuttling back and forth between the Misty Illusion Secret Realm and the Main Altar, bringing back a continuous stream of resources, did Mu Yinghua have the confidence to implement this grand plan.

At the core of the array, a three-foot-long, anciently designed seven-string jade zither floated silently, emitting a clear, profound glow. Shimmering light danced around it, and ethereal music seemed to resonate at the soul level, filling the void with majestic Dao Rhyme.

As the array operated, vast amounts of spiritual essence flowed into the zither like converging rivers. Inside the zither, a vast but naive consciousness stirred, seemingly on the verge of awakening.

This was another of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s sect-defining Spirit Treasures, the Innate Spirit Treasure Xuan Guang Ming Jie Zither, capable of enhancing the power of various arrays. It was on par with the Tai Yuan Wu Ji Rou Shui Flag and only slightly inferior to the Li Feng Star Cloud Tower.

In a bloody battle ten thousand years ago, this Innate Spirit Treasure was nearly destroyed by the combined assault of several powerful beings wielding their own treasures. Its power was almost completely lost.

After the battle, the weakened Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace couldn’t repair it and had to let it slumber in the secret vault until today. With the sect’s newfound wealth, they could finally set up this grand array and spare no expense to restore it.

“How much longer?”

Mu Yinghua surveyed the scene and asked.

An elder beside her promptly replied, “Soon, no more than a month, and it will be fully restored. Then our sect will have another powerful treasure to stabilize our fortunes.”

Mu Yinghua nodded slightly: “In that case, the other damaged treasures in the secret vault should also be restored soon, right?”

“Of course, as long as we have enough spiritual crystals, it’s not a problem.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Mu Yinghua breathed a sigh of relief. All of this was thanks to Qing Muling. Otherwise, how many years would Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace have to wait to gather these resources? It took the sect great effort and thousands of years to restore the Tai Yuan Wu Ji Rou Shui Flag.

Now, with just one trip, Qing Muling brought back spiritual crystals worth fifty years of the sect’s revenue, making it easy to splurge.

There were many damaged treasures in the sect’s secret vault, each requiring a vast amount of rare resources to repair. Even a Supreme Dao Lineage power like Calamity Fate Palace would find the cost daunting.

But once they were all restored, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s top-tier strategic forces would grow stronger, giving them more confidence to face the calamity of the Magic Clan and the siege of hostile Dao Lineages.

“Sect Master, I think after the treasures are restored, we could also upgrade the Mountain Protection Array of the Main Altar. Many key nodes, array platforms, and banners could be replaced with new ones, crafted from the best materials to the highest standards. If completed on schedule, the power of the Mountain Protection Array could increase by at least five to ten times!” suggested Fenghua Fairy, who stood by her side.

Not just the Main Altar, but all the arrays in important star regions, core territories, and defensive lines could be upgraded and expanded, increasing their power and protective range.

Also, certain important workshops, blessed lands, and Dao Court branches within the sect could be upgraded, optimized, or even rebuilt. With so many resources at hand, it was time to put them to good use rather than letting them gather dust in the storeroom.

Mu Yinghua smiled, “It’s a good idea, but it’s not a small project. There are many aspects to consider. We need to plan carefully and come up with a suitable scheme.”

The Mountain Protection Array of the Main Altar was established when Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace was founded. Although it had been maintained and improved over the years, it was time for a complete overhaul, especially since the territory had expanded significantly and would continue to grow.

Of course, this meant spending the sect’s rare resources like water, but as long as the Misty Illusion Secret Realm remained open, it would provide nearly unlimited financial and material support for Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.

After giving detailed instructions, Mu Yinghua left, escorted by the elders.

Back in her abode, two jade slips were laid out on the desk.

Mu Yinghua sat gracefully on the cloud bed and picked up the slips, finding them to be a list of resources Qing Muling had brought back, neatly categorized.

The total at the end was roughly equivalent to Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s entire revenue over the past three thousand years. Some of the rare resources were extremely scarce in the Great Void, tightly controlled by the major Dao Lineages, and not available for purchase even with a large amount of top-grade spiritual crystals.

And now, Qing Muling was still bringing back more treasures, so the sect’s wealth would only grow.

The other jade slip contained records of the sect’s secret purchasing team’s recent spending spree in the Great Void, buying up all sorts of finished resources.

Many resources, such as various pills, magical instruments, talisman puppets, and others, required time and high-cultivation experts to craft, which was time-consuming and labor-intensive.

With the ongoing war and the consequent staggering consumption of war materials, the sect was in dire need of combatants, not craftsmen. It was more efficient to buy ready-made goods with spiritual crystals.

Under Mu Yinghua’s orders, thousands of high-ranking female cultivators set out secretly with a vast amount of top-grade spiritual crystals.

Their destinations were large markets, business alliances, Supreme Dao Lineages, secret merchant organizations, and auction houses.

These places offered a wide variety of goods and ample supply. As long as they had enough spiritual crystals, they could provide anything from Postnatal Spirit Treasures to top-grade divine herbs, divine abilities, and even high-ranking cultivator slaves.

Thus, the female cultivators of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace enjoyed the thrill of shopping spree, buying anything the sect might need, in any quantity, without limit.

Although the prices of many finished resources had soared due to the war, spiritual crystals were also in high demand, so the impact was not significant.

During this time, an astonishing amount of war materials flowed back to the Main Altar of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace through various channels, rapidly bolstering the sect’s strategic reserves.

It was foreseeable that when the next major offensive of the Magic Clan progeny was launched, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace would minimize its own casualties and inflict unimaginable losses on the enemy due to its ample preparations.

“…Sect Master,”

A steward elder tiptoed in, bowed, and reported, “Core Elder Fairy Butterfly has returned with a huge fleet, parked outside the Mountain Protection Array. How would you like to proceed?”

Mu Yinghua lifted her head and thought for a moment before saying, “Let’s go take a look together!”

Outside the Main Altar.

The pale green light barrier of the Mountain Protection Array stretched for billions of miles, enveloping the entire landmass like a celestial dome. Even Quasi Holy Emperors couldn’t sneak in without triggering the barrier.

Three thousand brand-new azure floating battleships hovered in the sky, arranged in neat formations. Each battleship, seventy-five hundred zhang long, resembled deep-sea sharks ready to hunt, majestic and imposing.

Each battleship was a meticulously crafted high-grade magical instrument, with interior spaces extending thousands of miles under the effect of the array, filled with purchased goods.

Fairy Butterfly, surrounded by a group of high-ranking female immortals, waited on the spacious deck of the flagship. Upon seeing Mu Yinghua’s tall figure approaching through the air, they all bowed in greeting.

“You’re back so soon, and it looks like you’ve had a good haul!”

Mu Yinghua gently lifted her hand in a supportive gesture, a faint smile on her beautiful face.

Fairy Butterfly nodded, her face excited: “These were all purchased from the Yunxu Market Association. These brand-new battleships were just released, and since I saw them, I bought them all! The cargo holds are already full, Sect Master, you can inspect them at your leisure.”