Back in the exclusive cave dwelling of the Supreme Sect Master, Qing Muling found that Xinyu and Qinghuan, the two Emperors, had already returned and were chatting leisurely.
Xuebing Xuan, Cheng Yulan, Qi Yalan, and Luo Huan, the four Senior Sisters, were also present. They had successfully stabilized their Xuan Immortal cultivation and naturally planned to follow Qing Muling back into the Misty Illusion Secret Realm.
Dragon Ritual Princess was also seated at the lower end of the table, with a hundred radiant and enchanting beauties standing behind her, all of Elemental Immortal cultivation and each with their own unique beauty—youthful and pure, dignified and elegant, cold and aloof… They were like a dazzling array of flowers, competing in splendor.
Because of their presence, the expressions of Xuebing Xuan and the other women were somewhat displeased, but they refrained from speaking out of respect for the two Emperors present.
Upon Qing Muling’s arrival, all the women turned their gazes towards him, their eyes filled with intense fervor.
Qing Muling first paid his respects to the two Emperors, then the group of female immortals behind Dragon Ritual Princess gracefully approached, greeting him with the chirping of orioles and the twittering of swallows.
“You are…”
Qing Muling asked with a hint of confusion, though he had already guessed the reason.
Sure enough, Qinghuan Emperor spoke with a smile, “Muling, you urgently need to enhance your strength, so I have carefully selected a group of beautiful and similarly cultivated female immortals for you. You may choose a few you like to stay with you from now on as part of Dragon Ritual’s dowry. It’s fine even if you want to keep them all…”
Due to the significant gap in cultivation, Dragon Ritual Princess and Su Yuanzhen were currently unable to cultivate with Qing Muling, making their marriage in name only. Now, those who had a close relationship with Qing Muling were all female immortals from Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.
Naturally, Qinghuan Emperor couldn’t accept this. To ensure her daughter’s presence by Qing Muling’s side, she must have female immortals from her side quickly establish a marital relationship with him. Only then would she feel at ease.
Thus, the appearance of this group of female immortals, all personally interviewed and carefully selected by Qinghuan Emperor and Dragon Ritual Princess, each renowned for their beauty, was to captivate Qing Muling and persuade him to keep them by his side.
“The Emperor’s kindness is appreciated, but I truly cannot accept this and must decline your generous offer,” Qing Muling said with a gentle yet firm tone. He understood Qinghuan Emperor’s intentions, but understanding did not mean acceptance. A union without emotional foundation was no different from a bare transaction.
The tense expressions on Xuebing Xuan and the others relaxed significantly. Their place in Junior Brother’s heart was indeed different. These shameless vixens thought they could just show up with their pretty faces and take advantage? That’s not how things work! They should stay where it’s cool.
Dragon Ritual Princess pursed her lips and said softly, “Junior Brother, are you not satisfied with them? There are tens of thousands of female cultivators in my Dao Court branch. Why don’t you go pick some yourself? You can choose however you like, and there will surely be someone to your liking.”
“…I really don’t have such intentions, Senior Sister, please don’t misunderstand!” Qing Muling explained helplessly. He wasn’t being prudish; Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace was already full of beauties. If he really had such desires, the Sect Master and Core Elders would certainly not refuse, and there was no need for Qinghuan Emperor to go to such lengths.
Qinghuan Emperor chuckled, “But I did put some thought into this. You should at least make a show of choosing one or two to stay, otherwise, I’ll be heartbroken.”
Qing Muling couldn’t help but stare at her for a moment. Her tone was like that of a lovestruck girl coquettishly speaking to her beloved. Even Mu Yinghua, who was beside her, couldn’t help but roll her eyes in secret.
Xinyu Emperor smiled slightly and said, “Sister, you don’t have to be so insistent. Muling’s cultivation is advancing rapidly, and Dragon Ritual won’t have to wait too long. This arrangement may not suit his wishes. Why not… put it on hold for now? Let’s discuss it again after he ascends to the Ascending to Immortality realm?”
Qinghuan Emperor’s brows furrowed slightly, and after some thought, she reluctantly agreed, “Since Sister also thinks so, then fine! But once he reaches the Ascending to Immortality realm, this matter cannot be postponed any longer!”
“Of course, it’s only right,” Xinyu Emperor nodded, seeing Qing Muling’s reluctance, she naturally wouldn’t force him to agree to avoid any counterproductive outcomes.
Dragon Ritual Princess gave Qing Muling a resentful glance and said no more, silently leading the disappointed group of female immortals out.
“Shall I enter the Misty Illusion Secret Realm now?” Qing Muling asked. Having been back for just over a day, three to four days had passed there. Without his protection of fortune, further delays might lead to complications.
“Go ahead! I will continue to organize more manpower for you, and when you return next time, you can take them with you,” Xinyu Emperor nodded. The efficiency of ten thousand female cultivators versus one million in scavenging resources was vastly different. Since Qing Muling could handle it, Xinyu Emperor, after consulting with Mu Yinghua, decided to send all the high-ranking idle female cultivators from the sect into the Misty Illusion Secret Realm.
Of course, there was also a massive army of Dao weapon puppets, these autonomous, immensely strong combat weapons, perfect for doing the heavy lifting.
Qinghuan Emperor pondered, “If you need more manpower, I can provide a batch as well, with guaranteed reliability. As for the price… half of the resources they scavenge will be given to you for free, and the rest will belong to me. How about that?”
Xinyu Emperor snorted, “Sister, you’re taking too much. Don’t forget, without Muling, you wouldn’t be able to get a single resource. Giving you twenty percent is already generous!”
Qinghuan Emperor was indignant, “Muling is my son-in-law! Do we need to be so formal?”
Xinyu Emperor smiled sweetly, “Even brothers settle accounts clearly. If we don’t clarify this issue, it will lead to endless troubles later. Thirty percent then!”
“No, it must be fifty percent!”
“Forty percent?”
“No deal.”
“Forty-five percent, and not a bit more!”
“Agreed!”
Qinghuan Emperor’s smile returned, leaving Qing Muling somewhat speechless. When it came to interests, these two Emperors were indeed uncompromising and determined not to suffer any loss.
When Dragon Ritual Princess returned, she was still accompanied by a tall woman with a clear and cold beauty, and a seductive figure. Even her wide and luxurious sea-blue palace dress couldn’t conceal her explosive curves, with the outlines of her full and shapely legs faintly visible. The low-cut neckline revealed a deep and bottomless ravine, almost rivaling Luo Wanqing and Yu Lingzhou, causing Qing Muling to take a few extra glances.
Speaking of which, perhaps only his Master, who usually kept a low profile, could surpass her in figure?
“This is my mount, Kong Yuhuan,” Dragon Ritual Princess introduced, her eyes earnestly fixed on him, “I lack a means of transportation in the secret realm, so I brought her along. That’s not a problem, right? She grew up with me since childhood, and her loyalty is unquestionable.”
Kong Yuhuan’s true form was a Wind Fire Peacock, rumored to have a noble lineage tracing back to the first peacock born during the creation of Harmony.
Among the group of female immortals, Kong Yuhuan was undoubtedly the most beautiful and outstanding, showing that Dragon Ritual Princess still hadn’t given up completely.
Her reasoning was ready-made: Junior Brother, you have a mount now, but I don’t, so I have to bring one, right?
Xinyu Emperor looked at Qinghuan Emperor and said, “It’s just a mount, Muling, don’t refuse.”
Qing Muling sighed and finally relented, “Alright, but this is an exception.”
Kong Yuhuan’s cold and stunning face showed a faint smile as she stepped forward and bowed, her voice clear as a bell, “This servant greets the young master.”
As she bowed, the visual impact of her full and creamy, towering peaks was unparalleled, causing Qing Muling to freeze for a moment before discreetly shifting his gaze.
Qi Yalan’s eyes showed annoyance, but she was pulled back by Xuebing Xuan and refrained from speaking. Kong Yuhuan was bound to cause trouble after going over, surely helping Dragon Ritual Princess stir up issues.
Saying she was a mount, who knew how that would turn out? If one wasn’t careful, she might end up riding the Junior Brother instead, a frustrating thought.
Hmm, perhaps she should talk to Fengxia, the little phoenix, and let her deal with this vixen? Letting mounts clash with mounts couldn’t be more appropriate.
But that was for later!
The Senior Sisters exchanged glances, unanimously thinking of sticking together.
“Alright, let’s set off now.”
After collecting the hundreds of boxes filled with spatial artifacts, Qing Muling spoke, and a giant Blue Lotus phantom emerged behind him.
The Senior Sisters came to his side and one by one merged into the Blue Lotus phantom and disappeared, entering his inner space.
After a dozen breaths, a thirty-foot-tall circular light gate slowly appeared in mid-air and solidified, emitting a misty and mysterious aura.
Finally, nodding to the two Emperors and his Master, Qing Muling’s figure quietly faded and vanished.
When his vision returned to normal, he was back in the familiar wilderness, with majestic mountains stretching to the horizon.
“Eh?”
Qing Muling’s eyes narrowed as the sky changed, thunder rolled, and a sea of fiery clouds covered half the sky.
Tens of thousands of female cultivators had formed a massive and imposing killing formation, under the command of Supreme Elders like Yu Lingzhou and Ice Falcon, launching a fierce counterattack against the tide of spiritual beasts surging around them like waves.
Between the towering mountains, fierce winds howled, and sand and stones flew. Countless bizarre birds and beasts swarmed in groups, calling friends and companions, their roars and howls merging into a vast and noisy wave, shaking countless boulders and rocks along the way, creating a terrifying momentum.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
Under the control of the formation in the sky, meteorites, thunderballs, icebergs, and fire pillars with diameters of a hundred feet fell like torrential rain. Each one that hit the ground exploded, creating a striking ring of air blasts, the violent waves effortlessly tearing apart the bodies of the beasts, scattering blood in all directions.
Thousands of hazy sword shadows swept by, dismembering the hordes of spiritual beasts with their unstoppable sword qi, their body parts and blood splattering and staining the mountains red.
The attacking birds and beasts varied in strength, the weakest just entering the Understanding Mystery Realm, the highest nearing True Immortal strength. Despite their numbers, they posed a fatal threat to ordinary cultivator teams.
However, facing the massive killing formation of over a hundred thousand female cultivators, such an assault was at best a bit stronger than an appetizer, but not quite the main course.
“Junior Brother, you’re back?”
Accompanied by a soft and pleasant voice, a bright yellow figure shot towards him from a distance, embracing him tightly like a mountain bearing down, nearly smothering him.
“Sister? What’s going on?”
Qing Muling finally extricated himself from the deep ravine, asking somewhat disheveled, “I haven’t been gone long, and such a large-scale beast tide has already erupted?”
“Exactly, in the depths of this wilderness, anything unimaginable can happen!”
Yu Lingzhou spoke with a smile, calmly adjusting her dress. She never hid her feelings for Junior Brother, openly taking advantage and not caring about the surrounding gazes.
The palace will always be a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, who agrees? Who opposes?
Qing Muling shook his head, the Blue Lotus phantom emerged, and he released Xuebing Xuan and the others, looking down at the beast tide below.
Yu Lingzhou was articulate, quickly explaining the situation. After Qing Muling left, the mining base lost the protection of supreme fortune, quickly drawing the attention of the native spiritual beasts.
After days of observation and probing, as more and more birds and beasts gathered in the surrounding areas, the beast tide naturally erupted.