Qi Refining, Sixth Layer

Xiao Yu grinned from ear to ear.

Watching Ye Zimei gradually lose her mind below, he raised a hand and took out the high-grade artifact Ghost Wolf Lock forged by Fire Monk.

He lashed it at the distracted Ye Zimei!

The artifact on her body was yanked straight before him.

Her storage pouch was yanked back as well.

Ye Zimei reacted a beat too slowly, utterly bewitched by the group of ravishing women before her.

This supreme-grade artifact was so domineering that it could directly draw in her divine sense.

Looking at the lone offensive artifact remaining in her hand, Ye Zimei still wanted to struggle.

But the next instant, those fairies surrounded her.

Ye Zimei immediately flushed red, as though she had recalled the time she had been captured by a female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect.

That woman had been one of the Hehuan Seven Beauties, breathtakingly beautiful.

She had been taken away for seven days, and what happened during those seven days had stayed with her for half her life.

That woman had not killed her. Instead, she had doted on her and cared for her with meticulous tenderness...

Later, she said she wanted to go home, and cried.

So the woman let her go.

From then on... Ye Zimei seemed to have become a completely different person.

She had not the slightest interest in men; instead, she was drawn to women...

Looking at these peerlessly beautiful fairies before her, Ye Zimei still tried to find a defensive artifact.

No...

She could not hold out any longer!

When one fairy stretched out a jade-like hand to touch her cheek, the spear in Ye Zimei's hand fell to the ground.

Xiao Yu raised his hand and retrieved it, taking her final artifact into his hand with an amused expression.

Once cultivators lost their storage pouches and artifacts, their combat strength plummeted in a straight line.

Xiao Yu did not waste words. He directly unleashed the Elysian Union Art and struck Ye Zimei heavily.

Ye Zimei spat out blood on the spot. "Damn it... damn it... you despicable, shameless bastard!!! I will definitely..."

Before she could finish, the fairies surrounded her again.

Xiao Yu laughed heartily. "Don't be afraid. Once you follow me, you won't lack women! It's fine, it's fine~ I guarantee you'll live very comfortably with me, I guarantee it!"

With a raised hand, he controlled the Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting and rolled Ye Zimei straight into it.

Just like that, she was rolled into the painting.

Xiao Yu then took out the Jade Maiden Gourd and, with a playful look, collected the heavily wounded Ye Zimei from the treasure painting into it.

He first went to the Judgment Room to use Bai Yue's Innate Dharma Body to heal his injuries and restore his spiritual power.

Afterward, he made a trip to the Maidservant Pavilion. Looking at Wang Mei, who had risked herself to protect him and been injured just now, he reached out and picked her up. "You've worked hard, you've worked hard~"

...Half an incense stick later...

The Nine Yang Divine Body healed Wang Mei's injuries.

Xiao Yu then began inspecting his spoils in the Maidservant Pavilion.

Looking at the items in the storage pouch, Xiao Yu was even happier than when he had gotten Han Qiushui's thirty million silver notes!

"A high-grade artifact, the Mysterious Maiden Spear; a full set of mid-grade defensive artifacts, Phoenix Feather Armor... A scouting artifact, the Heavenly Eye Orb? What is a scouting artifact..."

Hua Lian hurriedly explained from beside him, "It's an artifact used for reconnaissance. This thing can investigate places divine sense cannot reach, and it can also detect whether the other party has concealed their aura!"

Xiao Yu continued looking through the contents.

Thirty thousand spirit stones, one bottle of Marrow-Cleansing Pills, three Foundation Establishment Pills, the first half of the Five Elements Goddess Art, a Jade Maiden Sect token, a Teleportation Token, spirit herbs...

Xiao Yu could barely suppress the corners of his mouth.

Foundation Establishment Pills!

Would you believe it...

Hua Lian suddenly cried out, "Ah? A Teleportation Token? She even has a Teleportation Token. Looks like Junior Sister Ye has quite the long legs! Hehe!"

"Master, with this Teleportation Token, we can use the Jade Maiden Sect's teleportation array. I happen to know where it is!"

Xiao Yu reached out and examined the Teleportation Token.

It looked like a token carved from fine Hetian jade.

It was half the size of a palm.

Hua Lian continued, "With this, we can teleport to places like Heluo Province and Donghua Province! We can leave this place!"

Excitement flickered in Xiao Yu's eyes. Of everything here, this was the most valuable.

Once he had a chat with his master Zhang Ziling, Senior Sister Lü Ling'er, Senior Sister Lü Rui, his enemy Ye Zhirou, Li Wancai's wife Zhang Yan, Li Wancai's daughter Li Weiwei, Lin Ce's mother, Lin Ce's grandmother, Shen Mengya's disciple, daughter, and the rest, he could make his escape!

Then he would take this group somewhere to lie low, cultivate until the Golden Core Stage, and come back out to sweep the Jade Maiden Sect into one pot...

He would have Bai Yue serve as sect master and manage all the affairs, while he squatted in the cultivation chamber and helped those disciples cultivate.

Mm...

Life was bright as far as the eye could see!

Just then, Ye Zimei inside the Jade Maiden Gourd suddenly began cursing.

The more viciously she could curse, the more viciously she did.

"Bastard!! You still dare capture so many girls? You demonic scoundrel, if you have the guts, let me out!"

"If you have the guts, fight me one-on-one without artifacts! What kind of thing are you, relying on a supreme-grade artifact?"

Seeing Li Qingyun, Han Qiushui, and the others inside the Jade Maiden Gourd, the severely injured Ye Zimei instinctively assumed they had also been captured by Xiao Yu.

Upholding the creed of righteous sects saving all living beings, she cursed at the top of her lungs.

Han Qiushui's brows and eyes darkened. The female cultivators captured by Xiao Yu must surely be from righteous sects!

Xiao Yu entered at that moment as well.

Looking at the women in the Jade Maiden Gourd, he quietly told them, "Don't let her fool you. This woman is Ye Zimei of the Jade Maiden Sect, and her older sister is Ye Zhirou!"

"And she's also a mirror-grinder..."

The moment Han Qiushui heard that she was Ye Zhirou's younger sister, she clenched the corner of her skirt tightly.

Xiao Yu knew what Han Qiushui was thinking and hurried forward. "Don't set your sights on her yet. I'm keeping her for a great purpose!"

As Xiao Yu spoke, he stroked his chin. Han Qiushui still had no intention of being with him.

Lingxin, the money-grubbing nun, had now joined along with her several senior nun sisters, and her mentality was not yet very stable.

To be safe, he still needed to tend to the emotions of those who could not become maidservants.

After all, the more women there were, the more trouble there would be.

Three women made a play; with so many women, wouldn't that...

As Xiao Yu thought, he walked out.

He went straight to a cave near the Hehuan Sect Branch, then released Ye Zimei.

Ye Zimei was instantly overjoyed. "Haha! Fool! Even heavily injured, I'm still at Qi Refining, Eighth Layer. Even without artifacts, I..."

Before she could finish, Xiao Yu grabbed her wrist.

At that moment, she had only one thought: He's so strong!

Xiao Yu laughed softly. "You want to compare strength with me? Come on..."

Two hours later

[System Prompt: Please stop the forced judgment, Host. Ye Zimei's life is already hanging by a thread. Please win her over with virtue!]

Xiao Yu proudly lit a pipe and took a puff.

Looking at his cultivation, which had already risen to Qi Refining, Sixth Layer, the excitement in his eyes deepened.

The Nine Yang Divine Body and the Elysian Union Art were simply that powerful.

Cultivating with women whose cultivation was higher than his, his cultivation speed flew like the wind!

A realm that others needed years to advance took him only two hours!

But he also knew that he definitely could not seek out someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm to cultivate the Elysian Union Art with now.

The gap in cultivation was too great. He would explode...

This technique improved cultivation by absorbing the other person's spiritual power.

Unless... unless he did not cultivate, and merely engaged in a simple exchange of techniques!

After proudly patting the dust from his body, Xiao Yu fed her half a Qi-Replenishing Pill.

Then he headed toward the Hehuan Sect Branch.

South of Jiangliu City.

The Jade Maiden Sect.

It stood atop a towering peak, immortal aura winding through the air and clouds shrouding the surroundings, like a heavenly palace.

Its halls were majestic and magnificent, resplendent in gold and jade, with carved beams and painted rafters, beautiful beyond measure.

Immortal cranes occasionally flew above the sect, and ethereal music drifted through the air, inspiring reverence.

The sect's female disciples all wore flowing robes and possessed otherworldly grace. Holding immortal swords, they stood suspended in the air.

The women had gathered before the martial arts platform, seemingly waiting for something.

On the martial arts platform stood a jade dais made of white jade.

Upon it was enshrined a statue of the Jade Maiden Goddess, solemn in bearing as it looked down upon all living beings.

Seven large characters were also carved upon the dais: Jade Maiden Sect Master Bai Yue.

At that moment, a cold and stern female cultivator on the martial arts platform glanced toward the elders on either side, her bearing overflowing with dominance.

One elder stepped forward and said, "Elder Shen, Sect Master Bai only passed away not long ago, yet you are already eager to take her position. I fear the disciples of the Jade Maiden Sect's various branches will not be convinced!"

"I suggest you wait for now. At the very least, destroy the Hehuan Sect and avenge Sect Master Bai Yue before saying anything else!"

Shen Mengya turned her gaze back, her eyes as sharp as swords.

She stared directly at the person below the platform without speaking.

A Foundation Establishment Realm female cultivator beside her, clad in green robes and holding a green sword, stepped forward coldly. "The war is pressing. Our Jade Maiden Sect is a dragon without a head, collapsing into complete disorder. Naturally, someone capable of bearing great responsibility must step forward!"

"Elder Shen is the junior sister of my master, Bai Yue, and a favored daughter of heaven who studied under the Goddess Palace. She naturally has the qualifications to become the Jade Maiden Sect's sect master!"

"The elders have delayed making a decision for so long. Are you trying to delay the battle? Or have you perhaps accepted benefits from the demonic path?"

The person who had spoken earlier immediately fell silent, not daring to respond.

That was because the woman speaking was Ye Zhirou, the only surviving personal disciple of Sect Master Bai Yue.

Her eldest disciple, Hua Lian, had also been captured. Of the remaining personal disciples, some had died, while others had vanished without a trace.

Looking at the silent elders below, Shen Mengya spoke gently. "Rest assured, everyone. Once I take the position, I will naturally contact the seniors of the Goddess Palace and have them send fellow cultivators at the late Golden Core Stage to assist us!"

"To say nothing else, wiping out a mere Hehuan Sect will naturally be no difficult matter!"

"If there is nothing else today, then disperse for now and make preparations. On the day the Ten Thousand Demons Secret Realm opens, our Jade Maiden Sect and the Profound Spirit Sect will attack from two routes and charge straight toward the Wind-Riding Valley front!"

"When the demonic path's front line suffers a crushing defeat, our Jade Maiden Sect will naturally wash away its former shame in one stroke!"

Another person below the platform looked confused. "But Elder Shen... you're in the Golden Core Stage. Why don't you lead us to attack the Hehuan Sect Branch?"

"With your strength, destroying them would be as easy as turning over your hand... There should still be disciples of ours who were captured there!"

Shen Mengya shouted coldly, "Do not lose sight of the greater picture over the lives of one or two disciples! What meaning is there in destroying one branch now? Once the demonic path discovers that we have reinforced our troops, they will send more troops as well!"

"How can you be so certain their branch has not hidden powerful experts? Everything will proceed according to my orders!"

No one said anything further, and they soon withdrew.

After the gathering ended, Shen Mengya looked at Ye Zhirou with a grave expression. "Have you found any news of Bai Yue and her disciples?"

Ye Zhirou clasped her fists and lowered her head. "Fourth Junior Sister Li Ke'er was slain by me yesterday. Fifth Junior Sister and Sixth Junior Sister were drowned by me in the Jiangliu River. Rest assured!"

"Only Hua Lian and Bai Yue, those two bitches, still haven't been found... Master, have their Soul Lamps not gone out yet?"

Shen Mengya clenched her right fist. "No... And yesterday, Bai Yue's Soul Lamp, which had been about to go out, actually brightened by thirty percent. So long as that bitch lives for even one day, I will not have peace for one day!"

"Go find them again! Search the place where Bai Yue, that bitch, was ambushed that day for clues! Set out at once!"

Ye Zhirou said, "This disciple obeys...!"