"You… you… and you, I suppose…"
Atop the mountain palace, Li Ye's gaze swept across the gathered beauties below each one graceful in her way, like blossoms of plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum before selecting four of them.
Now that the formation was in place, the various peaks had all eagerly "recommended" female cultivators to serve as attendants. Having kept them waiting long enough, it was time for Li Ye to make his choice.
He, after all, was nothing like Xu Pingyang.
That man was obsessed with power and cultivation, and when it came to pleasure, he only valued what could enhance his image and authority not the joys of companionship.
But Li Ye, as someone who had crossed over from another world, while deeply committed to the path of immortality, never saw that as a reason to deny himself the earthly delights of fine food, fine drink, and fine company.
What was the point of living for centuries if one's endless life was filled with nothing but bitter cultivation?
And there was a bit of strategy to his choices, too.
Two of the selected girls came from families that had sincerely pledged their loyalty, even going to great lengths to show it.
One of them, named Rong Yue, was adorably innocent in appearance yet endowed with generous curves. The other, Xia Qiong, was petite and exquisitely delicate, with a charming and playful air.
The remaining two were chosen from among independent cultivators recommended for service.
One, named Hong Yao, seemed pure on the surface but had a subtly seductive allure hidden in her expressions.
The last, Ruan Jin, was tall and leggy with a lively, pretty face radiating energy and charm.
He had chosen them not only because each stood out, but also as a subtle gesture of balance.
He had only been here a few years. Though it might seem he'd taken a side, he held no particular affection for any one faction among the local cultivators. He would not play favorites.
But so long as the various mountain sects knew how to behave and submit to proper order, under his leadership, they would be treated fairly on Pingyang Mountain.
If they wanted special treatment, though… that would depend on whether they were truly willing to show loyalty and act as Li Ye's vanguard!
The four chosen women instantly lit up with joy, suppressing their excitement as they stepped forward and offered graceful bows.
"Your servant greets the master…"
"Don't call me master," Li Ye said, rubbing his chin. "I'm still young… Call me 'young master' instead."
The four paused in surprise, but quickly replied,
"Yes, young master… Blessings upon the young master!"
The rest of the female cultivators watched with a mix of envy and disappointment in their eyes.
It was said Li Ye was barely over thirty years old.
At such a young age, to have already achieved Foundation Establishment made him a rare genius even among sects that had Core Formation experts.
What's more, he looked like a youth carved from jade, with a vibrant presence and an air of effortless grace.
To be a servant to such a man was hardly something to be ashamed of for many of these women, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If they could win his favor, they might advance far on the path of cultivation…
And if they could earn a title or some formal recognition, they might even gain his support making Foundation Establishment no longer just a dream!
With such a chance, even those already married might've been tempted to throw their names in never mind those of uncertain origin and uncertain future.
Unfortunately… Li Ye hadn't picked them.
With the attendants chosen, Li Ye stood and left. The remaining hopefuls could only watch in disappointment as they were sent down the mountain under Luo Feibai's direction.
Objectively speaking, having a Ninth-Level Qi Condensation cultivator handling this kind of chore was a bit undignified.
But Luo Feibai carried it out with care and precision, showing not the slightest sign of resentment. Judging by the smile on his face, he even seemed quite pleased.
"Good, good, good… That girl Ruan Jin didn't let me down!"
With all the errands taken care of, Luo Feibai finally sat down for some tea, allowing himself a chuckle.
Ruan Jin was, in a way, his niece. They weren't especially close, but she had come to Li Ye's attention by following a path that Luo had helped pave.
For that alone, she owed him a favor.
And if she managed to win Li Ye's affection, Luo Feibai's position on Pingyang Mountain would only grow stronger.
"The alliance leader… is simply unfathomable," he muttered with awe as he glanced around. "Even the outer perimeter's Blazing Flame Formation now has that same strange isolating quality…"
With his current position far higher than before, the high-level intel he now had access to through Pingyang Mountain and the wider mountain alliance had opened his eyes to what this "special quality" actually meant.
"So long as the alliance leader remains, there's not a soul in these Chidi Mountains who could threaten Pingyang Mountain's safety or standing…"
"I'm already at the ninth level of Qi Condensation. Breaking through to the peak before I'm fifty should be no issue… If I can earn the alliance leader's support, maybe just maybe I'll have a shot at Foundation Establishment in this lifetime!"
That was something Xu Pingyang would never do nor could he.
In the Chidi Mountains, anyone who broke through to Foundation Establishment had done so thanks to their own rare and personal opportunity. Xu Pingyang wasn't about to share those with anyone.
But with Li Ye… Luo Feibai saw a glimmer of hope.
So really, whether he was arranging attendants or even driving Li Ye's carriage, he'd do it gladly!
...
"This pressure is good keep it just like that…"
Li Ye leaned his head back into the softness behind him, letting the delicate hands around him continue their soothing massage. Others offered him wine and snacks from time to time it was the very picture of comfort and indulgence.
But his thoughts were entirely focused on the jade slip in his hand, carefully studying the contents of a new technique.
Puppet Art.
There was little else demanding his time at the moment.
Li Ye had already sent letters to various powers that maintained steady ties with Xu Pingyang in the past but not a single one had replied so far.
He had also dispatched men to investigate the Ma Clan mentioned by Ma Ying, but they had yet to return with any results.
In the past, only Xu Pingyang and Xie Yushu had the right to interact with those factions. Now that Li Ye was in charge, he had to rebuild those connections based on the fragments of information they had left behind.
With no responses from any side, there was no way to secure techniques, pill formulas, cultivation resources, or even seeds for Tier Two spiritual herbs.
Even Tier Two spirit rice was quite rare Xu Pingyang had only ever managed to gather one kind: Fire Essence Rice, a fire-attributed grain unsuitable for Li Ye. So now, finding a compatible strain of spiritual rice would fall to his subordinates.
At present, all channels are still awaiting feedback. It was like having fertile land but no seeds to plant farming wasn't yet an option.
Given the circumstances, his best course of action was to turn his attention to the Lava Palace beneath the mountains.
The palace was already there, and it was only a matter of time before it attracted unwanted attention from other powers. Ignoring it wouldn't make the problem go away.
Even if he chose to let others explore it first, that didn't guarantee it wouldn't affect him.
After all, the palace lay within a massive lava cavern under the Chidi Mountains. If something went wrong say, a volcanic disruption or a major eruption the consequences could be disastrous.
And if a true catastrophe were to occur, even with the double-layered formations he had established, they might not be enough to hold back nature's fury.
After all, formations represented the pinnacle of a cultivator's ability to borrow power from heaven and earth…
But true natural disasters were a force all their own beyond what any formation could fully withstand.
So precautions had to be taken.
Li Ye didn't need to enter the palace himself but he did need to understand what was going on inside.
And that's where puppet techniques came in.
He cultivated the Thousand Thoughts Divine Refinement Technique, allowing him to divide his consciousness. That made him particularly well-suited for manipulating puppets.
He could send them into the palace, inhabiting them with split consciousness. With the aid of some insects and talismans, he could gradually investigate and map out the dangers inside…
That way, when others inevitably came sniffing around, he'd be ready.
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