Chapter 616 - 346: Bai Qingyi: "This guy isn’t even pretending anymore!

"Kill him!"

Before the Male Cultivator could even get a clear look at his surroundings, a cold, pleasant voice sounded in his ear.

Immediately, an immeasurable, brilliant starlight surged from all directions, forming chains that bound his body and Divine Soul. A terrifying pressure, like that of an ancient mountain, crushed down on him, leaving him completely powerless to resist.

With a series of CRACKLES and POPS, the Cultivator screamed as over a dozen of his Protective Treasures and life-saving trump cards shattered. A great mass of seven-colored flames rose up, engulfing him in a blazing inferno.

After a few more screams, the man fell completely silent. An invisible vortex appeared in midair and devoured his remnant soul.

"Shall we just kill every Cultivator who dares to trespass here?"

Ling Changqing said, then added after a moment of thought, "Perhaps we can consider sparing the young and beautiful Female Cultivators. Just imprison their bodies and Divine Souls."

"Of course, Husband!"

A slight smile graced Immortal Venerable Doumu’s beautiful lips as she replied softly.

"Husband! You’re really too much..."

Bai Qingyi shot him a playful glare. ’This guy... he’s not even pretending anymore! How can he not forget to play favorites at a time like this?’

Su Qinglian said with a half-smile, "It seems Husband still has plenty of energy. Why don’t we... recruit a few more sisters from the Sect after we get back?"

Xue Qingtan huffed, "Aren’t all men like that? Never satisfied with what they have!"

"Mm, we’ll talk about it later!"

Ling Changqing chuckled, offering no further explanation.

’With me around, the Ling Family’s overall strength is growing fiercely, but we’re still short on manpower, especially when it comes to core combatants at the Nascent Soul Realm and above.’

’If I can subdue a batch of Female Cultivators here, have Gong Ling convert and control them, and take them back—whether to do odd jobs or serve as enforcers—it will significantly boost the family’s overall power.’

’Yes, this is all for the future of the family, not because I covet their beauty,’ Ling Changqing told himself with great certainty. ’I really don’t have any ulterior motives.’

At that moment, more streaks of Escape Light shot in from outside, landing one after another and transforming into Cultivators in all manner of dress. There were men and women, young and old, with Cultivation ranging from Golden Core to Divinity Transformation. Occasionally, a Void Refinement Realm expert would even appear.

As Immortal Venerable Doumu unleashed her full power, a heart-pounding roar of thunder echoed. On the hall’s many pillars, its four walls, and the floor, countless Array Patterns lit up layer by overlapping layer.

A vast, majestic, and chillingly grim pressure crushed down from above, reaching a level that even Void Refining Cultivators found unbearable in a near instant.

"Damn it. What... what the hell is going on?"

A few of the elders with the highest Cultivation cursed hoarsely. They desperately summoned their Lifebound Magical Treasures and attacked their surroundings with abandon, but it was all in vain.

At that moment, a seemingly thin, seven-colored curtain of light quietly appeared, stretching before the 9th Floor high platform. It blocked the Cultivators’ Divine Thought and sight, making it impossible for them to discover Ling Changqing and his group.

"...Hmm, we can keep these few Female Cultivators, plus that pair of sisters, and those two master-disciple pairs over there. They’re all quite good-looking.

Forget about those old hags over there, and those... you can tell at a glance they’ve lost their Primordial Yin and are unscrupulous heretical Female Cultivators. They’re worthless!

Alright, besides the ones I’ve chosen, my dear can take care of the rest!"

Ling Changqing waved his hand, leaving a speck of starlight above the heads of the Female Cultivators he had chosen as a mark.

"Of course, Husband!"

Immortal Venerable Doumu found it somewhat amusing. ’This legendary Child of Destiny is indeed young, so his seven passions and six desires are quite strong. He’s really different from those old fossils who have been cultivating for thousands or tens of thousands of years.’

A few breaths later, the Core Formation Cultivators were the first to collapse. Their bodies shattered and their Divine Souls disintegrated, swallowed by the Era Star Palace. They were followed by the Nascent Soul and Divinity Transformation Cultivators.

A moment later, even the Void Refinement Realm experts could no longer hold on. Their Lifebound Magical Treasures disintegrated, and various life-saving trump cards appeared one after another, but to no avail.

The magnificent and beautiful hall trembled slightly as the imprisoning Array activated fully. Rainbow-like, brilliant starlight filled the entire space. The hall’s dome had transformed into a serene and boundless ocean of stars, a beauty so dreamlike it was surreal.

Hundreds, then thousands of Cultivators poured in, only to be immediately entangled by starlight as gentle as water. It formed layer upon layer of chains that sealed and suppressed them, while terrifying bolts of lightning descended one by one, smashing their Protective Treasures and life-saving trump cards.

Bai Qingyi, Luo Binghu, Su Qinglian, and the other women watched with focused vigilance. Whenever they spotted a Cultivator whose Cultivation was strong enough to hold out for a little while, they would immediately strike, concentrating their firepower to annihilate them and giving them absolutely no chance to escape.

The one-sided slaughter continued for half an hour. When the last batch of Cultivators had fallen, the operation of the Array in the great hall finally slowed to a halt.

The fragmented remains of the Cultivators littered the floor, and destroyed Magical Treasures were scattered everywhere. Their Storage Magical Artifacts, however, were mostly intact—this was, of course, by Immortal Venerable Doumu’s design.

Over a hundred beautiful Female Cultivators, their faces pale with terror, stood in place. They looked around in confusion, not understanding why they had been spared.

Before they could react, wisps of dark starlight, like mist or gauze and light as nothing, descended upon them. It silently seeped into their delicate bodies and merged with the depths of their Divine Souls, completely seizing control of their lives and deaths.

From that moment on, these Female Cultivators had become Immortal Venerable Doumu’s captives—or rather, her slaves. They would only have a chance to regain their freedom if Ling Changqing willed it.

"That’s finally taken care of."

Ling Changqing breathed a sigh of relief. He could sense dozens of powerful auras rapidly retreating outside the Star Lord’s Hall. They were clearly the Cultivators who had sensed something was wrong and decisively fled.

An illusion of the Era Star Palace appeared overhead and collected all the captured Female Cultivators. Next, it gathered the numerous Storage Magical Artifacts. Ling Changqing planned to open these "blind boxes" slowly after he returned.

This trip to the Immortal Palace had been incredibly fruitful. Not only had he met an incarnation of Immortal Venerable Doumu and gained control over the entire Immortal Mansion’s grounds, but he had also killed a large number of Cultivators, allowing the Era Star Palace to have a good feast.

"Husband, where are we going next?"

The Kunpeng Maiden, Qingsi, tilted her head and asked in a sweet voice.

Ling Changqing pondered for a moment. "Of course, we’re going to take care of all the outside Cultivators who trespassed in the Immortal Mansion, except for the Female Cultivators from the Ye Family and Xuannü Palace."

Having refined the Circulation Star Seal, the Doumu Immortal Palace was now practically Ling Changqing’s private domain, including all the opportunities within it, just like the Hongmeng Divine Hall had been.

The Spiritual Qi here was abundant, resources were plentiful, and there was even a Grade Six Spirit Vein. Perhaps in the future, he could arrange for a group of family disciples to come here to stand guard and enter Cultivation in Seclusion year-round.

Bai Qingyi nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the many Daoist Soldier Puppets around the hall as she suggested:

"Husband, how about we assign two Puppets to each of the sisters for protection? That way, everyone’s safety will be better guaranteed."

"That’s a good idea."

Ling Changqing naturally had no objections. There were thousands upon thousands of Daoist Soldier Puppets in this Star Lord’s Hall. Leaving them idle was a waste of resources; they should naturally be put to good use.

With a flash of clear light, all the beauties from the Era Star Palace Grotto Heaven Blessed Land were released: Yu Yalan, Mu Xinlan, Liu Ying Meng Luan, Liu Xiuyan, Ling Bingyun, Ling Yulu, and others.

"Eh? Where are we?"

Song Xuelan’s bright, wide eyes scanned her surroundings before naturally landing on Immortal Venerable Doumu. After all, she knew all the other sisters present; only this one was a new face.

"We have a new sister already. Husband’s charm is really..."

Shui Wan Zhao said with a beaming smile, batting her beautiful eyes.

Ling Changqing gave a brief explanation and then began the distribution, assigning Daoist Soldier Puppets of corresponding ranks based on each woman’s current Cultivation Realm.

Any Dao Companion at the Nascent Soul Stage received two Rank Four High Grade Daoist Soldier Puppets, which were effectively equivalent in strength to the Nascent Soul Peak.

The Dao Companions at the Divinity Transformation Realm each received two Rank Five Daoist Soldier Puppets, while those at the Golden Core Realm got Third Grade Puppets.

"...With the help of these four tough, hulking guys, it’ll be much easier to deal with those arch-enemies next time we meet!"

Bai Qingyi looked at the imposing Daoist Soldiers standing beside her—towering at about two zhang tall, clad in Heavy Armor and wielding greatswords—and grinned from ear to ear, unable to contain her delight.

She was currently at the peak of the Void Refinement Realm, just one step away from the Unity Realm. Therefore, she received four Grade Six High Grade Daoist Soldier Puppets. Her actual combat power had multiplied several times over, so she naturally felt much more confident.