"Junior Mu Xunfeng, a Fourth-layer Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator from Shepan Mountain, greets Your Majesty!"

Mu Xunsan said, "My brothers and I, like Elder Shi, are all from Shepan Mountain and have come specifically to pay respects to Your Majesty!"

"Hmm."

Zheng Yi nodded. According to Tianxingzi, Shepan Mountain is actually a gathering place for loose cultivators.

Situated within the Jizhou Mountains, it is adjacent to Taiyii Dao and familiar with Zhao Xizheng and others.

Back then, Zhao Xizheng had written several letters, one of which was sent to Shepan Mountain. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Zheng Yi asked, "I have heard there is a cultivator named ’Qingyun Wanderer’ at Shepan Mountain. Where might he be now?"

"Your Majesty knows Elder Qing Yunzi?"

Elder Shi remarked in surprise but quickly followed up, "Elder Qing Yunzi passed away five years ago. Back then, we personally attended his memorial service."

"Passed away? No wonder..."

"Your Majesty."

Shi Xianggui suddenly spoke again, "I have heard that among the benefits Your Majesty offers to us cultivators, there is a rule that offering one’s Soul Fire can earn double the salary?"

"Indeed."

Zheng Yi nodded, "Is Elder Shi thinking of offering his Soul Fire?"

"Indeed!"

Shi Xianggui respectfully replied, "I am at the Sixth-layer Qi Cultivation and am also a Spirit Plant Cultivator, mastering the planting methods and seeds of two types of Spirit Rice and one type of Spirit Fruit. Could I possibly request an additional salary from Your Majesty?"

"A Spirit Plant Cultivator? Spirit Rice and Spirit Fruit?"

Zheng Yi’s eyes flashed, and he asked, "Which types of Spirit Rice and Spirit Fruit?"

"The Spirit Rice are Blood Sprout Rice and Clear Spirit Rice. Blood Sprout Rice can be irrigated with the fresh blood of demon beasts or livestock, absorbing a trace of Spiritual Qi. Long-term consumption can enhance one’s Qi Blood Power and restore a cultivator’s Essence Blood."

"Clear Spirit Rice must be planted in Spirit Fields containing Spiritual Qi. After consumption, it can condense Magical Power. Although it cannot compare to directly absorbing Spiritual Qi, long-term consumption will inevitably nourish a cultivator’s body and meridians, making it easier to absorb Spiritual Qi."

"As for the Spirit Fruit, it’s called ’Purple Spirit Fruit,’ crisp and juicy, and it can also be used to brew Spirit Wine, extraordinarily treasured."

Zheng Yi’s eyes slightly brightened, and after a brief ponder, he quickly spoke, "Elder Shi, if you sincerely wish to join, I naturally won’t treat you unfairly."

"Thus, once your Soul Fire is placed in the Reincarnation Hall of the Imperial Palace, your salary will double."

"I shall also open a Spirit Field for you at the foot of Celestial Longevity Mountain, with its size and scale determined by you. Once you cultivate Blood Sprout Rice, Clear Spirit Rice, and Purple Spirit Fruit, your salary will double again."

"Furthermore, I can even leave a Cave Mansion on Celestial Longevity Mountain for you and your grandson, how about that?"

Shi Xianggui, suppressing his inner excitement, tremulously asked, "Your Majesty, what is the Reincarnation Hall, and where is Celestial Longevity Mountain?"

"The Reincarnation Hall is where our Great Yu Immortal Dynasty preserves the Soul Fire of cultivators, guarded by numerous arrays and my Death Warriors, absolutely secure."

"As for Celestial Longevity Mountain..."

Zheng Yi calmly stated, "This place is the true core of our Great Yu Immortal Dynasty. The concentration of Spiritual Qi on the mountain exceeds that of the Capital City by more than ten times!"

"What?!"

As soon as Zheng Yi finished speaking, the faces of more than a dozen loose cultivators present changed.

"Is what Your Majesty said true?"

"The Capital City’s Spiritual Qi concentration is already over ten times that of the outside world, yet Celestial Longevity Mountain is even more concentrated!"

"Hiss... Such a concentration of Spiritual Qi is enough to cultivate Golden Core cultivators!"

"No... I think it could even support Nascent Soul cultivators..."

"This place is truly a Cultivation Holy Land!"

Amid the discussions, Shi Changfeng suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I too am willing to offer my Soul Fire!"

"Changfeng...!"

Shi Xianggui instinctively grabbed his grandson’s arm. He had little time left and didn’t mind offering his Soul Fire, only wanting to save some Spirit Stones for Shi Changfeng.

But Shi Changfeng had strong potential and was very young, with hopes of reaching Foundation Establishment in the future.

However, offering his Soul Fire now would bind him to the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty for life.

"Grandfather, I have already decided to join the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty. His Majesty is a paragon of the ages; I believe there is no force comparable to His Majesty throughout the entire Great Yu."

"If I don’t join now, when would be the right time?"

Shi Changfeng’s words sparked further discussion among the surrounding loose cultivators.

Especially the Mu Xunsan brothers beside them, who also spoke up, "Your Majesty, we brothers are also willing to offer our Soul Fire and join the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty!"

"Hahaha... Very well!"

Zheng Yi laughed heartily, "Someone, take the four Daoist friends to the inner chamber."

"And summon the Imperial Noble Consort to ignite the Soul Fire with the four Daoist friends."

"Yes!"

Chen Liancang immediately stepped up, respectfully leading Shi Xianggui and the four others to the inner chamber.

Afterward, Zheng Yi’s gaze once again turned towards the others.

The faces of the Four Ghosts of Shannan appeared calm, but their expressions were extremely excited, and their breathing was somewhat irregular.

Their eyes occasionally glanced in the direction where Shi Xianggui and his group had left, contemplating something unknown.

Apart from them, there was also a group of five remaining.

This group consisted of three men and two women, with the three men presently looking bewildered, attracted by the recent conversation between Zheng Yi, Shi Xianggui, and others.

The women were one older and one younger, each distinct.

Among them, the older woman remained calm and composed.

Zheng Yi’s gaze also drifted over to them.

Among the five, the one with the highest cultivation level was evidently the older woman.

Late-stage Qi Cultivation!

Feeling Zheng Yi’s gaze, the woman stepped forward and said,

"Lii Huan of the Hehuan Sect, greetings, fellow Daoist."

Zheng Yi asked in confusion, "Hehuan Sect?"

"Indeed."

Lii Huan said, "My Hehuan Sect traces its heritage back over three thousand years, originating in the same era as the Celestial Secret Sect of fellow Daoist Tianxingzi and the Ten Thousand Beasts Borderless Sect of fellow Daoist Xiong Gang."

"Unfortunately, with the extinction of Spiritual Qi and the severing of the Immortal Path, my Hehuan Sect now has only a few of us remaining."

Zheng Yi replied, "No wonder it’s a sect with a millennium of heritage. Fellow Daoist Lii Huan, your cultivation must be just a step away from the Foundation Establishment Stage."

Lii Huan smiled and said, "Your Majesty flatters me; that step is like a celestial chasm, and breaking through is as difficult as ascending to the heavens."

"Today, I have brought my disciples and fellow sect members to the Imperial Palace to seek a Cave Mansion to assist me in breaking through."

"Oh?"

Zheng Yi asked questioningly, "Is Fellow Daoist Lii Huan aware that once you join the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty, past sect matters must be forgotten?"

"From that moment on, you will be a member of the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty, not of any one sect or faction!"

Lii Huan replied with a faint smile, "I am naturally aware of this."

"If it were a thousand years ago, I might still have some attachment to my sect."

"But with the Immortal Path severed and no sign of Spiritual Qi revival in other regions... only the place where Your Majesty resides!"

"Given this, why should I trouble myself over sect matters?"

"I am sure Your Majesty also knows that the Celestial Secret Sect and the Ten Thousand Beasts Borderless Sect have few members left now."

"The unique cultivation techniques of the Hehuan Sect are the reason we’ve been able to gather so many disciples."

"Otherwise, we might not even compare to the Celestial Secret Sect and the Ten Thousand Beasts Borderless Sect!"

"Dual cultivation techniques, perhaps?"

Zheng Yi’s gaze turned peculiar as he looked at Lii Huan and the woman behind her.

"Have the two of you already practiced the Hehuan Sect’s cultivation techniques?"

Lii Huan calmly responded, "Your Majesty is asking if we already have Dual Cultivation Daoist Companions?"

Zheng Yi couldn’t help but admire this woman’s boldness and nodded, "Indeed."

Whether it was Lii Huan or the disciple standing behind her, they stood quietly but didn’t conceal the fact that they were both exceptionally beautiful.

The Hehuan Sect is known for their expertise in dual cultivation and charm arts.

Their charm techniques are not merely seductive techniques to allure men.

At deeper levels, they subtly involve unique charm arts linked to Divine Thought and Divine Soul.

Ordinary charm arts mainly rely on eyes or body as lures, often paired with exposed bodies to tempt men.

However, the Hehuan Sect’s charm arts focus on cultivating a cultivator’s specific character and aura, transforming it over time into the art of enticing others through emotions.

For example, Lii Huan now, with an indifferent demeanor and calm gaze, speaks plainly, without any seductive tones or gestures.

Yet despite this, she deeply attracts the attention of the surrounding men.

Especially Zheng Yi.

Those captivated by the Hehuan Sect’s charm arts will see the one they are drawn to as their life’s greatest love, unable to escape.

Lii Huan’s eyes flickered, her light pink lips slightly moving as she said,

"Yufei is my direct disciple, practicing the same cultivation technique as myself, the Hehuan Sect’s sect-protecting technique ’Great Joy of Heaven and Earth.’

"This cultivation method involves understanding the Yin Yang Qi during the Qi Cultivation Stage, requiring the gathering of one’s Extreme Yin Qi or Extreme Yang Qi without losing purity."

"Only after reaching Foundation Establishment can one accommodate the corresponding Yin Yang Qi."

It was only at this point that Lii Huan’s face showed a slight blush.

"So both I and my disciple Yufei remain pure."