"Minister Yang, most of the female cultivators abducted by those noble sons have been rescued and reclaimed by their families. But there are still many women from the Central Continent in Sima Peng’s Flying Pavilion. I’m not sure how to handle them."

The female cultivator behind him removed her veiled hat, her eyes welling with tears as she looked at Yang Jing.

"Minister Yang, you saved my sisters and me from a living hell. I have no way to repay your kindness and can only offer to serve by your side."

Yang Jing had seen his fair share of beauties. From the distant Song Luoxi, a True Disciple of the Taixu Sword Sect, to Zuoqiu Feng and Yang Jingxu who were close by, all were peerless beauties. They simply possessed different kinds of elegance, each with their own unique charm. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

But the woman before him was even more beautiful than any of them. It would be no exaggeration to call her a Celestial Immortal in human form.

Ji Yizong lowered his head. When he first saw this woman in Sima Peng’s Flying Pavilion, he had been so mesmerized he couldn’t look away. After he came to his senses, his first thought was, ’A peerless beauty like this is the perfect gift for Yang Jing.’

"Wow, she’s so pretty!"

Chi Yu’s mouth fell slightly open, her eyes wide and round.

The next moment, she grimaced as Zuoqiu Feng pinched her hard on the stomach.

"Ji Yizong, you certainly know how to curry favor. The moment you find a beautiful woman, your first thought is to present her to your superior."

Zuoqiu Feng released her fingers, her eyes narrowing as she sized up Ji Yizong.

Ji Yizong’s scalp tingled. Besides the glare from Zuoqiu Feng, he could also feel a chill from behind him. Clearly, Yang Jingxu was also displeased with him.

His heart sank. ’I’ve picked the wrong day for this,’ he thought. ’I walked right into the line of fire.’

Although Yang Jing’s Dao heart was firm, even he was momentarily stunned by her beauty.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Qu Qiao."

The woman lowered her gaze to her feet and spoke timidly.

"Tell me your story."

"I am originally from Yu Yang in the Central Continent. My family has been cultivators for three generations. While we couldn’t be called an Immortally Cultivation Clan, we had a modest enterprise. I was betrothed to the son of one of my father’s dear friends, but one day, while I was out gathering herbs, Sima Peng’s henchmen saw me and abducted me by force."

As Qu Qiao spoke, tears streamed down her face. Her sorrowful beauty was enough to make anyone’s heart ache with pity.

Yang Jing nodded.

"Junior Sister Yang, arrange for a payment of Spirit Stones. Give each of the female cultivators abducted by Sima Peng fifty Spirit Stones and let them find their own way in the world."

After speaking, he turned his attention back to the Jade Scroll in his hand, a clear gesture of dismissal.

Ji Yizong was stunned. He hadn’t expected Yang Jing’s Dao heart to be so firm that he would remain completely unmoved by a peerless beauty like Qu Qiao.

However, since Yang Jing had made his stance clear, Ji Yizong had no choice but to follow Yang Jingxu to collect the Spirit Stones.

"So, you think there’s something strange about that woman’s identity?"

Seeing that Yang Jing was unmoved by the woman’s beauty, Zuoqiu Feng’s gloomy mood instantly brightened.

"The Governor has already inspected Sima Peng’s Divine Soul and found traces of a foreign object. Furthermore, his emotions and desires are all abnormal, as if he’s been afflicted by some kind of Demon Sect curse that has made them unusually active."

Yang Jing said,

"The Governor suspects he fell into this trap because of the Mingfei Joyful Method. All the female attendants he brought from the Central Continent are under suspicion."

The Northern Army Governor’s Mansion had been carefully monitoring these attendants. Ji Yizong’s visit gave Yang Jing the perfect opportunity to release them and see if they made any unusual moves.

Ji Yizong emerged with the Spirit Stones, his heart filled with regret. His plan had backfired spectacularly. Minister Yang hadn’t taken a fancy to Qu Qiao’s beauty, and he had managed to greatly offend both Zuoqiu Feng and Yang Jingxu, leaving a terrible impression on them.

"General Ji, did I cause trouble for you?"

Qu Qiao’s voice, as lovely as a nightingale’s song, made Ji Yizong shiver involuntarily.

"No, not at all, Miss Qu. But with the headquarters of the Seven Nations Ticket Shop here, prices in the Yu Kingdom have skyrocketed. It’s not easy to make a living. Fifty Spirit Stones won’t last long before they’re all spent. I was wondering... do you have any plans?"

Since Yang Jing hadn’t accepted her, an idea couldn’t help but form in Ji Yizong’s mind. ’Maybe I could take Qu Qiao as a concubine.’

’A beauty like this is a once-in-a-lifetime find.’

"I have no family or friends in the Northern Domain, so I plan to start a small sewing business with the other female cultivators who were abducted with me."

Ji Yizong wanted to state his intentions directly and ask Qu Qiao to be his concubine. But for some reason, when he opened his mouth, he completely forgot what he was about to say. He could only scratch his head and escort her back.

The Sima Family’s Flying Pavilion had been temporarily sealed by the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion. Attendants and servants like Qu Qiao, who had nowhere else to go, were placed under a soft house arrest in a manor. While they weren’t forbidden from coming and going, all their movements had to be reported.

"Venerable, that Yang Jing was actually able to resist your Charm Skill?"

The female attendant who had planted the Primordial Seed in Sima Peng’s Divine Soul paled in shock when she saw Qu Qiao return so quickly.

"Fool! With Yang Jing’s status, how could I possibly use my Charm Skill on him right under the noses of those old Nascent Soul monsters?" the Venerable, Qu Qiao, said through gritted teeth. "But he truly is a man of profound aptitude. Even when I assumed my Celestial Maiden Aspect, he remained completely unmoved."

Qu Qiao spoke, her teeth clenched in frustration.

The social climate of the Nine Heavens World was far more conservative than that of the Primordial Storage Realm. In the Primordial Storage Realm, even top-tier nobles had a high chance of perishing if they encountered a divine calamity.

Therefore, in such a precarious environment, the people of the Primordial Storage Realm placed more importance on seizing the day and enjoying life’s pleasures.

Although the Nine Heavens World was much more conservative, its noble sons had just as little resistance to beautiful women as the great nobles of the Primordial Storage Realm.

"Then what should we do?"

The female attendant asked, her voice filled with panic.

’The Primordial Seed implanted in Sima Peng has likely been discovered,’ she thought. ’To the great powers of the Primordial Storage Realm, I’ve already lost my value.’

"We will remain here. This continent is very likely the landmass that vanished without a trace during the Primordial Storage Realm’s Heaven-Shattering Calamity. It is the perfect springboard for our invasion of the Nine Heavens World."

It all happened so long ago that the relevant historical records had long been lost to the river of time.

Old gods like the White God, who had existed since ancient times, were deeply secretive about that period of history. Even someone of the Venerable’s status only had a fragmented understanding. She only knew that during the Heaven-Shattering Calamity, the Primordial Storage Realm had lost nearly a fifth of its landmass, which vanished along with all the Divine Beings who resided upon it.

Upon realizing this possibility, the ambition in the Venerable’s heart flared like a wildfire.

’The legacies of those Divine Beings might be hidden somewhere on this continent. And I am determined to have Yang Jing’s Divine Soul as well. Things are too tense right now. But once this blows over... no matter how profound his aptitude is, he’s just a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He won’t be able to escape my grasp.’

Afterward, using a loan from the Seven Nations Ticket Shop, Qu Qiao actually opened a Magic Robe Shop. The attendants who had been abducted by Sima Peng served as the weavers, purchasing various kinds of Spirit Silk to weave into Vestment Robes for sale.

Yang Jing received secret reports from the cultivators monitoring the women, all of which stated that they were acting normally. Although he remained suspicious of Qu Qiao, he focused most of his energy on his cultivation.

「One month later.」

Yang Jing felt he had completely mastered the Sword Qi Canon and began preparing to refine the Celestial Waterfall Sword into his Lifebound Flying Sword.

Because this method was closer to an Ancient Technique, it required a process similar to the Celestial Thunder Technique: performing a Ritual and raising a Magic Altar to draw out the Flying Sword’s Spiritual Essence, merge it with his Divine Soul, and form a Spirit Contract.

It was just much simpler than the cumbersome Celestial Thunder Technique.

Given the connection between him and the Celestial Waterfall Sword, failure was nearly impossible. Even so, he meticulously followed the instructions in the Sword Qi Canon, preparing the various Array Banners and Spiritual Materials required for the Magic Altar.

Raising the altar for this was not like his previous Thunder Summoning rituals, where he had the Five Thunders Divine Techniques as a safety net.

Every failed attempt to form a Spirit Contract would damage the Sword Artifact’s Spiritual Essence. If it failed too many times, the blade could even devolve from a Spiritual Artifact back into a mere Magical Artifact.

Therefore, Yang Jing did not dare to be the least bit careless.