"Joining the Star Palace and handing over 70% of their annual income and benefits? Aren't they afraid of being overwhelmed by the profits?"
"Hehe, the Star Palace is the undisputed first-tier ruler in the Chaotic Star Sea. With two late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators in charge, and they even cultivate the special divine power of Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, it's already a testament to their restraint in the past few years by not attacking us. But now it seems they probably can't hold back any longer."
"What do you plan to do? Kill them both?"
"I have thought about it. But to be honest, if it were near that magnetic mountain in the Star Palace, I don't think I could necessarily suppress the combined power of two great cultivators. So, killing them is out of the question for now. I'll think about that after I advance to the late Nascent Soul stage. For now, it's enough to let them know what's what."
After all, someone with that level of cultivation wouldn't easily engage in a death battle. All they wanted was profit. And I never intended to completely seize all the profits. The only difference was who held the initiative.
“I understand. In that case, I’ll go with you. But it’s best to wait a little longer. Fourteenth Sister’s Nascent Soul Ceremony is scheduled for three days from now. Once her Nascent Soul is fully formed, the two of us will go to the Star Palace together.”
"Alright, let's deal with Xin Shisi Niang's matter first." Lu Xuan naturally had no objections. They had been in the mortal world for over twenty years now. For cultivators, this time was insignificant. But for Lu Xuan, he had already learned quite a bit. It was time for the Hidden Immortal Sect to truly resonate throughout the world.
"After Xin Shisi Niang, it's Hong Xiu. Then Xiao Bai. Thirty years later, Xiao Qing, Qing Feng, and Yue Chi will be ready. By then, the entire Hidden Immortal Sect will be Nascent Soul cultivators. Eight Nascent Soul cultivators—that's a major sect, isn't it?"
At this moment, Hongyu suddenly remembered something else.
"By the way, I discovered an interesting sect in the Chaotic Star Sea these past few days, called the Wonderful Sound Sect."
"Is there anything special about it?" Lu Xuan couldn't immediately recall what sect it was.
"Hehe, their cultivation techniques and supernatural abilities are nothing special. It's a kind of supernatural ability that leans towards seduction. However, the disciples of this sect are all beautiful and charming, and they have a habit of specially training female disciples to be given to high-level cultivators as concubines. So, I was thinking, should we just incorporate them into our sect?"
Lu Xuan was startled; this was a potentially fatal question. Naturally, he refused outright. But Hongyu seemed to have already made up her mind.
"Judging from your expression, you've got the wrong idea. Don't worry, you won't get any of them. I plan to make them affiliated sects of the Hidden Immortal Sect. They'll specifically search for a few highly talented female disciples for me. I can at least guarantee they won't be given away by their own sect!"
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Chapter 496 The Way of Red Jade
Hongyu's words were actually an indictment of the cruel reality of the current cultivation world. But this is an undeniable fact. Who wouldn't want to cultivate immortality? But only those who truly enter this world will discover that in the world of cultivators, the lives of low-level cultivators are less valuable than those of mortals.
Especially for female cultivators, the idea of eternal youth and fairy-like appearance is merely a fantasy of mortals. In reality, female cultivators face a far more brutal situation in the cultivation world than their male counterparts.
Most cultivation techniques suitable for women have the effect of improving their appearance. Therefore, female cultivators are generally not particularly ugly. And most female cultivators like these techniques. After all, what woman doesn't love beauty?
However, the harsh reality is that the limitations and inherent quality of these cultivation techniques are not suitable for this cruel world of cultivation. This puts female cultivators at a natural disadvantage in combat, making their status even more precarious.
Beautiful but weak in combat, female cultivators often become targets for male cultivators. Things are slightly better in sects claiming to follow the righteous path; at least they retain some semblance of dignity, using pressure from their sect to force compliance. In the mortal world, most well-known and fortunate low-level female cultivators have gone through this phase. They were later rescued by Old Demon Han.
However, for truly high-level cultivators, these female cultivators are not even considered important. Especially for high-level cultivators of the demonic path, many treat these female cultivators as expendable resources. Hongyu noticed this a long time ago, but she knew she was powerless to change it for the time being, and could only try to reverse things in her own way.
"Your path of sword cultivation is not one that everyone can follow." You must understand that Hongyu was born with a sword physique. In the world of Liaozhai, cultivators accepting disciples requires both talent and opportunity. Unless one's talent is exceptionally outstanding, they are not qualified to be accepted into the fold by those masters.
"It's alright. We've collected quite a few cultivation techniques and supernatural abilities over the years. I don't intend to change the current situation directly. I'll train a few disciples first, and then slowly wait for the right opportunity. Once my cultivation is complete, I'll slaughter those demonic sects in the Chaotic Star Sea."
“Those Nascent Soul stage cultivators hiding in the shadows probably won’t allow such a massacre of a sect to happen.”
"I don't need them to tell me what to do. They all just hide and eke out a living. If they dare to come, I'll kill them with one sword."
Lu Xuan hadn't expected the cultivation world of the mortal realm to have such a strong impact on Hongyu. In his memory, Hongyu was cold and aloof. Aside from him, she was indifferent to most things, especially matters of the world. But this time, for some reason, she was so agitated.
Don't you understand why?
Lu Xuan shook his head firmly.
"To be honest, I really don't understand. The cultivation world is inherently cruel. The law of the jungle is the survival of the fittest. I thought you understood this principle long ago."
Lu Xuan hadn't discussed Dao with Hongyu for a long time. So he sat cross-legged, adopting a posture of discussing Dao.
“I don’t understand. Cultivators cultivate the path of immortality and fight against destiny. But look at those demonic cultivators, they are not fighting against destiny. They are just plundering lives. Cultivators should not be like this. The cultivation world should not be like this either.”
"Is that all? In the world of Jade Dynasty, your reaction wasn't this intense." This was what puzzled Lu Xuan the most.
"Back then, I only wanted to assist you and help you complete your plan. But things are different now. After I formed my Nascent Soul, I began to sense some problems. This dissatisfaction has never disappeared from my heart, and these thoughts are about to become my inner demons!"
At this moment, Lu Xuan's expression finally turned serious. He finally understood why Hongyu's thoughts had suddenly become so intense. It had actually involved her inner demons.
This was also something Lu Xuan overlooked. Because Hongyu was different from the other women around him. Her original lineage did not originate from himself, but from the sword cultivation tradition of the Liaozhai world.
This is a very important issue, but one he overlooked. Cultivators in the Liaozhai world all believe in cause and effect. As a righteous sword cultivator, Hongyu must have made a vow to eliminate demons before completing her apprenticeship. She would use her acquired cultivation and supernatural powers to vanquish demons and protect the righteous path. However, now, the cultivation world of this world is teeming with demons. This is a devastating and all-encompassing blow to Hongyu's vow to eliminate demons.
The higher one's cultivation level, the more dangerous one's inner demons become—this is a law of the cultivation world. There's no record of Qi Refining stage cultivators being devoured by inner demons. They don't even have the qualifications to trigger them. Even if they do have inner demons, they won't erupt until after Foundation Establishment. And now, after Hongyu's Nascent Soul has reached its peak, the earliest inner demon oath has finally begun to backfire.
"If that's the case, then it is indeed a problem."
"It's not a big problem. My inner demon is that I encounter demons but cannot get rid of them. So, all I need to do is get rid of them."
To be honest, the problem really boils down to a lack of clarity of thought. Lu Xuan's cultivation emphasizes clear thinking. Hongyu is a typical example of someone whose thoughts are not clear. From a young age, she aspired to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path. After meeting Lu Xuan, although she experienced various wondrous adventures, her original intention never changed. She is a true sword cultivator, and she is now going to do what a true sword cultivator should do. Therefore, Lu Xuan has no reason to stop her.
"In that case, let's do it. But before that, we need to prepare."
“I understand. I will go into seclusion starting tomorrow. I will not leave until the middle stage.”
"That's good. Tomorrow I'll go to the Star Palace first to test the mettle of the two Palace Masters."
A major event has recently occurred in the Chaotic Star Sea. A small sect, the Hidden Immortal Sect, which appeared out of nowhere, has alarmed the Star Palace, the overlord of the Chaotic Star Sea, as well as the surrounding Demonic Alliance.
Many cultivators had heard of this most profitable sect, and some even secretly placed bets on how long they could last. After all, they had simultaneously threatened the interests of both the Star Palace and the Demonic Path. No sect in the Chaotic Star Sea had ever survived after achieving this.
Today is the day when everything will be decided. Because today, the Sect Master of the Hidden Immortal Sect has accepted the Star Palace's invitation to meet the Two Saints.
Everyone was speculating. What would Lu Xuan's fate be? Would he be directly killed by the Star Palace's Twin Saints, leading to the complete annihilation of the Hidden Immortal Sect? Or would he, like the other sects, become the Star Palace's lackeys, handing over ninety percent of its profits?
That day, when Lu Xuan entered the Star Palace, at least several thousand cultivators were secretly observing him. Many sighed inwardly, thinking that this suddenly rising Nascent Soul cultivator probably wouldn't make it out alive. After all, the Star Palace's Twin Saints hadn't built their empire on reputation alone. Back then, they were even more wicked than the demonic path itself.