Chapter 171: Eve of the Ceremony

For the next twenty-odd days, Su Yun was not idle. He roamed the mountain path between Cuiping Peak and Qingyun Peak every day, like a patient leopard waiting for its solitary prey. Although Inner Sect female Disciples rarely came out, they were not completely isolated from the world. They needed to purchase Cultivation resources, borrow Cultivation Techniques from the Scripture Pavilion, and collect Medicinal Pills from the Alchemy Room. Whenever an Inner Sect female Disciple went out alone, Su Yun would silently follow.

The first time, he encountered an Inner Sect female Disciple in the Void Refining Early Stage, seemingly in her early twenties, wearing a dark green long dress, walking alone to the Alchemy Room. Su Yun walked past her from behind, his finger lightly brushing her nape. A golden light flashed, and the female Disciple's body stiffened, the vigilance in her eyes turning into submission.

[Enslavement successful] [Obtained new slave: Yun Ruo, Loyalty 59] [Ding! Congratulations to Host for receiving partial spiritual power feedback from Enslavement, Cultivation slightly increased]

The second time, two female Disciples in the Void Refining Middle Stage went to the Scripture Pavilion together. Su Yun did not act on both at once but waited for them to separate. One went to the second floor, and the other stayed on the third. He followed, dealt with one at the stairwell, and then dealt with the other behind a bookshelf.

The third time, the fourth time, the fifth time. In over twenty days, he sporadically collected more than a hundred Inner Sect female Disciples. These female Disciples had significantly higher Cultivation than the Outer Sect, mostly in the Void Refining Early and Middle Stage, with an occasional few in the Void Refining Late Stage. Their spiritual power feedback was richer and purer, pushing Su Yun's Cultivation a small step further from the Void Refining Late Stage Peak, and the barrier to the Void Refining Peak was being eroded thinner and thinner.

The night before the Sect celebration, Elder Meng arrived. She wore a greyish-white long robe, her hair meticulously combed, looking like a kind old woman. She stood before Su Yun and whispered, "Master, all twelve Inner Sect Elders will be present at tomorrow's celebration. Eight female cultivators, four male cultivators. Your subordinate has already made arrangements; after the celebration begins, your subordinate will use the excuse of an anomaly in the Outer Sect Formation to invite those four male Elders to Cuiping Peak to investigate. They will not refuse, as the maintenance of the Outer Sect Formation is their duty."

Su Yun asked about the Cultivation of those four male Elders. Elder Meng said two were in the Mahayana Initial Stage and two were in the Void Refining Peak Stage. Su Yun was silent for a moment. He couldn't defeat Mahayana Initial Stage cultivators right now. But he didn't need to fight; he only needed them to be absent. "How long will it take for them to return from Cuiping Peak?"

Elder Meng thought for a moment. "At least half an hour for a round trip. If your subordinate stalls them, it could be extended to an hour."

Su Yun nodded. "That's enough."

Early the next morning, bells tolled loudly on the main Peak, Qingyun Peak. The annual Qingyun Palace Sect celebration had begun. Su Yun changed into a dark green long dress, mixed in with the Outer Sect Disciple队伍, and followed the crowd towards the main Peak. He took a Disguise Pill, his face transforming into that of a delicate woman, and his hair was also urged to grow long with spiritual power, cascading over his shoulders. He walked among the crowd, and no one gave him a second glance.

At the summit of the main Peak, in the square in front of the Ancestral Worship Hall, tens of thousands of Disciples had already gathered. Inner Sect Disciples stood in the front rows, wearing dark green robes, their auras steady, with the lowest Cultivation being the Soul Transformation Stage. Outer Sect Disciples stood in the back rows, wearing light green robes, their Cultivation varying from Golden Core to Soul Transformation. A high platform was set up in the center of the square, with an incense table and offerings placed on it. Twelve Elders stood on either side of the high platform, eight female cultivators on the left, and four male cultivators on the right.

Su Yun stood in the back row of the Outer Sect Disciples, his gaze sweeping over the Elders on the high platform. Eight female cultivators, their Cultivation ranging from Void Refining Peak Stage to Mahayana Initial Stage. The one in the very center, wearing a blue palace dress, adorned with a Phoenix coronet, her face dignified, her aura as deep as the sea. Mahayana Initial Stage Peak. The Palace Master of Qingyun Palace, Fairy Yuling. She stood before the incense table, holding an incense stick in both hands, bowing deeply to the ancestral tablets in the Ancestral Worship Hall. Tens of thousands of Disciples bowed simultaneously, and the square fell silent.

The sacrificial ceremony lasted for half an hour. Su Yun waited patiently, his gaze never leaving the four male Elders. After the ceremony, the Palace Master announced the start of the celebration, and the sound of music filled the square. Dancers emerged from both sides, filing into the center of the square and dancing gracefully. The Disciples began to relax, some watching the dance, some chatting, some moving around. Su Yun did not move; he was waiting.

A moment later, Elder Meng walked to the four male Elders and whispered a few words. The four male Elders frowned slightly and followed Elder Meng out of the square. Su Yun watched their figures disappear in the direction of Cuiping Peak and withdrew his gaze. He began to move.

He stepped out of the Outer Sect Disciple queue and blended into the Inner Sect Disciple area. There were six thousand six hundred Inner Sect female Disciples, densely packed in the front rows of the square. Su Yun started from the last row, his finger lightly brushing the napes of those female Disciples. The golden light was almost invisible in the sunlight, obscured by his wide sleeves. Those female Disciples' bodies stiffened, the clarity in their eyes turning into submission, and then they continued to watch the dance, as if nothing had happened.

One row, two rows, three rows. Su Yun moved like a snake, silently gliding through the ranks of Inner Sect female Disciples. His movements were swift, his finger touching the nape of each female Disciple, a golden light flashing and disappearing, the Enslavement mark instantly taking root. No one noticed, because no one would have imagined that someone would dare to act during the Sect celebration.

When he had collected two thousand people, the spiritual power feedback in his Dantian began to surge. A crack opened in the barrier leading to the Void Refining Peak Stage. Su Yun steadied his mind and continued. At three thousand people, the crack expanded. At four thousand people, the barrier began to shatter. At five thousand people, the barrier completely collapsed. Void Refining Peak Stage. Su Yun took a deep breath, suppressed the surging spiritual power within him, and continued.

He subdued all six thousand six hundred Inner Sect female Disciples in less than half an hour. He stood in the last row of Inner Sect female Disciples and looked back. The four male Elders had not yet returned, the dancers in the square were still dancing, the music was still playing, and everything was as usual. He turned and walked out of the crowd, returning to the Outer Sect Disciple queue.

The celebration continued. Su Yun stood in the crowd, closing his eyes to feel the new power surging within him. The Void Refining Peak Stage Realm was rapidly stabilizing. Eight thousand Outer Sect female Disciples, six thousand six hundred Inner Sect female Disciples, plus those he had collected in the Central and Western Regions before, his total number of enslaved individuals had already exceeded twenty thousand. Twenty thousand female cultivators, from Golden Core to Mahayana, distributed in the Lower Realm and Immortal Realm. The spiritual power feedback generated by their daily Cultivation converged into a ceaseless river, surging from the Void Realm and pouring into his Dantian.

He opened his eyes and looked at Fairy Yuling on the high platform. She stood before the incense table, smiling as she watched the dancers perform, completely unaware of what had happened. Su Yun withdrew his gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips. After the celebration, he would go find her. But not today. Today, he needed to digest these newly enslaved individuals and consolidate his Void Refining Peak Stage Cultivation. Fairy Yuling was at the Mahayana Initial Stage Peak, one Realm higher than him. He needed stronger power to deal with her. He needed to Breakthrough to the Mahayana Stage.

The celebration ended in the evening. The Disciples gradually dispersed, and Su Yun followed the flow of Outer Sect Disciples down the main Peak and returned to Cuiping Peak. Elder Meng was already waiting in the Reception Hall; the four male Elders had not yet returned. Su Yun asked her how she managed to stall them, and Elder Meng said she had tampered with the Formation on Cuiping Peak, making it seem like an external enemy had invaded, and the four Elders were meticulously investigating, so they wouldn't be back anytime soon.

Su Yun nodded and sat down at the long table. Elder Meng poured him a cup of tea; the tea had a faint, elegant fragrance and a sweet taste. After finishing the tea, he stood up. "Tomorrow, take me to see Fairy Yuling."

Elder Meng's expression changed. "Master, Fairy Yuling is at the Mahayana Initial Stage Peak, much stronger than your subordinate. You…"

Su Yun raised his hand to interrupt her. "I know. So I'm not going to fight her; I'm going to talk. If we can talk it out, we'll talk. If not, we'll see."

Elder Meng opened her mouth but said nothing more. She lowered her head. "Your subordinate understands."

Su Yun walked out of the Reception Hall, stood by the cliff edge of Cuiping Peak, and gazed in the direction of Qingyun Peak. Moonlight shone on him, illuminating his delicate face. The night wind blew, carrying the fragrance of flowers and grass. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Tomorrow, there would be another tough battle to fight.