Chapter 172: Palace Master

The morning after the celebration ended, Su Yun went up Qingyun Peak alone.

He did not bring Elder Meng, nor did he bring anyone else.

His Lianxu Peak Stage cultivation was not considered top-tier in the Immortal Realm, but he had the feedback spiritual energy from twenty thousand enslaved beings surging through his body, the power of True Monarch Bingpo and the Blood-colored Girl bolstering him, and a void node slowly rotating deep within his Dantian.

With all these trump cards combined, he was confident he could fight against someone at the Peak of the Mahayana Initial Stage.

Qingyun Peak was very high, the mountain path winding, and the stone steps were covered in moss.

Su Yun walked slowly, each step firm and steady.

The morning mist had not yet dispersed, drifting around him like a thin veil.

The sides of the mountain path were planted with spiritual bamboo, with dewdrops hanging from the bamboo leaves; as the wind blew, the dewdrops fell with a rustling sound, hitting his shoulders and feeling cool.

After walking for about half an hour, a white jade archway appeared ahead.

The archway was inscribed with the three large characters "Qingyun Peak," the brushstrokes sharp and fierce, carrying the Sword Intent of the Mahayana Stage.

Behind the archway was a massive complex of palaces with upturned eaves and corners, the glazed tiles shimmering with golden light in the morning sun.

In the plaza in front of the palace, several inner-sect female Disciples were sweeping up fallen leaves, dressed in deep cyan long skirts, their movements gentle.

As Su Yun walked past the archway, those female Disciples looked up, saw him, and a flash of confusion crossed their eyes, before they lowered their heads and continued sweeping.

They were already his enslaved subjects, but right now, in front of others, they acted as they usually did.

Su Yun crossed the plaza and walked into the main hall.

The hall was very spacious, containing only a long table and a few chairs.

A portrait hung on the wall, depicting a middle-aged woman in a cyan palace dress, holding a long sword, whose features bore some resemblance to Fairy Yuling.

She must be the Ancestral Master of Qingyun Palace.

There was no one in the hall.

Su Yun stood before the portrait, waiting.

A moment later, footsteps came from behind the hall, light and steady, making crisp sounds as they stepped on the jade floor.

Fairy Yuling walked out from behind a screen.

She was dressed in a cyan palace gown and wore a phoenix crown, her long hair like ink, draped over her shoulders.

Her face was very pale, as white as jade, and her brows carried an Aura that commanded respect without anger.

The Aura of the Mahayana Initial Stage Peak circulated around her body like a thin film of light.

She looked at Su Yun, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Which Peak are you a Disciple of? Why have I not seen you before?"

Su Yun looked at her. "Qinghe Sect, Su Yun. I am not a Disciple of Qingyun Palace."

Fairy Yuling's brows furrowed even tighter. "Qinghe Sect? Never heard of it. Why have you come to my Qingyun Palace?"

"To discuss a business deal."

Fairy Yuling sneered. "What kind of business?"

Su Yun raised his hand, and a ball of golden light appeared in his palm.

That was the light of the Enslavement mark; he had intentionally not hidden it.

Upon seeing that golden light, Fairy Yuling's expression changed drastically.

She sensed it—it was a power she had never seen before, ancient, profound, and carrying a sense of oppression on the level of the Divine Soul.

"What have you done?"

Su Yun did not answer.

Behind him, two phantoms appeared.

One was ice-blue, cold as frost.

One was blood-red, eerie as a specter.

True Monarch Bingpo and the Blood-colored Girl poured all their power into his body.

His Aura began to climb: Lianxu Peak Stage, half-step Mahayana, Mahayana Initial Stage.

Although it was only temporary, it was enough.

Fairy Yuling's complexion changed from livid to pale.

She felt it; the young man at the Lianxu Peak Stage before her now possessed an Aura no weaker than her own.

She raised her hand, and a long cyan sword appeared in her palm.

The sword body hummed, and the Sword Intent soared to the heavens.

She slashed out with her sword, the sword light like a rainbow, striking straight at Su Yun's face.

Su Yun did not retreat.

He raised his hand and threw a punch.

The force of the punch, wrapped in the Power of the Five Elements and the Thunder Spirit Power, collided with the sword light.

With a loud boom, the main hall trembled, and the portrait on the wall was blown away by the shockwave.

Fairy Yuling stumbled back three steps, and Su Yun stumbled back two steps.

She widened her eyes in disbelief.

"You are at the Mahayana Initial Stage?"

Su Yun did not answer, pressing forward and throwing another punch.

Fairy Yuling swung her sword to block, and the two fought fiercely in the main hall.

Sword light and punch force collided, shockwaves surged, and cracks appeared on the walls.

After fifty moves, Fairy Yuling began to feel strained.

This young man's power was too strange; his spiritual energy seemed endless, and he grew stronger the more they fought.

Moreover, he had the power of two ancient Nascent Souls bolstering his body, and every strike carried both icy and blood-evil attributes, making it impossible for her to defend against.

In a moment of negligence, Su Yun's palm struck before her.

She swung her sword to block, but the long sword flew out of her hand.

Su Yun's other hand had already pressed against the center of her brow.

A golden light flashed.

[Enslavement Successful] [Acquired New Slave: Fairy Yuling, Loyalty 41] [Ding! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a portion of spiritual energy feedback from the Enslavement; cultivation significantly increased.]

Fairy Yuling's body stiffened, and the Battle Intent in her eyes gradually turned into confusion.

She looked at Su Yun, her lips moving. "Master."

Su Yun withdrew his hand, and within his Dantian, the feedback spiritual energy of the Mahayana Initial Stage Peak surged in like a tide.

His cultivation advanced significantly from the Lianxu Peak Stage, leaving only a thin barrier from the Mahayana Stage.

Su Yun sat down on the main seat of the hall.

Fairy Yuling stood by his side, head lowered, her expression submissive.

Su Yun asked her how many more female Elders Qingyun Palace had.

Fairy Yuling said there were eight female Elders, with cultivation ranging from Lianxu Peak Stage to Mahayana Initial Stage.

Seven of them had already been subdued by him; Elder Meng had taken away four male Elders on the day of the celebration, and the remaining seven female Elders were all in the plaza at that time, and he had casually tapped their brows.

Only one remained, named Yunluo, at the Mahayana Initial Stage, who was the Inner Sect Grand Elder; she had not come on the day of the celebration and had remained on Qingyun Peak in seclusion.

Su Yun asked where Yunluo was in seclusion.

Fairy Yuling said it was in an Immortal Cave behind Qingyun Peak.

Su Yun stood up. "Lead the way."

The two walked out of the main hall and followed the mountain path toward the back mountain.

The back mountain was quieter than the front, with the mountain path lined with green pines, dewdrops hanging from the pine needles.

Not long after walking, a stone gate appeared ahead, with the four characters "Yunluo Immortal Cave" inscribed on it.

Fairy Yuling raised her hand and knocked gently on the gate.

The stone gate opened, and a middle-aged woman walked out from inside.

She was dressed in a deep cyan long skirt, her face cold and detached, her Aura deep. Mahayana Initial Stage.

She saw Fairy Yuling and bowed slightly. "Palace Master."

Then she saw Su Yun, and her brows slightly furrowed. "Who is this?"

Fairy Yuling said indifferently: "Sect Master of Qinghe Sect, Su Yun. From today on, he is the master of Qingyun Palace."

Yunluo's expression changed. "Palace Master, you…"

Fairy Yuling raised her hand to interrupt her. "Do as I say."

Yunluo looked at Fairy Yuling, then at Su Yun, and gritted her teeth.

She raised her hand, and a long cyan sword appeared in her palm.

Su Yun did not give her a chance to strike; he stepped forward and slapped the blade of her sword with his palm.

The long sword flew out of her hand, and his other hand had already pressed against the center of her brow.

[Enslavement Successful] [Acquired New Slave: Yunluo, Loyalty 53] [Ding! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a portion of spiritual energy feedback from the Enslavement; cultivation stabilized.]

Yunluo's body stiffened, and the wariness in her eyes gradually turned into submission.

She lowered her head. "Master."

Su Yun withdrew his hand and turned to walk back to the main hall.

Fairy Yuling and Yunluo followed behind him.

Su Yun sat down on the main seat of the hall, looking at the sprawling complex of palaces outside.

Qingyun Palace, one of the Seven Great Immortal Sects, with thirty thousand Disciples and twelve thousand female cultivators.

From today on, these female cultivators were all his.

But he was not in a hurry; there were still six more Immortal Sects waiting for him.

He stood up and looked into the distance.

There, in the deeper parts of the Immortal Realm, lay more powerful female cultivators, richer resources, and a wider world.

The story of the Immortal Realm had only just begun.