Chapter 173: Rectification

The news of the change in ownership of Qingyun Palace was tightly sealed.

The only people who knew about this were Fairy Yuling and the seven female Elders, plus Elder Meng and Outer Sect Deacon Liu Qingyao.

The enslaved female Disciples continued to Cultivate, live, and patrol as usual, without any abnormalities.

This was the effect Su Yun wanted.

Before figuring out the details of the Seven Great Immortal Sects of the Immortal Realm, he did not want to alert the enemy.

Fairy Yuling handed the key to the Qingyun Palace library to him.

The library was built into the cliff at the back of Qingyun Peak, with a heavy stone door engraved with Mahayana Stage Seals.

Su Yun pushed the door open and entered; the space inside was more than ten times larger than it appeared from the outside, with rows of bookshelves extending from the floor to the dome, filled with Jade Slips and ancient books.

The air was filled with the smell of old paper and ink, mixed with a faint scent of sandalwood.

He stayed in the library for three days.

On the first day, he read through the information on the Seven Great Immortal Sects of the Immortal Realm.

Qingyun Palace, Zixia Sect, Heavenly Sword Sect, Wanhua Valley, Star Pavilion, Taixu Hall, and Biluo Palace—the seven Immortal Sects each occupied a region, with their forces intertwined.

Among them, Qingyun Palace and Zixia Sect had the best relationship, as the Ancestral Masters of the two Sects were once fellow sisters of the same Sect.

The Heavenly Sword Sect and Wanhua Valley had intermarried for generations, the Star Pavilion and Taixu Hall had been fighting for thousands of years, while Biluo Palace kept to itself and did not interact with the other Immortal Sects.

On the second day, he read the map of the Immortal Realm.

The Immortal Realm was vast, larger than all the continents of the Lower Realm combined.

The Seven Great Immortal Sects were distributed across the southeast, west, and north of the Immortal Realm: Qingyun Palace was in the eastern coastal area, Zixia Sect in the southern mountains, Heavenly Sword Sect in the western desert, Wanhua Valley in the northern snowfields, Star Pavilion at the Star-fall Lake in the northeast, Taixu Hall at the Taixu Mountain in the northwest, and Biluo Palace under the Heavenly Pillar Peak in the center.

Each Immortal Sect had tens of thousands of Disciples, and the Sect Masters were all at the Mahayana Middle Stage or above.

On the third day, he read the history of the Immortal Realm.

The Immortal Realm was originally called the Tianyuan Realm; in ancient times, there was a powerful being called Saint Tianyuan who, after achieving a Breakthrough past the Mahayana Stage, ascended to the Divine Realm, leaving behind the name Tianyuan Realm.

Later, the Tianyuan Realm split into the Seven Great Immortal Sects, which attacked each other, causing countless casualties.

It wasn't until three thousand years ago that the Seven Great Immortal Sects signed a peace treaty, agreeing not to infringe upon each other and to defend against external enemies together.

The witness of the treaty was Biluo Palace, because Biluo Palace was the strongest, and the Sect Master was at the Late Mahayana Stage, which the other six Sects dared not offend.

Su Yun put down the Jade Slip and leaned against the bookshelf.

Biluo Palace, Late Mahayana Stage.

He could not beat them right now.

But he did not need to fight.

He had a simpler method.

He closed the Jade Slip and walked out of the library.

Fairy Yuling stood at the door, having waited for half a day.

Seeing Su Yun come out, she bowed and said, "Master, people from Zixia Sect have arrived."

Su Yun raised an eyebrow. "What are they here for?"

Fairy Yuling said, "Every three years, Zixia Sect sends Disciples to Qingyun Palace for exchange and learning. This time, twenty people have come, led by the Personal Disciple of the Zixia Sect Grand Elder, named Zi Ling, who is at the Lianxu Peak Stage. They have already arrived, and I have arranged for them to stay in the guest quarters at Cuiping Peak."

Su Yun asked if those twenty people were male or female.

Fairy Yuling said they were all female; Zixia Sect consisted entirely of female Cultivators, without a single male Disciple.

Su Yun's eyes lit up. "All female? How many Disciples does Zixia Sect have?"

Fairy Yuling said, "Zixia Sect has about twenty-five thousand Disciples, all of whom are female Cultivators. The Sect Master is Fairy Zixia, at the Mahayana Middle Stage. The Grand Elder is named Ziyun, at the Mahayana Early Stage. The Disciples range from Foundation Establishment to Mahayana, among whom there are over three hundred at the Void Refining Stage and over three thousand at the Soul Transformation Stage."

Su Yun nodded.

Twenty-five thousand female Cultivators—this number satisfied him greatly.

"When is that Zi Ling free?"

Fairy Yuling said, "There is a welcome banquet at Cuiping Peak tonight; she will definitely attend."

Su Yun said he wanted to attend the welcome banquet.

Fairy Yuling was stunned for a moment, saying that since Su Yun was nominally an Outer Sect Disciple, it might not be appropriate for him to attend the welcome banquet.

Su Yun said then he would not go as a Disciple, but as her guest.

Fairy Yuling thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

In the evening, the guest quarters at Cuiping Peak were brightly lit.

The twenty female Cultivators from Zixia Sect sat in the main hall, with tables full of food and wine in front of them.

They were wearing purple dresses, with long hair draped over their shoulders, all of them outstanding in appearance and extraordinary in temperament.

Zi Ling sat in the main seat, looking to be in her early twenties, her face cold, with a hint of arrogance between her brows.

Lianxu Peak Stage.

She picked up her wine glass, took a light sip, and frowned slightly.

The wine at Qingyun Palace was too mild, not as strong as that of Zixia Sect.

Fairy Yuling pushed the door open and entered, followed by Su Yun.

Zi Ling stood up and bowed slightly. "Palace Master Yuling, thank you for the hospitality."

Fairy Yuling smiled and sat down in the main seat.

Su Yun sat beside her, and Zi Ling's gaze swept over him, a flash of doubt appearing in her eyes. "Who is this?"

Fairy Yuling said, "A guest of mine, Su Yun. He ascended from the Lower Realm, is at the Lianxu Peak Stage, and has good talent."

Zi Ling looked at Su Yun a few more times but said nothing.

Cultivators who ascended from the Lower Realm were not uncommon in the Immortal Realm, but it was the first time she had seen one sitting next to Fairy Yuling.

The welcome banquet lasted for an hour.

Su Yun did not drink, but sat quietly, observing the twenty Zixia Sect female Disciples.

Their cultivation levels ranged from Spirit Transformation Peak Stage to Lianxu Peak Stage, each with a solid Foundation and steady aura.

Zixia Sect's Cultivation Technique leaned towards the fire element, and they all carried a faint scorching aura, like the feeling of being close to a furnace.

After the banquet dispersed, Zi Ling took her Disciples back to their rooms to rest.

Su Yun did not leave; he sat in the main hall, waiting.

It was late at night.

The lamps in the guest quarters went out one by one, leaving only a few spirit lamps in the corridor still lit.

Su Yun stood up, walked out of the main hall, and came to the door of Zi Ling's room.

He raised his hand and knocked gently.

The door opened.

Zi Ling stood at the door, wearing a light purple nightgown, her long hair disheveled, and no makeup on her face, but she was still exquisite.

Seeing Su Yun, she frowned slightly. "Young Master Su, it is so late, is there something you need?"

Su Yun looked at her. "I want to talk to you."

Zi Ling was silent for a moment, then stepped aside to let him in.

The room was very simple, with a bed, a table, and a chair.

On the table was a pot of tea and two cups.

Zi Ling sat by the table and poured two cups of tea.

Su Yun sat opposite her, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.

The tea was very bitter, with a burnt taste; it was the unique fire spirit tea of Zixia Sect.

Zi Ling put down her teacup and looked at him. "Talk about what?"

Su Yun said, "Talk about cooperation."

Zi Ling raised an eyebrow. "What kind of cooperation?"

Su Yun put down his teacup and raised his hand.

A ball of golden light appeared in his palm, warm and pure.

Zi Ling stared at the ball of golden light, a flash of vigilance in her eyes. "What is this?"

"A type of contract. After it is planted, your cultivation will improve much faster."

Zi Ling sneered. "Why should I trust you?"

Su Yun did not answer.

Behind him, two phantoms appeared.

One was ice blue, the other blood red.

True Monarch Bingpo and the Blood-colored Girl channeled their power into his body, and his aura instantly climbed to the Mahayana Initial Stage.

Zi Ling's face changed drastically, and she stood up, causing her chair to fall backward.

Su Yun looked at her. "I need you to help me introduce Fairy Zixia. In return, I will help you achieve a Breakthrough to the Mahayana Stage."

Zi Ling stared at him for a long time.

Her heartbeat was fast, and her breathing was ragged.

But her eyes were changing, from vigilance to hesitation, from hesitation to wavering.

She remembered that she had been stuck at the Lianxu Peak Stage for a hundred years; even the Junior Sister who had joined the Sect later than her had achieved a Breakthrough to the Mahayana Stage, and only she was still standing still.

The Grand Elder said her talent was insufficient, and she might never achieve a Breakthrough in this lifetime.

She gritted her teeth. "Fine. I agree."

Su Yun raised his hand and tapped her forehead with one finger.

A golden light flashed.

[Enslavement successful] [New slave obtained: Zi Ling, Loyalty 64] [Ding! Congratulations to the Host for gaining partial spiritual power feedback from Enslavement, cultivation stabilized]

Zi Ling's body stiffened, and the wavering in her eyes gradually turned into submission.

She lowered her head. "Master."

Su Yun withdrew his hand and stood up. "Tomorrow, take me to Zixia Sect."

Zi Ling nodded. "Yes, Master."

Su Yun walked out of the room and stood in the corridor.

The night wind blew, carrying the fresh scent of flowers and grass.

He looked up towards the south, where Zixia Sect was located.

Twenty-five thousand female Cultivators—he would be going there soon.

But he was not in a hurry.

He needed to achieve a Breakthrough to the Mahayana Stage first.

The barrier of the Lianxu Peak Stage was already as thin as a cicada's wing; after enslaving another batch of female Cultivators, he would be able to break through it.

The twenty-five thousand female Cultivators of Zixia Sect were the best nourishment.

He turned and walked back to his quarters, closing the door.

He sat on the meditation cushion and closed his eyes.

Inside his Dantian, the feedback of spiritual power was still pouring in continuously.

His cultivation was steadily climbing, getting closer and closer to the Mahayana Stage.

He took a deep breath and began to circulate his Cultivation Technique.

Tomorrow would be a new day.