"You are the emperor of this mortal kingdom, aren't you? This is a gift from this seat. Take good care of it, and you won't be shortchanged."
As most of the crowd dispersed, Yang Jian, who was already the center of attention, became even more prominent. The alluring female cultivator directly tossed a pill, with an air of bestowing alms upon a beggar.
Are cultivators always this arrogant?
Observing the actions of these three, Yang Hong was filled with doubt.
"What is this?"
Yang Jian reached out and caught the flying pill, asking with a hint of expectation.
"Heh heh, this is a good thing. This pill is called the Qi Condensation Pill. It can allow a Grandmaster martial artist to break through to the Heaven Realm without any side effects."
"Heavens - Heaven Realm?"
Yang Jian's hand trembled as he received the pill. The dull gray pill suddenly felt as heavy as ten thousand pounds.
Yang Jian quickly clutched the pill tightly with both hands.
The Yang family, the imperial clan of the Great Sui, had no Heaven Realm guardians, whether openly or in secret. With this pill, as long as he successfully broke through to the Heaven Realm, he could reign as emperor for another 50 years. If he could break through further, perhaps he could reign for all eternity.
Yang Jian's face flushed with excitement.
"The immortal masters are resting here in the [Eagle Hall]. If you need anything, just command it, and I will do my utmost to fulfill it, even using the full might of the Great Sui Dynasty."
Yang Jian was somewhat intoxicated by power. His words were thoughtless.
"Heh heh ~ Very good. Next, you will help us find 30 strong young men to serve us. Remember, they must at least be Grandmaster martial artists to be qualified to serve us."
The alluring woman's expression remained calm, but her words were suggestive.
"Immortal masters, rest assured. I will go and make arrangements immediately."
With that, Yang Jian turned and went to select the strong men. As for Yang Zixuan's coming-of-age banquet? It was dispersed just like that. What else could be done? Didn't everyone watch Yang Jian leave with envy? Even Yang Zixuan, the protagonist.
Yang Hong naturally also left the [Eagle Hall] with the crowd. He did not wish to reveal himself for the time being, but he planned to return for a look at night.
"Husband, these three people are so powerful. If not for you being by my side, I would have already knelt down."
Beside Yang Hong, Song Yuzhi's face was pale, her eyes filled with lingering fear. She had only recently established her Foundation, and although her cultivation was stable, she felt the strongest pressure from the aura of cultivators in the Fusion Realm. It was even stronger than for those commoners who had already knelt.
"This is normal. Of those three, one is at least in the late Fusion stage, and the other two are in the early Fusion stage. You have only just established your Foundation. If I were not here, you would have likely had to unleash your true energy to directly resist that aura."
"If that were the case, we would probably have had to fight a major battle, and I would have been exposed." Yang Hong explained softly. Although the three seemed calm, their Fusion Realm auras were constantly emanating. Yang Hong knew they were probing for other cultivators. However, they seemed rather inept, as they hadn't even discovered the old Taoist priest from the Imperial Observatory.
"Fortunately, I am here."
Song Yuzhi proactively linked her arm with Yang Hong's, and the young couple sweetly walked back to the [Oblivious Pavilion]. The sun soon set. Because he had something on his mind, Yang Hong increased his true energy output that night, subduing all eight of Song Yuzhi's companions within just one hour. Then, he donned a black outfit and left the small building, silently infiltrating towards the [Eagle Hall].
"Mmm~~ Ah~~"
As soon as he entered the vicinity of the [Eagle Hall], Yang Hong heard sounds that made his blood boil, and several voices could be heard in succession. These sounds carried a seductive quality, making even Yang Hong, a cultivator in the Fusion Realm, feel a flutter in his heart.
"Is this a cultivation technique? A soul-tempting technique?"
Yang Hong's heart fluttered for only a few breaths before he regained his senses. He already possessed a stronger soul than ordinary people, and coupled with his Fusion Realm cultivation, he was able to recover so quickly. Ordinary people, even ordinary Fusion Realm cultivators, might not have been able to resist this temptation. This situation made Yang Hong, who had initially underestimated the three, become ten times more vigilant. He suppressed his spirit and essence, fully concealing his aura, and slowly approached the source of the sounds.
"Hoo! These three women are indeed extraordinary."
Through the open door, Yang Hong witnessed a truly passionate scene. 3 versus 31! Three female cultivators and 30 Grandmaster martial artists. And one cultivator. The old Taoist priest named Yuan from the Imperial Observatory, the one who was said to be from a supreme sect, the old Taoist priest who had been monitoring Yang Hong.
The two early Fusion stage female cultivators were locked in battle with the Grandmaster martial artists, while the alluring female cultivator in the mid-to-late Fusion stage was singing loudly beneath the old Taoist priest Yuan. The voice that had captivated Yang Hong earlier came from her. Hearing the sound and seeing the scene, Yang Hong almost lost his mind. Startled, he quickly bit his tongue to sober himself up.
"Ah~ Ah~ Ah~"
Just as Yang Hong was considering whether to launch a surprise attack, a deep groan, full of vigor, came from the old Taoist priest. Yang Hong's gaze was involuntarily drawn back.
"Holy—Holy hell!"
However, what he saw almost scared Yang Hong to death. Old Taoist priest Yuan was visibly emaciating, and his aura was rapidly declining. After all, this old Taoist priest was a cultivator in the late Fusion stage! Even if he wasn't skilled in combat, his late Fusion stage cultivation was real!
"Holy hell!"
Yang Hong exclaimed in his heart again. Old Taoist priest Yuan's head suddenly tilted, and he died just like that!
...
At the same time, in a magnificent hall in the Central Divine Continent, hundreds of millions of miles away, a soul lamp suddenly extinguished. Soon, someone noticed and reported it upwards layer by layer. Before long, cultivators began to head towards the Great Sui Dynasty.
...
"Hahaha~ I'm about to break through, I'm about to break through to the Golden Core!"
With the death of old Taoist priest Yuan, the alluring female cultivator burst into laughter.
"Congratulations, Master~" "Congratulations, Master~" "Master is invincible~"
The two early Fusion stage female cultivators congratulated her while busy. The Grandmaster martial artists were still dazed, seemingly unable to hear the alluring female cultivator's words.
"Hahaha~ The cultivation technique this old Taoist priest practiced is quite formidable. Although he was only in the late Fusion stage, his true energy reserves were ten times that of me, who am at the peak Fusion stage."
"You two also speed up. As long as we drain all the Grandmaster-level and above martial artists in the Five Directions Dynasty, we will definitely be able to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm."
"Master is wise to bring us to this Five Directions Dynasty, which ordinary cultivators shun."
"Hahahaha~~ Hic!"
The alluring female cultivator choked mid-laugh. What followed was a crisp "snap." It turned out Yang Hong had made his move. Upon hearing the alluring female cultivator's intention to drain the entire Five Directions Dynasty, Yang Hong did not hesitate to act.
"Moo~"
As Yang Hong turned to charge at the remaining two female cultivators, the anomaly from his [Ferocious Ox Fist] only then began to spread.
"Snap~ Snap~"
Two more watermelons exploded. Yang Hong always acted without mercy. At the same time, he hadn't expected that these three female cultivators, who could even kill old Taoist priest Yuan, would be so fragile. One punch to each head!
"Fusion Realm? So fragile!"
In reality, this was a misjudgment on Yang Hong's part. Human cultivators are divided into Body Cultivators, Spirit Cultivators, and Soul Cultivators, in addition to Demonic Cultivators, Ghost Cultivators, Soul Cultivators, and various spirits. Ordinary Body Cultivators and Spirit Cultivators have strong bodies, but Soul Cultivators are different. Soul Cultivators primarily cultivate their divine sense and possess powerful mental strength, but their physical bodies are weaker. These three female cultivators, although also of the Spirit Cultivator lineage, leaned more towards cultivating mental power, so their physical strength was just so-so. Therefore, in front of Yang Hong, who possessed a strength of 300,000 catties, they were truly like small children being taken down with one punch.