38: The Grand Selection Ceremony for Imperial Concubines?

The mirror's surface glowed brilliantly. Chu Ye felt his mind being violently yanked by an irresistible force, plunging into a bizarre and kaleidoscopic hallucination.

Sanskrit chanting shook the heavens!

Before his eyes, countless golden phantom Buddhas filled the sky, their countenances solemn and majestic. Infinite Buddha light transformed into layers of shackles, descending from the Nine Heavens.

Yet where he stood was an endless, surging tide of towering Devilish Qi. A terrifying, faceless demonic shadow that spanned from heaven to earth opened its giant claws, trapping him firmly in the center of the Devilish Qi, unable to move!

The Buddha light and Devilish Qi formed a bizarre opposition and intertwining, placing him at the center of the storm.

That feeling of being suppressed and bound was frighteningly real, as if his Divine Soul would be annihilated in the next instant.

"This script... is a bit beyond the scope!"

Chu Ye's mind was shaken as he tried to struggle.

At that moment, the hallucination came to an abrupt halt.

He suddenly snapped back to his senses and found himself still standing by the clear yet eerie pool. The blood on his fingertips was not yet dry, and his heart was pounding like a drum.

The Empress and the Witch Queen had already sensed something was wrong and instantly appeared by his side, their immortal power faintly circulating.

The Fox Immortal's icy blue eyes gazed at him, as if asking: what did you see?

Chu Ye took a deep breath, looked at the stone mirror that had returned to calm, then at the three women of peerless immortal beauty beside him, and finally rubbed his chin.

Chu Ye came back to his senses and looked toward the center of the pool, only to find that the mysterious stone mirror had completely shattered. The fragments were slowly sinking into the bottomless Serene Pool, leaving no trace behind.

Facing the inquiring gazes of the three women, he scratched his head and put on an innocent "memory cleared" expression: "That part just now... seemed to lag a bit. I've forgotten most of it after watching."

The Empress spoke at the right moment, changing the subject: "In three days, the Northern Territory will hold a Rebirth Celebration. On the surface, it's to celebrate the new life after the catastrophe, but in reality..."

She paused, her gaze intentionally or unintentionally sweeping over the Fox Immortal standing quietly like snow nearby, "It is to complete the transfer of power and announce that I have officially unified the Demon Domain."

A Human Race Empress ruling the Yao Race—this was originally something out of a fairy tale.

But strangely, after the Fox Immortal's "self-destructive" operation, she, the "outsider" who saved the survivors of the Northern Territory, took over exceptionally smoothly, with minimal opposition.

If one were to talk about the gains of this trip, Her Majesty the Empress was likely the one smiling most reservedly and with the most satisfaction.

When she mentioned this, the Fox Immortal's eyelashes didn't even flutter, as if the seized power and the overturned rule were nothing more than a breeze brushing past a mountain ridge, not worth half a thought.

Chu Ye understood that in her heart, everything else was like floating clouds except for the Great Dao of cultivation.

Even though she had already become an immortal, what she was eyeing was probably the legendary Heavenly Immortal realm.

Chu Ye readily agreed to attend the celebration and claimed he would prepare a "great gift."

For the next three days, Chu Ye dragged this former ruler of the northern territory on an "in-depth tour of the Northern Territory's scenery."

The Fox Immortal dutifully played the role of a guide, while Chu Ye enthusiastically discussed the practical insights of The Treasure Codex of Yin-Yang Harmony with her at various "scenic spots and historical sites," leaving many exclusive "cultivation marks" amidst the mountains and rivers.

Three days passed in a flash.

On the day of the celebration, the Divine Beast Firmament Field was once again a sea of Yao, its scale even grander than before.

Those Old Ancestor-level existences who had survived the last catastrophe and were rarely seen in ordinary times now appeared one after another. The scene was solemn and magnificent. This was not just a celebration, but a collective statement of the various forces toward the new order.

The only protagonist today was the new ruler of the northern territory, the Empress, who was draped in immortal radiance and possessed unparalleled majesty.

As the "core of the savior team," Chu Ye also received almost fanatical gratitude and support from the Yao Race, which made him, the behind-the-scenes boss whose "original intention was not to save people," feel quite uncomfortable.

After all, he had packed up their former master and taken her away as his "private cultivation partner."

The Fox Immortal naturally did not show her face. In the hearts of the Yao, she had already vanished into thin air along with that sacrificial array.

At the climax of the celebration, Chu Ye presented the promised great gift.

He channeled the majestic life force of the primordial tree embryo from the hundred phoenix diagram, transforming it into an endless rain of emerald light that sprinkled over the Northern Territory, which had been ravaged into scorched earth by the sacrificial array.

Wherever the light rain reached, the ice plains revived, the scorched earth sprouted, and withered trees met spring. The frigid Northern Territory actually presented the wondrous sight of the four seasons rotating.

Spiritual Qi was as dense as mist, and resources were vigorously regenerating, like a newly born otherworldly immortal paradise. This great gift of "homeland reshaping" completely ignited the gratitude and loyalty of all the Yao Race.

Seeing that he was about to be submerged by the tide of gratitude again, Chu Ye quickly found an excuse to slip away, leaving the remaining tedious affairs entirely to the Empress, who enjoyed coordinating.

He originally wanted to slip back into the hundred phoenix diagram for a moment of peace, but he saw that familiar, cool white figure standing quietly at the highest point of the clouds, looking down at the noisy and bustling celebration below, the vibrant new Northern Territory, and the figure that had replaced her.

Chu Ye quietly stepped forward, wrapping his arms around that slender waist which contained infinite power from behind. He lightly rested his chin on her shoulder and asked in a low voice with a smile: "Seeing the kingdom you lost with your own hands being managed better... do you regret it?"

The Fox Immortal's voice remained like an icy spring hitting a stone, without the slightest ripple: "Even if I were to do it again, my Dao would remain the same."

Chu Ye smiled and said no more.

Compared to words, he was more accustomed to communicating with this "career-oriented Fellow Daoist" through actions. He directly picked her up horizontally and turned to enter the light gate of the hundred phoenix diagram.

"The Great Dao is long," his voice carried a hint of teasing as it entered the gate, "it's more practical to continue 'deep cultivation'."

After "discussing the Dao" in the hundred phoenix diagram for several more days, Chu Ye pocketed most of the resources handed over by the Northern Territory and then quietly returned to Great Chu with the Fox Immortal.

The Witch Queen had returned to the Western Region to take charge, and the Empress had also returned to the Eastern Region's Great Qin to begin integrating the Eastern, Western, and Northern regions. An unprecedented Fusion was quietly surging beneath the calm surface.

As for Chu Ye, he returned to the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty with his newly "subdued" Fellow Daoist Fox Immortal, whose heart was pure and focused only on the Great Dao.

Returning to Great Chu, Chu Ye gave a brief report on the thrilling events of the Northern Territory trip and the Fox Immortal's "convoluted recruitment." Then, like a clearance sale, he filled the Imperial Study with the massive amount of resources and Medicinal Pills he had scavenged.

"Father, Old Ancestor, these are the 'local specialties' from this trip. You decide how to divide them."

His tone was as relaxed as if he had just finished shopping at a supermarket.

When taking stock of the gains, he unexpectedly discovered two immortal realm breakthrough pills. Chu Ye thought for a moment and guessed that the System had counted the Fox Immortal's "twin half-souls" separately for double KPIs.

Regardless, the result was good.

He handed one of them to the Old Ancestor, who had already reached the Peak Emperor Realm.

Under the saturated "irrigation" of the primordial tree embryo's life force and Medicinal Pills, the Old Ancestor was already in a max-level state waiting for a Breakthrough. Taking the pill, the Old Ancestor took a deep breath and went into seclusion on the spot.

A few days later, immortal radiance pierced the sky, and the Lightning Tribulation dissipated.

The Old Ancestor became the first native True Immortal in the history of the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty.

After emerging from seclusion, the Old Ancestor was so excited that he could barely maintain his immortal demeanor. He immediately made a decision to organize a "World's Number One Concubine Selection Ceremony" for Chu Ye.