60: Investigating the Goddess Palace

One hand encircled that slender yet powerful waist, while the other had already begun to restlessly explore the undulating, shapely curves beneath the black dress in a dominant posture.

"Does Madame know exactly who the Palace Master of the Goddess Palace is?"

He asked casually, as if chatting about the day's weather, while toying with the warm, fragrant beauty in his arms.

Madame Hua Yu's body stiffened at first, then slowly relaxed. The two of them had already had more in-depth "exchanges"; while this posture made her somewhat uncomfortable, it was not unbearable.

She adjusted her sitting position slightly to make herself more comfortable, and after a brief deliberation, she answered in a steady voice without much emotional fluctuation:

"The Goddess Palace... is indeed the most mysterious and transcendent existence in the Central Region. Although I have undergone nine cycles of Reincarnation, the Goddess Palace has stood tall since the very beginning."

"Rumor has it that it was born alongside the continent, serving as the chosen proxy of the Heavenly Dao. The location of its palace is ethereal and unfixed; every time it appears in the world, it is often accompanied by the fires of a chaotic era. When the chaos ends, its traces are mysteriously erased, and it returns to silence."

She paused, her breath hitching as she felt Chu Ye's mischievous hand, but she continued: "The current emergence of the Central Region is said to be related to the descent of the Goddess Palace."

"As for that Palace Master... I once saw a blurry figure from afar at a secret gathering of the top powers in the Central Region. Her entire body was shrouded in an indescribable halo, making her true appearance difficult to discern."

"It wasn't that I didn't want to look, but... a kind of awe and restriction of rules stemming from the depths of the Soul made it impossible for anyone to even harbor the thought of spying."

Chu Ye's hands didn't stop. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow: "A spokesperson for the Heavenly Dao? Sounds like a 'Regional Director' sent down by the 'Headquarters'."

He changed the subject and asked the key question, "Then this Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking—it didn't appear earlier or later, but jumped out to stir up trouble now. What's the play here?"

"It doesn't look like it's just handing out benefits."

Madame Hua Yu endured the waves of strange sensations from her body and took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady: "Regarding the Gold Ranking, there are many theories."

"One theory is that when the number of contemporary Emperors and Immortal Realm experts reaches a certain threshold, this 'open scheme' is triggered. Its intent is to provoke the top powers to fight and consume each other. Because the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and the world's capacity are limited, they cannot support too many supreme experts; this move might be to 'reduce the burden'. Besides that, there is another..."

She panted slightly before continuing: "Another theory... points toward the Great Calamity of the end times. The Heavenly Dao senses that the calamity is approaching, so it descended the Gold Ranking using Luck and supreme treasures as bait to motivate and filter potential individuals to grow rapidly, hoping to win a sliver of vitality for this land in the future disaster. As for which is true, I... also find it hard to say."

After Chu Ye finished listening, his movements slowed as he fell into thought. The warmth in his arms and the cold fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose formed a strange contrast with this heavy topic concerning the survival of the land.

"Reducing the burden? Raising Gu? Or the final revelry of the apocalypse?" he whispered to himself, then gave a light laugh and tightened his arms, pulling Madame Hua Yu closer. "No matter what tricks the Heavenly Dao wants to play, the path must be walked step by step."

"As for that mysterious 'Palace Master'... sooner or later, I'll have to pay her a 'visit'."

His gaze turned toward the Void Realm outside the hall, as if he had already pierced through numerous obstacles to lock onto that most mysterious target.

As for the Sect Master of Myriad Spirits in his arms, she had become a "trophy" and source of intelligence that he held firmly in his palm—one with a very fine taste—after stepping into the highest chess game of the Central Region.

Chu Ye pried some fragmented clues about that mysterious Goddess Palace Master from Madame Hua Yu's mouth.

In the process of prying for clues, some "physical exchange" was inevitable, leaving this Sect Master with watery eyes and ragged breath, which in turn caused the flames in Chu Ye's own heart to surge upward.

Perhaps to "reward" Madame Hua Yu for tactfully handing over more than half of the Sect's treasures, or perhaps simply to "punish" her for her previous offense of daring to attack Great Chu, Chu Ye simply stayed at the Myriad Spirits Heavenly Sect for an entire month.

During this month, Young Master Chu's life could be described as regular and fulfilling:

During the day, he acted as a "Gold Medal Tutor," personally guiding the young girl Hua Ling, who had just reached the Emperor Realm and was completely in the dark about Cultivation.

Although he had reached his level through cheats, the massive inheritance of Cultivation Techniques and theoretical packages gifted by the System were more than enough to teach a rookie Emperor.

Encountered a particularly tricky problem?

No matter, there was also a cold and scholarly "Fox Immortal Assistant" nearby who could answer questions at any time.

Hua Ling was already full of gratitude and closeness toward her savior, Chu Ye. Spending time together day and night under his careful guidance only caused that dependence and intimacy to grow day by day, leaving Madame Hua Yu with complex feelings but no choice but to watch.

At night, he switched to "Personal Trainer" mode, "favoring" day and night that Madame Hua Yu, who had initially maintained her Sect Master's air and was only half-willing.

Initially, she only cooperated reluctantly due to the blood pact and the situation. However, the body's reaction is often more honest than the will.

Under Chu Ye's unreserved "high-intensity practical guidance," she gradually went from resistance to adaptation, and from adaptation to indulgence.

In the end, she simply had a sort of "realization" of letting herself go, and she became quite open.

With this cycle of teaching the daughter by day and guiding the mother by night, Chu Ye lived a moist and somewhat busy life, even enjoying it quite a bit.

Seeing his "diligent cultivation," Madame Hua Yu's attitude also quietly changed; she was no longer so awkward and gradually became responsive to Chu Ye's many requests.

Seeing her being so "sensible," when the one-month period was up, Chu Ye finally brought out a real "reward." Combining a Dual Cultivation secret technique with a precious breakthrough pill, he helped this Sect Master, who had been stuck at the eighth level of the Immortal Realm for a long time, break through to the ninth level of the Immortal Realm in one go!

The ecstasy of the Realm Breakthrough intertwined with fatigue, leading to another night of lingering passion.

The next day, as the tenderness subsided and Madame Hua Yu was still immersed in the afterglow of her stabilized Realm and the rare intimacy, she heard Chu Ye nonchalantly bid his farewell.

She was slightly startled; she hadn't expected this young man, who had burst into her life in the most dominant manner and occupied her entire body and mind, to leave so decisively.

Chu Ye looked at the stunning Sect Master before him, who had been completely "tamed" and whose eyes and brows bore the laziness and complex emotions of the aftermath, and satisfiedly ruffled her smooth long hair.

At the same time, he took out another breakthrough pill and placed it in her palm: "This is for the girl Hua Ling; give it to her when the time is right. Within the hundred phoenix diagram, I have already reserved a private space for you mother and daughter; Cultivating there will yield twice the result with half the effort."

He paused and curled his lips into a meaningful smile: "Of course, I have one requirement for you: be on call. When I miss you, you must appear promptly."

Madame Hua Yu looked at Chu Ye, who was now fully dressed and had returned to his handsome and elegant appearance, then looked at the pill in her hand. Her gaze shifted several times before finally turning into a resigned sigh as she lowered her head and replied: "...Yes."