Mingzhi caressed Yulai Nuxaren's back continuously, knowing she was mourning them for the first time ever since she had been captured and kept in a cellar.
The worst thing was- she knew this kind of situation was commonplace in the cultivation world. Many people get killed easily, their lives are worth nothing, and orphans are left, which a sect might pick them up and nurture them if they were lucky, or they would get captured and sold to some shady person.
She had met many cases like these while she was traveling the Loret Empire in order to catch up to Davis. That place was war-torn after the Loret Empire nearly fell, after all. There were many war orphans. It chilled her heart, and she couldn't take care of them, so she looked the other way, but now, she felt some regret, knowing every child would've suffered like Yulai Nuxaren.
The urge to suddenly set up an orphanage welled up in her. After all, she also grew up in one. However, she still had her family to take care of, so she decisively slashed that thought for now.
'Now… I only need to focus on Tianyu, Yulai, and the other children… they come first above all else…'
Mingzhi took a deep breath.
After what seemed to be a long time, Yulai Nuxaren lost consciousness again after all that crying.
Mingzhi and Yotan made it back to the Seventh Void Dust Sanctuary, where Stella was waiting for them.
"Hehe, look what I found."
Stella abruptly presented them with many scrolls- dubious ones.
Mingzhi blinked while Yotan threw them away, her cheeks deep red.
"What a good find. You didn't raid some sect, did you?" Mingzhi laughed at Stella.
"No. I ventured out for a bit and met some bandits. They had these scrolls on them."
"What kind of bandits?" Mingzhi was intrigued.
This was an Autarch Grade Dual Cultivation Manual that they were talking about.
"I don't know. They were at Level One Autarch Stage, though. They wanted my loot, so I beat them up and looted them instead~ They fled, and I returned with treasures all in a good day."
Stella seemed smug.
Mingzhi laughed. She felt grateful. Those Heaven's Warriors didn't carry any dual cultivation manuals with them. She guessed it was like carrying a porn magazine with them or something. It would become a scandal.
Regardless, she didn't think of using it since she still wanted a higher-grade version of the Yin-Yang Merit Sutra. It was a perfect blend between absorption of energy and experiencing pleasure. She didn't want to break her body with anything else, even though she was kinky.
As for the Empyrean Grade Yin-Yang Merit Sutra, she figured she would be able to find one in this realm or in the Abandoned Immortal Lower Realm where cultivation manuals of that grade were donated and kept for the human race to remember their roots or flourish in case the Transcendent Cultivation System failed although that was only a thought.
As long as she found it, then Mingzhi knew their cultivation speed while dual-cultivating would increase tremendously.
Nonetheless, she contacted Drake and told him that he need not search for a spouse for Tianyu anymore. One was enough. She thanked him for his efforts.
"Alright," Drake answered, "Little buddy Tianyu is so lucky to have a caring mother who will go as far as to groom a daughter-in-law. Why didn't I have a mother like that?"
"Oh-shut up." Mingzhi giggled, "I'll see where you end up when it comes to your sons and daughters."
Drake laughed, "Watch him closely. If he's even half of what his father is, then one woman surely won't suffice. If there's anything else, don't hesitate to contact me."
"Will do. What about your cultivation? Think you can win against my husband anytime soon?"
"Wha- How can I?" Drake was speechless. Mingzhi was surely provoking him for the comment he made. He answered, "He made me an Anarchic Divergent, and I've become powerful, but the Divine Emperor of Death is still the most powerful monster around. Ah, so frustrating… maybe in five or six years, I'll catch up."
"Keep dreaming. You'll never reach his level. Hehe~"
Mingzhi cackled at him, causing Drake to clench his teeth, "Just you watch."
The transmission ended.
Drake then looked at the hall before him while he sat in a grand cushion, huddled together with two women, one clad in a blue robe and possessed a pair of icy blue eyes, and the other clad in a silver robe with topaz eyes shining as she looked at him with a gaze full of worship.
"Indeed, I have always been relying on him, so trying to catch up may be possible since we're rich, but trying to reach his prowess is nearly impossible if I don't do something like this… isn't that right, Elowen? Isolde?"
"Yes, our Emperor~"
They echoed at the same time, their hands around him and their bodies snuggling with him. Their auras were also incredibly dense.
Drake gazed at the hall where hundreds of men and women kowtowed towards him.
'Somehow… I became a cult leader… who can charm many people because of the Heretic Dream Deity Manual I unearthed from an inheritance site…'
Drake couldn't believe when he had found the Heretic Dream Deity Manual. It was a Divine Exalt level cultivation manual. However, he had only gained the Empyrean version at the moment, and the Divine Exalt Grade section was somewhere in the Upper Realms, somewhere hidden.
Nonetheless, with him beginning to gather faith from his disciples whom he didn't have any sexual relationship with, he didn't quite know what or where his future lay. However, with Elowen Frostbloom and Isolde Moonshadow supporting him, he wanted to tread this path and see where the end led.
Maybe it was the only thing that would allow him to near Davis in terms of prowess.
Regardless, he kept his cool and remained low-key as he said he would to Davis and Mingzhi. He didn't want to bring them trouble, so he had only tried this cult on a small scale, wondering if it would work, and it really worked. Now he was at an impasse, making him wonder which path he should take.