Chapter 574: Respectable Master

In the grand hall, Zhou Yuntian led Lu Ye and the other three forward. They stopped about five zhang from the low couch, heads bowed, respectfully saying, "Zhou Yuntian greets Your Holiness. The newcomers have been brought."

As he spoke, he subtly glanced at Lu Ye and the other three.

Li Baxian and the two others quickly bowed and cupped their fists. Lu Ye followed suit. All four unison, "Greetings, Your Holiness!"

"Hmm," a languid voice replied.

Lu Ye secretly raised his eyes to observe. What he saw made him stare in astonishment.

Although His Holiness had appeared in the mountains previously, a veil had obscured her appearance, so Lu Ye didn't know what she looked like then, only that she was a woman.

Now, with the veil gone, her face was perfectly clear.

Honestly, since he began cultivating, Lu Ye had met many women, and many were remarkably beautiful. Among female cultivators, there were hardly any truly unattractive ones; most had delicate features, or at least an average appearance, and an astonishing number were exceptionally stunning.

The main reason, naturally, was that cultivators possessed spiritual energy, which allowed them to preserve their youth and beauty.

However, Lu Ye had never seen a face so utterly breathtaking. There wasn't a single flaw to be found; it was as if she were not of this world.

More than just flawless beauty, it was an indescribable, bewitching allure! Especially a tiny tear mole beneath her eye, which added a unique charm.

Such a face was undoubtedly a powerful visual impact for any man in the world. Moreover, His Holiness wore incredibly revealing clothing, exposing large expanses of pale skin—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it scandalous—making one's blood race even more.

With such looks and figure, even without relying on her mysterious soul secret technique, she had the power to command most men in the world, making them willingly die for her.

What particularly concerned Lu Ye was not her appearance, but the aura emanating from her.

He had sensed it before: His Holiness's aura was peculiar. Now, the sensation was even clearer.

The power flowing within her was unlike normal spiritual energy... it was more like demonic energy.

Lu Ye, having spent every day with Amber, was quite sensitive to demonic energy.

So, His Holiness wasn't human, but a demon? And she must be a demon with special abilities, otherwise it wouldn't make sense for her to be able to use soul secret techniques to control cultivators with only a Cloud River Realm cultivation.

This explained it: orthodox cultivators didn't have the ability to use soul secret techniques at the Cloud River Realm, but demons were different. Some powerful demons were born with abilities far beyond ordinary people.

As if sensing Lu Ye's gaze, His Holiness's captivating eyes swept over, meeting Lu Ye's, and her lips curved into a playful smile.

She was used to such stares, finding them commonplace. However, Lu Ye's boldness surprised her, as most people seeing her for the first time were filled with trepidation due to her soul secret technique.

Even cultivators like Zhou Yuntian, who had followed her for many years, only dared to occasionally sneak glances, never openly staring at her like this.

Lu Ye was the first to stare at her so openly upon their first meeting.

As their eyes met, Lu Ye's expression suddenly changed. Her beautiful eyes seemed to transform into bottomless abysses, pulling his consciousness deeper and deeper, his mind trembling. Lu Ye quickly lowered his head.

"Oh?" His Holiness let out a surprised sound. She was somewhat surprised that Lu Ye could break free from her gaze. She had originally intended to give him a small lesson but unexpectedly discovered the strength of his mind.

However, this was a good thing for her; the stronger the cultivators under her command, the more power she could leverage. She cast a deep glance at Lu Ye, then ignored him.

"Everyone, introduce yourselves," His Holiness said languidly.

Zhou Yuntian whispered from the side, "His Holiness wishes to know your strengths. If you have any special abilities, state them all; do not conceal anything. Brother Xia, you may begin."

Xia Liang immediately cupped his fists and declared, "Xia Liang of the Mad Blade Sect, Cloud River Ninth Realm, a weapon cultivator... As for special abilities, I am solely devoted to the blade and have no other skills."

Zhou Yuntian explained, "Your Holiness, the Mad Blade Sect is a first-rank sect. Brother Xia once ranked among the top ten on the Spirit Stream List. His Cloud River Ninth Realm cultivation is far beyond that of an ordinary Ninth Realm cultivator."

"Not bad," His Holiness said indifferently.

Zhou Yuntian prompted, "Brother Tan!"

Tan Sheng quickly said, "Tan Sheng of the New Moon Sect, Cloud River Ninth Realm, also a weapon cultivator."

Zhou Yuntian continued, "Brother Tan also once ranked on the Spirit Stream List. The New Moon Sect is a third-rank sect, considered a major sect throughout the Nine Provinces."

His Holiness remained silent, clearly less interested in Tan Sheng than in Xia Liang.

When it was Li Baxian's turn, he spoke, "Li Baxian of the Danxin Sect, Cloud River Fifth Realm, a sword cultivator."

Zhou Yuntian said, "During the Spirit Stream Battlefield, Li Baxian was a legendary figure, the only one who remained in the top ten of the Spirit Stream List for over a decade with a Heavenly Eighth cultivation. I heard that Fellow Daoist Li's spirit aperture was shattered in a past conflict. Now that you've advanced to the Cloud River Realm, your spirit aperture must have been repaired, correct?"

"Yes. Fortunately, Junior Brother spent a fortune to acquire a Spirit Aperture Mending Pill, and my damaged spirit aperture has been restored."

"That's wonderful news! Your Holiness, although Fellow Daoist Li's cultivation is not high currently, in terms of potential, none of us can compare. Moreover, he is a sword cultivator. If he can reach the Cloud River Ninth Realm in the future, he will surely be a top-tier powerhouse!"

"Excellent!" His Holiness's voice carried a hint of joy. "Later, grant him some cultivation resources, so he may cultivate diligently and strive to improve his cultivation."

Zhou Yuntian immediately turned to Li Baxian, "Hurry and thank His Holiness for the reward!"

Li Baxian promptly said, "Thank you, Your Holiness."

Zhou Yuntian looked at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye also cupped his fists and said, "Lu Ye of the Crimson Blood Sect, Cloud River Fourth Realm, a weapon cultivator." After a pause, he added, "Your subordinate is proficient in the Way of Spirit Runes and the Way of Formations. I also know a bit about the Way of Tattooing."

Zhou Yuntian had previously instructed them to state any special abilities without concealment.

Although Lu Ye didn't want to disclose these, they were widely known, even by Xia Liang and Tan Sheng. So, despite his reluctance, he had to speak, to avoid revealing any suspicions.

Zhou Yuntian listened, utterly astonished, "Fellow Daoist Lu cultivates so many disciplines?"

"Just a little bit of dabbling," Lu Ye said humbly.

"Remarkable, truly remarkable," Zhou Yuntian exclaimed, beaming. "Your Holiness, we are currently lacking such talents, especially in formations. Fellow Daoist Xie has been complaining about not having enough capable subordinates. I think we can assign Fellow Daoist Lu to assist Fellow Daoist Xie."

"You can decide that yourself; no need to ask me," His Holiness replied indifferently.

"Understood."

"I'm tired. You may all withdraw," His Holiness said, waving a hand.

Zhou Yuntian immediately said respectfully, "Your subordinates take their leave."

As he spoke, he gestured to Lu Ye and the others, then led them away with a bow.

After leaving the grand hall, they followed Zhou Yuntian to a side of the valley, where numerous pavilion-like buildings stood. Each was spaced about a dozen zhang apart, totaling nearly a hundred structures.

Zhou Yuntian said, "Fellow Daoists, please choose your own residences. From now on, you will be permanent residents of Fox Immortal Valley. We are all family here, so there's no need to be overly reserved. However, there is one thing you must all remember!"

At this point, his expression turned extremely serious, and his voice deepened: "Once you enter Fox Immortal Valley, you must sever all ties with your past. From this day forward, you are all people of Fox Immortal Valley. You must no longer contact your sects or friends, nor may you ever reveal the existence of Fox Immortal Valley to outsiders. Those who defy this command will be killed without mercy!"

"Understood," Lu Ye and the other three nodded, acknowledging.

"Beyond that, Fox Immortal Valley has no other rules. Aside from occasionally going out to recruit talent, there is generally nothing to do. You may cultivate as you wish." He then raised his hand and pointed to the pavilions: "Those with closed doors on the second floor are occupied; those with open doors are vacant. Please choose freely."

After speaking, he exchanged battle imprints with Lu Ye and the others, instructing them to contact him if anything arose, before finally departing unhurriedly.

After Zhou Yuntian left, Tan Sheng and Xia Liang went together to find their residences.

Lu Ye and Li Baxian also walked together in one direction.

Along the way, Lu Ye observed Li Baxian's expressions and found him to be normal, showing no signs of distress.

He cautiously spoke, "Fourth Senior Brother."

"Hmm?"

"What about Senior Sister Feng?"

Zhou Yuntian had just said that once they entered Fox Immortal Valley, they must sever all ties with their past and never reveal its existence to anyone. Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan were childhood sweethearts, innocent and inseparable, having cultivated and lived together for many years. Now, suddenly brought here and told to cut off past connections, Lu Ye was very curious about Li Baxian's choice.

Hearing this, Li Baxian sighed, "Since His Holiness has given the order, we can only obey. Yuechan... she will be sad, but with time, it will be fine."

Lu Ye felt a chill in his heart, but outwardly said, "You're right." He pointed to two pavilions ahead: "Senior Brother, let's choose these two. We'll be close, which will make it easier to look out for each other."

Li Baxian nodded in agreement, "Good."

Thereupon, each of them chose a pavilion.

Lu Ye chose the pavilion on the right. Inside, he saw signs of past habitation and some leftover items, but the original occupant clearly hadn't returned in a long time; dust coated everything.

He didn't know what had happened to the original occupant, but judging from the current situation, it seemed unlikely they would return. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been gone for so long.

This so-called Fox Immortal Valley, while appearing peaceful with everyone getting along, and supposedly unified by His Holiness's soul secret technique, now seemed not so safe.