217: Chapter 216 The Immortal King's Summoning

Xiao Ye did not answer, only spitting out a single word: "Fall."

The four swords moved in unison, their Sword Qi forming a cage that enveloped the two of them.

The Sword Qi crisscrossed like a dragnet, tearing the power of the Law to shreds.

The shield that Golden Immortal Taian and Feng Yu had jointly erected shattered into pieces amidst the Sword Qi; blood splattered, and both men groaned in pain simultaneously.

Golden Immortal Taian made a split-second decision, risking having his shoulder sliced off by the Sword Qi to forcibly tear open a gap, transforming into a golden rainbow to flee.

Golden Immortal Feng Yu followed closely behind, his grey robes tattered, his retreating figure appearing wretched.

Xiao Ye did not pursue them, but slowly retracted the four swords. Standing before the Ascension Gate, he watched the two streaks of light fade into the distance and chuckled softly: "Ran away again."

Behind him, the surface of the Flying Immortal Pool gradually returned to calm.

The glimmer of light filtering through the clouds shone upon Xiao Ye, casting a long, slender shadow.

From that day on, he held the guardianship of the Ascension Gate firmly in his hands.

As for whether Golden Immortal Taian would bring reinforcements—let them come; it would be the perfect opportunity to test the power of his new sword formation.

The news spread throughout the Hengyu Mountain Range. The story of Xiao Ye fighting two veteran Golden Immortals alone and forcing them to flee was embellished and retold in several versions by teahouse storytellers.

Some said he held four ancient swords, with Sword Qi that blotted out the sky; others claimed he had an Immortal King standing behind him; and still others insisted he was actually a powerful figure Reincarnation, having specifically descended to the Lower Realm to undergo Tribulation.

Regardless of the version, the result was the same—the name Xiao Ye had become thunderously famous in Wangyue City.

Li Dan's work became unprecedentedly easy because of this.

Now, he only needed to place an immortal chair at the entrance of Xiao Mansion, set up a long table, and brew a pot of immortal tea to calmly screen the Fairies who came seeking to join.

Every morning, the long line outside the mansion stretched from the entrance of Xiao Mansion all the way to the East Gate of Wangyue City, a scene comparable to the grand occasion of receiving immortal peaches at the Heavenly Court's Flat Peach Banquet.

"Those with cultivation below the Earth Immortal Realm will not do," Li Dan said, sitting upright behind the table and scanning those who approached.

"Those with Spiritual Roots below the Immortal Spiritual Root are also not accepted."

"For those over two hundred years old, please reconsider—yes, yes, your cultivation is indeed high, but the Master has been quite busy lately..."

Li Dan went about his work with great success, and in less than half a month, he had screened over thirty suitable candidates, sending them into the mansion one by one.

Xiao Ye did not refuse anyone, accepting them all, though the pace of taking concubines had slowed down compared to previous years. He no longer held banquets every day, but rather every few days.

Life passed peacefully for over half a year.

Xiao Ye completely consolidated his Early Stage Golden Immortal cultivation, and his Great Dao of Strength was polished to become increasingly pure; with every gesture, he could make mountains tremble.

He took some time to visit the Ascension Gate, touching the mark of Immortal Qi he had personally imprinted on the gate pillar, his gaze flickering—this gate was the key to his escape route.

Returning to the mansion, Xiao Ye took out an Immortal Artifact for communication. A beam of immortal light rose from his palm, crossing the boundary of the Realms to reach the Lower Realm directly.

A moment later, the voice of Palace Master Mosha came through, carrying a hint of laziness: "Husband? Why did you think to contact me? Do you miss me?"

"I do, I miss you every day," Xiao Ye said with a smile. "I have established a firm foothold in the Immortal Realm. When will you Ascend?"

Palace Master Mosha was silent for a moment: "Not for the time being."

"Hmm?"

"That big family of yours in the Lower Realm needs someone to keep order," Palace Master Mosha said with a rare seriousness. "Zhang Waner and the others do not have enough cultivation, and the children are still young. If I leave, who will look after them? Besides—"

Her tone shifted, carrying a hint of teasing amusement: "I heard you've taken quite a few more in the Immortal Realm? I certainly don't want to go up there and help you raise children every day."

Xiao Ye chuckled helplessly and was silent for a moment: "Then wait a while longer. But I have left a gate for you; you can come up at any time."

"Mm, I know," Palace Master Mosha's voice softened slightly. "Don't be too anxious. Take in who you need to, and Cultivate when you need to. I will keep watch here; there won't be any trouble."

The communication light slowly dissipated. Xiao Ye sat by the window, looking at the newly taken Fairies in the courtyard, and shook his head gently: "I would like to be leisurely, but this harem is only growing larger and larger."

"Your Majesty, the next new consort is already waiting at the door. She has outstanding looks and impressive cultivation. Would you like to see her?" Li Dan pushed the door open and entered, holding a roster.

Xiao Ye looked up at him, then looked at the long line outside the window, and smiled: "Send her in. There is still plenty of time; I am not in a rush."

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, another year had gone by.

In this year, Xiao Ye's life was steady: Cultivate, taking concubines, raising children, and occasionally visiting the Ascension Gate. His days were even more comfortable than when he was an emperor in the Lower Realm.

The scale of the harem expanded steadily, and Li Dan's screening work became increasingly adept. The red lanterns of Xiao Mansion lit up every few days, and the noble families of Wangyue City had become numb—becoming numb to giving wedding gifts was also a kind of Realm.

One day, when Xiao Ye was in the backyard holding the quadruplets who had just turned one month old to bask in the sun, he suddenly sensed a familiar Golden Immortal aura appear above Wangyue City.

He looked up and saw Golden Immortal Taian hovering in the air, looking down with a complex expression.

"Xiao Ye, the Immortal King wants to see you." Golden Immortal Taian landed on the ground, his tone dry and unpleasant, yet devoid of any Killing Intent.

Xiao Ye handed the baby who was pulling on his beard to the maid nearby, patted his robes, and stood up: "See me? For what?"

"How would I know!" Golden Immortal Taian replied irritably.

He looked back and recalled the situation a year ago when he had run to the throne of the Immortal King in White to lodge a complaint—he had knelt in the hall, emotionally recounting how Xiao Ye had snatched the Ascension Gate and how he had injured him, even bringing out Golden Immortal Feng Yu to testify, fully expecting the Immortal King to order the capture of this audacious Ascender.

As it turned out, after the Immortal King in White listened, he was silent for a moment and only said one sentence: "He was able to fight two and win, which shows he has the ability. The Ascension Gate was lost in your hands because you couldn't guard it. Have him come see me later."

Golden Immortal Taian was stunned at the time. This meant the Immortal King did not intend to intervene.

He felt angry and aggrieved, but he dared not say another word. The Immortal King had spoken; what else could he say? He could only swallow his teeth along with the blood and honestly come to deliver the message.

Now, standing before Xiao Ye, thinking of that day's humiliation, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Xiao Ye looked at his expression, which looked as if he had eaten a fly, and roughly understood the situation. He did not ask more, only nodded: "Fine, I understand. When do we set off?"