It was a life-changing moment for Zhou Yixing. His impression of Bai Xiaochun had changed, and he now felt profound hope for what was to come in Mistysea Prefecture.

Although he would miss the life he had come to enjoy, the truth was that despite the good position he had created for himself, he had always felt alone. There were many times late at night when he thought about how strange these lands were compared to the Heavenspan Realm, and he would sigh deeply.

Now, when he heard the words

go home

, his heart and mind trembled, and he hurried along after Bai Xiaochun.

From the very beginning, Bai Xiaochun had thought of Zhou Yixing as his lucky star, and as it turned out, his return did indeed bring great luck. The following morning at dawn, the negotiations with Gongsun Wan’er went very smoothly.

Not only would trade be allowed, but she would also permit a portion of each of the prefectures under her control to have an area in which Mistysea Prefecture could do business directly. They would all be under the supervision of Gongsun Wan’er, and she would get a large share of the profits.

Perhaps the advantage they had gained would not be obvious at first. But as trade flourished, Mistysea Prefecture would truly be forging its own path. Before long, the Grand Heavenmaster’s ultimate plan would come into effect, and they would rise to prominence!

Bai Xiaochun was very pleased with how everything had played out. Not only did he establish trade relations with Gongsun Wan’er, he also brought Zhou Yixing back into the fold.

And thus, the two of them returned to Mistysea Prefecture. Everything in Mistysea Prefecture was new to Zhou Yixing. However, as soon as he got to Mistysea City, it was much to his delight that he recognized old acquaintances from the Wildlands. Bai Xiaochun knew that now would be a time for reuniting with friends, and therefore, left Zhou Yixing to his own devices, and headed back to his mansion alone to meet with the Grand Heavenmaster.

As Bai Xiaochun proudly recounted the details of his victory, the Grand Heavenmaster frowned slightly. After waiting for him to finish speaking, he asked, “What about things between you and Gongsun Wan’er? Any progress? Did you stay the night at her palace of operations?”

Bai Xiaochun frowned, well aware of what the Grand Heavenmaster was hinting at. However, there was no way that he would get closer to Gongsun Wan’er. “Progress? Uh... I guess you could say that. But why would I stay at her palace of operations? I stayed in the city, obviously.”

The Grand Heavenmaster sighed in response. The truth was that his main purpose in having Bai Xiaochun go see Gongsun Wan’er had nothing to do with trade. There was no way that she would refuse a business proposal that would be beneficial to both of them. What he truly wanted was for Bai Xiaochun and Gongsun Wan’er to develop a romantic interest in each other.

If Bai Xiaochun had stayed the night at her palace of operations, the Grand Heavenmaster could have arranged for rumors to be spread that would cause the Vile-Emperor to distrust her even more. He even had a whole string of events planned for afterward that he was sixty percent sure would result in Gongsun Wan’er and Bai Xiaochun bearing a few children. Once that happened, Bai Xiaochun’s foundation in the Eternal Immortal Domains would be even stronger than before.

Unfortunately, despite all of his preparations, it seemed Bai Xiaochun wasn’t up to the task....

If something like this had happened back in the Wildlands, the Grand Heavenmaster would have been furious, and might have taken direct action to force Bai Xiaochun to go along with his plan. But now, their roles had been reversed. Bai Xiaochun was the ruler of the nation, and the Grand Heavenmaster was one of his ministers. Therefore, he could only sigh and try to come up with a new plan, one that would conform better to Bai Xiaochun’s style. Later on, when the moment was right, he could try to get him together with Gongsun Wan’er.

Sadly, coming up with a new plan would not be easy. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he smiled wryly and took his leave, mind already spinning with ideas.

Had Gongsun Wan’er been aware that there was a wily old fox in Mistysea Prefecture plotting against her, she would have come after him and killed him, even if she died in the process....

Bai Xiaochun watched the Grand Heavenmaster leaving, and sighed. He knew what the man was thinking, and knew that everything he was doing was for the good of the Heavenspan Realm. He just wanted Bai Xiaochun to forge a strong foundation. But Bai Xiaochun couldn’t help but balk at the plan; it just wasn’t the type of thing he did.

“Ah, whatever. I won’t let it bother me. The most important thing now is to improve my cultivation base!” Driving his worries from his mind, he took a deep breath and headed back to his private chamber. He knew that the key to raising the level of his cultivation base were the rewards from the damaged fan. He had acquired quite a few medicinal pills from the thirtieth level, not to mention the rewards from all the other levels. Plus, he now had an archaean soul.

All it took was a thought, and he was back in the void on the damaged fan. After the incident with the archaean soul, he had come up with the idea of trying to acquire other images from within the fan face. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

Although he was a bit disappointed by that, he didn’t waste any time; he immediately began challenging the levels. The difficulty continued to increase, but he actually enjoyed the process of analyzing the situation and coming up with new strategies. If he failed, he would try again. If he failed again, he would try a third time. In a few short days, he had progressed from the thirty-first level to the thirty-ninth!

However, the thirty-ninth level turned out to be a nightmare....

The entire world was pink, including the sky and the lands. Even the mist which filled the air was pink. And then, Bai Xiaochun noticed figures walking toward him through the mist.

As they became clear, he saw enticing curves. One, two, three, four, five....

In a few short breaths of time, he found himself surrounded by more than a hundred beautiful women!

Each and every one of them could be described as spectacularly attractive. Some could even rate higher than Song Junwan or Mistress Red-Dust, probably because they were illusory in nature. In fact, that surreal aura made them so captivating it was difficult to put into words.

They were not motionless illusions. As they moved through the mist, their soft laughter rang out like chimes. Whether it was their physical appearance or their voices, these women were attractive to a shocking degree.

There was also something about the pink mist that seemed capable of arousing the desires of cultivators, and made it difficult to think. When Bai Xiaochun sensed that, and saw everything around him, his eyes went wide.

“Heavens, what kind of level is this?!” He shivered as the women drew closer, making it easier to see them, and at the same time, making their beauty even more enticing.

Eyes flashing, he backed up and performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, causing the ripples of a magical technique to spread out. However, it didn’t affect the women at all. They merely chuckled, getting closer and closer, some of them licking their lips, some of them sucking on their fingers.

“Get away, vixens!” he shouted. From what he could tell, the point of this level was being able to resist desire.

“Seems you’ve underestimated Bai Xiaochun! I can pass this level with ease!” Chuckling coldly, he pulled out a Breakup Pill and then popped it into his mouth. Then he stood there casually looking at the women getting closer and closer.

Nothing they did moved him at all. But after enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, a woman appeared off in the distance who began to dance gracefully. Then, all of the other women started to dance.

There was something entrancing about the dance, as though it contained the hidden power of some great Dao. Almost immediately, Bai Xiaochun’s heart began to pound, and the effects of the Breakup Pill were negated.

“Heavens, what dance is that?!?!”