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Gathering the women, Lan An and Bing Lan Xi shared their plan for the Harem Organization. The women exchanged glances, approving the unified identity for their future exploits, though the name Harem raised eyebrows.
"It's perfect! We're all Husband's women Harem couldn't be better!" Li Zhu Luan giggled, her unwavering devotion to Lan An evident, endorsing his every whim.
"Pfft!" Liu Shi Qin huffed, cheeks flushing. As his aunt, not lover, she felt miscategorized, yet oddly unopposed, her heart conflicted. Bai Su Mei was all-in, fantasizing about recruiting every peerless beauty into the Harem. Mu Zi Yin, smiling gently, prioritized Lan An and her sisters above her life. Having left Heavenly Wood Sect, she embraced her role as his devoted wife, unquestioningly supportive.
"Forming an organization involves much ranks, uniforms… What's your plan?" Bing Lan Xi asked, strategizing for the group.
Ding! Hidden Quest [Establish Faction] completed. Reward: Beyond Spirit-Grade Architectural Treasure—Palace Tree.
Ding! Fuse Spirit Realm Pearl with Palace Tree?
Lan An, about to respond, beamed at the System's prompts, instantly confirming fusion. Ding! Fusion initiated, 30-second countdown… The hidden quest's reward, triggered by founding the Harem, marked Bing Lan Xi as his lucky charm.
Grinning at the women, he said, "Follow me into the Spirit Realm Pearl—a surprise awaits!" Curious and expectant, they nodded, vanishing into the pearl, which shrank to a speck among the grass.
Inside the Spirit Realm Pearl, Lan An and the five women gaped at the transformed space, expanded by a hundred zhang, its spiritual energy tenfold denser than outside. The Blissful Spring shimmered, irresistibly inviting. But the true marvel was a colossal Ancient Tree, its trunk boundless, branches lush, canopy sky-piercing, spanning dozens of kilometers, shrouded in dense spiritual mist.
Even Mu Zi Yin's Spirit Transformation divine sense couldn't probe its full extent. The tree's four tiers spiraled upward, each adorned with cloud-like white leaves, soft as cotton. Within these leafy clouds rose grand palaces, exuding nobility.
The first tier held 48 palaces, the second 24, the third 12, and the topmost a single, opulent palace. "Is this paradise? Am I dreaming? Palaces on a tree!" Bai Su Mei clutched Lan An's arm, awestruck. The women nodded, eyes gleaming, itching to explore. Even Bing Lan Xi, accustomed to Bing Xuan Dynasty's splendor, found its imperial palace rustic by comparison.
"So this is the Palace Tree? Worthy of a Beyond Spirit-Grade treasure!" Lan An marveled, equally moved. A flood of usage details surged into his mind, his face lighting with狂喜 (kuáng xǐ, mad joy). "Husband, what's wrong?" Mu Zi Yin pinched his waist.
"Up we go! This is Harem's headquarters!" Lan An laughed, unable to close his mouth. With a thought, a massive first-tier branch descended. The women gasped, covering their mouths. Holding their hands, Lan An stepped onto the branch, its white leaves cushioning like clouds, negating the need to fly.
Regaining composure, the women eagerly surveyed the Palace Tree. "It's like a dream," Liu Shi Qin murmured, treading the cloud-like leaves, gazing at a resplendent palace. "Like it? Each of you gets a palace—pick your spot!" Lan An declared grandly.
"I choose this!" Li Zhu Luan darted to a second-tier palace, its verdant gardens and rich spiritual energy ideal for her wood-based cultivation. Lan An nodded, his will etching "Zhu Luan Palace" in soaring calligraphy on its plaque. A mystic wooden token appeared in her hand.
"What's this, Husband?" Li Zhu Luan asked, puzzled. The women peered curiously. "Each palace has a teleportation array. Use the token to return instantly," Lan An explained.
"So powerful?" The women's jaws dropped, astonishment mounting. "Can we teleport from the outside world to the Spirit Realm Pearl?" Bing Lan Xi, grasping the strategic value, asked.
"Exactly!" Lan An grinned, his earlier狂喜 explained. With such arrays, his women could adventure safely, teleporting back if endangered. "This is the perfect Harem base," Bing Lan Xi sighed, awed.
"Of course! Return to the dynasty worry-free you can teleport back if you miss me," Lan An teased wickedly. "Hmph, who'd miss you?" Bing Lan Xi shot back, selecting a second-tier palace, named Bing Xi Palace, receiving her token.
The women, seeing the benefits, joyfully claimed their palaces: Bai Mei Palace for Bai Su Mei, Zi Yin Palace for Mu Zi Yin, and Shi Qin Palace for Liu Shi Qin—all on the second tier, whether by chance or design. Ascending to the topmost tier, they beheld the grandest palace, carved from rare, fragrant wood, radiating spiritual energy.
"This is Husband-Wife Palace, for Harem's assemblies and decisions," Lan An declared. No token for him, as the Spirit Realm Pearl was ever-present. From the palace, the Blissful Spring seemed a mere speck, where Ji Bing lay comatose. With a thought, Lan An summoned her jade bed and the Soul Nurturing Lotus.
Fused with the Palace Tree, the Spirit Realm Pearl surpassed Spirit-Grade, eluding Integration-Stage detection. "You'll awaken Ji Bing?" Li Zhu Luan asked excitedly.
"Yes. I'll dual-cultivate with Bing'er here. You take the Spirit Realm Pearl back to the Liu Clan," Lan An instructed.
"Agreed, but Harem should debut on the continent," Mu Zi Yin mused. "Right. Let's build its fame!" Lan An nodded. "Harem's uniform will be Shadow Cloaks and Tearless Masks. I'll wear White Horse Battle Robe and Proud Laughter Mask."
"Keeping members' identities secret?" Bing Lan Xi deduced.
"Naturally! If beauties like you appeared together, enemies would surrender instantly!" Lan An jested. "Sweet-talker!" The women giggled, blushing.
"Wear my gifted robes for protection inside, but cloaks and masks outside for anonymity," Lan An finalized, purchasing more Shadow Cloaks and Tearless Masks from the Lucky Shop for Mu Zi Yin and Liu Shi Qin, as Bai Su Mei and Li Zhu Luan already had them. He spent hefty Prestige Points, refreshing the shop to buy palace furnishings.
For Bing Lan Xi, he gifted a High Earth-Grade Snow Ice Robe, a Mid Heaven-Grade Ice Seal Thousand Miles art, and Beauty Nurturing Pills, compensating her depleted resources spent healing him. Her near-poverty made his generosity heartfelt.
"Time for me to return. With Bing Xi Palace's token, I won't lose you," Bing Lan Xi said, masking reluctance. Lan An nodded, then showed her the incomplete Bright Heaven Elephant map from Gu Fei Tian.
"Bright Heaven Elephant hide?" Bing Lan Xi, befitting a Ninth-Grade princess, recognized it instantly, asking eagerly, "Where'd you get this?"
Lan An recounted seizing it from Gu Fei Tian. "You know it?"
"I don't know its origins, but Bright Heaven Elephant's fame thunders through history," Bing Lan Xi said gravely. Per dynasty records, it was the sacred beast of Light Sacred Land, a super-faction beyond Ninth-Grade in ancient times, unrivaled on Long Yue Star.
"Light Sacred Land? How strong?" The women murmured.
"Its Holy Lord was a true Tribulation-Stage powerhouse," Bing Lan Xi said, awed. Lan An and the women gasped—such cultivators neared immortality, a step from ascending. "Does it still exist?" Li Zhu Luan asked seriously.
"Vanished, with sparse records," Bing Lan Xi sighed. "This map may tie to Light Sacred Land. Bright Heaven Elephant was their untouchable sacred beast—no one dared craft its hide into a map."
"Search for other fragments discreetly to avoid trouble," she cautioned. "Understood, thank you," Lan An said solemnly, stowing the map.
"No need for thanks between us," Bing Lan Xi chided.
Bing Lan Xi departed for Bing Xuan Dynasty, her heart brimming with joy and anticipation. The women bid her farewell fondly, grateful for her protection of their man. Space rippled, and she vanished.
"Young Master, place the Qing Luan egg and thunder egg with Little Lion on the Palace Tree's top tier to hasten hatching," Jin Hui advised. Lan An moved Mu Zi Yin's stone-gambling prize and Little Lion's egg, sensing the latter's rising aura via their contract.
Handing Liu Shi Qin a jade pendant, he said mysteriously, "Drip blood to see." She complied, curious, as the women smiled knowingly, recalling their own pendants holding arts or techniques. A blood drop activated the pendant, flooding her mind with vast data.
"Ugh!" Liu Shi Qin groaned, sweating, her soul less robust than Lan An's, the direct inheritance painful. Soon, she absorbed it, exclaiming, "Ice Moon Night Wind Scripture, an ungraded cultivation art." Confidence surged, her matriarchal aura returning. "With it, I'll have few rivals at my level and reach Integration-Stage within a century!"
"How?!" The women gaped. Golden Era prodigies hit Integration-Stage around 150; Lin Qing Yuan was older. At 34, Liu Shi Qin's claim defied belief, yet her sincerity was unquestionable. The Ice Moon Night Wind Scripture's potency was evident, sparking envy in Mu Zi Yin, Li Zhu Luan, and Bai Su Mei.
"Everyone'll get theirs, but now's not the time," Lan An soothed, the scripture his latest summon. Unappeased, he deflected, "Bao, study your art in Shi Qin Palace."
Liu Shi Qin nodded eagerly, retreating to delve into her treasure. Lan An turned to the trio, leering. "Ladies, it's been ages since we've loved!"
Ignoring their squeals, he stripped, scooping their fragrant bodies into Husband-Wife Palace. Mu Zi Yin, Li Zhu Luan, and Bai Su Mei buried their blushing faces in his chest, yielding to his playful poses. The solemn chamber became a haven of divine indulgence, spring's allure indescribable.