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At the North-South border of Ice Heaven Continent, within the untamed Wild Domain Forest, two groups of cultivators faced off, swords drawn, killing intent thick in the air. This primal jungle, unclaimed by any faction, sprawled vast and teeming with diverse demon beasts, rare herbs, and spiritual medicines—perfect for sect disciples' training or mercenary bands hunting beast cores. Unlike Wood Mountain Forest, Wild Domain was far wilder, its dangers manifold: venomous plants, ferocious beasts, and, most perilously, human greed.
The standoff involved two factions. One, over a dozen strong, mixed men and women in blood-red robes, their faces grim, eroded by bloodlust. Leading them was Xue Yi, a 25-year-old with fiery red hair, radiating Late Nascent Soul aura, a core disciple of Blood Spirit Sect, just below its Three Holy Sons. He'd narrowly lost the Holy Son contest, his ambition undimmed.
Opposing them were six stunning women in ornate robes, like descended fairies, though worry creased their delicate faces. Their leader, clad in a regal gold robe hugging her alluring figure, black hair cascading like a waterfall, veiled her face, yet her beauty was undeniable. Her Mid Nascent Soul aura marked her as Hua Yu Feng, Second Saintess of Hundred Flowers Sect.
"Xue Yi, what does Blood Spirit Sect want?" Hua Yu Feng demanded, her voice icy amid the tense silence, wary of the infamous sect's cruelty.
Xue Yi licked his lips lecherously. "Hua Yu Feng, others fear Hundred Flowers Sect, but not us. Come with my brothers, and we'll spare you." His words revealed their mission: Hua Yu Feng had completed a sect task to hunt a demon beast, only to be ambushed by Xue Yi's group.
Known for viciousness, Blood Spirit Sect was a formidable Eighth-Grade power, its reputation chilling. Hua Yu Feng stood vigilant, shielding her disciples. "Follow you? Look in a mirror first!" she sneered, her pride unyielding. Against peers, she bowed to few, and these fiends disgusted her. Only their numbers restrained her.
Her taunt enraged Blood Spirit Sect. A disciple sneered at Xue Yi, "Boss, we outnumber them—take them!" Xue Yi's eyes glinted. With over ten fighters, including two Early Nascent Soul disciples besides himself, against six—only Hua Yu Feng at Mid Nascent Soul, the rest Golden Core—he saw victory. "Your folly, Hua Yu Feng. Seize them!" he ordered.
Blood Spirit Sect's disciples, faces feral, blood aura surging, charged like tigers at lambs. Xue Yi stood back, arms crossed, observing Hua Yu Feng for any move, ready to counter. Unexpectedly, she remained calm, unmoving.
As the attackers neared, a massive array flared, unnoticed until now a Peach Blossom Array enveloping Blood Spirit Sect. Cherry blossoms sprouted, binding their limbs. "Peach Blossom Array? Damn!" Xue Yi cursed, too late.
"Explode!" Hua Yu Feng commanded coldly. The array detonated, shaking the heavens. Hundred Flowers Sect disciples, forewarned, had retreated. Dust cleared, revealing devastation: only five of Blood Spirit Sect's dozen survived two Early Nascent Soul and three Perfect Golden Core, all gravely injured. The rest were obliterated.
Xue Yi's eyes blazed. He hadn't anticipated Hua Yu Feng's array mastery, set during their verbal sparring, undetectable even to him. "Worthy of a Hundred Flowers Saintess, but you'll be my puppet my slave!" he snarled.
"You?" Hua Yu Feng scoffed.
"Alone, maybe not. With this, you're mine!" Xue Yi grinned savagely, summoning a coffin. A Blood Fiend Corpse, equivalent to a Fifth-Turn Body Cultivator, emerged.
"Corpse puppet?" Hua Yu Feng's pupils shrank. Against Xue Yi alone, she was confident, but this puppet tipped the scales. "Saintess, flee! We'll hold them!" a Perfect Golden Core disciple urged, echoed by others.
"Fools!" Hua Yu Feng scolded, warmed by their loyalty. Hundred Flowers Sect's sisters, despite rivalries, united against outsiders. "We fight! I'll drag them to hell!" she declared, her phoenix-like pride blazing.
"Fight!" her disciples roared, spiritual energy surging. "Pathetic resistance!" Xue Yi bellowed, charging with the corpse puppet, targeting Hua Yu Feng. Her disciples met the injured Blood Spirit Sect survivors head-on.
"Peach Blossom Palm!" Hua Yu Feng struck, wood spiritual energy forming cherry blossoms, graceful yet deadly, barraging Xue Yi. "Child's play! Blood Pearl!" he countered, a blood pearl spewing crimson waves, clashing with her attack. The corpse puppet leaped, fist aimed at her.
"Peach Blossom Shadow!" Hua Yu Feng dissolved into cherry petals, evading the punch, reappearing unharmed but pale, her spiritual energy halved from array and techniques. "Blood Spirit Claw!" Xue Yi pressed, his pearl forming a massive claw. The corpse puppet's fist followed.
Facing twin assaults, Hua Yu Feng's eyes steeled. "Cherry Burial!" Her remaining energy sank into the earth. Five ferocious cherry trees erupted, ensnaring the five Blood Spirit Sect disciples. "Explode!" she shouted. Five blasts obliterated them.
"Run! Forget me!" she yelled at her disciples, sacrificing herself to save them, knowing she couldn't stop Xue Yi and the puppet. Tears streaked their faces, understanding her intent, despair gripping them.
"Foolish! Die!" Xue Yi roared, his and the puppet's attacks closing in. Hua Yu Feng closed her eyes, a tear falling. "Sorry, Master, Hundred Flowers Sect. Yu Feng's leaving," she thought.
"Star Wander Step!" A faint voice cut through the crisis. A figure, treading moonlight, outsped the attacks, whisking Hua Yu Feng away. "Bamboo Leaf Soft Palm!" Another hoarse voice sounded. A cloaked figure struck, green bamboo leaves blanketing the sky, forming a giant palm that devoured Xue Yi's claw and scarred the puppet's fist.
The puppet roared, charging the cloaked figure. "Butterfly Press!" A third voice rang, purple sword light flashing. The puppet's head soared, collapsing lifelessly, its puppet nature feeling no pain.
Xue Yi gaped, terror-stricken, at three black-cloaked figures in Tearless Masks, their eerie aura shattering his confidence. In one's arms, Hua Yu Feng stared, catching a faint, pleasant scent, thinking, "A woman?"
The cloaked figure, noticing her gaze, tossed her to her disciples. "Bastards! Who are you? You've provoked Blood Spirit Sect!" Xue Yi bluffed, masking fear.
The trio exchanged nods. One vanished, a purple wood sword flashing. Blood sprayed; Xue Yi's head rolled, confusion etched on his face, uncomprehending their fearlessness.
Hundred Flowers Sect disciples swallowed hard, guarding Hua Yu Feng, wary of the trio. "What do you want?" one stammered, their decisiveness terrifying.
"Don't be rude! They saved us!" Hua Yu Feng intervened, bowing deeply. "Yu Feng thanks you, noble seniors. I'll repay you!"
"No need. Hundred Flowers Sect is our friend," one said hoarsely, gender unclear.
"Friends?" Hua Yu Feng frowned, puzzled.
"You may leave. Send our regards to Yan Ruo Xue," another said coolly, waving.
"Third Sister?" Hua Yu Feng's eyes widened, unaware Yan Ruo Xue had such allies. As the trio prepared to depart, she called, "Please, leave a clue for me to report to my sect and Third Sister!"
They paused mid-air, a proud voice echoing, soul-deep: "We… are Harem!"