Chapter 764: Opportunity

After a brief pause, Hua Sanjie quickly recovered and said, "Master, I did not enter your household under coercion—I willingly sold myself into service."

Li Yi said, "Is that so? Well, it doesn't matter. I don't dislike those who seek advancement. Since you've come to my household and bear the title of bed warmer, I'll give you an opportunity."

"Go to Liangzhou. There, you'll find what you seek."

"Liangzhou?" Hua Sanjie didn't understand.

Li Yi said, "Staying in the Li household, passively waiting your whole life, leads nowhere—you'll trap yourself here. I've crossed countless realms, leaving traces across all worlds, even I don't know where I'll settle next. Or do you think merely hiding behind my name is enough?"

Hua Sanjie felt embarrassed. She had believed her figure would win Li Yi's favor if she seized the chance, securing herself a powerful patron and soaring to greatness.

But Li Yi had directly exposed her hidden desires, refusing even the pretense of politeness.

Was she really that unattractive?

Hua Sanjie looked down at her own figure—still full and alluring—but then she looked again at Li Yi before her, and sighed softly. Such a divine being descended to earth—she, a mere mortal, was truly beneath notice.

Besides, Zhao Shiwu's martial school had many beautiful female disciples; if Li Yi desired, his bed would never lack company.

"Indeed, I was too confident," Hua Sanjie thought bitterly. Only now did she realize she was no longer the sought-after mistress of the flower house.

Times had changed. She was a withered flower of yesterday. The waters of Sanyang City were beyond her grasp.

But fortunately.

After a brief moment of self-mockery, Hua Sanjie felt relief. Fortunately, Master Li Yi was kind—he offered his servants favor. She hadn't come away empty-handed; at least she had a choice.

Either go to Liangzhou, or stay in the Li household and enjoy wealth and luxury.

Though she didn't understand what "Liangzhou" meant, it must be an opportunity to cultivate and grow stronger.

Clearly, she needed to consider this carefully.

"Master, cultivation is arduous—how can one proceed without a servant? Though my strength is meager and my beauty ordinary, my loyalty is undeniable. I wish to follow you, to serve you day and night."

Hua Sanjie spoke with utmost sincerity, then knelt and bowed deeply.

In her eyes, across the Four Seas and Eight Bazhou, only this Master was worthy of her complete devotion.

Li Yi said, "Life is short. Since you are so loyal, I, as your master, cannot be heartless. Go to Zhao Shiwu's martial school. Find my master and tell him I've assigned you to Liangzhou."

Hua Sanjie snapped her head up, her lovely face filled with surprise: "Master, have I said something wrong?"

"You said nothing wrong. But as your master, don't I have the right to assign a servant?" Li Yi said. "You don't understand now because your vision is too narrow, confined to Sanyang City. Once you cultivate and see the vastness of the outside world, you'll sincerely thank me."

Hearing this,

Hua Sanjie knew the matter was settled, yet she felt no disappointment. Knowing Li Yi as she did, she understood this arrangement must be beneficial—after all, anything tied to Zhao Shiwu's school was always good.

So she bowed again: "Thank you, Master, for your grace. I only lament my meager fortune—I cannot follow you at your side."

"You're still somewhat wise—you were once a house mistress," Li Yi said. "Since you've become my servant, you must uphold a servant's duties. If you're disloyal, I won't mind erasing you from this world."

"Enough lecturing. A woman of your grace kneeling on the ground looks improper. Rise. Go to Zhao Shiwu's school now. From now on, tell others you are Li Yi's maid."

He granted her an identity and an opportunity, then waved his hand to dismiss her.

That settled the matter.

Hua Sanjie slowly rose, swaying her waist, her eyes shimmering as they lingered on Li Yi. She bit her lip softly and whispered, "Master, my body is pure. Should you ever favor me, just call— I'll come at once. Master, take care. I'm leaving now."

She bowed respectfully, then departed Li's household with reluctance.

Even setting aside ambitions of climbing high, how could any woman remain unmoved by such a divine being descended to earth?

Li Yi said nothing, only watched her leave.

He sighed inwardly. As his cultivation deepened and temptations multiplied, he was no longer the naive youth who knew nothing.

Wealth, power, status, beauty—how long could he hold out against such allure?

Fortunately, he walked the Dao path, drawing in the breath of heaven and earth, cultivating clarity and desirelessness. Had he clung to the Evolution Method, he would have long since lost control.

It wasn't that Li Yi rejected beauty.

He simply dared not begin.

One fall is all it takes. His great undertaking remains unfinished—he was not yet ready to indulge. He still needed self-discipline and inner cultivation.

"The path of cultivation is truly walking on thin ice. Will I even reach the other shore?" Li Yi muttered, his mind drifting back to the two young disciples' pale, supple forms in the side chamber.

He immediately formed a hand seal.

Instantly, rings of light emerged behind his head.

Like a Buddha, his six senses pure, free of desire.

Clearly, the White Bone Contemplation must not be abandoned—it still held power against temptation. But Hua Sanjie's figure… truly alluring.

Amitabha Buddha!

Li Yi shook off the distraction. He was clearly entering a phase of awakening desire.

Over these two days, he had resolved matters across the Four Seas and Eight Bazhou.

A group of loyal, trusted disciples from the martial school had been sent by Li Yi's cross-realm gate to Chijin Mountain in the wilderness, while his master Zhao Ge led a large contingent of disciples from the Four Great Families to the desolate Liangzhou.

On the shattered floating immortal isle, a new sacred cultivation ground would arise.

And during this time, Li Yi fulfilled another promise.

That was to restore the physical bodies of the four thousand-year-old ghost gods, granting them a second life.

That day,

in the main hall of Li's household,

Li Yi stared at the four strange coffins before him: one golden coffin, filled with dragon-blood resin, within which the ancient corpse, preserved for a millennium, faintly emerged.

Another coffin was a giant clamshell, also containing a corpse—after countless years, the body had jadeified, nearly becoming a pearl.

A third coffin was forged from dark ice, the corpse frozen for years, still lifelike.

A fourth jade coffin, tightly sealed, air-tight, its body equally preserved.

In a world like the Four Seas and Eight Bazhou, resembling ancient times, finding so many preservation methods was no small feat—these corpses had endured at least a thousand years.

The four ghost gods—Cui Yue, Jian Shan, Zi Feng, Han Shan—stood respectfully nearby, heads bowed, eyes downcast, not daring to make a sound.

To them, Li Yi's aura was overwhelming, nearly crushing their breath.

The gulf in power left them with not a single thought of defiance.

"I once promised you I would restore your bodies. Since I said it, I will do it. Today, I'll fulfill your wish—next time I return to the Four Seas and Eight Bazhou, I don't know when."

Li Yi now took from his Red Gold Five-Element Bracelet a high-tech machine: the Life Cradle.

This machine could extract human genes and grow a new body.

World Six used this method to achieve a form of immortality.

Li Yi had once grown a divine-blood body for himself, but lacked sufficient energy—he halted halfway, and the body still floated in the Life Cradle, waiting until he gathered enough resources to resume.

"Lan Ji."

He spoke.

"Master, I am here." The voice of the AI Lan Ji echoed from the Life Cradle's intelligent control system.

"Extract the biological genes of these beings and attempt to grow new bodies," Li Yi said.

"Understood, Master. Searching for gene templates." Lan Ji replied, as several nanobot probes extended from the Life Cradle and inserted themselves into the coffins.

"New genes extracted. Please name them."

"Cui Yue," Li Yi said.

"Confirmed: Cui Yue's genes. Begin growing a new body immediately?"

Li Yi said, "Begin now. Set the body's age to one year."

He didn't want to waste time—he planned to grow the ghost gods' new bodies only to age one.

Then he repeated the process.

Soon,

four bodies began growing in the Life Cradle. To accelerate the process, Li Yi directly extracted a cluster of life essence and injected it into the nutrient fluid.

Instantly,

the growth rate surged—the infants formed before their eyes.

The four ghost gods stared, wide-eyed, utterly astonished.

Such a technique was truly divine.

From a ruined corpse, merely a scrap of flesh could regenerate a whole body. The infants' emergence resembled life forming in a woman's womb—truly boundless creation.

The technology of World Six was indeed formidable.

Only half a day passed.

With the aid of life essence, the four infants were successfully grown.

"Your bodies are ready. But they are only one year old. After your spiritual cores enter them, find caretakers. In a few years, you'll move freely." Li Yi judged the moment right, had Lan Ji retrieve the infants, and handed each to the respective ghost god.

The four ghost gods hastily accepted the infants, tense with dread.

This was their hope for rebirth—none dared risk damage to their new bodies.

As soon as they held the infants, they felt an inexplicable pull, a longing to merge with them, to return to flesh.

"Go."

Li Yi waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

They did not linger. Bowing respectfully, each took an infant and swiftly departed in different directions.

After the four ghost gods departed,

suddenly,

from a lush side chamber in the rear courtyard, two powerful auras erupted.

Zhao Qian and Rong Niang, having bathed in divine blood and life essence, completed their third transformation, finally achieving their first true metamorphosis.

(End of Chapter)