Chapter 235 - 234: The City Lord’s Daily Life, Things Fall into Place

「One day at dawn.」

The morning light streamed through the bamboo blinds, casting perfectly straight, dazzling golden lines across the room.

Beside the bed, gauzy skirts, Magical Robes, silken bodices, and stockings lay scattered about.

It lent the room an air of both subtle elegance and tantalizing allure.

WHOOSH.

Su Ye’s eyes fluttered open, and he sat up.

Gazing at the women beside him, a sense of satisfaction washed over him.

Luo Xiyin and Luo Qing’e, two female Foundation Establishment cultivators, were fast asleep. Their exquisite, snow-white bodies were limp and pliant in their deep slumber.

’I really wore them out last night...’

A reminiscent look appeared on Su Ye’s face.

’After all, it was a rare occasion for Xiying to give in.’

’She’d reluctantly agreed to join Qing’e in entertaining me.’

’That feeling of similar, yet distinct, pleasure... exponentially multiplied...’

’Mmm...’

’So damn cute~’

Su Ye smiled, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on each of their foreheads.

...

Then, Su Ye got out of bed.

He washed up, bathed, and dressed before leaving the room.

"Good morning, City Lord."

"Greetings, City Lord."

In the hallway, young and stunningly beautiful maids bowed to him one after another.

"Mm," Su Ye acknowledged with a slight nod.

All the maids wore Cloud-Flow Gauze Dresses with low-cut necklines.

The dresses were slit down the middle, revealing their long, fair legs as they walked.

The maids’ cultivation levels were generally around the sixth or seventh layer of Qi Refining.

At their age, such a cultivation level was quite impressive; they were by no means mere servants.

In truth, these young women were all daughters from the direct bloodlines of the city’s most prominent families, carefully selected and sent to the City Lord’s manor.

’As for their motive... well, that was obvious.’

’They wanted to follow the same path as the Luo Family and the Qi Family... Nothing shameful about that!’

’Setting aside the Luo Family...’

’After all, didn’t the Qi Family strike it rich and secure a chance at the Fake Core realm just by sending a single handmaiden to attend to him?’

Countless people were green with envy over it!

After all, for the cultivators in this part of the sea, being able to refine a Demon King’s Inner Core and achieve the Fake Core realm was an incredible opportunity!

Thus, without Su Ye even having to ask, the great clans of the city, and even the Foundation Establishment families from across the sea region, all proactively sent their daughters.

The City Lord’s manor was a garden of a hundred blooming flowers, filled with beauties of every shape and size. The concentration was off the charts...

’But... I’m not exactly starving...’

Su Ye shrugged.

He had a taste for beautiful women, but he wasn’t some ravenous lecher.

’I might pick a few lucky little things from time to time... but taking them all? Forget it.’

’I still have to cultivate, after all...’ Su Ye thought as he arrived at the observation deck.

...

The observation deck.

The City Lord’s manor was located on the peak of Canghai Mountain.

The observation deck itself was seven stories tall; from its summit, one could see the entire immortal city laid out below.

Su Ye took a deep breath.

The cool, crisp morning air filled his lungs.

He gazed far into the distance.

At this early hour, the streets of the immortal city were quiet, with only a few scattered cultivators walking leisurely along.

The warm sunlight washed over the city’s rooftops, bathing them in a glorious golden light.

As Su Ye watched, his gaze grew deep and steady, fixed upon the beautiful scene.

Gazing up at the rising sun, looking down upon the masses!

’The immortal city is now completely under my control...’

A slight smile touched Su Ye’s lips.

The Luo Family had now successfully established themselves in the immortal city. They had renegotiated the division of interests with the city’s five great clans, reaching a mutually acceptable agreement.

Furthermore, several of the city’s cultivators under the control of his Blood Light Soul Splitting technique had broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm, becoming a core force within the city.

With them in place, Su Ye’s rule over Weiyuan Immortal City was completely secure.

’In the mortal world, rulers are just flesh and blood, with no divine abilities. Establishing a new regime would take a decade at least, if not longer, wouldn’t it?’

’Perhaps... it would be impossible altogether?’

’After all, I was a complete outsider, parachuted into power.’

Before all this, he was on the fringes of the immortal city’s power structure, not even an Honored Guest Elder... just a mercenary!

’And from that position, in a single leap, I became the lord of the entire city?!’

’In the mortal world, I’d either have ended up a puppet or been assassinated and replaced outright...’

But the Cultivation World is completely different.

The moment Su Ye formed his core and became a high-level cultivator, he instantly gained an astonishing level of latent prestige.

As powerful experts, high-level cultivators possess a natural legitimacy to rule over their lower-level counterparts.

A Demon King can command lesser demons, and a core-forming cultivator... well, they can essentially ’command’ other cultivators too.

As for supporting the Luo Family and cultivating his enthralled crew, those two things were really just the icing on the cake.

’Even without them, I could have spent a few years and a bit of effort to cultivate my own faction of useful supporters...’

’It just would have been... more of a hassle.’

And Su Ye didn’t like hassles.

...

Just then, Su Ye looked up.

Thousands of feet in the air, the dark and imposing Ghostly Flood Dragon hovered, weaving through the clouds like a celestial vessel of the gods.

Seeing it, Su Ye chuckled. His figure flickered, transforming into a streak of azure Escape Light as he shot into the sky.

In an instant, he landed on the deck of the Ghostly Flood Dragon, the Escape Light dissolving into wisps like a scattered tassel.

"Master!"

The ship spirit, Jiaojiao, appeared, her face lit with joy. She wore a black and red ceremonial robe and was barefoot.

She drew near and began her report.

"Master, the Ghostly Flood Dragon’s count of living souls increased by three hundred and twelve yesterday..."

"A steady increase. Good," Su Ye replied offhandedly.

The sources for these souls were rogue cultivators, pirates, man-eating beasts, and law-breaking cultivators from the immortal city.

This was, in effect, using the power of the immortal city to hunt for souls. The numbers weren’t huge, but it was all about the long game—a small but steady stream...

Over time, the numbers would become quite substantial.

"Mmm..."

At this thought, Su Ye’s eyebrows suddenly shot up, a strange look on his face.

"What is it, Master?"

Sensing his thoughts, Jiaojiao tilted her head and asked.

"It’s nothing... I just thought of something amusing."

’Su Ye recalled that the protagonists in those cultivation novels usually wandered the world, acting as heroes and upholding justice.’

’But when it came to me...’

’Usurping power, ruling over a domain, indulging in debauchery, hunting souls...’

Su Ye rubbed his chin. ’No matter how I look at it, I seem to fit the classic villain archetype from those novels...’

’The only difference is that I, Su Ye, have always been good to people. I haven’t been hunting anyone down, or else the resemblance would be even stronger...’

’Huh?’

’Wait, that’s not quite right, is it?’

’Su Ye remembered that his loyal Fake Core subordinate, Qi Chengjian, and his intelligence network were currently scouring the entire sea region for Priestess Marina...’

’And the purpose of hunting Priestess Marina was to get the shipping routes to the new continent, in preparation for colonizing it, which would involve burning, killing, and looting... er, I mean, spreading civilization and prosperity.’

The corner of Su Ye’s mouth twitched.

’Looked at that way, I sound even more like a villain...’

’Whatever. If I’m the villain, so be it.’

He shook his head and looked into the distance.

’I just wonder if they’ve caught Marina yet.’

...

「Nameless Sea Region.」

A three-masted spiritual sailing ship was cruising slowly.

In the lower cabins.

Inside a narrow, cramped room heavy with the smell of damp.

Marina, her features disguised, sat on a bed, her forehead slick with cold sweat.