Chapter 843: Selecting the Imperial Concubines

Amidst the anxious waiting of the palace maidens, Yin Qi arrived fashionably late.

He was dressed in a white Xuan Bird robe, wearing a purple jade crown on his head; his appearance was handsome, his eyes like stars, and his gentle, scholarly demeanor carried a profound imperial majesty that made him feel exceptionally charismatic.

"Great King!"

"Greetings to the Great King!"

Zhou Ji, Chen Xu, and the crowd of palace maidens bowed in succession.

"Rise."

Yin Qi nodded and walked before Zhou Ji.

The hundred palace maidens stood in five rows.

They looked at Yin Qi, some with excitement, some with anticipation, and others observing him closely.

For such a legendary Human Emperor, who in a mere eleven years had developed the Great Shang Celestial Dynasty from a mortal kingdom into today's Immortal Dynasty, there was no one who did not admire him.

Although the three Mysterious Immortals also had thoughts of coveting the resources of Great Shang, they were surely curious about Yin Qi, perhaps even admiring him; otherwise, they would not have been willing to enter the palace.

Charisma is not necessarily linked to cultivation level.

"Great King, this is the Roster."

Zhou Ji handed Yin Qi a Roster; the top half of the page contained portraits of the palace maidens, and the bottom half contained personal profiles, so as to facilitate Yin Qi's subsequent selection and ranking.

However, the previous selection had already determined the Four Great Noble Consorts, the nine Imperial Concubines, and so on.

The highest rank for this selection would only be a Talent.

Yin Qi flipped through the Roster, and suddenly his brows rose; he actually saw the name of the Great Yong Immortal Dynasty's Chang Gongzhu, Chen Xi, and the portrait was also of Chen Xi.

He raised his head slightly, glanced at Chen Xi, and then continued flipping through.

Among the palace maidens this time, besides Chen Xi, there were four others who caught Yin Qi's slight attention: three Mysterious Immortals and Deng Chanyu.

Deng Chanyu, daughter of Deng Jiugong of Sanshan Pass, was also a close friend of Shang Qingjun.

In reality, among the hundred palace maidens this time, the lowest cultivation level was the Nascent Soul Realm, and there were quite a few at the Heavenly Immortal Realm and Earth Immortal Realm, but the fact that Mysterious Immortals had also come to participate in the selection was somewhat beyond Yin Qi's expectations.

After all, in the current Honghuang, a Mysterious Immortal could already be considered a hegemon of a region.

However, after seeing their profiles, Yin Qi also felt a sudden realization.

The three female immortals were all not of the Human Race; they were the Fairy Mudan, Li Mudan; Chen Zhuzhu of the Jade Rabbit Tribe; and Yu Feier of the Flying Crane Clan.

If they were female immortals of the Human Race, they would certainly either come from the Three Teachings or be exceptionally brilliant talents, and none would be willing to humble themselves to enter the palace.

If they were from a powerful clan among the Demon Race, it would also be impossible for them to enter the palace.

The Flower Immortal Clan, the Jade Rabbit Tribe, and the Flying Crane Clan were not skilled in warfare; by entering the palace, they could obtain more cultivation resources and also protect their own clans.

In fact, at the very beginning, the Ministry of Rites had not considered non-humans.

The Human Emperor's concubines should, of course, be of the Human Race.

However, considering the future development of the Great Shang Celestial Dynasty and to strengthen the sense of belonging among all clans, Yin Qi ordered the Ministry of Rites to relax the selection criteria; anyone with a clear and spiritual aura could register.

Among the hundred palace maidens this time, thirty were non-human.

And among the human palace maidens, they were basically all daughters of meritorious nobles or prominent families; palace maidens from ordinary backgrounds could not make it into the final selection at all.

This was not discrimination, but rather that the conditions of ordinary women in all aspects were simply not as good as those of noblewomen.

Yin Qi put down the Roster, looked up, and said: "Li Mudan, Chen Zhuzhu, Yu Feier, you three are all Mysterious Immortals, free and unfettered; why did you choose to enter the palace?"

Li Mudan was beautiful enough to topple a country, and she said with a smile: "I am merely a Mysterious Immortal; there are at least eighty or a hundred Mysterious Immortals in the Great King's palace, so what is there to be proud of with my meager cultivation?

I chose to enter the palace, besides admiring the Great King, because I hope to borrow the Great King's might to protect the safety of my Flower Immortal Clan.

Of course, I also hope to obtain better cultivation resources."

As for the Golden Immortal realm, she did not dare to hope for it.

She was only at the early stage of the Mysterious Immortal Realm, so there was still hope of cultivating to the peak of the Mysterious Immortal Realm.

Yin Qi nodded and looked at Chen Zhuzhu and Yu Feier.

Chen Zhuzhu was petite and Linglong, with fair skin and a pair of large, dark eyes that seemed able to speak; she also said very directly: "My Jade Rabbit Tribe is skilled in refining medicine but not in slaughter; therefore, we are coveted by various clans. Three years ago, the Rending Heaven Wolf Clan attacked our ancestral land, and although we relied on the Protecting Clan Array to be safe for the time being,

if they continue to attack, the Protecting Clan Array will one day be broken.

I entered the palace this time hoping that Great Shang can help my clan repel the enemy."

The Rending Heaven Wolf Clan was cruel by nature; even if their Jade Rabbit Tribe chose to submit, in the end, they would only be slaves, their lives and deaths beyond their own control.

For these three years, she had been running around, looking for a way to break the deadlock.

It was not until she saw the selection announcement of Di Qi that she immediately understood this was the best way to break the deadlock.

Before the Great Shang, the mere Rending Heaven Wolf Clan counted for nothing.

Yu Feier had a tall, slender, and graceful figure, her long legs straight and slender, and she possessed a rare, holy, and elegant temperament, untainted by even a speck of mortal dust.

Her voice was clear and beautiful, like the ringing of jade pendants: "Jinpeng Old Ancestor is a powerhouse at the peak of the Mysterious Immortal Realm; I am no match for him. He has put out the word that he wants to take me as a concubine, and if I do not agree, he will slaughter our Flying Crane Clan.

I do not like Jinpeng Old Ancestor.

Moreover, I have heard that this person is skilled in the Harvesting and Supplementing Dao.

Please... you... bookmark... 6... 9... the book...!

He has taken many wives and concubines before, but these wives and concubines have all inexplicably passed away one after another."

Yin Qi nodded and said: "The Rending Heaven Wolf Clan and Jinpeng Old Ancestor, I will resolve them for you, and I will not be lacking in any cultivation resources for you either.

Not to mention the Golden Immortal realm, the peak of the Mysterious Immortal Realm is still within your reach.

But once you enter the palace, you must abide by the rules of the palace."

"We understand!"

Li Mudan, Chen Zhuzhu, and Yu Feier nodded happily.

Although Yin Qi was only at the peak of the Heaven Realm, in their eyes, he could only be called an ant before.

It is estimated that if they walked past Yin Qi, they would not even look at him straight.

But who could blame them when the other party was the Human King.

The power he controlled and the resources he could mobilize were far beyond what they could imagine.

In any case, it would only be a few decades; once Yin Qi passed away, they would regain their "freedom," and they would still hold the title of Yin Qi's imperial concubines, allowing them to openly enjoy the various resources of the Yin Shang.

Yin Qi nodded, looked at Chen Xi, and said, "The Great Yong Immortal Dynasty, I know of it. As the Chang Gongzhu of Dayong, why would you enter the palace to become a concubine?"

In reality, among these women, there were also seven or eight princesses from various states.

However, whether in terms of appearance, cultivation, or temperament, Chen Xi was the best among them.

Seeing that the three Mysterious Immortals had spoken so directly and had even received a positive response from Yin Qi, Chen Xi did not hold back.

She did not hide anything and said directly, "I hope to be able to purchase warships for the Great Yong Immortal Dynasty, or even the techniques for Refining warships; I hope the Great King will grant this."

Yin Qi could not help but chuckle.

This was very Chen Xi.

Back then, when he had used the pseudonym Zhetian and spent some time with Chen Xi, he had come to understand her character and personality very well.

Yin Qi thought for a moment and said, "Purchasing warships is fine, even Mysterious Immortal Class Warships; as long as you can afford the price, I can sell them. As for the techniques for Refining warships, the Earth Immortal level can be sold."

After speaking, he looked at the other princesses and said, "You are also from various states; if you wish to purchase warships or warship techniques, you may do so as well. However, warship Refining techniques above the Heavenly Immortal level will not be sold for the time being."

The arms business has always been highly profitable.

The profit from selling one warship is enough to produce at least ten more.

Naturally, Yin Qi would not refuse such business.

"Thank you, Great King!"

The several princesses were all overjoyed.

Clearly, their goals were the same as Chen Xi's. (End of chapter)