Three more days of cultivation passed, and Li Lizhi was the first to open her eyes.
"Thank you, husband, for guarding me. I'm fine now."
"It's good that you're fine, it's good that you're fine," Yang Hong nodded with a smile, happy for Li Lizhi.
"Husband, you were right. This new Heavenly Dao is indeed problematic. We had already exited our enlightenment state before, but we still heard those faint Buddhist chants, and occasionally had thoughts of becoming a nun."
"Such thoughts are completely contrary to my previous desire to quickly have children and get married."
After successfully cultivating, Li Lizhi's mind and soul returned to normal. At the same time, she could reflect on her abnormality over the past half year.
"The Buddhist sect's ability to bewitch people is truly terrifying."
"Heh heh~ We already witnessed the tricks of the Buddhist sect during our many years of fighting, didn't we? From now on, we should be careful and try not to interact with those bald donkeys from the Buddhist sect."
"Mmm~ I understand. I will also remind my disciples."
The two then began to discuss the cultivation of "The Great Five Elements True Explanation" while also guarding others. Fortunately, the remaining six people did not encounter any further accidents and successfully completed their cultivation in the next three days. Moreover, with Yang Hong's selfless dedication, everyone's cultivation not only stabilized at the late Nascent Soul stage of the fifth order, but their magic power also became more than twice as pure as before.
"Husband, it's all thanks to you. Otherwise, we might not be ourselves anymore." Zhu Yuyan, in front of everyone, held onto Yang Hong, almost leading to another intense moment. It was Yang Hong's deep self-control that allowed him to break free from her embrace.
"Alright, you continue to consolidate your cultivation. I need to check on those two little girls, Gao Shi and Gao Liaoxin, and also see how those transformed little demons are doing."
"Alright, we do need some time to settle ourselves." Gao Yuyan did not pester him. They had just completed their cultivation transfer and indeed needed to consolidate their achievements.
Yang Hong easily found Gao Shi and Gao Liaoxin in the small town at the foot of the mountain villa. These two not-so-young girls were running a business. A barbecue stall.
"Step right up, don't miss out! Have one skewer of Shixin Barbecue, and you'll want two. Have two, and you'll want four. Absolutely delicious, absolutely exquisite!" In a luxuriously decorated shop, the now statuesque Gao Shi stood in front of a grill in the lobby, barbecuing while loudly hawking. Gao Liaoxin, dressed in a simple white dress, sat quietly behind the counter, gently flipping through the ledger. It was a scene of tranquil years and earthly prosperity.
Both of them seemed to have not been too affected by the great change in the Heavenly Dao. Their cultivation was still at the Golden Core realm, and they had not yet broken through. It was only three years ago that Yang Hong had specifically instructed them not to rush their breakthroughs, but to firmly establish their foundation. They had listened. And thus, they had avoided disaster. Without entering the Nascent Soul realm and condensing a Nascent Soul, ordinary cultivators would find it difficult to perceive the Heavenly Dao.
"Ah~ Your Highness, you've emerged from seclusion! Come quickly and try my cooking." Gao Shi, who was barbecuing, sensed Yang Hong's gaze and looked over. Seeing that it was the Prince, she immediately pulled Yang Hong over to eat barbecue. Yang Hong did not refuse. He came from the Great Xia of the Blue Star, a land of gourmands, and was very interested in food. Even Gao Shi's cooking skills were taught by Yang Hong.
After eating a few skewers of grilled meat and tasting some grilled vegetables, Yang Hong gave an honest evaluation. "Mmm~ Not bad, your skills have improved."
"Heh heh~ I knew Your Highness liked to eat." Gao Shi giggled playfully, a hint of pride in her eyes.
"By the way, why did you think of opening a barbecue stall?" Yang Hong then got back to business and asked.
"Ah~ It was just too boring in the villa! The Princesses suddenly became uninteresting, and I couldn't stand it, so I pulled Xin to open a shop." Yang Hong nodded. This was very much like Gao Shi, truly something she would do, given her personality.
After confirming that Gao Shi was fine, he beckoned Gao Liaoxin over.
"Greetings, Your Highness. May Your Highness be well." Gao Liaoxin walked over gracefully. She surprisingly possessed a subtle, alluring charm that made one drunk without drinking, a stark contrast to her simple and pure attire. For a moment, he was lost in thought.
"You tidy up and return to the villa. I will teach you a new cultivation technique."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Gao Liaoxin bowed gracefully, her swaying posture unfolding again, and combined with her soft voice, it evoked a strange impulse to ravage her.
"Hiss~ Gao Liaoxin, you're in big trouble! Return to the villa now!" Yang Hong's cultivation was at the Integration stage, and he already had wives, several of them. Yet, he was stirred by Gao Liaoxin's actions. This was definitely not normal! Before the great change in the world, Gao Liaoxin was merely a quiet young lady of a prominent family, definitely not like this. She, a Golden Core cultivator, had also comprehended the Dao. One couldn't tell if it was luck or misfortune.
"Your Highness, this servant will return immediately. However, there are some guests on the third floor waiting for Your Highness. Should Your Highness meet them now?"
"Guests? Alright, I'll see them. Let's go back to the villa."
"Yes~" With Yang Hong's repeated demands, even the greatly changed Gao Liaoxin dared not refuse. She immediately left the barbecue stall and flew back to Qingfeng Mountain Villa on her sword.
"Your Highness, follow me. I know where the guests are." Gao Shi, pulling Yang Hong's hand, ran forward energetically. Seeing Gao Shi's action, Yang Hong, who had been worried about her earlier, was completely at ease. Gao Shi's temperament had not changed.
Soon, they arrived at an elegantly decorated private room on the third floor.
"It's you~ It's you all?" Seeing the so-called guests, Yang Hong was also taken aback. There were four people inside, three of whom were familiar. They were Li Lianshan, the former Director of the Imperial Observatory of the Great Sui, who had received Yang Hong's "Duren Sutra" and returned to the Heavenly Mystery Sect, causing quite a stir on the continent. Beside Li Lianshan were two women, Yang Hong's consorts, Wang Xifeng and You Daxian. He had previously thought these two were dead, but unexpectedly, they had ended up in the Heavenly Mystery Sect. The last person was dressed in black Taoist robes, covering their entire body, making it impossible to discern their figure, or even their gender.
"Fellow Daoist, you've hidden this from me for so long! You could cultivate long ago." Seeing Yang Hong, Li Lianshan complained with a wry smile.
"Heh heh~ It was your Heavenly Mystery Sect that used me as a tool first. I was just trying to survive." Yang Hong sneered disdainfully. He didn't even want to look at Li Lianshan, but instead turned his gaze to the silent Wang Xifeng and You Daxian.
"You joined the Heavenly Mystery Sect? Under what identity did you join?"
"Your Highness, we joined as formal disciples. We beg Your Highness to forgive our abrupt departure." As they spoke, Wang Xifeng and You Daxian bowed together to apologize to Yang Hong. They were now both at the sixth-order Nascent Divinity stage, considered high-level cultivators, so they naturally did not want to kneel.
"Alright, from now on, we are completely unrelated." Yang Hong was not short of women, so he did not want the two women who had left.
"I've seen them. If you have anything to say, say it. If you have any business, get to it." Sensing the presence of Yang energy on Wang Xifeng and You Daxian, his mood naturally would not be good.
"Fellow Daoist, you seem a bit arrogant?" A majestic voice came from the black-robed person, and at the same time, a pressure of the Mahayana stage emanated from him, directly pressing down on Yang Hong. Caught off guard, Yang Hong almost knelt down.