Chapter 87: Hidden interference
The dense, burning energy of the defeated Fire Commander slowly dissolved into the surrounding atmosphere, leaving the open-air deck of the fortress enveloped in a heavy, suffocating silence. The liquid white starlight of the higher plane gateway swirled unevenly around the dark iron bulkheads, absorbing the residual flame-law currents that Min-jae’s armor had forcefully bounced back.
Min-jae stood near the edge of the stone railing, his hands casually slid into his trouser pockets. His loose black silk lounging shirt fluttered slightly in the hot mountain breeze, his deadpan black eyes tracking the fading crimson particles drifting down into the valley below.
"The perimeter arrays have stabilized," Major General Shin Ye-rin reported, her voice low and serious as she stepped out from the main command pavilion. Her long silver-and-white silk gown swept smoothly across the floorboards. "Min-jae, that was the second major border commander we’ve had to erase since breaching the gateway. The news of the Wood Clan Patriarch and the Fire Vanguard turning to ash is currently rippling through the central sectors of the Empyrean plane."
Min-jae turned his face slightly, his expression entirely calm. "They chose to launch an erasure script against our family. In my ledger, an ambush simply requires an immediate, final transaction."
Before Yoo Ji-a could step forward to review her newly ascended spear parameters, a sudden wave of physical exhaustion hit Min-jae’s chest. Pushing his mortal body to reflect millions of points of high-tier divine soul damage had left his human veins carrying a massive, heavy thermal draft. He dropped heavily onto the central leather sofa in the lounge, his breathing turning slightly ragged.
"You forced your human channels past their compression limits again, husband," Liu Xiao voiced softly, her exotic emerald-green eyes pooling with a deep, protective intensity as she quickly stepped into his personal space.
The silver-green haired Nature Goddess didn’t maintain a detached distance. Her exceptionally voluptuous hourglass physique and heavy curves pressed tightly against his left side as she sat on the sofa, her slender hands reaching up to gently check the alignment of his neck meridians. Her warm, restorative lotus energy flooded into his chest, instantly soothing the burning friction in his veins.
Min-jae’s body froze slightly under her close touch, a sudden wave of standard human shyness hitting his chest. A noticeable, deep crimson flush crept up his neck beneath his collar, his ears burning a deep pink as his cold fixer focus completely short-circuited under her gentle pampering.
"The... the internal energy is already purifying, Xiao," Min-jae muttered, his voice dropping into a low, thoroughly flustered baritone.
"Let him breathe, sister!" Yoo Ji-a purred loudly, her long midnight-black ponytail swaying violently as her violet eyes flashed with an intense, playful territorial jealousy.
She had changed into her flowing traditional hanfu gown of radiant light violet silk, but her demeanor remained entirely bold. Without an ounce of hesitation, she aggressively squeezed her athletic body straight onto the couch beside his right arm, wrapping her slender arms tightly around his neck, her heart racing violently against his side. "He shielded my left flank from that soul-disintegration curse! I’m cleaning his shoulder plates first tonight!"
The seductive demon princess, Medusa, sat gracefully on the plush rug near his knees, her radiant lavender silk robe draping beautifully over the carpet. Her large, exotic piercing icy-blue eyes were wide, filled with an absolute, fanatical infatuation as she carefully picked up a cooling starlight fruit, gently presenting it to his lips.
"Your human flesh is magnificent, my Lord," Medusa whispered, her full violet lips curving into an adoring smile as her face flushed a beautiful pink. "You dismantled my father’s empire, and now you’ve cleared the highest vanguards of the higher plane. My freezing gaze belongs entirely to your throne room. Let me serve you while your veins cool down."
Min-jae sat perfectly paralyzed between the close-proximity lock of his ten beautiful wives, his hands awkwardly shifting inside his pockets as his neck burned deep red. The ruthless cultivator who had just turned an entire immortal armada into dust was completely, flawlessly defeated by the romantic jealousy bouncing around his sofa.
"The... the next destination needs to be calibrated," Min-jae managed to clear his throat, thoroughly embarrassed as the girls let out a collective, soft laugh at his rare shyness.
"The star-maps are already reloading, boss," Han Chae-won barked happily from the forge deck, her cheeks puffed up like a proud hamster as she held the newly won Sovereign Cores. "The ancient clans are in a state of absolute, hysterical panic. They realize an un-killable human shadow is systematically strip-mining their entire universe! The path to the central Empyrean palaces is wide open!"
Min-jae looked out toward the massive jade mountains shifting outside the viewports, his cold, predatory grin slowly returning to his handsome face as he gently patted Ji-a’s back to ease her panic.
————
The burning, chaotic atmosphere of the volcanic border sectors finally dissolved into a deep, heavy stillness as the fortress quietly settled into a hidden coordinate fault deep within the Eastern Jade Ridges. Outside the wide panoramic viewports, the aggressive war-galleys were entirely gone. Instead, an endless, untouched wilderness of towering, mist-shrouded green peaks stretched toward the horizon, their massive rocky cliffs covered in glowing silver moss that pulsed with natural, raw spiritual energy.
Min-jae stood at the absolute edge of the open-air wooden terrace, his hands casually slid into his trouser pockets. His loose black silk lounging shirt fluttered slightly in the cool, crisp mountain breeze, his deadpan obsidian eyes tracking the deep, misty valley floor rolling beneath the balcony. The air here was incredibly dense, carrying the rich, ancient scent of thousand-year pine and completely unrefined spiritual herbs.
"The local ley lines are completely clear of any ancient clan tracking marks, Min-jae," Major General Shin Ye-rin reported, her voice carrying a relaxed, natural lightness as she stepped out onto the deck. Her long silver-and-white silk gown drifted smoothly across the stone blocks, her gray eyes Scanning the green horizons. "We’ve successfully broken out of the militarized sectors. The valley below is completely wild—our navigational arrays are tracking an immense density of unrefined spiritual veins."
Min-jae nodded slowly, his low baritone voice quiet and steady. "Good. The human girls broke through the mortal cap and entered the Divine Soul Realm too fast during our last dual cultivation loop. Their internal foundations are wide open and hollow right now. If we don’t find proper immortal-grade herbs and ancient cultivation zones to anchor their new meridians, their progression speed will eventually stall."
"Then let’s stop standing around and start exploring, husband!" Yoo Ji-a purred loudly, running straight out from the pavilion doors with her long midnight-black ponytail swaying violently against her back.
Her flowing traditional gown of radiant light violet and soft lavender silk billowed beautifully around her narrow, athletic waist as she stepped right up into his personal boundaries. Her large violet eyes flashed with an eager, high-energy excitement. Without an ounce of hesitation, she aggressively wrapped her slender arms tightly around his right arm, her porcelain face flushing a deep, happy crimson as she leaned her soft, toned curves against his side. "The old level grinding was fun, but exploring an ancient, untouched mountain valley with you sounds way better. Let’s go gather those herbs!"
A sudden wave of standard human shyness hit Min-jae’s chest under her sudden close proximity, a deep crimson flush rapidly creeping up his neck beneath his dark collar as his ears burned a bright pink. Even after conquering supreme thrones, dealing with the direct, concentrated affection of his court always short-circuited his cold fixer brain. He quietly cleared his throat, trying to maintain his calm composure.
"The valley is wild, Ji-a," Min-jae muttered, his voice dropping into a low, thoroughly flustered baritone as he awkwardly shifted his weight. "Ancient zones like this usually house dormant spiritual beasts or hidden restriction arrays. We need to be careful."
"Allow me to anchor your left flank, my Sovereign," Medusa voiced softly, her low, seductive melody of glass sending a warm thrill through the air as she stepped out from the inner suites.
The exceptionally voluptuous demon princess had completely left her daggers inside the armory. Her radiant lavender silk robe draped flawlessly over her heavy curves, leaving her smooth pale shoulders entirely bare as she moved right up to his left side, her exotic, piercing icy-blue eyes looking up into his face with an absolute, fanatical infatuation. "My father’s ancient texts always mentioned that the Eastern Ridges house hidden secret realms—places where the old masters left their cultivation caves and long-lost techniques before fading . Let us explore the valley floor together."
Liu Xiao walked over with heavy, graceful steps, her long green-and-white silk train sweeping across the floorboards. Her exotic emerald eyes held a beautiful, genuinely amused smirk as she watched Min-jae’s flustered embarrassment.
"Don’t overwhelm our master before the trek begins, girls," Liu Xiao murmured, her majestic voice carrying a rare, comforting warmth as she gently adjusted the collar of his black silk shirt, causing his ears to burn even deeper. "The dual cultivation loop will replicate whatever spiritual properties Min-jae refines. Let him activate the tracker."
Min-jae focused his thoughts, calling out to his newly upgraded cultivation interface.
The deep golden smoke of his system unsealed in mid-air before his eyes, completely shifting away from gaming statistics to display a clean, human-designed exploration matrix.
[Sovereign Cultivation Interface Active!]
[Current Location: The Primordial Jade Ridge (Lower Higher Plane).]
[Scanning Regional Anomalies and Environmental Coordinates... 100% Success!]
[Detected Hidden Objects within a 5-Mile Radius:]
1. The Nine-Treasure Lotus Patch (Immortal Grade Herb): Located 1.2 miles down the southern misty canyon. (Effect: Permanently consolidates newly formed Divine Souls by 30% upon refinement!)
2. Dormant Cultivation Cave of the Azure Cloud Master: Hidden beneath the central waterfall ridge, protected by a defective earth-law puzzle array. (Contains: 1 Lost Secret Skill Book!)
[Warning: A Level 58 Primordial Scale-Boar is currently resting within the lotus patch zone.]
Min-jae’s eyes tracked the flashing gold text, a cold, dark, and highly calculated grin slowly spreading across his handsome face. The interface was tracking the world perfectly, leaving zero logical loopholes.
"The map is fully compiled," Min-jae said smoothly, his voice carrying an absolute, quiet confidence that instantly put the girls at ease. "There is an immortal-grade herb patch and an abandoned master’s cultivation cave hidden right down the southern ridge. Ji-a, Medusa, prepare your basic defense parameters. We are leaving the fortress behind. We will trek on foot down the canyon trail, bypass the local spirit beast, and harvest those lotuses to lock down our family’s foundation."
"Yes, husband!" Yoo Ji-a beamed, her face flushing crimson with a fierce field of pure envy as Medusa deliberately leaned her heavy chest a bit closer to Min-jae’s shoulder during the briefing. "I’ll make sure the snake girl doesn’t distract you from the herb tracking!"
Medusa simply offered a subtle, dangerous smirk, her long violet silk sleeves fluttering in the wind.
The three of them stepped through a localized spatial tear, dropping smoothly onto the damp, moss-covered stone floor of the hidden valley canyon below. The intense stress of the high-stakes cosmic wars was entirely gone, replaced by the deep, high-stakes suspense of entering an unknown, ancient cultivation frontier together.