Chapter 141: The Kingdom of Yulai

Xuan Yuan Tunhan brought the Fire-Devouring Stone all the way to the Myriad Treasure Dense Forest, only to find no trace of Ning Xianyu upon arrival.

The Fire-Devouring Stone grew anxious and began spinning around in circles.

Glancing at the dense forest below, Xuan Yuan Tunhan immediately deduced that Ning Xianyu had likely already left this place.

However, given that this woman loved lively places and was naturally lazy, she had no business coming to a desolate spot like this.

It seemed she had indeed been abducted.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan looked at the Fire-Devouring Stone and asked, "She was taken away by someone, wasn't she?"

The Fire-Devouring Stone could not speak. Guiding the way under Xuan Yuan Tunhan's control already required a great deal of effort, and it was incapable of answering his questions.

Yet, Xuan Yuan Tunhan always trusted his own intuition, so he commanded the Fire-Devouring Stone to point the way once more.

The stone remained completely disoriented, showing no reaction for a long time.

After trying in vain for quite a while, Xuan Yuan Tunhan grew irritated.

He could tell it wasn't that the Fire-Devouring Stone wasn't trying, but rather that Ning Xianyu kept changing her location.

The person who had abducted her was constantly shifting positions, and since the distance was too great and the Fire-Devouring Stone's sensing range was limited, it simply could not make up its mind.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan decided to stay put.

Since the Fire-Devouring Stone could sense her presence here, it meant Ning Xianyu had lingered in this area for a considerable period.

He descended from the clouds and searched the area meticulously, determined to find out who had taken Ning Xianyu away.

Meanwhile, Ning Xianyu and Xiahou Fang had already arrived in the mortal realm.

Ever since crossing over, Ning Xianyu had been revolving around immortal sects and had never formally stepped foot into the world of mortals.

Upon arrival, she found that the human world was quite bustling and lively, though mortals led much harder lives.

This was a region with relatively abundant spiritual energy. Despite the low productivity, various crops and livestock thrived here.

However, the wildlife was fierce, perils lurked constantly in the mountains, and beasts would occasionally venture down to prey on humans.

There were also minor demons and ghosts causing trouble. To Ning Xianyu, this felt like a more prosperous version of the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.

Xiahou Fang had never wandered through the mortal realm either and found it rather unfamiliar.

Yet, with his sharper senses, he held very little interest in the human world.

"Everywhere I look, there are filthy humans. We should just go back."

What was so fun about this place?

Ning Xianyu had already bought a pile of snacks from a vendor and was eating while replying, "Human existence in this world is just a clump of turbid qi, what is there to disdain?"

She thought this place was wonderful and a lot of fun.

Xiahou Fang believed she simply lacked cultivation and willpower, which was why she could appreciate the cheap, readily available vanity of the mortal world.

He glanced into the distance and suggested, "We should just fly up and see which kingdom's imperial palace is the largest and grandest. That country must be the best one."

But Ning Xianyu shook her head. "Follow me, let's find a teahouse."

In this world, the ones who understood mortals best were naturally mortals themselves. A trip to a teahouse would reveal everything one wanted to know.

No longer quite as cheerful, Xiahou Fang followed her with a dark expression into a so-called teahouse, sat down at a small table, and stared at the pot of liquid that was supposedly very expensive but essentially just boiled water.

The water and the tea leaves were utterly abyssal in quality.

Ning Xianyu, however, didn't mind at all. She ordered a table full of pastries along with two pots of fine tea, and tossed over two massive gold ingots. "Tell the storyteller to talk about the interesting anecdotes of the emperors from various imperial courts."

Common folk dared to discuss anything, so long as they didn't satirize their own emperor, no one would bat an eye.

Delighted upon receiving such a large piece of gold, the waiter scurried off happily.

As long as there was money, anything could be arranged.

Thrilled to receive the gold, the storyteller immediately launched into his tale with flying spittle, determined to recount every single piece of gossip he knew.

The Cloud Desolation Continent was divided into dozens of immortal sects, and human dynasties were even more numerous, numbering over a hundred.

These kingdoms varied in size and frequently waged war against one another. Amidst all the mutual slander and cursing, negative rumors naturally spread between nations.

The storyteller was quite engaging. Lowering his voice to a hoarse whisper, he narrated with vivid expression and intense emotion.

He spoke of how an emperor fell in love with a wet nurse thirty years his senior; how another emperor fancied his ministers' wives, prompting the officials to take turns sending their wives into the palace.

He told of an emperor who preferred handsome youths over beauties, filling the entire court with handsome men until the empress eventually usurped the throne and established a matriarchal nation.

Hearing this, Ning Xianyu immediately called out loudly from above, "Is this Yulai Kingdom still ruled by women now? Is it prosperous?"

Recognizing her as a major benefactor, the storyteller immediately smiled and said, "Naturally, it's still ruled by women. There are several matriarchal dynasties on this continent, but none are as prosperous as Yulai."

"However, I've heard that the current monarch is infatuated with male beauty and dislikes dealing with state affairs, keeping three thousand handsome men in the imperial harem, each with his own unique charm."

This sounded promising.

Ning Xianyu grabbed Xiahou Fang's arm and declared, "This is the one! I like this."

Even as a wicked cultivator, Xiahou Fang couldn't help but shoot her a side-long glance. "At this moment, I would be much more willing to believe you were Longyue's disciple."

Looking at her eager expression and her lustful gaze, why was a woman so devoid of modesty?

He kindly advised her, "Mortal men possess far too much turbid qi. You can just look at them when the time comes, but you must never couple with them. Otherwise, I will not spare you if you ruin that fine physical shell of yours."

With an expression of utter disgust, Ning Xianyu pushed him away. "What kind of person do you take me for? Ha, you're the only one whose mind is constantly filled with those base desires."

She only liked looking at handsome men and maybe touching them a little—who was actually going to sleep with them?

Tracing a finger across his slender eyes, Xiahou Fang warned, "This lord will be watching you."

"Watch me all you want."

Having figured out the direction to the Yulai Kingdom, Ning Xianyu headed straight there with Xiahou Fang.

Located on the eastern coast near the ocean, the Yulai Kingdom enjoyed spring-like weather year-round, with blooming flowers everywhere and abundant produce. It truly was a wonderful place.

Furthermore, the air was moist, the environment picturesque, and beautiful people could be found everywhere. Even the statues here were more delicate than those in other regions.

The moment Ning Xianyu entered this country, she felt it was simply marvelous.

[System, once I switch bodies, let's just live right here. This place is incredible.]

The system replied: [Then once we get inside, we can pick someone on the verge of death and transfer you over then.]

Ning Xianyu found this puzzling: [Can't you just create a body for me?]

The system answered: [No. I'm not Nüwa; I can't create one. Do you have any idea how complex the human body is? Even with advanced futuristic technology, it's utterly impossible to manufacture a robot that is completely identical to a human physical vessel.]

Life was simply like that—seemingly fragile, yet truly miraculous.

Helpless, Ning Xianyu asked: [Won't my cultivation be gone when that happens?]

The system reassured her: [Don't worry, your cultivation from Mount Shifang will still be there. You haven't absorbed it yet anyway, so I'll extract it and bring it along for you.]

Her most valuable asset was her physical vessel composed of breathing soil. Once she handed the soil over, Xuan Yuan Tunhan would no longer pester her.

Deeming this plan acceptable, Ning Xianyu decided to proceed accordingly.