Dual Cultivation: Gathering SSS-Rank Wives in the Cultivation World Chapter 27 - Important Discussion

The rumble grew louder, like thunder rolling across the grove. Through the canopy, I spotted the dark silhouettes of war ships descending—sleek, predatory things bristling with formation arrays.

But it was the massive flagship that made my enhanced senses prickle with danger. That cold, familiar aura radiating from it could only belong to one person.

Elder Feng Lianhua. The ice queen herself.

"Shit," Lin Yue muttered, nocking an arrow instinctively. "How many this ti?"

I extended my senses through the Nature Harmony connection, feeling the grove’s whispered warnings. "Twelve ships. Maybe two hundred cultivators, most of them Foundation Establishnt fodder. But Feng’s brought friends—I sense at least three other Nascent Soul signatures."

i Ling pressed closer to , her new Core Formation aura flickering with nervous energy. "Husband, should we run? With so many—"

"No." I cut her off, mind racing through possibilities. The system pinged helpfully:

[Tactical Analysis: Enemy Force Overwhelming]

[Recomnded Action: Strategic Withdrawal or Preparation for Extended Combat]

[Alternative Suggestion: Diplomatic Engagent - Elder Feng shows 73% attraction markers from previous encounter]

Diplomatic engagent? With the woman I’d basically molested with pheromones? The system’s definition of diplomacy was as twisted as its reward structure.

But wait... that gave an idea.

I grabbed both won, pulling them behind a massive oak whose trunk could hide a small army. "Listen carefully. We’re not running, and we’re not fighting them head-on. We’re going to use their own arrogance against them."

Lin Yue’s green eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I don’t like that look. What perverted sche are you cooking up now?"

"The good kind," I grinned, activating the palace bracelet. The dinsional space expanded around us, but this ti I willed it into a more modest configuration—comfortable but not ostentatious.

A sitting room with silk cushions, low tables, and most importantly, privacy wards that would make it impossible for them to scry inside.

"You’re going to negotiate?" i asked, understanding flickering in her dark eyes.

"I’m going to seduce her," I said bluntly, watching Lin Yue’s face twist in disgust. "Not the way you’re thinking—well, not entirely. Feng’s got a weakness. Pride. She’s probably been obsessing over our last encounter, trying to figure out how an ’inferior’ old man managed to rattle her composure."

Through the grove’s whisper network, I felt them landing—boots hitting earth, qi signatures spreading out in search patterns. They’d find us soon enough.

"That’s insane," Lin Yue hissed. "She’ll kill you the mont she sees you."

"Maybe. Or maybe she’ll be too curious to resist." I stood, adjusting my robes. The black fabric with golden dragon embroidery made look every inch the emperor I used to be—powerful, regal, dangerous. "Besides, we need information about the Shadow Realm. She might know how to reach Chen and Xiao."

The sound of approaching footsteps made us all tense. I could sense them—thirty, maybe forty cultivators forming a periter around our position. At the center of it all, that familiar ice-cold presence.

"Zhao Tianlong!" Feng’s voice cut through the forest like a blade. "Co out, old fool. Your parlor tricks won’t save you this ti."

I smirked, stepping toward the palace entrance but pausing to look back at my won. i’s face showed worry mixed with trust—she believed in completely now, her 100% loyalty bond radiating warmth through our connection. Lin Yue looked like she wanted to either shoot or kiss , her 85% loyalty still wrestling with her stubborn pride.

"i, stay here and monitor through the bond. If things go south, you and Lin retreat to the Shadow Forest boundary—that’s where we’ll regroup." I paused, then added with a grin, "And if I’m not back in an hour, feel free to rescue ."

Before either could protest, I stepped outside.

The grove had transford into a military camp. Sect disciples in their pristine white robes stood in formation, weapons drawn, qi flaring like small suns. But they all seed diminished by the woman standing at their center.

Elder Feng Lianhua looked exactly as I rembered—marble skin, jet-black hair pulled into that severe bun, curves that could stop wars wrapped in form-fitting obsidian silk.

But there was sothing different about her posture, the way her pale blue eyes tracked my every movent. The ice queen was definitely thinking about our last encounter.

"Well, well," I said casually, hands clasped behind my back as I approached. "Feng Lianhua. You’re looking... tense. Bad dreams?"

Her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "You have sothing that belongs to us."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"Information. The location of the rebel Chen. The escaped prisoners. Your little... techniques." The last word ca out slightly strained, and I caught the faint flush creeping up her neck.

Perfect. She was rattled.

I took another step closer, ignoring the disciples raising their weapons. "Techniques? I’m just a simple old emperor. What could I possibly know that the mighty Immortal Sect doesn’t?"

"Don’t play gas!" she snapped, but her voice cracked slightly. "That aphrodisiac attack—how did you do it? What cultivation thod allows such... base manipulation?"

Hook, line, and sinker. She’d been obsessing over it, probably trying to replicate the effect. The system had been right—this was definitely attraction mixed with professional curiosity.

I smiled slowly, letting a hint of my new aura seep out. With the Horny God inheritance active, I could control exactly how much sensual energy to emit. Just enough to make her skin warm, her breathing slightly deeper.

"Curious, are we? That’s not very... Sect-like behavior, Elder Feng. Shouldn’t you just kill and be done with it?"

Her disciples shifted nervously, clearly expecting their leader to order my imdiate execution. But Feng hesitated, those pale eyes studying with an intensity that had nothing to do with combat assessnt.

"You’re different," she said finally. "Younger. Stronger. That’s impossible—body reconstruction requires decades of preparation, spirit materials worth kingdoms..."

"Maybe I had help," I suggested, taking another step closer. We were only a few feet apart now, close enough that I could sll her jasmine perfu mixed with sothing darker. "Maybe soone very powerful took an interest in this ’simple old emperor.’"

I was playing with fire and we both knew it. But I could see the calculation in her eyes—the desperate need to understand what had happened to her, what I’d done to make a Nascent Soul cultivator lose control so completely.

"Prove it," she said suddenly. "Show this power of yours. If you can... affect again, I’ll answer one question. Any question."

The disciples around us went rigid with shock. Their untouchable ice queen was practically begging to molest her with qi techniques. This was either going to be the best negotiation of my life or the stupidest way to die ever conceived.

I pretended to consider, then nodded slowly. "Very well. But not here. Too many... witnesses. And I assu you’d prefer not to lose face in front of your subordinates?"

Her nostrils flared slightly, but she nodded. "The others will maintain periter. You and I... sowhere private."

As I gestured toward the palace entrance, I caught sight of Lin Yue’s face in the doorway—pure horror mixed with grudging admiration. i’s expression was easier to read through our bond: complete faith that her husband knew what he was doing.

I just hoped she was right.

"After you, Elder Feng," I said with a mock bow. "Let’s discuss... techniques."

The system practically purred in my mind:

[Seduction Challenge Initiated: SSS-Rank Target]

[Warning: Extre Risk/Reward Scenario]

[Potential Outcos: Total Victory or Spectacular Death]