Now, it has been a week since the death of Ming.

As Hao Gongming was lost in her thoughts, a soft voice came from behind, saying, "Master, here is the meat of a six-legged rabbit cooked by me for you."

Yan Kang, a slender 20-year-old boy with a knack for cooking and art, had joined her after she discovered him in a village.

She had offered him the opportunity to become immortal, and he had eagerly accepted it.

Hao Gongming accepted the meal with a smile and then asked, "Where is Su?"

Yan Kang replied softly, "He said he went hunting."

Hao Gongming's anger flared as she responded, "Didn't I tell you not to let him go alone?"

Yan Kang lowered his head and replied, "I couldn't stop him."

Sighing, Hao Gongming realized she needed to reach the Cloudy Sky Sect as quickly as possible before more of her harem members met the same fate as Ming.

A few days ago, she arrived at a village and took five boys as disciples, forming a harem.

However, after a few days, only three of them remained.

Deep in the jungle, monsters appeared frequently, and her healing techniques couldn't save the weak boys with their low fire resistance.

She said, "Alright, wake Peng up; we must leave this place quickly and reach the sect. I'll find Su myself."

Han Peng, a lazy boy whose father had forced him to become Hao Gongming's disciple, was usually asleep when possible.

Soon, she hugged all three boys tightly and swiftly carried them toward the Cloudy Sky Sect's gathering place.

In less than a day, they arrived at the sect's entrance.

Using her identity seal, Hao Gongming entered without suspicion.

Tan Su, Yan Kang, and Han Peng followed closely behind her, their expressions subdued. Though Tan Su appeared dissatisfied, he refrained from voicing his discontent and simply followed along.

Before long, they arrived at the treasure hall of this gathering place.

Each gathering place operated like an independent sect, equipped with a library, treasury, and all the amenities one would find in a regular sect.

However, during times of crisis, they would unite and follow the headquarters' orders.

At the entrance to the treasure hall stood two guards at the 10th level of Qi Condensation.

Hao Gongming swiftly approached them, catching them off guard and rendering them unconscious with a quick strike.

As they ventured inside, she encountered various individuals. Still, all were weak, so she knocked them all out.

Exploring the surroundings, the three young boys couldn't fully comprehend the significance of their surroundings, but they were awe-struck by the extravagance.

Hao Gongming soon discovered the most valuable treasures within the building.

Firstly, she acquired a spatial ring with a storage capacity of 20 cubic meters, specifically designed to preserve inanimate objects, as stated in the accompanying instruction manual she found nearby.

Secondly, she stumbled upon an endless wine gourd and a collection of aged, valuable wines.

Thirdly, she procured high-quality garments that doubled as protective armor, suitable for her harem members to ensure their survival.

And lastly, she discovered a map detailing the headquarters' locations and other gathering places.

Along with the other treasures, she discovered a vast collection of pills beneficial for Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment and many spiritual stones.

She gathered them all, storing them in the spatial ring, and then picked her harem members to leave the treasury.

Without anyone noticing, they had successfully looted the entire treasury.

It had far fewer things than she expected. Still, she may have been expecting too much, as the highest cultivation base in this gathering place was only the core formation.

Moving on, Hao Gongming proceeded to the library, repeating the process of gathering all the books and exercises that appeared helpful.

After looting everything useful, they left the gathering place without raising suspicion.

Only a few hours later, the people in the gathering place discovered the theft, leaving them shocked and prompting the closure of all exits.

However, by then, Hao Gongming and her harem were already far away on their way to the headquarters.

...

Just before reaching the headquarters, she decided to conduct an experiment.

Addressing her harem, she said, "Boys, I will give you these pills now. Try using them to reach the Qi Condensation stage."

She had carefully chosen her harem members, confirming that all three possessed the necessary talent for cultivation, although not at the top level, but still better than average.

Checking her system, she saw, "Harem members: Tan Su: 100 XP daily Yan Kang: 100 XP daily Han Peng: 100 XP daily"

"Now, let's see what happens when they reach Qi Condensation!"

Excitedly, she retrieved many precious pills from the ring and called Tan Su out, instructing him to consume the pills.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Despite his initial reluctance to be carried by her, this muscular and defiant boy had the highest talent among the three, making him the chosen candidate to consume the pills first.

Usually, reaching the first level of Qi Condensation would take a long time, but with the abundance of pills and the assistance of someone with Nascent Soul battle strength, the process should be easy.

After taking numerous precious pills, just two hours later, Tan Su successfully reached the first level of Qi Condensation. The system reflected the change:

"Tan Su: 50,000 XP daily Yan Kang: 100 XP daily Han Peng: 100 XP daily"

Hao Gongming was thrilled and thought, "Excellent! Suppose I have 100 harem members, each of whom reaches the Nascent Soul stage. In that case, I can't even imagine the amount of XP I would receive daily without much effort."

She then proceeded to help the other two members reach the Qi Condensation stage as well.

However, there was a complication with Han Peng due to the potency of a strong pill, he nearly exploded, but fortunately, he managed to survive.

After completing the process, Hao Gongming reviewed her system interface, which displayed the following information: "Physical Power: 32, Magical Power: 10.5, Soul Power: 10.7, Free Stat Points: 8, Level: 27 (61,459,118/33,554,432,000), Talent: Low-Level Dragon Blood."

Finding the numbers to be quite absurd, she expressed her frustration, "These numbers are becoming ridiculous. Hey, system, can't you simplify it?" However, the system remained unresponsive.

With a sigh, Hao Gongming allocated all eight stat points to physical strength.

Immediately, she felt the world was dust, the sun nothing more than a candle.

She experienced a godlike sensation, observing the world from above. With her physical power now at 40, her physical strength alone could rival a cultivator at the Soul Transformation stage.

The system congratulated her on reaching a milestone and presented her with the following rewards:

1. Legendary Thick Skin: All physical damage received will be significantly reduced.

2. Legendary Blood Strength: the host can gain physical strength by burning their blood.

3. Legendary Inexhaustible: The host will experience minimal exhaustion from physical activity."

4. Legendary Absolute Defense: the host can block one attack with power no higher than the soul transformation realm per day.

5. Legendary Overwhelming Strength: the host's strength would be increased by 20 for one hour and then drop by 20 for 23 hours. This skill could be used once a day.

6. Legendary Breaking the Void: The host can travel through the void. However, the outcome after is determined by fate and luck. The host might appear in a faraway place within this world or even in an entirely different world.

After the invincible feeling subsided, Hao Gongming examined her new skill and pondered, "This skill is like the last resort, to be used when I have exhausted all other options and need to escape by any means necessary. It's good to have it as the ultimate escape method."

Then, Hao Gongming focused her gaze on the headquarters of Cloudy Sky Sect with a serious expression.

This sect held dominion over a vast province, so its ancestor must be at the Soul Transformation stage. Although she didn't fear it, she knew she had to proceed a little cautiously.

Hao Gongming was unaware of the traps and schemes that might be there.

Next, she turned to her harem members and stated firmly, "You three, stay here and try to avoid trouble, alright?"

Without waiting for their response, she swiftly began her approach.

Rumors circulated that the headquarters housed cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage and beyond.

The sect master, Bai Huo, was said to have reached the Nascent Soul stage.

Although a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage was a relatively easy opponent, she couldn't eliminate them silently.

Engaging in a direct fight would result in a loud commotion, which would undoubtedly alert the ancestor, likely at the Soul Transformation stage.

Hao Gongming approached the gate and observed the four guards, all at the Foundation Establishment level, standing watch.

With lightning-like speed and precision, Hao Gongming successfully incapacitated all four guards without raising the alarm.

It was a clean job, and nobody had noticed her presence until she encountered an unexpected obstacle.

A purple shield materialized, blocking her path, accompanied by a piercing sound.

It was a protective formation!

In the gathering places, such formations were nonexistent. However, the headquarters boasted one that rendered infiltration nearly impossible without detection.

Doubts crept into her mind as she remembered the book's claim that even the lowest-level formation was expensive enough that only ascendant-level sects could afford them.

She regretted placing too much trust in a low-level book.

Amidst the commotion, she made a decision.

"I won't retreat. Let's use this opportunity to test my strength."

She took a deep breath and unleashed a punch with all her might.

The moment her fist collided with the purple shield, a deafening sound reverberated.

Everything within a 100-meter radius, including gates and buildings, was obliterated and reduced to rubble. The ground beneath the sect's premises shook violently.

However, to her surprise, the shield persisted with only a crack on its surface.

Hao Gongming frowned in response. She hadn't anticipated it to be so resilient.

She continued her attacks, unleashing punch after punch, seeking to create more cracks in the shield.

A group of foundation establishment cultivators, led by a core formation cultivator, rushed to the scene.

However, the shockwaves generated by Hao Gongming's powerful punches flung the foundation establishment cultivators far away, leaving many critically injured.

Only the core formation cultivator managed to barely withstand the impact, his eyes filled with terror.

"Who is this? This formation can withstand attacks from ascendant cultivators!" he exclaimed, immediately informing the sect master of the situation.

Upon receiving the news, the sect master, who was only at the nascent soul stage, quickly commanded, "Withdraw! Abandon everything and retreat to the headquarters in Qin Country's capital!"

Cloudy Sky Sect not only controlled Yin province, but it also controlled many other countries and provinces as well.

The current location was just the sect's headquarters in Yin Province, where they had been stationed.

Their plan was to escape to the headquarters in Qin Country.

While they didn't have complete control over Qin Country, their influence was significant.

Once they arrived, they could contact the continental headquarters in Xu Continent, where higher-ranking cultivators would decide the next course of action.

Hao Gongming continued her relentless assault, frustration seeping into her thoughts.

The formation kept cracking but refused to break.

"How did this sect acquire such a formidable formation with a soul transformation ancestor? Even my hand feels a little sore after punching so many times."

Now, her primary method of attack is using her hands and feet since her spells are relatively weak due to her current cultivation level, which is only at the Qi condensation stage, and she lacks any formidable weapons.

She decided to test one of her skills: "Legendary Blood Strength. This skill allows her to temporarily increase her strength by burning her own blood."

She used the skill cautiously, ensuring she didn't burn too much blood.

As her strength skyrocketed, she delivered a powerful punch that created an incredible sound, resulting in shockwaves that decimated everything within a kilometer radius.

Finally, the shield that could withstand attacks from an ascendant cultivator shattered.

Hao Gongming confidently entered, using her spiritual sense to explore her surroundings.

She ran throughout the area, but to her surprise, she found no one.

Despite her speed and thorough search, she cannot locate a single individual.

"They ran away? Wasn't this their headquarters? Where did they go?" she pondered, feeling baffled.

Nevertheless, she shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention to the treasury.

Astonishingly, it remained untouched and filled with treasures. Hao Gongming inspected other crucial locations within the sect, such as the library and training grounds, and discovered that everything was undisturbed.

"They fear me so much that they flee without even taking these treasures?" Hao Gongming thought, finding it hard to believe she was perceived as such a terrifying existence.

"In any case, now that it's empty, I can take over this place," she said with a smile, determined to make the sect's headquarters her own.

Soon, Hao Gongming brought her harem members, who were left behind by her tens of kilometers away, into the sect's headquarters and assigned them rooms near her own.

She planned to repair the damaged gates and structures and, if feasible, restore the formation to establish this place as her base of operations, her harem.

With a clear objective, she carefully inspected the treasury and other places.