The Cold and Aloof Palace Master's Daily Demon-Slaying Life

At the same time, an indescribable torrent of spiritual energy, extremely pure and immense, was forcibly extracted, purified, and gathered from the depths of the earth vein connected to the instrument's base. Through the complex spiritual energy conduits inside the instrument, it was frantically injected into the azure crystal, and then transformed into a more stable and gentle dark blue energy. Like breathing, it spread and rippled outwards from the crystal's surface, filling the entire space inside the tower!

The entire activation process was filled with the beauty of power and order, like witnessing a sophisticated "super engine" being ignited, which was truly awe-inspiring.

At this moment, the entire energy node is fully activated.

As long as the final command is given at the core of the array located in the main hall of Taihua Peak, the massive amount of heaven and earth energy extracted and transformed by this node will be transformed into a magnificent energy pillar that can pierce the sky along the special structure at the top of the spire. It will rise into the sky and merge with the pillars of light from the other thirty-five nodes to form the indestructible giant protective array that protects the sect.

However, Zuo Qingqiu was not activating it at this moment to test whether the sect's protective formation was functioning properly.

With a slight thought, she took out the "Hundred Beauties Picture" scroll, which was rolled up with dark purple animal hide as the axis and inlaid with black jade, from her storage bag.

"Sister, what is this?" Xiaobai looked at the scroll with curiosity.

"A rather special magic weapon." Zuo Qingqiu didn't say much, but with a flick of his wrist, he unfurled the Hundred Beauties Painting in mid-air.

The snow-silk brocade painting, shimmering with ethereal light, appears even more crystalline under the glow of deep blue energy. The hundred lifelike beauties depicted in the painting seem to come alive even more vividly.

Zuo Qingqiu made a hand seal and gently touched the unfolded Hundred Beauties picture.

"go."

The Hundred Beauties Picture transformed into a streak of light and flew into the center of the densest dark blue energy field emanating from the "Array Orbiter," hovering in mid-air.

The next moment, with Zuo Qingqiu's tacit approval and control, Bai Meitu, like a gluttonous beast that had been starving for a long time, began to frantically and greedily absorb the pure and magnificent azure energy around it!

The scroll moved on its own without wind, trembling slightly, and its surface shone with a brilliant light!

The images of the hundred beauties in the painting seem to come alive, their eyes sparkling and their robes fluttering.

With the massive influx of energy, Bai Meitu reached a certain critical point—

"Buzz—!"

The scroll suddenly trembled, bursting forth with an even more dazzling light!

Immediately afterwards, one after another, slender, semi-transparent figures dressed in various ancient costumes, like celestial maidens breaking free from the constraints of the painting, gracefully flew out from the heart of the radiant painting!

One, two, ten, a hundred...

In just a few breaths, a hundred illusory beauties, each with stunning looks and unique temperament, gracefully landed on the ground inside the tower. They stood there quietly, densely packed yet orderly.

Their figures were ethereal, radiating a faint glow that matched the colors of their clothing in life. Their appearances were exactly the same as those in the paintings, but they lacked some of the alluring charm of the paintings and possessed more of the purity of their souls and a touch of sorrow.

The gathering of a hundred beauties, even though they were merely souls, still made this cold tower space magnificent and fragrant with their astonishing beauty and unique charm.

"Ah!" Xiaobai was startled by the dense "ghostly figures" and instinctively screamed. She quickly hid behind Zuo Qingqiu, hugged her leg tightly, and only dared to peek out with half of her head, nervously peeking.

But when she peeked out completely and saw that the "ghosts" were not fanged and blue-faced, but rather beautiful, gentle or lively older sisters, her fear instantly dissipated, replaced by a strong sense of curiosity.

"Sister, sister...who are they...?" Xiao Bai asked softly, her eyes unable to resist scanning the beautiful souls.

Wow, this lady is so pretty!

That lady has such a gentle demeanor!

And that older sister, her smile must be so beautiful...

"They are the souls within this demonic artifact, the 'Hundred Beauties Scroll.' In their previous lives, they were all unfortunate women, harmed by the demon and cast into this scroll," Zuo Qingqiu explained simply, her tone calm. "Now that the demon has been eliminated, they have nowhere to go for the time being, so I brought them back and temporarily placed them here. The spiritual energy provided by this energy node is sufficient to sustain their souls' consumption and basic activities."

As Zuo Qingqiu was speaking, the eldest sister, who was at the head of the group, once again led the other women to gracefully bow down to her:

"We, your servants, greet the fairy." The voices were soft and even, like a gentle breeze rustling through a bamboo forest.

"Rise, you need not perform such a grand ceremony when you see me again." Zuo Qingqiu gestured with his hand. "This is Zixu Peak. I will take you to meet the two deputy peak masters later so that they may mistake you for intruding evil spirits and cause unnecessary misunderstandings. After that, you are free to move around within the boundaries of Zixu Peak. As long as you do not leave the peak or use large-scale spells to disturb others, you will be fine. You can freely use the spiritual energy of the energy nodes here to sustain your souls and daily life."

"Yes, we will obey the fairy's command." The hundred beauties responded in unison, their voices clear and melodious, like a chorus of larks.

Zuo Qingqiu nodded slightly, said no more, turned around, and walked out of the tower with Xiaobai, who was still full of curiosity. The hundred beautiful souls, like the most well-trained maids, silently and elegantly lined up in two rows and followed behind.

Stepping out of the spire and bathed in the warm sunlight once more, Xiaobai couldn't help but tug at Zuo Qingqiu's sleeve, lean close to her ear, and whisper in telepathy:

"Sister, this array node... isn't it a public facility of the sect? If we use it to power our magic weapons, wouldn't that be misusing public resources? What if... I mean, what if... what if enemies come knocking and we need to activate the sect's protective array? Will we run out of energy if we use it all?"

Xiaobai's concerns are not unfounded.

The sect-protecting formation is crucial to the safety of the sect, and the importance of its energy nodes is self-evident.

Upon hearing this, Zuo Qingqiu merely smiled faintly and replied telepathically:

"It's alright. These array nodes are usually idle and 'collecting dust' 99% of the time. The sect's protective array is not activated unless the sect faces a major enemy. Rather than letting this massive amount of spiritual energy dissipate in vain, we should make the most of it and do something beneficial."

She paused, her tone carrying the unique confidence of a Golden Core True Monarch:

"Moreover, with me here, which of those first-rate sects in the Central Plains, with only a dozen or so Grand Perfection Purple Mansion cultivators in charge, would dare to attack easily? Their sect-protecting formations would naturally be useless."

"As for the attackers... if they are True Lords of the same level as me..."

Zuo Qingqiu raised her eyes, looked at the clear blue sky, and spoke in a calm tone, yet with an air of indifference that seemed to look down upon the world:

"This sect-protecting formation is nothing more than a slightly thicker wall."