Chapter 148: The Most Appealing Material

After Hu Lei and the others departed, only Wu You and a group of various alchemical creatures involved in the construction remained upon the trunk of the Mountain Tree.

Of course, there were also the vast and diverse flocks of birds roosting among the uppermost branches and foliage of the Mountain Tree.

These birds had long since grown accustomed to the various sounds around the Mountain Tree. Even amidst the bustling phase of manor construction, they flew by unperturbed.

With its broad and encompassing spirit, the Mountain Tree provided a tranquil haven for all surrounding flora and fauna to rest and grow.

Though it was now the resting time for the birds, Wu You could still hear the occasional chirp breaking the silence.

This was quite unlike the noisy croaking of frogs he used to hear in his room during the spring and summer nights of his childhood. Back then, lacking air conditioning, the sweltering heat combined with the chorus of frogs made sleeping agitated and uncomfortable.

The occasional birdcalls echoing from the Mountain Tree were entirely different. Far from being noisy, they lent this vast expanse a unique sense of leisure and tranquility.

Even Wu You felt his mind grow noticeably calmer—such was the peculiar charm of the Mountain Tree.

He suddenly felt somewhat grateful that he had created the Mountain Tree during the very early stages. Otherwise, given his current state of mind brimming with wild ideas, even if he had conceived the World Tree, the project might have been postponed indefinitely.

The Mountain Tree possessed perception and wisdom; it would even proactively communicate with Wu You, though strictly limited to things within its natural canopy range that it deemed impactful to him.

Wu You greatly appreciated this peaceful mode of communication with the Mountain Tree.

He signaled for all the alchemical creatures to disperse. Those capable of flight winged away, while others descended the main trunk of the Mountain Tree on their own.

He glanced a few times at the manor buildings already completed along the various main branches of the Mountain Tree. It would be rather regrettable if they were damaged during the advancement process.

Strictly speaking, this series of manor structures was also alive. Wu You reached out, pressed his palm against the wall of the main building, and shifted his thoughts.

A flash of black light later, Wu You and one section of the buildings vanished from the trunk of the Mountain Tree.

After repeating this a few times, the entire cluster of manor buildings on the Mountain Tree had completely disappeared.

In contrast, over in the Eastern Realm's Cloud Sky Mountain Range, perched upon one of the mist-shrouded peaks, a complex of buildings now appeared, winding between the summit and the cliffside.

The base of each structure was supported by the thick roots of vine-like organisms; some stood directly upon the needle-like tip of the mountain, while others hung a dozen meters out over the precipice.

All the buildings were interconnected by vines, forming wide, steady suspension bridges.

Wu You commanded and manipulated his alchemical creatures as effortlessly as moving his own limbs. With the buildings already fully completed, erecting a foundation and linking them together was an absolute breeze.

Barely half a million—no, half an hour later.

The Myriad Beast Manor stood proudly a thousand meters above, wreathed in clouds and mist like an immortal's estate.

Hovering in mid-air, Wu You overlooked the complex of buildings, cupping his chin as he gazed left and right, highly satisfied with his artistic talent.

"It still seems to be missing something?"

A few minutes later, slightly lower down the mountain peak, an entrance to the manor formed from multicolored rose thorn-vines took shape, with two lines of characters growing naturally out of the thorns at the top.

The upper line was in Chinese characters reading "Myriad Beast Manor," and the lower line was in the script of the Eastern Realm, conveying the exact same meaning.

Ah, that was just about right.

This place was far superior to that private residence in Leping City, making Wu You feel immensely comfortable. Sleeping here for the night would probably be even more pleasant.

Hu Lei and his companions truly lived up to their genius reputations. Through multiple expansions, the designed architecture incorporated styles from around the world and mythological legends, yet all harmoniously converged into a single place.

Wu You descended into a main hall shaped somewhat like a spired tower, exuding a strong fantasy aesthetic.

"Snap."

With a snap of his fingers, two busty, hot-blooded female vampires materialized before him. These were the very two who frequently helped clean Wu You's house when his parents went traveling.

The female vampires were indeed striking, though the wings on their backs ruined Wu You's aesthetic appreciation. Even if they were invisible in human mimicry form, Wu You knew those wings were retracted tightly against their backs, not entirely absent.

Ahem, a smooth-bodied dark-winged maiden wasn't necessarily a bad thing either... Stop right there, long live socialist harmony!

He cast off the inappropriate thoughts from his mind.

"From now on, I leave this place in your care. If anyone happens to stray in by mistake, well... you can decide what to do yourselves."

With those words, Wu You vanished right on the spot.

He still needed to prepare a special material. During the subsequent advancement and nurturing process, there might be instances where the developmental potential became exhausted, requiring him to perform alchemy on the Mountain Tree once more.

The material that had piqued Wu You's interest most recently was singular: a living spirit.

***

More than an hour later, the magistrate of Leping City personally led the way with bailiffs in front, followed by Wang Fugui the Lying Beast and Wu You.

Before long, the group arrived at the dungeons of Leping City.

A total of thirty-six criminals were locked up inside the cells—some merely petty thieves, others notorious bandits, and some wrongfully imprisoned.

Now, regardless of their health, all thirty-six prisoners had been escorted to the main dungeon hall by the yamen's two premier gold-badge bailiffs, flanked by a squad of guards.

With gleaming waist sabers surrounding them, heavy handcuffs and foot shackles weighing them down, and suffering from prolonged malnutrition, even the prisoners possessed of martial arts skills dared not make a rash move.

The two premier gold-badge bailiffs breathed evenly, their eagle-like gazes locked onto a few key felons in the crowd.

Their official ranks were only slightly lower than the magistrate's, and their martial arts were even superior. They were also qualified to know about the immortal estate known as the Myriad Beast Manor.

Having suddenly received word moments ago that someone from the immortal estate required a batch of prisoners, how could the yamen dare to dally? They had made preparations immediately.

The magistrate stepped into the dungeon first, then stepped aside to respectfully invite Wang Fugui and Wu You inside.

"Respected Master, all thirty-six prisoners are right here, at your complete disposal."

Upon hearing these words, a sallow and emaciated bald man in the crowd immediately cried out, "My lord, I am wronged! My lord, have mercy and save..."

One of the gold-badge bailiffs roared, "Audacious!"

A figure flashed to the man's side, his palm swinging like a gale to strike the fellow's cheek.

"Crack..."

With a heavy thud, four or five yellowish teeth mixed with blood flew sideways through the air.

The gold-badge bailiff flashed back to his original spot in a blur, while the cheek of the bald man who had just shouted swelled to twice its size, rendering him utterly incapable of uttering another syllable.

A few others who had also intended to cry out their grievances swallowed their words right back down into their stomachs upon seeing this scene, casting expectant gazes toward Wang Fugui and Wu You instead.

"Master, is the quantity sufficient? If not, there is no shortage of vagrants in the city."

Wang Fugui spoke with his usual smiling expression.

This remark sent a foreboding premonition through the minds of the prisoners, yet their hope remained undimmed as they cast their gazes upon Wu You, who appeared to be the youngest person present and evidently the master calling the shots.

It was plain to see that he was the principal decision-maker.

"Good, the quantity is enough."

Without another word, Wu You reached out directly toward the person standing nearest the edge—one of the individuals the bailiffs had been keeping a close eye on.

From the very beginning, this old man had been regarding Wu You and Wang Fugui with a sneer of derision.

Wu You smiled at him. "Spirit Deprivation!"

The very next second, Wu You saw a highly concentrated mass of spiritual matter fly into his hand as if teleporting.

And the old man slumped softly forward without the slightest warning.

In the eyes of the magistrate, the bailiffs, the other prisoners, and everyone else present, they merely saw Wu You raise a hand as if lifting or grasping something, and that once-notorious bandit suddenly collapsed just like that.

Everyone knew how ferocious this old man was; he had never shown such abnormal weakness before, and not even red-hot irons could make him bend his knees by an inch.

Yet this bizarre spectacle...

Aside from Wu You and Wang Fugui, goosebumps broke out across the skin of everyone present, every single hair standing rigidly on end.