Chapter 686: Chapter 686: Shifting Alignments
The sight of Sharon broken and babbling on the silk sheets sent a wave of raw, electric awe straight through the minds of the watching women.
Beside the bed, Daphne—the other newly recruited friend who had just joined the pavilion’s registry—slowly ran her tongue over her lower lip, her chest heaving as a dangerous, burning heat ignited deep within her core. Her eyes locked onto her friend’s euphoric, drooling state, her mind rapidly executing a single, ambitious calculation: if a newcomer like Sharon could boldly demand and receive such a mind-melting treatment within her first ten minutes, then she possessed the exact same operational opportunity to claim the giant’s favor for herself.
Meanwhile, a heavy, deeply agonizing sense of regret instantly washed over Meave, Mirah, Cardis, and Clare.
The four primary assistants stood frozen, staring at the bed with a bitter, hollow ache tearing through their chests. They had spent six long months working at Ethan’s side, breathing the same air, handling his clinical tools, and watching his majestic physique every single day. Throughout that entire time, they had aggressively suppressed their deepest, most desperate desires, terrified that making a single bold move would rupture their professional standing and cause them to lose their coveted positions.
But watching Sharon touch the high heavens right before their eyes made the cruel reality painfully clear. They had lived in fear of losing everything by trying—yet, in reality, they had lost everything by never trying at all. They had voluntarily starved themselves on the doorstep of a god, and the realization was a bitter pill that left them silent as they worked together to dress their paralyzed companion.
Ethan walked back out into the center of the main courtyard, his presence immediately dominating the open space.
Old Elder Ash and Elder Driz were already standing near the perimeter, their personal baggage perfectly sealed within high-tier spatial rings. Louisa and Mary had successfully executed their sprint to the outer sector as well, returning to the compound with a heavily breathing, thoroughly stunned Roy in tow. Ethan greeted his inner circle with a slow, deeply confident smile, his eyes cutting through the assembly to evaluate their readiness.
Standing slightly to the left, Elder Driz was already aggressively running a complex web of political calculations through his mind. His sharp eyes scanned the group of flushed, whispering assistants who were carefully carrying a half-paralyzed Sharon out of the side quarters. A dark, triumphant glint sparked within the old politician’s gaze. It was blatantly obvious that the legendary Immortal Doctor possessed an insatiable appetite for the flesh.
By an stroke of administrative luck, Driz had brought ten exceptionally beautiful, high-tier female attendants along with his personal vanguard—each one thoroughly trained in the elegant arts of hospitality. Driz immediately decided he would insert these women into Ethan’s daily routine on the new capital peak to aggressively chip away at his defenses and buy his favor. At the end of the day, political loyalty was an asset that could always be bought with the right currency. Isolated far away from Princess Isabella’s immediate reach, the young doctor’s imperial allegiance would inevitably erode under the right carnal pressure, making it simple to drag him straight into the Fourth Prince’s domestic faction.
Across the courtyard, Elder Ash remained motionless, his cold, trained eyes keeping a razor-sharp, permanent lock on Driz’s every micro-expression.
The veteran spy couldn’t have cared less about Ethan’s chaotic sex life or how many women he chose to break in his private quarters. In fact, this behavioral data not was entirely unmapped to him; before his deployment, Princess Isabella herself had delivered a highly confidential briefing regarding the doctor’s psychological profile. The Princess had explicitly warned him that Ethan was exceptionally lustful, frequently operating on raw, dominant carnal instincts.
"He is an slave to his desires; however, he is not an idiot. Do not ever attempt to use pussy to manipulate or conquer his mind, or he will unhesitatingly slaughter you where you stand."
Ash knew the structural reality perfectly. Ethan was a monster who happily consumed every savory meal placed before him, but the exact millisecond a woman was weaponized as a political trap, his predatory instincts would trigger an bloodbath. While Driz was eagerly preparing to hand over his beautiful pawns, he was entirely blind to the fact that he was walking his lineage straight into a lethal, unpredictable meat-grinder.
"I am glad to see that you are all ready," Ethan began, his deep voice carrying an relaxed authority as he addressed the waiting group. "Since everything is secure, let us—"
"Please forgive my lateness, Master!" a sharp, clear voice rang out across the broken stones, cutting through the heavy air. "I was fulfilling the exact task you assigned me. I returned the second I received your message."
Ethan stopped speaking, a slow, deeply amused smile spreading across his handsome face as he looked toward the perimeter.
Dashing through the shattered main gates was Elder Hestia, the senior woman in charge of the Logistics Pavilion. She had been serving as Ethan’s special, hidden pawn—a secret asset whose whereabouts for the last six months had been a total mystery to everyone else. Not a single soul outside of Ethan knew where she had been.
Elder Driz violently stiffened, his breath catching in his throat. Over the last few months, he had moved his entire network to its limit desperately trying to locate Hestia. He wanted to use her to begin integrating himself into Ethan’s inner circle, especially since none of Ethan’s other doncellas ever left the pavilion for anything other than gathering resources before returning without deviating a single centimeter. Hestia had been his best option, but no one had seen her until now.
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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
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Sword mastery levels
Sword Intent.
Sword Aura.
