Plum Blossom City, as the name describes it, is a mountainous city surrounded by a forest of plum blossoms.
On the largest hill is where the rulers of the city, a Branch of the Yin-Yang Sect, are located around a massive plum blossom tree.
From the outside, pink flower petals surrounded the entire city, and Mira could discern a slightly pink aura radiating from the city. Though, she assumed that had nothing to do with the plum blossoms.
From the information Mira gathered about the Top Orthodox Sects of the Western Continent, the Yin-Yang Sect is one of them. While they certainly aren't the strongest and have always stayed neutral throughout history, they are still a force to be reckoned with.
There are 7 Top Orthodox Sects on the Continent which are, in order from 'strongest to weakest':
1. Immortal Sword Sect
2. Profound Elements Sect
3. Heaven-Defying Pill Sect
4. Battle Maiden Sect
5. Hidden Blade Sect
6. Divine Weapons Sect
7. Yin-Yang Sect
Of course, this ranking is merely based on the public perception of these Sects. In terms of overall power, each of them is about the same. They all have at least 1 Divine Sea Realm expert and 20 Mortal Shedding Realm experts.
However, in terms of combat ability at their cultivation level, Sects like the Heaven-Defying Pill Sect are probably the lowest out of all 7 Sects. It's their connections and public opinion that has placed them so high on the list.
Nobody is willing to mess with them since not only do they have ties to the Central Continent, but they have customers all over the Western Continent.
Hell, they even have connections with the Mercenary Association! Therefore, fighting the Heaven-Defying Pill Sect is like fighting against the world. Nobody is willing to do that.
There are also a few Sects that Mira has actually encountered before back in Lunar Fox City. They are the Immortal Sword Sect, the Profound Elements Sect (the 8 Profound Elements Sect back in Lunar Fox City), and the Heaven-Defying Pill Sect.
With the Top 4 Sects having a network of branch sects that can basically span the entire continent, it's not odd that they are perceived as stronger than the other 3.
The Yin-Yang Sect is slightly different from the others and is sometimes not even classified as an Orthodox Sect because they are a Dual Cultivation Sect!
Meaning the primary way they cultivate is through constant sex and exchange of energies.
It's a highly controversial Sect, and the only reason they are considered Orthodox is that their cultivation techniques aren't inherently evil. They don't have to go around slaughtering babies or r*ping countless mortal women/men to become stronger.
Mira didn't quite understand how they cultivated or what kind of techniques they used, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't interested.
Obviously, she wasn't interested in the sex portion, but she wanted to know how they got stronger by exchanging energies.
Mira felt like there was something to gain from their cultivation techniques, and they might be able to help increase her strength even further.
One of her biggest problems right now is her Dao and all the different energies and affinities she's able to use.
She has Yin Lightning, Yin Fire, Earth, Wind, Ice/Water, and Dark affinities. Yin Fire and Yin Lightning are affinities that are originally Yang elements. Earth and Wind are more neutral and can go either way, while Ice/Water and Dark are Yin elements.
The problem is that her Dao requires her to improve her comprehension of all these elements.
But how long will that take?
Too fucking long!
She'll probably spend more time trying to comprehend the depths of these elements than she will cultivating!
Therefore, in the back of Mira's head, she's always been thinking about ways she can speed this process up.
The fastest and probably best way is to use her FLDIL, but things that can improve her comprehension are expensive! Not to mention, she can't even think about unlocking them right now because she hasn't made any more progress in the Abyssal Torment Steps.
Thus, when Mira heard that the Yin-Yang Sect's cultivation techniques were all about exchanging energies to improve one's own, she felt like there was something to be gained there.
She was a bit reluctant to enter a city controlled by a Dual Cultivation Sect as she could smell trouble, but it didn't really matter to her. It was just a branch of the Yin-Yang Sect, anyway.
The Sect Leader is, at most, someone in the Soul Transformation Realm. She should be fine if she doesn't threaten the entire branch. There's no way the Yin-Yang Sect's Main Branch would dispatch their Mortal Shedding Realm elders to play Sect Leader at a branch sect.
Thus, Mira and Hana entered the city with confidence!
As soon as they entered, their noses were flooded with a fruity scent that seemed to relax the mind. However, it seems there was a light aphrodisiac within the air as well. Although it didn't affect Mira, Hana's face became a little red, and her body warmed up.
Mira sent her Qi into Hana's body to remove this effect and frowned.
"It seems this city isn't very child friendly."
Hana wasn't sure why Mira said that or what had just happened, but her opinion of Plum Blossom City dropped.
"Let's go find an inn to stay at. I'll also keep a lookout for any healing pills you can use. I think having your legs broken for a week while being carried through the mountains is enough of a punishment."
Relief washed over Hana's body when she heard that, and she vigorously nodded.
Fortunately, these things were easy to find. As a city that encourages fornication, inns are everywhere, and since Hana was just a mortal, Mira didn't need to buy any high-grade healing pill. Just a Human or Mortal Grade pill would do the trick.
By the end of the day, Hana was back to full health, sleeping on a nice comfy bed with a relaxed smile on her face.
Mira also had a smile on her face, but for a very different reason. She was about to go fishing…
She removed her mask, glanced at the sleeping Hana, then left the inn.
Naturally, her face, figure, and pink tail attracted a lot of attention.
"O… Oh my god!! Look at that woman! She's almost like a goddess!"
"Where did someone like her come from?!"
"Is she here to join the Yin-Yang Sect? I guess even someone like her can't resist the temptation…"
"Damn! Do you think I'll have a shot with her if I join the Yin-Yang Sect?"
"Hell no! Take a look in the mirror! You look about as handsome as my father's asshole!"
"What did you say?!"
Mira heard all kinds of murmurs from the surrounding people, but she didn't react to them.
She made sure that the aura she released was just frightening enough to keep the annoying flies away but with not so scary that she'll dissuade any 'big fish' from approaching her.
Mira walked a bit closer to where the Yin-Yang Sect was located. She didn't want to go inside but just wanted her presence to be known.
There were a few male disciples at the Core Formation Realm hanging around near the edge of the Sect who managed to see her.
They were so awestruck by her appearance that they weren't able to until Mira was already gone.
However, this sparked a discussion between them.
"Did you see that beautiful lady?"
"So you saw her too, huh? I thought I was going crazy for a second there!"
"Me too. I never thought there could be a woman so beautiful before!"
"Say… what do you think it'd be like to cultivate with such a woman?"
"This… I don't know, but I can't imagine dual cultivating with a beautiful girl could be bad. She was a fox beastman on top of that!"
"You're right! I bet dual cultivating with her would be ten times more efficient than the women in the Sect."
"Let's go look for her."
"Alright!"
That night, there were people, mainly men, searching all over the city for an outrageously beautiful fox woman.
However, she was only said to have been spotted roaming around the city for a few hours before she disappeared.
News of this reached the disciples of the Yin-Yang Sect, so more and more disciples went down into the city and began searching for a beautiful fox woman the next day.
They searched for hours until a few noticed a large crowd of people surrounding a particular inn.
Curious, the disciples and the surrounding people went over, and sitting near the window was perhaps the most beautiful woman they'd ever laid eyes on, eating across the table from a little girl.
Mira, who was eating with Hana, didn't pay any attention to these people. They kept trying to talk with her or sit down at her table, but whenever someone got too close, they'd feel the brunt of her killing intent.
Those people would either fall unconscious, foaming at the mouth, or piss themselves and run away.
After a while, everyone seemed to understand that getting too close to Mira wouldn't do them any good, so they waited for her to say something.
Hana was confused by what Mira was doing, but the small smile on Mira's face sent shivers down her spine, so she didn't dare ask.
She knew Mira was planning something and couldn't help but feel pity for the poor soul who Mira wanted to mess with.
The two continued to eat in silence as more and more people surrounded her.
However, after a while, the crowd began to part as if they were making way for someone important.
Hana then heard Mira say something under her breath.
"It seems I was only able to catch a medium-sized fish… Oh well, he'll have to do."
Mira didn't even bother looking at what was happening to the crowd and kept indifferently eating her food.
