Entering the city lord's mansion after restoring his mana, Paul didn't see anything wrong with the barrier, so he immediately went to look at the array and the crystals.
The moment he entered the hidden room, he saw what had happened.
Two of the dozen crystals were shattered, their pieces lying on the floor.
-Damn, I was afraid this would happen.
Lord Sei stated as he materialized.
-Sei, tell me that we still have enough time to escape.
Paul said, looking at the crystal shards on the floor.
-We might, but it will be extremely close.
The soul said.
-With the two crystals gone, the rest will have shorter recharge cycles to compensate, so the amount of stress they will be under will increase, shortening their lifespan considerably.
-Tell me the bottom line.
Paul interrupted him with a grave expression.
-If we don't lose any more crystals, we have a month, maybe six weeks if we are lucky.
In the worst-case scenario, we have two weeks at most.
Sei stated in a grave voice.
-We won't make it.
Paul stated the obvious.
In the most optimistic scenario, he would reach the ascension realm in three weeks to a month, with at least a week or two for the breakthrough.
Right now, however, they were down to six weeks, and that was assuming that the rest of the crystals would last that long.
The moment this barrier was gone, he did not doubt that the creatures would attack the city, and there was no way for a bit more than three hundred people to defend it
Worst of all, he still had over a hundred and fifty levels to go before the breakthrough.
-Damn it, I was hoping not to use this method, but it looks like we don't have any other choice.
Paul muttered.
The method he was talking about was to use Wei Lan's and Wu Yin's physiques to rapidly increase Paul's cultivation.
However, doing so would drain almost all of their cultivation, and he was not certain if it would be enough to reach the ascension stage.
-Unfortunately, this might be the only chance for all of us to leave this place before the barrier shuts down.
Sei Agreed with Paul's assessment of the situation.
Paul didn't linger and went back to the mansion, summoning all the ladies in the city and informing them about the crisis they were facing.
Predictably, the women were terrified, hearing that their timetable was cut by more than half or even more, depending on their luck.
No one had any doubts about their fate the moment the barrier disappeared and the pulse it generated along with it.
-Is there anything we can do to buy ourselves more time?
Lin Mei asked, hoping that there was a way to bypass the crystals and maybe even use themselves as replacements to power the array.
However, her hopes were shattered when Paul shook his head.
-There is exactly nothing that we can do to gain more time, unless we find more crystals, and we all know that there are none in this whole city.
However, there still might be a chance for me to reach the ascension stage before our time is up.
He said, looking at Lan and Yin, who had already agreed to sacrifice their cultivation.
This would set them back a lot, but on the other hand, their power would do them no good if they were dead or worse.
Paul introduced the idea to everyone, as it would take a lot of time to transfer the ladies' levels to him, so he would not be cultivating with anyone else until it was done.
Additionally, he asked everyone if they would agree to enter the slavery contract with him ahead of time.
The idea was to leave the Blue Lotus city as soon as he reached the next stage, and it was unclear if they would have enough time to do so in the same way they had planned it, when they thought that they had more time, and the last thing anyone wanted was for someone to be left behind, when Paul ascended.
In the end, all the women agreed, understanding that they only had this one chance, and if it failed, they were doomed.
Not wasting any time, Paul removed the family marks from all his ladies before conjuring over three hundred marks.
Seeing him conjure so many, everyone was shocked as the marks of the blood rabbits orbited the only male in the city.
-Ladies, do you accept the fate of becoming my slaves?
Paul asked, his voice calm and loud.
-We do.
All the women answered at almost the same time.
The moment they confirmed, the conjured marks started to enter their bodies one after another, manifesting on different parts of their bodies.
As soon as the last mark manifested, every woman present knelt and bowed to Paul.
-These slaves greet the master.
They all said in unison.
-You may all rise.
Paul said, with a tired voice.
He never expected that conjuring Mareks would drain him so much.
After he took a moment to rest, he told the ladies to go about their day before he took Wei Lan and Wu Yin to his bedroom to cultivate.
Unexpectedly, before they entered the main house, a familiar woman stopped them.
-Paul, can we talk privately?
Li Fei asked, surprising him.
Ever since they destroyed the gates, she has lost her station as the portal guard.
She also never cultivated with Paul, and he never asked for a reason, since many ladies had their reasons not to cultivate with him.
-Sure, but make it quick.
Paul agreed and invited her inside.
-I might be able to help you reach the ascension stage.
Li Fei said with a blush on her face.
Her words piqued his interest.
-How?
Wei Lan asked before Paul could open his mouth.
-I never cultivated with Paul, because I have a special physique called the single fruit physique.
It's similar to yours.
The difference is that the moment I lose my innocence, all my cultivation will be transferred to the man who took it.
After that, I won't be able to cultivate again.
-If that's the case, then why are you even telling us this?
Paul asked.
As much as he wished to leave this place, there was a high chance of doing so without sacrificing this woman's life as a cultivator.
-The thing is, if I can acquire a physique-changing pill, then I could be able to cultivate once again, with a different physique.
Li Fei explained, and Paul nodded.
-So I want to propose a deal to you.
I'll give you my first time with all of my cultivation, and you will help me find the physique-changing pill once we get out of here.
The former guard said in a nervous voice.
She had no idea if Paul would agree to this, and it was a big chance that she took in revealing her secret.
In the end, he could simply order her to sleep with him, since, like everyone else in the city, she was also his slave now.