How Much For Your Soul?

Shen Yue awoke in a tangled mess of arms and legs belonging to his wives. They had been adamant in making sure he would not forget them as he travelled to another Realm. He lay there quietly, fondly remembering last nights activities. His girls really outdid themselves. They had been devastated that he was leaving them behind when he left for the Draconic Ruins but had settled down once he told them his reason behind the decision. Besides, he would be back soon enough.

The Draconic Ruins Realm attracted the most powerful beings of the three thousand Subsidiary Realms/Domains connected to it, and the entire Tiny World and its Realms only count as one Domain. With the combination of two thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine Domains worth of young masters and arrogant experts, it would be hard to shield them from harm. After all, his women were gorgeous and had strong foundations and skills, Shen Yue would receive envious looks from all men that laid eyes on them.

With experts that had gotten everything they wanted from those weaker than themselves, it would be only a matter of time before they neutralised Shen Yue and stole his women. Even with the Sect's laws prohibiting death inside its borders limiting direct action, there would still be plenty of methods to separate him from his ladies with Sect politics.

After all, Shen Yue would be a peasant from a backwater Realm with no background or backer to protect him from the elders that made the rules. All it would take would be for the Elder Council to decide his women were to be married off for the benefit for the Sect and that would be that. The strong make the rules, and Shen Yue was at the bottom of the ladder of the power structure in the Draconic Ruins.

The Heavenly Note Sect wouldn't be much better. Not only did the Sect's rules and regulations forbid marriage, but they would not hesitate to sell someone off if it protected their Sect. When they were assaulted by the Demon God's Sect, they were about to be wiped out if Nie Lie and his plot armour didn't intervene. If an alliance to another Sect to prevent this could be obtained by a political marriage, they would have jumped at the chance.

The other option Shen Yue thought of was for them to live in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. But this would be worse than leaving them behind in the Tiny World for a year or two. The time dilation was 1:100, meaning that if a day passed while they were inside the Realm, one hundred days would pass inside for his women.

It would be at the minimum, a couple of weeks before he could amass enough spirit stones to rent a private house in a city to stash them in. And there was no guarantee they would not be found. Not to mention that he was prohibited from leaving the Sect until he had created his second fate soul. With three days equaling nearly a year inside his private space, they would be spending more time away from him than if they stayed safe in the Tiny World, ruling his Empire.

Two hours later, he was looking at the five-year-old, dark-haired child holding Ye Ziyun's hand and waving goodbye. It caused him some heartache, but where he was going was no place for a child. Shen Yue had tried to spend as much time as he could with his son before the portal opened to the Draconic Ruins. Little Shen Taro had grown swiftly inside the Immortal Jade Realm, and Shen Yue played with him as much as possible between training.

As Shen Taro was his heir, he couldn't be stingy with a cultivation technique and gave him a modified version of his own method. Unfortunately, the little guy had not been born with a Neutral attribute, but a Snow Wind one like his mother, limiting the abilities he would be able to master. Still, the tyke had already reached the 3-star bronze level and was praised as a genius like his parents.

With a final wave at the assembled crowd to see them off, Shen Yue and three minions picked to follow him flew towards the Nether Realm. As they flew towards their destination, Shen Yue couldn't help but reflect on his relationships with his wives. He was honest enough with himself to admit that if he didn't brainwash them, then they would have torn him and each other to pieces long ago.

Could he have had sex with them without enslaving them? Undoubtedly, and in most cases, he did. Could he have had a loving relationship with only one of them? Of course! But he would have had to work at it, as he is at heart, selfish. Could he have a loving and caring harem like an isekai hero? No one, in any universe, could keep multiple girls happy as he had sex with other women in front of them without drugs, brainwashing or slavery.

If you think that a typical harem would work with just love and understanding, ask yourself, would you be happy sharing the women you love with multiple men? Shen Yue would willingly kill anyone that touched his ladies and was not afraid to admit that he was a hypocritical bastard. But so what? He had accepted Alastor's deal fully aware of the dangers because this was a perfect scenario to fulfil his desires that would never have been possible on Earth.

He loved the ladies in his harem, he had brainwashed them into the perfect women. Intelligent, beautiful, powerful and didn't nag the shite out him for every little thing they wanted him to change. Not one argument since they had been inducted into his harem. Some people would claim that it was not true love if they were only brainwashed slaves, but Shen Yue would argue that he loved them more because of it.

If so many people on Earth were in loving relationships, then why is the divorce rate so much higher now, than when women stayed at home and deferred to their husbands? Why did so many spouses cheat on the so-called love of their life, death do us part, soul mates? Shen Yue was not bothered about adjusting his wives into his ideal women and adding more girls to his harem, he would be an idiot not to.

Those that would cry foul at the injustice of it and how evil it was to enslave someone in mind and body, should remember that they were lucky to be born in their current era and countries. Even now on Earth, slavery still existed, and places like Africa was still rife with evil deeds that are never discussed. While the western world complained about children working, they had child soldiers! Earth had plenty of problems to fix, but the first world countries focused on inane issues like global warming.

How is taxing people combating the third world countries that are responsible for most of the pollution? How about fixing all the problems that are occurring now, like people being homeless and starving, slavery, **** and murder before jumping on your high horse about something that will not even affect humanity for a couple hundred years? And that's if it's even real!

Shen Yue's conscience was clear. Did he enslave people in a world where it was acceptable? Well, yes. Yes, he did! Before he took over, there were thousands of starving peasants while the nobles looked on and accepted it as something natural. People lived in fear from demon beasts eating them. Now everyone was safe and comfortable, happily living in new cities with actual crime prevention.

Shen Yue's slavery was nothing like a beaten-down peasant, whipped for failing a task. They didn't even know that they had their lives in his hands, too busy marvelling at their change in status and strength. To all the people that would judge him, Shen Yue could only say "F*ck you, you hypocritical bastards! Before you judge me, how about you do a better job in a world where only martial strength is respected."

As he finished his internal monologue of what he imagined his fellow Earthlings would say, he was slightly cheered up from having left his wives behind. Ranting at social justice warriors had always brought a smile to his face. The sheer ridiculousness of the things they got upset about made him wonder what would happen if they ever had to face a real, life or death problem.

The three minions he had chosen to accompany him to the Draconic Ruins, were all peak Legend experts. Once Shen Yue had decided not to take anyone that would attract attention to the Draconic Ruins, he had gathered fifty youths and branded them with officer marks. They would be able to brand their own minions and become leaders in his Empire. They were given high-grade cultivation techniques and fed only the best pills. It was a pity he could not take Duan Jian, but his wings would make him stick out like dog's balls.

Thanks to Heaven's Path Library, Shen Yue was able to see a person's Spiritual Root and determine how much talent they have cultivating Heavenly Energy. This was how the Skysoul Institute would be grading and sorting the students. Because he did not want to draw the attention or jealousy of a random young master, Shen Yue picked three people with low ranked Earth Spiritual Roots.

His own, much like Nie Li's, had been morphed into Heaven Defying Genius level by either his cultivation technique or the Temporal Destiny Seed of Creation. He suspected it was a bit of both because after checking his wives and the people he gave top techniques to, they all had superior Spiritual Roots. This was not too surprising as it was in some way related to the toughness of the soul. With their techniques nourishing the soul, it was kind of expected.

His thoughts were interrupted as they came upon the defensive outpost built around the Nether Realm entrance. The Nether Lord should be waiting on the other side to escort him to the portal. Nodding to the guards that surrounded the gate, he stepped through into the Realm that was forever at dusk.