Chapter 982: Your Majesty, I Need a Secret Realm Qualification

The East Demon Feather originally had nine Sovereign Mountains.

Since the return of the tenth disciple of the Great Emperor of Underworld Flame, Lu Lingzi, the Lan family had declined, and the numerous resources within their sphere of influence were naturally taken over by Lu Lingzi.

Furthermore, not far from the Lan family’s ancestral grounds, the tenth Sovereign Mountain was erected.

This mountain towered into the clouds; viewed from afar, the mountain body was majestic, and while it radiated a formidable might, it also possessed waves of pressure belonging to a Sovereign, enveloping all directions.

It suppressed this heaven and earth.

It caused the firmament here to form a massive vortex, which had been rotating for months, producing a tremendous sound.

It drew in countless bolts of lightning that roamed within, creating a magnificent spectacle.

As for the surroundings of this mountain, the area within three miles was like a forbidden zone, completely empty.

Yet beyond those three miles, a large number of Demon Feather clan cultivators had gathered, numbering in the tens of thousands, each meditating with the mountain as their center.

Looking down from the sky, they were densely packed, surrounding the mountain and the land.

Among them were rogue cultivators as well as forces that had originally belonged to the Lan family; their purpose in coming here was to join the ranks of the tenth Sovereign.

In the Demon Feather Holy Land, whenever a new Sovereign appeared and formed their own Sovereign Mountain, similar events would occur.

And a newly promoted Sovereign, besides their own forces, would also expand their influence due to their rise in cultivation, thereby recruiting a large number of subordinates.

Thus, beneath this tenth Sovereign Mountain, cultivators arrived from afar every day, and after months of gathering, it formed the scale it had today.

After all, if one could become a subordinate of a Sovereign, their status and position would be completely different from before, and in these times of war, having a Sovereign’s protection would ultimately be much safer.

It was just that... up until now, that newly promoted Sovereign, Lu Lingzi, had not recruited a single person into the mountain.

Even those who were his subordinates before had not been summoned by him.

Consequently, this massive mountain, where everyone had gathered, now held only Lu Lingzi himself.

As for the area below the mountain, because there were so many cultivators, a marketplace had spontaneously formed where they traded items and exchanged information, all waiting to be admitted into the Sovereign’s sect.

As time passed, it gradually became quite lively.

However, all the cultivators who came here spontaneously refrained from stepping within three miles of the mountain, keeping all the clamor outside.

When Xu Qing arrived here, what he saw was this bustling scene three miles away from the Sovereign Mountain.

Looking at the formed marketplace and the various cultivators of the Holy Land within it, Xu Qing, disguised as Xue Chenzi, did not pause; he flew past and headed straight for the deserted three-mile forbidden zone.

At first, Xu Qing’s appearance did not attract much attention, until he sped all the way, crossed the marketplace, and stepped into the empty three-mile radius, which finally drew some gazes.

But that was all.

Over these past two months, there had been no shortage of cultivators flying over like Xu Qing; they all went to seek an audience with the Sovereign after approaching the mountain, but in the end, they waited for a long time without any response, and could only leave the three-mile radius to wait in the surroundings.

Therefore, regarding Xu Qing’s actions, those who saw him here merely followed him with their eyes.

Xu Qing did not care about those gazes; he was expressionless at this moment, and after approaching the Sovereign Mountain, he stood in mid-air, looking up at the giant mountain before him.

His eyes were deep, his heart lost in thought, and after a long while, Xu Qing took a deep breath, determination appearing in his eyes, and he bowed, emitting a low voice.

"Xue Chenzi, requests an audience with the Sovereign!"

His voice was like muffled thunder, echoing in all directions, attracting even more attention.

This was Xu Qing’s probe.

If he was seen, everything could be discussed.

If he was not, Xu Qing had other strategies.

Yet as time passed, an incense stick’s time went by, and that majestic Sovereign Mountain gave no response.

Consequently, most of the gazes that had fallen on Xu Qing were withdrawn, and one by one, they sighed in their hearts, sending voice transmissions to each other.

"Another one who refuses to accept reality."

"Isn't that Xue Chenzi? Does he think that by relying on his cultivation and battle merits, the Sovereign might look at him differently?"

"He clearly sees that we are all waiting here, yet he insists on seeking an audience, and with such a loud voice... If I were the Sovereign, I would certainly dislike being disturbed like this."

"To join the Sovereign’s ranks, one must let the Sovereign see one's sincerity, so the best way is to wait in the surroundings; one day, the Sovereign will see our sincerity."

The people here shook their heads one after another, and then ignored him.

In their judgment, it wouldn't be long before this Xue Chenzi left in dejection.

Xu Qing turned a deaf ear to the discussions of the crowd; he maintained a calm expression, still standing in mid-air, continuing his bowing posture, and kept waiting.

Just like that, another incense stick’s time passed.

The attention of the surrounding crowd had almost entirely shifted away, everything returned to normal, and the marketplace became lively again.

But just at this moment... Xu Qing spoke again.

"Xue Chenzi, requests an audience with the Sovereign!"

The same words echoed once more, drawing the attention of the surrounding crowd, and so gazes were cast back again, some of them carrying dissatisfaction.

Sounds of discussion also emerged one after another.

But the next instant, a scene appeared that made all the cultivators here fall silent, their expressions changing drastically.

The Sovereign Mountain actually began to rumble suddenly!

The mountain body shook!

And in this rumbling, the lightning within the massive vortex above it surged, scattering like a torrent, stirring up an even greater momentum.

The rumbling sound seemed to be amplified, deafening and spreading in all directions.

Subsequently, within that vortex, a pair of giant eyes actually appeared.

These eyes were silver, carrying a coldness, like the eyes of heaven, looking down upon the earth.

Everyone gazed upon by these eyes felt terrified, each lowering their heads, instinctively bowing in worship.

And as a vast aura suddenly rose, the terrifying pressure made the earth tremble, and as countless cultivators felt their breathing quicken and their minds churn with massive waves, Lu Lingzi’s voice came coldly from within the Sovereign Mountain.

"Come up."

These three words surpassed heavenly thunder, exploding outward.

They formed countless lingering echoes, falling into the ears of the people here, rumbling through their souls.

While the minds of the crowd were in violent turmoil, Xu Qing took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Under the gaze of all, he flew directly toward the Sovereign Mountain.

Soon, he disappeared into the mountain body.

The cultivators who had been waiting until now watched this scene, each of them stunned, various emotions uncontrollably intertwining in their hearts, and their eyes also became burning with fervor.

Xue Chenzi being summoned made them incredibly surprised, but what followed was excitement.

Because being summoned for the first time meant there could be a second, meaning their wait was not far from seeing the dawn.

And compared to the excited mood of the crowd outside, thoughts rose in Xu Qing’s heart; his first probe had an initial answer.

At this moment, he flew into the mountain body, speeding within, heading straight for the summit.

Soon, a hall that was not luxurious and looked quite simple appeared in his sight.

This hall sat on the peak, its doors wide open.

As he approached, he could see a person sitting cross-legged in the upper seat of the hall, eyes closed in meditation.

It was precisely Lu Lingzi.

The moment he saw the other party, Xu Qing lowered his head and walked a few quick steps; at the hall entrance, he did not step inside, but bowed.

He did not say a word.

After a while, Lu Lingzi inside the hall opened his eyes.

There were no ripples in his eyes, nor could any emotional fluctuations be seen, and he spoke indifferently.

"What is it."

This voice contained rules, as if his words carried the force of law, stirring up ripples in the void.

Xu Qing did not hesitate, responding in a low voice.

"I ask the Sovereign to grant me a qualification to enter the Boundary Source Secret Realm."

Lu Lingzi’s expression did not change at all; he merely glanced at Xu Qing and spoke slowly.

"Present your military merits."

Xu Qing shook his head upon hearing this, and said frankly.

"I have no military merits."

He truly did not.

Previously, when Xu Qing checked the mission jade slip, he found that the missions within were numerous and varied, but most were related to the war.

Many even required engaging with the human race and slaying powerhouses.

As for those unrelated to the war, the cost to complete them was also high, the battle merits were few, and they took too long.

And the exchange for the Boundary Source Secret Realm qualification required a significant amount of military merit.

If he were to truly complete missions, it would take at least several months to accumulate enough.

Since that was the case, Xu Qing felt that he might as well not take the mission route and instead come directly to ask Lu Lingzi for one, which would be simpler.

After all, in the analysis between him and Erniu, Lu Lingzi’s identity had suspicious points.

If the other party was indeed Lu Lingzi, then given his status even after becoming a Sovereign, he would likely not recognize his own causal grafting.

Then, the possibility of him being summoned after seeking an audience was very small.

But if the other party was not the real Lu Lingzi, then his identity... could be no one other than the Empress.

Therefore, Xu Qing felt that coming to ask for a secret realm qualification was feasible.

That was why he had come this time.

And at this moment, after meeting, Xu Qing was still not very certain whether this Lu Lingzi before him was the same one he had seen before.

Or perhaps, it was the Empress...

Therefore, he had been observing in secret.

And at this moment, upon hearing Xu Qing’s words, Lu Ling took a long while before slowly speaking.

"Wanting the qualification for the secret realm without any military merit is one thing, but to say it so righteously—Xu Qing, you have quite the nerve, even bigger than your senior brother!"

A sense of pressure, following his words, spread out and enveloped the entire Sovereign Mountain.

This caused the vortex in the sky to roar even more intensely, and the entire mountain body shook slightly, forming an isolating seal.

Having his identity exposed in a single sentence, Xu Qing blinked; he naturally understood that the other party’s remark about him being bold was pointed, so he raised his head and met Lu Ling’s gaze.

"Your Majesty..."

Having said only these two words, Xu Qing fell silent.

After a long while, amidst the permeating pressure, Lu Ling’s voice came from within the hall.

"Where is your senior brother?"

Xu Qing blinked and answered truthfully.

"He went to the Immortal Arts Hall."

Lu Ling was silent, and after a moment, he let out a cold snort; with a wave of his hand, a token flew out and headed straight for Xu Qing.

Xu Qing caught it.

This token was precisely the qualification token for the World Origin Secret Realm.

"Many thanks, Sovereign!"

Xu Qing bowed and turned to leave.

"Don't cause too much trouble!"

Behind him came the voice of Lu Ling.

Xu Qing’s footsteps paused; he nodded and flickered away.

Not until he had gone far away did Lu Ling, who was sitting cross-legged inside the main hall, rub his furrowed brow.

"Xu Qing is fine; he will have a sense of proportion, but as for his senior brother... he is a handful."