Chapter 258 - 257: Invitation from the God Kingdom, Disciples of the Sect

After communicating with Chen Jing, Li Jing did not linger around the capital much, and set off for the Big Secret Realm once again.

Before he left, he sent a message to Xia Ai.

The implementation of the Spirit Crystal Bank did not greatly impact him.

However, he needed to give Xia Ai relevant authorization, allowing her to exchange the existing funds for Spirit Crystals based on market changes, in case unexpected events occur.

Xia Ai was an independent entity, not inflexible.

However, as an Artificial Intelligence, Li Jing needed to authorize her in the program settings, and she would only then take corresponding measures.

Otherwise, even if she had her own ideas, she would not implement them.

This was an advantage of Xia Ai but could also be considered as a drawback.

The night was deepening.

More than half an hour later, Li Jing, controlling his sword, returned to the Big Secret Realm.

It was past ten o’clock in the evening.

At this hour close to midnight, the internal entrance of the Big Secret Realm was illuminated by floodlights from various forces’ camps, making it seem as day.

Just as he was about to travel to the location of the Longyu Country camp, Li Jing suddenly saw a flag of the Supreme Church fluttering in the southwest direction and could not help but pause.

Seeing the flag of the Grull Empire fluttering next to the Church, Li Jing raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He had noticed that direction before.

Mainly because that was where the Daohe Alliance was.

It was not that Li Jing was particular about the Daohe Alliance, but the latter was involved with the Rebirth Society.

Li Jing couldn’t ignore the Rebirth Society.

Whether he had a deep grudge against them or not, that was negotiable.

The key point was, the Rebirth Society was an organization of the Evil Demon Coalition.

With regards to monsters, he was highly sensitive.

However, since he entered the Secret Realm, he had no time to ponder the exact collaboration between the Daohe Alliance and the Rebirth Society and was also too lazy to worry about it.

Previously, he learned from Imai Xiang that the Daohe Alliance had enlisted the help of the Rebirth Society for their journey to the Big Secret Realm, possibly involving Evil Cultivators and Great Demons.

But in the face of the Big Secret Realm with infinite possibilities, what does the presence of a few Great Demons matter?

If he had enough energy to worry about the helpers enlisted by the Daohe Alliance from the Rebirth Society, he might as well consider finding another passage space like before to use a forbidden skill.

Setting these things aside.

When Li Jing noticed the Daohe Alliance before, the flag next to their camp was still being erected and had not been hoisted yet.

Seeing the flags of the Grull Empire and the Supreme Church fluttering in the wind, in the vicinity of the Daohe Alliance camp, it was impossible for Li Jing to ignore it.

Why had these two...

Why had they come together?

The Grull Empire, like the White Hawk, belongs to the Faith System, but it’s quite special.

Among all the myriad of forces in the Western World, the country that has the most established sacred temples by the Supreme Church and is most influenced is undoubtedly the Grull Empire.

Even the headquarters of the Supreme Church are set up in the hinterland of the Grull Empire.

A church flag in the Grull Empire camp, that’s not surprising.

Wherever there’s Grull, there’s bound to be a church.

This can almost be said to be a consensus in this world.

But the association between White Hawk and the Church on the other hand is quite surprising.

Even though the White Hawk follows the Faith System, they do not rely on the Church.

The prosperity of the White Hawk is not due to praying to gods.

In fact, unless it involves their own interests, the White Hawk normally won’t pay any attention to the Supreme Church.

They do follow the Faith System indeed, but the White Hawk is the White Hawk, and the Church is the Church. The relationship between the two at most involves mutual uses, and there is no intimacy.

In contrast, if the level of the Grull Empire’s dependency on the Church is ranked second, no one dares to rank first.

The combination of the Grull Empire, the Supreme Church, and the Daohe Alliance seemed somewhat ambiguous, didn’t it?

Looking towards the southwest, Li Jing was slightly puzzled.

Because of the exclusion by the Northern Major League, forces like the Daohe Alliance tended to lean towards the west, which he had learned from Jiang Yini.

However, he could not make sense of the current situation.

The Church and the Daohe Alliance along with the Rebirth Society do not get along, having been deceived by them once.

While the former intends to expand to the east, the Daohe Alliance, as an eastern force, is already aware of this.

The fact that these two could still come together was something Li Jing did not expect.

If the Daohe Alliance wants to lean towards the west, it doesn’t have to join the Grull Empire. Simply find another one that has less impact or even unaffected by the Church, wouldn’t that be enough?

Could this be what they say about there being no permanent enemies, only permanent interests?

Shaking his head, Li Jing didn’t plan to worry about what exactly was going on between the two forces.

Let the big shots worry about it, he thought.

He was just a foot soldier, and he was also happy to be humble, taking care of himself was enough.

...

Soon, Li Jing reached the location of the Heavenly King Group camp by controlling his sword.

He barely had time to land when he saw Jiang Yini at a tea table in the open space where the Research Institute was examining the giant beast’s corpse. She was leisurely sipping tea and semi-officially "supervising" the work on site.

There were even delicate snacks and desserts on the tea table.

Seeing such a scene, Li Jing frowned slightly.

This woman sure knows how to enjoy herself, but that’s not a problem.

But her having time to drink tea and eat desserts was indeed unscientific...

With the chaos in the Secret Realm, even if another leader had arrived, she, being a leader, couldn’t possibly be so free, could she?

Without overthinking it, Li Jing landed near the tea table.

Jiang Yini, who was enjoying her snacks, was slightly stunned to see him return, then reluctantly put down the egg tart she had been eating and, putting on a graceful facade, said,

"You’re back rather quickly. I thought I would have to wait at least another one or two hours."

"You were waiting for me?"

Li Jing tilted his head.

"What else?"

Jiang Yini retorted, then huffed.

"Did you think I have so much free time that I can just slack off here?"

As she spoke, she pointed to the position across her.

"Sit down and talk."

Seeing her gesture, Li Jing knew that something must have happened while he was away. He sat down and looking around, he asked,

"Where are Yuran and the others?"

"After they entertained the representatives from the Northern Alliance and various forces with me, they left me behind and went off to decide what to have for late-night snack. They should be eating in the tent now."

Jiang Yini shrugged her shoulders.

"..."

Li Jing remained silent.

Chen Yuran, Yulian, and Jiu Li were all absent. He initially thought Jiang Yini was about to mention something regarding the three women, but it turned out they were simply deciding what to eat for late-night snack.

How casual of these three.

It should be their responsibility to manage the Heavenly King Group when he’s not around.

Realizing he had no right to criticize them, especially with Jiang Yini present, rendering them unnecessary, Li Jing looked up.

"So, what are you waiting here for me for?"

"There have been some changes in the situation."

Jiang Yini began to explain.

"Not long after the representatives from the Northern Major League and associated forces visited, we received news that the Eastern forces led by the Daohe Alliance have formally established a strategic partnership with the Grull Empire. The Western forces such as White Hawk and Fran also got involved."

Continuing, she went on to explain.

"At present, they have put pressure on some forces within the Northern Major League and some associated Eastern forces. Under this pressure, some small forces have severed ties with us and withdrawn from transactions with secret realm alien civilizations. Moreover, there is reliable information indicating that the Grull Empire and the Church have completely acquired the information obtained by the Northern Major League during their exploration of the ruins and have shared it with all forces."

After her exposition, she continued.

"The current situation is not only extremely unfavorable for the Northern Major League but also for our Longyu. There are fickle forces and traitors within the Northern Major League and related forces. It’s likely that the information obtained by the Heavenly King Group is also completely under the control of the Grull Empire and the Church. They can use this to attract more allies. Things have become somewhat troublesome."

After listening to Jiang Yini’s words, Li Jing turned to look at the locations where the Daohe Alliance and the Grull Empire were encamped, then returned his gaze with a strange look in his eyes.

"Waiting for me to come back to tell me these things, you surely can’t be hoping that I can solve this kind of problem?"

"Of course not."

Jiang Yini shook her head and said.

"I’m telling you this mainly to make you understand the situation."

Saying this, she took a small breath.

"In light of the changing situation, we need to change our arrangements at the Jianghai Management Bureau. White Wolf Group will still be in charge of the garrison, but the exploration of the secret realm will be handed over to the Dragon Team. Your Heavenly King Group will assist the Northern Major League at the ruins."

Upon hearing these words, Li Jing could not help but become tense.

He realized that his willingness to remain a minor character seemed to be unreciprocated.

He was solely focused on exploring the secret realm, unwilling to involve himself in other affairs, but in the end, he had no choice in the matter.

After a bout of silence, Li Jing asked with a frown.

"Is it necessary for our Heavenly King Group to be involved in mere communication and trade attempts?"

"I don’t have a say in this."

Jiang Yini spread her hands and said.

"This was a request proposed by the Northern God Country. They hope to have you, who has had interactions with alien civilizations, involved. The district chief and the two alien civilization commissioners also have a similar stance."

Li Jing was frustrated by Jiang Yini’s "I don’t have a say".

Indeed, she, a regional bureau chief, can’t make decisions about such matters.

"Designation" by the Northern God Country could be let go.

Although Longyu had maintained a long-standing friendly relationship with the Northern God Country, they didn’t necessarily have to do everything they said.

But if it involved the District Chief and two Alien Civilization Commissioners, then there was no other choice.

Obeying superior orders was a rule of the Management Bureau.

Being part of the Management Bureau, everyone, whether it be Li Jing, Jiang Yini, or other members, are obliged to adhere to this principle.

"The arrangements have been made, and they cannot be changed. Don’t blame me for this. I tried to fight for you, but either way, your Heavenly King Group should first tackle the alien civilization in the passage space with the Northern Alliance."

Jiang Yini spoke.

"In a little over an hour, at midnight, all relevant teams from different branches will begin their march towards the relics. At that time, your Heavenly King Group will set out together, with the district chief and two commissioners of alien civilizations. The person in charge of Northern God Kingdom will communicate with you then. If anything happens, you can handle it as you see fit."

Having said that, she gave another warning.

"Also, there’s something else you need to be aware of. Even though the Northern God Kingdom didn’t explicitly say it, and although the district chief and the two commissioners of alien civilizations didn’t detail it, it’s clear that the God Kingdom’s patience has run out. Their request for your Heavenly King Group to accompany them is likely preparation for direct action. This is the way of the Northern God Kingdom. They will sit down and negotiate nicely if they can, but if circumstances prevent negotiation, they will not hesitate to take action."

Upon hearing Jiang Yini’s advice, Li Jing was slightly stunned, but then immediately composed himself.

If Jiang Yini hadn’t mentioned it, he might not have thought about the "honest" character of Northern God Kingdom.

At this point, he no longer had any complaints.

Why did he want to go out and explore?

To eliminate monsters.

Now, the Northern God Kingdom was inviting him over to do just that...

Perfect!

Without the trace of hesitation, Li Jing nodded.

"Understood, when the time comes, I will lead the team to the site of the relics."

Watching Li Jing, who initially seemed utterly displeased, suddenly become enthusiastic, Jiang Yini frowned.

She wondered...

She didn’t say anything particularly intriguing, so why was Li Jing suddenly getting so excited?

However, she soon figured it out.

With her keen perception, it wasn’t hard to see through some situations.

It was clear that Li Jing simply wanted to fight rather than negotiate...

Having discerned this, Jiang Yini felt slight confusion.

The Li Jing she knew...

Apart from being direct, he was fairly reliable.

He possessed ability, strength, a good head on his shoulders, and was thoughtful of others.

In her understanding, Li Jing was never a brute.

Although he wouldn’t plot or scheme often, he certainly wasn’t rash.

But now, he wasn’t acting as she expected.

He didn’t even know what the aliens in the underground passage of the relic site looked like or how they differed from the bird people he had encountered before, yet he was already thinking about going to war with them.

Is this really the careful and strategic Li Jing that she knows?

After examining him for a moment, Jiang Yini shook her head, chose to stop pondering, and continued to speak.

"Anyway, as long as you keep this in mind, it’s fine. For this trip, the Heavenly King Group shouldn’t take people from the Research Institute. Their combat strength is almost zero. There are many things that the Research Institute personnel who accompany the Heavenly King Group need to do. Other branch teams taking people from the Research Institute is enough. Longyu is a family, there’s no need to divide it into finer parts."

She spoke as she leaned back in her seat, stretching her body leisurely, revealing her graceful figure.

"That’s all I want to say. You can handle the rest. The possibility of direct warfare is only speculation. What the people of the God Kingdom are thinking is known only to them. Don’t mention this to your subordinates for now, in case some strange news gets out. Once such news reaches the ears of the Western powers, they will stir up the banner of justice whether the news is true or false."

"Okay, I understand that."

Li Jing nodded in agreement, raised his hand to press the communication earphone, and connected to the public channel of the Heavenly King Group.

"All members pay attention, except for the Research Institute’s accompanying personnel and the guard staff of the camp, rest for one hour. Gather at midnight, and head to the relics discovered by the Northern God Kingdom."

The Heavenly King Group, who were busy handling various tasks, looked at each other, one by one, and set aside their chores to walk to their tents and restore their energy.

From the early exploration of the Secret Realm to now, although they weren’t working continuously without sleep, their mental state had generally declined. Now that they were facing an impending issue, they needed to recover their spirits to deal with any possible emergencies.

...

Jiang Yini gave instructions to Li Jing and soon left.

At Li Jing’s request, she reluctantly left her tea and snacks behind.

Chen Yuran, Yulian, and Jiu Li were notified by Li Jing through the public channel within the Heavenly King Group and soon arrived.

Then the three of them sat down with Li Jing and enjoyed the tea and snacks left behind by Jiang Yini.

At the table, Li Jing roughly explained the current situation to the three of them.

He did not hide the possibility of war from the three women.

He did not need to hide such matters from people like Chen Yuran and the others.

Upon learning the truth, Yulian and Jiu Li immediately became more spirited.

Being able to kill monsters meant that there was meat to eat.

With Li Jing leading them, they could face anything without fear.

Chen Yuran also had some anticipation.

Although she was only at the Four Realm now, it wasn’t necessarily true that all the spaces behind the Spatial Passage were above the Fifth Boundary, right?

Life-and-death battles were the most effective way for cultivators to improve themselves, without a doubt.

However, in the relatively peaceful present world, opportunities for such experiences were rare.

Midnight soon arrived.

The whole Heavenly King Group assembled, with teams from various branches of the Jianghai Management Bureau, they all set off. They controlled their swords and transformed into streaks across the sky, heading toward the ruins discovered by the Northern God Country.

It was an incredible scene.

The total number of local management bureaus in Longyu Country participating in this exploration was twenty-five towns. Each town had at least three groups of ten thousand people, some had four.

To support the Northern Alliance, each town’s Management Bureau sent one to two large groups.

That amounted to over three hundred thousand people collectively controlling swords and taking to the skies.

The three hundred thousand sword lights perfectly illustrated the phrase ’strength in numbers’.

The support groups from various factions in the Northern Alliance and from some of their allied forces all assembled and set off at around the same time.

Because the various camps were located in different directions, a definite contrast was quickly formed.

The densely packed sword lights from Longyu Country were even more than the total number of all factions and allied forces of the Northern Alliance!

With so many people, naturally, the progress would be slow.

Sword Control could be achieved by cultivators of the Three Realm. But not everyone could control swords that fast.

The various teams also brought their non-combatant researchers.

The Heavenly King Group did not have such individuals.

However, to match the pace of the other teams, they intentionally slowed down their pace of golden light flight.

About an hour later, the majority of the large, imposing group arrived at the site of the ruins.

The teams from the Northern Alliance and their allied forces that were already stationed at the site of the ruins were well prepared to receive them.

Longyu Country also had seven teams of tens of thousands who had participated in the early exploration and were stationed here. Each team sent representatives to welcome their allies.

Soon, hundreds of thousands of supporting troops were merging with the teams already stationed at the ruins, and they promptly began to set up their camps and defences.

This bustling activity lasted for more than six hours.

By the morning of the next day, all teams had completed the construction of their camps and defences, waiting for further instructions from those in charge.

The Heavenly King Group had Chen Yuran in charge of coordinating and commanding, Li Jing did not need to worry. However, he didn’t go wandering around.

After all, this was a discovery made by the Northern God Country, so wandering around would have been inappropriate.

When they arrived at midnight, he had already taken an aerial view of the entire ruins and had an overall understanding of it.

The entire site of the ruins was located in the belly of a mountain range, surrounded by mountains.

Due to the towering mountains blocking the view on all sides, it would be easy to overlook the existence of this ruin unless one happened to fly directly above it.

The ruins were vast, covering at least several times the area of Jianghai.

However, due to the large and magnificent layout of the buildings, visually it appeared to be just a city district.

Each separate building had doors that were at least eighty meters high.

Clearly, this was a remnant of the ancient Giant Beast Civilization.

And referring to such architectural specifications, only the relatively "slender" individuals of the "pureblood species" among them would have been suitable to live here.

The architectural style of the ruins was not crude, but the deterioration was severe.

Many buildings were collapsed to the point that only one wall remained.

From this, one can conclude that the ruins are quite ancient, remnants from at least thousands of years ago.

Li Jing didn’t know more about the situation for the time being.

Some things couldn’t be rushed, now it was just a matter of waiting for the people from the Northern God Country to get in touch.

While waiting in his camp, Li Jing prepared a lavish breakfast for Chen Yuran to reward her for her busy night.

He didn’t need to worry about Yulian and Jiu Li, though.

The meat from the Giant Pig they had on hand could not be cooked using regular methods. The fact that it could be roasted was because they were Fox Demons who possessed hot Fox Fire, and only they could handle the meat from the Giant Pig.

However, Li Jing had provided them with some barbecue seasonings such as cumin to make the roast Giant Pig meat a little tastier.

Yulian and Jiu Li were prepared with some seasonings, but they didn’t have as broad a selection as Li Jing.

As he was eating breakfast, Li Jing’s communication earpiece beeped, and a magnetic male baritone voice came through.

"Counselor Li Jing of the Heavenly King Group, this is District Chief Qi Chen from the Eastern Region Management Bureau. Are you available now? Two special commissioners and I are preparing to meet with the representatives of the God Country, and they hope to see you."

Caught off guard by the sudden communication, Li Jing was slightly taken aback, but quickly gathered his thoughts.

After waiting a whole night, someone finally got in touch!

It wasn’t surprising that the God Country wanted to see him.

They had specifically "named" him - it would be more strange if no one wanted to see him.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Li Jing pressed his communication earpiece.

"Sure, where should I go to find you?"

"I’ll come to you."

Qi Chen said a single sentence through the communication earpiece, then cut off the communication.

Seeing that the communication had been cut off, Li Jing put down his chopsticks and bowl, stood up, and looked at Chen Yuran, Yulian, and Jiu Li, who were still eating.

"You three keep eating. The God Country wants to see me, I’ll be back after a trip."

After saying this, he got up and walked out of his tent.

As soon as he walked out, he saw a sharp sword light shooting from the distant horizon toward the Heavenly King Group’s camp.

At the same time, the Spirit Weapon Qingfeng and Linglong both gave him feedback.

Level eight spirit tool.

Receiving feedback from two Lifebound Magic Instruments out of the blue, Li Jing was momentarily dumbfounded.

Level eight spirit tool?!

Is this District Chief really that powerful?

The District Chief of the Eastern Division of the Management Bureau commands all local administrative divisions of the eastern Longyu territory, which is quite a few ranks above local Bureau Chief.

Such a figure must be at least of the Six Realm cultivation level.

Hence, it isn’t unusual for someone of this level to possess high-grade tools.

But a level eight spirit tool, it’s a bit extravagant to say the least!

Does Chen Jing’s Qianyang possess an eighth level?

While Li Jing was still startled, the sword light that shot towards him landed in front of him, revealing a handsome young man.

The young man studied Li Jing for a while, then extended his hand with a smile.

"Counselor Li, I’ve heard a lot about you."

"Ah, Chief Qi, nice to meet you," Li Jing replied subconsciously, reaching out and shaking Qi Chen’s hand.

Just as he was contemplating making some polite conversation, Qi Chen suddenly looked towards the tent beside him and spoke in a low voice.

"It was not convenient to speak of this earlier with Jiang Yini, but now that I am formally meeting with Counselor Li, I can’t refrain from speaking my mind. It seems a bit inappropriate for you to work with a Six Realm Fox Demon, whose appearance has changed, in this exploration of the Big Secret Realm."

Li Jing frowned upon hearing this.

Yulian and Jiu Li being demons, is not a secret within the Heavenly King Group.

But there’s no reason for this information to spill outside.

Jiang Yini wouldn’t possibly be careless with such information.

The man in front of him...

Qi Chen seemed to sense Li Jing’s confusion and began to speak in a calm manner.

"The cultivation technique I practice is a bit special, and I’m exceptionally sensitive to non-human auras. Demons can’t hide their true forms from me no matter what they do. If it’s a non-human alien, I can tell with one look. To be able to discern their realm through their aura is also not difficult for me."

Upon hearing these words, Li Jing furrowed his brows.

Someone sensitive to auras who can easily detect demons is a rather unusual concept.

However, that’s not the main issue.

The focus here is that Qi Chen mentioned the word ’heritage’.

In the cultivation world, nobody really cares about heritage.

Even the disciples of noble families wouldn’t claim to bear any certain heritage.

This guy...

With an attitude of wanting to confirm something, Li Jing spoke.

"Does Chief Qi come from a sect background?"

At this, Qi Chen paused and then evaded the question with a laugh. "Personally, I have no prejudice against demons, but I don’t have much of a liking for them either. I won’t interfere with Counselor Li working alongside a demon, but my statement is just to remind you that those who are not of our kind may have different intentions. Demons are naturally influenced by their beastly nature. Even if they integrate into human society, it’s just to go with the flow for survival. No one can guarantee that they will always obey the rules."

Not receiving a direct response from Qi Chen, Li Jing immediately became certain of his thoughts.

This man must have come from a Hidden Sect.

Just last night, Chen Jing had mentioned that they might encounter a disciple from a sect.

He didn’t expect to run into one the very next day, and directly in the Big Secret Realm of all places. This was totally unexpected for Li Jing.

Feeling confirmed that Qi Chen harbored no ill will, Li Jing shook his head and smiled.

"Whether they obey all rules or not isn’t important, what’s important is that they are my friends."

"Friends?"

Qi Chen looked surprised and seemed to be unable to agree, but he didn’t seem to want to argue either and changed the topic.

"Let’s not talk about this for now. The representative from the God Kingdom is waiting, let’s go meet them."

"Okay."

Li Jing nodded, saying.

"Chief Qi, after you."

"After me," Qi Chen replied with a smile, as they ascended into the sky on their swords.

Li Jing also took out a Spirit Soldier and followed suit.

Coming across a district chief from a hidden sect background, and one with an eighth level spirit tool no less, he felt the need to lay low.

Even though Qi Chen was already keeping a close eye on him, he’d rather not attract more attention if it wasn’t necessary.

...

Qi Chen, to his credit, seemed to know how to take care of others and did not rush off to their destination. Instead, he controlled his sword’s light to a Five Boundary standard, leading Li Jing to the depths of the ruins.

Soon, the two arrived at a collapsed location at the center of the ruins.

From high above, Li Jing saw a sparkling silver spatial passage silently opening up at a point a few dozen meters below the surface of the ground.

The Northern God Kingdom’s camp was set up next to the collapsed area.

They landed on the edge of the camp together with Qi Chen.

Even before he could get his bearings, Li Jing saw two beautiful women in special uniforms approaching him hastily.

The taller woman had a sense of rationality and intelligence about her and wore glasses on her nose.

The shorter one seemed a bit childlike, her bright big eyes filled with liveliness.

As they came closer, the tall woman smiled at Li Jing and nodded, introducing herself.

"Counselor Li, I am Ji Youyu, the Alien Civilization Commissioner of the Longyu Country."

The shorter woman looked at Li Jing for a bit and then introduced herself with a smile.

"Tongyan."

Upon encountering the self-introductions of the two women, Li Jing intended to respond instinctively.

But before he could utter a word, Qi Chen turned to him and said with a smile on his face—

"Counselor Li, Tongyan is my junior sister. Actually, there’s just one Alien Civilization Commissioner, Miss Ji, Tongyan’s duty here is to ensure Miss Ji’s personal safety throughout the journey."

"..."

Li Jing.

He found Qi Chen’s blatant remarks rather exasperating.

He didn’t want to know about such things.

What was Qi Chen’s intention in deliberately mentioning it after avoiding the question about his sect background?

As Tongyan and Ji Youyu both turned to look at Li Jing in response to Qi Chen’s words, he immediately got an ominous feeling.

He felt that his earlier confirmation might have attracted Qi Chen’s attention.