Chapter 269 - 268: Church’s Purpose, White Hawk Mage

Eyeing the health bar displaying 8326 on top of the Great Demon’s head, Li Jing felt an itch to act.

Over 8000 experience points, he had come to view such amount quite lightly now.

For him to level up now, he would need about 900,000 experience points.

What could he possibly do with a mere 8000 points?

Nevertheless, if he could get it, it would definitely be a welcomed boon.

Li Jing had once simped to Purna by leveling up with a single-digit health bar Spirit Chicken so he knew the merit of being thrifty.

Moreover, the one before his eyes was a Great Demon of "high profile".

Both were at the Sixth Realm, but giant beasts could never be compared to a Great Demon.

So far, the only entities that were passionate about giant beasts were the Major Leagues dominated by the God Kingdom.

A Sixth Realm giant beast would weigh goes up to hundreds of thousands of tons.

Even if you discard inedible parts like the viscera, there are still tens of thousands of tons of edible meat.

Giant beasts also have the characteristic of being bigger with lower realms, and their tons would break through the sky.

Yesterday in the channel space, the Northern Major League harvested thousands of giant beasts, which would be enough for the entire league to digest for many years, even decades.

Moreover, even in the Northern Major League, the number of people who need to enhance their physical body by eating giant beasts meat due to the alternate path of Immortal Path is relatively limited.

In this world, the ones who have the opportunity to step into the Second Realm are ultimately only 30%.

Entering the Second Realm merely means having greater potential for ascension.

Of that 30%, a significant portion will stagnate at the second and third realms for their entire lives.

The resources of the Northern Major League will ultimately benefit those who have the actual potential to reach higher realms or those who are already high-level cultivators.

In stark contrast was the Sixth Realm Great Demon.

It was not only a scarce resource, but artifacts, elixirs, talisman creations, and even formations methods all used parts from them and their parts were in high demand across all cultivation systems worldwide.

This was an exceptionally large market.

If he could just kill this Great Demon and put its body into his space storage and later have it sent to the Spirit Item Trading Market, Li Jing should easily get dozens, if not hundreds, of high-quality nourishing spirit materials.

This would be a profitable trade.

But to act now would be rather unscientific.

This Great Demon was at the Sixth Realm level, holding a position of utmost importance within the Rebirth Society.

The fact that it could bring the disgraced Imai Xiang into the Secret Realm and also lead her to the ruins, also attested to its influential position within the Daohe Alliance.

Observing for now seemed like a necessary move.

The Great Demon, pleased with his beautiful lady, had an air of satisfaction on his face.

He had no idea that right next to him, a dangerously covetous observer was eyeing him.

Gazing at the centralized forces of various powers within the ruins, the Great Demon smirked.

"The Supreme Church seems to be quite attached this time, sending nearly a million temple soldiers from various Western territories. But I can see why. The times are changing, the faith system is still strong in the West, but the Church’s influence is declining."

Hearing his words, Imai Xiang giggled in agreement, adding,

"After all, modern people are not fools. The faith system gains power through personal beliefs. They believe in gods but not the Church. Fulfilling the Church’s high-level needs every day while they can’t afford the cultivation resources they need, it would be better to keep it to themselves and improve."

While discussing, she continued to comment.

"The current Western landscape is indeed interesting. Most Western countries cannot do without the Supreme Church, yet they yearn for its downfall. Like this time with the White Hawk. After the idiot from the Church led the White Hawk Exploration Team to provoke Longyu, they almost turned against the Church. Although it’s uncertain what the Church gave up in the end, I’m sure White Hawk received plenty of benefits."

"No doubt they did. White Hawk has always been the big brother of the West. The Church is like a stone in a pit for them, smelly and hard, yet it occasionally springs up to dictate what to do. If it weren’t for the deep-rooted association between the faith system and the Church, White Hawk would have turned against the Church a long time ago."

The Great Demon picked up the conversation and casually added,

"The Church’s Eastern Expedition project had been exposed and basically had no chance of succeeding. They have now shifted their attention to alien civilizations in the Secret Realm, which is not a bad choice. These aliens claim to be descendants of ancient gods, with the word ’god’ in their title, giving the church an ample opportunity to promote their cause."

While talking, he ran his hand along Imai Xiang’s slender waist, squinting and saying,

"Those in the Church are of no concern to us. Conversely, I’m quite interested in Longyu, the one who got you in trouble. That guy is quite young, but he is certainly not to be underestimated."

"According to reliable information, the Northern God Kingdom invaded the passage space and invited him to act as the commanding officer. Under his leadership, both the Northern Major League and Longyu’s side gained a considerable amount, even the attitude of the alien civilization has undergone a drastic change. Although it’s unclear what he did exactly, he clearly has great abilities."

"He’s a figure that not many people have heard of, it’s not an exaggeration to say that he came out of nowhere. Half a year ago, our Rebirth Society had people operating in Jianghai, coming across the inspection bureau there, yet we’ve never heard of this guy. This guy, if given a chance, I must meet him in person."

As he was rambling on, the Great Demon turned his head and forced Imai Xiang to him by holding her chin, saying,

"Don’t worry, you are now my woman. Whoever has wronged you, I won’t let them off."

At his words, Imai Xiang looked at him flirtatiously, lightly replied "Mmm," then lifted her head to offer him a kiss.

The Great Demon did not bother being polite, he relished the soft pair of lips before him as if he was about to devour them.

At one side, Li Jing, looking strange, was listening to the two of them discussing about him.

Seeing the two of them so openly engrossed in their apparent intimacy, Li Jing grinned.

This pair, quite interesting.

As for the Great Demon wanting to find trouble with him to avenge Imai Xiang, Li Jing couldn’t care less.

To find trouble with him?

Him?

Is he even worthy?

It’s clear that the Great Demon’s words are just empty rhetoric.

Even he knows that he was invited by the God Kingdom to be a strategic advisor, so it’s obvious he holds influence.

This Great Demon is either bored out of his mind and coming to provoke him over a woman.

While the Rebirth Society is indeed aligned with the Daohe Alliance, it’s ultimately for their own gain.

In front of the Rebirth Society’s interests, what does a disgraced Imai Xiang amount to?

From their interactions, Li Jing managed to glean some information.

The church is spending a lot of resources because the Alien Civilization claims to be the descendants of the Ancient God, wishing to use the word ’God’ for their own ends, not for any resources or advantages.

This is very church-like.

What Imai Xiang said does make sense.

The church has significant influence in the Western World.

However, society is progressing, and it’s unquestionable that people are becoming smarter.

The days of the Supreme Church certainly cannot be that bad.

Compared to the church’s most prosperous period, its influence has indeed declined a lot.

This move by the church can be considered a precaution against a rainy day.

If the eastward conquest doesn’t work out, use the "God" card.

As to what they specifically want to do, Li Jing doesn’t know and he doesn’t want to speculate.

The schemes of these religious fanatics are beyond the deduction of a normal person like him.

However, one thing can now be concluded.

The Alien Civilization had been communicating with the Western forces long ago, and more closely so than with the North League led by the God Kingdom.

The Alien Civilization’s claim to be the descendants of the Ancient God was only revealed to the God Kingdom by him yesterday.

But the church knew about it long ago and planned to exploit it, hence they mobilised a million Sacred Temple army from various places in the West.

They were well ahead of the game.

Although the Big Secret Realm opens in international waters, it is ultimately on Eastern World territories.

Mobilising a large force from the Western World takes no small amount of time.

The fact that the Church’s Sacred Temple army has already been in the Secret Realm indicates that they had a clear grasp of certain information before the initial exploration was completed.

This is worth paying some attention to.

Ignoring the church, the Western forces have such close communication with the Alien Civilization that they have likely already made agreements and potentially gained great benefits.

The million-strong army currently assembled at the entrance of the relic passage is probably heading to carry out some pre-agreed action.

Seeing Imai Xiang and the Great Demon entangled without intending to separate, Li Jing pondered whether to go check out the church or the White Hawk.

There are many Western forces stationed in the relic.

A large portion of them, Li Jing can’t even name.

But the ones truly worth paying attention to are the church, White Hawk, and Daohe Alliance.

The church and White Hawk are the leaders of the western coalition.

The Daohe Alliance, a fence-sitter, is leading a union of some small Eastern World countries.

Imai Xiang and the Great Demon don’t look like they are going to end things any time soon, and she might even want to go to the tent for applause later. Surely he can’t just stand here and watch?

These two are indeed worth observing.

But Li Jing doesn’t need to observe everything.

Just as he was thinking of leaving, the million-strong Western coalition army assembled at the entrance of the relic’s central passage began their march.

Perceiving the situation there, Imai Xiang put on a reluctant face and gently pushed the Great Demon away, whispering,

"Master Jing Rong, they’re starting over there. Should we take this opportunity to talk to the people from White Hawk? The conditions promised by the foolish church to Daohe and the Rebirth Society, we have to get sooner or later. However, compared to the benefits of the church, the key things are the bargaining chips from the Alien Civilization and the rewards from the Secret Realm. We need to initiate communication early."

"Hmm, it’s time to take advantage of this opportunity to have a word with the people from White Hawk."

Jing Rong, the Great Demon, affirmed. He looked at Imai Xiang’s blushing face and said,

"You stay out of this one. The church has some people watching us covertly. It would be more convenient if I acted alone."

Upon hearing this Imai Xiang looked slightly displeased, her face full of resentment.

Clearly, she wanted to be more involved.

However, for the sake of Jing Rong’s request, she obediently acknowledged with a hum in the end.

Choosing to suck up to him, she knew she couldn’t demand too much at the moment. She had to make progress incrementally.

Lifting her head and lightly pecking the corner of Jing Rong’s mouth, Imai Xiang spoke softly,

"Master Jing Rong, be very careful going alone. The situation in the Great Secret Realm is currently chaotic and it’s not just the Secret Realm that’s dangerous. Even though you’re a Six Realm expert, you still need to proceed with caution."

"Don’t worry, I’ve got this covered."

Jing Rong replied with a grin,

"Stay in the camp, clean yourself up and wait for me to return."

Upon hearing this, Imai Xiang glared at him with a hint of annoyance and a blush of shyness, uttering a soft "hmm".

In response to this, Jing Rong winked and disappeared into the ground in a flicker of shadow, leaving no trace within moments.

Li Jing was initially planning to leave temporarily.

Upon hearing that Jing Rong was going to meet with the people from White Hawk, he naturally decided not to leave.

He had been worrying about what cards the Alien Civilization might have in hand. If negotiations were about to start, wouldn’t it be perfect for him to tag along?

Watching Jing Rong transform into a shadow and merge with the ground, Li Jing raised his eyebrow slightly.

Jing Rong, being a monster, couldn’t use magic skills.

His ability to transform into a shadow and melt into the ground was clearly a natural talent of his Monster species.

This ability seemed quite useful.

From the moment Jing Rong merged with the ground, Li Jing’s primordial spirit could no longer detect his presence, giving the impression he had completely vanished.

But the fleeting shadow on the ground could be clearly captured by the naked eye.

As long as one paid attention in advance, it was not difficult to spot and track it.

Glancing at Imai Xiang, who was blushing with a bashful face a second ago, and then grimacing with disgust the next, Li Jing shook his head quietly.

This woman, she’s really playing hard for power.

If she’s disgusted, then why bother?

Based on his observation.

Imai Xiang’s current predicament might be quite awkward.

She can’t get what she wants, yet she has to cater to Jing Rong.

Given the current situation, if there is no progress, she may not get anything; she might even end up being "used" for a while.

In such a dilemma, Li Jing felt obliged to offer some suggestions.

After all, they did know each other, didn’t they?

Imai Xiang is his "benefactor", she not only provided him with hundreds of thousands of merits, but also gave him a chance to learn forbidden skills due to her exceptional merits.

To help her out, Li Jing feels it his duty.

Once a scum demon like Jing Rong who plays with people without giving them any real benefits leaves, Sister Imai won’t have to worry about not being able to gain anything, right?

Throwing Imai Xiang a look of "I will solve your problem", Li Jing, not caring if she could see him under the influence of Silent Shadow, left with the speed of a lightning bolt.

...

A moment later, Li Jing arrived at the White Hawk camp located in the central area of the ruins.

At this time, the million-strong army led by the Supreme Church was still marching into the passage space, and it would take a considerable amount of time for all these people from different factions to enter.

Not paying attention to the state of the passage, Li Jing quickly located Jing Rong, who had arrived earlier and had already sneaked into a large tent in the heart of the White Hawk camp, using his strong primordial spirit.

Using his Primordial Spirit, Li Jing affirmed that there were seven people in the tent.

One of them was Jing Rong.

Who the other seven were, he couldn’t say for sure and it was unlikely they all belonged to White Hawk’s decision-making level.

When it comes to interests, the factions are not easy to deal with.

Even a small country not worth considering would have its own plans.

The Church leading the charge and occupying the dominant position is good, but nobody would be foolish enough to expect these religious fanatics to secure any real benefits for everyone.

If there are to be any real negotiations, it would be with the leader of the Western World, White Hawk.

Despite being clearly driven by utilitarianism and having a bad reputation in the Western World, they are much more trustworthy than those in the Supreme Church who only talk big.

The Daohe Alliance is not the only faction looking to negotiate with White Hawk.

Standing on the ground, Li Jing arrived near the tent and tried to listen in, only to frown.

It seems he guessed right.

The Daohe Alliance isn’t the only faction that came to "discuss" with White Hawk, someone else had come before Jing Rong.

The people of White Hawk were very cautious.

There was no sound coming from the tent at all at this time, clearly, they were using soundproofing measures.

Well, that’s awkward.

Knowing that at least seven people were talking inside but not being able to hear a thing was baffling to Li Jing.

Going into the tent and eavesdropping was not an option.

Silent Shadow can disrupt other people’s cognition, making them ignore his existence.

However, what people ignore is only him.

Other noticeable changes will still be noticed.

Currently, the tent entrance was covered with curtains.

If he were to lift the curtains and enter, those inside would become aware instantly.

If he wants to slip in without anyone noticing, he has to seize the opportunity when someone is entering the tent.

So, what should be done?

Just as he was in a dilemma, the curtain of a tent not far behind was suddenly lifted. Li Jing, noticing the movement, instinctively turned around.

What caught his eye was a golden-haired woman in a black robe, poking her head out of the tent.

This woman, she had a pair of sky-blue eyes.

She was rather beautiful.

Her tall stature of at least one meter and seventy-five centimeters wrapped in a black robe, made her seductive curves more attractive.

However, that’s not the main point.

The main point was, the woman was looking straight around over here.

"..."

Li Jing.

This woman, seemingly unaffected by the Silent Shadow.

He hadn’t anticipated that there would be someone in the White Hawk camp who could resist the effect of Silent Shadow.

Seventh Realm?

Impossible.

There was a convention internationally, the power of the Seventh Realm should not be used recklessly.

Like the prohibition of using nuclear weapons in the war world, everyone maintains a tacit understanding. If you move, everyone else will.

If White Hawk was bringing a Seventh Realm into the Secret Realm, that would be a foul.

So.

This woman is likely a Six Realm cultivator who specializes in spiritual cultivation...

Looking at her again, her black robe was low-key and without any decoration, completely different from the Church’s style. She seemed to be a western Mage from the Western Magic System.

Staring at the woman, Li Jing doesn’t know how to describe his current predicament.

With the backing of his mid-term Six Realm cultivation and the boost from Silent Shadow and still water like mirror, his Primordial Soul Strength was more than triple that of an ordinary Six Realm cultivator. This was supposed to be a sure thing.

Li Jing admitted.

His cultivation had improved so much in a short period, he had become somewhat arrogant.

But this unexpected situation, came too suddenly.

Who could have thought that he would run into trouble so soon after arriving at the White Hawk camp?

It just so happened that there was a Mage who specialized in spiritual cultivation here!

If he had known this, he would have got a set of White Hawk’s clothes first.

Even if he was discovered, he wouldn’t be recognized as a member of Longyu at first glance.

So the question is.

What should he do now?

He certainly can’t fight.

If he started a fight, the entire ancient ruins would be thrown into chaos.

The millions of soldiers led by the Church entering the channel space had not yet all gone in, and the personnel left behind by various forces were far more than a million. If chaos ensued, it would involve millions of people.

Even if he was full of himself, he wasn’t deluded enough to think he could withstand millions of people.

Moreover, where the ruins were located, there were not a few in the Six Realm.

Western forces are diverse and varied, and if every family had one Six Realm expert, it would be enough for him to have a difficult situation.

Run away?

That won’t work either!

Being seen in a Longyu Management uniform doesn’t solve the problem.

Just as he was at a loss as to what to do, the woman’s gaze moved away from him and looked around before looking back at him and beckoning him.

?

Li Jing slowly typed out a question mark.

Beckoning...

What does that mean?

Does she want him to come over?

That’s not according to the script!

A Sixth Realm, she was a big shot on the White Hawk’s side, far from being just a simple Local Bureau Chief like Jiang Yini.

Seeing him, a Longyu management staff member eavesdropping here, not only did she not attack immediately, but she also didn’t make a noise and even beckoned him over.

What is this woman trying to do?

She couldn’t be thinking of having a chat about life’s dreams with him, could she?

After examining the woman carefully, Li Jing hesitated, then walked towards her tent.

Fighting was not an option, nor was leaving.

Since the woman didn’t show aggression or make a fuss, there was no choice but to see what she was up to.