Chapter 273 - 272: Sudden Schemes, Adding Fuel to the Fire

After a short while, Li Jing arrived near the western ruins.

Given that many forces had sent numerous Late Six Realm cultivators, among whom there were inevitably those with powerful Primordial Spirits unaffected by the Silent Shadow, he didn’t go directly into the range of the ruins.

He found a deserted place where he changed out of his Management Bureau uniform and used the appearance-changing talisman to transform his appearance into that of Jing Rong’s.

Before coming to the Big Secret Realm, his preparations had been quite adequate.

He had spared no expense in securing items like the appearance-changing talisman, which were cheap and effective, and could conceal his identity when necessary.

Transforming into Jing Rong was a decision made after considering various factors.

By now, Li Jing had developed quite a reputation.

Having successively raided both the White Hawk and Daohe exploration teams, his identity had been thoroughly investigated by all parties.

Not only the Western forces, but many Eastern factions had also conducted investigations.

Even among them, there was the Northern Major League, which had a good relationship with Longyu.

There was nothing to argue about on this.

After all, he had committed such audacious acts that, to avoid having their exploration teams inadvertently raided, all parties would naturally take all necessary precautions.

Now, it wasn’t so much that everyone knew his face.

However, his appearance was undoubtedly well-known among the middle and upper echelons of the exploration teams of all parties.

It would seem somewhat unreasonable for Jing Rong, who had disappeared from the living world for over eight days and was lying in his storage space, to suddenly appear.

But this did not matter.

Jing Rong was a notorious member of the Rebirth Society, not a member of Daohe.

Even if it were Daohe people, they wouldn’t care what he had been doing for so many days.

Who does the Rebirth Society have to explain their actions to?

Disguising himself as a monster allied with Evil Cultivators, Li Jing did not have to worry too much even if he met someone immune to his Silent Shadow.

If they dared to talk nonsense, he would just beat them up.

Anyway, if chaos ensued, the blame would fall on the Rebirth Society and Daohe Alliance.

After changing clothes and disguising himself, Li Jing quietly entered the ruins like a thunderbolt.

He wasn’t sure where Serlina, who had come ahead of him, had gone.

But finding her wasn’t difficult.

After all, Serlina was wearing a Level Eight Spirit Tool and she wouldn’t have taken it off unless she returned to the White Hawk camp.

The presence of a Level Eight Spirit Tool was not something to be taken lightly.

As such, Li Jing merely entered the ruins and made a casual round, quickly discovering the fluctuation of a Level Eight Spirit Tool in the Grull Empire’s camp.

With the feedback from the Spirit Weapon Qingfeng, he immediately confirmed that it was indeed Serlina.

Upon discovering that Serlina was in the Grull Empire’s camp, Li Jing frowned slightly.

The Grull Empire was heavily influenced by the Supreme Church and was one of the few countries in the Western World that had no development of a magic system.

So.

Was the friend that Serlina was worried about a cultivator of the faith system?

If she had befriended him, his realm could not be low, and his position in the Grull Empire wouldn’t be minimal either.

Then here’s the question...

Which high-ranked person in the Grull Empire has no connection with the Supreme Church?

Many of them are even fervent believers of the Supreme Church.

Didn’t Serlina dislike the Supreme Church?

How did she end up befriending a high-ranking official of the Grull Empire?

Li Jing couldn’t help but feel incredulous, his expression strange.

Serlina reporting the news to her friend in the Grull Empire was essentially passing the news directly to the Supreme Church.

What would the Supreme Church, having received the news, do?

They wouldn’t hesitate to follow the example of White Hawk, subtly trapping other forces’ exploration teams and trying their best to preserve themselves.

The White Hawk is no easy target, and neither is the Supreme Church.

These two.

One was the big brother of the West, and the other was the main force of a million-strong army in the Spatial Passage.

If these two groups were to collaborate, the exploration teams of the other factions were in deep trouble.

Excluding the White Hawk and the Supreme Church, how many people from the other forces have entered the Spatial Passage?

The people who were in the Spatial Passage were probably not going to come out at all...

Shaking his head, Li Jing collected his thoughts.

He didn’t have much to say about it.

Anyway, it had nothing to do with Longyu. If the other forces’ exploration teams were wiped out, they’re gone. He had no interest in stepping in.

Even if he did step in, no one would appreciate him.

Why bother, when there was no rush.

If the White Hawk and the Supreme Church continued to act this way, it might trigger internal strife within the Western Union. The situation in the Secret Realm could be more beneficial for Longyu and the Northern Alliance.

Of course.

Considering the nature of the Western Union, the other offended forces would at most protest a bit, but not dare to fall out with the White Hawk and the Supreme Church at the same time.

The reason was simple.

They couldn’t afford to offend either one of them.

Li Jing quietly waited outside the camp of the Grull Empire.

It wasn’t suitable for him to pretend to be Jing Rong and wait in the sky at this time.

The key point was that his Sky Control method was called "Thunder Clash".

Jing Rong didn’t have this ability.

If someone unaffected by the Silent Shadow noticed him, it would be a bit awkward if he were hanging in the sky.

As it turned out, Li Jing’s decision to wait on the ground was a wise one.

Shortly after he stood still, a man rose up from the Gruul Empire’s camp and hovered in the sky, frowning and looking towards him.

Seeing this, Li Jing raised an eyebrow, flashed a playful smile, and walked away.

He had been here for a while before anyone came out, obviously questioning his spying on the Grull Empire’s camp.

In that case, of course, he couldn’t stay long.

Li Jing didn’t mind letting the Rebirth Society and the Daohe Alliance take the blame.

But unless necessary, he thought it was better for him to keep a low profile.

Cause trouble wasn’t his intention here.

Anyway, it was easy for him to find Serlina, and it would be easy for her to notice him too.

His "Silent Shadow" would be a disturbance for Serlina, who had incredibly strong spiritual power.

Aware of his presence by now, Serlina would come soon.

Waiting here was the same as waiting elsewhere, no need to stir up trouble.

Li Jing left the Grull Empire camp, casually found a desolate spot in the ruins and sat down, waiting patiently.

...

About five minutes later.

A streak of light came across the sky and landed in front of Li Jing.

The light faded, revealing Serlina.

Seeing her arrival, Li Jing gave a comfortable smile.

Just as he was about to speak, Serlina took out a pair of glasses, put them on, looked at him, and exclaimed strangely.

"Eight days ago, a Great Demon named Jing Rong from the Daohe Alliance came to our White Hawk camp. After leaving, he never showed up again, and Daohe’s people made a fuss for a long time. The White Hawk’s top brass takes this very seriously and has been secretly searching with various forces in collaboration with Daohe for several days. I had some suspicions it might be you because when you left coincides with when he left. A Late Six Realm Great Demon wouldn’t just disappear out of the blue, now I’m completely certain."

With that said, she spoke quietly.

"You’ve really got guts, disguising yourself as the guy you’ve killed. You were spotted just now by a Six Realm member of the Grull Empire. I was chatting with my friend when he mentioned it, it left me completely baffled. Then he even brought my friend into the mess, I neither could nor couldn’t explain."

Without waiting for Li Jing to respond, Serlina continued babbling.

"I went to deliver a message to my friend, and then you showed up disguised as a dead man behind me. Now they suspect that alien species have the ability to dispel seals and had done so eight days ago. I am actually under the same suspicion, which has caused quite a lot of tension among the Grull."

Listening to Serlina’s elaborate speech, Li Jing was dumbfounded, he didn’t know how to react.

The Grull Empire’s ability to make conjectures seemed quite strong.

He only disguised himself as Jing Rong, how did they manage to make such a huge leap?

He had arrived after Serlina, it was true, but there was a significant gap between their arrivals, wasn’t there?

Jing Rong’s fate was unclear, going as far as to assume his death was a bit preposterous...

Six Realm cultivators don’t die easily, do they?

Assuming that Jing Rong was possessed, and then Serlina was targeted, this imaginative leap was quite sensational.

Paranoia shouldn’t go this far!

However, you can’t deny it.

Given the assumption that Jing Rong was deceased, and adding the fact that Serlina, the only one aware of the alien sneaking out through the spatial passage to deliver a message, the Grull’s speculation does sound reasonable.

With a smirk and a sudden impulse to stir up trouble, Li Jing looked at her and said.

"Serlina, would you like to be ’kidnapped’ by me?"

?

Serlina.

"If I’m not mistaken, the friend you care about is not only a member of the Six Realm but also a high-ranking one in the Grull Empire?"

Li Jing asked in a confirming tone.

Upon hearing this, Serlina unconsciously nodded, then responded awkwardly.

"Maria is connected to the Supreme Church, but she’s not quite like the others in the church, she’s a nice and kind person."

Maria?

That indeed is a kind name...

Li Jing silently sneered, and connivingly responded.

"If Maria has been accepted by you as a friend, she must indeed be different from the ordinary church-goers."

After speaking, his tone shifted, looking pitifully at her and said.

"Though she’s connected to the church, and is a high-ranking official in Grull Empire, confiding the news about Alien Civilization to her alone is like deliberately pushing other exploration teams into the fire pit. I understand that, as a member of White Hawk, you have your concerns about not publicly disclosing information that has been kept under the wraps by White Hawk. But I think a person as kind-hearted as you wouldn’t want to bear such unnecessary burdens."

"This..."

Serlina blinked, uttering awkwardly.

"You don’t have to flatter me that much, I’m not as good as you think. Seeing your demeanor, it seems you have some tricks up your sleeve - just speak up. As long as it doesn’t harm White Hawk, I wouldn’t mind helping you out a little since we just enjoyed a delicious barbecue."

Indeed, Serlina had a kind heart.

But, she is no saint.

Indeed.

If she went public with the news, she might be able to save many lives.

But just as Li Jing understands that no one would be grateful if you stuck your neck out, she understood the logic too.

If she were to leak this information, not only would no one appreciate her, but the White Hawk might even reprimand her for spoiling their "big plan". She might even be resented by the church, so why should she bother?

Li Jing was an understanding person, he knew Serlina was not as naive as she seemed.

But for some things, directness doesn’t always work.

He has been considering asking Serlina to go west with him, to help find the Alien Species that had quietly arrived in the Big Secret Realm, or at the very least, to gauge their attitude.

At this moment, Serlina openly stated that she had seen through his scheming, and expressed her willingness to cooperate. Li Jing did not hesitate to open the chatterbox.

"Now, the Grull Empire misunderstands my presence and the matter must be immediately escalated to the Church. We can take advantage of this and put on a play where I abduct you. Make it grand, so that everyone knows and muddies the water."

"As a member of White Hawk, you’ve gone missing from the Grull Empire camp, abducted by the highest commander of Daohe Alliance who had been missing for eight days. The forces will not just sit back and enjoy the show. The Secret Realm situation is complex, and after two Six Realm incidents, they will surely be on high alert. Including White Hawk, all forces will approach Daohe Alliance and Grull Empire, demanding to know what’s going on."

"The Church, in order to dominate the Spatial Passage issue, has already ’broken up’ with Grull Empire and been standing independently. With your message, and your abduction, they will undoubtedly focus their efforts on dealing with the Alien Civilization, leaving Grull Empire aside. At that time, Grull Empire, under a lot of pressure, will mostly disclose their misunderstanding, and everyone will understand the situation."

After continuously speaking three times, Li Jing gave a strange smile.

"Once they know that the Alien Civilization has already escaped the seal, and even possessed a Six Realm being, all forces will undoubtedly be extremely shocked. The exploration teams that have entered the Spatial Passage will be notified soon; while they may not necessarily be able to reduce casualties, White Hawk and the Church’s plan of selling out teammates for self-protection certainly won’t work."

Without waiting for Serlina to speak, he continued.

"Doing this won’t cause much loss to White Hawk, as not many people from White Hawk have entered the Spatial Passage. Those who have, and knew about the situation early on, will continue to hold back. Importantly, the main force of the Church can’t retreat. They came here because the Alien Species claimed to be the ’Descendants of the Ancient God’, hoping to capitalize on the word ’God’, and try to reverse the Church’s dwindling influence. Being played by the Alien Civilization like this, their plan has already fallen through. If they get another reputation for hiding behind other countries’ exploration teams and selling them out, the prestige of the Church will take a big hit, which they can’t bear."

Serlina listened to Li Jing’s words without making a sound.

After he finished speaking, she frowned and asked.

"According to you, we can indeed take this opportunity to trip up the Church. But if we do this, the exploration teams in the Spatial Passage might end up in direct conflict with the Alien Civilization, potentially leading to more casualties."

"The conflict is inevitable. Waiting for the Alien Civilization to open the Spatial Passage elsewhere, their top priority is likely to devour the people currently in the Spatial Passage."

Li Jing responded,

"In the end, the reason we have no conflict now is only because White Hawk is suppressing the news due to some concerns. We might as well fan the flames a bit, let them tear up their pretenses with the Alien Civilization sooner."

He continued,

"Direct conflict in the Secret Realm would be more favorable for the current situation. Otherwise, once the Alien Civilization is fully prepared, whether it is within the Spatial Passage or the Big Secret Realm, all forces will suffer heavier casualties."

Serlina nodded thoughtfully, saying,

"If you put it that way, it does make sense. To be honest, I really don’t like the way White Hawk’s high command is acting. They’re probably still considering how to benefit more before the masks rip off, so I can cooperate with you on this."

With that, she voiced a dilemma.

"The other things can be managed, but the problem is that I have the responsibility of presiding over the rear of White Hawk, since I’m here I naturally need to fulfill my duties. If I were to be kidnapped by you at the critical juncture of conflict with Alien Civilization, wouldn’t I be unable to return?"

"When a large-scale war truly starts, you can go back."

Li Jing chuckled and said,

"You’re just being kidnapped, not killed, so there’s no reason you wouldn’t be able to escape and return, right?"

After saying this, Li Jing continued,

"By the way, I came to see you because I wanted to invite you to go west with me, to find out the Alien Species that snuck out of the Spatial Passage. If we can kill it before it opens the Passage from outside, that would be best. At that point, the Alien Civilization’s plan to gather forces elsewhere will fail, and they can only come out from this relic, which will be easier to deal with. This trip might not take us very long. Being kidnapped would provide a good excuse for your absence for a while. If not, White Hawk might not allow you to be away for too long."

Upon hearing that Li Jing came here to invite her to go west to find the Alien Species that had escaped from the Spatial Passage, Serlina looked startled.

"Just the two of us?"

"It’s just a single Alien Species, no need for too many people."

Li Jing shrugged, saying,

"If we were to find help, we wouldn’t be able to find it in such a short time. Although there are many in the Six Realm in the Secret Realm now, most of them are officials with important duties. Like you and me, these ’free people’ are hard to find a third person. Everyone is very busy, ’saving the needy and improving the situation’, only we idle people can do."

Serlina fell silent.

She wanted to say that she’s not idle.

Li Jing isn’t really a ’free man’ fundamentally. It’s her who is truly non-official.

Gazing intently at Li Jing, Serlina found that she could not truly see through this seemingly immature youth.

Li Jing works for Longyu.

He didn’t seem to be focusing on how Longyu can protect itself in the chaos, but was trying to alter the overall situation with his own power.

Despite his unflattering intentions, what he wanted to do was essentially what a ’savior’ should do.

Looking at the entire Big Secret Realm.

Don’t even talk about the Eastern or Western World, including Longyu and the major northern leagues. Which force isn’t strategizing to gain more benefits?

All the families have taken measures against the Alien Civilization, they have no other choice.

The Alien Civilization’s attack can’t be solved simply by avoiding provocation.

Even if they knew conflicts were inevitable, they continued to try and gain benefits from various angles. They were still calculating with the tigers and trying to gain more from the Alien Civilization before the war began.

In this regard, Li Jing appeared to be an outsider.

Serlina didn’t understand.

What was he doing it for?

What benefits did all his efforts bring?

Even if he did all that, no one would remember his contributions, and not many people would know what he had done to change the overall situation.

She didn’t understand.

She couldn’t see through it.

But Serlina didn’t object to what Li Jing wanted to do.

Changing the overall situation, she wasn’t interested.

Being in the Big Secret Realm full of unknowns however, she didn’t fancy being "duty-bound" at the White Hawk camp.

Having a rare opportunity to enter the Big Secret Realm, she wanted to explore...

Being kidnapped by Li Jing, making the shameless Supreme Church embarrassed, as well as getting to go out for a stroll, seemed like a good choice?

Glossing over her red lips, Serlina spoke.

"Fine, we’ll do it your way. How are we going to do this?"

Seeing Serlina officially going along with him, Li Jing smiled.

"There’s not much to fuss about, we just have to make the act appear real. We fight with all our might, heading towards the Grull Empire, as long as we don’t give ourselves away, we should be good."

"Fight with full strength?"

Serlina blinked, sounding puzzled.

"I have no objection to fighting you. But if we head towards the Grull Empire, I’m afraid we’re going to stir up a bunch of Six Realm beings, then what..."

"No problem, I’m going to kidnap you, they won’t be able to stop it."

Li Jing gave a gentle smile.

"In order to make it seem more real, I’ll try to hold back as much as I can. Be careful not to get hurt."

"...."

Serlina.

Hold back, that was what she wanted to say.

So.

What did Li Jing mean by that?

Did he imply that she, a late Six Realm combat mage, couldn’t beat him, a newly entered Six Realm?

Serlina simply couldn’t accept that.

She had awakened her Mind Perception Body, and for many years, none of her peers were a match for her.

Having said that,

Li Jing was pretending to be Jing Rong, who was possessed.

Aside from the fact that Jing Rong was a monster, alien civilizations mainly focused on body refinement. In order not to expose lies, Li Jing could only rely on close combat against her.

A person following the Orthodox Immortal Path was playing close combat with a combat mage like her, it’s clear who has the upper hand, isn’t it?

This was not an issue of her being underestimated.

But seeing Li Jing’s confident demeanor, Serlina couldn’t help but look forward to it.

With such confidence, Li Jing must have a reason.

With the mysterious Silent Shadow as a precedent, she was curious about what kind of tricks he had up his sleeve.

Removing her glasses and putting them away, Serlina’s deep blue eyes sparkled.

"It won’t be that easy for you to beat me, so let’s see how capable you are."