Chapter 280 - 279: Those Things in the West, The Calm Before the Storm

Waiting, dull and lengthy.

In the blink of an eye, more than three hours had passed.

Quan Chang, who was assigned to evacuate the clan’s people, had not returned yet.

The Ghost Clan ancestor who had gone to the other spatial passages for aid hadn’t returned either.

If it weren’t for the fact that Quan Huai and nine other Ghost Clan members of the Seventh Realm were still guarding the front of the spatial rift, along with a host of Ghost Clan elites, even intermittently assigned to arrange something around the sporadically twisting spatial rift - Li Jing would have believed that the Ghost Clan was ready to surrender the Ghost Clan Holy City without a fight.

It was nearing midnight.

Li Jing, bored to death, was keeping guard in front of the Central Sacred Temple’s door. He had the Spirit Weapon Qingfeng stand guard for him while he found an empty space nearby, took out pots, bowls and pans, and started cooking on the spot.

He had no other choice.

No one in the Ghost Clan had time for him right now, he didn’t even have anyone to talk to, it was utterly boring.

It would be a while before the spatial passage steadied, and the God-Human Race’s armies definitely wouldn’t strike so soon.

Since he had time to spare, he decided to do something productive.

It was not acceptable to cook right at the door of someone else’s sacred temple.

Causing Spirit Weapon Qingfeng to stand at watch was the perfect solution.

In terms of deterrence, Spirit Weapon Qingfeng was far more powerful than his master.

Unlike Linglong, who under Li Jing’s request had practiced keeping her power restrained, Spirit Weapon Qingfeng didn’t understand such things.

Once she stands, she continuously exudes her Immortal Item’s power in all directions.

Given the ample time, Li Jing put quite some effort into this midnight snack.

Although it was just for him, but since there was enough time, he made the meal elaborate which in turn helped him pass more time.

In this deep section of the Big Secret Realm where there was no network, Li Jing couldn’t even play on his phone.

As someone who didn’t know how to cultivate, if he didn’t find something to do, all he could do was sit and twiddle his thumbs, so spending a little extra time was fine.

...

About an hour later, Li Jing had whipped up a very lavish late-night snack.

Just as he was about to enjoy his meal, he sensed something and took out the communication Magic Stone that Serlina had left him before she left.

As the Magic Stone was taken out, an image began to rise, showing the upper half of Serlina’s body.

Li Jing raised an eyebrow at the sight.

There was something to this communication Magic Stone of Serlina’s!

This lifelike image was even more real than holographic projection. Even though it only showed the upper body, it was not much different from real life.

Half of Serlina’s figure was projected, and her gaze focused on Li Jing.

"Li Jing, I have returned to the entrance of the Secret Realm and contacted Jiang Yini through Longyu. I have already informed her about the situation."

Afterwards, she added,

"Also, there’s something you need to be aware of. The act we put on when we left had a better effect than we expected. The Daohe Alliance has now retreated from the spatial passage and established substantial defensive positions at the entrance, preparing for direct confrontation with the Alien Species. No other Alien Species have appeared so far, which clearly shows that the Alien Species are focused on the Ghost Clan and not our Present World People."

Upon hearing Serlina’s description, Li Jing was somewhat surprised.

He had anticipated that the focus of the God-Human Race’s return would not be on the Present World People.

But what he had not considered was that the act that he and Serlina put up would have such a great effect, resulting in the Daohe Alliance retreating directly from the Spatial Passage.

War was inevitable.

But he didn’t think that the Daohe Alliance would want to break the facade so soon.

Even if they knew the truth about the Alien Species breaking the Seal, and that two Sixth Realm members had likely fallen into the dangerous hands of the Alien Species, it only affected the malicious intent of White Hawk and the Church hiding behind other forces’ exploration teams.

Secondly, the influences of Jing Rong and Serlina in the Daohe and White Hawk’s Camps were very limited respectively.

Jing Rong held a high position in the Daohe Camp, but in reality, he belonged to the Rebirth Society.

His accidental death didn’t cause the Daohe Alliance any heartache.

Then there was Serlina. The non-system member of her camp was missing, and the higher-ups of the profit-oriented White Hawk would not have had much reaction.

The key was this.

As long as the Alien Species did not expose their intentions of causing a large-scale conflict with the Daohe Alliance, they still had room to manoeuvre.

They could easily pretend not to know and gain more benefits before the start of the war.

While Li Jing loathed these tactics of trickery and deceit, he was very clear on what their actions would be.

What led the Daohe Alliance to directly confront the God-Human Race?

Li Jing was somewhat puzzled, but he didn’t dwell on it.

The internals of the Daohe Alliance were complicated to the extreme, with too many factors involved.

There was the Supreme Church, who wished to consolidate its status within the Faith System have an eastern expedition, and then there was White Hawk, who daydreamed of becoming the world’s inspectors. The rest were all troublemakers.

What they were thinking and what their next step would be -

Even experts who had studied the Daohe Alliance extensively wouldn’t be able to predict that.

Only God knows what those high-ranking officials of the Daohe Alliance who are always calculating this and that are thinking.

After a brief silence, Li Jing asked.

"Did you inform the higher-ups of the White Hawk about the situation of the Ghost Clan?"

"I told them what they needed to know, and I mentioned you too."

Serlina responded immediately.

"You mentioned me?"

Li Jing frowned curiously.

He had told her to decide for herself whether or not to inform the high-ranking White Hawks.

That she would truthfully tell the White Hawk’s high-ranked officials was expected.

Even though she didn’t get along well with the high-ranking White Hawks, she was a White Hawk after all.

She wouldn’t hide any news that would benefit her homeland.

Bringing back the news of the Ghost Clan was a great achievement for her.

But that didn’t include mentioning him!

On the other end of the Magic Stone, it seemed that Serlina could also see half of Li Jing’s projected figure.

Seeing the strange expression on Li Jing’s face, Serlina spoke, her voice slightly uncomfortable.

"I know that the initiation of the war between the Western Alliance and the Alien Species was not simply because of the act we put on. However, my kidnapping was an important factor, which made a significant impact on the battle strategy of White Hawk. The excuse of escaping using my own power will look sound, but if I do not produce some substantial evidence, the higher-ups in White Hawk will inevitably have doubts about me, which may affect my life in the future."

With that, she voiced out weakly.

"I hope you can understand."

Li Jing opened his mouth and said nothing.

He can understand that.

The high-levels of White Hawk are suspicious, that needs no explanation.

They can make up stories as if they are real, their imaginative ability is exceptional.

However, Li Jing was a little puzzled.

Why did Serlina mention him?

Does the news about the Ghost Clan not suffice as evidence?

He rubbed his temples and asked,

"What exactly did you say about me to the high-levels of White Hawk...?"

"I didn’t say much."

Serlina responded, her voice coy.

"I simply mentioned that you were aware of my kidnapping and discreetly followed us. The reason I was able to escape was because you assisted me."

At her words, Li Jing frowned, at a loss for words.

After receiving this reply, he began to understand.

The reason why Serlina mentioned him was not merely to avoid suspicion; it was to foster a relationship between White Hawk and Longyu.

She was presumably considering the possibility that the Western Alliance and the God-Human Race could suffer a loss in their conflict and, hence, wanted to drag Longyu into the conflict as well.

Nothing wrong with that.

If Longyu gets involved, the Northern Major League would surely follow suit.

White Hawk would not miss the chance to garner more allies under its banner.

Even though they might only be temporary allies, having more of them when facing a strong enemy can only be helpful. Otherwise, White Hawk would have to put a great deal of manpower and resources into the fight.

As the big brother of the Western Alliance, they need to set an example once the war starts.

With the intervention of Longyu and the Northern Major League, their pressure would be significantly lessened.

Looking back.

What they have always wanted to be is the big brother leading the allies, isn’t it?

Even if they only get to do it temporarily, its influence on White Hawk’s standing in the West would undoubtedly be significant.

After a brief silence, Li Jing gave a bitter smile.

"Alright, I got it. Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Nothing more."

Serlina shrugged, looking at him timidly.

"Um, you won’t blame me, would you?"

"No."

Li Jing shook his head.

He genuinely wouldn’t blame Serlina for this.

It’s alright for Serlina, as a member of White Hawk, to consider White Hawk’s interests.

Their positions are different, there’s no point in blaming each other.

Serlina’s aim is not to simply let White Hawk play the big brother role once, but to minimise White Hawk’s losses.

Turning back to the matter at hand.

This scenario doesn’t affect Li Jing personally, he would simply be used by White Hawk as a tool to establish a connection with Longyu.

Longyu can’t possibly stay out of the conflict with the Alien Civilization.

Participation in the war is just a matter of time.

Everyone has to face the Alien Civilization together, no one can escape from it.

As of now, the Western Alliance is facing the brunt of it single-handedly. If Longyu gets directly involved, not only will it not achieve anything, it would indeed be open to criticism.

The more important point is.

The Western Alliance must have gained something from their interactions with the Alien Civilization. Longyu, who hasn’t gained anything, has no reason to take the initiative to get involved.

In a way, having Serlina as a "mediator" is more beneficial for Longyu.

White Hawk wants to pull Longyu into the conflict and seize the chance to take the upper hand. They have to offer enough incentives to achieve that.

The same goes for the Northern Major League.

Both the East and the West understand this tacitly.

It’s just that the two sides are not on good terms, so they haven’t initiated negotiations for the sake of saving face.

One side is waiting for the other side to give in so they can demand more,

while the other side is waiting for a reasonable chance to negotiate so they can give less.

Bluntly putting it,

the Western Alliance has already considered the price to pay when they decided to tap into the benefits of their contact with the Alien Civilization.

Each step they took was carefully calculated.

The Western Alliance is not stupid. They know that the Alien Civilization is not friendly, yet they still want to profit from them.

Without preparing an exit strategy, they wouldn’t wade into such muddy waters.

And in fact, if the profit doesn’t outweigh the cost, they wouldn’t even have bothered interacting with the Alien Civilization.

In summary, the high-levels have calculated every move meticulously.

With a deep sigh of frustration, Li Jing looked at the space rift that appeared not far away. He informed Serlina about the God-Human Race’s failed surprise attack through the spatial passage that they had opened.

Upon hearing this news, Serlina frowned slightly.

"The God-Human Race’s surprise attack was countered, I’m afraid an all-out assault is imminent. Are you sure you’ll be safe staying with the Ghost Clan?"

"It’s fine, I can run away if things get dicey."

Li Jing spoke out, saying.

"Under these circumstances, you should keep the top brass of White Hawk and Dragon Longyu informed. As the focus of the God-human Race is on the Ghost Clan, they won’t allocate much power to deal with us Present World people. You can be bold and venture into the Spatial Passage. But don’t be overbearing, the Eighth Realm exists among the Alien Species. Such beings won’t act rashly, but if provoked, who knows when they might jump out."

Upon hearing of the existence of the Eighth Realm among the Alien Species, Serlina wide-eyed in shock.

The Eighth Realm, is not inexistent in the Present World.

But their existence, is equivalent to a collection of legends.

No one knows, which kingdoms in the current Present World have individuals belonging to the Eighth Realm.

This level, is simply unknowable.

There are many factors at play here.

The main reason is that the Eighth Realm has reached a point where they can obliterate countries singlehandedly.

Pushing the Eighth Realm to the forefront, rather than being a deterrent, it would be viewed as a threat by everyone else.

There’s a reason why powerhouses at the Seventh Realm aren’t allowed to act rashly...

Blue Star, is incredibly vulnerable.

Humans, are even more so.

A single action from someone of the Seventh Realm, without applying much power, could permanently erase several cities from the map of Blue Star, wiping out tens of millions of people.

For the Eighth Realm to obliterate a nation would take mere moments.

It isn’t the question of whether anyone can fight back or not.

This level of existence, if they were to act recklessly, doesn’t pose a threat to just a particular nation or force.

But the entire Blue Star!

If a disaster befalls Blue Star, it will essentially spell the end for humans...

Restraint, is absolutely necessary.

Otherwise, if you were to provoke someone of the Eighth Realm, then I would have to provoke one as well, and the Blue Star might just be obliterated in the process.

With a heavy sigh, Serlina spoke softly.

"I will report this immediately, and communicate with Dragon Longyu’s side as well. Are there any other developments on your end?"

"None."

Li Jing replied, saying.

"This magic stone can only be used once, so for now we can’t communicate again. But wait till tomorrow, the Heavenly King Group should be back. At that time, my Spirit Weapon will be at the entrance to the Secret Realm. If needed, you can contact me through it."

"Understood."

Serlina responded.

As soon as she finished speaking, her figure began to disappear.

Following that, the magic stone in Li Jing’s hand lost its color, becoming utterly useless.

Looking at the useless magic stone in his hand, Li Jing’s mouth moved slightly.

Ten billion, just gone like that.

Nonchalantly tossing the useless magic stone into his storage space as a memento, Li Jing bent down preparing to have his late-night snack.

Just as he was about to do so, without any warning, several spatial cracks appeared around the Sacred Temple.

Upon seeing this, Li Jing’s body hardened.

But soon after, he relaxed again.

Despite seeing so many spatial cracks opening up, the people of the Ghost Clan remained calm, indicating that these passages had nothing do with God-human Race and were likely being used as reinforcements summoned by the Ancestor Lao of the Ghost Clan.

Looking around, Li Jing counted.

A total of twelve spatial cracks had opened.

Which means that, at least twelve tribes of the Ancient God’s Descendants will be coming to aid the Ghost Clan.

This battle will be, intense.

When the time comes, the main battlefield will likely be dominated by those of the Seventh Realm, the Sixth Realm will be just foot soldiers, while those of the Fifth Realm will have a hard time interfering.

This predicament, baffled Li Jing somewhat.

With this scale of a battle, he won’t lack opportunities to gain experience, but the quantity won’t be great.

If there’s an abundance of Ancient God’s Descendants starting from the Sixth Realm, then killing them will be quite challenging.

The Seventh Realm isn’t even considered, as fighting against them head-on with only a mid-stage Sixth Realm cultivation level would be too exhausting.

His focus, must be on those of the Fifth Realm.

The problem is, once the battle starts, if the God-human Race were to see him slaughtering the Fifth Realm like harvesting wheat, resulting in a rapid increase in their losses, there is bound to be a Sixth Realm or even a Seventh Realm coming at him for a close "care".

Tilting his head to gaze at the Ghost Clan Sacred Temple in the rear, Li Jing slightly furrowed his brows.

As the infiltrator who sacrificed himself blew up and left before his death, the spatial crack of the God-human Race opened up far away from the Sacred Temple.

But this distance, means nothing to someone of the Seventh Realm.

With just one idea in mind, they can kill their way here.

Won’t this, be a problem?

Just as he was thinking of this, a narrow spatial crack opened up in front of the Sacred Temple’s gate.

Seeing this, Spirit Weapon Qingfeng, who was standing in for someone to guard the main gate of the Sacred Temple, looked grim. Upon seeing this, Li Jing hastily sent over a mental message, telling it not to take action.

His Spirit Weapon Qingfeng, can be somewhat naïve at times.

The crack at the main gate of the Sacred Temple, undeniably, was the Ancestor Lao of the Ghost Clan about to return.

If he didn’t pass on a message to Spirit Weapon Qingfeng, it might just pull out his sword the next second.

Upon receiving Li Jing’s instruction, Spirit Weapon Qingfeng stood pat, its stern face revealing a slight look of discontent, which was then cleverly concealed thereafter.

For this, Li Jing has long ceased to be surprised.

Compared to Linglong who, despite possessing a large killer weapon with a gold attribute, acts cute all day wanting to raise spiritual materials, Qingfeng spends its days pondering what to hack at.

It’s not out of a thirst for blood, but simply a desire to hack at something.

If it doesn’t hack, it feels uneasy.

Just moments after Li Jing sent a mental message to Spirit Weapon Qingfeng, Ancestor Lao of the Ghost Clan stepped out of the spatial crack.

Upon seeing Spirit Weapon Qingfeng positioned like a door deity in front of his own Sacred Temple, Ancestor Lao of the Ghost Clan was slightly taken aback. He stared at it for a moment, then turned his gaze towards Li Jing.

"Is this your Immortal Weapon?"

The voice in his mind rang out, and Li Jing didn’t hesitate.

"Well, Quan Chang isn’t here, so she asked me to help guard the Sacred Temple."

Upon hearing this response, the Ghost Clan’s ancestor nodded, walking over to convey her thoughts.

"Your Immortal Item is very peculiar, it doesn’t seem to be just a weapon, the items your Big World Human Race refines are all..."

Halfway through her speech, she glanced at Li Jing’s sumptuous midnight snack and crinkled her cute nose, swallowing her saliva and changing her words.

"These... did you make them all?"

Obviously, she was eyeing his midnight snack but was too shy to admit it directly. Li Jing indulged her readily.

"I just made some snacks to satisfy my cravings. These are all foods from our Big World. If Ancestor, you are free, why not sit down and try some?"

While talking, he waved his hand and pulled out a stool to place next to him, taking out a pair of bowls and chopsticks in the process.

In the face of such thoughtful behavior, an excited expression appeared on the Ghost Clan’s ancestor face. She curiously observed as Li Jing sat on the elegantly crafted stool and studied the chopsticks he had taken out.

The Ghost Clan, being eaters, don’t use chopsticks.

But with Li Jing’s demonstration, learning how to use chopsticks was not a difficult task for her.

Almost naturally, she followed Li Jing’s use of chopsticks and stuffed a piece of meat strip into her mouth. The Ghost Clan’s ancestor uttered a sound of satisfaction and conveyed her emotions through her thoughts.

"Delicious! Tastes are more varied among humans! This piece of meat is quite ordinary without a hint of Spiritual Rhyme, yet it is so delicious when tasted. For hundreds of thousands of years, I have never eaten anything so delicious."

Upon hearing such high praise from the Ghost Clan’s ancestor, Li Jing chuckled.

"If you like it, then eat more, Ancestor."

While saying this, Li Jing found it extremely strange.

When he first saw the Ghost Clan’s ancestry, she projected a sense of deep profundity.

However, now that she was eating, she seemed like a greedy little girl without any trace of dignity.

Is this the Eighth Realm?

She’s just a child!

Does she even care about her image anymore?

Having tasted the delicacies of the Big World, the ancestor of the Ghost Clan was completely unconcerned about her image, eating greedily as if she hadn’t eaten for ages.

Li Jing, witnessing her zealous eating, could not help but smile.

Just as he was about to eat some himself, the ancestor of the Ghost Clan, who had her cheeks stuffed with food, turned around and gently waved her hand.

"Boom!"

A huge spatial rift opened up, swallowing the entire Ghost Clan Holy City.

Li Jing was slightly stunned, then quickly realized that the ancestor of the Ghost Clan was relocating the Holy City to somewhere else.

With this understanding, Li Jing glanced at the spatial rift that had opened up around him, and casually asked out loud.

"Ancestor, when will the reinforcements you called for arrive?"

"They don’t have the talent to control space. Sending a large number of people through an unstable passage could cause problems. To be safe, they will only come after the passage is stable."

The ancestor of the Ghost Clan conveyed her thoughts, then added:

"Relax, their passage will stabilize before the God-Human Race’s. When we initially constructed the Seal Space, we took into account that making it more difficult for the Holy City to connect."

Li Jing nodded and asked another question.

"Will you fight in the upcoming war, Ancestor?"

"No."

The ancestor of the Ghost Clan answered.

"If I moved, the God-Human Race’s old fellows would also move, and then the Ghost Clan would become the target of public criticism. In the Ancient God’s Descendants, we have a rule about infighting – unless a family is wiped out, we the ’old, immortal ones’ cannot participate."

After saying this, she continued.

"In this myriad of worlds, there will invariably be times of connection. The Chongyuan Holy Realm is not as unique as the Big World; all we have is this vast expanse of land and sky. Sooner or later, we will be invaded by other tribes. Our power exists to protect the Holy Realm, not just a single family."

Upon hearing this explanation, Li Jing made a sound of understanding.

The rules among the Ancient Gods Descendants, which are similar to those of the human race of the present world where peak powerhouses cannot easily move, make sense.

After all, the power at the level of the Eighth Realm moving into action is indeed above the norm.

Pondering over the ancestor of the Ghost Clan’s follow-up words slightly, Li Jing felt somewhat concerned.

Going by the ancestor of the Ghost Clan’s words, it seemed that the Chongyuan Holy Realm had been invaded more than once by alien races from other Secret Realm Spaces.

The rule about the Eighth Realm not being able to move, had been born out of such circumstances.

It appeared that the enemies they had faced in the past were very powerful.

Had the present world also been invaded at some point?

Li Jing contemplated this, but quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

There must have been invasions.

However, most likely Blue Star hasn’t encountered any.

The Blue Star had just started to flourish in the past few thousand years. If it was invaded by an existence akin to the Ancient God’s Descendants, it would have been wiped out a long time ago.

Just as the ancestor of the Ghost Clan had said.

The so-called Big World of the present doesn’t just have one Blue Star but an expansive and endless starry sky.

Present scientific theories suggest that Secret Realm Passages don’t just appear on Blue Star, but they can be found anywhere in the Milky Way galaxy.

Whether there is civilization existing elsewhere in the Milky Way aside from Blue Star is not yet certain.

What can be confirmed, however, is that the chances of Blue Star being invaded amidst the boundless Milky Way are extremely slim.

The passages that appear on other planets or even other galaxies will be out of reach for both humans and the Alien Species that traverse through space. They simply won’t be able to locate Blue Star.

This is not something worth pondering over.

Once he confirmed that the Eighth Realm wouldn’t intervene, Li Jing was able to relax.

Such overwhelming power is beyond what he can currently handle, nor is it something he would be willing to confront.

The Eighth Realm simply provides tens of thousands of experience points.

He’d be better off shearing off some of the low realm "leeks"...