Chapter 286 - 285: A Sudden Visit, The Rules of the Big World

After about two hours, the Heavenly King Group had completed "unloading" from the Linglong Tower and dismantled the temporary camp set up in the upper levels of the tower, ready to begin setting up their base camp.

How does that saying go again?

"Those close to vermilion get stained red, those close to ink get stained black."

As the base camp began to take shape, the members of the Heavenly King Group prioritized the construction of the kitchen and called on a team skilled in cooking to fetch various ingredients from their storage space and start cooking immediately.

Having spent nearly half a month exploring the outdoors, everyone had been living on a meal to meal basis, sacrificing a comfortable lifestyle for more exploration time.

Cooking?

With more than ten thousand people to feed, the amount of kitchen fumes was not insignificant.

It wouldn’t be difficult for the Linglong Tower to disperse the smoke, but the interior of the tower would inevitably get stained with oil and grease.

To prepare meals, a kitchen had to be set up outside the tower.

Too much trouble, too time-consuming.

For more than half a month, all members of the Heavenly King Group had relied on dry food and instant meals to sustain themselves.

Now that their exploration was over, everyone was eager for a hot meal.

Jiang Yini looked on as the members of the Heavenly King Group started to prepare food as soon as they began setting up camp. She decided to turn a blind eye.

This was not how the Management Bureau operated.

It was not unacceptable for the team to enjoy a bit of a "luxurious lifestyle" as long as there was extra time and resources.

But when they hadn’t even finished setting up camp and were already thinking about eating, it seemed a bit like they were putting the cart before the horse.

This wasn’t exactly a disciplinary issue.

But the regulations required that priority tasks be addressed first, and then everything else.

But, considering the valuable contributions and incredibly rich rewards that the Heavenly King Group had brought back this time, Jiang Yini decided to turn a blind eye.

The Heavenly King Group had a leader like Li Jing who would take out pots and bowls to cook at any time and any place. If she wanted to train them, she had to start with Li Jing.

Train Li Jing?

That seemed like a rather big joke.

If this big guy wasn’t happy and ran away, who would she turn to?

As a leader, it was necessary to learn to turn a blind eye when necessary.

On the one hand, it was about being approachable, and on the other hand, it was to avoid causing trouble for herself.

After finishing a roasted fish, Jiang Yini licked her red lips with an unsatisfied expression, and cast a glance towards Li Jing next to her.

"The Heavenly King Group has returned, but where is Commissioner Ji...?"

"No rush, let’s wait until the camp is set up."

Li Jing replied, his gaze shifting to Chen Yuran and the others who seemed to be gorging themselves as if they hadn’t eaten for years. He stood up, preparing to get more food for them.

Chen Yuran and Jiu Li were easy to handle.

They were both unpretentious individuals.

Even Yulian, who was always calm and steady, had forgotten all about being reserved at the dining table. It was clear to see just how difficult the past few weeks had been for them while they were out exploring.

Just as he was about to go over to the still unpacked cooking utensils, a sword light shot over and landed nearby.

The light subsided, revealing Ji Youyu.

The sudden appearance of her made Li Jing pause slightly.

Why had Ji Youyu come over now?

Couldn’t she wait?

Jiang Yini was also somewhat surprised to see Ji Youyu, and instinctively stood up.

Just as she was about to ask, Ji Youyu stared intently and excitedly at Li Jing.

"Counselor Li, do you know a woman of the Ghost Clan named Quan Chang?"

?

Li Jing was perplexed.

He had told Ji Youyu everything he knew about the Ghost Clan.

Their physical characteristics, overall strength, and so on. Everything he knew, he had shared with her.

But he had never mentioned Quan Chang’s name.

When Ji Youyu blurted out Quan Chang’s name, how could he not be taken aback?

Seeing Li Jing’s confused expression, Ji Youyu immediately understood that not only did he recognize Quan Chang, but it seemed that she was an acquaintance of his in the Ghost Clan.

With this confirmation, Ji Youyu’s eyes grew more passionate as she said,

"She’s currently in the Grull Empire’s territory, and she said she’s looking for you."

???

Li Jing.

Quan Chang had come to the entrance of the Secret Realm to find him?

Why?

Could it be that she was here to return his phone?

Speaking of which.

How did she bypass their defenses?

Li Jing was dumbfounded for a moment, and then it dawned on him.

The defensive line set up by the Present World Forces was only targeting the ruins where the seal was located. Unless they wanted to take a look at the ruins first, the straight line from the Ghost Clan Holy City to the entrance of the Secret Realm completely bypassed the ruins.

With a hand rubbing his brow, Li Jing said,

"Quan Chang is the Ghost Clan High Priest I mentioned, her status is significant."

Hearing the term "High Priest", Ji Youyu was thrilled and said,

"It seems like we don’t have to go all the way to the Ghost Clan."

Then, with a serious look on her face, she continued,

"We need to rush over and bring her here. Although the Grull Empire reported that she just arrived, we don’t know how long she’s actually been here."

Before she finished speaking, Jiang Yini, who had learned of Quan Chang’s importance in the Ghost Clan, also said,

"We should indeed be cautious about this. The Supreme Church tried to interact with the God-Human Race but it backfired, and now they have encountered the relatively friendly Ghost Clan, they must have some scheme."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing gave a bitter smile.

He was neither worried about Quan Chang’s safety, nor did he need to be.

After all, she was a Seventh Realm expert.

The beasts of the Six Realm, she could tear apart with her bare hands.

She was already in the camp of the Grull Empire, so nothing could possibly go wrong.

Unless the people of Grull went crazy and blew up a nuclear bomb on the spot.

But Quan Chang really did have a knack for choosing places.

Of all places, why did she have to choose the Grull Empire, which was in cahoots with the Church?

The White Hawk would have been less problematic.

The people who encounter the White Hawk at the worst may be interested in the benefits you offer.

The group from the Supreme Church is a different story...

Massaging his forehead, Li Jing draws out a Spirit Soldier.

"I can take care of it. Commissioner Ji, you might as well wait here. Your position is too high, and it’s not good for handling business if we both go together. If conflicts arise, it could create problems."

The original intention of Ji Youyu was to go along with him,

But when Li Jing suggested otherwise, she reluctantly acquiesced.

Despite her impatience, she knew it was the rational decision.

If she had decided to go along, she would have inevitably had to negotiate with the Grull Empire and the Supreme Church.

They would definitely be able to take the people back, but they would undoubtedly stir up trouble in the process.

Although Li Jing would encounter equally challenging situations when he went there, his lower position would prevent it from causing any major problems.

His "criminal record" for robbing exploration teams from other countries alone serves as a deterrent, making him a hot potato that not everyone dares to touch.

The most crucial point is,

While Li Jing has real power, his title as an action advisor is nominal.

Strictly speaking, he’s just a "temporary worker" of the Jianghai Management Bureau.

"Be careful, the church’s priests are not easy to deal with, and the Grull people are no gentlemen,"

Ji Youyu said.

"Bring the people back as soon as possible and do not linger."

"Understood."

Li Jing replied and took to the sky on his Spirit Soldier.

Ji Youyu looked up and watched him disappear into the distance before turning her gaze to Jiang Yini.

"Director Jiang, the Ghost Clan High Priest’s identity is exceptional, it is crucial for Dragon Rain. You need to arrange the reception swiftly. Do not neglect it."

Jiang Yini, who was intending to sit down and finish off her remaining grilled fish after seeing Li Jing leave, reluctantly put down her fish and picked up the communicator.

If possible, she would have preferred to let Li Jing host the meal here. His cooking skills were stellar, after all.

However, the Heavenly King Group were still packing up their camp. Most of the tents hadn’t been set up, and the place was in disarray.

To formally entertain visitors, they would need to arrange it somewhere else.

...

Meanwhile,

On the other side, Li Jing had arrived directly above the Grull Empire’s encampment at the entrance of the Secret Realm.

The distance was not far - It took him only a few breaths’ time to get there.

Upon reaching the area, he noticed Quan Chang surrounded by a group of people in the center of the Grull campsite.

At first glance, all of those in conversation with Quan Chang were splendidly dressed members of the church.

The people from Grull were standing off to the side with forced smiles on their faces.

One has to admit, this was typical behavior of the Grull.

Upon arrival, Li Jing didn’t use the Silent Shadow, nor did he repress his aura.

Quan Chang immediately sensed his arrival and looked up at him.

Both the members of the church and Grull noticed and stared at him.

Considering they were in other people’s territory and Grull had provided proper notification, it was not appropriate for Li Jing to take away Quan Chang directly. Thus, he landed amongst the crowd on the ground.

Before he could settle down, a middle-aged man among the church members voiced his displeasure.

"Why did only you come from Dragon Rain?"

Li Jing blinked upon hearing this statement.

Seeing that the middle-aged man had spoken and the others from the church were quiet, he gave him a scrutinizing look.

"I’m sorry, who are you?"

"Joseph, the Bishop of the Supreme Church."

The middle-aged man replied flatly.

Li Jing raised an eyebrow.

The bishop, is a role in the structure of the Supreme Church assigned to those at the Late Six Realm.

"Pleasure to meet you."

With a smile for Joseph, Li Jing turned to Quan Chang, who was looking at him with a smile.

"Why did you suddenly come to find me?"

"I have something I want to discuss with you."

Quan Chang responded through psychokinesis, looked around, and continued to transmit.

"Maybe I’ve caused you trouble? These people seem enthusiastic, but they don’t seem to be good people. If we just leave like this...?"

"No problem, it’s just a little thing."

Li Jing said with a smile.

As a Ghost Clan member, Quan Chang communicates with humans through psychokinesis, which can be encrypted or not encrypted.

At this moment, she was involved in an encrypted conversation with Li Jing.

The people present like Joseph could only hear Li Jing’s monologue, which was naturally quite annoying.

Li Jing only asked who Joseph was and then didn’t pay him any more attention, not even responding to why Dragon Rain only sent him. This displeased the others even more.

On the ground of Grull and the Church, and with a Late Six Realm here, they were pretty confident.

However, since it was Grull’s place, the church members didn’t dare to speak up.

Among the crowd, Joseph quietly signaled a member of Grull.

The man understood, stepped forward, and said.

"You, from Dragon Rain, remember that this is Grull Empire’s camp."

After saying that, he continued coldly,

"In this formal situation, you represent Dragon Rain. Such an arrogant attitude will affect the relationship between both parties."

His reprimand was particularly direct.

If Ji Youyu had been here, she would have been at a disadvantage.

Of course,

If Ji Youyu had been here, such scapegoating would not have occurred, it would have directly escalated to diplomatic negotiations between the two countries.

Obviously, the church did not want Quan Chang to be taken away in this manner.

However, would Li Jing care about that?

No.

And as for negotiations, that’s just a dead end.

What can they possibly negotiate?

One should maintain etiquette when speaking at the table.

Too troublesome.

"I come here as an individual, High Priest Quan Chang is also looking for me and this has nothing to do with Longyu."

Li Jing casually began, pulling over Quan Chang, and smoothly took out a spirit weapon.

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out first."

He wanted to walk out directly, how could the Church and Grull side be willing?

"Stay right there!"

Joseph spoke decisively.

"Tsk!"

Li Jing clicked his tongue, stopping on the spot.

From a rational point of view, there would be no problem if he directly took Quan Chang and left.

No one could stop him if he tried to leave.

But after all, the two factions must manage the dialogue carefully. Otherwise, Grull and the Church would have to find Longyu shamelessly.

In that case, both sides would have to talk.

And they might even drag him into it, insisting he be present.

Woodenly turning towards them, Li Jing said bitterly.

"If there’s an issue, speak up. I’m on a tight schedule."

Being glared at by someone so unfriendly, Joseph inexplicably felt a lot of pressure.

He was somewhat puzzled.

When it came to power and talent, Li Jing was indeed terrifyingly powerful.

But he was merely at the Late Six Realm, wasn’t he?

Joseph was also at the Late Six Realm.

So why was he feeling like this now, just by looking at him?

Joseph knew he needed to find a valid reason to keep Quan Chang while feeling inexplicably frustrated. Otherwise, it would be just unilateral unreasonable harassment.

So he calmly spoke.

"Miss Quan is an honored guest of the Church. We, the Supreme Church, have not yet welcomed her properly. It is only because Miss Quan wished to meet you that we invited you here."

Then after pausing, he added.

"There’s one thing you need to understand, this Big Secret Realm does not belong to you guys from Longyu. Right now, Longyu is even aligned with various forces. When it comes to the Alien Civilization, no matter what the situation is, we should communicate openly. You from Longyu can’t talk privately with the Ghost Clan."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing was so uncomfortable he couldn’t describe it.

But he had to admit that the latter part of Joseph’s words was correct.

When it involved power and forces, unless face is torn, the restrictions are excessively numerous.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Li Jing turned towards Quan Chang.

"Quan Chang, are you here to represent the Ghost Clan to negotiate with Longyu?"

Quan Chang was a person who served as the Ghost Clan High Priest.

Though she hasn’t dealt with the matters between the present world forces, it was actually the same within Ancient God’s Descendants.

Before face is torn, it was all about persistently testing each other’s bottom line.

The one who makes the first move loses the upper hand.

That is why she was asking Li Jing if she had caused trouble for him beforehand.

Now, having anticipated his question, Quan Chang knew Li Jing hoped that she would make a statement to avoid some trouble. So she passed her thoughts to everyone.

"I did not come here as a representative of the Ghost Clan to negotiate with Longyu. In fact, I am no longer the Ghost Clan High Priest. The only reason I’m here is to find Li Jing."

After saying this, she having been very "considerate," turned to look at Joseph, who obviously had the highest status here.

"Mr. Joseph, thank you for finding Li Jing for me. But I am not the guest of the supreme church, there’s no need to host me specifically."

Hearing that Quan Chang stated she was no longer the Ghost Clan High Priest, Li Jing frowned and quickly glanced her way twice.

Quan Chang’s words were evidently not a play act.

How come she was no longer the Ghost Clan High Priest in just a few hours?

On a second thought.

Quan Chang’s statement was straightforward and swift but appeared somewhat naive among the present world forces.

Those present are either the higher-ups of the Grull or the Church, their minds darker than the others.

Give them the slightly traceable hint, they’ll start to scheme.

Give them a color, and they could instantly set up a dyeing factory.

It wasn’t right for Quan Chang to tell them she was once the Ghost Clan High Priest.

Well, on hearing Quan Chang’s words, Joseph and other high-ranked officials from the Church and Grull collectively showed a change of facial expression.

They were unsure about Quan Chang’s cultivation level.

They were originally unaware about her identity as well.

Now, having learned that she was once the High Priest of the Ghost Clan featured in White Hawk’s communication, how could they not care?

Even though she’s no longer the Ghost Clan High Priest, having held such a position, wouldn’t Quan Chang know everything about the Ghost Clan and even the internal affairs of the Ancient God’s Descendants?

After Quan Chang’s clear declaration, they definitely couldn’t forcefully keep her.

However, with the confirmation of Quan Chang’s previous Ghost Clan High Priest status, they thought of another way.

They could team up with several strong allied forces, such as the White Hawk, and directly seek to talk to the higher-ups of Longyu.

Upon seeing they couldn’t necessarily keep her but had found an alternate path, Joseph decided to speak up with a generous face.

"High Priest Quan, you’re too courteous. You’re our honored guest, it is our duty in the Supreme Church and Grull Empire to host you. Since you do not intend to stay for long, let’s chat again when we all have the time."

Quan Chang frowned at his words.

Through Joseph’s words, she recognized the difference between the people in the present world and Ancient God’s Descendants. Was their shamelessness like this?

Quan Chang was no longer the Ghost Clan High Priest, but she was still as assertive as ever.

Staring hard at the obviously-troublemaking Joseph, she turned to Li Jing, and flashed him an extraordinarily bright smile. Her thought made noise only in his ears.

"This man is a bit of a headache. Can I kill him?"

"..."

Li Jing.

Quan Chang’s radiant smile was like that of an angel.

But what she was saying...

Could she kill Joseph?

Was this even a question?

Of course, she can’t!

This was a public space, killing a high-ranking official of the church while in Grull Empire territory, that could cause huge problems!

If she wanted to kill, she had to do it secretly.

In reality, killing Joseph wouldn’t solve the problem.

If one is to kill, everyone present would have to be silenced.

If that happens, the Grull Empire and the Church would immediately go to war with Longyu.

Clutching Quan Chang’s slender wrist, Li Jing gave her a look suggesting she shouldn’t act recklessly. He pulled her along, and using the Spirit Soldier, they flew away from the Grull territory.

Once they were in the sky, out of everyone’s view, Li Jing asked,

"Why aren’t you the head priest of the Ghost Clan anymore?"

"I wanted to go out and explore."

Quan Chang smiled.

???

Li Jing.

Go out?

Where to?

The Present World!?

Before he could react, Quan Chang shuddered, and a thin streak of fresh blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

Upon seeing this, Li Jing was stunned.

What made her vomit blood out of the blue?

Without giving it much thought, he instinctively halted the Spirit Soldier.

"Are you..."

Before he could finish, he noticed that the Health Bar above Quan Chang’s head, which had nearly reached ten thousand, was missing a chunk that was gradually fading away. The Health Bar was locked at 8999.

Seeing this, Li Jing was dumbstruck.

It wasn’t that Quan Chang was merely losing blood. The fading portion was almost imperceptible unless looked at closely. At a glance, her full health appeared to be 8999.

is the peak value for the Late Six Realm.

What is going on?

Did she lower her realm level?

Why?

As he was pondering, Quan Chang leaned against him, looking somewhat weak, she raised her hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth.

"The Big World has its unique rules. Beings not native to the Big World cannot linger there if their existence surpasses the Kun Yuan Realm. If they forcibly stay, they will incur the wrath of the Will of Heaven and face Heavenly Punishment. Unless they have the ability to counter this punishment, their fate would be total annihilation."

These words left Li Jing stupefied.

The Will of Heaven.

Rules.

Heavenly Punishment.

This clashed significantly with his knowledge.

The term "The Will of Heaven" is simple and easy to understand.

It refers to the will of the Creator.

But the Present World doesn’t abide by these ideas.

Aside from the devout followers of the Supreme Church, people in the Present World don’t believe in gods or the Creator.

After all, the Present World is a highly civilized realm that combines science and Immortal Learning. Why would they believe in gods or the Creator?

When people talk about God, this supernatural concept, even if it exists, they wouldn’t have seen it.

Suppose gods do exist; the people of the Present World would not have the slightest reverence. Instead, they would treat them as Alien Species and study their ecology.

The extreme ones might even consider capturing a few alive and dissecting them for scientific study...

Does Heaven truly exist?

If it does, would Heaven have a Health Bar?

Li Jing thought about it and then gave up pondering.

Who cares!

Even if it does exist, he wouldn’t encounter it anyway.

However, Quan Chang’s statement about beings whose cultivation level surpasses the Kun Yuan Realm being unable to enter the Present World did pique Li Jing’s interest somewhat.

The Kun Yuan Realm is equivalent to the Seventh Realm in the Ghost Clan’s division of realms.

That’s why Quan Chang had to lower her cultivation level.

He had previously wondered if the Present World had ever been invaded.

Knowing about this rule now, it seemed that an invasion might have indeed occurred.

Every effect has a cause.

Whether such rules truly are determined by the Will of Heaven, Li Jing remains skeptical.

What’s certain is that such rules wouldn’t have existed from the beginning.

For example, laws exist to prevent crime, but in reality, laws are crafted as a response when boundaries are overstepped.

In other words,

Rules are a result.

To generate a result, you need a cause.

Once he steadied his mind and saw that Quan Chang hadn’t become ill but rather had reduced her cultivation level, Li Jing continued towards Longyu. He furrowed his brows and spoke,

"The Ancient God’s Descendants have just returned to the Chongyuan Holy Realm, and there’s still much to rectify. You, being the Ghost Clan High Priest, running away like this, isn’t this somewhat inappropriate?"

"There are successors, so nothing inappropriate about it."

Quan Chang smirked, communicating through telepathy.

"Besides, it’s not like I won’t come back. There are many new things in the Big World. By experiencing them, I could help the Ghost Clan progress once I return."

"What about the threat of the God-Human Race?"

Li Jing said, his expression strange.

"The Chongyuan Holy Realm is closed. The next opening of the passage could be several years or perhaps decades to centuries later. Right now, the Ghost Clan faces the problem of the God-Human Race’s resurgence. Have you ever thought that by the time you return, the Ghost Clan may no longer exist?"

"The Ghost Clan isn’t that fragile, and the God-Human Race isn’t just a problem for our clan. One more or one less person in a war wouldn’t make a difference."

Quan Chang smiled faintly, glancing his way, and communicated through telepathy.

"I see you don’t want to take me out with you, which I understand. Don’t worry. I came here to find you and go to the Big World, but I didn’t plan to follow you. I mainly hope that you can introduce me to the higher-ups of Longyu. I can provide them with information about the Chongyuan Holy Realm and a portion of the unique civilization products of our Ancient God’s Descendants. In exchange for Longyu’s protection allowing me to settle in the Big World should be enough."

Hearing Quan Chang’s words, Li Jing gasped.

Quan Chang’s consideration was rather comprehensive.

When Ji Youyu sees Quan Chang later, he would probably be overjoyed and welcome her to settle in Longyu.

Seeing that Quan Chang had made it clear that she was here to secure a place in Longyu for herself and wasn’t asking him to accommodate her, Li Jing didn’t say much.

Quan Chang had the right to make her own decisions.

Since it wouldn’t affect him much, there was no need to say more.