Chapter 457 - 456: Reopening of Heavy Elements and the Deviated High Priest

With an attitude of seeking confirmation, Li Jing spoke up.

"It should not be me misunderstanding. Is it because the entrance to the Chongyuan Holy Realm has opened once again?"

"Strictly speaking, it’s about to open."

Quan Chang said.

"A few days ago, the Research Institute detected an abnormal space fluctuation over the international waters. The expedition fleet arrived at the relevant sea area yesterday. It was confirmed earlier that in at most one week, the entrance to the Chongyuan Holy Realm will open once again."

Getting this reply, Li Jing slightly frowned.

"By rights, the entrance of a portal to a large secret realm like the Chongyuan Holy Realm should open every tens of twenty years at least. Just over a year has passed, could the reopening of the secret realm entrance have anything to do with you, the descendants of the Ancient God? Or did someone forcefully open the secret realm entrance?"

"I’m not sure about that."

Quan Chang responded.

"What can be confirmed is that even including our Ghost Clan, the Ancient God’s descendants do not have the ability to actively open the passage to the big world. What we can do is to actively open or close the connection between the Chongyuan Holy Realm and the living space from inside the Chongyuan Holy Realm."

She continued.

"The Longyu Research Institute and I have communicated about this information. After preliminary judgment, they believe it may be due to some changes happening in the secret realm or a welcome factor."

"A welcome factor?"

Li Jing raised his doubts.

"The Chongyuan Holy Realm may become a permanent secret realm."

Quan Chang said.

???

Li Jing.

"What do you mean by that?"

"According to your present world’s many years of research on secret realm space, if a large secret realm opens frequently in a short period unless it’s human intervention, there’s only one possibility. The parallel relationship between the secret realm space and the big world is undergoing subtle changes. After opening multiple times in the short term, the secret realm passage will eventually be in a state of always being open."

Quan Chang explained.

"In order to confirm the possibility, not only will Longyu send a large-scale exploration team to the Chongyuan Holy Realm this time, but also a team of experts will go separately for confirming the possibility. By then, I will go with the team of experts, leading them to meet the current leader of the Ghost Clan, soliciting the Ghost Clan to assist in conducting relevant scientific research and discussing the future cooperation relationship between Longyu and the Ancient God’s descendants."

Hearing Quan Chang’s talk, Li Jing raised his eyebrows slightly.

It seemed that Quan Chang had a very pleasant interaction with the Longyu side over the past year or so. Some cooperation relationship had been preliminarily agreed upon between the Ghost Clan she represented and Longyu before the news of the reopening of the Chongyuan Holy Realm.

After a moment of thought, Li Jing said.

"I’ve been quite idle lately, how about me sending you off then?"

"If you are willing to come, I will naturally not refuse. We haven’t seen each other for quite some time."

Quan Chang laughed.

"However, this trip is quite special in nature. The members of the expert team that accompanies have to be strictly selected. The Longyu side is very strict in preventing insider and outsider. Being a member of the Jianghai Management Bureau, you may not be able to join."

She continued.

"As you know, the entrance to the secret realm of Chongyuan Holy Realm is above international waters. Not only was Longyu informed about the reopening of the entrance to the secret realm, but everyone was also making moves. It’s no secret that I am a representative of the Ghost Clan in Longyu. Over the past year, countries around the world have always been looking for opportunities to invite me over as a guest. Now that the secret realm is reopening, the people of the present world will have another chance to come into contact with the Ghost Clan or other Ancient God’s descendants. This period is a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity for everyone."

Li Jing naturally understood the logic.

The last time the Chongyuan Holy Realm opened, all parties tried to cooperate with the Ancient God’s descendants for benefits, but they ran into sealed criminals instead.

As a result.

Many people were trap-killed, and some of the benefits promised by the criminals were not realized in the end due to a falling out between the two parties.

This time the secret realm will open again.

They will be able to come into contact with real Ancient God’s descendants.

If the Ghost Clan’s Quan Chang, who is visiting the present world, could come forward and say some nice things, it wouldn’t be a big problem to have some friendly exchanges with the Ghost Clan or other Ancient God’s descendants.

If Li Jing hadn’t guessed wrong.

At the juncture where the opening of the secret realm entrance has been confirmed, Longyu has become a hot commodity, and all parties have begun to attempt to propose transactions in hopes of smoother progress after entering the secret realm.

During this period, Longyu certainly faces pressure.

And what they value most will be the personal safety of Quan Chang.

The special expert team that is independent of the regular exploration team will surely not have a low threshold.

But for him now, it won’t be a big problem.

As of today.

Who would dare to stop him in Longyu if he decided to do something?

Not to mention anything else.

Li Jing is confident that the reason various parties will extend an olive branch to Longyu seeking cooperation, instead of trying to exert pressure, is simply because of his presence.

Longyu is the only country in the present world that has a ninth realm.

Even the White Hawk couldn’t vent its anger when it encountered it.

The old method of applying pressure if cooperation fails is no longer viable.

The situation has changed because of Li Jing.

Would Longyu refuse his demands?

Without much thought, Li Jing spoke up.

"There’s no big problem. I can manage the spot to accompany the special expert team. We’ll talk when we meet."

Apparently Quan Chang didn’t know what kind of existence Li Jing was to Longyu, and Longyu wouldn’t necessarily tell her everything because she was a guest of the Ghost Clan. The most unreserved information she had received was likely about the Chongyuan Holy Realm.

Hearing Li Jing had a solution, Quan Chang didn’t ponder much and chuckled

"Fine, then I’ll wait for the good news."

After replying, she continued.

"I won’t talk about it for now. There are many things I need to communicate and negotiate with the Longyu side."

"Alright, let’s hang up for now."

Li Jing responded and hung up.

Then, he opened the Immortal Message, found Jiang Liao’s Immortal Message number in the contacts, and typed a message.

"Uncle, the former high priest of Ghost Clan who is visiting the present world, Quan Chang, is my friend. She just sent me a message saying that the Chongyuan Holy Realm will soon open again. As a friend, I would like to see her off."

Not long after the message was sent, Jiang Liao called him over.

Upon seeing the incoming call, Li Jing was taken aback momentarily before pressing the answer button.

Once the call connected, Jiang Liao’s voice came through.

"You’re acquainted with Miss Quan, I know this. Earlier, I was pondering whether to involve you in this or not. To my surprise, you took the initiative and opened the door yourself."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing blinked in confusion and asked,

"Uncle, what do you need me to do?"

"Nothing much, just hope you could ensure the personal safety of Miss Quan."

Jiang Liao explained,

"Quan Chang has been in contact with you and likely informed you about the potential transformation of Chongyuan Holy Realm into a permanent Secret Realm. Regardless of whether this is true or not, as long as this trip goes smoothly, having Miss Quan as a mediator will result in a series of mutually beneficial cooperation with the descendants of the Ancient God represented by the Ghost Clan, bringing immense benefits to Longyu. Her personal safety must be ensured."

He continued,

"Inevitably, we’ll need to collaborate with various powers to achieve a win-win situation. Even if Longyu is the one eating the meat, we still need to allow others to sip the soup, this is an unspoken rule in international relations. But there’s no guarantee that everyone will be satisfied or won’t try to stir trouble, especially some forces that are not very friendly with Longyu."

"You do not have to worry about the likes of White Hawk. Despite their occasional confrontation with Longyu, they are more aware than anyone else about the benefits derived from maintaining a good relationship with us. They will keep provoking within limits. However, we should pay attention to some small forces with unclear backgrounds and incapable leadership. It’s easier to deal with a gentleman than to guard against a villain, a simple truth that I’m sure I don’t need to explain."

"In addition, the criminals led by the God-Human Race within the Chongyuan Holy Realm are a significant potential threat that needs vigilant defense."

After stating his three points, Jiang Liao said,

"I will arrange for you to be part of the expert team accompanying Quan Chang. However, you must promise me that you’ll personally safeguard her safety."

"No problem."

Li Jing instantly agreed.

If it were in the past, he would never have agreed to be a personal bodyguard.

Given the rare opportunity to visit the Secret Realm, it would certainly be more gratifying to explore freely. Being a nanny would only bind him tightly, right?

However, now things were different.

Frankly, Li Jing wasn’t particularly interested in the Chongyuan Holy Realm.

In terms of the descendants of the Ancient God, the strongest among them were only at the Eighth Realm.

In the past, they had beings in the Ninth Realm or even higher, but all such beings had perished in the Cataclysm of Extermination.

To an Eighth Realm being, even if they could provide him with Essence Source, it would likely not be a substantial amount.

Even if he found and slaughtered the God-Human Race, he might not necessarily advance to the next level.

So why bother?

Moreover, from Longyu’s perspective.

With the criminals led by the God-Human Race in existence, they could have greater cooperation with the Ancient God’s descendants represented by the Ghost Clan.

The God-Human Race is undoubtedly a threat, but they do not exist in the present world.

Needless to say,

Everyone would likely agree, even Longyu and all parties venturing into the Secret Realm, that nobody would want the God-Human Race to be eradicated out of the blue.

Similarly,

The internal members of the Ancient God’s descendants would certainly not want to see the demise of the God-Human Race.

At the very least, the God-Human Race is a source of hope for the lineage of the Ancient God’s descendants, and their bloodline is the most authentic. Theirw downfall would have a substantial impact.

Given these circumstances, why would Li Jing stir trouble?

His aspiration to visit Chongyuan Holy Land mainly stemmed from his recent idle half-year.

Apart from this,

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Liao saw Li Jing easily agreed and promptly added,

"The exploration team will set off for the open sea in three days. The expert team was originally scheduled to start only after the Secret Realm’s entrance had opened. However, since you’re making this trip, you might as well join us now. I’ll arrange for the expert team to head to Jianghai today and travel with the team from the Jianghai Management Bureau. You can join Miss Quan when you arrive."

"Alright."

Li Jing concurred and ended the call.

...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye,

And the day to set off to sea arrived rapidly.

Thanks to Jiang Liao’s arrangements, Wang Chong, who was currently the head of the Jianghai Management Bureau, contacted Li Jing early on. He asked Li Jing to head to the east coast of North City. The Heavenly King group’s fleet, along with the expert team, had gathered offshore and was preparing to set sail.

Upon receiving the news, Li Jing didn’t delay. He changed into his bureau uniform and headed out directly.

Presently, Li Jing no longer belonged to the Administration Bureau or the Patrol Bureau.

However, he still possessed identification and uniforms from both departments.

It wasn’t that Li Jing was unwilling to return these items, but rather that no one asked for them back after he had submitted his resignations to both departments.

Of course, Li Jing had no objections to this.

With the identifications from both departments, many things became more accessible.

Firstly, there were no restrictions on Sky Control.

If he had given up his identifications, he would probably have been apprehended by patrollers as soon as he used Sky Control.

Naturally,

At this point, there’s probably not a single patroller in the entire Patrol Bureau system who could catch him and issue him a ticket.

In no time, Li Jing arrived at the east coast of North City.

Upon arrival, he spotted the Heavenly King Group fleet as well as the expert team’s ship which had already assembled offshore.

The Wind and Thunder domain had replaced the Thunder Travel Li Jing used to control the sky before. Compared to transforming into thunder light, the Wind and Thunder domain was much subtler, appearing as if he was merely levitating normally.

Li Jing didn’t use particularly astonishing speed when he came over.

As soon as he approached, not only did the fleet’s anti-air system notice his arrival, but many individuals from the fleet also detected his presence.

Upon seeing Li Jing, the members of the Heavenly King Group spontaneously straightened up and saluted.

After all, this was the team Li Jing led.

Although their former Action Consultant was a total hands-off manager, the Heavenly King group had repeatedly undertook successful missions under his guidance and earned massive merits.

Backed by these merits, the cultivation level of all members of the Heavenly King Group has been rising sharply over the past year or so.

Presently, the Heavenly King Group has become the ace team of the Jianghai Management Bureau.

Even without the support of Li Jing, Jiu Li and Yulian, the Heavenly King Group now has dozens of Fifth Boundary members as the backbone.

In the Management Bureau’s internal system, those in the Fifth Boundary can be the deputy heads of a regional bureau.

Not just the Jianghai Management Bureau, all the Management Bureaus in Longyu are probably only comparable to the Heavenly King Group by the team of the Capital City Management Bureau.

Of course.

The Heavenly King Group is only temporarily maintaining its current personnel configuration.

In a short while, those who should be promoted to the Fifth Boundary will be promoted, and those who should be dispatched will be dispatched.

After all, Li Jing is a special "related household" with Jiang Yini clinging on to him.

Being in the system, after reaching the Fifth Boundary, they should take up their responsibilities.

Seeing his old comrades collectively salute him, Tong Gaojie, Jiang Wenqian and other familiar people who have reached the Fifth Boundary have also received news and came to the deck. Li Jing smiled and saluted everyone.

Then, he lightly landed on the ship of the expert team.

On the deck of the ship, Quan Chang was eagerly waiting.

Seeing him come down, she calmly smiled and lightly stroked her blue silk forehead.

"You’re here."

Li Jing smiled and nodded.

Just as he was about to speak, Quan Chang looked at him strangely and lowered her voice.

"The head of the Administration Bureau has explained everything to me. On this trip, I’ll have to trouble you to be my personal bodyguard."

"Ha, we’re all on the same side, why say such things."

Li Jing responded with a laugh.

"It’s different, to me you are a very senior predecessor now."

Quan Chang laughed softly, looked left and right, and said.

"Let’s go chat in the cabin, the fleet won’t depart for a while."

"Alright."

Li Jing nodded.

...

Li Jing’s arrival attracted the attention of many people on the expert team’s ship.

But among the ship, the only one who recognized Li Jing was Quan Chang.

Witnessing the Heavenly King Group salute Li Jing collectively, and seeing Quan Chang, who was always calm in her conversations, smiling at him, and even inviting him into the cabin for a "private chat", everyone couldn’t help but speculate about his identity. Some even tried to find out from the members of the Heavenly King Group.

However, even if they asked the members of the Heavenly King Group, no one answered their questions.

The Heavenly King Group, they were all Li Jing’s people.

Unless a person of high status showed up uninvited, their former leader liked to keep a low profile.

Everyone knew this.

If they inadvertently revealed this, what if Li Jing wasn’t happy about it?

On this matter, Jiang Liao had made deliberate arrangements.

More than half a year had passed.

It was no secret that Longyu had a Ninth Realm.

But no one knew who this Ninth Realm was.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, or some people knowing about Li Jing and feeling inflated thinking they have a big shot covering for them, and bullying others when things happen, Jiang Liao didn’t explain to anyone except Quan Chang.

He didn’t even tell the team who Li Jing was, he only said that someone would be protecting the key person on this trip, Quan Chang, up close.

How could this not make the expert team curious about Li Jing?

But for the time being, no one dared to approach Li Jing for a chat.

It’s clear that his relationship with Quan Chang is unusual, he came for "private chat" and it’s uncertain what they are discussing. If they abruptly go and disturb, wouldn’t it appear indiscreet?

Moreover, someone who could be directly appointed by the head of the Management Bureau to protect Quan Chang must be extraordinary.

There are many people in the expert team, who know about the inside story.

Initially, Longyu planned to spend a lot of money on this trip, dispatching two Eighth Realm powerhouses to take risks to ensure absolute safety.

But the higher-ups suddenly changed their minds, not even assigning a single Seventh Realm.

In the entire expert team, there is only one who has just entered the Sixth Realm and is acting as the ship captain.

His cultivation level is even lower than Quan Chang’s...

Isn’t this curious?

All the indications suggest that Li Jing is likely an Eighth Realm.

And he’s so strong that he can take on two at once. He’s the kind who can make the Longyu side breathe a sigh of relief and be certain that this trip will be successful...

...

Li Jing and Quan Chang went into the cabin for a private chat, of course, they aren’t doing anything strange, it’s purely idle talk.

The two can be said to be old friends.

After not seeing each other for a year, they naturally have a lot to talk about.

Quan Chang knows very well how Li Jing is as a person. She knew that he wouldn’t act high and mighty just because he had reached the Ninth Realm, appearing as an unapproachable figure.

About half an hour later, the fleet set sail.

As the fleet was departing for the recorded entrance of the Chongyuan Holy Realm Secret Realm, Quan Chang looked outside through the cabin glass and lapsed into a trance.

Even though she only came to the present world a little over a year ago, this year had been truly long.

After all, Chongyuan Holy Realm was her home.

There, are her clansmen, friends.

Not seeing them for a year, she wondered if her old friends were well.

As she was lost in thought, Quan Chang seemed to remember something, and fixed her gaze on someone.

Seeing that, Li Jing furrowed his brows.

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing."

Quan Chang laughed and then said with a hint of a smile.

"I was just thinking, if the news of you reaching the Ninth Realm was to spread in the Chongyuan Holy Realm, wouldn’t the opportunity to breed with you be seen as a bargaining chip from Longyu’s end?"

At her words, the corner of Li Jing’s mouth twitched.

If Quan Chang had not mentioned it, he would have completely forgotten.

Among the Ancient God’s Descendants, love was not much of a consideration, and neither were species boundaries.

For the continuation of their races and to ensure the strength of their offspring, all of the Ancient God’s Descendants, including the Ghost Clan, were partial to crossbreeding with potentially strong races.

Strength was not the key factor.

Only aptitude mattered.

A forcefully taken melon might not be sweet, but it did not matter.

What they wanted was a melon that bore fruit...

Li Jing involuntarily thought of Shenmin, the High Priest of the God-Human Race, who once placed him in a tough spot and had a keen interest in his body.

Li Jing shook his head with a wry smile and looked up.

Before he could speak, Quan Chang giggled.

"Alright, I won’t tease you. I’ve been in the Present World for over a year, I know some of you Present World People can be casual, but most have their principles concerning certain matters."

With that, she cast a teasing glance at him.

"Of course, if you’re into that, I don’t mind playing matchmaker, finding you some beautiful Ghost Clan women, and getting you some benefits while I’m at it."

Li Jing was speechless.

"Didn’t you say you were done with this subject?"

"I said I was done teasing you, I didn’t say I was done with the subject."

Quan Chang added matter-of-factly, with a flirtatious wave of her eyebrows.

"What do you think? Our Ghost Clan women wouldn’t mind breeding with a strong human like you, and you wouldn’t have to take responsibility for the aftermath."

"..."

Li Jing.

Quan Chang was really getting into it!

What had she experienced during her time in the Present World?

And who were these oddballs she had been in contact with?

Where was the dignified Ghost Clan High Priest of the past?

The woman standing before him now, half-joking and half-serious, was a far cry from her past self.

This...

...This certainly wasn’t her adopting local customs.

Quan Chang was surely influenced by some peculiar women.

Observing Li Jing appraising her without speaking, Quan Chang became somewhat ill-at-ease. She coughed and said,

"Just to be clear, I’m not interested in you. Besides, I’ve begun to embrace the moral concepts of the Present World, I’m not as casual as before."

Then she added,

"By the way, I’m quite intrigued by this thing called love that you humans often talk about. Ideally, my future mate would be my very own Prince Charming."

"..."

Li Jing.

Quan Chang was really going off-tangent!

Embracing the moral concepts of the Present World and being less casual wasn’t bad in itself.

In Li Jing’s view, as a member of the Human Race, this was progress.

Mate indiscriminately for the sake of your race survival, disregarding the absence of affection or the characteristics of the partner. That was genuinely outrageous.

However, Quan Chang speaking about her "Prince Charming" was rather...

At this point, Li Jing was completely convinced that Quan Chang had been influenced by a peculiar woman or women.

That brought him to the next question.

Who was influencing her?

Who had such great abilities to distort the Ghost Clan High Priest in just a year’s time?

Li Jing thought hard but couldn’t figure out who it might be.

Looking at Quan Chang with a strange expression, Li Jing decided to ask directly.

"Who taught you all this?"

Quan Chang blinked and said.

"Why, did I need someone to teach me these things?"

Here, she added a bit smugly,

"To know about the Present World, I relied solely on myself. I’m self-taught. If someone did contribute a little, it might be Tong Yan. She recommended quite a few TV shows to me."

"..."

Li Jing.

Well, that solved the mystery.

So, the culprit was Tong Yan!

She was currently residing in his very own Little Universe.

Observing Quan Chang, who was now displaying a mix of cheekiness and innocence, Li Jing couldn’t help but speculate about the type of TV shows Tong Yan had recommended to her.

Probably, Tong Yan had recommended some meaningless soap operas.

Quan Chang must have had a lot of time on her hands.

Though she initially came to the Present World to gather information that could help the Ghost Clan evolve, how did she find the time to watch soap operas and even get engrossed in them?

...