Chapter 561 - 560: Aren’t you craving my body?

Li Jing left as easily as he came, leaving all the Star God Temple affiliates befuddled.

But this thing...

It seemed to end far too effortlessly.

An Emperor-level entity personally intervening, was it just for the sake of "claiming compensation"?

Indeed,

Li Jing’s way of "claiming compensation" was unusually domineering, but it was akin to a "casual exchange at the market", as his entire stay didn’t even last a quarter of an hour.

Sikong Lu himself didn’t get a word in.

Not that he didn’t want to speak, but he didn’t get a chance to.

He was left in the corner, wanting to speak but holding back, all while others looked on.

To tell the truth,

At this moment, if not for the fact that their Sect’s gate was the sole lonely remnant left behind, those from the Star God Temple might have found it hard to believe that an Emperor had made the trip just for Sikong Lu, and had "reasonably" plundered the Star God Temple.

Therefore,

The matter concerning Sikong Lu...

Can it be considered concluded now?

The members of the Star God Temple looked at each other in doubt.

Among the crowd, the faces of three Venerables from Zhong Shen Zhou were extremely grim.

This incident...

happened too abruptly.

A moment ago, they were discussing how to deal with the "hidden danger" that was Sikong Lu.

The next moment, they found him accompanied by an Emperor.

That wasn’t the end of it.

The two had taken away the foundation of the Star God Temple built over millions of years in the Cangming Immortal Realm, leaving behind only an entrance gate.

The Star God Temple wouldn’t end like this.

But its gate in the Cangming Realm was thoroughly doomed.

If their branches in Zhong Shen Zhou learned about this, the three of them wouldn’t necessarily face punishment, but their heads would undoubtedly hang low within the Star God Temple from then on.

No!

They must seek another way out!

Simultaneously, the three glanced towards Fang Donghe.

At the moment, Fang Donghe was still immersed in the "friendly" smile that Li Jing had flashed him at the end.

He didn’t understand why,

but ever since he saw Li Jing, he felt a chill down his spine.

It felt as if he was a weak lamb and Li Jing was a ferocious, merciless tiger.

Under his gaze,

He even lost his ability to think at one point, not a single part of his body obeyed his commands, his entire body shivering like a sieve till he lost control of his bladder on the spot.

Fang Donghe was at the Thirteenth Realm.

He knew very well,

This kind of sensation wasn’t something one could have easily.

Li Jing possessed a certain inexplicable trait that made Fang Donghe instinctively feel fear.

How could Fang Donghe not care?

Especially when Li Jing had smiled at him before leaving.

He wasn’t sure,

if he had been marked.

Feeling the gaze of the three Star God Temple Venerables, Fang Donghe turned his head stiffly.

"That person just now... was he really the Master of Chen Tang City?"

Confronted with such a question, the three looked at each other but no one could provide an answer.

Whether or not Li Jing was the Master of Chen Tang City,

was really hard to say.

Just because he said he was, didn’t necessarily mean he was.

The key point was that the Master of Chen Tang City had always been very mysterious.

If someone suddenly made a grand appearance, it would naturally arouse suspicion.

Ever since Chen Tang City emerged, hardly anyone in the Cangming Realm knew what Li Jing really looked like.

Including the employees working at Cangming Entertainment City.

If someone suddenly popped up claiming to be the Master of Chen Tang City, to be honest, it wouldn’t be very convincing.

Just as the three didn’t know how to respond to Fang Donghe, the female elder, with her face pale from fright, spoke weakly.

"That person... most likely was the Master of Chen Tang City."

Hearing her say so, Fang Donghe and the other three all shifted their gaze towards her.

Seeing this, the female elder hesitated before saying,

"The way he tore through space to come and go without leaving a trace was very similar to the emissary from Donghua Immortal Palace who came to execute the Shadow Demon. Although the person concealed their face that day, their physique matched perfectly."

As she spoke, she cautiously glanced around before whispering,

"The fact that no one knows the Master of Chen Tang City’s real face is due to his peculiar half-step Taoist artifact mask, which can conceal his true face and aura perfectly. Although the two masks looked completely different, it’s not a problem to change appearance at the level of half-step Taoist artifacts."

Hearing the female elder’s logical analysis, Fang Donghe and the other three fell silent.

They had not met the emissary from Donghua Immortal Palace who had come to execute the Shadow Demon prior to this.

What they could confirm was,

that he was a "coward" who wore a mask to hide his face and tail.

This characteristic...

indeed perfectly matched that of the Master of Chen Tang City.

So...

Why had nobody thought, for so long after the incident, that the emissary might not have been from Donghua Immortal Palace at all, but had been the Master of Chen Tang City!?

Li Jing certainly wasn’t a true emissary from Donghua Immortal Palace, this could be completely ruled out.

A person who could stand on equal footing with the Eastern Emperor Donghua didn’t make sense serving as someone else’s lackey running errands.

Moreover, those with official positions in the Donghua Immortal Palace were strictly prohibited from establishing or joining another Sect...

All things were connecting all at once in front of their eyes, and Fang Donghe and the other three felt discomfort, with a vague headache creeping in.

They had now understood who Li Jing was.

They also now understood what he had done in the past.

But this brought them even more questions.

It was widely known that the Lord of Chen Tang City had a close relationship with Domain Lord Cangming.

It’s understandable that he’d intervene in situations in the Cangming Realm and help solve problems.

Therefore.

Why did he pretend to be an envoy of Donghua Immortal Palace?

With his power, was there a need to borrow the prestige of Eastern Emperor Donghua?

Of course, they wouldn’t know that the original cultivation level of Li Jing was barely at the Tenth Realm.

Unable to make sense of all these, the faces of the three Venerables from the Star God Temple became even more gloomy. The Qin-named Venerable spoke solemnly.

"If this Li person was the one who came to kill the Shadow Demon that day, our current situation in the Star God Temple might be more complicated than it looks. Comparatively, Eastern Emperor Donghua turns out to not be the real problem."

Meeting his words, the other two Venerables nodded in agreement.

Then one of the male Venerables looked at Fang Donghe.

"Envoy Fang, if you don’t mind me asking, did Shadow Honors Alone upset the Lord of Chen Tang City?"

Without a word, Fang Donghe opened his mouth silently and answered.

"I’m not involved with Shadow Honors Alone. Who should I ask if you ask me about this?"

After rebuking the Venerable, he continued with a cold face.

"However, I think Shadow Honors Alone wouldn’t have personal grievances with him, otherwise he wouldn’t dare to reach into the Cangming Realm, considering... the opponent is an Emperor who can compete with Eastern Emperor Donghua."

Upon hearing Fang Donghe say this, the three Venerables of the Star God Temple were not only convinced, but also increasingly confused.

It was a "dead end".

They became more suspicious.

After going around in circles, they still couldn’t make it out.

Soon.

The three of them chose to give up on thinking.

"Anyway, we can’t stay in Cangming Realm anymore."

The only female Venerable among the three began to speak, then stopped talking and looked at Fang Donghe.

Meeting her eyes, Fang Donghe was truly a bit distressed.

If possible.

He really didn’t want to get involved in this matter anymore.

That Li Jing...

Was too terrifying!

Just hoped he would never see him in this life again!

However, as part of Greedy Wolf, many things were not up to him.

In the final analysis.

He was just one of the Honor Kings under Honors Alone, and there were even Honor Emperors above him.

Put simply.

He was just a subordinate of a subordinate.

How could he just let go of everything at will?

Moreover, the power of the Star God Temple is extremely strong.

If it could be used by Honors Alone as a whole, the strength of Honors Alone’s faction would inevitably skyrocket.

The opportunity to absorb an entire sect doesn’t come around just like that.

Especially such a top-notch sect that has firmly rooted in Zhong Shen Zhou...

Looking back.

There was a great opportunity in front of them to bring the entire Star God Temple with them at once!

Previously, the Star God Temple said they would defect, but in fact they were just seeking a way out for themselves.

They were sincere.

But how much, it’s hard to say.

Now.

They were truly left with no way out.

Not to mention other things.

Experiencing "visits" from Li Jing twice in a row, how would they dare stay here?

After a slight hesitation, Fang Donghe looked up.

"The current situation of the Star God Temple is very unfavorable, and none of you probably have any solution. How about temporarily sending the people inside the door away, and leaving those elder level people above Twelfth Realm to leave with me."

Upon hearing this, the three Venerables of the Star God Temple all frowned.

Seeing their reactions, Fang Donghe spoke up indifferently.

"Don’t get me wrong, I have no other intentions. Even though we have fallen into this situation, the Star God Temple is still the Star God Temple, no one will force you to leave. But the Star God Temple has many staff, and it’s not convenient to move together. You take the main personnel in the door with me to meet Honors Alone, how to settle the rest of the staff can be discussed later."

In the face of these words, the faces of the three immediately softened.

They weren’t foolish.

Perhaps by leaving the Star God Temple and going directly to Honors Alone, with their power, they could be given the title of Honor Emperors.

In which case their status would be higher than that of Fang Donghe.

But if they really did that.

Not to mention the lack of guarantee for others’ positions, with the main force of the sect betraying it, they would offend the power of the Star God Temple in the Zhong Shen Zhou to death.

They might even sever ties with them, and together with Donghua Immortal Palace, start pursuing and killing them, killing two birds with one stone.

After exchanging glances, the three nodded to each other.

...

Above the cloud layer directly above the Star God Temple’s front door.

Li Jing was watching everything below, then turned his head and said.

"The Star God Temple is indeed as you said, rotten to the bone. Now they’ve made the most foolish decision, despite realizing that I’m the one who came to kill the Shadow Demon that day, they still plan to sink into depravity with Greedy Wolf. Don’t they understand that it is not necessarily too late to disassociate from everything?"

In response, Sikong Lu shook her head silently and sighed lightly.

"The hundreds of thousands of years of foundation of Star God Temple, I fear it will be ruined in this generation."

"That’s not necessarily the case."

Li Jing smiled mysteriously and remarked.

"The Star God Temple, the real deal, is already in my hands, isn’t it?"

Sikong Lu was taken aback for a moment before staring at him in confusion.

Seeing this, Li Jing tilted his head.

"You can’t possibly think I moved the entire Star God Temple just because I greed for your ’dowry,’ could you?"

In response to this comment, Sikong Lu gawked at first then glanced down at her jade hand being held by him, biting her bottom lip and staring back at him.

"Isn’t that the reason?"

"Strictly speaking, not exactly."

Li Jing shrugged and said,

"As far as I can see, you still care for the Star God Temple, and leaving was only an option due to disappointment. Now that I have the entire Star God Temple, it’s yours in the future. You can do anything you want with it."

Upon hearing this, Sikong Lu slightly furrowed her brows.

"What does that mean?"

"The Star God Temple is destined to fail, it’s just a matter of time. But in the end, you will still be there, and the temple will remain."

Li Jing explained,

"Once all is done, you are free to rebuild the Star God Temple, accept talented people, and impart teachings. The foundation and the heritage of the temple are in your hands. Everything is up to you. We might have lost the power from Zhong Shen Zhou, but you have me and Chen Tang City supporting you. We may even make it better than before, given time."

Upon hearing this, Sikong Lu fell silent.

She would never have imagined.

That Li Jing’s overt robbery has such profound intention behind it.

Nor did she expect.

That he would consider her feelings to such an extent.

She had already given up thinking too much about it.

She had no other way.

The Star God Temple is doomed. Even if the founder jumped out of his coffin, he wouldn’t be able to turn the tides. What could she, alone, do?

Subconsciously tightening her grip on the warm hand in hers, Sikong Lu’s eyes turned red.

"I’ll remember what you said today."

While speaking, she slowly leaned in closer.

?

Li Jing was puzzled, moving slightly away.

"What are you doing?"

???

Sikong Lu stopped.

"You’re being considerate of me, don’t you desire my body?"

"..."

Li Jing was speechless, and responded in disbelief.

"You’re overthinking it. Watch less TV in the future, especially soap operas."

In response, Sikong Lu twitched at the corners of her mouth.

Looking at Li Jing’s expression...

He wasn’t joking.

So...

She really did misinterpret him.

But this...

It wasn’t her fault, was it?

Ever since Li Jing led her away, he held her hand and never let it go.

Besides, he expressed his thoughts and concerns for her and gave her a promise.

Isn’t this him trying to woo her?

This is how it’s acted out in various overbearing CEO drama series, after all.

Although she, Sikong Lu, had lost interest in romance due to her long life, she wasn’t dull as a woman.

After carefully observing Li Jing’s expression again, the blushing Sikong Lu raised up her hand which had been held.

"So, why are you holding me all this while?"

At this, Li Jing rolled his eyes.

"Several Venerables are below us. We are standing over their heads, and yet they are unaware. What do you think is the reason?"

"..."

Sikong Lu.

She understood.

The reason why she and Li Jing were able to watch up close was that he had helped her hide, making everyone below unaware.

She had to admit, she admired his ability to hide like this.

But what she didn’t expect was...

That his skill required him to hold her hand ...

Looking closely at him, Sikong Lu confirmed that he wasn’t kidding and coughed softly.

"I’m sorry for overthinking."

"No big deal. It’s good as long as we clarify things. We are not strangers after all."

Li Jing responded and then turned his gaze back to below.

"..."

Sikong Lu.

Comparatively, Li Jing’s straightforwardness truly was unbeatable.

Logically.

She had the misunderstanding and was willing to give him an opportunity. Shouldn’t he readily accept it?

Getting something for nothing.

There’s no loss, is there?

She wasn’t the kind of person who would demand a formal relationship.

But he was exceptionally frank.

This made Sikong Lu, as a woman, suffer the most severe blow to her self-esteem in history. Not only did she lose face but also forced to swallow her pride.

In the end, he added a typical straight man’s comment.

This was a low blow.

She couldn’t help doubting whether it was because she lacked charm or he simply wasn’t into women.

As she was at a loss for words, Li Jing shifted his gaze from the scene below, sliding the Smoke Eye out of his sleeve.

"Put this on."

?

Sikong Lu.

"I’m very interested in Shadow Honors Alone. Who is he, really?"

Li Jing broke the silence.

"I still have some matters to attend to regarding Ji Qing, and after that, I need to meet with two Taoist companions at the City Lord’s Mansion. They are leaving immediately, so I’ll need you to trail them."

Hearing his words, Sikong Lu nodded and accepted the Smoke Eye.

Who is Shadow Honors Alone?

She, too, wanted to know.

If possible...

She’d prefer to watch Shadow Honors Alone drop dead on the spot.

If it wasn’t for Shadow Honors Alone’s collusion with the Venerable of the Star God Temple from Zhong Shen Zhou, would things have progressed to this point?

As for Li Jing...

He just got back from the Ancient Fairyland shortly before, and it was understandable that he had matters to attend to.

After all, he’s the lord of the Sect.

Putting on the Smoke Eye, Sikong Lu looked up.

Just as she was about to speak, Li Jing spoke.

"The Smoke Eye can perfectly conceal your energy. As long as you’re careful not to collide with them, even if there’s an Emperor Level present, they won’t be able to find you. You don’t have to worry about being discovered."

As he spoke, he pulled out the Flying Sword Blue Edge.

"Take Blue Edge just in case."

Sikong Lu blinked and said,

"I have my own Taoist Items."

"My Taoist Items are different from yours. You’ll understand when it’s time to use them."

Li Jing gave a mysterious smile and then caused Flying Sword Blue Edge to shrink into the size of a finger-long pendant, which he passed to her.

Sikong Lu naturally didn’t understand what Li Jing meant by different.

Since he said so, she subconsciously assumed that the rule that Flying Sword Blue Edge controlled was unique.

After all, they’re all Taoist Items.

The only difference could be the rules that the weapon controlled.

Considering that Li Jing was looking out for her safety, Sikong Lu nodded, accepted the Flying Sword Blue Edge, and fixed her gaze below.

Just at that moment...

With Fang Donghe in the lead, all the members of the Star God Temple above the Twelfth Realm ascended into the sky.

Seeing this, Sikong Lu looked up.

"I’ll communicate with you through the Spirit Weapon if there are any developments or discoveries."

Without waiting for a reply, she moved and transformed into a stream of light, following them from a distance.

Seeing this, Li Jing watched for a while before stepping into the rift in space.

...

The next moment...

Li Jing returned to Cangming Entertainment City, appearing in the CEO’s office on the top floor of the office building.

At that time, Tong Rou was still working.

When she looked up and saw him returning through the tear in space, she paused for a moment before asking,

"What were you doing just now?"

"I had some business to take care of."

Li Jing answered her, then swept his gaze around and asked,

"Has Ji Qing returned yet?"

Without getting a direct answer from him, Tong Rou didn’t press on.

Li Jing suddenly leaving by emitting his Emperor aura surely had some secrets.

However, since he wasn’t sharing it, she had no reason to probe further.

Meeting his query, she replied,

"She returned, but when she saw you weren’t here, she went to the Entertainment Center to host some activities."

"Hosting activities?"

Li Jing frowned.

"You know the saying: ’The customer is always right,’ don’t you?"

Tong Rou spoke up.

"You made quite a scene when you left earlier, disturbing the customers’ leisure time. Shouldn’t there be some kind of compensation?"

Li Jing was at a loss for words.

He wanted to say...

Is it that serious?

Even if they were dissatisfied, they wouldn’t dare to complain, right?

However, thinking of the fact that most of the visitors to Cangming Entertainment City were either VIP or Premium members, who had paid an arm and a leg for services, he felt the need to be considerate.

Considering Ji Qing would be busy for a while, Li Jing said,

"Since I happen to have some time now, I’ll go to the Little Universe and refine the Spirit Weapon for you."

Upon hearing this, Tong Rou was startled and instinctively wanted to say there was no rush.

However, before she could speak, he had already left.

Faced with this situation, Tong Rou couldn’t help but smile. She felt lucky to have a friend who didn’t put on airs.

Even when he revealed his Emperor level cultivation...

Li Jing was still Li Jing, the same person she had always known.

...