Chapter 401: Chapter 400: Making a Fuss and Stealing the Limelight, Unbearable

Li Jing had no prior knowledge of whether Jiang Yini had already entered Heavenly Saint Land.

However, since the communication was successfully connected, the person had obviously entered.

"Yini."

Li Jing called softly.

"Yes."

Jiang Yini responded.

"I just entered with the exploration team from Longyu. We are preparing to choose a location to set up the camp, and we will head to the Imperial City later to meet the Longyu delegation that came into the Secret Realm earlier. Where are you now?"

"I am near the entrance of the Secret Realm."

Li Jing spoke hastily.

"I gained a lot today. I got a lot of key information. Shall we meet first?"

Hearing that someone had gained quite a lot, Jiang Yini hesitated a bit.

"I might have some difficulty leaving privately now. The Da Xia dynasty sent many people here, and each faction has officials requesting to meet the main members of the exploration team."

"No problem. You can message me once the camp location is confirmed, and I will come find you."

Li Jing responded.

It’s not surprising that Da Xia is keeping an eye on the top-levels of all exploration teams. Even if they are unsatisfied, all parties will try to endure as much as possible.

Firstly, Da Xia is their home field.

Secondly, anyone entering the Secret Realm knows nothing about this world and no one would be foolish enough to wander without gathering information.

Of course.

This won’t limit all parties for long.

Once representatives from different factions have communicated with Da Xia, reaching certain transactions and providing relevant information, all parties in the exploration team will begin to act.

This world, after all, is not just owned by the Da Xia Dynasty.

Not only the possible movements monitored from sects far more powerful than Da Xia, but also there is a wider world out there to be explored in addition to the Eastern Mainland in the Heavenly Saint Land.

The cake isn’t only in one basket no one would be foolish enough to rely solely on the Da Xia Dynasty.

The interest is the driving force behind the exploration of the Secret Realm by all parties.

...

Shortly after communicating with Jiang Yini, Li Jing received a message from her again.

The Exploration team from Longyu, for some reason, chose to set up a base in the original location of Canglong Mountain.

At least according to Jiang Yini’s words.

According to the person in charge, the place was chosen because it’s flat and has a good landscape, it is a certain distance away from the entrance of the Secret Realm, which can avoid unnecessary disputes, and is suitable for a long-term stay.

Bemused by this, Li Jing starts to finds this arrangement a bit awkward.

After all, he was the one who stole the mountain.

The event occurred less than a day ago, and he was revisiting the crime scene.

Even though he was wearing Smoke Eye at the time and no one could recognize him.

But having been a thief, shouldn’t he feel a little guilty?

Initiating Silent Shadow, he silently arrived at the previous location of the lone mountain and looked down.

The number of people Longyu brought this time was really quite impressive.

Estimating visually, there were at least more than 1 million people.

This was more than three times the number of the 30 million people that Jianghai Management Bureau had assembled from nearby Management Bureaus.

It’s quite clear.

The Northern God Country, in order to get Longyu on board to jointly resist the Western forces led by the White Hawk, offered Longyu very good conditions.

There are no permanent friends in this world, nor are there permanent allies.

There are only permanent interests.

Longyu wasn’t stupid.

If an external enemy invaded, it wasn’t just about the gain or loss of a Secret Realm. Longyu would definitely assist the Northern God Kingdom well. However, if the God Kingdom’s benefits were less, Longyu wouldn’t invest so much.

At the end of the day.

Even a strategic alliance is based on mutual benefit.

A base with a million people was not just limited to the original location of the lone mountain.

The surrounding area was occupied by Longyu.

This expedition was clearly not just a consideration for Longyu’s exploration team.

Including Longyu’s exploration team, all factions’ exploration teams not like in Chongyuan Holy Realm, did not destroy the nearby ecology for a broader field of vision while selecting the camping site.

What was slightly annoying to Li Jing was.

He didn’t know if this exploration opportunity was fundamentally related to him, the campsite of the Heavenly King Group was in the center of the whole exploration team.

The flag of the Heavenly King Group at this moment, was fluttering in the wind on the original site of Canglong Mountain.

Li Jing let out a bitter smile and quietly landed in the camp of the Heavenly King Group which was being set up intensively.

Without rushing Silent Shadow, he looked at the command tent erected first in the center of the camp, his eyes narrowed slightly.

At this time, in front of the command tent, there were four Da Xia soldiers in armor standing guard.

Jiang Yini had told him beforehand that Da Xia soldiers were coming to guard.

He had also guessed it himself.

Only that the four standing in front of the Heavenly King Group’s command tent was quite thought-provoking.

Such a rude practice, Da Xia wouldn’t be that foolish.

The cultivation levels of those four guarding the tent were not low.

Each had a Health bar of at least 8000. All four were in the mid-sixth realm, the team was more than sufficient just for guarding.

It’s quite clear.

The person coming to meet the management team at the Heavenly King Group was of special status.

Why did Da Xia "care" so much about the Heavenly King Group that did not have an early exploration team?

Li Jing thought for a while, and quickly came to a conclusion.

Da Xia itself had a certain relationship with Longyu.

It made sense to attach importance to Longyu.

Then...

It was probably because of him.

Before even the representatives of the Northern God Kingdom officially came in, he was the first to step into the Secret Realm of all people, and then left with Liu Sisi.

Da Xia knows nothing about his whereabouts.

Understood the problem, Li Jing hesitated.

Beforehand, as Heavenly Saint Land was not like the era of information in the real world and there was a huge information gap, he did not hide his true face when he entered the Imperial City and met Xia Zhengyang.

He didn’t see many people in the Imperial City.

Apart from some trivial soldiers, there was only the Imperial City Guard Shao Neng, the Grand Eunuch Eunuch Wang, the Queen Xiao Xi, and the Princess of the Morning Sun Xia Yuxi.

The trivial soldiers can be ignored.

Shao Neng was seriously injured by him and is still in bed, we can ignore that.

However, it’s not certain who is in the tent at the moment, it could be one of the remaining three.

Although with the status of the three individuals, it’s unlikely that they would come to the camp of the Heavenly King Group openly, but in case of a contingency, if he were to show his face, that would be quite something.

Damn it!

This is a bit tricky...

It was mainly because he couldn’t wait.

The Longyu’s representative team had gone to the Imperial City one step earlier. They might have already begun negotiations with the Da Xia side.

He must submit the information he collected as soon as possible.

Something like merit is secondary.

The key is that under the premise that Da Xia’s true intentions and conditions are unknown, the representative team would at least not blindly agree to anything from Da Xia, but the lack of information would likely put them at a disadvantage.

In that case, the meaning behind his early infiltration to collect intelligence would be lost.

Strictly speaking.

Li Jing couldn’t be considered a Longyu person.

However, he naturally hoped that Longyu, the country behind him, could do better.

After some hesitation, Li Jing took out an appearance changing talisman and altered his appearance to resemble Chen Jing.

Merely changing his appearance would not solve the problem.

Compared to Eunuch Wang and the other three who may have seen him when he entered the Secret Realm, there were probably more officials like Zhou Yi who could be present. After all, the fact that the Heavenly King Group was so "cared for" had a high probability of being related to him entering the Secret Realm ahead of time.

Looking back.

Inside the camp could be high-level officials from other region’s Management Bureaus, or even disciples from assisting sects, other than Jiang Yini and Jiu Li.

To avoid being exposed, he needed a reasonable identity to meet Jiang Yini while also making most people recognize him and have a certain deterrent effect. This would make some of his own people keep their mouths shut and not cause a stir because he had changed his appearance.

The first person Li Jing thought of was actually Qi Chen, the director of the eastern region of the Management Bureau.

However, Qi Chen might have already come on this trip, so it wouldn’t be suitable to turn into him.

After much consideration, only Chen Jing was the most appropriate.

What’s essential was that this person had both reputation and deterrent power.

After changing his appearance, in order to leave no stone unturned, Li Jing entered the mini universe and changed into his patrol uniform then returned to the Heavenly Saint Land, deactivated the Silent Shadow and headed to the central camp.

???

Li Jing’s reappearance attracted significant attention.

Every member of the Heavenly King Group who was busy setting up the camp had a question mark on their face when they saw him.

Being in the Jianghai Management Bureau.

Even if they were not locals in Jianghai, they had at least lived in Jianghai for more than a decade or two.

The number one person in Jianghai, how could they not recognize him?

This guy...

How did he get into the Heavenly Saint Land?

When did he come?

All the members of the Heavenly King Group were perplexed.

Before they could figure out what was happening, Li Jing had already arrived at the central camp.

The four Six Realm guards from Da Xia standing at the entrance of the camp stepped forward as Li Jing approached, one of them said.

"Please halt."

Li Jing paused, frowning.

This person was quite good at causing a ruckus.

Since when did the Heavenly King Group’s camp start taking orders from outsiders?

That being said, it was understandable.

Da Xia has always been might makes right.

When dealing with the Present World People, they would observe certain courtesies.

But their true nature would not change.

The four guards in front of them were all in the Six Realm.

Looking at the Heavenly King Group, even after the Chongyuan Holy Realm incident, they have a lot of elite personnel added to their ranks due to a large amount of merit and influence from the vacation, but the several Four Realm members in front of the Six Realm were considered insignificant no matter how many they had.

Who was Li Jing?

Patience has never been a word in his dictionary.

His Heavenly King Group could not be wronged.

Even if he was currently disguised as Chen Jing, not Li Jing.

With one glance, Li Jing immediately took care of the four with a Spirit God whisper.

Very simply.

The four Six Realm individuals simultaneously rolled their eyes and slumped to the ground.

Many members of the Heavenly King Group saw Li Jing being stopped and were naturally dissatisfied with such a disrespectful act.

However, seeing the situation, they were no longer dissatisfied.

Instead, they were prepared to watch the drama.

Do these idiots know who they tried to stop?

Even within the Six Realm, there is a huge difference in strength.

Chen Jing, who can be called the number one person in Jianghai in the true sense, is not something a regular Six Realm could compare to.

What’s more, this guy also has a bad temper...

Li Jing, who was disguised as Chen Jing, did not disappoint the Heavenly King Group members who were prepared to spectate on the spot.

With just one look from him, the four guards passed out simultaneously. The members of the Heavenly King Group who were on the scene were taken aback, wishing they could take out a bag of melon seeds to enjoy the upcoming show.

The guards of the Da Xia were knocked out. Surely there was more to come, right?

Just as everyone was waiting to eat their popcorn, Li Jing turned his head.

"Some people, come here."

?

The members of the Heavenly King Group all had question marks on their faces.

"The negotiations between the two national forces should be fair and equal, this is the International Convention."

Li Jing spoke."

"Since Da Xia has allowed the Heavenly King Group to be stationed here, this place is equivalent to the Longyu embassy. These four people’s disrespectful behavior in the Longyu embassy is tantamount to provoking Longyu. Tie them up and imprison them with a formation. We will wait for Da Xia’s explanation before deciding if we want to release them."

Upon hearing these words, the members of the Heavenly King Group were somewhat bewildered.

The logic made sense, indeed.

But wasn’t Li Jing going a bit too far? They not only injured people but also want to detain them for Da Xia to clarify?

Their own delegation had just come into contact with Da Xia and hadn’t even had time to start any trade process.

If this offended Da Xia...

However, they thought again, and it didn’t seem to be a problem.

Longyu.

It is one of the top superpowers in the Present World.

Longyu never actively provoked others, but they’ve never been afraid of trouble either.

As a superpower, Longyu never lacked guts.

What’s wrong with being domineering?

It was Da Xia who was wrong first, right?

Yet when they looked at Li Jing, who was disguised as Chen Jing and just standing there, the expressions on the faces of the members of the Heavenly King Group gradually became strange.

Chen Jing.

They knew him, but nobody had delved into him.

They didn’t know his specific style, they only knew he had a forceful approach towards outsiders.

No questions asked, he settled things quickly, that’s in line with Chen Jing’s character.

But such a crafty move, it’s less similar to Chen Jing and more similar to their direct superior’s style.

It’s too TM similar...

You could say that the members of the Heavenly King Group following Li Jing have indeed become much sharper.

People!

They grow through experiences.

Just by being able to join the exploration team, it means they are innately astute.

After following Li Jing, they have done many things that they would never dare to do normally.

Like robbing someone else’s fleet...

Knowing that their superior is already in the Secret Realm but has not shown up to rendezvous, everyone feels increasingly suspicious.

Considering his subordinates aren’t stupid and have inferred his identity, Li Jing only smirks and raises his hand to gesture a ’silence’ symbol to everyone present.

The members of the Heavenly King Group were first taken aback.

Then, they were delighted.

Immediately, a few people pounced forward like wolves and tigers, tying up the four people on the ground.

The rest, who were previously busily setting the camp nearby, stopped and started rallying people to set a trap that could restrain the Six Realm.

In the Management Bureau.

Obedience is their duty.

Knowing that it’s Li Jing, do they have anything to hesitate about?

With Li Jing to back them, they aren’t afraid of anything.

The four Six Realm individuals had just been tied up. Probably due to the noise of the people gathering outside the camp, a clear female voice echoes.

"What’s the matter? Why so noisy?"

Speaking, Jiang Yini lifts the tent curtain and walks out.

At first glance of seeing Li Jing disguised as Chen Jing, she stares blankly for a moment.

However, she soon realizes.

Chen Jing couldn’t possibly be in the Secret Realm.

So, the person before her eyes is someone else.

Li Jing contacted her and said he would come over, but there had been no movement...

Without saying a word, she fixes a glance at a certain person, then looks at the four guards of the Six Realm brought by the people of Da Xia. They are all lying on the ground like dead dogs, each tied up firmly. One even suffered a tortoise bondage. She can’t help but twitch at the corners of her mouth.

This guy...

He really dares!

While unsure of what to say, a dazzling figure walks out from behind Jiang Yini.

Seeing the situation outside the tent, the woman who came out afterward frowned first, then carefully looked at Li Jing, who was standing in front of the tent disguised as Chen Jing, before turning her gaze to Jiang Yini.

"Director Jiang, can you give me an explanation for this?"

"Ah..."

Jiang Yini turns her head.

Just as she is about to say that it’s a misunderstanding, Li Jing calmly speaks up.

"This place is the base of the Longyu Management Bureau. It is theoretically Longyu territory according to the International Convention. Maybe Da Xia doesn’t have such rules, but there is no mistake that this is how it is in the Big World. You people from Da Xia come here as guests and shouldn’t act like the bosses here. It’s not Longyu having to explain to Da Xia, but Da Xia owing Longyu an explanation."

While he speaks calmly, Li Jing feels secretly relieved inside.

Damn it!

It turns out he was prescient.

The woman who followed Jiang Yini out here is one of the ones he feared.

The Princess of the morning sun, Xia Yuxi.

Seeing Xia Yuxi, Li Jing also understood one thing.

It seems like... 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Xia Qianqian’s rise is much faster than he imagined, which forces the real favored princess, Xia Yuxi, to achieve something quickly and attract the attention of Xia Zhengyang.

This matter, when said out loud, is kind of tricky.

Xia Yuxi being such a favored princess does not necessarily have to compete with Xia Qianqian.

Putting everything else aside...

Xia Qianqian is someone who aims to be a queen.

If there is competition, it should be with the crown prince.

Xia Yuxi obviously doesn’t have that kind of material or thought, why should she bother?

What surprises Li Jing somewhat is...

There are only Jiang Yini and Xia Yuxi in the tent, no one else.

Zhou Yi didn’t come, Jiu Li isn’t here, and the leaders of other regional management bureaus aren’t here either.

Two things are now evident.

Xia Yuxi is very ambitious, she came alone.

And Longyu, which has been wary of Da Xia arrivals, has dealt with it by dispersing and even hiding a part of the top-level personnel.

On the other side...

Seeing Li Jing speak, Jiang Yini blinked twice gracefully and chose to keep quiet.

She has always trusted Li Jing.

And she knows deeply...

This guy may look rough, but he is actually very...

No, he’s extremely cunning.

He never does anything without certainties.

Turning back...

Given the current situation, it isn’t appropriate for her to speak up. Letting Li Jing handle it is the right choice.

Seeing that the person in charge, Jiang Yini, was silent when she met Li Jing, which shows that she defers to him, Xia Yuxi can’t help but reassess him.

Xia Yuxi doesn’t have the ambition of Xia Qianqian.

But she isn’t the type to mess things up either.

She is very smart.

A man capable of grounding her four Six Realm guards without making a sound is absolutely extraordinary.

The reason she questioned Jiang Yini just now...

Was mainly because Li Jing didn’t wear the Management Bureau uniform, but was dressed differently than everyone else in the Inspection Bureau uniform. She thought this man might be powerful, but not actually in charge.

The current situation is completely contrary to her expectations.

Li Jing isn’t just in charge, he’s fluent too.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Xia Yuxi quickly weighs the pros and cons, concealing the coldness on her face, and smilingly speaks.

"It seems to be a misunderstanding. As you said, we Da Xia people, who dominate the Eastern Continent, indeed do not have such rules as your so-called International Convention. Ignorance is no fault. I would ask you to..."

Before she could finish talking, Li Jing indifferently said.

"Not knowing might be forgivable, but some things cannot be treated as if they never happened once they occur. An apology doesn’t just cover everything up. Longyu came here in response to Da Xia’s request to assist in resisting the Beast Tide, yet you came to our Longyu camp to flaunt your power and claim authority."

With that, he gives a half-smile.

"To ask for one’s help with such a superior attitude, I’ve truly never heard of anything like this. Maybe it would be a good idea to discuss this matter with Longyu’s allies, including Northern God Country, so everyone can fully understand what Da Xia is really like."

"..."

Xia Yuxi.

Li Jing had painted her into a corner that she couldn’t escape from.

And worst of all, she couldn’t fight back.

She honestly was ignorant about the International Convention.

But, when she brought her people here, she did indeed have a bit of boastfulness about her.

Just as Li Jing had anticipated.

She wanted to gain some merit, in order to draw Xia Zhengyang’s attention towards her, set an example for Longyu, and gain more benefits for Da Xia in their negotiations with Longyu.

That’s the reason why she chose to visit Longyu’s Heavenly King Group.

Just as Li Jing had predicted.

Someone had entered the Secret Realm ahead of everyone else and lost their trace since they did not accept Da Xia’s invitation.

This incident was quite an embarrassment for Da Xia.

It added another layer of uncertainty to the situation.

If she could regain face for Da Xia and find out where this person from the present world had gone to, it would be quite an achievement for her.

As luck would have it, upon entering the Secret Realm, the Heavenly King Group had claimed the name of "Chen Tang City’s Li Jing". Consequently, Xia Yuxi, who had initially wanted to visit the Longyu Exploration Team, decisively selected the Heavenly King Group.

Zhou Yi might think they were experts, but Xia Yuxi didn’t necessarily see it that way.

After all, Zhou Yi was only a Fifth Boundary Official who was conscripted during a crisis. Xia Yuxi was at the early stage of the Six Realm herself, and her personal guards were all at the middle stages of the Six Realm.

In the preliminary exploratory talks with Jianghai’s Northern God Country and the White Hawk, Da Xia had already felt them out.

There were no shortages of powerful individuals in the big world.

However, very few of these powerful individuals would join the Secret Realm exploration. The exploration of the Secret Realm was largely conducted by low-level individuals who relied on "technological products" from the big world to achieve various goals.

Da Xia didn’t underestimate the Exploratory Team, and neither did Xia Yuxi.

Because in their dealings with the preliminary exploratory team, they were shown how terrifying these technological products could be.

Plus, they already understood.

The concept of an individual and an army are vastly different.

Keeping this aside.

In Xia Yuxi’s view.

It wouldn’t be a problem for her to flaunt her martial power by bringing her four guards over while Longyu’s exploration team was still settling in.

Longyu, who hadn’t finished making preparations, would not be able to bear the pressure.

However, the appearance of Li Jing before her eyes made her realize that she had made a mistake.

Setting everything else aside.

The man before her eyes could easily dispatch her four guards and it would be even simpler for him to deal with her.

Above all, he was very domineering and pushed people around with high pressure.

What...?

What should she do now?

Cold sweat trickled down Xia Yuxi’s forehead.

The one who originally intended to intimidate Longyu ended up being countered instead.

Just as she was at a loss for what to do, Li Jing smiled politely.

"If you don’t know how to handle this situation or your words don’t carry weight, I suggest you find someone who truly has the authority to do so. It will prevent us from having unpleasant disputes and won’t delay Da Xia’s response to the century’s Beast Tide."

At Li Jing’s words, Xia Yuxi silently opened her mouth and choked out a reply with her lips tightly pressed together.

"On this matter... I really can’t make the call. It should come from my Radiant Father’s judgement."

"If that’s the case, then please."

Li Jing stepped to the side.

"..."

Xia Yuxi.

She had never officially met Li Jing, who was disguised as Chen Jing. Mentioning her father was her way of making it known who she was.

Maybe, if he recognized her status, he might show her some face?

However, it was clear.

This person had no intention of doing that.

After a moment of silence, Xia Yuxi left in a crestfallen state, using the Sky Control technique.

What else could she do?

Say that she would compensate Longyu and minimize the matter?

She’s just a princess with a bit of influence, she doesn’t have the authority to do that...

Seeing Xia Yuxi being led by the nose by Li Jing and even forgetting to keep an eye on him, Jiang Yini was filled with amazement. She looked at the departing Xia Yuxi and turned to Li Jing, saying with an odd expression.

"Wasn’t that a bit over the line? You almost made the poor princess cry. Couldn’t you at least show some mercy?"

"Tsk."

Li Jing clicked his tongue and said.

"Wasn’t I just taking advantage of the situation to gain more benefits for Longyu?"

As he spoke, he turned and looked at the members of the Heavenly King Group who were busy setting up arrays nearby. They were glancing towards him with fervent expressions. He let out a small smile and turned back to continue speaking.

"Enough idle talk. You still need to join in the negotiation with Da Xia, we should go exchange information."

"Okay."

Jiang Yini nodded, a smile playing on her lips.

...

After entering the commander’s tent, Li Jing and Jiang Yini exchanged information with each other.

He informed her about the information he had received, and she told him about what had been happening in the present world up until this point, specifically about the changes the Northern God Country had faced.

Without any surprises.

Not long after Li Jing and Liu Sisi had arrived, the White Hawk had gathered its allies to pressure the Northern God Country.

Under the influence of this powerful momentum, the God Country had no choice but to compromise.

They also drew Longyu and the entire Northern Alliance in, in an attempt to counteract the pressure.

The current situation in the Heavenly Saint Land was hardly different from the initial exploration of the Chongyuan Holy Realm located in international waters, almost all parties had assembled.

All powers have formed their own alliances, ready to strive for bigger benefits.

Jiang Yini took some time to digest the information that Li Jing had shared.

The information Li Jing shared was truly shocking. It was mostly information that wouldn’t have been obtained even if there were friendly negotiations between Longyu and Da Xia.

First and foremost was the Sky Demon Great Method of the Da Xia people that had turned over 60% of them into non-human, alien species. These creatures possessed the ability to dispossess others and take their place without using certain forbidden techniques.

This information was incredibly valuable.

Secondly, the Secret Realm entrance was indeed opened by the mysterious National Master of Da Xia, Shi Miaoying, who had now disappeared.

There are definitely hidden secrets behind this.

In comparison to these two pieces of information, everything else pales in comparison.

Things like how the sects are related to Da Xia and the significance of the Beast Tide all seem trivial compared to the exploration.

What confounded Jiang Yini was the fact that.

Li Jing had accomplished so many significant tasks within a single day of his arrival.

Take the robberies for instance – he committed three of them.

First, he robbed the princess, then he intruded the National Master’s residence and finally even the Imperial City’s commander was robbed and severely wounded by him...

Speechless, she looked at Li Jing, who sat beside her with an innocent expression. She rubbed her forehead and spoke.

"Can we trust this Princess Wenqu; Xia Qianqian, that you mentioned?"

"She can’t be trusted, but she is a potential partner."

Li Jing replied.