Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation

Chapter 533: Chapter 288: Xia Qingying: But I Came First...

The woman in the lead wore a magnificent golden Feathered Robe. Her unparalleled beauty was sacred and dignified, as exquisite as a painting, while her voluptuous figure was enchanting and fiery, boasting astonishingly long, jade-like legs.

Her cultivation was also at the Void Refining Peak Realm, and the dozen or so stunning, mature beauties around her were all experts at the Void Refining Level.

"Hmph! Fellow Daoists of Mingzun Mountain, don’t let them fool you. They aren’t even a faction from the Qingyao Continent, so what kind of relationship could they possibly have with you? The Da Xia Divine Dynasty has been on good terms with you for many years; our credibility should be guaranteed, shouldn’t it?"

The woman said coldly.

Ling Changqing looked over and, sure enough, recognized the beautiful, mature woman in the ice-blue ceremonial robes. With her peerless beauty and graceful, dignified bearing, it was none other than Xia Qingying, whom he had met once before.

Behind her stood a large group of male and female Cultivators. The Royal Family Elders leading them emanated unfathomably profound auras.

’Why would the current Empress of the Da Xia Divine Dynasty suddenly bring people here? Weren’t they saying she had taken her forces to the Primordial Demon Palace in Shunzhou?’

Ling Changqing and Meng Feiyu silently exchanged a look. ’So the upper echelons of the Da Xia Divine Dynasty must already know that the Child of Destiny was a fake.’

’That must be why Xia Qingying ignored the chaos over there and came to the Hongmeng Divine Hall instead, trying to find her own opportunities.’

’I wonder what the situation in Shunzhou is like now. The conspiracy secretly plotted by the Primordial Demon Palace will probably come to light sooner or later.’

Beside him, Su Qinglian used her Divine Thought to explain the situation to Ling Changqing.

Mingzun Mountain was a major power in Shuozhou. Its strength and foundation were comparable to one of the Nine Great Families of Yuzhou—and one of the more prominent ones at that.

A power of this scale was naturally no match for the Da Xia Divine Dynasty. However, Mingzun Mountain was famous for its expertise in Array Restrictions, and the number of Array Dao Grandmasters to have come from their faction was too numerous to count.

When Cultivators explored ancient ruins, grotto-heavens, or Extreme Forbidden Realms, having an Array Dao Grandmaster from Mingzun Mountain with them not only significantly increased their safety but also gave them a better chance of obtaining all sorts of opportunities.

That was why, just now, the representatives of many factions, including Xia Qingying, were trying to win over the Cultivators from Mingzun Mountain and persuade them to travel with their own groups.

Shuozhou is adjacent to Yuzhou, where the Da Xia Divine Dynasty is located. Mingzun Mountain did indeed have some dealings with the Divine Dynasty, with quite a bit of commercial trade and cooperation between them.

This time, not many Cultivators from Mingzun Mountain had come—fewer than sixty in total. Their leader, an old Daoist with a white beard and white eyebrows wearing a black cloak, was at the Early-stage Void Refining Realm.

To be blunt, Mingzun Mountain’s meager strength wasn’t even a mouthful for those major powers. If they were forced into an alliance, the only outcome would be doing all the hard work for someone else’s benefit.

After all that hard work, the opportunities would end up belonging to someone else, and they wouldn’t get any benefits for themselves. Only a fool would agree to that.

"Do you have a way to guarantee my safe passage?"

Ling Changqing asked inwardly.

A few breaths later, Gong Ling’s sweet and enchanting voice resounded in his sea of consciousness:

"I can, but it will cost you, Master, one hundred years of your lifespan. And I can only guarantee safe passage for you alone!"

"Deal!"

Ling Changqing agreed without the slightest hesitation. ’I just need to cross the bridge by myself. I’ll have Meng Feiyu and the other two women hide inside the Era Star Palace Grotto Heaven Blessed Land. That’ll be completely foolproof.’

And so, Ling Changqing led the three women to a secluded spot to the side, where he quietly ushered them into the Era Star Palace Grotto Heaven Blessed Land. Then, feigning nonchalance, he returned and started walking toward the distant Purple Jade Arch Bridge.

"...Fellow Daoists, I was clearly here first!"

Xia Qingying’s slightly oppressive gaze swept across the crowd, her tone chilling:

"The Da Xia Divine Dynasty is taking the Cultivators of Mingzun Mountain under its protection. None of you would object to that, would you?"

As she spoke, hundreds of Cultivators from the Da Xia Divine Dynasty moved over in silence, subtly surrounding the Cultivators from Mingzun Mountain. The threat was self-evident.

The scene fell silent for a moment before an ancestor from the Li Huo Divine Palace sneered:

"Her Majesty the Empress is putting on quite a show of power. Well... I’ve decided to make this my business today! You won’t be taking a single person from Mingzun Mountain!"