Chapter 444: Chapter 443: Putting Forward Demands, Standing on the Stage
Spatial crossover.
In the blink of an eye, Li Jing appeared at the main gate of the Management Bureau in the capital.
The rules of space allowed him to go wherever he wanted to go as long as he had been there before.
He had never been inside the Management Bureau.
At the fastest, he could only get to this entrance.
There was no need to say much about the security of the Management Bureau.
Under the clear, blue sky,
a person suddenly appeared directly at the gate, causing more than ten guards on duty at the entrance of the General Bureau to collectively freeze in surprise for a second, and then their expressions changed rapidly.
Seeing the guards change their faces, Li Jing spoke.
"Don’t be nervous, I’m one of you."
As he spoke, he pulled out his Management Bureau identification.
Seeing his identification, the guards relaxed a bit.
Falsifying documents from the Management Bureau was impossible.
Even though Li Jing appeared unexpectedly, there was no intrinsic harm.
After exchanging glances, one of the guards came over to salute and took Li Jing’s identification for inspection.
Having confirmed the identity of the person, the guard returned the identification with another salute, looking at him with a bit of surprise.
"Counselor Lee, Director Jiang has instructed that, if you were to arrive, you can go directly to his office."
"Mm."
Li Jing smiled and then said,
"Could you guide me there? This is my first time here at the Bureau, and I don’t know where the Director’s office is."
Hearing these words, the guard respectfully nodded, turned around, and led the way.
Li Jing followed closely behind.
...
After a while,
Li Jing entered the main building of the Management Bureau’s complex under the guidance of the guard and arrived at the Director’s office quickly.
Upon reaching the place, the guard saluted and left.
Li Jing then knocked softly on the door.
The moment he knocked, a voice from inside the office sounded-
"Come in."
On hearing the command, Li Jing pushed the door open.
At the desk in the office, Jiang Liao was reviewing a file.
Upon hearing the door open, he looked up out of habit.
Seeing Li Jing enter, he paused briefly before setting down the file and spoke with a hint of disapproval.
"We agreed on two to three days, but it’s already the fourth day."
Seeing Jiang’s clear displeasure, Li Jing chuckled.
"Apologies Uncle, there was an urgent matter that came up."
Looking at Li Jing’s servile demeanor, Jiang Liao shook his head helplessly, stood up and said,
"Alright, sit down and talk."
"Alright."
Li Jing responded, moving to sit on the sofa.
Jiang Liao took a seat across from him, and after studying him, let out a heavy sigh.
"The Daohe incident, I’ve managed to keep it under control domestically, but there’s nothing I can do about the overseas situation. The pressure on my side is enormous now. The events that took place have been going on for so long, yet you didn’t show your face even once, and many parties including the White Hawk can’t contain themselves anymore. Successively, people from various forces have been exerting pressure on our Longyu, demanding a statement."
Li Jing nodded in acknowledgment.
"I understand. I’ll pay a visit to the White Hawk later and give them a statement."
"..."
Jiang Liao.
He had invited Li Jing to discuss how to address the international situation.
However, Li Jing’s immediate response had him taken aback.
Pay the White Hawk a visit later and give them a statement?
Was he serious?
The tone of his statement held an air of arrogance.
Jiang Liao didn’t look up.
But he was uncertain about what exactly Li Jing wanted to do.
Did he intend to deter the White Hawk with force, just like how he intimidated the Daohe Alliance?
After giving Li Jing a silent look, Jiang Liao voiced his thoughts.
"Xiaoli, you can’t handle things this way. Even if your individual power is strong, there are certain unspoken rules in the international arena..."
Before he could finish, Li Jing pulled out the Immortal King Command.
"Uncle, do you recognize this Golden Command?"
"..."
Jiang Liao.
Of course, he recognized the Immortal King Command.
Although he was not from a sect, he was still the Director of the Longyu Administration Bureau, a powerful figure who could wage wars with just his command.
Regarding status and authority, even the Guardian Gods of Longyu could not compare to him.
Frowning at Li Jing, Jiang Liao asked,
"I do, so what exactly are you trying to imply?"
"In a year’s time, I will be leaving Longyu to go to the Immortal Realm."
Li Jing answered.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Liao was taken aback once again.
"You... "
"I am presently at the Ninth Realm, and it’s not allowed for me to stay on Blue Star for long."
Li Jing spoke in a low voice.
"..."
Jiang Liao.
Two months ago, Li Jing was still at the Seventh Realm,
Did he blink and suddenly reach the Ninth Realm!?
Honestly, Jiang Liao found it hard to believe,
But he felt Li Jing had no need to deceive him.
The incident with the Daohe Alliance four days ago was enough evidence to show that Li Jing’s strength was enough to suppress all current competition.
The real threat was Daohe, yes.
But no nation could resist such an onslaught of power, no matter which one it was.
Was he planning to engage in a desperate fight until the last man standing?
After a moment of silence, Jiang Liao looked up and said,
"So you have a year left?"
"Yes."
Li Jing answered, then began to speak.
"In this year, Longyu can be a bit more aggressive."
Jiang Liao raised his eyebrows at the comment.
He appreciated what he was hearing.
He was grateful to Li Jing.
Not only did Li Jing help uncover the truth about his beloved wife’s death.
His favorite child also received quite a lot of care from Li Jing.
Due to the involvement of Jiang Yini, Jiang Liao knows quite a lot about Li Jing and knows that despite his abilities, he lacks "ambition."
When necessary, he would help Longyu.
But unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t step up and openly fight for Longyu.
Now that Li Jing is noticeably taking a more active role and clearly stepping forward to support Longyu. This is a surprise, but also a welcome one for Jiang Liao.
Li Jing is now at the Ninth Realm.
The only Ninth Realm in this world.
Considering that he could subdue those from the Eighth Realm when he was at the Seventh Realm, it’s hard to imagine how strong he is now.
With him at the forefront, who dares to make noise?
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Liao spoke.
"When you go to White Hawk later, don’t make too much of a fuss. Let White Hawk and the world know of your existence. Don’t go overboard. After all, you will leave eventually. If too many grudges are accumulated, life in Longyu will not be easy a year later."
"I understand. Uncle, rest assured, I know my limits."
Li Jing smiled.
"Good, as long as you know your limits."
Jiang Liao laughed and then probed.
"So, what do you want from me... or from Longyu?"
Without waiting for Li Jing to answer, he chuckled and continued.
"Although we don’t have much interaction, I am very clear about your character. You are willing to come forward and temporarily uphold Longyu. Presumably, there are some special needs. You mentioned earlier on the phone that you need me to help you with something. We are all on the same side, so there’s no need to beat around the bush. Just tell me what you need."
It is indeed more relaxing to talk to an intelligent person.
Jiang Liao is worthy of being the "veteran" who manages the entire Longyu Administration Bureau.
Responding to him, Li Jing did not hesitate and spoke lightly.
"Within a year, I hope you can help me build a modern city. Additionally, I want the most advanced matching facilities, as well as all the data stored in the network servers of Longyu, including the research results of the Research Institute."
"..."
Jiang Liao’s expression shifted.
He had anticipated that Li Jing would make bold demands.
If someone is prepared to support Longyu openly, it would be impossible to satisfy them with just insignificant requests.
But Li Jing’s demand was overwhelming.
Build a city within a year.
Modern construction is indeed efficient.
High-rise buildings can be constructed in less than a month with the help of cultivators.
But a city is a different concept from a building.
The most advanced matching facilities are manageable.
All data stored in Longyu’s network servers, this part may be quite difficult.
Firstly, it contains a lot of tabooed information and secondly, if all data is included, the amount of data would be massive.
However, the most challenging part -
Is that Li Jing wanted all the research results of the Research Institute...
Looking up at Li Jing who looked calm, Jiang Liao said,
"Your request, to be honest, has surprised me."
After that, he frowned and asked,
"I’m very curious, what do you want to do with all the data in Longyu’s network servers and why are you building a city? You are about to leave, why do you need a city? could it be that you want to take this city to the Immortal Realm?"
"Almost."
Li Jing stood up and said,
"The detailed explanations are quite bothersome. Uncle, why don’t you come with me."
?
Jiang Liao was puzzled, but he instinctively stood up.
Just as he was about to ask, Li Jing held him,
"Uncle, don’t resist."
???
Jiang Liao was taken aback.
Before he could react, he could feel a force pulling on him.
Having seen and experienced a lot, Jiang Liao naturally knew this was a prelude to a spatial displacement.
In his surprise, he didn’t resist.
The next second,
They entered the Little Universe and appeared in the sky.
Suddenly entering the Little Universe, where the scenery and ecosystems were exquisite, Jiang Liao was stunned,
"Where is this...?"
"This is the Little Universe. It was originally my storage space, which has now become a land of its own."
Li Jing smiled and continued,
"The city I want to build is here, uncle, you don’t need to provide manpower, you just need to give me the blueprints and resources required to build the city."
As he spoke, he gently waved his hand.
Following that,
A mountain that soared into the clouds rose from the ground nearby.
This action left Jiang Liao stunned.
It is said that high-level cultivators can move mountains and fill seas, but what Li Jing did was pure creation!
Dumbfounded as he was, Li Jing teleported him to Qingyuan Fairy Palace.
Upon arriving at the Fairy Palace, Jiang Liao was immediately attracted to the Heritage Stele.
It was clear at first glance that the Heritage Stele was extraordinary.
In fact,
The moment Jiang Liao, already a peak cultivator of the Sixth Realm, first saw the Heritage Stele, he had an epiphany. He almost couldn’t stop himself and nearly underwent a calamity then and there to enter the Seventh Realm.
Oh no!
This stele must not be looked at too much!
Quickly shifting his gaze away, Jiang Liao realized that there were four light cocoons scattered around the Heritage Stele.
Looking around, he saw two girls, one big and one small, sitting cross-legged leaning against each other. A teenage girl and a young man were standing there in silence.
All four appeared to be in deep meditation, their auras retracted.
But with his sharp gaze, Jiang Liao could easily discern that all four of them were not humans, but Spirit Weapons.
They were incredibly powerful Spirit Weapons with physical forms.
Especially when he looked at the six or seven-year-old white-haired Lolita, just looking at her made Jiang Liao’s heart pound wildly.
He had an indescriptive feeling.
This white-haired Lolita shouldn’t exist in the real world.
Apart from the four, there was also a Fox demon with nine tails at her waist and a half-grown girl with cat ears on her head sitting cross-legged in meditation.
Just one look at these two and you’d know they weren’t human.
Both of their auras were unrestrained, one being at the Eighth Realm and the other at the Seventh Realm.
Facing this powerful group, Jiang Liao looked incredibly shocked.
Then, Li Jing spoke up.
"Uncle, I know my request is a bit too much, and many things are not only up to you. I will provide some bargaining conditions here. One of them is that you can choose some trusted people within this year to come into my Little Universe and study the Heritage Stele. This stele is extraordinary, it not only hides Qingyuan’s Mysterious Skill, but also helps immensely in understanding."
Jiang Liao looked mildly surprised at the sound.
He had firsthand experience of how special the Heritage Stele was after he came here.
It’s a good thing, no doubt about it.
With Li Jing’s approval, he can bring in some trusted people to enhance their power. This is definitely a good thing.
But one year, admittedly, was a bit short.
"So, what are the other conditions?"
Jiang Liao asked.
"These are God Patterns, lower, middle, and upper ranks."
Li Jing took out his remaining fifty or so God Patterns and said.
"What exactly are God Patterns, Uncle you should have some understanding of it, right?"
"..."
Jiang Liao.
He did indeed know what God Patterns were.
For someone like him, there aren’t many secrets in this world that he doesn’t know.
But the fact that Li Jing just casually had fifty or so, certainly caught him off guard.
He only knew of the existence of God Patterns and its wonder, but he had never seen the real thing.
Looking at the God Patterns in Li Jing’s hand, Jiang Liao asked in astonishment.
"Where did you get these things....?"
"It’s a long story, Uncle, don’t ask too much."
Li Jing smiled and said.
"I was originally planning to give you a complete set of upper-rank God Patterns, but after sharing some with my mother-in-law and them, there wasn’t enough left."
Jiang Liao’s mouth twitched at these words.
Li Jing did not answer his question directly, which was fine with him.
But when he said he was going to give him a complete set of upper-rank God Patterns, and then because he shared some with his mother-in-law and others, there weren’t enough left, how could Jiang Liao not feel aggrieved?
So, when compared to his mother-in-law and others, he as an uncle was less valued, right!
Strictly speaking, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Can an uncle compare to close relatives like a mother-in-law?
But Li Jing should never have said it, once he did, how could Jiang Liao accept it as his uncle?
Despite his unhappiness, Jiang Liao’s face was not so thick as to voice it out.
After a slight cough, Jiang Liao asked.
"So, is there a share for my niece, Yini?"
"Of course, there’s a share for Yini."
Li Jing replied, casually pointing at the light cocoon that Jiang Yini was absorbing the Supreme God Pattern from.
"By the way, the person inside this light cocoon is Yini. I gave her a complete set of Supreme God Patterns to upgrade directly to the Supreme level. She is currently absorbing and digesting the Supreme God Pattern. I estimate that her cultivation level, at the very least, will reach the Eighth Realm."
"..."
Jiang Liao.
What did Li Jing just say?
Supreme God Pattern?
He even has a Supreme God Pattern?
And he gave one to his daughter?
Looking at the Heritage Stele and the four light cocoons surrounding it, Jiang Liao wondered who they were, apart from his daughter, and looked suspiciously at Li Jing.
"You, you haven’t done anything strange to my daughter, have you?"
Li Jing was speechless and shook his head.
"Really, I haven’t."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Liao clicked his tongue.
"Why isn’t this girl more competitive? No wonder my God Pattern fell through."
"..."
Li Jing.
Jiang Liao’s comment was really inappropriate.
Obviously, he’s a hopeless daughter-con, is it appropriate to say such things because of a God Pattern?
On the other hand, Jiang Liao completely gave up, saying.
"I’ll take these things, but consider them as your betrothal gifts to my daughter. The God Patterns you gave me are rather sporadic. The lower ones are fine and can be used directly, but the middle and upper ones are hard to use without enough lower God Patterns."
"..."
Li Jing was speechless.
Jiang Liao knew a lot about God Patterns, which was a good thing.
It saved him from having to explain more.
The reason he didn’t give Jiang Liao a full set of God Patterns was indeed because he didn’t have enough to make up a set.
But that’s not the point.
The point is that in his eyes, the highly respected Jiang Liao had completely lost his shame!
These, as a betrothal gift to Jiang Yini?
Not to mention that he and Jiang Yini didn’t have that kind of relationship, these God Patterns were provided by him as a bargaining condition.
Just as he was feeling a mix of laughter and tears, Jiang Liao said.
"You look, a bit unwilling?"
Li Jing was speechless.
Of course, he was reluctant.
But at this moment, he was, to a certain extent, asking for help.
To him, Jiang Liao was also a respected elder.
When the elders have no shame, what can he do as a younger generation?
Without letting the topic stagnate, Li Jing took out the USB drive containing all of Heavenly Saint Land’s Da Xia Dynasty’s thousands of years of heritage data.
"This USB drive contains the heritage data of the Heavenly Saint Land’s Da Xia Dynasty for thousands of years, including millions of spells, forbidden skills, inheritance secret skills."
Jiang Liao was shocked to hear this.
Magic skills, forbidden skills, secret inheritance skills, millions!?
Compared to this.
The fifty-odd God Patterns seemed insignificant.
Having a God Pattern is good.
But fundamentally it’s just a one-time consumable, at most allowing one to gain control over a certain rule and maybe have a slight increase in their cultivation level.
The heritage of the Da Xia Dynasty for thousands of years, on the other hand, could truly cause a leap in Longyu’s overall strength, and have a long-term impact.
Li Jing carefully took the U disk from Jiang Liao and kept it close with great care.
Li Jing quietly glanced at Jiang Yini’s light cocoon.
The U disk he held was the backup data he had requested in advance.
He had originally planned to give it to Longyu anyway.
The other backup was in Jiang Yini’s hands.
She had originally wanted to hand it over to the Management Bureau in exchange for merit...
Now, he could only apologize to Jiang Yini.
However, he couldn’t be entirely blamed, could he?
After all, Jiang Yini’s father was being shameless, and he had nothing else to offer.
Feeling guilty, Li Jing decided to take Jiang Liao back to his office from the Little Universe, and then took out his bank card.
"Uncle, there are one billion and fifty million Spirit Crystals on this card, this is all I can offer now. I believe it should be enough, right?"
"Mhm,"
Jiang Liao nodded and accepted the bank card.
Compared to the Heritage Stele, God Pattern, and the thousand-year heritage of the Da Xia Dynasty, these one billion and fifty million Spirit Crystals seemed insignificant.
But since he had them, he certainly had to take them.
After all, Li Jing’s demands were indeed quite high.
And fundamentally, the ones he had to convince weren’t just Jiang Liao, but the entire Longyu senior management.
He could indeed, with just a word, get Longyu to wage a war, but his power only extended to military matters, and he had no say in resource allocation.
"Within a month, everything you want will be provided step by step. For this month, it would be best if you stayed in the national capital. That way you can receive resources conveniently, as well as allow me to select reliable personnel to enter the Little Universe and understand the Heritage Stele,"
Jiang Liao spoke, letting out a sigh.
"You really have given me quite a few surprises. I considered myself well-experienced, but this Little Universe has really opened my eyes,"
Having said this, he had an odd expression.
"With the Little Universe, you can bring people to the Immortal Realm at will. If this information were to get out, it would cause a worldwide sensation,"
Upon hearing this, Li Jing smiled and replied.
"Whether it would cause a sensation, I’m not sure. But if I said that I could take willing people out of this world to the Immortal Realm, I’m afraid the entire international community would be in chaos."
Hearing such words, Jiang Liao laughed and spoke.
"It’s best not to let too many people know about this. Not just within Longyu, but globally, every loss of a Seventh or Eighth Realm cultivator is a big deal. Under the constraints of law, genuine and proper, patriotic, and responsible individuals are rare. If too many people came rushing because of the fame, and you didn’t reject anyone, Blue Star would be in chaos."
With that said, he spoke seriously.
"Regarding the Little Universe, you should keep it under wraps, so as not to affect Longyu as well."
"Understood."
Li Jing nodded, and then spoke.
"Uncle, since we’ve settled the matter, I’m going to make a trip to White Hawk now. Some people might want to complicate matters."
"Right, I also have to hold a meeting with the Longyu executives. I won’t have time to entertain you."
Jiang Liao responded, saying,
"Your demands can’t be satisfied by just my consent, they need their approval too. But I think once they hear about the White Hawk issue, and see the benefits before them, they won’t be foolish enough not to agree to your ’requests’."
Saying this, he laughed and instructed,
"Be careful not to cause too much ruckus."
"Sure thing."
Li Jing responded, then smirked.
"You better hurry. At my current level, getting to White Hawk will only take a moment."
As he spoke, he stepped forward, tearing through space.
Jiang Liao was slightly taken aback by what he saw.
Did Li Jing just say it would take only an instant to reach White Hawk? Was he going to tear through space to get there?
...
While Jiang Liao was marveling at the space jumping in his office, someone had already appeared on the streets of Wesbayl, White Hawk’s largest transport hub, through a fragmented space.
Purchasing a milk tea to drink on the street, Li Jing strolled leisurely into a park, giving Jiang Liao enough time to gather Longyu’s high-ranking officials.
The best time to get approval from Longyu’s executives as a group would be after everyone has arrived at the meeting and Jiang Liao has articulated his demand. Otherwise, even with the benefits offered, it might not be possible to convince everyone with just his uncle’s efforts.
Waiting patiently for an hour, Li Jing felt it was about time and with a "boom", he transformed into a thunderbolt and shot into the sky.
The sudden thunderbolt made the others in the park jump.
Li Jing’s bang was incredibly loud.
Not only did it startle the people in the park, almost half the population of Wesbayl city looked up at the sky in confusion.
What...
What’s happening?
Did someone perform a non-regulated air control?
And then made a thunderous bang?
Before anyone could figure out what was happening, the sky above gathered threatening clouds and a terrifying pressure descended from the sky, making it hard for everyone to breathe.
Simultaneously, the triple wind spiral alarm sounded.
"Hum~"
"Hum~"
"Hum~"
The triple wind spiral echoed through the air.
The impact wasn’t just on Wesbayl city, but the entire east coast of White Hawk.
As the alarm sounded, the region plunged into boundless darkness.
The sky was covered in thick dark clouds.
Even though it was still afternoon, the east coast was already pitch black.
The sudden change left everyone dumbfounded.
This...
What’s happening?
Is someone launching a surprise attack on White Hawk?
And the initial attack is on par with a nuclear strike?
While everyone was still clueless, an overwhelming heavenly might descended, enveloping everything.
At that instant,
Those of lower cultivation levels fainted on the street.
Those with slightly higher cultivation levels shivered under the heavenly might.
But then,
The heavenly might dissipated, and the gloomy sky returned to its original brightness as if nothing had happened.
???
All the people, including the citizens of Wesbayl city, were confused.
