"Before we talk about Zhu Qing, I have a condition."

Xiaoyao Zi responded, causally settling into the rattan chair in front of the house and nonchalantly crossed his legs with an air of impertinence.

Observing the scene, Li Jing, squinted his eyes and said.

"Let’s hear it."

"My demand is straightforward. I’ll give you the information about Zhu Qing, and in return, you don’t hinder me or seek me out anymore."

Xiaoyao Zi spoke up.

"I’m afraid I can’t agree to that condition."

Li Jing shook his head, speaking flatly.

"You should know that over a hundred years ago, I was already the guardian of this land. You have your obsessions, and I won’t comment on them. We have some rapport, and unless necessary, I won’t harm you. But you’re still operating within the Universe Great World, so if one day..."

Before he could finish, Xiaoyao Zi interrupted.

"You can rest assured on that point. I have my own boundaries in what I do. I’m not foolish enough to become an enemy of this land, especially with a stern guardian like you here. I’m setting this condition just to avoid any obstructions or disturbances in the future."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing contemplated silently before answering.

"I’m sorry, but I still can’t agree to your terms."

?

Xiaoyao Zi.

"You say you have boundaries but that’s just one side of the story, humans are ever-changing creatures."

Li Jing’s words were gentle yet firm.

"You’ve got a lot of tricks up your sleeve, old man. I don’t want to be rendered unable to act against you when it’s necessary."

"Do you not think you’re being a bit overly suspicious, Master Li?"

Xiaoyao Zi furrowed his brow and commented.

"I admit that I have many unique methods, but attempting to restrict a world guardian is out of the question."

"In this vast world, nothing is impossible,"

Li Jing retorted.

"Tch!"

Xiaoyao Zi clicked his tongue, making a face as he complained,

"You’re just looking for reasons, don’t think I can’t see through it. You figure you might need my help in the future, so you’re not willing to agree."

"Glass houses and stones, this phrase applies to you as well."

Li Jing responded with a faint smile.

"..."

Xiaoyao Zi.

He had to admit.

In terms of shamelessness, Li Jing, despite being just a few hundred years old, outmatched him by far.

Looking at the person before him, Xiaoyao Zi pondered on leveraging Zhu Qing’s information to bargain further but knew it would be futile against such an obstinate individual.

If he had known this would happen, he would never have gotten involved with him!

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Xiaoyao Zi raised three fingers.

"Three times. I will unconditionally offer you three divinations pertaining to anything other than Huang Tian in the future. However, there’s one condition, afterwards, you have to let little miss Ling Ling or Xiaocai help replenish my loss."

Having said this, he flatly added,

"Here is my offer. I don’t care whether you accept or decline, there’s no room for negotiation."

"Considering our acquaintance, couldn’t you give me a bit of a discount?"

Li Jing tilted his head to one side, inquiring.

"Ha ha."

Xiaoyao Zi clapped his hands together but his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Seeing his reaction, Li Jing curled the corner of his mouth, replying,

"So be it then, I’ll comply."

Just as he finished speaking, he sensed an unexplainable force trying to control him.

This old man really does have a backup plan!

Li Jing squinted his eyes.

Just as he was about to resist, Xiaoyao Zi smirked.

"This is just a highly efficient restraining method, it won’t harm you. Just don’t resist. Once the restriction is in place, it’ll be good for the both of us."

"You make it sound so nice."

Li Jing gave a snide smirk, saying,

"Your restraint is obviously one-sided, targeting me. How can it be good for both of us?"

As he said this, he exuded an air of calmness.

"To be safe, why don’t you swear a great demon vow too?"

"Is it really necessary to go through such a hassle?"

Xiaoyao Zi appeared lost for words, remarking,

"A great demon vow might work for ordinary cultivators, but what good is it against beings like us?"

"Even if it’s minimal, it’s still a constraint."

Li Jing stated this casually.

"I’m not as resourceful as you, old man. Having some form of restraint is better than nothing, even if it may not be effective."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyao Zi furrowed his brows.

His intuition was telling him.

There was a catch.

Given his understanding of Li Jing,

He would not do things without reason.

However, if he doesn’t agree now, Li Jing might not let him off the hook.

After hesitation, Xiaoyao Zi lifted his hand and swore an oath.

The next second.

He regretted it.

The moment he completed his vow, he distinctly felt an unimaginably terrifying entity zeroing in on him.

This is...

Who is it?!

The demon can’t possibly be this terrifying!

Bewildered for a moment, Xiaoyao Zi’s face gradually expressed a myriad of emotions.

He remembered.

It seemed that Li Jing had connections with the domain of desire. Even his personal world had a direct passage to that realm!

Damn it! I’ve been careless!

Xiaoyao Zi almost couldn’t resist slapping his own thigh.

Despite the shock, he hesitated to confront Li Jing.

He did not want to become adversaries with this monster.

Especially once he met the conditions recognized as a threat by the Universe Great Dao, no one could oppose Li Jing who held the title of a guardian in this world.

But when necessary, Xiaoyao Zi still had some leeway.

At least, he did not have to escalate the situation.

Now that he had caught the attention of the figure from the realm of desire, he had no room for manoeuvre.

Just as he was mulling over this,

Xiaoyao Zi felt his secret method being ruthlessly crushed by Li Jing’s overpowering cultivation level, causing a backlash on him.

Suppressing the urge to vomit blood, Xiaoyao Zi glared at the man.

"What’s wrong?"

Li Jing tilted his head.

"..."

Xiaoyao Zi.

His audacity knew no bounds, yet he acted oblivious!

How could he tolerate this?!

Veins bulging on his forehead, Xiaoyao Zi slowly stood up.

Before he could completely stand, five human-shaped phantoms of different sizes and shapes appeared behind Li Jing. Above his head floated a phantom of a golden dragon, sprawling tens of thousands of miles in the sky.

"..."

Xiaoyao Zi.

Setting aside his displeasure, he quietly sank back into his rattan chair, pretending that he just changed his posture. With a cold snort, he said.

"You’re being dishonest, but I won’t stoop to your level. I hope you will keep your promise."

"Maintaining my promise has always been my principle."

Li Jing spoke with a smile.

"You should trust my integrity. Anyway, I wouldn’t stoop so low as to cheat an old man like you."

"..."

Xiaoyao Zi was speechless, thinking to himself, how does he have the audacity to talk about integrity?

"We should now talk about Zhu Qing."

Li Jing began.

"..."

Xiaoyao Zi kept silent, and then reluctantly began to speak.

"A few days ago, through the paths of the Eternal Divine Kingdom, I received news that Zhu Qing has been imprisoned for several years."

Li Jing frowned.

Zhu Qing was being held captive?

She is the Saint of the Human Race, who would be powerful enough to imprison her?

As if he knew what Li Jing was thinking, Xiaoyao Zi spoke up.

"Certainly, a saint is incredibly powerful, especially when representing a race with immense fortune. But you need to understand that the Eternal Divine Kingdom is the ultimate haven for all the top strong ones across all heavens and realms. Not to mention others, those who hold the position of a saint are common there."

Li Jing remained silent.

He might have taken this for granted.

There is always only one Saint, but this applies only within a Big World.

In a place like the Eternal Divine Kingdom.

Zhu Qing wouldn’t be the only Human Taoist Saint, or even the only Saint.

However, Li Jing believed,

Zhu Qing wouldn’t be inferior to other saints.

The reasoning is simple.

Human Tao is flourishing in the Universe Great World.

The support behind the Human Taoist Saint from their destiny is terrifyingly formidable.

Without much thought, Li Jing spoke up.

"Do you know the specifics?"

"That would certainly trouble me."

Xiaoyao Zi shook his head, saying,

"I have long parted from the Eternal Divine Kingdom, barely maintaining some contacts. The message was brought by a friend, not deduced by me, nor was it discovered by me. What I can tell you is, if you don’t rescue Zhu Qing, she is going to be married soon."

?

???

Li Jing slowly typed up a question mark, followed by another three.

What is this drama?

Zhu Qing being held captive, he could understand.

She must have a purpose for going to the Eternal Divine Kingdom, and even said she would surprise him.

From what it seems now,

she has likely met with mishap and been imprisoned by someone.

So,

why would there suddenly be a marriage!?

Forced marriage?

With a hiss...

He took a deep breath; Li Jing massaged his forehead, unable to accept it.

They say forced marriages never end sweetly.

If it’s someone like Zhu Qing,

any man would take her even if she is unwilling.

After all, Zhu Qing is astonishingly beautiful.

But she is a Saint!

Perhaps you could use ways to deal with a Saint to imprison her,

but to force her into marriage is a different matter.

The risk of doing it is extraordinarily high...

Just when he was having a hard time accepting it, Xiaoyao Zi spoke up.

"Their objective likely isn’t just Zhu Qing herself, they’re most likely eyeing the fortune she carries."

"Fortune?"

Li Jing frowned, saying,

"The fortune carried by Zhu Qing isn’t her’s alone. Instead, it’s the collective fortune of the Human Race in the Universe Great World. Could they covet this too?"

"They could, but it would be quite difficult."

Xiaoyao Zi responded.

"This matter could be big or small. The Human Tao of the Universe Great World will likely decline because of this."

Li Jing had no words.

This, undoubtedly, was a bit tricky.

The opponent who was capable of imprisoning Zhu Qing, was certainly beyond his current power to handle.

This matter involves the overall fortune of the Human Race of the Universe Great World, and he couldn’t afford to waste any time.

Leaving the matter of fortune aside,

He couldn’t possibly ignore Zhu Qing.

After pondering for a moment, Li Jing looked at him.

"You should have reached the Immortal Realm, right?"

Xiaoyao Zi looked a bit surprised upon hearing this, but then his face turned strange.

"Of course, I have obtained Immortality, I have even reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal. I think I know what you want to do, but I advise you against it."

Saying this, he continued speaking.

"Your extraction and refinement of the Immortal Qi that you receive from me may instead be detrimental to you. Even if you refine my Golden Immortal Qi, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee significant attainment. Instead of holding this thought, it’s better to find an authentic Immortal Fruit."

Hearing what Xiaoyao Zi had said, Li Jing’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

This shouldn’t be a lie.

The Immortal Qi obtained from others is hard to refine, which is probably true.

This path is a difficult one.

After giving it some thought, Li Jing asked.

"Do you know where to find the Immortal Fruit?"

"Don’t flatter me."

Xiaoyao Zi laughed bitterly.

"Not to mention the rarity of the Immortal Fruit, its existence itself often relates to the existence of an Immortal. I do have the ability to deduce everything in the world, but I’m not ready to die yet. I can’t deduce that stuff, even if Miss Ling Ling herself were to save my life, she wouldn’t be able to protect me."

"Is that so?"

Li Jing blinked and extended his hand.

"Then give me a strand of Immortal Qi to examine."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Xiaoyao Zi spoke seriously,

"Once consumed, an Immortal Qi cannot be expelled. If you cannot refine it, it will suppress the power inside you, causing your strength to decline, and may even destroy your foundation."

"With my current strength, traveling to the Eternal Divine Kingdom isn’t a problem, but encountering an opponent capable of capturing Zhu Qing, I’m doomed."

Li Jing voiced out.

"In order to save her, an Immortal Realm is a power that I must obtain. I don’t have a better solution right now, she cannot wait as there is a forced marriage looming."

"I can’t disagree with you on that."

Xiaoyao Zi nodded, following a moment of hesitation, he held out his hand, with a strand of golden power appearing in his palm.

"I can give you the Immortal Qi, but this may end up hurting you. I’m advising you for the last time, think carefully..."

Before he could finish, Li Jing reached out and grasped the golden power in his hand.

Immediately thereafter,

This power integrated into his body.

The Chaos Qi, which could easily change into any power with a surprisingly high error-tolerance, could not assimilate this strand of power.

It seemed to be as Xiaoyao Zi had said.

From the moment it entered his body, it started to gradually suppress his power.

Without immediately sitting down to refine this strand of power, Li Jing waited quietly.