Chapter 2156: Meeting the Emperor!

Qi Ling'er quietly glanced at Zhang Xuan beside her, seeing that he had no intention of revealing himself, she silently praised his 'low profile' in her heart, then hesitated for a moment and said, 'It was obtained by a friend of mine. It's quite valuable; each pill costs 1500 divine coins! And it's hard to come by.'

'1500 divine coins? Not expensive. Contact this friend; no matter how many there are in the future, our Qi family will take them all!' The Qi family head waved his hand grandly.

Although the pill just now wasn't of much use to him, the fact that it could slightly heal the hidden injuries of a Divine King was terrifyingly effective.

Within the clan, the only one capable of this was probably the ancestor himself!

With such a powerful medicine, it could be distributed to talented juniors in the clan, and the entire Qi family would inevitably experience explosive growth.

'Alright...'

Unexpectedly, the family head had become the biggest buyer of beauty pills. Qi Ling'er awkwardly scratched her head and said, 'I still have fourteen more pills...'

'I'll take them all!'

The Qi family head nodded, took the pile of jade boxes, and with a light flick of his finger, Qi Ling'er immediately felt an additional 22,500 divine coins on her card.

The pill she had just taken was also counted as payment. A dignified Divine King naturally wouldn't take advantage of a junior, lest he give others a handle to criticize him.

'Thank you, family head!' With shining eyes, Qi Ling'er quickly bowed deeply.

Money didn't matter much; with the Qingyue Merchant Guild in hand, money was no longer an issue. But with this, the family head's attitude had changed, and her future influence would greatly increase.

The Qi family head said no more, turned, and left with the remaining beauty pills.

He had many hidden injuries. With these pills in hand, he could find a place to take them and perhaps increase his strength again.

Although it was impossible to become a Sealed King, at least among Divine Kings, he would become stronger.

'Family head...' Qi Yue and Qi Ling'er fell silent.

They had thought that after the report, the family head would severely punish the other party, making it impossible for them to ever rise again. But they never dreamed that in the blink of an eye, the situation had reversed, causing them great losses.

Not to mention other things, the annual profit share from the Qingyue Merchant Guild alone was enough for a branch to spend for decades with plenty left over. And the power and connections that came with managing it were priceless.

'Qi Ling'er, don't be too pleased! I don't care what method you used to stay here for over an hour, nor what magic your so-called beauty pills have. What's mine... you'll never get!'

Gritting her teeth, Qi Weier snorted coldly and turned to leave.

She had already lost this round. Saying more was useless. Since she had returned to the imperial city, there would be more opportunities to cross paths. She didn't believe she would keep losing!

Seeing his sister leave, Qi Yue frowned, seemingly unable to figure out what had happened. He glanced at Qi Ling'er, then carefully looked at Zhang Xuan, who stood motionless and calm, showing no reaction. Shaking his head, he followed behind and left.

As a peerless genius, his mind was naturally broader than his sister's. In his eyes, whether one was in favor or not didn't matter. As long as he broke through to the Divine King realm, everything else would dissipate like smoke.

No matter how great the power, without matching strength, it was all false.

And with strength, power and money came easily.

'Young Master Zhang, thank you for your help!'

Seeing everyone leave, unable to hold back any longer, Qi Ling'er turned to the young man before her and knelt down.

Without him, not only would she not have been valued, but she might have spent her entire life in a place like Yeming City, managing an underground merchant guild, never able to escape.

'You're welcome...' Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment, then decided not to hide his intentions. 'The Yueqing Pool is so powerful. Can I give it a try?'

This was the main purpose of coming here. Since he had already seen it, he naturally wanted to experience it.

'The Yueqing Pool's energy is violent. Without our Qi family's bloodline, I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand it. It could be dangerous!' Qi Ling'er hesitated.

She had personally experienced the violence of the pool's power. Without the corresponding bloodline, entering it could easily tear one's body to ashes.

'I'll give it a try. If there's danger, I'll come up immediately,' Zhang Xuan said.

'Alright!' Thinking that this young man, as an Emperor's bloodline, must have ways to protect himself, Qi Ling'er gritted her teeth. 'But... outsiders are not allowed in here. I'll keep watch outside for you. You absolutely must not be discovered! And after you're done, you can't tell anyone...'

Although the clan didn't explicitly forbid bringing outsiders here, the pool itself was definitely off-limits to outsiders.

'Don't worry. I'm always low-key. I won't say a word!'

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

Someone as low-key as him didn't need such reminders.

Taking a deep breath, he leaped into the pool.

Sizzle!

Immediately, he felt countless forces surging in, trying to tear him apart, like the spatial storms before. In the blink of an eye, his body was torn and bleeding, barely holding on.

'Heavenly Dao True Qi!'

With a thought, his true qi, which surpassed the power of the Heavenly Dao, surged and covered his body. The torn muscles were nourished and quickly healed.

However, the violent force was too fierce. Although the true qi healed quickly, it still couldn't keep up with the destruction.

'Come out...'

With a thought, the little yellow chicken emerged from his dantian.

'Such violent spiritual energy! I love it! Come on, kill me! I'm coming...' Seeing the pool, its eyes lit up, and the little yellow chicken plunged headfirst into the Yueqing Pool, flapping its wings and swimming.

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows twitched.

He had called it out to use the bathwater to heal his injuries, but it went off swimming...

Remember your identity—you're a chicken!

Chickens can't swim...

Just as he was about to scold it, the chicken ducked its head and dove deep into the pool.

Sizzle!

The pool boiled, and the violent forces surged toward it. The chicken's body, like porcelain struck by a hammer, exploded in an instant, turning into a thick cloud of blood mist.

'This...'

Qi Ling'er on the shore was completely stunned.

Who was this chicken?

Where did it come from?

Why did it want to commit suicide?

Wasn't living good?

A series of questions popped up in her mind like a string of ellipses.

'You wasteful thing...' Zhang Xuan almost cried.

This chicken was too unreliable!

I called you out to save me, but you committed suicide...

Have some shame, will you?

He covered his forehead.

It seemed he had to rely on himself. This chicken had never once been satisfactory...

Gritting his teeth, he rapidly circulated his true qi. Just as he was about to use all his strength, he suddenly felt the Yueqing Pool beneath him shake violently. The entire surface trembled as if boiling.

Startled, Zhang Xuan quickly looked ahead. The once calm, mirror-like surface was now about to erupt, as if it might explode at any moment.

'What... is happening?' His scalp tingling, Zhang Xuan was frantic.

Before, the Huayu Kingdom's Qinghua Pool had exploded because he and his clone had absorbed too much power. He accepted that!

But this Yueqing Pool—he had just entered, hadn't absorbed a single bit, and was only busy repairing his body and resisting the force... He really hadn't done anything!

If it had exploded because he absorbed too much power, he could accept it. But before he even started, it was already like this... Was there any logic?

Explode my ass!

It really had nothing to do with me...

Frustrated to the point of madness, Zhang Xuan knew that if the pool really exploded, that Divine King from earlier would skin him alive on the spot, and he wouldn't be able to escape. With a helpless expression, he planned to jump out and leave this place of trouble.

But before he could get up, he saw the roiling power in the Yueqing Pool surge toward him. The violent force sealed off the surrounding space, and in an instant, he felt as if bound by ropes, unable to move no matter how hard he tried!

'Damn!'

Zhang Xuan was about to go crazy.

What... was it clinging to him?

I come, and you explode. Do you take me for a lighter and yourself for a firecracker?

Cursing inwardly in frustration, he had no choice but to endure since he couldn't escape.

Sizzle!

Just as he didn't know what to do, the boiling force reached him. He immediately felt as if his entire body was being torn apart, about to be shredded. His Heavenly Dao True Qi was powerless against this force.

Not that the Heavenly Dao True Qi was weak, but the power in the pool was too much, too strong, exceeding what he could withstand.

Bang! Bang!

Blood splattered, and Zhang Xuan's vision blurred.

'Could it be that instead of tempering my body, I'll be blown to death here?'

He was on the verge of tears.

He had only come to temper his body. If it wouldn't let him, fine. But trapping him and about to explode—was it afraid he wouldn't die?

'If it comes to it, I'll smash this pool with the Heavenly Dao Book...'

Feeling that he might not hold on much longer, Zhang Xuan was utterly depressed.

Qi Ling'er had used his Divine Origin Pill containing Heavenly Dao True Qi and lasted over an hour longer. He had thought this place wouldn't reject his power, but he never dreamed such a变故 would occur.

Forget it. It seemed he had to use the Heavenly Dao Book. Although he didn't know if it could save him, he had no better option now!

Gritting his teeth, he was about to use the newly acquired book when a thought suddenly struck him.

'As long as one has the Qi family bloodline, the pool won't be violent. I don't have it, but I have the disguise token Ruoxi gave me. If I disguise myself as a Qi family member, can I resist this force?'

Earlier, when he used the disguise token to pose as Luo Tianya, he didn't even need to fear bloodline tests.

Knowing time was of the essence, as soon as this thought arose, he immediately changed his spirit and true qi aura.

In an instant, he became somewhat similar to the Qi family head and Qi Yue, exuding the aura of the Qi family bloodline.

Hum!

As the disguise took effect, the boiling pool water, though still churning, gradually lost its tearing sensation, as if recognizing his identity.

'It works...'

Relieved, Zhang Xuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He hadn't held out much hope, but unexpectedly, it succeeded.

With the pool no longer trying to tear him apart, he was no longer in danger. Earlier, he had wanted to escape, but now he wasn't so anxious.

His body absorbed the surging power from all around, and his cells continuously tore apart and reassembled, becoming tougher and stronger.

'Such a fast rate of advancement...'

Feeling his body change with every breath, Zhang Xuan's previously tense eyes began to shine.

Earlier, he had nearly died. Unexpectedly, after disguising himself, he could easily absorb the power within.

Given the rate at which this power merged with his body, it should take less than ten minutes to push his physical strength to an astonishing level!

No wonder this was a famous body-tempering site in the Netherworld Heavenly Capital. Although the risk was great, it was worth it.

Otherwise, it would have taken who knows how long to rapidly improve his physical body.

Early Heavenly God realm!

Mid Heavenly God realm!

...

In the blink of an eye, his physical body reached the late Heavenly God realm and continued to strengthen. Moreover, a faint golden light began to emanate from his muscles, like fine threads, fully connecting with his body.

Although he didn't know what it was, it gave him a very comfortable feeling. With it, his body seemed many times stronger.

...

'Brother, I can't swallow this!'

Back in her room, Qi Weier smashed seven or eight vases and tea sets, gritting her silver teeth in frustration.

She had schemed against others, but never dreamed she would end up so badly.

'Now that it's come to this, anger is useless. You still don't know enough about this Qi Ling'er. Take it as a lesson,' Qi Yue waved his hand.

This situation ultimately arose from knowing too little about the opponent.

If he had known her talent had increased so much, he would never have provoked her or agreed to the contest!

'I know, but I just can't accept it...' Qi Weier shook her head, then after a moment, regained her composure. 'I grew up with her and know her talent well. For it to suddenly increase so much, there must be a special reason. Beauty pills... Hmph, I'll investigate now and find out what kind of medicine this is and who made it!'

Able to manage a merchant guild and contend fiercely with Qi Ling'er, she was no simple character.

'Yes, investigate not only that but also the person behind her named Zhang Xuan,' Qi Yue said.

'Brother, are you suspicious of that guy?' Qi Weier looked at him doubtfully. 'He seems quite ordinary!'

Qi Yue shook his head, frowning. 'In terms of cultivation, he's only a lower-grade Heavenly God, indeed ordinary and not very impressive. But for some reason, he's too calm. Facing the family head, even I felt a tremor in my heart. A Divine King's wrath can't be withstood even by the strongest upper-grade Heavenly God... But he remained motionless, without a ripple in his heart. It's puzzling!'

'This...' Hearing her brother's words, Qi Weier recalled and seemed to find something off about the guy. 'Now that you mention it, I remember. He does have an unusual calmness, and... he's very handsome!'

Qi Yue's eyebrows twitched. 'Alright, let's not discuss this. Whoever he is, it's none of our business. The priority is to improve our strength as soon as possible. She has already broken through to the Heavenly God realm. If you don't hurry, you'll lose your position with the family head sooner or later...'

'Yes...' Qi Weier nodded, about to continue speaking, when she suddenly felt a slight tremor in the ground. The spiritual energy in the distance seemed to be gathering rapidly, as if something was wrong.

Whoosh!

Qi Yue stood up and looked in the direction of the gathering spiritual energy. 'It's the Yueqing Pool. Let's go check!'

With that, ignoring Qi Weier, he rushed off hurriedly.

Their residence was not far from the pool. In a few breaths, he arrived and saw the young man sitting in the middle of the pool and Qi Ling'er standing on the shore with a worried expression.

'She actually let an outsider into the Yueqing Pool. This Qi Ling'er is finished...'

Qi Weier also arrived behind him. Seeing this scene, her eyes lit up.

She had been looking for a handle to destroy her, and now she had one. Even if Qi Ling'er was favored, she would surely be punished and couldn't escape.

Woo! Woo! Woo!

Just as she was feeling excited, she heard a sharp wind sound in the air. Turning quickly, she saw the family head, who had just left, and many peak upper-grade Heavenly God elders appearing behind them, their faces grim.

The Yueqing Pool was the clan's most important treasure. Outsiders were allowed to observe but never to enter. Not only had someone entered, but they had also caused such turmoil that the pool was about to explode. This was unforgivable.

'What's going on?'

Unable to contain himself, the family head snorted.

He had just returned to his residence to study the beauty pill formula when he felt this power. Unable to suppress his anger, he rushed over.

'Reporting to the family head, it's Qi Ling'er. She let an outsider into the Yueqing Pool...' Knowing this was the best opportunity, Qi Weier quickly cupped her hands and pointed ahead.

The Qi family head looked and indeed saw the young man sitting cross-legged in the pool, eyes closed, seemingly struggling against the force of the pool.

'Nonsense!'

Seeing that an outsider had indeed entered the Yueqing Pool and was even cultivating inside, the Qi family head was furious. 'How audacious! Men, arrest her and send her to the Punishment Hall! For leaking clan secrets and colluding with outsiders, without trial, strip her of her core disciple status...'

He had initially felt some goodwill toward this girl, but he never expected her to do something like this. She was asking for death.

'Yes!'

Qi Weier's eyes lit up, and she strode over to Qi Ling'er.

Hearing footsteps, Qi Ling'er saw the crowd and turned pale with fear, quickly kneeling.

'Hehe, Qi Ling'er, you brought this on yourself. Don't blame me...'

Just as she was thinking how to salvage her lost face, she never dreamed that this girl would do such a thing. Qi Weier chuckled, raised her hand to seize her, when she suddenly felt a powerful aura descending from the sky.

Looking up quickly, she saw an old man tearing through the air, exuding a power that could crush heaven and earth.

The old man was dressed in coarse linen, with a white beard and eyes like lightning. As he hovered in the air, the space around him seemed unable to bear his presence, trembling slightly as if about to crack.

'Greetings, Ancestor...'

Turning pale, Qi Weier quickly knelt.

The Qi family head and others also knelt.

It was none other than the Qi family's most powerful ancestor, the Sealed King, Qi Meng!

'What's going on?' Qi Meng squinted.

'Reporting to the Ancestor, an outsider has entered the Yueqing Pool. I will drag him out now...' Qi Weier quickly cupped her hands.

Even the ancestor had been alarmed. This time, no matter how much Qi Ling'er talked, no one could save her.

'Outsider?'

Qi Meng, the old ancestor, was full of doubt. He turned to look at the pool before him, and as he looked, his pupils suddenly contracted. Then his body swayed, and he fell to his knees, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke.

"Qi Meng, the Sealed Divine King of the Nether Soul Heaven, pays respects to..."

"...the Divine Lord!"