Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation

Chapter 464: Chapter 263: Xia Qingying: I Want What You Have, and I Want You Too. What Should I Do?

As the elegant lady’s gaze swept over him, Ling Changqing felt a subtle sensation.

A few breaths later, the Era Star Palace’s probing results returned. Although it couldn’t determine the lady’s true identity, her Cultivation Realm could not be hidden.

’What a coincidence. To think I’d run into an expert on the level of Qin Mengxuan or Liu Ying Ziyi just by stepping out for a meal.’

Ling Changqing mused to himself.

Of course, the aura this lady openly revealed was only that of an early-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Otherwise, if an outsider at the Divinity Transformation Peak were to wander around so openly, it wouldn’t be long before the upper echelons of the Saint Yu Immortal Dynasty were alarmed.

Ling Changqing, however, showed no outward reaction. He remained seated with a calm and composed demeanor, leisurely savoring the mountain and sea delicacies and the Spirit Wine Nectar that the Maids served in a continuous stream.

To avoid attracting too much attention, Ling Changqing was currently displaying the Cultivation of a Late stage Golden Core. This helped him avoid a lot of trouble. Those with lower Cultivation wouldn’t dare to provoke him, while those with higher Cultivation wouldn’t deign to notice him.

"...My Liege, is something amiss?"

Beside the lady, a charming young girl in white with ruby lips, pearly teeth, and features as fine as a painting tilted her head and quietly asked via Divine Thought.

The Da Xia Goddess Empress pondered for a moment before replying in secret:

"Nothing much, really. It’s just that the young Cultivator in the adjacent private room... he seems off somehow. He gives me a very peculiar feeling."

"A peculiar feeling? Did the Nine Dragon Heaven Mirror react?"

The girl in white’s expression faltered for a moment, and a grave look entered her eyes.

The Nine Dragon Heaven Mirror was a nation-suppressing Heavy Artifact of the Da Xia Divine Dynasty, wielded in turn by each generation of the Divine Emperor, and it possessed all sorts of incredible abilities.

The Goddess Empress was carrying this great treasure now, which was why she had faintly sensed something special about Ling Changqing, even with the Era Star Palace protecting him.

The Goddess Empress nodded slightly. "It did react, but it was very faint. After all, it was once severely damaged and is far from its peak power. Otherwise, I would have been able to see through all his secrets with ease."

’The other key reason is that he must also possess an ultimate treasure. Is that how he’s able to shield himself from the Nine Dragon Heaven Mirror’s probe?’

"My Liege, should we invite him over for a talk? He doesn’t look like a local Cultivator to me."

The girl in white asked covertly, glancing at the adjacent private room.

"There’s no need for now. He might not agree."

The Goddess Empress thought for a moment and decided to wait and see.

Perhaps he was also from some super-faction, traveling incognito to gain experience. His true Cultivation was likely far from what it appeared on the surface.

In his private room, Ling Changqing remained expressionless, feasting with abandon.

"...Master, that woman also seems to have an Ancient Heavy Artifact inside her. That’s why she became slightly suspicious of you."

Gong Ling’s voice rang out in his sea of consciousness.

"An Ancient Heavy Artifact? Is it on the same level as you?"

"Not at all. It’s a whole tier lower than me. Moreover, its main body is severely damaged. I expect it will be quite difficult to restore."

Gong Ling added that although the Era Star Palace had not yet been restored either, it was still considerably stronger than the other artifact.

"Oh, then it’s fine!"

Ling Changqing was relieved and continued to eat and drink. Since it posed no real threat to him, there was no need to pay it much mind.

’Even if that woman’s Cultivation is powerful enough, I have no reason to fight her. There’s no need to worry about it.’

Just as he was thoroughly enjoying his meal, faint cries of alarm came from outside. A canopy the color of egg whites slowly emerged, gradually solidifying and growing thicker.

That was the City Defense Array of Jinchun County activating.

’Has an external enemy invaded?’

Ling Changqing’s expression faltered. He silently used his Celestial Secret Technique to make a deduction and quickly arrived at a conclusion.

A massive Cultivator Army was indeed attacking, and it was already not far from his location.

’Is Jinchun County doomed this time?’

Ling Changqing was lost in thought. ’If the city’s defenses are strained, the City Lord will likely have to conscript all the Loose Cultivators in the city for help, won’t he?’

There was no lack of precedent for such things. As long as the pay was good, many Loose Cultivators wouldn’t refuse to earn some extra money—on the condition that they weren’t deliberately used as cannon fodder.

He thought for a moment and decided to stay put for now and see how things played out. After all, the City Defense Array was already active; he couldn’t leave even if he wanted to.

At that moment, the elegant lady in the next room also made no move. It was unclear if she truly didn’t care or if she was watching Ling Changqing’s reaction.

A moment later, a squad of burly, elite guards in resplendent Armor entered the restaurant, led by several Cultivators from the City Lord’s Mansion.

There were many such squads on the streets. Wherever Loose Cultivators tended to gather, Cultivators from the City Lord’s Mansion would pay a visit.

Ling Changqing chuckled and lowered his head to continue dealing with the delicacies before him. ’I paid Spirit Stones for this, after all. Can’t let it go to waste.’

A short while later, a purple-robed Cultivator with a refined and scholarly bearing entered the private room.

Seeing that Ling Changqing was alone in the room, he showed no surprise. He cupped his fists with a solemn expression, then took out a cyan Jade Box. Inside was an exquisite invitation glowing with a faint Spiritual Light.

"Fellow Daoist, my name is Wang Yirong. By order of the Lord City Lord, I am here to invite you to a banquet at the City Lord’s Mansion to discuss the matter of assisting in the city’s defense,"

he said politely.

Ling Changqing glanced at him and saw that this Cultivator named Wang Yirong also had a Golden Core Peak Cultivation, just one step away from the Nascent Soul True Monarch Realm.