Chapter 429: Supreme Sea Palace Ji Qianrou

Ling Kun took the ring and quickly scanned its contents. A flicker of ill-concealed excitement crossed his eyes. Instead of returning the spatial ring to Night Xinghan, he smiled and pocketed it. "The Young Palace Master is truly straightforward," he said. "It seems my decision to conduct this transaction with you was the most correct choice. That woman is only nineteen this year and is currently in the Azure Wind Nation."

"Azure Wind?" Night Xinghan's face showed surprise, followed by a dismissive chuckle. "A land so insignificant that merely visiting it would feel like lowering one's status—can it really produce a legendary divine body like the 'Nine Profound Exquisite Body'? Elder Ling, are you absolutely certain that's the 'Nine Profound Exquisite Body'?"

Night Xinghan's last remark carried a clear tone of warning. The Azure Wind Nation was a barren land where the King Profound Realm was the peak attainment, making it impossible for him to associate it with the "Nine Profound Exquisite Body," a rarity seen only once in ten millennia. Ling Kun's expression remained unchanged as he quietly replied, "If I weren't certain, I wouldn't dare to make this transaction with the Young Palace Master, even with ten thousand times more courage. If the Young Palace Master uses this Nine Profound Exquisite Body as a cultivation vessel, your cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds! In comparison, these mere three pounds of Purple Vein Divine Crystal are insignificant."

Night Xinghan's expression sobered, then he chuckled, "After so many transactions with Elder Ling, I naturally have great faith in your words. As for the remaining pound of Purple Vein Divine Crystal, I will gather it over time. When that day comes, Elder Ling, please do not disappoint me."

"Heh! When the time comes, Young Palace Master, just prepare for an immense surprise!" Ling Kun said, narrowing his eyes. He deliberately did not mention that the person with the Nine Profound Exquisite Body was a woman of breathtaking beauty, almost on par with Princess Snow. While revealing this could have raised his bargaining chip, it would have easily led Night Xinghan to directly notice Xia Qingyue, the top beauty of the Azure Wind Nation, costing him a pound of Purple Vein Divine Crystal.

In an inconspicuous corner of the seating area, a plain-looking and plainly dressed individual stared coldly at Night Xinghan's back. Their hands slowly clenched, and words filled with bitter hatred seeped through their tightly gritted teeth: "Sun... Moon... Divine... Palace..."

With the arrival of the Heaven's Might Sword Region and the Sun Moon Divine Palace, the Supreme Ocean Palace and the Absolute Monarch Sanctuary had yet to appear. Feng Hengkong seemed unfazed by Night Xinghan's arrogance. He calmly took his seat and glanced at the time. Only a few tens of breaths remained until the scheduled start of the ranking battle.

Just then, a gentle breeze swept through, carrying a faint, intoxicating floral scent. Above the arena, countless petals—pure white, vibrant red, or brilliant yellow—drifted down from an unknown source, swirling enchantingly through the air.

"What a lovely scent..."

"Is some fairy maiden arriving?"

"It must be a fairy maiden from the Sacred Grounds... How fortunate we are today! Not only do we see Princess Snow, but we also get to witness the grace of a Sacred Grounds fairy!" Gazing at the swirling petals and inhaling the delightful fragrance, the men in the audience grew agitated, their eyes fixed intently on the sky.

The falling petals became denser, and the fragrance grew more rich and intoxicating. Suddenly, a vast cloud of petals burst open magnificently in mid-air, and beneath the cascading shower of petals, a figure as graceful as jade appeared.

It was an exceptionally handsome young man, dressed in white like snow, with ink-black hair, a complexion as fair as jade, and features as exquisitely carved as if by a master sculptor. His slender eyebrows curved delicately like crescent moons, and his eyes, reminiscent of peach blossoms, fluttered with a maiden-like gaze. Night Xinghan's appearance was also remarkably handsome, but compared to this man, who seemed to have stepped out of a painting, he was utterly eclipsed. The crowd below looked up, dumbfounded, at the man slowly descending amidst the shower of flowers. Both men and women felt a sense of inadequacy in his presence.

"What a graceful and handsome man!" Yun Che couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, secretly adding in his mind, "He's almost as good as me."

Upon seeing the man appear, Night Xinghan and Ling Kun's expressions simultaneously changed. It wasn't shock or apprehension, but rather one of profound discomfort. Ling Kun quietly roared, "Damn it! Why is it this guy!"

When the rain of petals began to fall everywhere, Feng Hengkong was slightly stunned. As the snow-white figure emerged from the petals, Feng Hengkong—the dignified Emperor of the Divine Phoenix and Sect Master of the Phoenix Divine Sect—actually trembled all over. His pupils contracted for a moment, and he urgently shouted, "Ximing... Quick... Go and help me welcome him down."

Before Feng Ximing could respond, the man's gaze had already fallen upon Feng Hengkong. Instantly, his already long and elegantly curved eyebrows arched even more. His eyes shimmered as he covered his mouth with his hands, revealing a captivatingly charming smile. From his lips came a sweet, lingering voice: "Little Kongkong, I've finally seen you again! After a hundred years, I've missed you terribly... Have you missed me too?"

The entire arena instantly became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Everyone present was dumbfounded, their eyes wide and jaws slack.

This, this, this... This person... Are they a man... or a woman... or half man, half woman... or neither? This expression... this posture... these eyebrows... this voice... and "I" (referring to himself in a girlish way)... Wait! The "Little Kongkong" he just called out... Could it be... Could he be calling out... the Phoenix Sect Master Feng Hengkong?! My heavens!

Feng Hengkong was already preparing to quickly find a place to hide himself, but the words "Little Kongkong" descended from above, causing the Phoenix Sect Master, who had remained expressionless even under Night Xinghan's arrogance, to tremble all over, his face twitching. He nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood on the spot.

Feng Ximing, anxious, rushed forward and respectfully greeted him, "This junior, Divine Phoenix Crown Prince Feng Ximing, greets Senior Ji... Welcome, Senior Ji, to the Phoenix Divine Sect. Your seat has been prepared; please take your place, Senior Ji."

"Oh!" Ji Qianrou's charming eyes rippled like waves as he looked Feng Ximing up and down. That soft, watery gaze made Feng Ximing's entire body tingle. He swayed his hips and walked towards Feng Ximing with a hundred turns of charm, giggling sweetly, "So it's Little Mimming! No wonder you're so handsome; you're almost as handsome as my Little Kongkong. The last time I saw you, you were just a two or three-year-old child. In the blink of an eye, you're already so grown up. Come, let me touch you, have you grown stronger?"

As Ji Qianrou walked, his supple waist swayed like a dancing water snake, and his buttocks wiggled from side to side. If he were a woman, it would undoubtedly be a mesmerizing, even nosebleed-inducing sight... But now, every man present felt their stomach churn.

Is this person from the Sacred Grounds? Is this truly someone from the Sacred Grounds!?

Before Feng Ximing could react, his hand was taken by Ji Qianrou and gently caressed in his palm. "Little Mimming's skin is so smooth! I just love the feeling of smooth skin. Little Mimming, you must keep it that way..."

Feng Ximing woke up as if from a dream, snatching his hand back like lightning and staggering backward. He felt his heart clench and a thick layer of goosebumps spread over his entire body... Especially the hand Ji Qianrou had touched; it felt as if tens of thousands of ants were crawling on it, making him wish he could just chop off his entire palm. He finally understood why his father, who feared nothing in heaven or on earth, would look terrified and avoid Ji Qianrou at all costs the moment his name was mentioned. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead as he stammered awkwardly, "Se-Se-Se-Senior Ji... the ranking battle is a-a-almost... about to begin. Please, Senior Ji, please take your se-se-seat."

That simple sentence came out of Feng Ximing's mouth as a jumbled, unintelligible mess. Ji Qianrou snapped his fingers, saying with a charming, watery gaze, "Little Mimming, what's your hurry? I haven't even had a passionate hug with Little Kongkong yet... Little Kongkong, I've already arrived, why aren't you rushing over? Have you not missed me at all these past hundred years?"

Feng Hengkong trembled all over, his neck visibly thickening as he suppressed his rage. Finally, he could bear it no longer. He slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and roared, "Ji Qianrou! If you dare to babble such nonsense again, I... I... Do you believe I'll blast you out of here!"

To make the dignified Phoenix Sect Master lose control and erupt in front of everyone, only Ji Qianrou was likely capable of such a feat in the entire Profound Sky Continent. Facing the enraged Feng Hengkong, Ji Qianrou showed no panic. Instead, he giggled sweetly again. "Hehehehe, you're shy again, Little Kongkong is still the same as before. Alright, alright, I'll obey you then. After this ranking battle is over, you must treat me to a good drink... Little Mimming can come too, you know."

With that, Ji Qianrou swayed his hips and gracefully glided towards his seat.

Feng Hengkong: "!?#$..."

Feng Hengkong slumped back into his seat, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. At that moment, he suddenly felt Feng Xue'er, who was beside him, looking at him with an extremely peculiar gaze. He stared back, his expression instantly becoming flustered, and he hastily explained, "Xue'er, it's absolutely not what you're thinking. That Ji Qianrou, he's just a madman. You don't need to pay him any mind." "I know, Imperial Father," Feng Xue'er nodded, then chuckled softly. "Little Kongkong... Hehe, so Imperial Father's name can be so cute."

Feng Hengkong: "$%*#(/##O#..."

"Is this... the legendary 'demon-person'... no, a transvestite?" Feng Zhanyun was almost on his knees. Their Phoenix Divine Sect Master had been flirted with by a man to the point of nearly going insane on the spot... He felt his entire worldview was about to collapse.

"This person... is not simple," Yun Che muttered thoughtfully, resting his chin in his hand.

"Jasmine, what is this person's cultivation level?"

"Late stage Sovereign Profound... a veritable high-level Sovereign Emperor! Also a level you absolutely cannot provoke!" Jasmine said flatly.

The Supreme Ocean Palace's seats were to the right of the Sun Moon Divine Palace. After Ji Qianrou sat down, Night Xinghan and Ling Kun next to him sat rigidly upright, not even bothering to greet him, pretending not to see him at all. Ji Qianrou proactively leaned closer, saying with a gaze full of affection, "Little Hanhan, after so many years, I've missed you terribly. Have you missed me?"

Night Xinghan's face twitched, and his chest heaved. He forced two words through gritted teeth: "Shut up!"

"Hmph!" Facing Night Xinghan's rude attitude, Ji Qianrou spat disdainfully and turned his head away in a huff. "You hateful, stinky men are all the same, one more unfeeling and faithless than the next. I can't be bothered with you, hmph!" Night Xinghan's facial muscles twitched violently, but he finally let out a sigh of relief. However, immediately, Ji Qianrou, who had just claimed to "not be bothered with them," leaned in again, his gaze as soft as water.

"Little Hanhan, do you really not want to bother with me anymore? I've truly missed you all these years."

"Look, Little Kongkong is much more mature now than a hundred years ago, even more manly... truly captivating. Compared to 'fresh meat' like Little Hanhan, I still prefer someone like Little Kongkong."

"Oh dear, Little Hanhan, why are the women around you getting worse? Look at this skin, so rough. It's miles away from mine."

"Little Hanhan..."

That sweet, cooing voice made Night Xinghan's heart twitch, his limbs twitch, his meridians twitch... his entire body was spasming. He felt as if he'd rather die. If he couldn't defeat Ji Qianrou, and wasn't willing to clash with this pervert who could dismember people with a charming smile, he truly would have ripped his head off and shoved it up his backside. "Elder Ling..." Night Xinghan said through gritted teeth, "Three pieces of Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal... for you to switch seats with me!"

A line of cold sweat instantly appeared on Ling Kun's forehead. He stammered frantically, "Th-this... this... *cough, cough*, it's not a matter of Heavenly Crystal Divine Crystal. I am old and cannot withstand such torment; I still wish to live for a few more years..."

Night Xinghan was speechless.