Chapter 2182: Meeting the Emperor

Qi Ling’er quietly glanced at Zhang Xuan beside her. Seeing that he had no intention of revealing his identity, she secretly praised his "low profile." She mused for a moment before saying, "It was obtained by a friend of mine. It's quite valuable. Each pill costs 1,500 divine coins! And they're so rare they are virtually unobtainable."

"1,500 divine coins? Not expensive. Contact your friend. From now on, no matter the quantity, our Qi family will acquire them all!" the Qi Patriarch declared with a wave of his hand.

Although the pill he had just taken didn't have a significant effect on him, its ability to help a Divine King expert recover from internal injuries made its healing power astonishing.

Within the clan, only the Old Ancestor could achieve such a feat!

If such a powerful medicine could be distributed among the talented younger generations of the clan, the entire Qi family would undoubtedly experience explosive growth.

"Alright..." She hadn't expected the Patriarch to become the largest buyer of beauty pills. Qi Ling'er awkwardly scratched her head. "I still have 14 pills here..."

"I'll take them all!"

The Qi Patriarch nodded, accepting a pile of jade boxes. With a gentle swipe of his finger, Qi Ling’er immediately felt 22,500 divine coins appear on her card. Even the one he had just consumed was accounted for; as a dignified Divine King expert, he naturally wouldn't take advantage of a junior's small gains, lest he give others cause for criticism.

"Thank you, Patriarch!" Her eyes sparkled, and Qi Ling'er quickly bowed deeply. Money itself wasn't important; with the Pure Moon Trading Firm in hand, money was no longer a major concern. However, with these pills, the Patriarch's attitude had changed, and her influence would significantly increase in the future.

Without another word, the Qi Patriarch turned and left with the remaining beauty pills. He had quite a few old injuries. With these pills in hand, if he found a place to consume them, his strength might increase once more. While he might not become a Conferred Divine King, he would at least be stronger among Divine Kings.

"Patriarch..." Qi Yue and Qi Wei'er fell silent. They had expected the Patriarch to severely punish Qi Ling'er after their tattling, ensuring she could never recover. They never dreamed that she would complete such a swift turnaround in the blink of an eye and instead cause them significant loss.

Leaving aside other things, the annual profit share from the Pure Moon Trading Firm would be more than enough for a branch family to live comfortably for decades. Not to mention the invaluable influence and connections one could gain by managing such an entity.

"Qi Ling'er, don't get too smug! I don't care how you managed to stay here for over an hour, or what magic your so-called beauty pills possess. What's mine... you'll never get!" Gritting her teeth, Qi Wei'er snorted coldly and turned to leave.

She had already lost this round today, and more words would be useless. Since Qi Ling'er had returned to the imperial city, there would be more opportunities to contend in the future. She refused to believe she would keep failing!

Seeing his sister leave, Qi Yue frowned. He also seemed unable to understand what had happened. He glanced at Qi Ling'er, then carefully looked at Zhang Xuan, who remained still and composed, seemingly oblivious to everything. He could only shake his head and follow behind. As a peerless genius, his breadth of mind was naturally incomparable to his sister's. In his eyes, whether one was currently in power or not was irrelevant. As long as he broke through to the Divine King realm, everything else would dissipate like smoke.

No matter how powerful one's authority, without matching strength, it was all fake. But with strength, authority and wealth were easily attainable.

"Young Master Zhang, thank you for your help!" Seeing everyone leave, she could no longer hold back. Qi Ling'er turned to face the young man before her and knelt to the ground. If not for him, let alone being given important responsibilities, she might have been stuck in a place like Ye Ming City her entire life, managing an underground trading firm, forever unable to escape.

"You're welcome..." Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment, then no longer concealed his intention. "Since the Pure Moon Pool is so powerful, may I try it?" His main purpose for coming here was precisely that. Having seen it, he naturally wanted to experience it.

"The Pure Moon Pool's energy is violent. Without our Qi family's bloodline, I fear one might not be able to withstand it, and it could be dangerous!" Qi Ling'er hesitated. She had personally experienced the violent power within the pool. Without the corresponding bloodline, entering it could very well tear one's body to shreds.

"I'll give it a try. If there's any danger, I'll come out immediately!" Zhang Xuan said.

"Alright!" Thinking that this person before her possessed an Emperor's bloodline and surely had ways to protect himself, Qi Ling'er gritted her teeth. "However... outsiders are not allowed here. I'll stand guard for you outside; you absolutely must not be discovered! And after you're done, you mustn't tell anyone..." Although the clan didn't strictly forbid bringing outsiders here, outsiders were definitely not permitted to enter the pool.

"Don't worry, I've always been very low-key; I won't say an extra word!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. For someone as low-key as him, there was no need for such instructions.

Taking a deep breath, he leaped into the pool.

Sizzling sounds filled the air! Immediately, he felt countless tearing forces surge towards him, like the spatial storm he had previously encountered. In the blink of an eye, his body was torn and bled profusely; he could barely hold on.

"'Heaven's Path Zhenqi!'" With a thought, the Heaven's Path zhenqi, which surpassed the power of the Heavenly Dao, surged and enveloped his body. His torn muscles were nourished and rapidly recovered. However, the violent power was too fierce. Even with the swift recovery of his zhenqi, it couldn't keep up with the destruction.

"'Come out...'" With a thought, the little yellow chick popped out from his dantian.

"'Such violent spiritual energy! I love it! Kill me quickly! Here I come!'" Upon seeing the pool, its eyes immediately lit up. The little yellow chick plunged headfirst into the Pure Moon Pool, flapping its wings and swimming.

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows twitched uncontrollably. He'd brought this fellow out to provide 'bathwater' for his healing, but it had run off to swim instead...

*Remember your identity, you're a chicken! Chickens don't swim...*

Just as he was about to scold it severely, he saw the fellow lower its head and dive into the depths of the pool.

Rip! The pool water boiled, and the violent power surged uniformly towards it. The chicken's body, like a piece of porcelain struck, exploded in the blink of an eye, turning into a dense mist of blood.

"This..." Qi Ling'er on the shore was utterly bewildered.

Who was this chicken? Where did it come from? Why did it commit suicide? Wasn't living well enough? A string of questions continuously popped into her mind, like a series of ellipses.

"'You prodigal creature...'" Zhang Xuan nearly cried. This chicken was utterly unreliable! He told it to come out and save him, but it committed suicide instead... *Couldn't it at least have some dignity?*

He covered his forehead. It seemed he still had to rely on himself. This chicken had never once done anything to his satisfaction...

Gritting his teeth, he quickly circulated the zhenqi within his body. Just as Zhang Xuan was about to exert his full strength, he suddenly felt the Pure Moon Pool beneath his feet shake violently, the entire surface trembling continuously, as if boiling.

Zhang Xuan was startled and quickly looked ahead. The water surface, which had been as calm as a mirror, was now churning as if about to boil over, seeming ready to explode at any moment.

"'What... what's happening?'" His scalp tingled, and Zhang Xuan was going crazy. Previously, when the Purifying Pool in the Illusory Feather Kingdom exploded, it was because he and his clone had absorbed too much power, and he accepted that! But this Pure Moon Pool, he had just entered it, hadn't absorbed a single bit of energy, and was only busy repairing his body and resisting the forces... He really hadn't done anything at all! If it exploded because he was absorbing power and couldn't bear it, fine. But he hadn't even started, and it was already like this... Was there any logic to this?

*Explode, my ass! It really has nothing to do with me...*

Frustrated to the point of exasperation, Zhang Xuan knew that if the pool in front of him truly exploded, the Divine King from earlier would surely flay him on the spot; there would be no escape. With a helpless expression, he decided to leap out and leave this troubled place first. To his surprise, before he could even get up, he saw the churning power within the entire Pure Moon Pool surge towards him. The violent power completely sealed off the surrounding space. In an instant, he felt as if he was bound by ropes; he wanted to leave but couldn't move at all!

"Damn it!" Zhang Xuan was truly going insane. What now... it's blaming me? It explodes just because I came? Does it think I'm a lighter and it's a firecracker?

He cursed silently in frustration. But since he couldn't escape, he could only endure it.

Sizzling! Just as he wondered what to do, the boiling power surged forward. Zhang Xuan immediately felt his entire body being torn apart, as if it could be shredded at any moment. His Heaven's Path zhenqi was already unable to resist this force. It wasn't that his Heaven's Path zhenqi was weak. Rather, the power in the pool was too vast and too strong, exceeding what he could withstand.

Thump, thump! Blood splattered, and Zhang Xuan felt waves of dizziness.

"'Could it be that I can't temper my physical body and will be blown to death here instead?'" He was on the verge of tears. He had only come to temper his physical body. If it wouldn't let him, fine. But to trap him and then explode? Was it afraid he wouldn't die?

"'No, if this doesn't work, I'll just smash this pool with the Tome of Heaven's Path...'" Feeling that he might collapse at any moment, Zhang Xuan was utterly frustrated. Qi Ling'er had used his Divine Origin Pill, which contained Heaven's Path zhenqi, and could last for over an hour longer. He had thought this place wouldn't repel his power. He never dreamed such an anomaly would occur.

Never mind, it seemed he had no choice but to use the Tome of Heaven's Path. Although he didn't know if this item could save him, there was no better alternative now!

Gritting his teeth, he waited until he couldn't bear it anymore to use the book he had just acquired. Suddenly, a thought struck him.

"'As long as one has the Qi family bloodline, the pool won't be violent. Although I don't have it, I have the disguise token Luo Ruoxi gave me to impersonate a Qi family member. Is it possible to resist this power then?'" Back then, when he used the disguise token to impersonate Luo Tianya, he didn't even fear bloodline tests.

Knowing that time waited for no one, the moment this thought arose, he immediately changed the aura of his spirit and zhenqi. In an instant, he became somewhat similar to the Qi Patriarch and Qi Yue. The aura of the Qi family's bloodline surged around him.

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

"'It really works...'" Relieved, Zhang Xuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He hadn't held much hope, but unexpectedly, he succeeded. With the pool water no longer trying to tear him apart, he was no longer in danger. He had wanted to escape earlier, but now he was not so anxious.

His physical body absorbed the surging power from all directions. The cells within his body continuously tore apart and then reformed, becoming tougher and stronger.

"'Such fast advancement speed...'" Feeling his physical body transform with every breath, Zhang Xuan's originally tense eyes began to shine. Before, he had nearly died. He hadn't expected that with a simple disguise, he could easily absorb the power within. At this rate of power integration with his physical body, it shouldn't take more than ten minutes to push his physical body's strength to an astonishing level! It truly lived up to its reputation as a renowned body tempering location in Ghostly Spirit Heaven. This great risk was worth it. Otherwise, he wouldn't know how much time it would take 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. Not only that, faint golden light, like fine threads, emanated from his muscles, completely connecting with his physique. Although he didn't know what it was, it gave him a very comfortable feeling. He felt as though his physical body had become many times stronger with its presence.

"Brother, I can't stand this!" Immediately upon returning to her residence, Qi Wei'er smashed seven or eight vases and tea sets in the room. Her silver teeth were clenched, and her face was a picture of exasperation. She had meticulously planned to scheme against others, but never imagined she would end up in such a miserable state.

"At this point, anger is useless," Qi Yue waved his hand. "You still didn't understand Qi Ling'er enough. Just take it as a lesson!" Ultimately, this situation arose because they knew too little about their opponent. If they had known her talent had truly increased so much, they wouldn't have sought trouble or challenged her even if it killed them!

"I know, I'm just unwilling..." Qi Wei'er shook her head, then recovered after a moment. "I grew up with her; I know her talents very well. For her talent to suddenly surge so much, there must be a special reason. Beauty pills... Hmph, I'll go investigate right now and see what kind of medicine this is and who refined it!" Being able to manage a trading firm and contend fiercely with Qi Ling'er, she was naturally no simple character.

"Hmm, don't just investigate this item," Qi Yue said, "also look into that person named Zhang Xuan behind her!"

"Brother, you suspect that guy?" Qi Wei'er looked over suspiciously, "He seems quite unremarkable!"

Qi Yue shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed. "Judging by his cultivation, he's just a low-tier Heavenly God, indeed unremarkable and not particularly powerful. But for some reason, he was too calm. Facing the Patriarch, even I felt a tremor deep inside. When a Divine King gets angry, even the strongest high-tier Heavenly God can't withstand it... Yet, he remained motionless, without a ripple of emotion, which is puzzling!"

"This..." Hearing her brother's words, Qi Wei'er recalled and thought that perhaps this fellow truly had some issues. She said, "Now that you mention it, I remember too. He indeed has an unusual calmness, and... he's quite handsome!"

Qi Yue's eyebrows twitched. "Alright, let's not discuss these things. Who he is specifically is none of our business. Our top priority is to raise our strength as quickly as possible. She has already broken through to the Heavenly God realm. If you don't hurry, you will lose your standing with the Patriarch sooner or later..."

"Yes..." Qi Wei'er nodded, just about to continue speaking, when she suddenly felt a slight tremor in the ground. The spiritual energy in the distance seemed to be experiencing some issue, rapidly converging.

Qi Yue stood up and looked in the direction where the spiritual energy was converging. "It's the Pure Moon Pool, let's go check it out!" Having said that, he no longer paid attention to Qi Wei'er and rushed over in a hurry.

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

"She actually let an outsider enter the Pure Moon Pool! Qi Ling'er is finished..." Qi Wei'er also arrived behind him, and upon seeing this scene, her eyes instantly lit up. She hadn't been able to find anything to hold against Qi Ling'er to ruin her, but with this, even if the other party was highly valued, she would undoubtedly be sanctioned and couldn't escape punishment.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Her heart was filled with excitement when she heard a series of urgent whooshing sounds in the air. She quickly turned around and saw the Patriarch, who had just left, along with numerous elders at the peak of the high-tier Heavenly God realm, already behind them. Their faces were all ashen. The Pure Moon Pool was the most important treasure of the family. Outsiders were permitted to observe, but strictly forbidden from entering. Now, not only had an outsider entered, but it was also causing such turmoil, appearing on the verge of exploding at any moment—it was an unforgivable crime.

"What's going on?" Unable to restrain himself any longer, the Qi Patriarch snorted. He had just returned to his residence, intending to thoroughly study the beauty pill's formula, when he felt this power. How could he restrain himself? He immediately rushed over.

"Reporting to Patriarch, it's Qi Ling'er; she actually allowed an outsider to enter the Pure Moon Pool..." Knowing this was the best opportunity, Qi Wei'er quickly cupped her fist and pointed forward.

The Qi Patriarch looked and indeed saw the young man sitting upright in the pool, eyes closed. He seemed to be resisting the impact of the power from the pool.

"Nonsense!" Seeing an outsider actually enter the Pure Moon Pool and even cultivate inside, the Qi Patriarch was so furious he almost exploded. "How utterly audacious! Someone, seize her and send her to the Hall of Punishments! Leaking family secrets and colluding with outsiders—no interrogation needed, just strip her of her core disciple status directly..." He had originally had a good impression of this girl. He never expected her to do such a thing; she was practically inviting death.

"Yes!" Qi Wei'er's eyes gleamed with delight, and she took two steps towards Qi Ling'er. Hearing the footsteps, Qi Ling'er finally saw the crowd. Her face turned pale with fright, and she quickly knelt to the ground.

"Hehe, Qi Ling'er, you brought this upon yourself, don't blame me..." Just as she was pondering how to regain the face she had lost earlier, she never dreamed this fellow would do such a thing. Qi Wei'er chuckled, raising her palm, just about to apprehend her, when she suddenly felt a powerful aura descend from the sky.

She quickly looked up and immediately saw an old man appearing through the air, carrying a power that seemed to crush the heavens and earth. The old man was dressed in coarse linen robes, with a pure white beard and eyes like lightning. As he hovered in the air, the surrounding space seemed unable to bear his presence, subtly trembling as if it could tear apart at any moment.

"Greetings, Old Ancestor..." Her face turning pale, Qi Wei'er quickly prostrated herself. The Qi Patriarch and the others also knelt to the ground. It was none other than the Qi family's most powerful Old Ancestor, the Conferred Divine King, Qi Meng!

"What's going on?" Qi Meng narrowed his eyes.

"Reporting to Old Ancestor, an outsider has entered the Pure Moon Pool. I will seize him immediately..." Qi Wei'er quickly cupped her fist. Even the Old Ancestor had been alarmed. This time, no matter how many excuses Qi Ling'er made, no one could save her.

"An outsider?" Old Ancestor Qi Meng, full of doubt, turned to look at the pool before him. Upon seeing it, his pupils suddenly constricted, then his body swayed, and he fell to his knees. His voice, slightly trembling, rang out.

"Qi Meng, Conferred Divine King of Ghostly Spirit Heaven, greets... the Emperor!"