Chapter 516: Coercion

"This is Xing An, the Saint who preceded the Imperial Preceptor." Qin Mu gave a brief introduction of Xing An to the group. Everyone by the bonfire looked tense, especially the girls—Si Yunxiang, Hu Ling'er, and Ling Yuxiu. They had all met Xing An before and knew how powerful and terrifying he was.

Whether it was at the Heavenly Saint Academy or Granny Si's manor, during the battle at the Heavenly Saint Academy, nearly half of the world's top cultivators, including Emperor Yanfeng, were injured by Xing An.

That battle could be said to have thoroughly convinced these masters of his might. Even with so many experts, none could defeat Xing An. It was only by administering a tonic that Qin Mu forced Xing An to retreat.

Now, this formidable individual sat right beside them, and it was impossible not to be nervous. Even though the Grand Academy now gathered the most powerful figures of the Eternal Peace Empire, and one or two high-ranking officials had completed their Divine Bridge, ascended to the Celestial Heavens, and become deities, and the Emperor himself had also become a god, Xing An was still the most powerful being in the world!

If Xing An wanted to kill them, no one in the Grand Academy, not even the deities, could stop him!

Qin Mu chuckled, "As a Saint who appears once every five hundred years, Senior Xing An is a predecessor. It's a good thing he wants to learn about our Heavenly Alliance, so there's no need to be nervous, everyone."

Despite his words, Qin Mu's face was pale, clearly indicating that he himself was extremely nervous.

Xing An's target this time was clearly him. As the strongest individual from the previous era, Xing An possessed a certain integrity; he wouldn't attack a junior. Even if he were to act, he would wait until the junior had matured and reached the divine realm in some aspect before taking their body parts.

However, Qin Mu was an exception. Qin Mu had offended him too severely.

During the battle at the Heavenly Saint Academy, Qin Mu had made him experience the humiliation of fleeing in disarray with his tonic. Pursued by the Butcher, he had fled in panic, hiding in the Great Ruins to heal for a long time.

Many of his collections had also been plundered by Qin Mu, which was the most infuriating part.

Then came the battle at Little Thunderclap Temple, where Qin Mu had stolen his chest, completely emptying his entire fortune!

Not only did Qin Mu steal his chest, but he also dragged Xing An to Fengdu. There, under the influence of the World of the Living Dead, Xing An had completely lost face and barely made it back to the land of the living. This account also had to be settled with Qin Mu!

It was already surprising that Xing An hadn't directly killed Qin Mu.

The fact that he could maintain his composure after seeing Qin Mu was truly a testament to his mental cultivation. Of course, the trip to Fengdu had shattered his Dao heart, and his current state of mind was still very fragile, yet even in this fragile state, it far surpassed everyone present.

Qin Mu, Wang Muran, Xu Shenghua, and Dao Master Lin Xuan took turns explaining how they had calculated the celestial phenomena, determining the height and thickness of the sky. A silence fell over the bonfire, and even Xing An remained speechless, gazing at the flames.

The red dragon carp sizzled over the bonfire, fish oil dripping into the flames with crackling sounds. The aroma of roasted fish wafted through the air, stimulating appetites.

"My dear Minister Qin, weren't you supposed to punish them severely? Why are you eating here instead? You've committed a crime against the Emperor, and I'm going to kill you..." Emperor Yanfeng staggered over, swaying with a wine jar in hand, his voice slurred. Suddenly, spotting Xing An opposite Qin Mu, he instantly sobered up and turned to leave!

Xing An calmly stated, "Emperor, you should stay and sit down. Otherwise, your Grand Libationer and your Princess will both perish."

Emperor Yanfeng, holding the wine jar, reluctantly turned back and sat by the bonfire, forcing a stiff smile. "Brother Xing An, after our last hurried parting, I was confined to my sickbed for nearly twenty days."

Xing An's expression remained serene. "I was laid up for over four months."

Emperor Yanfeng handed him the wine jar, his eyes gleaming. "However, since we last met, I have crossed the Divine Bridge and become a deity. Brother Xing An, you probably haven't reached that stage yet, have you?"

Xing An took the wine jar. "These past few days, I've been lurking in the Grand Academy's Celestial Records Tower, perusing various ancient texts and thoroughly studying Divine Physician Qin's spatial computational model for the Divine Bridge. Achieving the divine realm isn't difficult for me, but it will still require about a year."

He tilted his head back, drinking. Emperor Yanfeng stared at his Adam's apple, wanting to strike, but could never find an opportunity.

Qin Mu and the others were startled. Xing An had been hiding in the Grand Academy's Celestial Records Tower for days without anyone noticing, causing cold sweat to break out on their foreheads.

Xing An set down the wine jar. "However, whether Your Majesty has achieved the divine realm or not is irrelevant to me. Even as a deity, you are not my opponent; merely a pseudo-god. At most, your cultivation is deeper than before, but you haven't made significant progress in divine arts and abilities. If you were to summon your civil and military officials—Duke Weiguo and General Tian Ce, both of whom are deities—then with you, there might be enough power to fight me. But in that case, the Grand Academy, along with your capital, would be utterly destroyed."

Veins bulged on Emperor Yanfeng's forehead, then he suddenly relaxed and chuckled, "What were you all talking about just now?"

"The Heavenly Alliance," Xing An replied. "They discovered that the sky is 100,000 *li* high and 300 *zhang* thick, so they formed the Heavenly Alliance, intending to explore its mysteries and pierce this false firmament."

Emperor Yanfeng laughed, "Nonsense! These are just children messing around. I'm aware of this; Commander Huoshan reported it to me. When I heard the term 'Heavenly Alliance,' it startled me, and I thought you were all planning to overthrow me!" With that, he burst into hearty laughter.

However, his laughter didn't spread outwards; instead, it reverberated within the surrounding space, causing the blood and qi of everyone by the bonfire to churn.

Emperor Yanfeng's heart jolted, and he quickly suppressed his laughter. He had originally intended to use his laughter to attract General Tian Ce and others, but he hadn't expected that even after achieving the divine realm, Xing An's magic power would still be far more profound than his. Xing An had used his own power to create a peculiar force field, encapsulating the Emperor's laughter within a small space, preventing him from sending a signal.

After all, the Emperor's cultivation was immensely powerful; merely his laughter had almost made Qin Mu, Ling Yuxiu, and the others cough up blood, which was why he had to stop.

Xing An glanced at Ling Yuxiu and said, "Emperor, you're boasting too soon. There's a blind spot right under your nose. Your Princess has befriended many heroes; all the young people here are leaders of various sects and will become influential figures dominating their own regions in the future. The Heavenly Devil Cult Master, the Dao Master, Heaven's Eye, Little Jade Capital, the Buddhist Sect—these future leaders are all on good terms with her. Once her influence is established, it will be impossible for you not to abdicate in favor of a worthy successor. You are merely focused on the entire world, oblivious to the one right beside you."

Emperor Yanfeng dismissed it. "Brother, don't try to sow discord between my daughter and me. Is Brother Xing An perhaps interested in the Heavenly Alliance as well?"

Xing An shook his head. "I'm interested in the sky being 300 *zhang* thick; I have no interest in the Heavenly Alliance itself."

"Then, Brother Xing An, are you here to kill me?" Qin Mu asked.

Xing An shook his head again. "I did originally intend to kill Divine Physician Qin. I have repeatedly suffered losses at your hands; my chest was stolen by you, and my entire fortune was taken. Indeed, I harbored deep hatred for you. However, this time, while reading in the Celestial Records Tower, I saw your spatial computational model for the Divine Bridge. And in these past few days, I heard you lecture at the Grand Academy, disseminating your sword arts, and in just a few short days, you created the Three Primordial Spirit Gathering Art. This suddenly extinguished my killing intent and instead filled me with a measure of respect for you."

His eyes were sharp, yet his expression remained calm as he looked directly at Qin Mu, praising him, "All of you present are exceptional talents. The divine arts and abilities you've created in just these few days surpass the progress in divine arts I've witnessed over the past few centuries. I value your talents. By keeping you alive, the future world will undoubtedly be extremely interesting. I look forward to your growth; hunting you in the future will surely be far more entertaining."

Xu Shenghua, Wang Muran, and the others' expressions fluctuated.

Wang Muran said coolly, "Senior Xing An has an extremely high opinion of himself, viewing our lives as mere pawns in his hand. However, at the same cultivation realm, you would only be inferior to us! Does Senior have the courage to compete with us at the same level?"

Xing An's gaze was peculiar as he shook his head. "There's no need. At the same realm, none of you are my opponents. Among those present, perhaps only Divine Physician Qin and Xu Shenghua from Heaven's Eye could contend with me at the same level. Apart from these two, the entire Eternal Peace Empire likely only has the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace who could rival me at the same realm."

Wang Muran's face turned ashen.

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace was the opponent he had dedicated his life to defeating, seeking revenge for his master. Hearing Xing An state that only three individuals could contend with him, and that Wang Muran was not among them, Wang Muran couldn't help but feel despair.

Qin Mu, however, felt relieved. Although Xing An had eccentricities and an unruly personality, he was a man of his word and possessed admirable qualities. If he said he wouldn't act, then as long as he wasn't provoked, he wouldn't. His own life was safe.

"Brother Xing An, do you want to take a look at the heavens?" Qin Mu blinked, suggesting, "My Grandpa Butcher once went up to the heavens, though it was a hurried trip. He saw many formations and many deities. Brother, it's impossible to recover your original body now; those limbs are all lost in Fengdu, and your chest is empty. However, there are many gods in the heavens, so you could go there to collect some limbs."

Xing An remained unmoved. "I will certainly visit the heavens eventually, but my purpose in coming here is not to ascend, but to find someone. The Heavenly Devil Cult, the Dao Sect, the Buddhist Sect, Little Jade Capital, Heaven's Eye, and the Eternal Peace court—your collective influence is immense, making you perfectly suited to help me find this person."

He gave no one a chance to object, proceeding directly, "The person I'm looking for was born seventeen years ago, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, in the hour of Zi, during the Chou month of the Jiazi year. With your capabilities, especially the Emperor's, investigating everyone in Eternal Peace and the Western Regions to identify those born at this specific time should be a simple matter, shouldn't it? If you all agree to this, then no one in the Grand Academy needs to die."

He smiled slightly, tore off a piece of fish, dipped it in the wine jar, and put it into his mouth, his expression calm. "Otherwise, it's hard to say how many people in the entire capital will survive. I won't kill any of you, but the lives of these scholars in the Grand Academy and the common folk in the capital will depend on your sincerity."

Cold sweat broke out on Emperor Yanfeng's forehead. He suddenly said, "Very well! I will help you find everyone born at that time across the entire nation! Once this is done, I hope Brother Xing An will remain peaceful for a period!"

Xing An surveyed the group and smiled faintly. "Besides the Emperor, are the rest of you not going to exert yourselves?"

Qin Mu exhaled a turbid breath and said in a deep voice, "The Heavenly Saint Cult can also help Senior Xing An investigate the population."

Dao Master Lin Xuan nodded. "My Dao Sect can handle matters within the Dao Sect's territory."

The Devil Ape said, "Excellent!"

Xu Shenghua hesitated, then said, "The Western Regions have already been incorporated into Eternal Peace. As for Heaven's Eye, I'll see after I return. Whether it can be done remains to be seen."

Xing An clapped his hands and smiled. "Then things will be much easier. Divine Physician Qin, if you have nothing else to do, why not stay by my side and help me recuperate?"

Cold sweat appeared on Qin Mu's forehead, and he quickly said, "I'm busy! I have a major business deal to attend to!"

Xing An was unconcerned and chuckled, "Then it's the same if I stay by your side. Your Majesty, you may withdraw."