Chapter 1000: City Lord’s Generosity

"I must first return to Profound Ancient City. I'll make further plans after that."

Hu Sheng immediately burst into laughter. "Hahaha! I knew you weren't the type to abandon your post, Brother Li! The Tree Demon Clan is no match for you!"

Li Qing shook his head. "No, you misunderstand. I have no intention of getting involved in this war. I might even leave immediately after returning to Profound Ancient City."

Of course, the most important thing was to assess the situation. If there were opportunities to easily earn battle merits, he wouldn't refuse.

But if the war's intensity proved terrifying, and the Tree Demon Clan truly held nothing back, he would seize the first chance to slip away and find a quiet place to cultivate in peace.

With that settled, the two men flew toward Profound Ancient City together.

Two streaks of escape light, one following the other, shot toward Profound Ancient City. The journey was uneventful, proceeding smoothly without incident.

After roughly twenty days and nights, the massive Profound Ancient City loomed into view.

Seeing the city untouched by battle, Hu Sheng let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. It seems the Tree Demon Clan's advance isn't as relentless as we feared. The fighting must still be confined to the central regions of Tonggu Continent."

Li Qing also breathed a sigh of relief. He had genuinely feared arriving at Profound Ancient City only to find it engulfed in flames.

In that case, even if they didn't want to join the war, they would likely be forced to participate.

Profound Ancient City was now under martial law. Garrison soldiers patrolled the city walls incessantly, leaving no blind spot unchecked.

Within a hundred-li radius outside the city, all vegetation had been cleared, leaving the ground barren and desolate.

This measure was to prevent the Tree Demon Clan from using the vegetation to approach the city. The clan's abilities were primarily related to plants; even a single blade of grass could serve as their eyes and a point of entry.

Therefore, if any unusual plant suddenly sprouted outside the city, it would signal that the Tree Demon Clan had targeted Profound Ancient City.

"Halt!"

Entering the city was no longer as easy as before. Even Li Qing and Hu Sheng were subjected to rigorous scrutiny.

Only after confirming that the auras recorded on their identity tokens matched their actual signatures did the garrison soldiers allow them to enter the city.

During these extraordinary times, strict inspections were mandatory for all entry and exit, a measure Li Qing understood.

After entering the city, the two transformed into streaks of escape light, soaring directly toward the city lord's manor floating high above.

As they approached the manor, Li Qing immediately sensed a condensed wave of divine sense sweeping toward them.

As fellow cultivators in the void refinement realm, he naturally recognized City Lord Lingxu's probing divine sense.

However, he showed no reaction, feigning ignorance as he and Hu Sheng landed before the manor gates.

"Come in," a slightly weary voice echoed through the air, and the manor gates swung open.

Inside, City Lord Lingxu sat with a secret bamboo slip in his hands, studying it intently.

"Greetings, Lord City Lord!"

"Greetings, Senior Lingxu!"

After a long moment, City Lord Lingxu finally put away the bamboo slip, which resembled a secret battle report, and turned his gaze to Li Qing and Hu Sheng.

"Only the two of you returned? What about the others?"

Hu Sheng forced a bitter smile and briefly recounted the events that had transpired in the Heavenlight Secret Realm.

Fuya and the Azure Phoenix Saintess of the Flying Spirit Clan were unexpectedly sealed together. They have likely already been taken away by the Flying Spirit Clan.

Li Qing remained silent. He had had the opportunity to retrieve the sealing crystal, but he lacked any means to break the seal.

Breaking the seal would likely require the intervention of an old monster at the body integration realm. If he brought the Azure Phoenix Saintess of the Flying Spirit Clan back to Profound Ancient City, it would undoubtedly trigger a catastrophic bloodbath.

A saintess possessing true spirit bloodline was an existence of paramount importance to the Flying Spirit Clan.

Afterward, Hu Sheng repeated Old Lord Hei You's final words to City Lord Lingxu.

Upon hearing this, City Lord Lingxu fell silent. After a long pause, he sighed, saying:

"It's only human nature. Even birds of the same grove will scatter when disaster strikes."

"Moreover, without void refinement realm cultivation or higher, it's indeed unwise to meddle in the coming conflict."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward Li Qing.

In response, Li Qing retrieved a bottle of Creation Origin Liquid from his storage bag, containing roughly the same amount as the one presented by Old Lord Hei You.

"This is the Creation Origin Liquid I obtained during my expedition. Senior Lingxu, please accept it."

Seeing this, City Lord Lingxu couldn't help but smile.

"Hahahaha, excellent, excellent! I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

"As expected of an ascended cultivator from the barren lower realm! It seems the training expedition in the Heavenlight Secret Realm was truly nothing for you."

Li Qing didn't accept the flattery. Instead, he humbly replied, "Senior Lingxu, you flatter me. I faced several life-threatening situations and nearly didn't make it back."

City Lord Lingxu waved his hand dismissively. "Rest assured, I won't neglect those who have earned merit."

"With these two portions of Creation Origin Liquid, I should be able to safely weather my next great heavenly tribulation."

As he spoke, City Lord Lingxu retrieved a City Lord's Secret Edict from his robes.

"With this City Lord's Secret Edict, you can move freely and without worry throughout Profound Ancient City."

"Whether you choose to depart immediately or remain in Profound Ancient City is entirely up to you."

"The upcoming war will undoubtedly be fierce, but I assure you, if you stay, I will assign you missions that offer substantial battle merits, are relatively easy, and pose no mortal danger."

Furthermore, City Lord Lingxu produced a maritime map.

"And this," City Lord Lingxu said, handing Li Qing a sea territory map, "is a map of the sea territories near the Tonggu Continent. It marks the nearest continents and archipelagos. If you plan to travel far, you'll need this."

"Profound Ancient City is ultimately too small. In the future, you can use this map to reach other continents and see if you can find any news about the Heavenly Origin Continent. That's where you truly belong—on a grander stage."

Li Qing never imagined City Lord Lingxu would offer such a reward. It completely exceeded his expectations.

"This..."

Seeing Li Qing's expression, City Lord Lingxu chuckled. "Take it. I won't bind you to this city with some grand notion of human race unity."

"I've heard that every ascended who survives in the spirit realm eventually achieves extraordinary things."

"I only hope that when your cultivation reaches its peak, you won't forget this small city where you once lingered."

Hu Sheng, standing nearby, was even more astonished. He never expected City Lord Lingxu to value Li Qing so highly—this far surpassed his expectations.

Li Qing, who had initially worried about being forcibly kept in the city, couldn't help but laugh at himself.

He took a deep breath and accepted the rewards, carefully tucking them into his robes.

"Li Qing thanks Senior Lingxu for his generosity!"