Chapter 840: Employment

In the Void Realm, Li Qi and Jing Wuzhen sat opposite each other.

Jing Wuzhen originally intended to float while speaking, but Li Qi took the initiative to ‘create something out of nothing’ and conjured a small platform, allowing them to ‘sit and talk’ in the Void Realm.

Movement is relative; in the Void Realm, it appeared as if they were perfectly still.

This scene was truly quite dreamlike.

Jing Wuzhen, as a Martial Artist, naturally couldn’t be described as beautiful as a Heavenly Immortal; while not unattractive, she was actually a woman with a heroic appearance, and her physique was more robust than that of an average female, roughly the same height as Li Qi.

But in this place, she seemed somewhat different.

In those worlds that had yet to step into the outer domains, every astronomer there would likely be thrilled by such a breathtaking world; the unobstructed starry sky was so beautiful, without a hint of wind or a wisp of cloud, with all the stars fully displayed before your eyes, allowing for free observation.

A clear night sky... Of course, one couldn't quite put it that way, as there's no such thing as weather in the Void Realm; the only thing that could be considered ‘striking’ in the Void Realm was the light emitted when quasar Sword Qi erupted.

However, such conditions provided an excellent environment for anyone wishing to observe the starry sky in detail.

Countless glittering world clusters hung in the firmament, these specks of light as conspicuous as if painted onto a picture.

For Jing Wuzhen, however, this was somewhat like casting pearls before swine; unfortunately, she didn't recognize these world clusters, nor could she accurately identify which world cluster they were.

Although she could clearly perceive changes in the size and relative distances of these world clusters with her eyes, which was a testament to her observational abilities.

If one's observational abilities were insufficient, the movement of the starry sky would be virtually imperceptible; tens of millions of miles is a vast distance, but for two worlds, it's not much at all.

Even an ordinary star travels at least sixty million kilometers annually, yet its change in position is almost imperceptible because the distances between these celestial bodies are simply too vast.

Even when traveling at several times the speed, almost no movement can be seen.

However, for Jing Wuzhen, this was not the case; her observational abilities were exceptionally powerful, and with her naked eye alone, she could clearly discern the movement patterns of those world clusters.

For example, a world cluster to her front left, roughly sixty light-years away from her, Jing Wuzhen could clearly calculate that the core of this world cluster, the Guixu, was orbiting at an average distance of 0.1 light-years from her own world.

The world closest to it was even orbiting at a distance of 160 million kilometers from her, having just crossed that deadly orbit and continuously approaching, indicating it was about to be swallowed by this Guixu.

Jing Wuzhen could even estimate that if it approached that Guixu by another forty-four million kilometers, it would be utterly annihilated.

This was the observational power of a Fourth Grade.

However, for Mortals, they could hardly perceive the ‘starry sky’ because their starry sky was actually a ‘membrane’ woven by the Star Officials and covering the world.

They must Breakthrough their own world to see the true firmament, the light points emanating from the genuine Void Realm composed of world clusters, and use their largest astronomical telescopes to obtain relevant information from it.

"What's up? You suddenly kept me here; is there something you want to say?" Jing Wuzhen asked, sitting opposite Li Qi.

Li Qi, meanwhile, took out a teacup and tea leaves, began pouring water and brewing tea, saying, "There are some matters I wish to discuss with you, Jing Wuzhen, but it's not good to talk standing; let's sit and chat over tea."

"Stop being so wishy-washy; why don't you just say what you want to say?" Jing Wuzhen seemed a bit impatient, displaying the unique disdain of a Martial Artist for Li Qi's behavior of not wanting to speak until after brewing tea and taking his time.

However, she picked up the teacup and, like a cow chewing a peony, drank it in one gulp.

Yet, this single gulp made her eyes widen instantly, and after widening, they closed.

Then, about four or five seconds passed, and she seemed to be savoring something.

After it all ended, she reopened her eyes and exclaimed, "Good tea, where did you get it?"

"I have a friend named Zhang Zong; he loves to drink tea, and I learned some tea-brewing skills from him," Li Qi said with a smile.

"Zhang Zong... Zhang Zong... Hmm, I feel like I've heard that name before." Jing Wuzhen pondered for a moment, as if she had some impression.

"Dao Orthodoxy, the Young Celestial Master, now a Disciple of the Celestial Master," Li Qi said.

"The Young Celestial Master... A Second Grade's Disciple, oh, I remember now, I once saw his fight with the Demonic Prince, a very powerful person. You're friends with him? Then it seems your background isn't small either, is it?" Jing Wuzhen put down her teacup and looked at Li Qi.

To be able to become good friends with a Second Grade Disciple, one's background must certainly be significant, as sectarianism is an objective fact; although these Genius Disciples themselves may not necessarily harbor sectarian views, their own hobbies, motivations, and even talents have already destined them not to get along with ordinary people.

Those who can converse with them are basically Geniuses of the same caliber, and they will certainly be sought after; even if no one wants them now, someone will want them later.

Unless they are truly stubborn and insist on fighting their own way, otherwise... Most people, under the premise of 'Dao alignment,' would still not refuse an invitation from a great Dao Orthodoxy.

After all, this is not just an improvement in status and position, but also a huge boost on the path of Dao, and it does not involve any self-interest, but purely the alignment of the heart in pursuing the Dao.

Such master-Disciple relationships are common in the great Dao Orthodoxy of the world, but they are rare in the myriad worlds.

Therefore, Geniuses of this caliber are mostly part of small, familiar social circles.

After learning of the Young Celestial Master's existence, even a Martial Artist could easily deduce Li Qi's identity.

"Oh... the Young Celestial Master, the Demonic Prince, and your name, Li Qi, I think I remember now, the Young Master of Shaman God Mountain, the vanguard in the Human-Shaman War, right?" Jing Wuzhen looked at Li Qi and then said.

"Yes, that's me." Li Qi nodded, "They are all minor matters, no need to dwell on them. Let's talk about the main topic, Miss Jing—"

"Didn't I just say, just call me by my name, don't call me 'Miss,' it's disgusting." Jing Wuzhen reminded him again.

"My apologies, Jing Wuzhen, what are your thoughts on the Demonic Dao?" Li Qi asked.

"Kill them all quickly." Jing Wuzhen answered immediately, without any hesitation.

"On that point, you and I share the same answer. I believe we can reach a consensus on this," Li Qi nodded, indicating his agreement.

"Is that so? But aren't the Shaman working with the Demonic Dao? If you act against the Demonic Dao now, won't it worsen relations between the two sides?" Jing Wuzhen said.

"Don't try to understand the Demonic Dao too clearly; only they know what these lunatics are thinking. They can fight you to the death one moment and cooperate with you the next; it entirely depends on their own whims, so there's no need to worry too much about it," Li Qi said.

Jing Wuzhen nodded, expressing her agreement on this point.

"So, I'd like to ask you to help me with this, to join forces with me as my Dharma Protector, for approximately... four to five thousand years, roughly within this timeframe. During this period, I want you to help me slaughter the Demonic Dao. I want to see if such a commotion can draw out a high-level Demonic Lord," Li Qi said.

"Oh, so, you let those three go earlier for this reason too? Why do you want to attract high-level Demonic Lords? You'll die, won't you? As long as any Third Grade acts, neither you nor I can survive, or rather... you might survive, but I might not." Jing Wuzhen frowned, expressing her concerns.

Li Qi did not answer the first part of her question, implicitly acknowledging it. He only responded to the latter risk, saying slowly, "Indeed, there is such a risk. You might die. As for me... due to my teacher's protection, I should be able to survive."

"So, this is a plea. I am unwilling to offer you compensation first because of this. Of course, if you demand compensation, that would be easy to handle."

Yes, if Jing Wuzhen wanted some compensation, it would indeed be easy to handle. Li Qi believed his assets were more than enough to hire a Fourth Grade; if not, he could borrow from his teacher, Zhu Fengdan, who was quite wealthy, at least from Li Qi's perspective.

However, if Li Qi were to proactively offer compensation, it would actually be more difficult.

They were both Fourth Grade, capable of disregarding Karma and achieving 'self-sustenance.' If Li Qi casually offered compensation, it would be somewhat insulting, and might even backfire.

Although Martial Dao requires a great deal of external resources—refining Qi and blood, honing the body, and nurturing Martial Dao Divine Intent are not cheap endeavors. As previously mentioned, the Martial Dao path prioritizes resources, followed by perseverance. Only when these two are met can one be a good Martial Artist. However, Li Qi was unwilling to initiate the conversation with compensation until the other party proactively brought it up.

If compensation couldn't be used, then only a plea and a shared vision remained.

Especially a shared vision, for cultivators who have reached the Fourth Grade, this is more tempting than any material gain.

Jing Wuzhen did not answer, but instead scrutinized Li Qi.

For her, if a lower-ranking person implored a higher-ranking one, it would be commonplace. If a higher-ranking person implored a lower-ranking one, it wouldn't be rare either. But if their statuses were equal, for one person to implore another to do something, how much courage would that require?

So, after a while, Jing Wuzhen said, "Then I want to ask, are you slaughtering the Demonic Dao just to avenge your daughter? Or is it to vent your own anger? Or do you have another purpose?"

Li Qi replied, "All three. I want to avenge my daughter, I want to vent my own anger, and at the same time, I want to see what high-level Demonic Lords are truly thinking. I want to understand the internal affairs of the Demonic Dao, which requires testing the strength of high-level Demonic Lords. If it succeeds later, I have a plan targeting the Demonic Dao, but that will only be possible to implement at the Third Grade. However, preparations must begin now."

"If possible, I hope you can join me in this preparation process. As for what comes next, we'll see."

"Ho..." Jing Wuzhen sized Li Qi up and down.

He had actually openly declared: 'I have a plan targeting the Demonic Dao.'

Such words should not be spoken lightly.

"Then, can you tell me about this plan?" Jing Wuzhen asked.

"I apologize, I cannot. Before the plan is implemented, it can only exist in my mind, and even my mind isn't entirely secure. You know the methods of the Demonic Dao, so I have preserved this plan using special means, ensuring that even if my mind is read, there will be no leakage," Li Qi replied.

"If I tell you that if I don't know your plan, I won't participate, will you still insist on keeping it secret?" Jing Wuzhen asked.

"Of course, then I'll just have to regret losing what seems like a good Dharma Protector," Li Qi said with a smile.

"Very well, you don't seem to be lying, so I'll join. However, I must state one thing first: I have no interest in your hatred or your daughter's hatred, but you must ensure that your plan passes your own scrutiny," Jing Wuzhen said.

As for the question of Li Qi lying... she didn't really consider it.

The Young Master of Shaman God Mountain, Li Qi, this person was quite famous, and not for any ill repute. In such circumstances, his credibility was intact.

"Of course, after all, I could actually die too. If the Demonic Dao truly makes a move, it's not certain that I can be protected. Regardless, this plan is very dangerous and requires risking one's life," Li Qi's voice became solemn.

"A trivial matter. You and I have cultivated until now; we've faced more than one situation where we had to risk our lives. Even you, favored Geniuses, must have had many moments where you had to fight for your lives, right?" Jing Wuzhen looked at Li Qi.

"Indeed, I've grown particularly fast, but there have indeed been one life-threatening situation after another," Li Qi recalled for a moment and replied with a smile.

"That's right. If even a high-and-mighty Young Master like you is like this, then a Martial Artist like me, who has climbed out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, would I be afraid of this? So, what do we do next?" Jing Wuzhen asked.

Since the cooperation had been decided, it was time to get to work. She was never one to dither; she immediately took out a heavy sword in one hand and a ceremonial sword in the other, ready to begin.

The ceremonial sword was called 'Regulation,' and the heavy sword was called 'Cutting,' which perfectly aligned with her Martial Dao Divine Intent.

"No rush, let's rest for a few days and sit for a while. That city needs some time to be built. If it were completely destroyed, rebuilding it would be clean and straightforward, but constantly patching it up is what's truly exhausting," Li Qi poured Jing Wuzhen another cup of tea, then looked in the direction of the world below.

With just a glance, he closed his eyes.

These past few days, Li Shiwei should have escaped by now, right?

The Demonic Prince... there should be some tacit understanding there; he'd probably be delighted to see me do something to that city.

As for the Demonic Lord who was released, he should have spread the news by now.

Good news.