Xu Que wanted to go back to the East Continent to find Dong Genji and get the Ancient Book of Records. He needed to find the information about the Ancient Bronze Hall so he could rescue Jiang Hongyan.
On their journey, they heard lots of surprising news.
First, they heard that Dong Genji had sailed to the North Sea, and, after revealing some big news to the other Patriarchs of the Influential Factions, they all followed him to the Infinite Sea outside the North Sea. Someone said it was because an ancient treasure had been found there; someone else said they went to greet a important figure; and a third person said something terrible had happened there and a disaster was about to come.
"Crap! If I knew this was going to happen, I would not have let him go! Now that he is with other Patriarchs, it will not be easy for me to get at him!" Xu Que was rather upset.
"Calm down! We don't know what has really happened. There is only one thing that we are sure about, and that is that something must have happened in the Infinite Sea. Since so many Patriarchs have gone there, that something must be a serious. I think even my Faction must have gone there too. I think what we should do is to go back to the East Continent first, where I will ask my peers about what has happened." Liu Jingning said calmly.
Hearing this, Xu Que nodded.
No matter what, I would have to go back to the East Continent. If I can not get the Ancient Book of Records, I will have to break into the Ancient Bronze Hall!
The two stepped into the teleportation device and put a piece of Spiritual Stone of top quality in it. The huge teleportation device was activated, and, in the blink of an eye, they arrived at their destination. It was already a month later.
Xu Que and Liu Jingning walked off the teleportation device and found that the news about the whereabouts of all those Patriarchs had gone viral.
There were many versions of the news, but they were all basically guesses or rumors that sounded rather convincing. No one could really say what was true or false.
On arrival, Xu Que and Liu Jingning headed directly to the Utopia Faction.
As the Holy Virgin of the Utopia Faction, Liu Jingning could find out why those Patriarchs all went to the Infinite Sea. Her peers would definitely tell her everything.
After the two used a few more small teleportation devices, they finally arrived at a place in front of which there was a huge mountain. The Utopia Faction was inside! This place was a very good one. Its surroundings were very dangerous, and it was surrounded by a noxious atmosphere. Normally, no one dared to step into this place.
Close to the forest that was surrounded by the filthy fumes, there were many turbulent rivers. Although it might be easy for a cultivator to cross the river by using a magical weapon, there were many ferocious beasts within. However, for a cultivator of the Utopia Faction, it was easy to dodge these beasts.
Liu Jingning took out a card, and all of a sudden a path that led to the top of the mountain appeared.
Seeing this, Xu Que smiled. "I think you can do better with your security system. Yes, you have set up many traps, but I can destroy all of them with only one shot!"
Liu Jingning rolled her eyes and said, "I know you are a generous man, why don't you give us an Array of Spiritual Level?"
In fact, the Array that the Utopia Faction set to protect themselves was one of a high level. It could withstand hundreds of attacks of a cultivator of the Void Training Stage, but a cultivator of the Form Synthesis Stage could easily destroy it.
Liu Jingning still remembered that when they were in the Celestial Burial Valley, Xu Que easily set up an Array of High Level to protect Jiang Hongyan. She also remembered that he said he had plenty of Arrays of Spiritual Levels.
If Xu Que gave the Utopia Faction an Array of Spiritual Level, the Utopia Faction would be safe and sound for at least 1,000 years.
"Well, of course I can give you one for free, but I never give anything to anyone for free. This is one of my principles!" Xu Que laughed.
In fact, Xu Que could buy an Array of Spiritual Levels with only 2,000 Acting Tough Points, but, currently, the Acting Tough Points were something that he wanted most. Thus, he would not want to give one to the Utopia Faction for free. After all, Liu Jingning was his good friend, not the entire Utopia Faction.
"You are so mean!" Liu Jingning rolled her eyes. She was only joking with him, so she smiled and did not take this seriously.
The two quickly headed to the top of the mountain and soon reached the entrance to the Utopia Faction. There were a few young male cultivators guarding the gate. As soon as they saw Liu Jingning, they immediately knelt down and said respectfully, "Your highness!"
Liu Jingning nodded gently and directly went inside with Xu Que.
For Xu Que, Liu Jingning might show her gentle side, but in front of others she would always be the cold and ruthless Holy Virgin. This was the only way to make others respect her. If a Holy Son or a Holy Virgin acted gently, he or she would be seen as weak by others.
Xu Que did not mind Liu Jingning's sudden change of attitude. He also took up a haughty attitude and entered with Liu Jingning.
Seeing Xu Que walking next to their Holy Virgin, the young cultivators got curious about Xu Que and began to gossip.
"Who is that young man? He is walking right next to our Holy Virgin!"
"Can it be possible that he comes from an influential Faction? Otherwise, he can not possibly walk next to our Holy Virgin!"
"I think so, don't you see he is walking with his nose facing upwards?"
"But even so, he can not be so close to our Holy Virgin!"
"You might be right, I remember that once the Holy Son of the Gong Family paid a visit to us, and, from the beginning, our Holy Virgin kept a distance from him. But today the young man is so close to our Holy Virgin…can it be possible that they two…?"
"Judging from his face, that young man is at most 20 years old. No way our Holy Virgin would want to date such a young man!"
"Be careful, if the Holy Virgin hears what you guys say, you will all be killed!"
"Wait a while, I think the Holy Virgin must have heard that we have arranged an engagement for her. That must be why she brought a young man back!"
"No way! The cultivators from the Li Family have just arrived. How could our Holy Virgin know about this?!"
"Something is going to happen!"
…
Soon, Liu Jingning and Xu Que arrived at the main hall. Before they even got inside, they could hear the sound of laughter.
"Today is really a good day. My niece Jingning has come back! Little Jingning, do you still remember your Uncle Li?"
"Uncle Li?" Liu Jingning was a bit surprised and confused.
"Jingning, come inside to meet us!"
"Yes!"
Liu Jingning walked into the hall.
Xu Que cast his eyes into the main hall and saw a middle-aged man sitting in the middle of the center of the hall. He looked very handsome and elegant with an air of seriousness. Judging by this, Xu Que could feel he was in the top level of the Void Training Stage.
His level was not that easy to reach, even for Holy Sons and Holy Virgins. Besides, the only difference between the Void Training Stage and the Form Synthesis Stage was the difference of the Taoist Connotation. In this world, when a cultivator reached to this high level, it was always the Taoist Connotation, not the Spiritual Qi or Spiritual Medicine, that decided if he could step into the next level. Once a cultivator reached the Void Training Stage, his Taoist Connotation had just formed. Before he stepped into the Form Synthesis Stage, he would have to enhance his Taoist Connotation to a certain degree.
This man was soon to reach to the Form Synthesis Stage.
It was not easy for a cultivator to spot this immediately, but Xu Que was very different from other cultivators. In just two years, he had managed to step into the Void Training Stage, while for others it would take years of cultivation and great comprehension on the Taoist Connotation to do so. Besides, Xu Que had a great comprehension on his Taoist Connotation. Currently, he was just in the first level of the Void Training Stage, while his Taoist Connotation was as powerful as that of a cultivator of the first level of the Form Synthesis Stage.
"Interesting! It seems that the head of the Utopia Faction is quite a tough figure!" Xu Que smiled.
Then he looked over the other cultivators in the main hall. Apart from a few old cultivators in long plain purple robes, some cultivators in red robes attracted Xu Que's attention. The so-called Uncle Li was one of them, and there were a young man and a young woman standing next to him. The man looked very handsome while the woman was extremely beautiful.
As soon as Liu Jingning walked into the hall, everyone stared at her. Especially that handsome young man who had looked very bored and tired just a few minutes ago; suddenly now he looked very energetic. His eyes were full of surprise.
Screw it! Xu Que cursed to himself. Clearly, the so-called Uncle Li had come to ask Liu Jingning to marry that young man!
"Jingning, I am your late father's friend. My name is Li Tangshan!" The old man in the red robe smiled.
I knew it! Xu Que sneered to himself.
"I see. You are the Uncle Li that my father often talked about when he was still alive!"
She recalled that her father once told her that the Li Family had lent the Utopia Faction a magical weapon. Soon after, her father died in an accident and did not have the chance to return it. Before he died, he told Liu Jingning that as soon as the Li Family came, she would have to return it to them. Liu Jingning had been carrying her father's words for years, so she immediately recalled what her father had told her.
"Yes! I am!" The old man in red nodded. Then he gently touched his beard and was about to say something.
Suddenly, a noise came from outside.
Bang!
Xu Que stepped heavily into the room and looked coldly at everyone in the main hall. "I am against this engagement!"