Above and Below the Rift Valley

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"Princess... the King like this... alas!"

Li Qingjun stared at the empty dragon Dragon Throne with a grim expression.

It was the Morning Court, and the officials were gathered in the hall, but Li Qinglin was not present.

He's been doing this for more than just one day.

A few days earlier, he claimed to be feeling exhausted and drowsy, so Li Qingjun had no choice but to understand and handle state affairs under the guise of the eldest Princess's regency. Furthermore... she gave him the Method Formula left behind by Qin Yi.

She knew that Li Qinglin had already sent people to the Dong Huazi underground palace to find cultivation methods. Although he hadn't started practicing them yet, it was only a matter of time. It would be better to let him practice Qin Yi's method. No matter what form he achieved, it would at least improve his spirits and allow him to focus on state affairs.

She believed that Li Qinglin had such self-control.

I was proven to be too naive.

Li Qinglin may have been somewhat "lacking in energy," but he was by no means "drowsy" enough to be unable to attend court. He was an Innate Martial Artist, so how could he be in such a state?

His actions stemmed from his assumption that Qin Yi would leave her the Cultivation Method so that she would hand it over willingly.

Li Qinglin could tell himself that he had never uttered the words "I want to cultivate immortality".

Self-deception!

"That's enough for today." Li Qingjun suppressed her irritation and said to the ministers, "Everyone, hurry up and get on with the matters we just discussed. Time is running out. I'm going to see my brother, the King."

"Thank you for your trouble, Princess."

After the court officials left the hall, Li Qingjun suddenly turned around and grabbed the eunuch who had opened the door. "Take me to see my brother, the king!"

The eunuch swallowed hard, his heart nearly stopping in fright.

The Li Qingjun of the past was impulsive and often grabbed people by the collar to question them, but back then she only came across as a spoiled young lady, which was quite endearing. But now, with a glare from her phoenix eyes, she exudes a dignified and imposing aura, as if one could see the Li Qinglin who once rode across the battlefield.

Qin Yi himself couldn't calculate the time in the Rift Valley, but in the eyes of the Southern Li people, it had only been about half a month since Qin Yi left.

After participating in political affairs for half a month, Li Qingjun's entire demeanor has undergone a complete transformation.

She had already ordered the execution of generals who embezzled military funds; a row of heads hung before the Noon Gate, a horrifying sight. She too had once acted as a chivalrous hero, killing villains and demons—perhaps even more than this? Those were done with her own hands; this was merely an order... but the nature of those was different... The eunuch didn't know how to describe it, but it was truly different.

"We've... we've arrived, Your Princess." The eunuch stood tremblingly before the door of a quiet room, cautiously saying, "His King is in meditation..."

"Bang!" Li Qingjun kicked open the door to the quiet room.

Li Qinglin sat cross-legged inside meditating. Hearing the sound, he slowly opened his eyes and smiled, "Still so energetic."

Li Qingjun glared angrily. "Our spies in the Western Wasteland have reported multiple times that there's something unusual about the grain stores Western Wasteland. General Xie predicts an invasion is inevitable in the spring. I'm completely incompetent in these matters. The officials are eagerly awaiting your orders to deal with this, and you're still here cultivating your Daoist arts!"

Li Qinglin said calmly, "I already had General Xie report this to me yesterday evening, so I know what's going on."

Li Qingjun was taken aback, then angrily asked, "Then why don't you attend court?"

"Court affairs are mostly filled with wrangling and bickering, which is annoying and disrupts people's Quiet Serenity." Li Qinglin said slowly, "You should know what is important and what is urgent. If I die before the Western Wasteland arrives, all will be over. As for the troublesome court affairs... please bear with me."

Li Qingjun retorted angrily, "I can't do it! I'll just mess it up!"

"No one is born knowing how to do this. Listen to the opinions of both civil and military officials. You are very smart."

"You!" Li Qingjun stamped her foot and said, "Are you doing this to prolong your life or to achieve immortality? Can't you even tell the difference?"

Li Qinglin remained amiable. "I can tell the difference, so you can rest assured."

Li Qingjun took a few deep breaths, then suddenly asked coldly, "So, what have you accomplished in your cultivation?"

"Soon, right?" Li Qinglin said, "If Qin Yi can cultivate, of course I can too."

"Qin Yi is merely Phoenix's First Cry, a far cry from so-called immortality. He has never claimed to be immortal." Li Qingjun paused, then slowly said, "Brother Wang, there is no such Longevity Method in this world."

Li Qinglin's pupils contracted slightly, while Li Qingjun met his gaze calmly.

Both of them felt a sense of temporal and spatial disorientation, as if they were a former king and Prince.

It's like a cycle of reincarnation.

After a long silence, Li Qinglin slowly said, "I am not my father."

Li Qingjun also said coldly, "I also hope I don't need to be Li Qinglin."

Below the rift, Qin Yi, carrying Ye Ling, returned to the stone formation from the previous night. He still needed to treat his shoulder injury himself, and Ye Ling had just woken up and immediately got into a fight; they needed to understand the specifics before taking any further action.

"I... I don't know what's changed in me." Ye Ling scratched her head. "I just feel like my body doesn't hurt anymore, my injuries have healed, and I'm stronger..."

Liusu then said, "A lot of her low-level bloodlines have been replaced. Her current bloodline is a mixture of various demonic pythons, but these different bloodlines can't give her any new talents. At most, they've just strengthened her physical body. Because the Soaring Serpent bloodline is too high-level, even if it's diluted, it's still dominant."

Qin Yi asked, "Then what's going on with this breakthrough? I think she's at least in the late stage of the seventh or eighth level of the Transformation Realm now. When I first met her, she was only at the first level of the Transformation Realm at most. This breakthrough is faster than cheating."

"Her current breakthrough is indeed quite strange. Logically speaking, this kind of blood exchange shouldn't increase her cultivation level," Liusu explained. "In fact, this bloodline replacement only raised her development ceiling. Her original snake bloodline would have greatly hindered her cultivation, and she might have been stuck at the Transformation Stage, unable to even enter the Core Condensation Stage. Now, there's definitely no problem."

Ye Ling sat cross-legged in front of him, blinking as she looked at Qin Yi, wondering what he was daydreaming about. Qin Yi, while tending to his wounds, also stared blankly at Ye Ling; both of them were equally bewildered.

Qin Yi suddenly felt that Ye Ling was clearly not of Soaring Serpent blood, but Saiyan blood, right? He broke through in the extreme pain of the Demon Refining Array; he was almost killed by Minghe's Seven Stars Defense Array, but broke through again; this time he was on the verge of death again, and broke through again after recovering.

What else could this be but Saiyan...?

Liusu pondered, "Her breakthrough must be due to personal factors. Firstly, she has a very high talent for cultivation, and secondly, she has an extremely strong will to survive and a strong willpower. Therefore, she can unleash her potential in every Death Zone, which is truly about saving her life..."

"..." Qin Yi immediately understood; this was indeed very much Ye Ling.

Liusu said, "But this can't be the norm, and it might even lead to a weak foundation. A truly systematic Demon Cultivator method is still the right path. I don't know any Demon Cultivator methods, but this Demon City Pact... I think it's definitely worth considering."

Ultimately, it all comes back to this point. Qin Yi stared at Ye Ling for a long time before hesitatingly asking, "This agreement with the Demon City..."

Ye Ling whispered, "Brother, I want to go. I always feel that demons should stay in demon territory. It's too uncomfortable for humans."

Qin Yi paused for a moment, then sighed.

Ye Ling's experiences in human society haven't been pleasant. There 'Dong Huazi's malice, Li Qinglin's manipulation, Minghe's hostility, the Summit Wizard's greed, and the fear and discrimination of ordinary people. That's why Qin Yi is treated like an older brother, tugging at her clothes and following her around—because she's never had a good experience around others.

Demons should stay where demons are...

"But brother... I know you've come here to find a way to lift the Curse, and it won't be easy for you to do it alone." Ye Ling straightened up and said earnestly, "I will definitely stay with you to finish this, and I won't leave on my own."

Qin Yi was deeply moved. Who said monsters were cold-blooded? Ye Ling was so adorable.

He reached out and patted Ye Ling's head, whispering, "Then let's fight side by side one more time. That Summit Wizard must be in some trouble. If we plan carefully, we might be able to catch him off guard."

Ye Ling's big eyes lit up with excitement.

She actually holds grudges.