World Beyond the Empire

Chapter 44: World Beyond the Empire

The two enjoyed breakfast at the table.

"Master, I don't know if it's because of cultivation, but my appetite has gotten better than before. Does a higher realm mean a stronger appetite? After all, I need to replenish my energy." Ji Yinyin gnawed on a fried dough stick as she spoke. "If I keep eating like this, will I get fat?"

An Bulang slowly sipped his soy milk. "First, cultivation won't increase your appetite. Your appetite improved purely because you're in a better mood. Second, at higher realms, you don't need food to replenish your energy. You just consume the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; that is also the primary energy source in a cultivator's life cycle. Third, as for whether you'll get fat—there's even less reason to worry. Unless they cultivate a special technique or have peculiar tastes, very few cultivators are fat. If you have too much fat, just wash it with spiritual energy and burn some of your calories."

Ji Yinyin froze. "What are calories?"

"A unit for measuring heat," An Bulang said calmly. "It's a term from my hometown."

"Where is your hometown?" Ji Yinyin asked curiously again.

An Bulang's gaze grew wistful. "A very, very distant place... I haven't been there either."

Ji Yinyin smiled. "I can go with you."

"We'll talk about it later." An Bulang waved a hand, then asked, "Do you have any problems with your cultivation now? If you do, feel free to ask me."

Since he had accepted Ji Yinyin as his disciple, he naturally had to do some of the things a master ought to do.

"Yes, I do. I have so many questions." Ji Yinyin's eyes shone brightly as she nodded nonstop like a chick pecking at grain.

An Bulang turned solemn. "Go ahead. What's the problem?"

Logically speaking, the Yin-Yang Feather Ascension Art he had given Ji Yinyin should have allowed her to cultivate perfectly all the way to the Tribulation Crossing Realm.

Could it be that it did not suit her constitution, or that there were some incorrect details in her cultivation path, resulting in so many problems?

Ji Yinyin gazed at him affectionately. "Master, what kind of girls do you like?"

Smack! An Bulang slammed the table and snapped, "I told you to ask cultivation questions! Questions about cultivation!!"

Ji Yinyin shrank back, saying timidly, "Cultivation questions? Then... then, Master, what kind of girls do you like to dual cultivate with?"

Smack! An Bulang smacked his own head. "Get lost!"

Ji Yinyin slunk away in disgrace. No, she should have left with the spirit of someone who only grew braver with every setback.

Not long after, King Ji Yonghao came over and delivered a piece of critical intelligence concerning the Soaring Dragon Empire's royal family to An Bulang.

King Ji Yonghao had recovered his health. Already robust to begin with, he was now more high-spirited than ever, as though he could fight another five hundred years.

He was deeply grateful to An Bulang for helping him turn the tables, so he would fulfill An Bulang's requests as perfectly as possible.

"This is a map of the Soaring Dragon Empire's power distribution. This is a combat-strength chart for the cultivators of the Soaring Dragon Empire royal family's cultivation division. These are the forces connected to the Soaring Dragon Empire's royal family. These are the Soaring Dragon Empire's hostile forces. And these are terrain maps, character portraits..."

King Ji Yonghao presented them to An Bulang one after another. He had mobilized vast royal resources to collect this firsthand, up-to-date information.

"Oh, right. News from the Soaring Dragon Empire says that Emperor Qin Xuanyang intends to come to our Azure Kingdom in person. If you face him, are you confident..." King Ji Yonghao asked with some concern.

Naturally, he did not think Qin Xuanyang was personally coming to the Azure Kingdom to amicably deliver ten thousand spirit stones in protection money.

An Bulang looked at the portrait of the brawny man before him. "Qin Xuanyang, the second strongest person in the Soaring Dragon Empire. His cultivation is extraordinarily formidable, second only within the empire to Chen Tianxiang, the Grand Elder of the Soaring Dragon Empire's Dragon Flower Sect. His own cultivation has already reached the sixth level of the Heavenly Origin Realm..."

"Besides that, the royal family has two more great cultivators of the Heavenly Origin Realm: Imperial Advisor True Spirit Fox and Great Elder True Nether Dragon. Of the Soaring Dragon Empire's nine publicly known Heavenly Origin Realm cultivators, the royal family alone accounts for three. As for its core strength, it also has several hundred Spirit Attunement Realm experts. Tsk, tsk, tsk... Compared to the Azure Kingdom, the Soaring Dragon Empire truly is a colossal behemoth. No wonder Qin Shiyue was still so arrogant even after seeing me display the strength of the Spirit Attunement Realm."

"But she can't be arrogant anymore." King Ji Yonghao chuckled as he flattered him.

Yet that was not what An Bulang was thinking about. He stared fixedly at the burly man before him, puzzled. "Hey... I just don't understand. Your Azure Kingdom was weak as a chicken. Where did you get the courage to resist annexation by the Soaring Dragon Empire back then?"

King Ji Yonghao: "..."

An Bulang's willingness to help King Ji Yonghao did not mean he understood King Ji Yonghao's actions.

"Wasn't it because the foundations left by my ancestors had been passed down generation after generation, and I didn't want to hand them over for nothing?" King Ji Yonghao said with a resolute expression. "As the ruler of the Azure Kingdom, I represent the spirit of my people. Though we may not be powerful, I still cannot bring myself to kneel before another ruler."

"Sometimes, enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens is the only way to accomplish great things, right? A true man can bend and stretch," An Bulang said.

"Personally, I can endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens for my family," King Ji Yonghao said seriously. "But as a ruler, I cannot make the Azure Kingdom kneel with me. I cannot let the backbone of the Azure Kingdom break in the hands of my Ji Clan..."

"If the Soaring Dragon Empire wants the Azure Kingdom, it can take it by stepping over the corpses of my Ji Clan. Even if I die, I will make the Soaring Dragon Empire understand that the Azure Kingdom is not a nation that kneels just because it is told to kneel."

King Ji Yonghao's words stirred something in An Bulang's heart.

"Actually, there are rules from above stating that cultivators' power cannot be used in conflicts between nations. But this place is so far from the emperor's eye, and the Soaring Dragon Empire's ambitions have swelled too much. It only wants to expand its sphere of influence, so it secretly used cultivators' power anyway..." King Ji Yonghao sighed. "Otherwise, if the two armies truly faced each other, I won't say the Azure Kingdom could win, but we could still defend for a long time by holding dangerous terrain and fortified passes."

"There are rules from above?" An Bulang became interested.

"Yes. Above the Soaring Dragon Empire stands a colossal entity, an empire bearing the title White Spirit."

"The White Spirit Empire's territory spans a million li, and its cultivation civilization is exceedingly brilliant. Not only does it have many great cultivators of the Heavenly Origin Realm, even Divine Sea Realm experts and legendary Seeking the Dao Realm mighty figures have appeared there."

"Among the more than one hundred empires of the White Spirit Domain, on the southwestern frontier of the Primordial Continent, it is the only empire to have received a title..." When King Ji Yonghao spoke of this empire, his face was filled with awe and longing. "That place may be the stage best suited for you."

An Bulang stroked his chin. "The Azure Kingdom is a small country that cannot even be called an empire, right?"

King Ji Yonghao flared up. "I'm explaining this to you, so why are you insulting people instead?"

"Just tell me whether it is or not?" An Bulang said with a grin.

"It is... Though my Azure Kingdom has not yet reached the rank of an empire," King Ji Yonghao said indignantly, "among ordinary nations, it is still considered a major country. It merely lacks somewhat in cultivation culture..."

"Alright, alright, I understand." An Bulang smiled reassuringly.

In truth, whether it was an empire, or whether an empire had been granted a title, meant very little to him.

His family was a force bestowed with one of the Ten Great Holy Domains. Only forces bestowed with the Ten Great Holy Domains were truly forces of the mortal world.

"I, An Bulang, never judge people by how great their power is." An Bulang patted King Ji Yonghao on the shoulder. "Though the country you govern is small, I, An Bulang, acknowledge you as its ruler."

King Ji Yonghao looked at An Bulang's smug, old-fashioned air, and the corner of his mouth could not help twitching. An indescribable strangeness rose in his heart.

Isn't this attitude way too arrogant? Who needs your acknowledgment? Can being acknowledged by you put food on the table?

Just then, an old eunuch hurried in from outside, dropped to his knees with a thump, and cried:

"Y-Your Majesty! Urgent news!"

"The emperor of the Soaring Dragon Empire, Qin Xuanyang, has arrived!!"