"Why are you standing here, Ancestor Duanmu?"
Lin Changqing asked in puzzlement.
"Your Majesty, the goddess instructed that she and the little prince needed rest and were not to be disturbed by anyone."
Hong San, who was also standing outside the gates of Heartwarming Pavilion, bowed to Lin Changqing as he explained.
"Oh."
Lin Changqing nodded.
"There's no harm in waiting."
Duanmu Lan was also in the God Realm, and after being refused an audience by another God Realm expert, he should have been furious, but he wasn't.
The goddess staying here was no ordinary God Realm expert!
Without her, the entire Chishui Royal City would have been finished!
Without her, the Devil God Black Dragon would not have died, Tuoba Ke would not have been cast into the Devil-Sealing Well, and the Devil Master would not have fled in panic with the Devil Race army!
Her achievements today would surely enter the histories of every race on the Divine Firmament Continent. It was no exaggeration to say they shook the past and dazzled the present!
Thud!
Lin Changqing dropped to his knees, facing the gates of Heartwarming Pavilion.
He said nothing.
But Hong San could more or less understand what King Lin Changqing meant.
This was gratitude, guilt, and worry!
A king could discard a deposed consort like a worn-out shoe!
But before a God Realm expert capable of defeating the Devil Master, the status of a kingdom's ruler counted for very little!
Thud!
Xi Zhaoqu followed suit and knelt!
He was terrified because he had not treated Liu Ling'er well enough or shown her enough respect in the past.
Duanmu Lan did not kneel. After all, he was also in the God Realm.
Before long, more and more members of the Chishui Royal Clan came over.
Seeing that even the king was kneeling, everyone knelt outside the gates of Heartwarming Pavilion as well.
Shi Feifei and Nanny Xu arrived and obediently knelt down.
Su Ying and Su Song arrived, and the father and daughter also knelt down respectfully.
A great many people were kneeling outside the gates of Heartwarming Pavilion!
But inside Heartwarming Pavilion, all was quiet.
It seemed Liu Ling'er would not appear before everyone anytime soon.
Two days later.
Deep in the Weeping Blood Mountain Range.
Heavenly Devil City.
Devil God Palace!
In a great hall, the Devil Master Tuoba Kui received the Demon God Ao Qin, who had just arrived.
"Brother Tuoba, what in the world happened with your Devil Race?"
As soon as Ao Qin entered the hall, he demanded, "The main Human Race forces were almost entirely tied down by our Demon Race army in the Nanhua Kingdom. Why did your Devil Race suddenly retreat?"
No wonder Ao Qin was angry. The Devil Race had really failed to live up to expectations!
The Demon Race army and the main Human Race forces had been locked in fierce combat, both sides suffering considerable losses and heavy casualties!
In the middle of the fighting, they had heard that the Devil Race had withdrawn, forcing the Demon Race army to retreat as well. Naturally, it was unpleasant to have all their efforts come to nothing!
"It wasn't that we wanted to retreat. We had no choice!"
Tuoba Kui's face was a little pale as he said with a bitter smile, "In the battle at Chishui Royal City, my younger brother Tuoba Ke was cast into the Devil-Sealing Well, and the Devil God Black Dragon was killed outright. If we hadn't withdrawn in time, we would only have paid a greater price!"
"What?!"
Ao Qin's dragon eyes widened, his face full of disbelief. "What happened over there?"
The Devil Race had sent out all its elites, yet it had not suffered such heavy losses even when facing the main Human Race forces in the Lingxi Kingdom.
"A Human Race goddess appeared out of nowhere. She somewhat resembles Mu Wanqing from the historical records. She has the Iridescent Battle Robe and the Heavenly Heart Zither, both divine artifacts, and she has also mastered the Eight Sounds of the Profound Zither..."
Tuoba Kui was still shaken. "But she definitely isn't Mu Wanqing. She's stronger than Mu Wanqing!"
"Stronger than Mu Wanqing? How is that possible?"
Ao Qin also knew of Mu Wanqing. The woman had been exceptionally gifted in her day, the pinnacle of individual combat strength among the Human Race of her era!
"She cast Tuoba Ke into the Devil-Sealing Well and slew the Devil God Black Dragon right in front of me. Finally, she even gravely wounded me. I don't believe Mu Wanqing possessed that kind of strength back then!"
Tuoba Kui spoke in frustration.
"If that's true, this goddess might indeed be stronger than Mu Wanqing. Could she be a hidden trump card of the Human Race?"
Ao Qin could not help considering what would happen if the Demon Race army encountered that goddess.
"Probably."
Tuoba Kui seemed to see what Ao Qin was thinking and continued, "I dare say that your Demon Race won't find anyone capable of matching the Human Race goddess who appeared in Chishui Royal City, either. Her physical strength is far greater than mine. She very likely has some kind of special physique!"
"What special physique?"
Ao Qin thought for a moment and said, "The Human Race has many special physiques, but only one can leave every kind of our Demon Race in the dust."
"Perhaps she has that very one!"
"You mean... she has the Supreme Divine Physique?"
Ao Qin's eyelids twitched.
"I've never seen the Supreme Divine Physique, so I can't be certain."
Tuoba Kui smiled bitterly again.
"If she really had a Supreme Divine Physique at the God Realm and had also received Mu Wanqing's inheritance, I'm afraid you wouldn't have escaped back to the Weeping Blood Mountain Range!"
A hint of worry appeared on Ao Qin's face. "Once someone with a God Realm Supreme Divine Physique strikes back, neither of our races will be able to withstand her. What should we do next?"
With an invincible expert appearing among the Human Race, the pressure on the Demon and Devil Races was simply too great!
"Now, we of the Devil Race no longer dare hope to break open that Devil-Sealing Well in Chishui Royal City, so obtaining the Heavenly Devil Tyrant Body by that method is out of the question."
Tuoba Kui said, "At present, there seems to be only one method we can try. If it succeeds, it will turn the situation around at once."
"Oh? What method? Let's hear it."
Ao Qin was curious.
"Make her leave this world!"
"Ascend to the God Realm?"
"That's right, ascend to the God Realm!"
Tuoba Kui took a deep breath. "With her cultivation realm, she's fully qualified to ascend to the God Realm!"
"Ascending to the God Realm isn't as simple as being qualified!"
Ao Qin reminded him, "It's not as if you don't know. For countless years, the reason no God Realm expert has ascended to the God Realm isn't that their cultivation was insufficient, but that the ascension passage between our Divine Firmament Continent and the God Realm has remained sealed!"
"Of course I know that!"
Tuoba Kui nodded. "But a sealed ascension passage isn't absolutely impossible to open, is it?"
"You mean... use that method?"
"That's right, use that method!"
"This..."
Ao Qin hesitated.
Chishui Royal Palace.
Heartwarming Pavilion.
Three days had passed since the battle to defend the royal city.
Liu Ling'er finally walked out of Heartwarming Pavilion.
She had still wanted to leave Lin Changqing and the others waiting outside the gates a little longer, but Lin Heng had insisted on coming out for a look around.
Now that he had been born, Lin Heng found it far too boring to spend all day in Heartwarming Pavilion.
Throughout the palace and the royal city, there were still many places where he had not checked in!
"Greetings, Goddess!"
Duanmu Lan had been in no hurry to leave. He was the first to cup his fists and bow to Liu Ling'er.
They were both in the God Realm, but the gap in their strength was too great for him not to show her extra respect.
"You're too courteous, Ancestor Duanmu."
Liu Ling'er was holding Lin Heng, so she returned the greeting with a slight nod.
"Greetings, Goddess!"
Lin Changqing, who had knelt for three days, hurriedly kowtowed.
For a Martial Thearch expert, kneeling for a few days posed no problem at all.
"Greetings, Goddess!"
Xi Zhaoqu, Shi Feifei, and the others followed suit, pressing their foreheads to the ground.
Everyone wore a different expression, and their feelings were naturally very different as well!