Chapter 657 - 656: Decisions, Target Divine Domain

Jiang Liao’s death was bound to have a significant impact on the Jiang family.

But in terms of the Jiang family’s position and status within Longyu, the impact was negligible.

After all, the Jiang family had been loyal for generations.

Since the founding of Longyu, the descendants of the Jiang family had always been the backbone of the nation.

More than seventy years after Jiang Liao’s death, the Jiang mansion still stood tall within the only regulated area of the capital.

Li Jing arrived, only to find Yini already meeting with one of her sisters.

For some reason, Li Jing chose not to show himself.

Ascended overhead the Jiang mansion with the Silent Shadow, he quietly waited.

Jiang Liao had seven children.

The one who was meeting with Yini just happened to be at home.

When Yini returned, the other siblings would surely rush back upon hearing the news to meet their youngest sister.

Just as expected.

In less than ten minutes.

Yini’s brothers and sisters returned from the location of the Administration Bureau through Sky Control.

A joyful reunion after a hundred-year separation.

The siblings were very affectionate towards each other.

After all, seventy years had passed since Jiang Liao’s death, and his children had long emerged from their grief.

They also had the understanding not to discuss anything related to Jiang Liao with Yini.

Yini herself consciously avoided the subject.

Unlike her.

Her six siblings had been with Jiang Liao during his final moments; they had already experienced grief once, so there was no need to stir up old wounds again because of her.

...

The reunion of the seven siblings of the Jiang family was quite brief.

In just about half an hour, Yini’s six siblings reluctantly bid her farewell, they didn’t even gather for a reunion dinner.

Observing this, Li Jing sighed inwardly.

Ordinary people may not understand such behavior.

But he did.

The Jiang family had given too much for Longyu.

Each of Yini’s brothers and sisters held important positions.

They had done so even when Jiang Liao was still alive.

At least back then, Jiang Liao was there to support them in their sacrifices for Longyu.

Today, after Jiang Liao’s departure, it is up to them, the next generation, to hold up the sky of Longyu.

Strictly speaking, Li Jing was not a citizen of Longyu.

But that didn’t prevent him from understanding that the prosperity of a country often requires the silent sacrifices of countless people.

With the six siblings having left for official duties, Yini was left alone in the Jiang mansion.

She didn’t leave, but simply stood quietly in front of a round table in the courtyard.

Apparently.

This was where Jiang Liao liked to stay when he had no official duties.

Seeing Yini standing there for a long time without a word, Li Jing quietly descended and revealed himself.

"Yini."

Upon hearing his voice, Yini turned her head; then she frowned.

"You... didn’t go to Chen Jing?"

"Uncle Chen, as a Guardian God of Longyu, has things to do too. I thought it would be inappropriate me to suddenly come back and interrupt them."

Li Jing responded, rubbing his nose.

"And I’m not entirely comfortable with you being alone."

Hearing his concerns, Yini was slightly startled, then she chuckled.

"You’re really treating me like a kid, aren’t you?"

While speaking, she gently touched the round table in front of her and turned to look at him.

"Will you accompany me to visit my father?"

"Sure."

Li Jing nodded.

...

It wasn’t long before the two arrived at the national cemetery.

They quickly found the tombstones of Lu Qifei and Jiang Liao.

Seeing her parents’ tombstones, the normally composed Yini couldn’t help but get a little red-eyed.

However, she didn’t cry.

Wordlessly cleaning the tombstones for the two who had long been at rest, Yini gently placed the bouquet she bought at the entrance of the cemetery before them, and then turned around.

"Let’s go."

Li Jing was slightly taken aback.

"You don’t want to stay a little longer?"

"My father wouldn’t want to see me filled with too much nostalgia."

Jiang Yini shakes her head, forcing a small smile.

"After all, in some ways, my father got his wish, being in this world of two with my mother. If anything, I, the little one, would be intruding."

Li Jing is at a loss for words, nodding simply and leaving with her.

...

Leaving the cemetery.

Jiang Yini takes a deep breath, a thoughtful gaze in her eyes.

"I don’t have anything planned now. What about you?"

Li Jing pauses in his stride, turning to speak.

"Later, I have a gathering with Uncle Chen and others. They’re all busy people now. Aunt Chen and Aunt Liu may not be able to return to capital anytime soon. I don’t have any plans either, we could stroll around the street, clear our minds?"

Without waiting for Jiang Yini to answer, he reaches out to hold her hand, smiling.

"It would be a waste to return to the Immortal Realm after this rare visit home, wouldn’t it?"

Jiang Yini, whose hand is taken unexpectedly, looks at him with slight surprise.

"I understand what you’re saying, but are you... trying to take advantage of my low spirits?"

"Ahem."

Li Jing coughs, retorting.

"You should know, I’m not that kind of person and you wouldn’t give me such an opportunity, would you?"

Jiang Yini responds with an expression of thoughtful amusement.

"If you’re speaking about a hundred years ago, I could assuredly say you were not like that. But now, a hundred years later, I can’t say for certain."

With those words, she bites her lower lip slightly, observing Li Jing.

"Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

Li Jing laughs bitterly, replying.

"It’s me who owes you."

At these sudden words, Jiang Yini is stunned, her gaze fixed on the road ahead.

"Don’t say that. You don’t owe me anything, I chose this path myself."

This cryptic dialogue ends here, but it confirms Jiang Yini’s feelings for Li Jing, making him feel even more guilty.

If only he’d realized sooner...

Yeah.

No ifs.

So.

How to proceed?

Walking down the street, Li Jing quietly looks at Jiang Yini and discovers she is also watching him without turning her head.

When their eyes suddenly meet.

They both freeze for a moment and then turn away from each other.

This somehow makes the atmosphere even more awkward.

They walk a long way with no conversation.

Eventually.

It is Jiang Yini who breaks the silence.

"You don’t need to worry about me so much, nor should you feel troubled for me. Over a hundred years have passed, some things that should have faded have mostly faded."

With that, she purses her lips.

"And this is my issue, I should have clarified it back then, not waiting for your insensi..."

Halfway through, she catches Li Jing’s gaze and cuts herself off.

"Let’s leave it at that, shall we? Nothing has changed between us. In this way, you won’t have to worry for me..."

Before she can finish, Li Jing shakes his head in silence, gripping her small hand tightly.

Sensing this, Jiang Yini pauses in her stride.

Feeling the strength of his grip, she is momentarily taken aback but soon calms down, a hint of a smile playing on her lips as her gaze returns to the road.

"You’re really stubborn."

Li Jing waits a moment before replying in turn.

"Takes one to know one."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yini turns to shoot him an annoyed look, then pulls him towards a bridal shop on the roadside with a decisive force.

Seeing this, Li Jing stares dumbfounded. He tries to turn to say something, but meets her resolute gaze. His will to survive, buried for so long, wakes up at once and he closes his mouth without a word.

The emotions in a relationship are not as superficial as people often portray.

For cultivators like Li Jing and Jiang Yini who have lived for over a hundred years, many emotions no longer exist amidst their long lifespan and cultivation.

A simple truth.

At their level of cultivation, even the brain wouldn’t release dopamine due to external factors...

The path of cultivation is emotionless.

There’s no arguing this.

From the day they started cultivating, reaching this degree is simply inevitable.

Not just Li Jing and Jiang Yini

All beings, alien species, monsters in the path of cultivation, losing emotions is an unavoidable route to the higher levels.

However, as living creatures, they always exercise self-control to prevent themselves from degenerating into heartless beings who disregard everything else.

In a sense.

This could be a little self-deceptive.

But, in terms of the results, it is quite effective.

You should know that.

What they’ve lost is not just the normal capacities to react to romantic feelings, but also fundamental emotions of anger, happiness, and so on that living beings should have.

If they do not exercise self-control based on their needs, they would essentially become soulless walking corpses.

As Yini said.

Hundreds of years have passed, and what should have faded away has long faded away.

The choices she made in the past has prompted her to reconnect with feelings she once possessed.

To accept all of this, to enjoy all of this.

The same principle applies to Li Jing.

What he is facing is essentially a simple choice.

Whether to accept the affection Yini once had for him or to act as if nothing ever happened.

Either choice would profoundly affect their relationship.

The latter is completely negative, while the former adds another person to his harem.

How to choose.

No need to even think about it.

The real challenge might be having to give up more share of the spoils of war in the future, and having to spoil an extra person.

...

In the blink of an eye.

It’s the second day.

Yini, you could say, knows how to have fun.

The whole day, she took Li Jing and shot several wedding photos and even went to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

However, because their status as ascendants who had belonged to Longyu for a hundred years had been canceled, the Civil Affairs Bureau did not deal with related applications, leaving Yini to end up dejectedly returning without achieving her wish.

...

After spending more than twenty hours strolling in the capital, a still unsatisfied Yini and a visibly exhausted Li Jing stopped on the sidewalk, raising their eyes to look into the distance.

At the same time.

A streak of light shoots towards them, landing in front of the two.

With that.

Chen Jing emerged from the light.

He saw that Li Jing looked as if he’d been drained by hundreds of people, and he looked at Yini with admiration.

Not to mention Li Jing.

Even with his current cultivation at the peak of the Ninth Realm, it’d be hard to say he could be so drained.

Waving his hand, Chen Jing took out a square box and handed it to Yini.

"This is something your father entrusted to me before his death; he asked me to give it to you after I ascended one day."

Yini was slightly startled, and upon opening the box she saw a Picture Recording Stone. With a smile tugging at her lips, she put it away without rushing to check its contents.

She nodded towards Chen Jing, then turned to look at Li Jing.

"Shall I excuse myself?"

Before Li Jing could reply, Chen Jing laughed.

"Now you can also be considered a part of the Li family, it wouldn’t be wrong for you to call me father just like Yuran. Why are you being so deliberate?"

Hearing this, Yini’s mouth twitched.

"You old rascal, taking advantage of me?"

"I’m just stating the truth, right?"

Chen Jing chuckled and said, then he shifted his gaze onto Li Jing.

"Something happened last night, your two mothers couldn’t find time to return, it seems like it won’t be possible for a gathering."

Li Jing nodded.

In a desperate attempt to escape from the never-ending local tours, he had the entire capital covered by his spiritual sense all day, keeping an eye out for the presence of Liu Shi and Jiang Jingxian to make an excuse to escape.

Unfortunately, the presence of the two never showed up...

That both of them were too busy to come back was expected.

Without thinking too much, Li Jing spoke.

"If it’s convenient, could you tell me where they are Uncle? I can go over and see them if you’d like."

"It’s not necessary."

Chen Jing shook his head, and said.

"Both of them said, as long as they know you’re safe, that’s all they need to know."

Having said that, he queried.

"Yuran and Sisi, are they still doing okay?"

"Of course."

Li Jing replied, and laughed.

"As long as I’m here, how could I let them suffer?"

Upon receiving such a response, Chen Jing nodded, then said.

"At most in ten years, we will ascend to the Ascendant Celestial Realm. Even if we want to delay, we can’t. By then, it won’t be too late for us to catch up."

With that said, he smiled slightly.

"Next, I still have lots of things to do, and won’t disturb your intimate chat. See you in the Ascendant Celestial Realm in ten years."

Leaving these words behind, he turned away and took to the skies, disappearing in a flash.

On seeing this, Li Jing unconsciously lifted his head to watch him go.

Jiang Yini also followed suit, before turning around and saying.

"Ten years isn’t too long, at least for us now. So, are we going back to the Immortal Realm next?"

Li Jing didn’t speak, his gaze turning towards the high sky.

As he looked up.

The clouds in the sky gradually formed a figure, the figure of the eldest sister of the Heavenly Path.

Seeing this scene, Li Jing couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

Even if neither he nor Jiang Yini took any action, just bringing her back here was a violation of rules.

This point, he knew from the very beginning.

However, he believed.

That the eldest sister of the Heavenly Path wouldn’t mind temporarily turning a blind eye.

The necessary matters have been dealt with, Jiang Jingxian and Liu Shi couldn’t meet, so they couldn’t stay on Blue Star for too long.

Withdrawing his gaze, Li Jing said.

"There’s no hurry to return. However, we can’t stay on Blue Star much longer either. Since we both ended up getting married here, why not go to the Supreme God Domain for a honeymoon?"

?

Jiang Yini slowly typed out a question mark.

She understood the reasoning.

She and Li Jing shouldn’t be people who could appear on Blue Star.

So.

Why go to the Supreme God Domain!?

Entirely at a loss, Jiang Yini thought for a while, saying.

"Sure, why not. Upon returning it’s nothing but cultivation, cultivation, and more cultivation. I’ve almost grown moldy sitting around for the past hundred years, a walk around the Supreme God Domain sounds good."

Getting her agreement, Li Jing smiled and nodded, pulling out Ling Ling with a wave of his hand.

Ling Ling, who had completed her metamorphosis, no longer needed to hibernate.

The days when she was like a sleeping goddess all the time were no longer.

The little one was engrossingly munching on an unidentified spirit fruit when she was pulled out unexpectedly.

Caught off guard, she paused for a moment, looking around curiously at the somewhat unfamiliar surroundings.

"This place... is Blue Star? Li Jing, how did you end up back here?"

"Just came back for a bit of business."

Li Jing casually responded, saying.

"Ling Ling, do you remember that we once agreed to go to the Supreme God Domain when we had the time?"

"Of course I remember that!"

Ling Ling made a sound, saying.

"I also remember you promised me that if you had time to visit the Supreme God Domain, you would beat up all the Supreme Gods who took advantage of me in the past."

Li Jing was speechless.

When did he make such a promise? He couldn’t remember at all.

Just as he was caught between laughing and crying, Ling Ling was excitedly saying.

"So, finally it’s time for you to visit the Supreme God Domain?"

Li Jing smiled and nodded, saying.

"It’s about time to see Wina, and if the conditions permit, we can bring her back. But before that, Ling Ling, could you open a door?"

"Opening a door? That’s easy!"

Ling Ling happily responded, flying up and raising her head to the sky with an "Ahhhh" sound.

"Boom!"

A wide swath of space shattered.

"..."

Li Jing.

"..."

Jiang Yini.

"That’s it! Let’s ’elbow’!"

The clueless Ling Ling turned around.

As she was speaking, she entered the spatial passage.

Seeing this, Jiang Yini softly said.

"Do you think your father-in-law will beat you with a Seven Wolf when he ascends in ten years?"

Li Jing kept silent, pulling her closer.

"Of all the strategic retreats, escape is the supreme one."