From the fake emperor to the concubine

Old Li nodded, turned and left.

After he left, Zheng Bowen and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close." Zheng Bowen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "If it weren't for that old man Li's intervention, we would probably be in grave danger today."

"Yes," Zheng Hongzhi said, still shaken. "That Zhao Wuji was too strong; the patriarch was no match for him."

Zheng Yi remained silent.

Today's events made him acutely aware of his shortcomings. Although his strength was among the top in the Xuan Tian Domain, in the Tian Yuan Domain, he couldn't even defeat a Great Ascension Stage 1 cultivator.

If it weren't for Elder Li's intervention, he would definitely have died at Zhao Wuji's hands today.

"I must become stronger," Zheng Yi secretly resolved.

Only by becoming stronger can one survive in this dog-eat-dog world, protect those around them, avenge Xiaoyue, and uncover the truth about her origins.

"Fellow Daoist Zheng, your injuries..." Liu Ruyan looked at Zheng Yi's wounds with concern.

"It's alright, I won't die," Zheng Yi said with a wry smile. "But I definitely need to rest and recuperate for a while."

He sat down cross-legged and began to regulate his breathing to heal his injuries.

This injury was even more severe than the last time he crossed the dimensional gate; his meridians were damaged, his internal organs were injured, and his spiritual energy was almost completely depleted. If it weren't for the help of the Primordial Jade Pendant, it would probably have taken a very long time to fully recover.

No one dared to disturb him, and they each found a place to rest.

As night fell, the city lord's mansion fell silent.

Deep within the city lord's mansion, in a study, Elder Li was conversing with a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man, dressed in a brocade robe, possessed an extraordinary air; he was none other than Chen Tianyu, the city lord of Qingyun City.

"Elder Li, why did you save those people?" Chen Tianyu asked疑惑地问道, "The people from the Town Commandery are not to be trifled with; doing this will bring trouble to the City Lord's Mansion."

"Just a minor inconvenience," Old Li said casually. "That young man is quite interesting."

"Interesting?" Chen Tianyu asked, puzzled.

"He has comprehended the laws of spacetime," Elder Li said. "Moreover, he possesses a special treasure whose aura is very familiar."

"What treasure?"

"If I am not mistaken, it should be the Primordial Jade Pendant."

"The Hunyuan Jade Pendant?" Chen Tianyu exclaimed in surprise. "The legendary relic of the Hunyuan Immortal? Wasn't that treasure already lost?"

"It seems it wasn't lost," said Elder Li. "That young man obtained it from somewhere. You should know the value of this treasure."

A glint of greed flashed in Chen Tianyu's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

"What Mr. Li means is..."

“Let’s observe for a while,” Old Li said. “If that young man is sensible and willing to cooperate with us, then everyone will be happy. If he isn’t…”

He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

Chen Tianyu nodded, a knowing look on his face.

"I see."

In the study, the two exchanged a smile, each lost in their own thoughts.

After Zheng Yi settled in the city lord's mansion, Old Li took meticulous care of him.

Every day, a special person delivered precious healing pills, including some rare medicinal herbs that even Zheng Yi couldn't name. These pills were of extremely high quality and had miraculous effects on repairing meridians and internal organs, greatly accelerating Zheng Yi's recovery.

In addition, Elder Li personally set up a spirit-gathering array for Zheng Yi. This array could gather spiritual energy from within a radius of several miles into Zheng Yi's room, allowing him to achieve twice the results with half the effort during cultivation.

"Isn't Old Li being too kind to us?" Zheng Bowen said somewhat uneasily. "Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious. What does he really want?"

“I don’t know either,” Zheng Yi said. “But whatever he wants, we have no other choice now. The people from the Town Guard are still waiting outside; if we leave the City Lord’s Mansion, they will definitely catch us.”

“The patriarch is right,” Zheng Hongzhi nodded. “We can only take it one step at a time for now. We’ll figure out a way to leave this place once the patriarch’s injuries have healed.”

Zheng Yi nodded and continued his seclusion to heal his injuries.

Time passes day by day.

With the help of precious elixirs and a spirit-gathering array, Zheng Yi's injuries healed quickly. Half a month later, his meridians and internal organs were completely repaired, and his spiritual power had returned to its peak.

But Zheng Yi did not stop cultivating.

He discovered that the power within the Primordial Jade Pendant seemed to have been activated by that battle. That power was slowly seeping into his body, helping him consolidate his cultivation and even propelling him towards a higher realm.

"This is..." Zheng Yi was pleasantly surprised to find that he was getting closer and closer to the threshold of the late stage of the Integration Realm.

He seized this opportunity and devoted himself to cultivation.

A month later.

Zheng Yi sat cross-legged in the center of the room, his body surrounded by surging spiritual energy that formed a huge vortex. The vortex continuously absorbed the spiritual energy gathered by the spirit-gathering array, transforming it into spiritual power within Zheng Yi's body.

His aura was steadily rising.

Peak of the mid-stage of the Fusion Realm.
The ultimate stage of the Integration Realm.
Finally, at a certain moment, Zheng Yi's aura broke through that invisible barrier and entered a completely new realm.

Late stage of the Fusion Realm!
boom--

A terrifying pressure erupted from Zheng Yi, sweeping across the entire side courtyard. Zheng Bowen and the others were so overwhelmed by this pressure that they could hardly breathe and retreated.

"Patriarch...you've broken through?" Zheng Bowen said in disbelief.

"Yes!" Zheng Hongzhi's face lit up with ecstasy. "The patriarch has broken through to the late stage of the Integration Realm!"

Liu Ruyan was also extremely excited. The late stage of the Integration Realm was a rare strength in the entire Xuan Tian Domain. And how old was Zheng Yi? He had actually reached that level; he was simply a monstrous genius.

Zheng Yi slowly opened his eyes, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

He could sense that his strength had increased significantly compared to before. Not only was his spiritual power more abundant, but his understanding of the laws of spacetime had also deepened.

"Late stage of the Integration Realm," Zheng Yi murmured, "finally broken through."

This breakthrough was thanks to the Hunyuan Jade Pendant. The power contained within that pendant helped him greatly at the crucial moment, allowing him to successfully cross that threshold.

Just as Zheng Yi broke through, deep within the City Lord's Mansion, Elder Li suddenly opened his eyes.

"That aura..." His expression changed slightly. "That kid broke through?"

He hadn't expected Zheng Yi to break through to the late stage of the Integration Realm in such a short time. It's important to understand that progressing from the mid to late stage of the Integration Realm usually requires decades or even centuries of accumulation. Zheng Yi, however, accomplished it in just one month.

"It really is the effect of the Hunyuan Jade Pendant," Old Li murmured, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

The Primordial Jade Pendant is a legendary treasure that can greatly enhance one's cultivation. He had thought it was just a legend, but he never expected it to be true.

"I must obtain this treasure," Elder Li secretly resolved. However, Zheng Yi was now at the late stage of the Integration Realm, and his strength was not to be underestimated. If he were to force his way in, it would likely cause trouble.

"It seems we need to change our strategy," Old Li said thoughtfully.

He stood up and walked towards the side courtyard where Zheng Yi was.

Zheng Yi had just broken through and was consolidating his realm. Suddenly, he sensed a powerful aura approaching.

"Old Li is here." Zheng Yi opened his eyes.

A moment later, Old Li appeared in the courtyard.

"Congratulations, young friend Zheng, on breaking through to the late stage of the Integration Realm," Elder Li said with a smile. "Truly a cause for celebration."

"Thank you very much for taking care of me during this time, Elder Li." Zheng Yi stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Without the pills and formations provided by Elder Li, I wouldn't have been able to recover so quickly, let alone break through to the next level."

"It's nothing, not worth mentioning," Elder Li waved his hand. "I see that young friend Zheng has extraordinary talent and exceptional physique; he's a rare cultivation prodigy. This little bit of help is nothing."

Zheng Yi became secretly wary. Old Li's attitude was far too enthusiastic; he must have some ulterior motive.

"I wonder what business Elder Li has with me?" Zheng Yi asked.

"It's nothing serious," Old Li said. "I just wanted to chat with young friend Zheng and get to know him better."

He sat down on the stone bench and gestured for Zheng Yi to sit down as well.

Zheng Yi sat down as instructed, waiting for Elder Li to speak.

“Young friend Zheng comes from the Xuan Tian Domain, so you probably don’t know much about the Tian Yuan Domain, right?” Elder Li asked.

“That’s true.” Zheng Yi nodded. “I’m new here and know nothing about this place.”

"Then let me introduce it to you," Elder Li said. "The Tianyuan Domain is a vast world, many times larger than your Xuantian Domain. Powerful individuals abound here, and numerous factions exist. To survive, one must attach oneself to a powerful force."

“I understand,” Zheng Yi said.

"Although Qingyun City is just a small border town, there are quite a few powerful forces entrenched there," Elder Li continued. "The largest of these is the City Lord's Mansion. City Lord Chen Tianyu is a powerful expert at the early stage of the Mahayana realm and is very renowned in this area."

"Is Elder Li from the City Lord's Mansion?" Zheng Yi asked.

"I am a retainer of the City Lord's Mansion," Elder Li said, "responsible for handling some special matters."

"I see." Zheng Yi understood.

The so-called "officials" are actually highly skilled individuals kept by the city lord's mansion. They don't usually have to do anything, but they are required to serve the city lord's mansion in crucial moments.

"Young friend Zheng, I have a suggestion," Elder Li suddenly said, "would you be willing to join the City Lord's Mansion and become one of us?"

"Join the City Lord's Mansion?" Zheng Yi was taken aback.

“That’s right,” Elder Li said. “With young friend Zheng’s talent and strength, if you join the City Lord’s Mansion, you will definitely be highly valued. At that time, the people from the Town Commandery won’t dare to cause you any more trouble.”

Zheng Yi remained silent for a moment.

He knew this was an olive branch extended by Elder Li. Joining the City Lord's Mansion could indeed solve his current predicament. But he also knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. The City Lord's Mansion would definitely ask him to do something in exchange.

"I appreciate Elder Li's kindness," Zheng Yi said, "but I'm used to being free and independent, and not really suited to joining any faction."

Old Li's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.

“Young friend Zheng, there’s no need to rush to refuse,” he said with a smile. “You can take your time to consider it. I’m just offering a suggestion; the final decision is yours.”

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Li," Zheng Yi said.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Mr. Li took his leave.

After he left, Zheng Bowen and the others surrounded him.

"Master, does that old man Li have some ulterior motive?" Zheng Bowen asked.

“Definitely,” Zheng Yi said. “He saved us and took care of us; it certainly wasn’t for no reason. We just don’t know what he wants yet.”

"Could it be that he wants the patriarch to work for him?" Zheng Hongzhi guessed.

"Very likely," Zheng Yi nodded. "In any case, we must be vigilant. This Old Li is not simple; we cannot easily trust him."

Everyone nodded and dispersed.

In the following days, Old Li did not come to see Zheng Yi again. But Zheng Yi could sense that someone was secretly monitoring them and recording their every move.

"It seems the City Lord's Mansion doesn't quite trust us," Zheng Yi thought to himself.

He ignored the people watching him and continued his secluded cultivation.

Although he has broken through to the late stage of the Integration Realm, his cultivation is still unstable and needs time to consolidate. Moreover, there are still many cultivation techniques in the Primordial Jade Pendant that he has not yet comprehended, and he needs to seize the time to learn them.

Another half month passed.

On this day, Old Li came to the side courtyard again.

"Young friend Zheng, it's been a long time," Elder Li said with a smile. "How's your cultivation going?"

"Not bad," Zheng Yi said. "Thanks to the resources provided by Elder Li, my cultivation has stabilized."

"That's good." Old Li nodded. "Young friend Zheng, I've come today to discuss something with you."

"What's up?"

"That's right," Elder Li said. "The City Lord's Mansion has recently encountered some trouble and needs a master to help resolve it. After much thought, I believe young friend Zheng is the most suitable candidate."

"What's the trouble?" Zheng Yi asked.

"About a hundred miles outside Qingyun City, there is an abandoned mine," Elder Li said. "That mine used to belong to the City Lord's Mansion, but it was abandoned for some reason. Recently, we discovered that a treasure seems to have emerged from the depths of the mine, attracting many people to explore it."

"A treasure?" Zheng Yi became interested.

“That’s right,” Elder Li said. “According to our intelligence, that treasure should be a Heavenly Origin Crystal. Heavenly Origin Crystals are the most precious mineral in the Heavenly Origin Domain, and they are extremely helpful for cultivation. A Heavenly Origin Crystal the size of a fist is worth millions of spirit stones.”

"So precious?" Zheng Yi asked in surprise.

“Of course,” Elder Li said. “Heavenly Origin Crystals are extremely rare; you can find only a handful in the entire Heavenly Origin Domain. Obtaining one would certainly be of great benefit to young friend Zheng’s cultivation.”

Zheng Yi was tempted.

What he needs most right now is to improve his cultivation. If he could obtain the Heavenly Origin Crystal, he might be able to break through to the Great Ascension stage even faster.

"But the problem is," Old Li changed the subject, "that mine is now occupied by a group of bandits. Those bandits are quite powerful; their leader is a powerful early-stage Mahayana cultivator. The city lord's men have gone there several times, but all have returned empty-handed."

“Early stage of Mahayana Buddhism?” Zheng Yi frowned.

Although he is now in the late stage of the Integration Realm, he still struggles against a powerhouse in the early stage of the Mahayana Realm. He had experienced this firsthand when he fought Zhao Wuji last time.

“Young friend Zheng, there’s no need to worry.” Elder Li saw his concerns. “I will send someone to assist you. Besides, although that bandit leader is only at the early stage of the Mahayana realm, his strength is not great, and he can’t compare to a proper cultivator like Zhao Wuji. With your talent, young friend Zheng, you should be able to handle him.” (End of Chapter)