Chapter 865 - 300: Invitation from the Divine Hall, Divine Venerable
"Going to the Jing Family will do you a lot of good. Besides, Jing Fengyu also said that even if you go to the Jing Family, the relationship between you and me as master and disciple won’t change. If you don’t take advantage when it’s offered, wouldn’t that be foolish?" Mu Qingge said with a faint laugh.
She didn’t place much importance on family background and clans.
For her, if returning to the Jing Family could let Jing Hai reach another level, then that was a very cost‑effective deal!
"But Xiao Hai doesn’t want to leave Luoxing City, doesn’t want to leave Instructor, and doesn’t want to leave everyone." Jing Hai muttered. In his heart, he had long since taken Luoxing City as his own home, and every person in Luoxing City as his family. As for Mu Qingge, he regarded her as a combination of parent, benefactor, and elder sister.
If he had to give all this up and return to the Jing Family just to become stronger, he was utterly unwilling.
Mu Qingge raised her hand and lightly patted Jing Hai’s shoulder, comforting him: "So don’t rush. Even if this deal is worth it, it still needs to be negotiated. Just wait and see what kind of price Jing Fengyu will offer next time we meet him."
With that, she flicked her sleeve and left, ending this topic.
However, Jing Hai still stood where he was, a bit dazed. He scratched his hair, not quite understanding the meaning hidden in his Instructor’s words.
...
The separate courtyard Mo Yang had arranged in advance was all set up according to Mu Qingge’s preferences.
After moving in, the Dragon Tooth Guards busied themselves in all directions.
Mu Feng came to Mu Qingge’s side, a troubled look on his face as he said, "This time we came without bringing You He and the others. It’s an inconvenience for Young Master." Men and women were different, so naturally they couldn’t attend to Mu Qingge at close quarters.
Mu Qingge, however, didn’t mind at all and said with a smile, "I’m not that delicate; I can take care of myself. Besides, the Divine Tomb will open in just a few days, and after that I’ll be entering the Divine Tomb. What would I bring them here for?"
Mu Feng lowered his eyes in silence and did not continue this topic.
Mu Qingge sat in a chair, her fingers casually tapping on the table as she said to Mu Feng, "Do you know why I brought you and Jing Hai along this time?"
Mu Feng looked up and slowly shook his head.
He was also very curious. With so many people in Luoxing City, why did the Young Master choose none of the others and instead pick them, whose strength was relatively weak, to accompany her?
Mu Qingge laughed.
There was deeper meaning hidden in that smile: "You and Jing Hai have had too little contact with the outside world." Jing Hai was still alright; he would occasionally go out to perform Dragon Teeth missions.
But Mu Feng...
Before he submitted, Mu Feng had spent every day immersed in Cultivation, rarely even stepping out of his own front gate.
After submitting, he was left in Luoxing City, yet he still devoted himself to Cultivation, seldom paying attention to what was happening in the outside world.
"I’m not saying that your single‑minded Cultivation is bad, but you also can’t just shut yourself in and build things behind closed doors. If you want to improve, if you want to become stronger, besides Cultivation, you also need real combat experience." Mu Qingge’s gaze gradually grew serious.
Mu Feng’s resolute eyes fixed on her, his lips pressed into a line as he listened intently.
Mu Qingge slowly stood up and continued, "So‑called real combat isn’t the kind of sparring in Luoxing City where you stop before going too far. It means going through true life‑and‑death battles and honing your strength on the edge between life and death."
Mu Feng’s face was taut; he did not refute.
Because he had no grounds to refute. What Mu Qingge said was pure truth, and it was precisely the problem he himself had.
"So, I brought you here to give you two a task." Mu Qingge stood in front of Mu Feng. "Jing Hai is now entangled with the Jing Family, so his matter will be put aside for the moment. But you... Do you know that in the Central Continent Sky City there’s a place called Purgatory?"
Mu Feng’s eyes abruptly narrowed; he seemed to already understand what Mu Qingge meant.
Mu Qingge’s clear eyes captured every subtle change in Mu Feng’s expression. Seeing his reaction, she nodded and said, "Mm, looks like your information isn’t as outdated as I thought. At least, you know of this place."
Mu Feng moved his lips slightly and said in a deep voice, "It’s said that Purgatory is full of the most vicious and violent people. It gathers the greatest villains of the Five Continents. After committing utterly heinous crimes, they flee into Purgatory and can thus escape pursuit from their enemies. Inside, it’s filled with evil, sin, filth, corruption, and darkness. Those who go in, even if they come out in the end, will have shed several layers of skin. That place is known as a land of nine deaths and one life."
Mu Qingge nodded, a hint of amusement flickering in her eyes. "Looks like you know quite a bit. That’s right, it’s exactly such a place. After I enter the Divine Tomb, don’t just idle around—take a trip to Purgatory. Whether you can come out alive will depend on your own ability."
Mu Feng suddenly looked up at Mu Qingge, then dropped to one knee and pledged to her, "Mu Feng will not fail the Young Master’s expectations. I will definitely break through Purgatory and return alive to Luoxing City!"
"Good! I’ll remember your words. And I hope that when you’re inside, no matter what happens, you’ll remember this promise." Mu Qingge nodded.
Mu Feng nodded heavily.
Mu Qingge added, "You must remember, if Jing Hai goes to the Jing Family, then you’ll be the only one entering. No matter what happens, no one will help you—everything will depend on yourself."
"Yes, I’ll remember," Mu Feng said with solemn nod.
"Alright, spend these next few days resting well in the courtyard and prepare yourself properly for entering Purgatory. The more thoroughly you prepare, the greater your chances of walking out alive." Mu Qingge dismissed Mu Feng.
As for this Purgatory in the Central Continent, she had in fact known about it long ago.
Once, she had wanted to make the trip personally as well. But what happened afterward was completely unexpected, and she never had the time. Now that she had truly arrived in the Central Continent, there was already no need for her to go to Purgatory.
Purgatory was useful only as a tempering ground for those whose cultivation was below the Golden Realm Fourth Layer.
Right now she was at the peak of the Golden Realm Sixth Layer; even if she went in, she would just sweep through everything, and it would be of no use to her cultivation at all. But for people like Jing Hai and Mu Feng, who both lacked real combat experience, it would be extremely useful.
After Mu Feng left, Mu Qingge rested alone in the room.
She hadn’t expected that, the moment she came to the Central Continent, she would run into Jing Fengyu and then receive such an unexpected benefit.
If Jing Hai could cultivate in the Jing Family, it would naturally be excellent for him.
Mu Qingge smiled, took out a Communication Talisman, and said to it, "I’ve already arrived at Sky City, when will you get here?" Once she finished speaking, the Teleportation Talisman in her hand turned into a streak of light and shot into the sky.
After the time it took for one stick of incense to burn, the radiance turned back and fell before her, transforming into a human figure.
"Qingge, wait for us, we’ll be there in two days!" Who else could that figure be if not Ji Yaohua?
"Oh right, I came together with Ying Ze and Yao Xinghai, ha!"
After saying that, the figure disappeared.
Mu Qingge furrowed her brows, her expression a bit strange as she muttered, "Yao Xinghai? How did those three end up together when they’re from completely different corners of the world?" It was no wonder she thought so. Ying Ze was in the West Continent, Ji Yaohua in the Northern Continent, and Yao Xinghai in the East Continent—yet these three had actually arrived together and were even traveling the same route.
Mu Qingge raised an eyebrow, muttering in her heart: ’Most likely those three went out to train together.’
Her guess wasn’t wrong; she just didn’t know that a year ago, in Luoxing City, after she publicly announced her relationship with Si Mo to the world, the three of them, who had been squeezed in the crowd below, happened to run into each other.
They had originally planned to form a team anyway. As it turned out, they happened to meet in Luoxing City, watched Ji Yaohua and Ying Ze’s "show" to the end, Yao Xinghai gave up as well, and the three simply joined up and went off to some place for training. They had only just come out not long ago and then rushed straight toward the Central Continent without stopping.
Meanwhile, the people from each of their families set off from the various continents to converge in the Central Continent.
...
Mu Qingge rested for a day in the auxiliary courtyard of Sky City.
The next day, the people from the Jing Family did not arrive, but an uninvited guest did.
When the Divine Disciple from the Divine Hall was led to her and she saw the invitation he presented with both hands, Mu Qingge’s brows arched slightly.
The people of the Divine Hall were actually sending her an invitation?
This was beyond her expectations. During this period, she and the Divine Hall had always been locked in a covert struggle. She had come to the Central Continent, the Divine Hall’s turf; instead of making trouble for her, they sent over an invitation?
Mu Qingge smiled with a hint of amusement at the corner of her lips and accepted the invitation.
The Divine Disciple said, "The Divine Venerable says he will quietly await City Lord Mu’s arrival tomorrow." After speaking, he withdrew.
After he left, Mu Feng walked to Mu Qingge’s side and asked with a frown, "What does this Divine Hall mean? They secretly sent people to assassinate the Young Master, and now they send someone with an open invitation. Could it be that... there’s some conspiracy behind tomorrow’s invitation?"
Mu Qingge wasn’t particularly concerned about his worry.
Putting down the invitation in her hand, Mu Qingge said, "This is Sky City, the headquarters of the Divine Hall. If something happens to me here, whether it has anything to do with them or not, they’ll be dragged into it. Since they’ve always acted from the shadows before, they won’t be so stupid now. The invitation was sent by them; if something happens to me in the Divine Hall tomorrow, they cannot escape responsibility."
"Young Master means... you’re going to go?" Mu Feng asked nervously.
Mu Qingge raised a brow. "Go, why wouldn’t I go!" She also wanted to know what scheme the Divine Venerable had in mind in asking to see her.
"Then I’ll go make preparations," Mu Feng said.
Mu Qingge turned her eyes toward him in surprise. "Prepare what?"
Mu Feng replied, "Naturally to arrange manpower for tomorrow."
Mu Qingge chuckled and shook her head. "No need. Tomorrow, I’ll go by myself."
"What! How can that be?" Mu Feng exclaimed.
Mu Qingge said with a smile, "There’s nothing wrong with it. The fact that he sent me an invitation means he won’t truly do anything to me. At most he wants to knock me around verbally and deliver some final ultimatum. Setting aside the question of whether it’s any use to bring people to the Divine Hall’s headquarters—even if I did, in the eyes of the people of the Divine Hall, it would only make me look timid and afraid."
"Still, even so, for Young Master to go alone is too dangerous," Mu Feng said with a frown.
Mu Qingge waved her hand. "It’s fine, I have my own plans. You all just stay in the auxiliary courtyard with an easy mind." She had the Divine Demon Puppet in her space, and Gu Ya and Gu Ye were secretly protecting her... Even if the Divine Hall was a place inconvenient for the two of them to enter, they could still know her situation, so what was there to fear?
If things really came to the worst, she’d just dive into her space—who could do anything to her then?