Ao Guang also got down and continued to lie on the Dinghai Divine Needle. Looking at Ao Bing, a slight smile finally appeared on his tense face.
Time flies when you're reading a novel; before you know it, a day has passed and the next morning has arrived.
Eight hours had passed, but Lin Qing felt as if only one or two hours had gone by.
"Second Uncle, Second Uncle, Father, I've arrived! My Divine Dragon Technique has broken through to the second level!" Overjoyed, Ao Bing ran over like the wind.
Ao Guang immediately burst into laughter, saying, "My son is truly a prodigy! Haha! Heaven blesses our dragon clan!"
Lin Qing: "Don't listen to your father's nonsense. You should know that genius is 99% effort and 1% talent. So, hard work and diligence are an indispensable part of your life."
Ao Bing smiled broadly: "Hehe, don't worry, Second Uncle, I've always been very hardworking and diligent."
Lin Qing nodded calmly, showing no surprise at all that Ao Bing had raised the Divine Dragon Technique to the second level in just one day.
After all, Ao Bing had been cultivating the Divine Dragon Technique every day for the past two years. Although he wouldn't be making any progress in his cultivation, the feeling was still there.
He naturally broke through to the second level, and immediately Lin Qing began to help Ao Bing refine the seal.
Furthermore, he also integrated the original power of his own Samadhi Divine Fire into Ao Bing's body.
With Lin Qing's help, Ao Bing's Samadhi True Fire undoubtedly advanced to Samadhi Divine Fire, regaining balance with the power of ice.
Furthermore, with the Divine Dragon Technique reaching the second level, this problem would no longer occur. At this moment, Ao Bing began to absorb the spiritual power within the seal.
Because it was spiritual energy he had cultivated himself, Ao Bing absorbed it at an exceptionally rapid pace, and his aura steadily increased.
Before long, his cultivation reached the mid-stage of Earth Immortal, officially surpassing his father, Ao Guang, who was at the early stage of Earth Immortal.
Lin Qing sighed in admiration, thinking that Ao Bing was indeed a gifted child, the darling of the world. In just three years, he had surpassed his father, which was simply terrifying.
Even Lin Qing admitted his inferiority. After so many years, the system had only surpassed him by one major realm, although that one major realm was an insurmountable gap.
Furthermore, with the support of the Samadhi Divine Fire and the chilling energy of the Spirit Pearl, Ao Bing's strength is far beyond the mid-stage.
It was midday when, quite abruptly, a figure appeared behind Lin Qing, who was enjoying a meal with Ao Bing.
No dragon noticed anything amiss; only Lin Qing, with his keen senses, sensed something was off about his surroundings.
With a thought, he released his divine sense and immediately discovered that there was a person standing behind him, which greatly surprised him.
Then, with a reaction speed of one-thousandth of a second, he teleported to a distance with Ao Bing and roared, "Who?"
Lin Qing's roar woke up Ao Guang and all the dragons. Ao Guang looked closely, trembled, and then stretched out his huge head and bowed respectfully on the rock, saying:
"Greetings, Jade Emperor." Ao Guang remained extremely loyal to the Jade Emperor, a fact that Lin Qing could not change, as was the case with the entire Dragon Clan.
The dragons greeted the Jade Emperor.
"So it was the Jade Emperor himself who graced us with his presence. I was momentarily flustered. Please forgive me," Lin Qing said, cupping his hands in greeting.
"Ao Bing greets the Jade Emperor." Ao Bing also bowed in imitation.
The Jade Emperor smiled and said, "Hehe, I didn't expect you to have actually reached the realm of a Celestial Immortal, and even reached the peak of the mid-stage Celestial Immortal."
Chapter 340 The Terrifying Jade Emperor (Please subscribe, vote for monthly tickets, and recommend this chapter)
Lin Qing replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Majesty flatters me; it was merely a fluke."
Lin Qing sensed from the faint aura emanating from the Jade Emperor that he would be utterly powerless against him.
"Is this the terror of the mythical world?" Lin Qing thought to himself, secretly alarmed.
Thinking about the Three Pure Ones and Lu Ya Daoist above the Jade Emperor, Lin Qing decided that keeping a low profile was the best approach. o(╥﹏╥)o
The Jade Emperor looked at Ao Bing: "This little fellow is not bad; he has actually reached the mid-stage of Earth Immortal. Judging from the aura within him, it seems..."
Before Lin Qing could speak, Ao Guang spoke first: "Your Majesty, this is my son Ao Bing, who is the reincarnation of the Spirit Pearl, so his talent is exceptionally strong."
Lin Qing breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Ao Guang had not revealed the Ancestral Dragon bloodline in him and Ao Bing. It seemed that he would have to give him some serious instructions later.
If word got out that Lin Qing and Ao Bing possessed the bloodline of the Ancestral Dragon, not only the Jade Emperor, but even the Three Pure Ones would want to take them away.
For no other reason than the two people who could break through to the level of the Ancestral Dragon. If they could be controlled, they would become exceptionally powerful henchmen in the future.
Even extracting the power of one's bloodline to refine magical artifacts or fusing it into oneself would be a good option.
You must know that the Ancestral Dragon was the first divine dragon born after Pangu separated heaven and earth at the beginning of chaos, and its strength was incomparably powerful.
In ancient times, during the great war between the three races, the Ancestral Dragon fought against the alliance of the Phoenix Ancestor and the Ancestral Qilin single-handedly, holding his own. In the end, all three were severely injured and he had to leave the stage in despair.
But that also proves the strength of the Ancestral Dragon, so this information about Lin Qing and Ao Bing must not be leaked.
The Jade Emperor actually knew: "Oh? The reincarnation of the Spirit Pearl? Could it be the Spirit Pearl that the Primordial Celestial Venerable destroyed three years ago?"
Lin Qing: "That's right, that's exactly right. I was fortunate enough to obtain the Spirit Pearl, so I reincarnated it into Bing'er's dragon egg."
"Very good, haha." The Jade Emperor burst into laughter.
I can't be unhappy. Right now, the Heavenly Court is basically just the Jade Emperor as a figurehead with only a handful of subordinates. It's only a rare thing that a dragon clan has submitted to the Heavenly Court.
However, to suppress the evil beasts of the sea, the dragon race cannot be allowed to leave. As for why I don't do it myself, that's what the will of Heaven dictates.
Those with cultivation levels above the Celestial Immortal realm cannot act in the mortal world; otherwise, the Heavenly Dao will punish them, and even they will not be able to withstand it.
Lin Qing knew nothing of this. He still didn't know why the Jade Emperor had come in person or why he hadn't sent a few celestial beings.
Lin Qingke always thought that Erlang Shen was also in the Heavenly Court. In fact, the Heavenly Court was only truly established after the Investiture of the Gods was created.
Famous deities like Erlang Shen and Nezha only submitted to the Heavenly Court during this period.
Right now, the only one who can fight in Heaven is the Jade Emperor, and there are probably one or two other celestial immortals and earth immortals as his subordinates, but we don't know where they are suppressing some demons or monsters.
The Jade Emperor said with a smile, "Ao Qing, take me to see the reinforced formation you've made."
Lin Qing nodded: "Your Majesty, please come with me to the Lava Purgatory!"
After saying that, he jumped into the lava inferno first, followed closely by the Jade Emperor. Ao Bing also wanted to jump down, but was stopped by Ao Guang's words, "Bing'er".
Lin Qing led the Jade Emperor to inspect all the spirit fire arrays unknown to the Lava Purgatory. The Jade Emperor did not make any statement, but just smiled.
During this time, when Lin Qing first entered, the three bosses released their auras to provoke him. After the Jade Emperor entered, the three bosses cowered like lambs.
Afterwards, the two returned to the underwater purgatory. As soon as they came up, Ao Guang couldn't wait to ask, "Your Majesty, what do you think of this formation? Can it help my dragon clan escape from the underwater purgatory?"
The Jade Emperor nodded and said, "Very good. Although the formation is quite ordinary, the sheer number of primordial divine flames is truly rare."
"These divine flames also perfectly channeled divine power into the sword domain array, and added the power of the divine flames to the array."
Lin Qing slowly said, "Your Majesty, can my dragon clan escape this underwater hell? My dragon clan has been suppressed for thousands of years, and has never left for a moment."
Now, the entire dragon race eagerly awaited the Jade Emperor's reply.
After pondering for a moment, the Jade Emperor said, "Since the evil beasts of the sea no longer need the divine power of the dragon race to suppress them, you may leave the underwater purgatory!"
"Nowadays, there are more and more monsters in the sea, causing great suffering to the people. You will guard the four seas in the east, west, south and north for me."
Upon hearing this, Ao Guang was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The dragons wept with joy, and Ao Bing also bowed deeply in gratitude. He had been outside and knew how beautiful it was.
Lin Qing breathed a sigh of relief. The first step of the main quest, escaping the underwater hell, was complete. Only the final step remained: not being able to be listed on the Investiture of the Gods.
Jade Emperor: "Alright, now that the Investiture of the Gods is about to begin, your Dragon Clan cannot stand aside. You two can focus on guarding the four seas. Ao Qing and Ao Bing, you two will come with me to the Heavenly Court."
Upon hearing the Jade Emperor's words, Lin Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, what are you going to do?"
The Jade Emperor, perhaps also referring to his subordinates, immediately explained to Lin Qing, "The Heavenly Court is currently facing a severe shortage of manpower, and several of our generals are currently suppressing demons or dangerous places."
"Your mid-stage Celestial Immortal realm is among the best in my ranks."
Upon hearing the Jade Emperor's words, Lin Qing suddenly slapped his forehead and remembered, thinking to himself, "Damn, how could I forget? Erlang Shen only joined the Heavenly Court during the Investiture of the Gods."
"The Jade Emperor is currently a lone commander, but if he joins now, the Investiture of the Gods will be in a difficult position."
You must know that once you're on the Investiture of the Gods list, your cultivation level can no longer be improved, and you'll be subject to various rules and regulations of the Heavenly Court. Most importantly, Lin Qing's mission is off-limits.
Lin Qing: "Your Majesty, the Dragon Clan has just escaped the underwater hell and still needs me to suppress those powerful demonic beasts."
"As for Bing'er, he is only three years old this year, and it is really hard to bear for him to leave his father. So..."
"I humbly request Your Majesty to grant us some time, not much, three years will suffice. Heaven is one year on earth, so three years is three days in heaven."
Ao Guang and Ao Bing wisely remained silent, while the Jade Emperor frowned and pondered.
After a short while, the Jade Emperor's brows slowly relaxed and he said, "Granted. Three years from now, you will activate this token, and I will send someone to escort you two to the Heavenly Court."
Lin Qing caught the token, and then the Jade Emperor prepared to leave. Suddenly, Lin Qing spoke again:
"Your Majesty, there is another matter I would like to ask for your help with. Bing'er is exceptionally gifted, but the supernatural abilities of my Dragon Clan are truly pitifully few."
"Your subject wishes to obtain a supernatural power for Bing'er, or perhaps to have Bing'er become the Jade Emperor's disciple, so that our Dragon Clan may pledge allegiance to him to the death."
Chapter 341 Becoming an Apprentice (Please subscribe, vote for monthly tickets, and recommend this book)
This is one of Lin Qing's strategies. Three years is enough time for Lin Qing to eliminate all threats in the sea.
The Great War of the Gods will definitely not break out during these three years, so the main quest can be completed within these three years.
When the time comes, it will be time for Lin Qing to retire successfully. But now, he is preparing a way out for the Dragon Clan and for Ao Bing.
The Jade Emperor had a very low success rate in accepting Ao Bing as his disciple, but he still had to give it a try, since there was nothing to lose.
As soon as Lin Qing spoke, the entire dragon clan fell silent. Ao Guang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, while Ao Bing stood there blankly, lost in thought.
At this point, even the Jade Emperor was speechless. He had only come to check on the formation and, incidentally, brought Ao Qing back as a subordinate to give instructions.
Now things are really complicated. First, they refused, saying he could only go to Heaven in three years, and now they're taking him as a disciple. The Jade Emperor's expression suddenly became extremely serious.
The Jade Emperor coldly said, "Ao Qing, do you know what you're saying?"
Lin Qing maintained his humble yet assertive tone: "Bing'er is the reincarnation of the Spirit Pearl, and possesses two unique elements: the Samadhi Divine Fire and the Spirit Pearl's Cold Qi. His talent is incomparably powerful."
"He has already reached the mid-stage of Earth Immortal in just three years. It's only a matter of time before he surpasses me. Our Dragon Clan will have to rely on Bing'er from now on."
Ao Guang didn't dare to utter a sound. The Jade Emperor's eyes were fixed on Lin Qing, but he didn't unleash the slightest bit of his aura.
After a while, the Jade Emperor suddenly smiled, then looked at Ao Bing without saying a word.
When Lin Qing saw the Jade Emperor suddenly laugh, he knew that things were settled.