271: Ji Heng's ambition

Prince Ji Heng suddenly shook his head and sighed softly, his gaze sweeping over the table full of delicacies as he said in a heavy tone, "This world... life is truly not easy for those at the bottom. It is just a pity that this prince is currently weak; even with a heart of compassion, I lack the power to act."

He changed the subject, looking at you with burning eyes, "Brother Qin, you are a person of great talent with a brilliant mind. Why have you never considered remaining in my Tianyu Immortal Dynasty to display your ambitions, and perhaps secure some welfare for these ten thousand people?"

You understood clearly in your heart that this was not the first time Prince Ji Heng had hinted at this. Although he did not know your true background, he could conclude that your origins were extraordinary, likely from another high-level continent.

His repeated probing was nothing more than a desire for the power behind you, hoping it could be used for his benefit.

As for your own strength—most people were convinced you were at the Foundation Establishment stage, because your words and actions did not resemble those of a Nascent Soul expert at all. As for Soul Transformation, that was something they had never even considered.

This was not strange—after all, you were only in your thirties. To disguise your words and actions as those of a centuries-old monster, you probably could not learn that kind of depth.

You smiled and shook your head, your tone gentle yet distant, "Your Highness is too kind. I am merely a wild, wandering cultivator who has long been accustomed to the life of a carefree crane in the clouds. I cannot bear the constraints of the imperial court and am truly ill-suited for such a great responsibility."

Prince Ji Heng suddenly leaned forward, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He lowered his voice even further, yet it carried an irrepressible heat:

"Brother Qin, you and I are both sensible people. Look at this Shattered Star Continent; the Spiritual Qi is thin and resources are scarce, as if it were an abandoned world... Now look at Tianyang Star, where the True Spirit Immortal Dynasty sits upon billions of miles of fertile land, with Spiritual Veins like Dragons, yet it is controlled by a group of muddled and incompetent fools!"

His tone was agitated, his fingers unconsciously tightening around his wine cup, "Why should they enjoy the fruits of others' labor while we are trapped in this corner, living under their thumb? This Heavenly Dao is so unfair!"

He suddenly looked up, staring straight into your eyes. There was no longer any concealment in his words as he nakedly displayed his immense ambition:

"If I have the assistance of a great talent like Brother Qin, and we brothers join forces, one day we can reorganize the Shattered Star Continent, sharpen our weapons and train our horses. In the future, it may not be impossible to march our troops to Tianyang and overthrow that decaying True Spirit Immortal Dynasty!"

"At that time," his voice trembled slightly with excitement, "in this vast Immortal Domain, there will be a place for both of us to rule the universe together!"

His words were resounding. The Star-Gazing Pavilion fell silent for a moment, with only the fragrance of the spiritual wine and this world-shocking ambition permeating the air.

"Alas," you feigned a sigh, "my ambition lies in wandering the four corners of the world. In a few years, I will leave the Shattered Star Continent to seek my own Dao path; I fear I must disappoint Brother Ji."

Upon hearing this, a complex look flashed in the depths of Prince Ji Heng's eyes, eventually turning into a trace of genuine heartache—

It was unclear whether he was heartbroken over the talent he had spent so much effort to recruit but failed to secure, or over the priceless spiritual delicacies and immortal brew on the table.

At the same time, a trace of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, and he chuckled inwardly: Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, once things are accomplished, that will be the day I deal with you.

You naturally did not know what he was thinking, nor did you have any interest in his recruitment.

However, you could somewhat understand the predicament he spoke of regarding the Tianyu Immortal Dynasty—because the Tianhuang Continent might face the same situation in the future, perhaps even more severe.

At the same time, you also realized why the Emperor of the Tianyu Immortal Dynasty would directly issue such an apparently absurd imperial decree to recruit you.

Having been in a high position for a long time, one's perspective on many things changes. Perhaps this was also the inherent perception long formed on the Shattered Star Continent.

After all, on this continent, they were truly powerful figures and rulers of a nation; they still had to maintain the imperial majesty that was expected.

You also found it somewhat amusing—these people had tried to probe your background time and time again at the beginning.

When they couldn't find anything, they switched to recruitment.

Then, after the recruitment was successful and you had been used, would they not also discard you once you had served your purpose?

You had encountered this kind of thing long ago.

In your past simulations—wasn't the Emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty just like this?

Actually, from their perspective, this was not necessarily wrong.

If you were the founder of the Qin Clan Immortal Dynasty, you would likely make the same choice for the stability of future generations.

At the same time, you also felt some doubt about Prince Ji Heng's ambition—on what grounds did he think he could leave the Shattered Star Continent and oppose the True Spirit Immortal Dynasty of Tianyang Star?

Although the True Spirit Immortal Dynasty was only considered a third-rate power in the entire Immortal Domain, the other side definitely had Soul Transformation experts, and perhaps even Void Refinement Mighty Ones.

His Tianyu Immortal Dynasty's strongest was only at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, and he himself was only at the Late Golden Core Stage. Where did he get the courage to say such things?

And to think he wasn't afraid of you spreading these words?

Could he be so certain that you were not from the True Spirit Immortal Dynasty?

But thinking about it, that made sense. If you were truly closely related to the True Spirit Immortal Dynasty, you wouldn't be staying in his small Shattered Star Continent.

It seemed this Prince Ji Heng was not simple.

Perhaps there was a powerful force supporting him from behind the scenes.

With this curiosity, you exchanged cups with him and talked freely about everything under the sun.

Soon the banquet ended, and you and Prince Ji Heng left one after the other.

Inside the Star-Gazing Pavilion, the few female Qi Refining attendants who remained confirmed that the noble guests had gone far away, exchanged glances, and could no longer hold back.

They didn't care about the leftovers, almost lunging at the table, carefully and quickly stuffing into their mouths the almost untouched Dragon-patterned shrimp meat, Qilin tendon jelly, and even the last few drops of drunken immortal brew at the bottom of the spiritual wine bottle.

One female attendant licked the mouth of the bottle, then licked her lips, still wanting more, "Hmm... this thousand-year-old drunken immortal brew always haunts my dreams. They are too wasteful; there are still several drops left at the bottom of the bottle."

Another female attendant, her mouth stuffed with the tender juice of the Dragon-patterned shrimp, said indistinctly, "And this Dragon-patterned shrimp meat; guests who order it usually are few and far between. It's rare to encounter it once a year; we are truly lucky this time."

Yet another female attendant chewed on a tendon, licking her lips with a blissful expression, "I really hope these noble guests come often in the future, so we can taste this every day."

"That's useless," complained one female attendant who had swallowed a Snow Phoenix gall, "Last time, Young Master Han Jun of the Han Family also ordered these dishes, and in the end, he packed up everything, not even leaving a single drop of the spiritual wine. We didn't get a single bite."

"Sigh, don't mention that Han Jun. A dignified son of the Prime Minister, yet so stingy."

Everyone, while swallowing greedily, cleaned up efficiently, their eyes filled with both the wild joy of this heaven-sent Opportunity and a trace of complex bewilderment regarding that world above the clouds where money was spent like dirt.

Coincidentally, the scene of them stealing the food was fully captured by your Divine Sense.

As you walked home, you shook your head with a smile.

Even Qin Han didn't like to eat these "delicacies." It was unexpected that in their eyes, they were such precious treats.

You were not intentionally investigating their situation.

In fact, you were paying attention to the little girl named Yu'er—this was the thing you did most often in your spare time.

You had been considering lately whether or not to bring Yu'er to your side.

With this thought in mind, you quickly returned to your residence.