That’s what Song Zining said, but running away wasn’t a viable option at the moment. The other airship approached rapidly and put itself in their flight path. The two airships slowed down at the same time after confirming each other’s identity, hovering together and aligning their doors.

A capable-looking man in his thirties walked into the cabin and bowed. “Commander Qianye, an old friend wishes to see you. She says you’ll know who she is after seeing this.”

The man produced a small box, which he opened to reveal a gem inside.

Qianye had never seen the gem, but he could sense the origin power aura from it. His own aura was in there along with an unfathomable, shifting energy that was both alien and familiar. Qianye immediately thought of an old friend, Ji Tianqing.

Song Zining also sensed her aura. He sighed in relief at first, but he became secretly concerned again after careful examination.

Qianye never sensed the abnormality. He said to the man, “Who gave you this item?”

The man did not reply. He merely bowed and waited for Qianye’s decision.

After some thought, Qianye said, “Fine, I’ll go.”

The surprising thing was that Song Zining did not try to stop him or ask to come along. He just patted Qianye on the shoulder and said, “Come back quickly.” He stood to the side after that, making clear his intentions to stay out of this.

Qianye didn’t read too deeply into this. He made arrangements to meet Song Zining at the city of Peng before leaving with the man.

The Pointer Monarch’s airship was long and slender, almost like a willow leaf. It flew at great speed and with great stability, but there was little space for the passengers to move around. There was only space for four passengers as the rest of the ship was full of kinetic machinery. The man in charge of receiving Qianye sat across from him and, for some reason, kept staring at him indirectly.

Qianye found this uncomfortable, and such stealthy attention could be considered rude. He respected the Pointer Monarch, but that didn’t mean he had to be polite to his subordinates. His eyes immediately transformed, and the man’s figure was reflected within.

The man felt his blood run cold and wanted to jump up out of instinct. Yet, his body felt significantly slower, almost as though it was bound in a web of steel. He actually failed to jump up and fell back into his seat.

Only then did the man realize his excessive attitude. They were on the Pointer Monarch’s airship, inside the Empire, and on such a trip. Was he to clash with Qianye when the other party hadn’t even moved a finger? He immediately dispersed his origin power, and as expected, the bindings also loosened, allowing him to sit normally again. After this shock, his face went pale for a long while.

Qianye wasn’t about to injure someone without a clear grasp of the situation. He deactivated the Eye of Control after teaching that person a lesson.

The man was drenched in sweat, almost as though he had been pulled out of a bucket. His gaze toward Qianye was completely different now and full of fright. That feeling of having his fate in another’s hand was extremely uncomfortable for an expert at this level. He was shocked out of his wits just now, yet he wasn’t even able to jump up. This was a complete and utter suppression—he had no room to resist no matter what the other party wanted to do.

He wiped the sweat from his brows. “Sire Qianye, this lowly one is Ji Ruofei. Please don’t take my lack of manners to heart.”

“I won’t.” Qianye could see that Ji Ruofei’s talents were top-notch, someone with good potential for breaking through to the divine champion realm. He was probably a genius hand-picked by the monarch. Since the man was behaving now, there was no need to go too far. Otherwise, things would start to look ugly.

Ji Ruofei glanced at Qianye with a complicated expression. “News of your ascension has started to spread and most people are filled with admiration. To be honest, I’m one of the few who were secretly unresigned. I had entertained some thoughts of challenging you while your powers have yet to awaken, but I just realized that I wouldn’t be your match even if I were a divine champion, let alone now.”

This person was flexible with his attitude and quick enough when he needed to bow. Qianye replied seriously but with due indifference, “You’re too kind. I still can’t kill an ordinary divine champion in one move.”

Ji Ruofei felt his breath stuck in his chest, almost passing out in anger. Someone of his status was lowering his attitude like so. Any other person would reply with humble words and resolve the awkwardness. Who knew Qianye would take his words literally and answer truthfully?

Of course, Qianye was just being honest with him. At the divine champion level, especially for humans, the origin crystal was like a bright energy barrier. He could no longer kill them with one Shot of Inception. The stronger ones wouldn’t lose their fighting power even after taking a hit. Take the Wolf King for instance.

Even so, Qianye had grown exponentially stronger after the breakthrough. His blood energy could now advance without restrictions. Ordinary divine champions might not die with one hit from the Shot of Inception, but they wouldn’t be able to take Qianye’s follow-up attack. So the only difference was the time of defeat.

Against Qianye and his Spatial Flash, defeat meant death unless the person possessed special life-saving secret arts.

Ji Ruofei was good at observing expression and body language, so he realized that Qianye was responding seriously. Now that was even more depressing.

Ji Ruofei sighed helplessly. “I guess only someone like you is a match for her.”

Qianye was baffled by this, but Qianye didn’t press the matter when Ji Ruofei wasn’t willing to talk about it. The two thus became silent throughout the remainder of the journey. All they did was watch as the airship flew out of the void and toward an unknown island.

The lone island was floating in the void, seemingly without inhabitants or a garrison. Although still within the protective layer of the Qin Continent, there were small void tempests everywhere because of its proximity to the exterior. Lethal spatial tears would also appear from time to time, so ordinary people would never choose to live here. That was likely the reason why the Empire chose not to build an outpost here.

However, Qianye quickly realized that this actually wasn’t the case. After circling around to the back of the island and passing through a small valley, the scenery before him suddenly transformed into a beautiful little paradise.

The entire valley was protected by an origin array to block external spying. There was a small house beside a little stream, nested under the shade of several large trees. The scene gave off a feeling of making home amidst nature.

The airship landed in the distance. Ji Ruofei pointed at the small yard and said, “The one who wanted to see you is in there. You should head over on your own, we’re not allowed to go near.”

Qianye got off the airship and walked over to the small yard. He was almost certain that the one waiting for him there was Ji Tianqing. Although he had no idea what she wanted him for, Qianye felt no hesitation to meet someone who had gone through life and death with him in the Great Maelstrom.

Just as he was about to walk into the courtyard, Qianye sensed someone watching him. He halted his steps immediately and looked around, but to no avail. Even that feeling from just now had vanished completely.

Qianye knew it was not an illusion. He was fairly sure that someone was using some method to watch him just now. This person’s concealment powers were unimaginable, so much so that he couldn’t find a single clue even with his eye powers.

Qianye’s perception was so powerful that not many at the same rank could escape his notice. Now that someone like that had appeared, it truly made him feel uneasy.

However, he was currently on the Pointer Monarch’s estate; perhaps even their vacation home. Which outsider would dare linger in the area? Since the spy had left, Qianye decided not to get to the bottom of this.

The courtyard was quiet, and the resounding creak as he pushed open the door startled the birds away.

The compound was small, but there was a pond, there were mountain rocks, and an ancient tree slanting in from the outside. Almost half of the place seemed to be covered in lush flora.

There was a table and a chair beside the pond, and someone was reading a book therein. The spotted sunlight showered down through the leaves. Everything was perfectly calm.

Qianye was filled with delight upon seeing her, the happiness of meeting old friends. Although she didn’t look up, and her appearance seemed to have changed again, Qianye knew for sure that it was Ji Tianqing. He seemed to have formed a mysterious connection with her for some reason, allowing him to “sense” her presence.

Knowing that Qianye had arrived, Ji Tianqing looked up and smiled contentedly.

Simple and elegant, she had only drawn her brows and put on a bit of rouge-like expression. One couldn’t say she was a kingdom-toppling beauty, but it was a beauty well-worth a second look. The more one looked at her, the more her image lingered in the mind. This scenery, the mountains, the river—only one of such beauty was a perfect match.

Qianye was stunned as his eyes fell upon Ji Tianqing’s abdomen. The loose clothing she was wearing couldn’t do much to hide the bulge of her abdomen. Apparently, she had been pregnant for some time and might give birth pretty soon.

Recovering from his daze, Qianye retracted his gaze and said, “Congratulations!”

Ji Tianqing said with a spurious smile, “What are you congratulating me for?”

“Aren’t you becoming a mother soon? Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl? No matter what, the kid can call me godfather when they’re born!” Qianye said with a smile.

Ji Tianqing was the youngest among their comrades-in-arms. Who would've thought she would be the first to have a kid?

Unexpectedly, Ji Tianqing started to giggle with her mouth covered, shaking her head all the while.

Qianye felt a bit embarrassed. He was over-excited just now, but now, he felt a bit awkward after being refused. What he said just now wasn’t a social nicety; he really did mean it. Even if he wasn’t to become the godfather, a greeting gift was still warranted. He looked through his current possessions, but there wasn’t anything great, especially not anything suitable for a kid.

Just as he was in a fluster, Ji Tianqing beckoned to him with a smile, “Come here.”

A distracted Qianye walked over to Ji Tianqing’s side, where the latter picked up his hand and put it on her belly. “See if it’s a boy or a girl?”

Ji Tianqing was sudden but not abrupt in performing such an intimate action. Next thing he knew, his hand gently pressed down on Ji Tianqing’s abdomen. Through the thin fabric, Qianye could feel the warmth of her skin and the movement of the child within. A small foot was kicking mischievously at his palm.

The scene was incomparably warm and gentle. Qianye was dazed because the action was excessively intimate, so much so that he couldn’t help recalling the unavoidable scenes back in the Great Maelstrom. He had long since forgotten those things and kept them locked away in the depths of his memories. Now, however, everything was being flipped through one after the other.

Qianye wanted to withdraw his hand, but Ji Tianqing was determined to keep it pressed down. He didn’t dare to apply force for fear of hurting the baby, but how could he do as Ji Tianqing said?

Just as he was in utter confusion, Ji Tianqing bit her lower lips and said, “Now do you still want to be the godfather?”