Soul Trigger

Chapter 565 Dispute
[Cognitive Index +238]

Seeing the notification flashing on his retina, Ji Li was overjoyed.

He rubbed his face and the curse mark in the world struck him like that, and from then on, he started jumping around while rubbing his face.

From this, he could also glimpse Tengjun's psychological state.

His composure wasn't as stable as it seemed on the surface, and in the end, he still broke down.

At this moment, a faint golden light shone in Ji Li's eyes, the spiritual color of the Eye of Insight.

From the moment Tengjun began to "show off" the stone dragon to him, he took the opportunity to activate his Eye of Insight, wanting to uncover its secrets.

On Teng Jun's body, Ji Li only saw two small, dark gold acupoints, which represented the number of hidden acupoints on the other party's body.

For a monarch, who holds a top-tier position in both secret societies and the state, having only two secrets is clearly insufficient to match his status.

In other words, what Ji Li saw was the secret within Shi Long.

Tengjun is currently in clone form, which should be attached to the stone dragon. Therefore, these two secrets should correspond exactly to Tengjun's power and the stone dragon itself.

After it was revealed, the information it showed was a spirit core—

The prize has been won.

Because the spirit only exists within the human spirit, Ji Li's random revelation happened to land on Teng Jun, whom he intended to target.

The information from that spirit was violently decoded by the powerful spiritual energy of Shu within the Eye of Insight, and transmitted into Ji Li's soul like data transmission:

burn one's boats.

This is the content presented after the information has been transformed into a form that Ji Li can understand.

Besides the name, basic information such as the way the spirit was generated and its origin was also presented to Ji Li.

This is a spirit born after Zhan Shengchen ascended to immortality, and it is the same type of spirit as Ji Ruoxi.

However, the difference lies in the fact that Ji Ruoxi's desperate act is to eliminate environmental interference in order to achieve extreme focus, thereby gaining a powerful spiritual enhancement ability.

Tengjun's desperate act of burning his boats seems to be more focused on himself.

To put it simply, when Ji Ruoxi runs track and field, she just goes around in circles, focusing solely on the hurdles on the track after the start, and races straight to the finish line.

As for Tengjun, he's the type who runs hurdles and knocks all the hurdles away, nothing can stop his stubborn determination to reach the finish line.

Even though they are cutting the same dust, there are still differences.

This spiritual ability can also reflect Tengjun's awakened spiritual light, and thus reflect on his own personality.

He is very likely the kind of person who won't give up until he gets what he wants, which means that this negotiation is unlikely to end so easily with just joking around.

Just as Ji Li was pondering and preparing to look at the two people beside him, especially the Lonely King, a sudden voice came from the side:
"So what reward do you want?"

Look at that stone dragon, it's now looking at Ji Li with a beaming smile, showing the demeanor of a caring older brother.

The tortoise general, who had been somewhat somber by the silence, paused slightly, a faint red light flashing in his eyes—

Is Teng Jun compromising?

No, it should just be a continuous probing, or exploring another direction.

This was also what Ji Li was thinking. Having just seen Teng Jun's spirit, he didn't think the other party would be so easy to talk to.

Of course, plural Lingas are also possible.

Seeing that Ji Li remained silent, Teng Jun continued:

“I know you don’t trust me, Ji Li. Since you’ve come to this forbidden forest today, I can speak frankly with you—”

"I arranged the ferry."

Ji Li's pupils twitched slightly: Is this a change of strategy, a move to play the emotional card?

Judging from Tengjun's so-called reward of making him a "Nirvana Dragon General", this guy should hope that Ji Li can be completely used by the royal family, or at least tie him to Shulong's ship.

Tengjun continued:
"I've noticed that you've been wanting to leave Shulong lately, but don't worry, I haven't been monitoring you all along."

"It was only because Prince Yuanling, during his visits to multiple countries, suddenly investigated the detailed transportation network within Shulong, including some of the secret routes used by the royal family, that I discovered some clues."

"I dragged you into this to see what you're capable of. The Yuanling Prince's Mansion incident was an accident for me, but it's something I can take advantage of..."

Hearing Teng Jun's "frank" words, Ji Li remained calm and said:

"You've arranged all this in a roundabout way, and now that you've seen my quality, what's next?"

"Naturally, it's for the sake of pardoning the dragon."

Tengjun said:
"Beneath the dragon veins of the Divine Land, the royal family is human, the imperial family is human, and under the operation of this vast system, everything is for the sake of the entire human spirit cluster of the Shulong."

Think about what you've done these past few days, whether it's about Li Jiangxing, the Dragon Prison, or Princess Menes...

Your very existence is the most perfect treasure for Shulong. And to possess you is to possess the Eye of Truth, isn't it? This is only one of the results you have demonstrated.

You must know that, as the ruler of a nation, I see your value more clearly than anyone else, and I know better than anyone else where your value should be used…

Ji Lidao:
"Thank you for your appreciation and frankness, but how I use my value is entirely up to my free will."

Ji Li didn't take a single word the other party said seriously.

Tengjun continued to laugh:

"That's how it is; I was too hasty. What was supposed to be a reward has turned into an appointment, and the meaning has changed. As the person involved, I completely understand why you don't accept it."

So, what reward do you want?

Ji Li frowned slightly and glanced at the back of the Lonely Prince's head without making a sound.

In this situation, the "pretender" (or "pretender") becomes ineffective.

Refusal is a means, but when absolute refusal becomes the result, it makes everyone lose face.

You want nothing, you have no desires, and for Shulong you ask for nothing.

When Tengjun realized this and became utterly fed up with Ji Li's stubbornness, it was essentially a complete falling out.

Clearly, it's not the right time to continue acting out with Tengjun.

As "Odin," Ji Li knew very well that when dealing with these arrogant beings, unless you had the absolute power and trump cards to overturn everything, you had to respect objective reality.

After all, he was once Odin the mercenary, who gradually became the self-important World Tree Odin.

So, what straight should he play in response to the card that Teng Jun throws at him, and what should he ask for?

After all, he had already achieved his goal in Shulong, and the next step was to go to White Island.

Asking Tengjun to let him pass would be too obviously ulterior and conflict with Tengjun's current intentions towards Ji Li. It would also be inappropriate as a reward.

The only thing that interested him about the other party was the method by which that otherworldly crystal was formed...

A logical framework unfolded before Ji Li's eyes, and just as several results were laid out for him to choose from, Fei Lin's voice suddenly came from beside him:

"Its head."

Ji Li raised her head slightly and saw a crown on the stone dragon head that Teng Jun was possessing.

As he said, this stone dragon is a Chinese-style Western object, so it also has a Western-style crown on its head, which is a heavy style.

As can be seen from its joints, it was carved separately from the stone sculpture itself, rather than being fused onto it.

"I want the crown."

Hearing the thunderous sound in his ears, Ji Li tried to use his Eye of Insight on the stone crown itself, but it revealed two secrets of the stone dragon.

In other words, the stone crown and the stone dragon are inseparable; in fact, the stone crown is the true form of the stone dragon.

This stone dragon exists in the blood pool, so it was clearly not moved here by Tengjun today for his own purposes.

Since he was brought here for this meeting, the stone dragon must usually be stored in this blood pool. Therefore, the stone dragon is likely the source of the blood pool's power.

According to Tengjun, this blood pool is very beneficial to the unity of spirit and flesh and the physical body of the human spirit; in other words, this stone dragon is the blood pool.

Its power is another secret that Ji Li gleaned from the stone dragon.

Da Lei is interested in that thing; she knows what it is.
Holding the thoughts in his mind, Ji Li raised his hand and pointed:
"I want that crown."

Since Film has spoken, this thing must be of good quality and its value should be sufficient.

Upon hearing this, Teng Jun's stone dragon smile froze on his face, and the tortoise general beside him trembled slightly before suddenly speaking:

"No! Absolutely not!"

Ji Li glanced at him:
"Why not?"

"This stone crown is the core of the stone dragon, and the stone dragon is the heart of the blood pool. If you take the stone crown, you will take the stone dragon and seize the blood pool. There is only one of the two spiritual pools left in this forbidden forest!"

Ji Li laughed and said:
"What does this have to do with me? This is what His Majesty Tengjun told me to choose, isn't it?"

The tortoise general addressed Teng Jun directly:

"Your Majesty, this stone dragon is the embodiment of you, and it has a deep connection with you and your friends. Please reconsider..."

"it is good."

Tengjun interrupted the turtle general, and looked at Ji Li with a surprised expression, saying:

"I can give you this, but..."

The stone dragon slowly paced, and ripples spread across the blood pool beneath its limbs.
“You heard what the Turtle General said. It’s very important, extremely important. Taking this stone dragon is like cutting off an arm for me, the royal family, and the Forbidden Forest. It’s a bit too much to just give it as a reward.”

Ji Li understood the other party's meaning and decisively spoke:
"Then I don't want it."

Teng Jun: "?"

You know what it means to not play by the rules, Tengjun was speechless.

Simply put, "a bit too much" means I'm going to give you a small task, and you'll have to do something for me.

It's not something a person of your caliber, Tengjun, can handle. I, a mere heir of Yuanling, am not qualified to take on such a task. I'd better pass.

After all, the little things he arranged when he was Odin, the World Tree, were not insignificant.

"Don't rush to refuse. You can take this stone dragon back to the Yuanling Prince's Mansion first."

As for the others, I do need you to do something for me, but it's really just a small thing, and for you, it's an extremely simple thing..."

Teng Jun's "use first, pay later" condition somewhat prevented Ji Li from continuing his shady dealings.

"what's up?"

"Lord of Calamity, are you acquainted with her?"

Ji Li's eyelids twitched slightly:

"Not very familiar."

I don't know who Yuya Kaoru is.

"It doesn't matter whether we're familiar with each other or not, there are still a few days until the joint rally with multiple countries."

"At that time, I need you to announce at the joint rally that you and she will be engaged on a later date."

Ji Li: "...?"

"I'll have the turtle general deliver the items back to the Yuanling Prince's Mansion for you in a bit, that's all."

……

Outside the Forbidden City, Ji Li's expression changed repeatedly.

The madwoman came to his door on her own initiative; he didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

Hearing this crazy woman even say at a diplomatic meeting that she would exchange Black Sun Mansion for him made Ji Li even more nervous.

Putting aside the small friendship they shared in the Black Sun Palace, the reason the Madwoman was so fanatical about him was simply because, as a Wheel-Turner, she could see the ancient soul essence within Ji Li.

But just how attractive must this guy be to make him go crazy like that in front of the Shulong royal family and the Yuanling King?
Moreover, her father had been keeping it a secret from her.

Ji Li was speechless.

However, from Yuanling Wang's perspective, it's understandable that he didn't want to fall into Tengjun's trap and wanted to send himself away from Shulong for a while as soon as possible.

But can Tengjun's arrangements be avoided so easily?

Given Ji Li and Yu Ya Xun's politically sensitive identities, this will inevitably involve the coupling between the two countries, Shu Long and Hei Ri Fu, and the secret society.

This will undoubtedly cause a huge uproar at the joint visit and rally of multiple countries.

Tengjun meant that the engagement was just a superficial signal that Ji Li needed to send, not a real engagement.

So the key point is the "announcement" itself; Tengjun wants to attract attention.

If Tengjun's initial stated purpose was to bind Ji Li to the Shulong clan in terms of both identity and extraordinary strength...

This engagement announcement was clearly intended to draw the attention of multiple countries to Ji Li.

Ji Li's own highly compatible nature, such as the friction between him and Shu, will likely produce different chemical reactions with the spiritual systems of other countries, which will lead to many variables.

From another perspective, is it possible that Tengjun's initial so-called reward was just a pretext, and his ultimate goal was to get her to accept the engagement announcement?

The logic framework kept flashing on Ji Li's retina as he was in the midst of intense, brain-burning thought.

At that moment, a voice entered his ears:

"The engagement between the heir of the Ling family and the leader of the society appears to be a marriage alliance between two powerful forces, but there will inevitably be people who are unhappy about it."

Ji Li stopped and turned his head to see a half-figure leaning against the outer wall of the Forbidden City.

With his grey robes and long hair, who else could it be but the Lonely Prince?

He leaned against the protrusion in the wall, maintaining his arrogant demeanor of always having his back to people:
"Don't worry, if anyone tries to assassinate you, I will protect you."

Moreover, the Lord of Calamity is a powerful figure on the same level as me. It is said that the royal family had already spoken to him beforehand. Although he is unpredictable, he should be able to protect you if anything goes wrong.

She is also a rare beauty. If you and she can truly form a good match, and you bring home a daughter-in-law of the same caliber as me, I would be happy to see it happen..."

"No, what does 'daughter-in-law' mean?"

Ji Li said he was brainstorming right now.

We still don't know what the local tyrant's intentions are. If the madwoman comes over and bumps into Yan Xiyu, there will definitely be a mess. And Shu is here too.

With her crazy personality, if Da Lei also gets involved, Ji Li can't even imagine what kind of messy things will happen. Can you please stop causing trouble for me?
"I've made a deal with the Prince of Yuanling today, and in return, you'll accept the title of adopted son."

"When did you make your move?"

"I spoke up for you."

"You call that a move???"

“If I don’t speak up for you and stand up for you, you will definitely hesitate and be controlled by others.”

"...If you say so, then it is."

He and Da Lei racked their brains for a long time, and you, Gu Ling Wang, just stood there and said one sentence and became the MVP?
Ji Li was too lazy to argue with a lunatic.

But then King Guling suddenly said:

"By the way, it's quite a coincidence, I have a daughter, and I only recently learned of her whereabouts. She is also about to return to Mirage City."

She's about a year or two older than you. You can come and acknowledge her as your sworn sister then, so you two can get to know each other and look after each other in the future.

Ji Li was slightly puzzled. "Aren't you supposed to be aloof and brilliant? How come you suddenly have a daughter?"
(End of this chapter)