Ning Qi's gaze was a little strange.
All the Demonic Sect Heaven-Man experts who had attacked were killed by the North-Stabilizing King, with only Elder Wang escaping—but the Demonic Sect didn't know that.
From their perspective, not a single one of the experts they sent to annihilate Zhenwu Mountain returned.
There was no way the North-Stabilizing King could dodge the blame.
Claim he didn't kill Elder Wang?
Who would believe that?
Of everyone present, only he had the power to easily kill Elder Wang.
And the fist techniques Ning Qi had just used during the fight faintly carried a trace of the North-Stabilizing King's style. Even if the Demonic Sect found this place, the first person they'd suspect would still be the North-Stabilizing King for secretly giving chase.
Even the imperial court wouldn't think it was someone else.
This was also the reason Ning Qi had decisively gone after him—not only could he sever one of the Demonic Sect's arms and weaken their strength, but he also had a ready scapegoat. Why not?
As for whether pinning it on the North-Stabilizing King was a bit immoral, Ning Qi figured that guy had been hiding in the dark watching the show anyway—so he let it go.
No one's really better than anyone else.
Thinking this, Ning Qi's body gradually returned to normal size. This test of the Ape King True Form had gone well—especially the synergy between the Ape King True Form and the False Core, which was beyond expectations. The power it unleashed was already close to the Heavenly Sword Technique, but its endurance was even better. The Heavenly Sword Technique was more suitable for situations where Ning Qi didn't want to reveal himself.
"If this False Core were made from a Beast Core of an ape-type Beast King, it might be even stronger."
"But this fight has already used up about thirty percent of its energy. I'll have to conserve it a bit going forward."
Ning Qi felt a twinge of heartache.
After all, he only had one False Core.
But considering he had first tangled with Elder Wang using the Heavenly Sword Technique, then pursued him all the way here, and finally used the Ape King True Form to suppress him—only consuming thirty percent of the energy was already quite good.
Ning Qi estimated that the Demonic Sect had lost five Heaven-Man Realm experts this time, so they'd probably quiet down for a while.
After all, Heaven-Man experts weren't like cabbages—you couldn't just pluck a new one. Even the mighty Demonic Sect would be hard-pressed to suffer such losses in such a short time.
The remaining seventy percent of energy was more than enough.
He turned his gaze to Elder Wang's corpse, eyes faintly glowing.
"Good thing there's still compensation."
He crouched down.
Ning Qi carefully searched and found a pouch made of a special material—it had withstood all the intense fighting without being damaged.
Opening it up.
Inside were bottles and jars. Ning Qi opened each one and sniffed—he could identify about seventy to eighty percent of their properties.
They were mostly healing, blood-replenishing, or poison pills—not the kind that enhanced cultivation.
As for martial arts manuals—none either.
Ning Qi wasn't surprised. That was normal. What kind of idiot goes out killing people carrying manuals and precious pills? Unless they were wanderers with no fixed abode—otherwise, if they died, they'd just be giving their enemies a free gift. That'd be like delivering both their head and treasure on a silver platter.
In the end.
Ning Qi's eyes fell on that faintly glowing green armor.
This was the real reward.
A single piece of armor that could withstand a stunning punch from the North-Stabilizing King, and then take multiple ferocious blows from Ning Qi while already badly injured—though Ning Qi had held back a bit to avoid damaging the armor, Elder Wang's flesh and blood had proven the armor's quality beyond doubt.
"This armor is seriously impressive."
Ning Qi washed it clean with Qi. The green-glowing armor looked brand new, covered in short spikes—soft under normal conditions, but stiffened under force. No wonder Ning Qi had felt it was prickly—ordinary people who slapped it might get their palms pierced outright.
But that was secondary. The most important part was its powerful defense.
Touching it felt like ripples. When hit hard, it could instantly disperse the force, protecting the wearer from harm.
Ning Qi had also studied forging techniques. The crafting of weapons and armor in this world wasn't all that mystical—most of the power came from the material itself. Blacksmiths merely fused and shaped it. There were rumors of a few legendary weapons that were different.
But Ning Qi hadn't encountered one yet.
"Still, this armor's material is unusual. I'll observe it more—might learn something new," he thought to himself.
But now wasn't the time for research.
He put on the armor.
Ning Qi glanced once more at Elder Wang's corpse. Seeing the vibrant life force it still held, his eyes lit up, and he used his Qi to lift it as well.
The flesh and vitality of a Heaven-Man expert was stronger than many precious materials.
It couldn't be wasted.
He soared into the sky, returning to Zhenwu Mountain. Even though the North-Stabilizing King was there, he couldn't afford to be gone too long.
…
Zhenwu Mountain.
With all the Demonic Sect experts executed, the previously grim atmosphere gradually relaxed. Everyone looked toward that invincible middle-aged man and respectfully said:
"We greet the North-Stabilizing King!"
All hearts were filled with awe.
The scene just now—slaying Heaven-Man experts like slaughtering chickens—had shocked everyone.
Eunuch Ye and the Butcher both stepped forward and pleaded guilty:
"We failed to protect the Young Lord and Princess. We ask the North-Stabilizing King to punish us."
The North-Stabilizing King merely waved his hand.
"You've already done your best."
He had followed behind the entire time and had seen the whole process. He knew the two had done everything they could. Naturally, he wouldn't blame them. With him there as the final safeguard, nothing would happen. The Demonic Sect wouldn't deploy a top-ten Heaven-Man Ranking powerhouse just for Zhenwu Sect.
If he and the Great Yan Emperor hadn't given the nod, Eunuch Ye couldn't have taken Li Ling and Li Qingyue out in the first place.
His goal was to have the two of them go through hardship so they could grow.
Even if it hadn't been a Demonic Sect attack this time, someone else would've been sent to 'attack' them.
At this moment.
Li Ling and Li Qingyue had recovered from their earlier fright, but Li Qingyue still looked pale and had lost her usual cheerfulness. Li Ling was a bit better—his gaze kept drifting toward the depths of Zhenwu Sect, which had gone quiet since the Heavenly Sword vanished.
Daoist Longshan came forward and sincerely thanked him:
"If not for your aid, my Zhenwu Sect might have perished today. Please accept this old Daoist's bow."
Given the current situation, even though things were a mess, there had been almost no casualties—a very fortunate outcome.
Five Heaven-Man experts from the Demonic Sect had attacked.
Just thinking about it still gave him chills.
The North-Stabilizing King nodded and said:
"No need for formalities, True Person. It was just a coincidence. I didn't expect the Demonic Sect to still harbor such malicious intent. However, even if I hadn't come, with the Heavenly Sword True Person here, Zhenwu Sect might not have fallen."
He commented calmly.
Earlier, he had secretly observed for a while. When the Heavenly Sword True Person attacked, there had been no aura fluctuations at all—not even he had noticed. The man hadn't shown himself, yet had already gone toe-to-toe with that demon. If he'd gone all out, he might have won.
The Heavenly Sword True Person was stronger than rumors said.
Possibly not inferior to Shenyu, and his actions didn't suggest someone nearing the end of their lifespan.
Originally, he'd wanted to observe more closely, but that Demonic Sect Heaven-Man had foolishly tried to capture Li Ling and Li Qingyue, forcing him to reveal himself.
Everyone's eyes were full of surprise—they hadn't expected the North-Stabilizing King to speak so highly of the Heavenly Sword True Person.
But it had been clear to them as well.
If before today, the Heavenly Sword True Person had only been suspected of having Heaven-Man Ranking strength, now it was a certainty. When the ranking updated, he'd surely be on it.
The North-Stabilizing King looked at the two little brats on his left and right and finally smiled:
"Ready to go back with me?"
Li Qingyue nodded repeatedly in haste:
"Royal Uncle, I'll go back with you."
She had truly been frightened. She now understood that the outside world wasn't her playground. Gone was her previous air of superiority—she didn't want to stay at Zhenwu Mountain another second. She'd long forgotten about the Heavenly Sword True Person.
The North-Stabilizing King nodded in satisfaction, then looked to Li Ling. Li Ling, however, hesitated. After glancing again into the depths of Zhenwu Sect, he said:
"Father, I want to learn swordsmanship from the Heavenly Sword True Person."
Daoist Longshan's heart skipped a beat—absolutely not.
Luckily, the North-Stabilizing King immediately rebuked:
"Nonsense!"
Although the Demonic Sect was likely to quiet down for a while after their loss, who could say if they might come again in desperation? The odds were low, but he wouldn't gamble his child's life. He didn't have the time to guard Zhenwu Mountain full-time. This time had just been coincidence.
But the rebuke only stirred Li Ling's rebellious spirit.
His eyes turned red, tears welling up. He said nothing—just stared at the North-Stabilizing King.
Seeing his son like this, the King's heart softened. He crouched down with a headache and comforted him:
"Ling'er, it's not that I won't let you learn—it's just that it's dangerous out here. How about this: when we go back, I'll teach you boxing techniques, alright? I'm way stronger than the Heavenly Sword True Person!"
"No way. Your boxing is ugly—not cool at all. The Heavenly Sword True Person's sword is cool—I want to learn from him." Li Ling pouted.
Daoist Longshan and the others awkwardly looked away.
The North-Stabilizing King nearly choked.
His boxing techniques were coveted by so many across the world—yet his own son disdained them. If it had been someone else, he'd have punched them by now. But seeing Li Ling like this, he could only force a smile:
"Fine, if my boxing is ugly, then don't learn it."
"Then I promise you—once we're back, I'll find an even cooler sword expert to teach you, okay?"
He quickly followed up:
"Think about it—if the Demonic Sect finds out you're here, they'll definitely come again to capture you and threaten me. They'll also cause trouble for Zhenwu Sect. Later, when the time is right, I'll bring you back. Deal?"
Li Ling hesitated.
He didn't want to bring trouble to others.
"Then… alright."
He looked once more at the depths of Zhenwu Sect, but didn't press further.
The North-Stabilizing King sighed in relief and prepared to leave, worried that if they lingered, Li Ling might change his mind again.
But Li Ling suddenly let go of his hand, ran to Daoist Longshan, and bowed deeply:
"True Person, if it's safe in the future, I'll come visit again!"
Daoist Longshan was stunned, then smiled and said:
"You're welcome anytime, Your Highness."
He had a good impression of Li Ling—kind-hearted, just a little spoiled from his princely life and his father's pampering.
The North-Stabilizing King chuckled.
He gave a few final instructions to the Butcher and Eunuch Ye, then took Li Ling and Li Qingyue into the air and left.
Daoist Longshan couldn't help but sigh.
"They say the North-Stabilizing King's consort died giving birth to his youngest son. With no mother from birth, it led to the King spoiling him endlessly—granting his every wish. Now it seems that's true."
A top-ten powerhouse on the Heaven-Man Ranking, speaking so gently to a child—there was no one else like him in the world.
After his sigh, Daoist Longshan looked around at the chaos and let out a quiet breath.
He could only hope that after this, the Demonic Sect would finally quiet down.
Caught in such turmoil, they had no say in it.
But he couldn't shake the feeling…
That the world might not stay peaceful for long.
And the days of calm ahead… were likely numbered.