Xue Bin's matter was a small interlude and did not affect Qin Shi's original plan.
Even if he did not appear, Qin Shi already had plans for the new king's ascension. Xue Bin's appearance made him feel more at ease. At least it seemed that Lin Yu's situation was not too bad. Otherwise, Xue Bin would not have come to the northern region to canvass votes for Fang Heng.
In the next three days, Qin Shi, Ling Xiao, Cen Chi, Qiu Diao, and Qin Yongfeng spent most of their time in the meeting hall, discussing the election of the new king.
In the third day, the preliminary outline of the plan was formed, and there were only 20 days left until the election.
On the morning of the fourth day, the morning dew began to condense.
Qin Shi woke up very early. At the instant he opened his eyes, a formless mental energy flowed along his sea of consciousness, spreading out to 90,000 meters. The entire Qin Sect was within his field of vision as a faint smile appeared on his face.
"In the past three years, Qin Zongzhao has developed much faster than I imagined." Jade In The Book saw through Qin Shi's thoughts and smiled.
Nodding his head, Qin Shi said, "Yes, when I first established the Qin Sect, it was mostly because I wanted to protect the Qin family. First, it was a whim. Today, it is out of my expectation."
"Actually, it is not surprising. Your efforts in the past three years are obvious to all. Moreover, I believe that the Qin Sect still has a long way to go. Now is not the time for you to be complacent." Jade In The Book used words to knock on Qin Shi.
How could a smart person like him not understand the hidden meaning of Jade In The Book's words? He shook his head bitterly and said, "Sister Yu, don't worry. I know that I still have a long way to go. There are too many people I have to protect, and the enemies I have to face are too strong.
If I want to face the Ma Group, relying on my own strength is like talking on paper. The Qin Sect is the foundation of my future development. "
Jade In The Book nodded in satisfaction as she looked into the young man's resolute black eyes. She was gratified that Qin Shi was able to realize this. After all, arrogance and complacency were the beginning of the road of no return for countless experts on this continent.
"It's just that I don't know, if there really comes a day when the Qin Sect is able to stand firmly on the Desolate Spirit Continent and overlook the entire continent, what kind of scene would it be when they look back?"
A hint of longing appeared in Qin Shi's eyes. He smiled naturally, but there was an indescribable domineeringness hidden beneath the naturalness.
Although he had never mentioned this to anyone before, he knew very well that to Qin Zong, becoming the Northern Hegemon wasn't the end. It was merely the beginning.
His expectations of Qin Zong were very, very high.
He hoped that one day, everyone in the Wasteland Continent would know about the existence of a sect called the Qin Sect.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Shi quickly withdrew his mental strength and said to Jade In The Book, "Let's go. I can't be idle for the next twenty days."
"What are you going to do?"
"I've asked around before. The Bejewelled Lava Volcano is at the border of the western region. I'm going to take a look there first," Qin Shi said as he stood up.
"You're going to the Bejewelled Lava Volcano?" Jade In The Book was stunned.
Nodding with a smile, Qin Shi said, "Yes. Three years ago, I promised Sister Yu that I would completely heal your injuries. Because I wasn't strong enough, I was delayed. Now that I've broken through to the Heavenly Realm, the matter of the Divine Brood Fruit has been delayed for too long. I can't delay it any longer."
"Actually, you can wait until you help Xiao Yu ascend to the throne, then help me search for the Divine Brood Fruit. I'm not in a hurry," Jade In The Book said softly.
"Nonsense!" Qin Shi shouted, "You've lied to me for three years. Do you still want to lie to me?"
Jade In The Book's body trembled. She gritted her teeth and said, "When did I lie to you?"
"Fine, then let me ask you. Why is your soul weaker than it was three years ago?" Qin Shi scolded her sternly. There was obvious anger in his voice.
Ever since he became a Soul Incantation Talisman Magician and grasped the power of the soul, Qin Shi had conducted an in-depth examination of Jade In The Book. Only then did he discover that Jade In The Book's soul had reached a state where it was on the verge of collapse. It was abnormally weak.
Having been pointed out, Jade In The Book frowned. She remained silent for a long time without saying anything.
Seeing that Jade In The Book was silent, Qin Shi said, "If I'm not wrong, your injuries seemed to have healed in the past few years. In fact, you've been relying on herbs to heal your soul to forcibly prolong your life. You've been treating the symptoms but not the root cause. All the hidden injuries have been suppressed, am I right?"
Her delicate body trembled slightly. Jade In The Book's delicate hands clenched into fists. After a long time, she had no choice but to nod.
Qin Shi was suddenly angered. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I …" Jade In The Book was like a child who had done something wrong. She said in a small voice, "I know you too well. If I told you the truth, you would definitely try your best to find the Divine Pregnant Fruit for me. However, the place where the Divine Pregnant Fruit grows must be filled with danger. I don't want to see you put yourself in danger for me."
"Then you lied to me. Have you ever thought that if something happened to you, my life would be worse than death?!" Qin Shi clenched his fists with all his strength. His spiritual energy could be seen flowing through his body.
Jade In The Book bit her lips. Her beautiful eyes were red.
After a moment of silence, Qin Shi helplessly sighed. He held Jade In The Book in his arms and said, "Sister Yu, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. However, don't lie to me in the future, okay?
I can't lose you. "
"Alright, I won't lie to you anymore."
Nestling in Qin Shi's arms, Jade In The Book couldn't bear to reject this young man anymore. "Shi Tou … Thank you."
"If you want to be pretentious, wait until we find the Divine Pregnant Fruit. It's not time yet." Seeing Jade In The Book's tearful appearance, Qin Shi hurriedly interrupted her.
He couldn't stand this.
Amused by Qin Shi's pretended disdain, Jade In The Book's tears turned into laughter.
The two of them didn't waste any more time. As a Heaven Realm expert, Qin Shi's speed had reached an unfathomable level. He left the Sect Master's mansion and flew towards the west with a single leap.
The distance from the northern region to the western region was several tens of thousands of miles.
Even at Qin Shi's full speed, it still took him three days and three nights to reach the western region's border. As soon as he entered the western region, the spiritual energy in the surroundings became much denser. It was far more barren than the northern region.
Of course, it was still a bit lacking compared to the eastern region.
In the western region, Qin Shi looked down at the ground. What he needed to do next was to head to the Bejewelled Lava Volcano and look for Du Ziteng's old flame: Senior Wutong.
"Shi Tou, you've used up a lot of your spiritual energy in the past three days and three nights. You should find a place to rest first. It's also a good opportunity to find out the exact location of the Bejewelled Lava Volcano." Jade In The Book floated out and said.
Qin Shi nodded in agreement. He was indeed a bit tired. "Flying in the sky and burrowing underground for such a long time really isn't something a human can do. If I had known earlier, I would have asked Little Mi Cai to help me catch a strong flying beast."
After complaining for a while, he settled down in a small city in the western region. This city was called Hao Tian City. It wasn't much different from the ancient city from three years ago. However, the strength of the forces here was far greater than the ancient city from three years ago.
"Hehe, a small city like this actually has three Cryptic Realm experts. This western region is indeed the second largest region of the empire." Qin Shi spread out his mental energy. After looking around for a while, he couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise.
Jade In The Book smiled. "However, this shouldn't be much of a shock to you right now. After all, my Shi Tou is someone who can even cause havoc in the Mystical Palace."
Shaking his head with a bitter smile, Qin Shi said, "Sister Yu is laughing at me again. If you hadn't been taken to the Mystical Palace, I wouldn't have dared to provoke Hua Ling even if I had a hundred guts. That crazy woman. If it wasn't for Xue Xin's timely arrival, I reckon that I would be drinking tea with the King of Hell right now."
"Hehe, so you're saying that I'm very important to our Shi Tou?" Jade In The Book smiled sweetly.
Speaking of this, Qin Shi became serious. "Of course, if it wasn't for Sister Yu's teacher and friend for the past three years, there wouldn't be today's Qin Shi and Qin Zong. Sister Yu, I've said it before. You're very important to me."
"Then let me ask you. Between me and Xue Xin, who's more important to you?"
"I …"
"If Luo Sha and I fall into the water, who will you save first?"
"I …" Qin Shi clicked his tongue. He was convinced. "Is this a problem?
One is at the Cryptic Realm and the other is at the Three Heavens realm. Can both of you fall into the water? "
"I don't care. If I don't have cultivation."
"If I don't have cultivation, Luo Sha is very good at swimming. She will save you even if I don't go into the water."
"No, what if I have to go into the water?"
"Then I reckon that you're going to die." Qin Shi shrugged his shoulders.
Jade In The Book frowned and asked, "Why?"
"Think about it, I don't know how to swim to begin with. If I don't have my cultivation and all three of us fall into the water, who do you think Luo Sha will save first?
Of course you'll save me first! "Qin Shi smiled proudly.
Jade In The Book was suddenly enlightened. She pouted and said, "Stinky stone, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Ahem, ahem!" Qin Shi coughed twice and became much more serious. "Let's stop joking. Sister Yu, do you know?
The three of you are almost the same in my heart. I don't want to lie to any of you. "
"Humph, you're angry!" Jade In The Book ignored Qin Shi.
In the face of Jade In The Book's nonsense, Qin Shi was also helpless. He knew that Jade In The Book was joking with him, so he didn't linger on this topic. Instead, he got up and walked toward the nearest inn.
After entering the inn, he went straight to the counter and said, "Boss, a guest room."
"Okay."
As soon as the boss agreed readily, Qin Shi felt a sharp pain in his waist. Jade In The Book roared indignantly, "Two rooms, two rooms! You treacherous man! You married a wife and forgot your sister! I'll never sleep with you again!"
The corner of Qin Shi's mouth twitched. He smiled bitterly and said, "You make it sound like we've slept together before."
Shaking his head helplessly, Qin Shi ignored Jade In The Book. After getting the guest room, he said to the boss of the inn, "By the way, boss, can I ask you where the Bejeweled Lava Volcano is?"
"The Bejeweled Lava Volcano?"
As soon as the four words came out, the atmosphere of the entire inn suddenly quieted down. Many of the customers who had just been noisy and boisterous all put down the wine cups in their hands and stared at Qin Shi with vigilance.
The boss of the inn also shrunk his neck and said with a trembling voice, "Little brother, are you talking about one of the three forbidden areas of the Empire: the Bejeweled Lava Volcano?"
"Yes, that's the one."
"Sir, I advise you not to go."
Receiving the affirmation, the face of the boss of the inn became even more vigilant. He purposely lowered his voice and said, "The Bejeweled Lava Volcano is dangerous. Even a Cryptic realm practitioner would not be able to survive for more than half a day."
Qin Shi smiled, "Don't worry boss, I already know this. You only need to tell me where the Bejeweled Lava Volcano is."
"Alright, since you insist on going, I'll tell you. The Bejeweled Lava Volcano is at the western border of the Empire. However, I see that little brother is still young, so don't take things too hard." The boss of the inn said bitterly.
"The westernmost part?"
Qin Shi murmured and silently remembered this in his heart. Only then did he thank the boss, "Then many thanks, boss."