Breakthrough from breathing? Leonardo was intrigued, could the entire Jin Prefecture be covered in a wide range of ether purification formations to expel the chaotic ether from the ambiance?
That would have been too extravagant, right?
The flying ship slowly stopped in front of a massive and opaque barrier. People could barely see through the landscape beyond, even Leonardo couldn't see past this barrier despite his uncanny perceptiveness.
"How are we going to get in?" Leonardo turned over to look at Lieutenant Marley, and then he turned to look over the rest of the people.
"We're not going in— you are. People from the main branch of the Qing family will send a few people to accompany you to the Qing Province, just be patient for a bit." Lieutenant Marley replied.
Leonardo didn't know the Qing family actually controlled an entire province, and not any ordinary province at that, but a province in the most complicated prefecture of the entire dynasty.
"How many 9th-tier cultivators do they have?" Leonardo asked, a bit intrigued.
Lieutenant Marley rolled his eyes. "How would I know? They should at least have a dozen of those in the open, each of them an exalted City Lord. As for their hidden reserves? Heh, as if someone like me would've had access to such military intelligence."
Thinking about something, Lieutenant Marley's expression turned heavy. "Don't try anything funny once you're inside, the backing of a 7th-tier cultivator doesn't count for a fart once you're entrenched in the political struggles of these monsters. Unlike the Dongfang Imperial Family or the Luan Imperial Family, the Jin Imperial Family invested their resources and countless years of foundation exploring the dead cosmos out there…
"Gods know how many ancient relics they've uncovered across the ages, hence why no one bothered them or stepped on their toes. The bottom line is and always will be to steer clear of the ambitions of the imperial family. This provided an opportunity for the factions under the imperial family to grow unscrupulous while competing for resources. I wouldn't even be surprised if these people went as far as to infiltrate the imperial harem of the Jin Emperor."
Lieutenant Marley's intentions were clear. Inside the Jin Prefecture, these families had even dared dispatch spies to the Royal Palace, let alone the strongholds of the Seven Families and their meager Seven Star Alliance.
Leonardo had to admire the Black Market even more at this point. Thinking about it, Lucas would fit right in this place if his cultivation could keep up.
"I understand, I'll be more careful," Leonardo nodded his head, feeling glad not to have attempted to infiltrate the Jin Prefecture without any solid identity or background. With the referral from two 7th-tier cultivators who originate from the prefecture itself.
This way, he could avoid a lot of screening.
Moreover, the Qing family wasn't very powerful in the political scene— such could be inferred from their eagerness to attack House Xia, House Freya, and House Levi at any given opportunity.
The barrier suddenly rippled as a small yet exquisite flying ship emerged from the parting space.
Everyone looked up to see the black colorful flying ship.
Lieutenant Marley gasped when he saw the row of delicate characters on the side of the ship. The letters clearly showed the word, Silent Melody.
Lieutenant Marley exclaimed in shock. "This is Lady Viola's personal flying ship!"
Leonardo already knew that he would be working under Emily's big sister, Viola, though he hadn't expected she'd come to fetch him up personally.
The only person to have a good relationship with Emily was this Lady Viola. While they shared the same father, Viola was the daughter of a mistress and thus was very kind to Emily, even as the rest of the family shunned her due to the divergent martial intent.
Viola's talent exploded when she finally achieved rebirth, and her position slowly transitioned into the Young Lady of House Qing while Emily, the daughter of the first wife, was pushed to the edge of the dynasty.
While everyone thought Viola pushed Emily away in a competition between sisters, only Viola knew that the latter took the initiative to leave home while slowly and surreptitiously transferring authority and prestige to the former.
The incident didn't put a crack in the two sisters' relationship, but quite the opposite, it made the relationship even stronger.
Viola was very happy with her little sister's recent achievements, and with the gathered momentum, she petitioned the elders by claiming that such a subordinate shouldn't be wasted under her little sister's incompetence, but should be nurtured in the Jin Prefecture and help her instead.
The elders, of course, echoed this sentiment and sent out the transfer orders that Emily had 'no choice' but to 'reluctantly' accept. The elders were satisfied with Emily's efficiency and obedience. They weren't at all concerned about her letter of referral, though they were surprised that Roxfield of House Renhuang had a high opinion of Attendant Ye as well, making them even more eager to pull him under Viola's wing.
Not only Lieutenant Marley, but everyone else was stunned, wondering what type of a referral letter could draw the attention of Lady Viola, for her to personally fetch up this young man.
"You can come over now."
A cold voice sounded from the Silent Melody ship.
Everyone was confused— they could tell this invitation was specifically targeting Attendant Ye but… Isn't he a mere mortal?
Lieutenant Marley was about to intervene, but his words were caught in his throat as he watched Attendant Ye take a deep breath, give him a wink, and start walking forward.
The young man's aura changed and charged forward with an unprecedented momentum with each step he took.
Level 10… Level 20… Boom!
Level 30… Level 40… Boom!
Level 50… Level 60… Boom!
Level 70… Level 80… Boom!
In no time at all, the aura climbed to the peak of High Divinity, shooting through the core formation levels.
Level 90… Level 99… Boom!
Under everyone's eyes, Leonardo blazed through the rudimentary 100 levels of rebirth, and changed into the realms of rebirth realm cultivators, a certified 5th-tier.
As his rebirth domain exploded, an illusory image of a brilliant white moon appeared in the sky. The moon had twelve phases, and as its luster began to wane, a mysterious force field enveloped a dozen kilometers all around.
Leonardo wanted to utilize this opportunity to advertise himself and test his comprehension of the law of time while deriving the effect from his desolate martial intent.
There were many variations when it came to controlling time.
You can make it go forward, slow down, or go backward. It can be fast or slow, or static even— making everything stop, just like the Exiled Paradise.
Leonardo's current understanding limited his control over this law to fast-forwarding time in a relative relationship with how much energy he invested into the domain. At this moment, he was investing whatever little energy one might anticipate from a 5th-tier cultivator, but most of the ordinary soldiers who had yet to achieve rebirth began to age considerably.
Still, no one dared to make a move. No one would bark their worries at a rebirth realm cultivator, no matter how bold they were.
A light snort came from the Silent Melody, and like a clap of thunder, it tore open the domain and shattered the moon in the sky. Like a receding illusion, all signs of aging disappeared from the anxious soldiers, allowing them to heave a sigh of relief and look at Leonardo with abject horror in their eyes.
They weren't the target of this domain and yet, they almost went from the peak of their youth to gazing into an early grave in a split second.
"My lady said come over, no one asked you to show off!" A different cold voice echoed out, and an even heavier domain descended on the flying ship.
This was the domain of a 6th-tier cultivator, much stronger than a peak 5th-tier cultivator. Everyone knew this subordinate of Lady Viola wanted to put Attendant Ye in his place, lest he stirred up trouble in the future.
"Apologize this instant!"
The voice rumbled again; everyone could see Leonardo's body shaking under the pressure, wondering whether or not he would bow and apologize.
As for Leonardo, he wanted to test Lady Viola's attitude toward him. So far, she didn't personally come out and reprimand him, and while her subordinates could represent her will to a certain extent, he would rather give this woman the benefit of the doubt and take Emily's words to face value.
From Emily's perspective, her big sister was playing the Qing family. While from Leonardo's perspective, both Lady Viola and the Qing family could be playing Emily.
If Viola truly cared about Emily, she wouldn't let Emily's personal attendant suffer humiliation in front of an open crowd. However, she seems inclined to teach Leonardo that even if he was Emily's personal attendant, he would still rank less than those at her side.
A few moments later, noticing the inactivity from Lady Viola, and while everyone thought Leonardo was about to fall to his knees…
His body suddenly went as stable and rigid as a boulder while a long, exasperated sigh escaped his mouth.
