The Vice Pavilion Master pondered for a moment and said, “Yes. However, Your Highness must answer two questions from me first.”
“Please?”Zhang Ruochen said.
The Deputy Pavilion Master said, “The first question, when Your Highness the Crown Prince goes to the Peakless Mountain on the seventh day of the month to sacrifice to Heaven, is it just to snatch a woman?”
Zhang Ruochen understood the Vice Pavilion Master’s reason for asking this and said, “Does the Vice Pavilion Master think that I’m still immature and too impulsive in my actions?”
“Your Highness only needs to answer me.”The Deputy Pavilion Master said.
Zhang Ruochen carried his hands behind his back and paced around the room, saying, “I am going to be returning a promise I owe.”
The Deputy Pavilion Master did not make a comment and asked a second question, “Your Highness, when you cloth the Prince’s Edict and recalled the old ministries of the Sacred Brightness Central Empire, have you ever thought about how to protect them? Ever thought about where to go next?”
“Without the ability to protect them and give them a better future, this Crown Prince wouldn’t be able to issue a Crown Prince Edict.”
The aura on Zhang Ruochen’s body became stern as he stretched out a hand and said, “Does Vice Pavilion Master dare to go to a place with me?”
“Why wouldn’t I dare?”
In the room, a spatial fluctuation appeared, and then the World Gate of the Qiankun Realm opened.
Zhang Ruochen brought the Vice Pavilion Master into the Qian Kun Realm and stood in mid-air, overlooking the vast world below.
“A world …… It turns out that Your Highness has mastered a world ……”
When the Vice Pavilion Master saw the Heaven Receiving Divine Wood, a hint of emotional fluctuation also appeared as he said, “Since Your Highness knows what you’re doing and what you’re going to do next, I’m completely relieved.”
Re-returning to that room in the Phoenix Dance Palace, the Vice Pavilion Master no longer had a trace of hesitation as he stretched out a hand that radiated holy light and removed the Starry Sky Mask that he wore on his face.
Seeing the old man standing in front of him, Zhang Ruochen’s eyes continued to dilate as a huge ripple arose in his heart, saying, “Ancestor Taiyi …… how could it be your old man?”
The old man standing opposite Zhang Ruochen was none other than that Taiyi Ancestor of the Two Element Sect, with a white beard and white, wrinkled face, giving off a sense of immortalism.
In the Shangqing Palace, Zhang Ruochen had seen Grandmaster Taiyi once, and his image was very profound.
Ancestor Taiyi faintly said, ”Back then, the Poor Taoist joined your father in the Two Elemental Sect and followed Daoist Ancestor Yuanfa to cultivate together. Since, Poverty Road is a few years younger, so, address your Father Emperor as Senior Brother.”
Zhang Ruochen hurriedly bowed, “Greetings, Senior Uncle.”
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen’s salute to Grandmaster Taiyi was a complete sign of respect. Back then, in the Two Yi Sect, if it wasn’t for the shelter of Grandmaster Taiyi, I’m afraid that the identity of “Lin Yue” would have already been exposed.
I’m afraid that at that time, Grandmaster Taiyi had already seen through Zhang Ruochen’s true identity.
Ancestor Taiyi was very frank, without a ripple in his eyes, he extended an old hand to indicate that Zhang Ruochen did not need to salute, and said, “Back then, senior brother had shown great kindness to poor Tao, so poor Tao agreed to join the Dragon Protector Pavilion as the Vice Pavilion Master of the Big Dipper Pavilion. There are also some complicated reasons for this, there is no need to tell you now, in the future, you will naturally understand.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “May I ask Senior Uncle, is Father still alive? Where exactly did he go?”
Ancestor Taiyi shook his head and sighed, saying, “In fact, Poor Taoist also wonders if Senior is still alive.”
Zhang Ruochen was slightly gloomy, then, he asked, “Legend has it that the day before Father disappeared, he summoned all the members of the Dragon Protector Pavilion. Subsequently, the members of the Dragon Protector Pavilion took away all the resources from the national treasury of the Sacred Brightness Central Empire. This matter, is it true?”
“Not true.”
“Where are the treasury resources of the Sacred Brightness Central Empire now?”Zhang Ruochen continued to ask.
Ancestor Taiyi said, “It has been depleted.”
“How is that possible?”
Zhang Ruochen had some difficulty believing it.
Ancestor Taiyi said, “Before Senior Brother left, he instructed us to build one thing. In order to build that thing, the resources in the treasury have been exhausted.”
“What is it that is being built that can exhaust the treasury of a central empire?”Zhang Ruochen asked.
Ancestor Taiyi said, “Elder brother gave a gag order, and when the time is not right, no one can be told.”
“Can’t tell me either?”Zhang Ruochen said.
Ancestor Taiyi said, “Of anyone, it naturally includes you.”
Zhang Ruochen knew that Ancestor Taiyi refused to tell, and even if he continued to ask, there would be no result, so he said, “Before heading to Peerless Mountain to sacrifice to the heavens, I want to destroy the Lingxiao Heavenly King’s Mansion first. Senior Uncle, what do you think?”
Ancestor Taiyi put the Starry Sky Mask back on, his aura disappearing invisibly again, his voice ethereal, he said, “You are the Crown Prince, it is up to you to make the decision, we will do our best to help you.”
In the last few days, Sacred Brightness City could be described as being in turmoil.
The Crown Prince’s edict suspended in the sky dome had never dispersed, and the old ministries and vassals of the Sacred Brightness Central Empire had been frantically converging towards Sacred Brightness City from the south and north of the heavens, leading to one bloody battle after another.
A large number of troops from the imperial court rushed to Sacred Brightness City at the first opportunity, causing the defence force of Sacred Brightness City to increase by several times.
Unfortunately, after spending several days, the Ling Xiao Heavenly King’s Mansion was unable to find any trace of Zhang Ruochen. The Heavenly King of Ling Xiao even invited the Crown Prince Shiji Qi to use the Heaven and Earth Chess Game to search for Zhang Ruochen’s traces, but unfortunately, there was still no luck.
On the seventh day after the announcement of the Crown Prince’s Edict, some of the sons and daughters of the Ling Xiao Heavenly King’s Mansion appeared in public in Sacred Brightness City, “The so-called Crown Prince of Sacred Brightness is nothing but a shrunken head turtle, he doesn’t dare to show up at all. The Crown Prince Edict is just trying to lure the remnants of the former dynasty to Sacred Ming City to die.”
“For Zhang Ruochen to even presume to climb the Peakless Mountain to snatch Prince Qiu Yu’s fiancée is completely presumptuous and self-absorbed. Those Saint Ming remnants are just a bunch of rabble, they can’t become a climate.”
……
…………
Someone was instructing them behind the scenes, wanting to use words to provoke Zhang Ruochen out.
On that very day, a golden dragon carriage rushed out from the Ling Xiao Heavenly King’s Mansion, pulled by nine white scaly dragons that had reached the Saint realm, and the aura that emanated from the carriage shook the entire Sacred Ming City.
A vast imperial aura surged in all directions like golden waves.
“That’s the Golden Step Dragon Chariot, Emperor Ming’s imperial carriage, once the supreme treasure of the Sacred Ming Central Empire.”A Saint realm figure recognised the ancient carriage pulled by nine dragons, his heart incomparably shocked.
Once upon a time, Emperor Ming rode the Golden Step Dragon Chariot to conquer the four directions, beating the Undying Blood Clan to the ground. It could be said that the Golden Step Dragon Chariot had a very special significance.
“To actually come out to patrol in the Golden Step Dragon Chariot, this person is simply humiliating Emperor Ming and Zhang Ruochen… How dare he not be afraid of incurring a siege from the remnants of Sacred Ming?”
A young man in his twenties, dressed in a golden king’s robe, stepped out of the Golden Step Dragon Chariot, releasing a holy might that made heaven and earth change colour.
He said, “A prince of a fallen country dares to issue a prince’s edict. If he dares to appear, within ten swords, this king will definitely behead him.”
“This person has such a big mouth, doesn’t he know that Zhang Ruochen has already cultivated to become a Sword Saint and is able to defeat Wood Prime?”
“In the Ling Xiao Heavenly King’s Mansion, other than the Ling Xiao Heavenly King, I’m afraid there’s only one person who has such vigour.”
“Could it be …… Pool Dokphoenix?”
“Other than the Dufeng Sword Saint, who else would dare to claim that he could behead Zhang Ruochen within ten swords?”
“Two hundred years ago, Chi Dufeng was a supreme genius of the Lingxiao Heavenly King’s Mansion, and he was able to fight dozens of moves against the number one expert of that era, Luo Xu, without losing. I also don’t know what terrifying level Chi Dufeng’s current cultivation has reached.”
Chi Dufeng’s appearance was a sensation in Sacred Ming City.
Chi Dufeng drove the golden-stepped dragon carriage and toured around Sacred Ming City, and wherever he passed, all the cultivators were suppressed to kneel on the ground by the might emanating from the dragon carriage.
As if the emperor was travelling, a large number of soldiers followed behind the golden step dragon carriage.
Finally, there was an old part of the Sacred Brightness Central Empire that couldn’t stand Pool Dokphung and led three thousand dead soldiers to form a formation and charge towards the Golden Step Dragon Chariot.
The one leading the charge, who had reached the Saint realm, roared, “A little child of the Chi family, who dares to ride in Emperor Ming’s carriage, you’re looking for death.”
That Saint realm powerhouse stood at the centre of the three thousand dead soldiers, mobilising the power of the formation, waving a battle flag, and attacking towards the Golden Step Giant Chariot.
“Wow–”
A sword light, flying out from the Golden Step Dragon Chariot, surged over as if it was a wave of water.
“Pfft.”
The three thousand dead soldiers and that Saint realm powerhouse, in an instant, turned into a rain of blood, leaving only a broken corpse that fell to the ground in a heap.
All the cultivators present were all trembling in fear.
In the Golden Step Dragon Carriage, Chi Dufeng’s voice came out, “Indeed, all of them are rabble, are all the remnants of the Sacred Ming so weak?”
Afterwards, the golden step dragon carriage continued to travel out forwards, crushing through the bodies of those corpses.
On the roof of the Phoenix Dance Palace, Yan Kaixuan and Wang Silence and the others were so furious that they were smoking out of their seven holes, wanting to strike out against Chi Dufeng, but, they were stopped by Granny Bai Su.
“Chi Dufeng is just trying to provoke us into going out and dueling with him, and then, take this opportunity to exterminate us.”Granny Baisu said.
“It’s too wimpy! Didn’t that Imperial Prince claim that within ten days, he would be able to exterminate the Lingxiao Heavenly King’s Mansion? Now, a large number of the children and grandchildren of the old ministers and the old troops have converged on Sacred Brightness City, wanting to follow him in a big battle. How come he has turned into a shrinking turtle? Is he scared?”
Yan Kaixuan was incomparably furious, ignoring Granny Baisu’s obstruction, he rushed outside Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation room and yelled, “Your Highness, Crown Prince, Chi Dufeng is riding in Emperor Ming’s Golden Steps Dragon Chariot as he patrols Sacred Ming City, massacring the old ministries of the Sacred Ming Central Empire. How much longer do you have to hide?”
In the room, Zhang Ruochen sat beside a bronze table, looking exceptionally calm, as if he couldn’t hear Yan Kaixuan’s voice.
Qin Yutong stood at the bottom and reported, “We have been arranging for hundreds of years in Sacred Brightness City, and in the recent days, Granny Baisu has already made the arrangements, so as long as His Highness the Crown Prince gives the order, Sacred Brightness City’s City Protector Formation will not be able to continue functioning any longer, much less move the formation to attack.”
Qin Yutong’s talent was extremely high, and after receiving Zhang Ruochen’s reward of holy pills and holy sources, she had broken through to the Saint realm in only three days.
“You guys have done a good job.”Zhang Ruochen nodded.
Being able to receive praise from His Highness the Crown Prince, Qin Yutong revealed a smile and asked, “Your Highness, the winds are already rising outside, how soon will we attack the Ling Xiao Heavenly King’s Mansion?”
“Tonight.”Zhang Ruochen said.
