664: Chapter 664 Undercurrents Surge, the Literary Test Begins

"Court is dismissed!" Then Emperor Gu Xuan left the hall, and the officials withdrew.

As Gu Ci stepped out of the assembly hall, a white-haired old man stood on the square, his thin frame carrying an air of uncompromising integrity.

Especially his eyes, bright as stars, seemed able to see through people's hearts.

This person was one of the pillars of the Daxuan Heavenly Dynasty, ranked among the Three Dukes, and was also the Second Prince's primary teacher.

"Greetings, Teacher!" Gu Ci smiled and gave a slight bow to the old man.

"Second Prince, Your Highness, do you know what the Emperor's purpose was in arranging this trip to the Western Regions?" the old man asked calmly.

"To seize the treasure pill and eliminate the enemies," Second Prince Gu Ci replied.

"Mm, that is only one aspect. Most importantly, it is a test for you. Now that the First Prince has perished, it remains to be seen which of you brothers will eventually sit on that Dragon throne."

"This time, you must handle things beautifully!" the old man said solemnly.

"Thank you for the guidance, Teacher!" Second Prince Gu Ci's expression turned serious as he bowed slightly.

Then the old man turned and left, and Gu Ci also began preparing to head to the Western Regions.

In the Western Regions, inside the Gantian Side Hall, the surroundings began to grow noisy.

"What's going on? These are all notorious outlaws; why are they so polite?"

Among those viewing were monks, Sect Masters, Alchemists, Demonic Beasts, vegetable sellers...

"What is this? A mess?"

"You brat, you dare cut in line? Brothers, let's get him!"

Whoosh!

Immediately, hundreds of hand seals were struck out, booming as they sent the black sheep who broke the rules flying; if the order was disrupted, business would be suspended for three days.

These people would skin him alive.

"Kid, stop stretching your neck and inhaling so hard, leave some for me!"

"Hey, five breaths' time is up, move along. With such low cultivation, can you even understand what you're looking at?"

In a valley, a massive palace stood, open from front to back, entering through the front door and exiting through the back.

In the center was a metal platform connected to the ground; one could only see the treasure pill inside, but Soul power could not penetrate it.

On display was precisely the Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill: the evil infant life-extending pill.

Several Human Puppets stood around, guarding the left and right sides.

"So this is the life-extending treasure pill? Why does it look a bit wicked?"

"Yeah, it's too eerie, it even looks like an infant."

"This is it. My second uncle saw it in court and recorded it; this is the life-extending treasure pill."

"Inhale... I need to take a couple more deep breaths."

As the words fell, he opened his mouth and inhaled deeply; a group of people inhaled together, and the sound of gasping echoed throughout the entire exhibition hall.

"Those in front, hurry up!" those who hadn't entered yet shouted loudly.

"Alright, time's up. People behind, move forward. One dou wang pill only lets you look for this long."

The people in front were reluctant to leave as they followed the line out of the Gantian Side Hall.

Those who came out rushed frantically toward the square where the queue was, and when they saw the line that had no end in sight, they were instantly dumbfounded.

"Damn it, where does this line even end? Is this still the Western Regions?"

The line extended backward, with no end in sight.

Those who came out later flew to the end of the line, which was already nearly a hundred li away.

"My god, with such a long line, you'd die of old age waiting!"

But what if they didn't join the queue? In a short while, another group would arrive; in a day's time, only the queue would be left in the Gantian Holy Capital.

There was no need for promotion at all; this long Dragon of a queue was proof enough.

Meanwhile, countless experts from all directions were still gathering; after entering the Gantian Holy Capital, they were all bewildered.

"The life-extending treasure pill should be real; our Lingbo Hall wants it," the leading man said coldly.

"Whoa, am I blind? Is that a Sect Master in line?" a man asked in surprise.

The number of experts continued to grow, and the queue surged madly...

In the Gantian Holy Palace, there were only two people: the Purple-robed Old Eunuch who had delivered the oral decree before, and Nian Haocang, wearing a dragon robe and a Pingtian Crown.

"Your Majesty, that is how things are!" the old eunuch said with a strange expression.

"Paid viewing? Hahaha, how interesting." Nian Haocang chuckled heartily.

Holy Son of Cangtian's residence.

Cang Chengjun looked at a person in front of him and asked, "Where is everyone? Where did they all go?"

"Holy Son, they've all asked for leave."

"Asked for leave? For what?" Cang Chengjun asked angrily.

"They went to join the queue."

"Join the queue?" His subordinate then quickly informed him about the treasure pill exhibition.

Upon hearing this, Cang Chengjun looked up at the sky helplessly: "My heart is in despair, just let it all be destroyed!"

At Princess Nian Youyou's residence.

Miss Ninger chirped, "Princess, the treasure pill exhibition in the Gantian Holy Capital has already begun. It's very lively, and the queue is so long you can't see the end."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Princess Nian Youyou's beautiful face darkened.

"Ninger hopes Mr. Hun wins, marries the Princess, and lives happily ever after," Miss Ninger said joyfully.

Gantian Side Hall.

Hun Tiandi and Mr. Corpse Soul stood not far away, quietly watching the scene.

"Your Majesty, everything is proceeding according to plan!" Mr. Corpse Soul said calmly.

"Mm, the safety of the treasure pill depends on you, Mister!" Hun Tiandi spoke slowly.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. There are two Dou Zun corpses beneath the treasure pill. Unless a Dou Sheng expert takes action, no one can snatch it away." Mr. Corpse Soul said confidently.

"Mm, you will be responsible for experts below Nine-Star Dou Zun. As for experts above Dou Zun, Nian Haocang and the experts of the Da Gan Heavenly Dynasty will naturally be watching over them," Hun Tiandi spoke with absolute confidence.

"Yes!" Mr. Corpse Soul nodded.

Countless experts were still arriving at the Gantian Holy Capital one after another, and they were completely dumbfounded by the scene before them.

Especially the Second Prince of the Daxuan Heavenly Dynasty, His Highness Gu Ci, who had arrived looking travel-worn.

"Teacher, when do we strike?" Mu Qingluan asked.

"No, in this Gantian Holy Capital, the Emperor of Da Gan is the heavens. If we try to snatch the treasure pill, we will surely be besieged by the experts of Da Gan."

Saint Feng was truly an expert who had dominated the Central Plains; with his experienced gaze, he saw through the calm surface of this exhibition.

How intense the undercurrents were, and how hidden the killing intent.

"Your Highness, your subordinate has a way to get the treasure pill without queuing, and even gain a princess in the process."

A middle-aged man beside the Second Prince pondered slightly before speaking slowly.

"Oh? What way?" Gu Ci asked curiously.

"Why don't you ask the Emperor of Da Gan for a decree of marriage to Princess Nian Youyou? That way, the treasure pill can serve as a dowry, and you can also gain a princess of a Heavenly Dynasty." the middle-aged man said.

"That's right!" Prince Gu Ci pondered for a moment and felt that this was a good idea.

He immediately left the queue and headed toward the Gantian Holy Palace.

Gantian Holy Palace.

A eunuch came to report: "Your Majesty, the Second Prince of the Daxuan Heavenly Dynasty requests an audience."

"Grant him entry!" Nian Haocang said calmly.

Soon, a man entered. He was a man in a light purple robe, with outstanding looks and a fair complexion.

"Reporting to the Emperor of Da Gan, I am Gu Ci. I wish to form an alliance through marriage with the Da Gan Heavenly Dynasty and humbly request Your Majesty to marry a princess to me as a sign of the friendship between our two dynasties."

Prince Gu Ci said.

There is no such thing as a free lunch; this Prince Gu Ci was practically trying to get something for nothing.

"Oh? Which princess do you wish to marry?" Nian Haocang asked.

Clearly, Nian Haocang was intrigued.

"Princess Nian Youyou of the Da Gan Heavenly Dynasty!" Prince Gu Ci said.

Upon hearing this, the old eunuch's pupils constricted, and he took a deep look at Gu Ci.

"Oh? I will give you a chance to see if you can win the favor of the Da Gan Heavenly Dynasty's princess."

"Holy Son of Cangtian, Hun Tiandi, Prince Gu Ci..."

"As long as Princess Nian Youyou favors one of you three, I will grant the marriage."

First, accept the tests! A literary test and a Martial Trial.

The literary test is a battle of pens, and the Martial Trial is a battle of strength!

In the hall, Nian Haocang sat in the main seat, with the Purple-robed Old Eunuch standing beside him.

"Your Majesty, I have also looked at this intelligence, and it is very strange," the old eunuch said.

"Oh?" Nian Haocang asked in confusion.

In the side hall, the metal cage protecting the evil infant life-extending pill is very strange. I cannot tell where it came from, and I even explored underground!" the Purple-robed Old Eunuch said calmly.

"Even you cannot see through it? Who is guarding it?" Nian Haocang asked.

"It is Hun Tiandi's subordinate, Mr. Corpse Soul. I can only see that his cultivation is at the Peak of the Dou Huang level; I can't see through anything else!"

"Peak Dou Huang? Hehe... this Hun Tiandi has quite a few secrets!"

"Your Majesty, could someone..."

"Hmph, who would dare?"

"The owner of this blood pill? Could it be?"

"No, it shouldn't be possible!"

Nian Haocang fell into silence, and the old eunuch also remained quiet.

The literary test was about to begin; the three were about to clash for the first time. Which one would the Heavenly Dynasty princess end up with?

Upon hearing this, cold light flashed in Hun Tiandi's eyes, and he said coldly, "Daxuan Heavenly Dynasty? Second Prince Gu Ci?"

Suppressing his anger, he noted that they had provoked him several times. Once he had the time, he would have to deal with the Daxuan Heavenly Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, this... this is breaking the rules?" Liu Ling said in an anxious and unwilling tone.

"Say no more!" Clearly, he was afraid that there were ears everywhere and that it would reach Nian Haocang's ears.

"However, the final result is not determined by Nian Haocang, but by Princess Nian Youyou. There is still a chance!"

Hun Tiandi said calmly.