27: A temple recognized by the empire!

In the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, above the imperial court.

Emperor Xue Ye sat high upon his throne, with noble ministers standing on either side below.

A eunuch announced the start of the court session.

The court proceedings began in an orderly fashion.

Soon, Xue Qinghe stepped out from the ranks and said, "Father, your son has a report!"

Emperor Xue Ye glanced lazily at Xue Qinghe and nodded.

"Speak..."

Xue Qinghe, refined and gentle, spoke softly, "After I took on the responsibility for disaster relief..."

She did not attack those nobles who had taken advantage of the crisis.

This was all within the Empire's range of tolerance.

Moreover, if she really did that, she would lose the goodwill and support of the nobles.

"Fortunately, Father's fortune is as vast as the heavens and you are blessed by them. A deity actually appeared, bringing two bouts of sweet rain and reviving the crops in the fields..."

Xue Qinghe offered some flattery.

Emperor Xue Ye smiled; the more he looked at Xue Qinghe, the more pleased he became.

The foul mood from losing his second son not long ago had also dissipated quite a bit.

Some of the other noble ministers looked on with appreciation, while others were extremely dejected.

Many had wanted to engage in land annexation.

But after the two rains, all their fantasies were shattered.

Even worse, the crops in their own fields had become sickly, and even their storage reservoirs had been sucked dry.

Now hearing that it was actually related to a deity, they did not dare to show any dissatisfaction.

"For tens of thousands of years, since the appearance of the God of Angels and the Sea God, there have been no records of deities. That a deity could resolve the great drought today must be because Your Majesty has ruled with such diligence that you have won a deity's favor!"

"Long live Your Majesty! This is the recognition of the deity!"

"..."

The noble ministers immediately began to flatter Emperor Xue Ye.

Emperor Xue Ye's smile grew even wider; he loved being praised!

After listening for a while, he waved his hand and smiled, "Qinghe, continue. You have done well and have not failed my expectations."

Xue Qinghe showed a look of excitement and added, "The commoners were so grateful for the Divine Dragon's kindness that they spontaneously built a temple. When I went there yesterday, I actually learned that the Divine Dragon... that is, the Azure Dragon Divine Lord, has chosen two more priests, and the temple has been recognized by him. Therefore, I make bold to ask Father to grant it legitimacy!"

"..." A sharp light flashed in Emperor Xue Ye's eyes as he straightened his posture.

The other noble ministers also showed shocked expressions.

The manifestation of a deity was a matter of the highest importance; it was an auspicious omen!

If they could gain the deity's recognition, then the Heaven Dou Empire would inherently be in an invincible position.

Would the Star Luo Empire still dare to send troops against the Heaven Dou Empire?

"Good! It should be so! I am also curious about what wonders that small temple truly holds."

Emperor Xue Ye laughed.

Xue Qinghe hurriedly advised, "However, I suggest that Father travel incognito. That temple is remote, and the Divine Lord personally handed down a divine edict to keep things as they are and not allow any expansion..."

Emperor Xue Ye frowned. He liked pomp and ceremony; traveling incognito was boring, and there was also the risk of assassination!

He hesitated for a moment.

Just then, a voice rang out.

"If Your Majesty wishes to go, I can accompany you."

...The temple.

Yu Mengzhang was practicing here. He had decided to stay and would no longer return to the village.

In the temple, he could at any time mobilize the authority of the Azure Dragon, influence the celestial phenomena in the sky, and awaken the Dragon Qi stored in the Dragon Veins underground.

Furthermore, because of the nourishment from the Dragon Veins, it was extremely beneficial to his Divine Soul and daily cultivation.

The village chief respected his opinion but stayed to accompany him for one night, not quite feeling at ease.

Yu Mengzhang sat directly on the altar, "sleeping" in front of the statue.

In reality, he was taking stock of the current situation.

To evolve the "Green Lizard" into an Azure Dragon, he needed Bloodline, Dragon Qi, and Karma.

Setting the Bloodline aside for now, besides his own progress in strength, he could extract the Bloodlines of other Dragon Clans to gain insights by analogy.

With his current strength, he did not yet possess such capability.

If he were to borrow the Dragon Qi from the Dragon Veins, the loss would outweigh the gain.

After all, Dragon Qi was limited.

He still preferred to use his power to relieve suffering and help those in need.

As for his own Dragon Qi, with the nourishment of the Dragon Veins, it was normally sufficient; if he wanted to speed up in the future, he could also capture some Dragon Clan Spirit Beasts.

Of course, it would be even better if he encountered Dragon Clan remains.

Karma was his greatest advantage right now!

The Karma from the two bouts of sweet rain had made him beloved by heaven and earth. If anyone blind enough tried to harm him, like that Count, they would meet all sorts of unlucky ends.

"My Divine Soul is above this dimension. In the future, when hunting for spirit rings, I can travel via spirit, so I don't have to worry about being targeted, and I can search for suitable Dragon Clan Spirit Beasts."

"The temple is built; next is to become stronger!"

Yu Mengzhang thought.

At the same time, he gained the faith of those commoners.

For those whose faith was deep enough, he could even see where they were through the eyes of that Believer.

If he wished, he could even pass on a portion of his own calamities through this connection.

This was the wonderful utility of the Power Of Faith!

While sleeping, his Divine Soul left his body and continuously descended, falling into the Dragon Vein.

Both body and Divine Soul fell into sleep... The next day.

Yu Mengzhang opened his eyes, feeling refreshed.

He jumped down from the altar.

The "Green Lizard" also emerged with a bang. It had its own intelligence and was very lively, frolicking in the wild woods.

The village chief rubbed his eyes as he got up, looking at Yu Mengzhang, wanting to say something but hesitating.

"Grandpa, I'm fine."

Yu Mengzhang nodded slightly to comfort him.

The village chief sighed and said, "Grandpa has no great ability and can't help you much. I just feel that since the clan sees you are favored by the Divine Lord, they might hope for you to return to the clan, and you..."

Yu Mengzhang grasped the village chief's calloused hand and smiled, "It's really no problem."

In his golden eyes, there was no divine detachment.

But true emotion.

The village chief gave a bitter smile and said seriously, "Mengzhang, I believe in you. You are different from other children. Take good care of yourself. No matter what, all of us are your support."

At that moment, a commotion broke out outside.

The village chief opened the temple's main gates.

Outside was still a dense crowd of people.

Although everyone was allowed to worship outside yesterday, nearly half still hadn't had their turn.

And even more people had come after hearing the news.

All came with hearts full of piety and gratitude, wanting to worship the Azure Dragon Divine Lord.

Now, among the crowd outside, a group "cut in line" and walked straight over.

It was the youths of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, led by Yu Mengzhang.

There were over two hundred of them, all dressed in brocade robes and jade belts, a completely different style from the surrounding commoners.

Yu Mengzhang watched this scene calmly, without joy or sorrow.

These youths were all from the inner clan, not from a Collateral Branch like his.

Yu Luomian arrived at the front of the temple with them.

The villagers responsible for maintaining order did not dare to offend Yu Luomian.

Not only because of his status, but also because he had said he would sponsor the temple.