187: Why are you here, you bastard?!

"The Emperor, what's wrong with your eyes?"

Loyal followed behind Zhou Yan, asking cautiously.

Zhou Yan was a little impatient, casually replying.

"This is the effect of a secret technique; don't ask about what you shouldn't."

Hearing the displeasure in Zhou Yan's tone, Loyal buried his head lower, but his quick, small steps followed even more closely, making his posture seem somewhat comical.

This Loyal was the Director of the Directorate of Attendants who had previously blocked Zhou Yan.

That he was granted the imperial surname showed his status and level of trust, but his name was truly not very auspicious.

Zhou Yan met him as soon as he exited the treasure vault; judging by his posture, he must have been waiting outside the entire time.

So, out of helplessness, he had no choice but to let him follow.

Strolling between the magnificent palace walls, Zhou Yan initially felt a sense of novelty.

But at this moment, most of his thoughts were focused on the matter of the Demon Venerable.

He always felt that the true highest value of this trip to the treasure vault was not the items obtained, but the lingering aura of the Demon Venerable.

According to Li Wenbo, the Demon Venerable was initially just an ordinary maggot in nature.

By chance, it and its siblings accidentally ate the feces of a Yao Beast that contained a faint Dragon Clan Bloodline.

He didn't know if the other party had poor digestion that day or hemorrhoids, but in any case, there was some blood in the feces.

This sounded even more disgusting, but for the Demon Venerable's family, it was a great Opportunity.

Unfortunately, they were not blessed to enjoy it.

Almost the entire nest of maggots was burst by that powerful force. Only the Demon Venerable was lucky enough to Awaken a trace of Dragon Clan Bloodline, not only surviving but also eating all the remaining feces, thereby gaining sentience.

Li Wenbo spoke very roughly about its subsequent growth experience.

Basically, it was disliked by both the Human Race and the Yao Race, was once accepted by the Human Race, but not long after, those people were devoured by the Yao Race.

Later, it was accepted by the Yao Race, but not long after, those Yao were captured by the Human Race for Alchemy.

It was a rather classic tragic protagonist script.

But the protagonist was just a maggot.

Later, it obtained an Immortal Opportunity, comprehended the Law of Life Qi, and from this extended the Law of Creation, finally becoming a Venerable through Creation, achieving the Mahayana Cultivator Realm, and subsequently initiating the "Calamity of the Demon Venerable" which lasted for several millennia.

Most records about the Demon Venerable have been sealed. Li Wenbo only stumbled upon them while reviewing historical materials in his early years, so his knowledge was limited.

Only one thing he recounted in great detail, because it was extremely similar to the current situation.

That was Dragon Transformation.

The Demon Venerable rose to power due to its Dragon Clan Bloodline, and later even leaped over the Dragon Gate and successfully underwent Dragon Transformation, only then mastering the Law of Creation.

It was the biggest beneficiary of "Dragon Transformation" itself.

Coupled with the fact that it was a Mahayana Realm before its death, it's not surprising that someone would use its remains for a Dragon Transformation Ritual.

But combining what was seen in the treasure vault with Emperor Taizong's memories, the situation becomes entirely different.

When the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty participated in the campaign against the Demon Venerable, it had not yet unified half of the Northern Territories.

At that time, the old dynasty was collapsing, and powerful factions were rising. It was only because of the sudden rampage of the Demon Venerable that all parties temporarily joined forces to deal with it.

After the Demon Venerable's death, the old dynasty completely collapsed, forming a situation of "two superpowers and many strong forces," eventually ending with Great Yu and Daqian dividing the Northern Territories.

As the main force in the campaign, the two countries must have acquired a considerable amount of the Demon Venerable's relics.

Even if the initial gains were limited, they must have seized more from other forces during the subsequent unification process.

The situation in the imperial Kaifeng is complex, with many parties involved, so the appearance of Dragon Transformation items related to the Demon Venerable is not unusual.

But such a large quantity is suspicious.

The remnants held by a single Truth Cult stronghold were so numerous that they were sufficient for conducting experiments.

And on the imperial family's side, a top-tier Magic Treasure, suspected to be refined from the Demon Venerable's remains, had its core removed, effectively wasting a divine artifact.

Does this mean that the imperial family also has a shadow behind the Truth Cult?

Without the support of the imperial family, that base, which was easily controlled by his Senior Brother, would probably have been difficult to establish.

Then, thinking of Prince Kang being inexplicably allowed to devour The Emperor's Luck, and Emperor Gaozong being unable to articulate or prevent the impending events.

Everything seemed to connect.

The missing part of the armor looked like a scale, the Dragon Transformation item used by the Prime Minister was also exactly a scale, and the Prime Minister was connected to the Truth Cult, and the Truth Cult could use the Demon Venerable for experiments... Could the Dragon King be Prince Kang?

The Prime Minister bet on him, while the Old Duke did not want Prince Kang to undergo Dragon Transformation, so he interfered?

If that were the case, he would first have to resolve the imperial family's trouble before dealing with Prince Kang.

Loyal watched Zhou Yan's expression change unpredictably from the side.

This ancestor, Emperor Taizong, seemed quite easy to get along with, but he was a bit moody and proficient in various secret techniques.

Just now his eyes were dark, and now he was changing his expression again.

He truly was an eccentric Emperor.

Emperor Taizong probably never expected that after so many years of being dead, his reputation would still be tarnished.

Just then, a familiar figure appeared ahead.

"Little brother, I missed you so much!"

A fragrant breeze swept over, and the person rushed directly into Zhou Yan's arms. Because Zhou Yan was currently in the form of the young Emperor, he was only about 1.6 meters tall, and was directly embraced by the other party.

This scene startled him, and also made Loyal drop to his knees with a thud.

"Oh my goodness! My Grand Princess Your Highness!"

Loyal's voice trembled with fright.

"Before you is His Majesty Emperor Taizong, whom The Emperor personally invited from the ancestral temple yesterday! You, this, this is taboo!"

Song Ling, however, continued to hug the 1.6-meter-tall Zhou Yan tightly, rubbing against him and saying.

"Loyal, you always joke around. This is clearly my little brother, how could he be Ancestor Taizong?"

"And even if he were, would Old Ancestor be angry if I, a Junior, gave him a hug?"

Zhou Yan wasn't angry, but he was about to hiss.

Embraced tightly by this soft embrace, a chill ran through his entire body.

The dao body had this one troublesome aspect.

Since he no longer got goosebumps, he didn't even know how to describe his current feelings.

And the reason for his reaction was that the one hugging him was none other than Meng Ke, whom he had just met not long ago.

Zhou Yan recognized her at a glance through the panel, and had a hunch.

She also recognized him at a glance.

Damn it, why are you here!

After Zhou Yan regained his composure, without a word, a burst of pressure forcefully pushed Meng Ke away.

But he hadn't completely lost his mind and knew that this matter should not be publicized, so he said to Loyal.

"I am not too angry, but this Junior is indeed rude and needs a little discipline."

"You wait here, I will come out after a few words with her."

After speaking, he pulled Meng Ke's wrist and walked into a nearby garden, specifically instructing before entering.

During this time, no one was allowed to enter.

Loyal dared not ask further, standing honestly at the entrance, consciously shielding his senses.

As soon as they entered the garden, Zhou Yan pressed Meng Ke against a wall, performing a "wall slam."

He held her wrist with one hand, pressed her face against the wall, and asked in a low voice.

"What exactly do you want to do?"

He didn't use Emperor Taizong's power, so his restraint on Meng Ke wasn't very strong.

Yet Meng Ke, as a Nascent Soul Cultivator, didn't resist at all, letting him hold her, while also putting on a delicate posture.

This made him even more speechless.

However, before Zhou Yan could say anything more.

She revealed a piece of news that shocked Zhou Yan to his core.

"What did you say? Long Tianxing has come to Great Yu?"

At this moment, Long Tianxing was on a flying boat heading to Kaifeng.