425: Chapter 425 Two Groups of People

"Old Ancestor, the intelligence has been brought."

In front of a massive golden door, a young man dressed in a python robe held a brocade box in both hands, waiting for an audience.

"Enter."

The great doors slowly opened, and a dense metallic aura dispersed outward.

The youth in the python robe did not linger. He carried the box inside, and then the doors slowly closed, their color rapidly turning to black.

It looked like dark iron, showing no trace of the previous golden magnificence.

Inside the golden gates, vast quantities of currency and various mineral Materials were piled up.

Amidst that sea of metal stood a high platform.

Seated atop the platform was a man who looked like both a Daoist and an Emperor. He wore a flowered crown and a black Daoist robe embroidered with golden threads forming Talismans.

His full head of white hair floated in all directions, looking like a lion with its fur standing on end.

Only when the young man approached did he slightly open his eyes, revealing a golden light within his pupils.

"Have you found out? What exactly happened?"

"In that mountain range, and later in Huai City, there are traces of that person having walked there."

"The Shadow Guards have used their methods to extract the residual power and placed it in this brocade box. Please review it, Old Ancestor."

The young man bowed again, lifting the brocade box above his head. The box slowly floated up and fell into the elder's hand.

The elder opened the box, looking at the several green and orange particles inside.

"Hmm."

His eyes opened a bit wider, and his brow relaxed slightly.

He did not close the box until all the particles inside had dissipated due to the opening.

"It is incredibly pure Power of Law. To Master two Laws simultaneously and use them so casually indeed looks like the work of a Void Refining expert."

"Unfortunately, there is still too little information."

After pondering for a moment, the elder asked again.

"What about the intelligence from Yongzhou City regarding that so-called 'Almighty of Three Paths'?"

The youth did not look up upon hearing this, but his waist bent even deeper.

"Please forgive us, Old Ancestor. Your descendants are incompetent."

"The timing of their report was indeed late. By the time the Shadow Guards verified it, they only managed to extract some green Power of Law in a mountain gully."

"As for the residual auras of the 'Three Paths' they mentioned, they may have already dissipated, leaving only verbal accounts."

"Speak."

Sensing that the Old Ancestor was not angry, the youth straightened his back, though he still did not meet the elder's gaze.

"According to those three, primarily those of the Dao Sect..."

"There was Karma within that aura, but it lacked the specific flavor of the Buddhist Sect, so it's hard to determine if it is related to the Buddhist Sect."

"But what is certain is that the aura of Investiture on the person is at least at the level of a City God, and above that of a County City God."

"At the same time, there seem to be traces of national destiny, suspected to be left over from the previous dynasty."

"Therefore, the people from the Dao Sect initially inferred that it is very likely a resurrected City God left over from the previous dynasty."

"Old Ancestor, your meaning is..."

The elder did not answer directly but suddenly asked about another matter.

"What does the Imperial Preceptor say?"

"The Imperial Preceptor said that the Heaven-Kowt Assembly is very close, causing the current heavenly secrets to be in Chaos, so he cannot see very clearly."

"However, the fact that the Imperial Preceptor cannot see clearly makes the intelligence seem more credible. It proves the other party is at least a Venerable, and secondly, most likely a City God of the previous dynasty."

"So the Imperial Preceptor suggests..."

The youth's tone was hesitant, his voice gradually lowering.

"Speak!"

Before the word finished, streaks of Sword Qi crisscrossed out, carrying a metallic air and a killing intent.

The surrounding metal vibrated with a humming sound, and the youth had to raise his arms to block the oncoming airwave.

Though the display was grand, it lacked intent to harm. The youth understood the Old Ancestor's attitude in his heart.

"The Imperial Preceptor said... since he is a deity of the previous dynasty, and the Eastern Victorious Divine Continent is now the ancestral home of the Dao Sect, he should naturally be treated with courtesy."

"So he hopes... hopes the Old Ancestor will give the order to quickly invite that person with the highest specifications to see if... if he can serve the Imperial Court."

After speaking, the youth looked up at the Old Ancestor for the first time since entering the hall, waiting for a response.

"Heh, serve the Imperial Court?"

"More like he's anxious to find an ancestor to worship."

"That bunch of old Daoists—chased out of the Southern Jambudvipa Continent and yet still so self-important. If not for relying on the Imperial Court's national destiny to help them with their Investiture, could they have lasted until today?"

"They truly can't tell who's in charge anymore!"

"Old Ancestor, please calm your anger, calm your anger."

"While the Imperial Preceptor's words were blunt, they carry some truth."

"If that person truly has such origins and such strength, it means he should be a great expert currently without an affiliation."

"If our Great Liang can recruit him, even just as a Guest Elder, we would have more weight in the Heaven-Kowt Assembly a hundred years from now, wouldn't we?"

Hearing this, the elder gave him a meaningful look.

"You, this Prince, truly have a difficult job."

"The Emperor made you say this to test my stance, didn't he?"

"You have to coax the Emperor, coax that Master of yours, and now you have to coax this old man. Are you even able to keep up with it all?"

The youth's expression remained unchanged; he simply lowered his eyes again, not meeting his gaze.

"Not at all, not at all, it is all for Great Liang."

Seeing him like this, the elder didn't bother to say more and casually tossed the box down.

"Fine, since the Emperor has already made up his mind, there's no need to ask me."

"Go back and tell him that what they and the Imperial Preceptor do is none of my business. But if that person comes, he must come to see me once."

"I wouldn't dare to casually take in such a wild god based solely on the Imperial Preceptor's word."

After saying that, the elder looked at the youth again.

"Not leaving yet? Is there something else?"

The youth stepped forward two paces, bent down to pick up the brocade box from the floor, his manner much more relaxed.

"The rest are not state affairs, just a bit of interesting news about Outworlders."

"An Outworlder has appeared over in the Western Aparagoyaniya Continent, calling himself Daoist Xuantian. He claims to have received enlightenment from an Immortal in a dream and comprehended some new method."

"That cultivation method is quite unique; it transforms the process of Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment into a Qi Refining realm."

"By delving deeper and broadening the Hundred-Day work, it allows a Cultivator to possess Dharmic power before Foundation Establishment, and their body becomes tougher, laying a more solid base for Foundation Establishment."

"When reaching Foundation Establishment through this method, one then uses Medicinal Pills to break the body's limits, stepping into Foundation Establishment with a much stronger physique."

"Although it is still the Foundation Establishment Stage, this new method's Foundation Establishment is far stronger than ordinary Foundation Establishment, even capable of contending with those Core Formation Cultivators who haven't reached the top three grades."

"The Buddhist Sect is somewhat unsettled because of this. Fortunately, this method has no follow-up, otherwise those monks would really have a headache."

At this point, his tone shifted.

"However, Old Ancestor, although this path is short, its combat power is high."

"If we can take it for our own use to train low-to-mid-level Cultivators, our dynasty's soldiers should improve significantly when facing the Northern Uttarakuru Continent."

After the youth finished, the elder seemed to have a bit of interest, but only a faint amount.

"Nothing more than trivial tricks."

"All day long they talk about new methods, new methods—an extraordinary person here, an Immortal there, and now an Outworlder."

"Tossing and turning, yet I haven't seen a single one amount to anything; the paths are all extremely narrow."

"If we really let the soldiers practice such things, and in the end it spoils the truly good prospects, that would be losing the watermelon to pick up a sesame seed."

"Go back and tell the Emperor: other matters I can ignore, but such stupid things that shake the foundation of the state should not be mentioned again, not even through someone else's mouth."

Just as he finished speaking, the elder vanished from the high platform and instantly appeared in front of the young man.

He lifted the youth's chin, golden light flaring in his eyes as he looked directly into the youth's slightly terrified eyes.

"Also, go back and tell him: I am far from dead."

"Wait until it's my turn to knock on the heavens before he comes to test me again!"

With a wave of his hand, countless golden lights enveloped the youth, flying him out of the secret chamber and slamming him heavily onto the ground.

The youth rubbed his buttocks, grimacing as he muttered.

"Hiss—what kind of situation is this? They all make me pass messages, leaving me caught in the middle."

"Clearly they're all elders, so why do they only bully me, a junior?"

He complained seemingly unintentionally, but he knew the Old Ancestor inside the door could definitely hear him; it was said for him to hear on purpose.

After speaking, seeing no reaction from inside, he patted his buttocks, stood up, and left.

Only after he had gone far did the great doors open again. The elder had now retracted the golden light from around him, and his eyes had returned to normal.

He gazed at the magnificent imperial palace in the distance, then further toward the distant sky.

"The longer I live, the more stifling it becomes."

At this time, Zhou Yan was sitting in a hand-crafted carriage, quietly waiting to reach his destination.

What he didn't know was that two powers had simultaneously set their sights on him and were planning to pay a visit.

"You're even snatching the job of driving the horse? Are you even human?"

"Besides, do you even know the way? Why are you snatching it?"

"What if I don't know the way? Even if I don't know the way, I can still look at the road signs!"

"With that eyesight of yours, if there's any sign of trouble that disturbs the Immortal, would you even see it?"

"It has to be me! I'm telling you, I come from a hunter's background and have developed a pair of eagle eyes. If there's any sign of trouble, I'll see it at a glance!"

In the dense forest, a carriage moved slowly forward.

Outside the carriage, a young man and a middle-aged man were arguing until their faces were red over who should drive the carriage.

Zhou Yan listened to the commotion outside, feeling a bit of a headache.

These two were arguing again.

Originally, after leaving Huai City, he had planned to first go help Third Brother Chen resolve his trouble.

Unexpectedly, after Wu Dahai witnessed his methods, he became excited and refused to leave no matter what, only begging to follow for a stretch of the journey.

The reason was that even an Immortal needs rest and someone to look after them.

While Third Brother Chen knew the way, he was ignorant of the ways of the world and might encounter many troubles, which happened to be where he could help.

As for compensation, he wouldn't take a cent.

He said that being saved by an Immortal and being able to follow and learn was already a stroke of immense luck.

He only asked the Immortal to take him along for a ride and provide a full meal.

Through his understanding over the past few days, Zhou Yan knew that he was actually a decent person, and since he himself was indeed unfamiliar with this place, he temporarily let Wu Dahai join the journey.

The horse had been arranged by Wu Dahai, who sold a Spiritual Plant Zhou Yan had casually gathered to exchange for some silver.

It was just that this person's personality clashed heavily with Third Brother Chen's. They hadn't been on the road for many days, yet they had already argued countless times.

Initially, Zhou Yan felt that in this unfamiliar place, having people being noisy like this was quite good—at least it sounded lively.

Now... he was already annoyed by the noise and had become completely numb to it.

Zhou Yan glanced at the System interface. The final countdown had only a few hours left before the brand-new version arrived, and he couldn't help but feel some anticipation.

After all, in this world, the System could be considered his only way to break through the situation.

Combining his previous accumulations with the rewards that might be given this time, he could probably use this to attempt a Breakthrough to Soul Transformation.

Only with Soul Transformation cultivation would he have a chance to find a way back from here.

Otherwise, with insufficient strength, he really had no sense of security; his 'insufficient firepower phobia' was acting up again.

Just as he was staring blankly at the countdown, the arguing outside suddenly stopped.

Zhou Yan curiously lifted the curtain to look outside.

He saw Third Brother Chen's face turn pale as he tightly gripped the reins, staring fixedly ahead.

Wu Dahai was also frightened by his appearance and didn't dare to make a sound.

Sensing the movement behind him, Third Brother Chen jerked his head back, almost squeezing out words through gritted teeth.

"Immortal Master, it's this town."