Chapter 782 - Breeding Immortal in Immortal Dynasty
~~ The Emperor’s Court
The imperial palace of the Azure Cloud Province was grand. Not the grand of the main Long Dynasty capital — provincial grand. The buildings, the jade and crystal, the formation-lanterns, the spirit-gardens, were the best the province could offer. The throne room, the audience hall, the space where the provincial emperor held court, was impressive.
Emperor Yun, the ruler of the Azure Cloud Province, sat on his throne. He was a middle-aged man, his cultivation at the early Transcendent realm, his face kind but tired. His robes, the dark blue and silver of his house, were formal. His crown, the jade circlet, was there.
Beside him, the empress. Her name was Empress Lihwa. A beautiful woman, her mature face composed, her body full and graceful in her formal emerald robes. Her cultivation, Soul Formation peak, was modest for her station. But her intelligence, her political mind, her management of the inner court, was formidable.
And the princess. Princess Yuexin. Nineteen years old. Her face, beautiful, sharp-featured, her eyes dark and intelligent. Her cultivation, the late stage of Soul Formation, was prodigious for her age. Her robes, the light violet and white, were elegant. Her expression, the composed, controlled, slightly bored expression of a young woman enduring her father’s court, was there.
The minister, the old man in dark robes, his face lined with years of political maneuvering, stood before the throne.
"Your Majesty," the minister said. His voice was formal. "The Emperor Tianlong has arrived in the immortal world. His fleet approaches the province."
Emperor Yun, his kind face, the sigh, was there. The exhale, the long, slow exhale of a man who had been hoping this day would not come, was there.
"After so many years of banishing," Emperor Yun said. His voice was measured. "He finally arrived. Decided to come out."
"Indeed, Your Majesty," the minister said. His voice was careful. The diplomatic, measured tone of a man choosing his words. "I have heard... he is quite into women. A luxurious man."
Emperor Yun, his kind face, the wry, knowing smile, was there. The expression of a man who understood power and its temptations.
"Which man is not luxurious when you have enough power and you are in the lower realm?" Emperor Yun said. His voice was philosophical. "You can do whatever you want down there. But this man needs to understand, he is now in the upper realm. The rules are different here. He should forget about his degraded mentality."
The minister, his old face, the nod, was there. "Of course, Your Majesty. If not for the Long family, he would have died there. A weakling. The lower realm is not kind to those without backing."
Emperor Yun’s eyes, on the minister, held the agreement. The assessment, the shared understanding of what Tianlong had been before his banishment — a weakling, a lesser branch member, someone the main family had exiled — was there.
Then his eyes widened.
Through the formation window, through the crystal pane, he saw them. The ships. Three vessels, golden and crimson, the Long Dynasty crest, descending. Slowly. The formation arrays, the hum, the spiritual energy radiating from the hulls, was there. The qi, the pressure, the ambient divine pressure that preceded the ships, hit the palace.
Emperor Yun, his hand, clenched. The fist, the tightened fist on the arm of his throne, was there. His eyes, the widening eyes, the reassessment, was there.
’Divine Transcendent. He is at Divine Transcendent.’
The realization, the cold, sharp, political realization that the weakling who had been banished to the lower realm had returned at a cultivation level that matched his own, was there. Emperor Yun himself was at the early Transcendent realm. And the qi radiating from those ships — the ambient, passive, residual qi from Tianlong’s presence — was at the same level.
’He is as strong as me.’
The fist, on the throne arm, tightened.
"Prepare the welcoming ceremony," Emperor Yun said. His voice was steady. The composure, the political mask, was there. "Greetings, Emperor Tianlong."
~~ The Arrival
The ships landed. On the palace grounds, on the designated landing platform, the three vessels settled. The formation arrays, the golden and crimson qi, dimmed. The ramps, the polished wood, extended.
Tianlong descended.
His dark robe, the imperial silk, was perfect. His hair, dark, loose, fell around his shoulders. His gold-crimson eyes, calm, imperial, swept the welcoming party. His expression, the composed, slightly bored expression of a man who had done this a hundred times, was there.
Behind him, three women. Not the dozens he had reportedly brought from the mortal world. Not the queens and princesses and concubines that the rumors spoke of. Just three.
Madam Fengwan. Her sharp eyes, her dark red robes, her composed expression. Her cultivation, the Middle Great Vehicle realm, radiated.
Liu Mei. The Purple Astral Ancestor. Her amethyst eyes, her purple hair, her voluptuous body in her dark purple robes. Her cultivation, also Middle Great Vehicle, was there.
And the third. A handmaid, a servant, a woman whose role was to attend, not to impress.
The welcoming party, the emperor, the empress, the princess, the ministers, the guards, saw. The confusion, the whispered confusion of people who had expected more, was there.
"Only three?" a minister whispered. "I heard he brought queens. Princesses. Dozens of them."
"Concubines, not wives," another whispered. "I heard they are all concubines. Not even wives. How... uncultured."
"Still, only three? Where are the others?"
"He must have sent them ahead. To the main capital."
The whispers, the political, gossipy, judgmental whispers of a court that measured status by appearances, were there.
Emperor Yun, his kind face, the formal smile, stepped forward. His hands, clasped, the bow of a peer greeting a peer, was there.
"Greetings, Emperor Tianlong," Emperor Yun said. His voice was warm. The diplomatic warmth of a host. "Welcome to the Azure Cloud Province. We are honored by your visit."
Tianlong, his gold-crimson eyes, on the emperor, nodded. The acknowledgment, the minimal, imperial acknowledgment, was there.
"Emperor Yun," Tianlong said. His voice was calm. Conversational. The tone of a man who did not stand on ceremony. "Thank you for the welcome. The journey from the lower realm was long."
The casual talk, the diplomatic, surface-level exchange of pleasantries between two men who were measuring each other, followed. The weather. The province. The spiritual energy of the upper realm versus the lower. The small talk of emperors.
The hierarchy, the political reality beneath the pleasantries, was clear. The Azure Cloud Province was a branch family of the main Long Dynasty. Emperor Yun was a duke, a vassal, a branch family ruler who answered to the main emperor. Tianlong, as the brother of the main emperor, was above him. The respect, the formal respect, was there. But so was the boundary. The clear, political, unspoken boundary between a vassal and a sovereign’s brother.
Princess Yuexin, behind her father, stood. Her dark eyes, on Tianlong, were there. Her expression, the composed, controlled, slightly disinterested expression, was there. Her hands, clasped before her, were steady.
Her eyes, on Tianlong, held the assessment. The evaluation. The political mind of a princess measuring a new player on the board.
’So this is the Breeding Immortal. The man who returned from banishment. He looks... young. Handsome. Not the old, lecherous man I expected.’