Venerable Supreme of Myriad Dragons

Beside them, Prince He Yong of Tianze suddenly said with pride, "But all of us in Tianze know that even though our ancestor is in seclusion, he is always watching over us. If Tianze ever faces a crisis, he will surely appear. Look..."

As he spoke, He Yong pointed to the foot of the statue.

At the foot of the statue, a fiery red Strong Bow was thrust deep into the ground. It radiated a profound and piercing aura, clearly an extraordinary weapon.

On either side of the Strong Bow, a saber and a sword were also stuck in the ground, both radiating a similarly deep, powerful, and extraordinary aura.

However, these three seemingly top-grade Magical Artifacts were covered in deep cracks. They were severely damaged and had lost all their luster.

"These are the Magical Artifacts left behind by the three Mountain Masters of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land when they were defeated by my ancestor. This will be the fate of anyone who dares to have designs on Tianze."

Prince He Yong of Tianze said proudly.

’The Magical Artifacts of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land’s Mountain Masters?’

Shen Daoxing couldn’t help but take another look.

He grew more and more interested in this ancestor of Tianze, who had been able to defeat all three Mountain Masters of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land and force them to leave their weapons behind.

"And who is this?"

Just then, Shen Daoxing noticed another statue beside the one of the Tianze ancestor. It depicted a young man in a long robe, holding a longsword behind his back. Due to years of erosion from wind and rain, the statue’s features had become blurred and indistinct.

"Oh, that’s what our ancestor looked like when he was young. Our ancestor was a Great Sword Immortal! When he was young, he roamed the East Continent and defeated every Sword Cultivator, remaining undefeated."

Prince He Yong of Tianze turned to look at it, a proud smile on his face.

’A Sword Cultivator, just like me?’

Hearing this, Shen Daoxing became even more interested in the ancestor of Tianze.

"Let’s keep moving. Father is waiting for us."

The Princess of Tianze spoke up.

Shen Daoxing nodded.

He Yong glanced from the statue of their young ancestor to Shen Daoxing. He then walked over to the Princess of Tianze and asked with sudden confusion, "Sister, don’t you think Yang looks a bit like our ancestor did when he was young?"

Hearing this, the Princess of Tianze paused. She looked at the statue, then turned her gaze back to Shen Daoxing. "There is a slight resemblance. It’s probably just a coincidence."

The Princess of Tianze said this nonchalantly, not giving it much thought.

Afterward, the Princess of Tianze led Shen Daoxing onward. They passed through one quaint street after another, and before long, Shen Daoxing saw a towering palace.

The palace was tall and vast, constructed from layers of stacked stone. It stood upon ochre earth under a sky full of yellow sand, exuding an air of ancient, weathered history.

"Second Princess. Third Prince."

Respectfully greeted by the soldiers at the gate, the trio entered the palace without obstruction. They walked through a garden filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers, passed through a long corridor, and finally arrived before a bedchamber.

At that moment, Shen Daoxing saw an old eunuch walking toward them with a smile.

"Second Princess! Third Prince!"

The old eunuch first bowed, then slowly said, "His Majesty is discussing important matters with Mr. Xu. Please wait a moment."

’The Mr. Xu the eunuch mentioned must be Xu Hong, Elder Xu.’

Shen Daoxing had thought they wouldn’t have to wait for long, but they ended up waiting until the Celestial Yang began to set.

"CREAK!"

The door to the bedchamber finally opened.

The same eunuch from before slowly walked out. He gestured toward the room. "Second Princess, Third Prince, please enter."

Led by the Princess of Tianze, Shen Daoxing finally went inside.

Once inside, Shen Daoxing saw a middle-aged man with a heroic bearing, chiseled features, and a piercing gaze seated high upon the main throne. Before the man even spoke, Shen Daoxing could feel a majestic aura emanating from him.

And standing beside the Emperor of Tianze was a white-haired old man—none other than the kind-faced Elder Xu.

"Qian’er, I heard someone tried to assassinate you?" the Emperor of Tianze asked slowly.

The Princess of Tianze nodded. "It was the three princes from the Great Sui, Daqi, and Great Yan Empires. They came for the Celestial Essence Ore Vein."

"Oh?"

The Emperor of Tianze raised an eyebrow. "Three imperial princes came to Tianze in person? Where are they now?"

"They’re dead. Their bodies have been hung above the gates of Celestial Lake Town," Princess He Qian of Tianze said flatly.

The Emperor of Tianze paused, then suddenly said, "Qian’er, you shouldn’t have killed them."

Hearing this, He Yong, who was beside her, immediately grew indignant. "Father, they were trying to kill my sister! Were we supposed to just spare them?"

The Emperor of Tianze looked coldly at He Yong. "Foolish! Those three were indeed unforgivable, but they were princes. By killing them just like that, do you want Tianze to make direct enemies of three great empires?"

"Father, we have our ancestor. What is there to fear?"

He Yong pouted in dissatisfaction.

The Emperor of Tianze looked at He Yong and shook his head. "True, Tianze has the ancestor’s protection, but that doesn’t mean we can make enemies on all sides. We cannot trouble the ancestor over every little thing. Besides, he hasn’t appeared in over a hundred years."

As he spoke, the Emperor of Tianze sighed. He seemed to want to say more, but after a moment’s hesitation, he remained silent.

"Father, since when has Tianze been so weak?"

He Yong said stubbornly, still unconvinced.

"Enough!"

Princess He Qian, who was standing to the side, suddenly cut in. "Father is right. Although Tianze has our ancestor’s protection, we cannot rely on him every time. I was the one who acted recklessly."

"But... but..."

He Yong still wanted to say something, but after a moment of hesitation, he fell silent.

At this point, the Emperor of Tianze, from his throne, noticed Shen Daoxing standing beside He Qian. "And this is?"

"Father, it is entirely thanks to this Young Master Yang that your daughter was saved from their vicious plot."

He Qian immediately spoke up and recounted the story of how Shen Daoxing had saved her.

"Oh?"

The Emperor of Tianze sized Shen Daoxing up and down, his expression profound. He then nodded with deep meaning. "Spirit Transformation, Ninth Layer. To have achieved such a cultivation level at your young age... Good. Good. Very good. For saving my Qian’er, a princess of Tianze, you deserve a reward."

"Father, Young Master Yang has come for Wind Source Ore."

He Qian interjected.

"Good."

The Emperor of Tianze nodded. "The Qinyuan Festival is not far off. At that time, our Tianze’s Celestial Essence Ore Vein will open once again. Don’t worry about just Wind Source Ore—you may take whatever you please."

Shen Daoxing quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for Your Majesty’s great kindness."

"Hehehe, Yang, we meet again."

At this moment, Elder Xu stepped out from beside the Emperor of Tianze.

Shen Daoxing cupped his fists. "Elder Xu."

"Oh?"

The Emperor of Tianze turned to look at Elder Xu. "Mr. Xu, the two of you know each other?"

Elder Xu smiled faintly. "We have met a few times before."

"Since you’re already acquainted, that’s even better."

The Emperor of Tianze waved his hand magnanimously. "Guards, prepare a banquet! I want to properly entertain Mr. Xu and our young friend, Yang."