Chapter 877: To Visit Here

“Huh?”

Outside the gates of a certain palace, several beams of light shot up into the sky. Jian Changsheng and the others turned to look, letting out a soft "Oh?"

“What’s going on?”

“Is that a faint ripple of Imperial Divinity? It seems the candidates are starting to make their move.” Chen Ling, with his Imperial Destiny, sensed the distant light pillars and immediately understood the situation.

“Are they progressing so quickly?”

“They might not have been so fast otherwise,” Sun Bumin remarked, glancing at Chen Ling. “It seems the arrival of certain individuals has put immense pressure on those emperors...”

Dressed in red, Chen Ling stood calmly outside the vermilion palace walls, swaying slightly in the wind, as if unconcerned by it all.

Holding the script, Chen Ling knew the outcome of everything, and naturally there was no suspense for him. He was now more like an immersed spectator... though, at opportune moments, he could offer some small, exciting “interactions.”

“No matter what their final outcome is, let’s first collect our interest from those emperors.”

Jian Changsheng looked at the palace walls before them, seemingly eager to act.

“Red... uh... Lin Yan, where are those treasures you mentioned?” Jian Changsheng quickly rephrased, glancing at the barely-alive Jiang Xiaohua beside him.

“They are naturally inside the palace.”

With a casual lift of Chen Ling's hand, the grand, heavy palace gates slowly rumbled open... revealing countless palaces standing on the horizon of a vast, empty landscape.

The faint sounds of clashing weapons and warhorses echoed from behind the four of them. It was the new emperor's army, rising up to re-establish order, clashing with the old dynasty outside the palace walls.

Chen Ling, of course, paid no mind to these re-enacted historical events. As long as the emperor’s lingering resentment wasn't present, everything here was merely an illusion... The emperor associated with this dynasty was still "a latent dragon in the abyss," digging deep underground, and was unlikely to return anytime soon.

Who would have thought that the Imperial Dao Ancient Treasury, untouched for centuries, would now be visited by a group of robbers?

Whoosh—

A desolate breeze swept across the empty grounds as the four figures walked shoulder to shoulder along the wide stone path typically used for carriages entering the palace.

Around them, figures in ancient attire hurried past, some fleeing for their lives, others rushing into the palace to meet the emperor... The four walked through this re-enacted history, creating a stark contrast between ancient and modern at that moment.

“The Imperial Divinity is different from other divine paths.”

“After each dynastic change, a section of the Imperial Divinity’s foundation extends, becoming a foundational secret treasure for the corresponding dynasty... Most of the time, these treasures take the form of imperial seals, but there are also others, such as an imperial decree, a precious sword, or even a piece of imperial calligraphy...”

Chen Ling, possessing the Imperial Destiny, had already sensed the state of the Imperial Dao Ancient Treasury and calmly explained it to the others.

“Every dynastic change produces a foundational secret treasure? So, the Imperial Divinity must have hundreds of these treasures in total?!” Jian Changsheng’s mouth fell open in disbelief. “That’s incredibly rich!”

“The number is indeed correct, but the problem is that when a new dynasty replaces an old one, the old dynasty’s foundational secret treasure also declines, and the Imperial Divinity’s foundational energy within it becomes incredibly weak... You can think of it as the new dynasty’s foundational treasure absorbing the previous dynasty’s foundational energy, similar to a change in destiny’s owner.” Chen Ling paused, then continued,

“But even so, those treasures, which once held even a faint trace of Imperial Divinity energy, are far more precious than ordinary worldly items and possess some peculiar effects.”

“No wonder...”

Jian Changsheng clicked his tongue. “So many people want to find imperial tombs; it turns out there really are good things in them.”

“This dynasty’s palace is quite wealthy, with plenty of gold, silver, and jewels, but what interests me more is this dynasty’s foundational secret treasure... an ‘Imperial Sword.’”

“An Imperial Sword?!”

Jian Changsheng, who wielded a sword, heard those words and his eyes lit up like light bulbs. “Lin Yan!! You’re truly a good person! How did you know I needed a good sword?!”

Chen Ling was speechless.

“It’s just the closest one to us. There are many similar treasures in the palaces of other dynasties. Let’s hurry and search through them one by one.”

“We have to find them ourselves? Can’t you pinpoint the exact location of those treasures?”

“...What do you take me for? Only the emperor of a specific dynasty can precisely locate its foundational secret treasure. I can merely sense their presence.”

“Tsk... Fine, I’ll search over here, you two search over there.”

Chen Ling, Jian Changsheng, and Sun Bumin, dragging Jiang Xiaohua, swaggered into a large hall.

Once inside, the three released Jiang Xiaohua, who very cooperatively lay down on the spot, face to the ground, motionless like a corpse...

Chen Ling and Jian Changsheng split up, searching on opposite sides of the hall.

Sun Bumin, however, had no interest in swords. His eyes immediately fixed on a plate of exquisite fruits next to the dragon throne, and he couldn't help but lick his lips.

He stepped with a cloud-like gait, and in a flash, he was sprawled on the dragon throne, casually picking up a bunch of crystal-clear grapes and popping them into his mouth one by one, sighing in comfort.

“The old emperor really lived a comfortable life... he knew how to enjoy himself.”

Sun Bumin reached for the table, seemingly wanting to pick up the wine pot for a drink, but a shake revealed it was empty, causing him immediate disappointment.

After an unknown amount of time,

Jian Changsheng burst out from the depths of the hall, excitedly clutching an exquisite sword box!

“I think I found it! Is it this one?!”

His shout caught the attention of the others. Sun Bumin, who had been leisurely eating fruit on the dragon throne, sat upright and looked over curiously; Chen Ling glided before Jian Changsheng like a wisp of wind; even Jiang Xiaohua, who had remained motionless by the doorway, subtly shifted to allow her peripheral vision to take in the direction of the three.

“It should be this one,” Chen Ling nodded slightly. “It still has traces of Imperial Divinity energy.”

“Hahahahaha!! I found it!”

Jian Changsheng excitedly rolled up his sleeves, gripped the edges of the sword box with both hands, and lifted it forcefully... With a crisp click, the lid sprang open.

Immediately, the expressions of Chen Ling and Jian Changsheng slowly froze...

Inside the sword box, there was no sign of a sword, only a wine cup carelessly tossed within... Beneath the cup, at the very bottom of the box, was a line of flamboyant calligraphy, as if written by someone drunk: "The Saint of Thieves was here."