Chapter 1195: Imperial Court Secret Realm

In the past, Jiang Zongheng discovered a mysterious skeleton in a cave in Zhao State. Beside it, apart from a jade slip recording the "Six Dragons Riding the Sky Scripture," there was also a small Dragon-Seizing Cauldron.

After Chen Mobai mastered his artifact forging technique, he re-forged this cauldron with Dusky Fire, integrating it into the Eastern Wilderness Dragon Vein.

This event had occurred quite some time ago, so Chen Mobai didn't recall it immediately.

They would discuss this matter later.

Chen Mobai sent a telepathic message to Jiang Zongheng, noting that with Shenxi and Dakong nearby, it wasn't a good time to deeply investigate the cauldron's strange behavior. However, he realized it must be related to the Guangwu Immortal City itself.

He wondered if it was the residual power of the Eastern Land Imperial Court or something else entirely.

After hearing this, Jiang Zongheng nodded silently and followed Chen Mobai, bringing Duan Shuyu and Jin Linger to the skies above the Imperial City ruins.

It resembled a small immortal city, still encircled by tall, sturdy walls built from massive bluestones. However, many sections were marred by deep claw marks, evidently left by the demon true spirits who had once vied for the Dragon-Seizing Cauldron. This area was even more ruined than Guangwu Immortal City's walls, with one corner completely collapsed.

It was precisely because the Imperial City had been breached that the world learned the Eastern Land Imperial Court was merely a facade, powerful on the outside but weak within. Consequently, regional powers eventually ceased to obey its full authority, and the Human Emperor's decrees could no longer extend beyond Guangwu Immortal City.

Shenxi led Chen Mobai and his group down towards the gate on the eastern wall of the Imperial City, which comprised one large central arch and two smaller ones.

"Although most of the restrictions here have become ineffective," Shenxi explained, "the aerial prohibition remains for those not of the Eastern Land Imperial Court bloodline. You can only enter through the city gates." Some armored cultivators guarded the gate. The leading golden-armored general seemed to recognize Shenxi, for upon seeing him, he immediately opened the gates and then led his subordinate cultivators in a salute, placing their right hands over their chests.

"This is a junior disciple from my Daoist Sect," Shenxi explained. "After the Eastern Land Imperial Court disintegrated, several of our holy lands jointly took over this place. With the passage of time, only my sect and the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect remain." Hearing this, Chen Mobai couldn't help but look at True Monarch Dakong, thinking that theoretically, the Grand Void Ethereal Palace should also have had a share.

"My sect isn't interested in these affairs," Dakong replied. "We only focus on business."

Dakong understood Chen Mobai's unspoken question immediately and offered an explanation.

The Grand Void Ethereal Palace had already established its trading guild in Dongzhou during the Eastern Land Imperial Court era. They had made certain promises to the Human Emperor at that time, which they continued to honor. For them, this arrangement worked out quite well.

As they spoke, they passed through the city gates and entered the Imperial City.

What greeted their eyes was a magnificent golden palace complex. Shenxi led them towards the central grand hall, where the glazed tiles on the roof glittered with golden light under the sun. Using his Empty Valley Sound, Chen Mobai sensed powerful restrictions that had not yet dissipated, still maintaining a fifth-tier level of power.

One could only imagine the true might of the Eastern Land Imperial Court at its peak.

"East Heaven Hall!"

Chen Mobai looked at the plaque hanging on the grand hall and couldn't help but read it aloud.

"This was where the Human Emperor once worked," Shenxi continued. "There's actually a hidden secret realm here, similar to the shipyard at Mount Panghuang..."

Shenxi continued his introduction, though he naturally omitted the fact that this small world had once hidden most of the Eastern Land Imperial Court's core resources, which had been divided among their respective holy lands in the distant past.

Only some damaged, unassignable, and relatively worthless items were left behind, such as the fifth-tier Golden-Armored Celestial Puppets.

Chen Mobai stepped into the hall, walked through the spacious area supported by vermilion pillars, and observed the walls on both sides depicting the nation's landscapes and successive Human Emperors before finally reaching the central throne.

Shenxi took out a talisman, and Chen Mobai's eyebrows twitched involuntarily as he sensed a formidable threat emanating from it.

It was a sixth-tier spirit talisman.

Furthermore, this spirit talisman was different from the one Shenxi had used when dealing with the old Flood Dragon.

It merely showed the profound heritage of the ancient holy land.

As Chen Mobai marveled inwardly, Shenxi activated the spirit talisman, and suddenly, everything before their eyes transformed.

The exquisite floor tiles beneath their feet turned into soft soil, and the walls on both sides vanished, replaced by an open, fragrant space. It seemed they had entered a garden. Looking around, colorful flowers bloomed everywhere across the land. In the distance, scattered pavilions and terraces stood, with streams babbling around the structures, as if they had entered a paradise on earth.

"The Golden-Armored Celestial Guardians were a foundational power left behind by the strongest Human Emperors of the Eastern Land Imperial Court to protect their descendants," Shenxi explained. "Only those with imperial bloodline or practitioners of the 'Six Dragons Riding the Sky Scripture' can activate them..."

As Shenxi spoke, the spirit talisman in his hand flew out, transforming into a shimmering golden true dragon that breathed out energy towards the ground.

RUMBLE!

Following the dragon's breath, the earth suddenly trembled, and then three humanoid puppets clad in golden armor emerged, kneeling partially towards the true dragon in the sky.

"This is a Six Dragons Talisman," Shenxi explained. "It can imitate the aura of the 'Six Dragons Riding the Sky Scripture,' allowing access to various secret realms and vital areas of the Eastern Land Imperial Court."

Shenxi briefly explained that True Monarch Wuwei, one of their Daoist Sect's ancestors, had only attained the Void Refinement Realm after obtaining resources left by the Eastern Land Imperial Court.

And before ascending, True Monarch Wuwei, as a talisman craftsman, had left behind many sixth-tier talismans as part of their foundation, the Six Dragons Talisman being one of them. This was precisely why the Daoist Sect's heritage was so profound, as no one truly knew how many sixth-tier talismans they possessed.

Chen Mobai, however, suspected there wouldn't be too many.

Moreover, even Soul Transformation cultivators would have to pay a hefty price to activate such powerful sixth-tier spirit talismans.

"During the Eastern Land Imperial Court's peak, there were twelve Golden-Armored Celestial Guardians, each assigned to guard the major immortal cities and borders of the Eastern Land," Shenxi explained. "Guangwu Immortal City, being the imperial capital, had three of them. My sect gained management rights over this secret realm by helping the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect and other holy lands refine the Saint-Through True Spirit Pill. These three Golden-Armored Celestial Guardians also came under my sect's purview. However, these puppets were damaged during their battles with the demon true spirits and have remained here ever since, without a puppeteer to repair them."

Shenxi led Chen Mobai and his group to the three half-kneeling Golden-Armored Celestial Guardians. Chen Mobai observed that these lifelike puppets were covered in deep claw marks.

One of them had even been torn apart and reassembled, with cracks covering its entire body.

The most intact one was severed at the waist.

After inspecting them, Chen Mobai wore an expression of regret. The core components of all the puppets had been thoroughly destroyed; attempting to repair them would be more effort than crafting new ones. No wonder the Daoist Sect had left these three Golden-Armored Celestial Guardians here.

"Back then, we didn't know where those true spirits came from," True Monarch Dakong commented. "Their power was immense, at least on par with the old Flood Dragon."

True Monarch Dakong evidently knew about the battle that led to the complete decline of the Eastern Land Imperial Court. Not only was the Imperial City ravaged by demon true spirits, but even the Dragon-Seizing Cauldron was stolen.

Those capable of such strength were at least powers comparable to their Grand Void Ethereal Palace.

However, despite their lengthy investigation, they couldn't find any conclusive results.

"In that battle, there must have been Void Refinement realm powers involved," Shenxi added. "Otherwise, it would have been impossible to break through the Imperial City's defensive array."

Shenxi also revealed information known by the Daoist Sect. Their ancestor, True Monarch Wuwei, had served as the National Preceptor of the Eastern Land Imperial Court and understood Guangwu Immortal City's defensive array, knowing that even an ordinary Void Refinement cultivator could not have caused such destruction.

It was precisely for this reason that after that incident, all the major holy lands in Dongzhou remained silent.

"Alas, what a pity. They certainly can't be repaired," True Monarch Dakong sighed as he stood up, having finished inspecting the three heavily damaged Golden-Armored Celestial Guardians.

"My master said that Sect Master Chen and Senior can each choose one," Shenxi offered.

Shenxi spoke, a little embarrassed. After all, True Monarch Wuchen had exchanged this for his knowledge of the Dragon Abyss Cave's secrets, but the items themselves were quite severely damaged.

"Young friend, you choose first," True Monarch Dakong said.

True Monarch Dakong saw Chen Mobai intently dismantling the reassembled Golden-Armored Celestial Guardian, seemingly inspecting its materials, and couldn't help but speak.

"Then I'll take this one," Chen Mobai said.

Chen Mobai pointed to the one he had just disassembled and said gracefully.

He had already inspected this one; even its fragments were all fifth-tier materials, with some remnants even from the sixth-tier.

"Hmm, this puppet is a bit strange," True Monarch Dakong mused.

Just as True Monarch Dakong was about to put away the puppet that was severed at the waist, he noticed something unusual.

Chen Mobai immediately went to examine it, and upon seeing the severed wound, his pupils constricted.

"A human puppet!?"

He looked at the spinal bone at the wound, his expression turning solemn.

This Golden-Armored Celestial Guardian was actually crafted from human remains.

Was it a corpse or a living cultivator?

Was the Eastern Land Imperial Court truly so cruel?

Chen Mobai and Dakong looked at Shenxi, who seemed a little embarrassed before explaining the reason.

"This was a Golden-Armored Corpse captured when the Ten Directions Hall eradicated the Corpse Dissolution Demonic Sect," Shenxi explained. "It was on the verge of advancing to a flying night yaksha when the Imperial Court's puppeteers refined it into a Golden-Armored Celestial Guardian. In fact, this is how the Golden-Armored Celestial Guardians originated. It's just that back then, my sect had little influence..."

Shenxi sighed, acknowledging that as a righteous holy land, it was certainly wrong for them not to intervene upon discovering that the Eastern Land Imperial Court was using demonic secret arts to refine puppets.

However, the Daoist Sect indeed had no standing to directly rebuke the Human Emperor for his transgressions at that time.

"Then I'll take a different one," True Monarch Dakong said.

After hearing this, True Monarch Dakong gracefully chose another one. Among the three, only one had been refined from a Golden-Armored Corpse.

Shenxi did not comment further.

"What's over there?" Chen Mobai asked, pointing to the pavilions and terraces not far away, having already set the coordinates of this place with his Turtle Treasure after choosing his puppet.

"It was where successive Human Emperors previously entered seclusion for cultivation," Shenxi replied. "Originally, it had a seventh-tier spiritual vein directly connected to the upper realm, but after the 'Severing of Heaven and Earth' event, it was severed. Now it barely maintains a low-grade sixth-tier level."

Shenxi answered, then activated the Six Dragons Talisman and led them inside.

The interior was naturally opulent, but what interested Chen Mobai most was a pavilion overflowing with jade slips.

"These are the scrolls from the Eastern Land Imperial Court, documenting the governance of successive Human Emperors," Shenxi explained. "They can be considered the Imperial Court's historical records, categorized by each Human Emperor's reign. Our several holy lands each sent people to transcribe a copy back then; these here are the originals."

As Shenxi finished speaking, Chen Mobai's eyes lit up.

These items were not available in the One-Yuan Dao Palace, as True Monarch Yiyuan's seniority was too low, and the Daoist Sect and Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect would certainly not have informed him of such matters.

If the Five Elements Sect could acquire these, they would at least gain a comprehensive understanding of the Eastern Land Imperial Court, which had ruled all of Dongzhou after ancient times. This would prevent them from needing to consult Yuan Zhen whenever they encountered something they didn't understand, as they had previously.

"Can my sect transcribe a copy?" Chen Mobai asked politely.

Shenxi naturally agreed.

"Zongheng, I'm entrusting this matter to you all," Chen Mobai said to Jiang Zongheng and the other two.

After receiving permission, Chen Mobai spoke to Jiang Zongheng and the other two, who had been silent. Jiang Zongheng immediately understood his meaning and nodded in comprehension.

"I will leave this Six Dragons Talisman here," Shenxi said, "and retrieve it after Nephew Jiang finishes transcribing."

Shenxi showed great respect to Chen Mobai, leaving the sixth-tier spirit talisman floating in the air to safeguard Jiang Zongheng in this secret realm of the Eastern Land Imperial Court.

"Thank you, Daoist brother," Chen Mobai said. "Let's go have some tea. We don't need to wait here for these juniors."

Chen Mobai's words left no suspicion in Shenxi and Dakong. After the three Soul Transformation cultivators left, Dakong immediately activated a void secret art, taking them back to the Daoist Sect's mountain gate.

"You two transcribe here; I'll go explore," Jiang Zongheng instructed.

Seeing the three Soul Transformation cultivators leave, Jiang Zongheng immediately instructed Duan Shuyu and Jin Linger to begin their task, while he himself headed in the direction indicated by the small Dragon-Seizing Cauldron's senses.

Before long, he arrived before a rockery in the secret realm.

Jiang Zongheng walked around the rockery, then stopped at a particular spot. He took out his cauldron, and immediately, the rockery emitted a faint, almost imperceptible spiritual glow.

However, likely due to the absence of a secret activation method, no matter what he did, the rockery showed no further reaction.

Undaunted, he walked through various parts of the secret realm again, noting every place where the Dragon-Seizing Cauldron reacted. He then returned to the pavilion to transcribe the jade slips with Duan Shuyu and the others.

At the Daoist Sect's mountain gate.

Chen Mobai and the other Soul Transformation cultivators of the Dongzhou righteous path were drinking Longevity Eyebrow tea together. Coincidentally, Chen Mobai had lost three hundred years of his lifespan when he used the Chaotic Primordial Qi Cannon to destroy Pluto, and he was wondering if he could recover some of it from the tea.

He was considering either helping the Daoist Sect refine another fifth-tier magical artifact or exchanging the remaining materials from the old Flood Dragon's corpse.

"Young friend, you're being too polite," True Monarch Wuchen said. "Although the production of Longevity Eyebrow tea isn't high, as the oldest member of the Daoist Sect, I've accumulated quite a few portions. I happen to have an extra year's worth; you can take it."

To his surprise, True Monarch Wuchen was very generous this time, directly gifting him 360 cups' worth. If consumed over a year, this amount would precisely extend his lifespan by 360 years.

Chen Mobai had already drunk over a dozen cups and could save the rest for Qing Nü.

"How can I accept this?" Chen Mobai replied.

Chen Mobai, however, didn't want to owe a favor. True Monarch Wuchen, understanding his intent, simply requested an equivalent amount of Enlightenment Tea.

Enlightenment Tea was fourth-tier, while Longevity Eyebrow was fifth-tier. In terms of grade, Chen Mobai definitely profited from the exchange.

However, the Daoist Sect felt no loss and even believed they had profited.

After all, they had an abundance of Longevity Eyebrow tea.

With both parties believing they had gained, host and guests alike were delighted.

After drinking the tea, True Monarch Dakong bid farewell. He was eager to return and study puppetry, hoping to create fifth-tier puppets to explore the depths of Dragon Abyss Cave. However, before leaving, he remembered something and said to Chen Mobai: "Young friend, Pan Kong mentioned earlier that the ores you asked him to collect are all gathered. He's currently returning from Zhongzhou. I'll have him come directly to you when he arrives."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai's face lit up with pleasure.

This was another piece of good news.

Just as Zhuo Ming was about to form her Nascent Soul, he could take the opportunity to upgrade the Myriad Virtue Cauldron to the fifth-tier.

A month later, Chen Mobai, who had been drinking Longevity Eyebrow tea daily at the Daoist Sect, received a message from Jiang Zongheng. He immediately took Shenxi with him and headed back to Guangwu Immortal City.

After they left the Imperial City, Chen Mobai led his group from the Five Elements Sect and bid farewell to the Daoist Sect.

Shenxi tried to persuade him to stay for a while, then personally saw him off at the teleportation array.

Upon returning to the Five Elements Sect, Chen Mobai asked Jiang Zongheng to stay. Seeing that the master and disciple had something private to discuss, Qing Nü immediately took Jin Linger and the others and left.

"Master..." Jiang Zongheng took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, about to draw the secret realm map and annotations he had memorized, but Chen Mobai raised a hand to stop him.

"Let's discuss the details at the actual location," Chen Mobai said.

Chen Mobai's words left Jiang Zongheng looking bewildered.