Chapter 682: Retrieving Something

Longdongdao could no longer be called the most prosperous place in Zuyue, but as it had long been the heartland of Zuyue, it still retained some lingering glow. After Zuyue's military invasion of Dazhen, Datongdu, the capital city, became even more bustling, as if experiencing a brief resurgence.

Ji Yuan, leading the old man, transformed into a wisp of smoke and landed within Datongdu. It was already noon, and the city was exceptionally lively, teeming with merchants. Most of the goods being traded were from Dazhen.

"Come, come, come, excellent cultural tributes from Dazhen's Jizhou! Master craftsman's work from Ning'an County, a rare sight! These are literary treasures from wealthy families' private studies, not much left, not much left!"

"Take a look here, snow wolf fur from Dazhen's Jinzhou, excellent for shawls!"

"Sir, look at this shawl, see its fur color and luster? It's definitely new hide. Our branch in the southern border acquired it from military officers. Guaranteed to be worth more than its price, only twenty taels, you can take it for just twenty taels!"

"Really? Let me see!"

"Come, take a look!"

After Ji Yuan and the old man landed, they silently blended into the bustling streets of Datong. Ji Yuan walked slowly ahead, with the old man following closely behind.

Jin Jia followed at the very end. He had changed into a well-fitting blue straight-hemmed robe and wore a neat black headscarf. With his unusually reddish face, he looked like a formidable warrior, often drawing curious glances from passersby. However, they only dared to steal quick looks, afraid of offending him.

Ji Yuan appeared oblivious to the lively surroundings, but in reality, everything registered in his mind. As they walked, he took out a golden paper from his sleeve and casually handed it to Min Xian.

"Min Xian, is this written by your senior disciple-brother or your master?"

The old man instinctively took it, glancing at the text on the golden paper. It was essentially an order for a monstrous creature from a deep mountain to report to Datongdu. Upon Zuyue's victory over Dazhen, the creature would be able to cleanse its evil karma through the nation's destiny, advance further in its cultivation, and even attain a divine position.

"This naturally came from my senior..."

The old man's words abruptly stopped. After a moment of being stunned in place, he quickly walked closer to Ji Yuan, standing beside him and looking at him.

"How does Mr. Ji know about my senior disciple-brother?"

Logically, the old man had only introduced himself and explained some details about insect gu techniques. He hadn't said much else, nor had Ji Yuan coerced him, so he shouldn't know much. It wasn't surprising he knew about the master, but to know about the senior disciple-brother...

Ji Yuan didn't say anything provocative, only speaking softly.

"We met once. He has profound cultivation. It's not strange for this golden script to come from his hand. To be able to teach disciples like you, though you've committed many wrongs, your master must also be extraordinary."

If anyone else had dared to say that, the old man would have definitely flown into a rage. But since it was Ji Yuan, he could only respond respectfully.

"Sir has his path, and my master also has his path."

Saying this, Min Xian handed the golden paper back to Ji Yuan with both hands. Although it belonged to his senior disciple-brother, he dared not hold onto it now.

Ji Yuan took the golden paper, glanced at Min Xian, and without another word, quickened his pace. Although Min Xian's powers were sealed by the Edict Law, his centuries of cultivation were real. Despite being an old man, his physical abilities were still extraordinary, and he had no trouble keeping up.

The two wandered around the city for a while, their ultimate destination, of course, being the Imperial Palace. Datongdu's size was comparable to Dazhen's capital, and the palace itself occupied a third of the city's land, making it easy to find.

As an immortal cultivator, Ji Yuan naturally didn't need to announce himself to the emperor. The palace guards were effectively invisible to him. Leading Min Xian and Jin Jia through the palace gates and along the corridors, they reached the outer palace. There, they saw a procession of palace maids, eunuchs, and old nannies clearing the path, followed by two rows of women in peach-colored dresses, all exquisitely adorned and radiant.

Ji Yuan and his two companions stood by the roadside as the group passed. Ji Yuan was pensive, Min Xian's expression remained calm, and Jin Jia showed no reaction at all.

"This emperor is quite open-minded."

Ji Yuan uttered this, then moved his feet, walking forward with the women, surprisingly heading straight for the Central Golden Hall.

It was Ji Yuan's first time witnessing an emperor selecting concubines, especially at such a critical juncture with two nations at war. He found it amusing, yet also absurd.

Outside the grand hall, guards stood in dense formation, their vigilance high. The group of women stopped outside, silent among themselves, yet their hearts pounded so fiercely they felt they might burst.

Ji Yuan was quite interested in entering and observing, but he also sensed an evil aura lurking within the Golden Hall. Thus, for the time being, he had no intention of confronting the demons inside.

"Announce the concubine candidates to enter the hall!"

Inside the Golden Hall, an old eunuch, after a nod from the emperor, loudly announced.

"Announce the concubine candidates to enter the hall!"

Outside, another eunuch loudly repeated the announcement.

A slight commotion outside the hall reached Ji Yuan's ears. The concubine candidates, led by palace maids, eunuchs, and old nannies, slowly entered the Golden Hall with the most proper, dignified, and graceful bearing. They then lined up in two rows and bowed together.

"May His Majesty be well!"

After bowing, the concubine candidates dared not look up, simply standing in place, awaiting further instructions.

The old eunuch by the dragon throne whispered.

"Your Majesty, a total of twenty concubine candidates have distinguished themselves and are now before your sacred presence. Please review them."

The emperor, smiling from his dragon throne, looked at the women below and nodded.

"All of you, raise your heads and let me see!"

The concubine candidates, having been repeatedly instructed and trained by the old nannies, slowly raised their heads. With a seven-tenths smile and a three-tenths flirtatious gaze, they looked towards the dragon throne, feeling both fear and excitement.

"Splendid, splendid, splendid! All of them are lovely!"

The emperor uttered "splendid" three times in a row, his smile so wide it wouldn't close. The old eunuch beside him quickly reminded him.

"Your Majesty, you may have them introduce themselves. Whichever ones please you the most, you can instruct your humble servant to make a note in the ledger. After this initial viewing, we can observe them closely and then select the best ones..."

"Hahahaha, introductions are naturally necessary, but there's no need to select. All twenty of these beauties are delightful to behold; I'll take them all! Hahahaha, all of them!"

The old eunuch was stunned, as were the royal nobles in the hall. Even the concubine candidates were taken aback, but simultaneously, wild joy surged within them. Many women subtly clutched their skirt hems, feeling that the day they would transform into phoenixes was not far off.

"Absurd!"

A rebuke, filled with anger, resounded from the side. Subsequently, an old minister stepped forward, positioned himself in front of the concubine candidates, faced the emperor, and bowed respectfully.

"Your humble servant Liu Xianhu has a memorial to present."

The emperor frowned but didn't scold him, merely nodding.

"Beloved Minister Liu, today is not a court session. If you have a memorial, present it now, and I will review it."

The old eunuch immediately descended and approached the old minister to receive the memorial. However, upon getting close, he realized the minister hadn't produced one.

"Uh, Minister Liu, where is the memorial?"

"Hmph!"

The old minister maintained his bowed posture, looking directly above the dragon throne, and spoke.

"Your humble servant's memorials have already been presented to Your Majesty long ago, six in total, yet I have not yet received your reply. Now, soldiers on the front lines are fighting valiantly, battling for the nation's destiny, yet Your Majesty disregards state affairs and instead indulges in selecting concubines. How can the nation be governed for long?"

"Beloved Minister Liu, our dynasty has received aid from immortals. Conquering Dazhen will be effortless. Don't you see the city is full of treasures transported from Dazhen's Qizhou? What do the esteemed Immortal Masters think?"

A seemingly refined demon, dressed in a wide-sleeved robe and wearing a small coronet with a golden hairpin, stepped forward and smiled.

"Minister Liu, our army has many talented and extraordinary individuals, and previously, a formidable expert came to assist. His Majesty was even granted medicine by a powerful figure and is about to gain an invincible divine army. Even if Dazhen possesses some capabilities, it certainly cannot contend with destiny. However, I heard that your niece also participated in the concubine selection but was eliminated in the second round. If you have any complaints about this, you are free to speak openly."

"You demon! It's rumored that someone in the imperial guards saw you devour a person; you are clearly a demonic evil creature! How dare you call yourself a Celestial Master? Your Majesty, even if Zuyue wins this war, such demons will undoubtedly bring disaster to the nation and its people. They are absolutely untrustworthy!"

"Heh, Minister Liu exaggerates. I am utterly loyal to His Majesty, and assisting me in cultivating magic treasures is also for the sake of Zuyue's dominion. All of this has been reported for the sacred ear. Furthermore, with two nations at war, cultivators like us can aid in battle. What can you, Minister Liu, do besides bark again?"

"You... you!"

"Enough, stop quarreling, both of you. Step back. Let's return to today's main topic."

The emperor was clearly uninterested in the matter below. After dismissing the two, he waited for the concubine candidates to introduce and present themselves one by one. However, a few ministers, including Liu Xianhu, were in no mood to stay and directly excused themselves, leaving the Golden Hall.

All sounds within the Golden Hall reached Ji Yuan's ears. Soon, he saw those ministers walk briskly out of the hall, their faces grim. The moment they left, in Ji Yuan's eyes, the entire Golden Hall's luster immediately diminished by several degrees, appearing dim and indistinct.

Soon, the sounds of zithers, lutes, drums, and flutes emanated from the hall, indicating that there was apparently a talent performance segment for the concubine candidates.

Ji Yuan shook his head and looked at Min Xian and Jin Jia.

"Let's go, let's join the fun inside."

As Ji Yuan ascended the steps, some cultivators inside the Golden Hall gradually sensed an anomaly, turning their gazes towards the hall entrance.

Not long after, a man in a green robe, accompanied by two figures behind him, stepped into the hall. The surrounding armored guards seemed oblivious to their presence.

"Who are you, sir, daring to trespass into the Golden Hall? If you've come to seek ennoblement, you should have reported yourselves first!"

One of the cultivators loudly questioned Ji Yuan, his voice clear and overriding the music. This caused the musicians to instinctively stop playing, and the concubine candidates, who were performing a group dance, became somewhat flustered and immediately retreated to where the old nannies were standing.

All eyes in the Golden Hall focused on Ji Yuan and his two companions. Ji Yuan did not conceal his presence, walking openly to the very center of the Golden Hall.

"Immortal Elder, is that you? Oh, have you come again to bring me immortal medicine?"

The emperor, now full of vigor and possessing excellent eyesight, recognized Min Xian at a glance and exclaimed in pleasant surprise. However, Min Xian glanced at Ji Yuan, then shook his head and replied.

"Your Majesty is mistaken. I came with Mr. Ji."

"Mr. Ji?" "Mr. Ji..."

"Mr. Ji!?" "Surname Ji..."

Inside the grand hall, various reactions ensued, mostly characterized by confusion. A few individuals, however, seemed to realize something, their hearts trembling slightly.

"Sir, have you also come to assist me? What abilities do you possess, and are you willing to accept ennoblement?"

The Emperor of Zuyue was in high spirits. In the past year, he had seen many immortals, and each encounter fueled his aspirations for eternal dominion.

Ji Yuan shook his head and smiled, then gave a slight bow towards the dragon throne.

"I, Ji, am merely here to retrieve something that does not belong to Your Majesty. As for the nation's destiny and eternal dominion, they are none of my concern. However, I must advise Your Majesty: such demonic and evil beings are truly repulsive and best used with extreme caution."

As he spoke, Ji Yuan's pale eyes swept across the Celestial Masters on one side. Their demonic, fiendish, and evil auras were all laid bare under his spiritual vision. He secretly hoped they would be provoked by his words and directly attack him.

But perhaps due to Min Xian's presence, these immortal masters, who served Zuyue, remained somewhat restrained.

"Hmph, your tone is quite arrogant, sir." "Watch your tongue when you speak!"

"Fellow Daoist, you should be more careful with your words."

Amidst the cold remarks of the immortal masters, the emperor, seated on his dragon throne, leaned forward and asked with a frown.

"What is it that you wish to retrieve, sir?"

"Nothing but the worm within Your Majesty! Xun symbolizes wind, Zhen symbolizes thunder."

Without waiting for the emperor's reply, Ji Yuan finished speaking and waved his hand, sending forth a gust of wind. A burst of magical light shone upon the emperor, illuminating nearly a hundred acupoints on his front and back. Then, Ji Yuan withdrew his left hand, forming a three-fingered grasping gesture.

The emperor suddenly felt his limbs and body bound by several chains. He was abruptly dragged upright from the dragon throne, spreadeagled like a large character.

"Ah... guards, guards! Ah... roar..."

The emperor's roar gradually distorted, and then a chilling shriek, utterly unlike a human voice, emanated from his mouth.

"Stop!" "Release His Majesty!"

"Om..."

A sword hum resonated, and the Green Vine Sword revealed itself. Waves of sword qi and sword intent caused the temperature in the hall to plummet, suffocating the immortal masters. No one dared to step forward.

"Roar..."

The emperor's face was contorted in a grotesque grimace. Veins on his face and body bulged like thick earthworms, seemingly writhing continuously.

Ji Yuan's expression was stern as he shook his head and sighed.

"To be the ruler of a nation, only to end up neither human, ghost, nor demon—how tragic and lamentable."

The moment his words fell, a surge of red light erupted from the emperor's body. The next instant, it spiraled out and flew into Ji Yuan's left hand, where it was gripped by three fingers. It was a grotesque insect with four wings and six legs, its front resembling a beetle and its back like a long, worm-like posterior, writhing and struggling ceaselessly.