"Mm."

Chen Wangu gave a slight nod. He didn’t deny Xu Qing’s words, but he didn’t confirm them either, leaving things ambiguous. "Go on."

"Yes."

Xu Qing’s tone was respectful.

BUZZ!

When Xu Qing looked up, Chen Wangu’s figure had already vanished into thin air. After taking a deep breath, Xu Qing executed a Top-grade Supreme Divine Technique.

Close Yet Far Away!

SWISH!

With a single step, Xu Qing disappeared, leaving Shu Mountain behind. In the next instant, he had arrived at the gates of the Great Tang Imperial Palace in the Central Tang Dynasty.

"Master Xu, His Majesty requests your presence."

As expected, when Xu Qing looked up, he saw Zhao Gao already standing at the gates of the Great Tang Imperial Palace, waiting for his arrival.

"Lord Zhao."

Xu Qing nodded slightly. "Please lead the way."

"Mm."

Zhao Gao walked ahead.

「In the Imperial Study.」

"..."

Xu Qing saw Li Haotian once more. Decades had passed, and Li Haotian’s youth was long gone. His hair was streaked with white, and he now looked like a man in his seventies.

However, the imperial might emanating from Li Haotian was even stronger than before.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Xu Qing clasped his hands and bowed.

"Xu Qing."

Li Haotian sized up Xu Qing, his expression calm and his gaze unwavering. He showed no reaction to the fact that after several decades, Xu Qing’s appearance hadn’t changed at all, while he himself was nearing the end of his life.

Perhaps it was because every Emperor who ascended the throne of the Central Tang Dynasty possessed an absolute will. They had seen through the veil of life and death, their hearts concerned only with the realm, the state, and the fate of the Human Race.

Otherwise, even the slightest trace of selfishness could lead to a catastrophic mistake. And if the Emperor of the Central Tang Dynasty were to make such a mistake, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"We haven’t seen each other in decades, and yet your Cultivation has advanced even further."

Li Haotian nodded and said, "This is good. Very good. In the upcoming ’Ancient Text Incident,’ the stronger you are and the higher your Realm, the easier it will be to resolve it."

"I will naturally do my utmost," Xu Qing said.

"Good."

Li Haotian nodded slightly, then waved his right hand and said in a deep voice, "All of you, come in."

"Yes."

"As you command."

"..."

Just then, Xu Qing heard footsteps approaching from outside the Imperial Study. He turned to see nine figures walking in.

"Greetings, Your Majesty..."

"..."

The nine of them bowed to Li Haotian.

"Good."

Li Haotian nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the assembled group. Every one of them was a true prodigy from the Hundred Schools of Thought.

"Xu Qing."

Li Haotian’s gaze settled on Xu Qing. "These are the nine teammates I have personally selected to assist you. They are from the Hundred Schools of Thought."

"They are Shang Ying from the Legalist School; Murphy Rain from the Mo Family; Kong Desheng from Confucianism; Si Yu from the Yin Yang School; Nie Buqun from the School of Diplomacy; Sun Buyu from the Military School; Gongsun Zhi from the School of Names; Lv Buwei from the Syncretic School; and Xu Xing from the Farmer School."

"All nine of them will follow your arrangements and assist you in resolving the Supreme Dynasty’s ’Ancient Text Incident,’ bringing back the out-of-control ’Ancient Text,’ and investigating the mastermind behind it all."

"Mm."

Xu Qing looked at the nine prodigies from the Hundred Schools of Thought. Every one of them had stepped into the Fifth Realm. Though their individual strengths varied, they were all undeniably prodigies of the younger generation.

Li Haotian continued, "Furthermore, the direct disciples from the other Eight Great Sacred Lands have already arrived at the Supreme Dynasty ahead of you. This matter is of the utmost importance; failure is not an option."

SWISH!

As his voice fell, Li Haotian waved his right hand. Ten Dragon-shaped Tokens flew out and landed in the hands of Xu Qing and the others. Each token contained the Emperor Dragon Qi of the Central Tang Dynasty.

"These are the Dragon Orders."

Li Haotian said in a deep voice, "The one in your hand, Xu Qing, is the Main Dragon Order. The ones in their hands are Vice Dragon Orders. Each Dragon Order contains Emperor Dragon Qi. If you bring all ten Dragon Orders together, you can form the Great Tang Emperor Dragon Qi Array, which is powerful enough to trap a Sixth Realm existence."

"Consider this a trump card I’m giving you to save your lives."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xu Qing glanced at the Main Dragon Order in his hand, feeling the Emperor Dragon Qi contained within. He nodded slightly and stored it safely on his person.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"

"..."

Shang Ying and the other eight also bowed in thanks.

"Depart," Li Haotian said with a wave of his hand.

"Yes."

"As you command."

"We humbly obey Your Majesty’s decree!"

"..."

Without hesitation, Xu Qing and his team followed Zhao Gao out of the Imperial Study and headed toward the Great Tang Space-Time Hall. They would use it once again to teleport directly to the Supreme Spirit Realm and enter the Supreme Dynasty.

This would save a great deal of time.

After all, the Central Earth Realm and the Supreme Spirit Realm were incredibly far apart. Even if Xu Qing used Close Yet Far Away to travel, the journey would likely take several years.

Therefore, teleporting directly via the Great Tang Space-Time Hall was much, much faster.

「In the Imperial Study.」

Only Li Haotian remained.

He exhaled slowly.

He looked up, a golden, dragon-shaped light flickering in his eyes. His gaze seemed to pierce through countless obstacles, reaching beyond the nine heavens to look upon the Celestial Realm.

Then, Li Haotian lowered his head again.