# Chapter 1021: Dragon-Protecting Pavilion
The small island at the center of the spirit lake was less than a hundred meters across, yet every step revealed a new scene, every place meticulously crafted, making one feel as if they had arrived at a celestial palace or sacred realm.
Cai Jinglun and Cai Yunji personally invited Zhang Ruochen to a higher position, one that had once belonged to Chi Yutang, adjacent to Wan Huayu, the proud daughter of the Lesser Saint Heavenly King Manor.
Zhang Ruochen's arrival indeed caused no small impact among the cultivators present.
Those outstanding talents who had previously offended Zhang Ruochen and Chu Siyuan all came over one after another.
They lowered their status considerably, actively apologizing to Zhang Ruochen, while also presenting some precious treasures as gifts to Zhang Ruochen, hoping to make amends for their earlier transgressions.
"This is a seven-colored coral grass that grew for seven thousand years, which I dug up from the bottom of Yanling Lake. I hope you, young master, will accept it."
"This is a piece of dragon silkworm incense. Light it and absorb its fragrance to enhance spiritual power."
...
...
Zhang Ruochen did not stand on ceremony with them. No matter what they sent, he accepted it all.
However, from beginning to end, he never spoke a single word. He simply closed his eyes and nodded gently, causing all those gift-giving talents to feel uneasy.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power stirred slightly. He sensed a pair of eyes fixed on him.
Who was it?
Somewhat curious, Zhang Ruochen opened his eyes and looked in that direction.
It was a veiled dancer, standing amidst the confused white mist, wearing a dance garment made of white feathers. Her figure was extremely graceful, her skin snow-white and crystalline, possessing a temperament entirely different from other dancers.
However, after just a single glance exchanged with Zhang Ruochen, she immediately withdrew her gaze and hid back into the mist.
"Her cultivation is not weak. Who is she?" Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Beside him, Wan Huayu glanced at Zhang Ruochen, then followed his gaze to look at the veiled dancer. She smiled slightly and said, "Is this your first time in Saint Ming City?"
"That's right," Zhang Ruochen replied.
"Even if it's a cultivator's first time in Saint Ming City, even if they haven't seen her, they should have heard her name."
Clearly, the "her" Wan Huayu referred to was that dancer from just now.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Is her reputation that great?"
Wan Huayu nodded. "Qin Yutong, the golden signboard of Phoenix Dance Palace, is known as the number one beauty of Saint Ming City. Every day, countless young talents go to Phoenix Dance Palace, most of them hoping to catch a glimpse of Qin Yutong's immortal beauty."
"A year ago, even Xue Wuye, one of the Nine Realm Sons, came seeking her out but returned in defeat. He only managed to get an audience with Qin Yutong but never saw her true face."
"Qin Yutong's suitors span the nine prefectures of the Central Domain, yet no one has ever won her favor. I didn't expect her to pay such attention to you. That's quite interesting."
"Her observational skills are quite sharp," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Zhang Ruochen's expression remained unchanged, and he said somewhat sarcastically, "Since no one has ever seen her true face, how dare she claim to be the number one beauty of Saint Ming City?"
Wan Huayu was slightly taken aback, clearly finding Zhang Ruochen too lacking in romantic sensibility.
Then she said, "Because everyone trusts Phoenix Dance Palace. For a golden signboard promoted by Phoenix Dance Palace, she must possess breathtaking beauty."
Phoenix Dance Palace, though a brothel, had a history as long as the medieval aristocratic clans. It had produced many powerful experts and many stunning beauties who captivated the world.
Every hundred years, Phoenix Dance Palace would promote an outstanding successor, uniformly called "Dance Fairy."
Each generation of Dance Fairy possessed astonishing talent, heart-stirring beauty, and dance skills claimed to be number one under heaven.
Of course, ordinary people had no qualification to marry a Dance Fairy. At the very least, one had to be a successor of a medieval aristocratic clan or a divine son of an ancient sect to have a chance to compete.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Wan Huayu and said, "As far as I know, the Wan family has been allied with the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor for generations, with intermarriage in every generation. I have formed such a great enmity with Chi Yutang, yet you can still chat and laugh with me?"
Wan Huayu pursed her lips, a touch of moving charm in her eyes. "Chi Yutang is Chi Yutang, and I am me. Besides, I'm very curious—how did Kunlun Realm suddenly produce such a powerful young expert like you?"
After a pause, Wan Huayu continued, "Not long ago, news came from the Prefecture Ten Thousand Sacred Land that Painting Saint Ancestor and Luo Xu Palace Master joined forces to kill three Undying Blood Clan saints and one hundred thousand Undying Blood Clan soldiers. When I think about it, there's only one person who could be connected to both of those seniors at the same time."
"Who?"
"The Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen."
Wan Huayu stared intently at Zhang Ruochen's eyes, revealing a wise expression, carefully scrutinizing him, as if trying to discern something.
It had to be said, Wan Huayu and Wan Zhaoyi shared many similarities—both were extremely shrewd, not comparable to Chi Yutang.
Even Zhang Ruochen found it somewhat difficult to see through her.
Zhang Ruochen remained very calm, unruffled, and said, "Mentioning Zhang Ruochen reminds me of something. I heard that the Empress once issued a secret decree, ordering the Lesser Saint Heavenly King to capture Zhang Ruochen within three months. If he failed to capture Zhang Ruochen, the Lesser Saint Heavenly King would be guilty of deceiving the sovereign. The three-month deadline should have passed long ago, right?"
Zhang Ruochen knew about this matter naturally because Shengshu Cainü had told him.
However, Wan Huayu did not know that Zhang Ruochen and Shengshu Cainü had a deep friendship. Hearing Zhang Ruochen mention this matter, she was startled inwardly.
Not many people knew that the Empress had issued a secret decree to the Lesser Saint Heavenly King—mostly those with deep backgrounds in the court.
How did he know?
Could he be the descendant of some high-ranking figure in the court?
Originally, Wan Huayu had suspected he was the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen, but now she was wavering.
Wan Huayu possessed a spirit that refused to be outdone by men. She did not try to hide anything and said, "My father indeed received a secret decree from the Empress to capture Zhang Ruochen within three months."
"However, after the battle at Zhenyu Ancient Clan, my father led the Ministry of War's army in a bloody struggle against the Undying Blood Clan, paying a heavy price to block the advance of Qingtian Blood Emperor, achieving outstanding military merit and receiving the Empress's pardon. Now, my father has led the Wan family army to the Northern Domain to continue fighting the Undying Blood Clan."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "The Lesser Saint Heavenly King has achieved remarkable military merit. He truly deserves to be the top of the 'Heroes Ode' and worthy of the title 'hero.'"
Zhang Ruochen did not stint on his words of praise. No matter what grievances existed between him and Wan Zhaoyi, at the very least, Wan Zhaoyi had many admirable qualities.
"My father once said that in this world, he only admires two people—one is the Empress, and the other is Zhang Ruochen. The Empress's cultivation leaves him far behind. Zhang Ruochen's talent makes him feel that there is always a sky beyond the sky and people beyond people. He said that he and Zhang Ruochen are destined for a battle. When that day comes, it might be the moment his glorious achievements come to an end. He only hopes that day will come later rather than sooner."
Wan Huayu was still somewhat suspicious of Zhang Ruochen's identity. Saying these words was actually a way to test him.
"With you saying that, I'm a bit eager to meet that Heir of Time and Space," Zhang Ruochen said.
"I would very much like to meet him too."
Wan Huayu laughed, then said no more.
Zhang Ruochen also fell silent. He lit the dragon silkworm incense that a half-saint had sent earlier, closed his eyes, and absorbed the fragrance to enhance his spiritual power.
Half an hour later, a shocking piece of news came from the depths of the Cai family's sacred estate.
The Cai family's patriarch finally announced the whereabouts of the "Blood Clan Secret Scroll."
Cai Jinglun began reading its contents: "Eight hundred years ago, after the 'Blood Clan Secret Scroll' was compiled, it was stored in the national treasury of the Holy Bright Central Empire."
"On the night before the Ming Emperor disappeared, the members of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion took away all the treasures from the entire national treasury. From then on, they vanished without a trace and never appeared again in Kunlun Realm."
This news was extremely shocking.
One had to know that the Holy Bright Central Empire had a long history, deep foundations, and had accumulated boundless wealth.
The national treasury contained not only countless divine weapons and sharp tools, sacred pills, spiritual medicines, spiritual crystals, and sacred stones, but also millions of volumes of cultivation techniques and martial arts.
Originally, everyone under heaven believed that the national treasury of the Holy Bright Central Empire had either fallen into the hands of the First Central Empire or been taken by the Bright Hall.
Who could have imagined that the national treasury had already been moved before the Ming Emperor disappeared?
It could be said that whoever could find the national treasury of the Holy Bright Central Empire would undoubtedly find a peerless treasure that could rival a nation.
An old Daoist with an immortal aura exclaimed, "The Dragon-Protecting Pavilion members took the national treasury? The legendary strongest foundation of the Holy Bright Central Empire, the guardian of the royal clan, the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion?"
Those young cultivators had never heard of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion, so they curiously inquired about it.
That old Daoist revealed a faint smile and said, "Legend has it that the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion had only one hundred and eight members, divided into thirty-six Heavenly Spirits and seventy-two Earthly Fiends. However, each one was a saint-level being, their identities quite mysterious. Ordinary people had no idea of their existence. It is said that some of those members had been guarding the royal Zhang clan since the medieval period."
A young cultivator chuckled, not believing the old Daoist's words at all. "How is that possible? One hundred and eight saints? Even a medieval aristocratic clan doesn't have such deep foundations? A being that has lived from the medieval period to the present—how many years would that be? That's complete nonsense."
That old Daoist said, "You young people have seen too little. To establish a central empire, could the foundation of the royal Zhang clan be something you can imagine?"
"Have you seen the two sixty-nine-zhang-tall bronze golden lions at the city gates? They were not only the totems of the Holy Bright Central Empire but also two guardian divine beasts of the empire. It is said that they were two of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion members, belonging to the seventy-two Earthly Fiends, having lived for tens of thousands of years, with lifespans more than ten times longer than humans."
"The reason the Bright Hall has one hundred and eight saint generals is actually imitating the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion. However, compared to the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion members, those saint generals are nothing but a group of children."
That old Daoist spoke with authority, making the cultivators present both skeptical and uncertain.
If the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion truly existed, then why had they never appeared? Where had they gone?