Chapter 1382: The Dragon-Protecting Pavilion Appears
The words Zhang Ruochen had spoken were truly astonishing—he actually wanted to destroy the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor.
The Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor, stationed in Shengming City, could not only suppress both Mingjiang King and the Bright Hall simultaneously but also keep in check the Black Market, the Demon Sect, the Blood God Sect, and other evil forces. Its strength was terrifying. How could it be destroyed just by saying so?
The Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor was a blade the imperial court used to deal with the remnants of the Holy Bright Central Empire, capable of employing ruthless methods to wipe them out completely.
It could be said that in the eyes of Mingjiang King, Bai Su, Yan Kaixuan, and others, the person they hated most, resented most, and wanted to kill most had always been Lingxiao Heavenly King.
Empress Chi Yao could only be ranked second.
Of course, whether it was Lingxiao Heavenly King or Empress Chi Yao, their cultivation levels were far too powerful to be opposed by them. Under the pursuit and purge of Lingxiao Heavenly King, surviving until now was already quite remarkable.
Qin Yutong escorted Zhang Ruochen back to his cultivation residence, her heart unable to calm down. She stared at the handsome, upright, and cold figure walking ahead, and finally couldn’t help asking, “Your Highness, are you really going to attack the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor?”
“What’s wrong?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Qin Yutong said, “I want to join the battle.”
Zhang Ruochen stopped, turned around, and looked into her enchanting yet lively eyes. Known as the most beautiful woman in Shengming City, Qin Yutong’s appearance was undeniably flawless.
“Even the twelve royal clans fell silent when they heard my words, clearly not believing that I, the Crown Prince, could destroy the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor. Your cultivation hasn’t even reached the Saint realm, yet you dare to join the battle?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qin Yutong knelt on one knee, lifting her stunning face, and said, “Even if it means nine deaths and one chance of survival, I still want to fight. I don’t want to keep hiding any longer, nor do I want to dance for my enemies anymore. I only want revenge—revenge for my parents, revenge for my grandfather. I beg Your Highness to grant this.”
Seeing the firmness in her eyes, Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment, then took out a Sacred Source and a ten-thousand-year-old Sacred Medicine from his Space Ring and tossed them to her.
“If you can break through to the Saint realm within ten days, I, the Crown Prince, will allow you to join the battle.”
“Thank you, Your Highness, thank you for your generous gift.”
Qin Yutong bit her red lips gently with her snow-white teeth, her beautiful eyes shimmering with rippling light. When she looked up again, Zhang Ruochen’s figure had already disappeared at the end of the corridor.
It had to be said that this Crown Prince was incredibly charismatic—not only handsome and supremely talented, but also generous in his gifts, with both a domineering side and, at times, a touch of melancholy.
“I must train hard and never let Your Highness down.”
Qin Yutong silently vowed in her heart.
In the lake-center hall, the saints gradually calmed down, all pondering what trump card Zhang Ruochen possessed to claim he could destroy the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor.
“The Dragon-Protecting Pavilion… it must be the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion…”
Mingjiang King muttered these words.
Yan Kaixuan said, “The Dragon-Protecting Pavilion has always been just a legend; no one has ever seen them. It’s possible it’s nothing more than a fabricated organization.”
Mingjiang King shook his head. “The Dragon-Protecting Pavilion might very well be real. When my royal brother disappeared, the two Guardian National Totems and the Guardian National Spirit Ancestor also vanished at the same time. I suspect they are members of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion.”
The totem of the Holy Bright Central Empire was the Golden Lion.
Legend had it that the mount of the Zhang clan’s ancestor, the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, was a Golden Lion divine beast.
Only direct members of the royal clan knew that eight hundred years ago, two Golden Lions still guarded the Holy Bright Central Empire—descendants of the Golden Lion divine beast, having lived for tens of thousands of years.
Truly powerful divine beast descendants and ancient relics had lifespans far exceeding humans; even living tens of thousands of years didn’t necessarily mean they would die.
The Guardian National Spirit Ancestor was a plant that had guarded the Zhang clan since the Middle Ages, or even earlier.
Of course, the Guardian National Spirit Ancestor was a legend, difficult to prove as real. According to legend, only after each generation of Ming Emperor ascended the throne could they go to pay homage to it.
Only each generation’s Ming Emperor knew whether the Guardian National Spirit Ancestor truly existed.
Mingjiang King had also flipped through some family ancient texts and discovered that every time the Zhang clan faced a great calamity, a mysterious force would appear to help resolve the crisis. Thus, even during the great upheaval at the end of the Middle Ages, the Zhang clan had not been destroyed.
That mysterious force sometimes appeared as a falling petal from the sky, sheltering the Zhang clan members below; other times, it was a root shooting up from the ground to kill enemies targeting the Zhang clan.
Therefore, Mingjiang King suspected that mysterious force might very well be the Guardian National Spirit Ancestor.
Wang Ji was visibly moved. “What if Zhang Ruochen really summons the legendary Dragon-Protecting Pavilion members and destroys the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor? What do we do then?”
“If he truly can destroy the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor, then he is qualified to be the Crown Prince of the Holy Bright Central Empire,” Mingjiang King said.
Over the next two days, Zhang Ruochen devoted himself entirely to cultivation, striving to break through to the Thorough Earth realm.
The Xuanhuang realm’s cultivation was still too low. He could handle ordinary True Saints, but against the strong among True Saints, winning would not be easy.
Although Zhang Ruochen had defeated Mu Qingtian with just three sword strikes, he had used Sword Seven and the Time Sword Art, going all out.
Going all out, he had only cut off Mu Qingtian’s crown, not his head.
This showed that defeating a late-stage True Saint was not as simple as outsiders thought.
Moreover, above the late-stage True Saint was the peak True Saint realm.
“Breaking through each Saint realm is indeed as difficult as climbing a mountain. No wonder even Ling Feiyu, with her talent, spent three hundred years in the Saint realm before breaking through to Saint King. Senior Brother, Pei Yutian, Situ Fengcheng—each of them is a top-tier prodigy, yet after a hundred years of cultivation, they’re still stuck in the Tongtian realm, unable to break through to True Saint.”
The further he went, the more Zhang Ruochen felt that breaking through each realm was like climbing a high mountain, impossible to cross in a single day.
Perhaps only the Nine Realm Sons could rapidly improve their cultivation levels, because in the Half-Saint realm, they had received training beyond ordinary imagination, consuming vast resources from the Kunlun Realm.
For Zhang Ruochen to keep up with the Nine Realm Sons’ cultivation speed and maintain a lead was already quite remarkable.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power detected a chilling aura. He abruptly opened his eyes. In the cultivation room, right in front of him, stood a figure.
The figure wore a white robe, every thread of which seemed to merge with the rules of heaven and earth, flowing downward like a white waterfall, emitting a faint glow.
On his face was a crystalline mask that covered his entire face, with no holes—even the eye area was concealed.
Inside the mask, it seemed like a starry sky, both pitch-black and deep, yet emitting specks of light.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen had opened his eyes and noticed him, the man nodded lightly. “Deputy Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Net Pavilion of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion, paying respects to the Crown Prince.”
Zhang Ruochen remained calm, showing no panic. “When did you arrive here?”
“I have been waiting before Your Highness for three hours,” came a ethereal, hoarse voice from beneath the mask.
Zhang Ruochen drew in a sharp breath. The other party had stood before him for three hours, yet with his spiritual power intensity, he had been completely unaware.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Where is Zhao Fu?”
“Zhao Fu and the other Heavenly Net members are waiting outside.”
The Deputy Pavilion Master’s tone was steady and emotionless, neither condescending toward Zhang Ruochen nor lacking in respect.
Knowing that the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion Master’s identity was very special, Zhang Ruochen didn’t mind this.
“All outside?”
Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power detected no trace of Zhao Fu’s aura. Slightly surprised, he stood up, walked to the window, and looked out.
Under the moonlight, figures stood one after another, all wearing white robes like flowing water and starry masks. Some stood on the street, some on the rooftops of halls, some hovered in midair.
Yet the cultivators in the Phoenix Dance Pavilion seemed unable to see them, treating them as air—an extremely eerie sight.
“It must be the white robes and masks that have a mysterious power, capable of evading a cultivator’s spiritual power and saintly perception,” Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
There were thirty-four white figures in total, standing around the house like stars surrounding the moon.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen push open the window, all the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion members bowed in salute. “Greetings to the Crown Prince.”
Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze back to the Deputy Pavilion Master. “Why didn’t the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Net Pavilion come in person?”
“Does Your Highness not know where the Pavilion Master has gone?” the Deputy Pavilion Master asked.
Zhang Ruochen narrowed his eyes slightly. “Why would I, the Crown Prince, know that?”
“The Blood Clan Secret Scroll was handed to Your Highness by the Pavilion Master. You should have met him,” the Deputy Pavilion Master said.
“The Blood Clan Secret Scroll… the Pavilion Master… Supreme Elder, Yan Liren. He is the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion Master?”
Zhang Ruochen was slightly shaken, then suddenly enlightened.
When Yan Liren had given the Blood Clan Secret Scroll to Zhang Ruochen, he claimed to know the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion Master and had obtained a handwritten copy from him.
At the time, Zhang Ruochen should have been suspicious.
How could the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion Master reveal his identity to someone else?
The so-called handwritten copy of the Blood Clan Secret Scroll was certainly the original.
Zhang Ruochen found it hard to believe but had to accept the fact. “How could the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion Master be the Supreme Elder of the Blood God Sect?”
The Deputy Pavilion Master said, “The members of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion are spread across the Kunlun Realm, hidden within various major powers. Some are even the leaders of great sects. Only upon receiving the Ming Emperor’s decree do we gather again at the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion. Only each generation’s Ming Emperor has the right to know our identities.”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes sharpened. “And your identity? I, the Crown Prince, should be able to know that, right?”