Chapter 610: Emperor

The imperial palace of the three-hundred-li capital.

Here, the aura of the Son of Heaven is strongest, the power of incense and belief most concentrated.

Yet at this moment, dawn had not yet broken.

The Prince of Faith, who had just ridden the Imperial Road and been escorted into the palace by two squads of Imperial Guards, now stood tense, kneeling before a lavish and majestic palace. He lifted his head slightly—saw nothing but layer upon layer of white marble steps.

The steps were countless, too many for him to count.

Even as a prince, he could go no further than this spot.

For at the top of these steps lay the Emperor's private chamber, Yongchang Palace. Anyone who approached without the Emperor's permission would be deemed a traitor—punished by immediate arrest and imprisonment, or executed on the spot. Even a prince like him was not exempt.

"Prince of Faith, why have you entered the capital without the Emperor's edict?"

Without warning, a woman suddenly appeared at the summit of the steps—a female official, delicate-featured, eyes bright and sharp, faintly tinged with gold, like a dragon maiden serving the True Dragon, imbued with a trace of dragon aura that sent chills through the heart.

"The Golden Iris Guard." The Prince of Faith's heart tightened.

He knew his father despised eunuchs, so he had personally trained a cadre of women, calling them the Golden Iris Guard, to manage daily affairs and issue imperial decrees. Though their rank was low, they represented the Emperor himself—everyone who saw them bowed in reverence.

"A Daoist named Taiyi has sent a letter concerning the fate of the nation. I deem this matter grave, so I braved the risk of petitioning Your Majesty." The Prince of Faith forced calm into his voice.

The Golden Iris Guard spoke again: "Where is the letter?"

"Here." The Prince of Faith raised the letter written by Li Yi above his head.

"If this matter is exaggerated, Prince of Faith, do you know the consequence?" The Golden Iris Guard descended the steps, took the letter in her own hands, and asked calmly.

To disturb the Emperor's rest at this hour, unless it were truly momentous, even a prince would be punished; a common official would surely be stripped of office.

The Prince of Faith took a deep breath and said: "I accept the law."

The Golden Iris Guard gave a slight nod: "Wait here."

Every word spoken here was recorded. She would not ask for reasons—only deliver the message.

She turned and walked away, holding the letter. Though a woman, her steps carried her beyond sight in moments—clearly, her cultivation surpassed even the Spiritual Perception Realm, and she had begun absorbing incense and belief energy.

Seeing the letter taken, the Prince of Faith suddenly exhaled in relief.

He had done all he could.

The rest was left to fate.

"No matter what, I will probably die." The Prince of Faith looked up at the sky, his eyes holding a hint of release.

Soon.

The Golden Iris Guard arrived before Yongchang Palace. Two other Golden Iris Guards blocked her path, asked her purpose, then opened the palace gates to let her pass.

Inside Yongchang Palace, lamps burned brightly, incense and belief energy coalesced, and faint roars of dragon and tiger echoed through the air.

Holding the letter, the Golden Iris Guard felt her heart pound. The closer she drew to the Emperor, the more overwhelming the imperial aura became—mere proximity made her tremble, unable to steady herself. She felt she served not a man, but a deity.

"Who is it?"

Suddenly, another woman's voice sounded. From a corner of the hall emerged a mature woman, dressed in court robes, dignified and elegant, her hem trailing the ground as she glided forward—floating inches above the floor.

"Golden Iris Guard Wang Ning bows before Consort De." The Golden Iris Guard knelt, holding the letter aloft: "The Prince of Faith has urgent matters to present to His Majesty."

Consort De glanced at the letter: "For the sake of delivering one letter, the Prince of Faith defied imperial command, left his fief, and stormed the palace? The Emperor was right all along—the Prince of Faith is frivolous, unfit to rule. But since he came in person, even if frivolous, he must know restraint. Perhaps there truly is something vital. If this delays a great matter, neither you nor I can bear the consequence. Come with me."

She turned slowly and led the Golden Iris Guard into the inner chamber.

Within the inner chamber:

Spiritual energy coalesced, dragon and tiger forms appeared, myriad energies swirling.

There was no bed, no couch—only a square, four-sided divine stone, radiating purple qi, extraordinary and wondrous, inscribed with eight great characters: "Blessed by Heaven, Long Live and Prosper." Upon this stone lay a tall, imposing man clad in black-gold dragon robes, his posture noble and majestic. He was half-asleep, like a true dragon curled in repose—his mere aura was enough to crush the breath from any who dared stand near.

This man was the Emperor, ruler of the Four Directions, seated in the capital, reign title Tianwu.

"Your servant bows before Your Majesty." Consort De did not approach closely—she knelt from afar, reverent and humble.

All knew this Emperor devoted himself to cultivation, disliked disturbance, and allowed only a handful to draw near.

The inner chamber fell silent.

The Emperor did not respond—he seemed to sleep deeply.

Yet Consort De continued, holding the letter: "The Prince of Faith defied imperial order and entered the capital, claiming urgent matters. I beg Your Majesty's judgment."

The silence remained.

But Consort De dared not speak further. If the Emperor did not answer after a moment, she must withdraw—delaying the matter to avoid displeasing the Emperor.

Moments passed.

Suddenly—

The Emperor upon the divine stone stirred. His voice came: "Rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Consort De and the Golden Iris Guard rose slowly.

Immediately, a gentle force appeared in the air—the letter in Consort De's hands floated upward, drifting toward the Emperor.

Consort De and the Golden Iris Guard Wang Ning bowed their heads in silence. The Emperor cultivated, possessed near-divine power—this matter concerned the fate of the nation, and could not be revealed. Otherwise, the realm would tremble; countless incense deities would turn disloyal, for cultivation meant immortality—and an immortal Emperor would one day drain all incense energy from the land.

It would cut off the livelihood of every other incense deity.

Even the current Emperor could not hold the realm together.

"This letter…" The Emperor, as he took the letter, paused, startled.

The paper—it was familiar, stirring long-buried memories.

For this was not paper of this world.

The technological level of this world could not produce paper of this kind.

Consort De and Golden Iris Guard Wang Ning trembled slightly.

Could it truly be something momentous?

The Emperor no longer lay reclining—he sat up, his expression serious. He opened the letter. The first thing his eyes met was a line of familiar yet alien simplified characters. Even without reading further, he understood what had happened.

Not a single mistake in the entire content at a glance!

"The interdimensional traveler from Earth… has finally found this world?"

He was not surprised. He had left too many traces here—his policies governing the realm, the establishment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the transmission of the Evolution Method, even his poems and songs. Any fragment of information seized by others would reveal his true identity.

"Summon the Guardian Deities," the Emperor instinctively prepared to command them to slay the interdimensional traveler.

In another world, he might have welcomed such a traveler to meet.

But not here.

This was a world where incense and belief forged deities. As Emperor, his incense and belief could not collapse—otherwise, disaster would follow. He adhered to the principle: better to kill wrongly than to let one live. A second interdimensional traveler could not be allowed to exist—anyone, anyone at all, must die here.

Yet soon—

The Emperor fell silent.

His hand holding the letter trembled slightly.

The content was simple: "From Tianchang City, Li Yi seeks his father."

A familiar city. A familiar name. An unforgettable past.

To him, these words were a thunderclap. Even as Emperor, wielding life and death over all, he was shaken to his core, nearly losing his composure.

"This is impossible. He cannot still be alive." The Emperor stared at the line, muttering under his breath. His overwhelming aura surged uncontrollably.

Within Yongchang Palace:

Roars of dragon and tiger deafened the air; a torrent of imperial aura shot skyward.

Gales howled around the palace.

Consort De and Golden Iris Guard Wang Ning felt as if a mountain had crushed them—they trembled violently, collapsing to their knees, utterly powerless.

Outside the palace:

This imperial aura stirred the winds and clouds of all directions. The sky itself changed—its power immense.

The Prince of Faith, kneeling below the steps, looked up at the sky. His face was pale with fear—he understood at once: this upheaval was caused by the letter. Nothing else could explain it.

But if this change was real… did it prove the Daoist Taiyi spoke truth? He was not of this world.

Then… could it be that Father…

At that moment, sweat poured down the Prince of Faith's back. He clenched his fists, his expression shifting wildly, emotions churning within him—memories of the past flooded his mind.

He had been so outstanding—why had his father dismissed him with: "Frivolous temperament, unfit to rule"? Why had he been exiled as Prince of Faith, banished from the capital?

Why, since ascending the throne, had his father's every move been incomprehensible?

He had once believed his father had merely concealed his true nature before taking power. Now, he wondered—perhaps it had never been that at all.

Meanwhile—

Within Yongchang Palace:

The Emperor, bearing the fate of the dynasty, saturated with the incense and belief of millions, now stood. He gripped the letter, turned, and fixed Consort De and the Golden Iris Guard with golden, slit pupils like those of a dragon.

"Where is the Prince of Faith?"

Golden Iris Guard Wang Ning hurriedly replied: "The Prince of Faith awaits outside."

"Bring him in." The Emperor spoke coldly.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wang Ning bowed and departed at once.

The Emperor then barked: "Send someone with my jade token to summon the Embroidered Uniform Guards to stand outside Yongchang Palace. Also, issue my decree: suspend court for three days. All civil and military officials remain at home, resting. None may leave the capital without imperial order."

As he spoke, he waved his hand.

A white jade token flew from a nearby jade box.

Another Golden Iris Guard rushed forward, caught the token, bowed, and sped away.

Consort De, kneeling on the floor, trembled slightly. From the Emperor's actions, she knew—something monumental was about to happen.

(End of Chapter)