Chapter 336: Since you see the Grand Minister of Agriculture, why do you not bow?

Hearing this familiar squawking, Zhao Xing felt a wave of nostalgia.

The last time they had met was before his first entry into the Dragon Court, back in the third year of Dazhi. It was now the eighty-second year of Yuan-Shou; over two hundred years had passed in between.

It was no wonder the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird thought he was dead; two hundred years was indeed a very long time. "Soul Heavenly Vision!"

Zhao Xing immediately activated this ultimate technique, a flash of purple light flickering in his eyes and vanishing.

He instantly saw that within the mechanical body of the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird, there were two soul entities. One was the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird itself, in a posture of spreading its wings to soar high.

The other was in human form—decrepit and aged, wearing ornate robes embroidered with bird motifs. Its hands were clutching the claws of the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird, as if they had become one. "So there really is an anomaly," Zhao Xing sneered. "It seems this is the soul of the last Crown Prince of the Li Dynasty, the so-called 'Heavenly Fate Guardian'."

The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird had once said that the last owner of the supreme treasure 'One Dream Heaven and Earth' was the final Crown Prince of the Li Dynasty. The soul-type dharma robe he wore was proof of this.

"Zhao Xing, you can see me now." The Li Crown Prince offered a faint smile. "Let me introduce myself. I am the controller of this supreme treasure, Crown Prince Yang Yanzhen of the Li Dynasty. This silly bird is called 'Zhinü'; he is my pet." "Since you can see me, let us discuss terms."

"Hmph." Zhao Xing's soul power surged, instantly crushing the Li Crown Prince's probing attempt. "Calling it a silly bird is one thing, but what kind of thing are you?" "A mere wisp of a remnant soul clinging to a mechanism, yet you dare to put on airs before me."

Zhao Xing pressed down on the Li Crown Prince until he could not lift his head, and he could no longer hear the conversation between Zhao Xing and the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird. Was the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird truly the soul of a mysterious bird in life, imprisoned within this mechanism?

"Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird, besides the name Zhinü, do you have any other name?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Squawk? You know already?" The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird's eyes widened. "You've actually become this powerful!"

"Indeed. I am a reincarnated immortal. Now that my divine abilities have recovered, I can naturally see everything clearly." Zhao Xing casually found an excuse so the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird could understand why he was so powerful. "You helped me on my path of growth. According to our agreement, I have come to save you now to resolve this karma."

"A reincarnated immortal? Squawk, squawk! So that's it, that's wonderful!" The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird chirped excitedly. "You can call me 'Li Qingzhi'. Zhinü was a name Yang Yanzhen forced upon me." "I was never his pet; I was his prisoner. I was raised by the previous State Preceptor."

"To repay his kindness, I later promised the State Preceptor that I would serve as the guardian beast for the Li Dynasty, but then..."

Zhao Xing listened quietly as the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird recounted its tale, and a chapter of dusty history rushed toward him.

It turned out that in the final years of the Li Dynasty, the Sect Master of the Dream God Sect, Li Xuanji—who was also the State Preceptor of the Great Li—had accidentally found a hatchling of a Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird and brought it back to the country.

At that time, Great Li was already beset by internal and external troubles, and the last Emperor of Great Li was incompetent and tyrannical. After the Dream God Sect Master Li Xuanji raised the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird, he named it Li Qingzhi and had it serve as the guardian beast to extend the life of Great Li. To repay the kindness, the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird agreed.

Unfortunately, a single Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird could not save the fate of Great Li, and in the end, the country fell. By then, the Dream God Sect Master Li Xuanji had died in battle, and the capital had been breached.

Logically, the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird had no need to perish with the Li Dynasty. To repay the kindness, Li Qingzhi saved Crown Prince Yang Yanzhen and helped him escape.

The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird protected Yang Yanzhen in exile overseas for many years; it had already done its duty. Li Qingzhi was raised by State Preceptor Li Xuanji, not by the Li Emperor. Having served as the guardian beast for so many years and preserving the bloodline of the Yang royal family, it had more than repaid its debt.

Yet, Crown Prince Yang Yanzhen did not see it that way.

He felt that the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird was merely a pet raised by the Li Dynasty, which should have been inherited by him as his personal property.

Upon realizing that the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird did not want to follow him in his grand cause of restoring the country, Yang Yanzhen took advantage of the bird's lack of vigilance, killed it, and extracted its soul into the mechanical body to become an artifact spirit. This way, he could control it forever! While the mechanical beast Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird was not as powerful as its original body, it was easier to control.

Regrettably, Yang Yanzhen's dream of restoration was destined to be in vain.

As he neared the end of his lifespan, because Yang Yanzhen was not an Emperor, his soul could be transformed and preserved, so he also took up residence inside 'One Dream Heaven and Earth'. He waited for the day he could find an opportunity to rise again and complete the grand cause of resurrection and restoration!

It was just that the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird was not as weak as Yang Yanzhen imagined; even as a secondary artifact spirit, it could violate the laws of heaven and earth within One Dream Heaven and Earth. "Li Qingzhi, Yang Yanzhen... So there was a story of the farmer and the snake here." Zhao Xing realized.

"Now I will help you escape, but I need to completely control this treasure." "Do you know where the core is? What are the difficulties?"

The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird pointed its wing outside: "The core of One Dream Heaven and Earth should be hidden by Yang Yanzhen in the 【Dream God Hall】. You only need to find this place and refine the core to control this treasure!" "Of course, in reality, you cannot be too far from the treasure."

Zhao Xing nodded: "Be careful. I am about to leave the Heavenly Secret Pavilion and cannot help you suppress Yang Yanzhen's soul." "Squawk, squawk! Don't worry, I can hold him off!"

Zhao Xing nodded and then walked out of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

"Boom—"

The moment Zhao Xing stepped out of the door, he discovered that the sky had suddenly changed drastically, as if an invisible force of rules was targeting him.

This was because the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird had previously violated the rules, helping Zhao Xing obtain many treasures, and had also made his entry and exit points the Heavenly Secret Pavilion instead of outside the door.

"Such strong rule suppression. The Five Elements and Yin-Yang are gathered here, possessing infinite changes; it is comparable to the power of a Dao Field."

"It is searching for my Life Soul and Earth Soul."

Zhao Xing looked at the power accumulating in the sky and smiled lightly.

"Yang Yanzhen is being held off by the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird and has no one to control it. My soul is at the Rule Realm, so I have nothing to fear."

"Can an automatic defense with no one controlling it really find my Life Soul and Earth Soul?"

Zhao Xing activated the Three Divine Life Palaces, his entire being becoming like a black hole. To 'One Dream', he was non-existent at this moment.

Sure enough, as he walked out, the thunderclouds in the sky began to disperse.

Zhao Xing strolled leisurely and soon found the location of the Dream God Hall.

Previously, most of the palaces were hidden in the clouds and mist, but now, everything was laid bare before Zhao Xing's eyes.

"To enter the Dream God Hall, one must be a high-level practitioner of the 'Great Dream Spring and Autumn' technique, otherwise, one will be blocked by the Mysterious Barrier Path."

"However, I have long since mastered this top-tier technique."

"Go!" Zhao Xing pointed, and his soul power formed a profound three-dimensional soul seal.

The soul seal landed on the Mysterious Barrier Path outside the hall, where a row of beast heads stood on both sides.

As Zhao Xing cast the spell, the beast heads lit up, and the gushing light shone on a certain spot ahead, quickly revealing the outlines of the palace.

The archaic mysterious bird eaves, the Xie-Zhi beast heads, and the wide white jade stairs—the invisible barrier had vanished!

As Zhao Xing stepped onto the stairs.

Inside the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, Yang Yanzhen suddenly roared: "Scoundrel! Traitor! You dead bird!!"

A series of angry roars erupted from within the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird.

Yang Yanzhen released the soul claws of the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird, intending to break out of the body and return to the Dream God Hall to stop Zhao Xing.

At this moment, another figure of Yang Yanzhen appeared inside the Dream God Hall.

The method of soul splitting was naturally among the techniques of the Dream God Sect.

The soul of Yang Yanzhen inside the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird was only a small portion; the true main soul was here, fused with the core of the Dream God Hall. "Zhao Xing, no matter what the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird told you, it is lying to you!"

"The benefits it gave you were all authorized by me, and the agreement between you was also something I made it do!" Yang Yanzhen stared at Zhao Xing: "You benefited from this place, but in the final analysis, it is because of me!"

"Do not be bewitched by it; I was the one it killed!"

"I don't care about truth or falsehood," Zhao Xing said indifferently. "Things from tens of thousands of years ago, I don't need to get to the bottom of what's true or false just to act as your moral judge." "State your demands directly."

"The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird wants freedom, what are your demands?" Yang Yanzhen said: "If you are willing to help me restore the country..."

"Then it would be simpler for me to just kill you." Yang Yanzhen: "..."

"Change to a more practical request!" Zhao Xing said impatiently.

This object belonged to the Li Dynasty after all, and Yang Yanzhen was logically a disciple of the Dream God Sect. Zhao Xing only wanted to fulfill his agreement, release the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird, and then control this place.

If Yang Yanzhen were willing to let him control the palace core, he wouldn't necessarily have to kill him. But a demand as outrageous as restoring the country was impossible.

"If you don't help me restore the country, don't even think about controlling this place!"

Zhao Xing couldn't help but laugh: "The God Sect let you practice the 'Great Dream Spring and Autumn', not to have you dream grand dreams." "What? You..."

Hum, hum, hum~

A black long spear appeared in front of Zhao Xing, and then he flicked his finger lightly. "Swish!"

The black soul spear pierced through Yang Yanzhen, pinning him directly to the pillar.

Watching Yang Yanzhen struggle to grasp the black long spear, Zhao Xing walked into the main hall calmly, teasing: "Crown Prince, times have changed."

"I don't need you to yield; I can erase you and control the core of the supreme treasure regardless."

"Even if I hadn't practiced the 'Great Dream Spring and Autumn', with the current strength of the dynasty, as long as we found a way to get in, we could erase you all the same." "I, I..." Yang Yanzhen looked as if he were suffocating.

"Regret it?" Zhao Xing glanced at him. "Too late. Just now, I was feeling benevolent and gave you a chance, but not only did you refuse, you threatened me." "Then I can only send you on your way."

Zhao Xing's soul began to merge with the entire hall.

Yang Yanzhen's struggle grew weaker and weaker. As Zhao Xing gained initial control, he also discovered the connection between Yang Yanzhen and the Dream God Hall.

"So that's how it is." Zhao Xing was also a man who had practiced the 'Burning Heaven Locking Origin Grand Array', so he was no stranger to arrays and mechanisms, and he had also practiced the 'Great Dream Spring and Autumn'. Now, using Yang Yanzhen as a template for reflection, he quickly discovered that controlling the entire core was actually not difficult; one only needed to erase Yang Yanzhen.

"Bang!"

At this point, the black soul spear no longer held back; the light on the spear erupted, completely annihilating Yang Yanzhen. The next moment, Zhao Xing's soul successfully mastered the Dream God Hall.

"A palace-type rare treasure, its range is truly vast, enough to cover the nineteen provinces. This is comparable to the range of a low-grade Boundary Star Dao Soldier." The range of the Ju-Zi Palace was not as strong as 【One Dream Heaven and Earth】.

As for the Sun-Moon Palace, it went without saying; the Sun-Moon Palace was merely a low-grade Star Dao Soldier.

"Palace-type treasures, warship-type treasures, and soul-type treasures. All belong to the most valuable among treasures." "The first two use plenty of materials, while the latter has rare materials and greater craftsmanship difficulty."

"Just such a top-grade palace-type Star Dao Soldier is worth a thousand individual weapons."

"One Dream Heaven and Earth is not just a simple palace-type treasure; it can be classified as a 'soul-type palace'." "More valuable than valuable, it can truly be sold as a Boundary Star Dao Soldier."

After gaining control, Zhao Xing understood its functions completely and naturally knew its value. "Swish~"

Zhao Xing's thought moved, and he arrived at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

At this time, the remnant soul of Yang Yanzhen inside the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird also vanished.

"Squawk, you succeeded!" The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird flapped its wings happily. "Zhao Xing, you are truly amazing!"

"Li Qingzhi, as the master of One Dream Spring and Autumn, I grant you freedom."

"You can now break free from the constraints of the world within the palace at any time and leave here, but you must not reveal anything about this place, including the agreement between you and me." Zhao Xing smiled. "Good, good, good, thank you, thank you, squawk, squawk, squawk!" The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird squawked non-stop. It flew a circle inside the Heavenly Secret Pavilion and finally landed on the threshold.

Then it cautiously poked its head out: "Zhao Xing, can I go out now?"

"You had better wait a while; there are still many experts guarding outside," Zhao Xing said. "Wait until I prepare." "Squawk!" The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird nodded. "Good, don't let the people outside hurt me by mistake."

Zhao Xing gave some instructions and then walked toward the outside of the palace.

He walked out of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, and logically, he should have been in the square outside the pavilion. But now, this step felt as if he had crossed layers of space.

Finally, Zhao Xing's soul walked out from the physical palace in the Yuanfeng Treasury area. The moment Zhao Xing came out, the physical palace suddenly began to vibrate.

The restrictions that had been sealed for many years opened, and the treasure shone with brilliant light, as if announcing the reappearance of a peerless rare treasure to the world!

Hong Yuan and Su Li, who were guarding outside, immediately flew out from the small house nearby, staring at the archaic palace in extreme shock. "Lord Hong, what is happening?"

"A treasure has appeared!" Hong Yuan stared fixedly at the palace gate: "It seems something is about to come out from inside. Be careful! Activate the Nine Palaces Star-Locking Grand Array!" "Notify the other mechanicians to take countermeasures."

"Good!" Su Li immediately cast a spell. In the Yuanfeng Treasury area, light erupted, and starlight fell from the sky, shrouding the surrounding world.

"Ah, right, the Grand Minister of Agriculture is still in the treasury. Lord Hong, I will go notify the Grand Minister." Su Li prepared to go to the location of Zhao Xing's physical body to inform him. But just then, a voice came from inside the palace.

"No need, Lord Su."

Hong Yuan and Su Li stared at the hall entrance in extreme shock.

They saw that the palace gate, which had been tightly closed, had opened at some unknown time. A majestic figure walked out with a steady, measured gait.

"Grand Minister of Agriculture?!"

Su Li and Hong Yuan were briefly stunned.

"You, how did you come out from inside?"

Zhao Xing looked at the two and smiled: "I have already cracked the secret here. You can withdraw the Nine Palaces Star-Locking Grand Array." Hong Yuan and Su Li looked at each other, unable to act for a moment.

It was too hard to believe; this palace treasure had been here for how many years?

Countless imperial mechanicians had come one after another, all having studied the method to crack it, but now it had actually been cracked by the Grand Minister of Agriculture! How many days had Zhao Xing been here?

"Swish, swish~"

The commotion of the peerless rare treasure appearing soon alarmed the mechanicians of the Ten Treasures Hall. Ji Gan and Yang Jin were the first to arrive at the scene.

"Lord Hong, has a peerless rare treasure appeared?" "Is it the ancient palace related to the Li Dynasty?"

Ji Gan and Yang Jin asked one after another.

Before Hong Yuan and Su Li could answer, two more figures appeared above. Emperor Wu and Princess Youruo had also arrived.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. Greetings, Eldest Princess." Everyone bowed to the two in the sky. "All rise."

Ji Che waved his hand and then curiously examined the palace. When he saw that Zhao Xing was in a soul-out-of-body state, he couldn't help but be curious. "Brother, what is the situation? Why is your primordial spirit out of your body?"

"Your Majesty, it is the Grand Minister of Agriculture who cracked the seal of the palace here, allowing the peerless rare treasure to see the light of day again." Hong Yuan finally came to his senses and explained. "Oh?" Princess Youruo also looked at Zhao Xing. "I didn't know you also understood the way of mechanical arrays. Zhao Xing, what is this?"

Seeing that many people had gathered around, Zhao Xing bowed: "Your Majesty, Eldest Princess, this is the state religion of the ancient Li Dynasty, the supreme treasure of the Dream God Sect, named 'One Dream Heaven and Earth'." Ji Che was shocked: "What, what did you say? One Dream Heaven and Earth? Is it really that legendary treasure?!"

"Absolutely true!" Ji Che was speechless.

The imperial mechanicians were truly a bunch of trash!

They had studied it for so many years and hadn't understood it. Even if someone guessed it was that supreme treasure, if it wasn't cracked, it remained an unsolved mystery and couldn't be confirmed. And the work of cracking it had begun since the end of the Taizu era.

It had gone through Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, over two thousand years, without a clue, but today, it had actually been cracked by Zhao Xing! "All mechanicians withdraw. Today's events must not be revealed!" Ji Che's words carried the weight of law, and he immediately dismissed all the mechanicians.

Soon, only Princess Youruo and Zhao Xing remained.

"What's so good about an old, dilapidated palace? Che, I'm leaving too." Princess Youruo said. "Hmm, Eldest Sister, go rest first." Ji Che nodded.

Seeing this, Zhao Xing couldn't help but find it funny. Princess Youruo had learned her lesson; whenever it involved any confidential secrets, she didn't intend to manage them or ask about them. The lesson from Emperor Jing had made Princess Youruo unforgettable for life.

And as long as she didn't touch these things, she received the best treatment in other matters, and could even beat up the Emperor! Swish~

Ji Che landed and stood in front of the palace gate, looking at this ancient Li Dynasty-style building. "Brother, what are its functions?"

"The supreme treasure One Dream Heaven and Earth can radiate across the nineteen provinces, allowing everyone to enter a dream and share the same dreamscape." "The heaven and earth in the dream can transmit information, educate and enlighten, and transmit dharma to realize the Dao."

"However, to realize the Dao, it is not just dreaming, but forming a channel through the dreamscape to pull people into the world inside One Dream Heaven and Earth." Zhao Xing took Ji Che into the interior of One Dream Heaven and Earth.

"Che, look, there are many treasures inside, all left behind by the Li Dynasty, including the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, secret techniques..." Zhao Xing and Ji Che strolled in the clouds and mist, browsing the pavilions, halls, and waterside structures.

"I don't care about these treasures. When the Li Dynasty perished, only a Crown Prince escaped. How many good things could a fallen house leave behind?" Ji Che said. "Brother, you said it can cover the nineteen provinces and let people read and learn through dreaming?" "Yes."

"Everyone? Without cultivation restrictions?"

"None. Basically, as long as they are over six years old and their Life Soul has been born for six years, they can enter unharmed."

Ji Che's eyes lit up: "Is there a time limit?"

Zhao Xing shook his head: "No."

"Not only are there no time or location limits, but the Life Soul will not be affected. If the Life Soul is not affected, the Seven Souls will not feel tired because of it." "The imperial court can accelerate the enlightenment of the people and promote all kinds of dharma through this treasure, One Dream Heaven and Earth."

"Che, we can build an academy inside here!"

"All children and teenagers won't have to travel far to study and can learn knowledge."

"Even adults can come in at night to study, which won't delay their daytime affairs..." "A supreme treasure, truly a supreme treasure!" The blueprint Zhao Xing described made Ji Che extremely excited.

One Dream Heaven and Earth could completely be called a divine artifact of education!

Its range was large enough to reflect the nineteen provinces, which was the largest range of any known divine weapon! These functions could lift the national strength of Great Zhou by a notch, no, several notches! However, Ji Che was still a bit worried: "Brother, does it have no cost at all?"

Zhao Xing said: "There is one. Each entry requires a Guidance Talisman and a Soul-Calming Talisman, but the requirements for the grade of these two talismans are not high; entry-level talismans will suffice." "If the government produces them in batches, the cost is even lower than that of some books."

"What kind of cost is that? The imperial court's annual education resources are massive; this is just a drop in the ocean." Ji Che sighed. "It can basically be ignored, and with it, how much education resources can be saved." "But Brother, how did you crack it?"

Zhao Xing immediately recited the incantations that matched the Soul-Calming Talisman and the Guidance Talisman. Ji Che was stunned after hearing it: "It's that simple?"

"It's that simple."

Zhao Xing then briefly told him about the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird and the Li Crown Prince. Ji Che was speechless after hearing it.

He found that he didn't need to do much at all; the Emperor of the Li Dynasty had already thought of everything. He only needed to follow the ideological guidelines of the Li Dynasty Emperor and execute them. Great Dream Academy, what a Great Dream Academy!

"My Ji royal family spent so much time and energy, I didn't expect the method to crack it to be so simple."

"The ancient emperors had actually done things to such an extreme. Was I just picking up their leftovers?"

Thinking this, Ji Che felt a bit dispirited.

He thought he had surpassed many emperors and was smarter than those ancients, only to find that these were all things they had played with and discarded. "Change, it must be renamed!" Ji Che huffed.

"What should it be named?" Zhao Xing asked.

"It's misty here, and it's used to spread dreams across the world, so let's call it Cloud Dream Academy." Emperor Wu said. Zhao Xing nodded. The Great Dream Academy, just like in his previous life, was renamed Cloud Dream Academy.

Change the name, remove some facilities inside, repair it, how could it not be our Great Zhou's own treasure? "I have one more thing to report."

"The mechanical beast Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird inside the Cloud Dream Academy helped a lot when I was mastering this palace for Your Majesty, especially in countering the original artifact spirit, the Li Crown Prince. I want to set it free." "Squawk!" Summoned, the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird Li Qingzhi immediately flew over.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, squawk!" The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird crouched on the ground, lowering its bird head. "Rare indeed. Granted." Ji Che smiled and waved his hand.

"Squawk, squawk~ Thank you, Your Majesty!" The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird soared happily in the sky.

Ji Che glanced at it and then said to Zhao Xing: "Move the things here into the national treasury, Grand Minister. I am going to summon Tong Wenzhuo to discuss the policy of education." "This matter must be decided as soon as possible, and piloted in Tianyong Province first."

"Yes."

Ji Che didn't stay long and left. He had to go find the Chancellor Tong Wenzhuo to hold a meeting and discuss how to utilize the Cloud Dream Academy as quickly as possible. Zhao Xing took the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird out of the palace.

"Hum~"

The moment the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird left the Cloud Dream Academy, its feathers suddenly withered and fell off, and its spirit became listless.

"Hmm? What's going on?" Zhao Xing's heart skipped a beat. He saw that the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird's state didn't seem right. "Li Qingzhi, what's wrong with you?" The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird stared at the sky for a moment and then said happily: "Squawk, it's okay, Zhao Xing, my time is just up."

"Ah?" Zhao Xing's brow twitched.

"I lived in that world of the Great Dream Academy for tens of thousands of years, and before my physical body died, I had already lived for a long time."

The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird pointed at the sky with its wing: "Whether as a war soul of a mechanical beast or an artifact spirit of the Great Dream Academy, nothing is immortal forever." "After you released me, I am no longer within the survival rules of an artifact spirit."

"So..." Zhao Xing thought of something.

"Yes, my current state can only follow the limit lifespan rule of the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird for heaven and earth." The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird began to flap its wings. "There is one more way to survive, and that is for you to return to the Great Dream Academy as an artifact spirit."

Zhao Xing asked, "Perhaps there will be a way to live longer after ascending in the future."

"Squawk, squawk, squawk~" The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird opened its mouth and laughed. While laughing, it flew up with its wings that were starting to lose feathers: "No, I don't want to go back there again."

"I can only live for about three more months. I had a premonition of this long ago. But so what? Being able to gain three months of freedom is already quite good." Whoosh~ The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird adapted and finally flew up.

Zhao Xing led it out of the imperial palace, watching the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird soaring freely in the sky, and couldn't help but feel emotional. "Li Qingzhi spent tens of thousands of years breaking out of its cage, just for three months of freedom."

Whoosh~ The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird suddenly made a turn and appeared beside Zhao Xing: "Zhao Xing, look, there is no suppression in this world. I don't have to fly slowly like before anymore." "Am I flying fast?"

Zhao Xing smiled: "Very fast."

"Squawk, squawk, squawk~" The Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird laughed loudly: "Come on, Zhao Xing, let's race and see who flies faster!" "Good!" Zhao Xing immediately activated the Great Peng Transformation, and a huge Peng bird appeared in the nine heavens. "Wow! So big!"

"Come, Li Qingzhi, let's race and see who reaches the Far North first." "Good, come!"

Three months later, in the Far North, on a desolate island. Zhao Xing stood in front of a stone tablet and reached out to carve a line of words:

Tomb of the Heavenly Fate Mysterious Bird, Li Qingzhi.

After a pause, Zhao Xing carved another line of small text as an epitaph: Free will, unwavering until death. Zhao Xing looked at the sky and felt the clouds were too thick and not vast enough.

So he pointed, and the clouds in the sky instantly scattered, revealing the stars filling the sky.

Then Zhao Xing activated the Heavenly Timing Technique and Earthly Advantage Technique, adjusting the six qi of heaven and earth, and using the third level of the Solar Term Order to change the solar terms of this island, making it spring all year round. "Now, you can soar to your heart's content."

After doing all this, Zhao Xing looked at the tombstone and waved with a smile: "Goodbye, Senior Silly Bird."

Tianyong Province, Fengjing, Office of the Grand Minister of Agriculture.

"Grand Minister, where has your main body gone?" Meng Kun found Zhao Xing and saw that he had activated a backup clone, and couldn't help but be curious. "Went to the Northern Province," Zhao Xing said. "To send off an old friend."

"Oh, oh." Meng Kun didn't take it to heart and began to report on work: "Mi Fu has been transferred back to the capital. Tong Wenzhuo sent someone to ask what position should be arranged for him?" "Let Mi Fu take the position of Deputy Dean of the Fengjing Dao Research Institute, third-rank." Zhao Xing said.

"No need to let Mi bring him to see me; just send someone to give him a message." "What message?"

"Tell him not to go down again. He's almost five hundred years old; if he goes down again, I won't fish him out." "As you command." Meng Kun nodded and immediately noted it down.

Meng Kun at this time was also a Junior Minister of Agriculture, but his ability was slightly worse, and he was not good at taking charge alone, so Zhao Xing kept him by his side to do things.

Meng Kun was also very happy. He couldn't be the boss at Kunyuan Academy and was just an assistant to Qiu Yuanshan, so it was much more interesting to be an assistant to Zhao Xing. This was also a manifestation of Meng Kun's support for Zhao Xing.

My Meng family has a prominent lineage; my grandfather was a Grand Minister of Agriculture, and my uncle was the leader of the Earthly Advantage Faction. I am willing to be a clerk under Zhao Xing, so what else do you all have to be arrogant about?

"Chen Yu of the Taicang Supervision reported that the Beichen Kingdom of Yuanling Province has applied to delay paying the 'Golden Fragrant Medicine Tax' again. This is the fifth time they have applied for a tax delay. Should we approve it?" Zhao Xing frowned upon hearing this: "The Golden Fragrant Medicine Tax is collected every ten years, why delay it again?"

"The reason given by the Prime Minister of Beichen Kingdom is that they suffered a natural disaster."

"So was there really a natural disaster?" Zhao Xing was walking when he suddenly stopped. "Did the Yuan Qi tide affect Beichen Kingdom?" "Two months ago, I sent people to Yuanling Province in the north to investigate. They did suffer a disaster, but the impact was not that serious," Meng Kun said.

Zhao Xing sneered: "Then that Beichen King looks down on me, the newly appointed Grand Minister of Agriculture."

"He really has a lot of nerve!" Meng Kun was also angry when he saw this: "It was fine if he didn't pay when Liu Tianning was the Grand Minister of Agriculture, but he dares not to pay on time when you are?" "Grand Minister, the whole country must be covering it up, otherwise we wouldn't be unable to find anything."

"I think this matter must be investigated and handled strictly! Give an order, and I will take the Agricultural Army to cut down those corrupt officials!" Zhao Xing: "..."

When Meng Kun said this, he calmed down instead.

"Cough, cough, Old Meng, don't be so impulsive." Zhao Xing comforted him. "We still need to figure it out clearly. If you take a large army there, wouldn't it easily trigger a rebellion?" It was just collecting taxes; it didn't have to be violent collection.

"Beichen King Qin Feng is a famous vassal king after all. I will ask His Majesty first to see what his attitude is," Zhao Xing said....

Inner court of the imperial palace.

"The fifteen grotto-heavens and seventy blessed lands of Lingyuan Province, three important grotto-heavens and five blessed lands with precious output, are all in Beichen Kingdom." "The Beichen King was a king enfeoffed by the late Emperor. The late Emperor evaluated the Beichen King as a loyal, honest, and meticulous person who could guard Lingyuan Province."

"So in the tenth year of Yuan-Shou, I added the title of 'Lingyuan Heavenly Official' to him, allowing him to appoint and remove talents below the third rank in the sixteen prefectures of Lingyuan Province. For those above the third rank, I basically approved any talent he recommended." "But since the thirty-second year of Yuan-Shou, when he broke through to the early stage of the Rule Realm, he seems to have changed." Ji Che huffed. "Last time I called him to Daoyuan Province to watch the debate battle between you and Liu Tianning, he didn't come." "The thirty-second year of Yuan-Shou? That was exactly when he delayed the 'Golden Fragrant Medicine Tax'," Zhao Xing said. "Your Majesty, it seems this Beichen King has become a bit arrogant."

If it wasn't that the late Emperor Jing misjudged him, then the Beichen King Qin Feng had incredible luck during this Yuan Qi tide, obtained great benefits, broke through to the Rule Realm, and then had different thoughts. People change. He was originally a loyal and honest person, but after breaking through to the Rule Realm, mastering powerful personal strength, and possessing military and political power, it was inevitable that he would have the thought that 'the mountains are high and the Emperor is far away'.

"Your Majesty, I happen to be on my way back from the Far North. I can stop by Beichen Kingdom to see what the situation is with the Beichen King." "But if something is really found, please indicate what to do."

Zhao Xing wanted Ji Che to give an attitude, whether to investigate only the Beichen King, or only the Beichen Kingdom, or both. Strict investigation has strict ways of handling, including but not limited to mobilizing a large army to kill the Beichen King, removing his country, and exterminating his nine clans.

Generally, vassal kings have some exemption rights, such as Zhao Xing having a death-exemption medallion. However, whether this thing is useful depends on the Emperor's word.

If he really wants to kill, ten thousand death-exemption medallions are useless.

Ji Che pondered for a moment and set the tone: "If there is no act of treason, then just give him a warning."

"If it involves a major crime of treason, then it is unforgivable." "Yes, I understand." Zhao Xing nodded.

The clone received the order in the imperial palace.

The main body stopped above Lingyuan Province, and at the same time, the palm mirror flipped out, revealing a map.

"Beichen Kingdom occupies half of Mingyuan Prefecture. In terms of administrative area, his fief is half the size of mine. However, Beichen Kingdom produces many precious materials, and the scale of its superior counties and superior prefectures is much larger than my vassal state." "The Golden Fragrant Medicine Tax is a tax on three types of treasures: Golden Elm Fruit, Hundred Spirit Fragrance, and Ginseng-series medicinal materials."

"Swish~"

Zhao Xing activated 'Inch by Inch of the World' and began to move rapidly in the clouds in the sky. It only took two days to arrive above the royal city of Beichen Kingdom.

"The Beichen King should not be in the royal city, but patrolling in the grotto-heaven blessed land."

"Give him some face, I won't do any undercover visits." Zhao Xing immediately took out his gear and took out the Grand Minister of Agriculture's Five-Grain Pavilion Ship from his Qiankun bag. When the Grand Minister of Agriculture travels, there are usually only two commonly used pavilion ships: the Wind-Breath Pavilion Ship and the Earth-Piercing Divine Boat.

The Five-Grain Divine Ship was added by Master Zhao himself.

He wants to unify the three factions: Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage, and Self, so of course, he must treat them equally and start from every detail. "Whoosh~"

Zhao Xing pointed, and the 【Heavenly Thunder Drum】, 【Great Wind Drum】, and 【Cloud-Swallowing Drum】 on the bow of the ship were immediately struck. "Woo-hoo~"

"Boom~"

Above the royal city, strong winds immediately blew, and thunderclouds gathered.

A quarter of an hour later, the first drum beat ended, and still no one came to greet him above the royal city.

Zhao Xing frowned slightly, but considering that his spell range was quite high, it might have been ignored. So he struck the second drum, and the sound of the spell decreased a lot.

"Woo-hoo~" "Boom-crack!"

After the second drum beat, still no one broke through the gale layer to greet him.

Thunderclouds gathered in Zhao Xing's eyes, and his face turned cold.

He could confirm that his drum must have been heard by the Agricultural Supervision of the royal city, but they were pretending not to hear it.

Of course, there was another possibility, that the Agricultural Supervision of the royal city really didn't hear it, and the situation was even worse. How rotten must it be if they couldn't even detect the anomaly of thunder ringing above the royal city?

"This is really rebelling against the heavens!"

"I am a Grand Minister of Agriculture, and no one came to greet me? Then didn't I serve in vain?"

Zhao Xing wouldn't be so cheap as to strike the third drum. He immediately pressed down the pavilion ship and crashed directly toward the barrier array of the royal city. "Boom, boom, boom, boom~"

"Roar, roar, roar!"

The strong wind roared, and the thunder raged. Dark clouds pressed down on the city, and the city was about to collapse! The whole sky turned dark.

When the Five-Grain Pavilion Ship descended to a height of one thousand meters, it immediately extended a ferocious dragon-head ram. It seemed to have sensed something.

The Four Gods Barrier guarding the royal city suddenly lit up, and four gods in golden armor holding spears emerged from the four corners of the royal city. However, after seeing the appearance of the pavilion ship, the four gods were shocked and immediately shrank back.

"Bang!"

The transparent barrier of the royal city was immediately filled with cracks like glass, and it shattered in less than a second. The entire royal city vibrated.

The people in the royal city looked up at this moment and saw the sky as if it had collapsed. Who?! Who is attacking the royal city?!

At this time, a golden-armored martial general immediately flew up with a team of people riding heavenly horses, killing toward the sky. "The Grand Minister of Agriculture's Five-Grain Pavilion Ship?" The golden-armored martial general was shocked and froze in place.

Zhao Xing stood proudly on the bow and looked down: "Since you see the Grand Minister of Agriculture, why do you not bow?"