Chapter 460

Green mountains and clear waters, bamboo everywhere, tens of thousands of round, chubby pandas lying lazily in the bamboo grove, chewing the bamboo with a crisp 'crack', the corners of their mouths full of emerald juice.

A majestic palace stood in the center of the bamboo forest, the mountain wind rustling past, swaying the bamboo grove that stretched for tens of thousands of li like a verdant sea.

Wu Tie was bound to the Dragon‑Evading Pillar, flying forward three feet off the ground, and was brought before the palace by Su He and his companions.

Along the way, the verdant bamboo forest contained large quantities of purple, gold, and silver strange bamboo; these extraordinary bamboo glowed with odd light all over, their every leaf and segment covered with countless tiny runes.

The entire bamboo sea became a natural grand formation because of these extraordinary bamboos.

Countless bamboo leaves drifted down with the wind; upon landing they turned into wisps of pure qi that rose into the air, only to be reabsorbed by the bamboo forest.

With a drip‑drip‑drop, clear spring water dripped from the bamboo leaves; each drop contained extremely dense heavenly‑earth essence, enough outside to make low‑level cultivators fight over it.

Plump Solomon's seal, lingzhi, bamboo pith, monkey‑head mushrooms and the like grew thickly over the ground, the air filled with a faint, fresh fragrance.

What an excellent dwelling; Wu Tie couldn't help but sigh sincerely, this place could be called a fairy's mansion.

After passing one archway, then another, and after walking through a full three hundred and sixty‑some actually imposing archways, we finally arrived outside the temporary palace's main gate. A row of over a hundred heavily armored warriors, their aura terrifying, stood shoulder‑to‑shoulder outside the gate; upon seeing Su He and the others, they all struck their right fists against their chests.

Wu Tie couldn't help but sneer: "What grandeur, what grandeur—even the Great Jin imperial palace is nothing more than this."

Su He turned his head to look at Wu Tie and said calmly: "This temporary palace was originally the Great Jin imperial palace itself."

Wu Tie opened his mouth, staring at Su He in astonishment.

Su He smiled faintly: "My lord ought to be the Great Jin divine emperor, and the palace ought to be his residence. Since my lord left the Great Jin, he naturally took the palace with him—how could he leave it behind to benefit that bunch of good‑for‑nothings?"

Wu Tie blinked his eyes, looking at the layered palace halls ahead, and gave a dry laugh: "Just so, when I used to go to the military office, I could gaze over the wall at the Great Jin palace city—its scale was far greater than this temporary palace."

Su He flicked his sleeve and said calmly: "We don't have enough hands to make use of such a huge palace. The palace's seals aren't fully opened; if they were, its size would increase not just ten‑fold but countless times. Humph, I warn you—when you see the Highness, if you dare spout nonsense, you'll get a beating."

He shook the ruler in his hand, glared at Wu Tie and snorted coldly: "Besides, if the Highness asks you something and you don't answer honestly… you'll still get a sound thrashing!"

"Also, when you see the Highness, keep your eyes in check—if you dare to glance around, you'll still get a beating."

Su He gave Wu Tie a fierce shake of the ruler in his hand.

Wu Tie gave a hum, then lowered his head to look at himself.

He was wrapped in a very large cloak that covered his whole body. Just now, when Su He brought Wu Tie to this temporary palace, the old fellow finally realized Wu Tie was completely naked underneath.

After hearing Wu Tie's accusation that the red‑clothed girl had captured him stark naked, Su He brandished his ruler and gave the girl another sound thrashing—quite fitting, as the girl's right palm turned into a braised pork trotter.

Her hands swollen, she hid them in her sleeves; the red‑clothed girl stood to the side with a sullen face, her eyes fixed on Wu Tie as if she could spit fire. She was furious and resentful—clearly Wu Tie was the one naked, so why was she the one getting beaten?

The uncouth girl followed the red‑clothed girl without a care, gulping down wine from a jug in big mouthfuls.

Who is Wu Tie? What happened, and what will happen next?

The uncouth girl couldn't care less about those matters; as long as she had wine to drink she was happy, and seeing the red‑clothed girl get beaten… ha, that made her even happier.

If the red‑clothed girl gets another beating later, sigh—this would be the perfect day; life shouldn't be too perfect!

Heeheehee!

The uncouth girl suddenly burst into a few silly laughs; the sudden laughter startled Wu Tie, Su He and the others. Only the red‑clothed girl knew what she was laughing at, and she involuntarily turned her head and glared at her fiercely.

The heavy palace doors opened, and strands of incredibly rich spiritual mist rolled out from the cracks. Su He and the others brought Wu Tie inside; he felt the surrounding aura suddenly become extraordinarily clear, then threads of extremely refined, solid heavenly‑earth essence rushed into his body with each breath.

The concentration of heavenly‑earth essence here is more than a hundred times that of the outside world.

In such an environment, even a weed would undergo a metamorphosis and possess considerable efficacy.

This place, indeed the palace of the former Great Jin divine nation, truly seizes the workings of heaven and earth, and can be called a great treasure.

Wu Tie glanced at Su He.

What a method—the former Great Jin crown prince really had a clever trick: fleeing Anyang City, he actually managed to leisurely pack up and carry off the entire imperial palace…… Was the Great Jin divine emperor dead back then? Were all the civil and military officials dead? How could such an unimaginable feat have been pulled off by them?

Wu Tie could imagine the feelings of the many high‑ranking officials of the Great Jin divine nation when they saw the palace city reduced to a blank expanse.

Therefore, Wu Tie fully understands why the present Great Jin divine emperor would post such a heavenly‑priced bounty on the secret register, and why, even after six thousand years, the Great Jin divine nation still secretly hunts the remnants of the former crown prince's faction.

It's simply… utterly embarrassing!

The whole imperial palace was packed up and taken away, who knows how many treasures went with it…… Even more, it's possible, very possible, that some symbols of the Great Jin divine nation's orthodoxy—such as the nation's jade seal, for example—were among them……

Wu Tie gave Su He a sidelong glance.

No matter how he looked at it, Wu Tie thought Su He, that old fool, was dripping with jewels and riches, his whole body stamped with the three words 'big fat sheep'.

Having passed one imposing, majestic palace after another, just as Su He said, there weren't many people to be seen along the way.

A few eunuchs and palace maids wandered slowly through the halls, adding a touch of liveliness to this vast palace complex.

Just looking at the leisurely expressions of those eunuchs and maids, Wu Tie always felt he was seeing a group of panda‑shaped humans…… Whether eunuchs or maids, they gave him the impression of being overly carefree and overly comfortable……

Just like the pandas lying in the bamboo forest outside, munching and drinking, they felt no survival pressure at all—each one was pale and plump, their aura soft to the point of weakness, each looking rather endearing.

After walking for over an hour inside the palace, a rainbow‑shaped canal appeared, crossed by nine golden bridges each a thousand zhang long.

After crossing the golden bridges, climbing ninety‑nine steps of white jade, a hall wholly of black‑gold metal rose majestically on the high platform; outside its main gate lay a wholly golden‑yellow five‑clawed yellow dragon.

The yellow dragon, tens of zhang long, was half‑eyed and dozing; hearing the footsteps of Su He and the others, it lazily opened one eye, shook its head, and let out a 'meow'. Then it lowered its belly to the ground, its four claws moving weakly, its long body wriggling like a slab of fat as it crawled forward from before the gate, clearing the way to the door.

"Meow?" Wu Tie strained to open his mouth and imitated the dragon's voice, uttering a single meow.

The faces of Su He and the two other elders showed a hint of embarrassment; Su He seized his ruler and shook it menacingly at the yellow dragon.

The yellow dragon simply shut its eyes, went limp on the ground, then lazily opened its mouth and yawned. Its massive body twitched slightly, the dragon flipped over, paws pointing to the sky, exposing its belly.

"Meow!" Wu Tie imitated the dragon's cry once again.

With a thud, Su He backhanded his ruler onto Wu Tie's mouth; the ruler struck his teeth, sending out countless sparks, leaving Wu Tie dazed and only able to shut his mouth obediently.

"Old minister Su He, I have an important report; please relay it to the Highness." Su He and the two other elders simultaneously cupped their fists toward the tightly shut palace doors.

Inside the hall, not a sound could be heard.

After about the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, a few clear, pleasant 'ding‑ding' sounds of a jade chime rang out.

After another roughly half an hour, countless runes on the heavy hall doors flickered with light and shadow; a vast expanse of hazy illumination flashed by, and then the palace doors opened silently inward, as a dozen or so girls in white robes—exquisitely beautiful yet expressionless like icebergs—stepped out quietly.

"Three venerable elders, the Highness summons you." A white‑clad girl gave a slight bow to Su He and the two others.

Su He and the two others nodded; Su He seized his ruler and gave the red‑clothed girl a fierce glare, then strode toward the hall doors.

The Dragon‑Evading Pillar flickered with a faint gloomy light, following closely behind Su He and the two others as it drifted inside.

The red‑skirt girl sighed, shook out two red, swollen hands that looked like boiled pig's trotters from her sleeves, and softly asked the savage girl: "Hey, wild girl, do you think I'll be beaten half to death this time… or beaten half to death?"

"Heh heh!" The savage girl looked at the red‑skirt girl with brows relaxed and eyes smiling, her drunken vision hazy as she let out a satisfied belch: "Beat her to death, then forget it!"

The red‑skirt girl's face suddenly darkened; she fiercely lifted her foot and stomped hard on the savage girl's right foot, then ground her toes into the ground with all her strength twice.

The savage girl yelled "Ah—ah!" in pain, picked up the wine jar in her hand, and was about to smash it rudely onto the red‑skirt girl's head when an extremely clear, icy voice that felt like a blade's sharp gleam echoed leisurely from inside the hall.

"Zhu Hui, come in. Hmm, and… Min Long… you too, come in!"

Upon hearing that icy voice call the savage girl's name, even she couldn't help but shiver slightly.

The savage girl who had just raised her wine jar heard her name, the ferocity on her body suddenly drained, and she walked toward the hall entrance with her head down and spiritless.

Zhu Hui, the red‑skirt girl, rolled her eyes, her feet dragging as if through mud, her shoulders slumped, her neck stretched out like a duck about to be hanged, and she walked into the hall listlessly.

But as soon as she stepped through the hall doors, Zhu Hui became a completely different person; she smiled, assumed her most elegant pose, like a blooming red narcissus flower floating on the water, and walked forward with myriad graceful charm.

"Older sister, it's my fault for disturbing you… sigh, it's really just a tiny matter; I can handle it myself, no need to bother you to leave your seclusion… Older sister, you're now at a critical juncture, the divine fetus returning nourishment to the divine body, the crucial point for condensing the divine form—even these little things… are just Old Su and his crew making a mountain out of a molehill!"

Wu Tie, bound to the Fleeing Dragon Stake, widened his eyes and stared at the white‑clothed girl seated upright on the throne at the far end of the hall.

This white‑clothed girl looked exactly like the red‑skirt girl Zhu Hui—every detail of the corners of her eyes and brows was identical, even the number of hairs in her left and right eyebrows matched, as if they had been cast from the same mold.

It was obvious that they were a pair of twin sisters.

But in temperament, Zhu Hui was like a raging flame of madness, while this white‑clothed girl was like a lump of ice that never melts for ten thousand years.

A icy chill emanated from her body, as if it were seeping straight from the depths of her divine soul and her bone marrow.

Her breath was so freezing that, like Zhu Hui's, it seemed to drain all vivid red from the lips of heaven and earth, giving the impression of icy coldness, even tinged with a faint bluish‑green hue.

"Did you cause trouble?" the white‑clothed girl asked, ignoring Zhu Hui's self‑talk, her voice icy cold.

"Eh, it's not really trouble, is it?" Zhu Hui gave a dry laugh three times, her eyes darting left and right.

"You did cause trouble, and you've stirred up no small problem… in fact, you've provoked trouble without even realizing it." The white‑clothed girl shook her head slightly, her gaze like water, cold and steady as it fell upon Wu Tie.

"May I ask your esteemed name? The Fleeing Dragon Stake and Heavenly Master Seal cannot subdue you… with your cultivation level, such power is truly terrifying." The white‑clothed girl said coldly: "Especially, the Fleeing Dragon Stake and Heavenly Master Seal are filled with fear toward you, as if you could shatter and destroy them at any moment."

Wu Tie stared at the white‑clothed girl in astonishment: "Um, you noticed that?"

The white‑clothed girl pointed a finger; the three rings on the Fleeing Dragon Stake loosened simultaneously, and she said softly: "Your methods are most skillful—was the Nine Dragon Furnace also destroyed by you? The Fleeing Dragon Stake and Heavenly Master Seal have been watching everything."

The faces of the three Su He elders changed abruptly; they silently scattered, surrounding Wu Tie.

Su He's ruler in his hand burst forth with blinding light.

The other two elders each drew out a pen and a sword, their faces grim as they fixed their stare on Wu Tie.

Su He shouted angrily: "Huo Xiong… your intentions are sinister, using this method to sneak into the temporary palace—what do you intend?"

As he shouted, light flickered at Su He's fingertip, and he quickly pointed upward at the top of the hall.

With a series of booms, dozens of hidden doors suddenly burst open on the left and right walls of the hall, and hundreds of towering dark‑gold divine warriors, each over three zhang tall, marched out with thundering steps.

These divine warriors were far stronger than the Great Jin Divine Kingdom's giant divine soldiers that Wu Tie had seen on the front lines of Zhenmo City—far, far stronger.

The giant divine soldiers the Great Jin Divine Kingdom deployed to the front lines to suppress the Fu Xi Divine Kingdom's army were roughly at the early Fetal Storage Realm level, whereas these dark‑gold warriors, their bodies flickering with faint light and runes constantly surfacing on their skin, had definitely reached the peak of the Fetal Storage Realm—and even surpassed it.

"I'm a prisoner you captured alive…" Wu Tie gave a dry laugh, seized the Fleeing Dragon Stake and Heavenly Master Seal that wanted to drift away from him, and laughed as he looked up at the white‑clothed girl on the throne.

"I am Huo Xiong, sixth‑rank Marquis of Longjiang and commander of the Great Marsh Prefecture army of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom… I pay my respects, Your Highness!"

Wu Tie nodded toward the white‑clothed girl with a smile: "I truly don't want to get involved in this at all, not in the slightest, but fate dragged me in—I can't be blamed, really I can't."

The white‑clothed girl stared coldly at Wu Tie: "Are you grabbing the Fleeing Dragon Stake and Heavenly Master Seal hoping to devour them like the Nine Dragon Furnace?"

A flash of bright cold light flickered in her eyes as she sized Wu Tie up and down, then she shook her head in bewilderment: "Strange, you don't seem to have any gluttonous bloodline—how could you possibly devour these treasures?"

She sighed, waved her hand: "Forget it, let him go."