Becoming a God by Searching Mountains and Subduing Demons

Chapter 286: Become King and Prime Minister
In the grand and solemn palace, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive. The thick pillars in the palace stood quietly, as if silently telling the glorious days of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The luminous pearls inlaid on the dome still emit a soft and bright light, but they are unable to dispel the haze currently shrouding the Great Zhou.

"Yunzhou Inspector Jiang Yue pays respect to Your Majesty."

Jiang Yue was dressed in a black robe, his posture was as straight as a pine tree. The moment he stepped into the hall, he bowed slightly and performed a standard etiquette of a subject. His voice was steady and powerful, echoing in the empty hall.

On the throne, Zhao Yongnian's frown relaxed slightly, and his eyes, with a bit of scrutiny and curiosity, looked at Jiang Yue below. "Are you Jiang Yue?"

His voice was slightly hoarse, but it revealed an unquestionable majesty. "I heard that Yunzhou produced many talented people, and it's true." With a slight sidelong glance, Zhao Yongnian spoke in praise, with a barely perceptible expectation flashing in his eyes.

Jiang Yue slowly stood up, his expression respectful and humble, his slightly lowered eyes revealing calmness and restraint. He bowed slightly and responded, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. Jiang Yue is just doing his duty."

His words were neither humble nor arrogant, neither arrogant nor impolite.

Zhao Yongnian nodded slightly, looking at Jiang Yue, as if evaluating whether this rumored talent in front of him could really bring a turning point to the Great Zhou.

"I have learned almost everything about the Immortal Ruins, but I still need to inquire about the details." Zhao Yongnian's eyes retracted from a distance and fell on Jiang Yue, revealing a trace of fatigue and helplessness in his eyes. This fatigue came from the difficult situation of the Great Zhou, which was currently in trouble both internally and externally. The rebels were causing chaos everywhere, foreign teachers were deceiving people, and demons were rampant. Everything weighed on his heart like a huge rock; and the helplessness was the deep feeling of powerlessness when facing difficulties. But among these complex emotions, there was more of a desire to break the situation. He urgently hoped to find the key to reversing the situation in the Great Zhou from Jiang Yue.

Zhao Yongnian leaned forward slightly, as if afraid of missing any important information, and slowly said: "Are there any mysterious stories about immortals and gods behind the Heavenly Road?" This seemingly ordinary sentence seemed to contain endless weight.

Boom! In an instant, Jiang Yue felt an invisible pressure coming towards him, like a mountain pressing down from nowhere, suffocating his breathing.

The other party's words seemed plain, but they carried a kind of power that was innate to an emperor and was difficult to resist. It was the majesty that the superior had accumulated over a long period of time, released inadvertently to test the person in front of him.

"Yes." Jiang Yue endured the pressure and tried to make his voice sound steady and calm.

He knew very well that he could not show his fear at this moment, so he took a deep breath and said slowly: "Your Majesty, there are indeed many amazing stories about immortal gods behind the Immortal Ruins Heavenly Road. When I stepped onto that mysterious Heavenly Road, it was as if I had entered a whole new world. Everything I saw and heard along the way was rare in the world."

Jiang Yue narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was lost in memories, and his voice unconsciously became softer, with a hint of amazement that was hard to conceal.

"In the depths of the Immortal God Ruins, I accidentally discovered the corpse of the snake demon. It was like a lost pearl, emitting a mysterious and ancient aura. As soon as I approached it, I could feel the rich, almost liquefied blood aura rushing towards me, as if I were in a holy place for cultivation."

"I guess in my heart that this might be the place that the snake demon found to practice and break through. After a long period of sedimentation, it has retained such amazing spiritual energy."

As Jiang Yue spoke, he gestured with his hands, trying to make Zhao Yongnian feel the scene more intuitively.

Jiang Yue still maintained a respectful and calm expression on the surface, with an upright posture and steady eyes, but in fact, he was somewhat uneasy in his heart at this moment.

After all, the mirror of conscience hanging above his head was like a sword of Damocles that could fall at any time, forcing him to not be careless at all.

This mirror of conscience is a secret treasure of the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It is said to have magical powers that can reflect the true thoughts in people's hearts, making it impossible for people to lie in front of it.

As long as one has evil intentions or speaks false words, nothing can escape the reflection of the mirror of conscience.

Jiang Yue knew its power very well, but still decided to take the risk.

After all, his experience in the Xianshenxu was too complicated, and if some of the secrets were known, it might bring him unexpected trouble.

Therefore, Jiang Yue deliberately mixed some fictional parts into what he had just said to Zhao Yongnian.

He deliberately fabricated the story of the snake demon's breakthrough in order to test whether his own magical powers could evade the detection of the Mirror of the Heart.

Judging from the current results, there is nothing unusual about the Mirror of the Heart. It did not emit any warning light, nor did it produce any abnormal fluctuations.

It seems that this magical power of "clear mind" can also avoid the Mirror of the Heart!

Jiang Yue secretly rejoiced in his heart, and at the same time he gained more confidence in his own magical powers.

Come to think of it, this supernatural power is given by fate and is an extremely rare ability in the world.

Although spiritual objects in heaven and earth are rare, and treasures like the Mirror of the Heart are also hard to come by in the world, his "Clear Mind" magical power is of a higher level and can resist the detection of the Mirror of the Heart.

Jiang Yue raised his head slightly, his eyes seemingly casually sweeping across the Mirror of Conscience above his head, thinking silently in his heart that with this layer of protection, his next actions in the Great Zhou would be able to be more relaxed.

However, he also knew that this was just the beginning and there would be many challenges to face in the future. Every step had to be taken carefully. The slightest mistake could lead to eternal damnation.

"Yes, with this adventure, no wonder you have made such great progress..."

Zhao Yongnian pinched his beard gently, there was no trace of doubt in his eyes, and there was even a hint of relief on his face.

He raised his head slightly and motioned Jiang Yue to continue.

With the mirror of conscience here and the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty around, who would have thought that lies would appear in this hall?

"As for the remains of the great hall, there are many dangers around it."

"Beside the ruins, on the walls and on the ground, there are mysterious runes everywhere. Those runes are shining with a deep light. Although I have tried my best to study and comprehend them, with my current ability, I can only glimpse the surface of them."

"However, even with just this little understanding, I can feel that it contains unimaginable power and profound wisdom."

"However, these decrees are surrounded by numerous restrictions, and each restriction hides deadly dangers. The power of those restrictions is intertwined with each other. If you are not careful and touch any of them, it is very likely to cause unpredictable consequences."

"I was so nervous at the time that I took every step very carefully, fearing that I would trigger danger. After going through countless hardships and dangers, I was lucky enough to gain some insights on improving my cultivation. It was with this insight, plus the remains of the snake demon, that I was able to break through to the ninth floor of the Jade Tower."

Jiang Yue paused slightly and looked at Zhao Yongnian calmly. His eyes seemed to casually sweep across the emperor's face, but in fact he was secretly observing every change in his expression.

Zhao Yongnian's brows were furrowed, and his eyes were full of contemplation, and he was obviously lost in thought. Seeing this, Jiang Yue's heart moved, and he said with regret: "It's a pity that I didn't step into the hall and didn't see its great power."

When he said this, his tone was full of regret. If he didn't know in his heart that he was lying, he would probably believe it himself.

Unlike the previous accounts of experiences which were half-true and half-false, with some of the content fabricated, this sentence is a complete lie!

Jiang Yue's expression remained calm on the surface, but his fingers moved slightly in his sleeves, quietly circulating a force, ready to use his magical powers to move himself away immediately if the situation went wrong.

At this moment, his heartbeat quickened slightly. After all, it was difficult for anyone to lie blatantly in front of the emperor and a lie-detecting mirror without any pressure.

However, to Jiang Yue's surprise, Zhao Yongnian just frowned, with a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, and he didn't seem surprised.

Looking at the purple-robed old man holding the Mirror of Heart, he still had his eyes slightly closed. There was no strange light flashing from the Mirror of Heart, nor did it issue any warnings, as if he was unaware of Jiang Yue's lies.

Jiang Yue was confused, but he didn't dare to show it. Could it be that the effect of the "Spiritual Clearness" magical power was more powerful than he imagined? Or was there something wrong with the Heart Mirror?
He didn't have time to think about it, so he could only pretend to be calm and continue to maintain a regretful expression.

Zhao Yongnian spoke slowly, breaking the silence: "It's a pity that you couldn't enter the hall, but it's a great achievement that you were able to walk through the Heavenly Road."

After saying this, he looked at Jiang Yue firmly, his eyes full of expectation.

"There are so many heroes in the world."

Zhao Yongnian sighed with emotion, and his eyes slowly swept across the court. His eyes showed both worry about the current situation and a hint of hope for the future. He sat upright on the throne, but his posture seemed a little tired, and his slightly hunched back seemed to be carrying the heavy burden of the entire Great Zhou.

"I am tired. Let's end the court meeting today." He waved his hand gently, his voice revealing the weariness that could not be concealed. The originally lively court suddenly became quiet, and the ministers bowed and left one after another, walking out of the hall in an orderly manner.

Just when everyone thought the court meeting was really over, Zhao Yongnian turned his head slightly, as if he suddenly remembered something, and asked the eunuch standing respectfully beside him: "Who deserves the credit for the escort?"

There was a hint of doubt in his eyes, as if his memory of the incident was a little vague, but he also felt that there was some important clue that he had overlooked.

The chief eunuch bowed slightly, with a respectful smile on his face, and immediately replied: "Your Majesty, it has been announced before that Yunzhou Inspector Jiang Yue and Miao Xingyu have made meritorious escorts and have both been rewarded." His voice was neither too loud nor too low, just loud enough for Zhao Yongnian to hear clearly.

Zhao Yongnian frowned slightly, as if he was trying to recall something. After a moment, he nodded gently, "Oh, it's them. Jiang Yue is indeed quite capable. He returned from the Immortal God Ruins this time and brought back important information, which may be of great use to our Great Zhou."

There was a hint of admiration in his eyes, and the image of Jiang Yue's calm appearance when he was reporting in the court emerged in his mind.

"In that case..."

Zhao Yongnian pondered for a moment, a look of determination flashed in his eyes, and then he spread out the rice paper, picked up the brush and dipped it in ink. The tip of the brush moved like a dragon and snake, and in a moment, an edict was written. He blew the ink dry, handed the eunuch beside him, and with a look of expectation in his eyes, he said in a deep voice: "Read it."

"Announce——" The eunuch's shrill and long voice rang out in the palace, like an invisible ripple, instantly attracting the attention of everyone in the palace.

"Yunzhou Patrol Envoy Jiang Yue and Miao Xingyu, for your meritorious service in escorting the enemy, your reward will be increased by one level!"

The eunuch read out the award in a rhythmic manner, his voice echoing in the empty hall, and every word was clearly audible. This sudden reward made everyone present slightly stunned, and then they all showed envious expressions.

After all, in the hierarchical officialdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty, each promotion is extremely difficult, but Jiang Yue and Miao Xingyu can get extra rewards for their escort merits, which is really enviable.

"Yunzhou Inspector Jiang Yue, who has walked across the Heavenly Road and explored the information within, will be rewarded one level higher!"

Before everyone could recover from their surprise, the eunuch read out the second reward. This time, everyone's eyes were all on Jiang Yue, with both amazement and a hint of awe in their eyes.

The journey to the Heavenly Road is an extremely dangerous one, with a high risk of death. However, Jiang Yue not only returned safely, but also brought back important information about the Ruins of Immortal Gods. It is reasonable for him to receive such a generous reward.

Zhao Yongnian waved his hand with a dignified look, and decided the reward.

His eyes revealed his affirmation of Jiang Yue and others. In his opinion, Jiang Yue and Miao Xingyu's contribution was undoubtedly a timely help for the current predicament of Da Zhou.

At this moment, he was fully expecting Jiang Yue to bring more opportunities for Da Zhou with these achievements and strengths.

As soon as he finished speaking, a eunuch read out the details of the reward: "Miao Xingyu, the former inspector of Yunzhou, is granted a hereditary title, a fief of 10,000 households, a choice of classics and weapons, and 100,000 taels of gold and silver!"

"Jiang Yue, the former Yunzhou Inspector - is conferred the title of King for the first time!"

As the eunuch read out the results, everyone's envy of Jiang Yue and Miao Xingyu grew stronger, and they all sighed in their hearts at their good luck.

Jiang Yue and Miao Xingyu hurriedly thanked him: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

Jiang Yue was secretly delighted. These rewards were not only a recognition of his achievements, but also provided him with more resources and power for his next actions.

The titles bestowed by the dynasty naturally have nothing to do with realm, but only depend on merit.

Being granted a title of marquis for life and having a fief of 3,000 households is the lifelong dream of most court officials.

Considering the high death rate of 80% to 90% in Xianshenxu in the past, only such achievements can be rewarded, which shows that it is not easy.

And the hereditary marquisate is enough to create a noble family!
Although there is a similar Enfeoffment Order in the Great Zhou, the lifespan of cultivators in this world is much longer than that of ordinary people. Moreover, if their children and grandchildren get resources, the probability of them cultivating to a high level is also higher.

It can be said that the hereditary marquis is the highest honor.

And Jiang Yue...

You will be crowned king and appointed prime minister today!
(End of this chapter)