Mysterious mirror hanging high

Ying Qianwen dismissed the servants, and a hint of helplessness finally appeared on his face. He sighed and said:

"How could I not know? In fact, there's no need to even think about it; it must be those ascended cultivators from the Immortal Continent who are behind this again."

"Not necessarily. Perhaps the various Celestial Immortal forces around Shending Star are also secretly involved."

Li Huaiyou pondered and said, "Since Xiao Buyi transformed from a mortal to an immortal and flew to the Immortal Continent Star, there have been quite a few geniuses who have joined the various Dao lineages of the Immortal Continent Star. In just a few hundred years, the power of the Immortal Continent Star has expanded excessively."

"On the other hand, our Immortal Dynasty... is truly a broken drum that everyone beats, and has become a stepping stone for Xiao Buyi."

"Nowadays, even the smallest fish and shrimp can come and step on it."

“There are even rumors that… the day Xiao Buyi ascends to the True Immortal realm will be the day our Immortal Dynasty is destroyed.”

Ying Qianwen's face was gloomy, and he frowned without saying a word.

Li Huaiyou continued, "At this time of internal and external troubles, we must speed up our pace and strengthen ourselves as much as possible in order to prepare for future changes."

"Your Highness, how is your practice of the cultivation technique for nurturing the dragon aura of the Son of Heaven that I gave you before? Even in the Third Heaven, this technique is a first-class method for attracting incense and prayers, and the higher one's status, the greater the boost to one's cultivation."

"If Your Highness can become the Crown Prince, you will have the opportunity to rise to a higher level."

Li Huaiyou still looked worried: "But... alas, Xiao Buyi, Ye Xingyun, Guan Lingxiao and others will only grow faster than us. Our advancement in realm is just a guarantee. The final victory or defeat will depend on leveraging external forces."

"Still no news from the Yuwen family?"

Ying Qianwen sneered, "If there were any news, it would have come hundreds of years ago. Why wait until now? Yuwen Tianfu will not interfere in the matter of the Divine Cauldron... The little bit of affection between our Immortal Dynasty and the Yuwen family has long been exhausted."

"To put it bluntly... Emperor Taizu was known for killing meritorious officials when he was in the mortal realm. Of the Eight Divine Generals who followed him through life and death to establish the Immortal Dynasty, how many died peacefully? Were half of them truly ascended to immortality with him?"

"Whether we owe the Yuwen family a debt of gratitude or enmity... that's hard to say."

Li Huaiyou frowned: "Your Highness, the Prince Xian's residence is not far from the Emperor Taizu's temporary palace. You should be careful what you say."

“I understand, I understand.” Ying Qianwen chuckled. “Don’t worry, sir. The array set up in this hall was found by you based on your memories of your past life. It is of extremely high quality. The founding emperor… may not be able to see anything about it.”

"Speaking of this..."

Ying Qianwen's eyes suddenly flashed: "Sir, I have an idea, and I need your help to consider it."

"Your Highness, please speak," Li Huaiyou said, bowing his head.

"Sir, you are incredibly insightful and have foreseen the future... Ordinary 'reborn individuals' who have been reborn for hundreds or thousands of years no longer have the advantage of foresight."

"But Mr. Ke... in his so-called 'past life,' he cultivated to the Mahayana realm, and his advantage of foresight and precognition can last for at least tens of thousands of years."

"Your Highness is too kind..." Li Huaiyou said in a low voice, "Too many reborn people have changed the future, and various chain reactions that have changed the course of events have already appeared. The so-called ability to foresee tens of thousands of years... I'm afraid it has to be discounted."

“It’s alright…” Ying Qianwen chuckled: “What I mean is… it seems that Xiao Buyi has grown strong enough to soar to great heights and his momentum is unstoppable.”

"The most outstanding talents among the geniuses of the Immortal Continent are making rapid progress in their cultivation. If given tens of thousands of years more, they will likely become several more Celestial Immortals."

"On the other hand, our Immortal Dynasty is suffering from a severe shortage of talent. Apart from Emperor Qianjue, there is not a single person in the entire royal family who possesses the appearance of a celestial being."

"Although I have the cultivation method you requested, sir, I have encountered many minor bottlenecks over the years, and it seems that I have lost some of my potential."

Li Huaiyou had a vague sense of unease, and his brows furrowed even deeper: "What does Your Highness mean by this?"

"What I mean is that we must prepare early," Ying Qianwen said meaningfully. "If one day the worst situation really does occur... does the gentleman have a brilliant plan to help me escape safely, make a strategic shift, and preserve our strength?"

"what?!"

Li Huaiyou abruptly stood up and angrily said, "Your Highness!"

"As the saying goes, if the skin is gone, where will the hair attach? Moreover, everything we possess today is thanks to the mercy of our sovereign and father... How can we commit such a rebellious act of betraying our sovereign and father!"

Ying Qian clicked his tongue and said, "When did I ever say I would betray my sovereign and father? Sir, haven't you heard the saying 'Consider defeat before victory'? I am seriously considering what will happen after a crushing defeat."

"This……"

Li Huaiyou felt dizzy. He never expected that the Prince Xian, who was a member of the Divine Cauldron Royal Family, was not as loyal to the Immortal Dynasty as he was!

"Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king... The Li family's current glory and favor are all thanks to the grace of the Divine Cauldron Emperor."

"We are the subjects of our sovereign, the people of the Celestial Dynasty... The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen; how can we sit idly by and watch it crumble?"

Li Huaiyou's heart gradually grew cold: "But this Celestial Dynasty is ultimately the Celestial Dynasty of the victors! Even the one surnamed Ying doesn't care, so what am I, a mere servant, doing jumping around like this?"

Li Huaiyou was born on Shending Star. From a young age, he was well-versed in the classics and historical texts, recited the principles of loyalty to the emperor, and had only the concepts of ruler and subject, father and son in his heart. He believed that he could give everything for the Shending Immortal Dynasty.

Even in his previous life, when the Divine Cauldron Immortal Dynasty was destroyed by many ascended cultivators from the Immortal Continent, leaving the remaining remnants displaced, Li Huaiyou still managed to cultivate to the Mahayana realm under these conditions and became a pillar of the Later Divine Cauldron Immortal Dynasty.

This is why, after realizing he had been "reborn," his first action was not to try to escape the doomed Divine Cauldron Immortal Dynasty, but instead to attempt to reverse everything and save the day.

In Li Huaiyou's mind, the Divine Cauldron Immortal Dynasty and his own life were already intertwined. Saving the Immortal Dynasty from peril and serving his sovereign and father was a matter of course, just like a person needs to eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, and go to the toilet when they can't hold it in... This was a natural principle, and there was no room for discussion.

To a cultivator seeking the Dao in the normal sense, Li Huaiyou had simply been influenced by the incense and vow system of the Divine Cauldron Immortal Dynasty.

It's normal to feel a sense of belonging to a sect or family, since sects and families really put in a lot of effort to cultivate their true disciples and direct descendants.

How could someone who wasn't even a member of the royal family, a mere servant, have such deep feelings for a feudal dynasty like the Divine Cauldron Immortal Dynasty, where incense offerings and prayers were so prevalent? That's just plain crazy.

But in Li Huaiyou's view, this is the influence he received since childhood, something that is ingrained in his bones, something that no one can take away or change.

It was precisely because of this that Li Huaiyou felt somewhat disheartened when even the Prince Xian, whom he had painstakingly chosen to assist, had become disloyal.

"Prince Xian... was ultimately just a prince."

Li Huaiyou thought coldly to himself, "Sovereign, sovereign... what is a sovereign? He is nothing more than the founding emperor!"

"This man is not worthy of my assistance, Li Huaiyou. Only the founding emperor truly cares about the safety of the Celestial Dynasty..."

"I will reach the ears of the heavens! I will definitely reverse all the regrets of my past life and change the fate of the celestial dynasty's downfall!"