He'd rather run than be turned into a cannon fodder for the broken engagement.

Chapter 231 Exploring the Palace

More than twenty years later, Yun Du returned to the Misty Immortal Sect, while his younger siblings were visiting their parents' sect for the first time.

I met many surprised disciples, an astonished old man, received many gifts, and also saw... a white and yellow dog.

Leng Huan led the children to meet the elders, then asked Yun Du to take his younger siblings to play, and also asked him to take the twins to visit Aunt Fu Yuqing.

The two adults still needed to stay in the main hall to discuss important matters with the sect leader and elders.

"Firstly, the new sect leader's succession ceremony will be held three days later, and Fu Xun has long been the leader of our sect."

Sect Master Ji stood beside the sect master's seat, surveying everyone below. The magnificent seat was empty, with Fu Xun still seated at the head of the left. Leng Huan was actually seated at the head of the table opposite him; she had officially become a Integration Elder.

He continued, "Secondly, the most pressing issue is that the Xiao Clan's Divine Dynasty's rampant oppression of aristocratic families has caused widespread panic, chaos, and misery in the cities."

"Originally, this was an internal matter of his divine dynasty, but many scions of noble families were also disciples of immortal sects, and even many sects within the territory were implicated and suffered greatly. Ten days ago, various immortal sects issued a proclamation to condemn the Xiao family, and they wanted to unite with all major sects to act on behalf of Heaven and eliminate the culprit."

The prospective sect leader, Fu Xun, stood up and stepped forward, standing alongside the sect leader. "The Divine Dynasty has fallen into the demonic path and is no different from the demons. In just half a month, it has already infiltrated the sects outside the border. Some sects in the Eastern Territory have come to my Immortal Sect for help. My Immortal Sect cannot stand idly by. If we do not stop the Xiao family, I am afraid it will implicate the entire Eastern Sea Continent."

Sect Master Ji nodded and announced the decision: "After discussion, our sect will send disciples to provide assistance, and also send elders to the Divine Dynasty to search for any clues about the Demonic Sect. In three days, representatives from various immortal sects will also come to discuss the matter of attacking Xiao."

Leng Huan nodded secretly, it seemed everyone understood that the problem mainly stemmed from the Xiao family.

She was already pretty sure it was true: the Demonic Sect was behind this, and the Demonic Clan was behind the Demonic Sect.

Three days later, at the grand ceremony, Fu Xun succeeded as sect leader. At the same time, the major sects formed an alliance and were determined to attack the Divine Dynasty and protect the cities and sects that had not yet been invaded.

The major sects have not been affected for the time being, but if this continues, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"The demons are wicked; they've taken control of the divine dynasty and instigated internal strife among the human cultivators on the continent." The two walked along the mountain path of Mingxiu Peak, Fu Xun holding her hand as they strolled, feeling as if it had been a long time since they had taken such a leisurely walk.

“Yes, the major sects must have made arrangements.” Leng Huan was led by him up the bluestone steps.

"Now that you've become the sect leader, are you going to the battlefield?"

Fu Xun stopped and nodded, "I'll go, but I'll have to wait a bit longer."

Leng Huan knew that he needed to wait for definite news from the Divine Dynasty before he could make arrangements for the next step.

“The Yundu disciples have gone on a mission with the disciples and have been given enough resources. I don’t think I can give them anything else.” She gently picked up a leaf that had been blown away.

“Yes, they have to walk their own path to immortality. We can only provide material things. They will grow stronger, and they are already much better off than we were back then.” Fu Xun continued walking.

Leng Huan followed, "Yes," she paused, "Fu Xun, I can feel the passage of time in them."

After a moment of silence, Fu Xun sighed, a rare occurrence for him: "Me too." He said, "This is the law of nature."

She looked up at him for a moment, her gaze falling on his graying temples. He did seem to have aged, but it was just an act. His skin was still young and delicate. Thinking about it, she reached out and pinched his cheek.

Fu Xun grabbed her mischievous hand, "Gu Changlan is in the mid-Nascent Soul stage. He has returned to Lingjian Manor. Without him, the manor cannot withstand the attack."

"Yes, he now has the power to protect his home."

Upon arriving at the main hall of Mingxiu Peak, Leng Huan asked, "How long will it take, as you said?"

"With the intervention of the Nascent Soul Elder, it will only take ten days."

The journey to Zhongjing will only take two days with the cultivation level of a Nascent Soul cultivator; the majority of the time will be spent gathering clues.

After escorting Leng Huan into Jufang Palace, Fu Xun made a quick look around and then left. He was very busy, as Ji Zong was about to hand over some matters to him.

Leng Huan took out a concealing magic item and hung it on his waist. In a flash, he was already more than a thousand miles away from the Misty Immortal Sect.

She had a premonition that the demon race was about to resurface, and that going to the Divine Dynasty now might allow her to stop it before it could.

At this moment, in a hidden mountain outside the Misty Immortal Sect, a black-robed man appeared in a spatial rift, his body surging with demonic energy. The man seemed to chant a spell, and the demonic energy on his body disappeared, making him look like an ordinary cultivator.

The man in black robes acted swiftly, killing an outer disciple of the Misty Immortal Sect, seizing the disciple's robe and identity token, and then making a hand gesture towards the disciple's face while simultaneously touching his own face. Instantly, the man in black robes transformed into a young man in an ordinary sky-blue disciple's robe, looking exactly like the deceased disciple.

He conjured demonic fire and struck the corpse to destroy all evidence.

The fake disciple raised his face, revealing a dignified appearance and a Foundation Establishment cultivation level.

-

The Zhongjing Imperial Palace was extremely luxurious, with carved beams and painted rafters, and was magnificent and spectacular.

Everything was no different from that of a typical dynasty, except that the guards were at least at the Foundation Establishment stage. After concealing himself, Leng Huan wandered around the magnificent palace, investigating.

He searched the place thoroughly, inside and out, among all the flowers and stones, but found nothing unusual. Leng Huan was very patient, hiding in a spot where maids and guards were chatting, listening to their idle talk.

There are two office compounds, one for civil affairs and one for military affairs. The civil affairs offices are mostly for ordinary people and Confucian scholars, while the military affairs offices are mostly for cultivators, and those in high positions of power are all members of the Divine Dynasty's royal family.

Leng Huan overheard the two sides arguing. A civil official was cursing at the martial arts academy, saying that cultivators were arrogant and that the court's actions this time endangered the country. After speaking, the civil official sighed dejectedly, saying that the difference between mortals and cultivators was like an insurmountable chasm.

The military officer laughed triumphantly, saying that mortals had been rejected by the Heavenly Way and were as insignificant as ants.

The next day, it was heard that the civil official had resigned, and the head of the Confucian Academy, a Golden Core Confucian cultivator, led his officials in a fight with the martial arts academy, resulting in heavy losses for both sides.

Leng Huan was speechless. Perhaps the entire Divine Dynasty was in chaos, and no one came forward to stop it, so the matter was left unresolved.

The court assembly lasts for ten days and the grand court assembly only takes a month. Leng Huan hadn't seen the Emperor of the Divine Dynasty for several days, but today he finally got to see him.

Lying on the roof beam, Leng Huan saw the emperor approaching from afar. With just one glance, he was certain that the emperor had cultivated demonic arts, as there was a faint demonic aura on his body. He was a Golden Core cultivator, which was strange. The highest level of officials was only Golden Core, and they did not notice anything amiss with him.

Leng Huan waited patiently for the court session to end, but to his surprise, the emperor appeared after only one incense stick's time!

She perked up and followed silently, only to find that she had followed the Thousand Machine Tower. She had explored the tower before and found it to be quite ordinary.

Perhaps relying on his profound cultivation, Leng Huan remained calm and followed along with ease, eventually reaching the bottom of the tower.

An underground palace, which she vaguely felt was more grand and exquisite than the one she had seen in Dongjun City a long time ago.

The stone chambers were actually places for secluded cultivation; no wonder she hadn't discovered Elder Xiao's cave or palace before.

Upon reaching the end, they discovered a blood sacrifice array within a stone chamber, with red light and black mist swirling around its center, emanating a chilling aura.

Within the mist, several people were cultivating with their eyes closed: three Nascent Soul cultivators, one Divine Transformation cultivator, and... an old man whose aura fluctuated, about to break through to the Integration stage, each with a face shrouded in black mist.

-