Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

The imperial guards immediately dispersed and began searching the palace for the so-called privately hidden items.

They were rude, sweeping various items off the altar and even tearing open the prayer cushions in front of the deity statues to inspect them.

It was as if the charges Li Chong spoke of were not fabricated, but rather true.

The high priest was filled with rage, and his mere aura was enough to stop the dozen or so guards who had stormed into the shrine from making any further moves.

"Li Chong! Do you know the crime of blaspheming the immortals?"

"Immortals?"

Accompanied by five tribute bearers, Li Chong slowly walked up to him and lowered his voice, saying:

"High Priest, do you truly believe that the immortals of the Realm of Immortality still have any say in your affairs?"

The high priest's pupils suddenly contracted, and the five priests beside Li Chong immediately swarmed forward and surrounded him.

"The guardians of the ancestral halls in the surrounding counties of Jiangning, including several ritual practitioners in the Wangdu Ancestral Hall, were all wiped out..."

If the immortals of the Immortal Realm could truly see that Immortal Venerable causing trouble, why didn't he take action himself?

Li Chong patted the high priest on the shoulder, his eyes full of mockery.

Although he had been repeatedly instructed by the late king since he ascended the throne not to offend the shrine of the immortals!

The story goes that back then, a king was dissatisfied with the ancestral hall being superior to the royal family, so he raised an army in rebellion.

However, amidst the mortal battles, divine power suddenly appeared in the sky above the capital. Golden light descended slowly from the heavens, burning everything in its path to ashes...

From then on, every monarch kept this death order firmly in mind, and the royal family became increasingly cautious in their actions, always having to consider the ancestral temple's opinion.

Now, Li Chong no longer wanted to endure it. Even if he couldn't destroy the ancestral hall today, he was determined to dampen the high priest's arrogance!

"If I were you, I would be thinking about how to save my life right now, instead of coming here and scaring people with talk of spirits."

He turned to the high priest and spoke to him, and the guardian beside him immediately understood and stepped forward.

The high priest took a deep breath, his aged face showing signs of fatigue.

He knew Li Chong was right. Since this king dared to lead his troops into the ancestral hall, he must have sealed off the counties surrounding the capital.

Now, he is the only one in the entire ancestral hall. Even though this high priest has reached the pinnacle of the short-lived world, he cannot fight against the entire royal family in the capital alone.

"What does my king desire?"

The high priest said in a deep voice, knowing that as long as the immortal statues behind him stood, Li Chong would not dare to actually attack the ancestral hall.

Li Chong laughed, "That's great."

"First, from this day forward, the ancestral hall and the royal family shall be of equal status. The royal capital may act without reporting to the ancestral hall, but the ancestral hall must report to the royal capital."

Secondly, the stipends for the ancestral halls will remain unchanged. As for the ancestral halls in various places that were destroyed by that immortal, you will have to figure out a solution yourself…”

The high priest's displeasure grew more and more obvious as he listened to the conditions Li Chong uttered, but he could still tolerate it.

"at last."

Li Chong paused deliberately, glancing at the immortal statues behind him.

"I want the 'Longevity Formula' from the ancestral hall."

"impossible!"

The high priest resolutely refused, and from then on he would not back down. He could agree to the first two points on behalf of the ancestral hall, but he refused to agree to the "Longevity Formula" mentioned by Li Chong.

He knew all too well that the "Longevity Manual" was a secret technique hidden within the towering immortal statue before him, passed down only to the high priest of the ancestral temple since ancient times.

It is said that this is a celestial technique that can enable short-lived species to break through their limitations and ascend to the realm of immortality, but so far, every high priest has fallen at the threshold of half-step success...

Li Chong had anticipated this reaction and calmly began to analyze the current situation for the high priest—

"Can't you see the situation clearly?"

Now, that "Heavenly Immortal Venerable" from Jiangning County is spreading his so-called immortal techniques all over the country.

Instead of worrying about whether the immortals will be angered by the "Longevity Formula," you should first think about whether the higher-ups will hold you accountable first after the ancestral hall is destroyed.

He then leaned close to the high priest's ear and said, "The royal family and the ancestral temple are symbiotic."

The high priest fell silent, standing there motionless, glancing at the statue behind him, but showing no reaction.

"See, High Priest, even the immortals think it should be this way!"

Li Chong spread his arms and moved to the front of the immortal statue, his face beaming with joy.

He believed that it would be more likely for members of the royal family to participate in the cultivation of the "Longevity Formula" rather than letting the ancestral hall cultivate it alone.

As for the possibility of offending the immortals, the fact that the statue in front of them remains unmoved is the best proof of that.

"Come on, if the master has no objections, let's join forces to destroy that false immortal!"

The high priest looked up in surprise, and seeing that the statue in front of him was indeed unresponsive, he finally gritted his teeth and said:

"Okay, but..."

After the false immortal is killed, all the cultivation techniques and secret arts possessed by him must belong to the ancestral hall.

Li Chong no longer cared about such things. If he could obtain the legendary "Longevity Manual," who would care about those other cultivation techniques? Besides, the high priest hadn't mentioned anything about the willow tree in Shuitian Village...

"Very well, I agree!"

With a wave of his sleeve, he dismissed the worshippers, and the high priest of the ancestral hall also came to the statue of the immortal.

He placed one hand on the statue's Taoist robe, and spiritual energy emanated from his palm. The statue reacted the next moment.

Two wisps of mist, bluish-white in color, condensed on the statue, and the spiritual energy emanating from them grew increasingly dense.

Not long after, a section in the center of the immortal statue suddenly became transparent, allowing everyone to look inside and see a scroll placed there.

The high priest carefully stepped forward and took down the scroll. His hands were trembling slightly. He recalled that the last time he had viewed the magic on the scroll was three years ago, and he couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

"This is the immortal technique that none of the high priests throughout history have been able to perfect in the 'Longevity Manual'..."

Although he said this, there was not a trace of shame on his face. This high priest was certain that the immortal magic in his hands was not for mortals to cultivate, so it would be the same no matter who came.

Li Chong also carefully took the "Longevity Manual" from his hands, his face calm as a still lake, but his heart was churning with turbulent emotions.

"..."

However, they never imagined that at this moment, thousands of miles away in Jiangning County, Ye Xuan was standing on the highest pavilion of the county government, his perception spreading out like a tide.

Everything that happened in the capital was seen by him.

"Oh?"

The appearance of the "Longevity Manual" invigorated Ye Xuan, after all, his cultivation had reached the eighth level of Foundation Establishment, and he was getting closer and closer to the next breakthrough.

Although he believed that with the Immortal Willow Method, as long as there were enough worshippers to provide nourishment, breaking through would not be a problem, it was still better to have an extra layer of security and peace of mind.

Ye Xuan's lips curled slightly as he turned to Chen Qinghe beside him and said:

"Pack your things, we'll set off tomorrow."

Chen Qinghe was a little confused. The Immortal Venerable had just said that the fighting in the city had caused the morale of Jiangning County to be low and that he should stay here for a couple more days. Why was he in such a hurry to leave now?

But he wouldn't question it. In Chen Qinghe's eyes, everything the Immortal Venerable did was correct, and he would simply follow suit.

So the two set off again. After a day of trekking, Ye Xuan led Chen Qinghe to bypass the county seat they were originally going to pass through and instead chose a treacherous road.