Chapter 2207: Disguised as the Emperor?

"Young Master Zhang, if you're going to the Imperial City, I can arrange for someone to take you there!" The guard smiled faintly. Those visiting Lingyuan Heaven for the first time always had such an expression. The power required to make a city float was immense, far beyond what any ordinary person could achieve. Not even God Kings or Conferred God Kings could do it; only an Emperor possessed such might!

Before long, the flying divine beast was ready and brought over. Stepping onto its back, Zhang Xuan, led by the guard, flew swiftly towards the floating city.

Even before reaching it, he could feel an immense oppressive presence from above. His Eye of Discernment pulsed as he observed for a moment, then Zhang Xuan couldn't help but turn, curious. "There's no formation maintaining this city from below. How is it floating?" Normally, floating rocks and towns like this would require a massive formation to sustain them. This one was even more impressive, yet his Eye of Discernment couldn't detect any traces of one.

"Lingyuan Imperial City floats without the need for formations!" The guard chuckled softly, his tone filled with pride.

"Without a formation, how does it fly?" Zhang Xuan asked. The laws of the God Realm were stable; normally, only those who reached the God King level could fly. The possibility of such a massive city becoming a God King was virtually nil, and now, without a formation, what power allowed it to float so quietly and motionlessly?

"It's a feather!" The guard smiled and explained, "When this city was being built, it simply wouldn't float. It was Conferred God King Huoyu (Fire Feather) who, from who knows where, found a feather and placed it at the very bottom. It's that feather that supports it, allowing this massive city to float."

Zhang Xuan was stunned. He looked towards the floating city before him and indeed saw a gigantic feather lying flat directly beneath it, holding it up, perfectly still in the air. The feather was several hundred miles long; he had no idea where it came from.

As he was still filled with shock, the voice of the yellow chick sounded in his ear again, "I want to eat..." "Eat a chicken feather!" Zhang Xuan was speechless. All day long, it only knew how to eat, eat, eat... It was one thing when it was just a small fry, but now it was a powerful God King. Could it not try to maintain some image? You might have no shame, but I do...

"But this IS a chicken feather! I want to eat it!" the chick insisted earnestly. "No matter what kind of feather it is, you can't eat it right now..." Zhang Xuan tried to dissuade it. Putting aside the size of the feather, which this chick couldn't possibly swallow, just the majesty and aura it contained were beyond the reach of ordinary God Kings, let alone a Heavenly God like himself. Besides, this floating city owed its current scale and situation to being supported by this feather. If it were truly eaten... everyone in Lingyuan Heaven would likely rush over, chop him into pieces, and stew the chick in front of them with mushrooms.

"Alright..." Although frustrated that its master wouldn't allow it to eat, the little yellow chick eventually shook its head, its body flickered, and it vanished from its spot, re-entering his Dantian. If it couldn't eat, it was better not to look; otherwise, the more it looked, the more tempted it would become.

The flying divine beast was fast, quickly arriving above the city and descending. "Could you tell me what to be mindful of in Lingyuan Imperial City, and also who the Conferred God King Huoyu you just mentioned is?" Zhang Xuan asked, handing over a mid-grade Divine Yuan Pill. The guard was just an ordinary Upper Heavenly God, so a common mid-grade Divine Yuan Pill was already highly valuable to him. Indeed, after receiving the pill, the guard's attitude immediately changed, his face beaming with smiles. "Lingyuan Imperial City is the imperial capital of Lingyuan Heaven, presided over by Emperor Lingyuan, also known as the Undying Emperor! Young Master Zhang, given that you possess a Great Teleportation Talisman, your cultivation must already be on par with a God King. The only ones you truly need to be wary of are those three Conferred God Kings!"

"The first is Conferred God King Huoyu, whom I just mentioned. He possesses the bloodline of a Fire Phoenix, and once angered, he can incinerate heaven and earth. Among the Conferred God Kings of the Nine Heavens, he is considered truly powerful. He presides over the southern part of the Imperial City."

"The second is Conferred God King Bingyu (Ice Feather), who possesses the bloodline of an Ice Phoenix. Her frigid aura soars to the heavens, turning everything in her path into ice. She controls the northern part of Lingyuan Imperial City."

"As for the third, Conferred God King Fengyu (Wind Feather), he possesses the bloodline of a Wind Phoenix. His speed is incredibly swift, almost like instantaneous movement. Although his combat power might not match the previous two, if he truly decides to escape, almost no one can catch him! He is stationed in the western part of the Imperial City."

Zhang Xuan looked at the floating city before him. He immediately saw the scorching sun in the south, blazing intensely, while in the north, frost covered the ground and snowflakes drifted down. The northern and southern ends of the same city were like two different worlds. He marveled, and at the same time, a question arose in his mind. He asked, "All three Conferred God Kings possess Phoenix bloodlines. Could it be that the Emperor of Lingyuan Heaven..." All three Conferred God Kings possessed different types of Phoenix bloodlines. Could it be that the Emperor of Lingyuan Heaven was also related to them? After all, Yunchi Heaven was like that; almost all super powerful individuals there possessed dragon bloodlines, such as Ao Hua, who he had fought.

"You don't know?" The guard seemed a little surprised. "Know what?" Zhang Xuan was utterly puzzled. Seeing that his expression genuinely showed a lack of knowledge, the guard then smiled and said, "Lingyuan Heaven is also called Undying Heaven, and the one who guards this region is called the Undying Emperor! So... do you know why His Majesty has this name?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. He had originally wanted to say that the name might imply immortality, but remembering the tomb he had seen with his own eyes in the Firmament, he ultimately kept silent. In the God Realm, immortality might not be true. Emperors were supreme and unstoppable... but that might just be a legend. Otherwise, why could Master Kong challenge eight Emperors alone and emerge unharmed? And why could the one from Central Sovereign Heaven make the other eight heavens submit?

"The Emperor is called that name because... His Majesty is a transformed divine beast, and his true form is the noblest bloodline among the Nine Heavens Phoenix Clan... the Undying Celestial Phoenix!" The guard lowered his voice. If not for the generous payment, he would never have spoken so much about matters involving the Emperor.

"The Undying Celestial Phoenix? A Phoenix?" Zhang Xuan suddenly understood! So that was it. He had previously thought that only Emperor Yunchi of Yunchi Heaven was a divine beast, with most others being human cultivators, but now it seemed the Emperor of Undying Heaven was also one. "I wonder, among the Nine Heavens of the God Realm, which other Emperors are transformed divine beasts?" A thought struck him, and Zhang Xuan continued to ask.

Seeing that this person, who was about to break through to God King, didn't even know such basic knowledge about the God Realm, the guard shook his head and said, "Those who guard the east, west, south, and north of the God Realm are all transformed divine beasts. In the eastern Yunchi Heaven, Emperor Yunchi's true form is the Azure Dragon Divine Beast. In the western Gengjin Heaven, Emperor Fumu's true form is the White Tiger Divine Beast. In the southern Undying Heaven, our Undying Emperor's true form is the Undying Celestial Phoenix, also known as the Vermillion Bird Divine Beast. As for Emperor Xuanming of the northern Xuanming Heaven, his true form is the Black Tortoise Giant Beast. The Four Great Divine Beasts guard the four cardinal directions..."

Zhang Xuan's eyes widened. When he had previously asked Fu Jiangchen, though he had learned the names of the Nine Emperors of the Nine Heavens, he hadn't known much beyond that. He never expected that the east, west, south, and north, the four cardinal directions of the four heavens, were guarded by the Four Great Divine Beasts. The Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Vermillion Bird of the South, and the Black Tortoise of the North...

"I've told you everything I know. You can go ahead and do whatever you need to. Lingyuan Imperial City prohibits trouble-making, so make sure you don't cause any, or even God Kings might fall..." Seeing that the person before him understood so little, the guard said no more, urging his divine beast to return.

"Wait, don't rush off. I still have some questions..." Zhang Xuan quickly interjected. "I wonder... where does your Lingyuan Heaven's Emperor reside? And is he also referred to as the 'Spirit God'?"

"Naturally, the Emperor resides in the Emperor's Palace, and we refer to him as the Spirit God, meaning the so-called Spirit God Palace! However, it's said that it hasn't been opened for decades, and even Lord Huoyu can't enter..." The guard added, "Also, if you want to inquire about the Emperor, this is all I know; I don't have any more information."

Zhang Xuan nodded. He didn't dare to ask too much about the Undying Emperor's demise, as it was too shocking and wouldn't be good for anyone if word got out.

"Then... if I want to inquire about information, who would be suitable to approach?" Knowing that the other party was merely an ordinary Upper Heavenly God with limited sources of information, Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

"It depends on what kind of information you're looking for. For general news, some trade guilds would know; they're bustling with all sorts of people, and information spreads quickly there. For instance, I hear you can buy the newly released beauty pills from Ghostly Heaven if you know the right connections!" The guard's eyes showed envy as he continued, "Of course, if what you're trying to find out involves the Emperor, as you asked earlier, then people here definitely wouldn't know much. Your best bet would be to seek out members of the three major clans. They all hold esteemed positions and surely possess a lot more information, far beyond what we common folk can access..."

"Thank you..." Zhang Xuan clasped his hands in a gesture of respect. What the other party said was true. Few people would know information concerning the Emperor. If he genuinely wanted to know if Luo Ruoxi had inherited the Undying Emperor's position and become the new Spirit God, where she specifically was, and how to contact and find her... then only individuals like Conferred God King Huoyu and the other two Conferred God Kings could provide that information. Next would be some powerful God Kings. As for this type of guard, his rank was too low; he certainly wouldn't have access to the movements or secrets of powerful God Kings. Thus, he couldn't possibly know. However... Conferred God Kings were immensely powerful, each more formidable than the last. With his current strength, which struggled even against God Kings, how could he approach them? If he truly went, he might be slapped to death on the spot before he could even utter a word. Unless... he possessed an identity that even these Conferred God Kings would be wary of! For example... in Ghostly Heaven, when Qi Meng mistook him for an Emperor... After that, not only was it easy to purchase high-grade Divine Yuan Pills, but everything was given the green light, and he gained tremendous advantages. Otherwise, selling three types of medicinal ingredients and holding such a massive press conference in a chaotic place like Ghostly Heaven would never have been so easy. With such an identity, inquiring about any information would become much simpler.

Thinking this, Zhang Xuan rubbed his forehead and fell into contemplation. "Perhaps... I should try impersonating an Emperor?"