Chapter 459: First Arrival at the Imperial City

The Great Xia Imperial Palace.

Emperor Xia and the sect masters of the Four Great Immortal Sects were restless, neither comfortable sitting nor standing. This was the first time they had encountered such a situation in so many meetings.

Lu Yang sat in the position of the Wendao Sect Master, with Yun Zhi standing behind him, appearing as a subordinate. If Yun Zhi was standing, who would dare to sit?

The Immortal Fairy dared. After all, the acting sect master of Wendao Sect was invited to the meeting, and the Immortal Fairy was indeed the acting sect master. As the leader of the Five Ancient Immortals, what was wrong with her sitting there? Let alone sitting there, it would be normal even if she were sitting on the imperial throne.

Lu Yang, who was residing in the spiritual space, was not as bold as the Immortal Fairy.

As the largest and most prosperous city on the Central Continent and a hub of power, the Imperial Capital had always attracted countless cultivators. Lu Yang was no exception; he had always longed to visit the Imperial Capital and experience its diverse cultivation landscape. However, he hadn't expected to arrive so soon.

Originally, he had imagined himself quietly entering the Imperial Capital, inadvertently getting caught in a conspiracy, and after resolving it, finding himself in a whirlwind of political struggles—vying for power and the throne. He would then cleverly navigate the situation, using his wisdom to protect himself amidst the turmoil, until his deeds eventually caught Emperor Xia's attention. He would then have an audience with the Emperor, where his enemies would incessantly accuse him of rebellion and slander him. Emperor Xia would wave his hand, give his enemies a meaningful look, and declare that as a disciple of Daoist Buyu, he could never possibly rebel. This would shock his enemies, the court officials, and all cultivators in the Imperial Capital. He would then naturally rise to fame. That was the normal progression.

He hadn't expected to skip the entire process and find himself directly in the Imperial Palace meeting Emperor Xia.

“Daoist Yun, please sit,” Emperor Xia said with a forced smile.

Yun Zhi shook her head and refused: “I am merely an ordinary disciple of the Wendao Sect now. How could I be qualified to sit? This Sect Master Lu is our acting sect master.”

Emperor Xia was speechless. *Such an ordinary disciple of the Wendao Sect,* he thought.

“Is this Sect Master Lu the Lu Yang mentioned in the meeting half a month ago?” Emperor Xia asked knowingly. Just two weeks prior, it had been mentioned that the Heavenly Court Cult was founded by a remarkably outstanding young talent named Lu Yang. He hadn't expected that in just half a month, this young talent would be sitting on equal footing with him.

From the spiritual space, Lu Yang secretly observed Emperor Xia. This mortal emperor, the leader of the righteous path, did not possess the stern aura and decisive temperament rumored about him, nor did he have the refined air of a scholar. His temples were graying, and his cheeks were slightly sunken—signs of insufficient vitality and flagging energy. If one didn't know his identity, no one would recognize this Emperor Xia as the "Emperor of All Ages." Perhaps the former Emperor Xia possessed both sternness and scholarly refinement, but now, after the depletion of his lifespan, he no longer retained his past glory.

“You already know Emperor Xia, and you also know Sect Master Qiu,” the Senior Sister introduced to Lu Yang before the meeting, and to the Immortal Fairy as well. “This is Daoist Luo Hongxia, the Palace Master of the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace and Lanting's master. She even brought Lanting to propose marriage before.”

Luo Hongxia's eye twitched. She insisted she wasn't there to propose marriage last time. She looked at Lu Yang, who appeared clean and fair. This young man was the Lu Yang Lanting had been so infatuated with, though he didn't look as good as Lanting had described. The thought of Lanting's animated descriptions of Lu Yang's prowess after returning from the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony infuriated her. She snorted coldly, not giving Lu Yang a pleasant look.

“Your complexion looks terrible. Did you eat something bad?”

“This is Yang Ding, the Sect Master of the Prison Guard Sect.”

“Hello,” Yang Ding said. He held no animosity towards Lu Yang. Although Lu Yang was Daoist Buyu’s disciple, he was also Yun Zhi’s junior brother. The positive and negative factors canceled each other out, so there was no animosity.

“This is Master Jiesha of the Hanging Temple, who is currently practicing silent meditation.” The Senior Sister introduced the only Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivator present. Master Jiesha’s body was gaunt. The kasaya, passed down through generations of the Hanging Temple, hung loosely on his frame. His eyelids drooped, and he held prayer beads in his hand, nodding without speaking.

The Immortal Fairy was slightly surprised. It was her first time seeing an eminent Buddhist monk. She hadn't expected that the Buddhism fabricated by their Five Immortals would actually lead to later generations cultivating something tangible, even innovating upon it. The wisdom of later generations was indeed not to be underestimated; it was nearly on par with her own.

The Immortal Fairy slightly furrowed her brow.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Yang asked.

“Someone is secretly observing this place, likely the master of the nation’s destiny power.” The Immortal Fairy’s anti-reconnaissance awareness was exceptionally sharp, as she was someone who could track even the Five Ancient Immortals.

Lu Yang understood. It was normal for an immortal from the imperial court to be observing them.

Just as Emperor Xia was about to speak, the Senior Sister preempted him, saying: “After returning to the sect, I visited several seniors, and one particularly knowledgeable senior pointed out a method to break through lifespan limitations and extend life.”

“What method is it?” The others had not found any way to help Emperor Xia solve his predicament upon returning to their own sects.

“In ancient times, there was a spiritual root of heaven and earth, a peach tree. Consuming its peaches could extend one's lifespan. However, this spiritual root could move, and its current whereabouts are unknown.”

“Such a thing exists?!” The others were moved; none of them had ever heard of a spiritual root of heaven and earth. The Wendao Sect indeed possessed terrifying depths of knowledge.

“I will send people to search for it,” Emperor Xia said, being the first to compose himself. There was no use rushing this matter; whether it could be found depended on fate.

He then brought up another important matter: “The scheme of the Dayu cultivators in Jizhou has been exposed. Daoist Buyu of your esteemed sect was the first to discover the Dayu plot. To rescue the common people, he entered the fray, split the sky with a single sword, broke the rules of the Dayu Tribulation Transcendence stage, battled the Dayu Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivators, engaged them in a contest of wits and strength, and sent out a signal, holding out until Palace Master Chen Tao and the immortal sects arrived, ultimately helping Palace Master Chen Tao capture the Dayu Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivators.”

“This act drew widespread acclaim. Palace Master Chen Tao and the immortal sect elders greatly praised Daoist Buyu’s actions, admired him immensely, and wished to commend him. However, Daoist Buyu disregarded fame and merit, withdrawing after his success, and despite repeated searches, he could not be found.”

The expressions of everyone present were strange. They had all heard their elders’ reports regarding Dingxin City in Jizhou, and this seemed to deviate somewhat from what the elders had reported.

“Who wrote this report?” Qiu Jin’an asked, confused. Had a spy from the Wendao Sect infiltrated the imperial court? This was praising Daoist Buyu to the heavens.

Emperor Xia said with a somber expression: “It’s from a folk storytelling series, *The Legend of Wendao Sect*.”

Qiu Jin’an was speechless.

Everyone collectively looked at Lu Yang and Yun Zhi, their meaning clear: Daoist Buyu was their person, constantly stirring up rumors and trouble. What were they going to do about it?

The Immortal Fairy, being exceptionally intelligent, faced this situation by using Yun Zhi’s own words: “I am merely an acting sect master appointed by the sect master. I cannot control the sect master.”

“So?”

“So, I can write a letter suggesting the sect master abdicate in favor of a more worthy person—namely, me—then I can control him.”