Yuan Tiangang's Return Gift

After hearing Chu Xuanao's words, Yuan Tiangang no longer declined. A scroll appeared in his hand, countless lines upon it outlining a diagram, with a yin-yang Eight Trigrams symbol at its center.

The Tui Bei Tu.

Other than the central yin-yang Eight Trigrams symbol, which Chu Xuanao recognized, he did not recognize the increasingly larger rings of patterns surrounding it.

Runes on the Tui Bei Tu flickered with light as the Earth Fire Condensed Lotus was drawn into it.

Only after putting away the Earth Fire Condensed Lotus did Yuan Tiangang bow and thank Chu Xuanao for the gift.

"Yuan Tiangang thanks Your Highness for this generous reward.

Your Highness, this servant wishes to take a look around Tiandu City and examine the foundations of the various factions while I am at it."

"No matter. You need not report such matters to me in detail. Decide for yourself."

He was merely looking around the various factions in Dagan. Such trivial matters could be decided by Yuan Tiangang himself, and Chu Xuanao did not care.

As Yuan Tiangang vanished, Chu Xuanao returned to his room with Qiuyue Shuangxue.

Before leaving, he handed the White Jade Saber to Xiao Dezi and told him to have a sheath made according to its shape.

A saber without a sheath revealed all its sharpness. He did not like that.

Keep the edge hidden and conceal one's weapon upon one's person. If one did not move, so be it. Once one moved, it had to be a sure kill.

As he always said, keep quiet and don't draw attention.

Practice was the sole criterion for testing truth.

After returning to his room, Chu Xuanao began trying out his idea.

Following Qiuyue's startled cry, Chu Xuanao learned that the one-click undressing function worked.

Now this was the proper use of system storage!

Yuan Tiangang, who had just left Prince An's Mansion, halted and looked toward its entrance. It seemed things had not gone smoothly.

He saw the Blood Erosion in Zhu Wushi's tightly clenched left hand, along with some strange aura clinging to his body.

"Blood Poison. Resentment."

Zhu Wushi and his group, who had just returned to the entrance of the mansion, encountered Gu De as he was heading out.

"Eunuch Gu, has Your Highness retired?"

"Greetings, Lord Zhu. His Highness has already retired. Is there some urgent matter, Lord Zhu? And what is inside that box?"

Upon seeing Zhu Wushi, Gu De hurriedly bowed, his tone extremely respectful.

Not only had his master entrusted all of Weihu Mountain to this man, but Zhu Wushi's Mid Ascension Realm cultivation alone was beyond anything Gu De could afford to disrespect. Moreover, he was His Highness's confidant.

Behind Zhu Wushi, Duan Tianya and Guihai Yidao carried a large wooden box.

Haitang did not even need to walk, sitting directly atop the box, while Cheng Shifei was nowhere to be seen.

"Nothing much, just a small gift for His Highness. There are some matters to discuss, but they are not urgent. I will explain them to His Highness tomorrow."

"Very well, Lord Zhu, please come in. His Highness has already made arrangements for you all. I still have some matters to attend to, so I will have someone lead you there."

"Very well. Thank you, Eunuch Gu."

After finding several maidservants to guide Zhu Wushi, Gu De hurried away.

The maidservants led Zhu Wushi's group to a courtyard before withdrawing.

Yuan Tiangang appeared beside Zhu Wushi and placed a hand on his shoulder. As golden light flashed from Yuan Tiangang's hand, Zhu Wushi instantly felt much lighter.

The strange aura he had acquired during his battle with Aobei was swept away completely.

It was not that Zhu Wushi could not remove it himself, but doing so would have taken some time.

After learning from those four foreign women that Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an was behind it, he immediately returned to make preparations. Since it involved the imperial family, it naturally had to be left to His Highness to decide.

"Thank you, Hall Master."

Zhu Wushi naturally knew Yuan Tiangang. He was not only His Highness's backing, but theirs as well.

Yuan Tiangang's hidden identity was also the Hall Master of the Hidden Dragon Hall in Heaven Beyond Heaven.

"It seems your journey did not go smoothly. What happened? Where did you pick up this resentment?"

After hearing Zhu Wushi's explanation, Yuan Tiangang understood the cause.

His gaze fell upon the large wooden box. Inside were two heads and four living people.

"Enough. You should rest for now.

His Highness has already retired. We can speak tomorrow. I will go see this so-called Prince An."

Yuan Tiangang had been wondering where to begin. Now, someone had delivered themselves right to his door.

Night had fallen, and a bright moon hung high in the sky. Its light illuminated the earth as though draping it in a silver cloak.

Yuan Tiangang appeared above Prince An's Mansion. Prince An's Mansion was the residence of Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an.

Standing in the void with his hands behind his back, he concealed all traces of his aura.

Beneath a mask carved with strange patterns, sharp eyes looked down upon the entire Prince An's Mansion.

Within the main hall of Prince An's Mansion, Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an and an elderly foreigner sat in the seats of honor.

After hearing the report from his subordinate, Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an's face flushed red, and his entire body trembled.

Five people sat below. Looking around, aside from the young eunuch beside Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an and a gaunt old man seated below, everyone else in the room was a foreigner.

With a single glance from the void, Yuan Tiangang gained some understanding of Prince An's Mansion's foundation.

His gaze settled on the elderly foreigner seated beside Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an. He was steeped in the aura of decay, his breath weak and sluggish. He was clearly Half-buried in the Earth.

Yuan Tiangang raised his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together as he stared at their tips.

A wisp of blood-black mist intertwined around Yuan Tiangang's fingertips.

Within it, it seemed as though wronged souls wailed and cold winds howled, enough to seize one's very soul.

That was right. It was the Living Being's Resentment Yuan Tiangang had extracted from Zhu Wushi's body, though he had added a little something extra to it.

After hearing the conversation among Chu Xuan'an and the others, a trace of coldness flashed through Yuan Tiangang's eyes.

"Since Prince An is being so courteous, how could I possibly fail to return the gift?"

He pointed with one finger, and that wisp of blood-black aura surged into the elderly foreigner's body.

No one saw it, and no one sensed it. Even the old man himself felt nothing.

After seeing the resentment merge with him, Yuan Tiangang vanished in an instant.

He arrived outside the Imperial Palace.

The outer walls of the Imperial Palace were majestic and magnificent. Looking along them, they resembled a flowing golden painting. Moonlight cast a hazy glow over the walls, making them seem ancient and mysterious.

Imperial guards stood atop the imperial city walls like spears. There were many of them, yet the place was utterly silent.

As Yuan Tiangang looked upon the Imperial Palace, a hint of gravity appeared in his eyes.

It had to be said that Dagan's foundation, accumulated over ten thousand years, was indeed formidable.

In Yuan Tiangang's eyes, golden patterns connected to the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth lay dormant throughout the palace walls. Seen from above, the patterns spread outward, encompassing every street and alley of Tiandu City. A massive formation actually covered the entire city.

Formation patterns shone throughout the void, echoing one another. Should a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert dare to act within Tiandu City, the formation would instantly descend, lock onto their location, and ensure their death.

Even a Heavenly Being Realm expert would need some time to break the formation, but time was the most precious thing. At the slightest disturbance, the imperial clan's Heavenly Being Realm experts would arrive in an instant. By then, escape would be impossible.

And if a powerful expert personally presided over the grand formation, bolstered by National Destiny, breaking it would be easier said than done.

Above the Imperial Palace, a golden dragon coiled through the air. It stretched for more than a thousand zhang, its body covering the entire palace.

Its dragon scales gleamed brightly, and its dragon eyes remained shut. The true dragon was still asleep and made no movement, yet it radiated immense majesty.

Yuan Tiangang knew that it was the Golden Dragon of Destiny, manifested from Dagan's ten-thousand-year National Destiny.

The nation's destiny was solid and condensed around its body, without the slightest dispersion or flaw.

Looking at the Golden Dragon of Destiny, Yuan Tiangang's expression was solemn at first, but soon relaxed.

After taking another look at the National Destiny before him, Yuan Tiangang finally turned and left.