The Blood Robe Daoist sat cross-legged in the Household Hall, his eyes closed as he cultivated.
People came and went through the great hall. From time to time, members of the Horned Demon Tribe passed through the palace, their gazes upon the Blood Robe Daoist filled with hatred, disgust, and contempt... These relatively young cultivators were still unable to conceal their emotions perfectly.
Yet not one of them dared step forward and utter a single insult.
Jiang Ding did not care in the slightest.
He had forgotten both self and surroundings. Even at this moment, he continued drawing in and exhaling the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, steadily cultivating and strengthening his foundation bit by bit. The excellent cultivation environment within the imperial palace had increased his cultivation speed considerably, and he was still advancing slowly.
No one knew how much time passed.
"The Imperial Son wishes to see you."
King Mo Shan's deep voice echoed through the air.
Jiang Ding opened his eyes, slowly finished his cultivation, nodded, rose to his feet, and headed with King Mo Shan toward the heart of the palace complex.
The two walked side by side, seemingly just as they had in the years when they worked together—plotting against one another, stabbing each other in the back, deceiving and scheming, while smiling warmly on the surface and calling each other brothers and close friends.
Silence reigned.
"Why?"
"Why can't you be more obedient?"
King Mo Shan could not help lowering his voice to ask. It was not out of sympathy, merely pure confusion, an incomprehension within his Dao heart. "Weren't you like this before?"
"When it came to currying favor and fawning over others, you surpassed me by heaven knows how much. You made the Imperial Son extraordinarily pleased, to the point that