Audience, Part 2

Bite.

Outside the main hall, a palace maid gently tapped Jade Chime, creating a sound.

"Enter!"

"Announcing that Dao Child Zhang Ying, the Daoist Guardian of the Great Dao Sect and guardian of the Ci Tong Port, is hereby granted an audience."

The chants echoed far and wide.

On the long and arduous path of audience with the Lord.

Zhang Rongfang changed into a white Daoist robe and wore a silver- Sunny Flower Crown. Led by palace maids and eunuchs, he quickly crossed the 500-meter-long main audience route and headed towards the slowly opening gate of the Esteem Virtue Hall.

He looked ahead, his expression calm and natural, towards the Esteem Virtue Hall.

The entire Esteem Virtue Hall is at least a hundred meters high, resembling an open book placed among the palaces.

The palace was entirely white, with flawless white walls devoid of any patterns.

Only at the very top of the entire palace is there a huge golden vertical pupil that overlooks everything.

That represents the supreme divine symbol in the Ling Sect — the Eye of Azure Heaven.

That is, the Eye of the Flying Spirit.

Passing through the main road surrounded by high walls, we entered the gate. There stood the spacious Esteem Virtue Hall, over thirty meters long and over twenty meters wide.

On either side of the main hall stand two five-meter-tall white armored humanoid sculptures.

These two men, one wielding a long mace and the other a giant shield, wore ferocious masks and stood like door gods, flanking the other.

A crystal skylight overhead casts down beams of pale colored light.

These beams of light formed a beautiful pattern of a dragon soaring through clouds on the ground.

At the end of the main hall, intricately patterned steps extend upwards, connecting to a golden and White Jade throne.

The throne was wide and tall, and sitting on it was an ordinary-looking, neither fat nor thin, white-haired old man.

Zhang Rongfang looked up and saw that the old man was dressed in an imperial robe, wearing a dark gold crown with tassels, and his face was covered by a fine amber beaded curtain, making it impossible to understand his thoughts and feelings by observing his words and expressions.

As soon as Zhang Rongfang entered the gate, he instantly felt a chill run through his body.

A bone-chilling cold had now spread throughout my body.

It wasn't just a psychological chill; the air temperature was also genuinely cold.

The temperature in the entire hall was estimated to be in the single digits.

He lowered his head, strode forward, stood in the audience area covered with a pure white carpet, and then knelt respectfully, bowing with learned prostrations.

"Your subject, Zhang Ying, the Citong Guardian, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

The hall seemed to have some kind of amplification structure. His voice was at an ordinary volume, but once he spoke, it was exceptionally clear and carried all around, even with a slight echo.

"Rise."

A steady, but weak, male voice slowly drifted over.

"Yes."

Zhang Rongfang stood up, head bowed, and stood still.

Then there was silence.

The Ling Emperor above remained silent, seemingly observing him.

According to the rules, if His Majesty does not speak, he cannot speak either and can only wait.

Even when he first entered, he was not allowed to look up and survey his surroundings without His Majesty's permission.

Time passed little by little.

Several minutes later.

Ling Emperor then slowly spoke again.

"During Minister Zhang's tenure, the amount of tax revenue collected in Citong increased by 30% compared to previous years. The chaotic atmosphere in Ci Tong Port was swept away, and the number of large fleets increased by three."

"I've seen all of these. Very good." He sighed.

"Now, our Great Ling is invincible and its might is overwhelming. However, to govern the world, in addition to martial arts, we also need civil administration. Both civil administration and martial arts are indispensable."

"So, Minister Zhang, whatever your entanglements with the Western Sect, whatever your conflicts with them, none of that matters. What matters is that you've achieved something!"

Ling Emperor spoke solemnly.

"Achievements deserve rewards! Before you came, I had already decided to send you to Ze Province to serve as the Prefect of Zhuming Port. What do you think?"

Ze Province? Zhang Rongfang's heart skipped a beat. According to the information he had received from Cheng Hui, Ze Province was currently in turmoil. The True One Sect and the Western Sect were locked in a fierce battle there.

The Heavenly Maiden was also there, but she was injured and went into hiding, her whereabouts unknown.

For a moment, he was unsure what Ling Emperor was thinking.

But this was an appointment, not a real inquiry into whether he wanted to go.

"I thank you Lord for your kindness."

He immediately bowed in gratitude.

"Excellent. To have achieved so much at such a young age, and to be so responsible, truly a pillar of our Great Ling." The Ling Emperor nodded in satisfaction.

He coughed lightly twice.

"Furthermore, I heard that you have been experiencing some physical discomfort in Citong due to your cultivation of Civilian Skill. I hereby bestow upon you another Flying Spirit Feather Talisman, which you should wear at all times to ensure your physical and mental well-being and prevent any external evils from invading you."

Soon, a palace maid carrying a silver tray came out from a side door.

The palace maid walked quickly toward Zhang Rongfang, carrying a tray with a pure white feather on it.

On the surface, it really does seem to be just an ordinary feather.

However, upon closer inspection, one can discover that the feather shaft is engraved with countless densely packed silver symbols on its extremely fine surface.

The feather fibers, when passing through the bright beam of light, flashed with a faint silver luster.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty!" Zhang Rongfang replied respectfully.

Just as the palace maids kept approaching.

Suddenly, a sense of dread washed over him.

My heart tightened and my heartbeat quickened, as if something extremely dangerous was gradually approaching.

This feeling is wonderful.

An ordinary person might not notice.

However, Zhang Rongfang's physique has long surpassed that of ordinary people, reaching a level where he can directly contend with the Worship God Grandmaster.

With such intensity, even a body of flesh and blood can have a precise perception and early warning of changes in the surrounding environment.

Martial artists with strong Qi and blood often have this feeling.

At this moment, seeing the palace maids approaching, Zhang Rongfang felt a sense of foreboding.

His muscles tightened involuntarily.

But it's only when the muscles tighten.

In an instant, dozens of piercing gazes from the dark corners of the Esteem Virtue Hall surrounded him.

Those gazes were like sharp knives; just the sight of them made Zhang Rongfang's scalp tingle.

Even when facing the Sea Dragon King's Kong Wu Final Form head-on, he didn't have such an exaggerated physical stress reaction.

'There's definitely something wrong with this Flying Spirit Feather Talisman was bestowed as a reward!!'

At this moment, Zhang Rongfang already understood.

Otherwise, his body wouldn't have given him such a strong warning.

But he didn't know what danger it might pose.

But Ling Emperor ruled the world and wielded immense power; if he were to do something to him, he would be powerless to resist.

If they really wanted to kill him, they wouldn't have gone through all this trouble from so far away.

It's even less likely that he would be promoted first and then killed.

Therefore, this can be inferred.

This Flying Spirit Feather Talisman is most likely a hidden item bestowed upon him to control and threaten him.

The palace maid had already walked up to Zhang Rongfang and bowed to place the tray in front of him.

Zhang Rongfang took a deep breath, feeling the gazes around him growing colder and more stern.

He knew that if he hesitated or wavered, something bad might happen.

Regardless, he has the Attribute Panel, so even if it's some kind of control or threat, he can always find a way to resolve it once he gets through this ordeal.

So, let's get through this first! Immediately, he reached out and grabbed the Flying Spirit Feather Talisman.

Wait!!!

Whoosh! Suddenly a figure appeared beside Zhang Rongfang, its plump buttocks bumping against him, causing Zhang Rongfang to stumble.

"Your Majesty, it's unreasonable to summon this old Daoist's Final Disciple from so far away without even informing me, isn't it?"

The newcomer was none other than Yue Dewen, who had gained even more weight! He was wearing Purple Daoist Robe, a lotus-shaped purple-gold crown, and there were still oil stains on the corners of his mouth.

As you get closer, you can smell the aroma of roast duck. Before Ling Emperor could reply, Yue Dewen spotted the somewhat bewildered palace maid and the tray she was carrying.

I also saw the Flying Spirit Feather Talisman inside.

Snap. He grabbed with his chubby hand and pinched out Flying Spirit Feather Talisman.

"Is this a reward for my disciple? Thank you, Your Majesty. I won't stand on ceremony and will accept it." He smiled and stuffed the Flying Spirit Feather Talisman into the inner pocket of his chest.

The main hall was completely silent.

The gazes from the shadows around them shifted away without a trace of emotion, seemingly deliberately avoiding contact with Yue Dewen.

Ling Emperor sat upright on his throne, looking down at Yue Dewen, who was feigning madness. His expression was hidden behind the beaded curtain.

"It seems that Yue Qing is really Zhang Ying Minister Zhang," he said calmly, with a meaningful tone.

"There's no other way," Yue Dewen, his small eyes narrowing slightly. "This is the only hope I have left. If I don't protect it well, it might be gone in the future. Your Majesty, please forgive me..."

He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Ling Emperor, still wearing a smile.

After coughing twice, Ling Emperor shook his head, seemingly unable to do anything about him, and waved his hand.

"Forget it, go ahead. Anything involving you, Yue Dewen, ends up being a mess."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Yue Dewen slapped Zhang Rongfang on the buttocks.

"Aren't you going to thank the Emperor for his great favor?"

"Thank you for your great grace!" Zhang Rongfang 'awoke from his dream' and quickly kowtowed again.

"I'm leaving now!" Yue Dewen grabbed Zhang Rongfang and pulled him out of the Esteem Virtue Hall.

The two moved with incredible speed, stepping from the shadows of the main hall into the bright sunlight, which slightly dispelled the biting chill.

Zhang Rongfang turned around and glanced into the main hall.

Ling Emperor remained seated on his throne, high above, with a seven-colored pillar of light hanging down beside him and two human-shaped sculptures guarding him.

But the outermost areas are shrouded in darkness and cold.

Although Esteem Virtue Hall was not very large, the surrounding darkness was so intense that it seemed to stretch on forever.

"Stop looking." Slap

Yue Dewen slapped him so hard that he twisted his head back.

"Master, when did you arrive?" Zhang Rongfang quickly asked with a smile.

"Did we arrive in time?" Yue Dewen glanced at him sideways.

"Timely! Couldn't be more timely!!" Zhang Rongfang gave a thumbs up.

"You think you can touch that Flying Spirit Feather Talisman?!" Yue Dewen chuckled twice. "It is indeed a valuable core item of the Spirit Flight Teaching Sect. It can protect the mind, strengthen the body, prolong life, and has countless other miraculous effects. But..."

He pulled Zhang Rongfang to the side while looking around.

"But once you get your hands on that thing, you can expect to become Holy Spirit of the Spirit Flight Teaching."

"The Holy Spirit?"

"Oh, you don't know yet? It means you can breed with the Imperial Clan. From a ninety-year-old grandmother to a thirteen-year-old girl, anyone can ask you for your seed at any time."

Yue Dewen clicked his tongue in amazement.

"In this deep palace, according to the rules, every Imperial Clan woman must give birth to one child. So you know, once you take over, you will indeed gain a lot of benefits, but don't expect to have a good life afterward. Once you're taken there, you'll be busy for several days."

Dozens, even hundreds, of people would take turns borrowing the goods, then bring them back to rest, and this process would repeat. What good would it do to cultivate your Civilian Skill then?!

Yue Dewen clearly contains elements of deliberate exaggeration.

"Moreover, that thing might make you gradually forget it."

"What do you mean?" Zhang Rongfang frowned. He didn't understand what he meant.

"That's right, once you get your hands on it, you'll forget you ever had it. And when you completely forget about it one day, it will suddenly and mysteriously disappear."

"By then, it will influence you, gradually making you more and more loyal to the Imperial Clan. It will also amplify your pleasure in that area, supposedly by a great deal," Yue Dewen said mysteriously.

"Gulp." Zhang Rongfang blinked, swallowed, and felt a chill run down his spine.

"Scared? This is the Human Seed of people the Spirit Flight Teaching!" Yue Dewen shoved him back into the sedan chair at the Heavenly Treasure Palace.

Then I crawled in too.

The two sat down facing each other inside the sedan chair.

"Get out of here!" he shouted.

"Yes."

The four sedan chair bearers responded in hushed tones. They quickly lifted the sedan chair and hurried away from the palace.

"Actually, the teachings of the Spirit Flight Teaching are somewhat similar to those of the Western Sect. They both advocate blissful ascension to heaven. It's the same thing, pursuing that feeling that arises in the moment of liberation."

Yue Dewen grabbed the teapot, tilted his head back, and gulped it down in one go.

He put down the teapot and looked at Zhang Rongfang again.

"So, if you accept that Flying Spirit Feather Talisman, you'll be poached and become a member of the Spirit Flight Teaching. I've worked so hard to train you for so long and invested so much. If you're poached all at once, I'll go back and cry my eyes out."

"Is it really that weird?!" Zhang Rongfang a little incredulous.

"You'll understand as you get to know more. Sigh, it seems it's time for you to get to know these things too." Yue Dewen stroked his chin, squeezing the three slits into two.

"Considering you went out for a while, and that Civilian Skill has at least reached the later stages, I'll give you a reward."

"Anything given by the master must be good stuff!" Zhang Rongfang quickly flattered.

"Didn't you ask to go to Ze Province?" Yue Dewen smiled mysteriously. "Perfect timing. You have a Grandmaster Uncle who wants to meet you. Sending you there to broaden your horizons wouldn't be bad, so you won't be so clueless and get scammed without even realizing it."

"Grandmaster Uncle??" Zhang Rongfang was taken aback.