Zhu Yuanzhang: Treat Young Master Xiao as a deity!

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Congratulations, Host! You have obtained one Origin Returning Pill! Note: After taking it, it can alter your physique, removing all attribute restrictions. You will be able to cultivate and use cultivation techniques and skills of any attribute from All Heavens Myriad Realms!

Although this Origin Returning Pill could not increase his strength, its effect seemed quite good!

Hearing the system reward, Xiao Fan's heart stirred slightly as he thought to himself.

"Welcome, Young Master Xiao!"

As Xiao Fan was lost in thought, Zhu Yuanzhang's voice sounded beside him.

Xiao Fan looked in the direction of the voice and saw Zhu Yuanzhang dressed in casual clothes. He had a burly build, a broad square face, and a short beard around his lips. He looked no different from an ordinary man, without the exaggerated appearance often seen in film and television dramas.

Xiao Fan smiled faintly. "Ming Emperor, you are too polite."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed. "Young Master Xiao, just call me Old Zhu. I wouldn't dare put on airs before you."

Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Xiao Fan merely smiled and said nothing more.

Zhu Yuanzhang gestured ahead. "Young Master Xiao, this way, please!"

Xiao Fan nodded slightly and followed Zhu Yuanzhang to the Hall of Preserving Harmony, where the imperial palace received guests and held banquets.

Several eunuchs followed behind the two of them.

The moment they reached the entrance of the Hall of Preserving Harmony, a eunuch shrieked, "His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!"

"Your son greets Father Emperor!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"..."

Very soon, voices paying respects to Zhu Yuanzhang rang out from within the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

Naturally, these people had been arranged by Zhu Yuanzhang. They were mainly princes and princesses, along with two rather special guests.

"What are you shouting for?" Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and scolded him before saying to Xiao Fan, "Young Master Xiao, please forgive the spectacle."

Xiao Fan smiled. "It is nothing. I know a little about these formalities as well."

"Thank you for your understanding, Young Master Xiao." Zhu Yuanzhang thanked him, then said to everyone in the Hall of Preserving Harmony, "This is Young Master Xiao Fan, a being like an immortal. Come and pay your respects to Young Master Xiao."

"Greetings, Young Master Xiao!"

Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Crown Prince Zhu Biao was the first to bow to Xiao Fan.

Though the others were somewhat doubtful and surprised, they dared not show anything before Zhu Yuanzhang and all stepped forward to greet Xiao Fan.

Zhu Yuanzhang introduced them to Xiao Fan. "The first one to speak just now was my eldest son, Zhu Biao. The others are also some of my children and grandchildren. They have all long admired Young Master Xiao, so I brought them to meet you in person. I hope Young Master Xiao will not blame me."

"I will not." Xiao Fan smiled. "By the way, I have some special Royal Jelly here. Let it serve as a meeting gift for these princes and princesses."

As he spoke, Xiao Fan's thoughts stirred, and he took several bottles of Royal Jelly from the System Space.

He had obtained this Royal Jelly from the nest of a Sixth-Order High-Level Magical Beast, an Earth Tyrant Bear, and had intended to save it as a drink.

To Xiao Fan, it was merely a beverage, but to Zhu Yuanzhang and his children and grandchildren, it was absolutely a treasure on the level of a spiritual medicine.

"Thank you, Young Master Xiao." As their representative, Zhu Biao received Xiao Fan's gift with both hands and voiced his thanks.

Xiao Fan reminded them, "By the way, this Royal Jelly contains immense energy. After consuming it, it can not only strengthen the body and prolong life, but also increase cultivation and strength. However, ordinary people must remember not to consume too much at first. Ming Emperor, you can try some yourself first, then distribute it in appropriate amounts."

"Thank you, Young Master Xiao!" Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up at once, and he hurriedly thanked him.

Sure enough, nothing Young Master Xiao gave away was simple.

After chatting idly with Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, and the others in the palace for a while, Xiao Fan found it rather uninteresting and said, "In the world where you reside, there seem to be three factions: the Cihang Swordplay Sect, the Raging Flood Dragon Gang, and the Demon Master Palace, correct?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Young Master Xiao truly knows all things. May I ask what you intend?"

Xiao Fan said, "Each of these three factions has cultivation techniques that interest me. I intend to borrow them for a look."

Zhu Yuanzhang cautiously said, "The Cihang Swordplay Sect's leader, Yan Jing'an, has some friendship with me. If they should offend you in any way, I hope you will show mercy."

"Rest assured, I am merely borrowing their cultivation techniques. I will not kill people casually." Xiao Fan smiled in response, then his figure flickered several times before vanishing from the imperial palace.

At first, Zhu Biao and the other princes and imperial descendants had wondered whether Zhu Yuanzhang had been fooled by Xiao Fan. His meeting gift had actually been honey—would imperial descendants like them lack such a thing?

But now, as they watched Xiao Fan's drifting figure depart, everyone was utterly shocked.

"Father Emperor, this man..."

Zhu Biao's eyes were filled with astonishment, but he stopped himself before finishing.

Zhu Yuanzhang solemnly said, "Biao'er, remember this: treat Young Master Xiao as you would a deity. Whatever he commands, simply do it."

"This... Your son obeys." Zhu Biao hesitated slightly, but under Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze, he ultimately agreed.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Come, let us first test the effects of this Royal Jelly. Perhaps it will bring us a surprise."

Meanwhile, after leaving the imperial palace, Xiao Fan directly released Xiao Jin, then rode Xiao Jin toward Northern Yuan territory.

He intended to proceed from far to near. Once he had finished sweeping through these factions, he would bid Zhu Yuanzhang farewell and return to the Dou Qi World.

Before long, Xiao Jin carried Xiao Fan into Northern Yuan territory.

Xiao Fan directly unleashed his powerful soul perception, searching Northern Yuan for relatively powerful auras.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Xiao Fan sensed an evil and powerful aura.

Of course, it was only powerful compared to the people of the Wind and Cloud world.

"Xiao Jin, descend!"

After sensing that aura, Xiao Fan immediately had Xiao Jin take him down.

Within the Demon Master Palace.

As usual, Pang Ban was comprehending the Dao Heart Demon Seed Great Art while awaiting the Demon Seed's maturation, after which he would harvest it.

"Judging by the days, the Demon Seed should be nearing maturity. I hope my Dao Heart Demon Seed can reach perfection."

Pang Ban looked in the direction of Great Ming and muttered to himself.

Suddenly, Pang Ban sensed two powerful auras approaching the Demon Master Palace. He immediately steadied his mind, his expression turning incomparably grave.

Before he could make any response, Xiao Fan, riding Xiao Jin, had already descended before him.

"If nothing unexpected has happened, you must be Demon Master Pang Ban, correct?" Xiao Fan looked at the handsome yet sinister man before him and spoke with certainty.

Pang Ban stared at Xiao Fan with a grave expression. "I am Pang Ban. Who are you?"

Xiao Fan said indifferently, "Who I am is unimportant. I have heard that you possess the supreme Dao Heart Demon Seed technique. I hope to borrow it for a look."

From the perspective of Martial Dao cultivation alone, Xiao Fan held some admiration for Pang Ban.

However, Pang Ban had given the woman he loved to another man as a wife for the sake of cultivation, and he was bent on overthrowing Great Ming. In these respects, Xiao Fan had no favorable impression of him.

Thus, Xiao Fan showed Pang Ban not the slightest courtesy.

Pang Ban's expression instantly turned cold. "Arrogant! You are courting death!"

As his voice fell, his figure flashed. Pang Ban had already appeared within one meter of Xiao Fan, his right hand clawed as he fiercely reached for Xiao Fan's throat!

"Why bother?"

Xiao Fan shook his head slightly. Without moving from where he stood, Pang Ban suddenly seemed to have been struck by lightning and was sent flying backward!

Pfft!

Pang Ban spat out a mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale and his eyes filled with disbelief. "Who exactly are you?"

Xiao Fan could not be bothered to waste any more time. He directly used the Soul Deterrence Art on Pang Ban, then extracted the method for the Dao Heart Demon Seed Great Art.

"I'll leave you an intact corpse!"

After obtaining what he wanted, Xiao Fan's thoughts stirred, and a Soul Sword slashed out, directly annihilating Pang Ban's soul.

A generation of Demon Master who had dominated the martial world for decades had fallen just like that!

After dealing with Pang Ban, Xiao Fan immediately rode Xiao Jin and soared into the sky once more.

Looking back at the Demon Master Palace behind him, Xiao Fan's thoughts stirred, and he suddenly unleashed a Startling Thunder Palm.

Boom!

In an instant, the land for several miles around the Demon Master Palace collapsed with a thunderous crash!

Everyone remaining within the Demon Master Palace was buried beneath its ruins alongside their Demon Master!

Xiao Fan felt little about this. He simply guided Xiao Jin toward his next destination.