After entering the crystal gate, King Xi felt as if he had stepped into a world awash in flowing radiance. He did not pause, but continued onward.
After roughly a dozen steps, the light finally faded and solid ground settled beneath his feet. He found himself in a metal corridor. Opposite him stood a thick crystal wall, upon which symbols formed of golden light flickered without cease.
The light behind him flashed, and the creation artificer followed him inside. "Your Highness, once we reach that crystal wall ahead, this subordinate will be unable to proceed."
"That is precisely as it should be," King Xi said. "It means Zhu Shi and the others cannot enter either."
As the Hao Sovereign's full-blooded younger brother, he could enter this place. So long as the reigning Hao Sovereign could not fulfill his own duties, by law and rite King Xi could take his place. Many places held no obstacle for him. That was also why the Council of Elders feared him so greatly.
Yet there were also places only the Hao Sovereign could enter.
For instance, the "Perfect Creation" currently being forged within was entirely handled by the imperial clan's creation craftsmen. It was sealed within the inner treasury, practically a city within a city. It was ordinarily cut off from the outside world and could provide its own food and water. The old council might be able to destroy it, but it absolutely could not interfere in its specific internal affairs.
He arrived before the Imperial Jade Wall, picked up the hand blade placed beside it, and slit his palm and fingertips in succession. Then he slowly pressed his hand against it. His blood spread outward, seeping into the flashing runes and filling them one by one.
His face turned somewhat pale. The