What sustained the enormous city, beyond tribute from vassal states such as Wu-Yue that still submitted to the Xian'an Court, was the Xianzhong Basin under the court's control—a land said to hold a thousand miles of golden cities and to be blessed by heaven.
Thus, even after the paths of Immortals and gods in the Eastern Glory World had suppressed the Human Way and torn the old human dynasty into four scattered pieces, the Xian'an Court still commanded an army of two hundred thousand and held Xian'an City. It could still claim to be the rightful authority under heaven.
As Tang Changsheng walked through the ancient city, where almost every step was steeped in history, he felt something extraordinary.
The Xian'an Court welcomed Tang Changsheng into the city with the highest ceremony. It even offered to vacate the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace for his residence.
Tang Changsheng refused, of course. Living inside the palace would be inconvenient, and word of it might do his reputation no good.
So the Xian'an Court quickly cleared out half an entire ward near the imperial palace to build a new Daoist temple. Named the Heaven-Reporting Temple, it would serve as a place for Tang Changsheng, the Celestial Master, to stay.
Yes, Celestial Master. He was no longer an Angel, but a Celestial Master.
To distinguish him from the so-called State Preceptors and Guardian Immortals it had supported before, the Xian'an Court honored Tang Changsheng as its Nation-Protecting Celestial Master, ranking him above the Crown Prince and the vassal kings.
In short, the Xian'an Court gave him every privilege it could offer, whether Tang Changsheng needed any of it or not!
Just like that, Tang Changsheng had become the Guardian Celestial Master of the Xian'an Court.
Naturally, as soon as the news spread, it shook