In the courtyard, a figure descended from the sky. It was Jiang Yuan, clad in a dragon robe. His hair hung loose, and he had clearly not had time to put on his crown. He stared fixedly at Jiang Changsheng's back, while Jiang Changsheng silently tucked the sword sheath into his sleeve.
"Release her. If you've come for me, then I am right here!"
Jiang Yuan said in a deep voice. True Qi surged around him, condensing into a dragon's phantom. This sight was caught by Jiang Changsheng's divine consciousness, leaving him greatly astonished.
These special effects were so cool!
More importantly, Jiang Yuan's True Qi instantly increased several dozenfold, already no weaker than the woman in his grasp.
Heaven-Reaching!
This emperor had hidden himself deeply. No wonder he could make the Martial Arts Supreme serve him.
With his back to Jiang Yuan, Jiang Changsheng asked in a hoarse voice, "Emperor, what is the identity of the fake Crown Prince?"
Jiang Yuan's expression darkened at those words. His gaze flickered. Under the night sky, his eyes looked dangerous, chilling to the bone.
"How did you learn of this matter? Who are you?"
As Jiang Yuan spoke, he stepped forward.
The Cold Palace Woman gritted her teeth. "Don't come closer. You're no match for him!"
Jiang Yuan stopped, his brows tightly furrowed. His gaze remained locked on Jiang Changsheng, trying to see through him. Jiang Changsheng was not carrying the Kirin Whisk, and the Taihang Sword was hidden in his wide sleeve. In the dim surroundings, Jiang Yuan could not discern Jiang Changsheng's identity at all.
Countless people came to his mind. He had made too many enemies in his life, and there were experts stronger than him as well.
Jiang Changsheng still had his back to him. "A dignified emperor actually orchestrated the swapping of the Crown Prince like a chess piece. Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock if word gets out? It would be one thing if the fake Crown Prince were your own flesh and blood, but if he isn't..."
His words dripped with mockery, yet Jiang Yuan did not grow angry.
Jiang Yuan asked, "What do you seek, Sir? Since you wish to ask about this, it means you did not come for me. Could it be that you know my eldest son?"
Jiang Changsheng teased, "Of course I know your eldest son. If he learned that you abandoned him in a Daoist temple and made him a little Daoist with neither father nor mother, what do you think he would feel?"
Jiang Yuan fell silent.
"What Daoist temple?" the Cold Palace Woman asked.
Jiang Changsheng said meaningfully, "How many Daoist temples are there in the capital?"
As soon as those words were spoken, the Cold Palace Woman glared at Jiang Yuan and said coldly, "Well, well, Emperor Jiang. You have toyed with me for so many years?"
Jiang Yuan's expression became incomparably ugly, while Jiang Changsheng was somewhat surprised. From her words, there was clearly another hidden truth.
Jiang Changsheng still wanted to ask, but Jiang Yuan suddenly struck. His right palm shot out, and the dragon phantom around him followed, carrying a fierce palm wind as it charged at Jiang Changsheng. The palace doors exploded outright, turning into countless wooden splinters.
"Hmph! Insolence!"
Jiang Changsheng snorted coldly and lightly struck backward with his left hand. Spiritual power spread out, effortlessly dispersing the dragon phantom. The True Qi shockwave shattered all the tables and chairs inside the palace.
What domineering power!
His strength had increased severalfold after launching his palm strike. Could this imperial father strengthen himself in multiple stages?
He truly was extraordinary!
Jiang Changsheng sighed inwardly, while Jiang Yuan was even more horrified.
"How is this possible... He dissolved my True Dragon Qi so easily... Just who is he?"
It had been a long time since Jiang Yuan had felt such pressure. The last time had been before he became emperor.
There was actually such an expert in this world!
In an instant, Jiang Yuan thought of many possibilities. He even suspected that this man was the person who had taught Changsheng martial arts.
Could he have come to support Changsheng?
No!
Why would he accept Changsheng as his disciple? Why would he support him? And how did he know the truth?
Jiang Yuan was filled with wariness, convinced that the other party had to be an enemy.
It never occurred to him that the other party could be Jiang Changsheng. Jiang Changsheng had been carried away right after birth, so he could not possibly have learned of his origins himself, much less orchestrated all this.
There had to be an enemy plotting behind the scenes!
"Emperor, are you still unwilling to speak?"
Jiang Changsheng reached out, seized the Cold Palace Woman by the throat, and lifted her up. He said sinisterly, "A Heaven-Reaching Realm expert was actually thrown into the Cold Palace by you. That is rather laughable."
Jiang Yuan's expression shifted between light and dark. Knowing he was no match for the other party, he took a deep breath and said, "I will speak. The fake Crown Prince is not my biological son. He is merely a chess piece, one destined to be discarded. If you have come to seek justice for the true Crown Prince, then rest assured. Sooner or later, he will die."
"As for my dignity, this matter will not spread. I will have the Yang family destroy him personally, then find some pretext. The Crown Prince's death will only become a regret recorded in history."
Jiang Changsheng asked, "Why use a chess piece to replace the true Crown Prince?"
Jiang Yuan sighed. "Because he cannot become Crown Prince, because the throne has already been destined. It is only that the Yang family cannot see through it. I sent him away to keep him safe. If he had been born in the palace, he would surely have died."
At that moment, he heard a great number of footsteps approaching. They were the Imperial Guards, stationed specifically in the rear of the imperial palace. The highly skilled ones had already arrived first.
This matter could not be allowed to grow too big.
Otherwise, it would disrupt his cultivation later on.
Jiang Changsheng said, "Who wants to harm him? Give me the name. Since you wish to protect him, then you and I share the same intention."
Jiang Yuan's gaze was dark and distant. "Great Vehicle Dragon Tower."
Great Vehicle Dragon Tower?
Jiang Changsheng had never heard that name before. Now that he had an answer, it was time to leave. At worst, he could return later.
He released his hand and set down the Cold Palace Woman. Then he leaped up, smashing directly through the roof of the Cold Palace and vanishing into the night without a trace.
Jiang Yuan immediately ran over to support the Cold Palace Woman.
The Cold Palace Woman shoved him away, her gaze icy. "Jiang Yuan, you have deceived me too deeply. I tolerated you giving her the position of Empress, and I tolerated her giving birth to Jiang Yu, yet you hid this from me! Tomorrow, I will kill that little bastard!"
Jiang Yuan stood and looked down at her, his eyes utterly cold. "Can you defeat that man from just now?"
The Cold Palace Woman fell silent.
Jiang Yuan said coldly, "I will fulfill what I promised you, but even a vicious tiger does not eat its cubs. He has already become an ordinary man and does not know his own origins. Why keep entangling this matter? If you dare act recklessly, then the throne will no longer be so certain. These past years, I have discovered that each of my sons possesses the talent of a True Dragon. Think it over carefully. The world has changed. You are no longer a princess of the Chu Dynasty, so stop being so willful!"
With that, Jiang Yuan turned and left. A large number of Imperial Guards arrived after him.
Jiang Yuan's voice came from outside the hall. "What happened tonight must not be spread. Whoever dares speak of it will be beheaded!"
Inside the hall, the Cold Palace Woman collapsed onto the ground. She began to laugh, her laughter bleak and sorrowful. "Laughable. I am truly laughable..."
Beneath the moonlight, Jiang Yuan displayed all the majesty of a dragon. In the darkness, she was like a vengeful ghost, staring dazedly after him as though they were separated by two lifetimes.
After returning to Dragon Arising Temple, Jiang Changsheng did not disturb Hua Jian Xin and quietly entered his room.
He changed back into his Daoist robe. He had gained much tonight.
First, he had confirmed that the Heaven-Reaching expert was no match for him.
Second, he had confirmed the true reason he had been swapped at birth: Great Vehicle Dragon Tower.
From Taoist Priest Qingxu's words, he and Jiang Yuan should have been in cahoots. Though Jiang Changsheng had been switched away, no one in Dragon Arising Temple had dared to openly kill him. It seemed that Jiang Yuan still wanted to protect him.
Of course, while Jiang Yuan had the intention of protecting him, he also intended to use the opportunity to suppress the Yang family. The heart of an emperor was impossible to fathom.
Perhaps Great Vehicle Dragon Tower was also a target Jiang Yuan wished to suppress. That was why he had told Jiang Changsheng, hoping to kill with a borrowed knife.
Jiang Changsheng was not angry. In any case, his goal was to cultivate into an immortal. If Great Vehicle Dragon Tower wished to kill him, they would send people eventually, and he could gain survival rewards from them.
This attack had not triggered a survival reward, which meant that combat was not itself a calamity. He had to be forced to accept it.
"A predetermined throne? Heh heh. Since it is not something you, Jiang Yuan, willingly accepted, then I will seize it all the more."
Jiang Changsheng's lips curved upward. The familial bonds of this life were thin, after all, because he retained the memories of his previous life. Though he needed to cultivate immortality steadily in this life, he had no intention of living a life of swallowing humiliation and yielding at every turn.
What I fear is that this vast world contains stronger experts, not everyone in it!
His decision not to use the Illusory God Eyes this time was also meant as a warning to Jiang Yuan. He had already planned when to use the Illusory God Eyes.
Jiang Changsheng was in a pleasant mood, mainly because he had confirmed that no one in the capital could threaten him.
The next day, Hua Jian Xin noticed that Jiang Changsheng seemed to be in quite a good mood. He even personally guided her in her cultivation.
Jiang Changsheng was, after all, an immortal cultivator. Immortal cultivation techniques were far more profound than her martial arts techniques. A few casual pointers were enough to benefit her greatly. All internal cultivation had common principles; only the systems of immortal cultivation differed.
The events in the imperial palace last night did not spread. Dragon Arising Temple remained lively, with a constant stream of pilgrims.
Meng Qiushuang came to seek Jiang Changsheng several times. Some nobles held statuses too lofty for her to refuse easily, so Jiang Changsheng thought it over and had White Dragon receive them.
White Dragon could also get one Spirit Enhancing Pill each month. After all, it was the one that had tested the pill. Jiang Changsheng had not treated it unfairly, and its intelligence was steadily improving. It could now understand some simple human speech. From time to time, it would even tease Hua Jian Xin. Watching Hua Jian Xin grow tense, it would often happily sway its snake head.
Meng Qiushuang stared at White Dragon, feeling that this was absurd. Yet White Dragon raised its serpentine body and nodded at her, nearly shattering her worldview.
"It..."
Meng Qiushuang knew that White Dragon understood human nature, but nodding was simply too outrageous.
Jiang Changsheng smiled and nodded. Meng Qiushuang could only suppress her shock and lead White Dragon away.
After Meng Qiushuang left, Hua Jian Xin emerged from the room and clicked her tongue in amazement. "Daoist Priest, your snake will turn into a spirit sooner or later."
White Dragon seemed cute to Jiang Changsheng, but to her, it was a terrifying thing. The more intelligent it became, the more frightening it was.
Jiang Changsheng smiled. "Wouldn't that be wonderful? It could keep us company and talk with us in the future."
Hua Jian Xin shuddered.
Hua Jian Xin changed the subject and asked, "Daoist Priest, you cultivate all day, free of worldly desires, and you rarely see anyone. Your martial arts are clearly unfathomably profound, and you are so young. What exactly are you pursuing?"
She had once heard the legendary tale of the Longevity Daoist killing the Ghost Eye Evil King at fourteen. Later, she had heard Meng Qiushuang call Jiang Changsheng her junior brother, proving that Jiang Changsheng was not old. He was so young, yet without desire or pursuit. It was truly difficult to understand.
Even ethereal immortals should have pursuits of their own.
Jiang Changsheng smiled. "As for my pursuit, naturally it is to comprehend the Dao and live longer."
Seeing that he was in a good mood, Hua Jian Xin gathered her courage and asked, "That is a long-term goal. What is your recent goal, then?"
Jiang Changsheng looked toward the distant blue sky and said leisurely, "My recent goal? I really do have one. I want a son."
Hua Jian Xin froze, thinking she had misheard. She stared at Jiang Changsheng's handsome profile, and even the tips of her ears began to redden as her heartbeat quickened.
Jiang Changsheng's attention was drawn beyond the city. Dragon Arising Temple was located at the edge of the capital, with the city district on one side and the city wall on the other. Beyond it stretched endless wild hills and wilderness.
A troop of soldiers was approaching from outside the city.
Thanks to Xu Qing Yijin for the reward of 5,000 Qidian Coins, Dan Cha Bei Xiang for 4,500 Qidian Coins, Beautiful Di Yan for 2,500 Qidian Coins, and others!
Seeing that everyone wanted a place to chat, I created a group. You can enter directly by opening the bottom of the description page, or search for the group number: 837036519
Before you continue