Earth Spirit Tree, Struggle for Imperial Power

At the mountain gate, dozens of disciples and pilgrims gathered around the small bridge. In front of them was a row of martial artist servants, led by Meng Qiuhe, the former senior disciple of the Dragon Arising Temple.

After many years away, Meng Qiuhe had become more mature, dressed in rich purple clothes, with a cyan jade thumb ring on his finger, a flowing silk jade brocade belt around his waist, and curved cloud sable fur boots on his feet, exuding the air of a powerful nobleman.

He stared at the White Dragon in front of the small bridge, his face expressionless.

The White Dragon was surrounded by many people, but it was not at all timid. Now it was three meters long, which could be considered a large snake, but it was known for its kindness. Everyone was unafraid of it, and even felt that it posed no threat at all.

Meng Qiushuang pushed through the disciples and walked over. She stared at Meng Qiuhe and said, "Second Brother, what do you mean by this?"

Meng Qiuhe played with the thumb ring on his hand and said, "It doesn't mean anything. I just want to test Changsheng Taoist Priest's strength. I always wanted to spar with him when I was at the temple, but I was always refused. Surely he will agree today, right?"

Meng Qiushuang frowned and said, "If it's just a spar, why bring so many people and why threaten us?"

Meng Qiuhe pulled out a dagger from his waist and said, "Little Sister, don't ask anymore. You and I are strangers now. Call Changsheng out. As long as I defeat him, I won't bother you again."

Behind him was a handsome young man, seemingly fifteen or sixteen years old, but with a deep and calculating look in his eyes. He said with a smile, "Hurry up, this Prince can't wait any longer."

Meng Qiuhe gritted his teeth and pointed the dagger at the White Dragon, preparing to stab it.

"I'm here."

A light voice came, and the disciples made way. Jiang Changsheng walked over leisurely, and the pilgrims immediately exclaimed.

"Is he Changsheng Taoist Priest?"

"How handsome!"

"With this temperament, could he really be an immortal?"

"Even the horsetail whisk in his hand is different from other Taoists, it looks extremely extraordinary."

Jiang Changsheng's image was extremely outstanding, especially after breaking through to the fifth level of the Dao Follows Nature Skill, his aura was almost integrated with the natural world, vast and righteous.

Meng Qiuhe withdrew his hand and looked at Jiang Changsheng, his eyes full of aggression.

The young man behind him was also carefully examining Jiang Changsheng.

The reason why Jiang Changsheng came out in person was because of this young man. He was incredibly close to the Heaven Arrival Realm, and his True Qi was even stronger than Hua Jian Xin's. The disciples of the Dragon Arising Temple were definitely no match for him.

How old is he?

Jiang Changsheng even suspected that this young man was cultivating immortality.

Meng Qiuhe said, "Changsheng, come on, let me see your strength."

He adopted a stance, clenching his fists with his hands, posing like a fierce tiger opening its mouth, his legs spread apart, as stable as Mount Tai.

Jiang Changsheng nodded slightly, thinking to himself, This Senior Brother has actually become a Peerless Expert, it seems he has had some great opportunities. Unfortunately, his skills are still amateurish.

Meng Qiuhe rushed in front of Jiang Changsheng in one stride, so fast that the eyes of the onlookers couldn't keep up.

Bang!

He punched Jiang Changsheng in the chest, but Jiang Changsheng didn't move at all, only his Taoist robe fluttered.

Meng Qiuhe's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. He gritted his teeth and poured all the True Qi in his body into his right arm, wanting to overpower Jiang Changsheng, but it was still useless.

Just then, the young man suddenly moved.

"Changsheng Taoist Priest is really powerful enough, don't mind if I lend him a hand!"

The young man came behind Meng Qiuhe, with a playful, provocative smile. He raised his right palm and pressed it on Meng Qiuhe's shoulder, and surging True Qi erupted, Meng Qiuhe's spirit shook.

The two people's True Qi attacked Jiang Changsheng together, however, Jiang Changsheng's footsteps were as firm as tree roots.

The two were moved.

"How is it possible!"

The young man was horrified in his heart, he knew his own strength very well, ordinary Peerless Experts could not last three moves in his hands, he relied on his powerful internal strength.

Meng Qiuhe also knew the strength of the young man behind him, and originally thought that with the young man's move, it would be foolproof, but he did not expect that the two of them working together would not work.

Jiang Changsheng said calmly: "You two, go back and practice hard."

Boom!

The young man and Meng Qiuhe vomited blood and flew out, smashing in front of the mountain gate, almost rolling down the stone steps.

The servants were so frightened that they immediately surrounded them and checked the young man's injuries.

One of them said angrily: "Bold! You dare to hurt the Seventh Prince, you are looking for death!"

Seventh Prince!

Seventh Prince?

The pilgrims were in an uproar, and the disciples were also frightened.

Jiang Changsheng shook his head and said, "In full view of everyone, could it be that you want to slander me for trying to harm the Seventh Prince? It was originally a sparring between me and Senior Brother Meng, and it was the Seventh Prince who took the initiative to attack."

"You... hurting the Seventh Prince is not okay, it's a capital crime!"

The servant roared with a ferocious expression, but he didn't dare to attack Jiang Changsheng at all.

At this time, the Seventh Prince got up, came to the servant, and slapped him directly, humming: "You embarrassing thing, get out of here for this prince!"

The servant was so frightened that he ran away with his tail between his legs, not daring to be arrogant anymore.

The Seventh Prince wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and cupped his hands to Jiang Changsheng: "Changsheng Taoist Priest is indeed powerful, with such skill, in today's martial arts world, I am afraid that few people can match it. This prince is convinced of his loss, and will not let anyone come to disturb you again in the future. I hope that the Taoist Priest will not hold a grudge against this prince, this prince really wants to make friends with the Taoist Priest."

Jiang Changsheng chuckled: "It's just a martial arts competition, if Your Highness wants to come to offer incense, Dragon Arising Temple will always welcome you."

The Seventh Prince smiled, then turned and left.

Meng Qiuhe got up, gave Jiang Changsheng a complicated look, and then followed him down the mountain, with the other servants following closely behind.

The disciples and pilgrims surrounded him, cheering for Jiang Changsheng. The Jiang Changsheng just now did not make a move, but showed the demeanor of a grandmaster and Taoist Priest, and was able to easily defeat a strong enemy.

Jiang Changsheng actually guessed that the other party was a prince, because this kid's True Qi was very similar to Jiang Yuan's, even Jiang Yu and the Second Prince did not have such True Qi.

True Dragon Qi!

After Jiang Changsheng exchanged pleasantries with the surrounding people, he left, and White Dragon stayed in place, enjoying the love of the pilgrims.

Back in the courtyard, a line of words appeared in front of Jiang Changsheng:

[In the twenty-second year of Kaiyuan, the Seventh Prince came with Meng Qiuhe, you successfully repelled them, survived a disaster, and received a survival reward - the spiritual object 'Earth Spirit Tree']

A spiritual object?

This is the first time I've seen one.

Jiang Changsheng thought silently, then returned to his room to receive the memories related to the Earth Spirit Tree.

The Earth Spirit Tree is a type of tree that nurtures spiritual Qi. Once it matures, it can develop sentience and even defend its territory. It's quite a good tree species.

Jiang Changsheng took it out. Currently, it was just a seed. He followed it out of the house and buried it in the center of the courtyard.

Hua Jianxin walked out of the house and asked curiously, "What is this?"

Jiang Changsheng smiled and said, "I was walking on the road just now, and a seed suddenly fell from the sky. Perhaps it's a gift from heaven. Let's try it and see if we can grow a towering tree."

Hua Jianxin was silent.

She was already used to Jiang Changsheng's eccentricities. She really wanted to ask when he was planning to have a son.

Ever since Jiang Changsheng mentioned it last year, she had been waiting, but after a year, there was no news. She even wondered if she was dreaming at the time.

After Jiang Changsheng buried the seed, he left a sentence and left: "Water it when you have time."

Watching Jiang Changsheng enter the house, Hua Jianxin was stunned for a while, then stomped her foot gently. Although she was resentful, she still honestly went to the water tank to scoop water.

The Seventh Prince's disturbance did not worry Jiang Changsheng, but rather made him look forward to it.

More small troubles like this could come to help him farm survival rewards.

As long as that unknown Great Vehicle Dragon Tower doesn't make a move, everything will be fine.

When dealing with the Seventh Prince just now, Jiang Changsheng had deliberately controlled his spiritual power, only using a little force, about one percent, for fear of shaking to death these two guys.

The news of the Seventh Prince leading the Martial Arts Champion to challenge Changsheng Taoist Priest quickly spread in Jing City, adding to the prestige of Changsheng Taoist Priest.

In the imperial palace, in the imperial garden, a group of princes gathered.

"Hahaha, Seventh Brother, you actually dared to challenge Changsheng Taoist Priest. You don't believe in evil, huh? Didn't I tell you about the ending of Returning Yang Old Immortal before?"

The Second Prince Jiang Ming laughed loudly. The Seventh Prince stood behind Jiang Qian, watching him play chess with his other brothers. Facing Jiang Ming's sarcasm, he remained unmoved.

A prince stood up and said with a smile, "Seventh Brother is young and full of vigor. It's understandable. After all, Changsheng Taoist Priest is a Taoist favored by Father Emperor. How could he not be highly skilled in martial arts?"

The other princes followed suit, comforting the Seventh Prince and giving him a way out.

Jiang Ming curled his lips, feeling bored, and didn't say anything more.

He asked Jiang Qian, "Where's Fourth Brother?"

Jiang Qian placed a chess piece and said, "He's pestering Zong Tianwu to practice martial arts."

Ever since being taught a lesson by Zong Tianwu, Jiang Yu had been pestering Zong Tianwu to practice martial arts, and even didn't go to Jiang Changsheng.

In his opinion, Zong Tianwu was stronger. After all, Jiang Changsheng was just a Taoist, while Zong Tianwu was the Martial Arts Supreme, a legend in the hearts of martial artists.

Jiang Ming teased, "Big Brother, your Fourth Brother is not simple. He's been trying to win over military power everywhere since he came back."

Jiang Qian didn't say anything, concentrating on playing chess. The other princes pretended not to hear.

Recently, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Fourth Prince have been fighting openly and secretly. They are all trying to win over civil and military officials in the court, which is already well-known, while the emperor sits high on the dragon throne, thinking about annexing Gu Han in the future.

Although Great Jing has won repeatedly in battles, the territory of Gu Han is vast, and the long journey is very exhausting for the soldiers of Great Jing, making it impossible to attack the capital of Gu Han.

The Seventh Prince suddenly said, "Speaking of which, what exactly does Father Emperor mean? Why hasn't he allowed Eldest Brother to reside in the Eastern Palace yet?"

The Eastern Palace is where the Crown Prince resides. As the Crown Prince, his position as the designated heir is unstable if he doesn't live in the Eastern Palace for even a day.

The princes all looked at Jiang Qian, who remained expressionless and said, "Father Emperor is still in his prime, why would we need to consider these things?"

Indeed.

Father Emperor still dreams of immortality.

The princes shook their heads and chuckled.

Jiang Ming suddenly asked, "Seventh Brother, have you made any connections with experts in the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower? Is there anyone stronger than Zong Tianwu?"

The Seventh Prince turned his head and said, "Of course there are. The Great Vehicle Dragon Tower is the pillar of the Great Jing Dynasty, holding royal secrets. It's just too low-key, otherwise, how could the position of Martial Arts Supreme be allowed to go to Zong Tianwu?"

Jiang Ming's eyes lit up, and he immediately went over, put his arm around the Seventh Prince's shoulder, and pulled him aside.

The other princes didn't bother them, either because they had no ambition, or because they didn't dare to show it.

With the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Fourth Prince vying for power, and the Seventh Prince being the most favored by the Emperor, the other princes seemed to have very little presence in comparison.

Spring passes and autumn comes, and another beautiful autumn arrives.

In the twenty-third year of Kaiyuan, Jiang Changsheng was busy cultivating, his cultivation steadily increasing, but the sixth level of the Dao Follows Nature Skill seemed far out of reach. Hua Jianxin also hadn't stepped into the Heaven Arrival Realm, still just a step away.

"Alas, now the Second Prince and the Crown Prince are even daring to scold each other in the imperial court. It's truly outrageous! His Majesty doesn't even discipline the Second Prince. I think he's starting to become muddle-headed again..."

Chen Li was pouring out his grievances to Jiang Changsheng, still as unrestrained and bold as ever.