Negotiations

Before the news of the Empress Dowager's passing had spread beyond an 800-mile radius, Daojun's arrival was clearly not due to the news of her death, but rather because he had a preordained plan.

The other party may have used an avatar, or they may have had limited interest in the Nine Dragon Cauldron, or they may have come because they were invited, or they may have wanted to avoid their physical body being trapped in Chang'an City.

The Daoist Lord came, and then left.

But the news brought by Daojun is very important, at least to Divine Lord Zhenyuan.

He rolled up his sleeves, took out a set of black mourning clothes sent by Princess Dou, put them on, and then walked out from the back hall.

The Empress Dowager and Princess Dou were locked in a standoff for a long time, and it was only at this point that formal arrangements were made for the Empress Dowager's funeral.

Officials of all ranks, both high and low, could only wait outside the main hall of Anle Palace while awaiting further instructions regarding their schedules.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan carried the token of Anle Palace, allowing him great freedom of movement within the palace. He searched back and forth twice before finally finding Zhang Xuezhou hiding in a corner.

Funerals are never a good thing, and even Zhang Xuezhou looked solemn at this moment, without his usual joking and cursing.

"Lord Dongfang!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan cupped his hands in greeting, which Zhang Xuezhou glanced at before quickly straightening up.

"Who are you?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.

"I am Zhang Zhen, the head steward of the backyard of Anle Palace. I have come at the request of Master Li to invite Lord Dongfang to the backyard!"

Just as the communication between Zhang Xuezhou and Li Shaojun was investigated by Divine Lord Zhenyuan, Divine Lord Zhenyuan also dared not communicate in front of thousands of court officials.

He made the invitation to Zhang Xuezhou in a very cautious manner, and also put Li Shaojun in the public eye.

"Then I'll go over there!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

He cupped his hands in greeting to Sang Hongyang and the others, indicating that he would have to excuse himself for the time being.

"Has Master Li been staying at Anle Palace for half a year now?"

"It's a pity we couldn't extend the Empress Dowager's lifespan!"

Sang Hongyang and the others exchanged a few hushed words, then quickly fell silent.

It's not surprising that Li Shaojun sought out Zhang Xuezhou, after all, it was Zhang Xuezhou who had invited him to Chang'an City in the first place.

The Empress Dowager had built a Daoist temple for Li Shaojun, and Li Shaojun was also a guest of honor at banquets hosted by many high-ranking officials. He had been staying at Anle Palace for the past six months. Although it is unknown what Li Shaojun had done, it was likely related to the Empress Dowager's illness.

That was all the trivial matter concerning Li Shaojun. After a few whispered words, the group returned to a solemn silence to wait.

Zhang Xuezhou followed Divine Lord Zhenyuan along the edge of the main hall of Anle Palace until they reached the rear hall area and entered a main hall.

"Daojun has been here," Divine Lord Zhenyuan said, closing the door and pointing to the Nine Dragon Cauldron in the main hall. "He wants this cauldron, and he said the Immortal Court also needs it!"

"They received the news so quickly?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise, "The news of the Empress Dowager's death had only been out for a few hours, and they're already coming to snatch the treasure?"

"They probably didn't care whether Fellow Daoist Dou was dead or not at all," Divine Lord Zhenyuan shook his head and said, "Daoist Lord said that the Nine Dragon Cauldrons are related to the Nine Cauldrons that the Emperor Qin was searching for, and this matter seems to be very important to them!"

"The Nine Dragon Cauldrons are related to the Nine Cauldrons?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise. "How are they connected? Is it because the names are similar?"

"Then I wouldn't know," said Divine Lord Zhenyuan. "This matter has come too quickly. My magic Law Treasure for controlling the situation is not yet fully formed, so it may be difficult to defend against. This time, I'm afraid we'll have to rely on that little Daoist priest Li to hold things off!"

"There's no problem with him coming over. He's willing to risk being beaten to death for any benefit," Zhang Xuezhou agreed, then asked doubtfully, "But judging from its shape, this cauldron weighs over ten thousand catties. What kind of force would they need to take to snatch such a treasure?"

Snatching small items and treasures was one thing, but looking at the giant Pill Furnace that was three zhang tall, Zhang Xuezhou felt that it would be difficult to move it.

This also means that those who come are either exceptionally strong or a group of experts.

Despite the fact that the Great Han Dynasty seems to have been constantly attacked and bullied in recent years, the number of powerful cultivators who stormed into the Chang'an City Imperial Palace has been decreasing, making it extremely difficult to take the Nine Dragon Cauldron from Anle Palace.

Even though the current court is not composed of the important officials stationed there during Emperor Jing's reign, the imperial palace in Chang'an City is not a safe place.

Zhang Xuezhou believed that some cultivators could infiltrate the palace, and he also believed that some skilled flying cultivators could directly storm into Anle Palace and even wreak havoc.

But killing someone and moving heavy objects are two different things. In battle, let alone carrying a cauldron weighing over 10,000 jin, even carrying tens or hundreds of jin would reduce one's strength.

"I don't know either. Daojun only said that the Nine Spirits Primal Sage would come to touch the cauldron," Divine Lord Zhenyuan said helplessly. "We have no idea who will come from the Immortal Court."

"Shall the Nine Spirits Primal Sage touch it?"

Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a moment.

As the master of the beast demons, one of the three Sacred Land of the Northern Kuru Continent, the Nine Spirits Primal Sage possesses exceptional strength, placing him at the level of Venerable Ones and Dao Lords.

Although we don't know exactly what abilities the other party has, he is indeed a troublesome character; otherwise, he wouldn't be calling the Venerable One and the Dao Lord brothers.

However, the experts of the Immortal Court are even more troublesome than the Nine Spirits Primal Sage.

"Aren't we going a bit too far with our approach to this?"

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at the Nine Dragon Cauldron and pondered the powerful figures he knew in the Immortal Court.

He recalled the Technique Method power displayed by the Yuanshi Celestial Venerable in the Purple Cloud Palace, and felt that the situation in the Anle Palace had far exceeded his expectations.

Normally, Zhang Xuezhou would only consider that the great demons like Lu Baibai, Kong Ning, and Feiyu would cause chaos and the Venerable One's clone would come to confirm the Empress Dowager's death.

He figured that since the Venerable One was injured, this trip would definitely be peaceful and safe. Little did he know that things were much more troublesome than he imagined, and that Divine Lord Zhenyuan and Dao Lord might have already clashed.

I think it's alright!

Divine Lord Zhenyuan stroked his beard.

As long as it's not a series of matches, he's still happy to spar with skilled opponents.

If Li Shaojun and the others could be openly represented, he felt he could accept this situation, given his own options.

Even if the Dao Lord himself came, Divine Lord Zhenyuan would be happy to face him again.

As for powerful masters like the Three Pure Ones and the Jade Emperor, Divine Lord Zhenyuan is not afraid of them. At most, he will hide if he can't beat them, but he will not lack the courage to even face them.

As a former cultivator from the Western Kunlun Holy Land, Divine Lord Zhenyuan still harbors some eagerness to test his skills against the great cultivators of the Immortal Court.

"As long as you can accept it!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan maintained a good attitude, his only request being that Li Shaojun make it public, that even if he lacked the ability, he should at least try his best to hold on, while he himself would mingle among Zhuang Qingdi and the others to assist in the attack.

This made Zhang Xuezhou nod, indicating that the matter was not difficult to handle.

"Speaking of which, we haven't even refined the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill yet, and these people who want to steal the Pill Cauldron have already arrived. Of all things to steal, they have to go for the Nine Dragon Cauldron. How are we supposed to proceed slowly and methodically now?"

After discussing matters with Divine Lord Zhenyuan, Zhang Xuezhou focused his attention on the Nine Dragon Cauldron.

The Eight Steps to Immortality Pill is not a low-end pill, but a top-tier external elixir. It can be used during the cultivation stage of seeking the Sole Self Realm, and the Pill Cauldron required to refine the pill is of extremely high quality.

Refining the Eight-Step Ascension Pill requires both high temperatures to drive the reaction and the ability of the Pill Cauldron to withstand potential chemical explosions.

In reality, refining similar products is simple, but in this world, sturdy, high-temperature furnaces are extremely rare, and Pill Furnace are even scarcer.

The Nine Dragon Cauldron is arguably the top-tier Pill Furnace Zhang Xuezhou and his group have the closest access to and the easiest access to, and it is even considered the only one of its kind among the currently known information.

Although Divine Lord Zhenyuan was guarding Anle Palace, and the Nine Dragon Cauldron was clumsy and difficult to move, Zhang Xuezhou still felt that everything needed to be handled with caution to prevent accidents, and the sooner the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill was refined, the better.