The Secret Land of Dragon City
"Dragon City, the place where the Xiong State held its sacrificial rites?"
The Xiong State has no fixed cities; even the highest leader of the country, the Chanyu, constantly moves from place to place.
Zhang Xuezhou had visited Dragon City many years ago, and he had met the Great Chanyu and others Dragon City.
He once thought that the Dragon City Royal Court was the power center of the Xiong State, but when he happened to pass by while searching for the Western Kunlun, he found that the once bustling area was now just a desolate wasteland overgrown with weeds.
Is there really another world there?
"That's what the Empress Dowager said!"
After leaving Changxin Palace, Zhang Xuezhou met with the new emperor again and exchanged some information.
The new emperor showed no interest in the progress of the Yangpo Transformation Technique, but he would not miss any information about the struggle between the Great Han Dynasty and the Xiong State.
A place for offering sacrifices to Heaven is meaningless. It's like a new emperor going to Fengxize to worship his ancestor; even if a large army besieges Fengxize, it won't bring any special benefits.
However, if this sacrificial site conceals something else, then that's a different matter altogether.
"The Xiong State has three Sacred Land and six ancestral lands. The Sacred Land are renowned throughout the lands, while the ancestral lands are only heard of but never seen," the new emperor solemnly said.
"Every secret location has its own way of being hidden," Zhang Xuezhou said. "The three Sacred Land are only revealed to the outside world because there are too many humans and demons, which has led to their settlement and thus they have become Sacred Land!"
Few secret realms completely overlap with the rest of the world; each secret realm has a unique way of operating.
The three Sacred Land are presented to the outside world, but only Daojun, Zhu Jiuyin, and a few others can enter the true core of these Sacred Land; everyone else lives on the outer perimeter.
Zhang Xuezhou had also entered the Xieluosi River secret realm before, and he was well aware of the vast differences between the inside and outside.
If Dragon City conceals a secret territory of the Xiong State, this situation is not surprising.
"The problem now is how to find this secret place," the new emperor said, pacing back and forth. "If we can wipe out a secret place belonging to a Xiong State, it will be a blow to them!"
Even if the Dragon City Secret Realm didn't contain the heavenly materials and earthly treasures the Empress Dowager had mentioned, the new emperor felt that breaking through even one secret realm would have a significant impact.
As a sacred site for sacrifices in the Xiong State, the Dragon City Secret Land must be one of the six ancestral lands of the Xiong State, or even an extremely important one.
However, you can't just run to a secret place and enter it. Each secret place has a way of entering and exiting, and it may even be protected by formations.
This also involves the cultivators stationed at the secret location, which cannot be easily destroyed by an individual fighting alone.
"Whatever your decision is, I'll cooperate!"
Zhang Xuezhou didn't dwell too much on such matters. His main responsibility was to relay information. He would pass on any useful information to the new emperor, regardless of whether the new emperor found the information useful.
This information is useful, but not particularly useful.
If it could have been used effectively, Emperor Jing and the Empress Dowager wouldn't have had to wait until now.
If it seems useless, then this information could actually play a very real role if it could uncover traces of the Dragon City Secret Realm.
The current focus is indeed on how to find this secret place, as the new emperor has stated.
"We must find Dragon City first!"
The location of Dragon City was not hidden, and its reputation as an important sacrificial site would spread far and wide. In the century of interaction between the Great Han and the Xiong State, this information was already roughly known, and some Great Han officials who went on missions to the Xiong State had even visited Dragon City.
The Dragon City of the Xiong State is like Mount Tai and Fengxize in the Great Han; even without actually going there, some people can still point and describe it in general terms.
The new emperor searched high and low in the main hall of the Weiyang Palace and finally found the relevant records on a scroll of bamboo slips.
"If we continue along this route, we might find Dragon City!"
After comparing the bamboo slips, the new emperor also opened the maps drawn from previous eras.
Large armies would find it difficult to navigate using such rudimentary maps, but this does not include air travel.
"You go to Mount Tai first, then take me to find Dragon City. Let's see if we can find anything!"
The search for Dragon City is uncertain, while the connection with the Immortal Court needs to be maintained. The new emperor clearly took Zhang Xuezhou's actions into consideration and did not forcibly conscript him to take immediate action, lest both sides end up with nothing.
"Then let's go to Mount Tai first, and then search for Dragon City!"
Zhang Xuezhou nodded in agreement.
This was a relatively long trip involving driving the Imperial Shuttle, but Zhang Xuezhou had no complaints.
He can only live well if the new emperor lives well.
Over the past two weeks, Zhang Xuezhou has enjoyed unexpected good fortune, truly experiencing what it feels like to be a pig that flies when the wind is blowing.
Having been imprisoned for many years, he rarely had such a smooth period of time. Zhang Xuezhou was also well aware that as long as he could break through a certain barrier, he might have the same opportunity to replicate his real-life situation in the Great Han Dynasty.
A breakthrough is indeed needed right now, but Zhang Xuezhou can't worry about what the future holds. He feels that even if things get worse, it won't be as troublesome as the current predicament.
The Imperial Shuttle took off from the back garden of the Weiyang Palace, leaving a white trail before disappearing into the horizon.
"You seem to have improved your speed in piloting the Sky Shuttle!"
Sitting behind the Imperial Shuttle, the new emperor watched the rapidly disappearing Chang'an City. He felt that Zhang Xuezhou was piloting the Imperial Shuttle at a faster speed than usual.
If Zhang Xuezhou did not deliberately activate his magical Law Power, it means that Zhang Xuezhou's strength has most likely increased.
"I also want to thank His Majesty for the White Deer Coin. I ran into Lord Han again at the brothel, and in the end, Lord Han spent thirty-five coins to buy the White Deer Coin. I also got a wife who could cure my physical ailments. My Law Power has recovered by more than ten percent, and I can ride the Imperial Shuttle much more easily now," Zhang Xuezhou replied.
"Is Lord Han Han Anguo?"
"Yes!"
The new emperor had long known about Zhang Xuezhou's messy affair, but he was helpless about it. He wanted to help but had no ability to do so, so he could only let Zhang Xuezhou try his luck and find a suitable woman.
Little did he know that Zhang Xuezhou would actually find a suitable partner in the brothel.
As for Han Anguo getting involved, that was an unexpected turn of events.
The new emperor had just begun to accept Han Anguo's authority when he suddenly remembered that Han Anguo's wealth was nothing more than a result of his ascension to the throne, and his feelings vanished instantly.
Han Anguo has many merits, but he was born in the wrong era.
If this had happened during Emperor Jing's reign, Han Anguo's position would have been as secure as Cheng Bushi's, and no one would have cared about his corruption.
However, this was the reign of a new emperor, who was well aware that the court could not allow corruption to run rampant and that it needed to reduce the power of the princes and the old marquis system. To carry out such reforms, the court needed to target external forces in order to make adjustments.
"He's a talented man, but his views are too conservative. I've given him many opportunities, even putting him under the command of 300,000 troops, and I even intended to push him to replace my uncle as prime minister, but he's made a mistake at every step, always going against my wishes," the new emperor explained regretfully. "The court desperately needs a great cultivator like him, but he has now become the biggest obstacle. If it weren't for the fall of Shanggu County and the subsequent relocation, he would surely have split the court into two factions locked in endless infighting!"
"What a pity!"
Upon learning of the new emperor's assessment of Han Anguo, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but sigh with regret, knowing that this former patron was unlikely to recover.
Han Anguo was once the new emperor's reliance and hope, but in the end, he became a discarded pawn.
Zhang Xuezhou needs to learn a lesson from the case of Han Anguo.
The opponent's strength was not so scarce as to be irreplaceable, and their political views were contrary to those of the new emperor who wanted to break free from the cage.
If one fails to gain a deep understanding of the new emperor, or if one believes oneself to be unique and thus acts arbitrarily, attempting to rely on the power of the Great Han Dynasty will inevitably result in a disastrous defeat.