Undying Life

Chapter 623: Chapter 623: Feast for Guests

After downing a cup of wine, Zhongshan turned his gaze to the four envoys, starting with Huan Tulong.

"It has been decades since we last met, and I fondly remember the days when we served together in the same court," Zhongshan smiled.

"In the days of the Da Luo Celestial Dynasty, the Duke of the East was indeed one of the most legendary officials. In just a few decades, you achieved feats unprecedented in Da Luo's history, rising from an unknown official to a first-class duke. Only the Duke of the East had such capability," Huan Tulong praised as he looked at Zhongshan.

"Huan Taishi is too kind. I haven't been to the East for a long time. How are the other three princes' dynasties faring now?" Zhongshan asked, his eyes fixed on Huan Tulong.

Huan Tulong frowned but maintained his smile. "The four princes were originally part of Da Luo. When the Great Yong ascended, they naturally submitted to the Great Yong. However..."

"Oh?" Zhongshan's gaze intensified.

Submission? It was more like war. Although Zhongshan had not been to the East recently, news from the East continued to flow in. The four princes of the former Da Luo Celestial Dynasty had been embroiled in fierce battles, dragging in four nearby imperial dynasties, resulting in an eight-dynasty war. Blood flowed like rivers.

"Spring and Autumn Emperor Gu Zhantian and Great Tang Emperor Gu Taizong have submitted to Great Yong and been granted the titles of King Zhantian and King Taizong. As for the Yongle Emperor Gu Xuan, he unfortunately perished during the process of submission," Huan Tulong said with a sigh of regret.

"Gu Xuan was killed by Gu Zhengyi?" Zhongshan asked, surprised.

Huan Tulong's brows furrowed as he responded solemnly, "Gu Xuan was not killed by the Emperor; it was his own doing. Duke of the East, mind your words."

Gu Xuan was dead?

"I misspoke. The Da Luo Celestial Dynasty no longer exists, and Huan Taishi need not address me as the Duke of the East anymore," Zhongshan shook his head.

"The Da Luo Celestial Dynasty no longer exists? Isn't the current Great Yong similar to Da Luo?" Huan Tulong shook his head and smiled.

Zhongshan's face stiffened, his heart filled with cold laughter. So, Gu Zhengyi still had designs on him?

"Great Yong is Great Yong; Da Luo is Da Luo. Gu Shentong is the person I respect the most. He sacrificed himself to create a new world. Without Gu Shentong, Da Luo no longer exists!" Zhongshan declared firmly.

Seeing Zhongshan's resolute attitude, a flash of anger crossed Huan Tulong's eyes, but he maintained his composure. "Alright, since the Great Zong Emperor says so, I will not mention it again."

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"I toast to Huan Taishi!" Zhongshan raised his cup again.

Huan Tulong raised his cup as well, and the two drank in a silent toast.

"May I ask where Princess Qianyou of Great Yong is?" Huan Tulong put down his cup and suddenly asked.

Zhongshan's cold laughter increased internally. As expected, Gu Zhengyi's schemes were unending. Qianyou? Luckily, Qianyou had gone to the underworld; otherwise, they would have used her for countless plots.

Zhongshan also felt a great deal of admiration. The once seemingly most mediocre and incompetent prince turned out to be the strongest. Not only did he possess extraordinary tactics and strategies, but his cultivation was also astonishing. Establishing a celestial dynasty required the emperor to be at least at the Heaven Extreme Realm. Gu Zhengyi had always kept his true strength hidden, which was why Gu Shentong never changed his status as the eldest prince.

"Qianyou is my empress. She has gone to a mysterious place, and I cannot disclose its location. However, if someone from the Great Yong Celestial Dynasty happens to reach that place, please convey my greetings to Qianyou," Zhongshan smiled.

"Certainly!" Huan Tulong nodded.

Certainly? Huan Tulong was really planning to find Gu Qianyou? Unfortunately, they were now in two different worlds. Even if they died, they could only pass on Zhongshan's greetings, unable to make any schemes.

"Monk Sekong, we meet again. I didn't expect you to hold such a significant position in the Great Taisui Celestial Dynasty?" Zhongshan turned to Monk Sekong with a cold smile on his face.

Li Si, Huan Tulong, and Shaofei Marquis all noticed Zhongshan's coldness towards Monk Sekong. Each of them exchanged glances, but none said a word, merely observing calmly. From then on, they would undoubtedly keep a closer watch on Monk Sekong.

"In war between two dynasties, envoys are not to be harmed, especially since I am here to congratulate you today. You can't kill me!" Monk Sekong shouted in panic.

One couldn't say Monk Sekong lacked courage or composure, but his keen senses had clearly felt a surge of killing intent just now. Others might not have noticed, but at the moment Zhongshan's killing intent emerged, it was met with a palpable wave of similar intent from the powerful figures opposite him.

Among those facing him were some formidable individuals. Monk Sekong knew little about Wang Ku, but he was well aware of Emperor Xuanzha's capabilities. Xuanzha was on par with the likes of the Divine Crow Daoist—a supreme powerhouse. If he wanted to kill Monk Sekong, no amount of time to escape would change the inevitable outcome.

Monk Sekong's loud plea was partly to emphasize that Zhongshan could not kill him and partly in the hope that Zhongshan would consider the bigger picture. If the Great Zong were to gain a reputation for killing envoys, it would be a significant stain. In such a case, Monk Sekong would survive. As for composure, in the face of death, it could go to hell. The dead had no need for composure.

Seeing Monk Sekong's fearful outburst, Ling'er covered her mouth in amusement, while Bei Qingsi and Bao'er merely glanced at him without comment.

"Heh!" Zhongshan let out a cold chuckle.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you, at least not now. Convey my regards to Lu Guitian," Zhongshan said, suppressing his killing intent.

"Yes, Monk Sekong will faithfully deliver the message to the Great Zong Emperor," Monk Sekong responded quickly.

"Hmm!" Zhongshan nodded.

"Oh, I just remembered, my emperor instructed me to congratulate the Great Zong on its ascension and also to go to another location. I must apologize for having to leave abruptly. Duty calls, and I must go. Please forgive me for disrupting your celebration," Monk Sekong said, standing up to leave hurriedly.

"Oh? Truly?" Zhongshan eyed him sharply.

Seeing Zhongshan's piercing gaze, Monk Sekong's nerves tensed further, but he steeled himself and replied, "Absolutely true. I apologize for the disruption."

"Very well. Wang Ku, see Monk Sekong out," Zhongshan said.

Hearing this, Monk Sekong's hair stood on end.

"No need, no need! Really, there's no need. I can find my way out. Thank you for your concern," Monk Sekong said hastily.

"Alright then, farewell," Zhongshan said.

"Not at all, no trouble. Goodbye!" Monk Sekong said, then quickly exited the hall.

In no time, Monk Sekong had vanished from sight.

Li Si, Huan Tulong, and Shaofei Marquis watched the 'cowardly' Monk Sekong with bewilderment. Was this really an envoy from a celestial dynasty? How could such a person be an envoy? What a joke!

Outside the Hall of Longevity, Monk Sekong didn't stop until he was far from the Celestial Pavilion, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

"Damn it, this place is a dragon's den! Zhongshan is too terrifying. Every time I see him, the threat increases. Good thing I was quick to run. Time to get out of here," Monk Sekong muttered.

Back in the Hall of Longevity, Li Si spoke first.

"Great Zong Emperor!" Li Si made a formal Qin salute with both hands.

"Oh? Prime Minister Li?" Zhongshan looked at Li Si.

"Great Zong Emperor is a straightforward person, so I'll be direct as well," Li Si said with a smile.

Zhongshan could indeed be straightforward, but it depended on the context. With friends, he was forthright, but with strangers, he could be as cunning as a fox, engaging in lengthy conversations without touching the main topic. However, Li Si's approach suggested he wanted to get straight to the point to avoid the roundabout talk that Zhongshan might employ.

"Please go ahead, Prime Minister Li."

"The dragon clan is our Great Qin's national beast. I've heard that a legendary imperial seal belonging to the dragon clan has fallen into the Great Zong Empire's hands. Might the Great Zong Emperor return it? The dragon clan will provide equivalent compensation to make up for the Great Zong's loss," Li Si stated directly.

Li Si knew that talking to Zhongshan required directness. Any attempt to be indirect would be met with equal deflection from Zhongshan, as seen with Huan Tulong's earlier attempt.

"A legendary imperial seal?" Zhongshan furrowed his brows slightly.

Emperor Xuanzha also glanced at Li Si with a furrowed brow.

"Yes, the legendary imperial seal!" Li Si emphasized.

"Prime Minister Li should know who took the seal, correct?"

"Hao Meili!"

"That's right, it was her. I can tell you honestly, the seal is not in the Great Zong Empire. As for Hao Meili, she left the Great Zong decades ago. I have no idea where she went," Zhongshan said, shaking his head.

Zhongshan was telling the truth. The seal had long since been absorbed as energy and no longer existed. As for Hao Meili, her whereabouts were unknown. These two truths, however, subtly redirected the listeners' thoughts towards an unknown direction, following Zhongshan's principle of letting others deal with their own problems.

As expected, Li Si frowned.

"Thank you, Great Zong Emperor, for being candid," Li Si said, frowning.

Li Si could tell that Zhongshan was likely not lying, but there was a sense of redirection in his words. Li Si wanted to ask more but decided against it after glancing at Gan Bao'er.

The legendary seal was important to the dragon clan, but it was not as significant as the presence behind Gan Bao'er, an acquaintance from the Great Thousand World. Li Si didn't want to provoke any emotional reaction from Gan Bao'er, as it might attract the attention of that powerful figure. Li Si preferred to avoid confrontation with that figure from the Great Thousand World, at least for the time being.

Shaofei Marquis's words were naturally congratulatory.

The three envoys, possessing near-demonic wisdom, ensured that the banquet proceeded smoothly, leaving everyone satisfied.

After sending off the envoys, Zhongshan returned to the hall and addressed the assembly.

"Your Majesty, the chaos in Shenzhou has begun. What should we do next?" Shui Wuhen asked first.

"This is just the beginning. The chaos will not subside easily. A great war will inevitably sweep across Shenzhou in the future. For now, our empire will remain still. We must fortify our current territories, conserve our strength, and wait for the true peak of the chaos to arrive," Zhongshan said solemnly.

"Understood!" The commanders nodded in agreement.

"Furthermore, in the coming period, each of you will take turns entering the Hundred Worlds Cave to refine yourselves once more," Zhongshan instructed, looking at the group.

"Yes!" They all nodded.