Having snapped back to reality, Chu Zheng stepped into the depths of the Imperial Palace.
The moment he delved into the palace, he immediately noticed many anomalies.
Within this worldly Imperial Dynasty, there were more than a few cultivators hidden, among them even those in the Entry Dao Realm.
The Entry Dao Realm was a position that, even within a large sect like the Phantom Spirit Sect, could serve as an Elder of the Outer Sect, which was rather exaggerated for a secular Imperial Dynasty.
Zhao Tingxian...
Chu Zheng recalled the name Fu Quanliang had mentioned to him before; the state that the Song Residence had ended up in seemed to be this person's doing as well.
It seemed that the Great Zhou Royal Family might indeed be hiding quite a few secrets.
After a careful examination for a short while, Chu Zheng found the Scripture Pavilion.
The Scripture Pavilion was heavily guarded, with two Great Grandmasters outwardly standing watch, and secretly there was a late Spirit Spring Realm cultivator, equal in cultivation to Chu Zheng's current level.
After a moment of thought, Chu Zheng quietly approached the hiding spot of the Spirit Spring Realm cultivator.
Inside the Quiet Room, a figure was seated cross-legged on the couch, clutching two spirit stones, engrossed in cultivation.
This cultivator appeared to be about forty, robust in build, attired in a bright yellow vestment robe, wearing a golden crown, a jade belt around his waist, his face commandingly stern without displaying anger.
Like a wisp of breeze, Chu Zheng floated into the room, slowly pulling out the Town Immortal Mace, without a word, and thrust it right into the cultivator's lower abdomen.
After several skirmishes, Chu Zheng had already made some refinements to the talisman seal on the Town Immortal Mace; its effect was even better than before.
In confrontations with Dao Realm cultivators, the Town Immortal Mace was prone to damage, yet it was overwhelmingly dominant against Spirit Spring Realm cultivators.
The cultivator on the couch abruptly opened his eyes, and before he could even get up, the mana within his dantian dispersed in an instant.
He wasn't even able to put up an effective resistance before being knocked out by a chop of Chu Zheng's hand, who then lifted him up single-handedly and stuffed him straight into the spatial passage.
...
...
In a Small World.
Above the barren land, Chu Zheng observed the middle-aged cultivator beside him, the spiritual light swirling in his pupils as he watched his mana recovery.
This would help him further improve the 'Law Breaking' Talisman Seal.
Just now, through the panel, Chu Zheng had learned the identity of this person.
[Zhao Liangguang (First Order): Lower Quality Immortal Bone, the fifty-eighth Emperor of the Great Zhou, father of the present Great Zhou Emperor, his mana dispersed by 'Law Breaking', capable of recovery.]
The former Great Zhou Emperor, no wonder he seemed extraordinary.
It took nearly half a day before Zhao Liangguang's mana began to slowly recover, and he gradually opened his eyes.
Upon seeing Chu Zheng in front of him, his expression changed, and he suddenly got up; Chu Zheng immediately raised his hand and prodded his dantian once more.
Zhao Liangguang immediately weakened, gasping for breath, and managed to speak with difficulty, "May I ask which fellow Daoist you are, and when have I offended you? Please speak directly."
"Zhao Liangguang, the current Great Zhou Emperor is your son, am I wrong?"
Chu Zheng began to verify the identity of the person in front of him to avoid any oversight.
Zhao Liangguang, filled with trepidation, nodded his head.
"I'll borrow your identity for a while; I'll set you free after some time. Just stay complacent, and I won't harm your life."
Chu Zheng smiled satisfactorily, took a piece of Demon Beast Tendon, firmly tied it around him, stripped off his outer garments, took his Storage Bag, and put it on himself.
Zhao Liangguang was still of great use; after getting some general information, he could come back and ask him.
As an Emperor of the Great Zhou, he must surely know some secrets not known to commoners.
After doing all this, Chu Zheng left the Small World and returned to the Quiet Room. His face and stature changed, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into the likeness of Zhao Liangguang.
The sky outside was already bright, and the morning light, filtering through the window lattice, spilled into the room, bringing with it the fresh Yang Qi of the new dawn, refreshing to the soul.
Chu Zheng walked straight out the door and headed towards the Scripture Pavilion with big strides. seaʀᴄh thё NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
If he was going to look, he might as well do so openly. Sneaking around would sooner or later leave traces, and could even bring other troubles; wearing another skin saved much more trouble.
He planned to stay in the Great Zhou for a while, to lay low and also to quietly cultivate for some time.
The external environment was too dangerous; it would be difficult to find a second sanctuary as tranquil as the one in Great Zhou.
"Retired Emperor."
Upon seeing Chu Zheng, the guards in front of the Scripture Pavilion, including the two Great Grandmasters, knelt to the ground one after another to perform the ritual obeisance.
Chu Zheng gave a slight nod, his gaze steady, as he directly stepped into the Scripture Pavilion.
With the identity of Zhao Liangguang, no matter what actions he took, no one here would dare to question him; their role was to harbor doubts while guessing his intentions.
Chu Zheng entered the Scripture Pavilion and looked at the vast array of books before him, a trace of joy in his eyes.
He quickly scanned the bookshelves and soon picked out a large pile of books, starting to flip through them.
Now, his reading speed was extremely fast, and the rate at which his mind filtered information, compared to when he was a mere mortal, had undergone a qualitative change. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he could finish a volume three fingers thick.
This sensation of absorbing a great deal of information gave Chu Zheng an indescribable pleasure.
Meanwhile, he could even multitask, not neglecting his cultivation practice.
...
...
The gains from the Great Zhou's Scripture Pavilion far exceeded Chu Zheng's expectations; he not only discovered many secrets of previous dynasties but also found several methods for martial cultivation.
Although they were incomplete, this was no trouble for Chu Zheng.
Before the Great Zhou was established, this region was governed by the Great Qian Dynasty.
The Great Qian Dynasty had a prevailing martial culture, once flourished greatly with Great Grandmasters emerging one after another, and even boasted invincible powers beyond the level of Great Grandmasters.
However, over one night, a huge change occurred; the Great Qian Royal Family was exterminated, seemingly with the involvement of Tai Xu Holy Land.
Afterward, due to Zhao Tingxian entering the Tai Xu Holy Land, the Zhao Family rose to power, leading to the establishment of today's Great Zhou Dynasty.
The fact that Zhao Tingxian entered Tai Xu Holy Land seemed to have some connection with the Great Qian as well.
In the blink of an eye, several days had passed.
As dusk fell, Chu Zheng was buried in a sea of books, when a figure quietly walked in, greeting softly,
"Father Emperor."
"Hmm... Hmm?!"
Chu Zheng, engrossed in his reading, replied instinctively, then looked up after realizing who was there.
Not far away stood a man in dragon robes, about fifty years old, with slightly graying hair at his temples, appearing older than Zhao Liangguang.
From the recent form of address, it wasn't hard to guess the identity of this person.
The current Great Zhou Emperor, Zhao Yunan.
"What is it?" Chu Zheng calmed his emotions and asked softly.
"News from Wuyang County indicates that someone is still secretly searching for the Song Family bloodline, Your Majesty. Do you think we should report this to the Fourteenth Imperial Great Uncle?"
Chu Zheng's expression remained unchanged as he fell into contemplation, calculating the days. Indeed, news of Song Xian should have reached the Imperial Capital by now.
From the information Zhao Yunan provided, it appeared the Great Zhou Royal Family was also in search of the Song Family bloodline, which was somewhat unexpected to Chu Zheng.
Could it be that the Great Zhou Royal Family already knew about the Family Heritage Blood Jade of the Song Family?
"How has your search for the Song Family bloodline been progressing recently?"
Instead of answering Zhao Yunan's question, Chu Zheng countered with a question of his own. He was not Zhao Liangguang; the more he answered, the more mistakes he could make. It was better to gather some information and ask Zhao Liangguang directly afterward.
"I have been doing my best to search, but the situation around Great Zhou has become overly complicated lately, making it difficult to make any progress."
Hearing Chu Zheng's question, Zhao Yunan bowed his head slightly with a hint of apprehension.
"Put more effort into it."
Chu Zheng offered a nonspecific admonition and waved his hand,
"Come back and report to me when you have specific news."
"Your son takes his leave."
Zhao Yunan, without suspecting anything, bowed and slowly exited the Scripture Pavilion.
As he watched Zhao Yunan leave, Chu Zheng immediately entered the Small World, found Zhao Liangguang, and after a series of inquiries, he finally learned the full story.
The Zhao line had uncovered some secrets of the Song Family, knowing there was a treasure left by a True Immortal within the family, but the specific nature of this object was still being explored.
Regarding the secrets of the Song clan, they had very little information. They were unaware of the Song Family in the Eastern Region and the Secret Realm connected by the Family Heritage Blood Jade.
Nevertheless, years of investigation had led them to sense something unusual about the bloodline of the Song Family.