“Do you really think those cultivators don't know the royal family is brainwashing the common folk? It's just that they're also beneficiaries of the bloodline system. Those without enough bloodline purity or cultivation talent end up as mortals. They crave power, and since spiritual root aptitude cannot be changed, they place all their hopes on this so-called bloodline purity. They'll have many children, and as long as even one child has sufficient bloodline purity, they consider it a win.”
Wen Li smiled faintly, a cool indifference in her eyes. “Even if certain cultivators rely on their innate talent rather than bloodline, they were born in the Eastern Province. They don't know where the Interprovincial Passages are, nor can they travel to other provinces. In a place where imperial authority holds absolute sway and the masses revere the royal family, what could those clear-headed cultivators possibly dare to do?
“To obtain more cultivation resources, they have no choice but to attach themselves to the three imperial powers that monopolize the Eastern Province's spiritual veins. Even if their bloodline purity isn't high, they'll fabricate a number to profess their loyalty. After all, as long as it doesn't exceed the royal family's, who would bother verifying every single cultivator's bloodline purity? And when the common people see that all the cultivators claim to cultivate through bloodline purity, their faith only deepens.”
Gu Linshu's eyes trembled slightly. In this cyclical manner, the three imperial powers of the Eastern Province had managed to endure for tens of thousands of years without falling!
Following the procession, the two rushed ahead to the Houchi Kingdom imperial clan's ancestral temple.
In the past, the common people were only permitted to watch the ceremony outside the outer gates, but this time, likely to rally public sentiment, a special amnesty allowed them into the ancestral temple's inner gates.
“Hey! Hey, don't push my prosthetic leg—my leg is gone!”
“My shoe! My pants!”
Relying on their agile footwork, Wen Li and Gu Linshu squeezed their way inside.
One had her hair completely disheveled, while the other had messy rouge lipstick prints all over his face.
Having found a prime viewing spot atop a pillar, Wen Li had just finished tying up her hair when she turned her head.
“?! Did you slam your face into someone’s mouth?”
“...”
Clad in white robes, the paintbrush in Gu Linshu's hair askew, he rubbed his face vigorously with his sleeve, sulking after having been brazenly groped and kissed by several bold female cultivators.
“N-No, I didn't.” What kind of accusation was that? He would never do something so indecent and uncouth.
Wen Li patted his shoulder in consoling amusement. “It's fine, it's fine. You should consider yourself lucky they didn't charge you.”
Puzzled, Gu Linshu asked, “W-Why?”
“The rouge female cultivators use is quite expensive, and your face wiped it all clean.” Wen Li waved a dismissive hand and gripped the roof beam beside the pillar, looking toward the approaching ceremonial procession.
“...” Gu Linshu's brow furrowed, his features crumpling as he clenched his fists. “M-Master, y-you...”
“Shh, it's starting.”
Wen Li pulled a nectarine from who knows where and stuffed it into his mouth.
The ceremonial procession halted before the gates of the Zongzheng Ancestral Temple.
A maidservant stepped forward to lift the curtain, and the occupant of the foremost sedan chair stepped down. The man was dressed in an ethereal white robe, strikingly handsome yet cold and aloof in demeanor. Holding a lotus magical artifact in hand, he radiated an overwhelming aura of formidable power that made it difficult to look directly at him.
“That's Houchi Kingdom's Imperial Preceptor, Zongzheng Yingchu.”
“The Imperial Preceptor actually showed up! It seems the Saint Emperor places immense importance on Her Highness Huangyue's sacrificial ceremony. Usually, only Houchi Kingdom's most critical state ceremonies can move the Imperial Preceptor to appear.”
“Indeed. Rumor has it that the Imperial Preceptor's bloodline purity is two percent higher than even the Saint Emperor's. But he dislikes being confined to high palace positions, so he willingly assists the Saint Emperor by guarding the forbidden grounds of the imperial ancestral temple.”
Perched on the roof beam, Wen Li listened to the surrounding chatter, her gaze shifting toward Zongzheng Yingchu.
“...” That feeling.
The noble man in white robes, having just stepped down from the sedan chair, paused. His tall, slender figure turned, and he cast a cold, sharp gaze directly toward her.
Yet all he saw was an ordinary-looking female cultivator clinging awkwardly to a roof beam in a rather uncouth posture, conveniently turning her gaze away to chat with the youth beside her.
Zongzheng Yingchu's exquisite brows knitted slightly. He subtly shifted his gaze and walked into the ancestral temple, a fleeting shadow passing beneath his glacial, ice-cold eyes.
That gaze just now... for a moment, he thought it was her.
He must be losing his mind. That person should be in the Central Province; why would she be here watching some spectacle?
“Ugh, this guy acts way too pretentious. Back when I beat him black and blue and he was spitting threats, he wasn't acting all ethereal and lofty like this. If you ever put on airs in the future, don't pick up such petty posturing from him. A sword cultivator needs to ooze unbridled dominance, arrogantly looking down on everyone under the sun! If you ever act so timid and finicky with a sword, I'll be the first to whip you.”
After glancing at Zongzheng Yingchu, Wen Li turned her head and gossiped in hushed tones to Gu Linshu.
“...” Gu Linshu took the peach from his mouth. Why didn't Master peel his peach the way she peeled her own? Was it because he didn't have his own sword yet?
No, that didn't seem to be the point. He transmitted via divine sense:
“Master, what if you encounter an almighty powerhouse? Must you still be overwhelmingly domineering and arrogant to the heavens?”
“...Idiot!” Wen Li furrowed her brows in exasperation and smacked his head. “That's only when you're completely invincible! If there's a powerhouse around, you naturally lay low, retreat, and ‘protect’ everyone right in front of you! I've already told you that staying alive is the number one rule—why are you even asking this? And forget about your old flashy habit of throwing talismans and buying your way out when you can't win. Next time, I'll find a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator to spar with you and see what you do.”
“Yes, Master.”
Gu Linshu pouted silently. It couldn't be helped; he had never experienced a battle he couldn't win, nor had he faced many life-or-death moments. Still, he really wanted to try.
Pausing, he recalled an overlooked detail: Master had beaten up Houchi Kingdom's Imperial Preceptor, Zongzheng Yingchu. Didn't that mean they had a grudge?
Before he could ask, Princess Huangyue appeared. The crowd fell silent, gazing with curious anticipation at the royal princess rumored to possess ninety percent bloodline purity.
“Ding-ling~~~”
With the crisp chime of bells, an exquisite face—still youthful yet already breathtaking—came into view. The girl was barely fifteen, wearing a red undergarment beneath a floor-length black robe adorned with gilded climbing rose patterns. Resting on her shoulders were silver-threaded pauldrons worn by the Zongzheng imperial clan only during major ceremonies, etched with intricate inscriptions.
At the hem of her robe hung a string of delicate bells that swayed with the breeze, enchanting the senses.
What drew everyone's gaze was not merely her beauty. She had no need for feminine dresses; she wore the distinctive robe of the imperial clan, revealing nothing but her neck and face. Under the oppressive majesty of her extraordinary status, the commoners bowed low, while cultivators inclined their heads in respect.
“May Her Highness Huangyue enjoy peace and longevity!”
“May Her Highness Huangyue enjoy peace and longevity!”
They did not address her as 'Princess Huangyue' because this title represented far more than a princess; it was a supreme status transcending gender distinctions—an emblem of imperial authority itself.
Zongzheng Huangyue's gaze swept over the crowd. Nodding slightly, she walked slowly along the open avenue into the Zongzheng Ancestral Temple. Her bearing was neither servile nor haughty; even under scrutinizing gazes from various provinces, she kept her head held high and calmly strode forward.
Standing upon the sacrificial altar before the ancestral temple, Zongzheng Yingchu waved the lotus magical artifact in his hand. It soared high into the air, its petals blooming to cast a brilliant rainbow of light over the entire altar, accompanied by a mystical hum reminiscent of an ancient deity descending.
“The Zongzheng clan of Houchi Kingdom, bearing the bloodline heritage of our immortal ancestors, has endured for ten thousand years. The people of Zongzheng live in peace and prosperity, blessed by our ancestors' protection. Today, a scion of Zongzheng has been favored by our immortal forebears, blessed with the highest bloodline purity. The Zongzheng Saint Emperor bestows upon her the title of ‘Huangyue’ and renames her Zongzheng Huangyue, entering her into the ancestral temple to proclaim to all of Houchi, invoking our immortal heritage to protect the Zongzheng!”
Facing the ancestral temple, Zongzheng Yingchu performed a solemn grand bow. With a grave, sacred expression, his voice resonated through a wave of cyan-blue spiritual energy, echoing across virtually the entire imperial capital.
Even the people of Houchi Kingdom who could not attend the ceremony in person ceased what they were doing upon hearing his voice, turning toward the ancestral temple with reverent expressions.
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