Chapter 33: Emperor Baixuan

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The following morning, Tong Jin opened his eyes early and reached over to rouse Su Tan, whose sleeping posture was far from dignified. After washing up, the two headed toward the main hall, chatting and laughing along the way.

Shennongzi was still sitting upright in the wooden chair, his eyes half closed and his expression utterly composed, as though he had never left the chair at all.

“Master!”

“Senior Shennong!”

The two greeted him obediently, after which Su Tan cautiously explained the reason for their visit.

Shennongzi smiled kindly. “It is a good thing for young people to be eager to learn and improve themselves. Little Friend Tong, if you have any questions, ask freely.”

Tong Jin nodded slightly and dispensed with formalities. “This junior would like to know what form my Corpse-Sinking Venom Ants will ultimately evolve into.”

Shennongzi nodded with a smile. “That question truly stumps me, Little Friend. However, I can tell you that I once knew a man who raised several exceptionally ferocious Corpse-Sinking Venom Ants.” Shennongzi lifted his head, seemingly lost in remembrance. “Setting aside his own strength, I would never have dared provoke him based solely on those venom ants.”

Every word of Shennongzi’s next sentence struck Tong Jin’s heart like an iron hammer.

“Even a peak Qi Transformation expert would have to retreat from them!”

What excited him even more was that he himself possessed more than a dozen of these insects with such terrifying potential. Of course, only one among them was fully grown, and that adult was still far from reaching such a frightening level.

“May I ask, Senior, how these insects can evolve?” Tong Jin finally ventured to ask the question that had troubled him for so long.

Shennongzi continued smiling. “Perhaps that man can resolve your doubts, but I am afraid he will not so easily pass on the experience of his entire lifetime to you.” He raised his snow-white brows and made an expression that clearly meant there was nothing he could do. “That old fellow would not even give me face.”

Tong Jin was unwilling to give up. “May I ask where this person is?”

Shennongzi stroked his beard. “The Imperial Palace. The White Profound Emperor.”

“The White Profound Emperor... The White Profound Emperor...” Tong Jin murmured. Then, as though he had suddenly realized something, he exclaimed, “White Profound! Could it actually be him?”

“Hm? Could it be that you know the White Profound Emperor?” Shennongzi asked in surprise.

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Tong Jin respectfully shook his head. “This junior does not know the White Profound Emperor. However, before I left home, an elder of my family instructed me to take a keepsake to the Imperial Palace and seek out White Profound. I believe White Profound must be the White Profound Emperor.”

Shennongzi wore an expression of understanding and nodded with a smile. “Since an elder of your family has ties with him, this is also your opportunity. I imagine White Profound will give you the answer you seek.” He then drew a golden token from within his robes. It was identical to the one in Su Tan’s hand. With a light flick of his finger, it floated slowly before Tong Jin. “Take this with you. You may then be considered a guest of the Godrest Palace, and entering the Imperial Palace will be much less troublesome.”

Tong Jin thanked him respectfully. Shennongzi said nothing more and slowly closed his eyes to rest. Understanding that they had been dismissed, Su Tan and Tong Jin withdrew.

The two did not return to their residence. At Tong Jin’s request, they set off directly for the Imperial Palace.

At that moment, Tong Jin’s heart was in turmoil. Though he trusted the Ghost Doctor completely, so many years had passed. Even if White Profound still remembered the emerald-green medicine bottle in Tong Jin’s possession, there was no guarantee that he would treat him as an honored guest.

“Ah, there’s always a way forward when one reaches the foot of a mountain. I’ll just take things one step at a time.”

As they continued on their journey, Tong Jin was surprised to discover that Su Tan was gradually leading him beyond the boundaries of Sacred Capital City.

Confused, Tong Jin asked, “Isn’t the Imperial Palace inside Sacred Capital City?”

Su Tan gave him a mysterious smile. “That is merely what outsiders believe. The Godrest Palace and the Imperial Palace have been on good terms for many years, and only a handful of people know that the true Imperial Palace is not within Sacred Capital City at all. It has always been outside the city.”

Seeing Tong Jin’s look of sudden understanding, he continued, “The place inside Sacred Capital City is merely a front for the Imperial Palace. The White Profound Emperor would never be there. Unlike the Godrest Palace, which stands upon a mountain, the Imperial Palace lies within a secret forest.”

“Oh? Then are the other six sects and the One Immortal Pavilion also outside Sacred Capital City?” Tong Jin asked with interest.

“Not at all. Aside from the Immortal Guardian Pavilion, whose exact location no one knows, the other six sects each occupy their own territory within Sacred Capital City.”

As they spoke, the two gradually entered a vast, dense forest.

“Big Brother Tong, stay close to me. There are formations laid throughout this forest. If we accidentally trigger one of the mechanisms, the two of us will be in serious trouble.”

At those words, Tong Jin became fully alert and proceeded with extra caution, following precisely in Su Tan’s footsteps.

After a while, the view ahead suddenly opened up. A broad expanse of water appeared before them. Along both banks, scattered homes had been built beside the water, while the cultivated fields gleamed golden. Wisps of cooking smoke curled into the sky, forming an utterly peaceful and idyllic scene of life along the waterways.

Tong Jin looked around and asked, “Where is the Imperial Palace?”

Su Tan pursed his lips and jerked his chin toward the houses. “That is it.”

“This is the Imperial Palace?” Tong Jin cried out, his jaw nearly dropping.

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Su Tan rolled his eyes helplessly, looking as though he thought Tong Jin was making far too much of it. “Come on, Big Brother Tong. Don’t be fooled by how unimpressive the Imperial Palace looks. None of those great powers has ever dared show it the slightest provocation.”

Tong Jin collected himself, nodded, and moved toward the nearby homes.

They were still half a mile from the nearest house when a figure suddenly shot out from a cluster of trees.

“Where did you two wild brats come from? Do you think you can just barge into the Imperial Palace whenever you please?”

Tong Jin and Su Tan stopped at once and steadied themselves, sizing up the man who had blocked their path. He appeared several years older than them, with a burly build and a pair of large eyes. He wore a mottled tiger-skin jacket, and his long hair hung loose and disheveled, giving him a certain imposing air. He held a long staff and tilted his face upward, snorting at them through his nose with an arrogant, overbearing expression.

After a brief inspection, Tong Jin noticed that although the man was powerfully built, his steps were unsteady. Though he held a long staff, he wielded it as awkwardly as if he had borrowed it from someone else. Tong Jin could not help but chuckle.

“What a clown.”

Su Tan was startled at first, but then he too saw that the man was merely a paper tiger, and a smile appeared on his face.

Seeing the two youths openly mocking him, the man shouted, “You’re courting death!” He raised his staff and swung it viciously at them.

Tong Jin did not deem him worthy of serious attention. With a casual wave of his hand, he snapped the wooden staff in two. The man was sent flying sideways and crashed into a patch of low trees.

The two had just turned to leave when the man struggled to his feet. Angry red gashes covered his face where the branches had torn him, and he roared, “Just you wait!”

Then, howling at the top of his voice, he ran off into the distance.

Tong Jin and Su Tan exchanged a glance, each seeing the same helplessness on the other’s face. They both shook their heads.

They had taken only a few steps when a tall, slender figure shot toward them like lightning, appearing several yards in front of Tong Jin and Su Tan in the space of a breath.

“Were you the ones who injured my younger brother?” the slender man asked coldly.

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