Chapter 259: Qitian Marquis

Three months later, in a valley.

In front of Xie Yan stood a tombstone engraved with the words "Grave of the Eighth."

This was a tomb Xie Yan had prepared for the Eighth Moro.

It had been three months since the incident with the Eight-tailed Tianwei in the Sealed Spirit City, and Xie Yan had only now erected a tombstone for the Eighth.

Looking at the tombstone, Xie Yan furrowed his brows slightly. "Eighth, rest in peace. You can be assured that I'll take care of things here. With you gone, I still have Princess Qianyou."

With that, Xie Yan turned and flew up to the mountain peak, no longer glancing at the tombstone but instead placing his right index finger on his forehead, quietly casting a spell.

Meanwhile, near the original Cangyun Sect, in a manor, Xiao Qiushui's eyes suddenly emitted a faint red light. She gently pushed open the door and, with a step, swiftly flew in a certain direction—

Six more months passed. Outside the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty, by a massive inland sea.

Princess Qianyou, dressed as a young woman, arrived with Ah Er from a distance, while Ah Da stood on a mountain peak. Seeing Princess Qianyou and Ah Er, he immediately bowed slightly. "Princess."

Princess Qianyou landed on the mountain peak and looked out at the distant sea. "Has Sir not come up yet?"

"Not yet. Sir has been practicing underwater all this time. But it should be close to the date he mentioned," Ah Da replied.

"Mm." Princess Qianyou nodded patiently, waiting.

At the bottom of this sea, on a boulder, Zhongshan still sat with closed eyes, not releasing his protective aura, simply soaking his body in the seawater.

The Sixth Level of the Vermillion Phoenix Scripture! The beginning of dispelling illusions!

What did it mean to dispel illusions? Zhongshan had already figured it out over these days.

It was an incredibly terrifying ability. Gathering the mental power of the Vermillion Phoenix Flower, it had such a great effect.

When he opened his eyes, Zhongshan saw a fragmented world.

It was like a piece of glass shattered by a strong impact, producing a spiderweb-like crack.

These were the rules, the rules of heaven and earth.

When Zhongshan saw this scene, he was speechless with shock. However, what he saw was only a part of it. In Zhongshan's eyes, these rules of heaven and earth appeared and disappeared intermittently. Some disappeared while others appeared, and the ones that disappeared earlier also reappeared to some extent.

In short, there were too many rules of heaven and earth. Thanks to the Sixth Level of the Vermillion Phoenix Scripture, Zhongshan had seen these rules countless years ahead of the peerless experts, but he could only see them vaguely, like someone with poor eyesight, only able to see blurry shapes. Nevertheless, even this vague view brought Zhongshan immense convenience.

From the seabed, looking at the vast sea, the previously arduous task of searching for the patterns and weaknesses in the seawater had become much easier.

Turning his hand, Zhongshan took out the "Nightmare" and exerted all his strength, swinging it fiercely upwards.

Sky-slicing Wave!

Sky-slicing Wave!

Zhongshan swung two consecutive slashes, creating two huge rifts that tore towards the sea surface. The seawater hurriedly avoided these rifts.

Boom, boom

Gigantic waves rose from the sea, spreading within a hundred-mile radius.

The power of the Yuan Ying stage.

Although not considered strong, for Zhongshan now, it was a tremendous breakthrough. He could now consecutively unleash such formidable power, and all this without even employing the Heavenly Demon Essence Body.

Satisfied, Zhongshan smiled faintly as his mental power slowly retreated from his eyes back to his brow. He noticed that the consumption of the Vermillion Phoenix Flower's power by observing the rules of heaven and earth was significant. In just a short time, the Vermillion Phoenix Flower had dimmed considerably.

However, it didn't matter. It wouldn't take long to recover.

With a satisfied smile, Zhongshan slowly charged towards the surface of the sea.

The Mo Yu talisman in the Purple Mansion had been studied again, but it still remained lifeless, unable to be deciphered. As for his divine consciousness, it had indeed grown rapidly due to the Eight-tailed Tianwei. In just a few months, its range had expanded from covering a yard around him to ten yards.

Bang! Zhongshan burst out of the water.

He flew towards a distant mountain peak.

"Sir, is it stable now?" Princess Qianyou asked immediately.

"The Sixth Level of the Golden Core Stage, a stroke of luck," Zhongshan smiled.

"Sir, some news just came in. It seems we need to return to the capital," Princess Qianyou said.

"Oh? What news?" Zhongshan activated his mana slightly, evaporating all the water from his body.

"Firstly, Gu Lin has returned to the capital, bringing back the Wan Cheng Treasure Book, and has been ennobled," Princess Qianyou frowned.

"Hmm?" Zhongshan was puzzled.

"Gu Lin has recovered!" Princess Qianyou said.

"Recovered? Recovered what?" Zhongshan asked curiously.

"As I told you before, his main consciousness was in the Mud Pill Palace, competing for control with a Sovereign Realm expert. Only a small part of him was outside," Princess Qianyou frowned.

"Hmm," Zhongshan frowned in thought.

"If he hadn't recovered, King Daxuan wouldn't have ennobled him. He himself said that he wouldn't accept ennoblement without defeating the Sovereign Realm expert. Now that he's been ennobled, it means the past him has returned. Gu Lin, the most favored son of King Daxuan, has returned," Princess Qianyou frowned.

Zhongshan also furrowed his brows.

"Gu Lin has been ennobled as the 'Qitian Marquis'. He temporarily holds the title of Heaven and Earth Warden, with a temporary status," Princess Qianyou said.

Taking a deep breath, Zhongshan nodded. Gu Lin had always harbored ill feelings towards him. He wondered what attitude Gu Lin would have towards him now that he had regained his intelligence. If it remained the same as before, it would be troublesome.

"And, His Majesty has issued a decree for me to return to the capital early," Princess Qianyou said.

"A decree?" Zhongshan furrowed his brows.

"Yes, because, in eight months, our Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty will hold the once-in-sixty-years grand event," Princess Qianyou smiled.

"Oh?" Zhongshan was puzzled.

"The Imperial Examinations!" Princess Qianyou smiled.

"The Imperial Examinations?" Zhongshan furrowed his brows.

"Yes, sir. You can participate in the Imperial Examinations. They only happen once every sixty years. Once you become the top scholar, you'll at least hold a temporary status," Princess Qianyou said.

Looking at Princess Qianyou, Zhongshan smiled wryly. "I've never taken the Imperial Examinations before. Besides, during the Imperial Examinations, there will surely be numerous strong and intelligent individuals. How can I pass with my current cultivation?"

"Sir, you will definitely succeed, and you will surely become the champion. Ah Da, Ah Er, don't you agree?" Princess Qianyou said confidently.

"Sir will definitely become the champion!" Ah Da and Ah Er were also extremely confident.

Seeing the confident trio, Zhongshan smiled faintly and said, "Let's go then. Since His Majesty has issued the decree, we will return to the capital. As for the Tai Gu Holy Capital, we'll discuss other matters later."

The Tai Gu Holy Capital, the capital of the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty, one of the three largest cities in the world.

On a gigantic floating island in the Tai Gu Holy Capital, countless buildings towered overhead. In front of a massive square, hundreds of beautiful women were dancing gracefully, accompanied by numerous musicians playing music, creating a scene of beauty and elegance.

And all this performance by so many musicians and beauties was solely to please the man standing in front of the main hall.

This man wore a Phoenix Wing Purple Gold Crown on his head, a Lock Golden Armor on his body, and Lotus Silk Cloud-Stepping Boots on his feet, exuding an air of unparalleled pride and heroism.

This person was none other than Gu Lin, the Crown Prince who had returned from the Dayu Empire.

Qitian Marquis, Gu Lin.

The two phoenix wings on the Phoenix Wing Purple Gold Crown symbolized the unparalleled arrogance of the Qitian Marquis. Gu Lin lightly twisted his hand around, grabbing one of the phoenix wings and twirling it in front of him with his fingertips.

While his eyes watched the performance in front of him, his mind was slightly focused on a distant location.

Standing beside him were some subordinate officials, among whom was Master Shuijing, for some unknown reason.

"My lord, His Majesty's decree has just reached Princess Qianyou's place. In at most six months, Princess Qianyou will be able to return to the Tai Gu Holy Capital," an extremely spirited official said.

"Good, half a year. I'll wait another half a year!" Qitian Marquis laughed arrogantly.

"My lord, considering the credit you earned by bringing back the Wan Cheng Treasure Book, wouldn't it be a waste to only exchange it for the ability to cast spells in a certain area of the Tai Gu Holy Capital?" the official said.

"Hahaha, bringing back the Wan Cheng Treasure Book? What kind of credit is that? You have a limited view and don't understand the broader picture. Figure it out for yourself," Qitian Marquis said arrogantly.

"Yes," the official said immediately.

After smelling the phoenix wings and closing his eyes, Gu Lin, with a satisfied expression, opened his eyes again, revealing an incredibly shrewd light. He stared at Master Shuijing beside him and asked, "Shuijing, how long do you think it will take for me to win back Qianyou?"

"Shuijing doesn't know," Master Shuijing said calmly.

"Haha, that's why you, Shuijing, are inferior to me. I have three strategies: attack her mind, attack her body, or attack her guilt. In no time, Qianyou will surely be my wife again. And what about you? Will you remain like this for the rest of your life? Will you and she both grow old and never change?" Qitian Marquis laughed meaningfully.

"Please enlighten me, my lord," Master Shuijing seemed to be struck with pain by Qitian Marquis's words.

Satisfied with Master Shuijing's reaction, Qitian Marquis glanced at him and said, "You're not strong enough yet. If you were my father, or if you were King Daxuan, what would you have to fear? Surrendering to inferiority, you'll be doomed forever."

Master Shuijing frowned.

"In eight months, there will be the Imperial Examinations. It's an excellent opportunity. Even I will participate then. Are you going to give up this chance? Come and participate. Let me see how capable you, Master Shuijing, really are, and let the world see," Qitian Marquis encouraged.

Looking at Qitian Marquis Gu Lin, Master Shuijing furrowed his brow, took a deep breath, and then sighed deeply. He shook his head and said no more.

Seeing Master Shuijing's attitude, Qitian Marquis smirked evilly, paying no further attention to him. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the square where the dance was happening.