Emperor’s Domination

The crown prince guided Li Qiye to the imperial palace with Peng Yinxue as well.

The guards were justifiably frightened to see her, immediately readying their weapon. They would have attacked if it wasn't for the crown prince and Li Qiye being present.

The crown prince prayed the entire time, hoping for the best or it would be all over.

Though Li Qiye refused a grand ceremony, the dynasty still treated him with the highest-level standard - one equal to the king.

A high palace solely meant for ancestors from the temple was used for his arrival today.

Of course, Li Qiye only smiled the entire time. The crown prince personally prepared everything, prompting Li Qiye to nod his head approvingly.

The prince was afraid that Li Qiye wouldn't be used to living in the palace so he took Li Qiye around for a tour, fully describing each location. He spoke earnestly, throwing away the pride usually seen in a crown prince.

The imperial palace was quite large, only small when compared to the massive Minor Sacred Mountain towering on the horizon.

It consisted of expensive materials but there were aging signs. It has been around for millions of years as housing for numerous dynasties.

During the tour, the two met many members of the royal family along with court officials.

These groups wanted to win Li Qiye's favor but it wasn't the right time since the crown prince was around. They chose to greet the two from a distance instead.

The crown prince knew that all eyes were on them and that his status had soared due to his involvement with Li Qiye. Nonetheless, he still chose to act with caution since many still wanted to take him down.

Li Qiye had no interest in this power struggle and just focused on the stroll instead.

Strangely enough, Archaic Sun King was nowhere to be found as if he didn't wish to greet Li Qiye.

"Father is busy with pill refinement, it's hard for anyone to see him." The crown prince said so that Li Qiye wouldn't be offended.

"Pill refinement?" Li Qiye chuckled.

"Father enjoys learning longevity art and has deep attainments on longevity pills. He spends more of his time doing alchemy." The prince smiled.

He didn't dare to use the word "obsession" to describe his father.

Cultivators, especially the top experts, had a desire for everlasting life. This was the same for top alchemists. They wanted to create a pill capable of this.

After all, one main goal of cultivation was immortality.

This wasn't the case here for the king. He was completely obsessed with this task and took it to the next level. He would do anything to live longer while ignoring everything else, including his duties as a king.

That's why most viewed him as an incapable and foolish king. This led to the Grand Chancellor and Grand Commander possessing an unreasonable amount of power.

If it wasn't for Vajra's resources and foundation, a king like him would have ended the dynasty's reign over the holy ground.

"I see, longevity pills." Li Qiye smiled and didn't say anything else.

The crown prince didn't wish to dwell on this topic. He certainly had grievances over the king being derelict of his duty, only attending several court meetings each year. It just wasn't his place to say anything.

They eventually made it to the imperial garden and saw an ancient tree with coiling roots. It resembled a horned dragon, brimming with spirit and quite interesting to behold.

Beneath the tree was a man lying in a long chair, looking to be very comfortable. He resembled a fifty-year-old mortal; the hair on the sides was slightly gray. He didn't have any wrinkles; his eyes were as bright as the stars.

He wore an embroidered robe, looking quite scholarly. However, he had an innate aura that instilled pressure - clearly a man of high status.

The man immediately sat up after seeing Li Qiye and got out of his chair. He cupped his fist and greeted: "You must be Young Noble Li."

This was the imperial garden - most would think that he was the king of Vajra given the circumstances. Plus, his aura and bearing resembled that of a king.

"He is the National Teacher." The crown prince introduced.

The teacher of the state didn't put up an act. He lowered his head and said: "My name is Ye Mingshi. Your fame precedes you, Young Noble."

He was a famous existence, widely believed to be on the same level as the four grandmasters.

He originated from Fallen Leaf School, not Vajra Dynasty. This sect could only be described as above average, incomparable to behemoths such as Heavenly Dragon Temple or Myriad-Blood Sect.

It didn't have a powerful progenitor or anything special until Ye Mingshi. He was one of the top geniuses in his generation and joined Duality Academy.

He was in the same class as Five-colored Sacred Sovereign; both were top students. One of their friends became renowned as well - the current king of Vajra.

Rumor has it that Ye Mingshi and Archaic Sun King were friends. That's why Ye Mingshi eventually joined the court of Vajra.

However, Archaic Sun King wasn't exceptional like the other two. He preferred alchemy instead before being obsessed with longevity arts.

Though Ye Mingshi wasn't classified as a grandmaster, the other grandmasters all thought highly of his power and cultivation level. Some believed that he had fought evenly with the grandmasters before.

Due to his impressive abilities, one theory ran rampant in the dynasty - that his secret identity was the guardian of Vajra - a member of the four grandmasters.

People knew nothing of this guardian, only that the guardian was a grandmaster and a member of Vajra.

This made it quite strange - why was this unknown character listed as a grandmaster?

Some said that it was because this guardian fought evenly with the other members. Another stated that the guardian had challenged Buddha Supreme before and lost.

Buddha Supreme approved of the guardian's power, hence the eventual classification.

In terms of power, status, and timeline, Ye Mingshi seemed to be the guardian. He had neither refuted nor confirmed this rumor. This made people even more skeptical.