Chapter 242: The Imperial Envoy Arrives

Chapter 242: The Imperial Envoy Arrives

October 25, 2024

"Envoy Xie Yanfeng of the Divine Wind Empire pays his respects to Emperor Gu Yang!"

In the imperial hall, a middle-aged cultivator bowed respectfully to Emperor Gu Yang, who sat on the throne.

The eyes of all the other officials were now fixed on the envoy.

With the influx of many foreign cultivators, the court had gained considerable knowledge about the Ancient Realm. The Divine Wind Empire, a great power that had produced several Sages over the generations, was far from unfamiliar.

What puzzled them, however, was why the Divine Wind Empire would send an envoy.

After all, the Divine Martial Dynasty and the Divine Wind Empire had no prior ties. None of the tens of thousands of cultivators buried in the Nine Provinces belonged to the Divine Wind Empire.

Thus, the envoy's arrival was quite intriguing.

From his throne, Gu Yang surveyed the man below. When Xie Yanfeng arrived, a secret royal retainer had informed him that this man was at least a Dao Palace realm expert.

In the past, facing a Dao Palace realm expert would have been a daunting challenge for Gu Yang. The Divine Martial Dynasty was too weak, and even if he could tap into the nation's fortune, it would be difficult to suppress such a powerful opponent.

Moreover, Xie Yanfeng was likely not an ordinary Dao Palace realm cultivator.

However, Gu Yang now possessed the Divine Phoenix Tower. Although he couldn't fully harness the divine artifact's power, he was confident that it could temporarily defend against a Dao Palace realm attack.

Additionally, the Gu Family Manor was located within the capital. If the envoy dared to launch an attack, he would have no chance of leaving the capital alive.

For these reasons, Gu Yang faced the Dao Palace realm expert with confidence, his expression calm and composed.

"The Divine Martial Dynasty has no prior connection with the Divine Wind Empire. What important matter brings you here today?"

"My emperor has long heard of the Divine Martial Dynasty's reputation and has admired Emperor Gu Yang for some time. Therefore, he has dispatched me to promote a better relationship between our two realms. Additionally, here is a gift from my emperor. I hope you will accept it with pleasure."

Xie Yanfeng produced a storage ring. At Gu Yang's nod, a eunuch walked over, took the ring, and handed it to the emperor.

Gu Yang's divine sense scanned the ring, and his expression changed slightly.

Inside the ring were numerous blood-red stones, which were not unfamiliar to him.

Divine Blood Stones!

These stones were mined from spirit stone veins. Their blood-red color, as if forged from fresh blood, earned them their name.

Gu Yang knew that Divine Blood Stones were not only the true currency of the Ancient Realm but also a valuable resource for cultivation. Last time, even with the contents of many storage bags and rings, he had only managed to gather a little over a thousand pounds of low-grade Divine Blood Stones.

This highlighted their rarity.

The storage ring now contained nearly three thousand pounds of low-grade Divine Blood Stones.

Seeing this, Gu Yang's expression softened. "Please convey my thanks to Emperor Yang when you return."

"Your words will be relayed to the emperor. Additionally, I have been tasked with another matter to discuss with you."

Xie Yanfeng smiled and then got straight to the point.

Gu Yang asked, "What is it?"

"The Divine Wind Empire wishes to establish a teleportation array in the Nine Provinces to facilitate mutual exchange. The materials required for the array will be provided by the Divine Wind Empire. Will you agree to this, Emperor Gu Yang?"

Xie Yanfeng had finally revealed his true purpose.

Establish a teleportation array!

Facilitate mutual exchange!

Gu Yang did not immediately respond but fell into deep thought.

He hadn't expected this to be the envoy's purpose. Once the teleportation array was set up, people from the Divine Wind Empire could directly enter the Nine Provinces, and vice versa. The Ancient Beast Mountains, which currently served as a barrier to most cultivators, would become obsolete.

While the barrier's usefulness was already limited, it still provided some protection. Without it, the number of Ancient Realm cultivators arriving in the Divine Martial Dynasty could increase tenfold or even a hundredfold.

After a moment's consideration, Gu Yang said, "The Divine Martial Dynasty is still in its early stages, with many things to be rebuilt and the Nine Provinces not yet fully stabilized. Therefore, let us put the matter of the teleportation array on hold for now. We can discuss it again in the future."

Hearing this, Xie Yanfeng's expression shifted, but he could only bow and reply, "If that is the case, I will return and report to the emperor."

"Take your time, Divine Envoy Xie. You just arrived in the Nine Realms, so why not stay for a few days and experience the culture and customs of the Divine Martial Dynasty?"

"Thank you, Emperor Gu!"

Xie Yanfeng did not decline the offer.

...

"Envoys from the Divine Wind Empire have arrived!"

Gu Qingfeng looked at the intelligence report from his secret guards, his expression shifting slightly.

He was familiar with the Divine Wind Empire, an ancient empire founded by a Sage in the Eastern Domain eighty thousand years ago. Every ten to twenty thousand years, the Divine Wind Empire would produce another Sage, making it a formidable force with deep roots and a rich legacy.

However, when he learned the purpose of their visit, a sharp light flashed in Gu Qingfeng's eyes.

They wanted to establish a teleportation array!

But after seeing Gu Yang's refusal, Gu Qingfeng understood.

Once the teleportation array was set up, the Ancient Beast Mountains would lose their only strategic value, and the Divine Wind Empire's cultivators could freely enter the Nine Realms. Given the Divine Martial Dynasty's shallow foundation, the sudden influx of a large number of cultivators might not be a good thing.

Therefore, Gu Yang's refusal was entirely reasonable.

Afterward, Gu Qingfeng glanced at his information panel, noting that there were no significant changes. He then took out a jade slip and focused his divine sense on it, causing the relevant information to surface.

Weapon Forging Techniques!

This was the art of crafting divine weapons. Gu Qingfeng intended to reforge the Evil-Slaying Blade and needed to study weapon forging techniques. Although the Evil-Slaying Blade had already ascended to the level of an ancient weapon, its foundation was still too weak, having been forged from ordinary materials.

To the average person, such a weapon could be considered a divine weapon, but in the cultivation world, even a grandmaster would look down on it. The Evil-Slaying Blade had reached its current state solely because Gu Qingfeng had nurtured it with his own life force and refined it with the Blade Nurturing Technique.

However, every divine weapon has its limits. For the Evil-Slaying Blade, reaching the level of an ancient weapon was the end of the road. To advance further and become a true saint weapon, it needed to be melted down and reforged.

Thus, Gu Qingfeng had been studying weapon forging techniques. Over the past few days, he had not practiced the Primal Heaven Blade Technique but instead devoted all his time and energy to mastering weapon forging. He had become well-versed in the various forging materials from the Primal Heaven Realm, including the blood-stained ore he had obtained from the Heavenly Cloud Ring.

This blood-stained ore was, in fact, the Primordial Immortal Ore, an ancient mineral from the Primordial Ancient Land.

Gu Qingfeng had some knowledge of the Primordial Ancient Land. Since Hongye had led the secret guards to the Eastern Domain and secretly established a power base, they had been gathering information about the Eastern Domain, including the existence of the Primordial Ancient Land.

According to legends, the Primordial Ancient Land was a place of great fortune and great peril. Even Sages who entered it might not return alive. Thus, cultivators from the Eastern Domain were wary of it.

Understanding the origin of the Primordial Immortal Ore, Gu Qingfeng felt a newfound respect for the Heavenly Cloud Sage. To venture into the Primordial Ancient Land and return alive was a testament to his formidable strength.

"Normally, the Primordial Immortal Ore would be more than sufficient to forge a grand saint weapon. If I use this ore as the foundation to reforge the Evil-Slaying Blade, it will greatly enhance its power!"

"If I can gather a few more materials, I might even attempt to forge a grand saint weapon, even if it’s just an embryo of one!"

Gu Qingfeng reviewed the weapon forging knowledge in his mind. To forge a true grand saint weapon, the Primordial Immortal Ore alone was not enough. Every divine weapon contained the divine might of heaven and earth, which ultimately stemmed from the presence of powerful divine patterns.

For example, a saint weapon contained Sage patterns, allowing it to wield supreme divine might. When Gu Qingfeng drew the Evil-Slaying Blade again, he studied the intricate patterns on the blade, which had formed during the nurturing process.

Previously, Gu Qingfeng had not understood what these patterns were, but now he knew—they were divine patterns. More specifically, they were Dao Palace divine patterns.

Because it carried these divine patterns, the Evil-Slaying Blade had ascended to the level of an ancient weapon. However, these patterns were not artificially created but had formed spontaneously as Gu Qingfeng nurtured the blade with his life force.

There were two types of divine patterns. The first type was formed when a powerful cultivator nurtured a weapon with their life force over time, potentially giving birth to divine patterns. The second type was when a master weapon forger with powerful divine patterns inscribed them into the weapon during the forging process.

The Art of Nurturing a Blade is a method to cultivate divine patterns. While this technique is rare in the Nine Provinces, it is not particularly astonishing when viewed across the entire Ancient Realm.

With his current perspective, Gu Qingfeng could see that this secret technique was not uncommon in the Ancient Realm.

When he refocused his gaze on the Evil-Slaying Blade, he saw that the Dao Palace divine patterns were the current limit of what the blade could bear.

If he were to forcibly imbue it with Saint divine patterns, the result would be catastrophic—the blade would shatter under the immense power.

"Primordial Immortal Ore is just one part of the equation. I also need Tianyi Divine Gold to balance the power of the Primordial Immortal Ore. Only then can the two be combined to recast the Evil-Slaying Blade."

"Additionally—"

"I need to find a place with a celestial fire that can simultaneously smelt the Primordial Immortal Ore and Tianyi Divine Gold. Otherwise, it won’t be easy to forge it into a divine weapon!"

Gu Qingfeng mused.

Both the Primordial Immortal Ore and Tianyi Divine Gold were treasures essential for forging a Great Saint weapon. Ordinary fires were incapable of smelting such materials. Even if he used common fire, it might take ten thousand years to make a dent in the Primordial Immortal Ore.

However, the latter was simpler.

The real problem was how to obtain Tianyi Divine Gold.

After all, such a treasure for forging a Great Saint weapon was not something that could be easily obtained. Even if he were to buy it from another faction, the price would be astronomically high.

It was important to note that while mortals traded with gold and silver, cultivators used Divine Blood Stones.

While the Nine Provinces had spirit veins, the amount of Divine Blood Stones that could be mined was limited.

Moreover, over-mining a spirit vein would damage its foundation, drastically reducing the output of spiritual energy.

The current spiritual energy in the Nine Provinces was already mediocre. If it were to be further weakened, the consequences would be dire.

"Tianyi Divine Gold is a problem!"

"For now, I can only slowly gather information about it."

With this in mind, Gu Qingfeng sent a message to Hongye, asking her to keep an eye out for any news about Tianyi Divine Gold. He also instructed a secret guard to go to the palace and inform Gu Yang that he needed Tianyi Divine Gold, asking the Divine Martial Dynasty to help look for it.

...

On the other side, shortly after the arrival of the Divine Wind Dynasty, other factions also sent envoys, all with the same purpose: to establish teleportation arrays in the Nine Provinces to facilitate mutual exchange.

Gu Yang firmly rejected their requests.

In his view, establishing teleportation arrays at this time would be more detrimental than beneficial to the Divine Martial Dynasty.

If too many cultivators flooded into the Nine Provinces, the Divine Martial Dynasty would struggle to maintain control.

At that point, chaos would inevitably ensue.

The Nine Provinces were vast, and relying on Gu Qingfeng alone to manage everything was unrealistic.

Furthermore, while the Sky Patrol Guard had been established, it was still too new and lacked sufficient strength.

Even with Gu Yang’s efforts to enhance the Sky Patrol Guard, they currently only had ten Grand Masters, and no cultivators had yet reached the Divine Transformation realm.

After all, reaching the Divine Transformation realm was no easy feat.

Even though the members of the Sky Patrol Guard were chosen from the geniuses of the Nine Provinces, achieving a breakthrough still required time.

Currently, the presence of Ancient Realm cultivators in the Nine Provinces was already significant, and the combined efforts of the secret guards and the Sky Patrol Guard were only just maintaining the status quo.

If teleportation arrays were established, this precarious balance would undoubtedly collapse.

For these reasons, Gu Yang could not agree to the establishment of the teleportation arrays.

Of course, if the Divine Martial Dynasty’s strength were to grow further and it had the resources to stabilize the situation in the Nine Provinces, then establishing teleportation arrays would be a necessity.

Mutual exchange and true dominance over the Ancient Realm both required teleportation arrays.

There was no way around it—the Ancient Realm was too vast. Without teleportation arrays, even a Dao Palace realm cultivator would find it difficult to traverse the entire Eastern Domain, let alone the entire Ancient Realm.

In the imperial study, Gu Yang finished reviewing the memorials and glanced at the Imperial Seal.

When he infused his own blood qi into the Imperial Seal, a faint image of a green lotus appeared.

Compared to when he first started, the Third-Rank Green Lotus was now much more substantial.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end