Chapter Seventy-Five: The Imperial Uncle

Li Xingyu glanced at the dumbfounded couple, then turned to the terrified young master standing to the side and said, “I’m heading to the palace now. If you dare harm any of these three while I’m gone, when I return, I’ll make sure you truly yearn for death but cannot find it, nor will you be able to live in peace. Don’t think about letting anyone else do it—any harm that comes to them in this time, I’ll hold you responsible.” With that, he paid him no further heed, merely asking the boy’s father for his name and address before following the soldiers leading the way to the palace. He was confident the young master would not dare harm them, perhaps would even send people to protect them.

Soon, they arrived outside the towering walls of a vast palace. The size was such that calling it a city would not be an exaggeration; the height and length of the walls, and the lofty buildings visible within, made clear it was no smaller than an ordinary city. “This is the palace of the Heaven’s Gift Empire—truly grand and magnificent, yet not oppressive. The heritage that emanates from this place speaks of a history most ancient,” Li Xingyu mused as he stood before the gates, gazing at the palace.

General Antu stopped before the gate, walked over to the guards, exchanged a few words, and brought the captain of the palace guards to Li Xingyu. After introductions, the captain measured Li Xingyu with a surprised glance—astonished at his youth, but not daring any disrespect. He performed the empire’s highest courtesy and said, “Esteemed sir, I am the captain of the North Gate guard. Please present your Heaven’s Gift Token so I may verify it—it is my duty, I hope you understand.” Li Xingyu showed no displeasure, simply handing over the token. The captain examined it carefully, then returned it with respect and said, “Sir, please follow me. General Antu, you may return.” Then, turning to another guard, he instructed, “Zaka, go inform His Majesty that the bearer of the Heaven’s Gift Token has arrived at the palace.” The guard sped off into the palace, while the captain led Li Xingyu toward the gate.

Upon entering, Li Xingyu was immediately struck by the palace’s atmosphere. It was not opulent, but rather gave a sense of natural comfort. Various buildings, some ancient, some newly built, were scattered artfully within the walls, revealing a profound historical heritage. While many structures were grand, even imposing, none felt extravagant or ostentatious. The overall impression was one of majesty and natural elegance. Li Xingyu realized that whoever designed and built this place must have possessed a broad and confident mind, deeply attuned to the way of nature. From the oldest to the newest, the palace bore this style, revealing that generations of the royal family were extraordinary indeed. No wonder the royal clan had always dominated the great families and powers of Heaven’s Gift Empire; such bearing was rare among any family.

Li Xingyu followed the guard for about a quarter hour when a group hurried toward them, led by the emperor himself—the patriarch of the royal family. The captain hesitated for a moment, then the emperor approached. Realizing the emperor had come personally to greet this guest, the guards hurried to pay respects, their minds aflame with shock. Who was this young man, that the emperor would greet him personally? Previously, only the other three emperors of the four great empires had been received so; this youth was clearly not one of them.

Li Xingyu was somewhat surprised at the emperor’s personal greeting but not truly astonished. He was now a genuine cultivator; his mentality had subtly changed as his powers grew. Moreover, he came from Earth’s modern civilization, imbued with the belief in equality. He simply stood, smiled, and nodded as greeting. Those accompanying the emperor were equally stunned—they had only known the emperor was coming to greet someone, not who. Now, seeing such a young man, who merely nodded in response, they were deeply shocked.

The emperor ignored their shock, approached Li Xingyu and said, “Young Master Li, you’ve finally arrived. When I heard you’d vanished after encountering the black-robed elder of the Phoenix Clan, I was deeply concerned. My uncle has been meditating in the rear gardens, so he could not come to greet you, but I’ve sent word—he should be here shortly, I hope you’ll forgive us.” The crowd, already numb from astonishment, did not react further to the emperor’s respectful tone.

“Your Majesty is too kind; your personal welcome is already most unexpected. Meeting your uncle will make this trip worthwhile,” Li Xingyu replied, lowering his own posture in response to the emperor’s humility.

“Excellent, excellent. My uncle is eager to meet you as well. Let us go to the main hall—this is not the place for conversation.” The emperor, having heard Li Xingyu’s words, bid the guards who had escorted him to return. He then turned and led Li Xingyu to the palace’s heart.

Soon they arrived in an immense hall. The emperor had special spirit tea and fruit brought, then dismissed everyone before saying to Li Xingyu, “Young Master Li, my uncle will arrive soon. Please enjoy our Heaven’s Gift Empire’s unique spirit tea and fruit. This tea grows only in small quantities in the rear gardens of our palace, and is said to have been brought here by cultivators from Nasster Star. It was their favorite beverage.” He raised his own cup to Li Xingyu as he spoke.

Li Xingyu had heard of spirit tea in the cultivation world. The chief difference from ordinary tea was that spirit tea contained pure spiritual energy; drinking it could slightly aid the progress of cultivators, especially those of lower rank, and even for higher ranks, it helped to harmonize the breath and focus the mind.

He first probed the tea with his spiritual sense, feeling the wisps of pure energy in the steam rising from the cup. As he sipped, the fragrant liquid entered his body, and he felt the spiritual energy disperse, merging into his meridians. Though the quantity was small, the purity was remarkable; after integrating with his own true essence, he felt it tremble lightly and flow more smoothly and naturally. Passing through his dantian, the essence felt slightly more refined—though the effect was limited, it was real and evident.

After savoring the changes within, he exhaled comfortably and said, “Excellent tea, truly excellent. I begin to understand why the royal family’s power has remained strong through the ages, and why Your Majesty is the foremost innate master, and why your uncle possesses such high cultivation.”

“Hahaha… Young friend Li, you overpraise me. Though my cultivation is not weak, compared to yours now, I fear I am still somewhat lacking. I did not expect your progress to be so rapid in just a few years—truly astonishing!” A voice, aged yet full-bodied, rang out from the side door of the hall, and the white-haired elder of the royal family whom Li Xingyu had met before entered, energetic and lively. He had just probed Li Xingyu’s cultivation with his spiritual sense and was deeply shocked.

The emperor quickly stood and bowed, saying, “Nephew greets uncle.” Li Xingyu also rose, saluted, and said, “Junior greets senior.” He showed less respect to the emperor, as the latter was not a cultivator, but to this elder, he was deferential—his cultivation was comparable, perhaps even slightly superior in essence and power, but in true combat, Li Xingyu doubted he could match him, lacking battle experience unless he used a laser gun.

[Editor’s note: Joint recommendation for the hottest books on the ZhuLang website—click to add to favorites.]