Chapter Twenty: Welcoming the Celestial Immortal

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“Li Fusheng doesn’t seem stupid at all!” Wang Changsheng laughed as he spoke. “He actually fell for that? Is it really possible...”

Wang Changsheng truly hadn’t expected that such words could deceive Li Fusheng. According to the rumors Fang Qing had heard, Li Fusheng had been taken for quite a ride.

“Let’s not worry about him,” Wang Changsheng said in a low voice. “We can’t stay here any longer. If Li Fusheng comes looking for us, we’ll be in real trouble!”

“Besides, you’re no longer the Grand Marshal of the Empire, so you’re free as a bird now!” Wang Changsheng added.

Fang Qing nodded. “Let’s find another place. I still have some property here in the Imperial Capital.”

Led by Fang Qing, they wove through the city and came to a small courtyard.

“This is your property?” Wang Changsheng asked. “You were once Grand Marshal, and you lived in that modest courtyard before, but what about this one? At least the rooms don’t let in the wind, do they?”

“You’re teasing me, Senior Brother.” Fang Qing was a little embarrassed. “Before I became the Grand Marshal, I was just a small-time hustler in the capital. If not for meeting our master...”

Wang Changsheng nodded thoughtfully.

Though Fang Qing’s courtyard was rather rundown, it was quiet enough—a good place for Wang Changsheng to dedicate himself to his cultivation.

As for Fang Qing, he continued to leave early and return late every day. Wang Changsheng even noticed that Fang Qing sometimes went out in disguise.

“You’re not the Grand Marshal anymore, so why are you still so busy?” Wang Changsheng muttered. “What a waste of cultivation talent!”

Still, Wang Changsheng didn’t say anything to him. After all, Fang Qing had his own affairs to manage in this place. Once they reached the Divine Realm of Shen, aside from cultivation, there would be little else for Fang Qing to do.

Dong!

As Wang Changsheng was cultivating, the sound of a distant bell echoed in his ears.

The bell was loud, and from Wang Changsheng’s estimate, it was coming from far away.

“Is that... the sound of the Cloud Ark?” Wang Changsheng’s expression grew puzzled.

He had arrived in the Heavenly Realm by way of the Cloud Ark, and the bell’s sound was familiar—it was the same as he’d heard onboard.

“Why would the Cloud Ark’s bell reach here?” Wang Changsheng wondered.

Previously, the Cloud Ark had landed in a remote area, dropped off its passengers, and departed. In the Heavenly Realm, cultivators still lived half-concealed lives, and a Cloud Ark would never appear openly in the Imperial Capital.

As Wang Changsheng puzzled over this, a thunderous roar sounded. He stood up immediately, left the room, and saw a massive black shadow rolling across the sky.

“The Cloud Ark?!”

Wang Changsheng was certain—the black shadow drifting closer was indeed a Cloud Ark. Though not as colossal as the one he’d ridden on previously, it still blotted out the sun.

“How did the Cloud Ark come to the capital?” Wang Changsheng’s mind whirled with questions.

“Senior Brother!” Fang Qing returned at that moment, his voice grave. “Someone from the Divine Realm of Shen has come down!”

“Is it them?” Wang Changsheng gestured at the Cloud Ark in midair.

“Yes,” Fang Qing replied seriously. “The imperial family has already sent people to receive them. I’ve heard they’re here to look for something.”

“To look for something?” Wang Changsheng was even more perplexed.

Could there be some hidden treasure left in the Heavenly Realm?

To bring a Cloud Ark to the capital—that meant this was a private vessel. After all, a Cloud Ark was an enormous drain on resources, both in spirit stones and manpower—a truly terrifying expense.

Would they really travel from the Divine Realm of Shen to search for just one thing? Was it worth it?

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“Could it be...?” Suddenly, an idea struck Wang Changsheng.

Fang Qing seemed to have the same thought. “Could it be Senior Li?”

“No way...” Wang Changsheng said uncertainly. “Is the Void Spirit Stone really that valuable?”

He found it hard to believe that these people had descended just to retrieve a Void Spirit Stone. After all, when Li Fusheng had stolen one, there’d only been angry roars from the canyon—no one had come chasing after him.

If the Void Spirit Stone were truly so precious, they would have pursued him at once.

“No matter. None of this has anything to do with us,” Wang Changsheng said with a smile. “We should just focus on finding a way back to the Divine Realm of Shen.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Fang Qing said, his expression tense.

“Oh?” Wang Changsheng asked at once. “What do you mean?”

“This time, the one assigned to receive the cultivators from the Divine Realm is the Crown Prince,” Fang Qing said in a low voice. “Diplomatic dealings have always been handled by the Fourth Prince, but this time they sent the Crown Prince to meet with the cultivators. I fear...”

“You mean, the Crown Prince is now the favored heir?” Wang Changsheng guessed.

Fang Qing nodded gravely. “Yes.”

“Well, what does it matter?” Wang Changsheng replied. “Whoever wants to take the throne can have it. It doesn’t affect us. You’re not the Grand Marshal anymore—this has nothing to do with you.”

“And even less to do with me,” Wang Changsheng added.

“But... it does matter,” Fang Qing said through gritted teeth. “I’ve always supported the Fourth Prince...”

“And now it’s almost certain the Crown Prince will ascend. Most of the ministers in court are siding with him,” Fang Qing continued.

“That’s to be expected. If I were them, I’d support the Crown Prince too,” Wang Changsheng said. “It’s only logical, now that the situation is clear.”

“The worst part is, the Crown Prince has already started purging those who supported the Fourth Prince,” Fang Qing said, his voice heavy. “Everyone who openly sided with the Fourth Prince is being rooted out.”

“I am among them...” Fang Qing’s face darkened.

He had tried to secretly plead his case to the emperor, but it had been futile. He felt a chill in his heart. After all, a fifth of the Yunfeng Empire’s territory had been conquered under his command. And yet, because he backed the wrong faction, he now faced a purge. Fang Qing felt deeply resentful.

“Then we need to go, and quickly!” Wang Changsheng realized how serious the situation was.

It was clear that the Yunfeng Empire was tied to some faction in the Divine Realm of Shen. If they really started purging, the two of them wouldn’t stand a chance. And with the Cloud Ark yet to land, now was the perfect time to escape.

“It’s too late!” Fang Qing said. “The Empire does have cultivators—they’ve just always remained in the shadows. This time, though, they’ve been sent to guard the city gates...”

“They deployed cultivators just to purge your faction?” Wang Changsheng asked in disbelief. He’d seen many dynastic overthrows and power struggles, but never anything like this—never had he seen such measures after a succession had been decided.

“No... those cultivators are there to prevent other cultivators from leaving the city. Ordinary people aren’t affected,” Fang Qing explained.

Wang Changsheng fell into thought. “It seems those cultivators aren’t after your faction—they must be after whatever those visitors are searching for.”

Fang Qing nodded.

“So, two events have collided,” Wang Changsheng said quietly.

It was just Fang Qing’s bad luck. The cultivators were here searching for something, and their blockade trapped any cultivator within the city. Meanwhile, Fang Qing, having backed the wrong prince, was now a prisoner of the capital.

“This Crown Prince is no fool. He’s leveraging this situation for his own ends,” Wang Changsheng said in a low voice.

Wang Changsheng immediately saw through the Crown Prince’s intentions—using the arrival of cultivators from the Divine Realm as an excuse to eliminate all his rivals, not just the Fourth Prince, but the other princes as well.

“Then we have no choice but to hide out in the capital for now,” Wang Changsheng said. “In the meantime, don’t leave the house. I’ll go out and see what’s happening.”

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With these words, Wang Changsheng disguised himself and made his way toward the heart of the capital.

At the city’s center was a vast square. As Fang Qing had said, the Cloud Ark was to land there.

Rumble... Rumble...

Wang Changsheng had only just reached the edge of the square when the Cloud Ark touched down, shaking the ground with its thunderous landing. The crowd that had gathered to watch was awestruck by the sheer force of its arrival.

“What on earth is that? Is it a ship?”

“That can’t be a ship. Have you ever seen a ship that size?”

“Never. Not only have I never seen a ship so massive—I’ve never seen one that could fly...”

As the Cloud Ark landed, murmurs of astonishment rippled through the crowd, their shock surpassing even Wang Changsheng’s first encounter with the vessel.

At that moment, the palace gates swung wide. A host of soldiers, led by a young man, emerged from within.

“That’s the Crown Prince...”

“No wonder he’s come out on top this time. He’s truly exceptional!”

“Exceptional? I’d say his position as heir is all but guaranteed now!”

Wang Changsheng, too, regarded the Crown Prince with a look of approval.

“The two people behind the Crown Prince are at least Third-Level Meridian Opening cultivators,” Wang Changsheng thought grimly as he watched them. “Hard to believe Fang Qing and his allies survived this long, given the Crown Prince’s backing.”

When Fang Qing had only been at the peak of Qi Refining, and even now, he wouldn’t stand three moves against those two. How could he ever hope to contend with the Crown Prince?

Wang Changsheng had also met the Fourth Prince—equally composed and dignified under pressure. His only fault was lacking powerful cultivators for support; he could never become a true contender.

“Welcome, Immortal!” the Crown Prince called out, bowing respectfully toward the Cloud Ark.

“Immortal? What Immortal? Are there truly immortals in this world?”

“There must be. How else do you explain a flying ship? That’s the work of immortals!”

“You don’t know, do you? ‘Immortal’ just means cultivator. My cousin’s distant niece is a cultivator!”

The Crown Prince’s words instantly caused a stir among the onlookers. In the Heavenly Realm, only those of high status knew of cultivators’ existence. Ordinary people only knew of martial artists, not cultivators.

“Welcome, Immortal!”

“Welcome, Immortal!”

At that moment, many in the crowd fell to their knees and bowed.

If even the Crown Prince, heir to the empire, would bow so deeply, what harm could there be for commoners to do the same? Perhaps, they thought, such reverence might bring them peace and safety.