Left hand reentered the sleeve, taking out three relics gleaming with golden-red luminescence to fiddle with.

These were all the relics Qing Yu kept on him now, the rest had already been placed in a secret location at the Blood Robe Building along the way.

Carrying over forty relics was not an easy task.

The Buddha Power emanated by so many relics gathered could attract many from the Buddhist sect to investigate.

Three relics were just right; Qing Yu could directly cover their fluctuations with his True Qi.

Qing Yu once again covered his left hand with his sleeve, and with his right hand, he rubbed his face. When he lowered his hand, he had an indifferent expression devoid of emotion.

Paired with the simple yet unassuming deep-purple Daoist robe he wore and the Daoist hairpin in his hair, a freshly emerged Supreme Daoist made his appearance.

White Phoenix, seeing its master completely transformed, was scared and suddenly jumped back a great distance, its intelligent eyes filled with sheer horror.

Recently, White Phoenix's intelligence had improved significantly; previously, it wouldn't have been able to make such a spirited movement.

"Do not be afraid."

Qing Yu soothed White Phoenix's slightly frightened heart with the Power of Thought, sending a thought to it, "Go, leave Ji Province, and head back to Northern Zhou first."

Ji Province was very dangerous at the moment, and even though White Phoenix could fly, its safety couldn't be guaranteed.

As for Qing Yu, he no longer needed to rely on White Phoenix to escape. Those who could make Qing Yu flee, even if seated on a flying White Phoenix, would be of no use.

White Phoenix gently rubbed Qing Yu's head and issued a low cry before flapping its wings and flying away.

"Alright, I should also go find a place to stay in Kaiyang City."

Though he assumed the identity of the Supreme Daoist, Qing Yu did not plan to directly present himself at Taizhen Palace. After all, his main purpose was to see if there was a chance to fish in troubled waters; being too high-profile wouldn't do.

Moreover, being too eager to claim his identity seemed somewhat unsafe.

"Hmm... cough cough..." Qing Yu cleared his throat, his voice changing to that of Xuan Du, "This humble Daoist Xuan Du, at your service."

Keeping a low profile, until his identity was recognized, he was just the hermit Daoist Xuan Du.

··························

Inside Kaiyang City, at the Six Gates Branch.

Wearing a black tight outfit, looking particularly dashing and heroic, Qin Xihai held an invitation and upon entering, said to the meditative Ning Wuming, "Brother Ning, King Renyi has sent an invitation."

"King Renyi?" Ning Wuming opened his eyes.

This was an action he took only when he seriously dealt with something; as a blind person, Ning Wuming typically maintained a closed-eye posture.

King Renyi, moreover, was an adoptive prince. Other than the rebel Prince Zhen Shan who had split off the territory, King Renyi was the only adoptive prince in Daqian.

What was more important was King Renyi's position, being hereditary and unalterable.

This made King Renyi, in some respects, no different from the princes of the Imperial Family.

King Renyi's surname was Feng, the Feng of Phoenix. However, he was not the Feng of Northern Zhou but from the previous dynasty, Great Zhou.

The current Northern Zhou Imperial Family in fact originated from the bloodline of the princes of Great Zhou. Meanwhile, King Renyi was the direct descendant of the last emperor of Great Zhou.

After Emperor Daqian usurped the throne, he did not entirely exterminate the bloodline of the last emperor. Apart from those beyond salvation and those bent on revenge, he left behind a three-year-old child to carry on the last emperor's lineage.

At that time, this three-year-old child was titled the Anle Marquis, meaning a life of peace and comfort, without any extravagant ambitions.

His descendants were also always under the watchful supervision of the court, just managing to keep their health, without even the right to learn Martial Arts.

However, this generation's Anle Marquis turned out to be an exception that no one had expected.

The previous Emperor of Daqian, also known as the late Emperor amongst people like Ning Wuming, was inspecting Ji Province on behalf of his father during his time as a prince.

At that time, the officials of Ji Province were all present, and naturally, the father and son of the previous Anle Marquis were also there.

It was on that day that the fate of the Anle Marquis lineage changed.

Assassins attacked the prince, and in their efforts to protect the prince's life, the father of the Anle Marquis died, and the son was severely injured.

The subsequent events were too complicated to be detailed. However, in the end, the surviving son of the previous Anle Marquis, now the current Anle Marquis Feng Yuan, had to practice Martial Arts to resolve his injuries, and thus the Imperial Family approved the lifting of his ban on practicing Martial Arts.

Yet, only Feng Yuan was permitted to practice Martial Arts while his sons and grandsons were still forbidden from learning even a hint of Martial Arts skills.

As for how Feng Yuan went from being Anle Marquis to King Renyi, the story is actually quite simple.

It stemmed from the Dragon's Merit.

Since the previous Emperor Qian had pleaded on his behalf, Feng Yuan was allowed to practice Martial Arts and survive; in gratitude, he often helped the previous Emperor Qian covertly.

During the previous Emperor Qian's struggle for succession, Feng Yuan was involved behind the scenes at every step.

Thus, after the previous Emperor Qian ascended the throne, he acknowledged Feng Yuan's righteousness and generosity, bestowing upon him the title "King Renyi".

However, the previous Emperor Qian did not anticipate that this conferment would leave a significant hidden danger for future generations.

"According to the undercover agents, King Renyi seems to have always stayed out of politics, but in reality, he maintains close ties with all factions in Ji Province, particularly with the Murong Family, the leading family of Ji Province. The family patriarch, Murong Kaiwen, and King Renyi are extremely close friends.

However, this individual has always behaved impeccably over the years, being entirely upright and honest. Apart from his prowess in Martial Arts, he appears no different from previous Anle Marquises," Ning Wuming commented as he accepted the invitation.

"Emperor Qian really left quite a mess behind, first Shadow King, and now King Renyi..." Qin Xihai said somewhat helplessly.

Not to mention the threat of Shadow King, who would not hesitate to seize the throne if given the opportunity. King Renyi, after all, carries the blood of the previous dynasty, making his identity an unstable factor.

No one knows whether one day King Renyi, Feng Yuan, might decide to reclaim his rightful position and rebel.

At the very least, with Ji Province in such chaos, Six Gates could not help but suspect that someone was fanning the flames from the shadows. And for this suspect, Six Gates first turned their eyes towards King Renyi, Feng Yuan.

"Be cautious!" Ning Wuming immediately cautioned in a low voice.

"Xihai, your status is unique, but it is for that very reason that every word and action of yours could potentially trigger disaster. It's not our place to judge the correctness of the late Emperor's actions—you must be prudent and careful in your speech," Ning Wuming earnestly advised.

"I understand, Brother Ning."

Qin Xihai was no naive child. She was also an experienced old constable who, despite the benefits brought by her status, had earned her position as a Divine Constable through her own genuine skills and learning.

Her earlier slip of the tongue was only because Ning Wuming was no stranger.

"So, Brother Ning, are you going to attend King Renyi's invitation?"

"Of course, I'll go," Ning Wuming replied, tapping the invitation, "Since we suspect King Renyi, we can't miss any opportunity to gather information."

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