While they were speaking, a messenger arrived from outside announcing the visit of Emperor Panlong.
Emperor Panlong was none other than the former Panlong Clan Master. A single Pine Crane Pill from Jiang Chen had extended his lifespan by a thousand years, allowing him to break through his martial cultivation bottleneck and step directly into the ranks of emperors, becoming the eighth emperor of the Glazed Royal City.
Before Jiang Chen departed from the Glazed Royal City, he had already attended Emperor Panlong's coronation ceremony.
Now that he had just returned home and Emperor Panlong was paying a visit, there was surely something on his mind.
Jiang Chen did not delay and set off immediately to receive his guest.
This time, Emperor Panlong had brought Third Young Master Ji along.
Having not seen him for some time, it was clear that Third Young Master Ji's strength had risen again — and substantially at that. The Third Young Master Ji of today was a genuine sovereign-realm cultivator.
Such an astonishing transformation had only deepened Emperor Panlong's regard for Third Young Master Ji. Over the past few years, the young man's cultivation had practically erupted in an explosive surge.
His bloodline power had been awakening continuously, and the momentum was such that even Emperor Panlong himself felt a twinge of envy.
However, Emperor Panlong had no idea that the reason Third Young Master Ji had achieved these results was entirely due to the dragon blood essence that Jiang Chen had gifted him.
The stimulation of the dragon blood essence had transformed Third Young Master Ji's dragon bloodline, awakening many inherited memories that he had never been able to access before.
Most crucially, his bloodline had been reforged, and his strength had skyrocketed as a result.
The Third Young Master Ji of today could absolutely hold his own against even the top young lords of the Glazed Royal City.
If this trend continued, within three to five years he might well crush every successor under the city's emperors.
Including Li Jiancheng, the foremost genius under Emperor Shura.
"Emperor Panlong, Brother Ji — it's been so long, and you both look more magnificent than ever."
"Haha, brother! I've heard that you caused quite a stir on your trip. The outside world is all saying that Pill King Zhen, disguised as some Young Master Shao Yuan, made a splash in the Pill Fire City, then another in the Ascendant Moon Upper Region. And on top of that, you stopped by the Xia Yu Upper Region and made waves there too! You're quite famous out there now," Third Young Master Ji teased.
"Oh? That's all gotten out?" Jiang Chen was momentarily stunned.
"Yes — is that a problem?" Third Young Master Ji blinked in surprise.
Jiang Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He knew this had to be the work of the Han brothers from the Xia Yu Heavenly Sword Sect. They had been doing nothing less than building his reputation.
They wanted Pill King Zhen's name to spread further across the Eight Upper Regions — to keep it fermenting, keep it in the spotlight, so that more and more people would know of him.
It was well-intentioned, and Jiang Chen had no grounds to fault them for it.
The key point was that he was now back in the Glazed Royal City, so he no longer needed to worry about being ambushed along the road.
"All right, Third, let's get to business." Emperor Panlong lightly tapped the table, signaling for Third Young Master Ji to stop bantering.
Third Young Master Ji let out a chuckle and finally straightened up in his seat, putting on a proper posture.
"Emperor Panlong, what's the matter at hand?" A flicker of surprise crossed Jiang Chen's eyes.
"Young Master Zhen, while you were away for nearly a year, His Majesty was also absent for about the same time. The Peacock Sacred Mountain was left severely understaffed. As a result, the situation in the Glazed Royal City has been turbulent beneath the surface. During the period you were both gone, Emperor Shura also departed for a stretch. Then Emperor Zhankong left for a time as well. A few months ago, Emperor Nian announced he was entering seclusion for a deadly closed-door cultivation, with no indication of when he might reemerge... As for Emperor Zhenyue, usually the most sociable of the bunch, even he has grown notably quiet. Only Emperor Jimie has maintained frequent contact with me. The two of us have both grown quite concerned."
"What do you mean?" Jiang Chen's voice was grave.
"We're worried about the Peacock Emperor's safety," Emperor Panlong said in a solemn tone.
"What exactly are you saying?" Jiang Chen furrowed his brow. He couldn't imagine anyone in the Glazed Royal City daring to move against the Peacock Emperor, nor could he imagine anyone being capable of it.
If the Peacock Emperor were so easy to deal with, he wouldn't have ruled the Glazed Royal City for three thousand years with an iron grip that never wavered.
A gap in power was a gap in power — no amount of petty schemes or little tricks could bridge it.
"The Peacock Emperor has always preferred to travel alone. And this time, the timing of Emperor Shura's and Emperor Zhankong's departures was highly suspicious. Since then, we've received no word from the Peacock Emperor whatsoever. Young Master Zhen, this may be nothing more than a coincidence, but... Emperor Shura's ambition is something every soul in the Glazed Royal City knows well. After Young Master Fan's death, his ambitions were somewhat suppressed. He believed the Peacock Emperor might abdicate in his favor. But ever since you were named the heir of the Peacock Sacred Mountain, that tacit understanding has been shattered."
"His ambition has surfaced once more?" Jiang Chen said with a faint, mirthless smile.
"You could say that." Emperor Panlong sighed. "Young Master Zhen, in the days ahead, you need to manage the Peacock Sacred Mountain with great care. Build up momentum. Make sure the outside world knows the Peacock Sacred Mountain is still standing strong. Only then will people continue to place their faith in it. Otherwise, when Emperor Shura moves to encircle you on all fronts, the Peacock Sacred Mountain will find it very difficult to hold its ground. After all, there are times when the tide of events becomes truly impossible to resist."
Emperor Panlong offered his earnest counsel.
"Brother, you really can't afford to disregard this matter. Don't let the Glazed Royal City's three thousand years of peace fool you. That peace existed only because the Peacock Emperor held absolute authority."
"The moment the threat of His Majesty the Peacock Emperor is removed, plenty of people will bare their fangs, and the ugliest power grabs will be laid out in the open without shame."
Jiang Chen was no stranger to the brutal nature of power struggles.
Emperor Shura was precisely the kind of person the Peacock Emperor had long been wary of — he had mentioned it to Jiang Chen more than once.
To fight tooth and nail for power, Emperor Shura would stop at nothing. But for the future and fate of the Glazed Royal City, for the countless lives within it, he was far less likely to be willing to stake everything on a battle to the death.