At the entrance to Taiyuan Pavilion, a group of armored warriors stood blocking the doorway like wolves and tigers. The shop's doors were shut tight, with crosshatched seals plastered coldly across them.
Fortunately, the shop across the street that had originally belonged to Taiyuan Tower had been won over by Jiang Chen but hadn't yet been folded into Taiyuan Pavilion's assets, so it hadn't been sealed.
Everyone from Taiyuan Pavilion had been herded into the former Taiyuan Tower premises.
When Jiang Chen saw this scene from a distance, rage surged up inside him.
Commander Mo, however, had sharp eyes. He grabbed Jiang Chen just as he was about to explode and said in a low voice, "Alchemy King Zhen, hold yourself together. These warriors—they're the Emperor's personal guard."
An Emperor?
Jiang Chen's heart jolted. How could a medicinal establishment that had only been recently established provoke an existence at the Emperor level? Besides, wasn't it said that the Seven Emperors generally didn't meddle in the mundane affairs of the Glass Kingdom City?
Jiang Chen was thrown into confusion for a moment.
But soon, his anger burned even hotter. So what if it was an Emperor? Could an Emperor just seal off his shop for no reason? Jiang Chen knew that everything about Taiyuan Pavilion was in perfect order. With Wei Tianxiao's cautious nature, there certainly couldn't be any issues on their end.
So being shut down today—Jiang Chen didn't even need to think about it. The problem definitely wasn't with Taiyuan Pavilion itself. Someone was deliberately making things difficult for them.
This was absolutely a conspiracy. A targeted attack.
Emperor or great clan—someone was deliberately suppressing him.
"Let's go take a look." Upon learning it was an Emperor's forces, Jiang Chen calmed down considerably. He knew that if it truly was an Emperor's power, with his current strength, he absolutely could not confront them head-on. That would be foolish.
But swallowing this insult? Jiang Chen absolutely could not do that.
Forget an Emperor—even a Heavenly realm powerhouse who tried to trample on him without reason would not see Jiang Chen bow his head in submission!
Commander Mo was also worried about Jiang Chen getting hurt. Though he had no desire to clash with the Emperor's personal guard, he gritted his teeth and followed behind Jiang Chen.
Commander Zhang didn't think nearly as much. Seeing Jiang Chen being bullied, hot blood rushed to his head, and he felt that there truly was no justice in this world. Even someone as good as Alchemy King Zhen could be oppressed like this!
Commander Zhang had only one thought now: if Alchemy King Zhen gave the order, he would pour out every drop of his lifeblood and fight them to the bitter end.
"This is a sealed zone! Non-essential personnel, stand aside!"
The moment Jiang Chen drew near, a warrior barked at him. The warrior didn't even bother to look at Jiang Chen directly, his tone as contemptuous as if he were shooing away a swarm of flies.
Jiang Chen stared coldly at the group of warriors, his expression darkening. Commander Mo quickly pulled him back.
Just then, a figure dashed out from the shop across the street—the former Taiyuan Tower—and seized Jiang Chen's arm. "Brother, talk inside."
It was Third Young Master Ji.
Third Young Master Ji's expression was grave, completely devoid of his usual carefree demeanor. His voice was low, and whether Jiang Chen was willing or not, he pulled him into the shop across the street.
The moment they stepped inside, Third Young Master Ji waved his hand. "Close the door!"
Commander Mo personally rushed to shut the large doors.
Seeing the doors close across the way, the group of Emperor's warriors standing before Taiyuan Pavilion sneered contemptuously, each one growing even more smug.
"They say there's a Third Young Master Ji of the Panlong Clan who's quite a character. But looking at him now, he's nothing more than a cowardly brat."
"Just a petty great clan, bullying mortals. In front of us Emperor's warriors, where does he get off acting high and mighty?"
"Oh right, who was that group that just came?"
"Who knows? Seems like Ji the Third called one of them 'brother'?"
"Could it be that Alchemy King Zhen?"
"The resident alchemist of Taiyuan Pavilion? The orders said to seize this Alchemy King Zhen on sight and bring him back for interrogation."
"Is it really that Alchemy King Zhen?"
"Why not just charge in and grab him to find out?"
"Forget it. The orders only said to seal Taiyuan Pavilion. The shop across the street hasn't broken any rules. If we force our way in, we'd be crossing the line. After all, that's a Panlong Clan member in there. If they go complain to the Peacock Emperor, our own Emperor won't find it easy to handle."
"Right, we can't force our way in. He went in, so he'll come out. When he does, we'll check. If it's the kid, we take him. We're acting under orders. That Ji the Third wouldn't dare stop us."
"Mm, it's settled. Everyone stay sharp and keep watching."
These warriors were all part of the personal forces of the Asura Emperor, one of the Seven Emperors of the Glass Kingdom City. The Asura Emperor was nominally ranked third among the Seven Emperons.
In actual strength, however, he was solidly second, closely trailing the first—the Peacock Emperor.
Moreover, the Asura Emperor's style was decisive and vigorous. Over the years, he had waged campaigns in every direction, capturing vast territories for the Glass Kingdom City.
Within the city itself, his popularity was also very high. He was a rising power, growing stronger by the day.