And this had also allowed room for the Royal Empires to survive. They were all subjects of one of the Majestic Empires, and fought with each other over territory and people very intensely.
Thus, the moment the Great Ling Empire opened the sky and appeared, the surrounding Royal Empires immediately sent their envoys, but they had not imagined that the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire had also moved. Even if it was just a representative of the Left Minister, that still caused the other Royal Empires to give up.
Fight with a Majestic Empire? Had they grown tired of existing?
After another while, the envoys sent by the Eternity Sky Majestic Empire and Jade Drop Majestic Empire also arrived, wanting to take the Great Ling Empire in as their subordinate force.
This was not because the Great Ling Empire had massive territory and masses of people, but because they had come through opening the sky, so their power of the nation was very beneficial for their respective Majestic Empires.
After some consideration, Ling Han decided to temporarily rely on the assistance of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire.
Firstly, it would not be possible for him to choose one of them. Although they looked to be all smiles and easy to deal with, if they really became hostile, that would definitely not be any slower than flipping the page of a book. Then, if it was necessary to choose one of them, the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire was still the best because the Great Ling Empire’s current location was closest to the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire.
This was for the sake of the safety of their nation.
Ling Han wrote the national book and handed it over to Shang Chengyun. From now onwards, the Great Ling Empire would be a vassal state of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire. It had to offer tribute and obey it, whereas the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire would be responsible for protecting the Great Ling Empire.
The moment the national book was handed over, the shadowy image of a nine-tailed divine fox flew out from Shang Chengyun’s body. It delivered a heavy bite towards the totem of the Black Tower above the Imperial Capital, and it was instantly as if the totem of the Black Tower had been heavily wounded and became blurry. Meanwhile, everyone in the Great Ling Empire experienced a feeling of grief.
This was a humiliation of their nation, for they were forced to declare themselves subjects to others!
Although they had all prepared themselves long ago, there were still many that felt great fury, wanting nothing more than to have a fierce battle. However, even more had retained their senses. They had just entered the Immortal Realm, so what right did they have to compete with the forces of the Immortal Realm?
“If you are not willing to submit, then you have to work hard on your cultivation!”
“Without power, you can only bear with it!”
“Just think of His Majesty, he has to endure it!”
“If it wasn’t for the sake of this nation, His Majesty could completely let go and leave. The world is so big, so what place could not accommodate His Majesty? With His Majesty’s genius, he would definitely be able to rise up very quickly in this Immortal Realm!”
“Since His Majesty has chosen to endure for our sake, how could we possibly disappoint His Majesty!”
“I want to become stronger!”
“I want to share His Majesty’s burden!”
The citizens did not collapse because of this humiliation. Instead, they knew their shame and grew brave because of it. All of them felt choked, and were determined to give their all in cultivation so that the Great Ling Empire would be able to regard the whole world superciliously and need not bow to any force.
“Lord Monarch, please follow me to our Imperial Capital and pay respects to the Lord Left Minister!” Shang Chengyun said with a smile. This trip had been successfully completed, which made him feel very pleased. He even felt Ling Han was easier on the eyes.
Ling Han had long made arrangements for everything, so he nodded, and stepped onto the air vessel together with Shang Chengyun. He took a last look at the Imperial Capital, and thought quietly, ‘I will definitely return!’
“Your Majesty!” Everyone knelt. Even the seven Kings knelt on one knee and nodded. As they watched Ling Han leave, their eyes were red.
Ling Han nodded, and said, “Cultivate well, don’t disappoint me!”
“We shall obey your imperial decree!” they all declared loudly.
Shang Chengyun chucked, and steered the air vessel. Xiu , the air vessel instantly ripped through the air.
This vessel was too fast. It was like a shooting star, which made Ling Han extremely stunned. He had already tried it out before. In the Immortal Realm, his speed had at least slowed down by a hundred times because the regulations of this place were different. In comparison with this flying vessel, he was as slow as a snail.
On the journey, Ling Han humbly asked for guidance, and the other gradually no longer put up any airs, and addressed Ling Han directly by his name. It was an improvement; the repetitive addressing of him as monarch, in truth, seemed to be more of a taunt as if to remind Ling Han that he was currently a hostage.
The monarch of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire was an empress. She was at the perfection level of the Heavenly Body Tier, and her power was unfathomable.
This empress had not married yet. Apparently, not only was she as beautiful as a fairy, she was also extremely lovely. There had once been rumors that the monarchs of the two great Majestic Empires of Eternity Sky and Jade Drop were both willing to surrender their thrones as long as the empress of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire was willing to marry them.
Although this was only a rumor, one could see how extremely enchanting this empress was from it.
Beneath the empress, there were the Nine Kings, and all the Nine Kings were female. The strongest had even reached perfection of the Heavenly Body Tier, whereas the weakest was still in the Mountain River Tier, and had just been bestowed her title a few years ago. As for why she could be bestowed the title of King when she was only in Mountain River Tier, that was known to no one.
… In the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire, the empress was the ultimate authority. No one would dare or was able to question her supreme authority.
Beneath the Nine Kings, there was the Left and Right Minister. These two people were old rivals, and now that they had become irreconcilable, this was naturally the deliberate intention of the empress of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire. This was a means to balance out the power in the court.
The Left and Right Minister were definitely aware of it as well. Thus, even if they actually did not want to oppose one another, they still had to do so. Otherwise, they would definitely lose imperial favor, or even be suppressed.
These two were also extremely powerful. Rumor had it that they were at the minor levels of the Heavenly Body Tier. Of course, that was completely incomparable to the empress.
Additionally, there were also the Seven Generals. In terms of political power, they were slightly weaker than the two Ministers, but their abilities were not weak. They, too, were beings in the minor levels of the Heavenly Body Tier. However, the two Ministers were responsible for internal affairs, whereas the Seven Generals took charge of external affairs, and were responsible of commanding the military forces and defenses.
Ling Han casually listened to Shang Chengyun speak of the various military and civil officials. For the exact details, he could slowly make his enquiries once they reached the Imperial Capital.
“Ling Han, you were able to open the sky to enter into the Immortal Realm, so your talent is naturally impressive. You can enroll in the Scarlet Heaven Academy to study for a while.” After Shang Chengyun briefly talked about the power structure of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire, he made this suggestion to Ling Han.
“Please teach me, sir,” Ling Han said humbly.
“The Scarlet Heaven Academy is the largest and best academy in our empire. All other things aside, the juniors of the Left and Right Minister and the Seven Generals are all studying
there,” Shang Chengyun said with a smile. “I, too, had the fortune of staying in the Scarlet Heaven Academy for 387 years. Unfortunately, due to inadequate talent, I was still cast out in the end.”
He paused for a moment, then continued, “If you are able to meet some high-ranking officials and nobles there, then it would make for some sort of relations. Even if you are not able to return to your own nation, you will at least be able to move freely within the territory of our empire, and would no longer have to be trapped in the Imperial Capital.”
As per the agreement, Ling Han, as a hostage, could only remain in the Imperial Capital. If he took one step out of it, it could be regarded as a challenge to the imperial authority, and he could be directly executed for it.
Ling Han nodded, and quickly questioned the other about the exact details of the Scarlet Heaven Academy.
To be honest, if he wanted to break through to the Immortal level, he would have to obtain an Immortal level cultivation technique. In terms of Body Arts, he had the Nine Dragons Tyrant Body Art, but in terms of Origin Power, there was nothing he could do. Without the guidance of a cultivation technique, he could only mull over it himself, and that would be too time-consuming.
Chapter 884 - Fourth Young Miss
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Xiang Chengyun talked for the whole journey, and Ling Han listened the whole way. When they reached the Imperial Capital of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire, Ling Han had a considerable understanding of the Scarlet Heaven Academy.
This top academy in the Imperial Capital of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire had existed for more than a hundred millennia. After many years of development, it was divided into the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Institutions. Although they were all in the Imperial Capital, they could be considered four independent institutions, and had a fiercely competitive relationship with one another.
If Ling Han wanted to enroll in the Scarlet Heaven Academy, with his status as the monarch of a nation, he would only need to speak to the Left Minister, and his enrollment into the Academy would definitely be a small matter.
“However, I would advise you to best enter based on your own merits,” Xiang Chengyun said. “After another ten days, the Northern Institution will hold the enrollment ceremony that would take place once every twenty years. If you are able to show an excellent performance, then you will be able to gain the focused nurturing and attention from the Institution. Otherwise, Lord Left Minister indeed can easily send you into the Institution, but you will only become an ordinary student.”
Ling Han knew that the four Institutions held their enrollment ceremonies separately from each other. There would be a chance once every five years. If one could pass the enrollment test and get in based on his own merits, then the more excellent his results, the more it was possible that he would be able to gain the focused attention of the Institution. He would be able to gain an incline in terms of cultivation resources; naturally, he would also be able to gain an Immortal level cultivation technique.
This year, it was the Northern Institution’s turn to enroll new students. Five years later, it would be the Eastern Institution’s turn, and after another five years, it would be the Southern Institution… it was a twenty-year cycle.
However, if one wanted to enroll into the Scarlet Heaven Academy, then the minimum requirement was the Shattering Void Tier. Every Institution was further divided into five levels, which corresponded with the four minor levels of the Shattering Void Tier and the Mountain River Tier.
As for those who had reached the peak of the Mountain River Tier, then sorry, but if you wanted to continue to ascend further than that, you would have to think of something on your own. For example, you could become the disciple of some elite, join some powerful force, or simply set out to explore ancient historical sites to obtain higher-level cultivation techniques.
Ling Han now did not need to consider the things after Mountain River Tier. After entering the Scarlet Heaven Academy, he could at least learn cultivation techniques all the way up to the Mountain River Tier.
He had to get in!
Ling Han pondered. He had just arrived in the Immortal Realm, and was still a stranger in a strange place. He needed a place to stay so he could calmly observe this world, and as the Alchemy Emperor, there was definitely ample scope for him to showcase his abilities.
The Imperial Capital of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire was named Point Star City, and was astonishingly huge. It was at least a hundred times the size of the Imperial Capital of the Great Ling Empire. One could see the light of formations flickering on all four sides of the imperial city from afar—they could explode with terrifying might at any moment.
According to Xiang Chengyun, if any Immortals below the Heavenly Body Tier dared to barge in forcefully, they would be killed directly by the formations; there was no other possibility.
After arriving, even if Xiang Chengyun was the subordinate of the Left Minister, he could only obediently steer his air vessel downwards and go through the official procedures to enter into the city. After helping Ling Han get temporary identification papers, the two of them entered into the city and headed towards the Left Minister Manor.
The Left Minister was one of the masters at the power peak of this powerful Majestic Empire, so his manor was naturally incredibly big. It was definitely not inferior to Ling Han’s Imperial Palace in any way, and was built from materials that were definitely a hundred times, a thousand times more precious. Looking from afar, one would be able to see that there were images of True Dragons and True Phoenixes flying around above the manor, making for a very grand and majestic sight.
If even the manor of the Left Minister was like this, then how would the palace of the empress look like?
Xiang Chengyun arrived at the manor’s entrance, showed proof of his identity, and brought Ling Han inside. He seemed to have considerable status in the manor as servants would all respectfully bow and pay respects to him on the way.
Very soon, they arrived at an elegant courtyard. Xiang Chengyun had Ling Han sit down on a stone stool by the side and wait, whereas he himself entered indoors to inform the Left Minister.
Theoretically, with the fact that Ling Han had yet to even enter into Immortal level, he was absolutely not qualified to meet personally with the Left Minister. However, Ling Han still had the identity of the monarch of the Great Ling Empire, and furthermore had successfully opened the sky. This was quite extraordinary, and the Left Minister became interested in meeting Ling Han.
Ling Han waited quietly.
Sha, sha, sha . After a while, the sound of footsteps were heard from the bushes. Ling Han turned around, only to see a young girl strolling over. She was dressed in a long skirt as green as lake water. It had a very fitting cut and completely outlined her shapely figure. However, because it was a skirt, it allowed her to exude a more graceful and spirited feeling.
This young girl looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. She was incredibly beautiful, her almond eyes curved yet showing a hint of mischief. One look, and he could tell she was the young miss type with a lot of weird ideas.
She was at the Shattering Void Tier—in its ninth layer. As for her battle prowess, he could not tell how many Stars she had reached just from appearance alone.
If this young girl was really only sixteen or seventeen, then it would be shocking.
However, this was the Immortal Realm, and it was not uncommon to see Shattering Void Tier elites who were younger than twenty here. For example, weren’t Xiao Miaoyan, Wu Gaoyuan, and their likes the same? Besides, the Left Minister’s power was much stronger than the five sects’, so it would be nothing surprising for an even younger Shattering Void Tier elite to appear here.
This young girl obviously spotted Ling Han as well. She crossed her arms behind her back, walked towards Ling Han, and then circled around him once. Pursing her lips, she said, “Kid, which clan’s junior are you? Here to go t
hrough my daddy’s backdoor so you can stuff yourself into the Scarlet Heaven Academy?
“Let me tell you, young people have to depend on themselves. For example, even though I am the fourth young miss, didn’t I also follow the rules, now preparing to pass the test of the Northern Institution to enter into the Academy?”
The young girl spoke in a very mature tone as if she was educating someone.
She was the fourth daughter of the Left Minister?
Xiang Chengyun would naturally not share gossip about the Left Minister’s private life with him. Thus, Ling Han also had no idea how may sons, daughters, and other juniors the Left Minister had. He smiled calmly, and said, “I think Fourth Young Miss has misunderstood.”
The other party thought of him as someone who had come to get in through the back door, to enroll into the Scarlet Heaven Academy with the help of the Left Minister.
“What did I misunderstand?” the young girl said in a tsundere way. Her jade-like beautiful face was extremely dazzling, and indescribably good-looking.
“I indeed plan on entering into the Scarlet Heaven Academy, but have no intention of asking for the Lord Left Minister’s help. Instead, I plan to pass the enrollment test myself and get in on my own,” Ling Han explained with a smile.
“Yo, after hearing my words, you’ve become stubborn!” The young girl laughed loudly. “Fine then, let’s spar. Let me see how much ability you have.”
Ling Han shook his head, and answered, “I am a few years older than you, so if I fought you, I’d be a bully.”
“Che, you are in the ninth layer of Shattering Void Tier, and so am I. Who’s afraid?” The young girl was obviously an undisciplined and uncontrollable young miss. She immediately leaped at Ling Han, her slender hand delivering a palm strike aimed right at Ling Han’s chest.
However, though she was unruly, she was not a bad person. This palm strike only had seventy percent of her power behind it as she had withdrawn the other thirty percent. If Ling Han was not her match, then she would draw back all her power so that she would not wound Ling Han.
Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294 Page 452