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Chapter 387: Constructing the Palace of the High Heavens

"The Palace of the High Heavens?" Zhong Shan's pupils contracted.

"Ah? Yes, the mightiest palace that towers above the nine heavens," Lu Jianping quickly clarified.

The others in the study also stared at Lu Jianping, their eyes filled with awe and admiration.

"Bang!" Zhong Shan slapped the table with enthusiasm.

"Build it～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～" Zhong Shan exclaimed with excitement.

"Yes!" Lu Jianping responded, equally thrilled.

"But, Your Majesty, the materials for such a project..." Lu Jianping's eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Build it, no matter the cost. Need materials? Have the Crown Prince transport them from the Divine Land of Shenzhou!" Zhong Shan declared with unwavering certainty.

"Yes! However, it might be difficult to find such materials even in the Divine Land. To start the construction, we might need to wait a while," Lu Jianping shook his head.

"Oh?" Zhong Shan looked at Lu Jianping intently.

"To build the Celestial City of the High Heavens, which would be higher than the sun, moon, and stars, we need materials from the heavens themselves. At the very least, we need meteorites from the sky," Lu Jianping explained thoughtfully.

"Meteorites?" Zhong Shan smiled, slightly surprised.

As it happened, Zhong Shan had recently acquired some meteorites. They had fallen from the sky as a curse upon the Great Yu Empire by Hao Meili, which resulted in the death of Wu An, and Zhong Shan had collected them.

"No need to wait. I happen to have some meteorites right now. I'll give them to you immediately, and you can start planning the construction. As for the additional meteorites, have the Crown Prince gather them from the Divine Land," Zhong Shan said with a smile, extending his arm.

"Ah? Yes!" Lu Jianping stepped forward excitedly, aligning his storage bracelet with Zhong Shan's.

With a slight transfer, the meteorites moved into Lu Jianping's storage bracelet.

"Your Majesty, so many?" Lu Jianping was overjoyed as he examined his storage bracelet.

"Go ahead!" Zhong Shan commanded.

"Yes!" Lu Jianping promptly exited the room.

After Lu Jianping left, Yi Yan suddenly spoke up, "Your Majesty!"

"Hmm?" Zhong Shan looked at Yi Yan with a puzzled expression.

"Your Majesty, I've noticed something very peculiar," Yi Yan said, furrowing his brows.

"Oh?" Zhong Shan turned his attention to Yi Yan.

"Logically, as the Great Zheng Dynasty has just been established, we shouldn't be experiencing such a strong flow of fate energy. I feel that I'm just a step away from reaching a position of transcendence, and my cultivation speed has more than doubled. When I was at another empire before coming to the Great Yu Empire, I held a similar position, but the fate energy was nowhere near as abundant. Why is that?" Yi Yan asked with a furrowed brow.

Princess Qianyou and Mr. Shi also looked at Zhong Shan, as they had noticed the uniqueness of the Great Zheng Dynasty as well.

How could Zhong Shan not be aware? After the dynasty's promotion, his own cultivation speed had increased even more dramatically than others. The fate energy of the dynasty bestowed upon the emperor a threefold cultivation speed, but Zhong Shan's speed had increased to fivefold. With the additional fate energy from the Grand Luo Heavenly Dynasty, his normal cultivation speed had now reached thirteen times the usual rate.

Zhong Shan had been studying this phenomenon for days. Even the "Heavenly Court Forging Manual" did not record anything similar. He could only attribute it to the mysterious red sphere atop the Fang Tian Imperial Seal, the same red sphere that had brought him to this world.

"Isn't this better?" Zhong Shan smiled, deflecting the question.

"Yes!" Yi Yan nodded, deciding not to press further.

"In ten days, I will depart for the Divine Land of Shenzhou," Zhong Shan announced.

At Zhong Shan's words, everyone looked at him strangely. After all, accepting Zhong Shan's dual existence was incredibly difficult, yet unavoidable.

"Uncle, I'll accompany you!" Ying Lan immediately exclaimed.

"No, I have another self here. Ying Lan, from now on, you'll be in charge of integrating those smaller cities that still resist. In Shenzhou, I may not have the time to be with you every day. On Tianlang Island, you can see me daily," Zhong Shan advised.

Pouting, Ying Lan reluctantly agreed, "Fine."

"Lin Xiao, Mr. Shi, you'll accompany me back to Shenzhou," Zhong Shan instructed.

"Yes!" Both responded promptly.

"You two leave first. Ying Lan, fetch Hao Meili," Zhong Shan ordered.

"Okay!" Ying Lan acknowledged, and everyone began to depart.

"Should we go too?" Bao'er asked, looking at Zhong Shan alongside Qianyou.

"Hao Meili is too aloof and has a peculiar temper. Her sharp tongue could hurt you both. It's best for you to leave now, and I'll inform you later of what transpires," Zhong Shan reassured.

"Understood," the two women nodded.

Soon, only Zhong Shan remained in the study. Hao Meili entered, carrying Little Golden Dragon and pushed the door open.

"Zhong Shan, you finally remembered me?" Hao Meili complained.

"Sorry, these days have been too busy," Zhong Shan replied.

"Yes, upgrading the dynasty, you wouldn't have gotten far without me," Hao Meili arrogantly claimed credit for herself.

Zhong Shan smiled faintly. Indeed, without Hao Meili, there would be no Zhong Shan today. Originally, the "Forging the Heavenly Court" was meant for Hao Meili, but in the end, he had gained from it. Therefore, no matter how much credit Hao Meili claimed, Zhong Shan harbored no anger.

"Speak up. You've been with me all this time. What do you want? Or how can I help you?" Zhong Shan asked.

"Oh? Are you willing to help me?" Hao Meili's eyes lit up.

"At least say it first. Asking me to slit my throat, I can't just listen to you," Zhong Shan chuckled wryly.

"Well, I won't beat around the bush. I made the old man find the Immortal Steles. He only found one, and the rest were obtained from you. Also, I risked my life to obtain some from the Netherworld. I noticed you're exceptionally skilled at finding Immortal Steles. Every time you find one, there are dozens," Hao Meili explained.

"Well, those were the Immortal Steles from the Grand Luo Heavenly Dynasty. Naturally, I can get them," Zhong Shan shook his head, smiling.

"I don't care. The Immortal Steles are crucial to me. You've seen so many, proving you're destined for them. The Dragon King once told me that those destined could see even more. So, I want you to fetch the remaining Immortal Steles for me," Hao Meili demanded.

With a wry smile, Zhong Shan replied, "But I don't know where the remaining Immortal Steles are."

"I do!" Hao Meili declared.

"Oh?" Zhong Shan looked at Hao Meili.

"There are forty-four Immortal Steles left, divided among the Pure Land of Bliss, Eternal Realm, Great Departure Dynasty, and Taishui Dynasty, with eleven each. I want you to fetch them for me!" Hao Meili insisted.

With each location Hao Meili mentioned, Zhong Shan glanced at her. These four places were the most powerful forces in the Divine Land of Shenzhou: two sacred lands and two heavenly dynasties. Who dared to venture there and retrieve the Immortal Steles?

"I'll do my best!" Zhong Shan unexpectedly nodded.

"Huh?" Hao Meili was momentarily speechless, unable to fathom why Zhong Shan agreed so readily. It didn't make sense; this guy was usually so stingy, he shouldn't agree so easily!

"Thank you for saving Ying Lan. These places you mentioned, though challenging, I'll do my best. Whether I succeed or not depends on fate," Zhong Shan took a deep breath.

"Just for that girl? Don't deceive me!" Hao Meili still had doubts.

"In the Divine Land of Shenzhou, who would dare deceive you? You're the Vessel of Ten Evils; even heaven and earth can't deceive you," Zhong Shan smiled, partly for Ying Lan's sake and partly for the favor owed from "Forging the Heavenly Court."

"Well, true," Hao Meili nodded thoughtfully. It was rare for things to go so smoothly.

"You've been out for so long. Isn't the Senior Poisonous before you worried?" Zhong Shan asked.

"What's there to worry about with me? Who dares to mess with me? But speaking of which, the old man is going back after finding things for me. I'll leave tomorrow," Hao Meili replied after some consideration.

"Alright, I'll be here. If you need me, just come to the Great Yu Empire," Zhong Shan said.

"Okay!"

Over the next ten days, Zhong Shan set aside all political matters and focused solely on accompanying Bao'er. Although Qianyou felt a bit uncomfortable, she didn't throw any tantrums, understanding that Zhong Shan's time on Tianlang Island was dwindling.

Despite having two bodies, only the original was deeply connected to the Empress. The hidden body shared Zhong Shan's thoughts but at most exchanged affectionate gestures with the Empress.

Four and a half months later, Zhong Shan's original body, Princess Qianyou, Lin Xiao, and Mr. Shi returned to the Divine Land of Shenzhou, specifically to the ancient capital of the Grand Luo Dynasty.

Looking at the bustling and magnificent ancient capital, Lin Xiao, like Zhong Shan before him, was momentarily dazzled. Mr. Shi, however, seemed indifferent to the splendor of the ancient capital.

It had been a year and a half since Zhong Shan left the ancient capital with Princess Qianyou. There remained half a year before Zhong Shan's authorized leave would expire.

The four flew directly to the Eastern Mansion!

"General! Princess!" The fiery-eyed Wolf Generals rushed out of the Eastern Mansion first, exhilarated.

"Princess, Mr. Shi!" Ada and A'Er quickly flew out of the Eastern Mansion.

"General!" Following them, Shui Wuheng and Liu Wushuang also hurriedly paid their respects.

Everyone scrutinized Lin Xiao and Mr. Shi repeatedly. Lin Xiao did the same to everyone.

"Let's talk inside!" Zhong Shan led everyone into the Eastern Mansion, flying directly to the Eastern Hall on the Floating Island.

Inside the hall, Zhong Shan looked at Shui Wuheng and said, "This is Lin Xiao, whom I have brought back. From now on, Wuheng, you should learn from him."

Shui Wuheng looked slightly puzzled and glanced skeptically at Lin Xiao but nodded, "Yes."

"And this is Mr. Shi! Don't disturb him unless absolutely necessary."

(To be continued...)