A journey through immortal realms begins with a phantom tale.

"The Prince of Yan!"

"Is it that foolish Prince Yan?"

To outsiders, the Prince of Yan was a fool, spending his days eating, drinking, and having fun, possessing only a title but no fiefdom. Even the intelligence gathered by Tongfu Inn believed him to be a fool.

Clearly, no one could see through his disguise. However, based on the information Luo Cheng had gathered, he concluded that the Prince of Yan was the most cunning of them all.

"The Prince of Yan is not as simple as he seems on the surface," Luo Cheng said. "His ambition is greater than anyone else's."

"I trust Brother Cheng's judgment!"

"Could it be... that the Prince of Yan intends to unify the entire Hongwu Star?"

"No way!"

It's important to understand that Hongwu Star is a cultivation planet, with cultivation sects and kingdoms on all four continents. Because of this, no one, and no cultivation kingdom, has ever been able to unify Hongwu Star.

Lin Chen chimed in, "To unify Hongwu Star, one would at least need the strength of an immortal, right?"

"good."

On Hongwu Star, there also exist wandering immortals, a rarity on other planets. Based on the information they've gathered about these wandering immortals, as well as scattered clues, Tongfu Inn deduces that at least twenty wandering immortals are hidden on Hongwu Star.

However, the wandering immortals rarely show themselves, and people can only guess their number and movements from the slightest clues.

Of course, there are also rumors that there was a wandering immortal in the Ming Dynasty royal family, but no one can be sure whether this wandering immortal is still in the world - after all, wandering immortals have to go through a tribulation every thousand years. If they can pass it, they continue to live; if they cannot, they turn into ashes.

Luo Cheng and Lin Chen didn't hide their conversation from Xiao Shiqi. Xiao Shiqi was very surprised to hear this.

"You mean... my fourteenth brother, the Prince of Yan, isn't a fool?"

To be honest, Little Seventeen has always felt sorry for Fourteenth Brother; they are born of the same mother.

"Go and see for yourself, and you'll understand."

"Let's go then, I'll take you there."

The Prince of Yan's residence wasn't far away, and the Seventeenth Princess also lived there. Furthermore, the Prince of Yan's mother, Consort Rong, also resided in the residence. The three of them quickly arrived at the Prince of Yan's residence. The guards, upon seeing the Seventeenth Princess, did not stop her and allowed her to pass directly.

Little Seventeen led Luo Cheng and Lin Chen into the mansion, calling out loudly, "Mother, I'm back!"

A dignified-looking woman walked out from the inner courtyard and said with a hint of reproach, "You little rascal, you're so grown up now, and you still like to shout."

Immediately, Consort Rong turned her gaze to Luo Cheng and Lin Chen, and asked, "Who are these two? Why don't you quickly introduce them to your mother?"

"Mother, this is Young Master Luo, and this is Sister Chenchen."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the seventeenth princess asked, "Mother, is fourteenth brother here?"

"exist."

When the Fourteenth Prince was mentioned, Consort Rong's expression darkened, yet she was helpless.

Seeing this, the seventeenth princess said, "Mother, perhaps we have all been deceived."

"Who tricked you?"

"Fourteenth Brother!"

"Why would he lie to you?"

"Mother, do you think it's possible that Fourteenth Brother isn't actually stupid?"

"boom!"

Consort Rong was shocked, her face filled with disbelief.

"I'm going to check on Fourteenth Brother."

"Fourteenth Brother, I've come to see you!"

At this moment, the fourteenth prince was sitting in the courtyard deep in thought, his eyes sharp and focused. Upon hearing the shout, his eyes instantly turned blank, and his face showed a foolish expression.

The seventeenth princess rushed into the courtyard and looked at the dazed and foolish fourteenth prince.

"Fourteenth Brother, tell me honestly, are you pretending to be stupid?"

The King of Yan was startled, thinking to himself, "Could it be that my foolish sister has really seen through me?"

The seventeenth princess circled around him and muttered, "He looks a bit dull and doesn't seem very smart."

The Prince of Yan was speechless for a moment: 'The most foolish and stupid one is clearly you, okay?'

At this moment, Luo Cheng, Lin Chen, and Consort Rong also entered the courtyard one after another. Luo Cheng scanned the area with his divine sense and saw through the Prince of Yan's true nature.

"I never imagined that the one who was hiding the deepest secret was actually the Prince of Yan!" Luo Cheng exclaimed.

"Um?"

The Prince of Yan was shocked—in his perception, Luo Cheng showed no signs of true energy fluctuations, appearing just like an ordinary person.

However, Luo Cheng's aura was extremely special, an aura that even his father, the emperor, did not possess. In the Prince of Yan's perception, Luo Cheng was like a god in the heavens, overlooking the entire universe.

Luo Cheng was indeed somewhat surprised; the Prince of Yan was actually at the Nascent Soul stage.

Because the Ming Dynasty was a cultivation-based society, the imperial family members had long lifespans. The current emperor had lived for nearly a thousand years and was nearing his limit. The emperor was unable to break through to the Out-of-Body stage.

Originally, the lifespan of a Nascent Soul cultivator was over 1,500 years. However, the emperor's mental and physical exertion shortened his lifespan, which is why he appeared exceptionally old.

It was precisely because the emperor was old that the princes began to vie for the throne.

Judging from his bone age, the Prince of Yan is now two hundred years old. To reach the Out-of-Body stage after two hundred years of cultivation is truly remarkable.

The King of Yan still wanted to continue the pretense!

Luo Cheng released a wisp of divine aura.

"boom!"

The Prince of Yan was struck by the divine aura, and felt his spirit and body bound by an invisible force, unable to muster any strength to resist.

"Immortal!"

In his judgment, Luo Cheng was an immortal—not a wandering immortal, but a true immortal from the upper realm!

He couldn't understand how a true immortal could descend upon the cultivation world.

Then he remembered that to the west of the Illusion Star Temple was the star Linming, where, according to legend, an immortal lived in seclusion. However, because of the Illusion Star Temple, there was no teleportation array between Linming and Hongwu Star. Cultivators designated the area east of the Illusion Star Temple as the Eastern Cultivation World and the area west as the Western Cultivation World, with Linming and Fengyuan Star belonging to the latter.

Under the awe of the divine presence, the Prince of Yan finally dropped his pretense. His eyes narrowed, and he respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings, Immortal!"

"Ah!" The seventeenth princess exclaimed in surprise.

Consort Rong was equally shocked, but amidst the shock came boundless joy.

Luo Cheng concealed his aura and returned to his mortal form.

"Prince of Yan, it seems the world has misjudged you."

The Prince of Yan looked bitter – after pretending to be stupid for two hundred years, he had finally been seen through.

He then asked, "May I ask what business the immortal has with me?"

Luo Cheng said calmly, "I saw an interesting game and I'd like to participate."

The Prince of Yan immediately understood what he meant, but he was even more puzzled: Why would an immortal interfere in the struggle for the throne among the nine princes? Although he couldn't figure out Luo Cheng's thoughts, he didn't dare to ask any more questions.

Luo Cheng, who had been observing the Prince of Yan, added, "Judging from your expression, you don't seem interested in that position?"

"Immortal, do you know that among all the emperors throughout history, only a handful have been able to ascend to the celestial realm?"

"Indeed, you are the wisest prince."

Indeed, if one is obsessed with power, one will be unable to overcome tribulations.

Although the royal family has the resources to cultivate a large number of cultivators and enable their children to reach a higher level, the cultivation level of royal children is generally not high, and the Nascent Soul stage is the end.

Most emperors could only cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage, and their lifespan was short, mostly not exceeding a thousand years—in the cultivation world, the Nascent Soul stage had a lifespan of fifteen hundred years. Therefore, being an emperor was not an easy job.

Luo Cheng said, "Originally, I wanted to help you sit in that seat."

"Immortal, I have no interest in this at all," the Prince of Yan politely declined.

Luo Cheng then asked, "Are you interested in unifying Hongwu Star?"

"I have no interest either," the Prince of Yan replied. "In the cultivation world, there are too many planets like Hongwu Star."

Luo Cheng understood—the Prince of Yan was a hidden agent! In the history of the Ming Dynasty, he played the role of suppressing the fate of the nation. He would only reveal himself when the Ming Dynasty faced a great calamity.

Throughout history, the Ming Dynasty faced numerous calamities, and each time a prince with profound spiritual cultivation emerged to save the Ming Empire before retiring to seclusion to cultivate.

"I have a position available. I wonder if you'd be interested?" Luo Cheng suddenly asked.

"What location?"

"Before I talk about this position, let me tell you about my background."

Luo Cheng frankly admitted that he was the Lord of the Original Realm and briefly described what the Original Realm was like.

"Lord of the Primal Realm!"

Upon learning of Luo Cheng's identity and status, the Prince of Yan was utterly shocked. Only now did he realize how narrow-minded he had been! The person before him was actually comparable to a celestial being.

For cultivators, ascending to the Immortal Realm is the ultimate goal; thousands of years of arduous cultivation are solely for this purpose. However, this one is the Lord of all Immortals!

After the initial shock, the Prince of Yan bowed respectfully: "Greetings to the original owner!"

Luo Cheng said, "The Primordial Realm has been around for less than a hundred years and needs a lot of talent." Then, he mentioned the matter of establishing a Heavenly Court in the Primordial Realm.

"Soon I will ascend to the Divine Realm. At that time, the Primordial Realm will need a Celestial Lord. Of course, you can also choose one of the Four Heavenly Emperors or the Five Great Emperors of the Heavenly Court."

"I dare not!" The Prince of Yan felt a sense of unease. Although he was ambitious, he dared not think about things that far in the future.

To secure those positions, one needs at least the cultivation level of a Heavenly Monarch.

The Prince of Yan knew when to advance and when to retreat, which Luo Cheng greatly admired. As the saying goes, "He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened," and the Prince of Yan clearly had self-awareness.

Luo Cheng said, "It's good to have self-awareness, but there's no need to belittle yourself."

"It's not that I'm belittling myself, but rather that my cultivation level is too low; even the Heavenly Tribulation is a long way off. Only after I overcome the Heavenly Tribulation can we talk about the future."

After understanding the Prince of Yan's thoughts, Luo Cheng added, "My main purpose in coming here is actually to find someone."

"Who is the original owner looking for?"

"Lin Mengdie".

The Prince of Yan was once again shocked—on Hongwu Star, Lin Mengdie's name was taboo.

Luo Cheng added, "I am Lin Mengdie's older brother."

The Prince of Yan said, "I met Senior Lin decades ago."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen asked somewhat anxiously, "Then do you know where Mengmeng went?"

"This humble servant does not know." From the way she addressed him as "Mengmeng," the Prince of Yan deduced that the original owner of this body and Lin Mengdie had an extremely close relationship. He thought to himself, "No wonder Senior Lin is so powerful; if she is the original owner's sister, it makes sense."

The Prince of Yan suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, when I parted ways with Senior Lin, she mentioned that she was planning to visit the demon realm."

"The demon realm?"

For the cultivation world, the demon realm is an extremely mysterious existence.

When the demon realm was mentioned, Luo Cheng thought of the seven unparalleled geniuses of the cultivation world—after being sealed by Buddhism, some became wandering immortals, some fell into demonic ways, some became demon cultivators, and some turned to ashes. One of them, a female cultivator named Ling Baihui, turned to the demonic path and became a demon immortal.

Luo Cheng thought to himself, "Could it be that Mengmeng has met Ling Baihui?" Because of his existence, Li Qiang's fate has been altered, and he has neither met the divine beast Xiaobai nor encountered Ling Baihui.

However, Luo Cheng hadn't seen Li Qiang for a while. Perhaps Li Qiang had already broken the seals on the seven great cultivation geniuses as entrusted by Elder Zhi of the Buddhist sect.

Lin Chen felt helpless—Lin Mengdie was just too fast!

Luo Cheng then said, "Prince Yan, I want you to spread a message."

The Prince of Yan could guess Luo Cheng's meaning, but he still respectfully inquired, "Please enlighten me, original master!"

"Spread the word that Lin Mengdie's brother has come to Hongwu Star."