Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

As Xia Jin set off for the Great Qian Dynasty, a cough could be heard intermittently from the Imperial Study in the Great Qian Palace.

The elderly Emperor Lu Hao of the Great Qian Dynasty looked at the memorial in front of him, his face darkened, and he threw the memorial to the ground.

"These bastards!! Knowing that I am old and frail and my days are numbered, they dare to take the opportunity to plant their own people among the officials and eliminate dissidents!"

"The second brother alone has placed six trusted confidants in the city defense camp this time."

His angry outburst seemed to aggravate his injuries. A violent cough erupted from his chest.

"Cough cough... cough cough cough—"

Lu Hao hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand, but he couldn't stop the surging blood and qi. A few drops of blood seeped through his fingers and splashed onto the memorial in front of him.

"Your Majesty!" The old eunuch standing to the side changed his expression drastically and hurriedly stepped forward, taking out a silk handkerchief from his bosom and handing it over.

Lu Hao took the handkerchief, covered his mouth and nose tightly, and coughed for a long time before his breathing gradually calmed down.

"Your Majesty, are you...are you alright?" The old eunuch's face was full of worry, but no one saw the glint of light that flashed in his eyes.

Lu Hao slowly leaned back in his chair, as if he had used up all his strength: "My lord... it seems that my days are truly numbered."

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty is blessed with boundless fortune and will surely live ten thousand years in peace and health!" The old eunuch knelt down with a thud.

Lu Hao shook his head, looking at his withered hands: "I know my own body best. I should have been gone three years ago! All these years I've only been kept alive by those rare elixirs in the palace... I'm afraid I can only make it through this year at most."

The old eunuch raised his head, his lips moved a few times, but in the end he couldn't say anything, he just bowed deeply.

Lu Hao looked at the old eunuch kneeling before him, seemingly lost in thought.

Suddenly, the chirping of cicadas filled the air outside the hall. He sat up straight, his eyes sharpening from their previous resignation: "Sixth Prince... and Consort Hua, still no news?"

The old eunuch raised his head, looked at Lu Hao, and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, since the great fire at Zhaojue Temple a month ago, Consort Hua, along with all the monks and guards, have disappeared without a trace. As for the Sixth Prince..."

"According to people in the Sixth Prince's residence, before his disappearance, His Highness visited several top sects within the Great Qian Dynasty. Moreover..."

"And what?" Lu Hao frowned, shifting his gaze from the memorial in front of him back to the other person. "Speak plainly! There's no need for hesitation in front of me."

The old eunuch dared not hesitate any longer and quickly said, "Moreover, our people investigated afterwards and discovered that the sects His Highness visited... were all completely wiped out, with not a single survivor!"

"The entire family wiped out? What exactly is Sixth Brother trying to do?" A cold glint flashed in Lu Hao's eyes, and an invisible pressure filled the entire imperial study.

"By the way, Your Majesty, the deaths of those sects... were all exactly the same!" The old eunuch didn't want to say more, but seeing the murderous intent flash in Lu Hao's eyes, he couldn't help but speak up.

"A single sword strike to the throat, and all of his life force was completely absorbed!"

"A single sword to the throat? It seems that it was that old man Yun beside Lao Liu who made the move. His blood and energy were completely devoured. Could it be that... Lao Liu secretly cultivated some kind of evil art?" Lu Hao vaguely sensed something in his mind.

But no matter how he deduced it, he still couldn't figure out how the Sixth Prince could have suddenly disappeared without a trace within the Great Qian territory.

Lu Hao pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "Continue to send more people to investigate thoroughly! The matter of the Sixth Prince and Consort Hua cannot be so simple. A fire at Zhaojue Temple could make so many people disappear into thin air? I don't believe it. And what's hidden behind those destroyed sects? Dig them all out for me!"

"Yes, this old servant obeys!" The old eunuch nodded hurriedly and replied respectfully.

"Alright, I'm tired. You may leave now." Lu Hao sighed and waved his hand wearily.

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health. This old servant takes his leave." The old eunuch rose, bowed, and carefully withdrew from the imperial study.

Just as the door closed, the candlelight in the imperial study flickered slightly.

On the dragon throne, Lu Hao, who had just been on the verge of death and looked ashen-faced, slowly raised his head.

At this moment, the sickly look on his face had completely disappeared, and instead became incredibly rosy. Where was the exhausted and dying look he had just had?

He opened his tightly clenched right hand, revealing the blood-stained silk handkerchief lying quietly in his palm. He stared at the bloodstains, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Not much time left?" Lu Hao muttered to himself, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "Heh heh heh... It seems this charade will have to continue for a while. Sixth brother, it seems you really do want to contend for the throne..."

"Unfortunately, compared to your older brothers, you're still too immature!"

"However, we, the Lu family, can fight amongst ourselves behind closed doors! But the Lieyang Dynasty and the three kingdoms of the Northern Frontier, since you dare to extend your reach, don't blame me for severing all those tentacles!"

Lu Hao tilted his head back, but his gaze was fixed on the map of the Eastern Xuan Continent to the side.

The northern and southern sides of the Daqian Dynasty were exactly within the territory of the Lieyang Dynasty and the three kingdoms of the Northern Frontier.

"Could it be that none of my sons are suitable to inherit the throne?" Lu Hao's mind flashed through the images of his princes, but in the end he could only sigh helplessly.

He appeared to be recuperating with his eyes down, but in reality, he was in control of every little thing happening in the Great Qian Dynasty.

The clearer the knowledge, the greater the disappointment in one's heart.

The eldest son possesses exceptional talent and character. Yet now, in order to increase his chances of seizing the throne, he has secretly colluded with the Lieyang Dynasty, another hegemon of the Central Region! Inviting an outsider into the house, coveting our own territory—this is utter foolishness!

The second son, seemingly calm and capable, had cultivated his power and influence in the court for many years. Who knew he would be so audacious, actually cooperating with the three kingdoms of the Northern Frontier! To plot against foreign powers and attempt to leverage their strength—this is utter folly!

As for the sixth brother, who looked most like him and was also his favorite, he actually... abandoned the ancestral "Qian Yuan True Scripture" and instead went to cultivate that evil art that devoured blood and qi! Destroying his own Great Wall, being eager for quick success and instant benefits, this is... foolish!

"Fine! If there really is no other suitable candidate, then next year we will have to choose another prince to inherit the throne!!"

Only Lu Hao and a few other Lu family elders understood that his eagerness to appoint a crown prince was not because of any "impending death."

Quite the opposite.

It's because Lu Hao got the chance to step into the realm of terrestrial immortals!

What is the Great Qian Emperor's throne, the supreme ruler? What does it amount to compared to the existence of a terrestrial immortal?

The reason why the Great Qian royal family was able to dominate the Central Region for thousands of years was because of the extremely mysterious royal secret manual, the "Qian Yuan True Scripture".

Those members of the Lu family who cultivate this technique will have an opportunity to transfer their skills once they break through to the Land Immortal Realm. Therefore, the Lu family's ancestral teaching is that when the lifespan of a Land Immortal Realm cultivator is about to end, the strongest member of the current Lu family will be chosen to help them break through to the next realm.

This is also the strongest foundation of the Great Qian imperial family.

"It's time to meet the three patriarchs! Perhaps they also have their opinions on the next heir to the throne!"

After remaining silent for a long time, Lu Hao seemed to have made a decision.

He turned and walked to the bookshelf next to the imperial study, his finger pressing on a blue and white porcelain jar in the corner, and gently twirling it.

"Click".

The bookshelf slid inward silently, revealing a passageway.

After walking for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Lu Hao finally reached the end.

On the vast grassland, three enormous stone pillars, seemingly supporting the heavens and the earth, soar into the clouds.

At the top of each stone pillar sat a blurry figure, seemingly integrated with the world around them. Just by existing there, it gave people a sense of oppressive submission to all things.

Lu Hao strode forward and knelt down on both knees without hesitation.

"Lu Hao, a descendant of the Lu family, pays respects to the three patriarchs!"