Unreliable Sword Immortal.

The Utsu Imperial Palace covers a vast area, with countless palaces and pavilions. Many of the buildings have amazing shapes that seem to be built by human hands, such as the Glazed Pagoda, the Black Iron Sword Stele, and the Crystal Palace, etc. All of the buildings are magnificent, towering, and look particularly grand.

Lu Chao held the Imperial Alliance Leader Token in his hand as if it were a toy, marveling at the sight.

The palace was naturally heavily guarded, with guards stationed in front of almost every building, and patrols in groups were everywhere. Lu Chaoding was questioned quite a bit. Here, relying solely on the Emperor's token for the Alliance Leader was not enough to ensure unimpeded passage. Fortunately, Zhang Wensheng, the general guarding the Hall of Heroes, came along. He acted as Lu Chaoding's guide, responsible for communicating with the patrolling guards, saving Lu Chaoding a lot of trouble.

About two hours later, after passing through more than a dozen halls, Lu Chaoding and his group arrived at a domed hall that radiated golden light.

The main hall was extremely magnificent, like a small mountain, estimated to be over 500 meters high. The main entrance was wide enough for a hundred people to pass through side by side without any problem. The area around the hall was also very spacious, with many guards on duty. In front of the hall were two statues of what appeared to be golden dragons, as well as two large celestial patrol ships flying red flags. Above the main entrance of the hall was a vertical plaque with three characters: "Tian Yuan Hall".

Zhang Wensheng stopped, bowing slightly with a smile, and addressed Lu Chao, "Alliance Leader, the Tianyuan Hall ahead is where His Majesty the Emperor holds court. If you wish to see His Majesty, I may inform him, but I cannot accompany you into the hall. Since you do not travel within the Imperial Court, you may be unfamiliar with many of the court's customs. I dare to remind you that His Majesty, being the Emperor, holds a very high position and is extremely particular about etiquette. You must not be disrespectful. Upon seeing His Majesty, please perform the kowtow. Do not rise without permission, refer to yourself as a commoner, address him respectfully as Your Majesty, do not look directly at His Majesty, do not mutter to yourself, and do not sit without being offered a seat..."

"So many rules?" Lu Chaoding quickly waved his hand to interrupt Zhang Wensheng. "Kneeling? How could I possibly kneel? I am a player, here to play the game, not to be a slave. You've had a hard journey, you can move around freely now. I'll be free to move around now too."

After saying this, Lu Chao shook his head and released the Great Xuan Ship, and then manifested the Black Saber-toothed Tiger.

He wants to ride a tiger and fly into the palace on a sword!

Not only that, but they also had to be fully armed and team up with the ladies.

As the saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry. Lu Chaoding is still unaware of the setup of the Great Yu Dynasty. He regards the Tianyuan Palace in front of him as a dragon's den and a tiger's lair, and believes that caution is necessary.

Seeing Lu Chao's reaction, the sect leaders' wives, including Lan E, didn't say much. They quickly jumped onto the Great Xuan Ship, each of them appearing very cautious.

After being informed by Zhang Wensheng and receiving permission to enter the hall, Lu Chaoding rode a tiger and boarded a ship, carrying his wife and apprentice into the Tianyuan Hall.

Upon entering the main hall, Lu Chao felt that his entire field of vision was filled with gold. He saw golden pillars, golden floor tiles, and golden screens, as if everything in the hall was made of gold, which was a bit dazzling.

"Is this a bit too extravagant?"

Lu Chaoding couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Just then, a soft yet sharp voice suddenly rang out: "How dare you! How can you enter the Tianyuan Palace by boat!"

Lu Chao looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tall person dressed in purple, wearing a tall hat and with his face covered by a black veil.

Judging from her figure, this person should be a woman. She has long eyelashes, thin eyebrows, and a cold gaze. She looks somewhat stern. She holds a whisk in her hand and her feet do not touch the ground. She is suspended about three feet off the ground, and behind her is a curtain of golden beads.

Lu Chaoding felt that the man's clothes were somewhat like those of a eunuch, but upon closer inspection, he was shocked.

"Good heavens, level 100! This is a top expert above the extraordinary realm, at its peak!"

Lu Chaoding saw the purple-clad woman's basic information: her name was unknown, her identity was Grand Eunuch, and her level was 100, but her specific attribute information was not visible.

"Hurry up and get off the boat!"

The man in purple shouted again.

Lu Chao frowned. He quickly thought for a moment, then took out the imperial alliance leader token and said righteously, "I am the leader of the martial arts alliance. I have this token as proof. I am the supreme ruler of the martial arts world, riding a tiger and commanding ships, ordering the world. None dare disobey me. Have you heard of this?"

The man in purple flicked his whisk, snorted, and said, "What are you talking about? I don't understand a word you're saying. If you don't disembark, I will charge you with disrespect and arrest you on the spot!"

"The supreme martial arts master rides a tiger and commands a warship—you've never even heard of that? You're truly ignorant..."

Lu Chao was just talking nonsense. He was a little scared when he saw this level 100 expert. His only thought was safety. He would never get off the ship. If he couldn't see Yu Huang, he would just turn around and leave.

Just then, a childish voice came from behind the golden beaded curtain: "Let him in. I grant him special privileges; he doesn't need to bow to me."

Upon hearing this, the man in purple immediately bowed and said yes. Then, with a flick of his whisk, the beaded curtain automatically opened to both sides.

Lu Chaoding quickly looked behind him and vaguely saw a golden platform surrounded by various exquisite sculptures, and on it, seemingly a dragon throne, a figure that did not appear to be very tall.

"Enter!"

The man in purple turned around and gave Lu Chao a cold look.

Lu Chao bowed to her with a calm expression, said nothing more, and carefully steered the Great Xuan Ship through the beaded curtain.

Then, very quickly, he suddenly shuddered.

This shock wasn't because he saw the Emperor Yu, but because he saw Dao Zangkong sitting cross-legged on a throne on the right side below the golden platform.

At this moment, Daozang Kong had a ruddy complexion. He held a jade ruyi in his hand, his expression kind and gentle. He sat leisurely like an old immortal. When Lu Chaoding looked at him, he also looked at Lu Chaoding, and a meaningful smile gradually appeared on his face.

"Sect Leader Lu, it's been a long time!"

Daozang Kong even took the initiative to greet Lu Chao.

Lu Chaoding's heart tightened immediately, wondering why this guy was here and whether he had fallen into some kind of trap.

He didn't want to take too many risks and wanted to turn around and leave right now.

"Sect Leader Lu, don't be nervous, you are safe here."

Then another voice rang out.

The speaker, an old man, sat on a throne on the left side below the golden platform. He was dressed in armor, had a scar on his face, and deep eyes. He had a unique aura that immediately gave the impression of a seasoned veteran who had been through countless battles.

Standing next to this veteran general was the Divine Might General Zuo Xuandao.

Lu Chao glanced at the old general and was surprised again. He also saw the old general's basic attribute information. He was the Grand Marshal of the Dynasty and his level was as high as 100.

"Are you Lu Chaoding, the leader of the Sword Cultivator Alliance?"

The childish voice rang out again. Lu Chao looked in the direction of the voice and found that it came from a petite figure sitting on the dragon throne on the golden platform.

The figure was wearing a golden dragon robe and was clearly the Emperor Yu. However, she looked like a six or seven-year-old girl with a level of only thirty.

"Is the Empress a girl?"

Lu Chao was greatly surprised.

The young girl, however, possessed a rather dignified air. Seated on her dragon throne, she stared at Lu Chaoding and slowly said, "A great era is approaching, and national wars are imminent. Yet, each sect and faction only cares about its own interests, fighting endlessly, wasting the nation's fortune and damaging the very essence of the world. I, the Emperor, have been consolidating various sword-cultivation sects to reduce conflict, stabilize the world, and resist future enemies from other planes. Originally, I intended for Zuo Xuandao to be the alliance leader, but now that position has fallen to you… Reliable Sect Leader Lu, you have disrupted my plans! But if you can be of use to me, it's not a bad thing, perhaps even a good thing!"

The young empress speaks clearly and with great poise.

Lu Chao steadied himself and quickly pondered the matter. He remained silent for the moment and glanced at Dao Zangkong again.

This guy is a potential threat if he's spared; he has no intention of letting him go yet.

Daozang Kong laughed and said, "Sect Leader Lu, I am now the Grand Preceptor of the Great Yu Kingdom. You and I have no enmity between us. Why don't we turn hostility into friendship and discuss important matters together?"

"The Grand Preceptor of the Great Yu Dynasty!" Lu Chao thought to himself that Dao Zang Kong was quite capable. In such a short time, he had actually become the Grand Preceptor of the Great Yu Dynasty, and it seemed that the position of the Grand Preceptor was extremely high.

Then Emperor Yu said, "Reliable Sect Leader Lu, you are already an extraordinary sword cultivator. You should have a long-term vision. Do you know that a national war is about to break out?"

Lu Chao nodded and said, "I know, it's part of the system settings!"

Regardless of whether the NPC opposite him could understand him or not, he continued, "Once a thousand players reach level 70, the nation war storyline will begin. I reckon it'll start soon!"

To Lu Chao's surprise, the NPCs opposite him all nodded upon hearing his words. The little empress then asked, "What happens after the national war? There are top secrets in the world. Does Sect Leader Lu know about the interdimensional war?"

"I know!" Lu Chaoding said casually. "It's just a dimensional war, right? I already knew about it. I even know about the dimensional merit shop!"

The scene fell silent. The young empress frowned, looking utterly surprised that Lu Chaoding also knew about the Plane Wars. After pausing for a dozen breaths, she continued, "Sect Leader Lu, since you know about the Plane Wars, do you know how cruel they are? Back then, heaven and earth reversed, demons descended, lives and land were plundered, the weak were eliminated, countless sword cultivators perished, and even the entire sword cultivator civilization, this Hongchen Sword Realm, would perish!"

Lu Chao waved his hand dismissively and said, "You're worrying too much. It's just a dimensional war. Don't make it sound like the end of the world. It's just a normal system event. System events, do you even know what I mean?"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

"Sect Leader Lu, they may not understand what you're saying," Dao Zangkong suddenly laughed. "After all, they haven't awakened yet, they're not players. The personality and memories the system gave them will make them steadfastly carry out their own storylines. Little Yu Huang pities the world and the people, she wants to protect the human realm of Hongchen Sword World! The Grand Marshal is warlike, he wants to recruit experts from all over the world, planning ahead! It's pitiful that they are just tools to advance the plot, with little agency, yet they are unaware of it."

"Um?"

Dao Zang Kong's words made Lu Chao raise an eyebrow.

The young empress, along with the Grand Marshal and Zuo Xuandao, clearly didn't understand Dao Zangkong's words. Perhaps they simply ignored his narration. After a while, the young empress said, "Reliable Sect Leader Lu, I can acknowledge your status as the leader of the Sword Cultivation Alliance and proclaim it to the world. I grant you the same status as the Imperial Preceptor and the Grand Marshal, along with numerous privileges such as mobilizing officials and conscripting imperial troops. As long as you are willing to cooperate with me to achieve the unification of the world as soon as possible in the national war to deal with the interdimensional war, are you willing?"

Lu Chao rubbed his palms. He quickly understood what the little empress had said. From a player's perspective, if nothing unexpected happened, as long as he answered "yes" to her, she would probably give him some tasks to complete.

This doesn't seem like a bad thing.

After all, having a task means having a reward.

After pondering for a moment, Lu Chaoding cupped his hands to the little empress and said, "Your Majesty, I think it's alright. You can announce my identity as the leader of the martial arts alliance to the world now."

He thought to himself that if he was unhappy, he could just quit anytime.

The young empress was overjoyed and immediately summoned two attendants, giving them swift instructions. Shortly after, Lu Chaoding received a system notification: "Ding, a special event has been completed. Your status as the leader of the Sword Cultivation Alliance has been confirmed by the Great Yu Dynasty, which has issued a proclamation. You have gained one instance of [Spreading Fame]..."

"Ding, an error has occurred. The [Spread of Fame] event cannot currently initiate the Sword Realm Journey storyline!"

"Ding! You have obtained special privileges from the Imperial Dynasty. You will enjoy the treatment of a first-rank official in the Great Yu Dynasty, and all officials and soldiers of the Great Yu Dynasty will be aware of your information..."

"Ding! Influenced by a mysterious aura, all officials and soldiers of the Great Yu Dynasty will remember your name, but forget your appearance..."

Before Lu Chaoding could fully process the system notification, the Little Empress said again, "As the Sword Cultivator Alliance Leader recognized by the Dynasty, Sect Leader Lu, you can receive some support. I will help you quickly improve the Sword Cultivator Alliance. Please accept these things."

As she spoke, the little empress waved her hand at Lu Chaoding, and a golden treasure chest appeared out of thin air in front of him.

陆超顶大喜，他将宝箱盖子掀开，立刻就收到了系统提示：「叮，恭喜您获得专属同盟管理手册×1、专属议事大殿建造图纸×1、专属庄园建造图纸×1、专属地标大旗×1、专属天级巡天大船×1、专属地级巡天大船×2、专属玄级巡天大船×6、专属黄级巡天大船×30、专属大剑碑（传送坐标）×1、专属天命台×1、专属鸿尘剑碑×1、金元一个亿、专属二星火麟马地祇×10、专属随机武器1000把、专属随机丹药3000瓶……」

The golden light emanating from the treasure chest continued to radiate, causing Lu Chao to instinctively shield his eyes with his hand. He was in high spirits, thinking, "Wow, so many rewards! I'd almost feel embarrassed if I didn't properly become the leader of the martial arts world." (End of Chapter)