It turns out, they were the main characters.

"However, no one in Yunzhou has ever had any objection to the existence that the princess believes in."

Mu Zhian asked curiously, "What does the Princess believe in?"

"The Great Way".

Yao Meng said calmly, "The so-called princess is not actually from Yunzhou. She is similar to the spirit dragon, both being beings born naturally from the Great Dao. She was born with her furnace connected to the origin of the Great Dao, so when she merged with the Dao, she also resonated with the Great Dao."

Mu Zhian fell into deep thought.

Luo Tan didn't stop Yao Meng from ascending to immortality because of me. Although Yunzhou has close ties with Luo Tan, it doesn't mean they'll act in the same direction as Yuzhou...

Yunzhou is not without suspicion of acting secretly.

"Besides that, there's something else that you might already know, but I still have to remind you."

Yao Meng gazed at Mu Zhian and said, "Your affair with Xintiandao cannot be revealed to anyone you cannot trust for the time being."

"All living things in the Nine Provinces ultimately belong to the Heavenly Dao. You can try to subtly suggest it, but you must never directly invite the other party to resonate with the new Heavenly Dao."

Mu Zhian nodded slightly; he was aware of the situation.

After all, the Heavenly Dao holds a sacred position in the Nine Provinces, and most cultivators would never even entertain the thought of disobeying it.

"It's good that you understand what I mean. After things are settled, I'll take you to Yuzhou. I happen to have a pill that I need the Medicine King to refine for me," Yao Meng said.

Ye Lingxuan opened her mouth slightly, as if she wanted to say something.

But in the end, she swallowed back the words she wanted to say.

Although it's hard to accept that Brother Mu should get close to that Medicine King, if we think about it from another perspective... for example, that their relationship isn't just about getting close for the sake of getting close, but rather a transactional one.

Hmm... thinking about it this way, it seems barely acceptable.

……

"I think a large part of the reason I was able to turn back time and save you this time is because the power of this Heavenly Arrow was only a wisp of it. So if you encounter any danger again next time, you must find a way to avoid it."

After leaving Dexinyuan, Yao Meng suddenly spoke up to remind her.

"That Heavenly Arrow was a technique that the Heavenly Dao used against the Primordial Witch. Gu Boxing prepared for a long time this time, trying to unseal the Heavenly Dao with the power of the wishes of all living beings. However, he only loosened the seal of the Heavenly Dao by a tiny bit. Therefore, you don't need to worry too much about that arrow finding you again."

Gong Lianyue narrowed her beautiful eyes and said quietly, "No wonder the origin of the Heavenly Dao has problems. It turns out that it once tried to seal the Primordial Demoness even at the cost of damaging its own origin."

Mu Zhian remained silent.

The fact that even an entity like the Heavenly Dao would go to such lengths to suppress the Primordial Witch, one can only imagine what kind of being the Primordial Witch truly was.

He quickly gathered his thoughts and looked at Gong Lianyue: "Palace Master, I'll leave the affairs of the Great Qian Dynasty and Gu Boxing to you and Ruoxi."

Gu Boxing was refining the nation's destiny, and as the emperor of a dynasty, he couldn't possibly be unaware of this, yet he did not stop him.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the old emperor was also supporting this matter behind the scenes.

He had originally planned to go to the Great Qian Dynasty first, but now that he thought about it, perhaps he should fulfill his previous promise to Luo Tan first.

...with Yao Meng.

Gong Lianyue nodded slightly, then glanced at Yao Meng: "Protect him well."

Yao Meng smiled faintly: "Don't worry, I will protect him with all my heart."

Gong Lianyue frowned slightly.

She always felt that Yao Meng's use of "wholeheartedly" was implied.

The next moment, Yao Meng tore open a spatial rift with her bare hands. Mu Zhian thought for a moment, then informed Yao Meng first, and then went to Huabao Peak, where he met Wei Mengrou, who was transforming a weapon spirit at the top of Huabao Peak.

After patiently waiting for a while, and once Wei Mengrou had enlightened the spirit of the artifact, he stepped forward to greet her, and then, accompanied by his maid, went with Yao Meng to the Immortal Dynasty in Yuzhou.

……

Yuzhou is home to all sorts of rare and exotic plants.

Deep within the imperial palace in Yuzhou, in an ancient hall.

Luo Tan, dressed in a magnificent white dress, sat in front of the bedchamber. She wore a spirit ring on her hand, which was inlaid with several rare spirit stones the size of small pebbles. Her hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and her makeup and attire were extremely luxurious.

Such luxurious makeup and attire would appear too vulgar on any other woman, but on this Empress of Yuzhou, it doesn't look vulgar at all; instead, it adds a touch of elegance and nobility.

"The Princess Consort of Yunzhou has graced us with her presence, and the servants did not even inform her. How rude of us!"

While reviewing memorials from the officials of the Celestial Dynasty late at night in his bedchamber, Luo Tan suddenly spoke up unintentionally.

“You don’t need to blame the servants. I told them to keep quiet so as not to disturb your business.”

A melodious voice echoed through the hall, and a woman with a slender figure walked gracefully into the bedchamber.

Her long, flowing hair was pulled up and gently draped over her shoulders. The princess wore a rather understated plain-colored dress, covered with voluptuous and beautiful flowers, just like her own voluptuous and beautiful figure. The dress outlined her full breasts and slender waist, as alluring as a ripe peach.

Although her face was covered by a thin veil, it was not difficult to tell from her gentle eyes, which seemed to encompass all things in the world, what an unparalleled beauty lay beneath the veil.

She wore a light yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) on her lower body, which gave her a touch of intellectual elegance amidst her beauty.

"Your Highness rarely leaves Yunzhou in the past. What brings you to Yuzhou to see me today?" Luo Tan raised her beautiful eyes, a hint of a smile in them.

"It's been a long time since I've seen any old friends. I happened to be in Dongzhou this time, so I came here to see some old friends."

The princess smiled gently: "What, are you not welcome?"

"How could I not welcome you? If you hadn't saved my life back then, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to achieve Dao attainment by now."

Luo Tan smiled brightly: "But your coming to find me was probably the idea of ​​the Great Roc Emperor, wasn't it?"

"As for the reason... well, let me guess."

Luo Tan gracefully rose from the table, descending the steps one by one. Beneath her layered, elaborate white dress, she wore knee-high, snow-white boots, her demeanor elegant.

"When the Azure Emperor ascended to heaven, the powerful beings of the Nine Provinces, and even those forbidden monsters whose lifespans had run out, were not happy to see it. Therefore, when the Azure Emperor ascended to heaven, all the powerful beings and holy lands of the Dao made some moves, but only Yu Province and the Demon Realm did not make any move."

"Is the Great Roc Emperor worried that Yuzhou will side with the Azure Emperor, so he asked you to test my intentions?"

Seeing that the princess remained silent, Luo Tan slowly walked up to her and said with a smile, "I'm quite curious, what conditions will the Great Roc Emperor use to persuade you?"

Although she was the fiancée of the Great Roc Emperor, the princess was born with her furnace connected to the Great Dao, and her spiritual energy was inexhaustible. She had never been defeated since her debut. The marriage between the Great Roc Emperor and the princess was arranged by the princess's adoptive parents when she was young.

So many years have passed, and the Great Roc Emperor has hardly spoken a word to this Great Dao Princess, let alone touched her hand.

Luo Tan was not surprised that the Great Roc Emperor would test her.

Rather, it would be more accurate to say that she had already discovered the spies left behind by Yunzhou in the Immortal Dynasty when the Sabbath arrived.

What surprised her most was why this princess would come here to see her.

“It wasn’t the Great Roc Emperor who persuaded me; rather, I came to see you on my own initiative.”

However, the princess's words surprised Luo Tan for a moment, and then she continued, "You have been a Daoist for at least five lifetimes. The most important reason why the Nine Provinces have been able to maintain a peaceful situation is that the strength of the major powers has maintained a delicate balance."

"Once this balance is broken, as long as the Azure Emperor harbors any ambitions, the entire Nine Provinces will be thrown into turmoil."

"Therefore, whether they were the enemies of the Azure Emperor or people who had no grudge against her, most of them did not want her to ascend to immortality."

Luo Tan raised her eyebrows slightly, gestured to the maid beside her, and invited the princess to take a seat.

She casually picked up the Enlightenment Tea. The aroma of the tea filled the air, and it seemed to be surrounded by a rich, radiant glow, exuding an incomparably strong spiritual energy.

"So you're curious why I didn't stop the Azure Emperor from ascending to immortality, but instead chose to stand by and watch?" Luo Tan asked.

The princess nodded gently: "With the first one reaching the Feathered Realm, there will be a second... Sword Emperor Gong Lianyue confirmed this not long ago."

"After this, the current situation in Kyushu may be disrupted."

"I don't think it would be good for you, would it?" She looked at the empress of the immortal dynasty, her gentle and clear eyes gazing quietly from beneath her veil.

"Did you come to see me because you were worried about me?" Luo Tan took a sip of tea, moistened her pink lips, and asked with a smile in her eyes.

"No, it's probably not just because of worry, but because the Great Peng Emperor has begun to be wary of me, and even of the entire Yuzhou, right?"

The princess remained silent.

Given Luo Tan's keen perception, it's not surprising that he could guess this.

"If the Great Roc Emperor were here today, I would ask him to leave now."

"But since it's you, there's no harm in telling you," Luo Tan said calmly.

"Have you ever wondered why, despite the ongoing conflict between the Demon Realm and the Eastern Continent, where cultivators from the Eastern Continent and demon cultivators have even gone to extremes to kill each other, the Demon Realm has not participated in such a momentous event as the Azure Emperor's ascension to immortality?"

The princess was taken aback: "Wasn't it said that the Demon Queen was in seclusion at the time and therefore unable to take action?"

"Even if the Demon Realm Empress is unable to take action, there is still the Ancient Emperor Longxu. If the First Seat is willing, he can briefly step into the Dao Integration Realm after burning his essence blood... But from beginning to end, the Demon Realm and Yuzhou have remained completely silent. Why don't you guess why?"

The princess sat upright, dignified, beautiful without being seductive, gazing into Luo Tan's eyes: "Why?"

Luo Tan parted her red lips slightly and said softly, "Have you ever wondered why the Azure Emperor ascended to immortality without any apparent reason? And how did Gong Lianyue also ascend to immortality?"

Before the princess could speak, Luo Tan said again in a low voice, "I know the secret of ascension to immortality."

The princess stiffened slightly, her gaze fixed intently on her.

Her heart trembled violently, and a dramatic emotional shift seemed to occur on her fair and aloof face beneath the veil.

Ascending to immortality... This is something countless powerful beings dream of.

Because after reaching the Feather Transformation Realm, one breaks through the rules of heaven and earth, and lifespan is no longer limited.

Even though she was born with her furnace connected to the Great Dao, she still couldn't find a way to ascend to immortality.

In his quest for ascension to immortality, the Great Roc Emperor was almost possessed by a demon. He pursued Luo Tan more than once, partly because of her identity, appearance, and background, and partly because he knew of Luo Tan's other physique: she was a natural furnace for cultivation.

"You didn't stop the Azure Emperor from ascending to immortality back then because you also knew how to ascend?"

The princess subconsciously lowered her voice. Although all the servants had been dismissed, she was still unconsciously worried that the secret would be exposed.

This is a secret that could drive the entire Kyushu, and even the entire alien starry sky, into a frenzy.

If the princess hadn't saved Luo Tan's life and if the two hadn't been like sisters, Luo Tan probably wouldn't have revealed such a shocking thing today.

The princess quickly realized what was happening and murmured again, "No... someone is using this secret of ascension to make a deal with you, asking you to observe the situation and even help the Azure Emperor ascend when necessary."

She truly deserves to be called the 'core brain' of Yunzhou; she can even draw inferences from one instance to another.

Luo Tan parted her red lips slightly, about to speak.

However, at that moment, a servant suddenly rushed in from outside the hall.

Luo Tan frowned slightly and said, "Didn't I say today that we have distinguished guests visiting and that we should temporarily decline any requests from others?"

The attendant raised his hand in a bow and said respectfully, "Your Majesty... the Azure Emperor and Mu Zhi'an are waiting outside the palace."