It turns out, they were the main characters.

Mu Zhian nodded slightly and smiled, "Then I'm relieved."

On another note, on the night of the banquet hosted by Emperor Dapeng, his fiancée was seen having a private conversation with another man in a side hall... Although it was known that the princess must have something important to discuss with him, it was still hard not to have wild thoughts.

"Young Master Mu, do you still remember what we talked about when I took you to that sea of ​​clouds today?"

The princess spoke softly, her beautiful eyes gazing tenderly at Mu Zhi'an, and she took the lead in bringing up the topic.

Mu Zhian pondered for a moment: "Your Highness, we talked about quite a few things today. May I ask which matter you are referring to?"

"A natural furnace."

The princess's voice was gentle and melodious: "In my experience, Young Master Mu is the first male I have ever seen with a natural furnace body... and also the first cultivator whose natural furnace body contains the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Court."

"There are some things about this matter that I don't quite understand. Would you be so kind as to enlighten me, Young Master Mu?"

"Please speak, Your Highness. I will answer to the best of my ability," Mu Zhian replied sincerely.

It wasn't because he was lusting after her body or anything like that. Mu Zhian always considered himself a reserved and polite good man, and naturally had no interest in married women.

However, the other party is currently doing his best to help him find Yunyan Liu, and has stood by his side in front of Dapeng Huang on several occasions. This alone has made Mu Zhian feel somewhat favorably towards them.

"I only have one question..."

"I wonder where Young Master Mu gets his celestial spiritual energy from after he gives it to others?"

This is the question she cares about most and the question she most wants to know.

Therefore, after speaking, the princess stared intently into Mu Zhi'an's eyes, hoping to get the answer from him.

However, after a moment of silence, Mu Zhian remained silent.

The princess's eyes dimmed for a moment, but she quickly smiled gently again: "I'm sorry... I was too abrupt. If it's inconvenient to answer, that's fine."

"Actually, it's not that I can't answer, but before that, I'd like to ask you a question," Mu Zhian said.

The princess nodded slightly: "Young Master Mu, please speak."

"Judging from what you just said, you seem to care a lot about the affairs of the Heavenly Court. But it is rumored that Her Highness the Princess is a great being who resonates with the Great Dao and believes in it, right?"

Mu Zhian was quite puzzled: "Where does the spiritual energy in the innate furnace come from, and what significance does it have for you?"

The princess did not answer, but her expression was slightly complicated, and her red lips parted slightly, as if she was having some difficulty speaking.

Seeing this, Mu Zhian said at the opportune moment, "Since Your Highness has not yet made up your mind, then I shall take my leave today."

"After all, this is the palace, with many people and eyes around. If they saw Her Highness the Princess and me alone in such a place during the banquet, it would probably cause unnecessary misunderstandings..."

Mu Zhian got up to leave, but at that moment, the princess suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of his clothes.

"and many more!"

Mu Zhian stood still.

The princess raised her head, as if she had made up her mind, and said, "This matter involves a secret of Yunzhou, so Young Master Mu must promise not to reveal it to a third person."

What secret is so serious...? Mu Zhian nodded slightly: "Your Highness, please speak."

The princess seemed to have a touch of sorrow in her eyes, and said softly, "I told you today that in my understanding, Yunzhou is not closest to the Heavenly Dao, but to the Heavenly Court, isn't it?"

Do you know why I think this way?

She slowly rose, walked to the door of the side hall, and looked up at the dark sky: "Young Master Mu can try absorbing spiritual energy here."

Mu Zhian had some doubts. He closed his eyes slightly and tried to draw the spiritual energy between heaven and earth into the furnace. After circulating it for a small period of time, he successfully absorbed the spiritual energy into the furnace.

It doesn't seem to have anything special about it.

Just as Mu Zhian thought of this, his thoughts suddenly stopped.

He suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the princess in disbelief.

He saw this stunningly beautiful woman, her eyes filled with a hint of mockery, and said in a low voice, "You guessed right. Everything in Yunzhou is being eroded by the Heavenly Dao. Even the spiritual energy of this land is directly supplied by the Heavenly Dao."

“It’s rather strange… The spiritual energy in Yunzhou is different from anywhere else in the Nine Provinces. There seems to be a trace of the Heavenly Dao left behind in the spiritual energy here,” Mu Zhian said.

“Before I achieved Dao, the spiritual energy in Yunzhou was different from what it is now, but now the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Dao almost covers the entire Yunzhou.”

The princess said, "If Yunzhou is truly the place closest to the 'Heavenly Way,' then why would the Heavenly Way need to erode Yunzhou?"

The purpose of eroding Yunzhou was to make the local cultivators believe in the Heavenly Dao, but the reason for doing so is unknown.

Mu Zhian was silent for a moment, then asked, "So what you're talking about has to do with the innate furnace?"

He couldn't actively use the spiritual energy of the innate furnace, he could only passively give it to it, and even though he knew that the Heavenly Dao was eroding Yunzhou, there seemed to be nothing he could do.

The princess slowly shook her head: "I was just thinking, if you always replenish your spiritual energy from the Heavenly Court after it is lost... then perhaps you could find the location of the Heavenly Court in this way."

"What exactly does Your Highness intend to do in the Heavenly Court? Ascend to immortality, or... do you have other purposes?" Mu Zhian asked.

"The rules of heaven and earth do not allow powerful beings who have reached the Dao to ascend to immortality, and I currently have no such intention."

The princess said softly, "Compared to unrealistic things like ascending to heaven, I would much rather find the whereabouts of the Heavenly Court."

"Perhaps I can find a way to counter the erosion of the Heavenly Dao there... or if I can find the Lord of the Heavenly Court, perhaps I can find the answer from him."

“I think he probably has no other choice…” Mu Zhian’s expression was subtle.

The princess frowned slightly, her voice gentle but with a hint of instruction: "The fact that the Heavenly Court can transcend the world and be unaffected by the Heavenly Dao is enough to demonstrate the power of the Heavenly Court's ruler."

"Don't speak too absolutely about anything."

Mu Zhian remained silent for a long time without saying a word.

The princess probably thought that Mu Zhian had been hurt by her words, so her tone softened a bit and she said, "However, you don't need to belittle yourself. With your talent and the support of the Azure Emperor, it is not impossible for you to resonate with the Dao and enter the Dao Integration Realm in the future."

Mu Zhi'an nodded humbly and replied, "I will keep Your Highness's teachings in mind. However, the matter of the Heavenly Court's spiritual energy involves too many secrets. You are a trusted friend of His Majesty Luo Tan, and I naturally trust you as well. It's just that if I want to step into the Heavenly Court, I may have to pay a certain price..."

"I know, I was prepared from the very beginning." The princess nodded. She knew that everything had a price, especially since she wanted to go to the Heavenly Court.

Since entering the world of cultivation, cultivators have only two goals: one is to achieve Dao integration, and the other is to ascend to the Heavenly Court.

Because, according to legend, cultivators who ascend to the Heavenly Court can live forever, and their cultivation speed in the Heavenly Court is far greater than that outside.

And a top-tier figure like the princess knows perfectly well that this rumor is true.

The Heavenly Court does indeed exist.

However, unless the path to immortality is revealed, it is impossible to ascend to the Heavenly Court under any circumstances... This is a deeply ingrained belief among cultivators.

To enter the Heavenly Court without the right timing, location, and people, even if it were possible, would likely come at a terrible price.

However, in order to solve the problem of the Heavenly Dao's erosion, the only way the princess could think of was the Heavenly Court.

Mu Zhian pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness, could you give me another two or three days to consider this?"

The princess felt a pang of disappointment, but she didn't show it on her face. She nodded gently and said, "Young Master Mu has been away from the banquet for too long, which might arouse suspicion. We should go back as soon as possible."

As Mu Zhian turned to leave, the princess suddenly called out to him: "No matter what Young Master Mu decides in the end, I will give you the Cloud Willow to take once I find it."

Mu Zhian paused slightly, then gave a soft "hmm".

After leaving the side hall, Mu Zhian looked up at the gradually darkening sky and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

He originally came to Yunzhou to find the Cloud Mist Willow, but unexpectedly, instead of finding the Cloud Mist Willow, he gained something even greater...

If what the princess said today is true, then she is indeed an enemy of Heaven.

If something goes against the will of Heaven, then it is also his ally.

……

To avoid arousing suspicion, the princess deliberately waited a while before returning to the banquet with Mu Zhian.

Today, many ministers from Yunzhou brought their wives and daughters. They are all high-ranking officials in Yunzhou, and their wives and daughters are naturally quite beautiful.

However, the arrival of the princess seemed to overshadow all the other women at the banquet.

Especially since she was wearing a dress made of Nirvana silk today.

The dress that Mu Zhian had carefully designed for the princess was naturally very close to her body. Although the fabric was a bit conservative and almost covered the princess's skin, the little bit of skin exposed to the air was snow-white and translucent, and the tight silver-white dress could not hide her proud figure.

Her long, wavy hair was styled in a bun at the back, with a thin strand hanging down gently over her shoulder, giving her a dignified appearance.

The pink and white veil covering her face added a touch of hazy, ethereal beauty to her appearance, making one want to remove the veil and see what was behind her.

Even a seasoned veteran like Mu Zhian couldn't help but secretly admire the princess's figure. Not only was her bust size amazing, but more importantly, her attire and even her demeanor exuded a strong sense of a married woman. Her beautiful legs, wrapped in semi-transparent white stockings, added a touch of sacredness and inviolability.

"The Azure Emperor is truly thoughtful; this dress design perfectly complements the princess's beauty."

The wives of some ministers watched this scene with envy and couldn't help but admire it.

Upon hearing this, many more ministers offered their sincere praise, and the Great Roc Emperor on the stage smiled even more broadly.

For the ruler of Yunzhou, even though he and the princess were not actually husband and wife, in the eyes of the cultivators outside, their relationship was a beautiful story.

Both were at the Dao Integration Realm, and his beloved concubine was even more stunningly beautiful.

It's a pity that after all these years, his beloved concubine has remained too cold to him in private.

Otherwise, the Great Roc Emperor wouldn't have been so enraged when he saw the Queen Consort chatting idly with a male cultivator in a pavilion.

But the misunderstanding has long since been cleared up.

Mu Zhi'an's Daoist partner is Fairy Yao Meng. Given that fairy's strength and beauty, how could Mu Zhi'an dare to have an affair with other women behind her back?

Besides, his beloved concubine would never even look at him.

The singing and dancing were in progress when the princess's gentle voice suddenly came from the hall: "I heard that while I was away from Yunzhou these past few days, quite a few Sabbath apostles came to Yunzhou to collect fortune... Have you sent anyone to confirm their movements?"

Upon hearing this, the previously lively atmosphere seemed to quiet down a bit.

The ministers exchanged glances, each seemingly seeing confusion in the other's eyes.

Then, a courtier raised his hand in a bow and said, "Your Highness, the matter of the Sabbath was handled by Wen Jun, but he was unwell today and did not attend the banquet..."

"A cultivator at the Void Returning Realm is unwell? Even if it's an excuse, shouldn't you at least come up with a better one?"

The princess's voice remained as gentle and calm as ever, but there was a hint of coldness in her tone.

Upon hearing this, none of the ministers dared to utter a sound.

Seeing this, Emperor Dapeng couldn't help but laugh and said, "My beloved consort, there's no need to worry so much. With you and me in charge of Yunzhou, the Sabbath won't be able to cause any trouble."

"As for the Sabbath apostles collecting fortune... a little fortune is actually dispensable for Yunzhou."

The princess was silent for a moment, then parted her red lips and said, "But since the beginning of this life, the fortune of Yunzhou has been declining. Have you never thought about the reason?"

“Your Highness, there is really no need to worry so much. Not to mention that Yunzhou has two Dao Integration experts in charge, even putting this matter aside... Yunzhou is still protected by the Heavenly Dao.” A minister in the audience spoke up.