Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

Such immense power had not affected anyone, demonstrating that Chen Xiang's control over power was truly meticulous and he was able to wield every bit of it; indeed, this was an extremely difficult feat.

"That's amazing!" Zhao Pu exclaimed sincerely.

Chen Xiang modestly said, "Not at all, compared to my master, I still have a long way to go."

Huan Xingzi and his companion were startled by this. Chen Xiang's power had already exceeded their expectations, yet behind him was an even more profound and inscrutable master.

Zhao Pu, however, was not preoccupied with these thoughts. He had heard about the master from Chen Xiang many times before, with each mention bringing a different sensation.

"I didn't expect the master's strength to be so terrifying, just like his vast knowledge that makes one look up in admiration. I really want to meet the master and listen to his teachings in person," Zhao Pu sighed deeply.

As a scholar, even though they hadn't spent much time together, he was able to occasionally hear a few words about the master from Chen Xiang. Each word was like a pearl of wisdom, thought-provoking, which had long fascinated him.

"Certainly, the master not only has profound mana, but his scholarship is also top-notch," Chen Xiang said proudly, taking pride in it.

For the first time, a feeling of envy flashed in Zhao Pu's heart. Even though he knew that Chen Xiang was an immortal who had achieved eternal life, he had never envied him to this extent, and even felt an impulse to follow Chen Xiang and pay a visit to the master.

However, as he now carried the hopes of thousands of his citizens, he naturally would not abandon his kingdom and could only admire the master silently in his heart.

"Today, I owe you a great debt for your arrival; otherwise, my newly secured throne would have been lost," Zhao Pu said self-deprecatingly.

"Since that's the case, I shall ask you for something in return, to see if you are willing to part with it."

"What is it?" Zhao Pu immediately became curious, wondering what he possessed that Chen Xiang would want, given Chen Xiang's power. Logically, the most valuable thing he had now was the emperorship, the dream of countless people, but Chen Xiang was an outsider and generally disregarded such things. Beyond that, it was difficult for him to think of anything Chen Xiang would earnestly request.

"The Twelve Golden Men, originally cast by the First Emperor after he united the empire."

"Are they of use to you?" Zhao Pu had naturally heard of the Twelve Golden Men, who were initially created when weapons from all over the empire were collected in Xianyang, melted down, and cast into twelve Golden Figures to weaken the people's power.

He just didn't know what use the Golden Men would serve to an immortal like Chen Xiang.

An old man nearby noticed Zhao Pu's confusion and explained, "Originally, His Majesty created these Twelve Golden Men as a weapon of the Human Path to combat the Heavenly Court, modeled after the ancient Twelve Ancestral Shaman, each containing a drop of Ancestral Shaman Essence Blood, hence capable of forming the Great Divine Fierce Array, their power immense. However, after the great battle, the Divine Power within was exhausted, and the Essence Blood was also taken away, leaving them useless."

Chen Xiang smiled and said, "No matter, I simply need the material. After all, these once carried the huge fortune and destiny of the human race, and can be used to forge weapons of the Human Path."

"Since these Twelve Golden Men lost their miraculous properties, we have placed them in the emperor's mausoleum as part of the burial goods. Now that the mausoleum's doors are sealed, it is difficult to enter without the bloodline of the emperor," said the old man.

Zhao Pu promptly said, "You can use mine!"

The elderly man, however, shook his head and said, "It cannot be done; to open the Mausoleum, the Essence Blood must reach a certain level, and yours, although pure, is not sufficient."

"What should we do then!"

The elderly man was silent for a while before giving a bitter smile and saying, "Our original plan was to seal the Emperor's Mausoleum after his passing, to cut off future generations from entering and disturbing His Majesty's eternal rest. Who would have thought that Xu Fu, that thieving scoundrel, would somehow deceive his way through the Mausoleum's grand doors? Now we are utterly helpless; otherwise, we would never allow him to act so recklessly and disturb His Majesty's resting place."

Chen Xiang, however, gently smiled and said, "No matter, just wait for him, I have my ways. We should hurry up with your enthronement ceremony."

Zhao Pu looked at his confident and serene expression, seeming truly unconcerned, and finally felt relieved.

Outside, preparations for the new Emperor's enthronement ceremony were proceeding systematically and orderly. Although Zhao Pu held no power in the Capital City, who within or without the Imperial Palace now dared to underestimate this somewhat juvenile Celestial Emperor?

The young man who had punched a terrifying Ghostly Entity to death stood by his side, the two of them chatting and laughing effortlessly, causing the passing eunuchs to hold their breath and concentrate, not daring to be negligent.

Joking aside, that was an Immortal who could punch a ferocious Ghostly Entity to death; probably, a single glance could kill you.

However, seeing that the Emperor was able to chat so freely with such a person, a deep respect arose within them. If it were them, their legs would probably be too weak to even speak to him.

The awe of Imperial power had long been etched deep into their bones, causing them to subconsciously beautify the Emperor in their minds.

"Alas, this world is truly a tangled mess; the previous Emperors left me with a disaster. Just listening to the reports yesterday gave me a big headache," Zhao Pu complained to Chen Xiang.

Although he knew that this world was in big trouble, it wasn't until he delved deeper that he realized today's Great Qin was riddled with flaws and problems everywhere.

"Didn't you always want to rectify the world and benefit the common people? Now you have a great opportunity in your hands; are you thinking of giving up?" Chen Xiang slapped Zhao Pu's shoulder, and that feeling of patting the Emperor on the shoulder was rather nice.

"Never mind that. Since I've decided to do something for the people of this world, how could I abandon mid-way? I'm just venting to you. Once I return, I still have to do what needs to be done," Zhao Pu said with a wry smile.

Just the thought of that mountainous pile of petitions gave him a headache.

Chen Xiang, however, smiled somewhat schadenfreudely. At first, he was curious about what Zhao Pu's life as an Emperor was really like, but after observing for a day, he decisively chose to give it up; it simply wasn't a life a person should lead. Everything had strict standards; everything must be by the book or else it would damage the Emperor's dignity.

The knife and sword shadows in the court were far more fearful than those in reality; those ministers seemed to transform into animals that continuously made noise, instantly filling the grand hall with chaos.

And then there were those petitions that seemed to never end, no matter how hard you worked, they seemed never to decrease; even one day living that life terrified Chen Xiang, whereas Zhao Pu had to live every day like that, no wonder he complained. Perhaps he alone could let him let down his guard and speak out his frustrations.

Of course, he knew that this was because Zhao Pu had just become Emperor. The ministers were deliberately putting pressure on this young Celestial Emperor to seize more power.