Undying Life
Chapter 389: Diplomatic Mission to the Great Departure Heavenly Dynasty

Chapter 389: Diplomatic Mission to the Great Departure Heavenly Dynasty

At the foot of the ancient mountain, Zhongshan looked up at the sky. At this hour, there shouldn't be any court meetings.

"Lord Dongfang, the Emperor is waiting at the Tai Gu Shrine. You should hurry!" a eunuch said.

"Oh, understood!" Zhongshan nodded and quickly ascended the steps, heading straight towards the Tai Gu Shrine above.

Upon reaching the entrance of the hall, Zhongshan noticed that all the guards around the Tai Gu Shrine had been withdrawn. Unusual.

Zhongshan stepped inside.

"Kuang~~~~~~"

The doors of the Tai Gu Shrine slammed shut. Zhongshan paused for a moment.

Inside the Tai Gu Shrine, there was only one person: the Holy Emperor of the Great Luo, dressed in a robe of nine dragons and wearing a white jade flat-topped crown, exuding an ancient aura.

"I, Zhongshan, pay respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy eternal blessings and longevity matching the heavens," Zhongshan immediately bowed respectfully.

"Matching the heavens?" The Holy Emperor of Great Luo revealed a playful smile, seeming somewhat disdainful.

Zhongshan was slightly surprised.

"The Great Leng Dynasty, Zhongshan!" Suddenly, the Holy Emperor called out.

Hearing the Holy Emperor's words, Zhongshan's whole body felt a chill, startled. The Emperor knew? After a moment of panic, Zhongshan immediately calmed down and took a deep breath.

How could the Emperor know his other identity? But in such a vast Tianlang Island, if the Emperor investigated carefully, it was impossible to hide. However, Tianlang Island was too remote; why would the Emperor pay attention to it? Did that mean the Emperor had been watching him closely and investigating everything about him for a long time?

Would the Emperor harm him? Probably not. If the Emperor wanted to crush him, why go through such elaborate announcements?

"Zhongshan, I greet the Holy Emperor again!" Zhongshan said again, his face showing no panic.

"Good! As an emperor, one should have the demeanor to remain calm even when the sky collapses in front of them," the Holy Emperor showed a hint of appreciation.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. The Great Leng Dynasty has just begun, and there are many things I do not yet understand. Therefore, I had to leave a puppet on Tianlang Island while I came out to observe and learn," Zhongshan gradually straightened up. Since the Holy Emperor already knew, no matter what he said, he was now an emperor. Mentally, he couldn't afford to show weakness.

Looking at Zhongshan, the Holy Emperor of Great Luo smiled faintly and said, "Learn? Haha, among the ministers of the Great Luo Dynasty, you are the only one who dares to act as a minister while calling yourself an emperor. You are indeed skilled in balancing both roles."

"Please forgive me again, Your Majesty!" Zhongshan said once more.

"Being recognized by Emperor Xuan Cui, you are quite a character. Moreover, Qianyou cares for you. If she lives well, it can also be considered as repaying her biological father from back then," the Holy Emperor sighed softly.

"Your Majesty is overly kind!" Zhongshan took a deep breath. It seemed he had gained some favor due to Qianyou.

"The Great Luo Dynasty has existed for more than eight thousand years. My lifespan of ten thousand years is nearing its end. Soon, I must face the Heavenly Tribulation. Whether I can succeed or not is still unknown. The four princes have already begun to collect the Imperial Seal of the Heavenly Dynasty. Your dynasty, let it exist," the Holy Emperor said indifferently.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhongshan immediately bowed respectfully.

This was the Holy Emperor's tacit acknowledgment of Zhongshan's dual identity. Zhongshan had originally been prepared to give up his official position in the Great Luo Dynasty, but now that the situation had taken a turn, Zhongshan naturally felt extremely grateful and once again showed the proper respect as a subject.

"Your Majesty will definitely be able to withstand the Heavenly Tribulation, reverse the ordinary fate, and achieve immortal status," Zhongshan wished again.

"Immortal status? Heh~~" The Holy Emperor showed a trace of disdainful smile and did not say more.

Seeing the expression of the Holy Emperor, Zhongshan's pupils contracted, full of surprise. Disdain? The Holy Emperor was disdainful? Disdainful of what? Zhongshan was very curious and wanted to ask, but in the end, he didn't say anything more.

"I wonder what important matter Your Majesty has summoned me for," Zhongshan suppressed his doubts and asked again.

Zhongshan couldn't believe that the Emperor had summoned him just to expose his identity. There had to be something more important.

"Do you know why I appointed you as the Deputy Minister of Rituals?" the Ancient Divine Envoys asked.

"I don't know!" Zhongshan said truthfully.

The Ancient Divine Envoys seemed to suddenly recall something, furrowing his brow slightly as if reminiscing about past events. There was a hint of tenderness in his eyes, but suddenly, that reminiscent expression turned fierce, causing Zhongshan's pupils to shrink, and the temperature in the entire hall plummeted. It even produced a faint white frost.

"Hoo~~~~~~~" The Ancient Divine Envoys took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Throughout this, Zhongshan didn't interrupt.

"I want you to represent me on a mission to the Great Departure Heavenly Dynasty!" the Ancient Divine Envoys sighed deeply with his eyes closed.

"Eh? Great Departure Heavenly Dynasty?" Zhongshan opened his mouth in astonishment. How coincidental!

Opening his eyes slightly, the Ancient Divine Envoys said, "What? Is there a problem?"

"No!" Zhongshan immediately shook his head.

"Although there are many people in the court, just like the countless stars in the sky, there's no one less now, and you are a new star with a clean background. It just so happens that you will represent me," said the Ancient Divine Envoys.

A clean background? Zhongshan was speechless. Perhaps the Ancient Divine Envoys believed his background on Tianlang Island was "clean". However, it worked out well! The Ancient Divine Envoys wouldn't continue to investigate him deeply.

"Yes! I wonder what my purpose is for this trip?" Zhongshan immediately nodded.

Originally, he was going to the Great Departure Heavenly Dynasty, and now he could do so under the banner of the Great Luo Dynasty. Wasn't this even more convenient?

Taking out two objects, one was a jade slip with special restrictions, and the other was an ordinary bamboo flute.

As soon as the jade slip and bamboo flute left the hands of the Ancient Divine Envoys, they floated slowly towards Zhongshan, who carefully caught them.

"Deliver the bamboo flute and jade slip into the hands of Nie Fanchen. He will understand!" the Ancient Divine Envoys said solemnly.

Nie Fanchen, the Emperor of the Great Departure Heavenly Dynasty!

Looking at the jade slip and bamboo flute, Zhongshan carefully put them away. He noticed that the Ancient Divine Envoys' gaze had been fixed on the bamboo flute, showing a great deal of care.

"Yes!" Zhongshan replied and stored the items.

"This is a confidential matter, and no third person must know!" the Ancient Divine Envoys said with a serious expression.

"Yes!" Zhongshan was slightly puzzled.

"The Great Departure Heavenly Dynasty has a Thousand-Year Tree, which blooms and bears fruit every thousand years. Each time, it only produces five fruits. Your purpose in visiting the Great Departure Heavenly Dynasty this time is to obtain one Thousand-Year Fruit. Tomorrow, there will be an imperial decree issued to your residence," said the Ancient Divine Envoys.

"Yes," Zhongshan immediately bowed.

"Of course, do not tarnish the dignity of the Great Luo Dynasty," the Ancient Divine Envoys suddenly smiled slightly.

"Eh? Yes," Zhongshan was slightly surprised. Was the Ancient Divine Envoys hinting at causing a stir?

Inside a palace of the Great Departure Heavenly Dynasty.

Tianlinger leaned back on a very comfortable chair, her eyes closed, her brows slightly furrowed, and her thumbs pressing against her temples, massaging.

On a small table beside her, a red sparrow continuously pecked at red grains of rice. The grains of rice were very strange, emitting a faint light like gemstones, clearly not ordinary rice. The little sparrow kept eating.

"Duo, Duo, Duo, Duo... " Tianlinger rubbed her head for a while, then opened her eyes with a troubled expression, turning her head to look at the little red sparrow beside her.

She patted the little sparrow's head with her hand.

"Xiao Hong, all you know is eating, eating those 'Fire Gathering Rice' every day, and you haven't grown at all after so many years," Tianlinger pouted and complained.

The little sparrow actually stopped eating and looked at Tianlinger, tilting its small head.

"Lately, I don't know what's wrong with me. My mind is filled with the image of that 'Osmanthus Cake'. It seems like he's about to turn around, but he just won't turn around. It's been decades, why do I keep seeing 'Osmanthus Cake' every day? It's really annoying. When I ask Mother, she always says she doesn't know, but she seems to know, just refusing to tell me. Hmph, since you won't say, I'll definitely remember it, but every time I try to think about it, my head hurts. It's really frustrating," Tianlinger said with a troubled expression.

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp," the little sparrow continued to chirp.

However, despite spending decades together with the little sparrow, Tianlinger still couldn't understand a word of its "chirping".

"You silly bird, even after all these years, you still can't speak human language. I really don't understand why those phoenixes in the Phoenix Palace are afraid of you. Even if you pluck their feathers, they dare not get angry with you," Tianlinger said with a puzzled expression.

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp," the little sparrow chirped proudly. Then it stopped "talking" to Tianlinger and resumed eating the red grains.

Seeing the little sparrow ignoring her again, Tianlinger pursed her lips, reached out, and grabbed the small pouch containing the Fire Gathering Rice.

Suddenly, the Fire Gathering Rice disappeared. The little sparrow was stunned, then turned its head to look at Tianlinger with a pitiful expression, as if asking her to quickly return its food.

"No, if you don't speak today, you're not allowed to eat," Tianlinger covered the mouth of the pouch and declared.

The little sparrow looked like it wanted to cry but couldn't shed tears: "....."

Unexpected disaster! —

Great Luo Dynasty.

Under orders, Zhongshan headed north to the land of Shen Zhou, the Great Departure Heavenly Dynasty! He sought to obtain a 'Thousand-Year Fruit' while also bringing some specialties of the Great Luo Dynasty as gifts.

Princess Qianyou led Ada and A'er to the Seven Star Hall.

In the northern part of the ancient capital of the Holy City, a desolate mountainous area stood eighty thousand soldiers and fifty thousand wolves. At the summit of the mountain peak, behind Zhongshan stood Mr. Shi, Zhihuo, Linxiao, Liwu Shuang, and Shui Wuheng.

"General, it should be in that direction, we can't be wrong," Shui Wuheng pointed to the distance.

"Full speed ahead!" Zhongshan nodded.

"Yes!"