Chapter 25
Earth Spirit Tree, Battle for the Emperor’s Authority
Dozens of disciples and devotees gathered around the small bridge at the entrance. In front of them was a row of servants, led by Meng Qiuhe, the former eldest disciple of Longqi Temple.
After being away for many years, Meng Qiuhe had become more mature. He wore a rich purple robe, a jade thumb ring on his finger, a flowing silk jade brocade belt around his waist, and Quyun raccoon boots. He looked very dignified.
He stared at White Dragon in front of the small bridge expressionlessly.
White Dragon was not afraid at all even though it was surrounded by many people. Right now, it was already three meters long and could be considered a huge snake. However, it was famous for being kind, so no one was afraid of it and even felt that it was not a threat.
Meng Qiushuang pushed the disciples away and walked over. She stared at Meng Qiuhe and said, “Second Brother, what do you mean?”
Meng Qiuhe played with the thumb ring on his finger and said, “Nothing much. I just want to test Daoist Master Changsheng’s strength. In the past, I always wanted to compare notes with him in the Daoist temple, but I was always rejected. He should agree today, right?”
Meng Qiushuang frowned and said, “Since it’s a spar, why did you bring people and threaten him?”
Meng Qiuhe pulled out a dagger from his waist and said, “Little sister, don’t ask anymore. Right now, we are strangers. Call Changsheng out. As long as he defeats me, I will not disturb you again.”
There was a handsome young man behind him. He looked to be fifteen to sixteen years old, but his eyes seemed to be deep. He smiled and said, “Hurry up. I can’t wait any longer.”
Meng Qiuhe gritted his teeth and aimed the dagger at White Dragon, preparing to stab it.
“I’m here.”
A light voice sounded and the disciples made way. Jiang Changsheng walked over and the devotees immediately cried out in surprise.
“He is Daoist Master Changsheng?”
“So handsome!”
“With this temperament, could he really be an immortal god?”
“Even the horsetail whisk in his hand is different from other Daoists. It looks extremely extraordinary.”
Jiang Changsheng’s image was extremely outstanding, especially after he broke through to the fifth level of the Dao Technique. His aura was almost one with heaven and earth, existing in the vast sky.
Meng Qiuhe stopped and looked at Jiang Changsheng with an aggressive gaze.
The young man behind him was also carefully sizing up Jiang Changsheng.
The reason why Jiang Changsheng came out personally was because of this young man. He was extremely close to the Heaven Arrival realm, and his true qi was even stronger than Hua Jianxin. The disciples of Longqi Temple were absolutely not his opponent.
How old was he?
Jiang Changsheng even suspected that this young man was cultivating.
Meng Qiuhe said, “Changsheng, come on. Let me see your strength.”
He assumed a posture, clenched his fists, and opened his mouth like an evil tiger. His legs were spread open, and he was as stable as Mount Tai.
Jiang Changsheng nodded slightly and thought to himself, “This senior brother has become a peerless expert. It seems like his opportunities are not small. Unfortunately, it’s still the work of a three-legged cat.”
Meng Qiuhe dashed to Jiang Changsheng so fast that the onlookers could not keep up.
Bang!
He punched Jiang Changsheng’s chest, but the latter did not move at all. Instead, his Daoist robe just fluttered.
Meng Qiuhe widened his eyes and revealed an expression of disbelief. He gritted his teeth and poured all his true qi into his right arm, wanting to suppress Jiang Changsheng, but it was still useless.
At that moment, the young man suddenly moved.
“Daoist Master Changsheng is really powerful. Do you mind if I lend him a helping hand?”
The young man came behind Meng Qiuhe with a teasing and provocative smile. He raised his right palm and pressed it on Meng Qiuhe’s shoulder. Surging true qi erupted and Meng Qiuhe was shocked.
Their true energy attacked Jiang Changsheng at the same time, but Jiang Changsheng’s feet were as firm as tree roots.
The two of them were moved.
“How is it possible…”
The young man was horrified. He was well aware of his strength. Ordinary top experts could not withstand three moves from him. After all, he relied on his powerful internal arts.
Meng Qiuhe also knew the strength of the young man behind him. He originally thought that the young man would have a 90% chance of winning, but he did not expect that the two of them would not be able to win even if they joined hands.
Jiang Changsheng said calmly, “Both of you, go back and train well.”
Boom!
The young man and Meng Qiuhe vomited blood and flew out. They smashed into the entrance and almost rolled down the stone steps.
Those servants were so frightened that they immediately surrounded the young man to examine his injuries.
One of them shouted angrily, “How dare you! How dare you hurt the Seventh Prince? You’re courting death!”
Seventh Prince!
The Seventh Prince?
The visitors were in an uproar, and the disciples were also frightened.
Jiang Changsheng shook his head and said, “Are you trying to slander me for wanting to harm the Seventh Prince in front of everyone? It was originally a spar between me and Senior Brother Meng, and it was the Seventh Prince who took the initiative to attack.”
“You… Injuring the Seventh Prince is a crime punishable by death!”
The servant roared with a hideous expression, but he did not dare to attack Jiang Changsheng.
At this moment, the Seventh Prince stood up and came to the servant. He slapped him and snorted. “Disgraceful thing, get lost!”
The servant was scared out of his wits and did not dare to be arrogant again.
The Seventh Prince wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and cupped his hands at Jiang Changsheng. “Daoist Master Changsheng is indeed powerful. I’m afraid no one in the martial arts world can defeat you. I’m convinced of my defeat, and I won’t let anyone disturb me in the future. I hope you won’t hold a grudge against me. I really want to befriend you.”
Jiang Changsheng chuckled and said, “It’s just a martial arts spar. If Your Highness wants to come and offer incense, Longqi Temple will always welcome you.”
The Seventh Prince smiled and turned to leave.
Meng Qiuhe stood up and looked at Jiang Changsheng with a complicated expression before following the Seventh Prince down the mountain with the other servants following closely behind.
The disciples and devotees surrounded him one after another and cheered for Jiang Changsheng. Jiang Changsheng did not attack just now, but he displayed the elegance of a Daoist Master and easily repelled powerful foes.
In fact, Jiang Changsheng had also guessed that the other party was a prince because this kid’s true qi was extremely similar to Jiang Yuan. Even Jiang Yu and the Second Prince did not have such true qi.
True dragon energy!
Jiang Changsheng left after exchanging pleasantries with the surrounding people. White Dragon stayed where it was and enjoyed the worshippers’ love.
After returning to the courtyard, a line of words appeared before Jiang Changsheng’s eyes.
“In the twenty-second year after the founding of the dynasty the Seventh Prince attacked you with Meng Qiuhe. You successfully repelled them and survived a calamity. You have obtained the survival reward—spiritual item, the Earth Spirit Tree.”
Spiritual item?
This was the first time he had seen this term.
Jiang Changsheng thought to himself before returning to his room to accept the memories about the Earth Spirit Tree.
The Earth Spirit Tree was a type of tree that bred spiritual energy. It could give birth to intelligence after it reached adulthood and could even defend its territory. It was a pretty good tree.
Jiang Changsheng took it out. Currently, it was only a seed. He got out of the house and buried it in the middle of the courtyard.
Hua Jianxin walked out of the room and asked curiously, “What is this?”
Jiang Changsheng smiled and said, “Just now, as we were walking on the road, a seed suddenly fell from the sky. Perhaps it’s a gift from the heavens. Let’s try and see if we can grow a huge tree.”
Hua Jianxin was silent.
She was already used to Jiang Changsheng’s random actions. She wanted to ask when he was going to have a son.
Ever since Jiang Changsheng mentioned it last year, she had been waiting. As a result, after waiting for a year, there was no news. She even wondered if she was dreaming.
After Jiang Changsheng buried the seed, he left a sentence and said, “Water it when you are free.”
Looking at Jiang Changsheng entering the house, Hua Jianxin was stunned for a moment before she gently stomped her feet. Even though she was resentful, she still obediently went to the water vat to scoop water.
Jiang Changsheng was not worried about the Seventh Prince’s interruption. Instead, he looked forward to it.
He could bring more small troubles like this to help him obtain survival rewards.
As long as the unknown Mahayana Dragon Tower did not take action, everything would be fine.
When he dealt with the Seventh Prince, Jiang Changsheng had deliberately controlled his spiritual force. He only exerted a little force, about one percent, for fear that he would shock those two guys to death.
The news that the Seventh Prince had brought the martial arts top scholar to challenge Daoist Master Changsheng quickly spread throughout the capital, adding to Daoist Master Changsheng’s reputation.
In the imperial garden of the palace, a group of princes had gathered.
“Hahaha, Seventh Brother, you actually dared to challenge Daoist Master Changsheng. You don’t believe it? Didn’t I tell you the ending of Elder Yang?”
The Second Prince, Jiang Ming, laughed out loud. The Seventh Prince stood behind Jiang Qian and watched him play chess with his other brothers. In the face of Jiang Ming’s sarcasm, he was indifferent.
One of the princes stood out and said with a smile, “Seventh Brother is young and high-spirited. I can understand. After all, the Daoist Master Changsheng is a priest favored by my father. How can he not be skilled in martial arts?”
The other princes followed suit and comforted the Seventh Prince, giving him a way out.
Jiang Ming curled his lips. Feeling bored, he did not continue.
He asked Jiang Qian, “Where’s Fourth Brother?”
Jiang Qian placed his piece on the table and said, “Following Zong Tianwu to train in martial arts.”
Ever since he was taught a lesson by Zong Tianwu, Jiang Yu had pestered him to help him train in martial arts. He did not even look for Jiang Changsheng.
In his opinion, Zong Tianwu was stronger. After all, Jiang Changsheng was only a Daoist priest, while Zong Tianwu was the supreme expert of the martial arts world, a legend in the hearts of the martial arts world.
Jiang Ming teased, “Big Brother, your fourth brother is not simple. After he came back, he tried to rope in military power everywhere.”
Jiang Qian remained silent and concentrated on playing chess while the other princes pretended not to hear him.
Recently, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Fourth Prince had been fighting openly and covertly. Everyone knew that they were trying to rope in the civil and military officials of the court. As for the Emperor, he sat on the dragon throne and thought about annexing Ancient Han all day long.
Even though Great Jing had won many battles, the territory of Ancient Han was vast, making it a long journey to and from. The soldiers of Great Jing were having a hard time and could not reach the capital city.
The Seventh Prince suddenly said, “Speaking of which, what exactly do you mean? Why don’t you let Eldest Brother stay in the East Palace?”
The East Palace was where the Crown Prince lived. As the Crown Prince, his position would be unstable as long as he did not stay in the East Palace.
All the princes looked at Jiang Qian. Jiang Qian’s expression did not change as he said, “Father is still in his prime. Why do you have to worry about this?”
That’s right.
Their father still wanted to live forever.
The princes shook their heads and laughed.
Jiang Ming suddenly asked, “Seventh Brother, do you know any experts in the Mahayana Dragon Tower? Is there anyone stronger than Zong Tianwu?”
The Seventh Prince turned his head and said, “Of course. The Mahayana Dragon Tower is the pillar of the Great Jing Dynasty and is a secret of the royal family. It’s just that it’s too low-key. Otherwise, how could Zong Tianwu gain the position of supreme martial artist?”
Jiang Ming’s eyes lit up and he immediately went up. He grabbed the Seventh Prince’s shoulders and pulled him to the side.
The other princes did not disturb him. They either did not have any ambition or did not dare to reveal it.
The Crown Prince, the Second Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Seventh Prince, who was the Emperor’s favorite, competed for power. In front of the four of them, the other princes seemed to have an extremely low presence.
…
Spring passed and autumn came. It was another good autumn season.
In the twenty-third year of dynasty, Jiang Changsheng had been busy cultivating, and his cultivation had increased steadily. However, he was still far from reaching the sixth level of the Dao Technique. Moreover, Hua Jianxin had yet to step into the Heavenly Arrival realm and was still one step away.
“Alas, now that the Second Prince and the Crown Prince are fighting, they even dare to scold each other in the court. How presumptuous. His Majesty actually doesn’t care about teaching the Second Prince. I think he’s starting to be muddle-headed again…”
Chen Li was pouring out his grievances to Jiang Changsheng. He was still unbridled and bold.