Chapter 837: Blatant

"Zhanfeng, the Priestly Temple is currently under your supervision, how could you not know when the grand priest is going to come out of seclusion?" Shi Chuankong harrumphed coldly.

"Your accusations are misguided, Chuankong. The Priestly Temple is indeed currently under my supervision, but the grand priest holds a very lofty position, so he's not under my control. As such, I truly cannot tell you when he'll be coming out of seclusion. If you dno't believe me, then you can ask Priest Qing Yang," Shi Zhanfeng said in a resigned manner.

As soon as his voice trailed off, an elderly priest immediately stood up. The priest was very thin, and his hair and beard were all giving off a faint azure gleam, perhaps a result of some cultivation art that he was using.

Priest Qing Yang extended a deep bow toward the Devilish Monarch, then turned to Shi Chuankong as he said, "Your Highness, the grand priest really is in seclusion right now. Otherwise, he wouldn't be absent today. The grand priest never tells us when he plans to go into seclusion and come out of seclusion, so there's no way for us to know."

Shi Chuankong's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

He still had his suspicions, but it would be inappropriate for him to force the issue any further.

"In that case, we'll just have to wait until the grand priest comes out of seclusion before fulfilling Fellow Daoist Li's request," the Devilish Monarch said.

"I don't wish to be a pain, but the problem is that my friend's condition is currently only being stabilized using Purple Sun Warm Jade, and I only have enough Purple Sun Warm Jade to last about two r three more decades, so I can't afford to wait much longer," Han Li sighed.

Shi Pokong had promised to acquire some mid-grade Purple Sun Warm Jade for him, yet he had only managed to secure a small piece thus far.

"I just so happen to have some Purple Sun Warm Jade, and it's all of the mid-grade variety. I'm happy to gift them to Fellow Daoist Li as thanks for what he's done for Chuankong and our Holy Realm," Shi Zhanfeng said with a smile, then summoned a storage ring before offering to Han Li.

Han Li exchanged a glance with Shi Chuankong, then accepted the storage ring, and his eyes lit up ever so slightly after inspecting the ring's contents.

There were seven or eight pieces of mid-grade Purple Sun Warm Jade, all of which were of an extremely high quality.

A subtle hint of displeasure flashed through Shi Pokong's eyes upon seeing this.

"Thank you, Your Highness. This batch of Purple Sun Warm Jade should be enough to last about a century, but after that, I'll still have to trouble the grand priest," Han Li said.

"You can rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li," Shi Zhanfeng assured with a smile.

Han Li nodded in response, and a faint smile appeared on the Devilish Monarch's face upon seeing this.

Right as he was about to dismiss everyone, Shi Pokong stepped forward as he said, "Please wait a moment, Father."

"What is it?" the Devilish Monarch asked.

"Chuankong just mentioned that he was attacked on the way back to Night Sun City, and he spoke to me about this as well. Regarding the people who attacked him..."

"I've already heard of this matter, and I've sent people to investigate," the Devilish Monarch suddenly interjected to cut Shi Pokong off.

Shi Pokong faltered slightly upon hearing this, while an indignant look appeared on Shi Chuankong's face, yet before he had a chance to protest, Shi Pokong grabbed onto his sleeve and said, "In that case, I'll leave this matter in your capable hands, Father."

The Devilish Monarch's expression eased slightly as he said, "There's no need for you to pursue this matter any further, just focus on what you need to do."

"Yes, Father," Shi Pokong replied.

Shi Chuankong was still feeling quite disgruntled, but he also gave an affirmative response.

Han Li was rather taken aback to see this, but he continued to observe in silence.

"Alright, you can all go now," the Devilish Monarch said with a dismissive wave, and everyone promptly departed.

The ceremony continued, and more and more people entered the palace to offer up reports and presents.

The ceremony wore on until the afternoon before drawing to a conclusion, and in the wake of everyone's departure, only the Devilish Monarch and Shadow were left in the palace.

"Shadow, do you also feel like that Li Feiyu bears a striking resemblance to that man?" the Devilish Monarch asked with a contemplative expression.

Shadow offered no response.

The Devilish Monarch didn't seem to actually want to hear Shadow's opinion on the matter, and he abruptly vanished from the spot, followed immediately by Shadow.

Outside the palace, Shi Zhanfeng caught up to Shi Chuankong's group, then said with a smile, "Congratulations on your official title and your new fiefdom, Chuankong. I'm truly happy for you."

Everyone else hurriedly departed upon seeing this, seemingly terrified of hearing something that they shouldn't, but Shi Jingyan and Shi Mingzhen also approached Shi Chuankong's group to join the conversation.

"You're far too kind, Zhanfeng. The reward that Father has given to me can't compare with the pills, armor, and swords that were given to you," Shi Chuankong replied with a simle.

"Honestly, if Father isn't against the idea, I would be more than happy to exchange rewards with you," Shi Zhanfeng chuckled.

Shi Chuankong offered no response to this.

"Fellow Daoist Li, you may not be from our Holy Realm, but you've made significant contributions to our realm, and I think that's very admirable. How about you pay me a visit in my manor if you have some spare time?" Shi Zhanfeng invited as he turned to Han Li with a smile.

Han Li cupped his fist in a salute, but offered no definitive response.

Shi Zhanfeng also cupped his fist in a parting salute to everyone, and in the next instant, he abruptly vanished from the spot along with Shi Chuanjia and Shi Bofu, only to reappear in the distance a moment later.

Han Li's pupils contracted slightly upon seeing this.

Shi Zhanfeng's teleportation ability had been unleashed without any warning, and only now did Han Li detect some faint spatial fluctuations in the air.

It was clear that Shi Zhanfeng's mastery over the laws of space far exceeded Shi Chuankong's.

"It looks like Zhanfeng's Bright Mirror has become even more refined," Shi Pokong remarked with a smile, while Shi Chuankong's brows furrowed slightly as a grim look appeared on his face.

"It looks like you had a very eventful and fruitful trip to the True Immortal Realm, Chuankong. I've always wanted to visit the True Immortal Realm as well, but I can never find the time with all of my official duties," Shi Jingyang said with a wide smile.

Shi Chuankong merely nodded in response with a slightly cold look in his eyes.

Shi Jingyan remained completely unbothered, and she suddenly began to approach Han Li, who immediately became apprehensive.

A peculiar, alluring fragrance wafted toward him, striking him with a sense of intoxication.

Even when the distance between them had been reduced to no more than three feet, Shi Jingyan still continued to approach Han Li, and there seemed to be some type of attractive force in her eyes that was attempting to suck in Han Li's soul.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as he took a step backward and asked, "Can I help you with something, Your Highness?"

"I just wanted to take a closer look at the man who was able to kill Hua Jing and Daoist Master Bone Shine," Shi Jingyan replied with a smile as she finally stopped in her tracks.

Han Li offered no response to this.

All of a sudden, the fragrance emanating from Shi Jingyan's body became significantly more pronounced, and it was converging from all directions.

Han Li had already noticed that there was something strange about this aroma, so he was holding his breath and had shut off all of his immortal acupoints, and in this instant, he was even channeling his time law powers to ward off the fragrance.

However, the fragrance was able to instantly seep through the layer of time law powers around his body, and he instantly felt as if he were laying in a floral garden.

Not only was this fragrance infiltrating his body, it was also seeping into his soul, and all of a sudden, all of the apprehension in his heart had completely melted away, only to be replaced by a sense of yearning.

It was as if Shi Jingyan had become the woman of his dreams, and he was willing to lay down his own life for her at a moment's notice.

However, immediately thereafter, his tremendous spiritual sense began to circulate on its own, and an enormous Spiritual Sense Sword appeared, releasing an incredibly sharp aura that easily tore the fragrance in his mind to shreds.

At the same time, a hint of green light appeared within his sleeve, and all of the fragrance that had infiltrated his body instantly surged into the green light.

A hint of surprise flashed through Shi Jingyan's eyes upon seeing this, while Shi Pokong warned, "Jingyan, we're in the Holy Imperial Palace right now, so do try to keep yourself in check."

"I was just extending a greeting to Fellow Daoist Li, isn't that right?" Shi Jingyan asked with a mischievious grin as all of the fragrance around her faded away.

"That was definitely quite the greeting," Han Li replied with a wry smile.

"You're a remarkable man, Fellow Daoist Li. If you ever feel like, you can come and visit me as well. I would love to hear more about the True Immortal Realm from you," Shi Jingyan said before departing, quickly followed by Shi Mingzhen.

"Are you alright, Fellow Daoist Li? Jingyan's Heavenly Dream Fragrance can be a real pain to deal with," Shi Pokong said.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking, Your Highness," Han Li replied with a smile.

"Good. Let's go back as well," Shi Pokong said, and the four of them set off back to his manor.