From a distance, the scene resembled a large group of small fish following a school of sharks, spectacular indeed.

Of course, the distance between ruins within the Void Sea is often quite far, and the Zhenze Sword Palace ruins discovered by Wang Liyao were no exception.

A journey of about thirty years still lay ahead.

***

Several years later.

In the winter of the Great Qian Yong’an Calendar, Year 324.

Luojing.

Dingyun Divine Palace.

The Divine Emperor’s exclusive study, Provincy Office.

The crack on the desk made of Level Seventeen divine wood had long been repaired, but even with the same type of wood, each tree’s grain is unique, and no matter how meticulously the craftsmen repaired it, the repair marks could still be seen upon close inspection.

Behind the desk, Cangping God Emperor sat on a Primordial Dao wooden chair passed down from a million years ago, his eyes cold as swords as he stared at Jiang Lihuo and Ji Jiuxiao, simmering with rage but saying nothing.

His mood was quite terrible at the moment.

The incident when Ji Jiuxiao and Jiang Lihuo "visited" Guiyuan Other Courtyard had naturally passed through various channels back to Luojing long ago, and he had assigned people to monitor Ji Jiuxiao and Jiang Lihuo’s movements from the outset.

However, perhaps due to Ji Jiuxiao’s severe injuries, he and Jiang Lihuo traveled slowly on their return journey, taking many years to finally return to the Divine Capital.

As a result, the moment they entered the city, they received an imperial decree from Cangping God Emperor, commanding them to enter the palace for an audience without delay.

They naturally did not dare defy the order and hurriedly entered the palace.

Facing the furious gaze of Cangping God Emperor, the two Sacred Supremes, Jiang Lihuo and Ji Jiuxiao, barely dared to breathe.

They both bowed their heads, as if standing upright to receive punishment for their wrongdoing.

Since they had just returned to Luojing and hadn’t had time to go home before being summoned, they both looked travel-worn.

Especially Ji Jiuxiao, pale and weak-eyed, as if barely recovered from a serious illness.

And rightly so, as he was beaten nearly to death, with his body and Divine Soul severely injured, unable to recover within just eight or nine years merely by relying on a few Eleven Grade Returning Heaven Sacred Pills.

At this moment in the Provincy Office, besides the two of them, there were also several core ministers of the Divine Dynasty present.

Most were representatives of the Ancient Saints, also sharing in the interests of the Divine Dynasty.

Apart from Ji Family’s major minister, Ji Guanchao, and Jiang’s major minister, Jiang Xuanhuo, everyone’s expression seemed somewhat discontent, as if blaming Ji Jiuxiao and Jiang Lihuo for causing great trouble.

Furthermore, the countenance of Ji’s Old Ancestor, Ji Guanchao, and Jiang’s Old Ancestor, Jiang Xuanhuo, also appeared grave, with a few traces of worry.

Simultaneously, the soul projection of Ji Family’s Old Ancestor, Ji Taichang, had also been summoned once again, standing at the forefront under Cangping God Emperor.

However, his expression was even more somber than that of Cangping God Emperor.

Understandably so, as the family had faced continuous troubles in a short time, and all were disgraceful incidents; how could Ji’s Old Ancestor, a dignified figure, be happy?

More importantly, he had been busy deploying troops and preparing to spearhead an attack on the main base of the Demonic Realm in recent years.

Just a short decade since acquiring information about the Great Commander Apocalypse’s grave injuries from the God Emperor, he had swiftly seized two peripheral demonic realms like a flash of lightning!

Now, at this moment of high ambition and seeking eternal glory to secure a place in history, he was dragged back by familial troubles once again.

As a result, the atmosphere in the Provincy Office was tense, as if even the air had congealed.

It was unclear how much time had passed.

Finally, Cangping God Emperor spoke.

With a flick of his hand, he threw a pile of magazines in front of Ji Jiuxiao and the others: "Take a look at the latest issue of Truth. If the allegations aren’t true, and they are merely implicating you, Ji Family and Jiang Family, the Emperor will ensure the magazine is shut down for you."

No wonder Cangping God Emperor was simmering with anger. Besides the misdeeds of Ji Jiuxiao and Jiang Lihuo, the Truth magazine had recently ceased the serial novel praising the God Emperor, reporting instead on the unlawful activities of the Ji and Jiang Families from various angles.

After all, that novel had been selected by him with great care from a hundred articles, the one he deemed most fitting, not only the longest but also eloquently written, with a thrilling and engaging plot, fully reflecting his wisdom and might.

Of course, he was not angered by the halt of the novel but by the infuriating misconduct reported.

Of course, the Truth magazine gave face to the two families by not naming them directly, using pseudonyms instead. Still, anyone slightly familiar with Dongxia Divine Dynasty’s political landscape could tell that the family managing military equipment manufacturing and sales was Ji Family, while the one overseeing military supply elixirs was Jiang Family!

"Wang Shouzhe broke his promise; he agreed not to spread this!"

Upon seeing various reports in the magazine, Jiang Lihuo was first shocked and incredulous, then became thoroughly enraged.

Though the magazine’s descriptions were exaggerated and sensationalized, they were based on facts. If no one had leaked the information, who could have known the details so clearly?

"And you blame others for not keeping their word?" Cangping God Emperor sneered coldly. "Do you have any evidence that it was Wang Shouzhe who spread this? The magazine clearly states that the information comes from mysterious reader submissions and the magazine’s own investigations."

This...

Jiang Lihuo was left helpless and aggrieved.

"Your Majesty, please quell your anger." Noticing the situation unfavorable for his family, Jiang’s Old Ancestor, Jiang Xuanhuo, hurriedly approached and bowed to Cangping God Emperor, pleading, "Despite Lihuo and Jiuxiao’s initial mistakes, Wang Shouzhe indeed deliberately set a trap to provoke Saint Jiuxiao, which ultimately led to such a dire outcome. Please, Your Majesty..."