The Post Sky Tipping Era
Chapter 790 - 571: Illegitimate Child

Chapter 790: Chapter 571: Illegitimate Child

Crown Prince Zhao Jing stood before the Eastern Palace, gazing towards Wuji Palace as he pondered Master Taiyi’s identity and his relationship with the current Emperor.

His intuition told him that this Master Taiyi had a deep connection with his father, having known him for a long time.

Otherwise, given his father’s disposition, it would have been impossible for him to recklessly bestow the position of State Preceptor upon an obscure mountain Daoist.

Although his intuition said so, Zhao Jing couldn’t find any evidence to prove that Master Taiyi and his father were acquainted early on, because Zhao Jing, being the legitimate son, was born when his father was sixteen. At that time, his father was still an unappreciated Eighth Prince, his residence humble and his guests few. He knew and had met many people, but absolutely not this Daoist.

Zhao Jing frowned in deep thought but still couldn’t find a clue.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, it was Prince Xin who initially introduced the Master Taiyi. Perhaps you should inquire with Prince Xin." A nearby official quietly suggested.

Prince Xin, Zhao Rui?

Zhao Jing’s expression shifted slightly. Zhao Rui was his half-brother, exceptionally intelligent and talented. If it weren’t for his lack of legitimacy, the position of Crown Prince might have fallen to him. However, after ascending the throne, their father decisively enfeoffed the brothers and sisters, either as princes or commandery princesses, keeping them away from the Capital to prevent the recurrence of the fight for succession among the eight sons.

Thus, his position as Crown Prince was as stable as a rock, unshakable.

In this regard, Zhao Jing admired his father’s decision, directly cutting off disputes at their source.

"As the elder brother, I indeed should pay a visit to my brother." At this moment, Zhao Jing withdrew his gaze, no longer looking towards Wuji Palace, and immediately ordered arrangements to be made for a visit outside the palace.

Soon after.

The Crown Prince’s carriage left the Imperial Palace and arrived at a residence.

When Zhao Jing entered the residence, he found Prince Xin, Zhao Rui, in a back courtyard.

At the moment, Zhao Rui seemed to have anticipated Zhao Jing’s visit, having prepared wine and dishes early, waiting in the pavilion of the back courtyard.

"Brother, you came." Zhao Rui smiled.

Zhao Jing said, "Fourth Brother, stop beating around the bush, who exactly is this Master Taiyi? Don’t tell me you don’t know. For a mountain Daoist to suddenly be appointed as State Preceptor, this matter has even drawn the attention of the Yin Emperor, and the Incense Fire Gods across the realm have opinions on it. Father is not one to act rashly; there must be a deeper meaning in his actions. I suspect Master Taiyi has a very special identity, which is why I want to hear it from you."

He didn’t beat around the bush, but got straight to the point.

Because he is the Crown Prince, the future Emperor, and it was that simple, he saw no need for pretentiousness with Zhao Rui,

Zhao Rui said, "Brother, I’ve known Master Taiyi for only two or three days. He is mysterious and extraordinarily powerful. In Xinzhou City, he swiftly killed Taiyue Mountain God, Xinzhou City God, and Marquis Zhongwu."

"I’m not interested in these. No matter how powerful a cultivator is, they can never surpass the incense of the world and the Emperors of successive dynasties." Zhao Jing stated seriously, "I just want to know the true identity of this Master Taiyi. He possesses the Dragon and Tiger Energy that only Emperors have; don’t tell me you don’t know about this."

Zhao Rui said, "Dragon and Tiger Energy, hm? I did hear the spirit monster in my manor mention it before. But truthfully, I don’t know Master Taiyi’s identity, although I’m certain of one thing: Master Taiyi and Father must have known each other for a long time."

"You’re guessing the same?"

A sinking feeling passed through Zhao Jing’s heart, "I was thinking the same before I came, but the oddity lies in this: as the legitimate heir, I should have a memory of everyone around my father, those he’s met, even if I was too young to remember, the elder retainers of the house should recall. Yet, about this Master Taiyi, there’s a complete blank."

Zhao Rui smiled, "Brother, have you considered, when Father met Master Taiyi, it might have been earlier than we imagine, perhaps..."

"Perhaps what?" Zhao Jing asked.

"Perhaps at that time, neither you nor I were born." As Zhao Rui spoke, he picked up a cup, leisurely pouring a drink, then handed it to Zhao Jing.

Zhao Jing did not accept the cup, his expression changing dramatically, "Are you suggesting that Master Taiyi might be Father’s illegitimate son? No, that’s impossible."

Immediately, the most likely yet the most unthinkable possibility flashed across his mind.

"We can’t rule it out, after all, Master Taiyi appears young, only in his early twenties, while Father is thirty-eight. If we do the math, the ages do match." Zhao Rui grinned, drinking his own cup to the last drop, "If Master Taiyi were Father’s illegitimate son, then everything happening now would make sense."

"Why Father would go against all odds to make Master Taiyi the State Preceptor, enjoying the offerings of incense from the whole realm, why Master Taiyi possesses the Dragon and Tiger Energy, why Father granted Wuji Palace to Master Taiyi, and gave him the command of Jinyi Guard along with a Golden Eyes Guard unit."

"Of course, I also hope this speculation is false, but if true, Brother’s status as the legitimate son may cease to exist, and the Eastern Palace Crown Prince position might also..."

"Enough, Fourth Brother, you’re trying to sow discord, using the State Preceptor’s involvement to eliminate me? It seems you haven’t given up since you were titled Prince Xin, still wanting to compete with me." Crown Prince Zhao Jing was no fool; although shaken by Zhao Rui’s words, he refused to believe in Zhao Rui’s one-sided claim.

Zhao Rui said nothing, merely drank his wine, "Actually, I rather hope Master Taiyi truly is Father’s illegitimate son, he has remarkable demeanor and incredible ability. Putting aside personal factors, I have quite an admiration for Master Taiyi, and if he were to become Emperor someday, I’d have no complaints."

With that, he glanced at Zhao Jing.

To be honest, he simply did not accept the Crown Prince.

What did he have besides being born a few years earlier? He’s neither literate nor martial, only knows to win over officials at the court and build factional power, all of which falls short.

The real task is to practice cultivation with Father, enhance one’s own strength, and then govern the country together, not to juggle both ends and play those political tricks.

Zhao Jing sneered and said, "Fourth Brother, stop dreaming. Regardless of whether that Master Taiyi is Father’s illegitimate son, from the moment he was appointed as State Preceptor, he had no retreat. He can only walk one path to the end: either resign and retreat to the mountains and forests, or be prepared to be destroyed by the world’s Incense Fire Gods."

"The realm of incense is a forbidden area, even Father dares not touch it. Does a powerless wild Daoist dare?"

"That may not be the case." Zhao Rui shook his head slightly, "Big Brother, you haven’t seen the true might of that Taoyi Taoist. He is truly earth-shattering and invincible. I think that if he cooperates with Father, they can indeed achieve some groundbreaking feats. As a brother, I can only remind you, no matter what Father and Master Taiyi do, Big Brother, you should unconditionally support them."

"Support? Let’s see if that Master Taiyi can get through these ten days first. The Yin Department’s document has already been burned, so within these ten days, the Yin Emperor is bound to act." Crown Prince Zhao Jing snorted heavily. He was now a bit unsure of Zhao Rui’s intentions.

Was he truly trying to sow discord, or did he have deeper intentions?

But by now, it was already deep into the night.

Above the Wuji Palace, a red cloud of light still shot into the sky, while a brilliant golden light shone down, and the sky was filled with the Power of Incense mixed with countless nature’s spiritual energy converging here.

This grand cultivation scene caused the Incense Fire Gods throughout the Capital to feel alarmed and unsettled.

"Is that the Master Taiyi who was appointed as the State Preceptor? What is he doing? He can actually perform such spells within the Imperial Palace? Moreover, this spectacle has lasted for an entire day and night."

"Was it this person who killed the Northern Guardian General, Wang Qijun? How could there be a Daoist in the world capable of killing a Guardian General? Could chaos be coming to the world?"

"If this person steadies his position as State Preceptor, he will certainly be a nightmare for all Incense Fire Gods."

They talked among themselves, but without exception, all felt a strong threat from Li Yi. Such a unique being, if not eliminated soon, would inevitably become a formidable foe for all Incense Fire Gods in the world over time.

Immediately, these Incense Fire Gods sprang into action. They couldn’t wait for a night ten days later; they had to find a way to deal with this Master Taiyi soon.

At the very least, they needed to strip him of his State Preceptor position and prevent him from enjoying the world’s warmth of incense.

Living beings enjoying incense have always been something only the Emperor could achieve since ancient times.

However, emperors find it difficult to practice cultivation; although they transform into the Yin Emperor after death, it is generally acceptable. But if a Daoist were to enjoy the incense of thousands and use it for cultivation, wouldn’t that be eradicating the very foundation of the Incense Fire Gods? No one can tolerate this.

However, these Incense Fire Gods underestimated Li Yi’s cultivation speed.

It was only the first night.

Li Yi’s twelve acupoints were already filled.

The Second Layer of the Five Qi Realm was achieved.

Feeling the surging mana within himself and the increasingly powerful Dragon and Tiger Power, Li Yi felt a rush of pride. He felt he was now several times stronger than before. With the Power of Incense combined with the mana from the twenty-four acupoints, he could traverse the world, unmatched by any.

Yet he did not become complacent because of this.

Instead, he continued to break through to the Third Layer of the Five Qi Realm.

Open the liver acupoint, intake wood qi.

If successful, then with Heart Fire Qi aided by Wood Qi, his Call Wind skill would be multiplied in might. If combined with the Power of Incense, Li Yi’s spellcasting might rival that of a Three Flowers Realm master in combat.

Indeed,

By the latter half of the night,

A pillar of azure light descended once again into the Wuji Palace.

In an instant, young sprouts burst forth, old trees found new life, and a surge of vitality erupted.

Yet upon reaching the Third Layer of the Five Qi Realm, the cultivation speed noticeably slowed.

Without Heart Fire to refine true gold, nor Kidney Water to nourish wood qi, reaching the Third Layer of the Five Qi Realm becomes a bottleneck for cultivators; there is no shortcut, only perseverance and refinement.