Hearing Lan Ting speak up to absolve them, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were moved beyond words; such kindness felt scarcely less than that of parents giving them a second life.
In contrast, the Immortal Fairy had looked eager for the drama to escalate. Fortunately, Lu Yang had been quick with his hands and clamped down tight over her mouth, or else his odds of surviving today would have been grim.
"Let's go. We're heading back together," Yun Zhi said, dropping those parting words before floating down to the foot of the mountain.
Seeing this, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou hurriedly bade farewell to Lan Ting and her two companions and rushed to catch up.
"We'll be taking our leave first!"
"Until we meet again."
"Come visit the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace whenever you have time!"
The five parted ways. With the grand festival at an end, each had their own affairs to attend to and could not stay gathered forever.
When Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou reached the foot of the mountain, Yun Zhi lifted the carriage curtain. "Get in."
Meng Jingzhou gave the old horse an odd look. Normally, its coat was dull, its eyelids drooped, and it carried the distinct demeanor of an elderly creature merely taking life one day at a time.
Yet the old horse before them possessed a sleek, gleaming coat and boundless vitality—a rare, magnificent steed that looked completely unrelated to its former self.
Yun Zhi held a soul chain in her hand, the other end trailing out of the carriage. Venerable Calamity floated outside like a balloon, cutting an utterly comical figure.
Seeing the old horse set aside the arrogance of a Great Demon King and willingly pull the carriage for Yun Zhi, Venerable Calamity grew all the more certain of his suspicion.
This dragon horse Great Demon King was indeed the mount of a half-immortal almighty!
"Do not celebrate too soon! The Lord Imperial Preceptor will surely restore Great Yu!" Venerable Calamity wore a savage expression, laughing maniacally.
Yun Zhi frowned, finding his laughter irritating. With a casual flick of her hand, she struck him with a seal, locking away his five senses and six perceptions so he could neither utter a sound nor sense any changes in the outside world.
"Imperial Preceptor? The Imperial Preceptor of Great Yu is masterminding this from behind the scenes?" Having boarded the carriage, Lu Yang searched his memory for information regarding the Imperial Preceptors of Great Yu.
"What is an Imperial Preceptor?" the Immortal Fairy asked. She had yet to fully grasp even common knowledge of the present world, let alone an institution like the Imperial Preceptor that had long since vanished.
"The Imperial Preceptor was a system unique to the Great Yu Dynasty. You can think of the Great Yu Dynasty as a sect, and the Imperial Preceptor as the sect's protector, ensuring its long-term survival.
"The institution traces back two hundred thousand years to the founding of the Great Yu Dynasty. It is said that the first Imperial Preceptor was the teacher of the founding Emperor Yu, and it was with his guidance and aid that the founding emperor established Great Yu.
"To overthrow the previous dynasty and unify the Central Continent, the founding Emperor Yu was naturally a formidable hegemon. Regrettably, not a single one of his children proved capable; they lacked talent for cultivation and lacked the breadth of mind to govern a nation.
"At that point, the founding emperor thought of his teacher. He established the post of Imperial Preceptor and invited his teacher to take it up. That was how the first Imperial Preceptor came to be.
"From historical records, the system truly rendered immense service after the founding emperor's death. The Great Yu Dynasty flourished in its early days largely because the Imperial Preceptors trained the emperors and governed with wisdom.
"However, this led to another consequence: the Imperial Preceptor became the de facto ruler of the Great Yu Dynasty. At the zenith of their power, an Imperial Preceptor could replace Emperor Yu with a single word. While replacing an emperor did indeed improve the empire, what sovereign wants a retired emperor hovering above their head?
"Moreover, while the first Imperial Preceptor devoted himself wholeheartedly to Great Yu, could the same be said for his successors? Were their motives truly for the good of the empire, or for their own selfish desires?
"By the mid-to-late period of the dynasty, Great Yu appeared prosperous on the surface, but deadly perils lurked beneath. The struggle between the Imperial Preceptors and the emperors grew increasingly fierce—assassinations, schemes, honey traps, succession feuds... Scheme was linked to scheme, and neither side knew what hidden trump cards the other held.
"One hundred and ten thousand years ago, at the 'Meeting of Pingding Mountain,' the conflict finally erupted. The Imperial Preceptor's faction and Emperor Yu's faction cast aside all pretense and clashed in an all-out battle at Pingding Mountain. At least eight Tribulation Transcendence cultivators took part directly, with no telling how many others struck from the shadows.
"Both sides suffered devastating losses. With their peak combat strength gutted, the Great Yu Dynasty's authority plummeted. Long-suppressed grievances burst forth, and Great Yu entered its decline.
"Do you remember that ancient Tribulation Transcendence cultivator Eldest Senior Sister captured, Blood Demon Venerable? He was one of those Imperial Preceptors."
"Blood Demon? Oh, this immortal remembers now!" the Immortal Fairy said. "Wasn't it during the ghost tales of Buyi Town that there were several ancient Body Integration cultivators? Little Yun learned from them that they had left a treasure in Sanli Grotto-Heaven to make a comeback.
"Later, Little Yun went to Sanli Grotto-Heaven and ran into a slumbering Tribulation Transcendence cultivator—the Blood Demon Venerable you mentioned."
"Right. I looked into it later," Lu Yang said. "Near the end of the Great Yu Dynasty, Blood Demon Venerable propped up an emperor, made himself Imperial Preceptor, and called the shots. Later, in preparation for the struggle of the Golden Age, he chose to enter a deep slumber, only to be captured by Eldest Senior Sister the moment he woke up."
"This immortal recalls that Blood Demon Venerable was merely at the early Tribulation Transcendence stage. Was the late Great Yu Dynasty really that pathetic?"
As the head of the Five Ancient Celestials, the Immortal Fairy regarded Tribulation Transcendence cultivators—bar none—as utter trash.
Still, the fact that an early Tribulation Transcendence cultivator could become Imperial Preceptor reflected just how feeble Great Yu had grown back then.
Venerable Calamity was at the same level as Blood Demon Venerable, both in the early Tribulation Transcendence stage. Judging by the reverence Venerable Calamity held for this 'Lord Imperial Preceptor,' that person's cultivation must be absurdly high.
"The late Great Yu Dynasty was chaotic," Lu Yang explained. "High-level combatants had suffered severe attrition, leaving hardly any Tribulation Transcendence cultivators around. Those stronger than Blood Demon Venerable had no interest in the position of Imperial Preceptor, which was how it fell into his lap.
"By contrast, the first and second Imperial Preceptors possessed immense cultivation. Some speculate they were at the peak of Tribulation Transcendence, while others guess they had reached the half-immortal level. As for their true realm, nobody knows."
The Immortal Fairy gave an 'oh.' "That's not so high after all. Does Great Xia have an Imperial Preceptor? This immortal could reluctantly take the post."
Lu Yang thought to himself, *If you became Imperial Preceptor, Great Xia would probably fall apart long before the Golden Age ever arrives.*
"Fairy, did you forget? As I said, the Imperial Preceptor was a system unique to the Great Yu Dynasty. Great Xia has no such title."
"Tsk, what a pity." The Immortal Fairy sighed at the loss of a chance to display her talents.
Lu Yang was about to say more when Eldest Senior Sister spoke indifferently. "We have arrived. Step out."
Lu Yang blinked in surprise. *Arrived? Where?*
He poked his head out the window and discovered that they were already at their own sect's mountain gate.
How much time had even passed? Had it even been two hours?
Meng Jingzhou glared darkly at the old horse. When pulling Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to Qingzhou, it had taken several days. Yet on the return trip with Eldest Senior Sister, it had taken less than two hours?
Hiding its capabilities this excessively was simply outrageous!
"Give it to me straight, old horse. Just what realm are you at?" Meng Jingzhou wrapped an arm around the horse's neck and whispered.
The old horse snorted, treating Meng Jingzhou with cold indifference.
Meng Jingzhou felt both infuriated and helpless; he was no match for the horse in a fight.
"I am heading to Prison Peak to see if I can extract any information. You two may do as you please."
Holding Venerable Calamity, Eldest Senior Sister took to the sky and flew toward Prison Peak.
Chapter 373