"Intruder in the royal forbidden grounds!
Guards, guards! A thief has broken into the [Zhì Ruò Wǎng Wén Gé]!"
Just as Yang Hong was sighing, a clear female voice shrieked loudly,
Her voice cracking with emotion.
"Swish~ Swish~ Swish~"
A series of whistling sounds filled the air as the Imperial Guards responsible for protecting the [Zhì Ruò Wǎng Wén Gé] rushed over, surrounding Yang Hong.
However, the guards dared not act rashly. It wasn't because they recognized Yang Hong's strength, but because this was a forbidden area of the Great Sui royal family, and the items in the lotus pond were of great importance.
The guards worried that any fighting might cause damage, so they were hesitant and afraid to strike.
Yang Hong looked up, ignored them, and turned his gaze to the Precious Lotus Pond.
The pond, which had been primarily white with hints of red, was now entirely red.
All the Pure Water Lotuses and Clear Heart Lotuses had vanished, leaving only a pond full of Demonic Qi Blood Lotuses.
Yang Hong now understood the function and medicinal properties of the [Demonic Qi Blood Lotus]: it absorbed the blood and life force of living beings to form lotus seeds, which had the effect of strengthening the body and fortifying the bloodline.
While the effects were good, the cultivation method was somewhat sinister. Orthodox sects would not cultivate them, and even if they did, it would be to process waste from slaughter.
No one would deliberately cultivate them.
Even demonic cultivators were generally unwilling to cultivate them because the Demonic Qi Blood Lotuses would compete with them for blood offerings.
Looking at the nearly a hundred Demonic Qi Blood Lotuses, Yang Hong's brows furrowed.
How many people had to die for this?
"Has Yang Guang become so tyrannical?"
He could sense that the Precious Lotus Pond was devoid of spiritual energy.
The spiritual plants he had planted here were destroyed or dug up, and the original spirit-locking formation was broken.
Without the ability to prevent spiritual energy from dissipating, and without Yang Hong's direct infusion and nurturing, all the spiritual plants had degenerated.
Including the Demonic Qi Blood Lotuses.
Although the current Demonic Qi Blood Lotuses were growing with blood irrigation, they had degenerated into pseudo-spiritual plants.
"Who are you to dare trespass into the Great Sui Imperial Palace?"
A somewhat familiar voice interrupted Yang Hong's thoughts.
He looked up and smiled.
It was indeed an acquaintance.
"Uncle Ping? Long time no see."
The newcomer was Yang Ping, a late-stage Grandmaster of the mortal realm, Yang Ping.
They had escorted disciples of the Great Sui to the Great Ming Dynasty to participate in the Five Directions Hegemony competition back then, and Yang Hong had even persuaded Yang Ping to abandon his ambitions and serve the royal family well.
Who would have thought that 23 years had passed since their last meeting?
Yang Hong, who had left the Great Sui due to an accident at the age of 32, was now 55 years old.
He had been gone for 23 years.
But even after 23 years, Yang Hong remained the same handsome young man he was back then, at the age of 20, without any change.
Thus, Yang Ping recognized Yang Hong the moment he looked up.
"Yang Hong! You... you haven't... you're back!"
Yang Ping, so excited he could barely speak, rushed over, hugged Yang Hong, and patted his back repeatedly,
as if he were afraid that the Yang Hong in front of him was not real.
"You're back, it's good that you're back."
Yang Ping's pats were not heavy; in his memory, Yang Hong was a weakling who hadn't cultivated martial arts.
However, his hug was a bit too tight, making it difficult for Yang Hong to breathe.
"Cough cough~ Uncle Ping, let go of me first."
"Oh~ Oh~ I forgot you don't practice martial arts. Heh heh~~"
Yang Ping let go of Yang Hong with a hint of embarrassment and then examined him closely, only to realize something was amiss.
The 55-year-old Yang Hong still looked as young and handsome as a 20-year-old, with an even more imposing aura that commanded respect.
"Yang Hong, what is this..."
As Yang Ping was about to ask, Yang Hong waved his hand to interrupt.
"Uncle Ping, have the guards withdraw. Everyone who is not part of the original [Zhì Ruò Wǎng Wén Gé] personnel, leave.
Then, inform my Imperial Grandfather and my Imperial Father...
And also Dugu Jiāluó."
As he said the last name, Yang Hong inexplicably added Dugu Jiāluó, which tightened his chest.
The influence of the negative soul was still affecting him.
"Everyone leave, retreat to a mile away, supervise each other, and do not leak any information about this situation.
Anyone who violates this will have their nine generations of relatives exterminated!"
"Yes~"
Yang Ping did not have anyone notified. He merely waved away the guards and the palace maids who were tending to the crops.
After everyone had gone far away, he pulled Yang Hong to sit in the Precious Lotus Pavilion and recounted the changes of the past 22 years.
"Hong'er, can Uncle Ping take advantage and call you Hong'er?"
"Uncle Ping can naturally call me that."
Yang Hong nodded, they were all family, and being called that felt more intimate.
"Hong'er, before I speak, Uncle Ping hopes you will accept your grief."
"Mhm~ It's alright, Uncle Ping, you can speak."
"Imperial Father, Imperial Brother, and several experts of the Great Sui in the Heaven-Human realm passed away six years ago.
They died at the hands of the Heaven-Human experts of the Meng Yuan."
It turned out that not long after Yang Hong left, Yang Zhong and Yang Jian had both advanced to the Heaven-Human realm, striking awe into the Five Directions Dynasties.
And with the use of Yang Hong's medicinal wines, the Great Sui had successively cultivated over a dozen Heaven-Human realm experts.
Simultaneously, promoting Yang Hong's high-yield seeds, the Great Sui's national strength grew rapidly, with Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters appearing like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
Under this military deterrence, the Five Directions Dynasties truly regarded the Great Sui as supreme, but it also aroused the wariness of the Meng Yuan.
Six years ago, the Meng Yuan gathered a large number of Heaven-Human martial artists and led troops to violate the Great Sui's border, capturing three prefectures of the Great Sui overnight.
The Great Sui army, led by Yang Zhong, mobilized its elite forces and engaged in a battle with the Meng Yuan.
The result was that all the Heaven-Human experts of the Great Sui perished, more than half of the Great Grandmaster martial artists were killed or injured, and only less than half of the elite army survived.
In the end, if it weren't for the new Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau of the Great Sui intervening to stop them, the Meng Yuan might have advanced directly, annihilated the Great Sui, and even the Five Directions Dynasties!
"Uncle Ping, when the Great Sui and the Meng Yuan were at war, what was the reaction of the other four kingdoms?"
After hearing Yang Ping's narration, Yang Hong couldn't help but shed tears, feeling a pang of grief, but he quickly regained his composure.
"The Great Tang provided full assistance, and their ace Black Armored Army was also severely damaged, with 17 Great Grandmasters lost.
The Wu Zhou provided significant aid, and their main force, the Vermilion Bird Army, was also in disarray, with 14 Great Grandmasters lost.
The Ming and Song also sent troops, but they were only secondary forces, and not a single Great Grandmaster was lost."
From this, one could discern the relationships of allies and enemies.
"When the Meng Yuan attacked, did you seek help from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau?"
"Yes, but Director Wang refused, stating that immortals should not interfere in mortal affairs."
"Mhm~ I understand.
Then, who is governing the Great Sui now?"
"It's still Yang Guang."
"Did he create this lotus pond?"
"No! I was in charge of this lotus pond. Those who died were all heinous criminals."
As he said this, Yang Ping stood up as if to kneel and confess, but Yang Hong stopped him with his magical power.
"It's fine, a few criminals are not a problem.
It's just that these Demonic Qi Blood Lotuses haven't fully grown, and their effects are not good, with side effects."
"Your Highness, you~ you~ you've cultivated?"
Yang Ping's attention was not on the issue of the Demonic Qi Blood Lotuses, but he noticed that Yang Hong had only waved his hand and he was unable to kneel.
"Mhm~ I've cultivated immortality, but it needs to be kept secret for now."
Yang Hong's strength was no longer weak, and he didn't intend to hide his cultivation, but because he was still injured, he needed to keep it a secret for the time being.
"Good~ Good~ Good! Heaven blesses our Great Sui! Truly heaven blesses our Great Sui."
Yang Ping was overjoyed to the point of tears.
Seeing his expression, Yang Hong felt that the Great Sui seemed to be facing a fatal crisis.