Chapter 25: Earth Spirit Tree, Struggle for Imperial Power
At the mountain gate, dozens of disciples and pilgrims gathered around the small bridge. In front of them was a row of warriors and servants, led by Meng Qiuhe, the former senior disciple of Longqi Temple.
After being away for many years, Meng Qiuhe has become more mature. He is dressed in rich purple clothes, with a green jade ring on his finger, a flowing jade brocade belt around his waist, and Quyun raccoon velvet boots on his feet. He looks very powerful and noble.
He stared at the white dragon in front of the bridge with an expressionless face.
The white dragon was surrounded by many people, but it was not afraid at all. Now it was three meters long, which could be considered a big snake, but it was famous for its kindness. No one was afraid of it, and some even felt that it was not a threat at all.
Meng Qiushuang pushed aside the disciples and walked over. She stared at Meng Qiuhe and said, "Second brother, what do you mean?"
Meng Qiuhe played with the ring on his hand and said, "It's nothing special. I just want to test the strength of Taoist Changsheng. I always wanted to spar with him in the Taoist temple before, but was always rejected. He should agree today, right?"
Meng Qiushuang frowned and said, "If we are just sparring, why bring people with you? Why threaten me?"
Meng Qiuhe pulled out a dagger from his waist and said, "Little sister, don't ask any more questions. Now you and I are strangers. Tell Changsheng to come out. As long as you defeat me, I will not bother you again."
Behind him was a young man, handsome and elegant, who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, but with a shrewd look in his eyes . He smiled and said, "Hurry up, Your Highness can't wait any longer."
Meng Qiuhe gritted his teeth, pointed the dagger at Bai Long, and prepared to stab him.
"I am coming."
A voice came lightly, and the disciples made way. Jiang Changsheng was seen walking towards them, and the pilgrims exclaimed immediately.
"He is the Taoist Priest Changsheng?"
“So handsome!”
"This aura, could it be that he is really a fairy or a god?"
"Even the whisk in his hand is different from that of other Taoists. It looks extremely extraordinary."
Jiang Changsheng's image is extremely outstanding, especially after he broke through to the fifth level of the Dao Fa Zi Ran Gong. His aura is almost integrated with the natural world, and exists in a majestic and natural way.
Meng Qiuhe withdrew his hand and looked at Jiang Changsheng with aggressive eyes.
The young man behind was also looking at Jiang Changsheng carefully.
The reason why Jiang Changsheng came out in person was because of this young man. He was surprisingly close to the Tongtian realm, and his true energy was even stronger than Hua Jianxin. The disciples of Longqi Temple were no match for him.
How old are you?
Jiang Changsheng even suspected that this young man was practicing Taoism.
Meng Qiuhe said: "Come on, Changsheng, let me see your strength."
He took a stance, clenched his fists like a ferocious tiger with its mouth open, and spread his legs, as steady as a rock.
Jiang Changsheng nodded slightly and thought to himself, "This senior brother has actually become a top master. It seems that he has a lot of opportunities. Unfortunately, his skills are still mediocre."
Meng Qiuhe rushed to Jiang Changsheng in one step, so fast that the onlookers couldn't keep up.
boom!
He punched Jiang Changsheng in the chest, but Jiang Changsheng did not move at all, only his Taoist robe fluttered.
Meng Qiuhe's eyes widened with a look of disbelief. He gritted his teeth and poured all his energy into his right arm, trying to suppress Jiang Changsheng, but it was still useless.
At this moment, the young man suddenly moved.
"Master Changsheng is really amazing. Do you mind if I lend him a helping hand?"
The young man came behind Meng Qiuhe with a teasing and provocative smile. He raised his right palm and pressed it on Meng Qiuhe's shoulder. A surge of true energy burst out, and Meng Qiuhe was shocked.
The true energy of the two people attacked Jiang Changsheng together, but Jiang Changsheng's footsteps were as firm as tree roots.
Both were moved.
"How can it be!"
The young man was horrified, he was very clear about his own strength, ordinary top masters could not last more than three moves in his hands, he relied on his strong internal strength.
Meng Qiuhe also knew the strength of the young man behind him. He thought that the young man would be sure to win, but he didn't expect that even the two of them working together would not be able to do it.
Jiang Changsheng said calmly: "You two, go back and practice well."
boom!
The young man and Meng Qiuhe vomited blood and fell out, crashing in front of the mountain gate and almost rolling down the stone steps.
The servants were so frightened that they immediately surrounded the boy and checked his injuries.
One of them shouted angrily: "How dare you! You dare to hurt His Highness the Seventh Prince? You are seeking death!"
His Majesty the Seventh Prince!
The seventh prince?
The pilgrims were in an uproar and the disciples were also frightened.
Jiang Changsheng shook his head and said, "In front of everyone, are you trying to accuse me of wanting to harm His Highness the Seventh Prince? It was originally a competition between Senior Brother Meng and I, but His Highness the Seventh Prince took the initiative."
"You...have hurt His Majesty the Seventh Prince, that is not acceptable. It is a capital crime!"
The servant roared ferociously, but he didn't dare to attack Jiang Changsheng at all.
At this time, the Seventh Prince stood up, walked to the servant, slapped him directly, and snorted: "You shameful thing, get out of here!"
The servants were so frightened that they dared not act arrogantly anymore.
The Seventh Prince wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and bowed to Jiang Changsheng, saying, "Master Changsheng is indeed amazing. With such power, I'm afraid there are not many people in the martial arts world who can defeat him. I am convinced of my defeat and will not let anyone bother me again in the future. I hope the Taoist priest will not bear a grudge against me. I really want to make friends with him."
Jiang Changsheng chuckled and said, "It's just a martial arts competition. If Your Highness wants to come and burn incense, Longqi Temple will always welcome you."
The seventh prince smiled, then turned and left.
Meng Qiuhe stood up, gave Jiang Changsheng a complicated look, and then followed him down the mountain, with the other servants following closely behind.
Disciples and pilgrims gathered around and cheered Jiang Changsheng. Jiang Changsheng did not take any action just now, but he showed the demeanor of a grandmaster and Taoist priest, and was able to easily repel the powerful enemy.
Jiang Changsheng actually guessed that the other party was a prince, because this kid's true qi was very similar to Jiang Yuan's. Even Jiang Yu and the second prince did not have such true qi.
The true dragon spirit!
After exchanging some pleasantries with the people around him, Jiang Changsheng left. Bai Long stayed where he was, enjoying the love of the pilgrims.
Back in the courtyard, a line of words appeared in front of Jiang Changsheng's eyes:
[In the 22nd year of Kaiyuan, the Seventh Prince and Meng Qiuhe came to attack. You successfully repelled them, survived a disaster, and obtained the survival reward - the spiritual object 'Earth Spirit Tree']
Spiritual creature?
This is the first time I've seen this.
Jiang Changsheng thought silently, then went back to the house to accept the memories about the Earth Spirit Tree.
The Earth Spirit Tree is a tree species that breeds spiritual energy. When it grows to adulthood, it can develop intelligence and even defend its territory. It is a very good tree species.
Jiang Changsheng took it out. It was still in seed form. He walked out of the house and buried it in the middle of the courtyard.
Hua Jianxin walked out of the house and asked curiously, "What is this?"
Jiang Changsheng smiled and said, "Just now when I was walking on the road, a seed suddenly fell from the sky. Maybe it's a gift from God. Let's give it a try and see if we can grow a towering tree."
Hua Jianxin was silent.
She had gotten used to Jiang Changsheng's weirdness, and she really wanted to ask him when he would be ready to have a son.
Ever since Jiang Changsheng said that last year, she had been waiting, but after waiting for a year, there was no news. She even wondered if she was dreaming.
After Jiang Changsheng buried the seeds, he left a message: "Water it when you have time."
Looking at Jiang Changsheng entering the house, Hua Jianxin was stunned for a while, then stamped his feet lightly. Although he felt very resentful, he still obediently went to the water tank to fetch water.
The Seventh Prince's interruption did not make Jiang Changsheng worried, but rather he looked forward to it.
You can have more small troubles like this to help you get survival rewards.
All will be fine as long as that unknown Mahayana Dragon Tower does not take action.
When dealing with the Seventh Prince just now, Jiang Changsheng had deliberately controlled his spiritual power and only used a little strength, about 1%, for fear of shocking these two guys to death.
The news that the Seventh Prince brought the top martial arts student to challenge the Taoist Priest Changsheng spread quickly in the capital, adding fuel to the Taoist Priest Changsheng's reputation.
In the imperial palace, in the imperial garden, a group of princes gathered.
"Hahaha, Seventh Brother, you actually dare to challenge the Taoist Changsheng. You don't believe in evil. Didn't I tell you about the ending of the Immortal Huanyang?"
The second prince Jiang Ming laughed loudly. The seventh prince stood behind Jiang Qian and watched him play chess with other brothers. He remained indifferent to Jiang Ming's sarcasm.
A prince stood up and said with a smile: "Seventh brother is young and full of vigor, I can understand that. After all, Taoist Changsheng is a Taoist favored by the emperor, so how can he not be highly skilled in martial arts?"
The other princes followed suit, comforting the Seventh Prince and giving him a way out.
Jiang Ming curled his lips, feeling bored, and stopped talking.
He asked Jiang Qian, "Where's my fourth brother?"
Jiang Qian made his move and said, "Pet Zong Tianwu to learn martial arts."
Ever since being taught a lesson by Zong Tianwu, Jiang Yu has been pestering Zong Tianwu to learn martial arts, and has not even gone to look for Jiang Changsheng .
In his opinion , Zong Tianwu is stronger. After all, Jiang Changsheng is just a Taoist priest, while Zong Tianwu is the supreme master of the martial arts world and a legend in the hearts of martial artists.
Jiang Ming teased, "Brother, your fourth brother is not a simple man. He has been trying to win over military power everywhere since he came back."
Jiang Qian said nothing and concentrated on playing chess. The other princes pretended not to hear.
Recently, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Fourth Prince have been fighting openly and secretly. They have all been trying to win over the civil and military officials in the court. This is already known to everyone. The Emperor sits high on the dragon throne, thinking all day long about annexing the ancient Khan in the future.
Although Dajing won many battles, the territory of Guhan was vast and the long journey was very tiring for Dajing's soldiers, so they were unable to attack the capital of Guhan.
The Seventh Prince suddenly spoke up: "Come to think of it, what does Father mean? Why doesn't he allow my eldest brother to live in the East Palace?"
The Eastern Palace is where the crown prince resides. As a crown prince, if you don't live in the Eastern Palace for a day, your position as legitimate prince will be unstable.
The princes all looked at Jiang Qian. Jiang Qian remained calm and said, "Father is still in his prime. Why should we consider these things?"
yes.
My father wants to live forever.
The princes shook their heads and laughed.
Jiang Ming suddenly asked, "Seventh brother, have you met any masters in the Mahayana Dragon Tower? Is there anyone stronger than Zong Tianwu?"
The Seventh Prince turned his head and said, "Of course there is. The Mahayana Dragon Tower is the pillar of the Dajing Dynasty and a royal secret. It's just too low-key. Otherwise, how could the position of the supreme martial artist allow Zong Tianwu to stay?"
Jiang Ming's eyes lit up, and he immediately moved forward, grabbed the Seventh Prince's shoulder, and pulled him aside.
The other princes did not bother, either because they had no ambition or because they did not dare to show it.
The crown prince, the second prince, and the fourth prince are fighting for power. There is also the seventh prince who is the most favored by the emperor. In front of these four people, the other princes seem to have a very low sense of presence.
…
Spring goes and autumn comes, and it is another beautiful autumn.
In the twenty-third year of Kaiyuan, Jiang Changsheng was busy practicing, and his cultivation level was growing steadily, but he was still a long way from reaching the sixth level of the Dao Fa Zi Ran Gong. Hua Jianxin also had not entered the Tong Tian realm, and was still one step away from the final goal.
"Alas, now the Second Prince and the Crown Prince are arguing so much that they dare to scold each other in the court. How presumptuous! Your Majesty doesn't even discipline the Second Prince. I think he is becoming incompetent again..."
Chen Li was pouring out his grievances to Jiang Changsheng, still as unbridled and bold as ever.
