Although the imperial palace was magnificent and grand, Ye Chu had seen too many magnificent and vast things in recent years, so he felt nothing upon seeing it now. Having not stepped into the imperial palace for a long time, he felt it was very unfamiliar.
Pang Bing’s status in the imperial capital was somewhat transcendent, and the palace guards were respectful when they saw him. They escorted Pang Bing to meet the emperor.
Stepping into a resplendent and magnificent hall, Ye Chu saw many people. They were all members of the ancient families of the imperial capital, sitting peacefully in their seats, looking as if they had been there for a long time.
Ye Chu did not pay much attention to them. What surprised him was a young man in a python robe sitting below the dragon throne. Ye Chu was very familiar with this young man, who was the prince that had crossed paths with Ye Chu and his group at the Great General’s tomb back then.
This person left a deep impression on Ye Chu because his strength had been very formidable back then. If the Golden Doll had not suddenly arrived, they would probably have suffered a loss. Ye Chu did not expect the other party to be here, but considering where this was, it was not strange at all.
“That is the First Prince, Murong Mietian, whom you met in the Great General’s tomb!” Pang Shao saw Ye Chu staring straight at Murong Mietian and carefully reminded him, “He and the Seventh Prince are brothers born of the same mother. Last time we beat up his younger brother, he definitely knows about it. Given his status, he would not normally go out of his way to trouble us, but if we deliver ourselves to his door, he certainly will not be polite.”
Ye Chu smiled, shifted his gaze away from Murong Mietian, and followed Pang Bing into the hall.
When Murong Mietian saw Ye Chu, his pupils also contracted sharply. He naturally recognised Ye Chu and knew that his seventh brother had recently suffered a loss in front of this person. However, this was not what he particularly cared about. What left a deep impression on him was that the fat man who called himself the God of Wealth back then had a profound relationship with this person. That fat man had left a shadow over him. He naturally believed he could destroy the heavens, but that was the first and only time he felt powerless.
“Old man Pang, you actually came. Did you not say you had given up?”
“Hahaha, this old fellow really came. What, can you not bear to give up?”
“…”
Seeing Pang Bing’s arrival, some elders of the ancient families immediately burst into laughter, naturally unable to resist mocking Pang Bing.
Hearing these mockeries, Pang Bing did not mind at all. He glanced at the crowd and said, “I originally did not want to come, but thinking that I could not let you old fellows enjoy it alone, I had to come. By the way, you old fellows have been discussing for so long, have you figured anything out?”
Hearing Pang Bing say this, the group smiled awkwardly and felt too embarrassed to mock him further.
Seeing the crowd like this, Pang Bing smiled and said, “Since we cannot figure anything out, why bother discussing? We can just go there directly. Every generation has to discuss it, but the result is the same every time. Why waste time on this?”
Just as Pang Bing said this, Murong Mietian, who was sitting upright below the dragon throne, also spoke up, “My imperial father and Elder Pang share the same view. Since we cannot figure anything out through discussion, we might as well not discuss it and just follow the old rules as before.”
Hearing Murong Mietian say this, everyone nodded and said, “Very well, let us follow the old rules as before. The prosperous era is approaching, and this secret must truly be unlocked. Otherwise, the empire will continue to decline, and we old families will only be able to rest on our laurels.”
“Then let it be decided!” someone spoke up, and a consensus was reached immediately. However, Ye Chu and Pang Shao, standing nearby, listened with great confusion.
“Decided what?” Ye Chu asked curiously.
Pang Bing smiled and said to Ye Chu, “You know about the Great General of the empire, do you not?”
Ye Chu nodded and said, “Naturally, I am clear!”
As an exceptionally powerful figure and the strongest existence in the history of the empire, no one would be unaware of the Great General. However, he had been dead for so long, and even his tomb had sunk underground to who knows where. Mentioning him now, could it be that the sunken tomb of the Great General had been found again?
“You only know about the Great General’s tomb, but you do not know that the Great General did one more thing before he died,” Pang Bing said to Ye Chu and Pang Shao. “This is also the reason why everyone gathers to discuss it every generation.”
“What thing?” Pang Shao felt puzzled. For so many ancient families to gather together, even an imperial decree would not have such great prestige, yet now they were all here, which obviously meant this matter was extraordinary.
“It concerns the prosperous era and the unlocking of the foundation of all races!” Pang Bing said word by word.
Ye Chu was stunned and confused, not understanding the meaning behind Pang Bing’s words, and could not help but look at him with a puzzled expression.
“Back then, the Great General’s achievements reached the level of creation, and his strength was unparalleled. Having reached such a level, his comprehension of heaven and earth was extremely profound. He once said that the various races would not emerge unless it was the prosperous era. Without the prosperous era, one could not become a saint or a supreme being, and there could be no gods without the prosperous era!” Saying this, Pang Bing paused, looked at Ye Chu, and continued, “At that time, the Great General had immense appeal in the empire. He said that to guarantee the strength of the empire and the Qing Domain, he hoped everyone would store their foundations properly.”
“Do you mean?” Ye Chu guessed a certain possibility.
Pang Bing nodded and said, “Back then, the Great General used his supreme power to seal the foundations of many families beneath the imperial capital. The foundations of the Pang family, the Ye family, and the royal family are all within it. As the families of past generations continued to decline, everyone wanted to unlock the sealed foundation to recreate the glory of the past. Therefore, every generation went to the place where the foundation was sealed, but each time ended in failure. Now that the prosperous era of this generation has arrived, everyone hopes it can be unlocked this time.”
Hearing this, Ye Chu suddenly realised, nodded, and said, “What is inside the Pang family’s seal? Peerless secret treasures, unparalleled pills, or…”
“I do not know, perhaps all of them!” Pang Bing laughed loudly. “No one knows what the ancestors left behind. But whatever it is, it can always support the family in returning to its former glory. In this prosperous era, we will also be able to establish a foothold.”
Hearing Pang Bing’s words, Ye Chu smiled, thinking to himself that the prosperous era was indeed different, with every family emerging in this generation. Even the Great General had left a trick here. It was a pity he could not withstand the erosion of time, otherwise, he might have been able to compete for supremacy and claim the supreme position in this era.
However, thinking that their sealed foundation was the Great General’s doing, Ye Chu could not help but think of black iron, wondering if he could find some clues within it.
“Does senior mean that you want me to go to the sealed place with you?” Ye Chu asked Pang Bing curiously.
“No! You and Pang Shao will go together, but I cannot go,” Pang Bing shook his head.
“Why?”
“Only young people with abundant vitality can go there. For us, whose vitality has begun to wither, if we go inside, we will easily be affected by the laws within and lose our lifespan!” Pang Bing said. “The laws within can make those with abundant vitality even more robust, and those with depleted vitality even more depleted!”