"Cang Dingtie greets the Crown Prince of Great Zhou."
Cang Dingtie spoke respectfully.
Yang Cheng said, "Cang Dingtie, what do you want from me?"
"Your Highness, I came to deliver some news," Cang Dingtie replied. "All the major powers have detected increasingly chaotic fluctuations of fate in the Wasteland Realm. The Heaven's Gate rune is weakening further. In maybe three months, many Insight God-level beings will be able to descend into the Wasteland Realm."
Yang Cheng's heart trembled. He hadn't expected things to change this quickly in this life.
In his past life, Insight God experts didn't descend on the Wasteland Realm until a century later.
Clearly, fate was not set in stone.
"Thanks for the information," Yang Cheng said.
"If His Highness ever needs anything, just contact me through Xuanji. As long as it's within the Cang clan's power, we will give our full support," said Cang Dingtie.
With that, his avatar faded away.
Yang Cheng looked at Cang Xuanji. Her cheeks turned red.
The next day, Xu Letian and the others finished preparing, and the group set out for the Great Zhao Empire.
Unexpectedly, right before departure, Lu Lingyi showed up and joined the group.
This trip was also a chance for Yang Cheng to relax, so he didn't take the Golden Dragon Chariot. Instead, he boarded the flying boat with Xu Letian and the others.
The flying boat was quite spacious.
Everyone else had paired off: Yan Qingzhi with Xu Letian, Dongfang Sheng with Ma Ruoruo, Zeng Niu with Wei Jia.
That left only Yang Cheng and Lu Lingyi.
Sitting beside him, Lu Lingyi no longer had her usual prideful air.
Her skin was pale as snow, almost translucent under the sunlight. She had a graceful nose and naturally rosy lips. Her long, jet-black hair flowed like a waterfall, loosely pinned up with a mutton-fat jade hairpin. A few strands hung beside her neck, adding a delicate charm.
She wore a pale cyan ruqun, which showed off her slim figure.
Several men aboard the flying boat were sneaking glances at her.
But Lu Lingyi kept stealing glances at Yang Cheng.
Yang Cheng had his eyes closed, quietly resting, as if he didn't even notice her presence.
That irritated Lu Lingyi.
After a while, she noticed a book sitting on the table in front of Yang Cheng. The first page was open.
"Great Zhao's Hundred Flowers Record?"
She looked curious. The first page featured a woman named Nangong Wan.
Nangong Wan was indeed special. A princess of the Great Zhao Empire, she was over thirty, but looked very youthful.
She had the grace of a mature woman and the charm of a young girl. Her delicate features and regal air gave her a unique appeal.
Lu Lingyi quietly compared herself to Nangong Wan and had to admit she seemed a bit immature.
Nangong Wan was like a ripe peach; she was more like a green apricot.
'Is this the kind of woman Master Yang likes?' she wondered.
At that moment, Yang Cheng opened his eyes.
Lu Lingyi couldn't help but ask what was on her mind.
Yang Cheng shook his head but didn't say much else to her.
Before they knew it, the flying boat arrived in the Great Zhao Empire.
Right before landing, they spotted a luxurious convoy in the distance, escorted by several thousand Great Zhao soldiers.
"What's that?" Yang Cheng raised an eyebrow.
Inside that convoy, he saw Nangong Wan.
It was clearly a royal procession from the Great Zhao Empire.
But Yang Cheng wasn't interested in Nangong Wan. His attention was on another woman beside her.
"Ning Yao!" Lu Lingyi exclaimed.
"You know her?" Yang Cheng asked.
Lu Lingyi was visibly shocked and admiring. "Of course I know her! She's a genius from the Horn Constellation Realm. She used to be the number one sword talent of the Sword Academy at the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy. After the academy relocated to the Wasteland Realm, she left."
"Besides being a former Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy prodigy, her Ning clan is a major clan in the Horn Constellation Realm. Her father is a powerful Yin God expert, and the Ning clan's ancestor is a Yang God powerhouse."
"She's also extremely talented herself. She became a Half-God at just twenty-three, with strength rivaling the gods."
As she spoke, she couldn't help glancing at Yang Cheng. "Master Yang, do you actually like Ning Yao and not Nangong Wan?"
"Is your brain filled with nothing but this kind of stuff?" Yang Cheng replied, clearly annoyed.
"But I feel like you care a lot about Ning Yao," Lu Lingyi said.
"Probably because I'm her creditor," Yang Cheng replied.
"Master Yang, even though your status is extraordinary now, Ning Yao is the pride of the Ning clan from the Horn Constellation Realm. Their wealth is worth hundreds of millions of divine stones. How could you possibly be her creditor?" Lu Lingyi said in disbelief.
"Haha, Lu Lingyi, Master Yang is clearly joking with you," Xu Letian laughed.
As the flying boat prepared to land, everyone came over.
Yang Cheng smiled but didn't explain.
The Ning clan was one of the founding contributors of Great Zhou!
Two thousand years ago, they had stolen another national treasure from the Yang clan—the "Kongtong Seal"—and fled to the Horn Constellation Realm. Great Zhou had no way to retaliate.
The Kongtong Seal could suppress fate and gather wealth.
The Ning clan's rise in the Horn Constellation Realm was undeniably tied to it.
So technically, the royal family of Great Zhou was the true creditor of the Ning clan.
After the flying boat landed, the Great Zhao royal convoy had already left, and Ning Yao disappeared from Yang Cheng's senses.
But right after, he noticed something off.
They had landed in the imperial capital of the Great Zhao Empire.
From Yang Cheng's perception, there were many strong auras in the area, including Martial Emperors and even Half-Gods.
Just based on this, it seemed like the Great Zhao Empire was stronger than the Great Zhou Empire.
But that was clearly impossible.
Thinking back to Ning Yao, Yang Cheng quickly realized that these people were most likely from beyond the realm.
'Why are there so many cultivators from beyond the realm gathering in the Great Zhao?' Yang Cheng wondered.
"Master Yang, we're heading out," Xu Letian called.
Yang Cheng followed the group as they left.
Not long after Yang Cheng left, a young girl in the crowd suddenly looked up.
Behind her stood an old man.
The old man asked, "Mother, what is it?"
The girl frowned. "Just now I felt a strong pressure, but it vanished in an instant."
"Probably another expert," the old man said. "But Mother, there's no need for concern. You are a God of Formation. Even Insight Gods wouldn't be able to challenge you in your formations."
"Besides, in this Wasteland Realm, no god can descend. No one can oppose you."
Hearing that, the girl's brows relaxed, and she said calmly, "Can't say that for sure. I heard Qin Mingcheng came too. That guy is no pushover."
Elsewhere—
Xu Letian and the others spent a fortune to rent out a huge manor.
"This Great Zhao Empire is really something," someone said.
"Since I was born, I've never experienced a place that feels so much like a mortal kingdom."
Ma Ruoruo, Wei Jia, and the others were clearly excited.
Their reactions were genuinely entertaining. They were like city dwellers used to skyscrapers suddenly visiting the countryside—everything felt fresh and novel.
Whether by accident or on purpose, the others each got their own building.
Only one building was left for Yang Cheng and Lu Lingyi.