If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1441 Heavily Guarded
Li Zhong wanted to lead them on their journey immediately, and Liu Ji, Qin Jia, and other heroes of China had no objections.

They didn't even pack much luggage; they just picked up a bundle and followed Li Zhong outside.

As we walked south, just before leaving Dongmenque Harbor, we stopped in front of a two-zhang-tall tree behind a hillside by the sea.

"Hey, this isn't a willow tree. The leaves have star-like patterns and are reflecting starlight. The surrounding spiritual energy is also exceptionally rich." Liu Ji stared at it and immediately looked surprised. He circled the tree and examined it carefully, becoming more and more curious as he looked.

From a distance, the tree looks a lot like a weeping willow, not much different from the long row of willows protecting the seawall.

Upon closer inspection, to the eyes of an ordinary person, it is just an ordinary willow tree.

Before Liu Ji spoke up to remind them, the other heroes hadn't noticed anything unusual, only finding Li Zhong's behavior of walking to the willow tree a bit strange.

Even now, even if Liu Ji speaks of the extraordinary nature of the "willow tree," only a few people who cultivate strange arts and secret techniques can see a very faint starlight on the leaves.

"Hehe, didn't you guys want to see Yunqiumu?"

Li Zhong hugged the tree trunk with both hands, channeled his magic power, and made a gesture as if he were uprooting a willow tree.

"Whoosh!" It was very easy. A brown light flashed at the base of the tree. It had been uprooted. No, it had no roots at all.

As Li Zhong channeled his magic power, all the tree roots automatically retracted back into the trunk, leaving the area under the stump completely bare, with not even the tiny roots visible.

Moreover, the originally lush branches and leaves on the branches seemed to disappear as if they were phantoms, disappearing into the trunk with a "whoosh".

It was as if the tree roots, trunk, and leaves were like the antennae of a snail, retracting immediately at the slightest touch.

Without explaining to the heroes who looked surprised and suspicious, Li Zhong hugged the tree trunk and walked to the seaside, letting go and allowing it to roll into the water.

Strangely enough, once it falls into the water, the round tree trunk immediately caves inward out of the cabin and stretches forward and backward to form the bow and stern.

In just a few breaths, it had become a large boat, fifteen zhang long, four zhang wide, and two zhang deep.

Peng Yue murmured, "Just like the ancient books say, the ten-thousand-year-old Yunqiu wood contains the 'heart of a square inch'."

Once you have a heart, you will have a spirit; it will fall when you try to cut it down, without the need for laborious felling.

It fell into the water, withered on its own, and transformed into a divine boat. The boat carries people automatically, without human intervention, and moves forward without ever sinking.

Once ashore, it can transform back into a tree. Buried in the soil, it will automatically stand upright and grow like a normal tree.

Liu Ji exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this a 'tree spirit'? The old willow tree has become a monster, freely changing between the boat and the tree."

Peng Yue felt as if his beloved goddess had been humiliated by being treated like a prostitute, and immediately said unhappily, "This is the nature of the Yunqiu tree, how could it be a tree demon?"
If it really is a tree spirit that has transformed into a ship, then entering the cabin is like entering its belly. Who would dare to be so reckless?

"But it already has a heart, and it's been growing for ten thousand years. It should have become a spirit long ago. Maybe it's too lazy to pay attention to us humans, and it understands our thoughts, so it's willing to be a silent and honest tree spirit," Liu Ji muttered.

"Can you sense even the slightest trace of demonic energy?" Peng Yue pointed at the hull of the ship, his eyes filled with longing. "If you lie down on the side of the ship and take a bite, your mouth will be full of sweet spiritual juice!"

It is said that those who regularly consume Yunqiu wood can become as light as a swallow and even ascend to heaven in broad daylight.

Liu Ji carefully sensed it and found that there was not a trace of demonic energy, only a faint trace of Yi Wood spiritual energy.

"Could it be that the tree demon has become an immortal, and therefore has no demonic aura? Only by eating its flesh can one become an immortal."

Peng Yue's forehead veins throbbed. "Brother Ji, you really should read more books."

"Who cares if it's a tree spirit or not? Now that the ship is here, let's get on!" Lu Wan urged.

At this moment, the rest of the heroes used their lightness skills to jump lightly onto the large ship.

Xiahou Ying called out, "Commander Li, I have a divine steed; may it board the boat?"

Li Zhong glanced back at the green horse and said, "Don't even mention a horse, you could fit ten giant elephants in it."

Xiahou Ying then asked, "Once we reach the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, will there be a place to house my divine steed? Oh, and my carriage is still in Qu County!"

Li Zhong laughed heartily, “The Water Palace even has an Imperial Horse Stable, do you think there’s a place to graze the horses?”
The Dragon King has everything that earthly kings and nobles have.

What is most common in the Dragon King's household is a priceless treasure that earthly kings and nobles can only dream of.

Xiahou Ying felt ashamed and his face flushed. He lowered his head and silently led his horse onto the boat.

Just as Peng Yue had said, without anyone driving, rowing, or raising the sails, the large boat carried them forward automatically at a very fast speed.

About two hundred miles from the East Gate, Li Zhong stood at the bow of the ship, making hand seals and chanting incantations. Water vapor appeared on the sea ahead, turning into a pale blue vortex. The large ship swam into it and immediately became a streak of blue light, moving so fast that Liu Ji and the others could not see the surrounding scenery at all.

"Are we using water escape techniques?" Lu Wan asked in surprise.

Li Zhong remained standing at the bow of the ship, his hands forming hand seals, his internal magical power surging.

"It's not the traditional water escape; we're going to the underwater world. Like the underworld to the human world, it's in another dimension."

After traveling in the form of blue light for half an hour, the large ship suddenly lurched, the blue light dissipated, and a magnificent underwater world appeared before everyone's eyes.

It's somewhat similar to the Dragon Palace in Journey to the West from Xiaoyu's previous life, with similar architectural style and landscape layout, but the scale is vastly different.

It is truly a world, not a hidden underwater palace.

Behind the towering, pure gold sect building, there are tall buildings every five steps and elegant pavilions every ten. The complex of buildings stretches for hundreds of miles, blocking the view.

Some buildings are very compact, with winding corridors and soaring eaves, each embracing its own terrain, interlocking and vying for prominence. They have the grandeur of a human imperial palace.

Many of the buildings are grand, massive in size, occupy vast areas, and possess a majestic presence that is rarely matched in the world.

For example, fifty miles ahead of them, there was a building that resembled a sundial, with a base carved from a mountain and a metal disc the size of two parallel playgrounds standing on top.

The metal disc was engraved with Tai Chi and Bagua symbols, and was surrounded by rings of metal tracks with metal spheres on them.

As the orbit rotates, a vast amount of starlight is drawn down from the sky, passes through the seawater, arrives in the underwater world, and lands on the metal disc.

While other heroes were only shocked, Liu Ji, Xiahou Ying, and Lu Wan, who cultivated the power of stars, could truly feel how terrifying the power of stars was contained within.

"We've arrived. Please disembark." Li Zhong moored the large boat in an open area west of the gatehouse.

After they jumped off the boat, the large boat grew back on the ground and became a large tree.

At this point, many vehicles had already been placed on the ground.

The flying chariot of Zhou Rao Kingdom must have been rented from the market at a high price.

There's also the military's reckless driving, which should have been strictly controlled by the Qin Dynasty. I don't know if it was some Qin military commander who came, or if it was a loss of Qin state assets.

Some, like Xiahou Ying, drove their carriages directly to the location using mythical birds and beasts, and then parked the carriages outside!

"If we had a good carriage, we could go anywhere, from the sky to the sea, without having to take a wooden boat," Xiahou Ying said enviously, looking at the carriages that gleamed with light.

"When I'm rich, I'll give you ten fine carriages." Liu Ji's heart burned with excitement as he imagined the guests riding in carriages straight to the bottom of the East Sea, where they would be greeted with the utmost respect by the Dragon King of the East Sea. "Could it be that heroes from Western Chu have arrived?"

Although no Dragon King came to greet them, a hunched old man, leading a group of shrimp soldiers and clam women, stood at the door waiting for them.

Although the old man was thin and stooped, he had a commanding presence in his eyes.

Moreover, he wore a crown that reached the heavens and was dressed in the same court robes as Li Si. However, while the Qin court robes were mainly dark black and bright red, this old man wore a light green robe without any dragon patterns.

"Thirteenth Master, I, Li Zhong, am back!" Li Zhong responded loudly, then urged the heroes of Western Chu in a low voice, saying, "This Thirteenth Master is the Thirteenth Steward of our Dragon Palace. He has followed the King for a million years. He is incredibly powerful and his magic is boundless. We must not treat him with disrespect."

Hearing that the old man was just a "general manager" and ranked thirteenth, Liu Ji and the others were indeed somewhat disappointed and angry.

"Millions of years of cultivation" became a huge plus.

They immediately straightened their expressions and followed Li Zhong forward to bow to the chief steward.

The thirteenth steward was not arrogant at all; he wore a warm smile and spoke with utmost gentleness, greeting each of the heroes of Western Chu in turn. He praised each hero highly, as if he had truly admired them for a long time.

Afterwards, the steward led them through corridors and courtyards into a glazed palace, where he personally accompanied them to drink celestial wine and eat spiritual fruits.

In the center of the main hall, a Shui ethnic "demoness" played musical instruments, sang melodiously, and danced gracefully to entertain them.

Apart from the occasional glint of the celestial mirror that flashed past them, making them feel uneasy as if they were being spied on, everything else was perfect.

After more than an hour of fussing, the welcoming banquet ended, and the thirteen stewards arranged private courtyards for them, all of which were luxurious, rich, exquisite, and elegant.

"Why are the Dragon King and the other great immortals nowhere to be seen? What did the Thirteen Chief Stewards mean when they addressed us as 'Heroes of Western Chu'?"

After the thirteen chief stewards left, Liu Ji, Peng Yue, Zhu Jishi, and the others gathered together again and even called "Guard Li Zhong" into the room.

When the Thirteenth Steward entertained them before, Li Zhong didn't even have the right to sit at the table with wine; he could only wait in the outer courtyard.

Before leaving, the thirteenth steward asked Liu Ji and the others if they were not satisfied with "Human Race Sea Yaksha" Li Zhong, and that they could select a new batch of attendants and line them up for them to choose from.

Li Zhong was also quick-witted. He entered the room, bowed respectfully, and addressed the man as "Master." He stood and replied, "The old Chu Kingdom was divided into Eastern Chu, Western Chu, and Southern Chu."

The heroes here come from Dangjun, Sishui, Xuejun and other places, which are roughly in the area of ​​Western Chu.

King Chen Sheng belonged to the Southern Chu, and Chen County was the former capital of the Southern Chu!
Then there are the heroes of the ancient Wu and Yue, corresponding to the modern Qin counties such as Jiujiang and Kuaiji.

There are also Qi, Wei, Zhao, Yan, and other places.

His Majesty the Dragon King and all the great immortals have not yet arrived.

Although you have come to the underwater world, which is considered the 'Dragon Palace' area, it is not the palace of the Dragon King of the East Sea.

This is the "Autumn Breeze Residence" of the Seventh Prince Ao Geng, which is one of the forty-eight villas in the Seventh Prince's estate.

The Great Immortal and the Dragon King are also in this underwater world, but they are 150,000 miles away!

The Heroes' Banquet will be held in three days; you esteemed heroes will have to wait at least two more days before you can see His Majesty.

"Such a large palace complex, and it's just the Seventh Prince's villa, not the real Dragon King's palace?! We've come all the way to the East Sea, why don't we go to the Dragon Palace?" Peng Yue was both shocked and somewhat dissatisfied.

Li Zhongdao said, "Gentlemen, please think about this: what are we doing? We are plotting a rebellion against the Qin Dynasty!"

Even His Majesty the Dragon King was intimidated by the Grand Tutor's power and dared not act recklessly.

Openly organizing an anti-Qin alliance conference is already a sensitive matter and could very well anger the imperial court.

"What if we hold the meeting in the Dragon Palace and Grand Tutor Yu really manages to sneak in and start a massacre?"

The heroes' expressions changed several times. "We can't even guarantee the safety of our own Dragon Palace. What are we doing here, risking so much danger?"

Li Zhong laughed and said, "Don't you all know about the newly released proclamation to the people?"
Grand Master Yu only kills unruly immortals.

My Dragon King, being among the great immortals, providing the venue for the anti-Qin alliance meeting is rather improper, so we need to be cautious.

You heroes of China, though your strength is not great, your destinies are extraordinary. Killing you would bring great karma and karmic burdens upon me, which is not worth it.

To put it bluntly, in her eyes, everyone was a pile of stinking dog shit that she couldn't touch.

Don't deliberately get in her way; if she sees you, just pretend you don't.

Just like pedestrians on the street, they wouldn't intentionally step in dog poop.

She will allow you to fight against Qin Dynasty kings and nobles, soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals.

Even if you break her rules and displease her, it's like Yan Wushuang in the proclamation to the people. With just a few words, without her taking any action, the gods and the King of Qin will carry out her will.

The positive emotional feedback that the heroes had just received from the "Dragon Palace Banquet" vanished immediately, as if they were wearing new boots but had to walk through an alley full of fresh, stinking dog excrement.

"Commander Li, have you taken money from the Qin Dynasty to promote Grand Tutor Yu and demoralize us?" Zhu Jishi said rudely.

—And believe it or not, Li Zhong really did accept the allowance from the Eastern Navy Corps, at least three taels of silver a month!

Liu Ji muttered to himself, but said aloud to smooth things over, "Commander Li is straightforward and his words are not tactful enough, but what he said was sincere and well-intentioned."

Li Zhong sighed, "My words may not be pleasant to hear, but how could a lowly demon like me utter such insightful words?"

I merely overheard the conversation of those gentlemen upstairs, and I am now relaying it to you all so that you may be at ease.

"We can't just comfort us without preparing any substantial protective measures, can we?" Peng Yue said.

“They are on guard. When you came in through the gate, you saw with your own eyes that there were guards stationed every five steps and sentries every ten steps.”

There were also various mirrors—mirrors that revealed the true nature of beings, people, and immortals—hanging throughout the pavilions and towers where these hidden dragon lords frequented.

Li Zhong reminded them: "After you came to the Dragon Palace, did you often feel uncomfortable in your spiritual senses? It's like various celestial mirrors are spying on everyone in the Dragon Palace."

This isn't just targeting you guys.

To prevent Grand Tutor Yu or others from using the Earthly Fiend Transformation Technique to infiltrate, all living beings within the alliance's meeting area are under constant surveillance!
They even prey on fish and shrimp.

In addition, we must constantly recite the "Purifying Heart Mantra" and the "Thirteen Divine Mantras".

"We ourselves are not corrupted by demonic thoughts, and with the celestial mirror monitoring every corner, what is there to worry about?"

Liu Ji seemed to understand something. "I do have a feeling. But so many celestial mirrors are monitoring us, disrupting our spiritual senses."

"If Grand Tutor Yu really comes in and stands right in front of us, we won't be able to tell the difference."

(End of this chapter)