In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

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After all, Zhang Xiaoshan was just offering suggestions; the real basic operations were handled by the Yin-Yang School, the professionals.

This is a difference in background; the Zhang family is essentially a nouveau riche.

Amidst the worship of thousands, Qin Shi Huang, or the Dragon Emperor Ying Zheng, first burned the sacrificial offerings of livestock, then threw the granary walls, brocade, celadon wine, and other precious items into the burning Nine Provinces Cauldron.

This is the normal procedure for emperors to offer sacrifices to Heaven, a combination of ancient and modern methods.

After all, there was no unified emperor in ancient times, not even the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

"%￥#..."

At this moment, more than a dozen shamans knelt down and worshipped the Nine Provinces Cauldron, shouting something that ordinary people could not understand at all.

hum!

Just when everyone thought the sacrificial ceremony was over, an ugly-looking bead suddenly appeared in the sky above the Nine Provinces Cauldron.

hold head high!

Accompanied by the roar of dragons, a terrifying aura descended.

Between heaven and earth, it seemed as if a huge and sacred golden dragon was truly roaring forth.

This artistic conception left many masters momentarily stunned and deeply moved.

Dragon Ball!

Then everyone looked at the ugly thing, and realized that it was the very thing they had been searching for but had never found. They never expected that the Empire had secretly found a Dragon Ball.

However, considering the Empire's capabilities, finding a Dragon Ball isn't surprising.

But Dragon Ball's reaction at this moment is definitely not simple; it's likely that all of this was arranged by 19—the ritual, the Dragon Balls, the founding ceremony...

For a moment, everyone stared intently at the sacrificial offering above.

With the birth of the Dragon Ball, the shaman who performed the ritual was even more excited and rose to dance around the Nine Provinces Cauldron once again.

If it weren't for the fact that he was walking in the Yu style, no one else would be able to tell what it was.

But everyone understood that the real 'ritual' had only just begun.

Qin Shi Huang Zheng also witnessed all of this, and vaguely, in a daze, he sensed a mysterious connection.

A slight smile involuntarily crept onto his lips!

It seems that dragon energy really exists!

"A divine medicine!"

Suddenly, the leading shaman in the arena jumped out of the circle and, with a wave of his hand, threw the jade box, which was originally the third treasure of the Zhang family, towards the Dragon Emperor Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng took the jade box, opened it, and inside was a dark, murky pill—

Elixir of Immortality!

"Patriarch Zhang, what kind of medicine is this?"

Those who were near Zhang Yuan looked at him, one of the few who knew the truth at this moment.

The Zhang family had clearly been involved in all of this for a long time.

After all, the third treasure presented by the Zhang family was actually related to imperial rituals.

"This third treasure is the elixir of immortality that my son found from Kunlun Mountain last time."

However, it has been confirmed that there is no true ability to achieve immortality, and the side effects are enormous.

Hiss...

Upon hearing Zhang Yuan's reply, everyone around him gasped.

This wasn't the Zhang family courting death, but the Dragon Emperor himself, who dared to consume an elixir of immortality with absolutely no guarantee of success.

Moreover, it was an expired longevity drug with side effects.

"The elixir of immortality does not grant immortality, but rather helps to condense the dragon vein."

The true purpose of this sacrifice is to gather dragon energy, solidify the dragon veins, and appease the dragon pearl to suppress the foundation of the empire for eternity!

The Moon Goddess's soft, melodious voice rang in everyone's ears. Immediately, the experts from the Taoist and Buddhist sects all turned to look at the mysterious and unpredictable Moon Goddess. The Yin-Yang School, however, was truly a member of the empire...

Therefore, it is perfectly normal for the Moon Goddess to know some things that they do not.

"A dragon vein? Doesn't the Zhang family have one?"

"···"

Immediately, the man realized he had spoken out of turn.

Would the Zhang family easily hand over such a priceless treasure to the Empire? Besides, with the Dragon Ball included, the Zhang family is merely cooperating with the Empire, not surrendering to it.

"That's the Great Zhou dragon vein, not the imperial dragon vein."

Moreover, you are all highly accomplished individuals from the Nine Provinces, and you should understand that fortune is elusive, merit is abundant, and dragon energy also exists, suppressing the Nine Provinces.

Therefore, His Majesty's current plan is to harness the Dragon's power to evolve the Dragon Ball!

Upon hearing this, the experts suddenly understood.

They also realized that this was no longer something they could spy on.

Leaving aside the Dragon Balls' domineering nature, the fact that they simply condense the Empire's dragon energy makes them more than just ordinary rare treasures; they are imperial treasures.

Such a treasure cannot be possessed by anyone but the virtuous!

Unless they can obtain the Dragon Balls quietly, whoever gets the Dragon Balls will inevitably be the target of the entire world's wrath.

Within the empire, only top-tier forces like the Zhang family and the Yin-Yang School are likely qualified to compete.

After all, how many people in the world can wield the power of the Dragon Balls?

At this moment, the Dragon Ball in the arena roared with the illusory dragon shadows, gathering the imperial dragon energy, and the surrounding aura grew stronger and stronger. Even ordinary people who could not sense the Dragon Ball's essence felt as if the pressure of the apocalypse had suddenly descended upon them under that powerful aura.

The Dragon Ball, which was originally ugly, began to gradually become fuller, and a golden thread that was invisible to ordinary people appeared on the surface of the Dragon Ball.

At the same time, Emperor Ying Zheng, who had also consumed the elixir of immortality, felt that the connection he had previously only vaguely sensed was now able to perceive the immense power gathered within the Dragon Ball, and even mobilize the power of the Dragon Ball.

Moreover, the aura and power of the Dragon Balls are getting stronger and stronger at this time.

Ying Zheng stared intently and could see wisps of golden energy converging towards the dragon pearl.

"really!"

That inexplicably powerful golden aura, which was also connected to him.

In this atmosphere, how could Ying Zheng not understand what that heavy aura was? It was the dragon aura that he had previously been unable to see or touch!

In an instant, with the permission of the Dragon Emperor Ying Zheng, the speed at which he absorbed the Dragon Pearl and the Dragon Qi increased significantly.

Even in reality, people only felt that the world had suddenly changed color.

At the same time, under the aura of the Dragon Ball, a terrifying and oppressive aura of heaven and earth spread out.

Under this overwhelming force of nature, the peerless masters present were all shaken, yet inexplicably excited.

This is your chance!

The opportunity to comprehend the grand scheme of things is the chance for a peerless master to advance to the level of a grandmaster.

This is not the oppressive aura of a grandmaster, but rather the overwhelming power of heaven and earth, formed by the dragon's energy gathered from the dragon pearl, descending upon the human world.

For those unparalleled masters, this is undoubtedly an opportunity to comprehend the realm of a grandmaster.

However, at this moment, a faint aura slowly rose from in front of the Dragon Ball.

With the help of the Dragon Balls, the Mad Lion Iron Warrior, who was closest to the altar, was the first to receive the opportunity and advance to the Grandmaster realm because he had previously guarded the elixir of immortality.

This is also a case of being in a favorable position to benefit from the situation!

However, compared to the power of Dragon Ball, Tessen's aura was too insignificant, and very few experts noticed that Tessen had advanced to a higher level.

Even so, Ying Zheng still glanced at Tie Zhan!

During the evolution of the Dragon Balls, Emperor Ying Zheng is gradually gaining control and has reached a state of perfect harmony between man and the ball.

Therefore, he noticed that Tie Zhan's aura had surged significantly, and immediately realized that Tie Zhan had advanced to the legendary Grandmaster realm.

The Zhang family is indeed full of talented people!

Moreover, under the influence of his aura, Emperor Ying Zheng looked at Zhang Yuan.

He had no martial arts skills before, but in this state of perfect harmony with nature, he suddenly realized that among the experts present, the one with the strongest aura was Zhang Yuan, who looked kind and gentle and posed no threat at all.

However, Emperor Ying Zheng soon withdrew from this profound and mysterious realm.

The originally dark-colored Dragon Ball has now turned into a yellow Dragon Ball that exudes a powerful aura!

If it weren't for that faint connection at that moment, Emperor Ying Zheng would have truly thought it was all a dream.

"receive!"

With a single thought of protection, the dragon pearl on the Nine Provinces Cauldron fell directly into the hands of the Dragon Emperor Ying Zheng.

At the end of the sacrificial ceremony, everyone paid homage again.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on acquiring the Emperor's most precious treasure!"

"The Dragon Ball absorbs dragon energy and evolves into a treasure that suppresses the dragon vein of the empire. The Zhang family's 480 and Yin-Yang home have made great contributions."

As he spoke, Emperor Ying Zheng looked at Zhang Yuan. If he hadn't just sensed Zhang Yuan's imposing aura, he would have truly been deceived by this fat man. He immediately bestowed a reward:

"The Long family will be exempt from taxes for ten years, and three unexploited mines within the empire's borders!!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhang Yuan hurriedly bowed and expressed his gratitude.

A ten-year tax exemption is already a great favor, not to mention the three unexploited mineral veins, even though the Zhang family went to find the veins themselves.

But once the Zhang family finds the mine, it will belong to the Zhang family, instead of being paid by the empire.

In this respect, even the Dragon Emperor Ying Zheng had the intention of using this opportunity to curry favor.

After all, there are unknown mineral veins on the land of Kyushu. Who knows whether the Zhang family will make a profit or a loss?

"The Yin-Yang School's Donghuang Taiyi is appointed as the Imperial Tutor, the Yin-Yang School is the state religion, and the Imperial Tutors Dongjun, Yueshen, and Xinghun enjoy the highest-ranking treatment in the empire!"

"The Yin-Yang School thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

The Moon Goddess stepped forward and bowed in greeting. Undoubtedly, the Yin-Yang School had struck it rich this time.

The Zhang family received an economic reward, while the Yin-Yang family received a status reward. It was an immense imperial favor, and even the general public could feel that both families had truly made a name for themselves this time.

"Just now I observed that Commander Tie's aura surged, and he was promoted to Grandmaster of Martial Arts."

Commander Tie is hereby appointed as a top-ranking guest minister of the empire, possessing a mansion in Xianyang City, ten maids, and ten thousand taels of gold!

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Tie Zhan did not refuse; being an Imperial Guest Minister was merely a title, not a direct subordinate.

However, Tie Zhan's advancement to Grandmaster shocked everyone.

Many people understood that it was an opportunity to comprehend the Grandmaster realm, but no one expected that Mad Lion Iron Warrior would take the lead and be the first to enter the Grandmaster realm.

Even the Moon Goddess looked at the Zhang family with apprehension. The Zhang family had once again succeeded first, gaining another Grandmaster-level combatant.

Moreover, Tie Zhan is merely the guard commander of the Zhang Family Chamber of Commerce. If he retained his position, he would be a grandmaster-level expert stationed in the Zhang Family Mall.

With a Grandmaster overseeing things, the Zhang family's super mall plan this time is bound to be amazing!

If you don't want to die, you have to retreat.

Chapter 597 The Feast of Universal Harmony: Envoy of the Holy Roman Empire

Serve the banquet!

With a loud shout, everyone looked at the young maids who filed in, each pushing a small cart with four dishes on it.

One set each for Emperor Ying Zheng and his sons and heirs, one set for all the civil and military officials of the empire, one set for the delegations from various countries, and one set for the guest ministers of aristocratic families.

Entering from the left and exiting from the right, a line of graceful figures stood in orderly fashion, full of beauty.

The officials, both civil and military, as well as the noble families and their retainers, were naturally not surprised.

However, at this time, the diplomatic missions from various countries made a complete fool of themselves.