Chapter 30 The Mythical Era? I Must Enter the Palace to See His Majesty!

In front of Liu Zheng stood a mirror—it was a magical artifact called the Chengying Mirror. It allowed two people, even if separated by thousands of miles, to communicate directly. A truly remarkable item.

Though this artifact was of low grade, its production cost was extremely high. Only wealthy and powerful families like the Liu Clan could afford such a thing.

Liu Zheng had been dispatched as the Governor of Heishi County, considered a rising star of the Liu Clan, which was why the family had rewarded him with a mirror. However, it could only be used to report urgent matters.

In the ten years he had served in Heishi County, this was only the third time he had used the mirror. Soon after Liu Zheng’s voice was transmitted, ripples began to spread across the mirror’s surface, and the image of a woman appeared.

She looked to be in her thirties, dressed in black, her expression cold and devoid of emotion as she said, “Liu Zheng, do you even realize what time it is? The Patriarch has long since gone to bed. If there’s something important, you can tell me. I’ll pass it along in the morning.”

Liu Zheng replied, “This is an urgent matter. I must report it to the Patriarch personally, right away.”

The black-clothed woman showed a brief flash of surprise in her eyes but quickly returned to her cold demeanor and said sternly, “Liu Zheng, are you asking me to wake the Patriarch? Have you considered the consequences if your report isn’t serious enough?”

“I… I’m certain!”

Liu Zheng was a bit nervous, but he spoke with firm determination. He believed that what he was about to report was serious enough to warrant waking the family head in the middle of the night.

“Very well, I’ll go inform the family head right away.”

The woman in black gave Liu Zheng a look that seemed to say “good luck,” then turned and walked out. Liu Zheng felt even more anxious.

Although he was also a member of the Liu family, he came from a collateral branch. Even though he had become a regional governor, he still had little opportunity to interact closely with the Liu family head.

In fact, he had only seen the Liu family head a few times in his life. Even if they passed each other on the street, the Liu family head might not recognize him.

Tap, tap, tap…

As the sound of approaching footsteps echoed, the mirror revealed the figure of an elderly man.

It was none other than Liu He, the head of the Liu family.

Though already in his seventies, Liu He was well-maintained—his face bore few wrinkles, with sharp features and a refined demeanor. Yet, there was an unmistakable air of authority about him, a natural majesty that came from long years in power.

“Liu Zheng, you summoned me in the middle of the night—what is the matter? Speak.”

Liu He’s voice was calm and steady.

Though being woken up at such an hour clearly displeased him, his face showed no trace of irritation, revealing his deep and practiced composure.

Liu Zheng quickly bowed and said, “Reporting to the Patriarch—at noon today, a strange phenomenon suddenly appeared in the skies above Blackstone City. A bronze coffin was being pulled through the air by nine pure-blooded, masterless black dragon corpses. Everyone in the city witnessed it. After just a few breaths, the scene vanished without a trace.”

A glint of sharp light flickered through Liu He’s half-closed eyes. He pondered for a moment and said, “This is indeed a major event. I don’t know whether true pure-blooded dragons still exist in this world, but even dragon-shaped demon beasts are extremely powerful—definitely not something our Chixiao Divine Dynasty can afford to provoke. It was most likely a passing expert from another domain. Keep a low profile for now. Make sure not to stir up trouble and risk offending such a figure.”

In this cultivation world ruled by strength, even a single difference in cultivation realms could mean the difference between life and death. A cultivator at the Soul-Slaying Realm or higher could easily destroy an entire nation with a wave of their hand—countries like the Chixiao Divine Dynasty, weak and unremarkable, could never afford to antagonize such powers.

Liu Zheng continued, “There is one more thing. While the bronze coffin was moving, many black specks—like sand or gravel—fell from its surface. I had people collect them and sent them to an appraiser, hoping to uncover some clues from them. But unexpectedly…”

Liu He nodded and said, “Your thinking is sound. As the saying goes, ‘Better safe than sorry.’ The passage of a foreign powerhouse is a matter that concerns the very foundation of the nation. One can never be too cautious. If you cannot determine the result yourself, send the black sand grains to the Holy Capital—I will personally find someone to identify them.”

Liu Zheng took a deep breath and said in a solemn tone, “The appraisal result is already out. It’s just that the result is… quite unbelievable.”

He pondered for a long moment, but could only come up with the words “unbelievable.”

Liu He frowned and said, “You’re the governor of a prefecture. Speaking so hesitantly—what kind of example is that? What’s the result? Speak plainly.”

Seeing that Liu He was starting to get angry, Liu Zheng no longer dared to hesitate and said directly, “Reporting to the family head: the appraiser said… these black sand grains have existed for at least five hundred thousand years. Which means, this bronze coffin might very well originate from the Mythical Era.”

“What did you say? The Mythical Era?”

Liu He’s eyes widened abruptly, all traces of sleep vanishing in an instant.

The Mythical Era?

A bronze coffin from the Mythical Era, passing through the skies above Blackstone Prefecture?

This was absurd!

“Ridiculous! You’re a disciple of the Liu clan, and this is the extent of your judgment? You’ll believe whatever any appraiser says? The Liu family has invested heavily in you—and this is how you repay us? Liu Zheng, you’ve greatly disappointed me!…”

Liu He shook his head repeatedly, his eyes full of disappointment.

Liu Zheng quietly listened, then said just one sentence, “The appraiser was Cui Yi.”

In an instant—silence!

It was as if Liu He had suddenly been choked; all the scolding he was about to unleash was swallowed back down. Cui Yi—this name was authoritative in the appraisal world!

No matter how senile he might be, he would never make such a judgment without absolute certainty.

In other words, if Cui Yi dared to say the Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin originated from the Mythical Era, then he must be one hundred percent certain!

Liu He stared intently into Liu Zheng’s eyes and said in a low voice, “Are you sure everything you said today is true?”

“Every word I said is true—heaven and earth bear witness!” Liu Zheng declared forcefully.

“Good!”

Liu He shouted, suddenly turning around. “Someone! Help me change—I’m going to the palace to seek an audience with His Majesty!”