CHAPTER 1258: CHAPTER 1243: LUOYI

In fact, being a personal guard of Princess Changle should be a relatively easy task.

The noble status of Princess Changle means their only duty is to ensure her safety, and it’s neither possible nor allowed to come into close contact with her.

All the daily affairs of Princess Changle are attended to by the maid eunuchs on the carriage.

The only trouble is that Princess Changle forcibly takes the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten from Ye Zhen every day, only to return it at night.

Looking at the kitten’s increasingly plump body, Ye Zhen could only smile wryly.

It’s due to too much energy accumulating in the kitten’s body, causing it to become fat.

Ye Zhen is unclear what the kitten’s current condition is, its cultivation aura stuck at the Peak of Spirit Tier, but its body’s accumulation is unimaginably abundant.

A few days passed, and Ye Zhen discovered an embarrassing fact.

Among this group of three thousand imperial guards, Ye Zhen’s Peak Ninth Stage Establishment cultivation is barely adequate!

Because within Princess Changle’s guards, the lowest cultivation is already at the Late Establishment Realm.

However, among the five hundred personal guards near Princess Changle’s carriage, Ye Zhen’s cultivation is the lowest, none lower!

Because each of Princess Changle’s personal guards is a Dao Entrance Realm Martial Artist!

And most are around the Mid-stage Dao Entrance Realm, among Ye Zhen’s hundred and fifty personal guards, none have cultivation below the Fourth Stage of Dao Entrance Realm.

Thanks to the care of Commanding Captain Gu Kuang, although Ye Zhen’s hundred and fifty personal guards may not be satisfied, they do not cause trouble.

Gu Kuang is among the few who witnessed Ye Zhen’s recent accumulation of substantial and real military merits during the Heavenly Patrol Divine Hunter’s statistics, realizing that Ye Zhen’s prospects are limitless.

Thus began a deliberate friendship, and within a few days, Ye Zhen and Captain Gu Kuang became brothers.

Being brothers with a Divine Communication Realm presence means nothing to Ye Zhen, but in the eyes of others, it’s quite shocking.

Can a tiger and a cat become friends?

The answer is yes!

Anyway, Ye Zhen and Gu Kuang became friends.

Through Gu Kuang, Ye Zhen learned some things about Princess Changle.

Princess Changle’s background is somewhat mysterious, yet she is the most favored among the over two hundred princesses of the current Holy Son of Heaven, without exception.

As a result, their imperial guards are equipped to high standards.

Ordinary princes’ personal guards without a fiefdom have only about three thousand imperial guards, mostly comprised of Establishment Realm Martial Artists, with Dao Entrance Realm ones as generals.

However, the number of Princess Changle’s guards is as high as ten thousand, more than three times that of other princes and princesses. Furthermore, their personnel mainly consists of Late Establishment Realm and Dao Entrance Realm Martial Artists, with Divine Communication Realm as generals.

Generally, at least three thousand guards are brought along during her travels.

In the current guard led by Gu Kuang, there are three Divine Communication Realm presences.

Although Princess Changle has a gentle personality, possibly due to boredom in the residence, she loves traveling around.

For the princes, it’s okay, but most of the princesses of Great Zhou tend to stay secluded in the Princess Mansion before marriage to prevent damaging their reputation.

However, with Princess Changle, this rule is entirely ineffective.

Even the Grand Sect Leader submitted a report regarding this, but the Holy Son of Heaven paid no attention.

With such indulgence, Princess Changle’s current trip became possible.

As Gu Kuang puts it, every time the princess travels, they are on edge. If anything happens to the princess, their careers would be over.

However, the most astonishing point mentioned by Gu Kuang is that Princess Changle is still underage!

Currently just over seventeen years old, which greatly surprised Ye Zhen.

A princess of Great Zhou is considered an adult at eighteen. Upon adulthood, if a suitable candidate is found, she will be given in marriage.

However, royal family princesses are not arbitrarily wed off. The current record holds a princess at over three hundred and forty years old, who has yet to be married.

Due to Princess Changle’s immense favor from the Holy Son of Heaven, coupled with her own unsurpassed beauty, she becomes the target pursued by the sons of Prince and nobles’ wealthy families.

As the saying goes, those nearest get the earliest opportunities. The sons of nobles with connections often push their offspring into the princess’s guards.

And most are placed among the personal guards.

This was mentioned casually by Gu Kuang to Ye Zhen, suggesting Ye Zhen be cautious and not get involved in the quarrels and jealousies of the noble sons, lest he finds himself in inexplicable danger.

While on campaign, the strict and merciless Military Law of Great Zhou keeps things in check. However, once back in the capital city of Luoyi, without the constraints of the military law, those princely sons would stop at nothing to win the princess’s favor.

Ye Zhen acknowledged Gu Kuang’s good intentions.

Meanwhile, Ye Zhen also learned that the ultimate destination of this trip is — the capital city of Luoyi!

The center of the Great Zhou Empire, the Imperial Capital, Luoyi!

According to Gu Kuang, it’s a capital so imposing that every breath you take feels stifling, yet it is a city so prosperous that it can lead one to a life of indulgent oblivion.

Of course, not everyone is qualified to enjoy such prosperity.

The Imperial Capital Luoyi is built upon the most famous plain of the Primordial Continent, the Dragon Swimming Plain.

More precisely, Dragon Swimming Plain is a gigantic Ancient Dragon Clan burial ground. At the founding of the Great Zhou, the Founding Emperor Ji Bang and his fierce generals stormed the Ancient Dragon Domain, personally slaying tens of thousands of Ancient Giant Dragons.

They buried these Ancient Giant Dragons’ bodies and Dragon Souls under the Dragon Swimming Plain, then used various Secret Techniques to transform these corpses and souls into tens of thousands of Dragon Form Earth Veins.

Then they established the capital above these Dragon Form Earth Veins, naming it Luoyi.

After founding the capital, countless mysterious and strange Grand Formations were placed around Luoyi for millions of miles, one of which binds the bountiful Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi emanating from the tens of thousands of Dragon Form Earth Veins beneath the Dragon Swimming Plain within a million miles.

This results in the concentration of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi within a million miles of Dragon Swimming Plain reaching unimaginable levels.

According to Gu Kuang, within Luoyi, every breath is cultivation!

Inhaling one breath of air in Luoyi is equivalent to a regular martial artist’s ascent in two hours.

Therefore, not everyone is qualified to enter Dragon Swimming Plain, much less Luoyi.

Below the rank of Marquis, unless rewarded for military merits or specially summoned and granted by the Holy Son of Heaven, typically, they are not entitled to reside within Luoyi in their lifetime.

Even a Marquis has no chance of securing a residence in Luoyi.

The benefits of being in the princess’s guard become apparent at this point.

Guards like Gu Kuang can enter Dragon Swimming Plain but are not qualified to enter Luoyi, typically stationed above Dragon Swimming Plain, then called upon to escort the princess when she travels.

However, personal guards like Ye Zhen benefit from Princess Changle’s favor, allowing them to accompany the princess into Luoyi.

These benefits alone, without mentioning other aims, are enough to make many sons of Prince’s noble break their heads for it.

In the midst of Gu Kuang’s incessant chatter, the capital of the Great Zhou Empire, Luoyi, arrived!