He quickly threw on his replacement robes and joined the princess at the front, looking down to see the spirit boat approaching the city walls.
The gold dragons coiled around the entrance gate pulsed, making some of the mortals panic before they noticed the massive spirit board floating above them.
“This was not what I had hoped to see,” Princess Jin said in a low voice.
“What do you mean?” William asked as he noticed the occasional cultivator gaping at the spirit boat.
“Spirit boats are not allowed entry into the city. Grandfather will not overtly show such favor to keep the large clans appeased. Either the Lord Protector has taken command, or the clans already know of what happened.”
“Why would it be an issue if the clans know?”
William didn’t get an answer and wouldn’t get one since Princess Jin didn’t seem interested in answering.
“Head to the palace.”
He snapped his head up, looking away from the cultivators staring at them, and narrowed his eyes in the direction where it originated. Even from outside the city, he could spot the palace without issue. There was nothing else that towered over the city quite like the gaudy, gold-decorated palace.
“That was my grandfather’s voice,” Princess Jin said faintly.
He stayed silent, still not really understanding why this was a problem. It was starting to seem like an internal family issue that he had no business knowing, but even that made little sense to him. After all, Princess Jin’s grandfather provided her that life-saving token. Surely, that meant they were on good terms.
The spirit boat had passed over the gate and was slowly floating toward the palace. It cast a large shadow over the mortals going about their daily lives, causing most on the bustling street to grind to a halt. The princess hadn’t been lying when she said there was a strict no-fly zone above the city. The residents wouldn’t have been so shocked if this happened occasionally.
William could see the Phoenix’s Nest to their right and the Treasure Pavilion directly before them. It felt like a lifetime ago that he had seen them. He thought about Mei Lingxi, the overly flirtatious manager of the Treasure Pavilion who had gifted him the Elemental Gauntlet. Something that he still wore on his hand and was just as useless as ever because he didn’t have enough Spiritual Energy.
That made little sense unless its effects were more than he had ever imagined.
“Do not make eye contact with anyone unless they are speaking to you. Follow my lead.”
William blinked, realizing that they were already at the palace grounds. The spirit boat was slowly descending to the ground.
He gave the princess a slight nod before trying to smoothen his robes, suddenly nervous about what and who he was about to face. The question to Kai hadn’t been purely to enrage him. While that was a welcome side benefit, he would welcome someone from the sect to be there. He might not have any close relationships with the Inner Court Elders in the sect, but it would be comforting to have someone of authority from where he belonged.
When the spirit boat landed on the ground softly, a guard directed Ren Bo to disembark. Which was apparently jumping over the side of the spirit boat. The boy had finally been untied and ungagged, but he thankfully kept his senses. It seemed that the fright of who was waiting for them killed any stupidity in him.
He winced, realizing that Ren Bo wasn’t forgiven for his antics. The jump was high enough that it would sting for the kid, but nothing too serious. However, the same jump would be nothing for him, so he pushed against the railing, ready to get off the spirit boat and face whatever was to come.
“It’s best not to be so uncouth,” Princess Jin stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.
William stiffened when he felt her Qi thinly surround him before he was smoothly lifted off the deck. Princess Jin was right in front of him as they descended to the ground before gently landing. A sharp contrast to what Ren Bo had experienced in disembarking the spirit boat.
At this point, he thought the bullying was going too far, but he didn’t dare to open his mouth. Not with the people that were waiting for him.
Four people were before him, all with their basic status hidden with question marks. It meant they were all at the Nascent Soul Realm at the minimum.
William met Elder Yu’s eyes, and a bit of his nerves disappeared when she gave him a slight nod before looking away. She was the only one that he recognized, with the rest of them being men he didn’t recognize.
They couldn’t look more different from each other. There was one that looked like an old man who seemed suspiciously weak with the way he used the cane to support himself. He stood beside Elder Yu, slightly behind the two other men present.
Those were the two William had a hard time not staring at. Even with Princess Jin’s warning of not making eye contact, it felt like something was forcing his eyes to look at them.
Nothing was alike between them. Their appearances, their outfits, their auras. One had a soft gaze, the other a harsh glare. One wore elegant robes that showed off his style, the other wore practical clothes that served its purpose. One man was a stunning vision of beauty, the other a classic model of manliness.
William wanted to cry in relief when he saw Princess Jin bow deeply to them, with the guards and Ren Bo following. He had never been so happy to bow to anyone before. Anything to avoid looking at them.
Unfortunately, that didn’t last long.
“No need for such formality, children,” A voice said warmly, “You all deserve to stand straight for safely leaving the Shard.”
“Yes, what an achievement.” Whoever said that was not nearly as impressed, “But Brother Xue is right. Rise, there is no time for this nonsense.”
William did as ordered, finding that all eyes were on Princess Jin, even Elder Yu’s. She looked at the princess with blatant surprise, the most expressive he had seen the Elder. They must have finally clued into the fact that she had come back from the secret realm many, many major realms above than before.
“Jin’er… how? What happened to you?”
“Grandfather,” Princess Jin bowed slightly, “I was lucky.”
That was an understatement, but William was more focused on the old man the princess called grandfather. This was not the same person as the specter that appeared after the life-saving measure was used. He glanced at Princess Jin before putting it aside. This was not the time to be distracted.
“Lucky is one word to describe it,” the man with the permanent scowl said roughly, “Girl, with how much you benefited, you must know why we aren’t able to contact the serpent inside the Shard.”
“The Lord Protector of the Shard?” Princess Jin asked curiously, “I spoke to him briefly. He directed me to the Oasis of Respite, but I never saw him after that.”
“Liu Feng,” the far too beautiful man interrupted, “Do you really think this is the time? You sense what is in store for the princess.”
“We’ve lost contact with a Shard, Brother Xue!” Liu Feng roared, “That takes precedence over all!”
“Peace, my friend. Maybe she isn’t the only one that has answers.”
William stiffened when they turned to them.
“Princess Jin will be undergoing Heavenly Tribulation within the next hour,” Lian Xue revealed, “It’s best to have her taken to an area where she has the greatest chance to succeed. But the Lord Protector is in the right. He must put the well-being of the Empire before all, even a valued member of the Imperial family. If the princess isn’t successful in her tribulation, we may lose the only source of answers.”
These were all flowery words. Even though the princess told him to stay quiet, it would be foolish to do so when this Lian Xue kept looking at him pointedly. He wasn’t being forced to speak out, but it was hard not to under the invisible pressure.
William moved forward a step, ignoring the warning look the princess gave him while making sure to get Elder Yu’s expression. She seemed indifferent. That was enough for him.
“Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but I have seen whatever Princess Jin has. I will be able to answer whatever questions you might have for her.”