At this moment, Ming Yu embraced You Wang, a silent sigh of relief escaping his heart.
This matter could finally be considered concluded.
And it seemed the outcome wasn't bad.
At the very least, Imperial Father… held no killing intent towards Qin Ning.
After hastily handing You Wang over to several commanders, Ming Yu also hurried to follow.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, Qin Ning walked slowly with his hands clasped behind his back. His tall, slender figure gazed at the vast imperial palace, sighing with emotion.
Emperor Ming Yong stood beside him, silent, his demeanor respectful.
Sheng Dengfeng, Sheng Xinyue, Ye Yuanyuan, and Ming Yu followed them at a distance of about a hundred paces.
The four of them had not yet fully regained their composure, and none of them spoke.
Qin Ning stopped before the entrance of a palace hall.
Looking at this palace, Qin Ning frowned slightly.
"Young Master Qin!"
Emperor Ming Yong spoke, "This place is a crucial area of the Northern Ming imperial palace. For tens of thousands of years, the Northern Ming imperial family has gone from weak to strong, and from strong back to weak, but every generation of emperor has come here to receive the ancestral will. Apart from the emperor, no one else is permitted to enter without authorization."
"You all still have some conscience, it seems."
Qin Ning nodded and said, "Open it, I want to go in and see!"
Hearing this, Emperor Ming Yong did not hesitate and walked straight forward.
He formed hand seals, and complex incantations radiated outwards, covering the large door.
The large door slowly opened, making creaking sounds, revealing its ancient appearance.
"Please, Young Master!"
Emperor Ming Yong spoke with extreme reverence, without the slightest hesitation.
Qin Ning took a deep breath at this moment and stepped inside.
The large door opened, revealing the entire grand hall deep within. And on all four sides, sturdy profound iron covered it. Even a powerful expert who had surpassed the Four Spirit Realm would not be able to sneak in.
Qin Ning stepped into the grand hall, where lamps illuminated the floor.
The entire grand hall at this moment exuded a different aura.
Solemn, quiet, magnificent.
Upon entering the grand hall, one felt as if they had fallen into the depths of tens of thousands of years ago.
Qin Ning strolled around the grand hall at this moment. The entire grand hall covered an area of hundreds of square meters, but there weren't too many structures.
There were only four statues.
The four statues were meticulously arranged in order of height.
Seeing Qin Ning looking at the four statues, Emperor Ming Yong immediately stepped forward to introduce them, "This hundred-meter-tall statue is my ancestor, Emperor Ming Yuan!"
"To the left of my ancestor's statue is an eighty-meter-tall statue, that is Qin Yuan Tian, the ancestor of the Qin family who followed my ancestor in battles everywhere, conquering the world!"
"This one on the right is my ancestor's junior martial brother, also Tian Qing Shi, the founder of the Heavenly God Academy."
"And this one in the middle is precisely the master of my ancestor and Old Ancestor Tian Qing Shi, Venerable Qing Yun!"
Emperor Ming Yong was about to continue speaking when Qin Ning interrupted, "I know!"
Hearing this, Emperor Ming Yong fell silent.
His eyes showed no impatience or dissatisfaction, but rather appeared perfectly natural.
Meanwhile, outside the grand hall, Ming Yu stepped forward to block Sheng Dengfeng and the other two.
"Ming Yu, what do you mean?" Ye Yuanyuan asked with a frown.
"The three of you, only emperors are allowed to enter this place, the three of you cannot!" Ming Yu said with a bitter expression.
"Then why can Young Master Qin enter?"
Sheng Xinyue worried about Qin Ning's safety, "Are you deceiving us?"
Hearing this, Ming Yu gave a wry smile, "Everyone, this place truly cannot be entered. As for Young Master Qin… I think, if he wants to enter, even Imperial Father cannot stop him, can he?"
As Ming Yu spoke, the three of them hesitated for a moment before nodding.
After a long moment, Sheng Dengfeng finally spoke, "Legend has it that in ancient times, Emperor Ming Yuan established his powerful nation, and no one on the Nine Nether Continent could compare to him. After Emperor Ming Yuan achieved fame, he built a grand hall within the Beiming Empire and erected four statues. It is said that they... guard the lifeline of the Beiming Empire!"
At this moment, Ming Yu also showed a look of surprise.
This secret was known only to a select few members of the imperial family. If his mother had not been from the Qin family, he would not have known about it either.
But he never expected Sheng Dengfeng to know.
It seemed that the Sheng Dan Pavilion truly lived up to its reputation as a top power on the Nine Nether Continent.
The four of them quietly waited outside the grand hall.
Inside the grand hall, Emperor Ming Yong patiently watched Qin Ning.
"Alright, show me the last statue!"
Qin Ning immediately spoke.
Hearing this, Emperor Ming Yong looked surprised.
He had guessed that Qin Ning's identity was not simple, but he never expected Qin Ning to know about the fifth statue as well.
Despite his surprise, Emperor Ming Yong still complied.
Emperor Ming Yong walked to the base of the four statues, then knelt on the ground, bowing three times. After standing up, an insignia appeared in his hands.
Immediately after, a drop of blood fell, and the insignia burst into flames.
Then, an astonishing scene unfolded.
Inside the grand hall, the four statues split into two, then knelt on one knee, bowing their heads. In the center, a path and an image appeared.
It was a three-hundred-meter-tall statue, entirely made of red-glowing metal and wood, with a handsome and divine appearance, ethereal eyes, and dressed in black, looking utterly carefree.
At this moment, all four statues knelt down, welcoming the large statue as it emerged.
Emperor Ming Yong did not introduce it; he believed that Qin Ning knew who this statue was.
Looking at the towering statue, Qin Ning smiled faintly, "It looks quite similar, and very handsome too!"
Facing the statue of himself from his first life, praising himself as handsome, Qin Ning shamelessly complimented himself.
In those years, as the Great Emperor of the Nine Nethers, no one was more familiar with the entire Nine Nether Continent than he was.
"Your ancestors were very thoughtful!"
Qin Ning exclaimed, then flew up, going straight to the statue's hand and then looking down at Ming Yong.
"It's a pity that the descendants are inferior to their predecessors!"
Hearing this, Emperor Ming Yong knelt down, bowing, "Please, Young Master Qin, guide us. As a descendant of the Beiming imperial family, I, Ming Yong, vow to dedicate all my efforts in this life to restore the glorious legacy of our ancestors!"
"It's a pity it's too difficult. The Beiming Empire currently doesn't even qualify to be called an empire. The surrounding empires, superior nations, and powerful nations are all watching intently. And there are also the top powers..."