"I injured my head. I feel dizzy and my head must be broken." Zijing shook her head.

"I think you got your head stuck in a door."

Night Breeze was too lazy to waste any more words with this brat, so he picked up the key and prepared to open the small box.

Zijing asked curiously, "Where did this key come from? Didn't you not have the key to open this box just now? Did the woman in red give you this key?"

“Yes, that woman in red is from the Crimson Treasury. Seven hundred years ago, I entrusted them to keep this key for me. Now that I have broken through the barrier, the Crimson Treasury sent someone to deliver the key to me,” Ye Feng said.

"Oh, I see. I thought she was an enemy," Zijing said.

Zijing opened her mouth again, but before she could ask, Yefeng interrupted, "Don't ask me what the Crimson Treasury is. I'll explain it to you when I have time."

"Alright, alright, I won't ask. Hurry up and open this little box. I want to see what treasures you, old man, left behind seven hundred years ago!" Zijing said excitedly.

Ye Feng thought to himself that he really did have a good temper.

If it were a Saint Realm expert with a slightly worse temper, Zijing would probably not even be left with ashes.

Shaking his head to banish the distracting thoughts, Ye Feng took the key and inserted it into the lock on the small box.

The array patterns on the small box began to flash brightly, and a slight clicking sound came from it.

This formation is both a defensive formation to protect the small box and a formation capable of destroying the contents of the box.

If the night wind were to forcefully break through, the array on this small box would self-destruct, completely destroying the contents of the box.

This is precisely why Ye Feng did not attempt to forcefully crack the small box.

And now, thanks to this key, the little box has finally been opened.

"Huh? Why is it another key?"

Zijing asked in confusion, because what lay quietly in the small box was indeed a key, a simple, light gray key.

Night Wind picked up the key and said slowly, "Because the wealth, or treasure, that I left behind seven hundred years ago requires this key to open."

"The wealth you left behind seven hundred years ago? Where is it? Where is it?" Zijing asked, jumping up and down.

“You will find out, but not now,” Night Wind said.

"How boring!"

Zijing cried out, her face full of displeasure, but she couldn't do anything if Ye Feng didn't say anything, since she couldn't beat Ye Feng.

"It's getting late, you should go back and rest. We have to go to the palace to meet the Emperor tomorrow morning," Ye Feng said.

Zijing finally nodded and left.

The night passed quickly.

The sky was bright and the sun was shining.

It was already morning when Ye Feng led Luo Qing and Zi Jing into the palace in a very high-profile manner.

Meanwhile, the maid Luo Xiaotong was left at the Red Maple Pavilion by Ye Feng.

At this moment, the palace has become the focus of everyone's attention, and countless people are watching it.

Many people want to know what will happen when the current emperor meets the Prince of Nanling from seven hundred years ago.

Is it a power struggle?

Or was it an assassination in the shadows?

The Northern Border King, Jiang Yuye, has also arrived at the palace. Also arriving at the palace are the Eastern Border King, Gao Fan, and the Western Border King, Ouyang Ming!

Inside the main hall, His Majesty the Hongwu Emperor, the current emperor of the Hongtian Empire, sat at the head of the long table, with two princes beside him.

The eldest prince is Zhu Yunren, and the second prince is Zhu Yunfeng.

The three princes were seated in order.

Many high-ranking officials from the imperial court were also sitting here.

The focus of the entire event was Ye Feng.

Luo Qing was to the left of Ye Feng, while Zi Jing was to the right.

Both Luo Qing and Zi Jing appeared somewhat nervous at this moment.

After all, this was the first time either of them had attended such a formal occasion.

Emperor Hongwu, also known as Zhu Chongguang, who was sitting on the throne, looked at Ye Feng with a serious expression.

Ye Feng could sense the aura of a peak Transcendent Realm martial artist emanating from him, and the three vassal kings sitting around Zhu Chongguang were also mostly at the peak Transcendent Realm.

From this perspective, of the four regional vassal kings, only Ye Feng has reached the Saint Realm.

Of course, Ye Feng is not a true Saint Realm cultivator. His true realm is the Void King Realm, but he is currently suppressing his aura and has not yet displayed the strength of the Void King Realm.

"I never imagined that after seven hundred years, we would be able to see one of the pioneering heroes of that time—King Nanling, the Prince of the Southern Territory. This is undoubtedly a fortunate thing for our Hongtian Empire."

"Here, I would also like to thank your generation for their contributions. I am proud of your dedication and sacrifice. The people living on this land will always remember your contributions."

"Now, let us all pay our respects to His Highness the Prince of Nanling."

As soon as the Hongwu Emperor finished speaking, he nodded to the night breeze.

The two princes, the three vassal kings, and more than ten high-ranking officials all rose and bowed respectfully to Ye Feng.

Prior to this, the emergence of the King of Nanling—also known as Ye Feng—had left many people with doubts.

After all, seven hundred years have passed, and people all believe that the King of Nanling has died in his secluded chamber.

But now that the Hongwu Emperor has made a statement, it means that the tone has been set—the Prince of Nanling is still alive, and he is indeed the pioneering hero from seven hundred years ago!

As for whether it was appropriate for Zhu Chongguang, as the Hongwu Emperor, to treat Ye Feng with the respect due to a junior, those present didn't give it much thought.

After all, Ye Feng sitting here is no longer just a simple vassal king; he has become a symbol, representing the glory of the early days of the founding of the nation seven hundred years ago.

Moreover, in terms of seniority, Ye Feng, a vassal king from seven hundred years ago, was indeed an elder of the Hongwu Emperor.

Therefore, even though Emperor Hongwu was the ruler of the Hongtian Empire, there was nothing wrong with him showing respect to Ye Fengxing as a junior.

And the night breeze, under such circumstances, naturally had to make its own response.

Since the Hongwu Emperor has taken the initiative to show goodwill, Ye Feng should naturally respond accordingly.

“Although we are quite far apart in age, and this is our first meeting, you feel very familiar to me. Chongguang, you do indeed resemble your ancestor, Emperor Hongfeng. Looking at you now, I feel like I am seeing an old friend,” Yefeng said with a smile.

Upon hearing Ye Feng's words, Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Chongguang, immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhu Chongguang was the illegitimate son who ascended the throne during the turmoil of the Hongtian Empire a hundred years ago.

Therefore, there have always been many rumors circulating among the people about his lineage, and some even say that Zhu Chongguang was not a descendant of the Zhu family at all and did not have the bloodline of the founding emperor, Emperor Hongfeng.

The fact that Ye Feng is saying this now is an affirmation of his bloodline.