Qin Xiao didn't plan to interact with these people much. By the time they tried to interact again, it would be time for heads to roll.

After everyone dispersed, Qin Xiao followed the maid who led the way into the depths of the palace.

The Ice Palace was inhabited entirely by women; there were no eunuchs as rumored.

After all, this was not an ordinary dynasty, so there was no need for strong men to do physical labor. These maids and palace women were all much more capable than ordinary men.

There are quite a few female officials and guards with high cultivation levels among them; these people are considered the core forces of Mu Yueming on the surface.

However, after being taken advantage of and acted arrogantly, Qin Xiao began to question the integrity of his subordinates.

Soon, the maid led Qin Xiao to a grand hall called the Ice Heart Hall.

The maidservant stepped aside and respectfully extended her hand, "Lord Jingbian, we have arrived."

Qin Xiao nodded and walked straight in.

After passing the jade screen, Mu Yueming was sitting at the desk behind it.

Upon seeing Qin Xiao arrive, he nodded calmly and spoke casually to the maid beside him.

"Everyone, get out. No one is allowed to approach within ten feet of Bingxin Palace. Anyone who violates this rule will be beaten to death."

His tone was somewhat cold, and the two maids nodded and hurried away.

After a while, Qin Xiao looked at Mu Yueming with a strange expression, and the other party also looked at Qin Xiao.

After a moment, he finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

"What are you looking at? Be careful, or I will punish you for disrespect!"

Qin Xiao curled his lip, "Stop pretending, you idiot."

Qin Xiao sat down leisurely, raised his hand to pick up the jade teapot and teacup in front of the other person and poured himself some tea.

"Are you safe here? Don't say anything, people will know as soon as you turn around."

Mu Yueming's expression, which had been somewhat amused, immediately turned ugly upon hearing his words.

"I really didn't expect that someone would be able to get into Huawu Kingdom and find you."

However, it will absolutely not be leaked now. The Ice Heart Palace is the central hub of the Ice Heart Grand Array, where divine power flows.

Even a demigod would be no match for a mortal here! No one around can hear our conversation.

Qin Xiao shook his head, "With your role as empress, you probably have spies watching you everywhere."

Mu Yueming did not refute. Previously, she had been somewhat confident that she had at least cleared out the Ice Palace, but now...

After a while, Mu Yueming changed the subject.

"As you saw this time, there were obstacles everywhere in the court, and I was powerless to help myself, unable to personally intervene."

Qin Xiao nodded. "But logically speaking, as the direct descendant of the Ice Emperor and the current Empress, shouldn't these people restrain themselves and cooperate with you? Wouldn't it be better for everyone to get along? Isn't there something else going on here?"

Qin Xiao had asked this question before, but the answer was that these princes and ministers were greedy for power and profit and unwilling to let go.

However, this reason may be partly true, but to do so based solely on this is rather unwise.

Mu Yueming rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache, and reached out to take off the imperial crown and throw it on the desk.

"That's what I thought at first too. Even if there was some resistance, it was a minor matter. But as I investigated further, I became a little unsure."

At this point, Mu Yueming looked somewhat helpless.

She took out a stack of documents from her storage equipment and handed them to Qin Xiao.

"See? Watch me talk as I speak."

Qin Xiao reached out and took the documents, slowly flipping through them.

"This matter is no longer something that I, as a newly appointed official, am trying to gain or retain some benefits from.

This matter is related to my mother's ascension to godhood, but I won't go into the details.

But my mother's ascension to godhood was due to an extraordinary stroke of luck, something that the top figures in these divine dynasties all knew about.

Furthermore, after her mother became a goddess, she neglected worldly affairs for a long time, and over time, these parasites began to harbor other thoughts.

Qin Xiao nodded, understanding in his heart; it was nothing more than the old saying, "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"

"This kind of thing can't be replicated. Do they really think they can become another god by jumping around like this? Is it that cheap?"

Qin Xiao said curiously.

Mu Yueming shook his head. "Becoming a god? If there's even the slightest hope, no one would remain unmoved."

"According to the intelligence I have gathered, there are two major aspects to the current turmoil in the Divine Dynasty."

First, there is the Alliance of Myriad Realms Elves from the Guixu Temple, which borders the northeast.

The Alliance of Myriad Realms Spirits is a major force among the loosely organized groups under the rule of the Ruins of Heaven, and has repeatedly invaded the borders in recent years.

Through extensive investigation, I believe these people are gathering elven races in various parts of the Shattered Star Sea and the Ruins of Return.

It is said that the leader of the Elf Alliance received some kind of blessing and wanted to ascend to godhood by using the bloodline of all the Elf races, but the truth of this is unknown.

This isn't too much of a problem. There aren't many people in the court who are colluding with the government, after all, the elven leader hasn't become a god yet.

Even if one becomes a god, it's just changing places to be a dog; for top-tier divine dynasties, it doesn't hold that much appeal.

Qin Xiao nodded, having just happened to flip to this document.

As one of the three major divine forces, the Guixu Divine Palace is different from the traditional cultivation world of the Cangtian Dao Realm and the extraordinary dynasty structure of the Binghen Divine Dynasty.

The Guixu Temple is primarily led by the God of Guixu, with various demigods below him, and their races, sects, or even families forming its foundation.

It's like a larger, messier, and weaker version of a pantheon...

The Alliance of Elves of the Myriad Realms is a force formed by the elves, with one demigod among its members, and it holds a fairly strong position within the Temple of the Ruins.

He couldn't help but think of his own fragmented world, wondering if that old hag Ellisa had received an invitation.

Mu Yueming's words and conclusions were correct; even if he had become a god, let alone not yet, he was still a god.

Anyone with a brain would know which choice to make: to defect from the Ice God's ranks to become a dog under the alien Elven race's god.

The Ice Emperor isn't the kind of tyrannical, ruthless, and self-centered god.

At most, it will only attract some lackeys and small factions to do some underhanded things.

"What's the other problem?" Qin Xiao asked curiously.

Mu Yueming looked somewhat grave. "This problem is much more complicated. I don't have many clear clues yet."

However, I am now certain that it is definitely related to the cult forces lurking in the Myriad Realms, and has colluded with the Heavenly Dao Realm.

Qin Xiao flipped through the documents, which only recorded the forces that the Heavenly Dao Realm and the Divine Dynasty had been entangled and causing trouble over the years.

"This information doesn't show any connection to cults. Didn't you say before that the Pale Church and the Scarlet Cult had traces of them?"

Qin Xiao asked curiously, knowing that Mu Yueming wouldn't lie to him about something like this.

Mu Yueming nodded, "This is just a guess based on clues. To know for sure, we need to talk about the situation in the Heavenly Dao Realm."

Qin Xiao put away the documents and listened attentively.

Mu Yueming thought for a moment and then slowly began to speak.

"The Azure Heaven Dao Realm is a typical traditional cultivation-side force, but it has one major difference from ordinary cultivation-side forces."

Mu Yueming didn't keep them in suspense and continued.

"Because of the Heavenly Dao Ancestor, the world's transformation, and the issues with cultivation methods, cultivation in the Heavenly Dao Realm is extremely cruel; only one person can achieve enlightenment on any path."

Moreover, all cultivators ultimately belong to the Heavenly Dao Ancestor; those who attain Dao are merely contributing to the Heavenly Dao of His Heavenly Dao Realm.

Qin Xiao frowned upon hearing this.

"What does this have to do with collusion with cults, and what does it have to do with the conflict between you, Bingheng Divine Dynasty?"

Qin Xiao was not very surprised by the Heavenly Dao Realm.

At best, it's just a disguised form of a divine kingdom that exploits its believers, or a small world where people are enslaved.

Those who practice my methods and contribute to my path may gain power, but they must remain under my command.

It's very reasonable and fair.

The real intention was to incite a war between the two gods so that the evil gods from the outside world would have a chance to enter.

But is it too naive to expect such a minor incident to provoke divine intervention?