The moment Ao Bing left, Shen Gongbao sat down cross-legged in the carriage.

His earlier statement to Ao Bing that he didn't care about his identity being exposed was not just polite talk.

From the moment he left Yuxu Palace, Shen Gongbao had already decided that he would never again be bound by the gaze of others in this life.

Whether it's envy or jealousy, it's all the same.

Those people dared not make a move, so Shen Gongbao simply ignored them.

If anyone dares to reach out to me, I will cut them down with one sword.

It's such a simple thing.

Why create more trouble for yourself?

In comparison, improving one's own abilities as much as possible is the truly crucial matter.

The separate carriage gave Shen Gongbao greater freedom.

Then I'll just have to try the Dragon Blood Coral that Ao Bing brought me.

Although Shen Gongbao already knew about the wealth of the Four Seas Dragon Palace and had witnessed the generosity of Ao Bing, the Third Prince of the East Sea, he was still deeply shocked by the amount of dragon blood coral inside when he opened his storage bag.

A small storage bag contained a full thirty dragon blood corals, a quantity that was nearly half of what Shen Gongbao had previously snatched from the snow wolf clan.

These thirty dragon blood corals could easily be exchanged for a low-grade innate spiritual treasure. If one only pursues the quality of the spiritual treasure, they could even exchange for a decent mid-grade acquired spiritual treasure.

Shen Gongbao could only sigh once again at the Third Prince's magnanimity.

Take out a piece of dragon blood coral.

Dragon blood coral grows in the burial grounds of deep-sea dragons. Its entire body is as red as blood, with dragon scale patterns faintly visible on its surface. It feels warm and smooth to the touch, like a living thing.

Although dragon blood coral is a sacred medicine for enhancing physical strength, improper consumption can lead to minor issues such as ruptured meridians or severe issues such as blood reversal, transforming one into a half-dragon, half-human monster. Therefore, the consumption of dragon blood coral must be approached with extreme caution.

Fortunately, Ao Bing was very thoughtful in this regard. He not only wrote down the usual way of consuming dragon blood coral for Shen Gongbao, but also prepared the necessary equipment for him in advance.

"What a sweet guy!"

Shen Gongbao muttered something to himself, then picked up the Spirit Jade Knife and cut off an inch or so from the Dragon Blood Coral.

Dragon blood coral cannot be cut with metal tools, otherwise it will cause the medicinal properties to become tainted. Therefore, Shen Gongbao used a small jade knife prepared in advance by Ao Bing when cutting it.

After cutting the small piece of dragon blood coral into small fragments, Shen Gongbao poured them into the Xuanbing Jade Mortar that had been prepared in advance and slowly crushed them.

As the powder in the Xuanbing Jade Mortar gradually turned crimson, Shen Gongbao couldn't help but smile.

However, the dragon blood coral cannot be used at this stage.

For the best results, dragon blood coral powder must be taken with rootless water or ancient stone milk.

When Shen Gongbao first took dragon blood coral, he was mainly trying it out. He didn't take much dragon blood coral, so half a cup of thousand-year-old stalactite was enough.

As the dragon blood coral powder completely dissolved into the millennium-old stalactite, Shen Gongbao drank it down without hesitation.

In an instant, Shen Gongbao felt his blood and qi surge, and fine blood droplets began to seep from his pores, condensing into a red mist that swirled around him. A dragon's roar echoed within his body.

………

While Shen Gongbao was constantly consuming Dragon Blood Coral to enhance his physical strength, Xiqi, thousands of miles away...

Ji Fa rushed into Ji Chang's tent in a panic:

"Father, according to our scouts, the Shang army has already attacked, and it's even the eldest prince of King Zhou of Shang, Yin Jiao, who is personally leading the troops. What should we do?"

Ji Chang seemed to have anticipated this news. He calmly put away the copper coins in his hand, then looked at Ji Fa and slowly said:

"Please sit down first and tell me about the situation of the Yin Shang's military expedition."

Ji Fa's tense mood eased considerably upon seeing Ji Chang's calm demeanor.

"This time, Yin Jiao led an army of 100,000 and selected countless fierce generals. Of course, more importantly, according to the urgent report from our spies in Chaoge, before the expedition, Yin Jiao took Guang Chengzi, the teacher of the Human Emperor, as his master. At this time, the Yin Shang army was in high spirits and everyone said that Yin Jiao was the reincarnation of the Human Emperor and that the Yin Shang would rise again for another 600 years. Its momentum was unstoppable!"

This time, Ji Chang's expression finally showed a slight change:

"Are you sure that Yin Jiao really became Guang Chengzi's disciple?"

Ji Fa said with certainty:

"This news is absolutely true. The secret letter not only stated that Yin Jiao had become Guang Chengzi's disciple, but also that Guang Chengzi had bestowed the Heaven-Turning Seal upon Yin Jiao. Guang Chengzi would never have given such a treasure as the Heaven-Turning Seal to Yin Jiao if he wasn't a direct disciple."

At this point, Yin Jiao immediately felt a pang of regret:

"Father, what's going on with those people from the Chan Sect? Didn't Guang Chengzi just send Jiang Ziya to our Xiqi, saying that our Xiqi was destined for prosperity? How come they've suddenly run off to Yin Shang?"

Ji Chang tapped his hand lightly, and after a long while, he let out a cold laugh:

"They're unhappy with how Xiqi has slighted Jiang Ziya, and they're deliberately trying to put us in our place!"

"Father, what should we do? Should we continue to leave Jiang Ziya hanging, or..."

Ji Chang slowly rose to his feet:

"Now that things have come to this, there's no way for Xiqi to hide anymore. By the way, is Jiang Ziya still in the same place?"

Ji Fa had already confirmed Ji Chang's question beforehand, so when Ji Chang spoke, Ji Fa answered without hesitation:

"Last time he went out with Jichongchong, although Guangchengzi did not come back with him, Jiang Ziya himself came back directly. These days he has been staying in the residence that his father arranged for him. Apart from occasionally meeting with some colleagues, he has not gone out again."

Ji Chang nodded slightly:

"Then you can invite Jiang Ziya over for me later. Since he wants to be the Prime Minister of Xiqi so much, I will give him the position of Prime Minister of Xiqi in front of all the civil and military officials, so that his Chan Sect will stop using such underhanded tricks."

A hint of worry flashed in Ji Fa's eyes:

"But if we do that, wouldn't it just be asking us to admit our submission to the Chan Sect?"

Upon seeing this, Ji Chang smiled:

“Is being the prime minister of Xiqi so easy? Since Yin Jiao was created by the Chan Sect themselves, then let Jiang Ziya deal with it himself.”

"Moreover, I, Ji Chang, would never be the one to take the lead unless I can persuade any one of the three marquises—the Eastern Marquis, the Western Marquis, or the Southern Marquis—to rebel in advance. Otherwise, I would rather hand over all military power to King Zhou of Shang than send troops."

As he spoke, Ji Chang's gaze returned to Ji Fa:

"As for what you need to do, you just need to go to war in your father's place. Your position is enough for you to control the entire army, and your identity is just right to leave all the problems to Jiang Ziya. You don't need to care how he fights. You just need to remember how many people you take out and bring them all back to me in the end."