Chapter 473 160: Be as Respectful to Him as You Are to Me, The Four Great Dukes, The Rumors Are Wrong

Otherwise, they might have forgotten they were subjects of Great Xia at all.

"Do you have any other instructions for me, Your Excellency?" Seeing that Jiang Ruxian had no intention of looking through the records, Prince Zhong put away the bamboo slips and asked respectfully.

"Do not reveal my existence. Also, prepare a quiet room for me. Unless it's something important, do not disturb me," Jiang Ruxian said coolly.

Prince Zhong was taken aback. "And what would you consider to be something important, Your Excellency?" he asked.

"Trouble that he cannot solve," Jiang Ruxian replied, her tone still indifferent.

"He?"

The Four Dukes were taken aback again. The truth was, even now, they still didn't know who the Emperor of Great Xia had sent.

They had originally planned to just send some disciples from their clans for the reception, a perfunctory gesture. But now, it seemed they had no choice but to go in person...

Jiang Ruxian seemed to glance outside. "By my calculations, he should be arriving soon."

As one of the three largest piers on the northern side of Immortal Ascension Island, Black Horn Pier was a constant hive of activity. Massive Black Armored Battleships were anchored just offshore. As their iron anchors were raised, they began to escort merchant vessels away from the coast.

Men and women clad in Black Armor, their chests bearing the insignias of the Four Great Dukes, waited below with solemn expressions. A large area around them had already been cleared, spacious enough for a War Flying Ship to land.

Not far away, many of the passing cultivators and other beings watched the scene, secretly speculating amongst themselves.

On Immortal Ascension Island, in addition to the three great Guardian Families, there were the Four Great Dukes. They had been dispatched by the Great Xia Dynasty to help govern the island, with each representing one of the virtues: Loyalty, Courage, Valor, and Righteousness.

Each of these Dukes had once followed the first Emperor, fighting by his side in campaigns across the land and earning countless merits.

Of course, the titles of the Four Great Dukes were hereditary. Now, thousands of years later, their sole duty was to guard Immortal Ascension Island; they were not required to intervene even if the foundations of the Great Xia Dynasty itself were shaken.

The first Emperor of Great Xia had possessed great foresight. He believed that as long as they guarded the main Demon Abyss and prevented a Demon Calamity from erupting, the realm of Great Xia would remain secure.

"The Four Dukes never meddle in the affairs of Immortal Ascension Island, and you rarely see disciples from their estates out and about. What's with all the commotion today? Are they welcoming someone important?"

"I have a distant relative who's quite friendly with a young member of the Gongsun Clan. I heard the Great Xia Dynasty is sending someone to inspect the Demon Abyss."

"Even the Great Xia Dynasty, all the way in the Celestial Central Province, has heard about the disturbance at the Demon Abyss?"

"Well, the Four Dukes were personally appointed by the Great Xia Emperor to guard the Demon Abyss and prevent a Demon Calamity from plunging the world into chaos. They must keep a constant watch on any activity there..."

"That's a relief. For the past few days, the three great families have had their young disciples patrolling near the Demon Abyss. Even Goddess Tantai Qing is with them. It's made everyone panic, thinking something terrible happened."

"If the Great Xia Dynasty is sending someone, they definitely won't let this situation slide..."

"I just wonder who the Great Xia Dynasty is sending."

The pier was bustling with activity. Many people had stopped to watch the War Flying Ship slowly descend from high in the sky, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation.

On the shore, however, a few people dressed as commoners exchanged glances, relaying news of the events here back to the factions they served.

Immortal Ascension Island had a unique geography. Having risen from the depths of the sea, it held rare mineral veins and resources that had accumulated over tens of millions of years.

Some areas even contained entire mountains of unrefined jade and copper. Countless factions from across the Nine Provinces Land kept a watchful eye on this place every single day.

If it weren't for the three great Guardian Families and the four Dukes of the Great Xia Dynasty presiding over it, this place would have likely erupted into war long ago.

In fact, various Immortal Sect Lineages had outposts here, with Disciples and Elders permanently stationed to oversee trade.

'The Great Xia Dynasty really did send someone...'

'Master was right.'

At that moment, on the bustling pier, a young man with a scarred, ugly face watched the War Flying Ship descend. His face was a web of crisscrossing scars, like jagged teeth, but a strange light flickered in his eyes.

He had a tall, slender build and wore coarse linen clothes, his hair hanging loose. He was shouldering a load of cargo, carrying it toward a freighter.

Many others around him were dressed in the same manner.

However, compared to those around him, his bearing was far calmer and more composed. Unlike the others, whose faces were ashen and eyes were dull with hopelessness, he seemed different.

He ignored the shouts urging him on, pausing to watch the War Flying Ship land.

A handsome young man in white emerged, surrounded by a group of other youths. This group's appearance and demeanor were completely different from ordinary people. Their bodies were wreathed in five-colored light or shrouded in divine radiance, their vital energy surging like a blazing furnace.

Even from a great distance, one could feel their powerful, oppressive aura.

Some beings with bloodlines from the Ancient Times felt their hearts tremble, an instinctual urge to submit rising within them.

A large retinue followed behind him as well.

'These people's auras and cultivation levels are extraordinary. They must be famous figures among the younger generation in the Celestial Central Province. And yet, they're all deferring to that man in white?'

'Who is that man in white? Why can't even I see through him? I even feel a faint sense of dread.'

The young man in coarse linen frowned as he watched the scene from afar.

But in the next moment, the sharp crack of a whip slicing through the air sounded out. He instinctively dodged to the side, avoiding the strike. The whip slammed into the bluestone ground with a loud CRACK, sending a web of fractures spreading across the surface, a testament to its power.