The night descended, and Ye Ming only emerged from Ying Qianshi's villa. During their time together, they had reviewed more details for the Alliance Assembly.
All of this was for the smooth progression of the Alliance Assembly.
"The Presidential Palace!"
Ye Ming walked through Kyoto's bustling night market, recalling all the information Ying Qianshi had given him about the Presidential Palace.
The Presidential Palace was located near the outskirts of Kyoto, not in the city center. It was likely chosen for its unique nature when the site was selected.
Notably, behind the Presidential Palace, mountains stood tall, forming a natural barrier against rear attacks.
However, beneath those mountains lay another core area.
The highest military base!
That's right, the heart of the military.
Currently, China's First Marshal, Situ Kong, was stationed in that military base.
Upon thinking of this person, Ye Ming's eyes narrowed slightly. Although they had spoken once before, it was merely a mutual probe, and it hadn't yielded the results Ye Ming desired.
Reflecting on it now, Ye Ming felt that not only was the Presidential Palace somewhat mysterious, but the military also seemed shrouded in a layer of camouflage.
"Why would the military help me when I'm imparting immortal cultivation techniques?"
This was a question Ye Ming had yet to unravel.
He remembered that as soon as he began teaching immortal cultivation techniques, he had been noticed by the Presidential Palace. And before his decisive battle with Gu Taiyi, the Presidential Palace had even made moves to apprehend him.
The Seven Star Envoys sent by the Ancient Martial Arts Association were precisely for this purpose.
But after he defeated those two Seven Star Envoys, the Presidential Palace ceased its actions.
At the time, through his intelligence network, Ying Qianshi learned that someone from the military had intervened, restraining the Presidential Palace's next move.
As for their motives, Ye Ming had still not found an answer.
"The military! The Presidential Palace! What kind of demons and ghosts are hidden behind you two factions?"
A cold glint flashed in Ye Ming's eyes, and his figure gradually blurred, fading into the night sky.
Several minutes later, about a hundred meters above the ground, Ye Ming looked down at a siheyuan, his expression solemn.
That siheyuan was the location of the Presidential Palace.
At this moment, the space where Ye Ming was seemed indistinguishable from the surrounding area. At a glance, it appeared as if he were standing in mid-air, with no abnormalities.
However, if someone were present, it might not have been the case at all.
Because in front of him, he could not see any figures.
Even if Ye Ming were right in front of them.
The reason for this was that Ye Ming was not currently in the space of the real world. He had utilized the power of space-time to conceal himself in a special temporal dimension overlapping with the current one.
Furthermore, he had suppressed his aura to its absolute minimum.
Even if there were old fellows in the Human Immortal realm within the Presidential Palace, it would be virtually impossible for them to detect him.
This time, venturing to the Presidential Palace, Ye Ming had elevated his vigilance to the highest level, allowing no room for carelessness.
"I want to see what kind of person is hidden within the Presidential Palace!"
Ye Ming murmured, lowering his altitude and appearing before the main gate of the Presidential Palace.
Currently, there were four guards alone at the gate, and all of them were ancient martial artists.
No!
To be precise, they were now all immortal cultivators.
They had advanced from the path of ancient martial arts to the path of immortal cultivation.
"Peak of the Perception Realm!"
Ye Ming's gaze pierced through the strength of the four guards at a single glance.
All of them were at the peak of the Perception Realm, their standing equivalent to Martial Emperors among ancient martial artists.
"As expected of the Presidential Palace, even the gatekeepers possess such strength!"
Ye Ming chuckled softly.
However, this point also indirectly proved that the Presidential Palace was definitely not as simple as it appeared to the outside world.
Stepping forward, Ye Ming walked directly into the Presidential Palace. The guards, naturally, did not sense any abnormality.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Ye Ming did not use his senses to pinpoint the President's location. He could only wander freely within the Presidential Palace, slowly searching.
"Hmm!"
At this moment, Ye Ming suddenly spotted a familiar figure.
It was an old man, holding a dinner plate.
"Qi... Old Qi!"
Ye Ming was startled internally.
That's right!
The old man was Qi Baigong, whom he and Nangong Qianyu had met once, known as the "God of Cookery."
Ye Ming had always had a good impression of this person. At the time, he had also learned some intelligence regarding the political and military factions from him.
Moreover, he had revealed his identity as the head chef of the Presidential Palace to them.
"I didn't expect to see an acquaintance here!"
Ye Ming sighed, shaking his head.
However, cooking at this time of day meant that the person who had ordered him must hold a very high position within the Presidential Palace.
After all, Qi Bai Gong had mentioned that within the Presidential Palace, the number of people truly qualified to eat his cooking was very limited.
With this thought, Ye Ming followed behind him.
Two minutes later.
Qi Baigong arrived outside a room, gently knocked on the door, and said, "Mr. Chu!"
"Come in!"
A refined voice replied from within.
Pushing the door open, a middle-aged man met Qi Baigong's gaze. He wore a neat white shirt and had a serene expression. Yet, his eyes seemed to conceal the blazing imperial might, and his entire being exuded an aura of authority that was starkly different from his outward appearance.
This place seemed to be his study, with four or five bookshelves. At this moment, the middle-aged man shifted his gaze from his book and looked up at Qi Baigong, smiling, "Hahahaha, troubling Old Qi at this hour, are you going to resign?"
"Hmph! You still have the nerve to say that!"
Qi Baigong did not pay much attention to the man's presidential status. He placed the nourishing porridge he had brewed on the desk and said indignantly, "Didn't you say that Qingqi girl was back? Where is she?"
"Ah... this!"
Chu Ying looked at the nourishing porridge on the table, and upon hearing the question, he let out a wry smile, seemingly unsure how to answer.
Seeing this, Qi Baigong's beard bristled with anger. He put his hands behind his back and said furiously, "Didn't you say you were afraid I would resign? Fine! Today, I am indeed resigning!"
With that, he turned and prepared to leave.
"Don't! Old Qi!"
Chu Ying quickly stood up, his face a picture of flattery. "Qingyi did return, but she left suddenly... two days ago."
Left suddenly!
Upon hearing this, Qi Baigong stopped in his tracks, turned back to look at Chu Ying, a complex expression flashing in his cloudy eyes, then he sighed softly:
"Alas! That poor girl!"
"Indeed!"
Chu Ying shook his head, glanced at the starry sky outside the window, a trace of loneliness appearing in his expression. But more so, there was helplessness:
"I hope she is well!"