The group of three stepped inside the Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Palace of the Great Ye Empire was huge and was located at the center of the Imperial City.
The territory covered by this palace was about one-fifth of the whole city.
It wasn't a single huge fortress but a group of palaces, which were together called the Imperial Palace.
The Emperor's Palace, the Crown Prince's Palace, the Ancestors Shrine, and the Imperial Library were the most significant of all buildings and also were the four major pillars of the Imperial Palace.
In this whole area, the Great Ye Clan's people resided.
The Great Ye Clan had hundreds of members from Branch, and Core Family, all of them were talented individuals of their generation, striving to uphold the clan's prestige and make a name for themselves.
In the Great Ye Clan, Ye Tian Yun wasn't part of the Branch or Core Family. Since he was the son of the Emperor, he was part of the Imperial Lineage.
The Imperial Lineage was the most important part of the Great Ye Clan and was also treated with extreme reverence and respect.
Currently, in the whole palace boundaries, there were only two people from the Imperial Lineage, the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
Emperor Ye Tian Xuan didn't have any other son.
However, there were other princes in the Great Ye Clan.
They were groomed to be the future leaders of the Empire when one day the Crown Prince takes the helm.
'Out of all of them, half of them sacrificed themselves for me, while the rest betrayed me.'
Thinking about those faces who had sacrificed their lives just like Butler Liu, Ye Tian Yun couldn't help but sigh.
The Great Ye Clan was like a slumbering dragon.
However, this dragon was no different from a ticking time bomb which was about to explode any time.
Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath as they headed towards the Emperor's Palace.
'I need to first finish my work in the Lower Heavens before worrying about the Upper Heavens.'
There was still a time before things went out of hand.
For now, his main goal was to get the Tokens and Emblems.
He had already gotten enough hints that his journey wouldn't stop even after Wang Yao's death.
'There is someone pulling strings.'
'The Heavens? Or is there someone else?'
Ye Tian Yun didn't know the answers as of yet.
Even though the older Wang Yao could tell him, that would put both of their lives in danger.
'I am not in a hurry to know anyway. Let's take one step at a time for now.'
"We're here." Butler Liu spoke, distracting Ye Tian Yun from his thoughts.
In front of them was a hallway and at the end was a huge gate.
Beyond the gate was the Imperial Courtroom.
This was the place where all major decisions related to the Empire were taken.
On both sides of the hallway were guards standing in full attention.
'Half Saint Realm…'
Ye Tian Yun nodded at these.
These guards were the most powerful batch in the whole Palace, and their main task was to ensure the safety of the Emperor.
'Not like my father needs anyone to guard anyway…'
Emperor Ye was the most powerful cultivator in the whole Middle Heavens. Still, there were regular assassination attempts on him or the important members of the Great Ye Family like Ye Tian Yun himself.
These guards usually took care of them.
Ye Tian Yun took a note of their stoic facial expression and followed Butler Liu and Ling Qing'er towards the huge gate in front of them.
….
Beyond the gate was the Imperial Hall of the Great Ye Hall.
This was the place where all ministers and other authoritative figures of the Middle Kingdom came to advise the Emperor on the direction of Middle Heaven's future.
Though there was rarely any event when the Emperor actually listened to them.
In the Middle Heavens, to become a major power, one not only needed to have a base in the Imperial City, but they also needed to have a seat in the Imperial Courtroom.
Each major power got one seat, which was usually taken by the leader of those powers.
However, not all leaders could always be present here, so they usually sent someone else as a replacement, who was usually the second in command.
The Imperial Court was held on a weekly basis, and rarely anyone missed them.
While one of the reasons was, they were afraid that the Emperor might take offense. However, the main reason behind their full attendance was because they were worried some other clan or sect might try to plot or do something funny against them.
And since everyone here was on their own, there were rarely any groups within the group.
Today, however, the hall was pretty empty.
Only the Emperor sat on his throne with his eyes closed.
"Your Majesty, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun had arrived with Butler Liu and an unknown lady. They are currently heading towards the imperial Courtroom."
"Hm, send them in." The Emperor replied to the anonymous source of the voice.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
The voice replied, and the hall turned silent once again.
After a few minutes, the gate at the other end of the hall slowly opened, and three figures stepped in.
They were precisely YeTian Yun, Ling Qing'er, and Butler Liu.
They approached the center of the hall and kneeled down.
"We have returned, Father." Ye Tian Yun said.
Emperor Ye opened his eyes and nodded at the three.
"Your cultivation…" The first thing that Emperor Ye noticed was his cultivation.
Ye Tian Yun replied, "I have progressed a bit."
"Hm…" Emperor Ye smiled, "Good. But remember that now is not the time to show off."
"Yes, Father." Ye Tian Yun nodded.
He somewhat felt that there was a hidden message in Emperor Ye's words.
The Emperor wouldn't stop him from showing his talents.
Unless there was something or someone that Ye Tian Yun needed to be careful of?