"I am here on behalf of the Zhiyao Celestial Palace to deliver something to you."
Ancestor Heze said, taking out a tri-colored jade talisman from his sleeve and handing it to Zhang Yao.
"Oh?"
Zhang Yao glanced at it, not immediately accepting it, but instead asked:
"What is this?"
The slight wariness in Zhang Yao's gesture did not seem to bother Ancestor Heze, who calmly explained:
"Fellow Daoist, you already know that within the Celestial Palace, aside from the peripheral members, there are core members."
"However, there is actually another category of members who fall between the two. They are valued by the high-ranking members of the Celestial Palace but are not nurtured within the palace; their level of trust is slightly lower, yet they remain a backbone of the Celestial Palace."
"For this category of members, the high-ranking members issue a 'Celestial Palace Jade Talisman' as a token of identity."
As he spoke, he shook the tri-colored jade talisman in his hand:
"This is your Celestial Palace Jade Talisman."
"With this talisman, your status will be comparable to core members, and deeper channels within the palace will be accessible to you. All the conveniences you previously enjoyed will experience a qualitative leap."
"In addition, this Celestial Palace Jade Talisman itself is a treasure that can be used for long-distance communication."
"Long-distance communication?"
Zhang Yao showed interest, asking:
"How far is its effective range?"
"Including the Nine Mansions of the Celestial Continent, the Fuxin Fifty-four Countries, and the Eight Border Lands, it is effective throughout the entire Central Plains territory."
Ancestor Heze replied in a calm tone, but the content caused Zhang Yao's expression to change slightly.
"That powerful..."
In Zhang Yao's heart, many thoughts collided.
The higher his cultivation realm, the more he understood how remarkable a treasure capable of transmitting messages over the entire Central Earth could be.
Let alone understanding the principle behind it, even if he knew the principle, he probably couldn't achieve it.
"The Celestial Palace Jade Talisman is by invitation only, issued to those who qualify."
Ancestor Heze smiled slightly:
"Of course, you could refuse as well."
"However, as far as I know, there hasn't been a precedent for anyone refusing in the past thousands of years."
Zhang Yao chuckled, reaching out to accept the tri-colored jade talisman:
"When benefits are delivered to the door, why refuse them?"
He toyed with the talisman, inserting his divine thought and magical power into it, quickly uncovering its mysteries.
He discovered that this Celestial Palace Jade Talisman seemed to be mysteriously connected to a central place of unfathomable power, capable of sending messages outward through some imperceptible channels.
"Through the Celestial Palace Jade Talisman, not only can you send messages to the Celestial Palace headquarters in the Celestial Continent, but you can also contact other talisman holders via this channel."
"Of course, the premise is that you know the talisman holder, possess the corresponding talisman imprint, and the other party is willing to accept your communication."
Ancestor Heze continued with a cheerful demeanor:
"Looking across the entire Central Plains, there really aren't many people who are valued by the high-ranking members of the Celestial Palace."
"Either they are experts at the Golden Core Limit or even Golden Core Invincible, or they are core high-ranking members within major sects and forces to receive this treatment."
"I see..."
Zhang Yao's expression showed a flicker of understanding, as if he had a sudden revelation.
The emergence of this Celestial Palace Jade Talisman had unlocked a puzzle in his heart.
During the battle to annihilate the Seven Sects Alliance, the remaining Golden Core cultivators chose to hold their ground, tightly guarding the alliance headquarters under the protection of an array, waiting for reinforcements.
He was curious about how these remnants of the Seven Sects Alliance communicated with the outside world since the normal means of communication had distance limitations, and there was clearly no one in the Southwest Land capable of rescuing them.
"It seems that the 'Chenxing Celestial King' Murong Xiao also has a Celestial Palace Jade Talisman, just left it in the mountain gate."
"But is he a member of the Zhiyao Celestial Palace? It doesn't seem likely..."
A doubt arose in Zhang Yao's heart.
The Zhiyao Celestial Palace is most famous for its various grades of spiritual gold treasure materials, which are highly beneficial for him but not necessarily for others.
According to Nether Abyss Ancestor's account, Murong Xiao, even if he wanted to join, should have joined the Qing Chen Celestial Palace, which is where most spiritual objects and treasures are found.
"Hmm? Qing Chen..."
Zhang Yao suddenly thought of something, looking down at the talisman in his hand.
The talisman he was toying with was made of an unknown material, neither gold nor jade, showing white, green, and purple colors.
"Could it be..."
He looked up at Ancestor Heze, his expression inscrutable:
"Fellow Daoist Heze, this Celestial Palace Jade Talisman, it may not just represent the Zhiyao Celestial Palace alone, right?"
"Haha..."
Ancestor Heze stroked his beard with a smile:
"You have indeed figured it out."
"That's right, this Celestial Palace Jade Talisman is universally applicable within the Three Celestial Palaces."
Hearing this, Zhang Yao couldn't help but take a deep breath.
This answer was somewhat beyond his expectations, revealing that the connections between the Three Celestial Palaces were far deeper than he had realized.
Nether Abyss Ancestor once said that the Three Celestial Palaces had many similarities and their internal structures were roughly the same, but now it seemed that the Three Celestial Palaces were practically in league with each other!
"Fellow Daoist Heze..."
Zhang Yao considered his words, probing with his question:
"The high-ranking members behind the Three Celestial Palaces... could they all be from the same faction?"
"Yes, and no."
Ancestor Heze's smile faded as he countered with a question:
"Who do you think is behind the Three Celestial Palaces?"
Zhang Yao pondered for a moment before an answer leapt to his mind:
"... The Nine Heavens Alliance?"
Such a colossal entity spanning the Central Plains, and not just one but three, made its power unfathomable.
Aside from the Nine Heavens Alliance, which governs the Central Plains and deters the Four Desolates, Zhang Yao couldn't think of any other force with such depth.
"Correct."
Ancestor Heze nodded succinctly as he replied:
"Behind the Three Celestial Palaces, it is indeed the Nine Heavens Alliance that supports them, which is practically an open secret on the Celestial Continent."
"But in essence, the Nine Heavens Alliance is still an alliance, with various factions and internal disputes over interests, not a monolithic entity."
"And the birth and development of the Three Celestial Palaces is a result of such internal machinations."
"To my knowledge, three thousand years ago there was only one Qing Chen Celestial Palace, which operated within the Celestial Continent and remained hidden in the shadows, specifically carrying out unspeakable tasks for certain high-ranking members of the Nine Heavens Alliance."
"Until Qing Chen Celestial Palace grew stronger, gradually emerging from the shadows to the forefront, with the subsequent appearances of Zhiyao and Baiyu Celestial Palaces..."
Zhang Yao listened to his words and couldn't help but nod slightly.
The history of the Three Celestial Palaces largely aligned with the memories of Five Elements Wanderer Liu Cang.
The Qing Chen, Zhiyao, and Baiyu Celestial Palaces have now become a semi-public platform, with most Golden Core cultivators within the Central Plains having some affiliation with one of the palaces.
The relationship between the Three Celestial Palaces involves both collaboration and competition, with high-ranking relationships being particularly intricate.
However, normally, unless someone is not a core member nurtured by the palace, they would not be easily drawn into high-level conflicts.
"Fellow Daoist Qingxu."
Ancestor Heze suddenly spoke:
"Having just acquired the Celestial Palace Jade Talisman, you may not be familiar with its applications and might be unaware of many of its subtleties."
As he spoke, he took out a tri-colored jade talisman identical to the one in Zhang Yao's hand, signaling:
"Since I am here today, why don't we exchange some insights?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao immediately understood the underlying meaning of his words.
"Very well, I would appreciate your guidance, Fellow Daoist."
Zhang Yao courteously acquiesced, and the two exchanged talisman imprints on the spot.
"Fellow Daoist?"
Zhang Yao sent out a communication through divine thought, but this time he used the power of the Celestial Gate Jade Talisman.
Even though they were only a few feet apart, no matter how Zhang Yao scanned with his divine thought, he couldn't detect a trace, only marveling at the Celestial Palace's high-level methods.
"Buzz!"
Ancestor Heze did not immediately respond but transmitted a special message—a second talisman imprint.
Zhang Yao thought to himself 'as expected,' without hesitation accepting the second talisman imprint, channeling his divine thought and magical power into it, creating another transmission channel.
And that transmission channel almost immediately had a response:
"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, Fellow Daoist Heze."
An aged voice descended through a mysterious channel, perceptible only to Zhang Yao and Ancestor Heze:
"Greetings, humble monk extending courtesy."