287: Royal heritage! I want all the rewards!

“Greetings, Your Royal Highness!”

Lu Xuan did not presume, clasping his hands and gently bowing in return, saluting Princess Xingyue.

“Lord Lu, there’s no need for such formality.”

Princess Xingyue’s lips curved slightly, a faint smile gracing her delicate, beautiful face.

However, this smile was like a fleeting shadow, vanishing in an instant!

Then, Princess Xingyue did not intend to continue exchanging pleasantries with Lu Xuan but directly stated her purpose.

“Xingyue specifically requested an audience with the Empress to see you, Lord Lu, because I wished to thank you in person.”

Princess Xingyue’s voice, though very gentle, carried a hint of imperceptible weariness.

Lu Xuan’s gaze narrowed slightly; he could still see the fleeting pain in Princess Xingyue’s eyes.

However, Lu Xuan could also understand Princess Xingyue’s pain.

Indeed, anyone betrayed by the person they entrusted their heart to would fall into the abyss of despair.

This time, Lu Xuan did not speak in response to Princess Xingyue, merely nodding slightly, acknowledging her thanks with this silent gesture.

Anyway, Lu Xuan could not experience such romantic pain between a man and a woman.

Of course, Lu Xuan also did not wish to experience it.

“Empress, your humble sister takes her leave!”

Princess Xingyue’s voice was clear and melodious. After bowing slightly to Empress Xia Mingyue in front of her, she turned gracefully, her imperial robe’s skirt fluttering, her movements clean and decisive.

In an instant, she vanished from the great hall, leaving only a faint fragrance that seemed to prove her presence.

“Minister Lu, you eliminated the Wen Family and successfully rescued Xingyue.”

“This is a great achievement, and I am very satisfied!”

Empress Xia Mingyue paused briefly, then slowly walked over with an air of equality.

“Minister Lu—”

Suddenly!

The entire great hall was enveloped by an invisible force.

An indescribable sense of oppression permeated the invisible air.

Every inch of space seemed to be suppressed by some supreme power.

It was as if one had suddenly stepped into a completely unfamiliar world.

“This is… the power of Heaven and Earth Laws!”

Lu Xuan was horrified, and the purple Void Tempering vortex within him instantly surged, as if stimulated by something strong.

At the same time, black-gold flames quietly appeared within the great hall.

Each black-gold flame, like a wandering dragon, moved through the palace, directly confronting the mysterious power of the Heaven and Earth Laws.

The clash of these two unimaginable Heaven and Earth Laws, though without earth-shattering sounds, made the entire space invert.

Lu Xuan and Empress Xia Mingyue seemed to have a telepathic connection, controlling this irresistible force, trying to prevent it from affecting the outside world.

Otherwise, this power of the Heaven and Earth Laws alone could instantly reduce this massive palace to ashes in less than a second!

Just as this happened in a flash, ten li away, deep within the forbidden area of the Imperial Palace.

In the underground palace.

Three old men in ancient, ornate robes suddenly opened their eyes.

Their eyes were dry and cloudy, yet at this moment, they simultaneously burst forth with captivating dark-black light.

From the extremely profound black light, faint sounds of massive bird cries could be heard, as if ancient divine beasts from the wilderness were roaring.

These three old men were precisely the Great Xia Dynasty’s most unfathomable foundation—the three Royal Ancestors!

The old man seated in the very center held an even more astonishing identity.

He was the biological younger brother of Xia Wuji, the founding holy ancestor of the Great Xia Dynasty—Xia Wushi!

A true old fellow who had lived for nearly two thousand years, he had witnessed every moment of the Great Xia Dynasty.

“Which fellow Daoist is this?”

Xia Wushi and the two old men beside him exchanged glances, then slowly uttered a sentence.

Evidently, the aura confrontation between Lu Xuan and Empress Xia Mingyue had alarmed these three Royal Ancestors buried deep underground.

At the same time, their three gazes seemed to penetrate layers of palace walls, directly pointing towards the great hall.

These three lines of sight, imbued with the power of Heaven and Earth Manifestation, directly descended into the Xuanyi Hall.

Xia Wushi’s body, which was sitting cross-legged on the stone platform, even floated up directly, seemingly intending to personally descend into Xuanyi Hall to investigate!

It was no wonder Xia Wushi displayed such a strong reaction!

Because!

Under Xia Wushi’s perception, he had never encountered this unfamiliar Void Tempering True Lord aura before.

One must know that in the long history of this world, there were only a dozen or so Void Tempering True Lords currently existing in the world.

They were the ancestors of the Eight Great Families!

The sect masters of the Five Transcendent Forces!

Master of the Xuan Bird Guard Division Zi Yao, the mysterious Holy Mother of the Netherworld White Lotus Sect, and that Nether Python at the bottom of the Jinlin River!

Xia Wushi had memorized the auras of all the existences mentioned here.

And now, this Void Tempering True Lord who appeared within the Imperial Palace was an existence that even Xia Wushi found extremely unfamiliar!

An unfamiliar Void Tempering True Lord?

Appearing in the Great Xia Dynasty’s stronghold, the Great Xia Imperial Palace, without even a greeting!

If that were the case, what would happen then!

One must know that even the vast Imperial Palace could not withstand the power of two Void Tempering True Lords.

Xia Wushi and the other two did not want their stronghold to be utterly destroyed!

However, just as Xia Wushi and the other two were about to leave the underground palace.

Empress Xia Mingyue’s voice suddenly reached the underground palace, echoing endlessly.

“Three Royal Ancestors!”

“No need to worry!”

Xia Wushi and the other two heard this, and the dark-black light in their eyes flickered slightly as they exchanged glances, seemingly communicating something.

“Ancestor Wushi, Mingyue should have her own judgment.”

At this moment, one of the old men spoke slowly to Xia Wushi.

“It seems Mingyue truly has not disappointed us!”

“This unfamiliar fellow Daoist, I’m afraid, is like that woman Purple Yao; her background is likely not small!”

The other old man, seeing this, leisurely stroked his frost-white long beard under his chin.

“In that case!”

“Ten days later, the origin of the Fell Spirit Ruin will ultimately fall into the hands of our Great Xia Dynasty.”

“With the power of our Great Xia Dynasty, plus the power of the ancestral artifact, the Mysterious Bird Cauldron.”

“That wisp of the Earth Venerable Realm Master’s remnant soul will be annihilated by us in one fell swoop!”

“Even those few families among the Eight Great Families, and those five damned Lao Jiahuo (Old fellows) like Ying Lingfeng.”

“Will not be able to stop us from completely taking the Fell Spirit Ruin into our possession again!”

“With the origin power of the small world left by that Earth Venerable Realm Master.”

“Perhaps!”

“We old fellows who are barely clinging to life can also glimpse the power of that realm!”

The old man’s words revealed a deep longing and obsession, as if in his dry eyes, he had already seen that unattainable realm—the Earth Venerable Realm Master.

That was the supreme realm above the Void Tempering True Lord.

A legendary transcendent existence capable of creating a small world with their physical body and controlling world rules.

Although a Void Tempering True Lord could already wield the power of Heaven and Earth Laws, they appeared so insignificant before the power of world rules.

Without a doubt!

The Martial Arts realm of the Earth Venerable Realm Master, in the eyes of Void Tempering True Lords like Xia Wushi, was almost like the existence of a god.

They not only condensed a small world within their bodies but also possessed almost eternal life.

Nearly a hundred thousand years!

As long as the small world within them remained, the Earth Venerable Realm Master could be considered as having a lifespan equal to heaven and earth, competing with the sun and moon.

In contrast, while the lifespan of a Void Tempering True Lord was already far beyond ordinary people, capable of living for over two thousand years.

However, in the face of the Earth Venerable Realm Master’s nearly hundred-thousand-year lifespan, it seemed so fleeting, like a mayfly, born in the morning and dying in the evening.

The Martial Arts realm of the Earth Venerable Realm Master was no longer just an increase in power but a complete transcendence of the level of life.

Therefore, for old fellows like Xia Wushi, the realm of the Earth Venerable Realm Master was undoubtedly their ultimate lifelong pursuit.

However, the realm of the Earth Venerable Realm Master was ethereal, and countless strong individuals spent their entire lives unable to reach it.

Anyway, in the Great Xia Dynasty’s world, over hundreds of thousands of years.

Xia Wushi only knew of one person who had once crossed this realm.

That was his biological elder brother, the founding holy ancestor of the Great Xia Dynasty, Xia Wuji!

The detailed records about the Earth Venerable Realm Master were also left by Xia Wuji.

However, Xia Wuji completely disappeared one hundred years after founding the Great Xia Dynasty.

Only the Ban on the Great Xia Dynasty’s world remained!

After a long while, Xia Wushi couldn’t help but sigh, speaking softly.

“Alas!”

“Big brother!”

“When will I be able to catch up to your footsteps!”

These words contained both envy for his elder brother and a hint of helplessness and self-mockery.

Xia Wushi had cultivated for nearly two thousand years, yet even now, he had only barely reached the Major Achievement of the Void Tempering realm.

Which was the supreme existence of the Void Tempering realm!

What a pity!

Although these old fellows who had lived for thousands of years were powerful, under the erosion of time, they were no longer in their peak state.

Therefore, breaking through to the realm of the Earth Venerable Realm Master was almost impossible.

The origin of the Fell Spirit Ruin was the last glimmer of hope for these people who were nearing decay and death.

Because the Fell Spirit Ruin was the small world left behind by that Earth Venerable Realm Master!

The origin of the Fell Spirit Ruin was the origin power of the Earth Venerable Realm Master’s small world rules.

Under the influence of the Fell Spirit Ruin’s world rule origin power, these “barely clinging to life” old fellows would have a chance to glimpse that supreme realm.

“Earth Venerable Realm Master…”

Finally, Xia Wushi murmured softly, the dark-black light in his eyes growing deeper.

In his heart, a long-lost longing had ignited.

Even if hope was slim, Xia Wushi did not want to give up this last chance.

Inside the great hall, Lu Xuan’s expression became extremely solemn, and a rare hint of apprehension even flashed in his eyes.

He was not only apprehensive of the incredibly powerful Empress Xia Mingyue before him but also shocked by the profound foundation displayed by the Great Xia Dynasty.

Empress Xia Mingyue’s strength seemed to have far exceeded his expectations.

Her Heaven and Earth Laws were not only immensely powerful but also contained an indescribable force.

Even a Void Tempering True Lord like Lu Xuan had to go all out when facing her, even feeling a subtle pressure.

However, what startled Lu Xuan even more was the power displayed by the Great Xia Dynasty.

Just now, three terrifying Heaven and Earth Manifestation powers had simultaneously descended into the great hall.

No surprise.

According to Lu Xuan’s guess, these were the so-called Royal Ancestors of the Great Xia Dynasty.

One of these Heaven and Earth Manifestation powers made Lu Xuan feel the same shock he experienced when facing the Nether Python.

Within the Great Xia Imperial Palace, there was actually a supreme existence at the Void Tempering realm!

Indeed, it was no accident that the Great Xia Dynasty could stand tall for such a long time.

Their foundation was far deeper than it appeared on the surface.

Thinking about it, if the Great Xia Dynasty didn’t have a few tricks up its sleeve, how could it suppress the Eight Great Families and other forces?

In a world where martial power reigned supreme, people wouldn’t talk about the distinction between ruler and subject!

Strength was everything!

Suddenly, the power of Heaven and Earth Laws from Empress Xia Mingyue dissipated.

Following that, Lu Xuan’s taut nerves also relaxed slightly.

Lu Xuan had already prepared to escape at any moment.

Now, there were already four Void Tempering True Lords appearing within the Imperial Palace.

Among them, there was even one supreme existence suspected to be in the Void Tempering realm; Lu Xuan almost didn’t need to think, he just had to flee as the best course of action.

It seemed this Empress wanted to test his strength.

However, what she didn’t know was.

While she wanted to test his strength, Lu Xuan also had an idea.

He wanted to see what kind of power this Empress, who presided over the Great Xia Imperial Palace and dominated the world, possessed.

Now, after the recent test, Lu Xuan already had a result!

This Empress’s seemingly casual Heaven and Earth Laws power actually far exceeded Lu Xuan’s.

Could she also be a Major Achievement Void Tempering True Lord? An existence who had condensed a small Void Tempering?

Lu Xuan hadn’t forgotten that this Empress also possessed the Great Xia Dynasty’s ancestral artifact, the Mysterious Bird Cauldron.

With her Martial Arts cultivation, plus the mysterious Mysterious Bird Cauldron.

If he were to go against her, he would have no chance of winning at all!

Just as Lu Xuan retracted his Heaven and Earth Laws power, Empress Xia Mingyue stood before Lu Xuan, the hem of her dark-black imperial robe gently fluttering in the wind.

At this moment, her lips curved slightly, revealing a faint smile.

“Minister Lu, I heard that you are very fond of Heavenly Spiritual Objects and sacrificial artifacts.”

“Here are three small items; I will let you choose one at will.”

With that, her fair, flawless jade hand gently lifted, and a faint black light swept across her palm.

Immediately after, three exquisite small jade boxes floated above her right palm.

The jade boxes quietly opened, and two incredibly powerful surges of Heavenly Spiritual Qi quickly filled the entire great hall.

Lu Xuan’s gaze was instantly drawn to the three small jade boxes.

They were Heavenly Spiritual Objects of the same level as the black spirit wood, the Void Tempering spiritual object that the Empress had previously bestowed upon him.

Two Void Tempering spiritual objects?

And a black bronze jade pendant, engraved with naturally formed Heaven and Earth patterns.

“This is an eight-pattern Moon Artifact, the Soul Suppressing Pendant!”

Empress Xia Mingyue only introduced this one sacrificial artifact, not mentioning the other two Void Tempering spiritual objects.

Because she knew that Lu Xuan already understood, so there was no need for further explanation.

However, what Empress Xia Mingyue had not expected was.

“Your Majesty, please forgive your humble servant’s presumption!”

“If possible, your humble servant is very fond of all three of these items.”

“I hope Your Majesty will grant my wish!”

Lu Xuan’s words were almost equivalent to telling Empress Xia Mingyue directly.

I want all three of these things!

Only children make choices; Lu Xuan had a different idea.

He wanted them all!

“Pfft!” A light laugh escaped.

“Minister Lu, you truly surprise me!”

Empress Xia Mingyue’s red lips parted slightly, her voice clear and pleasant, carrying a hint of irrepressible laughter.

This was the first time she had laughed out loud so unreservedly in front of an outsider.

In an instant, Empress Xia Mingyue’s radiant smile, fit for a prosperous era, entered Lu Xuan’s vision.

The charm contained in that smile was captivating, even making Lu Xuan feel an unusual emotion.

The next moment, Empress Xia Mingyue casually waved her jade hand, and the three jade boxes floated gracefully before Lu Xuan, stopping steadily in mid-air.

“Very well, then it shall be as Minister Lu wishes.”

Lu Xuan was suddenly stunned; he hadn’t expected this Empress to be so decisive.

You’re actually giving them to me!

However, despite Lu Xuan’s thoughts, the speed at which he put away these three jade boxes was astonishingly fast.

Within a second, the three small jade boxes were swept by a dark light and instantly disappeared, already stored by Lu Xuan in the Xufu Realm.

“Minister Lu, tomorrow, you will represent me in presiding over the Martial Arts Competition, selecting the top one hundred candidates for the upcoming Fell Spirit Ruin.”

“Everything will be decided by you; there’s no need to ask for instructions!”

When Lu Xuan looked forward again, Empress Xia Mingyue’s figure had already vanished.

“The Martial Arts Competition, huh?”

“Your humble servant accepts the decree!”

Lu Xuan gently cupped his hands towards the empty space where the Empress had departed, then also stepped into the void, quietly leaving!

As for tomorrow’s Martial Arts Competition, Lu Xuan didn’t really care much.

Half a day was enough time for him to refine these three items.