354: Li Xuan's concerns

On the other side,

Tianqi Dynasty, the Royal Capital, deep within the Zichen Palace.

In the Imperial Study, sandalwood incense curled, yet it could not dispel the gloom filling the room.

The floor, paved with golden bricks, was polished to a mirror-like shine, reflecting Li Xuan's figure as he sat upright on the Great Master's Chair of Nine Dragons. The five-clawed golden dragon embroidered on his Black Dragon Robe looked lifelike, but at this moment, it seemed stained by its owner's agitation, losing some of its majesty and gaining a bit of tension.

His brows were tightly furrowed, his well-defined hand gripping a Wolf-hair Brush. The tip of the brush hung over the bright yellow silk, hesitating to descend.

On the desk, several secret reports were piled like a mountain, with the top few being particularly eye-catching—"Southern Border, Nether Crow Ridge, several Nascent Soul Cultivators forcibly lifted their Cultivation Seals," "Daoist Ming Ya's Immortal Cave has officially opened, the core area's rosy light piercing the sky," "The struggle for the Legacy has reached a fever pitch, with over a hundred Golden Core Cultivators dead or injured," "State Preceptor Xuan Qingzi has been out of contact for over half a month."

Every word was like a red-hot branding iron, searing Li Xuan's chest and making it tighten.

Suddenly, with a sharp "crack," the Wolf-hair Brush was slammed heavily onto the Dragon Desk. Ink from the inkstone splashed, staining a nearby memorial marked "North Border City Autumn Harvest."

In Li Xuan's eyes, an extremely complex light surged—shock, greed, and even more so, fear and resentment.

"Nascent Soul Cultivators... there are actually several Nascent Soul Cultivators!"

His voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling, shocked by the sudden appearance of these Nascent Soul Cultivators and terrified that this power was slipping out of his control.

The Heavenly Dragon Dynasty had ruled for ten thousand years, relying on the "Star Seal Restriction" to suppress the high-level Cultivators of its subordinate nations. The Nascent Soul realm, aside from the State Preceptor of each kingdom, was a top-tier combat power only seen in the Dynasty's central hub. Now, they had appeared in the Southern Border of the Tianqi Dynasty and even dared to openly defy the laws; it was practically dancing on a knife's edge.

A moment later, Li Xuan was still murmuring in disbelief, his tone filled with complex meaning:

"For the Mingya Inheritance, these old sect monsters actually dare to defy the laws of the Heavenly Dragon! Truly... what audacity!"

The Imperial Study was silent, save for Li Xuan's heavy breathing.

The old eunuch Li Fu, standing in attendance beside him, was a confidant who had been with him since childhood. Currently, he was bowed, his grizzled beard trembling slightly, not even daring to breathe loudly.

After a long while, he finally lowered his voice and spoke hesitantly:

"Your Majesty, since Daoist Ming Ya's Immortal Cave opened, no more urgent secret reports have been sent back from the Southern Border, and the State Preceptor's communication Jade Talisman has still not responded. Should the Azure Dragon Imperial Guards stationed on the periphery... move closer to the direction of Daoist Ming Ya's Immortal Cave to investigate?"

"Move closer? How?"

Li Xuan suddenly glanced at Li Fu, his eyes filled with a bit of impatience and mockery, his brows furrowing even tighter:

"When Nascent Soul Cultivators appear, such existences can crush thousands of troops with a flip of their hand. No matter how many Imperial Guards go, they'll just be cannon fodder. Since the State Preceptor made arrangements long ago, he must have considered this. Do you think his Excellency would be unprepared?"

Li Fu was startled, his face instantly turning pale, and he hurriedly bowed and kowtowed:

"This... this was this old servant's lack of consideration, a moment of confusion. I hope Your Majesty will forgive this old servant's slip of the tongue."

"Forget it."

Li Xuan waved his hand, his tone softening slightly:

"You are also worried about national affairs. Continue to send more people to keep an eye on the Southern Border. The State Preceptor has great divine abilities; with him overseeing the Nether Crow Cave Mansion, surely no major chaos will break out."

Li Fu repeatedly agreed with "Yes, Your Majesty," slowly straightened up, and stole a glance at Li Xuan's tense profile. After hesitating for a moment, he finally braced himself to speak again:

"Your Majesty, the matter of Nascent Soul Cultivators privately undoing their Seals within the borders of our Tianqi Dynasty is of great consequence. Should we immediately report this to the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty to show our loyalty?"

"Report it?"

Li Xuan turned his head sharply, his eyes as sharp as knives, causing Li Fu to instinctively shrink his neck.

"Do you think the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty is blind? The 'Xuntian Iron Guards' of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau have eyes and ears all over the world; how could this be hidden from them? I'm afraid those Xuntian Iron Guards are already on their way to the Southern Border at this very moment!"

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and began pacing back and forth in the hall, the hem of his dragon robe rustling against the floor.

"Those old monsters who privately undid their Seals have already incurred the wrath of the Imperial Dynasty and will surely be unable to save themselves! If we hurriedly report it now, it will instead make us look guilty. If we provoke the dissatisfaction of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, making them think we intentionally concealed it, can the Tianqi Dynasty withstand that thunderous wrath?"

After pacing for a while, Li Xuan stopped, his gaze gradually becoming firm:

"We will just act as if we are unaware of this matter. Besides, no complete intelligence has been sent back from the Southern Border for half a month, so not knowing is plausible. By the way,"

He changed the subject, his tone becoming more urgent:

"What about Situ Jun? Has he entered the Immortal Cave? Is there any definite intelligence on him?"

Compared to how the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty would punish those rebellious Cultivators, Li Xuan was more concerned about Situ Jun's whereabouts.

That audacious fellow had not only gotten his favorite sister, Li Danying, pregnant out of wedlock but had also repeatedly defied royal orders and remained beyond his control.

Previously, he had issued an edict to confine the Princess to the deep palace and revoked Situ Jun's position as the City Lord of North Border City. The two had already completely fallen out. If Situ Jun were to obtain the Mingya Inheritance and gain a massive boost in strength, it would undoubtedly be a major threat to the Tianqi Dynasty.

Li Fu hurriedly bowed and replied:

"Your Majesty, according to the last report from the scouts, Situ Jun did indeed appear on the periphery of the Immortal Cave, waiting for it to open along with the other Cultivators. But after the Immortal Cave officially opened, his exact whereabouts were lost; it is suspected he has already sneaked inside. Furthermore... based on the analysis of some scattered fragments of intelligence, the strength he displayed when fighting others on the periphery seems... far beyond the scope of the Mid Golden Core Stage. The intensity of his spiritual power fluctuations suggests he may have reached the Late Golden Core Stage Peak, or even shows signs of touching the threshold of the Nascent Soul..."

"What?!"

Li Xuan's footsteps stopped abruptly, and his face instantly became extremely unsightly, so dark it looked like it could drip ink.

He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, a storm of shock raging in his heart.

"Did his Cultivation break through again within this half month? Or... did he hide his Cultivation from the beginning and has been playing with me all along?"

This speculation made the chill in his heart even deeper, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

If Situ Jun had such strength long ago, then his previous compliance was merely a disguise.

An ambitious Cultivator at the Late Golden Core Stage Peak who hid his strength and had a rift with the royal family—once he obtained the Mingya Inheritance, the consequences would be unimaginable.