Li Chengfeng had only learned by chance that the thing ranking above top-grade Heaven-Earth Spiritual Objects was called…
A Grotto-Heaven Sacred Object!
As for its specific effects, Li Chengfeng hadn’t heard anything about them.
That girl, Li Yanran, had also entered the ancestral shrine to devote herself to cultivation, all because of this Grotto-Heaven Sacred Object.
Moreover, the ancestral shrine also contained the family’s most important ceremonial vessel, which could bring incredible benefits to Li Yanran.
“Enough about me. You two old fellows, how is it that after just two months apart, your martial arts cultivation seems to have improved?”
Li Chengfeng raised an eyebrow, sensing that the auras of He Yan and Yu Hong were clearly several times stronger than before.
He Yan was especially astonishing, having broken through from a beginner at the Internal Energy realm to a minor success at the Internal Energy realm.
As for Yu Hong’s aura, it was clearly at a minor success in the Internal Energy realm, approaching saturation. He was only a final step away from a major success in the Internal Energy realm.
Within a year, this old fellow Yu Hong would be able to break through to a major success in the Internal Energy realm, then leave Baidao Prefecture to serve as a Xuan Shi for an entire prefecture.
“Hehehe.”
“Thanks to Director Lu’s care, we had a little bit of good fortune.”
“A month ago in Liusha County, Director Lu killed a demon beast at the Demon King realm.”
“Everyone who went on that mission received a reward of some of that Demon King’s flesh and blood.”
“So, thanks to the effects of that Demon King’s flesh and blood, my martial arts realm and Old Yu’s have been able to advance by leaps and bounds, making a thousand miles of progress in a single day!”
He Yan gently stroked his long white beard, looking to be in a very good mood.
Because making this old fellow Li Chengfeng surprised was, for him, a rare and precious event.
“So that’s it. Old He, Old Yu, you two old fellows have really stumbled onto some incredible luck.”
“Even when compared to top-grade Heaven-Earth Spiritual Objects, the flesh and blood of a Demon King isn’t far behind.”
When Li Chengfeng heard it was Demon King flesh and blood, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of strong envy.
However, envy aside, Li Chengfeng was still happy for He Yan and Yu Hong.
Next, Li Chengfeng asked about what had happened while he was away from Baidao Prefecture.
But the more he listened, the more flustered he felt. He quickly stopped He Yan and the others from continuing.
Things like casually altering Xuan Bird Guard missions.
Arranging for his own people to get spots for the Xuan Bird Guard’s key training program.
Freely squandering the Xuan Bird Guard’s stockpiled Heaven-Earth Spiritual Objects.
Killing one of Prince An’s men.
Borrowing a batch of Heaven-Earth Spiritual Objects from Jingtai Prefecture.
…….
Each one of these matters, for Li Chengfeng, was completely fantastical.
Lu Xuan had done all of them by himself, and in just two months’ time.
Li Chengfeng could already imagine that if he had delayed his return by another month, even more outrageous things would have happened.
“By the way, Old He, did Director Lu happen to mention when he would emerge from seclusion?”
“Um, he didn’t, actually. When I delivered the demon core to Director Lu last time, he didn’t say anything about when he would come out.”
After hearing He Yan’s words, Li Chengfeng’s expression gradually grew serious, as if he were pondering something.
After a long moment, Li Chengfeng slowly uttered two words.
“Is that so?”
Because, for Li Chengfeng, this wasn’t exactly good news.
To be precise, it wasn’t good news for anyone.
Li Chengfeng was very clear that Lu Xuan’s most important task right now was to head to the Celestial Capital.
That one person in the imperial palace had already issued a decree, summoning Lu Xuan.
And at this critical moment, Lu Xuan had suddenly gone into seclusion.
It was a headache. Li Chengfeng truly felt a great headache. He felt as if an invisible, massive mountain were pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.
While Li Chengfeng was anxiously fretting, the person in question, Lu Xuan, slowly opened his eyes at that very moment.
“I didn’t expect that one demon core would actually net me ten thousand system points!”
Lu Xuan murmured softly, his eyes filled with surprise.
Adding the ten thousand system points he had gotten from killing the Demon King earlier.
That meant this Tiger-Servant Demon King had provided him with a total of twenty thousand system points.
And that was even without Lu Xuan having refined the Tiger-Servant Demon King’s flesh and blood.
Meaning, a Demon King comparable to a human martial artist at the External Gang Grandmaster level could provide Lu Xuan with over twenty thousand system points.
Consider this: a single top-grade Heaven-Earth Spiritual Object had only provided him with thirty thousand system points.
Although top-grade Heaven-Earth Spiritual Objects also possessed some mystical powers that acted upon the soul.
Still, it was enough to prove how valuable a Demon King realm demon beast could be.
Host: Lu Xuan
Realm: Divine Mansion True Person
Techniques: Burning Heaven Blade Technique 3/9, So Near Yet Worlds Away 0/9, Indestructibility 2/9
Points: 200
So, relying on the ten thousand system points gained from that demon core.
Plus the remaining 8200 system points from before.
Lu Xuan once again consumed 18,000 system points, deducing Indestructibility to the second layer.
Ever since breaking through to the Divine Mansion realm, Lu Xuan had been repeatedly deducing martial arts techniques.
His overall strength was growing rapidly. Lu Xuan could even sense that the Divine Mansion within his mind was continuously expanding.
As the Divine Mansion in Lu Xuan’s mind expanded, the little divine will figure at its very center also grew more solid and larger, along with the expansion.
The little divine will figure, originally formed from a faint, thin purple气流, slowly began to show distinct facial features—Lu Xuan’s own features.
As the purple little divine will figure in his mind changed, Lu Xuan’s control over heaven and earth also seemed to become more and more adept.
He could even exert more power from heaven and earth than before, all due to the strengthening of the little divine will figure in his mind.
Seeing this change, Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly, as if sensing something.
Could it be that martial artists at the Divine Mansion realm only need to strengthen the divine will within their minds, thereby gaining more proficiency in controlling heaven and earth?
“About time, I’ve been in seclusion for over a month now.”
Lu Xuan had, up to this point, become very adept at controlling the power of the Divine Mansion realm.
Besides, he didn’t have this much time to stay in seclusion.
That female emperor in the Celestial Capital must be getting impatient by now.
He was still working under her, after all. He couldn’t just casually defy an imperial decree.
Next, Lu Xuan planned to return to Qingyun County for a visit, to see his father, and then leave Anzhou for the Celestial Capital.
Now that Lu Xuan had stepped into the Divine Mansion realm, there wasn’t much left in this world worth worrying about.
The only things that could truly worry him were his father, his younger sister, and his several younger brothers.
Thinking of this, Lu Xuan’s mind stirred. His eyes flashed with a brilliant, dazzling purple light, and his body began to twist and blur continuously.
The next moment, the space around Lu Xuan rippled intensely, as if some mystical change were happening within the ethereal, intangible void.
With a flash of dazzling purple light, Lu Xuan’s body dissolved into specks of purple radiance, vanishing between heaven and earth, as if he had entered some mysterious realm of space.
In less than a single breath’s time, when Lu Xuan reappeared, he was suddenly in the Xuan Bird Guard’s main hall.
Lu Xuan’s appearance startled everyone inside the Xuan Bird Guard’s main hall.
Before Lu Xuan emerged from seclusion, Li Chengfeng had still been racked with worry.
“Director Lu?”
Li Chengfeng’s eyes shot wide open, staring intently at Lu Xuan, as if trying to confirm whether he was seeing the right person.
Had he been thinking too much, leading to severe hallucinations?
How could someone just appear out of thin air?
This… In just these two months apart, you’ve quietly cultivated yourself into an immortal?
“Director Lu?”
“You’re out of seclusion?”
Only when Li Chengfeng heard Yu Hong, standing next to him, speak up
did he realize that Lu Xuan’s appearance wasn’t an illusion, but real.
The next moment, everyone in the hall stood up from their chairs, their faces unconsciously showing respectful expressions.
Their eyes were also filled with infinite awe!
All of these people felt genuine respect for Lu Xuan’s appearance.
For no other reason, every single person present had received a favor from Lu Xuan!
“Old Lu, you’ve finally come out of seclusion.”
“If you had stayed in seclusion any longer, these old bones of mine wouldn’t have been able to handle the pressure from above.”
Li Chengfeng’s face broke into a smile, his voice thick with joy.
“Yes.”
“Old Li, I know what I need to do.”
Lu Xuan felt no surprise whatsoever upon seeing Li Chengfeng return to Baidao Prefecture.
The pressure Li Chengfeng mentioned, Lu Xuan understood perfectly well.
It was simply due to that female emperor’s decree from the imperial palace.
Being able to delay for over a month in the face of that female emperor’s decree was probably a first in the history of the Great Xia Dynasty.
“Old Li, I have some small matters to attend to.”
“Since you’re back, Old Li, my task here is complete.”
“As for Liang Cheng, Lu Yunqing, and Ye Qingxuan, Old Li, please look after them for me.”
“If you encounter any difficulties, Old Li, there’s no need to explain. I, the Director, will take full responsibility!”
“After I’ve taken care of these small matters, I will personally head to the Celestial Capital in a few days to have an audience with His Majesty!”
Lu Xuan bringing up his position as Vice Director of the Xuan Bird Guard was his way of telling Li Chengfeng:
Pay no attention to any rules. Just do your best to train those few individuals.
As for any other difficulties that arise later, Lu Xuan would personally resolve them, leaving Li Chengfeng with no worries!
As soon as Lu Xuan finished speaking, everyone in the hall, as if by prior agreement, performed the same action.
They clasped their hands together, bowed their bodies, and respectfully saluted Lu Xuan.
“We subordinates bid farewell to Director Lu!”
“Yes.”
Seeing this, Lu Xuan nodded slightly in acknowledgement.
Then Lu Xuan took a gentle step forward. A dazzling, bright purple light flashed through the hall.
Lu Xuan seemed to step right into the void itself, vanishing from everyone’s sight, as if he had never been there at all.
“Come to think of it, Old Li, did you happen to notice Director Lu’s realm?”
“Just what level has Director Lu’s martial arts realm reached?”
He Yan’s face showed a trace of melancholy after seeing Lu Xuan leave.
He Yan’s question voiced the thoughts of everyone present.
Concerning this kind of immortal-like ability of Lu Xuan’s, they really wanted to know.
Just which martial arts realm could allow someone to do what Lu Xuan does?
So, the crowd in the hall all turned their gazes to Li Chengfeng.
Seeing this, Li Chengfeng couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless.
You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?
I damn well want to know too, what level Lu Xuan’s martial arts realm has reached.
Besides, have any of you ever seen a proper martial artist act like Lu Xuan?
Possessing this kind of power to tread upon the void and travel the world.
Proper martial artists, every single one of them, keep their feet on the ground and travel dutifully.
Let alone martial artists at the External Gang Grandmaster level, even the legendary Divine Mansion True Persons might not be able to do what Lu Xuan does.
Li Chengfeng indicated, don’t say any more. Talking about it only brings tears.
Living in the same world as a peerless monster like Lu Xuan is the biggest blow of all.
It easily creates the illusion of whether one even belongs to the same species as Lu Xuan, or whether Lu Xuan is some reincarnated immortal from myth.
“Alright, regardless of which martial arts realm Director Lu has reached, for us to have had the fortune of interacting with him is a blessing cultivated over eight lifetimes.”
He Yan, standing nearby, strongly agreed with Li Chengfeng’s words and spoke up in continuation.
“That’s true. Old Li is right.”
“For these old bones of mine, having lived half my life, to have been fortunate enough to encounter a prodigy like Director Lu—this life hasn’t been lived in vain.”
Of course, though Li Chengfeng said this, he still kept Lu Xuan’s parting words firmly in mind.
Those whom Lu Xuan wanted him to look after were undoubtedly very important to him. Li Chengfeng naturally wouldn’t dare neglect them.
Nor was it just those few people. Li Chengfeng also included the Lu Family Medicine Shop, far away in Qingyun County.
Others might not know, but Li Chengfeng understood very well. This was Lu Xuan’s home.
Thinking of the Lu Family Medicine Shop in Qingyun County, Li Chengfeng’s mind became active. He spoke up unexpectedly.
“By the way, Old He, I recall you mentioned that Zhao Sheng is stationed in Dengfeng County, patrolling both Dengfeng County and Qingyun County, right?”
“Zhao Sheng patrolling both Dengfeng County and Qingyun County alone—accidents are bound to happen eventually.”
“How about this. Send Li Daren and Qian Hao as well to assist him for a while.”
“And also, those things Director Lu established before cannot be changed in any way. Everything continues as before!”
“Yes, Lord Xuan Shi!”
Just as Lu Xuan left the prefectural city to return to Qingyun County.
In Qingling Prefecture, the central hub of Anzhou.
The Anzhou Governor, Tao Zhenbang, and a group of people dressed in blue brocade robes, gathered in the Qingling Prefecture government office.
Inside the main hall, several unconscious men lay on the ground. These were the ones who had followed Wu Hui in exterminating the Luo family’s bloodline.
Seeing those men on the ground, Anzhou Governor Tao Zhenbang smiled with great satisfaction.
Then, Tao Zhenbang looked at the blue-robed elder beside him, used his finger to point at the men on the ground, and spoke slowly.
“After a month’s time, we’ve finally caught these fellows.”
“It’s just a pity that Wu Hui, that leader of the Luo family guard, has hidden himself too deeply.”
“This official suspects that Wu Hui has probably already left Anzhou, and might have even changed his appearance.”
“Now, it’s over to you people from the Mingjing Department.”
