In the very next instant, a blaze of dazzling violet flames, carrying with it a surging, raging wave of scorching heat, roared forth like an enraged beast of purple fire. It lunged straight at that face—a ghastly, terrifying visage crisscrossed with bloodshot veins.
In the blink of an eye, that face was devoured by the roaring purple inferno, burning completely away into nothingness, as if it had never even existed.
The three night watchmen stood facing the blaze, feeling the blistering wave of heat howl past them. Yet, to their surprise, they found themselves completely unaffected. It was as if those terrifying purple flames possessed a will of their own, deliberately avoiding them.
“You are…”
The lead night watchman’s Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty as he forced down the storm of shock surging within him. His voice trembling and fragmented, he finally managed to stammer out the question. His eyes, brimming with utter disbelief, were locked firmly onto the mysterious figure before him.
What kind of power was this?
Flames?
The means of a god?
Just moments ago, that ghastly thing had appeared without any warning, its surrounding yin energy so dense it seemed almost tangible. The moment it emerged, that chilling aura had burrowed straight into every pore of his body. The blood and qi within him felt as though they were being swiftly encased in frost, on the verge of freezing solid.
In a single encounter, it had completely stripped away any ability to resist from a martial artist at the perfected Blood Refining Realm.
At this thought, the lead watchman’s face instantly turned pale as paper. His legs began to tremble ever so slightly, and his face was a mask of panic and lingering fear—the raw terror of one who had narrowly escaped death.
Without a doubt, judging from that terrifying yin energy, that monstrosity had to be a Calamity-class or higher aberration.
And aberrations above Calamity-class could only be dealt with using the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi of an Inner Qi martial artist.
Damn it! He’d known that these extremely abnormal aberrations had been lurking around lately, yet he’d still been careless. If it hadn’t been for this mysterious person stepping in, he’d probably be six feet under with weeds already growing tall over his grave.
Lu Xuan merely gave a slight nod in response to the lead watchman’s inquiry.
Then, he immersed his focus into the system interface within his mind.
Host: Lu Xuan
Realm: Divine Mansion True Person (Minor Achievement)
Cultivation Methods: Blazing Heaven Saber Technique 4/9, A Step Away 1/9, Undying and Indestructible 4/9
Points: 32,660
The additional 3,000 system points had been gained from the aberrations Lu Xuan had slain along the way when he left Nether Province.
The sheer number of aberrations in the Central Province shocked Lu Xuan greatly.
At the same time, the strength of these monstrosities far surpassed those found in the Southern Domain.
Of course, to deal with these terrifying aberrations, the bulk of the Black Bird Guard’s forces had naturally been concentrated within these five prefectures.
For instance, the three Black Bird Guards before him were all martial artists at the Blood Refining Realm. The lead one, at the perfected stage, was merely the captain of a small squad in this county town.
Lu Xuan could also clearly sense that within this county town, there were as many as eight martial artists at the Inner Qi Realm. Among them, those at Grand Completion or above—the Black Bird Guard envoys—numbered three.
This was utterly inconceivable for any place outside the Central Province.
However, the county seat of Fengming County was far larger than Lu Xuan had imagined. Its size was easily two to three times that of Baidao Prefecture’s capital city.
“Senior, this humble one is Pan Cang of the Great Xia Black Bird Guard, a Yellow-rank guard of Fengming County. The three of us thank Senior for saving our lives!”
Facing Lu Xuan’s slight nod, Pan Cang and his two companions felt their hearts race. Their eyes were filled with reverence and nervousness. Not daring to show the slightest neglect, they hurriedly raised their hands, leaned forward, clasped their fists, and bowed deeply in a formal salute, their movements stiff with tension.
Lu Xuan was their savior—even kneeling and kowtowing wouldn’t have been too much.
Lu Xuan, however, paid little heed to their grand display of gratitude.
Instead, he half-closed his eyes, and a faint purple glow began to emanate from his body. In that moment, he released his Divine Sense, stored within his Divine Mansion, without reservation.
This astonishing spiritual power spread outward, like nimble threads or invisible tendrils, with Lu Xuan at the center, silently extending in all directions.
Within a hundred-li radius of Fengming County’s seat, every inch of air and every wisp of breeze was perceived by Lu Xuan’s Divine Sense.
However, under his perception, he detected no traces of yin energy.
It seemed it was time to leave this place, Lu Xuan mused silently.
Hm?
Someone’s there?
Lu Xuan’s mind stirred. His Divine Sense had picked up something unusual beneath the night’s veil. Upon closer perception, he detected seven distinct auras, rushing toward his direction at great speed.
The martial aura of these seven individuals was completely unbridled, as if they were deliberately announcing their presence: four Inner Qi martial artists, and three martial artists at the perfected Blood Refining Realm.
Could it be…
Lu Xuan’s expression turned sharp. He swiftly withdrew his Divine Sense, his eyes instantly becoming as piercing as an eagle’s, fixed straight ahead—behind Pan Cang and his companions. That sharp gaze seemed capable of piercing through the heavy night to clearly see everything within the darkness.
Lu Xuan’s sudden, strange look left Pan Cang and his men utterly baffled. After exchanging bewildered glances, a wave of confusion welled up in their hearts.
Pan Cang swallowed hard. Unable to contain himself any longer, he turned around with a mix of doubt and tension to look behind him. The other two quickly followed suit, their movements swift and fluid without any hesitation.
A few breaths later, seven figures materialized in the air before Lu Xuan and the others.
Each figure appeared agile and robust, like phantoms in the night, leaping and gliding ghostlike across the rooftops of the buildings lining the main street. The pale, shimmering moonlight outlined their tall, slender silhouettes. Yet, even as they darted through the air at breakneck speed, their faces remained difficult to make out.
Every rise and fall of their movements was seamless, leaving behind only a blurred trail of afterimages as they rapidly closed in on Lu Xuan’s position.
In an instant, the seven figures carved sharp, fleeting streaks through the air and landed in succession from midair.
All seven were clad in identical light-red brocade robes. On the robes, plum blossom embroidery came alive in exquisite detail—each petal stretching as if swaying gently in the breeze. Under the moonlight, they shimmered with a soft luster, like flowing rosy clouds. Each blossom was meticulously stitched with striking red silk thread, and the stamen was outlined with the finest golden thread.
Upon landing, their footsteps were extremely light, utterly silent, with only the faint rustle of their robes shifting gently in the wind.
What greatly surprised Lu Xuan and Pan Cang was the fact that all seven newcomers were women.
“Cang-ge, who are these women?”
“I’ve never seen them in the county before!”
Pan Cang completely ignored the questions from his two companions. At a time like this, they still had the nerve to ask such things?
The auras radiating from these seven women were utterly absurd. The pressure, almost tangible, weighed heavily on Pan Cang’s heart, making it hard for him to breathe. His eyes widened sharply as he warily watched them.
Among these seven, several exuded a presence comparable to his own.
But what truly frightened Pan Cang was the fact that some of them carried power that made him feel suffocated.
Inner Qi martial artists!
Without a doubt, only martial artists at the Inner Qi Realm could leave Pan Cang, a perfected Blood Refining Realm martial artist, feeling so utterly powerless.
Pan Cang pressed his lips together, his gaze locked onto the opposite side, not daring to relax for even a moment.
What was going on tonight?
Why did he feel like his luck was exceptionally terrible?
It hadn’t been long since their night patrol began. First, they encountered those aberrations and nearly died. Then, they ran into a group of martial arts experts he’d never seen before.
Just as Pan Cang and his companions were feeling deeply frustrated…
Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze fixed on the seven women, a contemplative look crossing his face. At this point, he had already discerned some clues regarding their origins and had a vague guess about their purpose.
The woman in the lead appeared to be in her mid-thirties, emanating the aura of a Minor Achievement Inner Qi martial artist.
“Greetings, Commander Lu. This humble subordinate is Mei Qingyu, a Fourth-Rank Plum Blossom Guard. His Majesty has issued a decree, ordering us to personally escort Commander Lu to the capital!”
“Plum Blossom Guard?”
Lu Xuan was, of course, familiar with the Plum Blossom Guard. It was a new organization created by the Empress after she ascended the throne—highly mysterious and answering only to her.
As soon as Mei Qingyu finished speaking, her usually cold, expressionless face seemed to soften for a brief moment. A hint of helplessness, like ripples spreading across water, gradually appeared on her features.
This Commander Lu was truly a strange fellow.
His Majesty had clearly issued a decree summoning him, yet he had been taking his sweet time along the way, even avoiding shortcuts, as if intent on walking through all five prefectures surrounding the capital.
Anyone unaware might have thought that Commander Lu simply didn’t know the way.
Even if His Majesty chose not to point out these odd behaviors openly, the Plum Blossom Guard Commander who served at His Majesty’s side couldn’t very well pretend not to notice.
So, the day before yesterday, the Plum Blossom Guard Commander had issued an order to the Plum Blossom Guards in the capital: each Fourth-Rank Plum Blossom Guard was to take some personnel, head to the five prefectures, and locate Lu Xuan’s whereabouts. Then, they were to bring the Black Bird Guard Deputy Commander Lu Xuan to the capital swiftly for an audience with His Majesty.
Upon seeing Mei Qingyu’s helpless expression, Lu Xuan’s usually calm, deep, and unruffled demeanor actually showed a hint of ripple—a faint trace of embarrassment.
It seemed that he had, indeed, forgotten that the Empress was still waiting for him in the imperial palace.
Over the past few days, Lu Xuan had been so immersed in the thrill of slaying aberrations for points that he’d nearly forgotten about the Empress waiting in the palace.
“Then I’ll trouble you, Lady Qingyu, to lead the way!”
Aware that he was in the wrong, Lu Xuan spoke up readily, no longer dwelling on the matter of the aberrations. There was no rush—after meeting the Empress, he could take the opportunity to learn about the true state of the Great Xia Dynasty.
“Commander Lu!”
???
“His Majesty’s decree?”
“Plum Blossom Guard?”
After hearing the exchange between Lu Xuan and the Plum Blossom Guards, Pan Cang and his two companions felt as if they’d been struck by lightning—rooted to the spot, dumbfounded. Their eyes widened in utter shock as they stared at Mei Qingyu, as if their very souls had been jarred loose from their bodies by that brief conversation.
What the hell!
What did we just hear!
Pan Cang’s mind went blank, nothing but sheer astonishment churning within.
He recognized every word they said, but put together, it sounded like pure fantasy—completely beyond his comprehension.
“Please, Commander Lu!”
Having received Lu Xuan’s consent, Mei Qingyu and the Plum Blossom Guards behind her immediately lit up with joy. They swiftly moved aside, clearing a path, and gestured with their hands, signaling for Lu Xuan to follow them.
It wasn’t until long after Lu Xuan and the Plum Blossom Guards had departed that Pan Cang and his companions finally snapped out of it. They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with undisguised bewilderment.
At that moment, the Black Bird Guard standing beside Pan Cang hesitated, then spoke up weakly.
“Cang-ge, what do we do now?”
“Should we continue patrolling?”
“Patrol?”
Pan Cang was momentarily stunned, his thoughts abruptly yanked back to reality. But in the blink of an eye, he quickly regained his composure. He raised his hand and swung it forward decisively, his expression sharp and resolute, and called out in a powerful voice.
“What’s there to patrol?!”
“Our top priority right now is to report everything that just happened to the Envoy Lords!”
“Also, the aberration we killed, and the one that Senior took care of—those need to be reported to the Envoy Lords as well. That monstrosity was probably some deceased person from a nearby household who underwent abnormal changes and turned into that thing.”
“Let’s move!”
The moment these words left his mouth, the blood and qi within Pan Cang burst forth. Propelled by this immense power, his figure shot forward like a black bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into a fleeting afterimage, speeding off in a certain direction.
The other two Black Bird Guards, seeing this, didn’t dare hesitate. They quickly mobilized their own blood and qi, their auras surging, and followed closely behind Pan Cang. The three of them disappeared from the spot in an instant.
The Capital!
Deep within the imperial palace, a certain hall lay hidden. At first glance, its exterior seemed modest and unassuming—unremarkable, even, compared to the grand corridors surrounding it.
But the floor inside the hall was paved entirely with pure gold and jade tiles. Each tile had been meticulously carved, with fine, clear textures that, under the soft light, emanated a warm and luxurious luster.
The hall was so quiet that the drop of a pin could be heard. An air of solemn majesty permeated every inch of the space.
At the very center of the hall, a wide staircase spread out, each step carved from a single block of white jade. At the top of the stairs stood a throne made of black refined jade—its color deep and rich, nearly ink-black, constantly emitting a faint, cold gleam.
Suddenly!
At the very bottom of the stairs, a ghostlike figure appeared without warning—a woman dressed in light-red brocade robes. She then dropped to one knee with movements both swift and composed. Her knee met the floor without making the slightest extra sound. She bowed her head slightly, her gaze lowered, radiating utter reverence.
After a moment, the woman spoke softly, her voice low yet clear, carrying distinctly through the vast, empty hall.
“Your Majesty, Lu Xuan, Deputy Commander of the Black Bird Guard, has arrived outside the palace, escorted by the Plum Blossom Guards.”
The moment the woman finished speaking, the hall remained cloaked in silence, her words echoing faintly through the emptiness.
