Mingxin Prefecture!
Near the Mingxin Prefecture government office, a magnificent estate stood quietly.
This place was tranquil and secluded, as though isolated from the clamor of the outside world.
Lu Xuan was within the main chamber deep inside this estate. The surroundings were simple yet grand, with several ancient-style paintings hanging on the walls.
However, Lu Xuan paid them no mind. The reason he had not chosen to leave early this time was that he intended to personally oversee Mingxin Prefecture.
After all, Lu Xuan’s mission this time was of great importance, involving the Wen family—the number one great family of the Eastern Domain.
Now, although the Wen family had been completely uprooted and reduced to ashes—
The martial arts resources stored in the Wen family’s treasure vault were so vast in quantity and so rare in quality that everyone was left speechless.
Within the Wen family’s treasure vault, those heaven and earth spiritual objects, divine weapons, and martial arts techniques piled up like mountains.
Even casually taking out a single item would be enough to stir up massive waves in the Eastern Domain’s cultivation world, driving countless martial arts powerhouses into a frenzy of competition.
Therefore, Lu Xuan had to personally oversee Mingxin Prefecture to prevent ill-intentioned people from coming to interfere with the Profound Bird Guard’s operations.
At the same time, Lu Xuan happened to have matters to attend to that required him to remain in Mingxin Prefecture.
Lu Xuan slowly raised his right arm, steadily holding the Void Floating Realm in his palm.
At this moment, Lu Xuan’s divine thought had already entered the Void Floating Realm. Within it, dim lights flickered uncertainly, illuminating those exceedingly rare heaven and earth spiritual objects.
Seeing this scene, although Lu Xuan’s eyes were extremely calm, the shock in their depths was hard to conceal. He murmured to himself.
“Five supreme-grade heaven and earth spiritual objects, fifteen high-grade heaven and earth spiritual objects, forty mid-grade heaven and earth spiritual objects!”
“And this is only a portion of the Wen family’s martial arts resources.”
Lu Xuan’s gaze was full of emotion, and waves surged in his heart: These great family clans truly have deeper foundations than one another.
This Wen family truly deserved its title as the number one great family of the Eastern Domain.
Lu Xuan looked at the pile of high-grade heaven and earth spiritual objects before him—this amount was merely half of the Wen family’s treasure vault collection.
Of course, these exceedingly precious supreme-grade heaven and earth spiritual objects—the entire Wen family only had six of them.
Lu Xuan had taken five for himself, and as for the remaining supreme-grade heaven and earth spiritual object—
Mu Yun had actually not been tempted by it, instead cataloging it into the Profound Bird Guard’s treasure vault.
As for the reason, Lu Xuan had no way of knowing.
In any case, the five supreme-grade heaven and earth spiritual objects in Lu Xuan’s hands—once they were in his possession, there was no way he would give them up.
As for heaven and earth spiritual objects below the supreme-grade level, Lu Xuan had also taken some as appropriate.
The remaining heaven and earth spiritual objects—Lu Xuan handed them all to Mu Yun, letting him distribute them reasonably among the Profound Bird Guards below.
However, this was merely the tip of the iceberg of the Eastern Domain great family, the Wen family—and it was already so astonishing.
If that were the case, then what kind of incredible foundations would those great families standing in the Central Domain’s Heavenly Capital, and other top-tier forces, be hiding?
If there was a chance, Lu Xuan truly wanted to see the treasure vaults of these great families and great forces in Heavenly Capital.
Faced with these mountains of priceless heaven and earth spiritual objects, the Lu Xuan of the past would probably have been so excited he could hardly contain himself.
But the current Lu Xuan was much more composed than his former self.
Gazing at these rare items before him, there was not the slightest greed or urgency in Lu Xuan’s eyes—calm as a windless lake surface, without even a ripple.
The next second, Lu Xuan quickly withdrew his divine thought, his gaze looking forward, as the information on the system panel reflected one by one in Lu Xuan’s pupils.
Host: Lu Xuan
Realm: Divine Palace True Man (Perfect)
Techniques: Heaven-Burning Blade Technique 7/9, Close at Hand 2/9, Undying and Immortal 4/9.
Points: 27660
Lu Xuan’s eyes merely swept briefly over the system panel, then lingered no more.
The next second, Lu Xuan’s right hand, gripping the Void Floating Realm, suddenly exerted force, his five fingers clenching tightly like iron pincers.
Immediately after, from Lu Xuan’s right palm, a thread of divine thought and primordial spirit power abruptly shot out, instantly surging into the Void Floating Realm.
In an instant, on the dim and lusterless surface of the Void Floating Realm, a layer of eerie black ghostly light suddenly appeared.
The heaven and earth spiritual objects stored within the Void Floating Realm suddenly stirred, shooting out from the Void Floating Realm one after another.
Subsequently, all the heaven and earth spiritual objects seemed to be gently lifted by a pair of invisible giant hands, slowly floating in the air, arranged in orderly fashion.
Each heaven and earth spiritual object radiated a soft, dazzling, lustrous halo, illuminating the entire room as though in a dreamlike fantasy.
So many heaven and earth spiritual objects—at the moment they appeared in the world, not even a trace of faint heaven and earth spiritual energy leaked out.
Because every single heaven and earth spiritual object was sealed tightly by Lu Xuan using powerful heaven and earth force.
Lu Xuan’s eyes suddenly focused, and the divine thought and primordial spirit within his Divine Palace was awakened, slowly opening those deep and profound purple eyes.
At the same time, a shocking and world-startling primordial spirit power shot out at extreme speed.
Its power was so strong that in an instant, the entire room was wrapped layer upon layer by terrifying heaven and earth force, impenetrable.
Refining heaven and earth spiritual objects would cause some commotion, and Lu Xuan did not want anyone to notice his every move.
So, with a thought, Lu Xuan summoned his divine thought and primordial spirit power, directly sealing off this small stretch of heaven and earth tightly.
This way, when refining heaven and earth spiritual objects, the power that burst forth would all be confined within this small room, unable to leak out in the slightest.
“Next, it’s time to refine these heaven and earth spiritual objects.” Lu Xuan’s eyes shone with purple radiance, like two mysterious purple suns.
As soon as the words fell, Lu Xuan slowly closed his eyes.
At the same time, those heaven and earth spiritual objects suspended in midair, as though drawn by some mysterious force, began to drift slowly toward Lu Xuan in orderly fashion.
In the western part of Mingxin Prefecture, there was an estate located far from where Lu Xuan was.
The main gate of this estate was grand and magnificent, with flying eaves and bracket sets displaying full majesty.
The servants and guards before the gate all had cold expressions, eyes like torches, vigilantly scanning the surroundings, standing like fierce demons.
Almost every one of them emanated a murderous aura, making those who approached tremble with fear.
And the master of this estate was none other than the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate.
Of course, this was merely one of his many private estates.
Because the eastern part of Mingxin Prefecture had suffered a calamity, with nearly half the buildings destroyed, leaving a scene of devastation.
The Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate panicked, fearing his own interests would be harmed, so he hurriedly took advantage of the night, carrying all his family assets, and fled in haste to the western part of the city.
The reason for his hurried action was naturally fear of being discovered by those Profound Bird Guards.
After all, the entire Mingxin Prefecture city had now been taken over by the Profound Bird Guards.
He, a mere Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate, was of no use anymore—he could only let the Profound Bird Guards take over all authority of the government office and maintain order in the prefecture city.
But how could the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate know that his actions, in the eyes of the Profound Bird Guards, were merely burying one’s head in the sand—deceiving himself and others.
As the one who had taken over Mingxin Prefecture city, Mu Yun simply did not care about the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate’s little maneuvers.
Mu Yun had long grown accustomed to such things—out of ten county magistrates, nine were corrupt.
Hmm…
And one was especially corrupt!
These words, in any dynasty, were an eternally unchanging truth.
At this moment, within the estate’s main hall, the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate—who in ordinary times was awe-inspiring and authoritative—had not a shred of his former dignity left.
He was bowing at the waist, his face piled with fawning smiles, standing awkwardly in the middle of the hall’s walkway.
On both sides of the hall, candle flames flickered, yellow light swaying over him, reflecting his somewhat sycophantic expression.
His formerly upright spine now seemed bent by invisible pressure, a complete contrast to his usual lofty image.
Around the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate, four figures sat quietly on wooden chairs.
Their forms were faint and indistinct, as though merged with the darkness.
The candlelight was weak, barely outlining their blurry silhouettes, but unable to reveal their faces.
The air was filled with a suffocating atmosphere, as though even breathing had become heavy.
“Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate, is it?”
One dark figure slowly leaned forward from the shadows, its voice extremely gentle, like a March spring breeze brushing past.
But beneath this gentleness was an invisible towering mountain, pressing down so that the air around them congealed, giving off an indescribable sense of oppression.
The Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate felt his breath catch, fine beads of sweat instantly seeping from his forehead. He nodded hurriedly, stammering, “Yes… yes, this official is he. May I ask what instructions you honored gentlemen have?”
At this moment, another dark figure chuckled softly, the voice carrying a hint of mockery: “Instructions? Not exactly. There is just one matter we would like to ask the Magistrate about.”
This teasing made the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate’s heart beat even faster. He forcefully suppressed the fear in his heart and barely squeezed out a smile.
“Please speak. This official will certainly say all that I know, and speak without reserve.”
Just as the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate finished speaking, the first dark figure slowly spoke again: “Could you tell me what happened to the Wen family?”
Hearing the two words “Wen family,” the Magistrate’s body trembled violently, the smile on his face instantly freezing, sweat from his forehead sliding down his cheeks.
His throat seemed blocked by something. After a long while, the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate barely squeezed out a sentence: “Wen… Wen family?”
With an expression on the verge of tears, the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate looked in disbelief at the four mysterious people before him.
The Wen family matter had long been widely discussed throughout Mingxin Prefecture—who didn’t know the Wen family had been annihilated by those Profound Bird Guards?
Yet now, these four mysterious people of unknown origin actually dared to directly ask about the Wen family—this was simply courting death!
Obviously, anything involving the Wen family was now regarded as taboo by everyone. No one dared to have even the slightest connection with the Wen family.
The Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate’s heart surged with fear and unease. He did not know these people’s origins, much less what relationship they had with the Wen family.
But he was now very clear about one thing.
No matter who these four people were, the fact that they could appear silently in his estate—
And dared so unscrupulously ask about the Wen family—meant they were absolutely not ordinary people.
“Honored seniors, the Wen family attempted to plot rebellion and has already been…”
“The Wen family… the Wen family has already been annihilated by the Profound Bird Guards.”
The Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate’s voice trembled, almost squeezed out from between his teeth.
At this moment, the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate really wanted to point at these four bastards before him and curse them out.
Outside Mingxin Prefecture city, notices posted by the Profound Bird Guards were plastered all over the streets.
Are you few blind or something!
Blind, and yet so unscrupulous and swaggering as to barge into his estate—simply not putting him, the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate, in their eyes at all.
But the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate knew clearly that these people were definitely not good news.
Even if he was burning with rage, he could only endure it, not daring to show the slightest dissatisfaction.
The Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate’s answer made those four dark figures fall silent for a moment, the air filled with a suffocating pressure.
After a moment, the dark figure who had first spoken slowly said: “Profound Bird Guard?”
“That’s not what I want to ask!”
“I want to know—who exactly killed Duke Rongguo!”
“Wen Fengyuan!”
Another dark figure chuckled coldly, the voice carrying a hint of surprise: “From what I know, in this world, there aren’t many who could kill that old fellow Wen Fengyuan.”
“And among the Profound Bird Guards, there are even fewer.”
At this moment, a third dark figure slowly rose to its feet, and the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate’s heartbeat nearly stopped.
That dark figure had a seductive posture and light footsteps, like a phantom stepping out from the darkness.
Her voice was deep and charming, carrying an irresistible allure.
It was unexpectedly a woman.
“Hehe!”
The woman’s soft laugh echoed through the hall, as though carrying some kind of magic, unsettling the mind.
Seeing this, the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate lowered his head even further, even his breathing becoming cautious.
“Among the Profound Bird Guards, then there are only those two who would have full confidence in eliminating that old fellow Wen Fengyuan.”
Hearing these words, the Magistrate grew even more terrified.
These people did not even regard the Profound Bird Guards with any concern—just what background did they have?
In the blink of an eye, the woman slowly walked up to the Magistrate, the candlelight reflecting her blurry face.
Although her specific features could not be seen clearly, those eyes flickered with a cold, piercing light.
The woman said softly: “Magistrate, would you say that’s right?”
However, just as the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate was about to open his mouth to respond, he was shocked to discover—
At some unknown point, his body had already turned into a ghastly white skeleton.
And his consciousness, in that very instant, dissipated like thin smoke…
Only a crisp yet muffled sound was heard, as though something had suddenly snapped.
Immediately after, the Mingxin Prefecture Magistrate’s skeleton, without any warning, clattered and scattered all over the ground.
The scattered bones rolled and collided on the cold floor, producing a series of fine, fragmented sounds.
These sounds echoed through the silent hall, appearing extremely eerie and bizarre.
That pile of white bones, under the flickering candlelight, gleamed with a ghastly white light. The Magistrate, who had just been alive moments ago, had now turned into this pile of remains on the ground.
And the other three mysterious dark figures still sat steadily in their chairs, not saying a word.
The dark figure who had first spoken now suddenly stood up, its tone full of displeasure: “Jiang Yan, I hadn’t even gotten the answer yet!”
However, the woman called Jiang Yan turned a blind eye to this, as though she had not heard at all.
The corner of her mouth curved into a charming smile, her gaze sweeping seemingly casually toward that dark figure: “Tang Yun, could it be that you also want to test this Envoy’s methods…”
As soon as the words fell, a terrifying shockwave abruptly erupted between Tang Yun and Jiang Yan, surging and churning violently.
This force directly shook the entire space to pieces.
The surrounding tables, chairs, ornaments, and even the sturdy walls—under the rampage of this powerful force—
Instantly became like fragile paper, mercilessly crushed into fine powder, scattering as dust throughout the air.
“Enough, you two!”
Seeing things turning bad, the remaining two dark figures hurriedly stood up, urgently trying to dissuade them. “Our most important matter right now is to first find out who killed Wen Fengyuan!”
They knew well that if Jiang Yan and Tang Yun continued their standoff, the situation would inevitably spiral out of control.
After all, these two were from the Tang family and the Jiang family—the top three families among the eight great families.
“Hmph!”
“This useless ant—not a bit of use.”
“Looks like we’ll have to find some Profound Bird Guards to learn who made the move.”
Having spoken, as the voices faded, the candle flames flickered once more, and the figures of those four people gradually dissolved into the darkness, as though they had never appeared at all.
