Within Bifeng Valley, Li Chengxing and Mu Yun stood side by side.
At their feet, a bronze vessel shaped like a pure white lotus sat quietly.
“What is this…?”
The very next moment, Lu Xuan’s figure flickered ghostlike through the air, and he suddenly appeared behind Li Chengxing and Mu Yun.
Then, Lu Xuan fixed his gaze firmly upon that white lotus bronze vessel.
It looked like a sacrificial vessel!
“Deputy Commander Lu, I never thought that not long after parting at Baidao Manor, we would meet again here in Mingzhou.”
Sensing someone approaching from behind, Li Chengxing quickly put on a warm smile and slowly turned around.
“This time, we truly have to trouble you, Deputy Commander Lu, for personally coming to lend us a hand.”
Mu Yun followed closely, turning around behind Li Chengxing. Her lips stayed tightly shut, and she did not utter a single word.
But from the corner of her eye, she kept casting furtive glances at Lu Xuan, like nimble threads of silk. Deep within her pupils lay thoughts that others could not readily discern.
So this is the Fourth Deputy Commander of the Xuanwu Guard, personally appointed by His Majesty?
Li Chengxing then went on to introduce Mu Yun, who stood beside him.
“Right, Old Lu, this is Deputy Commander Mu Yun.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Yun reacted extremely quickly, speaking before Lu Xuan could.
“Deputy Commander Lu, I have long heard of your great name. A pleasure to meet you, truly a pleasure.”
“Deputy Commander Mu, you flatter me. I wouldn’t dare accept such courtesy!”
Lu Xuan had a fitting smile at the corner of his mouth, his expression calm as still water as he responded indifferently.
“By the way, Old Lu, here, this is for you!”
As Li Chengxing spoke, the five fingers of his right hand suddenly clenched. Air currents swirled rapidly like whirlpools in his palm.
With a faint whistling sound, the white lotus bronze vessel on the ground seemed drawn by an invisible, tremendous force, lifting smoothly into the air.
Seeing this, Lu Xuan reacted with great swiftness. Without a moment’s hesitation, he reached out one hand and caught the flying white lotus bronze vessel steadily.
The moment he firmly grasped it, his brows furrowed deeply, forming a tight “川” (river-shaped) crease. His face was filled with confusion and doubt.
He raised his eyes to look at Li Chengxing. He didn’t speak, but waited for Li Chengxing’s next move.
“Old Lu, this is something left behind by those heretics of the Pure World White Lotus Sect.”
“I think you know very well what this thing is, don’t you?”
“This is one of the finest sacrificial vessels among those White Lotus heretics.”
“A Seven-Pattern Moon Vessel!” Li Chengxing stressed those four words deliberately.
A Moon-grade sacrificial vessel!
After hearing Li Chengxing’s explanation, Lu Xuan could not help but shoot a ray of purple light from his eyes.
Sacrificial vessels are divided into four grades: Sun, Moon, Star, and Chen (Celestial).
At the same time, these vessels bear natural primordial patterns formed by heaven and earth!
1–3 primordial patterns correspond to Chen-grade vessels.
4–6 primordial patterns correspond to Star-grade vessels.
7–9 primordial patterns correspond to Moon-grade vessels.
As for Sun-grade vessels, those possess ten or more primordial patterns.
Lu Xuan never expected that he would acquire a Moon-grade, seven-pattern sacrificial vessel right here in Feihe Prefecture, Mingzhou.
Gazing at the seven-pattern Moon vessel in his hand, Lu Xuan’s originally calm mood, as placid as a deep pool, suddenly stirred with ripples, surging like stormy waves.
After all, he knew that refining a Chen-grade vessel could earn him tens of thousands of system points.
As for higher grades—Star, Moon, or even Sun—he had never refined any of them before.
“Old Lu, before you arrived, Old Mu and I had already received a transmission from the Commander.”
“His Majesty personally decreed that you are to handle this Mingzhou crisis.”
“So, all these things left behind by the Pure World White Lotus Sect are also to be handed over to you for disposal.”
As Li Chengxing spoke, his gaze drifted intentionally or not to that white lotus bronze vessel, his eyes carrying a deep, unspoken meaning.
A Moon-grade sacrificial vessel!
Even across the entire Great Xia Dynasty, this was an extremely precious treasure.
In fact, throughout the Great Xia Dynasty, there are only slightly more than twenty such Moon-grade vessels in existence.
As for the Xuanwu Heavenly Seal in Li Chengxing’s hands—that was only temporarily lent to him by Zi Yao, the Commander of the Xuanwu Guard. It wasn’t his to keep.
Leave it to me to handle?
“Yes.”
“Very well.”
“Old Li, Deputy Commander Mu, since that’s the case, I won’t stand on ceremony.”
Faced with the temptation of a Moon-grade vessel, Lu Xuan naturally would not let it go. He accepted it with an easy conscience.
Then, Lu Xuan applied slight pressure with his five fingers. From the center of his right palm, a faint, almost imperceptible wisp of purple energy quietly leaked out.
Like a nimble little purple snake, it instantly vanished into the white lotus sacrificial vessel.
Host: Lu Xuan
Realm: Divine Mansion True Person
Cultivation Methods: Blazing Heaven Saber Technique 4/9, Spanning the Horizon 0/9, Undying and Indestructible 2/9
Points: 15,660
Primordial energy of heaven and earth detected. Currently in a sealed state. Unable to extract.
“What?!”
Lu Xuan’s face changed dramatically. The composure he had maintained was now overtaken by barely concealed shock.
The next moment, purple light burst brilliantly from his pupils. Like a hawk, he fixed his gaze on one particular spot.
That spot was near the ground where the white lotus bronze vessel had just been.
There, a tattered red robe lay sprawled messily on the ground, stained with blood.
Beneath that torn red robe, one could vaguely make out a pile of red and white matter, crushed into an unrecognizable shape by some terrifying force.
“Hmph, you bastard!”
Suddenly!
Lu Xuan let out a fierce bellow. The cold snort burst forth like a thunderclap, making the air hum.
The next moment, the solid ground beneath his feet seemed unable to bear the strain. It cracked like a spiderweb, fissures spreading in all directions.
Each crack looked like a dark chasm leading straight to hell.
At the same time, violent gales erupted through Bifeng Valley, sweeping with an overwhelming force, their howls shrill and piercing.
Above, the once calm clouds and winds seemed stirred by an invisible hand, churning wildly, piling layer upon layer.
Before Li Chengxing and the other could react, Lu Xuan raised his left hand like lightning. The edges of his fingers quickly shimmered with profound purple radiance.
Then, a blazing purple flame surged forth from the center of his palm.
With overwhelming ferocity, the purple flame engulfed that pile of mangled flesh in an instant.
“Ahhh!”
The next second, the burning flesh let out agonized screams.
“Supreme Elder, save me!”
“I don’t want to die!”
“That’s the voice of that old fiend Hong Ying!” Li Chengxing’s pupils contracted sharply, his face turning deathly pale as if all the blood had drained away.
His lips trembled slightly, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
That old bastard was clearly slain by my Xuanwu Heavenly Seal!
How could he still be alive!
Li Chengxing, being the wily old fox that he was, always handled matters with meticulous care, leaving no detail overlooked.
To ensure Hong Ying was truly dead, he had even blasted the corpse into bloody pulp, leaving it utterly lifeless.
And now you’re telling me that old fiend Hong Ying isn’t fully dead yet?
This hit Li Chengxing like a hammer blow to the head.
While Li Chengxing was questioning his own existence, that pool of red-and-white liquid, which had been mercilessly consumed by the purple flames, began to swell abnormally—defying all reason.
On the surface of the raging purple flames, a clearly defined face emerged.
At that moment—whoosh—a sharp explosion rang out.
A bizarre white light pierced through the violently burning purple flames and shot out. It moved so fast that only a blurred trail remained in the air.
When the white light reached the sky, it began to glow ever brighter. As the white radiance twisted and warped, it gradually condensed into a giant, phantom face.
This phantom in the sky had distinct features, exuding a chilling aura. Its hollow eyes kept flickering, emitting a harsh white glare.
Threads of white energy flowed continuously along its contours, contrasting eerily with the raging purple flames below.
Looking up at that phantom, Lu Xuan realized his Wind-Fire Saber—which had been hanging at his waist—was already in his hand. He had no idea when he’d drawn it.
That white phantom in the sky was none other than the old crone’s primordial spirit phantom—the very same one Lu Xuan had shattered before.
Oh, come on!
Is your spiritual power free or what?
Lu Xuan felt a wave of helplessness at the reappearance of that old crone’s primordial spirit.
Could a Divine Mansion realm martial artist’s spiritual sense really be casually implanted into someone else like this?
Spiritual power is the very core of a Divine Mansion cultivator—the foundation of the Divine Mansion itself.
If you keep stripping away Divine Mansion power from within, again and again, the cultivator will eventually suffer severe backlash.
For the old crone to dare such a reckless move, she clearly didn’t care about her own life.
The old crone’s primordial spirit phantom hovered high above the sky. First, she cast a cold, condescending glance downward—like a deity looking upon the mortal world.
But when her indifferent gaze fell upon Lu Xuan on the ground, the phantom’s face showed clear shock. Even its features twisted slightly from sheer disbelief.
Obviously, she had never expected to see this damned brat again.
“It’s you again—you damned little brat!”
Although the phantom’s lips did not move at all, a roar that seemed to come straight from the depths of the nine hells exploded without warning.
The surrounding space warped and twisted under the shockwaves. Ripples visible to the naked eye spread wildly outward, centered on the old crone’s phantom.
That roar could almost shatter the very air. Carrying an indescribable pressure, it pierced through everyone’s eardrums, reaching deep into their souls.
Inside Bifeng Valley, Li Chengxing and the other Xuanwu Guards felt their hearts jolt. Power churned within them, as if their organs were about to be crushed by the force.
The old crone’s phantom roar was filled with endless venom and rage.
It was as if she and Lu Xuan shared an irreconcilable, mortal enmity.
Facing the old crone’s phantom, whose hateful gaze seemed almost tangible, Lu Xuan remained unmoved. Not a single ripple crossed his expression as he stood firmly in place.
Yet, within his body, his Divine Mansion was slowly gathering terrifying spiritual power.
“Hmph!”
“Damned brat!”
“Let’s hope I don’t run into you again, or I swear I’ll annihilate your Divine Mansion and scatter your soul to the winds!”
Those words boomed like thunder, rattling everyone’s ears.
But then, something happened that made Li Chengxing and the others nearly drop their jaws.
That fierce, raging old crone’s phantom, which had seemed ready to tear the place apart, suddenly—after hurling those threats at Lu Xuan—acted like a startled bird.
With a flash of white light around her, she transformed into a white beam of light and shot away, swift as a white bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, she vanished beyond the horizon.
Though she dearly wished to tear Lu Xuan apart and grind his bones to dust, after a few seconds of deliberation, she chose to abandon Hong Ying.
The old crone’s phantom knew very well that this strand of her primordial power was no match for that Xuanwu Guard brat down below.
Because although that brat’s aura made him look like he’d just entered the Divine Mansion realm…
That was deceptive. The terrifying flame art he wielded made his actual strength far surpass a martial artist at the early Divine Mansion stage.
In fact, he was perilously close to the level of a Primordial Spirit True Person!
After the old crone’s phantom vanished, Bifeng Valley fell into a dead, suffocating silence. Only Li Chengxing and the others were left, their faces filled with disbelief.
Both Li Chengxing and Mu Yun naturally knew the identity of that old crone’s phantom.
She was the Supreme Elder of the Pure World White Lotus Sect—Old Monster White Bone—a Primordial Spirit True Person at the Grand Completion stage of Divine Mansion.
Li Chengxing narrowed his eyes. A glint of understanding passed through them, as if a fog had suddenly lifted. He murmured softly to himself,
“No wonder Hong Ying managed to slip past my perception. So it was that old fiend White Bone helping him in secret.”
But that old monster, a Primordial Spirit True Person, was actually scared off.
Both Li Chengxing and Mu Yun knew, with absolute certainty, that it had nothing to do with the two of them.
That left only one possibility.
Lu Xuan!
At this moment, both Li Chengxing and Mu Yun finally confirmed Lu Xuan’s true martial realm.
Only a Divine Mansion realm martial artist could scare off the spiritual power of another Divine Mansion expert.
Without a doubt, Lu Xuan was definitely a Divine Mansion existence—and possibly one at the Small Completion stage or above.
A Divine Mansion True Person at such a young age… both Li Chengxing and Mu Yun were utterly numbed.
While Li Chengxing stood dazed, his gaze drifting—
The outline within the purple flames gradually twisted and deformed. Before long, it turned into ashes drifting away, vanishing into the world.
Host: Lu Xuan
Realm: Divine Mansion True Person
Cultivation Methods: Blazing Heaven Saber Technique 4/9, Spanning the Horizon 0/9, Undying and Indestructible 2/9
Points: 15,660
Primordial energy of heaven and earth detected. Host, please confirm whether to extract the primordial energy.
Seeing that last line, Lu Xuan finally let down his guard.
Once bitten, twice shy.
He had no desire to experience that feeling of being toyed with ever again.
