It was him!
The moment the old man appeared, everyone present—except for Lu Xuan—was utterly stunned.
It was actually this person!
The old man wore a flowing black ceremonial robe, its fabric smooth and pristine, without a single wrinkle or crease.
His hands resembled withered wood that had weathered a thousand years of frost—knobby knuckles, bulging veins.
His pale, aged face was crisscrossed with wrinkles like deep ravines, and his sunken eyes held a murky, weathered look.
This was Leng Yuanjun, the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Attendant Directorate—a martial artist at the Small Completion stage of the Divine Mansion realm, inching ever closer to the Great Completion stage. A veritable old monster who had lived for over five hundred years.
“Ancestor!”
The few remaining eunuchs from the directorate who had been standing by, trembling and unharmed, immediately dropped to their knees in sheer terror, kowtowing frantically to Leng Yuanjun.
But Leng Yuanjun acted as if those desperate men behind him didn’t exist—as if they were nothing more than air.
His expression was calm. His frame seemed slightly hunched. Yet his eyes were fixed squarely on Lu Xuan, sharp and unwavering, and when he spoke, his voice was chillingly cold.
“Director Lu, your reckless actions here are a blatant disregard for the laws set by His Majesty!”
As he said this, he appeared completely transformed from the anxious figure of just moments before—as though that nervousness had never existed at all.
In response to Leng Yuanjun’s words, Lu Xuan’s violet-glowing pupils suddenly blazed with dazzling light, and the void around him began to tremble once more.
The ethereal space around him felt as fragile as a mirror on the verge of shattering—ready to collapse at any moment under the immense heavenly energy radiating from Lu Xuan’s body.
But contrary to what everyone else was thinking, Lu Xuan was actually weighing whether or not to kill this old eunuch right here and now.
After all, killing one was the same as killing two—so why not just deal with this old fossil, then use his Chiyan Tianya technique to vanish a thousand miles away?
That damned bastard from earlier had dared to touch his reverse scale.
What audacity!
This clueless eunuch had actually threatened his family right in front of him!
In the very next instant, Leng Yuanjun sensed it—the heavenly energy around his body had ignited like a powder keg.
This terrifying energy was now centered on Lu Xuan, beginning to boil and rage outward violently.
Even the surrounding palaces nearby began to shake with intense tremors.
Boundless torrents of heavenly energy churned wildly through the void.
A few breaths passed, and then—a terrible storm erupted, howling and raging through the air.
Along the palace corridor, the indestructible golden-jade tiles that paved the ground began to crack like fragile sheets of thin ice, fissures spreading rapidly.
Then, one of the massive stone pillars supporting the palace crumbled in an instant under the unbelievable force of the shockwave.
A deafening boom echoed as the pillar collapsed in ruin, sending shattered debris flying and kicking up dense clouds of dust. Wispy strands of smoke curled upward, blurring everyone’s vision.
Seeing this, Leng Yuanjun’s heart clenched violently. His chest flooded with alarm, and a chilling dread shot straight up his spine to the top of his head.
“Is this Lu Xuan insane?!”
“Could he possibly be—”
Was he really planning to wield heavenly energy without restraint, right here inside the imperial palace?
But Leng Yuanjun couldn’t bring himself to finish that thought.
Because the man before him—Lu Xuan—was simply too insane. Far beyond what Leng Yuanjun had anticipated.
It seemed that whatever the Luo family had promised him, he would have to forgo.
Three high-grade heavenly treasures weren’t worth his old bones being ground to dust in a direct confrontation with the deputy commander of the Black Bird Guard.
This Lu Xuan, based on the power he had just displayed—
His martial cultivation was definitely no weaker than this old man who already had one foot in the grave. If anything, he might even be stronger.
That thought brought a strange, unsettling smile to Leng Yuanjun’s otherwise expressionless face.
Just as Lu Xuan’s violet pupils sharpened, his aura condensing as he steeled himself to make his move—
Leng Yuanjun’s demeanor shifted instantly. He clasped his hands together with an air of urgency, made a slight bow in Lu Xuan’s direction, and broke the tense, knife-edge atmosphere.
“Director Lu, hold on!”
“I believe you may have misunderstood my meaning, Director Lu.”
“I have no intention of blaming you—quite the opposite, in fact. What I mean to say is—”
“This insolent servant, with utter audacity, actually tried to raise his hand against you, Director Lu. He simply didn’t know his place, and he had a death wish.”
“So that dog of a servant deserved to die. In truth, I should be thanking you, Director Lu, for eliminating this scourge on my behalf.”
“Otherwise, that wretched servant would have eventually stirred up some enormous disaster and dragged me down with him.”
With this string of words, Leng Yuanjun neatly glossed over what Lu Xuan had just done.
He twisted the truth—that Lu Xuan had struck first—into a version where Wei Wuji was the one who tried to ambush Lu Xuan, and was thus summarily executed in self-defense.
After all, eunuchs like Wei Wuji were utterly insignificant within the imperial palace.
Even if a hundred Wei Wujis died, it wouldn’t cause the slightest ripple—let alone attract the attention of that one.
All matters of life and death among the palace eunuchs rested solely in the hands of Leng Yuanjun, the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Attendant Directorate.
So for Wei Wuji, one word from Leng Yuanjun was more than enough.
“Heh heh heh!”
“Well then, I won’t disturb you any further, Director Lu!”
“As for these other dog servants—rest assured, I will deal with them properly.”
Leng Yuanjun’s face was plastered with a friendly smile, accompanied by a few dry chuckles.
In the blink of an eye, his form blurred into a dark afterimage, carried by a swift gust of wind.
And just like that, he vanished from Lu Xuan’s sight in an instant.
As for the eunuchs who had been behind him, they were lifted like little chicks.
Leng Yuanjun raised a single hand, casually grabbed all three by their collars, and with an effortless motion that nonetheless brooked no resistance—
He dragged them into the darkness along with him, as though they had never been there at all.
Lu Xuan withdrew his divine sense at that moment, frowning deeply. He couldn’t quite make sense of the old eunuch’s actions.
He had been fully prepared to strike without reservation—and yet the old man had backed down, shown weakness, and simply fled!
Lu Xuan’s gaze was sharp as a torch as he slowly swept his eyes across the surrounding palace grounds, now a scene of utter devastation.
The collapsed stone pillar lay in ruins, its fragments swaying precariously in the cold wind.
Meanwhile, Mei Qingyu and her Plum Blossom Guards stood frozen in place, their minds blank, unable to react—as if under some kind of spell.
Their gazes were dazed, filled with confusion and helplessness, clearly still reeling from the heart-stopping scene that had just unfolded before them.
Hmm.
It looked like he had accidentally demolished part of the imperial palace.
At the same time, another question surfaced in Lu Xuan’s mind.
He had stirred up such a massive commotion here—so why hadn’t any of the palace guards outside responded?
Just as confusion began to creep over him, a blurry figure slowly emerged from the far end of the palace corridor.
The newcomer’s steps were unhurried—each one seemingly relaxed—yet her form moved like a ghost, closing dozens of paces in the span of a single breath.
Within a few breaths, the figure was already near Lu Xuan. It was a woman wearing a mask.
She was clad in a deep crimson brocade robe of exquisite, fine texture—flowing and light, shimmering with a soft luster beneath the daylight.
The skin revealed beneath the crimson robe was as pale as snow, so smooth it almost seemed to reflect light.
At the same time, the form-fitting robe perfectly outlined her alluring and graceful curves.
Her two slender, well-proportioned legs were faintly visible beneath the hem as she moved—each step light yet elegant.
On her face, she wore a red mask that covered the upper half.
The mask was exquisitely crafted, its vivid red hue dazzling to the eye. Upon its surface was a delicately painted plum blossom motif.
The brushwork was refined—each petal seemingly trembling in a gentle breeze, lifelike and dreamlike, radiating an air of mystery.
The moment this woman came to a halt, Mei Qingyu and her Plum Blossom Guards looked as if they had been struck by lightning—their faces instantly flooding with shock.
Then, in perfect unison, they dropped to one knee with a sharp whoosh.
Their backs were ramrod straight, heads slightly bowed, expressions filled with reverence. Their movements were practiced and swift as they saluted in unison.
“Commander!”
“We pay our respects to you, Commander!”
As Mei Qingyu and the others performed their salute, Lu Xuan made no effort to hide his gaze—he stared directly at the woman.
Around her, he could vaguely sense an ineffable, mysterious aura.
Just one glance was enough to make Lu Xuan—a martial artist at the Small Completion stage of the Divine Mansion—feel a subtle prickle of danger.
Such a powerful presence!
Could this woman be a Primordial Spirit True Lord at the Great Completion stage of the Divine Mansion?
It was worth noting that Lu Xuan, even at Small Completion, was no ordinary Divine Mansion cultivator.
With the Blessing of his Burning Heaven Saber Technique at the fourth level, he could hold his own against any Divine Mansion expert—and might even surpass the average Great Completion cultivator.
The Plum Blossom Guard Commander’s beautiful eyes were like a deep, tranquil pool—calm and undisturbed, yet seemingly concealing a mysterious power that could see through everything.
Then, she parted her lips slowly, her voice soft and melodious.
“Qingyu, you may withdraw for now.”
Her voice drifted gently through the palace corridor, clear and distinct in every listener’s ear.
Each syllable carried a perfectly balanced charm that soothed the heart and stirred the soul—effortlessly captivating everyone, making them sink into its allure.
“Yes, Commander!”
Mei Qingyu and the others did not dawdle. After paying their respects respectfully, they turned and departed.
But as Mei Qingyu left, the joy on her face was almost impossible to conceal.
Who would have thought that Wei Wuji—the man she had racked her brains, exhausted every means, and employed every scheme to eliminate—would be casually swept away by Director Lu in such a twist of fate?
It seems heaven has eyes. Even it couldn’t stand to see that beast Wei Wuji wreak havoc in this world.
After Mei Qingyu and her group had left, the Plum Blossom Guard Commander, Man Qingqiu, slowly turned her gaze toward Lu Xuan. Her vermilion lips parted once more, her voice gentle and unhurried as she spoke.
“Director Lu, your reputation precedes you. Now that I see you in person, you are indeed extraordinary—far beyond the common folk of this mortal world.”
“I am Man Qingqiu, Commander of the Plum Blossom Guard. His Majesty has sent me especially to welcome you, Director Lu.”
“Please, this way.”
This time, with Man Qingqiu leading the way, there were no more obstructions along the path.
When Lu Xuan finally stopped, he raised his eyes and saw before him a towering, jet-black palace hall. An indescribable air of nobility and majesty rushed toward him.
Man Qingqiu, who had been walking beside him, moved with light steps and extended her delicate, boneless jade-like hand.
In an instant, a dreamlike pink mist began to emanate from that fair little hand, coiling and spiraling around her fingertips like a living thing.
With a gentle push from Man Qingqiu, the five-meter-tall jet-black door slowly swung open, emitting a deep, weighty rumble.
The moment the door to the jet-black palace opened, Man Qingqiu’s figure blurred so quickly it was dazzling—and in a few flickers, she had already reached the depths of the grand hall.
Seeing her figure vanish into the hall’s interior, Lu Xuan did not immediately follow.
Instead, a look of unprecedented gravity settled on his face. Around his body, faint ripples of spatial fluctuation began to form.
That was the divine sense energy within his Divine Mansion, slowly circulating—thread by thread, like a fine spiderweb—enveloping his entire body in a tight cocoon of protection.
Ever since the door to this mysterious palace had swung open, an overwhelmingly dangerous aura had surged forth.
This unprecedented sense of oppression now pressed down heavily upon Lu Xuan, like an invisible giant mountain weighing on his physical body.
This feeling of facing a formidable enemy—even when he had been at the Inner Qi realm back in Taiping Town, facing the divine sense phantom of the Dragon Lord—had never instilled such dread in him.
“Your Majesty, you…?”
Standing deep within the hall, Man Qingqiu looked up toward the steps above. As if she had seen something utterly unbelievable, she froze on the spot.
Her beautiful eyes, hidden behind the deep-red mask, widened in shock and disbelief.
What was going on with His Majesty?
She was receiving Lu Xuan in casual attire?!
By now, Lu Xuan had slowly made his way to Man Qingqiu’s side and raised his gaze toward the jet-black imperial throne at the top of the steps.
Before the throne, the curtains had been drawn back, revealing the scene within.
The woman seated there wore a jet-black tasseled dress. Its hem flowed like a dark night—layer upon layer—while the delicate tassels quivered and swayed gently with her breath.
Her facial features seemed carved by celestial hands—exquisite to the extreme. Her eyes were like clear, crystalline deep pools, holding endless profundity.
The pale skin revealed by the jet-black dress glowed softly, like warm jade bathed in moonlight.
Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, falling loosely and elegantly over her shoulders.
