56: Chapter 56 Dragon Vein

Deep beneath the Great Xia Imperial Palace.

A streak of light silently penetrated the thirty-six interlocking defensive Formations surrounding the Imperial City and merged into a dragon vein node. It neither alerted any guards nor triggered a Spiritual Qi tide.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The cinnabar brush in Xia Ruotian's hand paused mid-air. A drop of red ink fell onto the memorial, blooming like a stain. He looked up at the kongtong seal fragment floating above the desk. A faint glimmer flickered across the seal's surface before vanishing instantly.

Xia Ruotian set down the brush. His Divine Sense spread out, following the floor tiles all the way down, enveloping the entire Heavenly Saint City's underground water Systems and the leyline paths.

Nothing was found. The leylines were stable, and the Dragon Qi rose as usual.

He withdrew his Divine Sense, his brows furrowing. With the Great Age approaching and the Laws of heaven and earth restructuring, slight fluctuations in the dragon vein were within the realm of reason. However, he was suspicious by nature and never believed in coincidences.

"Someone, come."

The leader of the hidden guards knelt on one knee from the shadows.

"Investigate the operation records of all major Formations inside and outside the Imperial City. Increase manpower to keep a close watch on the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion; even a fly entering must be recorded," Xia Ruotian ordered.

The leader of the hidden guards took his orders and withdrew. Xia Ruotian watched the white smoke rising from the ambergris incense, his gaze deep. No one could touch the Foundation of Great Xia. Not even that mysterious power known as the Everlasting Gu Family.

Half a month later. The Great Xia Royal Hunting Grounds.

The Secret Realm entrance was located at an ancient altar deep within the hunting grounds. Today, royal descendants gathered. The periphery was filled with spies from various major forces. Ziyang Holy Land, Wan Jian Holy Land, and the reclusive Lu Family were all present.

Xia Qingyue stood at the very front of the group in bright yellow martial attire. Behind her followed Ji Ruxue, dressed in a moon-white long robe, carrying the frosty nine provinces on her back.

The Eldest Prince Xia Qingchen walked over. He had Soul Transformation Stage Early Stage cultivation and was followed by several imperial consecrators.

"Qingyue, you really brought an outsider in." Xia Qingchen sized up Ji Ruxue. "A Golden Core Stage? Do you think you're not dying fast enough, or do you want to use the Gu Family's name to scare people?"

Xia Qingyue didn't even give Xia Qingchen a direct look.

"Brother, mind yourself. Swords have no eyes in the Secret Realm; make sure you can actually walk out."

Xia Qingchen let out a cold laugh.

"Father let you oversee the state, and you really think you're the heir apparent? Dragon vein Qi is claimed by ability. Once inside the Secret Realm, even the Gu Family won't be able to protect you."

Ji Ruxue stood in place, her hand on her sword hilt. She didn't speak. Her gaze toward Xia Qingchen was like looking at a dead person.

On the high platform, golden light descended.

Xia Ruotian appeared. His Saint Early Stage pressure was well-restrained, but the oppressive aura of a ruler silenced the entire field. He scanned the crowd below, his gaze lingering on Ji Ruxue for half a second.

"The Secret Realm trial will follow the usual rules," Xia Ruotian's voice echoed across the hunting grounds. "The one who captures the most Dragon vein Qi shall enter the Eastern Palace. Life and death are up to fate. Open the array."

A rift opened in the void at the center of the altar. A dense ancient aura mixed with dragon prestige leaked out. The royal descendants entered one after another.

Xia Qingyue and Ji Ruxue stepped into the rift side by side.

Central Province, Heavenly Saint City. The top floor of the Star-Plucking Tower.

Gu Sheng leaned back in a grandmaster's chair, with the System light screen floating before him. The screen was divided into two parts. One showed Ye Yuan in the Eastern Region riding a carriage pulled by three Soul Transformation Stage flood dragons, and the other was Ji Ruxue's first-person perspective as she entered the Great Xia Secret Realm.

[Host, the fifty-million-point 'Heaven-Severing Pulse-Cutting Array' has been deployed at the core of the dragon vein. As long as Ji Ruxue reaches the designated location and activates it, the Great Xia dragon vein will be uprooted.]

The System's mechanical voice sounded.

[However, that old fellow Xia Ruotian is guarding outside. Once the dragon vein is severed, he'll go mad. When a Saint goes mad, half of Heavenly Saint City will be gone.]

"He won't go mad." Gu Sheng picked up his teacup and blew on the floating leaves. "The Heaven-Severing Pulse-Cutting Array can not only extract the dragon vein but also substitute the sun with a sham. It will siphon the true dragon vein and leave behind a fake one. By the time he realizes something is wrong, the Gu Family will have already devoured everything."

[Truly sinister. This Great Xia Emperor is really down on his luck meeting you.]

"This is called rational resource utilization." Gu Sheng took a sip of tea.

Inside the Great Xia Secret Realm.

The sky was a dark red. The land was barren, with ruins of ancient buildings visible everywhere. This was the site of the ancient Great Xia Dynasty.

Xia Qingyue and Ji Ruxue landed. No one else was around. The teleportation was random.

"We need to go to the Dragon Transformation Pool in the central area," Xia Qingyue identified the direction. "That's where the Dragon vein Qi is most concentrated. Xia Qingchen and the others will definitely head there too."

"Lead the way." Ji Ruxue said succinctly.

The two sped across the wasteland. Along the way, they encountered several Nascent Soul level Yao Beasts. Ji Ruxue didn't even draw her sword, killing them with pure Sword Qi alone. Xia Qingyue watched, gaining a deeper understanding of the Gu Family's Foundation.

After traveling for half an hour, a magnificent ruined palace appeared ahead. In the center of the palace was a massive pool. The pool water was golden, and dragon-shaped phantoms leaped out as it churned.

Dragon Transformation Pool.

Over a dozen people were already standing by the pool. It was Xia Qingchen and his followers.

"Qingyue, you arrived quite quickly." Xia Qingchen turned around, holding a Dragon Pearl emitting golden light. "Unfortunately, I've already collected half of the Dragon Qi here."

Xia Qingyue stopped, her Soul Transformation Late Stage cultivation no longer hidden. Her pressure spread out, pressing directly against Xia Qingchen.

Xia Qingchen's expression changed drastically.

"Soul Transformation Late Stage? How could you..."

"There are many things you don't know." Xia Qingyue drew the longsword at her waist. "Hand over the Dragon Pearl and I'll leave your corpse intact."

Xia Qingchen took two steps back and ordered his followers.

"Form the array! Kill her!"

Over a dozen Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators quickly scattered, surrounding Xia Qingyue and Ji Ruxue.

Ji Ruxue took a step forward.

The frosty nine provinces was unsheathed.

Without any wasted movement or flashy Moves, she delivered a single horizontal sweep.

The extreme cold Sword Intent froze the air. The dozen or so Cultivators in the array didn't even have time to sacrifice their Magic Treasures before being cut in half at the waist. No blood flowed from the wounds; everything was frozen solid.

Xia Qingchen stood dazed on the spot. A Golden Core Stage had insta-killed over a dozen Nascent Soul Stages in one strike. Logically, this defied common sense, but the reincarnated Empress didn't care for logic; after all, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.

Ji Ruxue walked toward Xia Qingchen with her sword in hand.

"Don't come any closer!" Xia Qingchen frantically activated his protective Magic Treasure. "I am a Prince of Great Xia! If you dare kill me, Father will not let you off!"

Ji Ruxue ignored his shouting. She raised her hand and the sword fell.

The Magic Treasure shattered. Xia Qingchen's head rolled onto the ground.

Xia Qingyue looked at the corpse on the ground, her hand gripping her sword tightening slightly. People from the Gu Family killed princes as casually as killing chickens.

"The Dragon Pearl is yours. The Dragon Transformation Pool is mine." Ji Ruxue sheathed her sword and walked toward the golden pool.

Xia Qingyue picked up the Dragon Pearl Xia Qingchen had dropped and asked in confusion, "What do you want with the Dragon Transformation Pool?"

"Revered Master's orders. Extract the dragon vein."

"What?"