233: The Imperial Palace!

Chapter 233: Imperial Palace!

The next moment, dazzling purple flames, carrying a surging heatwave, roared like an enraged purple flame Vicious Beast, pouncing towards that bloodshot, terrifying face.

In just an instant, that face was completely consumed by the blazing purple flames, turning into nothingness, as if it had never existed.

The three night watchmen felt the scorching heatwave rush past them, yet they were surprised to find that they were completely unaffected, as if those terrifying purple flames had intelligence and avoided them.

"You are..."

The leading night watchman's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart, his voice trembling and broken as he asked.

His eyes were filled with disbelief, staring intently at the mysterious presence before him.

What kind of power was this?

Flames?

A method of the Immortals?

Just now, that ghostly thing appeared without warning, its body exuding Yin Qi so dense it seemed corporeal.

As soon as it appeared, it drilled straight into every pore of his body, and the Qi and blood in his body felt as if they were rapidly encased in a layer of frost, almost freezing solid.

Just one encounter had rendered him, a Blood Refinement Realm Perfection Martial Artist, completely powerless to resist.

Thinking of this, the leading night watchman's face instantly turned ashen, his legs couldn't help but tremble slightly, and his face was filled with the panic and lingering fear of having escaped a disaster.

Without a doubt, from this terrifying Yin Qi, this ghostly thing must be an E Level or higher anomaly.

Only the Origin Qi of Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists could deal with an E Level or higher anomaly.

Damn it, knowing that such extremely abnormal ghostly things existed recently, he was still careless.

If it weren't for this mysterious person's intervention, his grave grass would probably be several feet high by now.

Lu Xuan merely nodded slightly in response to the leading night watchman's question.

Then, Lu Xuan immersed his attention in the System panel in his mind.

Host: Lu Xuan

Realm: Divine Abode True Person (Minor Achievement)

Cultivation Technique: Burning Heaven Blade Technique 4/9, Close Distance to the Horizon 1/9, Undying and Unextinguished 4/9

Points: 32660

He had gained 3000 System points, which Lu Xuan had acquired by killing the anomalies he encountered on his way when he left Ming Prefecture.

The sheer number of anomalies in this Central Prefecture surprised Lu Xuan greatly.

At the same time, the strength of these ghostly things also far exceeded those in the Southern Region.

Of course, facing these extremely terrifying ghostly things, most of the Blackbird Guard's forces were naturally concentrated in these five prefectures.

For example, these three Blackbird Guards in front of him were all Blood Refinement Realm Martial Artists.

The leading Blood Refinement Realm Perfection Martial Artist was only responsible for a small team in this county town.

Lu Xuan could still clearly perceive that there were even eight Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists in this county town.

Among them, there were as many as three Mystic Envoys, who were Inner Qi Realm Major Achievement or higher Martial Artists of the Blackbird Guard.

This was an incredible situation for anywhere outside the Central Prefecture.

However, the county town of Fengming County was surprisingly large, exceeding Lu Xuan's imagination.

Its area was two or three times that of Baidao Prefecture City.

"Senior, I am Pan Cang of the Great Xia Xuan Bird Guard, a Huang Grade Xuan Niao Guard from Fengming County. We three thank Senior for saving our lives!"

Facing Lu Xuan's slight nod, the hearts of Pan Cang and the other two suddenly quickened, their eyes filled with awe and apprehension.

The three of them dared not be negligent in the slightest; they hastily raised their hands, leaned forward, clasped their fists, and raised them high, respectfully bowing to Lu Xuan, their movements betraying their nervousness.

Lu Xuan was their savior; even kneeling and kowtowing would not be excessive.

Lu Xuan didn't pay much attention to their grand bow.

Instead, he slightly closed his eyes, and a faint purple glow instantly emanated from his body.

At this moment, Lu Xuan released the Divine Thought from his God Palace without reservation.

This astonishing Divine Thought power, like nimble threads or invisible tentacles, spread silently in all directions, centered on Lu Xuan's body.

Every inch of air, every wisp of breeze within a hundred-mile radius of Fengming County was perceived by Lu Xuan's Divine Thought.

However, under Lu Xuan's perception, no Yin Qi was detected.

It seems it's time to leave here, Lu Xuan mused inwardly.

Hmm?

Someone?

Lu Xuan's heart suddenly stirred; his Divine Thought had captured an anomaly in the night.

Under his careful perception, there were actually seven unique Auras.

They were rushing towards Lu Xuan's direction at an extremely fast speed.

The martial Dao Auras on these seven people burst out without any concealment, as if they were deliberately trying to alert others.

Four Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists and three Blood Refinement Realm Perfection Martial Artists.

Could it be... Lu Xuan's expression tightened slightly, and he quickly retracted his Divine Thought, his eyes instantly becoming as sharp as an eagle's, looking directly behind Pan Cang and the other two.

This sharp gaze seemed to penetrate the heavy night, clearly seeing everything in the darkness.

Lu Xuan's sudden strange gaze left Pan Cang and the others bewildered.

After exchanging glances, a sense of doubt welled up in their hearts.

Pan Cang swallowed, unable to hold back, and with a mix of doubt and nervousness, he quickly turned to look behind him.

The other two also quickly followed, their movements swift and fluid, without any hesitation.

A few breaths later, seven figures appeared out of thin air in front of Lu Xuan and the others.

Each figure appeared agile and lithe, like ghosts in the darkness, leaping and soaring eerily on the buildings along the main street.

The pale, bright moonlight cast down, outlining the tall and slender silhouettes of the seven figures.

Yet, in their rapid movement, these seven figures made it difficult to discern their faces.

Each of their movements, whether rising or falling, was without the slightest hindrance, leaving only a series of blurred afterimages as they swiftly approached Lu Xuan and the others.

In a flash, the seven people drew sharp afterimages in the air, leaping down in succession from mid-air.

All seven of these individuals were wearing identical light-red brocade robes.

On the brocade robes, plum blossoms were embroidered lifelike, their petals unfurling as if swaying gracefully in the wind.

Under the moonlight, they shimmered with a soft luster, these plum blossom patterns like flowing rosy clouds.

Each blossom was meticulously embroidered with dazzling red silk threads, and the stamens were outlined with the finest gold threads.

The moment the seven landed, their footsteps were incredibly light, silent, with only the faint rustling of their robes as they swayed in the wind.

To Lu Xuan and Pan Cang's surprise, all seven newcomers were women.

"Brother Cang, who are these women?"

"Why have I never seen these people in the county town before?"

Pan Cang completely ignored the questions from the two beside him.

At this moment, do you two still have the mood to ask such questions?

The Aura emanating from these seven women was simply outrageous to the extreme.

The palpable pressure weighed heavily on Pan Cang's heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Pan Cang's eyes suddenly widened as he vigilantly watched the seven women.

Among these seven women, several had Auras comparable to his own.

But what frightened Pan Cang the most was that among these women, there was a power that made him feel suffocated.

Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists!

Without a doubt, only Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists could make Pan Cang, a Blood Refinement Realm Perfection Martial Artist, feel so powerless.

Pan Cang pressed his lips together, his gaze fixed on the opposite side, not daring to relax in the slightest.

What's going on tonight?

Why do I feel like my luck is incredibly bad?

Not long after patrolling tonight, I first encountered those ghostly things and almost died.

Then, I encountered some martial Dao experts I had never seen before.

Just as Pan Cang and the other two felt extremely frustrated, Lu Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze fixed on the seven women, appearing thoughtful.

At this moment, Lu Xuan had discerned some clues about the origin of these seven women, vaguely guessing their purpose.

The leading woman appeared to be in her thirties, with the Aura of an Inner Qi Realm Minor Achievement Martial Artist.

"Greetings, Lord Lu. I am Mei Qingyu, a Fourth-rank Plum Blossom Guard. Your Majesty has decreed that we personally guide Lord Lu!"

"Plum Blossom Guard?"

Lu Xuan was, of course, familiar with the Plum Blossom Guard.

The Plum Blossom Guard was a new organization created by the empress after her ascension, extremely mysterious, and only obeyed her.

As soon as Mei Qingyu finished speaking, her originally cold and emotionless face seemed to soften for a moment.

A hint of helplessness, like ripples, slowly spread across her face inadvertently.

This Lord Lu is truly a strange fellow.

Your Majesty had clearly issued a decree to summon him.

Yet, he was taking his sweet time on the way, even avoiding shortcuts, as if he intended to visit all five prefectures surrounding the Imperial Capital.

Those who didn't know better might even think that this Lord Lu didn't know the way.

Even if Your Majesty didn't explicitly point out these strange actions, the Lord of the Plum Blossom Guard, who served by Your Majesty's side, could not pretend to be ignorant.

Therefore, the day before yesterday, the Lord of the Plum Blossom Guard issued an order to the Plum Blossom Guard in the Imperial Capital.

Each Fourth-rank Plum Blossom Guard, accompanied by some personnel, was to go to the five prefectures to find Lu Xuan's whereabouts.

Then, they were to swiftly bring Deputy Commander of the Xuan Niao Guard, Lu Xuan, to the Imperial Capital to meet the Emperor.

Upon seeing Mei Qingyu's helpless expression, Lu Xuan's face, usually as calm as a deep pool, now showed a faint ripple.

It was a hint of embarrassment.

It seemed he had indeed forgotten that the empress was still waiting for him in the Imperial Palace.

Because Lu Xuan had been immersed in the pleasure of killing anomalies and gaining points these days, he had almost forgotten about the empress in the Imperial Palace.

"Then I shall trouble Senior Qingyu to lead the way!"

Lu Xuan, knowing he was in the wrong, readily agreed, no longer dwelling on those strange matters.

It wouldn't hurt to wait a little longer. After meeting the empress, he would also take the opportunity to understand the true situation of the Great Xia Dynasty.

"Lord Lu!"

"?????????"

"Your Majesty's decree?"

"Plum Blossom Guard?"

After hearing the conversation between Lu Xuan and the Plum Blossom Guard, Pan Cang and the other two were instantly struck by lightning, standing frozen on the spot.

Their eyes widened, staring at Mei Qingyu in astonishment, as if their Souls had been shaken out of their bodies by these few short exchanges.

What's going on!

What did we just hear!

Pan Cang and the other two's minds were blank, only filled with surging astonishment.

They recognized the words, but when combined, it was a fantasy, completely beyond their understanding.

"Please, Lord Lu!"

Upon receiving Lu Xuan's approval, joy instantly bloomed on the pretty faces of Mei Qingyu and the Plum Blossom Guards behind her.

These people quickly moved to both sides, clearing a path, and at the same time, made a gesture of invitation, indicating for Lu Xuan to follow them.

It wasn't until Lu Xuan and the Plum Blossom Guard had been gone for a long time that Pan Cang and the other two came back to their senses, exchanging bewildered glances, their eyes filled with undisguised confusion.

At this moment, a Blackbird Guard standing beside Pan Cang, with a hesitant expression, asked weakly, "Brother Cang, what should we do?"

"Should we still patrol?"

"Patrol?"

Pan Cang was first stunned, his thoughts instantly pulled back to reality.

However, in the blink of an eye, Pan Cang quickly reacted, waving his hand forward with force, his expression full of competence and decisiveness, and shouted loudly, "What's there to patrol!"

"The most urgent task now is to report everything that just happened to those several Mystic Envoy s!"

"Also, the anomaly we killed just now, and the ghostly thing that Senior killed, must also be reported to the several Mystic Envoy s."

"That ghostly thing, I suppose, means that recently, another deceased person's family has experienced an abnormal situation, causing them to turn into that ghostly thing."

"Go!"

As Pan Cang's words left his mouth, the power of his Qi and blood instantly burst forth.

Under the effect of this powerful force, Pan Cang's figure suddenly erupted like a black lightning bolt.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a fleeting afterimage, rapidly darting towards a certain direction.

Seeing this, the other two Blackbird Guards dared not delay in the slightest, hastily circulated their own Qi and blood power, their Auras surging, following closely behind Pan Cang, and the three instantly vanished from their original spot.

Imperial Capital!

Deep within the Imperial Palace, a palace was concealed, its exterior appearing modest and unpretentious at first glance, even somewhat unremarkable compared to the surrounding grand corridors.

However, the floor inside the grand hall was entirely paved with golden jade bricks.

Each golden jade brick was meticulously carved, with delicate and clear patterns, exuding a warm and luxurious luster in the unblinding light.

Inside the hall, it was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard, and an atmosphere of solemn majesty permeated every inch of the air.

In the very center of the grand hall, a wide staircase unfolded, each step carved from a single piece of white jade.

At the very top of the staircase was a throne crafted from black jade essence stone, its color deep and rich, almost black, constantly emitting a faint cold light.

Suddenly!

At the very bottom of the staircase, a ghostly figure suddenly appeared without warning; it was a woman dressed in a light-red brocade robe.

Immediately after, the woman, with swift yet steady movements, knelt on one knee, her knee touching the ground without making the slightest sound.

She merely nodded slightly, her gaze lowered, showing utmost respect.

A moment later, the woman spoke softly, her voice low yet clearly audible in the spacious hall.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Deputy Commander of the Xuan Niao Guard, Lu Xuan, has arrived outside the Imperial Palace, accompanied by the Plum Blossom Guard."

As soon as the woman finished speaking, the hall remained silent, only her words echoing softly in the vast, quiet space.