236: Reward the cave with spiritual objects! Host the martial arts competition!

This woman before him, was she Empress Xia Mingyue, who controlled the Great Xia Dynasty's vast lands and was the Dominator of all living beings?

Even when facing this Empress who held the pinnacle of power in the Great Xia Dynasty, Lu Xuan's gaze showed no hint of fear.

Lu Xuan stood below, looking directly at the Empress above, or more accurately, at Xia Mingyue, who was lazily reclining on the dark imperial throne.

A moment later, Lu Xuan slowly raised his hands, leaned slightly forward, and bowed, speaking in a steady, neither humble nor arrogant tone.

"Your humble servant, Xuan Bird Guard Deputy Director Lu Xuan, greets Your Majesty!"

On the way here, Royal Concubine Man Qingqiu had mentioned some points to Lu Xuan that needed attention when granted an audience with Her Majesty.

Within the Great Xia Dynasty, when directly facing the Imperial Presence, a Divine Palace Realm Immortal Master only needed to bow and salute, without performing the grand kneeling ceremony.

Immediately after Lu Xuan's words fell, Xia Mingyue, who was lazily reclining on the imperial throne, responded, her thin lips parting as her voice carried out.

"Minister Lu, there is no need for such formalities!"

Immediately after, when Lu Xuan raised his head again to look at the imperial throne, his eyes instantly narrowed, his pupils shrinking to the size of a pinprick.

Because just a second ago, Empress Xia Mingyue was still lazily leaning on the imperial throne.

She was supporting her snow-white chin with a single, delicate and soft jade hand, exuding an air of lazy nobility and majesty.

However, in a blink of an eye, Empress Xia Mingyue vanished like a wisp of smoke, leaving no trace, as if she had never appeared on that imperial throne.

After witnessing this inconceivable scene, Lu Xuan felt a chill run down his spine, and the hairs on his back instantly stood on end.

This was the first time he had ever witnessed such a speed that completely overturned his understanding.

One must know that from the moment Lu Xuan stepped into this grand hall,

He had quietly locked his Divine Thought perception onto Empress Xia Mingyue, not daring to relax for a moment.

Therefore, every single movement of Empress Xia Mingyue was secretly noted by Lu Xuan.

However, in front of Lu Xuan's powerful Divine Thought perception, Empress Xia Mingyue had completely vanished without a trace right under his nose, without any warning.

Just as an alarm bell rang in Lu Xuan's heart, a soft yet extremely majestic voice spoke.

"Qing Qiu, you may withdraw first!"

This sentence drifted leisurely within the spacious hall, and it was indeed the voice of Empress Xia Mingyue.

Under Lu Xuan's careful discernment, the voice came from the direction where Royal Concubine Man Qingqiu was standing.

Lu Xuan's expression remained unchanged, but the corner of his eye subtly glanced towards Royal Concubine Man Qingqiu's position, as if by accident.

Empress Xia Mingyue's figure was now standing in front of Royal Concubine Man Qingqiu.

Behind her, the long, dark imperial tassel skirt trailed gracefully across the clean, mirror-like golden jade floor tiles.

At the front of the dark imperial tassel skirt, Empress Xia Mingyue was surprisingly barefoot, her pair of jade feet exquisitely exposed to Lu Xuan's eyes.

Her skin was like freshly fallen snow, pure and flawless, without a speck of dust.

Like naturally formed suet white jade, it constantly exuded an extreme sense of elegance and nobility.

The moment Empress Xia Mingyue's words fell, Royal Concubine Man Qingqiu quickly bowed slightly, her expression full of respect, and responded softly.

"Yes, Your Majesty, your humble servant takes her leave!"

Then, as Royal Concubine Man Qingqiu turned to leave,

Her beautiful eyes, as they swept around, landed directly on Lu Xuan, a meaningful look of contemplation flashing in her gaze.

This Lu Xuan is truly interesting; it seems Her Majesty values him greatly.

At least, in all the years Royal Concubine Man Qingqiu had served by Empress Xia Mingyue's side,

She had never seen Her Majesty appear before the world in such a casual, lazy manner.

After a few short breaths, Royal Concubine Man Qingqiu, filled with doubts, silently exited the grand hall.

Instantly, the hall fell into a dead silence, quiet enough to hear a pin drop, as if even the air had solidified.

At this moment, Empress Xia Mingyue, not far away, no longer appeared and disappeared like before.

Instead, she gently lifted her jade feet, slowly stepping on the ground, each step like treading on invisible lotus flowers, gracefully walking towards Lu Xuan.

However, every step Empress Xia Mingyue took, seemingly simple and ordinary, actually contained a mysterious and unfathomable power.

The golden jade floor tiles beneath her feet seemed to be separated by an invisible force that could not be seen with the naked eye.

She seemed to be walking on solid ground, yet she was strolling through the ethereal Void Realm.

The corner of Lu Xuan's eye was fixed on Empress Xia Mingyue's feet, his eyes filled with a peculiar emotion.

Of course, don't misunderstand, Lu Xuan at this moment naturally had no intention of appreciating this exquisite pair of jade feet.

Lu Xuan's heart was filled with surprise; what kind of power was this?

Empress Xia Mingyue, before him, emitted no power fluctuations around her, yet she could move freely through the air with a leisurely posture.

All of this seemed very ordinary, yet it revealed an inexplicable profoundness.

It was as if Empress Xia Mingyue had merged with this Heaven and Earth, unbound by Law, every action representing all things in Heaven and Earth.

Without knowing when, Empress Xia Mingyue had quietly arrived in front of Lu Xuan, only a few steps away.

At this distance, Lu Xuan could very clearly see the shifting gaze in Empress Xia Mingyue's eyes.

A nearly perfect black Xuan Bird pattern, as if endowed with vibrant life, was delicately carved onto the Empress's fair and smooth forehead.

The black Xuan Bird was lifelike, constantly filled with a mysterious, dark, and profound light.

With every breath and every subtle movement of Empress Xia Mingyue,

The dark light on the Xuan Bird faintly flickered, giving Lu Xuan the illusion of facing the Dominator of Heaven and Earth.

While Lu Xuan was observing Xia Mingyue, Xia Mingyue was also scrutinizing Lu Xuan.

Actually, from the moment Lu Xuan entered the Imperial Palace, Xia Mingyue had already seen Lu Xuan's appearance clearly.

She even knew about the confrontation between Lu Xuan and the Inner Attendant Directorate when he first entered the Imperial Palace.

However, when this Lu Xuan truly stood before her eyes,

The distance of a few steps away caused Xia Mingyue's heart, which had been silent for many years and as still as an ancient well, to quietly ripple with waves.

If it were anyone else, Xia Mingyue wouldn't know.

But for herself, Xia Mingyue could guarantee that no one in the Imperial Palace could hide from her perception.

This Lu Xuan's bone age was indeed around twenty years old.

A Minor Achievement Divine Palace Realm at twenty!

Interesting!

Truly interesting!

Such unprecedented and unique Martial Dao Aptitude truly makes one feel despair!

Back then, when she was twenty years old, with the help of various Heavenly Spiritual Objects from the Imperial Family Treasury, she only barely managed to Breakthrough to the Martial Dao Grandmaster Realm.

Finally, it was only after obtaining the supreme Ancestral Artifact in the Imperial Family Forbidden Ground that her Martial Dao Realm advanced by leaps and bounds, breaking through numerous shackles and soaring all the way up.

Could this Lu Xuan also possess a unique Heavenly Spiritual Object, as miraculous as my Imperial Family's Ancestral Artifact?

Xia Mingyue's heart was like surging waves, a myriad of thoughts intertwined and collided.

However, her beautiful face remained as calm as a windless lake, not revealing the slightest bit of her true thoughts deep within her heart.

The next moment, Xia Mingyue turned around, her back to Lu Xuan, revealing her beautiful silhouette unreservedly before Lu Xuan's eyes.

Her three thousand strands of dark, ink-like hair fell smoothly down her back, undisturbed by any external force.

Xia Mingyue turned around, and then her gentle yet majestic voice, like a wisp of spiritual breeze, slowly drifted into Lu Xuan's ears again.

"Minister Lu, you previously quelled the chaos in Ming Prefecture of the Southern Domain, a meritorious deed. I will certainly reward you handsomely!"

Seeing this, Lu Xuan's expression became solemn, changing from his usual casual demeanor, every word and action showing a respectful attitude.

"Your humble servant dares not."

After all, the people Lu Xuan had encountered before were far weaker than him.

And this extremely mysterious Empress was the strongest person Lu Xuan had encountered since his emergence, without exception.

When dealing with someone far more powerful than himself, regardless of their identity, Lu Xuan would still act cautiously to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After Lu Xuan's words fell, a brief silence enveloped the surroundings.

Empress Xia Mingyue did not immediately respond to Lu Xuan.

She slowly raised her right hand, as white as suet jade, her five fingers slender and delicate, and as they slowly opened,

In an instant, a faint dark vortex, like a nimble little snake, surged out from the palm of Empress Xia Mingyue's hand.

The dark vortex seemed to be a mysterious passage connecting to an unknown Void Realm, strange and profound, making Lu Xuan vigilant once again.

Just a breath later, a look of shock suddenly appeared in Lu Xuan's eyes.

Above the dark vortex in the Void Realm, a box made of black crystal slowly floated down.

The black crystal box precisely hovered above Empress Xia Mingyue's palm.

This black crystal box was not large, only about the size of two palms clasped together.

The box itself exuded a strong aura of Heaven and Earth power, echoing the dark vortex, revealing an indescribable profoundness.

"Minister Lu, this time you not only eradicated and eliminated the White Lotus Nightmare Flower, but also killed the demonic cultists of the Netherworld White Lotus Sect."

"This is one of the rewards I give you!"

Before Lu Xuan could even open his mouth, the dark crystal box seemed to be pulled by an invisible force.

Without any external influence, it began to shake on its own.

Immediately after, the dark crystal box slowly detached from Xia Mingyue's control, floating gently before Lu Xuan's eyes.

Lu Xuan's eyes were fixed on the box; a faint Heaven and Earth power was faintly overflowing from its surface.

Of course, among these subtle Heaven and Earth power, there was also an aura that Lu Xuan was very familiar with.

This aura was naturally something Lu Xuan had always kept in his heart.

The aura of a top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Object.

Could this dark crystal box contain a top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Object?

No!

This dark crystal box was almost identical to the box Li Chengxing had given him earlier in Baidao Prefecture.

The only difference was that this dark crystal box was much larger than the previous one.

Lu Xuan remembered very clearly that this dark crystal box was not something from the mundane world.

It was a treasure that could completely conceal the rich Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi of even a top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Object.

And now, this dark crystal box could not completely cover the aura of the item inside.

Could it be that the item inside this dark crystal box was something that surpassed the existence of a top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Object?

Thinking of this possibility, a hint of fervent light flashed in Lu Xuan's eyes.

"Your humble servant is terrified!

"It is truly difficult to bear Your Majesty's grace."

Lu Xuan said he dared not, but his right hand had unconsciously reached out, and with a sincere heart, he held the dark crystal box.

Regarding his desire for Heavenly Spiritual Objects, Lu Xuan never concealed his true feelings.

Because Heavenly Spiritual Objects were one of the important things that could quickly enhance Lu Xuan's strength.

Especially things above top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Objects, those were even more crucial.

In a place Lu Xuan couldn't see, Empress Xia Mingyue's lips twitched slightly, seemingly affected by Lu Xuan's actions.

This Lu Xuan is truly interesting.

Since she ascended to the imperial throne, she hadn't encountered anyone as unreserved as Lu Xuan in front of her for a long time.

However, the things this Lu Xuan needed were indeed consistent with what the people below had reported.

Lu Xuan was extremely fond of Heavenly Spiritual Objects, even to the point of being described as greedy.

Empress Xia Mingyue, instead of being displeased by Lu Xuan's greed for Heavenly Spiritual Objects, felt relieved.

Greed is fine!

As long as the power of an extraordinary Martial Artist could be used by her, no matter how many Heavenly Spiritual Objects, Xia Mingyue could provide them.

"Inside this is a black spirit wood, a Cave Heaven Spiritual Object, which contains pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and a trace of the Law."

Cave Heaven Spiritual Object?

What is that?

And what kind of existence is this Law?

Lu Xuan frowned slightly, completely unable to understand Empress Xia Mingyue's meaning.

However, Lu Xuan indicated that it didn't matter; he had already gotten the answer he most wanted to know.

It contained a large amount of pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

This was what Lu Xuan needed: a large amount of Heavenly Spiritual Objects could bring him a massive amount of System points.

"Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your heavenly grace!"

Having received the benefit, Lu Xuan once again clasped his hands, bowed deeply with his body leaning forward, his face filled with unconcealed gratitude.

There was no other way; the Empress Xia Mingyue before him had given too much!

So much that even Lu Xuan couldn't help but feel grateful.

Unconsciously, deep within Lu Xuan's heart, he gradually labeled Empress Xia Mingyue.

A good person!

A very good person!

However, Empress Xia Mingyue, who was in front of Lu Xuan, did not know that she had been labeled as a good person by Lu Xuan.

Empress Xia Mingyue's tone then shifted, and she slowly spoke.

"Minister Lu, do you know why I summoned you?"

Lu Xuan frowned in surprise, pondered for a moment, then shook his head and replied.

"Your humble servant does not know, please enlighten Your Majesty."

"In half a year, preside over the Great Xia Dynasty's Martial Arts Competition for me."