322: The demon from outer space!

Lu Xuan moved through the air, feeling the subtle changes in the spiritual energy of the world as his robes fluttered.

Then, Lu Xuan's brows gradually furrowed.

Wherever his spiritual sense swept, the spiritual energy distribution within a radius of ten thousand miles was completely within his sight.

The spiritual energy concentration near the Imperial Capital was actually dozens of times higher than that of the Southern Region!

Lu Xuan discovered that the closer he got to the Imperial Capital of Middle Province, the stickier the spiritual energy in the air became, eventually flowing around him as if it were substantial.

“It seems that when the time comes, I will have to leave the Great Xia Dynasty and go to a new world,” Lu Xuan muttered to himself, black-gold light shimmering in his eyes.

Such a terrifying spiritual energy tide could certainly not have formed naturally in just over a hundred years.

As the spiritual energy of the world in the Middle Province of the Great Xia Dynasty surged, what Lu Xuan saw along the way surprised him even more.

Outer Strength Grandmasters, once a rare sight, were now ubiquitous in this Middle Province.

Even the aura of Divine Abode True Persons occasionally soared into the sky from various major cities.

In a small border town in Middle Province, he even sensed three Divine Palace Realm experts clashing.

The surging fluctuations of heaven and earth power caused the winds and clouds within dozens of miles to change.

“In just over a hundred years, the Great Xia Dynasty’s martial arts have flourished to this extent…” Lu Xuan lightly twirled his fingertip, and a wisp of spiritual energy transformed into a brilliant black-gold light between his fingers, “It seems that many martial artists from outside worlds have come to this land of the Great Xia Dynasty!”

Immediately, Lu Xuan suddenly recalled that before Liang Cheng and Lu Yunqing went mad, they both had issues while trying to break through to the Major Achievement of the Divine Palace Realm.

And the spiritual energy anomaly near the Imperial Capital also seemed to have appeared only in recent decades.

Could there be a connection between these two…?

Thinking of this, the cold light in Lu Xuan’s eyes surged, and the spiritual energy within a hundred feet of his body suddenly solidified, then exploded with a roar!

Using the force of the rebound, his figure instantly transformed into a streak of light, speeding towards the Imperial Capital.

Wherever he passed, the clouds dispersed, leaving a lingering black-gold trail in the sky.

Imperial Capital!

Deep within the Imperial Palace of the Imperial Capital, a faint scent of dragon incense permeated the Hall of Political Affairs.

Six ancient figures sat cross-legged in the air, various profound Dao rhythms circulating around them, illuminating the entire hall with an extraordinary brilliance.

“That Heavenly Stone Mansion to the west of the Imperial Capital…” At this moment, the elder at the head suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse like rustling dry leaves, “Let’s give it to those people from the Mingxian Sect.”

As soon as these words came out, the other five elders were all stunned, seemingly not expecting him to respond so directly.

This white-haired elder, dressed in a profound black divine bird robe, had faint dark Dao patterns circulating beneath his wrinkled skin.

And the elder who spoke was the most senior among the living Royal Ancestors of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The younger brother of the founding ancestor of the Great Xia Dynasty, Xia Wushi!

A Lord of the Heavens in the Major Achievement of the Void Tempering Realm!

Xia Wushi ignored everyone’s astonishment, merely slowly closing his eyes that had witnessed thousands of years of vicissitudes: “Let these outsiders be arrogant for a while.”

His withered fingers lightly tapped the void, creating subtle spatial ripples.

“When Empress Xia Mingyue comes out of seclusion, these outsiders will know.”

“This continent belongs to our Great Xia Dynasty, and anyone who touches it must die!”

With the words spoken, the other two Royal Ancestors already understood Xia Wushi’s intention.

One of them, an elder dressed in a purple-gold and black robe, stroked his beard and said, “What Grand Ancestor Wushi said is absolutely correct!”

“Once Empress Xia Mingyue breaks through to the Earth Venerable Realm Master, our clan will make these scoundrels spit out everything, principal and interest!”

Another Black-Red Robed Royal Ancestor, however, couldn’t help but sigh: “It’s a pity that Ritian left the Great Xia Dynasty with those old monsters from the Asking Immortal Holy Domain.”

His fist in his sleeve clenched slightly, “Otherwise, our clan wouldn’t have been forced into such a predicament…”

At the other end of the hall, the three surviving ancestors of the Eight Great Families had various expressions.

The Li Family Old Ancestor’s mouth twitched imperceptibly, the Mo Family Old Ancestor observed his nose with his eyes, and the Shangguan Family Old Ancestor stared blankly at the cloud patterns on his sleeve.

Once upon a time, the destruction of the Eight Great Families led these three families to believe they could seize more martial arts resources from the Great Xia Dynasty.

This would allow the power of those three families to ascend to an even higher level.

The result was clear: these people had thought too much.

The moment the heavenly seal of the Great Xia Dynasty shattered, this realm of the Great Xia Dynasty was completely exposed to the world.

This was undoubtedly a large piece of fat meat, attracting countless eyes.

Those notorious rogue martial artists from the Wujie Sea were distressed about having nowhere to go.

And some major forces with profound foundations from the Asking Immortal Continent even brought mighty forces to forcefully settle in.

Wave after wave of experts flocked in, setting foot on the land of the Great Xia Dynasty.

They claimed mountains as their own, partitioned territories, and fragmented the Great Xia Dynasty’s territory.

Initially, the Great Xia Dynasty naturally wanted to eliminate these impolite outsiders as quickly as possible.

Because these outsiders were simply too rude!

Therefore, the Great Xia Dynasty, in conjunction with the three major families, set up an inescapable net, launching a thunderous encirclement against the outsiders to assert their status as rulers of this land.

But as time went on, these damned foreign forces gathered more and more, and among them were top experts of the Void Tempering Realm.

Facing a continuous stream of powerful opponents,

Even with the profound foundation of the Great Xia Dynasty and the full efforts of the three major families, it was merely a drop in the bucket, not enough to cope.

Ultimately, as time progressed, the Great Xia Dynasty had no choice but to compromise, turning a blind eye.

They allowed these outsiders to fight among themselves and carve out territories, no longer forcefully interfering with them.

In the hearts of the three Royal Ancestors of the Great Xia Dynasty, these unruly outsiders were merely temporarily triumphant.

Just as Xia Wushi said, once Empress Xia Mingyue emerged from seclusion, the Great Xia Dynasty would surely regroup.

By then, these jumping clowns would ultimately pay a painful price for their arrogance.

Everything the Great Xia Dynasty had lost would be reclaimed, principal and interest.

Rumble...

Inside the tranquil palace, a sudden roar broke the silence.

From the direction of the Imperial Capital’s East City, there came an earth-shattering tremor.

The force of that power was so strong that even the dragon incense burner, quietly standing in the hall, trembled uncontrollably.

Xia Wushi, who had just slowly closed his eyes, instantly opened them wide.

On his already weathered, ancient face, a hint of unconcealed displeasure swiftly flashed.

And Officials Surname Old Ancestor’s reaction was even more intense; his eyes suddenly narrowed.

In an instant, his aura seemed to be frozen by an invisible force, and the atmosphere of the entire space became oppressive.

“Gentlemen, please excuse me.”

Before his voice had even finished echoing in the grand hall, Officials Surname Old Ancestor’s figure, like a wisp of smoke, transformed into several streaks of clear light and vanished into the spacious hall in the blink of an eye.

The other five people seemed accustomed to this scene, their expressions calm, as if everything was within their expectations—

After all, the clearly palpable tremor clearly came from the Imperial Capital’s East City.

And that was precisely where the Shangguan Family had been rooted for generations.

“Heh…” The Li Family Old Ancestor leisurely extended his hand, gently stroking his long beard.

After a moment, he slowly spoke, “It seems that some young junior, unaware of the immensity of heaven and earth, was exploited by an Extraterrestrial Demon hiding in the shadows, taking advantage of their vulnerability while breaking through their realm.”

Upon hearing this, the Mo Family Old Ancestor couldn't help but shake his head slightly, sighing softly: “Ever since the seal on this world was lifted, the invasions of Extraterrestrial Demons have become increasingly frequent, which is truly worrying.”

At this moment, Xia Wushi suddenly spoke.

“Since the matter of the Mingxian Sect has been settled, then you all may do as you please.”

The Li Family Old Ancestor and the Mo Family Old Ancestor exchanged glances, understanding each other implicitly, and simultaneously stood up, cupping their hands in salute to the three Royal Ancestors: “Farewell.”

As their figures gradually disappeared into the hall, the once lively hall was now left with only the three Royal Ancestors.

The Black-Red Robed Old Ancestor suddenly lowered his voice, which rumbled like distant thunder from underground: “It’s Extraterrestrial Demons again…”

His withered fingers unconsciously rubbed the dragon patterns on the armrest, and a trace of reminiscence flashed in his eyes: “Now that I think about it, the Holy Ancestor’s decision to establish the Heavenly Seal back then was truly well-intentioned.”

After the Heavenly Seal of the Great Xia Dynasty was lifted, whenever a martial artist broke through to the Divine Palace Realm, or from the Divine Palace Realm and Aperture Void Realm to higher realms,

Those Extraterrestrial Demons wandering in the Tianwu World would swarm in, using every possible method to bewitch the martial artists.

Another Royal Ancestor sighed lightly and continued, “Although the Heavenly Seal would reduce the spiritual energy of the Great Xia Dynasty to only a fraction of what it is outside…”

“But at least it protected the souls of our cultivators from being misled by those so-called Extraterrestrial Demons.”

The Black-Red Robed Old Ancestor nearby suddenly recalled what those foreign experts had said.

The Extraterrestrial Demons of the Tianwu World are formless and intangible, untouchable, existing only in the indescribable spatial rifts.

Once corrupted by an Extraterrestrial Demon, a martial artist’s spiritual sense is completely destroyed, turning them into a demonic creature that knows only slaughter.

This situation is beyond cure; they can only wait for their strength to run out and die, their souls and bodies extinguished, their Dao dissipated!

The topic of Extraterrestrial Demons, once brought up, caused the three Royal Ancestors to fall silent simultaneously.

They knew that only peerless experts who had stepped into the Earth VenerableRealm could manifest their inner small world and pull those Extraterrestrial Demons out of the void.

Within the scope of the small world, the Earth Venerable Realm Master is the supreme ruler of the world; no existence can escape their perception.

However!

Earth Venerable Realm Masters, beings akin to Lu Earth True Immortals, are extremely rare peerless great powers, even when considering the entire Tianwu World.

As Lu Earth True Immortals, Earth Venerablegreat powers usually live in seclusion, pursuing that elusive realm.

Tian Yuan Dao Immortal!

Therefore, most martial artists who are corrupted by Extraterrestrial Demons can only rely on their own will to maintain their original intention and not be bewitched by it, in order to break through their bottleneck.

“Ah—”

A crazed roar suddenly came from deep within the imperial palace, as if seeping out from the Nine Nether Hell, causing the three Royal Ancestors to change color simultaneously.

The three Royal Ancestors’ bodies trembled simultaneously, and they immediately sensed the source of the sound.

It was precisely the Imperial Palace Forbidden Area!

Two of the elders almost simultaneously turned their gaze to Xia Wushi, their eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

They were all too familiar with those two voices.

Weren’t they those two little devils from the Lu Family who were corrupted by Extraterrestrial Demons?

The two newly appointed Vice Directors of the Blackbird Guard, Liang Cheng and Lu Yunqing.

Back then, when those two little devils from the Lu Family caused a ruckus in the Imperial Capital, it was Grand Ancestor Wushi himself who apprehended them.

“Grand Ancestor Wushi, weren’t those two Lu Family boys suppressed by the Xuan Bird Heavenly Seal?”

“This sound…” One elder’s expression was solemn.

“Damn it!” The other Black-Red Robed Old Ancestor couldn’t help but curse.

Hearing this, a rare hint of confusion appeared on Xia Wushi’s aged face, his brows tightly furrowed.

Because he also didn't know how to answer this question.

Logically speaking, with Lu Yunqing and Liang Cheng’s mere Minor Achievement cultivation in the Divine Palace Realm, it would be absolutely impossible for them to shake the seal he had personally set.

Since those two little devils from the Lu Family couldn’t break the restraints he had set, it meant there was external help.

“Go!”

Thinking of this, Xia Wushi uttered only one word before his figure had already merged into the void.

The other two elders exchanged glances, both seeing the same shock in each other’s eyes—

They also guessed the answer.

To cause the Xuan Bird Heavenly Seal to loosen, there must have been external intervention!

And, this power is probably… above Grand Ancestor Wushi’s strength!

The figures of the three elders disappeared one after another in the hall, leaving only a few unsettled spatial ripples.

Deep within the Imperial Palace Forbidden Area, ten thousand meters underground, a profound black palace stood silently.

This building, only one percent the size of the Imperial Palace, was entirely cast from black profound iron, its surface adorned with ancient heaven and earth patterns.

It was precisely the most secret treasury and cultivation holy land of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Inside the side hall, thirty-six luminous pearls were embedded in the profound iron walls, illuminating the entire space as if it were daytime.

In mid-air, two figures were tightly bound by several pitch-black chains, emitting inhuman roars.

Thick, substantial black mist coiled around their bodies, and their eyes were completely consumed by blackness, without a hint of white, like demons crawled out from the Nine Nether.

In the void in front of them was a tall, slender figure.

It was Lu Xuan!

Lu Xuan was dressed in a profound black brocade robe, his sleeves fluttering without wind.

He merely stood there, causing ripples like water waves to spread through the entire space of the side hall.

It was Lu Xuan’s arrival that caused the black imperial seal suspended in mid-air to tremble violently, the Xuan Bird totem carved on its body flickering between bright and dim.

With each tremor, the chains binding the two madmen became a bit more ethereal, causing the two demonized bodies to struggle even more fiercely.

“Roar—”

The two madmen, who had fallen into a state of calm, now had strength again and suddenly roared up to the sky.

Visible black mist on their bodies surged out like a tide, attempting to break free from the chains binding them.

Lu Xuan’s gaze narrowed slightly, sweeping over the trembling Xuan Bird Heavenly Seal in mid-air.

He gently raised his right hand, and his slender index finger pointed into the air!

“Crack!”

A crisp cracking sound echoed through the underground palace.

The black chains, capable of suppressing Void Tempering Realm experts, actually shattered with that gentle flick of a finger!